Other countries

[GoCubsGo]

I want to be Finnish.

[Vrede too]

I want to be Finnish.

https://mobile.twitter.com/TheDailyShow ... 0407330817

On a more somber note:

Star rising in Kremlin, Russia's Medvedev predicts war in West

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, an arch loyalist of Vladimir Putin given a new job this week, predicted war between Germany and France next year and a civil war in the United States that would lead to Elon Musk becoming president.

Medvedev, deputy head of Putin's advisory security council, served as president during a four-year spell when Putin held the office of prime minister. He appears to have seen his fortune rise in the Kremlin, which said on Monday he would now serve as Putin's deputy on a body overseeing the military industry.

Great, a total loon is on the Russian security council and oversees their merchants of death.

In his list of predictions for 2023, published on his personal Telegram and Twitter accounts, he also foresaw Britain rejoining the EU, which would in turn collapse....

Possible and nope.

[Vrede too]

Maybe I don't want to be Finnish.

Sanna Marin suffers defeat in Finland election as SDP beaten into third place
Right-wing NCP and nationalist Finns pull narrowly ahead of ruling Social Democrats with 99.4% of votes counted

... With all of the votes counted on Sunday, the right-wing National Coalition party (NCP) won 20.8% of the vote, with the populist, nation-first Finns party scoring 20.1%. Marin’s SDP took 19.9% of the vote. Voter turnout was 71.9%....

Ouch.

According to the article the eventual coalition is still up in the air.

[Vrede too]

Silver anniversary of the 10 April 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ended most of the violence of the Troubles in Northern Ireland that had prevailed since the late 1960s. Chief praises to the UK, Ireland, Northern Ireland and their people, but credit also to Bill Clinton and his special envoy George J. Mitchell, who chaired the talks.

[Vrede too]

World summits' 'family photos' show Putin's isolation


President Joe Biden, third from left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ... Other leaders from right to left, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Zelenskyy, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and European Council President Charles Michel.

The pic made me curious.

5′ 7″ - Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rishi Sunak, Fumio Kishida, Olaf Scholz
5′ 8″ - Emmanuel Macron
I can't find a height for Charles Michel, might just be the camera angle that makes him look like a giant.
5′ 6″ or 5′ 7″ - Vladimir Putin. Or, "Vladimir Putin is 5′3″ and 120lbs. He claims to be 5′7″. That is somewhat true. He’s been known to wear 4″ heels."
The US elects tall men, maybe it's an insecurity thing . Biden and Shrub are the shortest POTUSes in over 40 years at 6′ 0″. In fact, the last POTUS shorter than 5′ 10″ was 5′ 7″ William McKinley (1897 - 1901), 122 years ago.

Btw, (formerly ) 5′ 10″, 98 year old Jimmy Carter has been receiving hospice care since February or earlier. I hope that he's happy and comfortable. Rosalynn's only 95.

[Vrede too]

... Btw, (formerly ) 5′ 10″, 98 year old Jimmy Carter has been receiving hospice care since February or earlier. I hope that he's happy and comfortable. Rosalynn's only 95.

17 hours later:

Jimmy Carter, 3 months into hospice, is aware of tributes, enjoying ice cream
Tue, May 23, 2023 at 3:25 PM EDT

Do y'all have any questions you would like me to put to the universe?

Guess his favorite flavor of ice cream.

Spoiler:

Peanut butter, duh.

[Vrede too]

Yeah, I was surprised they'd elect another Marcos. I suppose junior figures there's been enough time since his dad stole billions and died that he himself will now have a chance to steal some more. And it's a hard call if Marcos junior will be worse than the idiot Duterte. Place your bets.

You Placebos sure love to poke the hornet's nest.

Italian PM Sues Placebo Rocker Who Called Her ‘Racist’ and ‘Fascist’
‘PIECE OF SH*T’

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has taken legal action against the frontman of British alt rock band Placebo after he called her “racist” and “fascist” during a concert outside the city of Turin last month, according to Italian media. Brian Molko, Placebo’s singer, also appeared to call Meloni a “piece of shit” at the Sonic Park festival in Stupinigi. After clips of Molko shouting in Italian began circulating on social media, local authorities reported him to prosecutors, who opened a “contempt of the institutions” investigation, according to Politico. Meloni has since filed a defamation suit against the musician, Italian media reported Wednesday. The 46-year-old prime minister, who leads the far-right Brothers of Italy party, has a history of taking litigious action against her critics. Last November, she sued two reporters from the Italian newspaper Domani for aggravated criminal defamation. A trial in the case is set to begin next July. That same month, she separately filed a defamation suit against writer Roberto Saviano, who called her a “bastard” on television after she said that NGO rescue boats attempting to save refugees should be sunk.

