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Celerity
Celerity's Journal
Celerity's Journal
September 9, 2020
https://thebanter.substack.com/p/word-to-the-base-trump-thinks-youre
The non-revelation that Donald Trump has zero respect for the military and its deeply rooted ethos is about as shocking as the contention that he’s cheated on his wives. Really? You’re kidding me. Let’s spend the rest of the week parsing his fourth grade sentences and dissecting video of his disparaging remarks about John McCain. And while we’re at it, let’s see if we can prove O.J. Simpson has an anger management problem. Donald J. Trump basically thinks everyone who is not Donald J. Trump or tightly woven into his gene pool is a sucker. If you weren’t born rich, didn’t steal your fortune, or you like to play by the rules, there might as well be a big “S” tattooed on your forehead. But Trump reserves his hugest eye-roll for the people on whose backs he rode into the White House and by way of whose gullibility and cult-like worship he remains there till this sorry day. Donald J. Trump thinks you’re a sucker.
You’re a sucker for believing your wages were suppressed by Black and brown people rather than by technology and de-unionization. For believing 20th century skills were sufficient for 21st century jobs. For gobbling up your roughly six percent share of the 2017 tax cut like it was Thanksgiving and Christmas combined. For thinking you could sell all your corn and soybeans to Americans. You’re a sucker for believing the arsenic, mercury, and cyanide being released into open waterways would never find its way into your tap water. For living in low-lying areas and cheering our exit from the Paris Agreement. For thinking you’re getting 5G any day now. For not being able to discern a scumbag. You’re a sucker for having a grand total of $343 in your savings account and being grateful to the president for the best economy ever. For preferring a job at $11 per hour stacking boxes to a job at $40 per hour pouring concrete for the foundation of wind turbines.
You’re a sucker for sending $75 to the Trump campaign when your 12-year-old son doesn’t have the proper tools for remote learning. For doing and knowing nothing as your Social Security is gradually dismantled. For acquiring your philosophy of life from Duck Dynasty. You’re a sucker for enduring throbbing three-day migraines from listening to Mark Levin. For surrendering your “socialist” government subsidized healthcare plan in favor of a leftover bottle of Oxycontin and a shot of Jim Beam. For contracting COVID-19 at a crowded backyard barbecue. For going maskless to Sturgis. For drinking bleach. You’re a sucker for buying into the notion that an accused serial rapist is actively ridding the world of pedophiles. For accepting a sycophantic AG’s fictional summary of an investigation that showed clear coordination between the future president of the United Sates and the Kremlin. For happily handing your electoral power over to Vladimir Putin. For the Kellyanne Conway tattoo on your right ass cheek.
You’re a sucker for accepting the notion that a “caravan” of lawless, pillaging refugees was streaming across Mexico to cross the border and violate your daughters. For believing people of color are invading suburban areas that are in reality more afraid of people like you. For putting yourself in harm’s way open carrying at Black Lives Matter protests. For rooting against the survival of the only post office within 20 miles of your trailer. You’re a sucker for going to church and praying for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s demise. For hanging your picture of Donald J. Trump next to your picture of Jesus Christ on the wall above the mantelpiece. For hanging the Trump University diploma right next to it. For making death threats against Michael Cohen, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Christine Blasey Ford, Alexander Vindman, Fiona Hill, Marie Yovanovitch and anyone else the president can’t handle on his own like a man. For believing Kayleigh McEnany is an actual person. For all these reasons and many more, Donald Trump thinks you’re a sucker. And though I really, really hate to admit it, this one time he’s right.
snip
Word to the Base: Trump Thinks You're Suckers, Too
Though I really, really hate to admit it, this one time he’s right.https://thebanter.substack.com/p/word-to-the-base-trump-thinks-youre
The non-revelation that Donald Trump has zero respect for the military and its deeply rooted ethos is about as shocking as the contention that he’s cheated on his wives. Really? You’re kidding me. Let’s spend the rest of the week parsing his fourth grade sentences and dissecting video of his disparaging remarks about John McCain. And while we’re at it, let’s see if we can prove O.J. Simpson has an anger management problem. Donald J. Trump basically thinks everyone who is not Donald J. Trump or tightly woven into his gene pool is a sucker. If you weren’t born rich, didn’t steal your fortune, or you like to play by the rules, there might as well be a big “S” tattooed on your forehead. But Trump reserves his hugest eye-roll for the people on whose backs he rode into the White House and by way of whose gullibility and cult-like worship he remains there till this sorry day. Donald J. Trump thinks you’re a sucker.
