World, Writing, Wealth discussion
World & Current Events
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If you're not in the U.S., what's up in your part of the world?
J. wrote: "Ian wrote: "I said "donkey vote",. not that they were donkeys. The donkey vote is the uninformed vote. The fact of the matter is that the average person has no real knowledge of how to run a govern..."Agreed. My thought originally was that apathy leads to ignorance, but apathy is the cause. You cannot be knowledgable about an issue if you do not make the effort to do so, and most people would rather get on with their lives. Why read an economic treatise in preparation for a vote than watch a game on TV?
The representatives are equally or more passive and ignorant on issues they vote. Only those they promote or have an interest in they get into details. The same with people - some will learn details and participate actively in votings and proposals - others won’t at all. Both - are perfectly fine.
New Zealand considers changing its name to confront its troubled colonial pasthttps://www.npr.org/2022/08/05/111562...
Interesting article. The Maori seem to be the equivalent of our Native Americans. Is there any chance of the name being changed?
A third of Brits face poverty with energy bills set to hit $5,000https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/09/econom...
Scout wrote: "Interesting article. The Maori seem to be the equivalent of our Native Americans. Is there any chance of the name being changed?"Ian, would you weigh in please.
I am not sure which name Scout is asking about.The interesting thing about the Maori is there are no pure Maori left. There have been treaty settlements, in which money has gone to Maori, and Maori get to have their own electorates, but to be a Maori you have to have 1/128 Maori blood. Of course many have more, but purity is not there. There was a fascinating case some time ago of one Maori complaining that during the Maori wars his grandfather (or great grandfather) was killed by British troops and he wanted compensation. Someone went through the records and found that said grandfather was killed by the other grandfather (or a great grandfather).
As for the treaty settlements, the money has gone to the tribes, which has been managed by the new "chiefs". A very small number of Maori wield huge economic clout. The benefits to the rank and file are fairly tenuous, according to one I spoke to who works in my neighbourhood and I got friendly with.
Ian wrote: "I am not sure which name Scout is asking about.The interesting thing about the Maori is there are no pure Maori left. There have been treaty settlements, in which money has gone to Maori, and Mao..."
She is asking about the article linked in post #1955. Apparently, there was a petition to change the name of New Zealand to "Aotearoa".
Ah, that. I am not sure where that got to. I doubt the current government would go with that because the polls now show they are in trouble, and the opposition is against it. Usually something like that would need a referendum, to take the consequences off the politicians, but I doubt that would be successful so I expect it to stay NZ. As an aside, the Maori never actually called it Aoteoroa. They never had the concept of country, and considered it as two big Islands, to which they gave the North Island "Te Ika-a-Māui" and the South Island "Te Waipounamu"
Ian, great that you have something you want us to read, but you could reciprocate by reading others' posts.
Scout, I think you should accept that I do read others' posts. It doesn't mean I have to agree with them. Post 1961 was simply trying to answer your question.
I['m not accepting that you read others' posts. You said in post 1959, "I am not sure which name Scout is asking about." You obviously did not read J's post 1955 or you would have known what I was referencing.
Mea Culpa. I had forgotten. I did not consider it important because it is a non-starter here, so I forgot J's post.
I guess praising the perpetrator on Salman Rushdie reflects the spirit of one nuclear hungry country:https://nypost.com/2022/08/13/salman-...
Nik wrote: "I guess praising the perpetrator on Salman Rushdie reflects the spirit of one nuclear hungry country:https://nypost.com/2022/08/13/salman-..."
Religion of Peace...
I assume said attacker will get a long and deserved jail sentence for that appalling act
Sanna must be celebrating joining NATO and inflation only around 8%:https://youtu.be/l21A3tS6_vs
How come Boris wasn't invited? Shame
Ian wrote: "I assume said attacker will get a long and deserved jail sentence for that appalling act"I am not so sure because it is NY.
Nik wrote: "Sanna must be celebrating joining NATO and inflation only around 8%:https://youtu.be/l21A3tS6_vs
How come Boris wasn't invited? Shame"
Honestly, compared to what we know other European elites do in their down time Sanna's party antics are a relief.
Nik wrote: "Sanna must be celebrating joining NATO and inflation only around 8%:https://youtu.be/l21A3tS6_vs
How come Boris wasn't invited? Shame"
I gather from today's news Turkey's inflation is running at 80% and their central bank is lowering interest rates. Not good.
J, you don't know the half of what's going on over here at the mo lol.
Basically, the unholy trinity of lockdowns, warmongering and the death by a thousand cuts that is zero carbon are causing chaos in GB. All part of the build back better plan, of course.
Forget social media commentators, the average (wo)man on the street now knows the political establishment is trying to destroy them and they're cheesed off. Will expand on this more soon.
Basically, the unholy trinity of lockdowns, warmongering and the death by a thousand cuts that is zero carbon are causing chaos in GB. All part of the build back better plan, of course.
Forget social media commentators, the average (wo)man on the street now knows the political establishment is trying to destroy them and they're cheesed off. Will expand on this more soon.
