This is another great video, full of common sense, from Michael Lambert. It is comforting to know that I am not alone in my assessment of the dire state of the UK economy, post-Brexit. Not to put too fine a point on it, and in two words, Brexit has f****d up the UK and its economy. And the Tories are to blame for the FU – the Tories and that contemptible man, Nigel Farage. It is to be hoped that the Tories will pay a heavy price for this screw-up in the next, not-too-far-off election. In fact, the Party deserves to be wiped out for the Tories' incompetence, stupidity and corruption. There is only ONE problem: Labour are NOT the solution. The LibDems are this country's only hope now. Fortunately, under Ed Davey's sound leadership, the Party is going from strength to strength; however, the pace of the Party's gains needs to accelerate. – © Mark Alexander
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Michael Lambert: GREED and INEQUALITY will DESTROY the UK
This is another great video, full of common sense, from Michael Lambert. It is comforting to know that I am not alone in my assessment of the dire state of the UK economy, post-Brexit. Not to put too fine a point on it, and in two words, Brexit has f****d up the UK and its economy. And the Tories are to blame for the FU – the Tories and that contemptible man, Nigel Farage. It is to be hoped that the Tories will pay a heavy price for this screw-up in the next, not-too-far-off election. In fact, the Party deserves to be wiped out for the Tories' incompetence, stupidity and corruption. There is only ONE problem: Labour are NOT the solution. The LibDems are this country's only hope now. Fortunately, under Ed Davey's sound leadership, the Party is going from strength to strength; however, the pace of the Party's gains needs to accelerate. – © Mark Alexander
Friday, September 15, 2023
Steve Schmidt Explains Donald Trump’s Terrifying Plans If He Wins the 2024 Election | The Warning
How the People of Libya Have to Deal with Devastation, Spreading Diseases and Trauma | DW News
Sep 15, 2023 | Libya's Red Crescent says more than 11,000 people have died in floods in the city of Derna. But that death toll has yet to be verified, and Libyan officials say it is likely to rise.
Large parts of the coastal city were swept away after torrential rain caused two dams to burst. Now there are concerns about the spread of disease, with many bodies lying among the ruins.
For more we talk to Ahmed Bayram. He is with the relief organization Norwegian Refugee Council, and he joins us from neighboring Tunisia. And we talk to Aya Burweila in Athens. She's a widely published expert and commentator on security with a special focus on Libya.
Large parts of the coastal city were swept away after torrential rain caused two dams to burst. Now there are concerns about the spread of disease, with many bodies lying among the ruins.
For more we talk to Ahmed Bayram. He is with the relief organization Norwegian Refugee Council, and he joins us from neighboring Tunisia. And we talk to Aya Burweila in Athens. She's a widely published expert and commentator on security with a special focus on Libya.
Gaddafi: The Endgame : State of Denial | Documentary
Dec 23, 2011 | State of Denial is the story of the fall of the Gaddafi regime as told by the insiders, defectors and military advisors who helped to bring it about.
Written and directed by Anne Reevell of Moonbeam Films, the film offers a revealing behind-the-scenes account of a revolution, a slice of history in which people took back power.
"The disintegration of the Gaddafi regime in Libya surprised and confused the world - not because it happened in the first place, but because Gaddafi's government remained convinced it could prevail - despite defections, NATO airstrikes and a popular mass uprising," says Reevell.
As the rebels continue to advance towards Tripoli, the Libyan authorities there are in a state of denial, convinced they can still talk to the British government, denouncing the foreign media, burning the homes of Libyan exiles and organising anti-NATO demonstrations in London.
The message they relay says there is 'no compromise on leadership,' but do they mean it or are hairline fractures beginning to emerge?
Using the oral diary of a Tripoli-based insider, as well as interviews with the UK prime minister's senior advisor on Libya and leading figures in Benghazi and Tripoli, State of Denial explores the demise of Gaddafi's powerbase and charts the twists and turns of a regime in denial.
Written and directed by Anne Reevell of Moonbeam Films, the film offers a revealing behind-the-scenes account of a revolution, a slice of history in which people took back power.
"The disintegration of the Gaddafi regime in Libya surprised and confused the world - not because it happened in the first place, but because Gaddafi's government remained convinced it could prevail - despite defections, NATO airstrikes and a popular mass uprising," says Reevell.
As the rebels continue to advance towards Tripoli, the Libyan authorities there are in a state of denial, convinced they can still talk to the British government, denouncing the foreign media, burning the homes of Libyan exiles and organising anti-NATO demonstrations in London.
The message they relay says there is 'no compromise on leadership,' but do they mean it or are hairline fractures beginning to emerge?
Using the oral diary of a Tripoli-based insider, as well as interviews with the UK prime minister's senior advisor on Libya and leading figures in Benghazi and Tripoli, State of Denial explores the demise of Gaddafi's powerbase and charts the twists and turns of a regime in denial.
Niger : Emmanuel Macron affirme que l’ambassadeur de France est « pris en otage » à l’intérieur de l’ambassade
LE MONDE : « On empêche de livrer la nourriture. Il mange avec des rations militaires », a déploré le président de la République, pointant la responsabilité des militaires qui ont pris le pouvoir le 26 juillet.
Des soutiens de la junte militaire qui a pris le pouvoir au Niger manifestent en brandissant un drapeau disant « A bas la France », non loin de la base française de Niamey, le 10 septembre 2023. (Photo by AFP) - / AFP
Le président français hausse le ton. Emmanuel Macron a déclaré vendredi 15 septembre que l’ambassadeur de France au Niger était pris en « otage » par les militaires au pouvoir et ne se nourrissait plus que de « rations militaires ». » | Le Monde avec AFP | vendredi 15 septembre 2023
Le président français hausse le ton. Emmanuel Macron a déclaré vendredi 15 septembre que l’ambassadeur de France au Niger était pris en « otage » par les militaires au pouvoir et ne se nourrissait plus que de « rations militaires ». » | Le Monde avec AFP | vendredi 15 septembre 2023
Libya and Morocco: Two Very Different Responses to Catastrophe
THE GUARDIAN: The aftermath of an earthquake in Morocco and flooding in Libya has shown up the state of the two nations
Not one but two disasters have struck in recent days – the earthquake in Morocco and devastating flooding in Libya.
At least 2,900 people are known to have died in the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains a week ago, and the authorities say the death toll will rise.
Three days later, on 11 September, intense flooding in Libya led to the collapse of two dams that unleashed a torrent of mud and water into Derna, destroying large parts of the eastern city.
On Friday morning, the Libyan Red Crescent said the number of people who had died in the city had risen to 11,000 and was expected to rise further as rescue teams arrived and helped to retrieve more bodies from the mud. Officials said 30,000 people were missing.
The full scale of the disaster may be far greater, as few international aid agencies or news reporters have been able to reach the flood-hit area. This area is controlled not by the government in Tripoli but by a rival warlord.
Morocco and Libya may be geographically relatively close to each other – just a 2,000km hop across Algeria – but they could not be two more different countries. This has had a huge impact on their ability to respond to the disasters. » | Rupert Neate and Peter Beaumont | Friday, September 15, 2023
Not one but two disasters have struck in recent days – the earthquake in Morocco and devastating flooding in Libya.
At least 2,900 people are known to have died in the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains a week ago, and the authorities say the death toll will rise.
Three days later, on 11 September, intense flooding in Libya led to the collapse of two dams that unleashed a torrent of mud and water into Derna, destroying large parts of the eastern city.
On Friday morning, the Libyan Red Crescent said the number of people who had died in the city had risen to 11,000 and was expected to rise further as rescue teams arrived and helped to retrieve more bodies from the mud. Officials said 30,000 people were missing.
The full scale of the disaster may be far greater, as few international aid agencies or news reporters have been able to reach the flood-hit area. This area is controlled not by the government in Tripoli but by a rival warlord.
Morocco and Libya may be geographically relatively close to each other – just a 2,000km hop across Algeria – but they could not be two more different countries. This has had a huge impact on their ability to respond to the disasters. » | Rupert Neate and Peter Beaumont | Friday, September 15, 2023
Wales Is Bringing In a 20mph Speed Limit. Why – and What Will Happen?
THE GUARDIAN: While many oppose the new restrictions, the Welsh government says it is the ‘sensible and progressive thing to do’
A car travels past a 20mph and ‘Welcome to St Brides Major’ sign in Wales. Photograph: Dimitris Legakis/Athena Pictures
The introduction of a 20mph speed limit on most residential roads across Wales from Sunday is proving one of the most controversial the Labour-run Welsh government has ever put in place.
Welsh ministers argue it will save lives and lead to fewer injuries, save money for the NHS and make communities more pleasant places to live and work in.
The Conservatives argue it will cost the Welsh economy billions of pounds with the Welsh shadow transport minister, Natasha Asghar, calling the rollout “madcap, ludicrous” and Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, attacking it as “absolutely insane”. » | Steven Morris | Friday, September 15, 2023
Penny Mordaunt is right on this. It is indeed “absolutely insane”! If you’re thinking of visiting Wales, leave your Lamborghini or Ferrari home! You won’t need such a beautiful car in Wales. Instead, drive your horse-and-buggy! – © Mark Alexander
Related article here.
All the roads now changing to 20mph and the roads that will remain 30mph as new default comes in »
The introduction of a 20mph speed limit on most residential roads across Wales from Sunday is proving one of the most controversial the Labour-run Welsh government has ever put in place.
Welsh ministers argue it will save lives and lead to fewer injuries, save money for the NHS and make communities more pleasant places to live and work in.
The Conservatives argue it will cost the Welsh economy billions of pounds with the Welsh shadow transport minister, Natasha Asghar, calling the rollout “madcap, ludicrous” and Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, attacking it as “absolutely insane”. » | Steven Morris | Friday, September 15, 2023
Penny Mordaunt is right on this. It is indeed “absolutely insane”! If you’re thinking of visiting Wales, leave your Lamborghini or Ferrari home! You won’t need such a beautiful car in Wales. Instead, drive your horse-and-buggy! – © Mark Alexander
Related article here.
