THE OBSERVER: The rising price of electricity and the plunging value of the cryptocurrency could burst the speculative bubble for today’s prospectors
In the bad old days, prospecting for gold was a grisly business involving hysterical crowds, pickaxes, digging, the wearing of appalling hats, standing in rivers panning for nuggets, “staking” claims and so on. The California gold rush of 1848-55, for example, brought 300,000 hopefuls to the Sierra Nevada and northern California and involved the massacre of thousands of Indigenous people.
In our day, the new gold is bitcoin, a cryptocurrency, and prospecting for it has become a genteel armchair activity, although it is called “mining”, for old times’ sake. What it actually involves is using computers to perform unfathomably complicated calculations to create cryptographic “hashes” – codes that are, in practical terms, uncrackable. » | John Naughton | Saturday, June 11, 2022
Saturday, June 11, 2022
Françoise Hardy : Die Diskrete | Doku HD | Reupload | ARTE
Jun 11, 2022 • Von der Ikone der 60er zur Grande Dame des französischen Chansons: Bereits im zarten Alter von 18 Jahren wurde Françoise Hardy mit ihrem ersten großen Hit "Tous les garçons et les filles" (1962) zum Idol des "Yéyé". Ihre sanfte Stimme ließ sie zu einer der bekanntesten Pop- und Chansonsängerin Frankreichs werden. Hardy ist so zeitlos geblieben wie ihre Lieder ...
Françoise Hardy war das Idol des Yéyé, der Popmusik der 60er Jahre. Ihr erster großer Hit „Tous les garçons et les filles“ (1962) eröffnete der Sängerin schon im zarten Alter von 18 Jahren den Weg zu einer Karriere als eine der bekanntesten Pop- und Chansonsängerinnen Frankreichs. Auch wenn die Pariserin in der französischen Musikszene anfangs völlig aus dem Rahmen fiel und sich ab den 80er Jahren ins Privatleben zurückzog, sorgte sie regelmäßig mit Platten wie „Décalages“ (1988) für Schlagzeilen. Viele Künstler zählen zu ihren Bewunderern: Sex-Pistols-Legende Malcolm McLaren nahm mit ihr einen Song auf, Mick Jagger bezeichnete sie als „ideale Frau“ und Bob Dylan widmete ihr ein Gedicht. Die stilbewusste Künstlerin ist sich über ihre musikalische Laufbahn mit ihren nostalgischen und romantischen Liedern hinweg selbst treu geblieben – aus der Ikone der 60er ist eine Grande Dame geworden. Doch wie gelang es der eleganten Französin – die blonde Mähne ist mittlerweile schneeweiß –, auch 25 veröffentlichte Alben später nicht an Ausstrahlung zu verlieren? Die Dokumentation beleuchtet die Persönlichkeit hinter dem Star und ergründet das visionäre Talent der Künstlerin. Es kommen europäische Musiker, Produzenten, Modeschöpfer und Sänger zu Wort, die ihre Sicht auf Françoise Hardy, ihre Einzigartigkeit und ihren Beitrag zur Popmusik äußern.
Dokumentation von Émilie Valentin und Matthieu Jaubert (F 2016, 54 Min)
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis 17/07/2022
WIKIPEDIA – Françoise Hardy : [E] ; [F] ; [D].
Françoise Hardy war das Idol des Yéyé, der Popmusik der 60er Jahre. Ihr erster großer Hit „Tous les garçons et les filles“ (1962) eröffnete der Sängerin schon im zarten Alter von 18 Jahren den Weg zu einer Karriere als eine der bekanntesten Pop- und Chansonsängerinnen Frankreichs. Auch wenn die Pariserin in der französischen Musikszene anfangs völlig aus dem Rahmen fiel und sich ab den 80er Jahren ins Privatleben zurückzog, sorgte sie regelmäßig mit Platten wie „Décalages“ (1988) für Schlagzeilen. Viele Künstler zählen zu ihren Bewunderern: Sex-Pistols-Legende Malcolm McLaren nahm mit ihr einen Song auf, Mick Jagger bezeichnete sie als „ideale Frau“ und Bob Dylan widmete ihr ein Gedicht. Die stilbewusste Künstlerin ist sich über ihre musikalische Laufbahn mit ihren nostalgischen und romantischen Liedern hinweg selbst treu geblieben – aus der Ikone der 60er ist eine Grande Dame geworden. Doch wie gelang es der eleganten Französin – die blonde Mähne ist mittlerweile schneeweiß –, auch 25 veröffentlichte Alben später nicht an Ausstrahlung zu verlieren? Die Dokumentation beleuchtet die Persönlichkeit hinter dem Star und ergründet das visionäre Talent der Künstlerin. Es kommen europäische Musiker, Produzenten, Modeschöpfer und Sänger zu Wort, die ihre Sicht auf Françoise Hardy, ihre Einzigartigkeit und ihren Beitrag zur Popmusik äußern.
Dokumentation von Émilie Valentin und Matthieu Jaubert (F 2016, 54 Min)
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis 17/07/2022
WIKIPEDIA – Françoise Hardy : [E] ; [F] ; [D].
Canada : The Authorities Have Lost Their Minds!
The Canadian government legalized the smoking of cannabis/marijuana three years ago; yet they are introducing ever more stringent laws against the smoking of cigarettes and other tobacco products. Clearly, these laws are redolent of a Nanny State. How stupid can people get? This means that you can legally get stoned out of your mind, yet enjoying a humble cigarette is becoming ever more difficult. How nonsensical is that? I had always thought that Canadians were smarter than this. Obviously, I was mistaken. – © Mark Alexander
The pros, cons and unknowns of legal cannabis in Canada 3 years later: Legalization has had a positive effect on the justice system, but public health data is lacking, experts say »
Written warning on every cigarette in Canadian world-first: Poison in every puff’ message proposed amid government concern photo warnings on tobacco packages have lost impact »
Zehn Jahre Haft für Boliviens Ex-Übergangspräsidentin Jeanine Áñez
NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Für die einen war es ein Staatsstreich, für die anderen lediglich eine Interimsherrschaft nach der Flucht von Präsident Evo Morales. Jetzt wird Boliviens Ex-Übergangspräsidentin Áñez zu zehn Jahren Haft verurteilt.
Jeanine Áñez am 13. März 2020 an einer Zeremonie im Präsidentenpalast in La Paz. | David Mercado / Reuters
{dpa) Ein Gericht in La Paz hat die ehemalige bolivianische Übergangspräsidentin Jeanine Áñez zu zehn Jahren Haft verurteilt. Áñez müsse die Strafe wegen verfassungswidriger Entscheidungen und Pflichtverletzungen, als sie im November 2019 die Interimspräsidentschaft übernahm, im Miraflores-Gefängnis am Regierungssitz La Paz absitzen, sagte der Richter bei der Verlesung des Urteils am Freitag (Ortszeit). «Mir wurde alles verweigert, und ich wurde schlechter behandelt als alle anderen, aber ich war, bin und werde die verfassungsmässige Präsidentin sein, die ihre Aufgabe übernahm, nachdem der Feigling geflohen war», hatte Áñez zuvor auf Twitter geschrieben. » | dpa | Samstag, 11. Juni 2022
Bolivian ex-president Jeanine Áñez jailed as leader of ‘coup’: Court finds rightwinger defied constitution during chaotic exit of Evo Morales, from whom she took over presidency »
{dpa) Ein Gericht in La Paz hat die ehemalige bolivianische Übergangspräsidentin Jeanine Áñez zu zehn Jahren Haft verurteilt. Áñez müsse die Strafe wegen verfassungswidriger Entscheidungen und Pflichtverletzungen, als sie im November 2019 die Interimspräsidentschaft übernahm, im Miraflores-Gefängnis am Regierungssitz La Paz absitzen, sagte der Richter bei der Verlesung des Urteils am Freitag (Ortszeit). «Mir wurde alles verweigert, und ich wurde schlechter behandelt als alle anderen, aber ich war, bin und werde die verfassungsmässige Präsidentin sein, die ihre Aufgabe übernahm, nachdem der Feigling geflohen war», hatte Áñez zuvor auf Twitter geschrieben. » | dpa | Samstag, 11. Juni 2022
Bolivian ex-president Jeanine Áñez jailed as leader of ‘coup’: Court finds rightwinger defied constitution during chaotic exit of Evo Morales, from whom she took over presidency »
La Corée du Nord nomme une femme à la tête de sa diplomatie
LE MONDE : Choe Son-hui était une proche conseillère de Kim Jong-un pendant les pourparlers sur le nucléaire avec les Etats-Unis. Elle remplace Ri Son-gwon, un ancien responsable militaire partisan d’une ligne dure.
Choe Son-hui devant l’ambassade de Corée du Nord à Pékin, en Chine, le 23 juin 2016. ANDY WONG / AP
Au moment où Pyongyang poursuit une série d’essais d’armement et ignore les appels des Etats-Unis à des pourparlers, la Corée du Nord a nommé pour la première fois une femme, Choe Son-hui, au poste de ministre des affaires étrangères, a rapporté la presse officielle samedi 11 juin.