Beau might be amused to know that Ardern is having her problems too. There was another major protest outside parliament and actually it was two protests - opposite to each other, but both anti-government.We are also facing a toilet paper crisis. Most of the toilet paper comes from one factory owned by a multinational, which has made record profits. (So have our banks, thanks to inflation) SAnyway, the workers want a wage increase to compensate for inflation and the corporation has locked them out. Time to hoard again :-(
Ian wrote: "Beau might be amused to know that Ardern is having her problems too. There was another major protest outside parliament and actually it was two protests - opposite to each other, but both anti-gove..."It never occurred to me that I would live through an apocalypse in which a bidet would be a genuine survival tool.
Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet president who took down the Iron Curtain, dieshttps://www.cnn.com/2022/08/30/europe...
During my life, there have been two (2) events when the world changed changed in a day. The end of the Soviet Union was the good one.
And now for perhaps a contribution to sporting trivia. Here, a college football match ended up with a score of 40 - 0. That's a goal roughly every 90 seconds. Not the sort of record the losers would like to have repeated.
Ian wrote: "And now for perhaps a contribution to sporting trivia. Here, a college football match ended up with a score of 40 - 0. That's a goal roughly every 90 seconds. Not the sort of record the losers woul..."Well, that beats the most embarrassing moment in US Soccer history.
FC Dallas under-15 boys squad beat the U.S. Women's National Team in a scrimmage
https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news...
Kiwi Angler Catches Massive 30.31-Pound Potential Line Class World Record Rainbow Trouthttps://www.fieldandstream.com/fishin...
Further to post 1982, the team that lost 40 - 0 had to play another match against another college two days later - score then 3 - 3! Is this a record recovery???
Our newspaper gave a glowing eulogy to Gorbachev, which, going by what is being said elsewhere, these eulogies probably set another record: nobody has ever been praised as much for making such a botched job of what he was appointed to do.
Ours are mostly calling him complicated. I think that is a great eulogy.
Super Typhoon Hinnamnor Could Slam Straight Into Nuclear Power Planthttps://www.newsweek.com/typhoon-hinn...
Not exactly my part of the world, but it appears that Liz Truss is the new PM of the UK. The party members who elected her were presumably thinking of themselves as Truss has promised tax cuts. Leaving aside the possibility of a massive flip-flop, this could be an interesting experiment in economics. Cutting taxes in the middle of an inflationary period with a massive public debt is not the usual answer. Of course it is more interesting from this distance. I gather she is also advocating a price freeze on gas. I don't see how that will work if there is short supply, but what do I know?
Ian wrote: "Not exactly my part of the world, but it appears that Liz Truss is the new PM of the UK. The party members who elected her were presumably thinking of themselves as Truss has promised tax cuts. Lea..."Has there ever been a female Prime Minister of the UK who wasn't a conservative?
No, but she is the third female PM. Tony Blair hogged most of the space between 1 & 2, and Conservatives have been in power in between 2 & 3, I think.
It sounds as if she went quietly and relatively comfortably. She seemed in reasonable status when she met Liz Truss, so hopefully there was no pain.
On this sad day this is my first post in this forum for a considerable period.Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has died today.
She was my monarch all my life until today as King Charles III is now King. I swore my allegiance to Queen Elizabeth as an officer. My commissioning scroll carries her signature.
It is a deeply sad day for her family, the countries of which she was monarch, the Commonwealth, and perhaps as a unique figurehead around the world. An amazing woman. We shall mourn her.
Whether you believe or not
God Save The King.
Great to hear from you, Philip, after a long while, although on such a sad occasion. Am commiserating with friends in the UK
Philip wrote: "On this sad day this is my first post in this forum for a considerable period.Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has died today.
She was my monarch all my life until today as King Charles III is now..."
I'm sorry that your return is under such sad circumstances.
If the new King shows a fraction of his mother's poise and dedication to duty, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth will be well served.
Philip wrote: "On this sad day this is my first post in this forum for a considerable period.Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has died today.
She was my monarch all my life until today as King Charles III is now..."
Phillip!
Where have you been? Missed arguing with you very much.
Sorry about your Queen. A class act. Wish more would follow her lead.
Is Charles taking his name as the third or has that not been decided?
He is being called Charles III here already.It was a sad day, but it was not entirely unexpected. She certainly lived a long life.
To give you an idea of how long she ruled, Elizabeth rule started when the US only had 48 states.
World, Writing, Wealth
Books mentioned in this topic
1984 (other topics)Common Sense (other topics)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (other topics)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (other topics)
Lolita (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Mel Brooks (other topics)Victor Davis Hanson (other topics)
Peter Zeihan (other topics)
Bobby Fischer (other topics)
Jordan B. Peterson (other topics)
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Donkey Vote
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donke...
From what I've read, the problem isn't so much ignorance as it is apathy. It seems to be most common on mandatory ballots in ranked elections. So voters who don't care; they just want it done with.