#i don’t have an urge to see most places like japan the UK and all that.. idk

[housecow]

Would you want to travel sometime in the future? Not just the US, but the world in general? Europe for instance.

yes!! i actually have a trip to italy set up for next year :)) idk about much more than that, grad school will be a massive time commitment but… i will get to do some traveling due to the nature of the program, sooo 🥳

i’d love to visit germany, too!! so many cool fossils, i very much want to see the solnhofen limestone and the associated museums—where the first beautifully preserved archaeopteryx was found!!!

also, as a personal goal. i wanna go to mongolia…… i am a huge fan of wide open space and i want to eat horse in their native habitat

[natromanxoff]

Queen live at Hyde Park in London, UK - September 18, 1976 (Part-1)

An interesting bit about the Hyde Park gig (thanks to Jane Palm-Gold): "The white boiler suit Fred wore coming onstage was especially chosen by him so that he could be seen from miles away (because white stands out at a distance) and even better (and this is great but you have to know this place really - a London landmark for many years) it was acquired at Lawrence Corner at Euston (!), a tatty second hand clothes /hire place where a lot of clothes /outfits were hired from for band promo shoots - for instance they had a lot of military stuff there."

(x)

After the success of A Night At The Opera (and not to mention how the weekly Sounds readers' poll elected the band #1 in the best album, best single, and best band categories), Queen wanted to pay the British fans back for back their loyalty and support over the last few years. Whilst in Japan earlier in the year, they came up with the idea to stage a massive free concert. With the help of record industry entrepreneur Richard Branson (creator of Virgin Records/megastores) they started making plans for the Hyde Park show, which turned into a mini tour along with the Edinburgh and Cardiff shows. It is estimated that between 150-200 thousand people turned up at Hyde Park, which is still a record for the venue to this day. This show cemented their position in the top bracket of rock bands. The stage used was the same stage that was constructed for the Rolling Stones concert at the Knebworth Fair a few weeks earlier. 

Queen's first huge show at home brought certain areas of London to a grinding halt, and space on public transportation was at a premium. The concert took place on the anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death. A banner hung from a tree that read "Hendrix Lives," and at one point in the show Brian May noticed it with much appreciation. The band are seen in the photos above arriving at the venue, where they were joined backstage by Pink Floyd's Roger Waters. Supercharge, Steve Hillage, Rufus, and Kiki Dee (along with a cardboard cut-out of Elton John, who couldn't make it to join her for Don't Go Breaking My Heart) played before Queen (Be-Bop Deluxe and John Miles were supposed to be on the bill as well, but were axed for some reason). A pro-shot video of Steve Hillage's performance exists as well as Queen's. There was a fight in the audience during Hillage's set, during which he played extended trippy versions of It's All Too Much by The Beatles and Hurdy Gurdy Man by Donovan. Also notable is Supercharge's singer Albie Donnelly parodying Freddie Mercury in a white leotard and a half mic stand. The first half of the A Day At The Races overture is aired publicly for the first time (the upcoming album had been partially recorded by this point). The usual Bohemian Rhapsody opening sequence then commences for the last time. The band make their entrance, and everybody near the stage stands up (the audience had been seated on the grass for the opening acts). This angers many fans who are further back (roughly 90% of the audience now cannot see the stage), so they start lobbing cans, bottles, or whatever else that can be thrown. After a few songs, Freddie asks everyone simply to calm down: "I have been requested by the constabulary for you not to throw little things around, tin cans or whatever. So make this a peaceful event, ok? Sit on your arses and listen." Brian, after his solo spot in Brighton Rock (he stutters a bit, revealing that he's still nervous): “From one piece of nonsense to another, I’ve said it before. This is something we wanted to do with the London Philharmonic but they didn’t show up, so we will do the ethnic version of a song called '39." He is seen in a dazzling new outfit tonight, which he'd wear every night through Japan 1979. It would become the outfit he'd change into during the opera section of Bohemian Rhapsody. "Clap along and stuff," he urges the audience, as he plays the intro of what he'd later describe as the first song about Einstein's general theory of relativity. After '39, Freddie audaciously performs the as-of-yet unreleased You Take My Breath Away alone on the piano, even hitting many of the falsetto notes that he'd excise in 1977 versions. He then gets cheeky and introduces The Prophet's Song as "a little shorter number from our album A Night At The Opera." Perhaps he still had You Take My Breath Away in his head, as he begins the a cappella section with what would become the first line of the A Day At The Races ballad instead of the usual "oh, people can you hear me?" bit. He also references Death On Two Legs, as he had done a few times earlier in the year. After Stone Cold Crazy, the band play Keep Yourself Alive and Liar, having dropped Doing All Right and Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon from the set. The combination of these three heavy numbers would prove to be very effective, and they would stick with it for their following North American tour. Liar is a great version, with many great Mercuryisms throughout. Before the last song, Brian coyly says, "This is In The Lap Of The Gods, or something like that." The band play a similar set to the ones they did in Edinburgh and Cardiff, except they drop Doing All Right, Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon and Tie Your Mother Down. They intended to perform their usual encore of Big Spender and Jailhouse Rock, but the show had run a half hour past its scheduled ending time (a curfew strictly enforced by the authorities). The police threatened to arrest the band if they went back on stage, and Freddie was later quoted saying how he would prefer not to be stuck in a jail cell in his leotard. And so, Bob Harris was left with the unenviable task of announcing to the crowd that the show was over. He later recalled how difficult and nerve-wracking it was to tell an audience of this size who had waited for about ten hours that there would be no encore. Now I'm Here was the first encore every night around this time, making this the one time between 1974 and 1986 where the song is not performed. The liner notes of Live Killers suggest that Now I'm Here was dropped from the set for a while, but that is patently untrue. People in one section of the audience chanted "Why are we waiting," all in good fun, knowing full well the show was over. The police soon turned off the main power feed to the park, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to make their way out in sheer darkness. Their reasoning was that it was the only way to "control" such a large number of people who had been rowdy throughout the day. In a 1977 interview with Capital Radio, Brian recalls the day: "It had a great sunny day for it, and everyone had a good time. There were still altercations on the day, and there was a big thing with the powers that be because they wouldn't let us go on and do the encore, about which we were very upset, having worked up for months and prepared for all that. They got very frightened because there were 150,000 people in Hyde Park in the dark, and they thought they were going to get out of hand. But in fact, there was no possible danger happening at all. Everyone was peaceful and having a good time."

