Taiwan President Warns of ‘Catastrophic Consequences’ If Island Falls to China

THE GUARDIAN: Tsai Ing-wen says Taiwan will ‘do whatever it takes to defend itself’ against an increasingly assertive Beijing

Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen said if the island “were to fall, the consequences would be catastrophic for regional peace” Photograph: Ann Wang/Reuters
THE GUARDIAN: Tsai Ing-wen says Taiwan will ‘do whatever it takes to defend itself’ against an increasingly assertive Beijing

Taiwan is committed to defending its democracy against an increasingly aggressive China, the island’s president has vowed, warning of “catastrophic consequences” for the region should it fall.

The comments from Tsai Ing-wen, in an essay published on Tuesday, came amid record-breaking incursions by Chinese warplanes into its air defence zone. On Tuesday Taiwan’s premier, Su Tseng-chang, said the “over the top” activity violated regional peace, and Taiwan needed to be on alert.

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has sent nearly 150 planes into Taiwan’s air defence identification (ADIZ) zone in the first four days of October, in what mainland figures and media have labeled a demonstration of strength but which world governments condemned as an act of intimidation and aggression.

Writing for Foreign Affairs magazine, Tsai stressed Taiwan’s desire for peace but said “if its democracy and way of life are threatened, Taiwan will do whatever it takes to defend itself”.

However she also urged other nations to “understand the value of working with Taiwan”, against the broader threat posed by Beijing. “And they should remember that if Taiwan were to fall, the consequences would be catastrophic for regional peace and the democratic alliance system.” » | Helen Davidson in Taipei | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Taiwan and China: line that Biden must tread is finer than ever: Analysis: the fallout from a conflict triggered by miscalculation or accident could be catastrophic »

Former California Cop Who Sued over Antigay Abuse Wins $2.2 Million

ADVOCATE: Jay Brome said he was subjected to homophobic harassment throughout his 20 years with the California Highway Patrol.

Former California Highway Patrol officer Jay Brome has received a settlement of $2.2 million in a lawsuit he brought against the CHP, saying his coworkers made his life on the job miserable because he’s gay.

Brome was a CHP officer from 1996 until 2015, when he took medical leave due to the stress of the homophobia he encountered. It began when he was in the police academy and continued throughout his CHP career.

“There was bullying or name-calling — ‘fag,’ ‘gay,’’’ Brome told The Sacramento Bee in 2018. “I had an instructor that told me … to take my skirt off and start acting like a man.”

At one point at the academy, according to his lawsuit, a fellow cadet aimed a training gun at his head and said, “I know you’re gay, tell me you’re gay or I’ll pull the trigger.” » | Trudy Ring | Monday, October 4, 2021

More Satisfaction

Photograph : Adobe Stock

Juste un baiser satisfaisant

Just a satisfying kiss / Nur ein befriedigender Kuß
Many thanks to El Chulo Dominicano and Pinterest for this photo.

"Pandora Papers" enthüllen geheime Geschäfte von Politikern und Promis | DW Nachrichten

Oct 4, 2021 • Die Enthüllungen bestätigen die schlimmsten Vorurteile gegen Politiker: Dass sich einige von ihnen nämlich lieber selbst bereichern als Korruption und Steuerflucht zu bekämpfen. Interne Daten von verschiedenen Finanzdienstleistern - genannt "Pandora Papers" - enttarnen mehr als 330 Politiker und hochrangige Beamte aus 91 Ländern, darunter Staats und Regierungschefs. Für Tschechiens Ministerpräsident Babis kommen die Enthüllungen zur Unzeit - er will diese Woche wiedergewählt werden.

Die DW spricht mit dem Journalisten Nils Naber, der an den Recherchen beteiligt war.

This Is Not Just Brexit. It's a Marks & Spencer Brexit. Truth to Power

UK gas prices are currently the highest in Europe, with some industry experts stating that this is at least partly because of Brexit and the UK no longer being part of a European Union arrangement to aggregate gas supply across the bloc. Well, maybe that’s true and maybe it isn’t, but what is beyond doubt is that in the latest plot development in Brexit the disaster movie: Marks & Spencer are closing more than half its stores in France due to Brexit supply problems, and a quarter of small UK businesses have now suspended EU sales altogether, due to post-Brexit rules. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

BoJo is a know-nothing when it comes to economics. Nobody in his right mind who knows even just a little about economics would walk away from a single market of 500m+ consumers. That is the Single Market which Margaret Thatcher worked hard to bring about. It brought us prosperity.

Brexit is going to make this country much, much poorer. It is going to turn this country into the ‘Sick Man of Europe’ again. We’ve been there once before.

The selection of goods in the supermarkets has shrunk significantly; and what is available is generally inferior. Fruit and vegetables quickly go mildew in the salad crisper. That never happened before this damn Brexit.

The fact is that the tw*ts—use the vowel of your own choosing—have screwed up – BIG TIME.

But it should also be borne in mind that we Brits have lost our rights as European citizens, rights such as the right to set up a business, the right to buy a residence, the right to free healthcare, the right to love across frontiers, and many more rights besides. I, for one, resent losing my European rights. Despite once being a dyed-in-the-wool Conservative voter, I declare here and now that I shall never vote for the Conservatives again. I could never trust them.

The once united United Kingdom has been turned into the disUnited Kingdom; and I can’t see that changing for very many years to come.

I DO NOT respect the result of the Brexit referendum for ONE simple reason: It was NOT democratic. It was also badly designed. Further, the voters were fed claptrap and lies about the European Union.

I, for one, am ashamed of the way that the UK, under BoJo and his cabinet of jesters, is being governed. This is not the United Kingdom I once knew and loved. This whole Brexit saga is sad and stupid. Moreover it is going to impoverish the nation. – © Mark

Hélène Grimaud – Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23: II. Adagio

Hélène Grimaud considers the concerto in A major "probably the most sublime concerto Mozart ever wrote", with a slow movement that is "an extremely deep and painful expression of longing, where you find the real Mozart." …

Dimitra’s Dishes : Mediterranean Stuffed Artichokes: The Perfect Party Appetizer

Get the printable recipe here.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — October 4, 2021

Zu Tisch ... in Apulien | ARTE

Sep 5, 2021 • Apulien: der Süden des Südens. Von der Adria und dem Ionischen Meer umgeben und von 300 Sonnentagen im Jahr verwöhnt, ist die Region am Absatz des italienischen Stiefels ein einziges Obst- und Gemüsebeet, in dem alle Zutaten der mediterranen Küche gedeihen. Die Reihe reist auf die Halbinsel Gargano, rund um Rignano Garganico, Monte Sant'Angelo, Vico del Gargano und Peschici.

Die Folge "Der Gargano" beginnt in Rignano Garganico, hier lebt Giuseppe Bramante und züchtet Garganica-Ziegen und Podolica-Kühe. Damals wie heute vom Speiseplan der Hirten nicht wegzudenken sind Musciska – gewürzte und in der Sonne gedörrte Fleischstreifen.Im Inneren des Nationalparks zeugen Klöster und Einsiedeleien von tiefgeprägter Spiritualität. Hier steht die Wallfahrtskirche San Michele Arcangelo. Und auch zu Hause darf eine Prise Heiligkeit nicht fehlen. Auf Basis von Mandeln bereitet Anna Basta die traditionelle Süßspeise zu: Ostie chiene.In Peschici betreibt die Familie Ottaviano in fünfter Generation Fischfang mit dem traditionellen Trabucco. Von einem schmalen Steg hoch über dem Meer schauen die Männer ins Wasser. Ob die Falle heute zuschnappen wird?