All the roads now changing to 20mph and the roads that will remain 30mph as new default comes in »
«C’est ma place» : Emmanuel Macron justifie sa présence à la messe du pape à Marseille
LE FIGARO : Le président de la République a réagi vendredi à la polémique autour de sa présence à la messe du pape François le 23 septembre à Marseille.
Le président Emmanuel Macron a défendu vendredi sa décision d'assister à la messe que donnera le pape François le samedi 23 septembre à Marseille, affirmant qu'il irait en tant que «président» d'un pays laïque mais pas en tant que «catholique». «Je considère que c'est ma place d'y aller. Je n'irai pas en tant que catholique, j'irai comme président de la République qui est en effet laïque», a-t-il dit lors d'un déplacement à Semur-en-Auxois, en Côte-d'Or. «Je n'aurai moi-même pas de pratique religieuse lors de cette messe», a-t-il ajouté. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | vendredi 15 septembre 2023
Emmanuel Macron dit qu’il assistera à la messe du pape en tant que président, « pas en tant que catholique » : Le chef de l’Etat a justifié sa présence le 23 septembre prochain, répondant aux critiques de la gauche, qui estime qu’il ne devrait pas y assister, au nom de la laïcité. »
Le président Emmanuel Macron a défendu vendredi sa décision d'assister à la messe que donnera le pape François le samedi 23 septembre à Marseille, affirmant qu'il irait en tant que «président» d'un pays laïque mais pas en tant que «catholique». «Je considère que c'est ma place d'y aller. Je n'irai pas en tant que catholique, j'irai comme président de la République qui est en effet laïque», a-t-il dit lors d'un déplacement à Semur-en-Auxois, en Côte-d'Or. «Je n'aurai moi-même pas de pratique religieuse lors de cette messe», a-t-il ajouté. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | vendredi 15 septembre 2023
Emmanuel Macron dit qu’il assistera à la messe du pape en tant que président, « pas en tant que catholique » : Le chef de l’Etat a justifié sa présence le 23 septembre prochain, répondant aux critiques de la gauche, qui estime qu’il ne devrait pas y assister, au nom de la laïcité. »
Stockholm: Schwedens König feiert 50. Thronjubiläum
Morocco to Help Rebuild 50,000 Earthquake-damaged Homes – BBC News
Sep 15, 2023 | Moroccan authorities have announced plans to fund the rebuilding of about 50,000 homes damaged by last week's earthquake. They will provide more than $13,000 (£10,460) for the reconstruction of homes which have been completely destroyed, and $8,000 for those with partial damage.
Residents will meanwhile be given temporary shelters and each household will receive a grant of $3,000. The exact number of people left homeless is still not known.
Nearly 3,000 people have been confirmed dead, and more than 5,000 injured in the 6.8 magnitude quake.
Residents will meanwhile be given temporary shelters and each household will receive a grant of $3,000. The exact number of people left homeless is still not known.
Nearly 3,000 people have been confirmed dead, and more than 5,000 injured in the 6.8 magnitude quake.
Muslim Students’ Robes Are Latest Fault Line for French Identity
THE NEW YORK TIMES: When the French education minister declared that the abayas favored by some Muslim women “can no longer be worn in schools,” he stoked a fierce debate over the country’s secular ideals.
A person in northern France wearing an abaya, which Gabriel Attal, the French education minister, declared in late August “can no longer be worn in schools.” | Denis Charlet/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The mass French return to work, known as the “rentrée,” is often marked by renewed social conflict. This year has been no exception as the summer lull has given way to yet another battle over a recurrent national obsession: How Muslim women should dress.
Late last month, with France still in vacation mode, Gabriel Attal, 34, the newly appointed education minister and a favorite of President Emmanuel Macron, declared that “the abaya can no longer be worn in schools.”
His abrupt order, which applies to public middle and high schools, banished the loosefitting full-length robe worn by some Muslim students and ignited another storm over French identity.
The government believes the role of education is to dissolve ethnic or religious identity in a shared commitment to the rights and responsibilities of French citizenship and so, as Mr. Attal put it, “you should not be able to distinguish or identify the students’ religion by looking at them.” » | Roger Cohen, Reporting from Paris | Friday, September 15, 2023
Isn’t life strange? At the very time that Iranian women are fighting to be able to throw of the encumbrance of the abaya, young French students are fighting for their right to wear it!
In Iran, many young Iranian women have lost eyes and all sorts fighting for their right to be free. Young French Muslims don’t know how lucky they are that the French government is looking after their rights and interests.
How much longer must the long-suffering French authorities—and people—put up with this nonsense? These young girls are troublemakers; they are pushing their weight around; they are trying it on. This is politics; it is not religion. These young students are being perverse and unreasonable. Don’t they know, don’t they understand, that they go to school to be educated, not to make political statements?
One of the hallmarks of French society is laïcité, as these young women know only too well. Laïcité is there to ensure that all can live together in peace and harmony. The nearest word to laïcité in English is secularism, but there is a difference. Secularism stresses individual freedom of religion; but French laïcité stresses collective freedom from religion and religious institutions. Laïcité was born out of the desire to free French society from the shackles and domination of the Roman Catholic Church. This also explains why the French are sensitive about re-introducing religious symbolism back into everyday French life.
How lucky young French Muslim students are! They should therefore start appreciating the freedoms that the French government affords them; and they should look over their shoulders at their Iranian sisters in Islam, who are so oppressed by the Iranian government. If they did this, they would be able to start to appreciate the freedoms afforded them by the French government and society. – © Mark Alexander
If you would like to read more about French laïcité and US secularism, please click here.
The mass French return to work, known as the “rentrée,” is often marked by renewed social conflict. This year has been no exception as the summer lull has given way to yet another battle over a recurrent national obsession: How Muslim women should dress.
Late last month, with France still in vacation mode, Gabriel Attal, 34, the newly appointed education minister and a favorite of President Emmanuel Macron, declared that “the abaya can no longer be worn in schools.”
His abrupt order, which applies to public middle and high schools, banished the loosefitting full-length robe worn by some Muslim students and ignited another storm over French identity.
The government believes the role of education is to dissolve ethnic or religious identity in a shared commitment to the rights and responsibilities of French citizenship and so, as Mr. Attal put it, “you should not be able to distinguish or identify the students’ religion by looking at them.” » | Roger Cohen, Reporting from Paris | Friday, September 15, 2023
Isn’t life strange? At the very time that Iranian women are fighting to be able to throw of the encumbrance of the abaya, young French students are fighting for their right to wear it!
In Iran, many young Iranian women have lost eyes and all sorts fighting for their right to be free. Young French Muslims don’t know how lucky they are that the French government is looking after their rights and interests.
How much longer must the long-suffering French authorities—and people—put up with this nonsense? These young girls are troublemakers; they are pushing their weight around; they are trying it on. This is politics; it is not religion. These young students are being perverse and unreasonable. Don’t they know, don’t they understand, that they go to school to be educated, not to make political statements?
One of the hallmarks of French society is laïcité, as these young women know only too well. Laïcité is there to ensure that all can live together in peace and harmony. The nearest word to laïcité in English is secularism, but there is a difference. Secularism stresses individual freedom of religion; but French laïcité stresses collective freedom from religion and religious institutions. Laïcité was born out of the desire to free French society from the shackles and domination of the Roman Catholic Church. This also explains why the French are sensitive about re-introducing religious symbolism back into everyday French life.
How lucky young French Muslim students are! They should therefore start appreciating the freedoms that the French government affords them; and they should look over their shoulders at their Iranian sisters in Islam, who are so oppressed by the Iranian government. If they did this, they would be able to start to appreciate the freedoms afforded them by the French government and society. – © Mark Alexander
If you would like to read more about French laïcité and US secularism, please click here.
Iran's Women a Year after Mahsa Amini's Death: 'I Wear What I Like Now'
BBC: A young woman walks down a street in Tehran, her hair uncovered, her jeans ripped, a bit of midriff exposed to the hot Iranian sun. An unmarried couple walk hand in hand. A woman holds her head high when asked by Iran's once-feared morality police to put a hijab on, and tells them: "Screw you!"
These acts of bold rebellion - described to me by several people in Tehran over the past month - would have been almost unthinkable to Iranians this time last year. But that was before the death in the morality police's custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been accused of not wearing her hijab [veil] properly.
The mass protests that shook Iran after her death subsided after a few months in the face of a brutal crackdown, but the anger that fuelled them has not been extinguished. Women have just had to find new ways to defy the regime.
A Western diplomat in Tehran estimates that across the country, an average of about 20% of women are now breaking the laws of the Islamic Republic by going out on to the streets without the veil.
…
"Society won't go back to the pre-Mahsa time," she believes. "In the streets, in the metro and in bazaars, men now admire women and praise their courage… Remarkably, even in some very religious cities like Qom, Mashhad and Isfahan, women no longer wear a headscarf." » | Caroline Hawley, BBC News | Friday, September 15, 2023
Morocco: Living in a Tent Where Your House Once Was | DW News
Thursday, September 14, 2023
Éva Fahidi, Outspoken Holocaust Survivor, Dies at 97
THE NEW YORK TIMES: She saw her family members marched off to their deaths while she went to a forced-labor camp. It took her almost 60 years to begin telling her story.
Éva Fahidi at her home in Budapest in 2015. “My youth came to an abrupt end on the 1st of July, 1944, on the ramp of Birkenau,” she wrote in her memoir. | Akos Stiller for The New York Times
Éva Fahidi, a Holocaust survivor who late in life began speaking out and writing about her experiences, as well as expressing them in dance, becoming a familiar presence at memorial observances and in classrooms in Germany and other European countries, died on Monday in Budapest. She was 97.