This show is what epitomized their popularity in Britain, and when they felt they "had really made it," as Brian would later recall. On another occasion he said, "I think that Hyde Park was one of the most significant gigs in our career. There was a great affection because we'd kind of made it in a lot of countries by that time, but England was still, you know, we weren't really sure if we were really acceptable here. So it was a wonderful feeling to come back and see that crowd and get that response." Despite the fact that the audience had been there all day watching the various opening acts and waiting, the band delayed the show as long as possible just so it could get dark enough for their lighting and various other effects to make their full impact (as demanded by Freddie). Throughout the show, the band's nervousness and excitement for the occasion are evident. Most of the audience couldn't see a thing during Queen's set, since the stage was barely elevated. "The smell of the dry ice and the sound are the only sensory memories I have of this show," recalls Jane Palm-Gold. Here is an article from the day of the show, 

and a review from a week later (both were submitted by Boris Arkhangelsky).

Tonight would be the final performances of Flick Of The Wrist, Son And Daughter, and the (almost) full The Prophet's Song. A snippet of The March Of The Black Queen would be performed only once more in 1978, but a different part of the song.

Here is  a Virgin Records flyer.

The second pic is the famous overhead shot that appeared in the October 9, 1976 Melody Maker. Pic 5 was submitted by Janneman,  and pics 6 and 7 were submitted by Lukáš Bosík.

Fan Stories

“Well, I was 13 years old and had got into Queen through Night At The Opera and THAT video. I'd never been to a gig before and it took a lot of convincing of a sceptical mother to let me go to Hyde Park on my own. After answering the inevitable "no, I won't talk to strange men mum" questions I was allowed to go. The morning came and I was up at 6am, got my packed lunch together (can you imagine going off to a gig now with your sandwiches and orange juice!) and headed off to Hyde Park. I remember getting there so early that I was right by the crash barriers at the front and determined to try and hold my spot all day. As the day progeressed however I ended upmoving backwards slowly as people pushed in. I can remember savouring the whole build up, the support bands, everything. As dusk started to fall, the stage went dark and the dry ice started up. I broke my mums don't talk to strangers bit and a very nice bloke put me up on his shoulders so I could see them come on. I just remember the crash of light and sound as they came on as if it was yesterday (and not 27 years ago!). The rest of the gig was amazing and that was it, I was hooked on Queen and rock music. I saw Queen on every tour they ever did in England (and a few in Europe) after that but nothing compares to that first gig for me.” 

- Andy

Part-2

Part-3

[patheticphallacy]

This is going to be a really difficult introduction to my wrap up.

Unfortunately, on September 18th my dad passed away. He was only 50 years old. I won’t go into details because of how personal it is, but he was in hospital a majority of the month before he passed. I’ve taken a year suspension from University for the time being.

It has been a really difficult time for myself and my family. I’ve turned a lot to books and blogging to offer a way to occupy my mind which is why so many things still seem to be coming out, but I cannot say that this will hold up after the funeral.

As I schedule so many posts, a lot of what came out this month has been written since around mid August and I did not find the time to stop the University posts before they were released. I won’t be deleting them.

I hope you’ll all understand.

THINGS I’VE READ

    An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley– My sister gave me her copy she used for her GCSE’s. Such a great play with revelation after revelation, left me on the edge of my seat. While I knew the core plot twist, I didn’t predict that ending. 

Mob Psycho 100 Volume 1 by One– This was kind of meh. It’s one of my best friend’s favourites, so I’ll carry it on eventually, but I don’t really feel the urge to pick volume two up just yet. I will say I like how the anime tackles the same events in a different order to save major revelations for backstory– that was really interesting to pick up on. 

I Call Upon Thee by Ania Ahlborn– I really didn’t like this! Lacklustre and very cliched, feel like it doesn’t really offer anything other than annoying ending and characters who go through absolutely no development at all. 

Kissing Tolstoy by Penny Reid– An OK romance that actually has discussions surrounding reading and books that don’t feel forced. I found this easy to read even though I’ve never read any Russian Lit, and I actually want to read it more now. Like that it discusses age gaps and issues of the power dynamic too. 