Dokureihe, Regie: Lorenza Castella (D 2021, 27 Min)

Trailer : Supernova

The Government Promised to Clamp Down on Shell Companies. It Has Failed to Do So

THE GUARDIAN: These schemes are an invitation to dodge taxes and accept bribes. And as the Pandora papers show, they’re thriving

Anyone able to afford the entry fee still has access to a financial network denied to the rest of us.’ Photograph: peterhowell/Getty Images/iStockphoto
If it feels as if the secrets revealed by the Pandora papers – the biggest ever leak of offshore data – are familiar, that’s because they are.

A Ukrainian president, a former British prime minister, a friend of Vladimir Putin, they all featured in the Panama papers – which uncovered the financial information of more than 200,000 offshore businesses – back in 2016. Here we are five years later, reading about them all over again.

The individuals may be different: it’s Tony Blair this time, not David Cameron; Ukraine has a new president; and the Putin friend is an oil trader, not a cellist. But the essential details are the same. Anyone able to afford the entry fee still has access to a financial network denied to the rest of us; and it follows that no one in power has done anything substantive about it in the past half-decade.

t shouldn’t need saying, but this is bad. Democracies only survive because the law applies equally to everyone. If a shadow system persists that allows the rich and powerful to avoid obeying the same rules as the rest of us, the trust that underpins our system will disappear. Without trust, democracy cannot survive. » | Oliver Bullough | Monday, October 4, 2021

It is self-evident that we are not living in democracies but kleptocracies! Whilst this is going on, any talk of democracy is laughable. Our systems are corrupt and rotten to the core. Who can be trusted anymore? Each man is out for himself. Further, the bigger the theft, the more likely you are to get away with it! Steal a Mars bar and you're in deep trouble; steal a few billion and all is well – you're protected. Talk of perversion, this is it! Rotten is as rotten does. – © Mark

'Pandora Papers' Expose Secret Tax Havens of the Rich & Powerful | DW News

Oct 4, 2021 • A massive data leak has revealed the secret financial dealings of some of the world's richest and most powerful people. The "Pandora Papers" show how politicians, business tycoons and celebrities hide their wealth using off-shore tax havens. The investigation was carried out by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, with global media partners including DW.

Tories facing calls to return cash from donors named in Pandora papers: Ministers forced to answer string of questions about Tory donors’ alleged links to corruption »

UK Truck Crisis: Delivery Shortages Put Christmas at Risk | DW News

Oct 4, 2021 • Army tanker drivers are to start delivering fuel to filling stations in the UK. Many have run dry in a deepening supply crisis. The government insists it has a plan to end shortages of fuel and some foods, but admits it could be months before things get back to normal. Critics say Brexit is causing the chaos.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is remaining defiant as he faces a supply chain crisis in the lead up to the Christmas season. In an address to party faithful he said he has a bold plan for a post-COVID recovery. But labour shortages across the UK are bringing logistics to a standstill and leaving supermarket shelves empty. The army is to be deployed to shore up fuel supplies, after days of panic buying at the pumps.

Hauler David Zacchea points to all the trucks he's had to take off the road. He can't hire enough drivers to run them.

It's part of a wider supply chain crisis gripping the UK. The government says it will offer thousands of temporary visas so that foreign drivers can fill the gap. But business owners say it's like throwing a drop of water on a bonfire.

Driver's unions also say conditions on the job are so poor, it makes keeping staff difficult. Business is now concerned that logistics for the Christmas season will suffer. Poultry farmers are experiencing labor shortages as well, saying people's Christmas turkeys are under threat. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is trying to promote a sense of calm, saying it was all part of the plan for post-Brexit Britain. But it's doing little to sooth nerves. Fears of shortages have led to panic buying at petrol stations. Many retailers say fuel levels are critically low.


This is primarily a Brexit problem. That is undeniable. - © Mark

Britain’s Christmas Lament: Meat Shortages and Delivery Delays: Military personnel are driving transport trucks. Pig farmers may start culling their stock. Even the government says shortages will affect Christmas, as Britons brace for a challenging winter. »

Bier, Speck, Medikamente: In Grossbritannien fehlt Alltägliches: Die Briten stöhnen, viele Produkte sind kaum noch erhältlich. Weil Zehntausende Lastwagenfahrer fehlen, kämpft die Wirtschaft mit logistischen Problemen. »

Revealed: Czech PM Used Offshore Companies to Buy £13m French Mansion

THE GUARDIAN: Pandora papers reveal Andrej Babiš financed purchase via secret loans through three overseas firms

Andrej Babiš is the second-richest man in the Czech Republic. Illustration: Guardian Design
THE GUARDIAN: Pandora papers reveal Andrej Babiš financed purchase via secret loans through three overseas firms

Andrej Babiš, the billionaire Czech prime minister, is under pressure to explain a convoluted offshore structure he used to finance his purchase of a £13m mansion in the south of France.

The disclosure that Babiš controls a group of overseas companies comes as he contests a general election in the Czech Republic this week – and represents the latest embarrassing turn for a former oligarch who entered politics promising to fight corruption. Babiš is the second-richest man in the Czech Republic with a net worth of £2.7bn but his previous business dealings have provoked public protests and an ongoing clash with the EU.

Details of the secretive offshore arrangements set up by the prime minister are disclosed in the Pandora papers, the largest ever trove of leaked offshore data. The leaked documents have been shared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists with the Guardian, the BBC and other media around the world. » | Simon Goodley, Robert Tait and Scilla Alecci | Sunday, October 3, 2021

Crown estate bought £67m London property from family of Azerbaijan ruler: Leak reveals firms linked to Aliyev family – repeatedly accused of corruption – have traded nearly £400m of UK property »

Russian tycoon’s link to alleged corruption in leaked files raises questions for Tory ministers: Leak sheds light on past offshore structure used by Viktor Fedotov, whose UK firm is seeking approval for huge UK infrastructure project »

Pandora papers live: Boris Johnson says ‘all Tory donations vetted’; Kremlin dismisses ‘unsubstantiated claims’»

Major Tory donor advised on Uzbekistan deal later found to be $220m bribe: Leak shows Mohamed Amersi helped firm with what it later accepted was ‘corrupt payment’ to then Uzbek ruler’s daughter »

Pandora Papers: Ein internationales Recherchenetz beleuchtet, wie Präsidenten, Autokraten und ein König Steuern umgehen: Dem Internationalen Netzwerk investigativer Journalisten sind fast zwölf Millionen vertrauliche Dokumente zugespielt worden. Ihre Enthüllungen belasten 35 Staats- und Regierungschefs und Hunderte von Politikerinnen und Politikern. »

A bientôt 20 ans, le mariage homosexuel reste interdit un peu partout dans le monde

FRANCE CULTURE : Le mariage pour tous aura 20 ans l'an prochain. Légalisée par les Pays-Bas pour la première fois en 2001, l'union entre deux personnes de même sexe n'en reste pas moins interdite dans de nombreux pays. État des lieux en ce 29 février, jour du défilé de la Gay Pride à Sydney.