You’re a sucker for believing your wages were suppressed by Black and brown people rather than by technology and de-unionization. For believing 20th century skills were sufficient for 21st century jobs. For gobbling up your roughly six percent share of the 2017 tax cut like it was Thanksgiving and Christmas combined. For thinking you could sell all your corn and soybeans to Americans. You’re a sucker for believing the arsenic, mercury, and cyanide being released into open waterways would never find its way into your tap water. For living in low-lying areas and cheering our exit from the Paris Agreement. For thinking you’re getting 5G any day now. For not being able to discern a scumbag. You’re a sucker for having a grand total of $343 in your savings account and being grateful to the president for the best economy ever. For preferring a job at $11 per hour stacking boxes to a job at $40 per hour pouring concrete for the foundation of wind turbines.
You’re a sucker for sending $75 to the Trump campaign when your 12-year-old son doesn’t have the proper tools for remote learning. For doing and knowing nothing as your Social Security is gradually dismantled. For acquiring your philosophy of life from Duck Dynasty. You’re a sucker for enduring throbbing three-day migraines from listening to Mark Levin. For surrendering your “socialist” government subsidized healthcare plan in favor of a leftover bottle of Oxycontin and a shot of Jim Beam. For contracting COVID-19 at a crowded backyard barbecue. For going maskless to Sturgis. For drinking bleach. You’re a sucker for buying into the notion that an accused serial rapist is actively ridding the world of pedophiles. For accepting a sycophantic AG’s fictional summary of an investigation that showed clear coordination between the future president of the United Sates and the Kremlin. For happily handing your electoral power over to Vladimir Putin. For the Kellyanne Conway tattoo on your right ass cheek.
You’re a sucker for accepting the notion that a “caravan” of lawless, pillaging refugees was streaming across Mexico to cross the border and violate your daughters. For believing people of color are invading suburban areas that are in reality more afraid of people like you. For putting yourself in harm’s way open carrying at Black Lives Matter protests. For rooting against the survival of the only post office within 20 miles of your trailer. You’re a sucker for going to church and praying for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s demise. For hanging your picture of Donald J. Trump next to your picture of Jesus Christ on the wall above the mantelpiece. For hanging the Trump University diploma right next to it. For making death threats against Michael Cohen, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Christine Blasey Ford, Alexander Vindman, Fiona Hill, Marie Yovanovitch and anyone else the president can’t handle on his own like a man. For believing Kayleigh McEnany is an actual person. For all these reasons and many more, Donald Trump thinks you’re a sucker. And though I really, really hate to admit it, this one time he’s right.
snip
September 9, 2020
One of the more optimistic interpretations placed by some commentators on Boris Johnson’s crushing victory in the General Election last year was that his new large majority would make it easier for him to negotiate rapidly and effectively with the European Union in 2020. His large majority, it was hoped, would allow him to ignore the most extreme demands for these negotiations from the most extreme of his backbenchers in the European Research Group (ERG). The government’s willingness, announced brazenly in the House of Commons yesterday, illegally to break the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) with the EU, should be a salutary corrective to such illusions.
In truth, the ERG has never gone away. Its ideas and attitudes have long since become those of the vast majority of active members of the Conservative Party, an essential factor in the undermining of Theresa May. It would be impossible for Boris Johnson, even if he wished to, to take disciplinary action against the ERG’s members in the same way as he did last year against Ken Clarke, Dominic Grieve and other pro-Europeans. The ERG and its ideas enjoy limitless access to the columns of the newspapers read by Conservatives. Major television channels give substantial coverage and credibility to such views and their proponents. Even more importantly, the Conservative Parliamentary Party contains today only a handful of uncowed MPs who would have the conviction and confidence to take any effective stand against the radically Eurosceptic policies advocated by the ERG. Central among these policies is the repudiation or at least revision of the Withdrawal Agreement which was according to Johnson himself so decisive an element of the last General Election. The admission of Sir Brandon Lewis that the government was prepared to break international law in its incorporation of the WA into British domestic law is a clear and reprehensible first response to this mounting pressure from the ERG.
Why did the ERG accept the Withdrawal Agreement?
