What's in the news?

Started by Beorning, September 21, 2014, 07:02:11 AM

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Beorning

Quote from: Caehlim on December 01, 2014, 01:11:53 PM
Wow, that's really cool.

Well, at least the first openly gay mayor. There have probably been a few who just kept in secret.

Good point :)

Anyway, it's the second "first" Biedroń made: in 2011, he became the first openly gay member of Polish parliament.

gaggedLouise

#226
If this had been America, we would now be heading for immediate government funding shutdown - as it is the cabinet might indeed fall after the budget vote tomorrow, and there might be extra elections in two months or so, but this all depends on who votes how.

The elections back in September produced no stable majority in parliament for any of the more likely coalitions, and the anti-immigration and, well, populist Sweden Democrats party (the closest we've got to a Tea Party around here) got their long-awaited big breakthrough in vote terms and became the third largest body in the parliament. Trouble is, nobody else wants to be seen to govern with their suppport and SD tend to put issues of repelling immigration and holding down whatever they see as immigration-related spending or such measures down before anything else. So it's been an open question all through the autumn how they would act at the main budget vote. This afternoon they declared they would first vote for their own proposal, then when it fell through, side with the centrist and right-wing parties (the current opposition, former government base) to try to push through the budget handed down by these parties - though the same ("mainstream") opposition has stated before that they are not willing to form a government with the support of the SD, or climb into the driving seat even after their budget has gone through.

In U.S. terms the proposed situation is as if John Boehner and Ted Cruz would be writing the entire state budget and imposing it on the government but refusing to have anything to do with executing any of it themselves and taking any direct responsibility. Unlike the US, it's not a normal part of political conditions here that the executive branch and parliament could be dominated for a long time by different (opposing) political sides or blocs; the cabinet has to have some form of steady trust by a majority in parliament at key times (just like in the UK really, except we never had a two-party system). So, what happens tomorrow and after is quite open - the anti-immigration party likely decided to do what most of their voters would have wanted them to do, but with their own party leader on long-term sick leave (he has been very much a part of their rise) and one or two other opposition parties having very shaky top teams, it's a safe bet that some of the opposition parties do not want a fresh parliamentary election if they can avoid it at any cost.

Good girl but bad  -- Proud sister of the amazing, blackberry-sweet Violet Girl

Sometimes bound and cuntrolled, sometimes free and easy 

"I'm a pretty good cook, I'm sitting on my groceries.
Come up to my kitchen, I'll show you my best recipes"

Beorning

This is very interesting, gL. Please keep us posted on what happens tomorrow!

Lustful Bride

#228
Prop Painting used in the movie "Stuart Little" Is in fact a long lost painting by Robert Bereny.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/amazing-discovery-revealed-1999-childrens-movie-stuart/story?id=27272965

I love stories like this. Its almost as good as the time some guy found what he thought was a fake fabrege egg and it turned out to be the real thing and worth a lot of money.  ;D


And apparently North Korea has set up a website to try and bring in foreign tourists....

http://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/north-korea-launches-bizarre-website-in-an-attempt-to-encourage-tourism/ar-BBggepK?ocid=HPCDHP

If anything this feels like an odd attempt to lure in foreigners then arrest them on some trumped up charge which will force their home nation to pay a ransom. Just my thoughts.

gaggedLouise

Update: yes, the budget fell through. something that hasn't ever happened with a full budget vote here before. Extra elections are set to March 22, most likely the current government will be in place until that point and running on an extension of this year's budget (from the earlier cabinet). Much of the bits one heard of the debate in parliament felt like a repeat of the last election campaign: the same talking points, the same targets. Sometimes people sounded like they were reading straight from the very same scripts...Not an amusing experience.  :-(

Good girl but bad  -- Proud sister of the amazing, blackberry-sweet Violet Girl

Sometimes bound and cuntrolled, sometimes free and easy 

"I'm a pretty good cook, I'm sitting on my groceries.
Come up to my kitchen, I'll show you my best recipes"

Warlock

I will echo gaggedLouise's sentiment, not an amusing experience. Should the Alliance (center-right bloc) form the goverment after the extra election, chances are that we'll face a similar situation, a weak minority goverment, with Sweden Democrats supporting the opposing budget proposal and a new deadlock. From the general tone, I don't believe a budget across the blocs is a strong possibility and either of the blocs working togheter with the Sweden Democrats is an even more distant proposal nor that the governing parties use the opposition's budget. No easy answers.

On another note, we've also had a bombing in Malmö's district court recently. No injuries, as far as I'm aware. Who's responsible for the bombing is currently unknown, along with the reason.


Lustful Bride

#231
Intentional use of Poison gas in hotel by unknown person sends 19 to hospital.

No fatalities reported.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-19-hospitalized-thousands-evacuated-in-gas-leak-at-rosemont-hotel-20141207-story.html


I don't know whats more frightening a thought, that someone hates people who dress up as animals enough to drop powdered Chlorine in a hotel, or that this is just a terrorist practice run. I hope the police catch the piece of shit who did this and lock him up for life.

gaggedLouise

#232
Quote of the weekend:

"You know, Hitler built motorways - so when we're ridiing down the Autobahn we're, like...well, was that the wrong policy just because he initiated it?"

-Lars Leijonborg, former leader of the Liberal party of Sweden, during a panel discussion about how to handle far-out and extremist parties when they grow some muscles, and on last week's parliament showdown (see posts by me and Warlock above).

Major facepalm...

1) Building a better car road network wasn't a big profile issue for the Nazis as they worked their way up - it only became a policy thing once they had silenced all other parties and established a dictatorship.

2) The Nazis didn't exactly rise to power by carrying on discussions with the public or calmly proposing measures for better public safety: they wanted to increase a sense of alarm and breakdown where they could come across as the only viable solution.