    Seven Tears at High Tide by C.B. Lee– Finally finished this one, and it only took me 3 months. A very cute and heartwarming story about a boy who makes a wish and falls in love with a Selkie. Does get ridiculous at the end, I must say, but I was happy with the payoff. 

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill– Katie O’Neill creates such amazing narratives that have wonderful messages about society and being true to yourself and your wishes, pursuing something that you love and encouraging others to do the same. 

Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin– How can I ever trust a single man or old person after this book? Tell me. 

Please Undo This Hurt by Seth Dickinson– Don’t really rate this short story. It bored me and I hated the main characters, not even in a good way. Just perpetuates the ‘I can save you from your mental illness’ narrative that is dull and overdone by this point. 

    My Hero Academia Volume 20 by Kohei Horikoshi– Gentle Criminal and La Brava was so boring, the School Festival arc was fabulous, and Endeavor finally got his ass kicked! Yay! 

Aphrodite Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer– I have a review of this coming out soon for National Poetry Day in the UK, but if you don’t want to wait, I have a review here!

The Quiet Boy by Nick Antosca– I read this after watching the trailer for Antlers, and I thought it was pretty neat! Very thrilling, although I’m bothered by changes being made in the film that I feel could detract from having Julia as one of the main characters in the film. 

I Am Not Your Final Girl by Claire C. Holland– A collection of poetry centring around fictional women from horror films, exploring their empowerment and agency in a genre and a wider culture and society that seems willing to beat them down until they break. 

Alice Isn’t Dead by Joseph Fink– I have a review of this linked later this post! Full of body horror and emotional trauma, this is a really solid read great for fans of the podcast and Welcome to Night Vale. 

    In the Shadow of Spindrift House by Mira Grant– I love this terrible cover! Keep an eye out for my review of this, it’s coming out soon. 

The World’s Greatest First Love Volume 1 by Shungiku Nakamura– The publishing elements and the main character were GREAT, but there is prevalent sexual assault in this that is never addressed and is incredibly insensitive in its treatment, so I don’t recommend this manga. 

Dead Voices by Katherine Arden– I didn’t enjoy this one as much as Small Spaces, but it’s still really freaky and a great middle grade read. I love that Coco gets her own POV in this, too, and that it doesn’t take stereotypical routes with some of its plotlines. 

No One Is Too Small To Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg– This is a collection of speeches Greta Thunberg has made addressing climate change, as well as her own position as an advocate for the cause. Moving and a must read, in my opinion. It’s only £3 in Waterstones at the moment for anyone who wants to pick it up!

    Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury– A fascinating collection of essays written by Bradbury about his writing process and some of the more popular works he’s published. I honestly felt really inspired and motivated after reading this, I highly recommend it especially for creative writers, but just be warned it is very oriented around the white male experience.

Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman– I adore Heartstopper and I love this second volume. Great progression in the relationship between Nick and Charlie, and we’re getting to see more outside of their relationship and into their friendships and family dynamics, too. I still love Tori Spring!

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle– Finally got a hold of the MASSIVE audiobook where Stephen Fry narrates all the Holmes stories, and it honestly made the experience so much more enjoyable. I think Doyle’s skill lies more in shorter fiction than longer fiction, I think there’s less opportunity for… not useless, per se, just unneeded waffling. 

Giant Days Volume 9 and 10 by John Allison– These two volumes take place around the tailend of the girl’s second years and follows their accommodation location, the progression (and breakdown) of relationships, and them finally making it to third year intact. I honestly can’t believe there’s only three or four volumes left in this series, its been a constant companion for me since 2016 when I first started and I really don’t want to let it go. 

  No Touching At All and Even So, I Will Love You Tenderly by Kou Yoneda– Of the ‘older’ manga I’ve read that focus on the relationships between two men, these two are definitely in the ‘recommend’ pile. Other than the beautiful names for the volumes and the artwork being really pretty, I really enjoyed the developing relationships and the conversations had about workplace homophobia and ostracization in Japan, although that wasn’t the main focus. They do include some questionable attitudes towards identification of sexuality– two characters in both volumes are probably bisexual or on that spectrum, but are referred to as straight more than once for liking women and only the man they enter the relationship with. It’s complicated, but nothing in either volumes ever feels targeted or hateful, just lacking education on the nuances of sexuality. 

Articles

I found this article about Friends great as it breaks down issues I’ve had with the show for years. I don’t have a lot of attachment to it, honestly, I mostly just put it on in the background, but I think I’ll stop now. I’ve always found the handling of gender and sexuality damaging in Friends, as well as the overwhelming fatphobia.

I really enjoyed looking through this list The Guardian did of the 100 best books of the 21st century. I don’t know why, I’m just a big fan of lists!

Before reading this article, I can honestly tell you I knew nothing about Susan Sontag beyond her name. It’s deconstructing her queerness and how her aversion to accepting her own sexuality ultimately ruled a lot of the work she produced in her life.

God, this article was fascinating. I can’t even tell you what it’s about, really, other than that it’s an interview with Christeene, a punk drag artist who is just really cool, honestly. There are some buttholes for anyone who… wants to avoid butts? Or reading this at work?