Le premier mariage entre personnes de même sexe a été célébré le 11 février 2020 en Irlande du Nord : Robyn Peoples et Sharni Edwards se sont dit oui à Carrickfergus, près de Belfast.• Crédits : Paul Faith – AFP
Il y a vingt ans, le mariage homosexuel était illégal partout dans le monde. Aujourd'hui, en 2020, il est autorisé dans une trentaine de pays, à commencer par les Pays-Bas, première nation ayant franchi le pas en 2001. Aux quatre coins de la planète, malgré les interdictions et les répressions, l'homosexualité revendique une existence publique et des droits mais les réalités sont toutefois très contrastées selon les régions. Panorama en ce samedi 29 février, jour de la parade de "Mardi Gras" de Sydney, l'un des plus importants rendez-vous LGBT au monde et qui fait office de Gay Pride en Australie.

En deux décennies, le droit au mariage pour les personnes de même sexe a été reconnu par la plupart des pays dits "occidentaux" : en Europe, en Amérique du Nord et du Sud mais aussi à Taiwan et en Afrique du Sud.

En Afrique, au Moyen-Orient et en Asie, les législations continuent de réprimer l'homosexualité en tant que telle. On risque la peine de mort au Sultanat de Brunei, en Iran et au Soudan. On encourt la prison - entre dix et quatorze ans - au Nigeria, au Liban et en Tunisie. On s'expose aux coups de bâtons en Malaisie et à Singapour... Pourtant, du Maroc au Botswana en passant par le Japon, Cuba ou l'Équateur, l'homosexualité, bien qu'elle demeure condamnée, marginalisée ou criminalisée, s'émancipe.

Une forme de culture "homo mondiale" a émergé après les années noires du sida, au siècle dernier. Le début du XXIe offre-t-il une conjoncture propice à une généralisation de l’intégration dans la loi, du principe de l'égalité des unions et des droits, pour toutes et tous ? Pas si simple. Les pionniers européens » | Par Nadine Epstain et Franck Ballanger | samedi 29 février 2020

Married and Committed

Photo Adobe Stock

Ein leidenschaftlicher Kuß

Un baiser passionné / A pssionate kiss
Photo : Adobe Stock

Jordan’s King among Leaders Accused of Amassing Secret Property Empire

THE NEW YORK TIMES: A leak of nearly 12 million files suggested King Abdullah II was among 35 current and former leaders to use secret shell companies to hide their wealth.

King Abdullah II of Jordan came under scrutiny on Sunday when a report said he was among several world leaders to use secret offshore accounts to hide his wealth. | Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times

GAZA CITY — King Abdullah II of Jordan came under heightened scrutiny on Sunday after an alliance of international news organizations reported that he was among several world leaders to use secret offshore accounts to amass overseas properties and hide their wealth.

The king was accused of using shell companies registered in the Caribbean to buy 15 properties, collectively worth more than $100 million, in southeast England, Washington, D.C., and Malibu, Calif. The purchases were not illegal, but their exposure prompted accusations of double standards: The Jordanian prime minister, who was appointed by the king, announced in 2020 a crackdown on corruption that included targeting citizens who used shell companies to disguise their overseas investments.

The Jordanian royal court declined to provide a comment to The New York Times, but lawyers for King Abdullah told the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which published the report, that his foreign properties were bought exclusively with his personal fortune and not public funds. » | Patrick Kingsley | Sunday, October 3, 2021

Pandora Papers: Biggest Ever Leak of Offshore Data Exposes Financial Secrets of Rich and Powerful »

Pandora Papers: Biggest Ever Leak of Offshore Data Exposes Financial Secrets of Rich and Powerful

THE GUARDIAN: Millions of documents reveal offshore deals and assets of more than 100 billionaires, 30 world leaders and 300 public officials

The Pandora papers reveal the inner workings of what is a shadow financial world, providing a rare window into the hidden operations of a global offshore economy. Illustration: Guardian Design
The secret deals and hidden assets of some of the world’s richest and most powerful people have been revealed in the biggest trove of leaked offshore data in history.

Branded the Pandora papers, the cache includes 11.9m files from companies hired by wealthy clients to create offshore structures and trusts in tax havens such as Panama, Dubai, Monaco, Switzerland and the Cayman Islands.

They expose the secret offshore affairs of 35 world leaders, including current and former presidents, prime ministers and heads of state. They also shine a light on the secret finances of more than 300 other public officials such as government ministers, judges, mayors and military generals in more than 90 countries.

The files include disclosures about major donors to the Conservative party, raising difficult questions for Boris Johnson as his party meets for its annual conference.

More than 100 billionaires feature in the leaked data, as well as celebrities, rock stars and business leaders. Many use shell companies to hold luxury items such as property and yachts, as well as incognito bank accounts. There is even art ranging from looted Cambodian antiquities to paintings by Picasso and murals by Banksy.

The Pandora papers reveal the inner workings of what is a shadow financial world, providing a rare window into the hidden operations of a global offshore economy that enables some of the world’s richest people to hide their wealth and in some cases pay little or no tax. » | Guardian investigations team | Sunday, October 3, 2021

Pandora papers reveal hidden riches of Putin’s inner circle »

Tony and Cherie Blair bought property via offshore firm and saved £300,000 in tax »

Let the light in: why the Guardian is publishing the Pandora papers »

Pandora Papers : plusieurs chefs de gouvernement mis en cause pour évasion fiscale : Une enquête publiée dimanche, à laquelle ont collaboré environ 600 journalistes de l'ICIJ, met en cause le premier ministre tchèque, le roi de Jordanie ou les présidents du Kenya et d'Équateur entre autres. »

« Pandora Papers » : du roi Abdallah II à Tony Blair, des dizaines de dirigeants politiques éclaboussés par le scandale »

Chopin: Scherzo No. 2 in B Flat Minor, Op. 31 | Seong-Jin Cho

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

Feedback

Maintaining this blog is more difficult than it needs to be because I am working without any information on its demographics: I have no idea of your ages, your first language, or sexual orientation, or even whether your out of the closet. (Are most of my visitors gay or straight? Please bear in mind that this blog had been going for twenty or so years before it ever became gay-friendly.) Further, I do not know exactly what percentage of my visitors are English-speaking, German-speaking, or French-speaking, especially as a first language.

I also do not know whether I’m bringing you, my visitors and followers, what you want to see, read or watch. In short, I am working in the dark.

For this reason, I ask you now to please be so kind as to email me with your thoughts and ideas on what you think of this blog and on how you think it could be made better. I want to improve this website in any way I can. Basically, as well as pleasing myself, I want to please you. That is very important to me.

For this reason, I ask you now to consider helping me by emailing me with your thoughts. Do you like this blog, and if so why, and if your think it can be improved, how it could be improved. This would be very helpful to me. It would also make my work so much easier.

You can email me at the address markalexander.librabunda@gmail,com . Rest assured that anything you write me will be in the strictest of confidence.

