Raider of the lost Ark
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Posts posted by Raider of the lost Ark
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1 hour ago, jonski43 said:
ThickTok is banned in the US from Sunday! Will the Chinese off to sell it to Musk?
Why would they? They can afford to not sell it. And people are already "fleeing" to that other platform, Red Note, which correctly translates to Little Red Book but that is maybe too close to Mao Zedong? From what I have heard, this platform is even more problematic than TikTok. All this could be handled by the U.S. government by introducing proper data and privacy protection laws comparable to the EU. But this would apply to Meta and X as well. Therefore it makes more sense to just ban the foreign player. The fact that the U.S. do not even try to hide the corruption any longer is astounding.
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6 minutes ago, Camacho said:
She is not very bright, is she? A monsoon?
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11 hours ago, Camacho said:
Ambassadors? I don't know what's more funny, that Trump announced such nonsense or that those people would actually accept such (non-existing) position? On the other hand, those are old white men in Hollywood, has-beens. They have not worked in Hollywood for ages. Stallone is dragging his family to do reality for a streaming service hardly anyone uses. Voigt and Gibson are making trash (not in a good way) movies, those Amazon Prime stuff, shot in Romania that no one watches. Will they threaten Hollywood that they have no longer access to the U.S. military to produce Top Gun 3 or any other of those propaganda movies showcasing the strength and glory of the U.S. armed forces? Oh, did I just find something positive of a Trump presidency?
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^^^ And such comments clearly show he is a tech bro who does not really understand the issue. His argument is clearly a slippery slope. Just because it was mentioned somewhere that represents a certain prestige, does not mean the comment or discussion is appropriate. He also misses the point that Hegseths comment stems from pure misogyny. He could not provide real reasoning why women should not fight in battles. Zuckerberg seems to believe if someone of a certain importance says something it is kind of stamp of approval and therefore it is worth to have a discussion? Again slippery slope. Based on this very logic people will have right to discuss the Holocaust based on the reasoning of the Nazi German government as well. Interestingly, Facebooks guidelines have not changed in this regards. At least not when it comes to the jewish part. Gays and disabled people no longer enjoy this protection. Hypocrisy much.
He is clearly a sociopath. He does not seem to understand how the real world works. All he cares about is algorithms and money. Also, in his interviews (unless it is about tech) he comes across as someone who is not well versed on many things outside of tech. And the result of this lack of knowledge is to be seen know. He opened a can of worms and struggles with the results.
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8 hours ago, cardiganstarlet said:
What areas has Madonna had houses in over the years?
Someone mentioned that there are fires in Hidden Hills. Her last house was located there. But before, I think she used to own houses in Beverly Hills and until the mid 90s in the Hollywood Hills.
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7 hours ago, Confessit said:
Has she still got a house in LA?
Not that we know.
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7 hours ago, Camacho said:
Look at him, one of those who think of themselves as a great patriot. I would like to argue, making such statements, offending billions of people on the planet because of a display of arrogance that is nothing short of disgusting. But that's textbook U.S. American exceptionalism. He is very much part of the reason people do not wish to become citizens of the United States of America. Worse, he is part of the reason why Anti-Americanism is on an all-time high. Jesse Waters is ruining the reputation of the United States even further. A disservice to the U.S.. And this is un-patriotic, un-american.
But yeah, all people from Canada, Australia, Europe want to live in a country they are worse off. A country that has less freedom. A country that has not even a fully developed democracy. Why would people trade their lives for something inferior?
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^^^ OMG. This is actually brilliant because it reveals the whole issue in a clever way. And he can't even sue any those people for libel or defamation because it is satire in the most obvious way. I love it.
