If you're not in the U.S., what's up in your part of the world? Showing 2,251-2,300 of 3,266

[J.]

In the past we would have conducted piracy interdiction operations, regardless of the home ports of the ships involved. We viewed it as part of our global security doctrine.

Of late, we have been disengaging from many of these operations. We've been reducing our patrols of the Persian Gulf for years. Hence the Iranians getting more aggressive. Expect more interruptions to global trade.

Instead, we've been building Navy designed for large force on force engagements. It seems that the Pentagon is preparing for a very dark future.

[J.]

Turkey's Erdogan cancels election rallies for health reasons
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-...

[Nik]

If he feels uncertain in the result, he can try to cancel the elections too.

[Ian]

For those interested in climate change, one part of the Coromandel, which usually gets about 1.5 meters of rain per year max, has so far got 3.5 meters in the first third of the year. Today for over an hour it got 1 mm/minute. That is fairly substantial rain. All is not well with our climate.

[Nik]

You surely don’t judge about a “change” by a single extraordinary event, but by an observation over a longer period, however the diagnosis might still be “unwell”

[Ian]

It is not a single event, but rather a series of bad events. True, by itself it is not definitive evidence but it is fairly indicative that all is not well.

If it is due to systemic climate change, Europe should have a very hot summer, low overall rainfall but with the possibility of the odd very severe flood, and forest fires. I guess we shall see.

[Philip]

Already happened

https://www.ecmwf.int/en/about/media-...

[Papaphilly]

Maybe,

It depends on the longer trends. I am not seeing them, yet.

[J.]

I find it curious that so many think that there is only one question. How bad will climate change be for humanity?

There is another question. How will the powerful use this crisis to inflict their wills upon us?
https://youtu.be/Fk4ce7l1a_U

[Ian]

Or how will all and sundry behave? History is littered with violence when the masses were threatened with starvation.

[J.]

Ian wrote: "Or how will all and sundry behave? History is littered with violence when the masses were threatened with starvation."

They're taking their cue from the Great Leap Forward.

[Scout]

15-minute cities? Government will push us too far one day. That's why we need to be able to defend ourselves.

[Nik]

Turkey elections, which prima facia, head into the second round, can be a turnkey on a bundle of issues...

[J.]

China's economy has turned rotten and its reopening boom is a 'charade,' market expert says
https://markets.businessinsider.com/n...

[Ian]

Here, much of the North Island has received about 2.4 average years of rain by the middle of May. Here, today, is our one "fine" day of the week - but it has heavy cloud and a very light drizzle.

[J.]

Ian wrote: "Here, much of the North Island has received about 2.4 average years of rain by the middle of May. Here, today, is our one "fine" day of the week - but it has heavy cloud and a very light drizzle."

Hopefully, there aren't any head cuts forming below your cisterns' overflow.

[Ian]

You may be interested to know the local Council has forbidden garden watering from the beginning of the year. My gut feel is all citizens have obeyed :-)

[Philip]

Ian wrote: "You may be interested to know the local Council has forbidden garden watering from the beginning of the year. My gut feel is all citizens have obeyed :-)"

They'll claim it as policy success while using private jet to get to latest environmental conference

[Ian]

The real problem is the municipal water infrastructure has been neglected for too long. There are massive leaks popping up from time to time. Too much spent on "events" and stadiums, etc, and not enough on pipes.

[J.]

China presses Dutch minister for access to chipmaking tech blocked on security grounds
https://apnews.com/article/china-neth....

[Ian]

They can press, but they won't get anywhere.

[Philip]

UK reporting has largely been about immigration - UK population had net increase of 606,000 in last twelve months - highest on record. 175,000 was due to Ukraine and Hong Kong. Lots of wringing of hands about what to do from all political parties. Impact on housing, schools, medical etc.

[J.]

UK home secretary won’t face investigation over speeding ticket meddling claims
https://apnews.com/article/uk-politic...

I'm scratching my head on this one. In the US, speeding tickets are local government taxes. We either pay it or pay a lawyer to get us out of it. To become a scandal here, a traffic violation would have involve dead bodies, narcotics, and/or prostitution.

[Ian]

She would have been better off to simply pay the fine. Here, this would have caused a stink too, not because of the speeding, but because of politicians attempting to intervene in the judicial process.

The usual process here if you get a speeding ticket is to promptly pay the fine. It is MUCH more expensive to pay a lawyer and go through court, even if you get off. The only reason to defend it is if there is a good case, and what you did gets you into the "lose your licence" zone. Of course, if you are accused of dangerous driving you need a lawyer because there could be jail.

[J.]

Here the economics of hiring a traffic lawyer are a little different.

The fine itself may be $20 and, if you were going fast enough, a couple of points on your license. On top of that are court costs which vary between jurisdictions. (For NC, it's about $100) Plus your insurance premiums are going up, possibly a lot.

Most traffic lawyers will take $400-$500 to plea bargain to charges that won't jack your insurance, get the court to set it aside as long as you're a good boy/girl for a certain period, or outright get the judge/clerk to kick the case off the docket (judges have tee times too). I imagine that Lizzie might have a few stories.

Simply put, the lawyer's fee is cheaper than the increased insurance premiums.

[Nik]

Interesting. I don’t think we have a question on insurance questionnaire about driving fines. If I’m not mistaken, the premium goes up only if there was involvement in an accident in past three years.

[Ian]

As far as I know, here then premiums only go up if there were an accident, OR the court appearance was for something more serious, like dangerous driving - (where it was felt that but for the grace of God and clever avoidance by someone else it could have led to a fatal crash.)