The International Auschwitz Committee, an association of Auschwitz survivors, announced her death.
Ms. Fahidi, part of a Hungarian Jewish family that had converted to Catholicism, was rounded up in 1944 along with the rest of her family and taken to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination complex in occupied Poland. She was 18.
She was apparently saved from the gas chamber by being of an age and fitness level to qualify for a forced-labor camp. Her other family members were sent to their deaths. Josef Mengele, the Nazi death camp doctor, presided over the selection process.
“My youth came to an abrupt end on the 1st of July, 1944, on the ramp of Birkenau,” she wrote in “The Soul of Things: Memoir of a Youth Interrupted” (2005) after detailing a carefree youth. “The life I have described above was gone in the split second it takes to wave a hand — Mengele’s motion that ordered me into one line and the rest of my family into the other.” » | Neil Genzlinger | Thursday, September 14, 2023
Éva Fahidi, a Holocaust survivor who late in life began speaking out and writing about her experiences, as well as expressing them in dance, becoming a familiar presence at memorial observances and in classrooms in Germany and other European countries, died on Monday in Budapest. She was 97.
The International Auschwitz Committee, an association of Auschwitz survivors, announced her death.
Ms. Fahidi, part of a Hungarian Jewish family that had converted to Catholicism, was rounded up in 1944 along with the rest of her family and taken to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination complex in occupied Poland. She was 18.
She was apparently saved from the gas chamber by being of an age and fitness level to qualify for a forced-labor camp. Her other family members were sent to their deaths. Josef Mengele, the Nazi death camp doctor, presided over the selection process.
“My youth came to an abrupt end on the 1st of July, 1944, on the ramp of Birkenau,” she wrote in “The Soul of Things: Memoir of a Youth Interrupted” (2005) after detailing a carefree youth. “The life I have described above was gone in the split second it takes to wave a hand — Mengele’s motion that ordered me into one line and the rest of my family into the other.” » | Neil Genzlinger | Thursday, September 14, 2023
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.2 Op.18 - Anna Fedorova - Complete Live Concert - HD
Sep 2, 2013 | The musicians: Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie led by Martin Panteleev | Anna Fedorova, piano
Nigella Lawson’s Super Easy Lemon Linguine | Nigella Bites
Libya Flooding: Most Deaths Could Have Been Avoided, Says UN - BBC News
Sep 14, 2023 | Most of the thousands of deaths in the Libya floods could have been avoided, the UN's World Meteorological Organization has said.
The UN's meteorological branch has criticised the warning systems that were in place in Libya. "If they would have been a normally operating meteorological service, they could have issued warnings," World Meteorological Organization (WMO) secretary-general Petteri Taalas said.
After two dams failed, whole neighbourhoods were swept away in the torrents.
The UN's meteorological branch has criticised the warning systems that were in place in Libya. "If they would have been a normally operating meteorological service, they could have issued warnings," World Meteorological Organization (WMO) secretary-general Petteri Taalas said.
After two dams failed, whole neighbourhoods were swept away in the torrents.
Morocco Earthquake Survivors Desperate for Help - BBC News
Sep 14, 2023 | Life-saving work is taking place against all odds in Morocco as search and rescue operations continue.
The epicentre of the tremor was in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km (44 miles) from Marrakesh, and many of the worst affected areas are remote villages and towns.
Since the earthquake struck, there's been a growing spotlight on the deployment of international search teams. On Sunday, amid local criticism of a patchy and slow response by authorities, Morocco's government sparked controversy by deciding to only accept help from four countries. It defended the move, saying "a lack of co-ordination could be counterproductive".
The epicentre of the tremor was in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km (44 miles) from Marrakesh, and many of the worst affected areas are remote villages and towns.
Since the earthquake struck, there's been a growing spotlight on the deployment of international search teams. On Sunday, amid local criticism of a patchy and slow response by authorities, Morocco's government sparked controversy by deciding to only accept help from four countries. It defended the move, saying "a lack of co-ordination could be counterproductive".
Gerhart Baum über die AfD: "Die alten Nazis sind wieder da"
Gerhardt Baum (D) »
Gerhardt Baum (E ) »
Gerhardt Baum (F) »
Steve Schmidt Reacts to Mitt Romney Retiring and Excerpts from His Upcoming Book | The Warning
The Term ‘Oriental’ Is Outdated, But Is It Racist?
LOS ANGELES TIMES – OPINION: It is now politically incorrect to use the word “Oriental,” and the admonition has the force of law: President Obama recently signed a bill prohibiting use of the term in all federal documents. Rep. Grace Meng, the New York congresswoman who sponsored the legislation, exulted that “at long last this insulting and outdated term will be gone for good.”
As an Oriental, I am bemused. Apparently Asians are supposed to feel demeaned if someone refers to us as Orientals. But good luck finding a single Asian American who has ever had the word spat at them in anger. Most Asian Americans have had racist epithets hurled at them at one time or another: Chink, slant eye, gook, Nip, zipperhead. But Oriental isn’t in the canon.
And why should it be? Literally, it means of the Orient or of the East, as opposed to of the Occident or of the West. Last I checked, geographic origin is not a slur. If it were, it would be wrong to label people from Mississippi as Southerners.
Of course I understand that some insults have benign origins. “Jap,” for example, is simply a shortening of the word Japanese, but that one stings. As 127,000 Japanese Americans were carted off to internment camps during World War II, they were repeatedly referred to by their fellow citizens and the media as Japs. It was meant as an insult and understood as such. Clearly context is important.
The problem with “Oriental,” San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jeff Yang told NPR, is that “When you think about it, the term … feels freighted with luggage. You know, it’s a term which you can’t think of without having that sort of the smell of incense and the sound of a gong kind of in your head.” In other words it makes Asians sound exotic because it was in circulation at a time when exoticizing stereotypes were prevalent. » | Jayne Tsuchiyama | Wednesday, June 1, 2016
I stumbled upon this article yesterday after a discussion I had had with a cousin of mine about the word 'oriental'. Apparently, she had used it in discussion with a friend of hers; and her friend cautioned her about the use of the word, and asked her if she should be using it at all! I was dumbfounded. Visitors to this website will have noticed that I use this word rather frequently, because I like the word. In fact, it is a rather beautiful word. I knew that some people were a little sensitive about the word, but I took no notice, putting it down to wokeness and/or political correctness. I am neither woke nor politically correct; and nor do I ever intend to be.
For your information, when I use the word 'oriental' or Orient, I use them in their geographical sense. No more, no less. In my humble opinion, they are lovely, benign words. By the way, I was never aware that anyone should ever think they were "outdated". That never even occurred to me. I shall continue to use these words in my writing. I am not giving them up to please the politically correct brigade. FYI, I also like the words occidental and Occident. The words Orient and Occident go hand-in-hand. This nonsense of banning words that might be offensive should and must stop.
Furthermore, while I am writing about this, I am totally traditional in my use of pronouns. I use the words 'he' and 'him/his' and 'she' and 'her/hers' unapologetically. I am not going to use 'them', etc., in order to avoid their use. You bastardise the language if you want to; I am not for bastardising the language. If you come across such usage on this blog, it will be either because they are the words of others or because I have used them inadvertently. Moreover, and for total clarity, I use 'he/him/his' for persons who have 'dangly bits' and 'she/her/hers' for persons who don't. For those transitioning, I shall await to be informed of their choices. But having never met anyone who has transitioned, I doubt that it will become an issue.
I hope I have made myself crystal clear. I also hope that no one will take any offence, because no offence is intended. – Mark
As an Oriental, I am bemused. Apparently Asians are supposed to feel demeaned if someone refers to us as Orientals. But good luck finding a single Asian American who has ever had the word spat at them in anger. Most Asian Americans have had racist epithets hurled at them at one time or another: Chink, slant eye, gook, Nip, zipperhead. But Oriental isn’t in the canon.
And why should it be? Literally, it means of the Orient or of the East, as opposed to of the Occident or of the West. Last I checked, geographic origin is not a slur. If it were, it would be wrong to label people from Mississippi as Southerners.
Of course I understand that some insults have benign origins. “Jap,” for example, is simply a shortening of the word Japanese, but that one stings. As 127,000 Japanese Americans were carted off to internment camps during World War II, they were repeatedly referred to by their fellow citizens and the media as Japs. It was meant as an insult and understood as such. Clearly context is important.
The problem with “Oriental,” San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jeff Yang told NPR, is that “When you think about it, the term … feels freighted with luggage. You know, it’s a term which you can’t think of without having that sort of the smell of incense and the sound of a gong kind of in your head.” In other words it makes Asians sound exotic because it was in circulation at a time when exoticizing stereotypes were prevalent. » | Jayne Tsuchiyama | Wednesday, June 1, 2016
I stumbled upon this article yesterday after a discussion I had had with a cousin of mine about the word 'oriental'. Apparently, she had used it in discussion with a friend of hers; and her friend cautioned her about the use of the word, and asked her if she should be using it at all! I was dumbfounded. Visitors to this website will have noticed that I use this word rather frequently, because I like the word. In fact, it is a rather beautiful word. I knew that some people were a little sensitive about the word, but I took no notice, putting it down to wokeness and/or political correctness. I am neither woke nor politically correct; and nor do I ever intend to be.
For your information, when I use the word 'oriental' or Orient, I use them in their geographical sense. No more, no less. In my humble opinion, they are lovely, benign words. By the way, I was never aware that anyone should ever think they were "outdated". That never even occurred to me. I shall continue to use these words in my writing. I am not giving them up to please the politically correct brigade. FYI, I also like the words occidental and Occident. The words Orient and Occident go hand-in-hand. This nonsense of banning words that might be offensive should and must stop.