It was surprising to some observers that Boris Johnson was able last year to persuade the most implacable Eurosceptics in his Party that they should accept the Withdrawal Agreement he had negotiated. It was after all, essentially the Agreement negotiated by the despised Theresa May, with the addition of a regulatory and Customs frontier in the Irish Sea. Even on a superficial reading it could be seen that this Agreement represented a significant segmentation of the UK’s internal market and allowed important scope for legal intervention by the European Union in the economic life of Northern Ireland. It might have been expected that these features of the Agreement would have been wholly unacceptable to many Conservative MPs. It is now clear that such reservations were overcome by disingenuous assurances from Conservative Ministers that the Withdrawal Agreement could and would be rapidly superseded by a generously wide-ranging new EU/UK trade agreement that would render the WA a dead letter. It was part of the shared mythology between Johnson and the ERG that Theresa May had been a uniquely weak negotiator with the EU and a more robust Johnsonian approach in 2020 would ensure a favourable outcome to the negotiations, sweeping aside the troublesome provisions of the WA. It was on this basis that many Conservative MPs swallowed their objections and loyally supported Johnson’s effusive advocacy of his “oven ready deal.” In giving such assurances to the ERG, Johnson was certainly reckless, as they were naïve and unprincipled in accepting them. But little lies have long legs, and Johnson is now being confronted with the consequences of his nonchalant undertakings at the turn of the year.
Does Johnson want a “deal?
Much ink has been expended in recent days as to whether the Prime Minister and his government are resigned to, or actively want, or are trying to avoid a “no deal” Brexit. There are certainly differing views within the government. The palpable incompetence of the Prime Minister himself moreover makes it difficult for his government to steer any clear line, as exemplified by the contrasting initial reactions from government sources to the story in the Financial Times revealing that the government intended to break international law in its UK Internal Market Bill. But even as far as Johnson himself is concerned, it is probably difficult to attribute to him any clear-cut position. He must be aware of the enhanced economic dislocation a “no deal” Brexit would cause and an agreement with the EU which he could present to the courtier press as a diplomatic triumph would be welcome indeed. On the other hand, any realistically achievable agreement is unlikely this time to pass muster with the ERG and its sympathisers. The EU continues unwilling to grant the UK favoured access to its own large market without sovereignty-constraining guarantees from London and will insist in all circumstances that the WA remains in force.
snip
Brexit: Little lies have long legs
https://fedtrust.co.uk/brexit-little-lies-have-long-legs/One of the more optimistic interpretations placed by some commentators on Boris Johnson’s crushing victory in the General Election last year was that his new large majority would make it easier for him to negotiate rapidly and effectively with the European Union in 2020. His large majority, it was hoped, would allow him to ignore the most extreme demands for these negotiations from the most extreme of his backbenchers in the European Research Group (ERG). The government’s willingness, announced brazenly in the House of Commons yesterday, illegally to break the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) with the EU, should be a salutary corrective to such illusions.
In truth, the ERG has never gone away. Its ideas and attitudes have long since become those of the vast majority of active members of the Conservative Party, an essential factor in the undermining of Theresa May. It would be impossible for Boris Johnson, even if he wished to, to take disciplinary action against the ERG’s members in the same way as he did last year against Ken Clarke, Dominic Grieve and other pro-Europeans. The ERG and its ideas enjoy limitless access to the columns of the newspapers read by Conservatives. Major television channels give substantial coverage and credibility to such views and their proponents. Even more importantly, the Conservative Parliamentary Party contains today only a handful of uncowed MPs who would have the conviction and confidence to take any effective stand against the radically Eurosceptic policies advocated by the ERG. Central among these policies is the repudiation or at least revision of the Withdrawal Agreement which was according to Johnson himself so decisive an element of the last General Election. The admission of Sir Brandon Lewis that the government was prepared to break international law in its incorporation of the WA into British domestic law is a clear and reprehensible first response to this mounting pressure from the ERG.
Why did the ERG accept the Withdrawal Agreement?
It was surprising to some observers that Boris Johnson was able last year to persuade the most implacable Eurosceptics in his Party that they should accept the Withdrawal Agreement he had negotiated. It was after all, essentially the Agreement negotiated by the despised Theresa May, with the addition of a regulatory and Customs frontier in the Irish Sea. Even on a superficial reading it could be seen that this Agreement represented a significant segmentation of the UK’s internal market and allowed important scope for legal intervention by the European Union in the economic life of Northern Ireland. It might have been expected that these features of the Agreement would have been wholly unacceptable to many Conservative MPs. It is now clear that such reservations were overcome by disingenuous assurances from Conservative Ministers that the Withdrawal Agreement could and would be rapidly superseded by a generously wide-ranging new EU/UK trade agreement that would render the WA a dead letter. It was part of the shared mythology between Johnson and the ERG that Theresa May had been a uniquely weak negotiator with the EU and a more robust Johnsonian approach in 2020 would ensure a favourable outcome to the negotiations, sweeping aside the troublesome provisions of the WA. It was on this basis that many Conservative MPs swallowed their objections and loyally supported Johnson’s effusive advocacy of his “oven ready deal.” In giving such assurances to the ERG, Johnson was certainly reckless, as they were naïve and unprincipled in accepting them. But little lies have long legs, and Johnson is now being confronted with the consequences of his nonchalant undertakings at the turn of the year.