Warm wishes to all,

Mark

Phil Collins: Everyday | 2016 Remastered

Provided to YouTube by Laika Network | Views on YouTube: 2,612,359

Après le Brexit, Boris Johnson se prépare à un «hiver du mécontentement»

Boris Johnson à son arrivée au congrès annuel du Parti conservateur, le 3 octobre à Manchester. BEN STANSALL/AFP
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - Suite à l’envolée du prix du gaz et la pénurie de carburant, le premier ministre va devoir s’expliquer au congrès annuel du Parti conservateur.

Correspondant à Londres
Le grand large, on le sait, recèle souvent moins de dangers que le cabotage en vue des côtes. Boris Johnson en fait en ce début d’automne la singulière expérience. À Washington, il a eu son moment de gloire en compagnie de Joe Biden, pour célébrer le joli coup en Asie-Pacifique. Le retour en terre britannique a été plus rude. Les foyers de crise se multiplient et le gouvernement semble ne plus savoir où donner de la tête. La presse conservatrice l’accuse même de «l’avoir enterrée dans le sable», incapable de s’attaquer aux problèmes par incompétence. Et le premier ministre pourrait se trouver confronté à ce qu’on appelle ici un grand «hiver de mécontentement».

Comme toile de fond de la conférence annuelle du Parti conservateur qui se tient jusqu’à mercredi à Manchester, Boris Johnson aurait pu rêver mieux. Le Covid ayant dématérialisé le raout de l’an dernier, c’est pourtant la première fois que les tories se retrouvent depuis leur rezzou électoral de décembre 2019, qui a offert au vénérable parti sa plus solide majorité depuis trois décennies. «BoJo» voulait se servir de ce congrès pour tourner la page de dix-huit mois de pandémie et relancer son mandat. Mais le message est obscurci par les files de voitures devant des stations-service à sec. » | Par Arnaud De La Grange | dimanche 3 octobre 2021

Brexit Shortages - Clueless Government Has No Idea How to Deal with the Shortages

Oct 3, 2021 • The pandemic and Brexit resulted in hundreds of thousands of EU workers leaving the UK and not returning causing severe labour shortages in many sectors including transport, care, health, food and construction.

The reason why they have not returned is because of new entry requirement which include paying for work visas, health insurance and having at least £1200 to support themselves initially. This has left the UK economy with severe labour shortages whilst the loss of tax revenues generated by those EU workers.

The government has no idea how to solve this problem except by talking about 'training up our own people and paying them a lot more money' Many of 'our own people do not want the jobs previously done by EU workers and paying them more will only result in higher prices without an increase in productivity.

With an ageing population, we will need immigrants to fill the vacancies caused by Brexit and this will inevitably mean that we will have to find workers from Third World countries.

James Taylor : You’ve Got a Friend

Mount Salem Kitchen: How to Make Tafelspitz the Classic Austrian Way

Tafelspitz nach österreichischer Art

INGREDIENTS:

-1 large yellow onion, halved horizontally (unpeeled)
-1 lb. beef bones, roasted at 400F [200C] for 30 minutes
-1 tri-tip (beef triangle), about 1½ lbs. (substitute with top round sirloin)
-2 large carrots (or 4 narrow ones), peeled and cut
-2 medium parsnips, peeled and sliced
-1 small celery root, peeled and sliced
-1 T. sea salt
-15 black peppercorns
-4 juniper berries
-1 t. mustard seed
-2 bay leaves
-2 cloves garlic, peeled
-1 leek, rinsed of soil and sand, sliced
-8 ‘branches’ flat-leaf parsley, tied

METHOD:

1. Slice onion in half (don’t peel it) and place it cut-side down on a hot skillet; sear until blackened. While this is happening…

2. Rinse beef bones and tri-tip (beef triangle) in cool water; roast beef bones as directed, then place them and the beef Triangle in a pot large enough to hold them; fill ¾ with cool water, turn heat on high, and add the blackened onions.

3. Prepare the carrots, parsnips, celery root as directed, and separate into two equal parts; place half of each vegetable into the pot and set the rest aside. Add the Sea Salt, black peppercorn, juniper berries, mustard seed, bay leaves and garlic cloves.

4. When the pot is in a rolling boil, skim the scum that rises to the surface during the first 15 minutes; reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 1 ½ hours, or until the beef is tender.

5.When the beef is almost tender, remove it from the pot and strain all the solids out (consider serving the beef bones with a knife and toasted bread: spread the morrow and enjoy). Return the broth to the pot with the beef, and then add the reserved vegetables (carrots, parsnip, celery root) as well as the sliced leeks and the parsley. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

6. Remove the beef and slice it against the grain. Onto each plate or bowl, lay several slices of beef and then use a slotted spoon to add vegetables from the pot; spoon broth over the top and then garnish: add 2 T. of the apple/horseradish on top of the beef, then sprinkle minced chives and the dill fronds. Serve immediately.

Taliban Threaten Women Who Defy Working Bans | DW News

Oct 3, 2021 • When the Taliban were in power in Afghanistan in the late 1990s, women were shut out of education and could only leave their homes in the company of a male relative – this time around, 40 million Afghans are waiting to see if the new Taliban government will now try to turn back the clock on twenty years of advances for the country’s women. For Afghan women in the media, the signs aren’t looking good – the country’s state broadcaster has already taken all its female journalists off air. DW’s Nick Connolly has been to meet a radio journalist who’s in no mood to give up.

UK Calls in Military, Recruits Civilians to Drive Trucks | DW News

Oct 3, 2021 • The UK's armed forces are to start delivering fuel to gas stations across Britain, in an effort to ease a supply crisis which has brought much of the UK to a standstill.

Hundreds of filling stations have run dry, causing chaotic scenes as drivers panic-buy and attempt to stockpile fuel. The government is blaming a lack of truck drivers, and unprecedented demand driven by scare-mongering. Critics point to the fact that many foreign truck drivers left the country because of Brexit.

Fancy a UK visa? Maybe you should quickly become a truck driver. But bear in mind: You might be thrown out again at Christmas.

The UK government plans to issue temporary visas to 5,000 foreign truck drivers. The move comes after gasoline shortfalls and empty supermarket shelves.

The UK lacks about 100,000 truck drivers. They are needed to deliver everything from gasoline to groceries. The shortfall has caused panic buying.

Many blame the pandemic and above all, Brexit. But while many countries in Europe face driver shortages, some experts say unless companies in Britain offer significantly higher wages, it remains unclear how many workers will take advantage of the short-term visas.

Face au scandale des abus sexuels, comment l'Église forme ses futurs prêtres

Célébration chantante quotidienne dans l'église du séminaire, concélébrée par six prêtres. Axelle de Russé
LE FIGARO : REPORTAGE - Prise dans la tourmente, l'Église de France continue d'attirer des jeunes désireux de devenir prêtres. Alors que la commission Sauvé rend ses conclusions le 5 octobre sur les agressions sexuelles dans l'Église depuis quatre-vingts ans, Le Figaro Magazine est allé à la rencontre de ces appelés, au Séminaire international d'Ars-sur-Formans, dans l'Ain.