Furthermore, while I am writing about this, I am totally traditional in my use of pronouns. I use the words 'he' and 'him/his' and 'she' and 'her/hers' unapologetically. I am not going to use 'them', etc., in order to avoid their use. You bastardise the language if you want to; I am not for bastardising the language. If you come across such usage on this blog, it will be either because they are the words of others or because I have used them inadvertently. Moreover, and for total clarity, I use 'he/him/his' for persons who have 'dangly bits' and 'she/her/hers' for persons who don't. For those transitioning, I shall await to be informed of their choices. But having never met anyone who has transitioned, I doubt that it will become an issue.
I hope I have made myself crystal clear. I also hope that no one will take any offence, because no offence is intended. – Mark
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Theresa May on Brexit, Trump and China: Bloomberg UK Show
Mrs May: Brexit was a disaster. No sweet words will change that fact. – © Mark Alexander
King of Morocco, Mohammed VI Refuses Earthquake Aid From the US & France | Morocco Earthquake
Sep 12, 2023 | Morocco earthquake - King Of Morocco, Mohammed VI Refuses Earthquake Aid From The U.S. & France. According to multiple reports, French associations and NGOs are still waiting for the go-ahead from the Moroccan government to send emergency relief to towns in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains which have been damaged by a devastating earthquake that killed 2,497 people and injured 2,476 more, as per Morocco's Interior Ministry latest update on Monday, September 11, 2023. This is because the Moroccan government has reportedly rejected an earthquake aid package from France, despite being in crisis.
France announced on Sunday, September 10, 2023, that it was ready to help Morocco and was awaiting a formal request for assistance. "Moroccan authorities know exactly what can be delivered, the nature of what can be delivered) and the timing ... We are at their disposal. We did everything we could do ... The second they request this aid, it will be deployed," President Emmanuel Macron said during a news conference at the G20 Summit that took place from 9th to 10th September 2023 in New Delhi. However, Morocco never sent the formal request for assistance France was waiting for. Nevertheless, the French government announced on Monday, September 11, 2023, that it had pledged €5 million to aid organizations on site in Morocco. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna confirmed on the BFM television channel that the cash will go to aid organisations already active in the disaster zone.
France announced on Sunday, September 10, 2023, that it was ready to help Morocco and was awaiting a formal request for assistance. "Moroccan authorities know exactly what can be delivered, the nature of what can be delivered) and the timing ... We are at their disposal. We did everything we could do ... The second they request this aid, it will be deployed," President Emmanuel Macron said during a news conference at the G20 Summit that took place from 9th to 10th September 2023 in New Delhi. However, Morocco never sent the formal request for assistance France was waiting for. Nevertheless, the French government announced on Monday, September 11, 2023, that it had pledged €5 million to aid organizations on site in Morocco. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna confirmed on the BFM television channel that the cash will go to aid organisations already active in the disaster zone.
Aftershock Rocks Moroccan Village | DW News
Überall Tod und Zerstörung: Marokko nach der Erdbeben-Katastrophe | auslandsjournal
Sep 14, 2023 | Mit einer Stärke von 6,8 bebt in der Nacht zu Samstag vergangener Woche die Erde in Marokko. Auf einer Fläche fast so groß wie Bayern, Baden-Württemberg und Niedersachsen zusammen war es zu spüren. Die einfach gebauten Häuser halten dem Erdbeben nicht stand. ZDF-Reporterin Anne Arend war in dem betroffenen Gebiet unterwegs, hat mit Überlebenden gesprochen, die vor den Ruinen ihrer Häuser stehen. 2.900 Tote, über 5.500 Verletzte, das sind die bisherigen Zahlen, Stand: 13. September 2023. Doch das ganze Ausmaß der Katastrophe ist noch immer nicht erfasst.
Internationale Unterstützung wird schnell angeboten, doch nur zögerlich werden die Helfer werden ins Land gelassen. Die britischen Katastrophenschützer suchen in den Trümmern nach Lebenszeichen, doch häufig vergeblich.
Internationale Unterstützung wird schnell angeboten, doch nur zögerlich werden die Helfer werden ins Land gelassen. Die britischen Katastrophenschützer suchen in den Trümmern nach Lebenszeichen, doch häufig vergeblich.
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USA: Alle 7 Minuten stirbt jemand an einer Überdosis Fentanyl | auslandsjournal
Oct 16, 2023 | In den USA verbreitet sich die gefährliche Droge Fentanyl immer weiter. Diese ist 50-mal stärker als Heroin, alle sieben Minuten stirbt jemand in dem Land an einer Überdosis. Schon bei der Herstellung drohen erhebliche gesundheitliche Einschränkungen bis hin zum Tod.
ZDF-Reporter Benjamin Daniel und ZDF-Reporterin Steffanie Riess treffen zwei Mitglieder des Sinaloa-Kartells und dürfen bei der Herstellung der extrem gefährlichen Droge zuschauen. In Mexiko ist Fentanyl der Verkaufsschlager der Kartelle.
Der Stadtteil Kensington der Stadt Philadelphia ist ein Drogenhotspot, hier wird auf offener Straße gedealt, konsumiert und gestorben. Sarah war fentanylabhängig, heute ist sie clean und hilft mit ihrer Hilfsorganisation "Savage Sisters" anderen Abhängigen in dem Stadtteil. Mit dabei haben sie immer das Gegengift Naloxon. Denn manchmal geht es um Leben und Tod.
Dies ist noch ein Bericht, der gar nicht für Kinder geeignet ist. – Mark
ZDF-Reporter Benjamin Daniel und ZDF-Reporterin Steffanie Riess treffen zwei Mitglieder des Sinaloa-Kartells und dürfen bei der Herstellung der extrem gefährlichen Droge zuschauen. In Mexiko ist Fentanyl der Verkaufsschlager der Kartelle.
Der Stadtteil Kensington der Stadt Philadelphia ist ein Drogenhotspot, hier wird auf offener Straße gedealt, konsumiert und gestorben. Sarah war fentanylabhängig, heute ist sie clean und hilft mit ihrer Hilfsorganisation "Savage Sisters" anderen Abhängigen in dem Stadtteil. Mit dabei haben sie immer das Gegengift Naloxon. Denn manchmal geht es um Leben und Tod.
Dies ist noch ein Bericht, der gar nicht für Kinder geeignet ist. – Mark
Hat Crystal Meth den Irak im Griff? | auslandsjournal
Sep 10, 2023 | Der Irak kämpft gegen Crystal Meth, doch dies wird durch die Popularität der Droge erschwert.
Experten schätzen, dass 40 Prozent der Bevölkerung Drogen konsumieren. Darunter ist Crystal Meth besonders stark verbreitet.
Doch obwohl jeder Kontakt mit Drogen streng geahndet wird, so sind die Zahlen dennoch stark steigend. Ein Grund für den rasanten Anstieg sei das offizielle Alkohol-Verbot seit diesem Frühjahr, erzählt ein Drogenfahnder.
Die Gefängnisse sind voll mit Abhängigen, weswegen das Innenministerium mit Straffreiheit für all diejenigen wirbt, die sich einem Entzug unterziehen.
Unsere ZDF-Reporterin Anna Feist berichtet aus dem Irak.
Dieser Bericht ist für Kinder auf keinen Fall geeignet. – Mark
Experten schätzen, dass 40 Prozent der Bevölkerung Drogen konsumieren. Darunter ist Crystal Meth besonders stark verbreitet.
Doch obwohl jeder Kontakt mit Drogen streng geahndet wird, so sind die Zahlen dennoch stark steigend. Ein Grund für den rasanten Anstieg sei das offizielle Alkohol-Verbot seit diesem Frühjahr, erzählt ein Drogenfahnder.
Die Gefängnisse sind voll mit Abhängigen, weswegen das Innenministerium mit Straffreiheit für all diejenigen wirbt, die sich einem Entzug unterziehen.
Unsere ZDF-Reporterin Anna Feist berichtet aus dem Irak.
Dieser Bericht ist für Kinder auf keinen Fall geeignet. – Mark
Libya Flooding: Fears of Up To 20,000 Dead - BBC News
Sep 14, 2023 | The mayor of the eastern Libya port city of Derna estimates between 18,000 and 20,000 people have died in the catastrophic flooding.
Abdulmenam Al-Ghaithi told al-Arabiya TV his estimate was based on the number of districts completely destroyed when two burst dams.
More than 5,000 people are known to have died, and at least 10,000 are missing.
Streets were swept away in the torrents and bodies are being recovered from the sea.
Abdulmenam Al-Ghaithi told al-Arabiya TV his estimate was based on the number of districts completely destroyed when two burst dams.
More than 5,000 people are known to have died, and at least 10,000 are missing.
Streets were swept away in the torrents and bodies are being recovered from the sea.
The Unimaginable Has Happened in Libya
THE NEW YORK TIMES: This week, the worst storm in recent memory pounded the Green Mountains in eastern Libya with rain, pushing two poorly maintained, half-century-old dams to their limit. Just before 3 a.m. on Sept. 11, the first dam collapsed. An enormous wall of water surged into a riverbed that bisects the coastal city of Derna. It stalled briefly at the second dam eight miles downstream and then scooped that and everything else up in its path, tossing the debris into the sea. By dawn, a third of the city was gone, leaving thousands missing. The number of dead may reach as high as 10,000, Libyan aid coordinators say.
Many people in Libya are calling what happened a tsunami, not a flood, to attempt to capture the physics and power of the devastation. Derna’s nearly 100,000 residents, now stranded, urgently need shelter, food, water and medical care. They need temporary bridges to replace those that were washed out and engineers to rebuild all the roads and fix parts of the city’s operational but battered port. They need cellphone service to reach family members and friends and body bags for the corpses being pulled out of the sea. Thousands are homeless, and officials fear other dams in the area may also burst. » | Ethan Chorin, Dr. Chorin is the author of “Benghazi! A New History of the Fiasco That Pushed America and Its World to the Brink.” | Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Catastrophic Floods Devastate Libya
Libyan Flood Survivor Recounts Horror After Dams Burst: “We walked out barefoot and saw our friends and neighbors dying,” said a woman from the hard-hit city of Derna. More than 5,000 are reported dead and 10,000 more are believed to be missing. »
Related article here.