Mme Choe, ancienne vice-ministre des affaires étrangères, a été désignée pour diriger la diplomatie nord-coréenne lors d’une réunion du parti au pouvoir présidée par le dirigeant, Kim Jong-un, selon l’agence de presse officielle KCNA. Elle remplace Ri Son-gwon, un ancien responsable militaire partisan d’une ligne dure qui a dirigé des négociations avec la Corée du Sud. » | Le Monde avec AFP | samedi 11 juin 2022
Au moment où Pyongyang poursuit une série d’essais d’armement et ignore les appels des Etats-Unis à des pourparlers, la Corée du Nord a nommé pour la première fois une femme, Choe Son-hui, au poste de ministre des affaires étrangères, a rapporté la presse officielle samedi 11 juin.
Mme Choe, ancienne vice-ministre des affaires étrangères, a été désignée pour diriger la diplomatie nord-coréenne lors d’une réunion du parti au pouvoir présidée par le dirigeant, Kim Jong-un, selon l’agence de presse officielle KCNA. Elle remplace Ri Son-gwon, un ancien responsable militaire partisan d’une ligne dure qui a dirigé des négociations avec la Corée du Sud. » | Le Monde avec AFP | samedi 11 juin 2022
Île du Levant: Wiege der französischen Freikörperkultur | Stadt, Land, Kunst | ARTE
Feb 21, 2022 • Die Île du Levant ist die wohl am wenigsten bekannte der Hyerischen Inseln. Mit ihren weißen Sandstränden und steilen Klippen, die mit dem tiefblauen Wasser des Mittelmeers kontrastieren, wurde sie in den 1930er Jahren zum Ausgangspunkt einer Lebensutopie, die die Rückkehr zur Natur proklamierte: die Freikörperkultur. Was schon im 18. Jahrhundert als medizinische Anwendung begann, fand schnell Anhänger in ganz Europa.
Die Brüder Durville brachten die Freikörperkultur auf die Insel, wo sie bis heute begeistert gepflegt wird.
Verfügbar bis zum 01/02/2024
Die Brüder Durville brachten die Freikörperkultur auf die Insel, wo sie bis heute begeistert gepflegt wird.
Verfügbar bis zum 01/02/2024
Marc & Roger’s Epic Gay Jewish Wedding – Highlights | Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop the Feeling | Reupload
Not a Still Life | Gay Jewish Documentary Portrait | Reupload
Aug 13, 2018 • In this documentary portrait, a charismatic older, gay, Jewish man undergoes an evolution of awareness amid the joys and sorrows of his wild and fully lived life. In revealing his “naked truth,” he offers viewers an opportunity for reflection about the complexity of human identity.
In the words of the film’s spirited subject, “This is the story of a gay, Jewish, animal rights, vegetarian, recovering alcoholic ... individual.” Steve Stone is an ebullient, extroverted character and an engaging storyteller with a life full of captivating tales. He is also not unlike many gay men of a certain age who were almost brought to extinction with the AIDS epidemic of the 80’s. In that sense, this film, a portrait of a man, is also a chronicle of a time that was.
This one man’s story, his struggles with sexual orientation and various addictions, love and loss, taps into themes that encompass all our lives. His quirky and entertaining reflections come from a unique perspective. We cannot help but see ourselves in, and be inspired by his distinctive outlook because for all the ways that we may not share his “outside the box” personality, his evolution, his journey through life and his deep desires are ours. They exemplify the conflicts and complexities in every human heart.
Not a Still Life punctuates the stories of Steve’s personal journey through the decades with a judicious use of title graphics to reflect key aspects of gay social history in America. His is the tale of a man who, in the homophobic period of the 50s, was ridiculed and dismissed as a child which led his irreverence, hyperactivity and rebelliousness. Determined to be himself rather than conform to social mores that made him uncomfortable, he came out to everyone in the early 60’s at the age of 17. Eight years before the Stonewall Rebellion, this was a brave move. Steve Stone has been openly gay for fifty years!
In the words of the film’s spirited subject, “This is the story of a gay, Jewish, animal rights, vegetarian, recovering alcoholic ... individual.” Steve Stone is an ebullient, extroverted character and an engaging storyteller with a life full of captivating tales. He is also not unlike many gay men of a certain age who were almost brought to extinction with the AIDS epidemic of the 80’s. In that sense, this film, a portrait of a man, is also a chronicle of a time that was.
This one man’s story, his struggles with sexual orientation and various addictions, love and loss, taps into themes that encompass all our lives. His quirky and entertaining reflections come from a unique perspective. We cannot help but see ourselves in, and be inspired by his distinctive outlook because for all the ways that we may not share his “outside the box” personality, his evolution, his journey through life and his deep desires are ours. They exemplify the conflicts and complexities in every human heart.
Not a Still Life punctuates the stories of Steve’s personal journey through the decades with a judicious use of title graphics to reflect key aspects of gay social history in America. His is the tale of a man who, in the homophobic period of the 50s, was ridiculed and dismissed as a child which led his irreverence, hyperactivity and rebelliousness. Determined to be himself rather than conform to social mores that made him uncomfortable, he came out to everyone in the early 60’s at the age of 17. Eight years before the Stonewall Rebellion, this was a brave move. Steve Stone has been openly gay for fifty years!
Blacklist Dubai over Failure to Crack Down on Russian Oligarchs, Say Campaigners
THE OBSERVER: UAE has become haven for superyachts, private jets and ‘dirty money’ since invasion of Ukraine, but has taken no action
The 387ft Motor Yacht A belonging to Russian oligarch Andrey Melnichenko anchored in the port of Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. Photograph: Kamran Jebreili/AP
Campaigners and politicians are calling for the United Arab Emirates to be blacklisted over its failures to combat the flow of “dirty money” and to enforce sanctions imposed on Russian oligarchs.
The Gulf state has emerged as a key refuge for the Russian super-rich fleeing the impact of global sanctions, with private jets and superyachts linked to oligarchs heading to the UAE after the invasion of Ukraine.
Bill Browder, the financier and critic of Vladimir Putin’s regime, said: “Dubai has long been a safe place for dirty money. It should now be put on financial blacklists and its leaders shouldn’t be welcome here.”
He said secondary sanctions should be imposed on the UAE unless it provided assistance to countries pursuing the oligarchs’ assets. » | Jon Ungoed-Thomas | Saturday, June 11, 2022
Campaigners and politicians are calling for the United Arab Emirates to be blacklisted over its failures to combat the flow of “dirty money” and to enforce sanctions imposed on Russian oligarchs.
The Gulf state has emerged as a key refuge for the Russian super-rich fleeing the impact of global sanctions, with private jets and superyachts linked to oligarchs heading to the UAE after the invasion of Ukraine.
Bill Browder, the financier and critic of Vladimir Putin’s regime, said: “Dubai has long been a safe place for dirty money. It should now be put on financial blacklists and its leaders shouldn’t be welcome here.”
He said secondary sanctions should be imposed on the UAE unless it provided assistance to countries pursuing the oligarchs’ assets. » | Jon Ungoed-Thomas | Saturday, June 11, 2022
One Colourful “Giraffe Eating”!
Michael Lambert : 148 Tory MP’s Want to See the Back of Boris Johnson
Jun 11, 2022 • 148 Tory MP's want to see the back of Boris Johnson as their leader and Prime Minister. 41% of his Parliamentary party no longer support him and would like another leader. He has gone from being one of the most powerful prime ministers ever to becoming a lame duck in a day.
MP's have heard from their constituents how unpopular Johnson has become following the 'Partygate' scandal in which he flouted the very laws which he had introduced and insisted the nation obey. They will also have seen how he and his wife were booed at St Paul's Cathedral during the Jubilee.
His career is effectively over and, in due course, it will be time to choose a successor. Jeremy Hunt seems the favorite at present.
MP's have heard from their constituents how unpopular Johnson has become following the 'Partygate' scandal in which he flouted the very laws which he had introduced and insisted the nation obey. They will also have seen how he and his wife were booed at St Paul's Cathedral during the Jubilee.
His career is effectively over and, in due course, it will be time to choose a successor. Jeremy Hunt seems the favorite at present.
Boris Johnson Stands to Make £5m a Year after No 10, Say Experts
THE GUARDIAN: PM could join lecture circuit and rejoin paper where he complained of ‘chicken feed’ £250,000 salary
Boris Johnson’s current salary already puts him in the top 1% of earners in the UK Photograph: Andrew Parsons CCHQ/Parsons Media
Boris Johnson could make more than £5m a year after he leaves Downing Street, experts have estimated.
The figure will be welcome news to a prime minister who is said to regularly complain to friends that he is hard up, citing his second divorce, several children and his reduced income since entering No 10.
In fact, Johnson’s £155,376 salary puts him in the top 1% of UK earners. His housing, transport and a large part of his living costs are covered by the taxpayer.
Regardless of whether his financial straits are real or imagined, there are two certainties, says Tom Bower, one of Johnson’s biographers: that he is hopeless with money and that he will have no problem making lots of it after he leaves office.
“It’s because he’s such a bad money manager that he got himself into that ridiculous situation with the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat,” said Bower. “After that debacle, the financiers who fund the Tory party took him to one side and told him he didn’t need to worry about money; that his future earnings were guaranteed to be so strong that he could take out whatever loans he needed at very low rates.” » | Amelia Hill | Saturday, June 11, 2022
It looks as if Boris will be able to afford to buy a brush soon; and maybe a comb to go with it! – © Mark
Boris Johnson could make more than £5m a year after he leaves Downing Street, experts have estimated.