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@runa Thank you for the explanation. All those "the winner takes it all" systems are highly problematic from my perspective. Just as the electoral college in the U.S. A large part of the voters basically lose their representation. I think the German system appears to be more democratic for representative purposes. We have two votes actually. 1) You vote for a direct candidate, representing your constituency. 2) You vote for a party. In the majority of cases people vote the same. Party A and the candidate that belongs to party A. In case the results differ: Candidate of party A and party B win the respective majority, so called overhang mandates come into play. Since the regular number of seats in our parliament is purely based on the second vote, the party vote percentage wise, a system kicks in that adds further seats to make sure the representation based on percentage is still correct. Let's say, party A has 10% of the vote which is around 60 seats. But there are 10 candidates of this party who won the direct vote, with a different party winning the second vote. That makes 70 seats. But 70 seats are no longer 10% of the regular number of seats available. In result other parties will get additional seats to balance the overall result. As a consequence our current parliament has 734 seats, while 598 is the regular number. A little bit complicated. There are videos on YT that explain the thing a little better.
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3 minutes ago, runa said:
In our political system, here, in Canada, you can have a "majority" with 33-35% of votes, which means you will decide all you want, no matter what, even if more than 60% of the population didn’t vote for you. This is crazy.
Anything can happen, in this case, and pretty quickly.How does that work? In Germany, you need at least 50% of votes in parliament (Bundestag) to pass laws. 67% if you try to change the constitution (certain parts, like the first paragraph "(1) Human dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority. ..." cannot be changed at all. In addition, many laws need a majority in the second chamber (Bundesrat) as well. Also, the president needs to ratify laws and could decline to sign a law if he or she thinks the law is not in line with the constitution. But this is very rare. While technically, a party with the most votes, like 35% of popular vote could govern as a minority government, but they would not get anything done without the votes from other parties in parliament. As a result we always have coalitions to form a government with at least 50%+ of seats. This is also the reason why it is currently impossible for the AfD (the neo-nazi party) to get into power because no other party is willing to work, to form a coalition with them. I say currently because I don't trust the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and maybe at some point we will have a situation similar to Austria, which will soon have its first neo-nazi (well, old-nazi actually, the party was founded by former Nazis in the 50s) chancellor.
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From a business point of view this decision makes no sense at all. Meta (Facebook and Instagram) makes its money from advertising. Advertisers stay away from platforms where hate and misinformation is rampant. And this will be the consequence of such move. Just look at the cesspool that is X. The difference is that X is a private company and if it's burning money that's on Musk alone. But Meta is public and there are shareholders and their dividends will be lower once revenues and profits decrease. In addition the stock value will fall.
I really hope there will be a reaction from the EU immediately, a pre-emptive warning to fine him into oblivion if Meta does not abide by EU laws. Just to put Zuckerberg in his place and to put pressure on him.
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1 hour ago, Camacho said:
Idiots. How is this supposed to work out? Geographically and politically speaking there is no such thing as "America".
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News stations are reporting he is now threatening with military action to get Greenland and the Panama Canal. This is no longer normal behaviour. Such comments demand an answer from the EU and countries in Europe. And maybe they should start to piss Trump off. A good start would be to reject all the nutjobs he named ambassadors to certain countries. As far as I know, to become an ambassador requires the invitation of the country in question. If the invitation is not granted, the people in question cannot become ambassador. Once they are ambassador, you can declare those people a "persona non grata" and they need to leave. This almost happened to Richard Grenell, ex-ambassador to Germany under Trump (he was only saved because Trump lost to Binden). That asshole was more or less meddling in German politics, of course to the disadvantage of Germany. Behaviour unheard of for such position.
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And here we go ... Zuckerberg has just announced that Meta will no longer have fact checks for the sake of "freedom of expression". There will be "community notes".
THIS is the time the EU needs to react. There are already laws in place, but obviously people like Zuckerberg do not care anymore. To make them (or at least shareholders) care again, existing laws need to be strenghtened and consequently used. Fine Meta and X into oblivion or shut them down, if they do not follow the laws. Don't wait or give them second chances. If they fail to adress certain issues like removing questionable content, fine them immediately. No more discussions. And make them open to get sued more easily by private citizens or organizations in cases Meta and Co fail to act properly and in line with local laws.
But first, the EU should follow Australia and restrict access to social media for people under 16. Immediately. You will see, how soon Zuckerberg will fall in line. He is that kind of opportunist. He cannot afford to lose Europe as a market.
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59 minutes ago, Jazzy Jan said:
He truly is vile. How dare he want to take over Greenland.