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
What Possible Kim-Putin Deals Could Look Like? | DW News
Michael Bolton : Said I Loved You... But I Lied | Reupload
Tories Lose Vote to Ditch Default 20mph Policy for Wales
WALES ONLINE: Conservative politicians wanted the new 20mph default law in Wales scrapped days before it is due to come into force, but it never looked likely given their low numbers in the Senedd
Opposition politicians have this evening lost their bid to throw out the Labour-run Welsh Government's default 20mph speed limit for Wales, just days before it is due to come into force. The Welsh Government says the law, which comes in on Sunday, September 17, will make roads safer and "improve the quality of life for everyone".
Conservative politicians held a typically fiery hour-long debate at plenary in the Senedd on Wednesday evening, followed by a vote on MS Darren Millar's motion which called for the Government to "repeal The Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) (Wales) Order 2022".
The motion failed with 15 votes to 38. It never looked likely that the Tories would get enough support due to the political make-up of the Senedd. » | Ruth Mosalski, Political editor and Jonathan Hill, News reporter | Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Putting in place 20mph speed limits in Wales is truly absurd. Whoever thinks that this will save lives and cause fewer road traffic accidents is surely mistaken. In my humble opinion, this policy could well cause more RTAs, not fewer, simply because of the frustration it will cause to drivers. A frustrated driver is a dangerous driver. This is a truly sad development. It is also madness. – © Mark Alexander
Opposition politicians have this evening lost their bid to throw out the Labour-run Welsh Government's default 20mph speed limit for Wales, just days before it is due to come into force. The Welsh Government says the law, which comes in on Sunday, September 17, will make roads safer and "improve the quality of life for everyone".
Conservative politicians held a typically fiery hour-long debate at plenary in the Senedd on Wednesday evening, followed by a vote on MS Darren Millar's motion which called for the Government to "repeal The Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) (Wales) Order 2022".
The motion failed with 15 votes to 38. It never looked likely that the Tories would get enough support due to the political make-up of the Senedd. » | Ruth Mosalski, Political editor and Jonathan Hill, News reporter | Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Putting in place 20mph speed limits in Wales is truly absurd. Whoever thinks that this will save lives and cause fewer road traffic accidents is surely mistaken. In my humble opinion, this policy could well cause more RTAs, not fewer, simply because of the frustration it will cause to drivers. A frustrated driver is a dangerous driver. This is a truly sad development. It is also madness. – © Mark Alexander
Grieg: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16 - II. Adagio
Loobia Polo | Persian Green Bean Rice | لوبیا پلو | Cooking with Zahra
Loobia Polo, also known as Persian Green Bean Rice, is a traditional Iranian dish that combines aromatic basmati rice with green beans and usually some form of meat, such as beef or chicken.
It is a popular and flavorful rice dish that's often served at special occasions, family gatherings, and celebrations in Iran.
Serve the delicious Loobia Polo on a serving platter, and it's ready to enjoy with a side of salad or yogurt. This flavorful Persian dish combines the delicate fragrance of basmati rice with the rich taste of green beans and meat, making it a delightful and satisfying meal.
Get the recipe here.
It is a popular and flavorful rice dish that's often served at special occasions, family gatherings, and celebrations in Iran.
Serve the delicious Loobia Polo on a serving platter, and it's ready to enjoy with a side of salad or yogurt. This flavorful Persian dish combines the delicate fragrance of basmati rice with the rich taste of green beans and meat, making it a delightful and satisfying meal.
Get the recipe here.
‘Duo of Gangsters: Trump and Putin in Lockstep on Indictments
‘Sea Is Constantly Dumping Bodies’: Fears Libya Flood Death Toll May Hit 20,000
THE GUARDIAN: Full scale of devastation in north African nation still not clear as aid agencies struggle to reach cut-off areas
International aid is slowly starting to reach the devastated port city of Derna as questions are raised over how as many as 20,000 people may have perished when Storm Daniel hit the northern coast of Libya on Saturday night.
Ten thousand people had been declared missing by official aid agencies such as the Libyan Red Crescent, but the new, ominous higher estimate of 20,000 deaths came from the director of al-Bayda medical centre, Abdul Rahim Maziq.
Corpses still litter the street, and drinkable water is in short supply. Whole families have been wiped out by the storm and with the remoteness of some villages and the rudimentary nature of municipal government, it will take time for the death toll to be confirmed. (With video) » Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Wednesday, September 13, 2023
International aid is slowly starting to reach the devastated port city of Derna as questions are raised over how as many as 20,000 people may have perished when Storm Daniel hit the northern coast of Libya on Saturday night.
Ten thousand people had been declared missing by official aid agencies such as the Libyan Red Crescent, but the new, ominous higher estimate of 20,000 deaths came from the director of al-Bayda medical centre, Abdul Rahim Maziq.
Corpses still litter the street, and drinkable water is in short supply. Whole families have been wiped out by the storm and with the remoteness of some villages and the rudimentary nature of municipal government, it will take time for the death toll to be confirmed. (With video) » Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Putin Toasts Kim over a Six-course Lunch.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: After a closely watched two-hour summit in Russia’s Far East, North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia sat down for a six-course lunch intended to showcase the wide span of Russian cuisine.
According to a menu posted on the messaging app Telegram by Russian reporters who cover the Kremlin, the meal opened with two appetizers: a duck salad with figs; and dumplings, called pelmeni, stuffed with crab from Kamchatka, a volcanic peninsula on Russia’s Pacific Coast that is known for its wildlife. The first two courses were followed by a clear-broth soup called ukha that is usually made with trout, salmon or other fish; parsley; dill; and potatoes or other root vegetables.
A sorbet made from sea buckthorn berries served as a palate cleanser before the main course, a choice of sturgeon with mushrooms and potatoes or entrecôte beef with baked vegetables. » | Valeriya Safronova | Wednesday, September 13, 2023
According to a menu posted on the messaging app Telegram by Russian reporters who cover the Kremlin, the meal opened with two appetizers: a duck salad with figs; and dumplings, called pelmeni, stuffed with crab from Kamchatka, a volcanic peninsula on Russia’s Pacific Coast that is known for its wildlife. The first two courses were followed by a clear-broth soup called ukha that is usually made with trout, salmon or other fish; parsley; dill; and potatoes or other root vegetables.
A sorbet made from sea buckthorn berries served as a palate cleanser before the main course, a choice of sturgeon with mushrooms and potatoes or entrecôte beef with baked vegetables. » | Valeriya Safronova | Wednesday, September 13, 2023
NZZ: Jahrhundert-Erdbeben in Marokko: Warum starben so viele Menschen in den Bergen?
Is There an Afterlife? - Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, David Wolpe, Bradley Artson Shavit
Wie Libyens Diktator Muammar Gaddafi die Schweiz erpresste | Doku | SRF Dok | 2008 - 2011
Mar 25, 2014 | Im Juli 2008 lässt der damalige Diktator von Libyen, Muammar Gaddafi, zwei Geschäftsleute der Schweiz entführen. Fast zwei Jahre lang hält die Geiselnahme die Schweizer Diplomatie in Atem.
Jahrzehntelang unterdrückte Muammar Gaddafi seine Bevölkerung brutal. Wer es wagte, anderer Meinung zu sein, war seines Lebens nicht mehr sicher. Dann, im Juli 2008, geriet plötzlich auch die Schweiz in sein Visier. Die Genfer Justiz hatte es gewagt, seinen Sohn Hannibal festzunehmen, nachdem dieser sein Personal massiv misshandelt hatte. Der Diktator liess aus Rache zwei Schweizer Geschäftsleute entführen und kappte alle Verbindungen zu Bern.
Der Dokumentarfilm zeigt, was wirklich geschah und stützt sich dabei unter anderem auf bisher unveröffentlichte Bilder einer Überwachungskamera.
Ein Film von Anne-Frédérique Widmann und Marie-Laure Baggiolini
WIKIPEDIA:
Hier auf Deutsch.
Ici en français.
Qui in italiano.
Jahrzehntelang unterdrückte Muammar Gaddafi seine Bevölkerung brutal. Wer es wagte, anderer Meinung zu sein, war seines Lebens nicht mehr sicher. Dann, im Juli 2008, geriet plötzlich auch die Schweiz in sein Visier. Die Genfer Justiz hatte es gewagt, seinen Sohn Hannibal festzunehmen, nachdem dieser sein Personal massiv misshandelt hatte. Der Diktator liess aus Rache zwei Schweizer Geschäftsleute entführen und kappte alle Verbindungen zu Bern.
Der Dokumentarfilm zeigt, was wirklich geschah und stützt sich dabei unter anderem auf bisher unveröffentlichte Bilder einer Überwachungskamera.
Ein Film von Anne-Frédérique Widmann und Marie-Laure Baggiolini
WIKIPEDIA:
Hier auf Deutsch.
Ici en français.
Qui in italiano.
Kim Jong-un Offers Putin ‘Full Support’ in Russia’s ‘Sacred Fight’ with West
THE GUARDIAN: North Korean leader backs Moscow in ‘protecting its sovereignty and security against the hegemonic forces’ that oppose it
Kim Jong-un has offered Vladimir Putin his support for Russia’s “sacred fight” against the west during talks that also touched on possible Russian help with North Korea’s space programme.
The North Korean and Russian leaders met on Wednesday at a space base in the far east of Russia amid warnings that Kim was poised to offer the Kremlin artillery shells and other munitions for the war in Ukraine.
