Tuesday, October 11, 2022

«Die Mehrheit der Priester im Vatikan ist schwul» | Sternstunde Religion | SRF Kultur | Reupload

Mit seiner These, wonach die Mehrheit der Prälaten, Bischöfe und Kardinäle des Vatikans schwul seien, generierte der französische Soziologe und Journalist Frédéric Martel im Frühling 2019 viel Aufmerksamkeit, aber auch Unverständnis.

Sein Buch «Sodom» erschien zeitgleich in acht Sprachen und Martel wurde in unzählige Talkshows eingeladen, doch der Vatikan hüllte sich in Schweigen. Wer sich in den 30er-, 40er- und 50er-Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts als junger Mann irgendwie anders – eben homosexuell – fühlte, fand in der römisch-katholischen Kirche eine Oase, so Martel in seinem Buch «Sodom»: Männer, die unter Männern leben, andere Kleidung tragen und singen, das wäre für viele die Rettung gewesen, die zudem noch von der Gesellschaft akzeptiert war.

Gegen aussen seien diese in der Regel sehr alten Männer nun homophob, gegen innen aber homophil. Dies führe zu einer gefährlichen Doppelmoral, einer Kultur des Schweigens, die die Skandale rund um die katholische Kirche sehr unglücklich begünstigt hätten.

Sternstunde Religion vom 29.3.2020



Frédéric Martel’s book, SODOMA is available in many languages. The book is a bestseller. I have bought it in French – the original language it was written in. I took delivery of it yesterday from Amazon.fr . I have already started reading it. It promises to be a very good and interesting read, too. Actually, it’s a long book; there are nearly a thousand pages. It is very well-researched. By all accounts, even Pope Francis has read it! – Mark

Here’s a link to the book on Amazon.fr .

Here is a link to the same programme in English.

Wie werden wir in Zukunft lieben, Eva Illouz? | Sternstunde Philosophie | SRF Kultur

Unverbindlichkeit in der Liebe ist hoch im Kurs. Doch die neue Freiheit hat ihren Preis, sagt die weltbekannte Soziologin Eva Illouz: Die romantische Liebe ist gefährdet wie nie zuvor. Wie sieht denn die Liebe in Zukunft aus? Werden wir vielleicht sogar Roboter lieben?

Mit ihrem Buch «Warum Liebe weh tut» landete die israelische Soziologin Eva Illouz 2012 einen Bestseller. Sie erwies sich darin als eine Dolmetscherin moderner Liebesverhältnisse und zeigte, woran die Liebe in Zeiten des Kapitalismus krankt. Zu diesen Krankheiten gehört, dass wir uns vor lauter Angst, einen potenziell besseren Partner zu übersehen, gar nicht mehr binden.

In ihrem neuen Buch «Warum Liebe endet» untersucht die Soziologin, wie Liebesverhältnisse misslingen und warum es zu einer neuen «Kultur der Lieblosigkeit» kommt. Mit Eva Illouz spricht Barbara Bleisch.

Sternstunde Philosophie vom 17.03.2019



Buch: Eva Illouz: «Warum Liebe endet». Suhrkamp, 2018

The same programme in English here.

Zu Tisch... Gallura: Sardinien | ARTE

Der Honig, den Franca Corda und Renzo Cosseddu von den Wabenwänden ihrer Bienenstöcke schneiden, ist etwas Besonderes. Er wird im Spätherbst und Winter geerntet, wenn die Arbutus-Bäume in der Gallura im Nordosten Sardiniens blühen. Der bittere Honig (miele amaro) versüßt manches Gericht, so Seadas - mit sardischem Peretta-Käse gefüllte Teigtaschen - oder Niuleddi, Mandelkekse.

Im Nordosten Sardiniens wächst der Arbutus-Baum. Er beginnt erst im Herbst und Winter zu blühen. Der Corbezzolo-Honig versüßt nicht nur so manches sardische Gericht, seine Inhaltsstoffe helfen auch gegen Erkältung, Bronchitis und tun dem Magen gut. Franca Corda kann von dem bitteren Honig nicht genug bekommen. Sie wendet die mit Peretta-Käse gefüllten Teigtaschen, Seadas, darin und backt mit ihm Niuleddi, Kekse, die zu besonderen Anlässen gereicht werden. Mit ihrer Schwiegertochter Mattia, ist sie sich nicht immer eins, wenn es darum geht, wer von den beiden den Teig kneten und wer die leichteren Arbeiten machen soll. Spätestens beim gemeinsamen Essen mit der Familie ist aber wieder alles gut. Dann serviert Franca die Gallura-Suppe, das typische Gericht der Region.

Esskulturreihe, Regie: Cristina Ricci und Holger Preusse (D 2021, 33 Min)
Verfügbar bis zum 07.01.2023


Playa Restaurant Review: Miami Beach Vibes in Dubai #shorts

FAZ: Ukrainischer Soldat nach Raktetenangriffen: „Was die Russen tun, ist jenseits aller Normen“

Im Osten der Ukraine feuern ukrainische Soldaten mit Haubitzen auf russische Stellungen. Von den jüngsten russischen Vergeltungsangriffen wegen der Explosion auf der Krim-Brücke lassen sie sich scheinbar kaum beeindrucken. © AFP

Economic Update: The Economics of Colonialism Pt. 1 - The British Empire

Journeyman Pictures: Sex, Revolution and Islam | Trailer | Available Now

Follow Seyran Ateş, one of the first female imams in Europe, as she fights for a sexual revolution. Ateş believes the only way to fight against radical Islam is through Islam - after being shot and threatened, she now lives under constant police protection. What's next in her fight for a more egalitarian interpretation of Islam?


If you wish to purchase this new documentary, click this link and follow the links provided.

Putin’s New Military Commander, General Surovikin, Is a ‘Nasty Piece of Work’

"The latest general to be top, General Surovikin, is a particularly nasty piece of work."

Putin’s new military commander Sergey Surovikin "knows no limit to war", international politics professor Scott Lucas tells #TimesRadio


Professor Tim Wilson: Kwarteng and Truss Have Cheated the Nation

If thee are plans we can see them now- we don’t need to wait till the end of the month! Personally I do not think these plans exist.

Monday, October 10, 2022

أحبك كثيراً يا حبيبي

Ich liebe Dich so sehr, mein Schatz / Je t'aime tellement mon chéri / I love you so much my darling

شكرا لمن ؟؟؟

In Full: Nicola Sturgeon Says Economic Case for Independence Will Come Next Week

Nicola Sturgeon says independence isn't a "miracle cure" for Scotland's economy, but claimed the country "can do so much better than this".

Closing the SNP's annual party conference in Aberdeen, Scotland's first minister said the economic case for independence will be published next Monday as she doubled down on her push for another referendum on 19 October 2023.