Ftr, Engorged Melon IS a “racist” and “fascist” “bastard”.

GO, placebos of the world, GO!

[neoplacebo]

Yeah, I was surprised they'd elect another Marcos. I suppose junior figures there's been enough time since his dad stole billions and died that he himself will now have a chance to steal some more. And it's a hard call if Marcos junior will be worse than the idiot Duterte. Place your bets.

You Placebos sure love to poke the hornet's nest.

Italian PM Sues Placebo Rocker Who Called Her ‘Racist’ and ‘Fascist’
‘PIECE OF SH*T’

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has taken legal action against the frontman of British alt rock band Placebo after he called her “racist” and “fascist” during a concert outside the city of Turin last month, according to Italian media. Brian Molko, Placebo’s singer, also appeared to call Meloni a “piece of shit” at the Sonic Park festival in Stupinigi. After clips of Molko shouting in Italian began circulating on social media, local authorities reported him to prosecutors, who opened a “contempt of the institutions” investigation, according to Politico. Meloni has since filed a defamation suit against the musician, Italian media reported Wednesday. The 46-year-old prime minister, who leads the far-right Brothers of Italy party, has a history of taking litigious action against her critics. Last November, she sued two reporters from the Italian newspaper Domani for aggravated criminal defamation. A trial in the case is set to begin next July. That same month, she separately filed a defamation suit against writer Roberto Saviano, who called her a “bastard” on television after she said that NGO rescue boats attempting to save refugees should be sunk.

Ftr, Engorged Melon IS a “racist” and “fascist” “bastard”.

GO, placebos of the world, GO!

I didn't know I had a band.

[Vrede too]

I didn't know I had a band.

You've done pretty well.

Placebo (band)

... To date, Placebo have released eight studio albums, all of which have reached the Top 20 in the United Kingdom, and have sold around 14 million records worldwide.

I thought this was from a movie soundtrack:
Placebo - Song To Say Goodbye (Official Music Video)
Looks like it's just a music video, though. Very strange. 25M views.

I like them.
Placebo - The Bitter End (Official Music Video)
Cool location. 45M views!

56M viewers can't be wrong.

Placebo - Every You Every Me (Official Music Video)

Rock on, neoplacebo!

[neoplacebo]

The singer sort of reminds me of Patti Smyth. And the whole thing makes me wish I still had my set of Pearl drums and Zildjian cymbals.

[Vrede too]

The singer sort of reminds me of Patti Smyth. And the whole thing makes me wish I still had my set of Pearl drums and Zildjian cymbals.

Openly bisexual Brian Molko would probably approve of the comparison.

Placebo's Wiki page:

... Following the release of a demo, a split single, and their eponymous debut album, Placebo gained exposure in 1997 after the single "Nancy Boy" became popular in the UK, a song notorious at the time for its gender-bending content. The band stood out amongst the Britpop scene they were associated with at the time for their androgynous appearance and musical content, as well as Molko's distinctive high registered voice and lyrics which openly discussed sexuality, mental health, and drug use....

I think Smith's voice is deeper, though.


Patti Smith - Gloria (Audio)

I see the resemblance.

[Vrede too]

I'm not a close observer, but it feels like India is joining Italy and many other nations in becoming more authoritarian. Hindifascist?

Indian police stop a conference of activists and academics discussing G20 issues ahead of summit

... Critics also challenged the interests of the G-20 and whom it served to benefit.

“The G20 is being organized to secure the corporate interests of a few. We need to work to secure our interests, our rights, our forests, our water,” said Roma Malik of the All India Union of Forests’ Working People.

[GoCubsGo]

I'm not a close observer, but it feels like India is joining Italy and many other nations in becoming more authoritarian. Hindifascist?

Indian police stop a conference of activists and academics discussing G20 issues ahead of summit

... Critics also challenged the interests of the G-20 and whom it served to benefit.

“The G20 is being organized to secure the corporate interests of a few. We need to work to secure our interests, our rights, our forests, our water,” said Roma Malik of the All India Union of Forests’ Working People.

I may be mistaken but India has always been authoritarian while practicing "democracy". I've never felt a need to visit there.

[O Really]

I may be mistaken but India has always been authoritarian while practicing "democracy". I've never felt a need to visit there.

Seems you have others who agree with you.

https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/2023 ... democracy/

Not high on my travel list, either.

[Vrede too]

Seems you have others who agree with you.

https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/2023 ... democracy/

Not high on my travel list, either.

https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/ste ... ill/f_webp

I've been twice, flew in for crew change. Both were just for a very few days and only to industrial docks in Mumbai and Chennai. Massive city ports are nasty everywhere, worse in uber-crowded developing nations . So, my perspective is biased. If I ever returned it would be straight to the northern mountains, villages and nature reserves.