The figure will be welcome news to a prime minister who is said to regularly complain to friends that he is hard up, citing his second divorce, several children and his reduced income since entering No 10.
In fact, Johnson’s £155,376 salary puts him in the top 1% of UK earners. His housing, transport and a large part of his living costs are covered by the taxpayer.
Regardless of whether his financial straits are real or imagined, there are two certainties, says Tom Bower, one of Johnson’s biographers: that he is hopeless with money and that he will have no problem making lots of it after he leaves office.
“It’s because he’s such a bad money manager that he got himself into that ridiculous situation with the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat,” said Bower. “After that debacle, the financiers who fund the Tory party took him to one side and told him he didn’t need to worry about money; that his future earnings were guaranteed to be so strong that he could take out whatever loans he needed at very low rates.” » | Amelia Hill | Saturday, June 11, 2022
It looks as if Boris will be able to afford to buy a brush soon; and maybe a comb to go with it! – © Mark
There’s a New Breed of Young, Violent, Far-right Activist in Britain: ‘White Jihadists’
THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: The neo-Nazi founder of the banned terror group National Action was jailed this week. Sadly, there are more like him
‘Alex Davies began outlining the framework for his neo-Nazi youth movement a decade ago.’ Alex Davies arrives at Winchester crown court, 20 April 2022. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA
Alex Davies, the co-founder of the proscribed far-right terror group National Action, was sentenced to more than eight years in prison this week, bringing the total number of people convicted of membership of the group to 19. Formed in 2013, National Action espouses extreme antisemitic and anti-immigrant views, and presented itself as better organised and more disciplined than other groups in a British neo-Nazi scene previously on the verge of collapse.
When it was banned by the then-home secretary, Amber Rudd, in December 2016, National Action was the first far-right organisation to be proscribed since the second world war. But it wasn’t the first such group in that period to espouse extreme neo-Nazi beliefs or promote the ideology of terror and violence – nor will it be the last.
Davies, 27, a former University of Warwick student, began outlining the framework for this neo-Nazi youth movement a decade ago, while he was being monitored by the government’s controversial Prevent programme. » | Matthew Collins | Saturday, June 11, 2022
Alex Davies, the co-founder of the proscribed far-right terror group National Action, was sentenced to more than eight years in prison this week, bringing the total number of people convicted of membership of the group to 19. Formed in 2013, National Action espouses extreme antisemitic and anti-immigrant views, and presented itself as better organised and more disciplined than other groups in a British neo-Nazi scene previously on the verge of collapse.
When it was banned by the then-home secretary, Amber Rudd, in December 2016, National Action was the first far-right organisation to be proscribed since the second world war. But it wasn’t the first such group in that period to espouse extreme neo-Nazi beliefs or promote the ideology of terror and violence – nor will it be the last.
Davies, 27, a former University of Warwick student, began outlining the framework for this neo-Nazi youth movement a decade ago, while he was being monitored by the government’s controversial Prevent programme. » | Matthew Collins | Saturday, June 11, 2022
Prince Charles Criticises ‘Appalling’ Rwanda Migrant Scheme – Reports
THE GUARDIAN: Source says Prince of Wales was ‘more than disappointed’ with deportation plans
A spokesperson for Clarence House said Prince Charles remains politically neutral. Photograph: Reuters
Prince Charles has privately criticised the government’s policy of deporting migrants to Rwanda, calling the practice “appalling”.
The heir to the throne has been heard opposing the policy behind closed doors, a source has told the Times and the Daily Mail.
The claim comes on the same day that a legal challenge against deporting asylum seekers was rejected by the high court. The first flight to send migrants to the central African country could leave on Tuesday. An appeal against the ruling has been launched.
…
The source said: “[Charles] said he was more than disappointed at the policy.
“He said he thinks the government’s whole approach is appalling. It was clear he was not impressed with the government’s direction of travel.” » | Harry Taylor | Friday, June 10, 2022
Related (including my own thoughts on the matter).
Prince Charles has privately criticised the government’s policy of deporting migrants to Rwanda, calling the practice “appalling”.
The heir to the throne has been heard opposing the policy behind closed doors, a source has told the Times and the Daily Mail.
The claim comes on the same day that a legal challenge against deporting asylum seekers was rejected by the high court. The first flight to send migrants to the central African country could leave on Tuesday. An appeal against the ruling has been launched.
…
The source said: “[Charles] said he was more than disappointed at the policy.
“He said he thinks the government’s whole approach is appalling. It was clear he was not impressed with the government’s direction of travel.” » | Harry Taylor | Friday, June 10, 2022
Related (including my own thoughts on the matter).
Friday, June 10, 2022
Griechenlands neue Helden
'When Have We Ever Seen a Coup d'État Like This?' The Historical Significance of January 6th
Even the Murdoch Press Is Now Waking Up to the Truth: Brexit Was an Act of Self-harm
THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: When the most anti-EU newspapers are pointing to the policy’s inevitable failures, it’s time our government admitted the truth
My love of gardening is grounded in the thrill of renewal: the first snowdrop bulb, the first songbird to break the silence, that shaft of warmth in early March. This week, as a veteran party member and supporter of every Conservative leader from Churchill to Cameron, I have detected something similar: the renewal of my party’s European legacy.
The disastrous consequences of Brexit for living standards, for our economic wellbeing and for Britain’s reputation abroad, have so far been obscured by Covid, the war in Ukraine and the headline-grabbing story of our prime minister’s lack of truthfulness and integrity. But this week, the British press perhaps unintentionally revealed the real world that is emerging as a result of Brexit.
While readers of the Guardian have been kept closely informed about the continuing tragedy of Brexit, it’s only now that other parts of the British press have begun to consider the truth of its legacy. The economies of three of the regions that voted most heavily for Brexit were “smaller at the end of last year … than at the time of the vote”, wrote David Smith in the business section of this week’s Sunday Times. Despite a weak pound making Britain’s goods cheap for foreign buyers, “exporters are … struggling”, Jim Armitage wrote in the same paper. “First-quarter figures last week showed exports of food and drink to the EU were down 17%, or £614m, on pre-Covid levels. Exports to non European countries increased by 10.7%, or £223m, but not enough to offset the European decline.”
Brexit was meant to be a “new beginning for the Tory party,” Jeremy Warner wrote this week in the Daily Telegraph, “but by making trade with Europe more difficult and costly it has so far only added to the country’s travails”. In its coverage of recent OECD warnings, the Daily Mail reported that the UK economy “is set to flatline next year – performing worse than every other G20 country except for sanctions-crippled Russia”. Most of these countries have also felt the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the Covid epidemic – but not, of course, Brexit. » | Michael Heseltine | Friday, June 10, 2022
I have said this from the very start: Brexit was a stupid idea, is a stupid idea and will remain a stupid idea. Nobody with any understanding of economics would walk away from the largest single market in the world, The Single Market. One doesn't need much of a grasp of economics to understand that to do so would be highly damaging to one's own economy. That the Conservatives have done this, the Party that prides itself on being business-friendly, is totally and utterly incomprehensible. – © Mark Alexander
My love of gardening is grounded in the thrill of renewal: the first snowdrop bulb, the first songbird to break the silence, that shaft of warmth in early March. This week, as a veteran party member and supporter of every Conservative leader from Churchill to Cameron, I have detected something similar: the renewal of my party’s European legacy.
The disastrous consequences of Brexit for living standards, for our economic wellbeing and for Britain’s reputation abroad, have so far been obscured by Covid, the war in Ukraine and the headline-grabbing story of our prime minister’s lack of truthfulness and integrity. But this week, the British press perhaps unintentionally revealed the real world that is emerging as a result of Brexit.
While readers of the Guardian have been kept closely informed about the continuing tragedy of Brexit, it’s only now that other parts of the British press have begun to consider the truth of its legacy. The economies of three of the regions that voted most heavily for Brexit were “smaller at the end of last year … than at the time of the vote”, wrote David Smith in the business section of this week’s Sunday Times. Despite a weak pound making Britain’s goods cheap for foreign buyers, “exporters are … struggling”, Jim Armitage wrote in the same paper. “First-quarter figures last week showed exports of food and drink to the EU were down 17%, or £614m, on pre-Covid levels. Exports to non European countries increased by 10.7%, or £223m, but not enough to offset the European decline.”
Brexit was meant to be a “new beginning for the Tory party,” Jeremy Warner wrote this week in the Daily Telegraph, “but by making trade with Europe more difficult and costly it has so far only added to the country’s travails”. In its coverage of recent OECD warnings, the Daily Mail reported that the UK economy “is set to flatline next year – performing worse than every other G20 country except for sanctions-crippled Russia”. Most of these countries have also felt the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the Covid epidemic – but not, of course, Brexit. » | Michael Heseltine | Friday, June 10, 2022
I have said this from the very start: Brexit was a stupid idea, is a stupid idea and will remain a stupid idea. Nobody with any understanding of economics would walk away from the largest single market in the world, The Single Market. One doesn't need much of a grasp of economics to understand that to do so would be highly damaging to one's own economy. That the Conservatives have done this, the Party that prides itself on being business-friendly, is totally and utterly incomprehensible. – © Mark Alexander
Im Schatten des Ukraine-Krieges wächst Iran zur Atommacht heran
NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Iran produziert unverhohlen Material für eine Atombombe und reagiert auf Kritik an seinen Vertragsbrüchen, indem es die internationalen Inspektoren behindert. Solch alarmierendes Verhalten macht eine geeinte Reaktion der Grossmächte nötig – doch das Gegenteil ist der Fall.