« La sexualité imprègne toute la vie. Y renoncer signe mon existence. » Tout en passant les vitesses de sa Peugeot un peu ¬cabossée, frôlant de ses doigts le chapelet en bois auquel pend une photo en noir et blanc du curé d'Ars, Roch Valentin se prête au jeu des questions indiscrètes. Chargé depuis huit ans de la formation d'une quarantaine de sémina¬ristes en Bourgogne, dont l'âge oscille entre 20 et 35 ans, ce prêtre est sans ¬détour. Que faire avec le désir sexuel, la frustration, la solitude, le célibat, quand on a choisi le sacerdoce ? «Aujourd'hui, toutes ces questions ne sont plus tues dans l'Église. Au contraire, nous les prenons en charge, promet-il dans un tournant pris de ¬façon un peu trop serrée, sur cette jolie route de campagne. Pour moi, l'équi¬libre de nos élèves est la clé. Nous veillons à ce qu'ils soient des hommes complets, heureux dans leur vie. » Idéal de chasteté » | Par Guyonne de Montjou (texte) et Axelle de Russé (photos) | vendredi 1 octobre 2021

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For His Sake, and Britain’s, Now Is the Time for Boris Johnson to Ride Off into the Sunset

THE GUARDIAN: He could resume his career as an entertainer and we might get a PM worthy of the office

A new prime minister might begin a reset of relations with our European neighbours, such as is impossible under Johnson.’ Photograph: Reuters
At the end of The Magnificent Seven, most delightful of all westerns, there is a scene in which the elderly Mexican village sage says to Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen: “Your work is done.” It was time for the farmers to take over again. Following which, the two gunfighters rode away, to massacre evildoers elsewhere.

We shall dismiss scepticism about whether Boris Johnson can plausibly be compared to either Brynner or McQueen, but suggest that this is a good moment for the prime minister’s chums to put to him the old Mexican’s proposition: “Your work is done.” We might then return our governance to people willing to be interested not in farming, but instead boring stuff such as keeping the gas on and making sure children attend school.

What’s more, how do we keep Britain functioning between today and Christmas, when the foreign lorry drivers’ and turkey-feeders’ temporary visas will expire? There is no immediate prospect of evicting the incumbent from Downing Street against his, or perhaps Mrs Johnson’s, wishes.

It may be possible, however, to start convincing the couple that their interests would be well served by an early bath. The prime minister could tell his host of admirers that he has delivered Brexit and the Covid vaccination programme and averted a Corbyn premiership.

Whatever view we take of his record, he is assured of many pages in the history of the times. Only Nigel Farage has been more influential in reshaping our politics. Johnson can resume his rightful career as an entertainer. His memoirs, entwined with the diaries that he has assuredly been keeping (to the discomfiture of everyone who has spoken to him privately since he took office) will be worth millions. He might explore new terrain by becoming a devoted family man.

Almost none of the above is designedly facetious. If Johnson quits soon, he can remain famous, become rich and escape the protracted descent awaiting him if he lingers, eventually to vanish beneath the flock of poultry returning to roost in Downing Street. » | Max Hastings | Sunday, October 3, 2021

Gay Quote: Frank Kameny

Photo thanks to the Guardian. It is taken fron his obituary in the Guardian, to which there is a link below.
“Dr. Frank Kameny is widely hailed as one of the most prominent figures of the United States LGBTQ rights movement. …

In 1971, Kameny became the first openly gay candidate for the US Congress when he ran in the District of Columbia’s first election for a non-voting Congressional delegate. After his defeat Kameny and his campaign organization created the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Washington, DC, an organization that continues to lobby government and press the case for equal rights.”

The following is one of his many quotes:

“The person who really needs the psychotherapy (…) is not the homosexual youngster who gets dragged to the psychiatrist’s office by his mother, but the mother, to releive her anxieties about his homosexuality.”

[Source: News 18.]

Dr. Kameny died in 2011. Here is his obituary in the Guardian.

More ‘Hot’ Than ‘Cute’!

Again, my thanks go to El Chulo Dominicano, who has some of the very best photos of gay kisses on Pinterest.

Cute

Niedlich / Joli
With thanks to Wattpad and El Chulo Dominicano and, of course, Pinterest for this lovely photo.

Mass Protests in Brazil Call for Jair Bolsonaro’s Impeachment

THE GUARDIAN: Crowds parade through cities as polling shows president’s ratings sinking to new depths

Protesters in Rio de Janeiro were addressed by politicians calling for a united opposition to Jair Bolsonaro.Photograph: António Lacerda/EPA
Tens of thousands of protesters have returned to the streets of Brazil’s biggest cities to demand Jair Bolsonaro’s impeachment, as a poll showed the Brazilian president’s ratings had plumbed new depths.

Huge crowds paraded through downtown Rio on Saturday to voice their outrage at Bolsonaro’s response to a Covid outbreak that has killed nearly 600,000 people and dealt a heavy blow to the South American country’s economy.

“We have come to shout at the top of our voices: Bolsonaro’s place is behind bars,” Carlos Lupi, the president of Brazil’s Democratic Labour party, told thousands of flag-waving demonstrators who had gathered outside Rio’s municipal chamber under a ferocious midday sun.

“This crook who uses the Bible to trick the people … This worm! This wretch! He must go to jail!” Lupi bellowed to cheers of approval. » | Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro | Saturday, October 2, 2021

You Can’t Level Up by Raising Taxes on the Poor, Tories Tell PM

THE OBSERVER: Top MPs warn No 10 over plans for equality as Conservative conference gets under way in Manchester
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The prime minister, Boris Johnson, visits the site of the new children’s hospital at Leeds general infirmary on Saturday 2 October. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/AFP/Getty Images
A group of senior Conservative MPs has broken ranks to openly question how Boris Johnson can deliver on his promise to increase prosperity in poorer parts of the UK while at the same time raising taxes for working people and cutting benefits.

As the prime minister arrived in Manchester on Saturday night for his party’s first full conference since its thumping 2019 election win, Johnson insisted he was ready to take the “big, bold decisions on the priorities people care about – like on social care, on supporting jobs, on climate change, tackling crime and levelling up”.

But among Tory MPs, including some who won their northern or Midlands seats from Labour on the back of Johnson’s promise to “level up” the country, there was growing concern that tax rises and cuts to universal credit may fatally undermine their constituents’ trust in Johnson and his ability to deliver for people in more deprived areas. » | Toby Helm, Michael Savage, Phillip Inman and Harriet Sherwood | Saturday, October 2, 2021

I have said before and I'll say it again: Boris Johnson has a poor grip on economics. He is a classicist; he is not an economist. Not only does he not understand economics, he is clueless, too. One thing that he doesn't seem to understand is this: The economy must work for everyone, not just the superrich. There are going to be very many people hurting this winter because of the cuts in benefits and the rising energy and food prices. For the poor and less well-off, this is a huge problem. Doubtless, the superrich will keep on partyng. Energy price rises and rising food prices will mean little to them. But for the less well-off, it will be a huge deal. Have a heart, Boris. It's the Christian way. – © Mark

Die Kaviar-Connection (1/2) | Doku HD | ARTE

Sep 24, 2021 • Die 2-teilige Investigations-Doku deckt auf, wie Diktatoren in Zentralasien und im Kaukasus ihr Ansehen verbessern und Menschenrechtsverletzungen vertuschen, indem sie westliche Politiker bis tief in die europäischen Institutionen hinein bestechen. Die Dokumentation zeigt aber auch, wie ein gut organisiertes Netzwerk von Investigationsjournalisten zur Gegenwehr schreitet.