There was a massive conversation in August that carried into September regarding the rise in men adopting pseudonyms to get their thriller novels published. This Atlantic article particularly captured the issues I have with men who do this, who are almost trying to fool an audience of women who trust women writers to not approach the suffering of women through a misogynistic lens, as is so common in modern society.

An older article by The New Inquiry, Coming out of the Coffin offers an insight into the fraught relationship between Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde. A really interesting read, I’m just sad I discovered it 7 years after its release!

THINGS I WATCHED

I don’t do music sections on these wrap ups anymore, so I’ll put this here: the GRAACE cover of ‘Complicated’ by Avril Lavigne completely transforms the song and adds such an amazing depth to it

I decided to binge watch Fleabag and it’s most definitely the best decision I’ve made all year. Fleabag follows the titular woman as she navigates her life as a thirty year old woman whose entire life is in flux, and has been since the death of her mother. There’s a lot I could say about this show, honestly. What really stood out to me was how much I could relate specifically to the emotions Fleabag and her older sister Claire feel in relation to each other, and their grief. Seeing them still come back together even after such a significant loss, their dependency, really gives me strength to get through what I’m experiencing at the moment, so Fleabag has been something I can relate to and look at as hope for a future where I can begin to wrap my head around the terrible things going on around me.

THINGS I POSTED

August Wrap Up

TTT: Books Outside My Comfort Zone

50 Bookish Questions Tag

Music I Enjoyed This Summer

Connie’s Personal 101 Guide For Personal Survival of University

Bookshelf Tour Part 3: TBR & More Manga/Comics

Book Review: I Call Upon Thee by Ania Ahlborn

TTT: Books on my Fall TBR

Book Review: Alice Isn’t Dead by Joseph Fink

Bookshelf Tour Part 4: CDs&DVDs

If you liked this post, consider buying me a coffee? Ko-Fi. 

Goodreads|Twitter|Instagram|Letterboxd

September Wrap Up This is going to be a really difficult introduction to my wrap up. Unfortunately, on September 18th my dad passed away.

[covid19updater]

COVID19 Updates: 09/08/2021

RUMINT (US):  A friend of mine posted tonight on social media about a friend of hers who had died. The woman was very young, and no cause of death was listed, so my first thought was that it was some sort of tragic accident. I went to the Go Fund Me that was linked, and it turned out she died of Covid. The woman was young (under 30, I think), wore masks, and was fully vaxxed. She left behind two young kids. She was a fit, healthy-looking young woman. I don't know anything about whether there were underlying conditions or not, but her family and friends all seemed quite shocked by her passing. The Go Fund Me was to provide something for her children. Every time I listen to someone like Chris Martenson, or others like him, who say that Delta is actually not as bad as the media makes it sound, I almost become convinced ... until I hear something like this, and it reminds me that this variant is infecting and sometimes killing young, cautious, vaxxed people.

World:  Study: Mu variant is more vaccine evading "Mu variant is highly resistant to sera from..[Pfizer]-vaccinated individuals. Direct comparison of different spike proteins revealed that Mu spike is more resistant ..than all other currently recognized variants LINK

World: Op/Ed:  Remember: the desensitization to death and suffering that the 1918 flu brought paved the way for fascism in the 1920s and 1930s.

Europe:  Notices of Liability for COVID-19 Vaccine Harms and Deaths Served on All Members of the European Parliament LINK

India:  New "Pandemic Potential" Brain-Destroying-Virus With 75% Death Rate Spreading In India LINK

US:  U.S. COVID update: Many states reporting holiday weekend backlogs - New cases: 303,843 - Average: 154,645 (+19,837) - In hospital: 100,700 (+434) - In ICU: 26,094 (+84) - New deaths: 2,265

Australia:  #Australia's 1,721 new #Covid19 cases is the second worst ever total, almost 500 up on last Weds. 1,480 infections in #NSW, 221 in #Victoria while #ACT has the other 20. Today was also 2nd highest daily death toll for 364 days as another 10 fall victim to #Coronavirus

World:  Some people have 'superhuman' ability to fight off COVID-19, study finds LINK

Germany:  TOP GERMAN PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIAL SAYS  IF WE DO NOT VACCINATE MORE PEOPLE, THE FOURTH WAVE OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC COULD HAVE A MASSIVE MOMENTUM THIS FALL

Japan:  THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT IS SOLIDIFYING ITS PLANS TO PROLONG THE STATE OF EMERGENCY IN MOST PLACES UNTIL THE END OF SEPTEMBER - NHK

Czech Republic:  The Czech Republic on Wednesday recorded 588 new cases of COVID-19, the highest daily tally since May 25, as government officials predict a continued rise in cases;

Europe:  EMA: ASTRAZENECA COVID-19 VACCINE PRODUCT INFORMATION WILL BE UPDATED WITH GUILLAIN-BARRÉ SYNDROME (GBS) AS A SIDE EFFECT

Germany:  The head of Germany’s CDC, Lothar Wieler, warned of a drastic 4th coronavirus wave this fall as the number of Covid ICU patients, many of them younger, has nearly doubled in the past two weeks. Wieler, who leads the Robert Koch-Institute, urged Germans to get vaccinated.