Vor kurzem hat Iran eine wichtige Schwelle auf seinem jahrzehntelangen Weg zur Atombombe überschritten: Es besitzt nun genügend hochangereichertes Uran, um einen ersten nuklearen Sprengsatz herzustellen. Zwar verfügt Iran damit noch nicht über eine fertig gebaute Bombe, und auch die Entwicklung hin zu einem möglichen Einsatz einer solchen Waffe mit Mittelstreckenraketen ist vermutlich nicht abgeschlossen. Aber die Unverfrorenheit, mit der das Kleriker-Regime nach Atomwaffen greift, und die kraftlose weltweite Reaktion darauf sind bemerkenswert.
Dies hat mit der Ablenkung durch den Krieg in der Ukraine zu tun, aber nicht allein. Von den Grossmächten betrachten es nur die USA als wichtige Aufgabe, den Aufstieg Irans zur Atommacht – der ersten in der konfliktreichen Region des Persischen Golfes – zu verhindern. China und Russland schauen dagegen in völliger Verantwortungslosigkeit zu, wie das einstige internationale Sicherungssystem gegen die Ausbreitung von Atomwaffen zusammenbricht. » | Andreas Rüesch | Freitag, 10. Juni 2022
Smoking Could Be Banned in Beer Gardens
This country is turning into a real Nanny State! Who the hell gives these idiots the right to tell other adults what they can or cannot do for a bit of pleasure in their lives? People at the top take drugs of all sorts; and much else besides. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a cigarette as long as one’s smoking is kept in moderation. It’s like everything else in life, moderation is key.
In my life, whilst working abroad, I worked with many Americans. Almost all of them were smokers, most were pretty slim, and few of them suffered from diabetes. Look at Americans today! Most of them don’t smoke anymore, but very many Americans are obese, and type-2 diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the States.
I would be the last person to say that smoking is good for anyone’s health. But so aren't many things good for people’s health. Being obese certainly is not good for health. Nor is sugar or alcohol. Nor marijuana, for which laws are being relaxed. The long-term effects of vaping, despite what many governments say, are not yet known.
Please note that I am an ex-smoker, so I no longer have skin in the game. However, I will say this: When I smoked, I only ever smoked for the pleasure it brought me (and it brought me a lot of pleasure); I never smoked out of addiction. Never! Smoking is a habit, not an addiction. I know that to be true, because when I quit the habit, I had no withdrawal symptoms whatsoever. And I was a twenty a day smoker for most of my adult life. Were smoking to be an addiction, I would most certainly have had withdrawal symptoms. Nor, by the way, have I had any cravings.
So I say this: Let people smoke! Encourage them not to do so, by all means; but let people decide for themselves. I don’t want to live in a smoke-free Britain, because I am old enough to know that if they manage to stub out the habit altogether, it will be replaced by some other undesirable habit, from which many other undesirable side effects and problems will ensue. We will never be able to live in a Utopia. And as Margaret Thatcher once said: “We probably shouldn’t like it if we could.”
This government is a right-wing Conservative government. Right-wing Conservatives are supposed to believe in consumer choice. So they should live by their principles. For heaven's sake, leave smokers alone! – © Mark Alexander
Putin Likens Himself to Peter the Great
Russia's Economy: Is It Crumbling or Standing Strong? | DW News
The Queen's Reaction to The Death of Margaret & Her Mother | Elizabeth: Our Queen | Channel 5
Gary Younge Destroys America's Gun Obsession
"Nobody Is Sleeping Here"
If this is the way that Britain treats refugees, it makes me ashamed to be British! Shame on BoJo! Shame on Priti Patel! Shame on the Conservative government! Shame on us all for tolerating this treatment of these poor refugees! And we have the nerve to call ourselves Christians and this a Christian country! Unbelievable! – © Mark Alexander
Donald Trump a « allumé la mèche » de l’assaut du Capitole, selon la commission d’enquête
LE MONDE : La commission d’enquête de la Chambre des représentants a présenté jeudi ses premières conclusions sur l’attaque du 6 janvier 2021. Retransmise en direct sur plusieurs chaînes de télévision, cette audition publique a mis en évidence la responsabilité de l’ancien président américain.
Un exercice de pédagogie vital pour la démocratie américaine a débuté, jeudi 9 juin, dans une salle du Congrès. Ce fut aussi un moment de télévision exceptionnel, dont la sobriété des acteurs n’a fait que renforcer l’intensité. La commission d’enquête de la Chambre des représentants a tenu une première audition publique afin de remonter le fil des événements qui ont conduit à l’assaut du 6 janvier 2021 contre le Capitole, par les partisans de Donald Trump. Cette sombre journée fut « le point culminant d’une tentative de coup d’Etat », a résumé en introduction le démocrate Bennie Thompson (Mississippi), président de la commission.
Assis sous un écran géant, les neuf membres de la commission siégeaient dans une atmosphère solennelle, devant un parterre nourri de photographes. L’audition était réglée minutieusement, menée par Bennie Thompson et la vice-présidente de la commission, la républicaine Liz Cheney (Wyoming). « Le 6 janvier et les mensonges ayant conduit à l’insurrection ont mis en danger deux siècles et demi de démocratie constitutionnelle », a dit Bennie Thomson, pour cadrer l’enjeu du moment. Mais c’est surtout Liz Cheney qui a imprimé sa marque à l’audition. Devenue une pestiférée au sein du parti républicain, honnie par Donald Trump, elle s’est engagée depuis des mois dans une croisade pour établir la vérité sur le 6 janvier, en compagnie de l’autre élu de son parti au sein de la commission, Adam Kinzinger (Illinois). Pour la fille de l’ancien vice-président Dick Cheney, il s’agit du combat décisif de sa vie politique, qui n’autorise ni faiblesse, ni demi-mesure. » | Par Piotr Smolar (Washington, correspondant) | vendredi 10 juin 2022
Article réservé aux abonnés
Un exercice de pédagogie vital pour la démocratie américaine a débuté, jeudi 9 juin, dans une salle du Congrès. Ce fut aussi un moment de télévision exceptionnel, dont la sobriété des acteurs n’a fait que renforcer l’intensité. La commission d’enquête de la Chambre des représentants a tenu une première audition publique afin de remonter le fil des événements qui ont conduit à l’assaut du 6 janvier 2021 contre le Capitole, par les partisans de Donald Trump. Cette sombre journée fut « le point culminant d’une tentative de coup d’Etat », a résumé en introduction le démocrate Bennie Thompson (Mississippi), président de la commission.
Assis sous un écran géant, les neuf membres de la commission siégeaient dans une atmosphère solennelle, devant un parterre nourri de photographes. L’audition était réglée minutieusement, menée par Bennie Thompson et la vice-présidente de la commission, la républicaine Liz Cheney (Wyoming). « Le 6 janvier et les mensonges ayant conduit à l’insurrection ont mis en danger deux siècles et demi de démocratie constitutionnelle », a dit Bennie Thomson, pour cadrer l’enjeu du moment. Mais c’est surtout Liz Cheney qui a imprimé sa marque à l’audition. Devenue une pestiférée au sein du parti républicain, honnie par Donald Trump, elle s’est engagée depuis des mois dans une croisade pour établir la vérité sur le 6 janvier, en compagnie de l’autre élu de son parti au sein de la commission, Adam Kinzinger (Illinois). Pour la fille de l’ancien vice-président Dick Cheney, il s’agit du combat décisif de sa vie politique, qui n’autorise ni faiblesse, ni demi-mesure. » | Par Piotr Smolar (Washington, correspondant) | vendredi 10 juin 2022
Article réservé aux abonnés
Thursday, June 09, 2022
Ukraine - The End of the Russian World I ARTE.tv Documentary
Wednesday, June 08, 2022
Brian Sims | I'm From Bloomsburg, PA | True Gay Stories
WIKIPEDIA: Brian Sims.
Ex-Kanzlerin Merkel erklärt ihre Russlandpolitik | DW Nachrichten
Jun 8, 2022 • Es wurde viel über die Russland-Politik der vergangenen Regierung gesprochen, eine zu versöhnliche Haltung gegenüber Putin kritisiert.
Als der Krieg in der Ukraine ausbricht, ist Angela Merkel schon nicht mehr deutsche Bundeskanzlerin. Sie ist knapp drei Monate aus dem Amt, als die russische Armee am 24. Februar in die Ukraine einmarschiert.
Zum ersten Mal nach Ende ihrer Kanzlerschaft hat sich Angela Merkel jetzt auf der Bühne des Berliner Ensembles wieder kritischen Fragen gestellt.
Related.
Als der Krieg in der Ukraine ausbricht, ist Angela Merkel schon nicht mehr deutsche Bundeskanzlerin. Sie ist knapp drei Monate aus dem Amt, als die russische Armee am 24. Februar in die Ukraine einmarschiert.
Zum ersten Mal nach Ende ihrer Kanzlerschaft hat sich Angela Merkel jetzt auf der Bühne des Berliner Ensembles wieder kritischen Fragen gestellt.