Nicola Sturgeon tells SNP conference: ‘We are the independence generation’: First minister promises ‘steady hand on tiller’ while offering reassurance to those opposed to UK exit »

Great speech, Ms. Sturgeon! Scotland deserves its independence. Doesn't Wales deserve independence too? Westminster is a shambles under the Tories; it would be no better under Labour, either. Westminster no longer speaks for the Celtic fringe in this dis-United Kingdom. The English wanted to go it alone; so let them do so! We in the Celtic fringe want to re-join the European Union as independent nations. The Welsh will never have true prosperity being ruled by Westminster. Don’t we in the Celtic fringe deserve better? – © Mark Alexander

UK Announces Sanctions against Iran’s Morality Police

THE GUARDIAN: Move comes in response to violent suppression of protests over death of Mahsa Amini in police custody

Iran's riot police stand in a street in Tehran, Iran on 3 October. Photograph: Wana News Agency/Reuters

Britain has announced sanctions against Iran’s morality police in its entirety as well as its national chief and the head of its Tehran division in response to the violent suppression of protests since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.

The morality police have been responsible for the street patrols forcing women to wear hijab and attend re-education classes on modesty and chastity. Amini was stopped by the morality police over her clothing while walking in a park in Tehran and taken into detention.

Similar sanctions have already been imposed by the US and are set to be imposed by the EU.

Apart from the Iranian morality police as an institution, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said sanctions were being slapped on its chief, Mohammed Gachi, and the head of its Tehran division, Haj Ahmad Mirzaei. » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Monday, October 10, 2022

Back in the 1960s, feminists in the West burnt their bras. Iranian women today should do something similar: All Iranian women should burn their hijabs/chadors en masse. Take them all to the public square and just burn them! What can the morality police or authorities do if everyone does the same thing? There’d be no hijabs left in the country to wear! Defy the reactionary old fogies! – © Mark Alexander

Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish Independence ‘Makes the Case for Optimism’

THE GUARDIAN: First minister uses SNP conference to promise steady hand compared with Westminster mayhem

Nicola Sturgeon giving her keynote speech on day three of the Scottish National party conference in Aberdeen. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Nicola Sturgeon has told the Scottish National party’s annual conference that independence makes the “case for optimism” in troubled times, and promised Scotland “a steady and compassionate hand on the tiller”.

The first minister spoke of the “massive responsibility of me and my government” to help Scots through the cost of living crisis, as she spoke to delegates in Aberdeen at the party’s first in-person conference since the pandemic.

Contrasting the UK government’s plans to “bundle [asylum seekers] on to planes like unwanted cargo”, Sturgeon emphasised Scotland’s international responsibility to stand with those in Iran, Afghanistan, Russian [sic], Belarus and Ukraine.

Sturgeon’s blunt assertion that she “detests” the Tories, made on the Laura Kuennsberg TV show on Sunday morning, attracted criticism from opponents and dominated Monday’s front pages, but she did not baulk at describing the tax cutting package announced by the UK government as “unconscionable”. » | Libby Brooks, Scotland correspondent | Monday, October 10, 2022

The Gay Holocaust | Complete Documentary : The Pink Triangles | Reupload

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


The Pink Triangles - The Story of the Gay Holocaust (Complete Documentary) from James Somerton on Vimeo.


This documentary contains material which some people will find very disturbing. Viewer discretion is therefore strongly advised. It is not suitable for children. – Mark Alexander

Pink Triangles

Apr 4, 2020 | A study of prejudice against lesbians and gay men, "Pink Triangles" was one of the very first films to confront the growth of homophobia in American life and served to alert audiences to the danger of scapegoating and violence that can occur in any society. Best Documentary, San Francisco Int'l Lesbian & Gay Film Festival


Ignorance abounds! Is there really any hope for humankind? – © Mark Alexander

Risking Death to Tell the Truth: Saudi Arabia’s LGBT+ Community

With the recent takeover of Newcastle United by The Saudi sovereign wealth fund (PIF) more questions over Saudi Arabia’s attitude towards human rights have arisen. Primarily the treatment of the LGBT+ community.

The Athletic Adam Crafton has spoken to LGBT+ people in Saudi Arabia about the awful conditions they live in and what they think of Newcastle's takeover.

Illustrated by Philippe Fenner.


Professor Tim Wilson: Nicola Sturgeon and Liz Truss

Doesn’t matter how much she says it, there is no evidence that Liz truss is listening to anyone.

Iran Executes 2 Gay Men over Sodomy Charges

Feb 2, 2022 | Interview with Peter Tatchell, Director at the Peter Tatchell Foundation.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — October 10, 2022

Das Dritte Reich - Das wahre Gesicht 1938-1945 | Reich und Republik, Folge 5

Die Dokumentarfilm-Reihe "Reich und Republik - Deutsche Geschichte von 1871 bis zur Gegenwart" beschreibt und verdeutlicht mit einzigartigen Aufnahmen die Zeit von der Gründung des Zweiten Deutschen Reiches unter Kaiser Wilhelm und seinem Reichskanzler Bismarck 1871, die Wilhelminische Zeit, die Ereignisse der Zeit, aber auch das alltägliche Leben, Kunst und Kultur, Sport, Persönlichkeiten, Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft.

Filmmaker Ken Burns Talks about His Latest Series ‘The U.S. and the Holocaust’ | DW News

Washington early summer 1939. In the Caribbean Sea, somewhere between Cuba and Florida, the MS St. Louis is waiting for the green light from Washington to enter Miami.

There are almost 1,000 war refugees on board the ship from Hamburg. Almost all are German Jews who want to get to safety in the USA.

But US President Franklin D. Roosevelt refused entry.

This is a key scene in the three-part TV documentary 'The U.S. and the Holocaust' which argues that although the United States absorbed around 220,000 Jews during World War II, far more could have been saved.


Iran Has One of the World's Highest Execution Rates | DW News

ctober 10 marks World Day against the Death Penalty. A minority of 18 countries still carried out executions in 2021. According to Amnesty International, at least 314 (or 54%) of the 579 registered executions in 2021 were carried out in Iran.

Ukraine War: Explosions Rock Ukrainian Capital Kyiv and Other Cities | DW News

Sunday, October 09, 2022

Iran Protest: Activists Hack State TV as Children Arrested for School Demonstrations

Billy Ocean : There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry) | Official Video | Reupload

Views on YouTube: 20,169,747

Liz Truss on Verge of Major U-turn on Real-terms Benefits Cut

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Tory MPs warn PM she would lose vote on increasing benefits only in line with earnings rather than inflation

Liz Truss is teetering on the edge of performing another big U-turn as Tory MPs warned she would lose a vote on delivering a real-terms cut to benefits while new research showed the move could push an extra 450,000 people into poverty.

Despite desperate pleas for party unity from senior ministers after weeks of bitter infighting, the row over welfare threatened to overshadow the prime minister’s attempt to reassert her authority when the Commons returns from recess on Tuesday.