Ukraine:  Ukraine could tighten lockdown restrictions as COVID-19 picture worsens LINK

Idaho:  Idaho hospitals begin rationing health care amid COVID-19 surge LINK

Missouri:  St. Louis children's hospitals near capacity, and not just from COVID LINK

South Korea:  S.Korea planning to live 'more normally' with COVID-19 after October LINK

California:  California’s Central Valley overwhelmed by COVID-19 Delta surge LINK

US:  Just Say It: The Health Care System Has Collapsed LINK

World:  Bad news on #MuVariant—Japanese scientists: "Mu variant is highly resistant to sera from convalescent & [Pfizer]-vaccinated people. Direct comparison of different spike proteins revealed that Mu spike is more resistant…than all other current variants”

Canada:  Alberta nurses say government is scaling back its pay cut proposal amid fourth wave of COVID-19 LINK

Kansas:  Kansas data doesn’t reflect reality as COVID-19 rips through schools LINK

Vermont:  FBI opens criminal probe into 3 troopers over fake Covid-19 vaccination cards LINK

Texas:  Texas Hospital Reports 50 Mu COVID Cases As Delta's Dominance Continues LINK

Indiana:  Union Hospital emergency rooms are filling up with patients LINK

Mississippi:  Nurse walkouts possible statewide as COVID-19 takes a toll on healthcare professionals LINK

US:  From Alaska To Idaho And Beyond, Covid Surges Stress Hospital Systems LINK

Hawaii:  DOH, HAH COVID efforts give hospitals a couple weeks before reaching “crisis point” DOH Director Elizabeth Char, MD, and HAH President and CEO Hilton Raethel shared a joint presentation to the Committee, noting that Hawaii exceeded its ICU bed capacity as of Friday. LINK

US:  COVID Now Leading Cause of Death Among Law Enforcement LINK

Wisconsin:  Wisconsin reports more than 1,000 COVID-19 hospital patients for the first time since January LINK

Colorado:  Nursing homes face staffing shortages, financial problems as they serve growing need LINK

West Virginia:  No ICU beds available: PCH at capacity with COVID-19 patients LINK

Florida:  At West Boca Medical Center, 32 Kids Admitted Over Seven Days For COVID LINK

US:  252,000 children test positive for COVID-19 in past week as classes resume LINK

Washington:  A Washington county has approved an emergency declaration to bring in a refrigeration trailer for the bodies of COVID-19 victims that have overwhelmed the morgue LINK

World:  Why are we seeing more COVID cases in fully vaccinated people? LINK

World:  Is Covid here to stay? A survey of more than 100 scientists found a vast majority expect the coronavirus will become endemic LINK

Jamaica:  GRIEF, HORROR AND DEATH “They say we are low on oxygen, I am telling you, we are running out of medication too. What we have to be doing is writing prescriptions and giving it to the family to fill because there is this great demand for these products” LINK

RUMINT (US):  OK. So now a first for me. TBH, previously I've known no one directly who has died either of the covid19 or the trial vaccination. Now that has changed. 26 year old mum, has child of 9 months, died three days after trial vaccination. Foremost it's a tradgedy for her & close ones.

World:  COVID-19 created lots of supply chain problems — and they're nowhere close to being solved LINK

US:  Supply chain issues impacting ports in Pacific Northwest LINK

World: Op/Ed:  The only thing I seem to recall re. Mu, is all the same people playing that down played Delta down for quite a while too. Perhaps Mu won't succeed. But, it seems very sensible to have the attitude, one will soon.

US:  NEW: White House signals new COVID-19 measures coming for unvaccinated Americans LINK

Canada:  814 new cases of #COVID19 announced in B.C., as the rolling average rises slightly as we continue to be in this bumpy short-term plateau. Active cases rise to 5,550, hospitalizations rise to 261, but no new deaths.

Iowa:  Iowa DPH confirms 18 cases of COVID-19 mu variant LINK

Macedonia:  15 people have reportedly been killed and more than 20 others injured in a fire at a Covid hospital in North Macedonia - #Covid #hospital #Fire

UK:   More than 50 cases of the Mu variant have been detected in the UK LINK

World: Ivermectin causes sterilization in 85 percent of men, study finds LINK

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Monday 21st May 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  Start of another week.. how quickly they come round.. We leave the house for our morning walk, after a great week end of beach time, never moving the car once.. We wander up the hill this morning, Bella catching some scent or other as she sniffs the morning air.. the little bats are wheeling and diving, mice with wings, my mother used to call them, regaling me with tales of when her sister got a bat caught in her long hair.. ah! The tales … even though there is not a cloud in the sky it feels a little humid this morning, …. Hope all is well where you are…

JAPANESE TRAIN DEPARTS 25 SECONDS EARLY – AGAIN…. A Japanese rail company has apologised after a train left a station 25 seconds early, the second such case in months. The operator said the "great inconvenience we placed upon our customers was truly inexcusable". If the details are anything to go by, customers are faced with slipping standards: a train last November left 20 seconds early while this time it was a full 25 seconds premature. As was to be expected, social media has been making the most of the story. Twitter post by @HarrisAzhari…What a shame Japan!!? Early departure for 25 second? What if I only can catch the train 4 seconds before departure!?? According to Japan Today, the train conductor thought his train was scheduled to leave Notogawa Station at 07:11 instead of the actual scheduled time of 07:12 on Friday. After closing the doors to the commuter train one minute early he realised his mistake and still could have averted the looming embarrassment. But as he couldn't spot any waiting passengers on the platform, he decided to go head and leave early - rolling out of the station 25 seconds ahead of time. Japanese trains have a reputation for extreme punctuality, and it turned out that there were indeed still people hoping to get onboard. Left on the platform, they complained to the rail operator and an official apology was issued shortly afterwards.