Die zweiteilige Investigation schildert, wie die Enthüllungsjournalistin Khadija Ismayilova wegen ihrer mutigen Berichterstattung über das korrupte Regime in Aserbaidschan ins Gefängnis kam. Ihre Enthüllungen betrafen die persönliche Bereicherung des Präsidenten Ilham Aliyev und seiner Familie an den Bodenschätzen des Landes. Die Folge „Die Macht des Geldes“ beschreibt außerdem den Aufstieg der neuen Diktatoren in den kaukasischen und zentralasiatischen Gebieten nach dem Niedergang der Sowjetunion.In dem Film werden die Mechanismen der berüchtigten „Kaviar-Diplomatie“ erklärt. Diese von Aserbaidschan eingesetzte Lobby-Strategie zielt darauf ab, das Ansehen der Scheindemokratie auf der internationalen Bühne zu verbessern – mit Hilfe internationaler Sportveranstaltungen, Einladungen von Stars aus der ganzen Welt und Geschenken an westliche Politiker. Die Rechnung ging auf, denn immer noch drücken europäische Eliten trotz eklatanter Veruntreuungen und Menschenrechtsverletzungen ein Auge zu. Die aktive Kaviar-Diplomatie aserbaidschanischer Gesandter fruchtete sogar im Europarat: Ein kritischer Bericht über politische Gefangene in Aserbaidschan wurde in der Parlamentarischen Versammlung überraschend mehrheitlich abgelehnt.Parallel dazu schildert der auf organisierte Verbrechen spezialisierte rumänische Enthüllungsjournalist Paul Radu, dass Journalisten wie Khadija Ismayilova inzwischen gelernt haben, dass sie an Einfluss und Gewicht gewinnen, wenn sie sich auf internationaler Ebene vernetzen.

2-tlg. Doku von Benoît Bringer und Laurent Richard (F 2021, 55 Min)

Un séminariste transgenre embarrasse l'épiscopat américain

Mgr Jerome Listecki. Darren Hauck / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
LE FIGARO : Née femme, cette personne aurait trafiqué son certificat de baptême pour entrer au séminaire après une opération de changement de sexe. Un évêque américain propose dans une note interne de vérifier le sexe de naissance des candidats au sacerdoce.

C'est un sujet épineux qu'a abordé Mgr Jerome Listecki, président de la commission des affaires catholiques au sein de la conférence des évêques catholiques des États-Unis. L'archevêque de Milwaukee, dans le Wisconsin, a en effet alerté ses confrères au sujet de plusieurs cas de séminaristes transgenres. Dans l'Église catholique, seuls les hommes sont autorisés à accéder à la prêtrise, rappelle-t-il dans une note interne datée du 22 septembre, et qui a depuis fuité sur Internet. Les évêques considèrent, en se référant au Code de Droit Canon qui régit le gouvernement de l'Église, que cette exigence s'applique au sexe de naissance, et refusent donc le sacerdoce aux femmes qui ont eu recours à des opérations de changement de sexe. » | Par Le Figaro | vendredi 1 octobre 2021

Mahan Esfahani – Bach: Goldberg Variations (Medley)

On his new album harpsichord star Mahan Esfahani approaches one of the greatest masterpieces of the Baroque repertoire with fresh eyes: Bach’s incomparable Goldberg Variations. The music featured in this video includes Aria da capo, Variatio 11 a 2 Clav. and Variatio 29 a 1 ovvero 2 Clav from the "Goldberg Variations”.

NastassjaCanCook: Country-style Beef Stew | “My Grandmother's Recipe”

Sep 25, 2021 • I usually make this stew either in a fast cooker or slow cooker, but today I want to show you how to make it in just the oven. My grandmother used to make this stew quite often and it was cooked in traditional Russian stove known as a pechka.. This stove was the heart and soul of country living. It made food, baked bread and also gave heat in winter days to warm up the house.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lb stew meat [UK: stewing steak]
2 large onions
1 cup beef stock (or water)
1 cup tomato puree
3 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
4-5 cloves
minced garlic 1 tsp coriander
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp chili pepper
1 bay leaf

The meat, the METHOD and the cooking pot:

Best cuts of beef for stew are chuck, sirloin or boneless short ribs. This dish is made entirely in the oven and does not require any pre-cooking. The secret is in the temperature of your oven. Add all ingredients to a cast iron Dutch oven [UK – casserole]

Place in the oven (uncovered) at 350°F (180°C) for 1 hour.
Mix it and cover it either with the lid or foil.
Lower the temperature of your oven to slow a cooking temperature of 220°F (120°C) and cook for a further 3 - 4 hours.
Total cooking time would be 5 hours and will result in a thick sauce, full of flavor. The meat will be very tender.
Serve with mashed potatoes or noodles.
Vegetables like: carrots and mushrooms can be added at the end, when there is about 1 hour of cooking time left.
Enjoy!

My Big Gay Jewish Conversion

May 2, 2020 • When a nice Irish Catholic queer 'boy' falls in love with a nice English Jewish queer 'boy', he frets about whether he should change Gods too.

TV Presenter/Producer SIMON ATKINS decides to check it out, in order to see if there's more to the issue than just undergoing an (extremely painful) adult circumcision. His very entertaining search takes him from liberal North London to ultra-conservative Orthodox Jerusalem via Israel's gay hotspot Tel Aviv.

Chine-États-Unis: le dangereux face-à-face

Un navire de ravitaillement de l’APL s’apprête à prendre la mer depuis le port naval de Qingdao. CHINA DAILY/REUTERS
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - Avec Pékin, dit Joe Biden, il y aura «compétition quand elle est nécessaire, collaboration quand elle est possible, confrontation quand elle est inévitable».

La nouvelle guerre froide a commencé. Après la rupture fracassante de Donald Trump avec la Chine au début de l’année 2020, Joe Biden est en passe d’articuler en doctrine stratégique la rivalité croissante entre les deux grandes puissances.

Le nouveau président américain avait défini dès son entrée en fonction sa politique vis-à-vis de Pékin: «Une compétition quand elle est nécessaire, une collaboration quand elle est possible et une confrontation quand elle est inévitable.» Neuf mois plus tard, les relations entre Washington et Pékin se résument surtout à la troisième catégorie. » | Par Adrien Jaulmes | Publié : mardi 28 septembre 2021 ; mis à jour : mercredi 29 septembre 2021

Réservé aux abonnés

Philippines : Duterte annonce son retrait de la vie politique après la présidentielle, ouvrant la voie à sa fille

LE FIGARO : Le président, connu pour sa «croisade» ultra violente contre les trafiquants de drogue, n'a pas indiqué la personne qu'il souhaitait voir lui succéder à la présidence, mais beaucoup spéculent sur la candidature de sa fille, Sara Duterte-Carpio.

Le président philippin Rodrigo Duterte a annoncé samedi qu'il ne se présenterait pas à la vice-présidence en 2022 et se retirerait de la vie politique, ouvrant ainsi la voie à sa fille pour lui succéder à la tête du pays. «Le sentiment dominant... chez les Philippins, est que je ne suis pas qualifié et que ce serait enfreindre la constitution» que de se présenter à la vice-présidence, a-t-il déclaré. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 2 octobre 2021

Evangelists Accuse Church in Wales of Making God Sad by Blessing Same-sex Couples

PINK NEWS: An Evangelist group has condemned the Church of Wales for deciding to bless same-sex unions, accusing it of upsetting God.

