If you're not in the U.S., what's up in your part of the world? Showing 2,101-2,150 of 3,266

[Ian]

Just to make it more interesting, said supervolcano has just has a cluster of earthquakes.

[Papaphilly]

J. wrote: "From Justin Trudeau's Canuckistan:

'Easier to let go': Terminally ill woman in Canadian euthanasia commercial that 'glorified suicide' previously said she wanted to live but couldn't afford care t..."

Wait a minute, I thought Canada had free health care.....

[Ian]

Nik posted somewhere (sorry, I could not find where) that the US National Ignition Facility had achieved net fusion energy. What they got was 3.15 MJ of energy out, which is more than twice as much as any previous effort. That was net at that instant

But net fusion energy is misleading. The lasers they used consumed 322 MJ overall because while the energy in the laser pulse is small, there is the warm-up and cool-down to consider.

[Nik]

It was in a thread 🪡 “future stuff”

[J.]

Papaphilly wrote: "Wait a minute, I thought Canada had free health care....."

It's not free. It's paid for with tax money which is allocated by bureaucrats and lying politicians (tautology).

[Ian]

Nik wrote: "It was in a thread 🪡 “future stuff”"

Sorry. I missed that. Must pay more attention.

[Scout]

I'm wondering if you guys in other parts of the world have experienced what we're experiencing in the U.S.: censorship by mainstream media to elect and actively support a top government leader.

[Ian]

This might impress some, and explain why I am more than unimpressed with the current government here. They have adjusted a law for gunsmiths, and one who has made some various weapons for films, and had to pay a licence fee of $400/yr. You may think that is rough, but wait. The new system has apparently put the fee up to $75,000 /a.

[Scout]

I cannot understand a country without a Constitution that lays out how the government works. What government body makes laws for gun control? You say the new system raised the fee. What system? Does the government get to make arbitrary decisions like this without citizens' input?

[Ian]

Generally speaking here, governments announce the sort of law they intend to pass, then announce a period for submissions. They then have select committees, where the public can make speeches, altho0ugh there is a strict limit on how many. Those selecte4d are so selected based on the submissions, and the select committees are representative of all parties in parliament. After all this has happened, and the Press has the option of reporting anything, the governing party drafts up law or regulation and that gets debated in the House.

The current problems are two-fold. The first is the current government is hyperactive trying to get things done so it is short-cutting standard procedure. The second is the government can give general and vague instructions to the Pubic Service, and almost anything can come out pf that.

On that latter matter, I have a problem. Some civil servant has decided to block off the option of right turns onto the state highway from Hebden Crescent, which is a long straight road running parallel to the state highway that links a couple of residential hill roads and a small industrial area. The problem is, if nobody can turn right, in the so-called name of safety, nobody can go South, to the city centres. I meet with some political people on Monday to try and straighten this out as a representative of the road I live on.

[J.]

This is a massive change in Japan's defense posture, and the CCP brought it up on themselves.

The U.S. Has a New Partner in the Fight Against China | Opinion
https://www.newsweek.com/us-has-new-p...

[Scout]

Ian, let us know how that goes.

That's interesting info about Japan. Do we still have US troops stationed there?

[Ian]

Scout wrote: "Ian, let us know how that goes.

That's interesting info about Japan. Do we still have US troops stationed there?"

Scout, the current situation is that here the place shuts down effectively over Christmas, and people that want to take annual leave and go somewhere take it now because with the statutories added in, they get nearly an extra week to be away. It will be very difficult to get them to change their decision because any opposition to it will have evaporated.at least in their eyes. The problem is it only affects about 30 modest-sized businesses and about 200 people. They can't make enough noise so their stupidity won't be stopped unless a senior politician takes up the cause and there aren't enough votes in it for them

[J.]

Scout wrote: "Ian, let us know how that goes.

That's interesting info about Japan. Do we still have US troops stationed there?"

We have about 55,000 troops in Japan.

[Scout]

Ian, our city government wanted to put a biking/walking path through our old, established neighborhood. That would have meant a stream of strangers wandering past our houses at all hours. We attended meeting after meeting with the City Council -- probably 7 meetings in all, and we were united and vociferous and stubborn. The final meeting had to be moved to another venue because there were so many of us raising hell. And we prevailed. No throngs of strangers disrupting our peaceful neighborhood. I don't know if you have that kind of solidarity, but if you do and if you don't go away, the powers that be will give in. They don't have the will and guts that the people do.

[Ian]

We shall have to persist. I shall let you know what happens, but not much will happen until the end of January.