Does Johnson want a “deal?
Much ink has been expended in recent days as to whether the Prime Minister and his government are resigned to, or actively want, or are trying to avoid a “no deal” Brexit. There are certainly differing views within the government. The palpable incompetence of the Prime Minister himself moreover makes it difficult for his government to steer any clear line, as exemplified by the contrasting initial reactions from government sources to the story in the Financial Times revealing that the government intended to break international law in its UK Internal Market Bill. But even as far as Johnson himself is concerned, it is probably difficult to attribute to him any clear-cut position. He must be aware of the enhanced economic dislocation a “no deal” Brexit would cause and an agreement with the EU which he could present to the courtier press as a diplomatic triumph would be welcome indeed. On the other hand, any realistically achievable agreement is unlikely this time to pass muster with the ERG and its sympathisers. The EU continues unwilling to grant the UK favoured access to its own large market without sovereignty-constraining guarantees from London and will insist in all circumstances that the WA remains in force.
snip
September 7, 2020
Furniture
Only keep furniture that is useful to you. Every unused item is a source of distraction for the mind. Ensure every piece of furniture in the bedroom has its own space around it. This “negative space” adds balance to the room and lends each piece its own importance. Consider that space as the item’s home. This will also help you to appreciate every individual piece in your bedroom. Conceal mirrors if possible. Put them inside wardrobes or in the hallway. Avoid unnecessarily large mirrors. Large reflections can be distracting.
Clothes
Clothes should be the easiest items for us to declutter yet they’re the ones we delay the most. Start with clothing when you’re decluttering your bedroom. Getting your wardrobe in order will give you the greatest sense of satisfaction. Keep what you wear and need. Donate what you no longer want. If you get to the end of the season and you realise there are items you haven’t worn, it’s time to find them a new home.
Wall Art
Art stimulates the soul. But too much stimulation can be a bad thing. “Most of us think just because we have an empty wall, we need to fill it with something,” Kashi says. Have some art in the bedroom, but don’t feel the need to cover every wall. Subtle art pieces in neutral colors will be more calming. A single centrepiece can work well. Kashi likes textured paintings on canvas for a bedroom. Bright colours can be distracting, which is not ideal in a bedroom, Kashi advises. Keep bright art pieces out of the bedroom as they can overstimulate your mind and make it more difficult for you to fall calmly to sleep.
snip
Declutter for a Good Night's Sleep
https://www.beddable.co.uk/blogs/journal/declutter-for-a-good-night-s-sleepStruggling to sleep? Still tired when you wake up? Clutter in your bedroom could be part of the reason. A cluttered room makes for a cluttered mind; a source of stress which can lower the quality of your sleep. If this sounds like you, we’ve got the perfect advice. We asked Kashi Shikunova, our friend from YAM Studios, for tips for a decluttered bedroom. Kashi is an interior design professional who creates beautiful minimalist spaces with her partner Liam Clifford. Keep reading for some of Kashi’s great insights on decluttering for a good night’s sleep. Decluttering essentially means reducing the number of items you have in your bedroom, and finding a good storage space for those you keep. Kashi says the key to decluttering is being critical about the items you own. Over time, we all purchase or inherit things without being mindful of their purpose or value to us. We need to keep asking ourselves whether those items are still useful or meaningful to us. If not, find them a new home. Charity shops are always a good idea. Donating gives you a sense of satisfaction and purpose. And letting go of items can give you a cathartic feeling - almost like shedding weight.
Furniture
Only keep furniture that is useful to you. Every unused item is a source of distraction for the mind. Ensure every piece of furniture in the bedroom has its own space around it. This “negative space” adds balance to the room and lends each piece its own importance. Consider that space as the item’s home. This will also help you to appreciate every individual piece in your bedroom. Conceal mirrors if possible. Put them inside wardrobes or in the hallway. Avoid unnecessarily large mirrors. Large reflections can be distracting.
Clothes
Clothes should be the easiest items for us to declutter yet they’re the ones we delay the most. Start with clothing when you’re decluttering your bedroom. Getting your wardrobe in order will give you the greatest sense of satisfaction. Keep what you wear and need. Donate what you no longer want. If you get to the end of the season and you realise there are items you haven’t worn, it’s time to find them a new home.