Fresh threats of moves to oust Truss if she digs in were also being discussed by MPs over the weekend, while senior Tories, including former chancellor George Osborne, warned the Conservatives ran the risk of a wipeout at the next election for embarking on a “political experiment”. » | Patrick Butler, Social policy editor | Sunday, October 9, 2022

Marvin Gaye : Sexual Healing | Official HD Video | Reupload

Views on YouTube: 171,410,734

Loneliness Is Worse for Your Health Than Smoking Cigarettes

New research has revealed that loneliness has a more significant impact on a person's health than smoking cigarettes.


I really, truly believe this. I have never believed that smoking tobacco is as harmful to health as they have made it out to be. Put simply: People have been fed a load of crap!

The devil is in the dose, as it is for everything. Eating and nutrition is essential to life; but if we eat too much, especially certain foods like carbs and sugars, eating is no longer essential to life, but injurious to it.

The old adages, “enjoy everything in moderation” and “a little bit of what you fancy does you good” are important to bear in mind here.

I believe that if we eat nutritious food (and not too much of it), do not overindulge in alcohol, sleep plenty and worry little, a few cigarettes won’t do you too much harm. That is my theory and I am sticking too it.

If you listen to the so-called experts on smoking and tobacco today, you would be forgiven for thinking that enjoying a cigarette is the very worst thing you can do for your health. Smoking has become the bête noire of our age. If you smoke, you will lose all your hair, your teeth will fall out, you will suffer from unhealthy gums (gingivitis), you will probably lose a limb or two and you will cough yourself to death.

I am sure that there are some unfortunate people for whom this scenario might be a reality; and for those people, I feel sorry. But I can assure you that this has not been my experience of smoking. I have smoked twenty cigarettes a day for most of my adult life. Despite this, I have a very full head of very dark hair, a mouthful of teeth, unwrinkled skin, and my eyesight is very good. I have never suffered from a cough either.

Tomorrow is October 10th. It will be six months since I smoked my last cigarette. I have had no cravings since I stopped. However, there is a pleasure missing in my life: the enjoyment of a smoke. For this reason, I am toying with the idea of whether I should take up the habit again. I have yet to decide. I would add that I am sick to death of the bullshit that the medical profession and the politicians feed us re smoking. – © Mark Alexander

British Embassy in Dubai Incurs Wrath of Locals for Flying the Pride Flag

CNN: 'United for Neda' Song

Mams Taylor and a group of Iranian superstars wrote a song honoring a young woman, Neda killed in post-election violence in Iran.


Related.

Remembering Neda

Neda Agha-Soltani

With many thanks to the Toronto Star on Pinterest for this photo of Neda, a very courageous Iranian young lady.

’ FOR NEDA reveals the true story of Neda Agha-Soltan, who became another tragic casualty of Iran's violent crackdown on post-election protests on June 20, 2009. Unlike many unknown victims, however, she instantly became an international symbol of the struggle.

This documentary cannot be embedded because it is age-restricted; it must therefore be viewed on YouTube itself.

I remember Neda’s tragic death. It moved the world. Here is a link to the documentary. Be aware: It is not for the faint-hearted. But in my opinion, all those who can watch it, should watch it. It will make us all aware of the needless suffering in Iran.

Furthermore, I am posting this today because Iranian women are currently still suffering so much because of the brutality of the Mullahs and the authorities in that country.

Personally, I think it would be so much better for Iranians if the Peacock Throne were restored, if Iran had a Shah and Shahbanu again. It would bring so much dignity and stability to the country. A Shah ruling as a constitutional monarch? What could be better for Iran in these troubled times? © Mark Alexander

God Loves His Creation: Whether Gay or Even Straight!


God is inerrant… Are you listening all you fundamentalists (of any faith)?

Many thanks to Nola MacGregor on Pinterest for this great quote.

Juste un baiser d'amour

Nur ein liebevoller Kuss / Just a loving kiss

Merci à Juanjobcn sur Pinterest pour cette belle expression d'amour.

Loaded Beef Burger | Jamie Oliver | ONE

Homemade burgers are always a family favourite and this little recipe is the perfect way to treat the family whilst reducing your meat intake. Cheesy, oozy stuffed burgers, this is a recipe you'll come back to time and time again. Recipe from Jamie's latest book ONE.

Iran: Hacktivists Target State TV: What Is Their Message to the Supreme Leader? | DW News

Digital activists supporting Iran's wave of women-led protests have hacked a state television live news broadcast, superimposing flames on the face of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In the meantime, a video shared on social media also appears to show female students chanting "Raisi get lost" during a visit to a university by the country's president, Ebrahim Raisi. It follows four weeks of protest after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while she was in the custody of Iran's morality police.

Iranians Detail Atrocities in Their Home Country

This weekend thousands of people protested in central London against the human rights violations, and atrocities, being committed in Iran - particularly against young women by the morality police.


Down with the Mullahs! Down with the Islamic Republic of Iran! Liberation for Iranians! Let women dress as they wish! Let the people live as they wish! Let the people believe what they wish to believe! Theocracy? What a sick joke! – © Mark Alexander

The Moment Iranian State Television Is Interrupted by Apparent Hack

A broadcast on Iran's state-run television was interrupted by an apparent hack, with images of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini surrounded by flames and chants of 'Woman, Life Freedom' in the background, before returning to a shot of a news presenter. Pictures at the bottom of the screen showed women killed during the ongoing protest movement, including Nika Shakarami, Hadis Najafi, Mahsa Amini and Sarina Esmailzadeh. A caption onscreen read "Join us and stand up!" and "The blood of our youth is dripping from your claws," a reference to Khamenei. Protests across the country have been centred on women’s rights, in particular demands to eschew the hijab, which the theocratic regime enforces as mandatory.


Lien connexe ici.

En Iran, la télévision d’Etat piratée tandis que les manifestations contre le pouvoir entrent dans leur quatrième semaine

LE MONDE : De nouvelles protestations ont été signalées au cours du week-end dans plusieurs universités de Téhéran et dans les régions à majorité kurde du nord du pays, où des manifestants et un membre des gardiens de la révolution ont été tués.

Les manifestations et rassemblements antigouvernementaux en Iran sont entrés dans leur quatrième semaine, avec de nouvelles protestations signalées, samedi 8 et dimanche 9 octobre, dans plusieurs universités de Téhéran et dans les régions à majorité kurde du nord du pays, d’où était originaire Mahsa Amini.

La mort de cette jeune femme de 22 ans, le 16 septembre après son arrestation par la police des mœurs pour un port de voile non réglementaire, a été l’étincelle qui a allumé la contestation. Depuis, les rassemblements quotidiens dans presque toutes les provinces du pays, contre le règlement vestimentaire religieux et plus largement contre le régime théocratique, sont sévèrement réprimés. » | Le Monde avec AP et AFP | Dimanche 9 octobre 2022

Wirtschaftspolitik wie von gestern schadet nur

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Mehrere europäische Länder orientieren sich im 21. Jahrhundert an historischen Ideen, die aus der Zeit gefallen sind. Das verursacht schwere Schäden – auch in Deutschland.