On 6 September, the Church in Wales voted in favour of allowing blessings for same-sex unions “experimentally” for the next five years.

It has taken the Evangelical Fellowship in the Church in Wales (EFCW) three weeks to respond to the decision, and in a statement published Monday (27 September), it accuses the church of defying “the apostolic faith as revealed in scripture.”

In its statement, the EFCW said it recognises that the church has been “insensitive and even hurtful” to LGBT+ people in the past and that believes the church should welcome LGBT+ people – as long as they don’t have sex.

“The only biblical context for sexual activity is heterosexual marriage,” it wrote, accusing the church of dishonouring “those who, persuaded that Scripture teaches that sexual activity is restricted to heterosexual marriage, have chosen to remain celibate”.

The group claims that allowing blessings of same-sex partnerships within the church has “changed the Church’s doctrine on marriage”.

The statement continued: “This decision has damaged the Church in Wales’ relationship with the majority of the provinces in the global Anglican Communion, which remain committed to an orthodox understanding of human sexuality.” "Such disunity is a grave and serious matter which grieves the heart of God." » | Alice Broster | Friday, October 1, 2021

How pathetic! How can these people speak on behalf of God with such authority? Do they have a hotline to God?

This is anthropomorphism, pure and simple! First of all, how can they possibly know that God has the same emotions as humans? In fact, does He have any emotions at all? To believe in God does not mean that one has to accept that He sees, feels and perceives everything in the same way that human beings do. That is such a simplistic portrayal of God. It reminds me of the old folk who often said that when there was a thunderstorm, it was a sign of God’s anger! Give us a break! Such silly notions!

In any case, if one is to believe that there is indeed a God, then one is also to believe that we are all God’s children. Further, we are born just as God intended us to be. Because Christians, and other believers, insist that God is perfect and that He doesn’t err.

By rejecting gays and by denying gays equal rights, implicit in what they are saying is that God has indeed erred and that God has created people who are less than perfect. How inconsistent is that?

To believe in God means that one has to believe all of God’s creation are worthy of respect and equal rights. All people, regardless of sexual orientation, should have the right to pursue their own happiness. They should also have the right to fulfil their potential. Anything else must surely be in defiance of God and God's will. And if anything will make God sad, that will! – © Mark

Conversion Therapy to Be Banned in UK by Spring 2022, Vows Boris Johnson’s LGBT+ Rights Envoy

PINK NEWS: The British government is, in fact, “committed to outlawing conversion ‘therapy’ by spring 2022”, the prime minister’s LGBT+ envoy has said.

Nick Herbert appointed by Boris Johnson as a “special envoy” on queer advocacy at home and abroad, gave a simple piece of information that many officials have been unable to give – a time the ban will be introduced.

“I welcome this,” the former MP for Arundel and South Downs, said.

“A useful and constructive report and timely as the government’s consultation will be published shortly on how (not whether) conversion therapy should be outlawed.” » | Josh Milton | Friday, October 1, 2021

China to Ban Video Games Featuring Same-sex Relationships, ‘Effeminate’ Men and Moral Choices

PINK NEWS: China will ban video games featuring same-sex relationships, ‘effeminate’ men and moral choices, according to a leaked memo.

The internal memo from a recent internal training by the state-backed gaming association was revealed by the South China Morning Post, lays out new restrictions for approving video games in China.

According to the publication, the memo said that video games must not be viewed as “pure entertainment”, and should instead convey “a correct set of values”.

Games that feature queer relationships or “effeminate males”, the memo states, should not be approved for release in China.

“If regulators can’t tell the character’s gender immediately, the setting of the characters could be considered problematic and red flags will be raised,” it added.

Games that allow players to make moral choices between good and evil should also not be approved, according to the memo. » | Lily Wakefield | Saturday, October 2, 2021

Sie sind einfach am Knutschen.

Ils s'embrassent juste. / They're just kissing.
Many thanks to El Chulo Dominicano and Pinterest for this nice photo of two clean-cut gays simply kissing.

Paolo & Patrick's Wedding Vows #LoveWins

Follow Paolo on Twitter here.

And on Facebook here.

U-Boot-Streit: Aussenminister Blinken reist nach Frankreich

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Nachdem sich die Franzosen durch den Aukus-Sicherheitspakt übergangen fühlten, wollen die Vereinigten Staaten Vertrauen wiederaufbauen.

Zunächst soll Antony Blinken nach Paris reisen. Joe Biden und Emmanuel Macron wollen im Oktober bei einem persönlichen Treffen zusammenkommen. | John Altdorfer / X03626
(dpa) Vor dem Hintergrund des heftigen U-Boot-Streits mit Frankreich reist der amerikanische Aussenminister Antony Blinken zu Gesprächen nach Paris. Blinken werde dort von Montag bis Mittwoch mit Spitzenpolitikern zusammentreffen, teilte das Aussenministerium mit.

Die für Europa zuständige Top-Diplomatin Karen Donfried räumte am Freitag in einer Telefonschalte mit Journalisten ein, dass «bessere und offenere Konsultationen zwischen Verbündeten» vor der U-Boot-Krise hilfreich gewesen wären. Sie äusserte Verständnis für die französische Haltung, dass für den Wiederaufbau von Vertrauen nicht nur Worte, sondern auch Taten notwendig seien. » | dpa | Freitag, 1. Oktober 2021

La sœur de Kim Jong-un obtient un poste haut placé dans la hiérarchie

Kim Yo Jong, conseillère très proche de son frère, a été promue membre de la Commission des affaires de l'État. JORGE SILVA / AFP
LE FIGARO : La sœur et conseillère du dirigeant nord-coréen Kim Jong-un a été nommée au sein du plus haut organe de l'exécutif du pays, a annoncé jeudi 29 septembre l'agence de presse officielle KCNA. Kim Yo Jong, conseillère très proche de son frère, a été promue membre de la Commission des affaires de l'État, dans le cadre d'une série de changements approuvés par l'Assemblée populaire suprême, le parlement servant de chambre d'enregistrement de l'exécutif.

Pas moins de neuf membres de la commission ont été démis de leurs fonctions, dont un vice-président, Pak Pong Ju et la diplomate Choe Son Hui, une des rares femmes à occuper un poste élevé dans la hiérarchie de la Corée du Nord, et qui a joué un rôle clé dans les négociations avec les États-Unis. Le journal officiel Rodong Sinmun a publié jeudi des portraits des huit nouveaux membres, Kim Yo Jong sortant du lot en tant que seule femme et de par sa jeunesse. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | jeudi 30 september 2021

In Plain Sight, Boris Johnson Is Rigging the System to Stay in Power

THE GUARDIAN: Weakening the courts, limiting protest, hobbling the elections regulator. If another country did this, what would we call it?