Wall Art
Art stimulates the soul. But too much stimulation can be a bad thing. “Most of us think just because we have an empty wall, we need to fill it with something,” Kashi says. Have some art in the bedroom, but don’t feel the need to cover every wall. Subtle art pieces in neutral colors will be more calming. A single centrepiece can work well. Kashi likes textured paintings on canvas for a bedroom. Bright colours can be distracting, which is not ideal in a bedroom, Kashi advises. Keep bright art pieces out of the bedroom as they can overstimulate your mind and make it more difficult for you to fall calmly to sleep.
snip
September 7, 2020
Even if you're a self-proclaimed cheese lover, odds are you could still stand expand your cheese horizons. If you’re limiting yourself to the safety net of basic Brie, block Cheddar, and smoked Gouda, your lactose game is lacking. There are over 400 types of cheese just in France alone -- and even America has really upped its artisan cheese game in recent years. Step out of your comfort zone and into the cheese shop! Let’s get you started with these nine cheeses you’ve probably never heard of but definitely need to try.
Campo de Montalbán
If you love the smooth, nuttiness of Spanish manchego, then you have got to treat yourself to Campo de Montalbán. While manchego is made of pure sheep’s milk, Campo is a triple threat combination of cow’s, goat’s, and sheep’s milk. It’s buttery and meltable with a fruity body and a clean finish. Treat yourself to some tapas and pair this Spanish wedge with Marcona almonds, dried figs, and a bright red.
Gjetost
Gjetost, pronounced yeh-toast, is a traditional brown cheese from Norway that tastes like butterscotch and sticks to the roof of your mouth like peanut butter. It’s made with whey, the liquid leftover when milk becomes cheese, boiled until the liquid reduces and the sugars caramelize, then formed into rectangular blocks. The result is a sweet, tangy treat that melts into silk in your mouth. Slice thin and layer on to hot toast with strawberry jam for a PB&J that will blow you away.
Ossau-Iraty
This rich sheep’s milk cheese from the French Pyrenees mountains will seduce you into addiction. Legend has it this cheese was one of the first ever made. The recipe even predates the English language. It’s pretty obvious how Ossau-Iraty has stood the test of time, too. It’s as smooth as satin and bursting with full flavors of toasted almonds and lush summer grasses. Pour yourself a farmhouse ale or dry cider for this suave fromage.
snip
9 Cheeses You've Never Heard of But Need to Try Immediately
https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/underrated-types-of-cheeseEven if you're a self-proclaimed cheese lover, odds are you could still stand expand your cheese horizons. If you’re limiting yourself to the safety net of basic Brie, block Cheddar, and smoked Gouda, your lactose game is lacking. There are over 400 types of cheese just in France alone -- and even America has really upped its artisan cheese game in recent years. Step out of your comfort zone and into the cheese shop! Let’s get you started with these nine cheeses you’ve probably never heard of but definitely need to try.
Campo de Montalbán
If you love the smooth, nuttiness of Spanish manchego, then you have got to treat yourself to Campo de Montalbán. While manchego is made of pure sheep’s milk, Campo is a triple threat combination of cow’s, goat’s, and sheep’s milk. It’s buttery and meltable with a fruity body and a clean finish. Treat yourself to some tapas and pair this Spanish wedge with Marcona almonds, dried figs, and a bright red.
Gjetost
Gjetost, pronounced yeh-toast, is a traditional brown cheese from Norway that tastes like butterscotch and sticks to the roof of your mouth like peanut butter. It’s made with whey, the liquid leftover when milk becomes cheese, boiled until the liquid reduces and the sugars caramelize, then formed into rectangular blocks. The result is a sweet, tangy treat that melts into silk in your mouth. Slice thin and layer on to hot toast with strawberry jam for a PB&J that will blow you away.
Ossau-Iraty
This rich sheep’s milk cheese from the French Pyrenees mountains will seduce you into addiction. Legend has it this cheese was one of the first ever made. The recipe even predates the English language. It’s pretty obvious how Ossau-Iraty has stood the test of time, too. It’s as smooth as satin and bursting with full flavors of toasted almonds and lush summer grasses. Pour yourself a farmhouse ale or dry cider for this suave fromage.
snip
September 7, 2020
Rep. @mattgaetz invited a white supremacist to the State of the Union, attempted to intimidate a
federal witness, and endorsed a sociopathic bigot who applauded the deaths of migrants for congress. I just donated to his opponent
@PhilEhr
https://ehrforcongress.com
https://twitter.com/MrJonCryer/status/1302326518325022720
https://twitter.com/MrJonCryer/status/1302443012832686081
https://twitter.com/MrJonCryer/status/1302444408961294336
GOP lawmaker condemned for inviting Holocaust denier to State of the Union
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/01/state-of-the-union-matt-gaetz-charles-johnson
A Florida congressman is under fire for inviting a Holocaust denier to the State of the Union on Tuesday.