Vor zwei Wochen geriet Großbritannien unversehens in eine schwere Währungskrise. Nach der Ankündigung des größten Entlastungspakets seit fünf Jahrzehnten fiel der Wechselkurs des Pfunds gegenüber dem Dollar auf seinen niedrigsten Stand in der Geschichte. Die Nachricht, die Steuersenkungen sollten überwiegend mit Staatsschulden finanziert werden, ließ die Renditen britischer Staatsanleihen kräftig steigen. Der Internationale Währungsfonds warnte vor verheerenden Folgen. „Solche Dinge geschehen normalerweise in einem Entwicklungsland, aber nicht in einem Mitglied der G-7-Gruppe“, sagte Mohamed El-Erian, ein erfahrener Berater des Versicherungskonzerns Allianz, gegenüber der BBC. Der neuen Premierministerin Liz Truss drohte eine Revolte aus den eigenen Reihen.

London bekam die Krise mühsam in den Griff. Zuerst kündigte die Bank of England Stützungskäufe für den Anleihemarkt an, obgleich sie nicht zu einer Politik der Inflationsbekämpfung passen. Dann nahm die Regierung in einer peinlichen Kehrtwende einen Teil der angekündigten Steuersenkungen zurück. Das Pfund erholte sich, und die Renditen der Anleihen fielen wieder ein Stück. Ob die Krise damit dauerhaft überwunden ist, lässt sich noch nicht beurteilen. » | Von Gerald Braunberger | Sonntag, 9. Oktober 2022

Britain Is Slowly Waking Up to the Truth: Brexit Has Left Us Poorer, Adrift and Alone

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: Now Boris Johnson’s gone, all but the most hardened of leavers have been forced to see through those rosy visions of life outside the EU

Last week, having whiled away two joyous days at the Tories’ conference in Birmingham, I spent a long afternoon an hour’s drive away, in the cathedral city of Worcester. The plan was to sample the mood of the kind of place once considered to hold the key to British elections: remember “Worcester woman”, the swing-voting stereotype talked up in the New Labour years? But I was also there to gather more evidence of how much the UK’s current woes are affecting the kind of average-to-affluent places that might once have weathered any economic storm. » | John Harris | Sunday, October 9, 2022

From Moscow to Tehran, a Crisis of Illiberalism

OPINION : ROSS DOUTHAT

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The worldview behind Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine assumed the following premises: The West and America are declining, decaying and internally divided. The globalized world is becoming multipolar, with “civilization-states” re-emerging and competing to claim their spheres of influence. And Russia and China in particular represent potent alternatives to Western liberalism that stand ready to contend for global dominance.

As badly as the war has gone for Putin, some of this analysis still holds up. The world has indeed responded to the Ukraine War along multipolar lines. Saudi Arabia’s snub of the Biden administration’s plea to pump more oil is just the latest example of how the anti-Russian coalition is essentially a Western coalition, with India, China and the Arab world playing more cynical and complicated parts.

Meanwhile, the West’s unity, while obviously more impressive than Putin expected, is still a thin netting flung over deeper vulnerabilities. There has been no sustained post-Covid boomtime, no new era of good feelings. The populist wave is not receding; since the war in Ukraine began the European establishment has suffered political disappointments and defeats in Sweden and Hungary and Italy. Two of the governments most committed to the defense of Ukraine, Joe Biden’s administration and Britain’s Tory government, are well underwater in approval polls. Europe has only just begun to feel the cost of its naïve energy policies, and Western economies are caught between measures that feed inflation and solutions that might induce recession. » | Ross Douthat, Opinion Columnist | Saturday, October 8, 2022

Johnson Was Slow-poisoning Arsenic for the Conservatives. Liz Truss Is Instant Cyanide

THE OBSERVER: One month into this PM’s reign and already the chatter is about how to remove her

Liz Truss at the Conservative party conference last week: ‘Never in the field of British politics has a leader become so staggeringly unpopular in such a spectacularly short time.’ Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

In the wake of the self-devouring carnival of cannibals, the most disastrous Conservative conference anyone can remember, parliament will reconvene this week. Then the dark fun and gory games will really begin.

On paper, Liz Truss commands a hefty Commons majority of 71. In practice, she is a prime minister with a majority of less than zero. We have what is effectively a hung parliament in which the Truss faction is not even the largest party. The good news is that she simply does not have the numbers to implement her crazier notions. The bad news is that we will endure a period of numerous emergencies with a dysfunctional government struggling to do much at all.

She and her chancellor did not abandon their attempt to abolish the top rate of tax because there was some kind of “coup”, the ridiculous assertion of Suella Braverman. They were forced into that tyre-smoking U-turn because giving more to those who already have much in the middle of a cost of living crisis was hated by the public and was not going to get through parliament.

That reverse soothed financial markets a little and headed off a revolt by Tory MPs, but it has also made the position of the prime minister and her chancellor even feebler. … » | Andrew Rawnsley | Sunday, October 9, 2022

Saturday, October 08, 2022

Ungeniert, genießt dieser Mann eine Zigarette. Das sollte normal sein, aber in dieser verkehrten Welt ist es leider nicht mehr so. Machen Sie es doch noch einmal normal sein eine Zigarette qualmen zu können! Es wäre besser als die Alternativen. | Reupload

A young, handsome man enjoying a smoke.

Für dieses schöne Bild bedanke ich mich bei We Heart It auf Pinterest.

SNP's Ian Blackford Speaks at Party Conference

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford is speaking on the first day of the Scottish National Party's conference in Aberdeen.


Westminster no longer speaks for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Maybe it is high time for the Celtic fringe to take matters into its own hands and re-join the European Union. This obsession with Brexit is largely an obsession born in England; so let England go it alone. Maybe, if the English get lucky, the Americans might want to make England the 51st state of the US of A. – © Mark Alexander

Conor Burns Sacked after Being Seen ‘Touching Young Man’s Thigh’, Witness Says

THE OBSERVER: Tory minister, who denies any wrongdoing, reported for incident in hotel bar during party’s conference

Conor Burns has vowed to clear his name following the allegation. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA

The trade minister Conor Burns was sacked from the government and suspended as a Conservative MP after he was seen touching a young man’s thigh in a Tory conference hotel bar, it has been claimed.

According to the BBC on Saturday, an eyewitness said the former minister was seen with the man in the early hours of Tuesday in the Hyatt Regency hotel bar in Birmingham, which was a popular venue for conference attenders. Burns has denied any wrongdoing.