Boris Johnson at the first post-reshuffle cabinet meeting in Downing Street on 17 September. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images
If this wasn’t us, how would we describe it? If this was Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, or Poland, what language might we use? Would an announcer on the BBC World Service declare: “Amid fuel and food shortages, the government has moved to cement its grip on power. It’s taking action against the courts, shrinking their ability to hold the ruling party to account, curbing citizens’ right to protest and imposing new rules that would gag whistleblowers and sharply restrict freedom of the press. It’s also moving against election monitors while changing voting rules, which observers say will hurt beleaguered opposition groups … ”

It doesn’t sound like us. We like to tell ourselves that we live in a mature democracy, our institutions deep rooted. Political competition is brisk, never more so than at this time of year, as one party conference ends and another begins. This is not a one-party state. All it would require is Labour to get its act together – to which end it made a decent start this week – and, with a fair wind, the Conservatives would be out.

It’s a consoling thought, but not a reliable one. Almost unnoticed, perhaps because it’s done with an English rather than a Hungarian accent, our populist, nationalist prime minister is steadily setting out to weaken the institutions that define a liberal democracy: the ones that might act as checks and balances on him. And he’s moving, Orbán style, to make it ever harder for his government to lose power. » | Jonathan Freedland | Friday, October 1, 2021

The façade is that of a clown; beneath that façade, however, appears to hide something rather more sinister. This is troubling indeed. What is my country being turned into? One cannot help but rue the fact that this country has no ‘First Amendment' and a written, American-style constitution. – © Mark

Jan Lisiecki – Chopin: Nocturne in E Minor, Op. posth. 72/1 | Live from Würzburg, 2018

Sep 17, 2021 • “These remarkable pieces invite you to think and feel whatever you want", says Lisiecki, "There’s no ‘right’ response to them, other than the one you’re having.”

WIKIPEDIA: Jan Lisiecki »

A Visit to a Stronghold of Germany's Far-right Party | DW News

Oct 1, 2021 • The far-right Alternative for Germany party remains strong in the east, but has suffered small losses nationwide — and will not be involved in any coalition talks, as it remains a pariah for all other parties.

Germany's eastern state of Saxony bucked the nationwide downward trend: The Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged as the strongest party there in Sunday's general election, clearly ahead of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). In neighboring Thuringia, the AfD also narrowly beat the Social Democrats to become the largest single party.

Why is the AfD so strong in the east? We went to the city of Görlitz to find out.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — October 1, 2021

Sogar Professoren werden als Lkw-Fahrer umworben

BENZIN-KRISE IN GROSSBRITANNIEN
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die britische Benzin-Krise entspannt sich nur langsam. Jetzt schlagen auch andere Branchen Alarm – zum Beispiel die Fleischer. Zu Weihnachten drohe ein Fest ohne Truthahn und Würstchen.

Auch für die Reichen und Berühmten in Großbritannien ist es derzeit nicht so leicht, an Sprit zu kommen. Fußballstar Christiano Ronaldo schickte seinen Fahrer mit der Bentley-Limousine los, um irgendwo Benzin aufzutreiben. Nach fast sieben Stunden Warten an einer Tankstelle kehrte der Fahrer zurück – ohne Sprit, wie die Zeitung The Sun meldete. „Selbst mit all seinem Geld sitzt Ronaldo im gleichen Boot wie wir alle“, flüsterte einer aus seinem Umfeld dem Boulevardblatt zu.

Wie Christiano Ronaldo geht es derzeit Millionen Briten, nur dass sie keinen Bentley zu betanken haben. Man trifft verärgerte und besorgte Nachbarn, die sich fragen, wie sie die Kinder noch zur Schule fahren und danach in die Arbeit kommen sollen. Eine junge Frau erzählt im Zug nach Somerset, dass ihr Kleinwagen in London auf der Straße plötzlich stehen blieb. Jetzt fährt sie mit der Bahn zu ihren Eltern. Ein Viertel aller Taxifahrer, so hieß es, habe die Arbeit zeitweise aufgegeben, weil sie keinen Sprit mehr in den Tank bekamen. Sie hatten nicht das Glück wie Multimillionär Ronaldo, der später doch noch in Manchester auf der Straße gesehen wurde – mit seinem Ursus-SUV von Lamborghini. » | Von Philip Plickert, London | Freitag, Oktober 1, 2021

Germans with no HGV experience asked to drive lorries amid UK fuel crisis: Mass appeal automatically sent to holders of pre-1999 German licences, which entitle holder to drive trucks »

Dimitra’s Dishes: Greek Lemony Chicken Avgolemono Soup | Two Ways

The most popular Greek soup has to be the classic Chicken Avgolemono. It is made with an egg-lemon sauce known as avgolemono, homemade chicken stock, flavorful chunks of chicken, and lots of zesty lemon juice. We think of it as Greek penicillin, especially during the colder months.

Get the recipe here.

A Princess Is Set to Be Wed. But It’s No Fairy Tale.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Princess Mako of Japan will forgo the trappings of royal nuptials when she marries her college boyfriend, a commoner, after a long and arduous engagement.

Princess Mako of Japan is set to marry her fiancé, a commoner named Kei Komuro, on Oct. 26. | Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters
TOKYO — Anyone who dreams of being a princess should probably have a chat with Princess Mako of Japan.

On Friday, the agency that manages the affairs of Japan’s royal family announced that the princess, the 29-year-old niece of Emperor Naruhito, would marry her fiancé, a commoner named Kei Komuro, on Oct. 26.

It’s a long time coming. The couple, who first met in college, have been engaged since 2017 — but getting to the chapel has meant running a bruising gauntlet of media scrutiny and savage public commentary on Mr. Komuro’s fitness to be the spouse of an imperial daughter.

The pressure on the couple has been so intense that the princess has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK, reported.

No Horse, No Carriage

If you’re expecting pomp and circumstance, prepare to be disappointed. There will be no royal wedding. Instead, Princess Mako intends to renounce her royal heritage and settle into a normal life in New York, where Mr. Komuro, 29, works in a law office after studying at Fordham. » | Ben Dooley | Friday, October 1, 2021

Britain Is Heading Into a Nightmarish Winter

Getty Images
OPINION: GUEST ESSAY
THE NEW YORK TIMES: LONDON — Long lines outside gas stations. Panicked drivers fighting one another as the pumps run dry. Soldiers deployed to distribute fuel across the country. And in the background, the pandemic stretching on, food rotting in fields and families sinking into poverty. This is Britain in 2021.

Not long ago, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson lifted all pandemic restrictions in July, the mood across the country was cautiously optimistic. A successful vaccine rollout had finally restored cherished freedoms to daily life: visiting friends and family in their homes, socializing with strangers, eating in restaurants. Cases of the virus continued to multiply, but the number of hospitalizations and deaths fell markedly. The nightmare, it seemed, was over.

But any sense of normality has been banished in the past few weeks. A dramatic fuel crisis, caused in large part by a lack of truck drivers and which at its peak forced around a third of all gas stations to close, is only the most glaring concern.

A convergence of problems — a global gas shortage, rising energy and food prices, supply-chain issues and the Conservatives’ decision to slash welfare — has cast the country’s future in darkness. Even Mr. Johnson, known for his boosterish optimism and bonhomie, has struggled to make light of the situation.

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One of the main causes of this predicament is Brexit, or at least the government’s handling of Brexit. Britain’s protracted departure from the bloc, undertaken without any real effort by Mr. Johnson to ensure a smooth transition, led to an exodus of European workers — a process then compounded by the pandemic. As many as 1.3 million overseas nationals left Britain between July 2019 and September 2020. Read the whole essay here » | Samuel Earle | Friday, October 1, 2021