Again, one of the most baffling and infuriating part is that his behaviour is being normalised. The media has a lot to answer for. Seriously, if any other President in history suggested taking over Greenland, the outrage would be the lead story on every news show. With Trump also continually putting Canada down and wanting the Panama Canal - it is just madness.
That is so true. I had to stop watching CNN (International). What they have turned into in the last months is unbearable. They have never been "news" the way Europeans understand it (US "news" is more commentary than real news), but compared to Fox News it was rather balanced. Now they seem to have fallen in line and take the same "balanced" approach as Fox News. But I guess the owners of Discovery (owners of CNN) are part of the MAGA movement.
One can hope, there are more real journalists in the U.S. that try to uphold integrity. Even if it means to quit your job, as has been reported from Washington Post and L.A. Times because their owners (which have bowed down to Trump and "donated" money for his inauguration) interferred with content, although they most likely promised to never interfere in the editorial process. At this point it is all corrupted.
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13 minutes ago, cardiganstarlet said:
Money has always been in control. It’s just more out in the open now as more billionaires are narcissists who can flaunt on (or own) social media.
The conglomerates and wealthy individuals who donate (to both parties) killed any chance of meaningful change in American political discourse years ago.
What I find shocking, is that there is not more outrage about those billionaires financing the elections and bowing down to Trump. WTF is it with those "donations" for the inauguration? Talking about history repeating itself, back in day in Nazi Germany, from the very beginning the biggest supporters of Hitler and the NSDAP were industrialists. Krupp, Thyssen etc. The similarities are so obvious.
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13 minutes ago, sotos8 said:
history is always repeating itself , Hitler and Mussolini had been idolized by the people of their countries ,especially Hitler
One can only hope, history does not repeat itself given the examples you provided. Well, except for their endings obviously. Also, the idea that Hitler was universally liked by the German population is not necessarily true. Keep in mind, the NSDAP "only" had 44.5 percent of the seats in parliament (less than MAGA) and it took the ban of the Communist Party and cancellation of their votes to gain a majority in parliament which in resulted passed the Ermächtigungsgesetz (without the votes of the Social Democrats) to enshrine absolute power of the NSDAP. Also, the capital Berlin was a "red city" back then. The NSDAP only had 1 percent more (28%) than SPD (27%) and KPD (27%). Hitler relationship to Berlin was ambivalent. He liked the power and influence Berlin had on a global level, as basically the only so called "Weltstadt" in Germany. Therefore it made sense to him to make it "Welthauptstadt" and rename the city to "Germania". Of course, he did not like what Berlin stood for cuturally and socially. The liberal and open-minded attitude of Berlin citizens. He never changed his primary residence from Munich to Berlin. Much of the impression that basically all of Nazi Germany idolized Hitler stems from the propaganda material produced by Goebbels Reichsministerium für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda. The impression is very obviously false. But as we have seen back then and now, it does not need "all" or an absolute majority to destroy a nation and do the most evil things to society.
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I think the EU should shut down X (better known as Twitter). There are most definitely some laws that would make it possible. But I guess, Hungary, Slovakia and Italy will not agree since their leaders are "friends" with Trump and Elon.
I hope at one point he will post something about the Holocaust, like denying it. Then he could be easily arrested in Germany, the next time he sets foot here,
I sincerely hope he closes down his f*cking factory outside of Berlin. Nobody wants him here. It is just another scandal where politicians where acting against the interest of the citizens in the region. All of a sudden even environmental concerns were no problem and put aside. I don't mind the thousands of pine trees cut down, it was a plantation in the first place. But the factory is located in a region that has problems with groundwater supply. In dry summers, households are often under the threat to have to limit their water use, yet Tesla needs water equivalent of a city of 30.000 per year. Even worse, the factory is in a so called water protection area and people are worried that in case of an accident the water could be polluted, which could affect many ten thousand households.
Does Musk even realize how hated he is by the general public? It's a mystery to me, why he has not been kicked of the Tesla board already. He is clearly an obstacle. Not only are Tesla cars of questionable quality, which makes it a hard sell in the first place. But now, even people who considered buying a Tesla, will stay away because of Musk. It is just a matter of time until the bubble bursts. The value of this company is so immensely overvalued, it is ridiculous.