Related.
Harvey Weinstein Facing Indecent Assault Charges in Britain
THE NEW YORK TIMES: British prosecutors said they authorized criminal charges against Mr. Weinstein for an incident in 1996.
The British authorities have authorized criminal charges against Harvey Weinstein on two counts of indecent assault against a woman in 1996 in London, the country’s Crown Prosecution Service announced in a news release Wednesday.
Mr. Weinstein, 70, has been convicted of felony sex crimes in New York and is awaiting trial in Los Angeles, where he has been charged with several counts of forcible rape, among other charges.
“Charges have been authorized against Harvey Weinstein, 70, following a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation,” Rosemary Ainslie, the head of the prosecution service’s special crime division, said in a statement. » | Julia Jacobs | Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Harvey Weinstein poursuivi au Royaume-Uni pour des soupçons d’agressions sexuelles en 1996 : Le parquet britannique a autorisé des poursuites contre le producteur de cinéma, dont les crimes avaient déclenché le mouvement #metoo en 2017. »
The British authorities have authorized criminal charges against Harvey Weinstein on two counts of indecent assault against a woman in 1996 in London, the country’s Crown Prosecution Service announced in a news release Wednesday.
Mr. Weinstein, 70, has been convicted of felony sex crimes in New York and is awaiting trial in Los Angeles, where he has been charged with several counts of forcible rape, among other charges.
“Charges have been authorized against Harvey Weinstein, 70, following a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation,” Rosemary Ainslie, the head of the prosecution service’s special crime division, said in a statement. » | Julia Jacobs | Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Harvey Weinstein poursuivi au Royaume-Uni pour des soupçons d’agressions sexuelles en 1996 : Le parquet britannique a autorisé des poursuites contre le producteur de cinéma, dont les crimes avaient déclenché le mouvement #metoo en 2017. »
Homosexualität im Fussball – Schiedsrichter Pascal Erlachner outet sich | Doku | SRF Dok
Dec 22, 2017 • Pascal Erlachner ist der erste Spitzenschiedsrichter, der sich outet.
Seine Motivation: Er will aufrütteln, enttabuisieren, helfen, ein Klima herzustellen, in dem es künftig normal sein soll, dass Fussballer, Trainer oder Funktionäre schwul sind. Sein Ziel: Er will auch nach dem Comingout weiterpfeifen.
Dieser Dokumentarfilm wurde teilweise auf Deutsch und teilweise auf Schweizerdeutsch (Schwyzertüütsch) ausgestrahlt. – Mark
Doku: So kämpfen schwule Fußballer für mehr Akzeptanz I Ganze Folge I 37 Grad: Für viele ist Fußball alles, nur nicht schwul! Natürlich gibt es homosexuelle Fußballspieler – doch wie groß ist der seelische Druck, nicht offen zu seiner Sexualität stehen zu können? Für viele ist Fußball alles, nur nicht schwul! Natürlich gibt es homosexuelle Fußballspieler – doch wie groß ist der seelische Druck, nicht offen zu seiner Sexualität stehen zu können? »
Seine Motivation: Er will aufrütteln, enttabuisieren, helfen, ein Klima herzustellen, in dem es künftig normal sein soll, dass Fussballer, Trainer oder Funktionäre schwul sind. Sein Ziel: Er will auch nach dem Comingout weiterpfeifen.
Dieser Dokumentarfilm wurde teilweise auf Deutsch und teilweise auf Schweizerdeutsch (Schwyzertüütsch) ausgestrahlt. – Mark
Doku: So kämpfen schwule Fußballer für mehr Akzeptanz I Ganze Folge I 37 Grad: Für viele ist Fußball alles, nur nicht schwul! Natürlich gibt es homosexuelle Fußballspieler – doch wie groß ist der seelische Druck, nicht offen zu seiner Sexualität stehen zu können? Für viele ist Fußball alles, nur nicht schwul! Natürlich gibt es homosexuelle Fußballspieler – doch wie groß ist der seelische Druck, nicht offen zu seiner Sexualität stehen zu können? »
The Only 8 Male Footballers Who Dared to Come Out as Gay as of February 2020
Gay footballers are afraid to come out, says Sweden's Ekdal: The 30-year-old midfielder believes the hostile atmosphere towards other sexual orientations could put kids off from playing the sport / Sampdoria and Sweden midfielder Albin Ekdal has expressed his frustration that players are still reluctant to come out as homosexual in the modern football world. »
Recently, Josh Cavallo came out. Check it out here.
The Pink Triangles: The Story of the Gay Holocaust | Complete Documentary
Premiered Jan 21, 2021 • The vastly ignored history of Germany's war on gay men during World War 2.
A special note: Trans women were also persecuted but Germany categorized them as gay men so there's no official records to refer to.
Patreon: www.patreon.com/jamessomerton Twitter: je_somerton
Boris Johnson: a Dead Man Walking? | Andrew Marr | New Statesman Podcast
Jun 7, 2022 • Boris Johnson has survived a confidence vote - but, as Andrew Marr explains, there are other ways he could lose his job.
Conservative MPs have voted 211-148 in favour of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. Loyalists like Dominic Raab, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries have been vocal in their attempt to get the country to "move on". But a confidence vote is never good news for a Prime Minister and have historicallly, eventually, proved fatally damaging.
…
Andrew Marr is Political Editor of the New Statesman, and a veteran political journalist, writer and broadcaster. …
Conservative MPs have voted 211-148 in favour of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. Loyalists like Dominic Raab, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries have been vocal in their attempt to get the country to "move on". But a confidence vote is never good news for a Prime Minister and have historicallly, eventually, proved fatally damaging.
…
Andrew Marr is Political Editor of the New Statesman, and a veteran political journalist, writer and broadcaster. …
⚡"Who Does Boris Johnson and His Government Really Work for? In Our Opinion, Not You."⚡
Angela Merkel on Ukraine, Putin and Her Legacy | DW News
Tuesday, June 07, 2022
Ex-gun Industry Insider Speaks Out about Republicans and NRA
Rachmaninov: Symfonie nr. 2 - Nationaal Jeugdorkest o.l.v. John Wilson - Concert HD
A Gay Kiss in Paris
Sunny Grapes
Woodward: Trump Will Do Some Things to Hold Power That Are 'Frightening' If He Takes Office Again
Dictating Virginity | DW Documentary
Jul 24, 2021 • In many parts of the world, questions surrounding virginity have seemed to be on the verge of disappearing. But despite the sexual revolution, the idea of preserving virginity has seen a resurgence of late.
The film looks at growing movements promoting abstinence until marriage in the United States and Europe. As more and more women choose to join such movements, those in other places often have no choice. In Maghreb, for example, women must yield to tests to inspect their virginity. The pressure to be able to demonstrate virginity is so great that each year, a number of women resort to operations such as hymenoplasty, to reconstruct the hymen, which can be ruptured in any number of non-sexual ways. Despite all of this obsessive interest, the film shows that, physiologically, virginity does not exist. So what does it stand for, in our contemporary world?
The film looks at growing movements promoting abstinence until marriage in the United States and Europe. As more and more women choose to join such movements, those in other places often have no choice. In Maghreb, for example, women must yield to tests to inspect their virginity. The pressure to be able to demonstrate virginity is so great that each year, a number of women resort to operations such as hymenoplasty, to reconstruct the hymen, which can be ruptured in any number of non-sexual ways. Despite all of this obsessive interest, the film shows that, physiologically, virginity does not exist. So what does it stand for, in our contemporary world?
Volodymyr Zelenskyy: ‘No-one Is Humiliating Ukraine. They Are Killing Us’ | FT
Minimum Alcohol Price ‘Causes Poorest to Cut Back on Food’ in Scotland
THE GUARDIAN: Some problem drinkers also reducing heating to afford rising alcohol costs, according to Public Health Scotland
Alcohol for sale in an Edinburgh off-licence. The minimum pricing policy came into force in May 2018. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA
Scotland’s minimum alcohol pricing policy has not encouraged problem drinkers to consume less but has prompted some to cut back on food or heating in order to afford rising costs, according to the first evaluation of its impact on those who drink alcohol at harmful levels.
The Scottish National party’s flagship policy, championed by Nicola Sturgeon when she was health minister and introduced after successive court challenges by the Scotch Whisky Association, came into force in May 2018. It introduced a legally enforced minimum price for all alcoholic drinks of 50p a unit and aimed to tackle chronic alcohol abuse by targeting low-cost, high-strength drinks.
But the latest evaluation of minimum unit pricing (MUP), published on Tuesday by Public Health Scotland, found those who suffer the worst affects of alcoholism did not change their habits after the policy was introduced, with the poorest among them experiencing “increased financial strain” as price rises meant they were spending more on drink, causing them to cut back on other expenditure such as food and utility bills. » | Libby Brooks, Scotland correspondent | Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Surprise! Surprise! These politicians don’t have a bloody clue! They keep on distorting the market by introducing stupid, useless laws, the consequences of which should be clear and easy for an intelligent person to anticipate.
Many politicians need to study Economics 101! Most seem to be law graduates; they know not a thing about economics! When I studied economics back in the day, one of the first things I remember learning was that political interference in prices of goods in the marketplace lead to market distortions, which often leads to undesirable and unintended consequences. This problem in Scotland is one such example. With the price of cigarettes and other tobacco products sky high in this country, I feel absolutely certain that a similar story could also be told about those products.