Putin, who greeted Kim with a handshake and a lengthy chat outside the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the remote region of Amur, reportedly offered Russian help with the Pyongyang regime’s troubled satellite programme.
North Korea has made huge advances in its nuclear and ballistic weapons programmes despite years of UN-led sanctions supported by Russia, but it has fared less well in its attempts to launch a satellite.
It failed to put a military spy satellite into orbit in recent months, experts said. While Kim made the long train journey north hoping to secure Russian expertise in weapons technology, and potentially food and other aid, their first meeting for four years was a rare opportunity for Putin to welcome one of the Kremlin’s few international allies. (With video) » | Justin McCurry and Andrew Roth | Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Kim Jong-un has offered Vladimir Putin his support for Russia’s “sacred fight” against the west during talks that also touched on possible Russian help with North Korea’s space programme.
The North Korean and Russian leaders met on Wednesday at a space base in the far east of Russia amid warnings that Kim was poised to offer the Kremlin artillery shells and other munitions for the war in Ukraine.
Putin, who greeted Kim with a handshake and a lengthy chat outside the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the remote region of Amur, reportedly offered Russian help with the Pyongyang regime’s troubled satellite programme.
North Korea has made huge advances in its nuclear and ballistic weapons programmes despite years of UN-led sanctions supported by Russia, but it has fared less well in its attempts to launch a satellite.
It failed to put a military spy satellite into orbit in recent months, experts said. While Kim made the long train journey north hoping to secure Russian expertise in weapons technology, and potentially food and other aid, their first meeting for four years was a rare opportunity for Putin to welcome one of the Kremlin’s few international allies. (With video) » | Justin McCurry and Andrew Roth | Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Temporarily Cut Triple Lock to Fund Tax Cuts, George Osborne Suggests
THE TELEGRAPH: George Osborne suggested the Government could temporarily water down the triple lock to fund tax cuts or more spending on public services amid a growing debate about the future of the state pension guarantee.
The triple lock is a key Tory pledge that ensures the state pension rises by the highest of three metrics: average earnings, inflation or 2.5 per cent.
In the past, average earnings have always been calculated using the figure for wages plus bonuses but the Treasury is understood to be considering stripping out the impact of bonuses in a move which would mean a smaller than expected increase for pensioners next April.
Mr Osborne said if he were chancellor today he would be “very tempted to under-rate, i.e. not increase pensions by as much as the triple lock and other benefits, working age benefits that go to other people in society, by maybe like one or two per cent”. » | Jack Maidment, Politics Live Blog Editor | Wednesday, September 13, 2023
What a miserable SOB! Now that's truly a brilliant idea, isn't it? Why didn't Robin Hood come up with this idea, I wonder? So the man who has given us all more than twelves years of agony and austerity now wants to rob the poor to give to the rich. He wants to take a way the few crumbs that pensioners now receive each month in order to fund tax cuts for the superrich. They must need more caviare. This makes eminently good sense to insensitive, uncaring idiots, I suppose. Does this dude belong to a Satanic cult, I wonder? He is certainly no Christian. There a hot place awaiting insensitive twerps like this – in Hell! I hope the fires are already being stoked for the dickhead! – © Mark Alexander
There is already a petition by 38 Degrees against the cutting of state pensions. Please consider signing this petition for the sake of the nation's hard-hit pensioners, many of whom have little other than their measly, paltry, disgustingly small British state pension to live on anyway. Please help these people by signing this petition here.
King of Morocco, Mohammed VI Refuses Earthquake Aid from the US & France | 10 News First
Earthquake Puts Morocco’s Elusive King in Spotlight
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The monarchy is revered and nearly all powerful in Morocco. But details about the lives and actions of the king, his family and his entourage remain mysterious and subject to speculation.
A photograph released by the Moroccan Royal Palace shows King Mohammed VI, center, during a reception in July on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the sovereign’s accession to the throne in M’Diq, northern Morocco. | Moroccan Royal Palace, via Associated Press
When a devastating earthquake hit Morocco on Friday night, killing more than 2,900 people, King Mohammed VI was in Paris, where he spends a great deal of his time.
It took him most of a day to return to his country and make his only public statement so far — a terse communiqué. Later on Saturday, television showed him presiding over a cabinet meeting, but there was no sound.
He visited a hospital on Tuesday and donated blood. But his low visibility and silence, coupled with the government’s response to the earthquake, have been criticized, with some saying officials are paralyzed because they are awaiting authorization for action from the king.
Moroccan officials argue that they are on top of the crisis and will ask for help as they need it, adding that the king was guiding the response from the beginning.
The king, who turned 60 on Aug. 21, is the richest and most powerful person in Morocco. He is constitutionally both head of the armed forces and, controversially in Islam, of religious matters, as the Commander of the Faithful.
As head of state, he oversees a constitutional monarchy, a managed semi-democracy, with real power exercised by advisers and ministers dominated by his high-school friends. But his authorization for action is vital. » | Steven Erlanger, Reporting from Berlin | Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Verwandt.
When a devastating earthquake hit Morocco on Friday night, killing more than 2,900 people, King Mohammed VI was in Paris, where he spends a great deal of his time.
It took him most of a day to return to his country and make his only public statement so far — a terse communiqué. Later on Saturday, television showed him presiding over a cabinet meeting, but there was no sound.
He visited a hospital on Tuesday and donated blood. But his low visibility and silence, coupled with the government’s response to the earthquake, have been criticized, with some saying officials are paralyzed because they are awaiting authorization for action from the king.
Moroccan officials argue that they are on top of the crisis and will ask for help as they need it, adding that the king was guiding the response from the beginning.
The king, who turned 60 on Aug. 21, is the richest and most powerful person in Morocco. He is constitutionally both head of the armed forces and, controversially in Islam, of religious matters, as the Commander of the Faithful.
As head of state, he oversees a constitutional monarchy, a managed semi-democracy, with real power exercised by advisers and ministers dominated by his high-school friends. But his authorization for action is vital. » | Steven Erlanger, Reporting from Berlin | Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Verwandt.
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Ne-Yo : One in a Million | Official Music Video | Reupload
Kari Lake Amplifies Donald Trump's Lies, Kevin McCarthy's Cynicism Exposed | The Warning
Hong Kong’s Multimillion Dollar Cliffside Mansions on Brink of Collapse after Record Rains
THE GUARDIAN: Police cordon off some properties in Redhill Peninsula and evacuate at least one after typhoon Haikui brought extreme weather
Heavy rains and landslides spell trouble for Hong Kong’s coastal multi-million properties.Photograph: Daniel Ceng/EPA
Luxury cliffside homes in Hong Kong are on the brink of collapse after record breaking rains which killed at least two people, injured more than 100, and caused landslides across the city.
Hong Kong police have cordoned at least three properties in Redhill Peninsula, a coastal housing estate on the southern side of Hong Kong island, and evacuated one which was in “imminent danger”. Photographs of the multimillion dollar residences show large sections of the cliff have fallen away beneath swimming pools and gardens. » | Helen Davidson in Taipei | Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Luxury cliffside homes in Hong Kong are on the brink of collapse after record breaking rains which killed at least two people, injured more than 100, and caused landslides across the city.
Hong Kong police have cordoned at least three properties in Redhill Peninsula, a coastal housing estate on the southern side of Hong Kong island, and evacuated one which was in “imminent danger”. Photographs of the multimillion dollar residences show large sections of the cliff have fallen away beneath swimming pools and gardens. » | Helen Davidson in Taipei | Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Morocco Earthquake: Death Toll Approaches 2,900 as Search Continues
North Korea's Kim Jong-un Arrives in Russia
Sep 12, 2023 | Russian officials rolled out the red carpet for Kim Jong Un after his armored train arrived in the country today ahead of talks with President Putin that are expected to focus on North Korean weapons supplies for Moscow.
The North Korean dictator was escorted past a military guard into a train station in Khasan, the main border crossing between the two countries, according to images broadcast by state media. There was a heavy security presence at the station. Kim, who was wearing a dark suit, smiled as he stepped off his train, which was pulled into Khasan by a red Russian locomotive.
The Kremlin has said that Kim and Putin will meet after an economic forum in Vladivostok, a port city in Russia’s far eastern region, which ends tomorrow. It has given no other details about the time and location of the talks, which come after Washington warned North Korean not to supply Russia with arms and munitions for use in Ukraine. Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, will also take part in the talks, Moscow has said.
The North Korean dictator was escorted past a military guard into a train station in Khasan, the main border crossing between the two countries, according to images broadcast by state media. There was a heavy security presence at the station. Kim, who was wearing a dark suit, smiled as he stepped off his train, which was pulled into Khasan by a red Russian locomotive.
The Kremlin has said that Kim and Putin will meet after an economic forum in Vladivostok, a port city in Russia’s far eastern region, which ends tomorrow. It has given no other details about the time and location of the talks, which come after Washington warned North Korean not to supply Russia with arms and munitions for use in Ukraine. Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, will also take part in the talks, Moscow has said.
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UN Warns of New Crisis in Bosnia - BBC News
Sep 11, 2023 | After a brutal war and genocide that claimed about 100,000 lives and displaced more than two million people, it was hoped that an international peace agreement would allow Bosnia to begin healing from the wounds of conflict.
Twenty-seven years ago this week, leaders of the three main communities agreed a set of principles that would form the basis of the Dayton peace agreement of 1995.
Now, the UN has warned of renewed crisis as Bosnian Serbs who launched the original war in 1992 are threatening to secede from the country.
Twenty-seven years ago this week, leaders of the three main communities agreed a set of principles that would form the basis of the Dayton peace agreement of 1995.
Now, the UN has warned of renewed crisis as Bosnian Serbs who launched the original war in 1992 are threatening to secede from the country.