However, the individual concerned has not spoken about what happened and Downing Street has not commented on the exact circumstances of the sacking. The BBC said that an eyewitness claimed to have seen Burns with his hand on the young man’s thigh, adding that others had also seen it. The eyewitness said Burns was told to stop what he was doing – a claim disputed by friends of Burns. » | Michael Savage and Miranda Bryant | Saturday, October 8, 2022

Freeze State Pensions and Slash Non-frontline’ NHS and Schools Staff, Said No 10’s Economic Adviser

THE OBSERVER: Radical ideas to reduce spending, outlined in Matthew Sinclair’s 2010 handbook, may now be needed by the Tories to pay for their tax cuts

Matthew Sinclair’s book backed a one-year freeze in basic state pension and the minimum income guarantee. Photograph: Twitter

Liz Truss’s top economic adviser suggested freezing the state pension, halving the government’s publicity budget and slashing “non-frontline” staff in health and schools by 10%, as part of a manifesto designed to win an election while also cutting spending.

Matthew Sinclair, the former chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, edited a book by the small-state pressure group that called for a series of radical cuts, including the scrapping of the Prevent programme designed to tackle extremism.

The book published in 2010, How to Cut Public Spending (and Still Win an Election), is now out of print. However, with Truss needing to find billions in cuts just 18 months before the likely next election date, some of the radical spending cut ideas may be needed. » | Michael Savage, Policy editor | Saturday, October 8, 2022

Who, pray tell, is this miserable, nasty sonofabitch? Another bloody Tory nonentity, I guess. Are these damn Tories trying to stoke a revolution, or what? – © Mark Alexander

Mother Says Police Beat Daughter to Death in Iranian Protests

THE OBSERVER: Tehran authorities ‘shaken to core’ as demonstrations grow and death toll mounts

Nika Shahkarami, 16; her mother rejects the official account of her death. Photograph: Twitter

The mother of a 16-year-old Iranian girl, Nika Shakarami, who died during protests that continue to sweep the country, has rejected official claims that her death was caused by falling from a building and insisted she was beaten to death by regime forces.

Nasreen Shakarami said authorities refused to notify the family about her daughter’s death for 10 days and then removed Nika from the morgue, burying her in a remote village without the family’s consent. Her mother says records of Nika’s death show her skull was severely damaged and her injuries were consistent with being struck repeatedly on her head.

The death of the young student has emerged as another icon of a protest movement that is now entering its fourth week and is seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian regime’s authority in at least 13 years. Iran’s leaders have attempted to characterise the protests as a foreign plot, and a separatist push by a Kurdish minority. However, a groundswell of people from all walks of life continues to fuel a movement that is drawn from widespread social grievance. » | Martin Chulov | Saturday, October 8, 2022

Continued Police Violence in Iran, Canada Imposes New Sanctions | DW News

Canada says it will sanction senior members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and ban them from entering the country. This comes as international pressure grows on Iran over its response to protests triggered by the death of a young woman in police custody.

A coroner in Iran has denied Mahsa Amini was killed by blows she suffered in police detention. But dozens of protesters have been killed in an ensuing crackdown and many more have been arrested.


Since posting this report, it has been age-restricted; therefore, it cannot be embedded. It must be viewed on YouTube itself. Here is a link to it. – Mark

Loosen the vice on the people, for God’s sake! Theocracy? What a joke! If Iran were truly a theocracy, the authorities would never treat women as violently as they so clearly do. And for what? Just for showing a few strands of hair? If this brutal mistreatment of women were truly Allah’s will, He wouldn’t be worthy of being prayed to! Ditto the way that Iranian authorities treat gays. The poor gays of Iran are often put to death.

Iran so clearly needs another revolution; but this time a secular revolution, in order to bring some human rights and decency to the Republic. Sweep the Mullahs away! – © Mark Alexander

Le Proche-Orient face au soulèvement en Iran

LE MONDE – ÉDITORIAL : Hantés par le souvenir des « printemps arabes », les dirigeants des pays voisins, pourtant opposés à Téhéran sur de nombreux dossiers, observent le silence devant la colère de la jeunesse iranienne et sa brutale répression.

Soulèvement ou révolution ? Il est encore trop tôt pour savoir ce qu’il adviendra de la vague qui a saisi l’Iran depuis la mort en prison, le 16 septembre, de Mahsa Amini, jeune femme arrêtée pour avoir porté son voile d’une manière jugée inappropriée. Une seule certitude s’impose aujourd’hui. Malgré une répression particulièrement brutale qui se mesure déjà en dizaines de morts, malgré la dénonciation pavlovienne par le Guide de la révolution, Ali Khamenei, d’un complot forcément occidental, forcément ourdi par les Etats-Unis, la colère ne retombe pas. » | Éditorial « du Monde » | vendredi 7 octobre 2022

Read in English.

!يا حبيبي

My darling! / Mon chéri ! / Mein Schatz!

شكرا لمن ؟؟؟

Between Hitler and Hollywood - Leni Riefenstahl and Arnold Fanck | DW Documentary

Leni Riefenstahl was one of the most controversial artists of the 20th century. Her mentor, Arnold Fanck, was a German film pioneer of the 20s, now largely forgotten. In May, 1932, the two set off together on a five-month filming trip to Greenland.

They were there to make the first ever German-American feature film, the extremely expensive "S.O.S. Eisberg." At the time, it was the riskiest film project ever attempted. Annette Baumeister's current-day documentary is based on spectacular footage from the life-threatening production. Baumeister explores the passionate relationship between Fanck and Riefenstahl, and examines just how closely intertwined the two filmmakers’ careers were. While Fanck’s star waned after "S.O.S. Eisberg," Riefenstahl went on to a superstar career under the Nazis. Did this cold and calculated success come at the expense of her one-time mentor?

The documentary shows excerpts from Fanck's and Riefenstahl's greatest films, including "The White Hell of Pitz Palu" (1929) and "Storm Over Mont Blanc" (1930). Reinhold Messner, Willy Bogner and Matthias Fanck, Fanck's grandson, are all interviewed. Among other things, they speak about the groundbreaking innovations of Fanck's so-called mountain films.

The film also reexamines the work and life of Leni Riefenstahl from a modern perspective. And this deconstruction of the Riefenstahl myth also serves as an overdue tribute to Fanck, a largely forgotten cinema pioneer.


Jon Danzig: How Newspaper Lies Led to Brexit


EU ROPE : A blog by Jon Danzig.

Our Yemeni Kitchen | مطبخنا اليمني | Kebab Made in a Different Way | صنع الكباب بطريقة مختلفة

Delicious | لذيذ


For a full list in both English and Arabic of the ingredients used in this recipe and the cooking method, click here and then click on "show more".

Did Brexit Work for Business? | Dispatches | Channel 4 Documentaries

Sep 15, 2022 | Is Brexit, and the new free trade deal with the EU, the huge success the Government said it would be? Dispatches meets firms struggling with increased costs and dwindling profits.

Truth To Power: Truss and Kwarteng Are Merely Useful Idiots.

Now that the ringmaster, Boris Johnson, has gone - in the Tory circus, the lions are eating the clowns.