[Philip]

It was a scandal drummed up by opponents over nothing. In minor speeding cases the accused can opt to take 3 points on license and small fine or attend an awareness course (i have done this) which is zero points no fine and no requirement to report on insurance. Points must be reported.

She asked civil servant if it was possible to attend private course (to avoid being recognised). They replied they could not be involved, therefore she asked one of her advisors instead, who could not arrange that and was told that did not happen. (Since become clear that private courses or single attendee ones have been done for celebrities to avoid course turning into look at celebrity not course. Civil service investigated, nothing to report and scandal mongers shut up.

Don't like this Home Secretary (this case was before she was home secretary) but opposition looking for any scandal they can find.

Worse now we have one Minister and three other MPs accused of claiming fines on expenses. Now that is a scandal. All relatively small amounts but not expenses.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politic...

[Nik]

If fines are excluded, one can try with a haircut: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/bu... (Don't know how accurate that expose was and whether there were developments afterwards)

[Nik]

If you run a poll amongst Chinese, they will blame USA : ) https://www.reuters.com/world/two-kil...

[Papaphilly]

Nik wrote: "If fines are excluded, one can try with a haircut: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/bu... (Don't know how accurate that expose was and whether there were developments aft..."

I bet this goes nowhere. It is for his show at the time and is probably covered as part of the show makeup. If Donald Trump does it, it is illegal. Just ask the Democrats.....

[J.]

Philip wrote: "It was a scandal drummed up by opponents over nothing. In minor speeding cases the accused can opt to take 3 points on license and small fine or attend an awareness course (i have done this) which ..."

Sounds familiar.

[Ian]

Nik wrote: "If you run a poll amongst Chinese, they will blame USA : ) https://www.reuters.com/world/two-kil..."

And if you run a poll in the US they will blame the Chinese, or the Russians, or someone else. The point about a Chinese poll is that it shows the average Chinese will support their government.

[Nik]

Wonder how you’ve arrived to that conclusion from a poll about the US involvement? I don’t see how supporting their government arises therefrom.

[Ian]

You can support your country while not supporting your government. My guess is at the next election approximately half of Americans won't be bothered to vote, which hardly shows support for either party, while the rest of the votes will divide roughly evenly, so roughly 25% support the government. However, you will find that most of them support America.

They may not support their government in everything, but the result indicates they will support the government in anti-US acts.

[Nik]

Ian wrote: "....They may not support their government in everything, but the result indicates they will support the government in anti-US acts. ..."

That too is a stretch. One thing is, say, not like the US or see US behind everything that happens in the world and another - to support an act against it. Quite a difference there

[Ian]

I didn't say "support the act"; I said support the government. AS it happens, China has just banned someproducts with US semiconductors from entering China, is response to Huawei. Not a lot of anger from Chinese over this. They are more angry with the US for banning their products.

[J.]

Malaysia detains Chinese barge on suspicion of looting WWII British warship wrecks
https://apnews.com/article/malaysia-b...

[Ian]

Our election season is starting to pick up some steam. Polls indicate we may be in for a minority government for the first time, although such polls this far out verge on the meaningless

[J.]

All passengers on boat that sank on Italy lake had worked for security or defense services
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/31/europe...

🤔

[Nik]

Who knows - maybe years later we’d find out that Anna has got a medal posthumously. Meanwhile- a mysterious and tragic accident

[Nik]

Some probably feel frustrated by US absence: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5...

[Nik]

Another royal gala-event following the coronation of Charlie:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/202...

[J.]

J. wrote: "Malaysia detains Chinese barge on suspicion of looting WWII British warship wrecks
https://apnews.com/article/malaysia-b..."

When I originally posted this I thought it would get more attention. Perhaps this article will help y'all understand the scope of what the CCP is doing.

The world's biggest grave robbery: Asia’s disappearing WWII shipwrecks
https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-...

In short, these shipwrecks are the final resting places of thousands of British, American, Commonwealth, and Japanese sailors. They are cemeteries which the Chinese are tearing out, bodies and all, to melt down for salvage.

[Ian]

An interesting point to consider. We know our civilization likes to tear up ancient burial sites and put everything, bodies and all, on display.

Our cemeteries are sacred, but there is a good reason for this: the cemeteries are not for the dead - they are for the living. People visit to see the record of their ancestors.

But these ships are gone. Nobody visits the site, so why shouldn't the steel be salvaged? The remains, if there are any, should be "buried" at sea with decorum, and maybe the behaviour of the Chinese with respect to that should be considered, but why should the ships not be salvaged?

[Philip]

Madness in UK as first one MP in safe seat quits because she was not given peerage which would have caused by-election but now quitting causing by-election then

Boris quits causing another by-election (probably moving to the previous seat if he can get selected). This to avoid being suspended for lying to Parliament which in turn could have caused a by-election.

More chaos for current PM to try and recover from

[Nik]

A grotesque. Hope my friend Boris will stop quitting, although he probably ran out of things he could quit

[Papaphilly]

Has he quit permanently or until he runs again? It sounds permanent, but the British system is a bit different than the American.

[Philip]

Nik wrote: "A grotesque. Hope my friend Boris will stop quitting, although he probably ran out of things he could quit"

In his statement he hinted he would be back. The conspiracy theory is that he will take the other seat or try to as it has a much larger regular majority for the Conservatives but it may be wishful thinking. By-elections are notorious for wild swings in vote and every opposition leader will agree to prevent Boris. I.e. Labour and Lib Dem’s will agree to field a single candidate prob Lib Dem to endure Boris loses.
That’s all several weeks away - normally 3-6 weeks but dependent on various factors. Boris would have to be an independent or the local part could select him - no guarantee they will and central Conservative office will be anti.

[J.]

Hundreds dead and thousands more sick after deadly virus outbreak in Peru
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medi...