IS REMOVING 'ABORIGINAL' FROM BIRTH CERTIFICATES WHITEWASHING HISTORY?.... Garry Smith wants Western Australia to stop altering historical birth records. It was never a requirement, but back in the 1800s some clerks in Australia took it upon themselves to add notes about ethnicity to some birth certificates. As the BBC's Frances Mao in Sydney writes, a move to reverse that has generated a new problem. Garry Smith just wanted to complete a family tree documenting his Aboriginal heritage. However in 2013, when he retrieved the 19th Century birth certificate for his great-grandmother, he noticed a glaring omission: the word "Aboriginal" had been covered over. He asked authorities what had happened, and was told the word had been erased due to its "offensive" connotations. "Having somebody telling you it's offensive, I just stood there and felt a bit sick," he told the BBC. "Was I supposed to be embarrassed or ashamed to have Aboriginal heritage, ashamed of my father, and great grandparents?"

POPE WARNS NUNS TO USE 'SOBRIETY' ON SOCIAL MEDIA…. The Pope has issued instructions telling nuns to use social media apps "with sobriety and discretion". The document, titled Cor Orans, clarifies rules governing monastic life that were issued in 2016. It says the guidance is intended to safeguard silence and recollection. The document mentions "social communications" rather than specific apps, but Catholic newspaper the Tablet said that this referred to Facebook and Twitter among other services. The document says that discretion should apply to "the quantity of the information and the type of communication", in addition to the actual content of the media. An order of nuns in northern Spain made headlines last month after taking to social media to comment on a controversial case in Pamplona that saw a group of men accused of gang rape given what many regarded to be unduly lenient sentences. On their Facebook page (in Spanish), the Carmelite Nuns of Hondarribia defended the victim by pointing out the free choice they had made to live in a convent, to not drink alcohol or go out at night. "Because it is a FREE decision, we will defend with all means available to us (and this is one) the right of all women to FREELY do the opposite without being judged, raped, intimidated or humiliated for it," they added. The latest guidance is not thought to have come about as a result of that case; and this is not the first time the Catholic Church has issued guidelines on social media use for nuns. The original constitution on feminine monastic life, Sponsa Christi Ecclesia, was published in 1950 by Pope Pius XII, but Pope Francis expanded the document in 2016 to warn against digital culture's "decisive influence" on society. He urged nuns not to let digital media "become occasions for wasting time". The Vatican itself is a prolific tweeter. It has posted close to 15,000 messages on its news account and more than 1,500 times via the Pope's English-language official page. It also runs Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Google+ accounts.

UK PRISONS 'AWASH' WITH SMUGGLED PHONES AND SIM CARDS…. "We are also taking decisive action to find and block mobile phones" - Prison Service spokesman. At least 15,000 mobile phones or SIM cards were confiscated in English and Welsh prisons last year, equivalent to one for every six inmates. Phones are used by some prisoners to order drugs and co-ordinate criminal activity inside and outside jail. A penal reform charity said the government had failed to tackle the root of the issue. The Prison Service said improved security measures had led to more confiscations. The BBC's Shared Data Unit compared figures for the period 2010-2014 and 2017 from ministers' answers to written questions in Parliament, Freedom of Information requests to prison services in Scotland and Northern Ireland and published prison population figures. A former prison worker, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity, said: "They [mobile phones] are a huge problem - they make getting any kind of contraband in very easy. "They can sit all night with unlimited access to the internet and make voice calls. "The big part of being in jail is you are cut off and denied your liberty. With the spread of mobile phones that's completely irrelevant. "It's difficult to keep order in jail because staff are outnumbered. If prisoners don't take the authority seriously, it makes a joke out of the whole system. "People see [videos posted on social media from inside jail] and they are less frightened of jail, they think their mates are having a whale of a time." Mobile phones have been used by prisoners in recent years to orchestrate fatal revenge attacks, helped coordinate an armed, masked gang freeing a drug baron en route to court and by inmates flouting authority by broadcasting themselves live.

RUSSIA WORLD CUP: ARGENTINA 'FLIRTING MANUAL' PANNED….  The manual was issued to journalists, coaches and officials heading to the World Cup in Russia. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has been panned for including a chapter about "how to stand a chance with a Russian girl" in a manual it handed to journalists travelling to the World Cup in Russia. It recommended that journalists "look clean, smell nice and dress well" in order to impress Russian "girls". It also urged them to treat women as "someone of worth". The advice caused an outcry on social media and the AFA has since removed it. The association apologised and said that an internal investigation had found that part of the material was "printed by mistake". The controversy comes just months after the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, saw the biggest women's march in Latin America with protesters decrying rampant sexism and demanding an end to violence against women.

Well Gentle Reader I hope you enjoyed our look at the news from around the world this, Monday morning… …

Our Tulips today are just plain beautiful... if beauty can be defined as plain.....