[Scout]

J., what I'm wondering is whether Japan is violating the treaty made after WWII. I have no idea what that treaty involved, but I'd think it curtailed their future ability to raise arms and wage war. Could this be a pretense of supporting the US against China in order to increase their military strength without opposition?

[J.]

How big of a deal is this?

Israeli air force veterans say incoming government a danger
https://abcnews.go.com/International/...

[J.]

Scout wrote: "J., what I'm wondering is whether Japan is violating the treaty made after WWII. I have no idea what that treaty involved, but I'd think it curtailed their future ability to raise arms and wage war..."

The US wrote Japan's current constitution. It stipulates no offensive military force. For almost eighty years the arrangement has been a small Japanese Self Defense Force backed by the might of Uncle Sam.

The Japanese and the Chinese hate each other. (If you want to get a sense of the level of animosity, Google "Unit 731" and "the Rape of Nanking".) This gives Japan reason to be wary of the CCP's increasing aggression. Add "Little Rocket Man" shooting missiles over their heads, and they have solid motivation to improve their military posture in anticipation of the SHTF.

There are questions about Japan's ability to build up its military in the face of its ongoing economic issues, decades long negative native population growth, and almost eighty years of dismantling its marshal culture. We shall see.

[Papaphilly]

I think it is both by Japan. I believe they see the need to take care of their own business and also thwart China. They also support the USA because it does benefit them too.

[Ian]

J. wrote: "How big of a deal is this?

Israeli air force veterans say incoming government a danger
https://abcnews.go.com/International/..."

What they are worried about is potentially a very big deal

[J.]

Ian wrote: "What they are worried about is potentially a very big deal"

Agreed. But is this a significant faction within Israeli society, government, and military?

[Ian]

I think what might be bothersome is that some of these extremists have been given very sensitive positions relating to the Palestinians, such as enlarging settlements. They may or may not be a tiny minority, but if they hold cabinet positions they wield power well out of proportion to the number who support them.

Nik should have a better idea than me, since all I am going by are local news reports.

[Nik]

J. wrote: "How big of a deal is this?

Israeli air force veterans say incoming government a danger
https://abcnews.go.com/International/..."

Not sure the letter is a big deal, but the prospective government, where Bibi satisfies all kind of requests from bizarre to dangerous of ultrareligious and border extremist groups, because only they agree to form a coalition with him, doesn't bode well. Kinda strange to see a prime minister coping with corruption charges at court (oh, wait, maybe they'll make the prosecution drop them?), a convicted ex-felon taking charge of the police, a convicted ex felon of financial flavor taking charge of the Treasury, a radical presiding over an important chunk of education and so on..

[Nik]

J. wrote: "... But is this a significant faction within Israeli society, government, and military?....."

About half of the society is in shock and awe, myself including. Opponents would say - they are old elites refusing to concede defeat...

[J.]

Iranian woman takes part in international chess tournament without mandatory hijab
https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/28/sport/...

[J.]

Pope Emeritus Benedict's 'condition remains serious,' Vatican says
https://abcnews.go.com/International/...

[Scout]

Iran’s deputy sports minister Maryam Kazemipour said in November that athletes who acted against Islamic norms “regretted” their actions afterward and “are looking for an opportunity to make up for their mistake.”

Sounds ominous.

[Nik]

She can become a chess Peng Shuai, but hope nothing bad befalls her

[J.]

Nik wrote: "She can become a chess Peng Shuai, but hope nothing bad befalls her"

When I read this, I thought of Bobby Fischer. That would not be good.

[Nik]

Divinely gifted, Bobby apparently was somewhat troubled individual. It's not random when geniuses are extremely eccentric: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigori...

[J.]

Former Pope Benedict XVI dies in Vatican monastery aged 95
https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/31/europe...

[Ian]

Here we have a lesson in economics in the form of starting the year off with "The Great Egg Crisis". About ten years ago the government of the day declared that battery-farming hens was cruel, they banned it starting today, and gave the industry ten years to transition. Some did quickly, but others continued as they were, selling more cheaply than those who had transitioned, but only to the big commercial users of eggs. So the net result was those who transitioned sold their eggs at a higher price through supermarkets and as far as the general public were concerned, everything was going well. However, now those who did not transition simply closed down and the commercial users had to get eggs from somewhere, and now the supermarket shelves are egg-less. Since it takes about six months to get new chickens into a good egg-laying state, and since it will take a large number of new producers to do this, we shall have a problem for some time.