As the UK economy faces economic collapse, and the devaluation of the British pound exacerbates the cost-of-living crisis, Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng are being chewed up and will soon be spat out. They have no mandate from the parliamentary Conservative Party, let alone from the electorate at large. They are merely useful idiots, funded and instructed by libertarian organisations with opaque funding, generally headquartered in Tufton Street, conveniently situated near the Houses of parliament. These are the same dark money lobby groups that brought you Brexit, the ERG, Boris Johnson and now the Truss - Kwarteng tragi-comedy.


Are Ukrainian Special Forces behind the Attack? | DW News

Russian anti-terrorism officials said that a large fire on the bridge linking Russia and Crimea was caused by an exploding truck.

The blast "set fire to seven oil tankers being carried by rail to Crimea," Russian news agencies cited the national anti-terrorism committee as saying. Russia has launched a criminal probe into the event.

"According to preliminary information a fuel tank was on fire on one of the sections of the Crimean bridge, the shipping arches are not damaged," RIA reported citing a local official. The tank was being pulled by a train. There have been no deaths or injuries reported so far.

The road running along that part of the bridge was also badly damaged, according to the reports.

The Crimean city of Simferopol announced that they were considering putting in place a ferry connection.


Liz Truss Shows Off Her Incompetence with a Pathetic Speech to Conference

In her speech to a room full of the party faithful at the Conservative Party Conference, Liz Truss talked nonsense for 25 minutes about how she will resolve all problems by pursuing growth in the economy without giving any idea how that might be achieved in a fast-declining and severely-damaged economy.

She talked of how the new Health Secretary, Theresa Coffey, will solve all problems in the NHS and about how Suella Braverman , the new Home Secretary, will pursue her cruel 'dream and obsession' by sending asylum seekers to Rwanda where they will be abandoned.

She also introduced a new slogan, ‘the anti-growth coalition' which appears to include just about everyone who is not a Tory supporter



You can support Michael Lambert by buying his recently-published book, A Satirical History of Brexit here.

Friday, October 07, 2022

Boris Johnson Took Accommodation Worth £10,000 from Tory Donor’s Wife

THE GUARDIAN: Register of MPs’ interests shows ex-PM accepted gift from Lady Carole Bamford, wife of JCB chairman, Lord Anthony Bamford

Lady Carole Bamford and Lord Bamford at an event in 2020. Boris and Carrie Johnson’s wedding reception in the grounds of the Bamfords’ 18th-century mansion, Daylesford House in the Cotswolds, in July, is said to have included a steel band, rum punch, Abba songs and a conga.Photograph: David M Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Positive Luxury

Boris Johnson accepted free accommodation worth £10,000 from the wife of the leading Tory donor who hosted his wedding party this summer, it has emerged.

The updated register of MPs’ interests shows that the former prime minister accepted a £10,000 gift from Lady Carole Bamford, for “concessionary use of accommodation for me and my family in September”.

Lord Anthony Bamford, a pro-Brexit Conservative peer who is chairman of construction equipment manufacturer JCB, has been a major Tory donor for decades. The billionaire entrepreneur, who supported Johnson’s successful leadership bid in 2019, has given more than £10m in donations and gifts to the party since 2001.

The latest register of MPs’ interests data published this week shows Liz Truss also accepted an £8,000 donation from Bamford, to cover “transport” during her leadership campaign.

It comes after the register showed that the prime minister was given more than £500,000 for her leadership campaign. Around half of that came from donors linked to hedge fund bosses, venture capitalists and other City financiers. » | Alexandra Topping | Friday, October 7, 2022

It just goes to show what the Tories are about! Greasing palms and corruption comes as standard to these people. Little wonder that we, the ordinary citizens of the UK–sorry! subjects of His Majesty–lost all our European citizens' rights during that farcical, but extremely sad, Brexit referendum. – © Mark Alexander

Gwynedd Council Calls for Abolition of Title Prince of Wales

THE GUARDIAN: Councillors in north Wales vote to express opposition to ‘thorn in nation for centuries’

Councillors said an investiture of Prince William should not take place in Gwynedd or anywhere else in Wales. Photograph: Reuters

A Welsh council has officially called for the title of Prince of Wales to be banned and said there should be no investiture of Prince William anywhere in the country.

King Charles III’s decision to bestow the title on his son has been controversial among many people in Wales who feel that it is a symbol of English oppression.

Gwynedd council in north Wales has voted to express its opposition to the title and is asking for a consultation on the question of whether it should be abolished.

Members of the council, which is controlled by Plaid Cymru, also agreed that they believed an investiture should not take place in Gwynedd, or anywhere on Welsh soil. Charles’s investiture was held at Caernarfon Castle in Gwynedd in 1969. » | Steven Morris | Friday, October 7, 2022

Chris Brown : Forever | Official HD Video | Reupload

Screenshot taken from this video.

Views on YouTube: 300,401,661

Click here if you want to listen and boogie to one of the best pop songs ever!

Brexit Is behind Liz Truss Failure | Andrew Marr | The New Statesman

Thanks to Brexit revolutionaries, the Conservative Party under Liz Truss is “doomed” – Andrew Marr


Isn’t it high time that Scotland and Wales leave the UK and re-join the EU? Ireland needs to unite and will then be in the EU anyway. The English shouldn’t be allowed to determine our future. Let England become the 51st state of the USA! – © Mark Alexander

Palpable Happiness

Spürbares Glück / Bonheur palpable

Many thanks to Lanier Blake London for this super photo of two handsome men enjoying their happiness.

Democracy Now! "A Complex and Devastating Crisis": Burkina Faso Sees Second Military Coup This Year

The western African nation of Burkina Faso is facing its second military coup in eight months. After a day of gunfire rang out Friday in the capital Ouagadougou, Captain Ibrahim Traoré announced on public television that he had replaced Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as president. Corinne Dufka, West Africa director at Human Rights Watch, says Damiba's inability to improve security in the face of an Islamist insurgency was "the primary reason for the coup d'état." We also speak with Aziz Fall, coordinator for Justice for Sankara, an international campaign dedicated to uncovering the truth behind the 1987 assassination of Burkina Faso leader Thomas Sankara. He says the legacy of U.S. military intervention and French colonialism has led to instability in the region. "People are outraged with the role of France but also the role of the United States," says Fall.

Nicola Sturgeon Says Decisions Taken by PM on UK Economy Have Been "Catastrophic"

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says the decisions taken by Liz Truss since she became Prime Minister have been "catastrophic" for the UK economy.