Many politicians these days extol the virtues of the free market, yet they don’t allow the free market to determine prices. Go figure! Instead, they slap high taxes on goods they deem undesirable, hoping to change people’s behaviour and habits. They always fail. And always will. And when they don’t fail totally, they cause those people to take up other habits, many of which are worse than the original habit they were hoping to stamp out.
If politicians really want to change people’s habits, taxing products to the hilt is not the way to do it. Education and infomercials are a far better way forward. The results might not be as fast, but they will be longer-lasting. Furthermore, people won’t get the feeling that their rights are being trampled upon.
And there’s something else politicians need to learn: Utopia will never be achieved anyway. And in any case, regardless of class and means, everyone needs to be able to get some enjoyment in life, even if the source of that enjoyment might at times be deemed unhealthy. For God’s sake, stop the social engineering! – © Mark Alexander
Scotland’s minimum alcohol pricing policy has not encouraged problem drinkers to consume less but has prompted some to cut back on food or heating in order to afford rising costs, according to the first evaluation of its impact on those who drink alcohol at harmful levels.
The Scottish National party’s flagship policy, championed by Nicola Sturgeon when she was health minister and introduced after successive court challenges by the Scotch Whisky Association, came into force in May 2018. It introduced a legally enforced minimum price for all alcoholic drinks of 50p a unit and aimed to tackle chronic alcohol abuse by targeting low-cost, high-strength drinks.
But the latest evaluation of minimum unit pricing (MUP), published on Tuesday by Public Health Scotland, found those who suffer the worst affects of alcoholism did not change their habits after the policy was introduced, with the poorest among them experiencing “increased financial strain” as price rises meant they were spending more on drink, causing them to cut back on other expenditure such as food and utility bills. » | Libby Brooks, Scotland correspondent | Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Surprise! Surprise! These politicians don’t have a bloody clue! They keep on distorting the market by introducing stupid, useless laws, the consequences of which should be clear and easy for an intelligent person to anticipate.
Many politicians need to study Economics 101! Most seem to be law graduates; they know not a thing about economics! When I studied economics back in the day, one of the first things I remember learning was that political interference in prices of goods in the marketplace lead to market distortions, which often leads to undesirable and unintended consequences. This problem in Scotland is one such example. With the price of cigarettes and other tobacco products sky high in this country, I feel absolutely certain that a similar story could also be told about those products.
Many politicians these days extol the virtues of the free market, yet they don’t allow the free market to determine prices. Go figure! Instead, they slap high taxes on goods they deem undesirable, hoping to change people’s behaviour and habits. They always fail. And always will. And when they don’t fail totally, they cause those people to take up other habits, many of which are worse than the original habit they were hoping to stamp out.
If politicians really want to change people’s habits, taxing products to the hilt is not the way to do it. Education and infomercials are a far better way forward. The results might not be as fast, but they will be longer-lasting. Furthermore, people won’t get the feeling that their rights are being trampled upon.
And there’s something else politicians need to learn: Utopia will never be achieved anyway. And in any case, regardless of class and means, everyone needs to be able to get some enjoyment in life, even if the source of that enjoyment might at times be deemed unhealthy. For God’s sake, stop the social engineering! – © Mark Alexander
Platinum Jubilee: Richard Griffin on the Queen's Sense of Humour
Rebel Conservative MP Urges Party to Give Boris Johnson 'Time to Improve'
Brexit was destined to be a disaster from the very beginning. Boris Johnson was only ever for it because he thought it was the best way for him to get the keys to Number 10. We, the people, have had to relinquish our rights as European citizens (with all the privileges that citizenship brought with it) just to get BoJo into Number 10. And what a dog's dinner he's making of the job. The man is a disaster. So is Brexit. Yes, Tobias Ellwood is right that we should re-join the Single Market (which Margaret Thatcher worked assiduously to bring about), but truth to tell, we should never have left the European Union in the first place. It was a half-baked idea from day 1. What a mess this country is in under these ideologues. – © Mark Alexander
'Tumors Just Vanished': Cancer Patients Now in Remission after Drug Trial
Monday, June 06, 2022
Gay Lawyer Embraces His Identity in the Workplace and Thrives
Boris Johnson Wins No-confidence Vote Despite Unexpectedly Large Rebellion
THE GUARDIAN: PM retains support of most colleagues but badly weakened after result in which 148 MPs voted against him
A promise to cut taxes is likely to have swayed some Conservative MPs in favour of Boris Johnson. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images
Boris Johnson has won the no-confidence vote, with a majority of Tory MPs supporting his leadership, but he suffered a larger than expected rebellion.
The vote saw 211 votes in favour and 148 votes against him in a contest that will leave him severely weakened.
The prime minister retained the support of most of his colleagues after promising them tax cuts in a speech on the economy next week. » | Rowena Mason, Deputy political editor | Monday, January 6, 2022
Boris Johnson has won the no-confidence vote, with a majority of Tory MPs supporting his leadership, but he suffered a larger than expected rebellion.
The vote saw 211 votes in favour and 148 votes against him in a contest that will leave him severely weakened.
The prime minister retained the support of most of his colleagues after promising them tax cuts in a speech on the economy next week. » | Rowena Mason, Deputy political editor | Monday, January 6, 2022
Du Commonwealth à l’isolement britannique
LE MONDE – ÉDITORIAL : L’atmosphère de fin de règne liée au grand âge d’Elizabeth II risque de renforcer le relatif isolement du pays avec ses anciennes colonies, dont certaines ont déjà coupé ce lien.
Les soixante-dix ans de règne de la reine Elizabeth II ne sont pas célébrés seulement à Londres, Cardiff et Edimbourg. Les Etats membres du Commonwealth sont invités à festoyer à l’occasion du Jubilé de platine d’une reine qui, depuis l’après-guerre, a su personnifier le lien entre le Royaume-Uni et ses anciennes possessions coloniales. De « l’empire sur lequel le soleil ne se couche jamais », il ne subsiste que quelques confettis sous souveraineté britannique comme Gibraltar, les îles Caïmans, Sainte-Hélène ou les Malouines.
Mais, plus de soixante ans après la décolonisation, Elizabeth II demeure non seulement la reine de seize Etats dont le Canada et l’Australie, mais la cheffe du Commonwealth, qui réunit cinquante-quatre pays dont l’Inde, l’Afrique du Sud, le Nigeria et le Rwanda.
Contrairement à la France, qui s’est parfois embourbée dans ses anciennes colonies et n’a jamais réussi à faire décoller l’Organisation internationale de la francophonie, le Royaume-Uni a su maintenir un lien souple avec ses anciens « dominions » sous la forme d’une « communauté » rassemblant 2,5 milliards d’habitants. Le mot « Commonwealth », longtemps synonyme d’empire, a été habilement conservé pour désigner un ensemble d’Etats indépendants liés à Londres. » | Éditorial « du Monde » | dimanche 5 juin 2022
Read in English
Les soixante-dix ans de règne de la reine Elizabeth II ne sont pas célébrés seulement à Londres, Cardiff et Edimbourg. Les Etats membres du Commonwealth sont invités à festoyer à l’occasion du Jubilé de platine d’une reine qui, depuis l’après-guerre, a su personnifier le lien entre le Royaume-Uni et ses anciennes possessions coloniales. De « l’empire sur lequel le soleil ne se couche jamais », il ne subsiste que quelques confettis sous souveraineté britannique comme Gibraltar, les îles Caïmans, Sainte-Hélène ou les Malouines.
Mais, plus de soixante ans après la décolonisation, Elizabeth II demeure non seulement la reine de seize Etats dont le Canada et l’Australie, mais la cheffe du Commonwealth, qui réunit cinquante-quatre pays dont l’Inde, l’Afrique du Sud, le Nigeria et le Rwanda.
Contrairement à la France, qui s’est parfois embourbée dans ses anciennes colonies et n’a jamais réussi à faire décoller l’Organisation internationale de la francophonie, le Royaume-Uni a su maintenir un lien souple avec ses anciens « dominions » sous la forme d’une « communauté » rassemblant 2,5 milliards d’habitants. Le mot « Commonwealth », longtemps synonyme d’empire, a été habilement conservé pour désigner un ensemble d’Etats indépendants liés à Londres. » | Éditorial « du Monde » | dimanche 5 juin 2022
Read in English
What Does Boris Johnson Confidence Vote Mean for By-elections?
Jun 6, 2022 • What do voters make of it all?
In just over a fortnight's time, two crucial by-elections will be taking place. In Wakefield, current polls suggest the Conservatives could be heading for a catastrophic defeat.
In just over a fortnight's time, two crucial by-elections will be taking place. In Wakefield, current polls suggest the Conservatives could be heading for a catastrophic defeat.
Boris Johnson Makes His Case: ‘I Will Lead You to Victory Again.’
THE NEW YORK TIMES: In a speech to his fellow Conservative lawmakers, Prime Minister Boris Johnson argued that the best was yet to come if they continued to support him, and that he would prove an election winner for a second time.
“I will lead you to victory again and the winners will be the people of this country,” Mr. Johnson said, according to excerpts from the text released by a party official.