Libyen: Das Comeback des Saif Al Islam Gaddafi | Doku HD | ARTE
Sep 12, 2023 | Mit diesem Szenario hätten nur die wenigsten gerechnet: Wieder ein Gaddafi, der um die Macht kämpft. Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, der zweite Sohn des 2011 getöteten libyschen Diktators Muammar al-Gaddafi, kandidiert bei den Präsidentschaftswahlen seines Landes. Aussagen von Verwandten und politischen Akteuren zeichnen das Porträt eines unberechenbaren und wild entschlossenen Mannes.
Die Bewerbung für die Präsidentschaftswahlen von Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi stellt für Libyen eine große Herausforderung dar. Der zweite Sohn des libyschen Diktators Muammar al-Gaddafi wurde in Libyen mehrfach verurteilt und wird vom Internationalen Strafgerichtshof wegen Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit verfolgt. Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi hat einen einzigartigen Werdegang: In seinem ersten Leben wächst er in einem Clan auf, der zahlreiche Verschwörungen wittert. Er führt in Europa ein Playboy-Dasein und stellt sich der Welt als Reformer dar.
Im zweiten Leben, das mit der libyschen Revolution 2011 beginnt, steht er für die Unterdrückung, die vom Regime seines Vaters ausgeht. Er wird von Anti-Gaddafi-Milizen gefangen genommen. Ihm wird der Prozess gemacht, an dem er nur per Videoschalte teilnehmen darf. Sein Schicksal treibt das libysche Volk um, allerlei Gerüchte kursieren, sein Leben ist bedroht.
Es heißt, er sei ein verrückter, kranker Mystiker, der sich in die Wüste abgesetzt habe. Was bringt ihn dazu, sich trotz Morddrohungen um das Präsidentenamt zu bewerben? Was weiß er über die geheimen Machenschaften des Regimes seines Vaters? Welche Chancen hat er, an die Macht zu kommen?
Sein bewegtes Leben spiegelt das aktuelle Chaos in Libyen wider: Das Land ist gespalten, es gibt eine Regierung im Osten und eine im Westen, rivalisierende Milizen ringen um die Macht, ausländische Staaten nehmen Einfluss auf den Konflikt. Mit Aussagen von Verwandten und politischen Akteuren zeichnet ARTE ein Porträt von Saif al-Islam – eines unberechenbaren und wild entschlossen wirkenden Überlebenden, der sich seinen Weg zu bahnen sucht.
Dokumentation (Frankreich, 2023, 52 Min)
Verfügbar bis zum 18/12/2023
Ce film est également disponible en français. Pour le regarder, cliquez ici s'il vous plaît. – Mark
Die Bewerbung für die Präsidentschaftswahlen von Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi stellt für Libyen eine große Herausforderung dar. Der zweite Sohn des libyschen Diktators Muammar al-Gaddafi wurde in Libyen mehrfach verurteilt und wird vom Internationalen Strafgerichtshof wegen Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit verfolgt. Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi hat einen einzigartigen Werdegang: In seinem ersten Leben wächst er in einem Clan auf, der zahlreiche Verschwörungen wittert. Er führt in Europa ein Playboy-Dasein und stellt sich der Welt als Reformer dar.
Im zweiten Leben, das mit der libyschen Revolution 2011 beginnt, steht er für die Unterdrückung, die vom Regime seines Vaters ausgeht. Er wird von Anti-Gaddafi-Milizen gefangen genommen. Ihm wird der Prozess gemacht, an dem er nur per Videoschalte teilnehmen darf. Sein Schicksal treibt das libysche Volk um, allerlei Gerüchte kursieren, sein Leben ist bedroht.
Es heißt, er sei ein verrückter, kranker Mystiker, der sich in die Wüste abgesetzt habe. Was bringt ihn dazu, sich trotz Morddrohungen um das Präsidentenamt zu bewerben? Was weiß er über die geheimen Machenschaften des Regimes seines Vaters? Welche Chancen hat er, an die Macht zu kommen?
Sein bewegtes Leben spiegelt das aktuelle Chaos in Libyen wider: Das Land ist gespalten, es gibt eine Regierung im Osten und eine im Westen, rivalisierende Milizen ringen um die Macht, ausländische Staaten nehmen Einfluss auf den Konflikt. Mit Aussagen von Verwandten und politischen Akteuren zeichnet ARTE ein Porträt von Saif al-Islam – eines unberechenbaren und wild entschlossen wirkenden Überlebenden, der sich seinen Weg zu bahnen sucht.
Dokumentation (Frankreich, 2023, 52 Min)
Verfügbar bis zum 18/12/2023
Ce film est également disponible en français. Pour le regarder, cliquez ici s'il vous plaît. – Mark
Grace Kelly et Rainier : le mariage du siècle
WIKIPÉDIA : Rainier III »
Morocco Quake Survivors Call for More Help after Entire Villages Destroyed
THE GUARDIAN: As scale of disaster become clearer, survivors in small mountain communities feel they have been abandoned
A woman tries to recover some of her possessions from her home in the village of Tafeghaghte.Photograph: Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP
As the dirt roads leading to some of the areas worst hit in Friday’s earthquake in Morocco were gradually cleared, the full extent of the disaster was being revealed, including whole villages destroyed in Al Haouz province. In the tiny hamlet of Tarouiste, in the Atlas mountain foothills above the town of Amizmiz, not one of a dozen houses was left standing. Only the village mosque had not been reduced to rubble.
With the first international search and rescue teams finally deploying to the worst-affected areas on Monday, after a disaster that has claimed at least 2,800 lives, it was clear that the window to find anyone alive beneath the rubble was rapidly closing. As relief efforts stepped up a gear, the Guardian visited a series of mountain villages that had been almost entirely destroyed, where residents said they felt they had been abandoned.
In Tarouiste, people described how they had been left to carry the dead bodies of six neighbours down the mountain where they were met by private cars, as no ambulances or other government aid had yet reached them.
“No one has come to help us,” said Hassan al-Mati, whose mother was one of those who died, with frustration in his voice. “We need trucks to come to help us move the dead animals buried in the rubble. We need tents and food. We feel like we have been abandoned. » | Peter Beaumont in Tafeghaghte | Monday, September 11, 2023
As the dirt roads leading to some of the areas worst hit in Friday’s earthquake in Morocco were gradually cleared, the full extent of the disaster was being revealed, including whole villages destroyed in Al Haouz province. In the tiny hamlet of Tarouiste, in the Atlas mountain foothills above the town of Amizmiz, not one of a dozen houses was left standing. Only the village mosque had not been reduced to rubble.
With the first international search and rescue teams finally deploying to the worst-affected areas on Monday, after a disaster that has claimed at least 2,800 lives, it was clear that the window to find anyone alive beneath the rubble was rapidly closing. As relief efforts stepped up a gear, the Guardian visited a series of mountain villages that had been almost entirely destroyed, where residents said they felt they had been abandoned.
In Tarouiste, people described how they had been left to carry the dead bodies of six neighbours down the mountain where they were met by private cars, as no ambulances or other government aid had yet reached them.
“No one has come to help us,” said Hassan al-Mati, whose mother was one of those who died, with frustration in his voice. “We need trucks to come to help us move the dead animals buried in the rubble. We need tents and food. We feel like we have been abandoned. » | Peter Beaumont in Tafeghaghte | Monday, September 11, 2023
Rotes Kreuz rechnet mit 10.000 Vermissten in Libyen
ZEIT ONLINE: Nach Überschwemmungen in Libyen schätzen das Rote Kreuz und der Rote Halbmond die Zahl der vermissten Menschen auf etwa 10.000. Zudem könnte es tausende Todesopfer geben.
Nach dem verheerenden Unwetter im Osten Libyens werden nach Angaben des Internationalen Komitees vom Roten Kreuz und Roten Halbmond noch etwa 10.000 Menschen vermisst. Es könnte tausende Todesopfer geben, sagte Organisationsvertreter Tamer Ramadan in einer Videokonferenz. "Wir bestätigen anhand unserer unabhängigen Informationen, dass die Zahl der vermissten Personen bei etwa 10.000 liegt." » | Quelle: ZEIT ONLINE, AP, dpa, Reuters, voi | Dienstag, 12. September 2023
Libya: 10,000 missing after unprecedented floods, says Red Cross: Neighbourhoods washed away in port city of Derna, where two dams burst »
Kim Jong-un Arrives in Russia to Meet Putin as US Threatens Sanctions
THE GUARDIAN: North Korean leader travels on armoured train for talks amid concerns Putin is seeking arms deal for Ukraine war
Kim Jong-un waves as he departs by train from Pyongyang for a visit to Russia. Photograph: KCNA via KNS/AFP/Getty
Kim Jong-un has arrived in Russia on his armoured train for a rare summit with President Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible deal to supply North Korean arms for the war in Ukraine.
The train arrived at Khasan station, the main rail gateway to Russia’s Far East from North Korea, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday, citing an unnamed Russian official source.
Kim, who is was reportedly accompanied by senior arms industry and military officials, could meet Putin on Wednesday after the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian port city of Vladivostok, where Putin has already arrived.
Kim’s trip to Russia and meeting with Putin will be a full-scale visit to strengthen ties, the Kremlin spokesperson said. » | Justin McCurry in Tokyo | Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Pink leather armchairs and bomb-proof floors: inside Kim Jong-un’s armoured train: The North Korean leader’s preferred mode of transport is a slow-moving but luxuriously appointed dark green locomotive »
Related article here.
Kim Jong-un has arrived in Russia on his armoured train for a rare summit with President Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible deal to supply North Korean arms for the war in Ukraine.
The train arrived at Khasan station, the main rail gateway to Russia’s Far East from North Korea, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday, citing an unnamed Russian official source.
Kim, who is was reportedly accompanied by senior arms industry and military officials, could meet Putin on Wednesday after the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian port city of Vladivostok, where Putin has already arrived.