Matt Gaetz, a first-term Florida Republican, insisted that he gave the ticket to Charles C Johnson only by happenstance, telling the Daily Beast that the notorious alt-right troll just “showed up at my office” on the day of the speech.
The Anti-Defamation League wrote an open letter to Gaetz denouncing his choice to invite Johnson and urging the politician to cut ties with him. “It is an insult to the memories of those killed in the Holocaust, to their families, and to the Jewish community to bring to the State of the Union as your guest a Holocaust denier,” the group said.
Johnson, who was permanently banned from Twitter in 2015 after asking for help “taking out” a Black Lives Matter activist, denied the Holocaust in a 2017 Reddit Ask Me Anything. “I do not and never have believed the six million figure,” he said. “I think the Red Cross numbers of 250,000 dead in the camps from typhus are more realistic.” Johnson also added that he thought the second world war was the result of “the efforts of communism to spread itself throughout the world”.
snip
September 7, 2020
London is not only misrecognising the EU in its ‘no deal’ brinkmanship on Brexit. It is misrecognising the UK.
https://www.socialeurope.eu/johnsons-folie-de-grandeur
The UK government is once again threatening to walk away from negotiations on its future relationships with the European Union. Not only that: via anonymous briefings to credulous journalists, it has made two specific threats. The first is to pass domestic legislation which would override the Withdrawal Agreement it signed last year, specifically the Northern Ireland protocol. This was designed to allow EU law to prevail on state aid in Northern Ireland and mandates customs paperwork for goods exchanged between the region and the rest of the UK. Downing Street insiders have briefed that they will provocatively supersede it, ‘in full cognisance that this will breach international law’. The second threat is to impose restrictions on EU-based firms which try to raise finance in the global markets via London. According to the Sunday Express, a right-wing, pro-Brexit newspaper, ‘a dossier is being considered by Downing Street proposing that the EU could be punished for refusing to strike a deal by limiting access to being able to raise money on the London financial markets’.
Crunch point
The purpose of both threats is clear. Negotiations between the UK and EU have reached a crunch point but the differences are resolvable. There are two issues: one emotive, one major. The emotive issue is fishing rights. Since this is a straight question of quotas, any trained negotiator will tell you that it can be solved. The major issue is state aid. A Britain which for ideological reasons has always opposed public support for the private sector has suddenly discovered the desire to subsidise tech companies. As with all negotiations involving the prime minister, Boris Johnson, the bluff and bluster for Sunday papers is designed, first, for domestic consumption and, secondly, to confuse the negotiating partner.
My hunch is that Johnson will—at some point—stage a walkout, declaring a ‘no-deal’ Brexit, as a device to gain marginal advantage on fish, state aid or Northern Ireland. The two threats issued over the past days are designed to provide a casus belli for such a walkout. The Covid-19 slump has convinced many Tories that they can ‘bury’ the cost of a no-deal shock beneath the cost to the exchequer of dealing with the virus. The UK’s budget deficit for 2020 is predicted to be £320 billion—up from £57 billion last year. With deficits running at double the previously predicted figures for the next five years, the UK will end up with a ratio of debt to gross domestic product above 100 per cent. So no deal is a gesture they are prepared to make, even if only for the chance to shore up Johnson’s electoral base, which has been crumbling due to his disastrous handling of the pandemic.
‘Sovereignty’
But the underlying problem for the UK, as the Tories are finding out the hard way, is ‘sovereignty’. The slogan ‘take back control’ was what motivated 52 per cent of its citizens to support Leave in the 2016 referendum, and the promise of it helped Johnson to a landslide in the Westminster election last December. The mantra—‘take back control of our money, our borders and our laws’—has been drilled into Tory politicians. Yet ‘sovereignty’ no longer resides in money, borders or even laws. It exists in a reality constructed out of standards—in technology, trade, finance, agriculture, intellectual property and consumer goods—which in the EU are shared. Under John’s predecessor, Theresa May, the Tory dream was that, by breaking free of all mutually agreed standards, the UK could become ‘Singapore on Thames’. It would be a low-tax, deregulated economy leveraging its advantage against a more regulated and more redistributive EU—not just in finance but in technology, research, services and manufacturing.
snip
Johnson's folie de grandeur
London is not only misrecognising the EU in its ‘no deal’ brinkmanship on Brexit. It is misrecognising the UK.