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The next time he says he wants to buy Greenland they should simply say: "Even if it was for sale, which it is not, you can't afford it anyway".
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11 hours ago, Jazzy Jan said:
Belittling and trying to intimidate allies is just a no go but he crosses every line in everything.
And that's why all other governments needs to hit back at his stupid remarks. It's the only way. He is like a spoilt little child. At some point you will need to say "Now sit your ass down". And the moment is now.
Denmark was nice telling him (again) that Greenland is not for sale. They should have added, even if it was, he and his country could not afford it. Too poor.
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Well, maybe Panama should close the canal for all U.S. ships, mainly cruises? Maybe Panama should threaten to release a badge of Panama papers, showing how U.S. citizens and corporations evade taxes. Those people in power, afraid their dealings will be uncovered, will rein him in.
Also, what about his demands for other NATO members to increase their defense budgets to 5% of GDP? This screams corruption to me. I would like to believe he is paid by U.S. arms manufacturers. Even if NATO members were willing to pay that amount, who is going to produce those weapons. As far as I know, most of those companies are already producing at full capacity because of Ukraine and Israel. In addition, if the U.S. would leave NATO, it would leave them with no allies at all. And I would like to argue, there are far more countries and organizations that have an axe to grind with the U.S. than the rest of NATO. The whole thing puts the U.S. in a very unsafe situation. Also, when was the last time the U.S. actually won a war or military conflict? WWII? And even back then, they needed several allies. Of course, that's not the perspective of the U.S. They tend to believe they singlehandely won WWII.
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I doubt a majority of Canadians would like to become part of the U.S.. For what? To experience what the U.S. calls healthcare?
I enjoy the fact how Canadian politicians are actually fighting back Trumps nonsense. I wish politicians in Europe would be just as outspoken. It's the only language Trump understands.
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Well, I guess, the shooter himself or a friend or family member of his, suffers from a rare, most likely terminal disease and treatment has been denied by this insurance company. Not unlikely behavior for a U.S. health insurance company. Maybe the reason why people have no compassion related the death of the CEO. I suppose many will even think, it deserves him right. I don't blame them. The CEO made 10 million dollars a year in an industry that fails it customers constantly, costumers that pay a hefty fee for their health care only to find that co-pay, deductibles are still draining you moneywise or that certain treatments are not covered anyway. What a lousy insurance. Being insured, yet not really insured at all. Only in the U.S.
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3 hours ago, Confessit said:
So Biden has pardoned his son completely.
He is no better than Trump in creating personal powers for the president.
Well, the way the gun situation was dealt with by the DA and the judge was rather "unorthodox". While making a false statement regarding his drug addiction on an official document while buying a gun is technically a crime, it is also a crime that is hardly ever investigated and there are hardly ever any prison sentences for such crime, if the gun itself was not part of a crime. The DA made a deal with Hunter Biden, who plead guilty in exchange for probation. Which is common practice for minor things, to not overburden courts and waste tax money. The judge did not like the deal and the whole thing went to court, where Hunter Biden was convicted by a jury. His legal team filed for appeal. Many experts will say, he was merely convicted because he is the son of Joe Biden and because of all the conspiracy theories surrounding both. Ukraine, China, paintings, the infamous laptop.
Biden is way better than Trump. First of all, he as the president of the U.S. has this particular right to pardon people for federal crimes. He does not create anything. It comes with the office. The difference with Trump is, that Trump wanted that right to pardon himself for crimes he committed. And unfortunately the Supreme Court agreed with the assumption that this is very much possible. If Biden was a bad as Trump, he would sell pardons to the highest bidder. And he could have done so many things to the disadvantage of his "enemies" ever since the Supreme Court made that ruling. He didn't.
U.S. presidency and politics thread
in Politics and World Events
Posted
Has to move the inauguration inside because of colder temperatures? But he wants to go after Canada and Greenland with much colder temperatures? What a joke.
The real reason is that a record low number of visitors are expected and he fears the pictures will give him bad PR. Remember his lies after his first inauguration? He is so predictable.