Mr. Johnson also promised to reduce taxes and focus on the problems confronting Britain as he prepared to face a no-confidence vote on Monday after public outcry over violations of pandemic lockdown rules.
“We can deliver and we can unite,” he said.
Mr. Johnson warned that the opposition Labour Party would prevail in the next election “if we were so foolish as to descend into some pointless fratricidal debate about the future of the party when, frankly, there is no alternative vision that I am hearing.” » | Stephen Castle | Monday, June 6, 2022
How Boris Johnson Suffered a Stunning Political Reversal: The same baffling mix of strengths and foibles that propelled Mr. Johnson’s rise have brought him low: rare political intuition, and breathtaking personal recklessness. »
Jeremy Hunt urges Tory MPs to vote no confidence in Boris Johnson: Former minister says Tory party is set to lose next election because of lack of integrity, competence and vision »
So läuft das Misstrauensvotum gegen Boris Johnson ab: An diesem Montagabend stimmt die Fraktion der Konservativen Partei ab, ob der britische Premierminister Boris Johnson im Amt bleibt. Wie das Votum abläuft und was das Ergebnis bedeutet. »
Boris Johnson, fragilisé par le « partygate », soumis à un vote de confiance : S’il est désavoué lundi, le premier ministre britannique, au cœur d’un scandale pour des fêtes organisées au 10 Downing Street pendant une période de restrictions sanitaires, perdra son poste. »
Lockdown-Partys an der Downing Street: Misstrauensvotum gegen Boris Johnson in Konservativer Partei: Alkohol in rauen Mengen, Musik bis tief in die Nacht – und das alles während Corona-Lockdowns: Premierminister Boris Johnson steht wegen Partys im Londoner Regierungsviertel Whitehall weiterhin in der Kritik. Ein Überblick. »
Rebellion gegen Boris Johnson: Der britische Premierminister muss sich einem Misstrauensvotum der Konservativen Partei stellen: Der in der «Partygate»-Affäre in die Kritik geratene britische Premierminister Boris Johnson muss sich am Montagabend gegen ein Misstrauensvotum der Tory-Abgeordneten verteidigen. Auch im Falle eines Sieges dürfte seine Autorität Schaden nehmen. »
Why Latinos Are Converting to Islam – Reupload
Jan 17, 2019 • Latinos are one of the fastest growing groups within Islam in America. VICE's Lee Adams travels to Houston Texas, the home of America's first Islam in Spanish center, to investigate what’s behind this phenomenon and how America’s current political climate might be related.
As a former gang leader, Jaime "Mujahid" Fletcher claims that Islam saved his life, inspiring him to found the Islam in Spanish center. He dedicated himself to translating Muslim texts for a Spanish-speaking audience.
We spoke to Jaime and other recent Latino Muslim converts to find out why two of America’s most discriminated groups are coming together.
As a former gang leader, Jaime "Mujahid" Fletcher claims that Islam saved his life, inspiring him to found the Islam in Spanish center. He dedicated himself to translating Muslim texts for a Spanish-speaking audience.
We spoke to Jaime and other recent Latino Muslim converts to find out why two of America’s most discriminated groups are coming together.
Celebrating the Platinum Jubilee : Sounds of 1952
At Heathrow King George VI waves off his daughter and her husband on their royal tour. Within days she is back home, following his sudden death and her elevation to the throne as Queen Elizabeth II. Jeremy Vine introduces a collection of newsreels, popular songs, cinema trails and radio shows from that pivotal year including High Noon, Life With The Lions, Singin' In The Rain, Thumbelina and the first British pop chart. Names in the news include Churchill, Eisenhower, Zatopek, Little Mo Connolly and Gracie Fields.
Based on episode 2 of the Radio 2 series 'Sounds of the 20th Century' - the programme has no narration, no commentary, no celebrity recollections, just the sounds of 1952 as they were heard at the time.
Elon Musk Threatens to Abandon $44billion Twitter Deal …
MAIL ONLINE: Elon Musk has threatened to pull out of his deal to purchase Twitter as he accuses the social media giant of 'resisting and thwarting' his right to information about spam and fake accounts on the platform.
Musk alleged Twitter withholding the requested data was a 'clear material breach' of the terms of their merger agreement.
'Musk reserves all rights resulting therefrom, including his right not to consummate the transaction and his right to terminate the merger agreement,' his attorney wrote in an SEC filing on Monday. » | Natasha Anderson for DailyMail.com | Monday, June 6, 2022
Musk alleged Twitter withholding the requested data was a 'clear material breach' of the terms of their merger agreement.
'Musk reserves all rights resulting therefrom, including his right not to consummate the transaction and his right to terminate the merger agreement,' his attorney wrote in an SEC filing on Monday. » | Natasha Anderson for DailyMail.com | Monday, June 6, 2022
Jacob Rees-Mogg: PM Would Stay On 'Even If He Won by Only One Vote'
Jun 6, 2022 • Brexit Opportunities Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has told Sky News that it would be enough for the Prime Minister to win by one vote this evening.
"If you've won by one, you've won," he said.
Asked about booing at St Paul's Cathedral, he added: "A little bit of booing, a little bit of cheering that is perfectly normal."
"If you've won by one, you've won," he said.
Asked about booing at St Paul's Cathedral, he added: "A little bit of booing, a little bit of cheering that is perfectly normal."
'The Conservatives Have a Clear Choice' over Vote of Confidence, Says Wes Streeting
Sunday, June 05, 2022
Zu Tisch ... Euböa - Griechenland | ARTE
Jun 5, 2022 • Ein Kuchen ohne Zucker – kein Problem! Auf der griechischen Insel Euböa bauen Janna und Vangelis Karama Feigen an. Daraus stellen sie auch Petimezi her, Feigensirup – als Zuckerersatz. Im Spätsommer ist Erntezeit. Aus den Früchten ihrer Bäume bereiten sie traditionelle und neue Gerichte zu: Schwein mit Feigen, Feigen im Speckmantel, Kuchen oder auch Chutney.
Über 25.000 Feigenbäume wachsen in den "Feigendörfern" rund um das Städtchen Kymi. Im Spätsommer ist Erntezeit. Familie Karawa pflückt jeden Tag 100 Kilogramm Feigen. Danach müssen die Früchte getrocknet werden. Dazu werden sie aufgeschnitten, auf Paletten ausgebreitet und in die Sonne gestellt. Großmutter Vassiliki, 90 Jahre, presst dann jeweils zwei Feigenhälften zur "Askada" aufeinander. Das darf sonst niemand, denn die Paare müssen gut zusammenpassen – das sei bei den Feigen nicht anders als bei den Menschen, findet Vassiliki. Die Familie bereitet aus den Feigen traditionelle und neue Gerichte zu: Schwein mit Feigen, Feigen im Speckmantel, Salat mit Feigen, Feigenbrot oder auch Chutney.
Esskulturreihe, Regie: Elke Sasse (D 2021, 27 Min)
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis 03/09/2022
Über 25.000 Feigenbäume wachsen in den "Feigendörfern" rund um das Städtchen Kymi. Im Spätsommer ist Erntezeit. Familie Karawa pflückt jeden Tag 100 Kilogramm Feigen. Danach müssen die Früchte getrocknet werden. Dazu werden sie aufgeschnitten, auf Paletten ausgebreitet und in die Sonne gestellt. Großmutter Vassiliki, 90 Jahre, presst dann jeweils zwei Feigenhälften zur "Askada" aufeinander. Das darf sonst niemand, denn die Paare müssen gut zusammenpassen – das sei bei den Feigen nicht anders als bei den Menschen, findet Vassiliki. Die Familie bereitet aus den Feigen traditionelle und neue Gerichte zu: Schwein mit Feigen, Feigen im Speckmantel, Salat mit Feigen, Feigenbrot oder auch Chutney.
Esskulturreihe, Regie: Elke Sasse (D 2021, 27 Min)
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis 03/09/2022
Paddington Bear Joins the Queen for Afternoon Tea at Buckingham Palace
Dozens of Worshippers Feared Dead after Nigeria Church Attack • FRANCE 24 English
The Queen Appears on Buckingham Palace Balcony at End of Jubilee Celebrations
Jun 5, 2022 • The Queen has made an unexpected appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at the end of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Her Majesty was joined by her son and heir to the Throne, Prince Charles, alongside the Duchess of Cornwall.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were also by her side along with the Queen's great-grandchildren, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte.
Her Majesty was joined by her son and heir to the Throne, Prince Charles, alongside the Duchess of Cornwall.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were also by her side along with the Queen's great-grandchildren, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte.
Fairytale Oman I ARTE.tv Documentary
Cryptocurrency Crash Causes Trillions of Dollars’ Worth of Damage | 60 Minutes Australia
Large Wildfire Damages Homes Near Athens, Evokes Memories of Last Year's Devastation | DW News
Das unglaubliche Leben des Jean Monnet | Doku HD | ARTE
Jun 5, 2022 • Er ist einer der Väter Europas, doch seine unglaubliche Lebensgeschichte kennt kaum jemand: Jean Monnet trug nicht den politischen Kampf auf offener Bühne aus, sondern versuchte stets Menschen an der Macht von seiner europäischen Idee zu überzeugen. Die "Methode Jean Monnet" ist heute in Europa ein fast schon mythischer Begriff. Worin besteht Monnets Methode?