https://www.socialeurope.eu/johnsons-folie-de-grandeur
The UK government is once again threatening to walk away from negotiations on its future relationships with the European Union. Not only that: via anonymous briefings to credulous journalists, it has made two specific threats. The first is to pass domestic legislation which would override the Withdrawal Agreement it signed last year, specifically the Northern Ireland protocol. This was designed to allow EU law to prevail on state aid in Northern Ireland and mandates customs paperwork for goods exchanged between the region and the rest of the UK. Downing Street insiders have briefed that they will provocatively supersede it, ‘in full cognisance that this will breach international law’. The second threat is to impose restrictions on EU-based firms which try to raise finance in the global markets via London. According to the Sunday Express, a right-wing, pro-Brexit newspaper, ‘a dossier is being considered by Downing Street proposing that the EU could be punished for refusing to strike a deal by limiting access to being able to raise money on the London financial markets’.
Crunch point
The purpose of both threats is clear. Negotiations between the UK and EU have reached a crunch point but the differences are resolvable. There are two issues: one emotive, one major. The emotive issue is fishing rights. Since this is a straight question of quotas, any trained negotiator will tell you that it can be solved. The major issue is state aid. A Britain which for ideological reasons has always opposed public support for the private sector has suddenly discovered the desire to subsidise tech companies. As with all negotiations involving the prime minister, Boris Johnson, the bluff and bluster for Sunday papers is designed, first, for domestic consumption and, secondly, to confuse the negotiating partner.
My hunch is that Johnson will—at some point—stage a walkout, declaring a ‘no-deal’ Brexit, as a device to gain marginal advantage on fish, state aid or Northern Ireland. The two threats issued over the past days are designed to provide a casus belli for such a walkout. The Covid-19 slump has convinced many Tories that they can ‘bury’ the cost of a no-deal shock beneath the cost to the exchequer of dealing with the virus. The UK’s budget deficit for 2020 is predicted to be £320 billion—up from £57 billion last year. With deficits running at double the previously predicted figures for the next five years, the UK will end up with a ratio of debt to gross domestic product above 100 per cent. So no deal is a gesture they are prepared to make, even if only for the chance to shore up Johnson’s electoral base, which has been crumbling due to his disastrous handling of the pandemic.
‘Sovereignty’
But the underlying problem for the UK, as the Tories are finding out the hard way, is ‘sovereignty’. The slogan ‘take back control’ was what motivated 52 per cent of its citizens to support Leave in the 2016 referendum, and the promise of it helped Johnson to a landslide in the Westminster election last December. The mantra—‘take back control of our money, our borders and our laws’—has been drilled into Tory politicians. Yet ‘sovereignty’ no longer resides in money, borders or even laws. It exists in a reality constructed out of standards—in technology, trade, finance, agriculture, intellectual property and consumer goods—which in the EU are shared. Under John’s predecessor, Theresa May, the Tory dream was that, by breaking free of all mutually agreed standards, the UK could become ‘Singapore on Thames’. It would be a low-tax, deregulated economy leveraging its advantage against a more regulated and more redistributive EU—not just in finance but in technology, research, services and manufacturing.
snip
September 6, 2020
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/uber-mask-policy-selfie-verification-tool
Face coverings have become the accessory of 2020. And since you're already flexing that overpriced Supreme mask in the name of safety and style for the 'gram, it shouldn't be too much of an ask to take that selfie to the Uber app, as well.
The ride-share company had already implemented a mask policy back in May, but now, you might have to show actual proof of your PPE. Uber's new verification technology, which already rolled out earlier this summer for drivers, will now also require customers to snap a selfie and confirm they're following that mask mandate, as well.
"We require all Uber users to wear a mask when driving, riding, or delivering," global head of safety product Sachin Kansal told Thrillist via email Tuesday. "That's why we're introducing this new mask verification feature into the rider app this month. We believe it will add another layer of safety and hope this new feature empowers drivers -- their feedback can help keep the platform safe for everyone."
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDzToIHpxlI/
This doesn't necessarily mean you have to start each ride with a selfie, but should your driver report you mask-less, the app will then prompt you on future trips to use the verification tool. The technology will officially land in apps as part of a US and Canada-wide rollout by the end of September and is slated to arrive in Latin America and other countries thereafter. "As always, riders and drivers are free to cancel a trip, without penalty, if the other person isn’t wearing a mask," Uber said in a press release.
snip
MAGAt rage in 10, 9, 8, 7, .........