3) Being anti-immigration and anti-foreigner is *the* central profile question of the "Sweden Democrats", without it they wouldn't even exist as a party. Most of what they do revolves around that one.

Good girl but bad  -- Proud sister of the amazing, blackberry-sweet Violet Girl

Sometimes bound and cuntrolled, sometimes free and easy 

"I'm a pretty good cook, I'm sitting on my groceries.
Come up to my kitchen, I'll show you my best recipes"

Scribbles

There are no words for this, it's just sickening, the poor father...

Uganda maid admits torturing toddler after secret filming
AA and OO
Current Games: Stretched Thin, Very Little Time

Lustful Bride

#234
Japanese Nationalists claim the movie 'Unbroken' is a falsehood and a racist film.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2866693/Racist-Angelina-Jolie-banned-Japan-Country-furious-star-s-directorial-debut-Unbroken.html


This just makes me shake my head. I know its a very uncomfortable topic and most would rather forget it, but to forget it is to ignore the suffering of those who were there, to make less of it. We can and should forgive, but we can never forget.

TheGlyphstone

I'd agree, though I would also want a more trustworthy primary source than the Daily Mail before building counter-outrage of my own. I don't doubt there is a kernel of truth, Japan is famously denialist about its shames from WW2, but still - the DM is not what I consider reliable or accurate.

consortium11

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on December 09, 2014, 06:15:54 PM
I'd agree, though I would also want a more trustworthy primary source than the Daily Mail before building counter-outrage of my own. I don't doubt there is a kernel of truth, Japan is famously denialist about its shames from WW2, but still - the DM is not what I consider reliable or accurate.

Here's the Guardian version and here's the Telegraph version

TheGlyphstone

Quote from: consortium11 on December 09, 2014, 06:22:37 PM
Here's the Guardian version and here's the Telegraph version

Works for me, and seeing as how it's almost word-for-word the same article, DM apparently didn't sensationalize it at all.

It's sad that I find it not entirely surprising. For all their positive traits as a culture, the Japanese still have a big hangup over admitting fault or shame. Most of their history textbooks reportedly gloss over or ignore huge portions of WW2, specifically the parts involving Japanese war crimes or atrocities - a very odd contrast against the Germanic multi-generational cultural guilt complex about their country's actions during WW2.

Hemingway

The Peace Prize.

Also, oil prices, as it's basically the bread and butter of my country.

Kythia

The pope may have said (Original source in Italian for those that can read it: here) that animals go to heaven.

So far as I can tell, this is bullshit reporting in the "atheists go to heaven says pope" tradition.  The speech in question seems to be this one which says nothing of the sort. 
242037

Beorning

Back here, one of the news that keeps popping up is LeBron James hugging Duchess Kate. I wonder how much the issue matters to Brits... *looks at Kyth*

gaggedLouise

Quote from: Beorning on December 10, 2014, 11:20:17 AM
Back here, one of the news that keeps popping up is LeBron James hugging Duchess Kate. I wonder how much the issue matters to Brits... *looks at Kyth*

The Ducal couple in New York and Washington have got quite a bit of coverage on BBC World News, with flying royal colours, but I figure this coverage was largely aimed at the Americans.

Good girl but bad  -- Proud sister of the amazing, blackberry-sweet Violet Girl

Sometimes bound and cuntrolled, sometimes free and easy 

"I'm a pretty good cook, I'm sitting on my groceries.
Come up to my kitchen, I'll show you my best recipes"

Kythia

Quote from: Beorning on December 10, 2014, 11:20:17 AM
Back here, one of the news that keeps popping up is LeBron James hugging Duchess Kate. I wonder how much the issue matters to Brits... *looks at Kyth*

Haven't heard anything about it, but may have just missed it.  Who's LeBron James?  What's the actual story?
242037

Oniya

LeBron James is/was a basketball player.  He was big news when he bailed on Cleveland to go to Miami (to play with a team that could actually win.)
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Kythia

Quote from: Oniya on December 10, 2014, 12:54:49 PM
LeBron James is/was a basketball player.  He was big news when he bailed on Cleveland to go to Miami (to play with a team that could actually win.)

Ah. 

Yeah, as Louise says, I can't imagine that getting much traction over here. 
242037

gaggedLouise

He was a real game-changer for this guy during a night out in Manchester:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knarnitiuzs 

;)

Good girl but bad  -- Proud sister of the amazing, blackberry-sweet Violet Girl

Sometimes bound and cuntrolled, sometimes free and easy 

"I'm a pretty good cook, I'm sitting on my groceries.
Come up to my kitchen, I'll show you my best recipes"

Kythia

I kinda fancy Jack Whitehall.  I'm not sure what's going on there, really. 
242037

Slywyn

The Pirate Bay in Sweden was apparently raided and shut down. I found an article about it but it's on a Torrent site so I dunno if it's kosher to link.

Easy enough to google I think though.
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Hemingway

Quote from: Slywyn on December 10, 2014, 03:26:15 PM
The Pirate Bay in Sweden was apparently raided and shut down. I found an article about it but it's on a Torrent site so I dunno if it's kosher to link.

Easy enough to google I think though.

Yeah, that was reported in the news here, too.

Weird. I didn't think they had any of their actual stuff based in Sweden anymore.

TheGlyphstone

Quote from: Slywyn on December 10, 2014, 03:26:15 PM
The Pirate Bay in Sweden was apparently raided and shut down. I found an article about it but it's on a Torrent site so I dunno if it's kosher to link.

Easy enough to google I think though.

Washington Post also has an article. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/12/10/the-collapse-of-the-pirate-bay-the-worlds-most-notorious-file-sharing-site/