Whitney Houston : I Wanna Dance With Somebody | Official Video | Reupload

Views on YouTube: 372,573,124

Traditional Pork Knuckles - A Typical Oktoberfest Dish from Germany

Pork knuckle is a traditional Bavarian delicacy. Served with potato dumplings, it's a beloved and well-known dish that's synonymous with Bavarian culture around the world. There are, of course, many different recipes. Wolfgang Reithmeier, the head chef at Munich's Hofbräuhaus, shows us how to prepare an authentic Bavarian pork knuckle--and he reveals the secret to making it nice and crispy.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — October 7, 2022

Russia Is about to Become a Failed State, Former US Army Major Says

"He [Putin] has no friends. He’s a rogue nation on the verge of becoming a failed state." Not a single country supports Putin’s sham referenda, or annexations, pushing Russia to becoming a 'failed state', Major John Spencer tells #TimesRadio.

Russland: Frauen gegen den Krieg | ARTE Reportage

Ihr Banner trägt den Namen FAWR, Feminist Anti War Resistance, und ihr Telegram-Kanal fand schnell mehr als 30.000 Follower. Eine dieser Frauen nennt sich Paladdia, das ist der Künstlername einer jungen Designerin, die seit Beginn des Krieges schon zweimal inhaftiert wurde. In Sankt Petersburg wird sie von der Polizei streng überwacht.

Nordic wurde wegen "Telefonterrorismus" angeklagt. Ihr drohten zehn Jahre Gefängnis, sie lebt nun in Tallinn in Estland. Trotzdem ist sie weiterhin eine der Koordinatorinnen des Netzwerks feministischer Antikriegs-Kämpferinnen.

Die älteste dieser Aktivistinnen mit 77 Jahren ist Jelena Osipowa, Malerin. Ihre Familie überlebte die Belagerung von Leningrad im Zweiten Weltkrieg, alle nennen sie heute die "Großmutter für den Frieden". Sie demonstriert regelmäßig in den Straßen von St. Petersburg mit ihren Gemälden, die den Krieg anprangern. Drei von tausenden Aktivistinnen und Aktivisten, die die staatliche Gewalt in Russland anprangern, unter Einsatz ihrer Lebens…

Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis 18/05/2025



Le même reportage est disponible en français ici.

WARNING: Graphic Content — Musk Irks Zelenskyy after Polling a 'Peace Plan'

Elon Musk asked Twitter users to weigh in on a plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine, drawing immediate condemnation from Ukrainians, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who responded with his own poll.

Who Is Burkina Faso's Coup Leader Ibrahim Traoré?

Ibrahim Traoré has gone from being a career soldier to the self-declared leader of Burkina Faso. A picture is starting to emerge of how he and his military colleagues plan to use their time in power.


WIKIPEDIA: Ibrahim Traoré.

Is This the End of Iran as We Know It? | Shahin Gobadi

"I would describe this as a revolution." We are witnessing the end of the Iranian regime, it's just a question of when, says Shahin Gobadi, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

Professor Tim Wilson: There Is Only One Option for Liz Truss Now

And that is resignation. I am grateful to those who tell me I should give her a break and be nicer to her- She is the supply teacher who has lost control and there is no time to claw back authority. The nicest thing we can all do now is to persuade her to go.

Liz Truss Has Found Her Feet – as a Leading UK Conspiracist and No 10 Whiner-in-Chief

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: Who can blame the prime minister for grumbling? Her party has only had 12 years to set Britain right

‘Liz Truss is like that relative who no longer trusts what the government says about anything, and prefers to ‘do her own research’.’ Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

The rapturous standing ovation at the end of Liz Truss’s conference speech looked straight out of a future Netflix documentary from the cults strand. Outside the sect’s meeting hall, the party is polling an average of 25 (TWENTY-FIVE) points behind Labour. Inside, the people were clapping like they’d just heard a really charismatic argument about why it’s important to marry teenage girls, shun dissenting family members, and build gun turrets round their compound.

Truss’s government is now too weak to implement its maddest plans and too ideological to implement its most sensible. Last night it emerged that the government has blocked a public information campaign to help people save money on energy – and, by extension, to conserve usage in the face of suggestions that rolling blackouts could be in the post for this winter.

Apparently Truss regarded it as too nannying, despite it having been drawn up by her own business secretary, Jacob Rees-Mogg (a 53-year-old who admittedly still has a nanny). One cabinet minister reportedly said “the public is smarter than you think”. Unfortunately, Liz Truss isn’t. If we do reach the blackout scenario, the failure to plan or use foresight will be blamed on Vladimir Putin. » | Marina Hyde | Friday, Ocober 7, 2022

Iran’s Last Shah - the fifth estate | 1975

In 1975 for one of the first-ever episodes of the fifth estate, Adrienne Clarkson talked to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi -the Shah of Iran- about inflation in the West in the face of rising oil prices. The Shah contends that the West built itself at Iran’s expense and he is now putting things right. Clarkson raises the issues of Iran’s record with political prisoners and torture and his views on torture are unequivocal. The Pahlavi dynasty would end four years later in the wake of the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Pahlavi died of cancer while in exile one year later.

the fifth estate is celebrating our 40th season and we are taking a look back at some of the people and places we have featured on the program.


Would Putin's Successor Be Worse? | Putin Biographer, Robert Service

"Putin is unmoored from reality." The Russian President's isolation isn't helping his judgement, but it's unlikely his successor would be any different, says Robert Service, Emeritus Professor of Russian history at St. Anthony's College, Oxford and a biographer of Vladimir Putin.

Italia Squisita: Homemade Neapolitan Style Pizza by Pizza Master Renato Bosco (Northern Italy)

Renato Bosco, one of the most authoritative pizza makers in Northern Italy, presents his version of the most classic of Southern pizzas, the Neapolitan one. 70% hydration, a few technical gestures, conscious use of heat to make a Neapolitan-style pizza at home as in pizzeria, in Verona as in Naples.


Ingredienti/Ingredients:

Farina “0” 260-280W/Flour “0” 260-280W 500g
Acqua/Water 350g
Sale/Salt 10g
Olio EVO/EVO Oil 12ml
Lievito di birra/Fresh brewer's yeast 2,5 g (oppure Lievito secco/Active dry yeast 1,25 g)

Method as shown in the video.

Discover the book Homemade Pizza by Davide Civitiello here.

„Niemand sollte im Gefängnis sitzen, weil er Marihuana konsumiert oder besitzt“

BIDENS DROGENPOLITIK

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der US-Präsident macht einen Vorstoß zur Entkriminalisierung des Besitzes von Marihuana. All jene, die auf Bundesebene wegen dieses Vergehens verurteilt wurden, sollen begnadigt werden.