The interesting thing is the government, having done this, did nothign to monitor responses, so as to send signals to those contemplating entering the field.

[Papaphilly]

Good intentions pave the way to Hell.

[Scout]

Your government at work. Same as ours - no foresight or plan B.

[Ian]

I question the "at work". Filling in time and making a random mess is another interpretation :-)

[J.]

Canada is getting worse.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=MxeXNZHHD...

[Papaphilly]

Ian wrote: "I question the "at work". Filling in time and making a random mess is another interpretation :-)"

It takes hard to work to make a proper mess....8^)

[Ian]

Yes, but why bother?

[J.]

Jacinda Ardern: New Zealand PM to step down next month
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-6...

[Ian]

This has been almost expected. Labour is in deep trouble, and Jacinda, who should be taking responsibility for all this, looks like she is escaping before there is no escape. The real question is who replaces her, and with what policy? Currently, there are about four really major policies in the pipeline that are really unpopular, but being advanced by some politicians based on some weird ideology. It should be interesting over the next few weeks.

[Ian]

As an aside, Parliament does not resume until some time in February. No idea why she did this now, because the net result will be chaotic in terms of reaching a sensible outcome.

[Ian]

Four weeks ago she promised to lead the party into the next election. Now she quits, but there is more. She set the next election date early (Usually it is mid November - she brought it forward to early October.) She has insisted the party pick her replacement this coming Sunday, but she is not officially quitting until Feb. 7. She will then be a back-bencher until about April 7, when she quits completely. That time is six months before the election, the time at which a by-election is not required. My guess is she has been offered some sort of job, and the timing os for her convenience.

Whoever replaces her has a horrible job. The economy is starting to hurt as a consequence of interest rate rises, inflation is not responding well, and there are some really turgid ideological bills expected to come up for final voting. So it is not just the economy, which is bad enough - there are the wounds inflicted by Ardern through not controlling what the extremes want about to come home to roost. The new leader has to do a lot in quick time, and stomping on unpopular ideological stuff will probably lead to fragmentation of the party. Not exactly ideal.

[J.]

What are the odds that she is being forced out by someone who has dirt on her?

[Scout]

You say she hasn't controlled what the "extremes" want. What do they want? Are they similar to the extreme leftists here, I wonder?

[Ian]

The most obvious one is the three-waters bill. What the central government wants is to take control of all water supplies (but not pay for them - ownership remains as is, except the owners can't do anything with their property. It will be run by four bureaucracies, appointed by Government, with a couple of Maori representatives with the power of veto on anything, which to my mind is a sure-fire recipe for corruption. It is also a sure-fire recipe for extra costs because you have a large bureaucracy that has to contract out all the work anyway.

A second disaster is that NZ currently regulates health products through standards similar to the Australians, which in turn is similar to the FDA. There is a proposal to tear this up and start another monstrous bureaucracy

I hope that gives the flavour.

[Ian]

J. wrote: "What are the odds that she is being forced out by someone who has dirt on her?"

Nobody would bet on that. I think she is looking after herself, but it is mainly from the effects of her negligence as a leader and letting too many get away with things they shouldn't.

[Papaphilly]

I do not know much about her except she seems to be controversial. I wonder why now, because even if she jumps, she takes the blame because that is what they always to do the outgoing. If New Zealand is anything like the United States, she is covering her backside. I fully expect her to land a cushy job.

[Ian]

For me there are two possible explanations: she has already landed the cushy job, or alt3ernatively she is pregnant, and that would make campaigning at the very least difficult. On the other hand, it would also get sympathy votes, so I pick the cushy job.

The problem is Ardern's history is in public relations. She is a great presenter. The difficulties come with substance. To get people to like her she vastly overspent with the Covid situation, so debts have blown out. The Reserve Bank printed money for her like there was no tomorrow, but now the Governor is going in the opposite direction with interest rates, so all those who like the idea of free money now have to pay it back with a choking economy. Food prices have escalated, mainly due to really bad weather.

Finally, there are a couple of ideological bills about to come up for implementation and they are very unpopular. They also create more massive bureaucracy, yet the general feeling right now is the bureaucracy we have has become bloated and dysfunctional under this government. Accordingly, the option to be the new PM is something of a poisoned chalice: either whoever it is will take a lot of blame, or (s)he will kill these bills but fracture the party. Not looking good.

[Ian]

It appears Chris Hipkins will be the new PM. He was generally considered as the fixit guy. He was the only one who put his name forward, so there was no vote.