Uber Could Make You Submit a Mask Selfie Before Your Next Ride
Be a decent human & wear a mask.https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/uber-mask-policy-selfie-verification-tool
Face coverings have become the accessory of 2020. And since you're already flexing that overpriced Supreme mask in the name of safety and style for the 'gram, it shouldn't be too much of an ask to take that selfie to the Uber app, as well.
The ride-share company had already implemented a mask policy back in May, but now, you might have to show actual proof of your PPE. Uber's new verification technology, which already rolled out earlier this summer for drivers, will now also require customers to snap a selfie and confirm they're following that mask mandate, as well.
"We require all Uber users to wear a mask when driving, riding, or delivering," global head of safety product Sachin Kansal told Thrillist via email Tuesday. "That's why we're introducing this new mask verification feature into the rider app this month. We believe it will add another layer of safety and hope this new feature empowers drivers -- their feedback can help keep the platform safe for everyone."
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDzToIHpxlI/
This doesn't necessarily mean you have to start each ride with a selfie, but should your driver report you mask-less, the app will then prompt you on future trips to use the verification tool. The technology will officially land in apps as part of a US and Canada-wide rollout by the end of September and is slated to arrive in Latin America and other countries thereafter. "As always, riders and drivers are free to cancel a trip, without penalty, if the other person isn’t wearing a mask," Uber said in a press release.
snip
MAGAt rage in 10, 9, 8, 7, .........
September 6, 2020
I am consistently impressed at Cillizza's ability to be worse than I expect him to be
https://twitter.com/KevinMKruse/status/1302338584368893953
September 5, 2020
https://www.nationofchange.org/2020/09/04/americas-rubicon-moment/
Otherwise put: Is Donald Trump a thinly disguised fascist? Is he a waddling wannabe who probably will be if he wins a second term in November? That’s the question a friend of mine recently raised when he compared Trump to Benito Mussolini: “just like Mussolini,” he said, “our President is bombastic and arrogant.” I was stunned. Not so much at the comparison, but rather at who made it. The person in question is no wild-eyed radical. On the contrary, he attended Union Theological Seminary as a young man. He is by nature mild mannered and charitable. His political views can best be described as moderate and scrupulously fair.
All of which got me to thinking. Is there more to a Trump-Mussolini comparison than meets the eye? It’s hardly a secret that Trump is “bombastic and arrogant”. At least in this one respect Trump’s public persona is much like that of Benito Mussolini, the founder of Italy’s National Fascist Party. But is there more? So I decided to dig a little deeper. Here is what I found after merely scratching the surface of what is clearly fertile ground for future research. The similarities in use of weaponized words and hate speech to manipulate the masses is striking.
snip
America's Rubicon moment
Is Donald a duck?https://www.nationofchange.org/2020/09/04/americas-rubicon-moment/
Otherwise put: Is Donald Trump a thinly disguised fascist? Is he a waddling wannabe who probably will be if he wins a second term in November? That’s the question a friend of mine recently raised when he compared Trump to Benito Mussolini: “just like Mussolini,” he said, “our President is bombastic and arrogant.” I was stunned. Not so much at the comparison, but rather at who made it. The person in question is no wild-eyed radical. On the contrary, he attended Union Theological Seminary as a young man. He is by nature mild mannered and charitable. His political views can best be described as moderate and scrupulously fair.
All of which got me to thinking. Is there more to a Trump-Mussolini comparison than meets the eye? It’s hardly a secret that Trump is “bombastic and arrogant”. At least in this one respect Trump’s public persona is much like that of Benito Mussolini, the founder of Italy’s National Fascist Party. But is there more? So I decided to dig a little deeper. Here is what I found after merely scratching the surface of what is clearly fertile ground for future research. The similarities in use of weaponized words and hate speech to manipulate the masses is striking.
Mussolini
Mussolini expressed contempt for the very idea of an independent press:
Italian journalism is free because it serves one cause and one purpose… mine!
Mussolini expressed contempt for the very idea of an independent press:
Italian journalism is free because it serves one cause and one purpose… mine!
Trump
Trump echoes Mussolini’s disdain for a free press.
There is great anger in our Country cause in part by inaccurate, and even fraudulent, reporting of the new. The Fake News Media, the true Enemy of the People must stop the open & obvious hostility & report the news accurately & fairly.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2018
Trump echoes Mussolini’s disdain for a free press.
There is great anger in our Country cause in part by inaccurate, and even fraudulent, reporting of the new. The Fake News Media, the true Enemy of the People must stop the open & obvious hostility & report the news accurately & fairly.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2018
snip
September 5, 2020
Relax @IlhanMN, it's just a meme.
what the actual fuck!!!!
https://twitter.com/mtgreenee/status/1301942062938550274
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