[neoplacebo]

I could never go to India. They'd crucify me if they knew how many cows I've eaten.

[Vrede too]

I'm not a close observer, but it feels like India is joining Italy and many other nations in becoming more authoritarian. Hindifascist?

Indian police stop a conference of activists and academics discussing G20 issues ahead of summit

I may be mistaken but India has always been authoritarian while practicing "democracy". I've never felt a need to visit there.

Some say that it's gotten much worse.

India teacher investigated for telling pupils to slap Muslim peer

... Rights groups have warned that hate crimes and violence against India's large Muslim minority have increased since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014.

Uttar Pradesh has been governed by his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2017.

Mr (opposition leader Rahul) Gandhi said the party had contributed to religious tensions felt across India.

"Sowing the poison of discrimination in the minds of innocent children, turning a holy place like school into a marketplace of hatred," he posted to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

"This is the same kerosene spread by the BJP that has set every corner of India on fire." ...

[Vrede too]

I'm not a close observer, but it feels like India is joining Italy and many other nations in becoming more authoritarian. Hindifascist?

I may be mistaken but India has always been authoritarian while practicing "democracy". I've never felt a need to visit there.

Speaking of RW authoritarians:

Donald Trump Thanks Strongman Viktor Orban For Bonkers Declaration About Him
The Hungarian prime minister made the outrageous claim about Trump in an interview with Tucker Carlson.

Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, said in a sprawling interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that the only path to ending the war in Ukraine would be the reelection of Donald Trump to the presidency. “Trump is the man who can save the Western world,” he said in the interview, which prompted a “thank you” from Trump on Truth Social....

“The Russians are far stronger, far more numerous than the Ukrainians,” Orbán said. “Call back Trump. … Trump is the man who can save the Western world ― and probably the human beings in the world as well.”

... Orbán, in office since 2010, has long been criticized for overseeing an increasingly autocratic political system. The European Union, as well as the U.S. State Department and numerous international observers, have alleged that Orbán has rolled back minority rights, seized control of the judiciary and media and manipulated the election system to ensure his hold on power.

Sound familiar?

... Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Orbán’s government has maintained its close ties with Moscow, and has threatened to block EU sanctions on Russia.

Known as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in the EU, Orbán has refused to allow the transfer of Western weapons across Hungary’s shared border with Ukraine, and called for an immediate cease-fire and peace talks in the conflict, but without providing a vision of what that would mean for Ukraine’s territorial integrity....

Soviet occupation, the sequel.

[Vrede too]

viewtopic.php?p=183265#p183265

Hell, I was hoping that Chinese spy balloon would be shot down over his place but they let it get all the way to SC. Better luck next time.

The bizarre secret behind China's spy balloon

It was surely the most bizarre crisis of the Biden administration: America's top-of-the-line jet fighters being sent up to shoot down, of all things, a balloon – a Chinese spy balloon that was floating across the United States, which had the nation and its politicians in a tizzy.

Now, seven months later, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tells "CBS News Sunday Morning" the balloon wasn't spying. "The intelligence community, their assessment – and it's a high-confidence assessment – [is] that there was no intelligence collection by that balloon," he said.

So, why was it over the United States? There are various theories, with at least one leading theory that it was blown off-track.

The balloon had been headed toward Hawaii, but the winds at 60,000 feet apparently took over. "Those winds are very high," Milley said. "The particular motor on that aircraft can't go against those winds at that altitude."

... As a U-2 spy plane tracked the 200-foot balloon, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called off a crucial trip to China. On February 3 he called China's decision to fly a surveillance balloon over the Continental United States "both unacceptable and irresponsible."

... After the Navy raised the wreckage from the bottom of the Atlantic, technical experts discovered the balloon's sensors had never been activated while over the Continental United States....

But by then, the damage to U.S.-China relations had been done. On May 21, President Biden remarked, "This silly balloon that was carrying two freight cars' worth of spying equipment was flying over the United States, and it got shot down, and everything changed in terms of talking to one another."

So, Martin asked, "Bottom line, it was a spy balloon, but it wasn't spying?"

Milley replied, "I would say it was a spy balloon that we know with high degree of certainty got no intelligence, and didn't transmit any intelligence back to China."

Opps! Funny, the article doesn't mention retractions from the screeching, Joe and Hunter Biden-blaming RWers. Must be an oversight.

[Vrede too]

He live-streamed his attacks on Indian Muslims. YouTube gave him an award.

Cow vigilantes
Hindifascism
Police and govt involvement
US social media firm complicity
Tragic and deadly feedback loop
Many parallels to our own internal mess