Zum ersten Mal wird in einem Film die Lebensgeschichte von Jean Monnet erzählt. Sein Einfluss auf die Geschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts reicht bis in unsere Zeit. Dabei war er nie Politiker, kein Staatsmann im Rampenlicht. Er hatte auch keine höhere Bildung. Er war ein Cognac-Händler aus Frankreich. Jean Monnet gilt als einer der „Väter Europas“, ohne ihn gäbe es das heutige Europa nicht. Trotzdem ist seine unglaubliche Lebensgeschichte, die uns heute so viel über Europa erzählen könnte, kaum bekannt. Dabei spielte der Cognac-Händler an vielen Wendepunkten der Weltgeschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts eine entscheidende und oft aberwitzige Rolle. Jedoch stets im Hintergrund, als der „Mann im Schatten“. Als junger Mann in den Urwäldern Kanadas, in London, Amerika, China oder Nordafrika: Immer waren es heute kaum zu fassende Abenteuer, die Jean Monnet dabei zu bestreiten hatte. Abenteuer, deren Gewinn Erkenntnis war. Diese Erkenntnisse erst ließen den Cognac-Händler Jean Monnet zum Architekten Europas werden, wie wir es heute kennen. Davon können eindrücklich auch Politiker wie Jean-Claude Juncker oder Peter Altmaier erzählen, die sich intensiv mit Monnet und seinem Wirken auseinandergesetzt haben. Davon erzählen auch kürzlich erst entdeckte private Filmaufnahmen, die Monnet selbst an den Stationen seines filmreifen Lebens gedreht hatte.
„Der Mann im Schatten - Das unglaubliche Leben des Jean Monnet“ erzählt von einer mehr als ungewöhnlichen Lebensgeschichte, die gleichermaßen eine heute sehr aktuelle Parabel dafür ist, Europa „denken“ zu können. Ein Leben wie ein Roman: voller Abenteuer, Licht und Schatten.
Dokumentation von Rüdiger Mörsdorf (F/D 2021, 53 Min)
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis 30/06/2022
Zum ersten Mal wird in einem Film die Lebensgeschichte von Jean Monnet erzählt. Sein Einfluss auf die Geschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts reicht bis in unsere Zeit. Dabei war er nie Politiker, kein Staatsmann im Rampenlicht. Er hatte auch keine höhere Bildung. Er war ein Cognac-Händler aus Frankreich. Jean Monnet gilt als einer der „Väter Europas“, ohne ihn gäbe es das heutige Europa nicht. Trotzdem ist seine unglaubliche Lebensgeschichte, die uns heute so viel über Europa erzählen könnte, kaum bekannt. Dabei spielte der Cognac-Händler an vielen Wendepunkten der Weltgeschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts eine entscheidende und oft aberwitzige Rolle. Jedoch stets im Hintergrund, als der „Mann im Schatten“. Als junger Mann in den Urwäldern Kanadas, in London, Amerika, China oder Nordafrika: Immer waren es heute kaum zu fassende Abenteuer, die Jean Monnet dabei zu bestreiten hatte. Abenteuer, deren Gewinn Erkenntnis war. Diese Erkenntnisse erst ließen den Cognac-Händler Jean Monnet zum Architekten Europas werden, wie wir es heute kennen. Davon können eindrücklich auch Politiker wie Jean-Claude Juncker oder Peter Altmaier erzählen, die sich intensiv mit Monnet und seinem Wirken auseinandergesetzt haben. Davon erzählen auch kürzlich erst entdeckte private Filmaufnahmen, die Monnet selbst an den Stationen seines filmreifen Lebens gedreht hatte.
„Der Mann im Schatten - Das unglaubliche Leben des Jean Monnet“ erzählt von einer mehr als ungewöhnlichen Lebensgeschichte, die gleichermaßen eine heute sehr aktuelle Parabel dafür ist, Europa „denken“ zu können. Ein Leben wie ein Roman: voller Abenteuer, Licht und Schatten.
Dokumentation von Rüdiger Mörsdorf (F/D 2021, 53 Min)
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis 30/06/2022
Jubilee Honors Britain’s Queen, but Also Highlights Her Increasing Absences
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Throngs of admirers cheered Queen Elizabeth II at her Platinum Jubilee appearance on Thursday, but she was unable to attend a service on Friday. Prince Charles, in a familiar role, played the understudy.
Projections depicting Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign displayed on the front of Buckingham Palace on Thursday. | Pool photo by Chris Jackson
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee has become a party without its guest of honor. Her absence is a metaphor for the twilight of Britain’s second Elizabethan Age, an awkward limbo in which the 96-year-old queen still reigns but has, in many ways, been replaced by her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles.
After appearing Thursday on the balcony at Buckingham Palace and lighting a beacon to celebrate 70 years on the throne, the queen skipped a thanksgiving service Friday at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The palace cited her “discomfort” and problems with mobility, which have forced her largely out of the public eye.
Charles, in what has become a familiar sight, played the understudy. He took his mother’s seat at the front of the cathedral, smiling slightly when the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said of the queen, “We are so glad you are still in the saddle. And we are all glad that there is still more to come.”
How much more, of course, is a mystery.
That lingering uncertainty poses an acute challenge to Charles, who at 73 is already the longest-serving heir in British history. His unspoken transition into the sovereign’s role amounts to a kind of soft launch, royal experts said, allowing Britons to get used to the idea of him as king. But with Buckingham Palace averse to designating him a regent, the delineation of his duties can become constitutionally tricky. » | Mark Landler | Saturday, June 4, 2022
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee has become a party without its guest of honor. Her absence is a metaphor for the twilight of Britain’s second Elizabethan Age, an awkward limbo in which the 96-year-old queen still reigns but has, in many ways, been replaced by her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles.
After appearing Thursday on the balcony at Buckingham Palace and lighting a beacon to celebrate 70 years on the throne, the queen skipped a thanksgiving service Friday at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The palace cited her “discomfort” and problems with mobility, which have forced her largely out of the public eye.
Charles, in what has become a familiar sight, played the understudy. He took his mother’s seat at the front of the cathedral, smiling slightly when the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said of the queen, “We are so glad you are still in the saddle. And we are all glad that there is still more to come.”
How much more, of course, is a mystery.
That lingering uncertainty poses an acute challenge to Charles, who at 73 is already the longest-serving heir in British history. His unspoken transition into the sovereign’s role amounts to a kind of soft launch, royal experts said, allowing Britons to get used to the idea of him as king. But with Buckingham Palace averse to designating him a regent, the delineation of his duties can become constitutionally tricky. » | Mark Landler | Saturday, June 4, 2022
Saturday, June 04, 2022
Prince Charles Thanks the Queen - 'Mummy' - on Behalf of 'the Whole World'
Unbekanntes Arabien: Saudi Arabien – Der Westen | Saudi Arabia: The West | ARTE.tv Documentary
Abtreibung in Amerika – bald verboten? auslandsjournal
Ukraine Anger as Macron Says 'Don't Humiliate Russia'
BBC: Ukraine's foreign minister has hit out at French President Emmanuel Macron after he said it was vital that Russia was not humiliated over its invasion.
Mr Macron said it was crucial President Vladimir Putin had a way out of what he called a "fundamental error".
But Dmytro Kuleba said allies should "better focus on how to put Russia in its place" as it "humiliates itself".
Mr Macron has repeatedly spoken to Mr Putin by phone in an effort to broker a ceasefire and negotiations.
The French attempts to maintain a dialogue with the Kremlin leader contrast with the US and UK positions. » | BBC | Saturday, June 4, 2022
Dear, oh dear, oh dear! Such weakness! Such appeasement! I expected better from Macron. – © Mark
Loser - Boris Johnson Is Now Seen as a Loser - the Public See It and So Does His Party
Jun 4, 2022 • Boris Johnson is now seen as a loser. The public see it and so does the Conservative Party. Since becoming prime minister he has managed to remain popular despite a string of bad decision-making and despite presiding over a new culture of corruption and questionable standards.
However,'Partygate' has revealed for many former supporters that Johnson is not to be trusted. There is national outrage that, whilst the entire population were subject to the most stringent rules concerning mixing, and when many were confined to their homes, Johnson presided over a culture of partying and an apparent lack of discipline in Downing Street.
Johnson's pathetic excuses and no punishment beyond a single fine even though he was present at several events, his faux 'I take full responsibility' in Parliament and his cavalier attitude have offended the entire country.
It is difficult to see how he can possibly survive the current national hostility towards him. A vote of no confidence is expected very shortly and it is difficult to see how he can survive.
However,'Partygate' has revealed for many former supporters that Johnson is not to be trusted. There is national outrage that, whilst the entire population were subject to the most stringent rules concerning mixing, and when many were confined to their homes, Johnson presided over a culture of partying and an apparent lack of discipline in Downing Street.
Johnson's pathetic excuses and no punishment beyond a single fine even though he was present at several events, his faux 'I take full responsibility' in Parliament and his cavalier attitude have offended the entire country.
It is difficult to see how he can possibly survive the current national hostility towards him. A vote of no confidence is expected very shortly and it is difficult to see how he can survive.
“He Lives with a Man. He’s Gay. You Get It?” Gay Man Describes Mother’s Journey to Acceptance.
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