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hypothetical saturday

To buy or not to buy Greenland, that is the question. I think it's unlikely it will ever be a possibility, but let's assume for a moment it is.

Recent history tells us that Presidents get one good stupid shopping spree with the nation's already maxed out credit card. Biden had the Inflation Reduction / Infrastructure acts, not sure where that money went. Trump 1 spent all his on a covid response, and I'm being generous to call that shitshow a response. Obama care, failure. W had some wars, possibly the benchmark for wasteful fuckups this century.

If you accept that Trump 2 is going to get to spend a ton of money on something eventually...

For the righties - would you really want this to be it? All that talk of america first and you want him to give that much money and attention to a piece of land a few thousand miles away?

For the lefties - would you really want to close this door, having no clue what's behind door 2? What's behind door #2? Sit back a minute and let your Trump-hating imagination run wild. Not only could it be worse, it probably couldn't get much better.

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offtopic,
science

Friday offtopic. Heard of those direwolves?

Well, they aren't exactly direwolves.

And naming one of them Khaleesi was an affront to the entire Game of Thrones fanbase, duh!

No, the dire wolf has not been brought back from extinction
Colossal Biosciences claims three pups born recently are dire wolves, but they are actually grey wolves with genetic edits intended to make them resemble the lost species

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The new Yalta

As global tensions intensify, the geopolitical landscape is shifting dramatically. While China asserts itself with growing confidence, and global powers compete for influence, Trump is taking an active diplomatic approach toward Putin, aiming to broker an end to the war in Ukraine. Though talks have reportedly led to a proposed 30-day ceasefire and reduced strikes in the Black Sea, the broader implications suggest something more complex: a reordering of global power reminiscent of post-war summits like Yalta:

Trump's approach reflects a worldview in which powerful nations divide spheres of influence and avoid interfering in each other's regions. This realpolitik mindset raises concerns about the future of Ukraine and, by extension, Europe. If Ukraine's fate is decided without its input, it signals a troubling shift: Europe's autonomy and security could be negotiated away behind closed doors.

( Read more... )

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On topic: The current trends in the rule of power

The rule of power, when unchecked by democratic norms and institutions, often manifests as a consolidation of authority that undermines civil liberties and the rule of law. In the United States, President Donald Trump's recent actions exemplify this trend. His administration has targeted Democratic-aligned organizations such as ActBlue and Indivisible with threats of criminal investigations, raising concerns about the use of federal agencies to suppress political opposition. Also, Trump's public admiration for authoritarian leaders like El Salvador's Nayib Bukele and Hungary's Viktor Orban, coupled with his dismissal of judicial orders, signals a troubling shift towards autocratic governance:

https://www.vox.com/on-the-right-newsletter/408798/trump-nayib-bukele-authoritarian

https://apnews.com/article/democrats-trump-actblue-indivisible-legal-threat-fbi-42f502bcb5888b12628629710c6eb21b

( Read more... )

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Friday WTF: Can we just start taking some people's internet away?

Dipshitty dipshits keeping on doing dipshitty stuff.

Influencers 'new' threat to uncontacted tribes, warns group after US tourist arrest

Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, allegedly landed on North Sentinel Island in an apparent attempt to make contact with the isolated Sentinelese tribe, filming his visit and leaving a can of coke and a coconut on the shore.
.....Mr Polyakov blew a whistle off the shore of the island in a bid to attract the attention of the tribe for about an hour.
He then landed for about five minutes, leaving his offerings, collecting samples and recording a video.
It is illegal for foreigners or Indians to travel within 5km (three miles) of the islands in order to protect the people living there.
......such visits pose a threat to a community which has no immunity to outside diseases.

Or hey, maybe you can contract something from there and bring it back to the rest of the planet! Wait... nevermind that.
In November 2018, John Allen Chau, also a US national, was killed by the tribe after visiting the same island.
Mr Chau was shot with bows and arrows upon landing:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46293221

That's part of a wider problem of course. Influencers are having to engage in more and more outrageous activities to attract attention. As a result one has been shot, several have fallen off cliffs and many have suffered well deserved punches to the face. There have been some high profile arrests as well including in Asia where some countries have strict laws against causing offence.

A 'click' is a powerful thing. Seems it's like social media heroin.

hypothetical saturday

Friday offtopic. Heard of those direwolves?

The new Yalta

​On topic: The current trends in the rule of power

Friday WTF: Can we just start taking some people's internet away?

On topic: The current trends in the rule of power