Kim’s trip to Russia and meeting with Putin will be a full-scale visit to strengthen ties, the Kremlin spokesperson said. » | Justin McCurry in Tokyo | Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Pink leather armchairs and bomb-proof floors: inside Kim Jong-un’s armoured train: The North Korean leader’s preferred mode of transport is a slow-moving but luxuriously appointed dark green locomotive »
Related article here.
Monday, September 11, 2023
British Rescue Teams Arrive in Morocco as Earthquake Death Toll Passes 2,400 | ITV News
Morocco Earthquake: The Village Where the Search for Survivors Has Stopped | Dispatch
Sep 11, 2023 | Mustapha Ait Wa Aziz stood atop a pile of rubble in the village of Moulay Brahim in Morocco's High Atlas mountains.
Until Friday night it was a four-floor building with a terrace offering fabulous views towards Mount Toubkal, Morocco’s highest peak at 4,167m, which towered in the distance.
But in the space of 30 seconds, the entire building collapsed, crushing Mustapha’s sister Soad and her 16-year-old son Abdessamad.
He pointed to the two spots where he and other villagers eventually pulled their lifeless bodies out of the wreckage.
Moulay Brahim was near the epicentre of Morocco’s worst earthquake on record, which by Monday night had already claimed 2,681 lives - half of them in the in Al-Haouz province where the village is located.
Until Friday night it was a four-floor building with a terrace offering fabulous views towards Mount Toubkal, Morocco’s highest peak at 4,167m, which towered in the distance.
But in the space of 30 seconds, the entire building collapsed, crushing Mustapha’s sister Soad and her 16-year-old son Abdessamad.
He pointed to the two spots where he and other villagers eventually pulled their lifeless bodies out of the wreckage.
Moulay Brahim was near the epicentre of Morocco’s worst earthquake on record, which by Monday night had already claimed 2,681 lives - half of them in the in Al-Haouz province where the village is located.
Smoking More Than Doubles Your Risk of Mental Illness: New Study
NEW YORK POST: It’s no secret that smoking cigarettes can ruin your body.
The list of illnesses that smoking causes — heart disease, stroke, diabetes, emphysema, bronchitis and several types of cancer — is long and troubling.
However, most people don’t realize that smoking is also associated with mental illness.
In recent years, studies have suggested that there’s a strong link between the two.
But researchers haven’t been able to decide whether smoking causes mental disorders, or if individuals who already have a mental disorder smoke to ease their symptoms. » | Marc Lallanilla | Monday, September 11, 2023
Here we go again! This is a new one: Now, smoking can make you doolally! Is there a disease or malady known to man which smoking isn’t said to be the cause of? Pointing out the dangers of smoking seems to have been turned from a science into a sport! These killjoys must be asking themselves one simple question each month: Which illness can we come up with this time which we can blame on smoking?
I am myself an ex-smoker, so I no longer have skin in the game; however, it does irritate me when I read these articles, because we are living in a time in which so many people get their kicks from far, far worse and unhealthier habits than the enjoyment of the odd cigarette.
We are living in a time in which many governments have either legalized soft drugs or are in the process of doing so; yet nobody speaks of the dangers of those habits. I am not a father, and at this age I am very unlikely ever to become one, however, were I to have a son, I would prefer him to enjoy the odd cigarette than a joint. As unhealthy as cigarettes can be, especially if over-indulged in, they don’t bend the mind.
As an ex-educator, I was appalled last week to learn that there are now children as young as 10 years of age going to school in the US high on marijuana! Now that truly is a worry! Not whether or not an older man enjoys the odd cigarette.
Moreover, look at the opioid addiction in America (and in other countries)! It is a disgrace that this problem has been allowed to grow out of control. Governments control the smoking of tobacco to a ridiculous extent, yet they do little to control the abuse of other substances. In fact, they are now actively encouraging their use!
Moreover, by hitting the smokers of tobacco so hard, governments have created a huge problem among young people because so many of them have taken to vaping, the long-term health consequences of which we don’t yet know.
Government intervention invariably exacerbates such problems. Governments should start to try and control the important things and allow adults to make up their own minds about where they get their kicks. Try not to kill all the joys of life; otherwise, life will cease to be worth living. Indeed, so restricted have things become that we are nearly there already! – © Mark Alexander
The list of illnesses that smoking causes — heart disease, stroke, diabetes, emphysema, bronchitis and several types of cancer — is long and troubling.
However, most people don’t realize that smoking is also associated with mental illness.
In recent years, studies have suggested that there’s a strong link between the two.
But researchers haven’t been able to decide whether smoking causes mental disorders, or if individuals who already have a mental disorder smoke to ease their symptoms. » | Marc Lallanilla | Monday, September 11, 2023
Here we go again! This is a new one: Now, smoking can make you doolally! Is there a disease or malady known to man which smoking isn’t said to be the cause of? Pointing out the dangers of smoking seems to have been turned from a science into a sport! These killjoys must be asking themselves one simple question each month: Which illness can we come up with this time which we can blame on smoking?
I am myself an ex-smoker, so I no longer have skin in the game; however, it does irritate me when I read these articles, because we are living in a time in which so many people get their kicks from far, far worse and unhealthier habits than the enjoyment of the odd cigarette.
We are living in a time in which many governments have either legalized soft drugs or are in the process of doing so; yet nobody speaks of the dangers of those habits. I am not a father, and at this age I am very unlikely ever to become one, however, were I to have a son, I would prefer him to enjoy the odd cigarette than a joint. As unhealthy as cigarettes can be, especially if over-indulged in, they don’t bend the mind.
As an ex-educator, I was appalled last week to learn that there are now children as young as 10 years of age going to school in the US high on marijuana! Now that truly is a worry! Not whether or not an older man enjoys the odd cigarette.
Moreover, look at the opioid addiction in America (and in other countries)! It is a disgrace that this problem has been allowed to grow out of control. Governments control the smoking of tobacco to a ridiculous extent, yet they do little to control the abuse of other substances. In fact, they are now actively encouraging their use!
Moreover, by hitting the smokers of tobacco so hard, governments have created a huge problem among young people because so many of them have taken to vaping, the long-term health consequences of which we don’t yet know.
Government intervention invariably exacerbates such problems. Governments should start to try and control the important things and allow adults to make up their own minds about where they get their kicks. Try not to kill all the joys of life; otherwise, life will cease to be worth living. Indeed, so restricted have things become that we are nearly there already! – © Mark Alexander
Putin’s Meeting with Kim Could Herald a New Era of Cooperation.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: When the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia four years ago in their only previous meeting, it was mostly for diplomatic show.
But this week he will meet Mr. Putin with the ability to supply something the Kremlin desperately needs: munitions that could help Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
In return, Russia could give North Korea some of what it needs — food, oil or hard currency — and turn a relationship long limited to modest trade and public displays of cooperation into something more substantive. » | Paul Sonne | Monday, September 11, 2023
Red Fire Ant Colonies Found in Italy and Could Spread across Europe, Says Study
THE GUARDIAN: Researchers identify 88 nests of destructive invasive non-native species near Syracuse in Sicily
An invasive non-native ant species has become established in Italy and could rapidly spread through Europe to the UK with global heating, a study warns.
The red fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, has a powerful sting, damages crops and can infest electrical equipment including cars and computers.
The ant, considered one of the most destructive invasive species, can rapidly form “super colonies” with multiple queens. The colonies prey on invertebrates, larger vertebrates and plants, destroying native plants and out-competing native ants, insects and herbivores for food.
The red fire ant is the fifth most costly invasive species in the world, spreading via human trade from its native South America into Mexico, the Caribbean, Australia and the US, where it causes an estimated damage of $6bn (£4.8bn) each year. » | Patrick Barkham | Monday, September 11, 2023
An invasive non-native ant species has become established in Italy and could rapidly spread through Europe to the UK with global heating, a study warns.
The red fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, has a powerful sting, damages crops and can infest electrical equipment including cars and computers.
The ant, considered one of the most destructive invasive species, can rapidly form “super colonies” with multiple queens. The colonies prey on invertebrates, larger vertebrates and plants, destroying native plants and out-competing native ants, insects and herbivores for food.
The red fire ant is the fifth most costly invasive species in the world, spreading via human trade from its native South America into Mexico, the Caribbean, Australia and the US, where it causes an estimated damage of $6bn (£4.8bn) each year. » | Patrick Barkham | Monday, September 11, 2023
Marokkos zögerlicher Monarch
ZEIT ONLINE: Am Ende entscheidet in Marokko der König. Doch dieser reagierte spät auf das Erdbeben und akzeptiert nur Hilfen ausgewählter Staaten. Das könnte ihm politisch schaden.
Schweigen, fast einen ganzen Tag lang. Vom marokkanischen König Mohamed VI. war bis 18 Stunden nach dem schweren Erdbeben von Freitag auf Samstagnacht, das mittlerweile weit über 2000 Tote und ebenso viele, zum Großteil Schwerverletzte gefordert hat, nichts zu hören. Auch von Regierungschef Aziz Akhannouch nicht. Nur die alle paar Stunden vom Innenministerium bekannt gegebenen, rasant steigenden Opferzahlen durchbrachen die behördliche Stille.
Schnell wurde klar: König Mohamed VI. war gar nicht in Marokko. Er befand sich, wie so oft, seit dem 1. September in Paris in einer seiner Luxusresidenzen, die er im Land der einstigen Kolonialherren unterhält. Ob zum Urlaub oder zur ärztlichen Behandlung – darüber waren sich die afrikanischen Medien, die als Erstes berichteten, nicht einig. Schlimmer noch: Wenige Stunden nach dem Erdbeben soll ein Teil der Königsfamilie Marokko verlassen haben. Mohamed VI. blieb nichts anderes übrig als in die Hauptstadt seines Königreiches, nach Rabat, zurückzufliegen. In die betroffenen Gebiete reiste er bislang nicht. » | Eine Analyse von Reiner Wandler, Madrid | Montag, 11. September 2023
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