US-Präsident Joe Biden hat im Zuge einer Lockerung der Drogenpolitik eine Begnadigung all jener angekündigt, die auf Bundesebene wegen einfachen Marihuana-Besitzes verurteilt wurden. „Niemand sollte im Gefängnis sitzen, nur weil er Marihuana konsumiert oder besitzt“, erklärte Biden am Donnerstag. „Menschen wegen des Besitzes von Marihuana ins Gefängnis zu schicken, hat zu viele Leben auf den Kopf gestellt und Menschen wegen eines Verhaltens, das viele Bundesstaaten nicht mehr verbieten, ins Gefängnis gebracht.“

Eine Vorstrafe wegen Marihuana-Besitzes erschwere vielen Menschen den Zugang zu einem Job, einer Wohnung und Bildungsmöglichkeiten, führte Biden aus. Außerdem seien Afroamerikaner und andere Minderheiten von solchen Verurteilungen im Vergleich zu Weißen überproportional betroffen. » | Quelle: AFP | Donnerstag, 6. Oktober 2-22

Global Fallout from Rate Moves Won’t Stop the Fed

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Federal Reserve, like many central banks, sets policy with an eye on the domestic economy. Its battle to control prices is causing pain abroad.

The Federal Reserve has embarked on an aggressive campaign to raise interest rates as it tries to tame the most rapid inflation in decades, an effort the central bank sees as necessary to restore price stability in the United States.

But what the Fed does at home reverberates across the globe, and its actions are raising the risks of a global recession while causing economic and financial pain in many developing countries.

Other central banks in advanced economies, from Australia to the eurozone, are also lifting rates rapidly to fight their inflation. And as the Fed’s higher interest rates attract money to the United States — pumping up the value of the dollar — emerging-market economies are being forced to raise their own borrowing costs to try to stabilize their currencies to the extent possible.

Altogether, it is a worldwide push toward more expensive money unlike anything seen before in the 21st century, one that is likely to have serious ramifications. » | Jeanna Smialek and Alan Rappeport | Friday, October 7, 2022

Thursday, October 06, 2022

Aufstand im Iran: Wackelt das Mullah-Regime? | Auf den Punkt

Mutige Massenproteste im Iran – seit drei Wochen gehen vorwiegend junge Iranerinnen und Iraner überall im Land auf die Straße. Der Slogan „Frau, Leben, Freiheit“ verbindet sie, und der Ruf „Tod dem Diktator“, denn sie fordern Ende der Islamischen Republik.

Das Mullah-Regime versucht, die Proteste mit aller Härte niederzuschlagen. Es gibt Tote, Schwerverletzte und viele Festnahmen. Das Internet wird teilweise abgeschaltet. Trotzdem wagen jeden Tag wieder Menschen Widerstand. Wir fragen „Aufstand im Iran – Wackelt das Mullah-Regime?“



Die gleiche Sendung auf Englisch können Sie hier zuschauen.

It's the "Beginning of the End" for Liz Truss | Andrew Marr | The New Statesman

Conservatives are "sure they're going into opposition" - Andrew Marr

After a "grim" Conservative Party Conference, Andrew Marr and Freddie Hayward join Anoosh Chakelian to dissect what Marr calls "the worst [conference] I have seen, of any party".

Following Kwasi Kwarteng's U-turn over the failed 45p tax cut, the Conservatives under Liz Truss are facing opinion polls showing Labour over 30 points ahead.

In this video, Andrew Marr, Freddie Hayward and Anoosh Chakelian explore why the Conservative Party appears to be imploding, and whether there is anything that can reverse their decline.


Liz Truss ist zum Handeln verdammt und schickt die Tory-Partei auf Identitätssuche – doch die Kritiker wetzen die Messer

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Der Kurs der neuen britischen Premierministerin sorgt nicht nur an den Märkten, sondern auch innerhalb der Tory-Partei für Turbulenzen. Am Parteitag in Birmingham gelobte Liz Truss, ihren Wachstumskurs fortzuführen.

Mit einer entschlossenen Rede trotzte sie den Turbulenzen: die britische Premierministerin Liz Truss am Tory-Parteitag in Birmingham. | Hannah Mckay / Reuters

Als die britischen Tories 2021 zum Parteitag in Manchester zusammenkamen, waren die Mitglieder in Hochstimmung. Die Covid-Restriktionen waren gefallen, und Boris Johnson sorgte nach seinem überwältigenden Wahlsieg im Dezember 2019 für anhaltend hohe Umfragewerte. Die seit 2010 regierende Partei hoffte auf ein weiteres Jahrzehnt an der Macht.

Ein Jahr später nun wirkte dieselbe Partei an ihrer Konferenz in Birmingham wie ein Schatten ihrer selbst. Kabinettsmitglieder widersprachen sich und trugen ihre Meinungsverschiedenheiten an die Öffentlichkeit. Die scharfzüngige Innenministerin Suella Braverman warf den Tory-Hinterbänklern offen vor, gegen die neue Premierministerin Liz Truss einen Putsch zu forcieren. » | Niklaus Nuspliger, Birmingham | Mittwoch, 5. Oktober 2022

Kremlin Critic Vladimir Kara-Murza Accused of ‘High Treason’

THE GUARDIAN: Opposition activist who has spoken out against war in Ukraine faces 20 years in prison if convicted

The Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who has been imprisoned in Moscow since April, is being investigated for “high treason”, as the authorities step up their case against him for his criticism of the war in Ukraine.

The latest charges against Kara-Murza, a veteran critic of President Vladimir Putin, stem from allegations of “longtime cooperation with a Nato state”, according to the Russian state news agency Tass.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. » | Pjotr Sauer | Thursday, October 6, 2022

First Kiss | Reupload

A screenshot taken from the video.

’First Kiss’ is an 84-minute-long video of two handsome Israelis kissing. The kiss is between the artists Idan Bitton and Alfredo Ferran Calle. While the camera is still, the kiss is in motion provoking the viewer to stay and watch. Idan and Alfredo do not interact with the viewer but offer a peek into their intimate moments of commitment. This long lasting, present and unapologetic kiss defines our current gay rights momentum. We are here, we love each other, and this is what it looks like.

By Idan Bitton (idanbitton.com)
Performed by Idan Bitton & Alfredo Ferran Calle
Video: Runn Shayo


Watch the kissathon here.

I don’t believe that gay kisses come much longer, more beautiful, more sensuous or more sensational than this! This is a wonderful ‘kissathon’ to surpass all ‘kissathons’! A must watch for anyone with an open mind. (An absolute turn-off for the closed-minded, the fossilized and the mummified!)

It is long, so I would recommend a cocktail or two to enjoy the sensual pleasure of viewing. A few snacks might go down well too. (Don’t forget that YouTube allows you to stop viewing at any time and return to where you left off, at your convenience.) Enjoy! – © Mark Alexander

Canadian Sailor Shares Historic Kiss with Same-sex Partner

”A Canadian naval vessel made history … when one of its master seamen, Francis Legare, shared the traditional ‘first kiss’ with his partner, Corey Vautour”

With many thanks to The Guardian for uploading to Pinterest this historic first kiss.

Video: The historic kiss.

Schöne Erinnerungen an einen langen, heißen Sommer!

Beautiful memories of a long, hot summer! / De beaux souvenirs d'un été long et chaud !

Für dieses wunderschöne Bild möchte ich mich bei Anonymous auf Pinterest bedanken.