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Monday 21st May 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[dodigitals]

HideMyAss VPN Review

HideMyAss VPN permits you to use cyberspace sort of a private network. The result? High security and access to sites around the world. opt for your virtual standing from a listing, and it’s that straightforward. HideMyAss VPN conjointly works on mobile devices in distinction to fully totally different VPN services.

HideMyAss VPN (HMA VPN) may even be associate stylish VPN supplier with associate large network of one,000+ servers in 190+ countries. throughout this text, we tend to tend to write down the HideMyAss VPN Review for you. thus lets begin.

HideMyAss VPN Review

Some of this

HideMyAss VPN (HMA VPN)

’s biggest strengths unit its simple interface, spectacular speeds, and talent to bypass geo-blocks (even Netflix’s!)

Its newest update, HideMyAss VPN (HMA VPN) Version five, includes new vogue decisions And associate auto-generated medication mode. Arguably the foremost spectacular update is its Lightning-mode feature that connects you to the quickest and highest server mechanically.

HMA VPN conjointly offers durable security; all apps unit protected by military-grade secret writing. Mac, Windows, and golem users relish extra protection from a wise kill switch. The VPN conjointly presently maintains a no-logs policy, therefore you don’t have to be compelled to worry relating to your personal knowledge being unbroken or exposed.

Downsides embody the particular truth simply} simply can’t sort of a month-by-month subscription and jointly the company’s about nice GB headquarters.

Streaming will HMA VPN Work with Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and fully totally different Services? HMA claims to be an attractive VPN for bypassing geo-blocks, likewise as Netflix’s notoriously powerful blocks. The VPN’s network even has 5 specialty servers optimized for streaming therefore you’ll be able to watch your favorite content in HD whereas not buffering delays.

I started my streaming tests by connecting to HMA’s USA servers. 3 of HMA’s specialty streaming servers unit placed within the USA that is nice for accessing USA streaming content.

I’m happy to report that i might stream Netflix on each server I tried—and the standard was sensible, too, with no insulation or buffering problems.

Next, i attempted Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and Hulu. HMA unfastened of these streaming services on behalf of pine State across multiple servers—I wasn’t blocked once.

The sole major platform I couldn’t faithfully access was Disney+. It’s a additional moderen service, however, fully totally different VPNs like NordVPN do offer access, therefore I’d prefer to see HMA maximize its game here.

HideMyAss VPN (HMA VPN) Network and Servers

HMA has 1,000+ servers across 290+ locations in 190+ countries.

This network includes 5 streaming-optimized servers based mostly completely in Federal Republic of Germany, the UK, and the US.

There also are eight P2P-optimized servers. These unit placed within the eu country, France, Germany, the eu country, the UK, and the US.

I had no issues connecting to the servers that I tested, though speeds varied across locations.

HMA VPN Speeds

I was affected with the results of my speed tests on HMA’s server network. Before connecting to HMA’s servers, I started with associate association speed of 111.10 Mbps transfer and eight.05 Mbps transfer.

Using HMA’s Lightning Connect, that mechanically connects you to the sole shut server, I connected to a district server within the great GB. The server gave American state 104.00 Mbps transfer speed and seven.79 Mbps transfer speed.

Next, I tested the speed of 1 of HMA’s streaming optimized USA servers. Despite the particular incontrovertible fact that this server was plentiful farther away than my physical location, my transfer speed alone born to one hundred and one.99 Mbps – though my transfer speed took a lot of productive.

Unfortunately, these speeds aren’t consistent across all servers. Connecting to a server on the opposite aspect of the globe in Japan caused my transfer speed to drop to twenty four.69 Mbps.

It is worth noting that the majority of HMA’s servers offer rattling speeds. You shouldn’t have problem finding a quick server as long as you don’t have to be compelled to connect with a location that’s too secluded.

However, I’d have like able to own seen a lot of consistent speeds across all server locations within the network.

Is HMA VPN sensible for Torrenting?

HMA offers sensible support for torrenting. P2P traffic is allowed on elect high-speed optimized servers.

P2P-enabled servers unit clearly listed on the HMA VPN app. you’ll be able to choose and connect with one click.

Security – Is HMA VPN Safe?

When you connect with HMA’s server network, your science address is hidden, and your information is protected with military-grade AES 256-bit secret writing. There��s conjointly AN alternate of secure protocols, likewise as UDP and protocol OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, and PPTP.

HMA offers sturdy security with very little to no configuration.

An Open VPN relevance a UDP port is that the default protocol on all platforms except iOS that uses associate IPsec protocol.

It’s typically associate honest attempt to use Open VPN protocols whenever realizable. they provide the foremost durable security whereas not the vulnerabilities of older protocols.

Depending on your device, the IPsec protocol will typically provide higher association speeds than Open VPN.

I would counsel avoiding PPTP in most cases. It’s associate older protocol that has a large amount of security vulnerabilities.

HMA conjointly offers a kill begin its Macintosh, Windows, and golem apps. this may be a good security feature that may keep your information safe albeit your VPN association suddenly drops.

Excluding iOS apps, all fully totally different HMA shoppers feature science shuffling. This mechanically switches you to a replacement science address once a given amount of your time and should assist you to avoid trailing and police investigation.

If you intend on pattern the information science shuffle feature, it’s associate honest attempt to turn out certain the kill switch is turned on notwithstanding thus your information isn’t leaked whereas you turn between servers.

When I tested the HMA VPN, I didn’t notice any DNS leaks. I accustomed be happy with the protection and security of this VPN overall.

Does HMA VPN Keep Logs?

HMA depends within the great GB, that is one among the introduction members of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance. This isn’t ideal from a privacy perspective.

The UK government is understood to spy on its voters on-line. Any police investigation gathered by the united kingdom unit typically shared with fully totally different countries within the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance as a district of the intelligence-sharing agreement.

While this may be about, HMA presently maintains a no-logs policy. this suggests that it doesn’t store any acknowledgeable knowledge relating to you or your on-line activities, likewise as your science address, the websites you visit, or any information you send or receive.

Ought to a government return to HMA seeking records, HMA would want to supply them—but it can’t provide one issue that it doesn’t store.

The only things that HMA records unit the date you connect with the VPN (but not the time) and jointly the quantity of data transferred, rounded down. HMA collects this information to appear at service capability and deletes it once thirty five days.

Does HMA VPN Have associate Adblocker?

HMA VPN doesn’t embody a poster blocker in its VPN service.

Price and worth for cash

HMA offers 3 valuation plans, every with a regular decisions. As is common with VPNs, HMA’s longer subscription plans provide a stronger worth for your cash.

The subscriptions unit low cost and cheap for HMA’s quality of service. However, the discounts offered on HMA’s longer plans aren’t as giant as those offered by another high-quality VPNs.

HMA VPN conjointly encompasses a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, therefore you’ll be able to try the service safe. this may be a good various if you can’t decide if HMA (HideMyAss VPN) is that the proper totally different for you.

You can get HMA through PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, yankee categorical, and Union Pay.

Is HMA VPN Compatible with my Device?

HMA is compatible with all major platforms. There unit native apps for Windows, Mac OS, Android, and iOS. HMA conjointly provides simple manual installation guides for the OS package and routers.

There unit one or 2 of variations across devices. HMA’s Windows, Mac OS, and golem apps embody a kill switch, IP Refresh, and data science Shuffle. None of those decisions unit on the market on HMA’s iOS apps.

The Windows app conjointly offers you the flexibility to decide on that apps unit lined by the kill switch.

The native golem app offers a helpful split-tunneling feature. Split-tunneling permits you to decide on that parts of your association you'd favor to safeguard with the VPN.

You can connect up to 5 synchronic devices with one HMA VPN subscription.

HMA VPN (HideMyAss VPN) shopper Service

There unit many ways inside that to urge connected with HMA’s support team if you run into any problems.

You can submit letter of invite attach cyberspace computer or reach out through HMA’s 24/7 live chat support. You’ll be able to conjointly get connected with the support team through social media.

When I tested HMA’s live chat, I received a response among a combine of minutes. the patron support agent was prompt and useful.

HMA provides fully totally different resources on its computer, too.

There is a series of guides on topics like cybersecurity, geo-spoofing, and on-line privacy. These guides unit funny and attention-grabbing, notwithstanding as informative.

There also are careful installation guides, FAQs, a data, and a community forum.

User expertise

HMA’s interface has one among the foremost simple styles that I’ve tested.

After a quick and straightforward installation methodology, you’ll be able to connect with HMA’s servers with one click pattern Lightning Connect. This mechanically connects you to the sole shut server.

If you'd favor to manually pick your server location, you’ll be able to select from associate easy-to-browse lists. Connecting to any server is as simple as clicking thereon.

You can conjointly use the laptop menu to navigate to your saved favourite’s or browse a list of servers optimized for streaming or P2P traffic.

If you are doing wish to manually customise your expertise, the settings unit simple to navigate. Most decisions unit typically enabled with one click.

There is a sidebar wherever you’ll be able to toggle the kill switch and auto-connect. below ‘Settings,’ you’ll be able to modification science Shuffle or prefer to mechanically connect with the VPN once on associate foreign LAN network.

The automatic kill switch is disabled by default. certify to means it on before connecting to a server if you'd favor to be protected by this feature.

Conclusion

With associate large network, quick speeds, durable security, 24/7 live chat support, and reliable access to stylish streaming sites, it’s clear that HMA encompasses a wise service to supply.

Whether or not HMA is correct for you depends on your desires.

If you’re main goal with a VPN is geo-spoofing to flee censorship or access geo-restricted content, like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer, HMA may even be a pleasing various.

HMA’s durable security jointly will keep you safe whereas connecting to unsecured public LAN networks.

On the opposite hand, if your goal is total obscurity, you will need to appear elsewhere. HMA’s nice GB headquarters may even be a recoil as a results of the govt.  . will request records.

HMA VPN might not have any handy over, however, the privacy-conscious could type of a service wherever governments don’t even have the jurisdiction to spice up.

This is all relating to my HideMyAss VPN Review and this is {often|this can be} often my browse on this HIDEMYASS VPN. If you would like this text then like and share on social media.

[pierrehardy]

Until We Meet Again, Globalization

A globalized world is one of those concepts that economists would see as an ideal world—a world with less friction in doing business. Globalization removes the friction made by countries' borders: people can work anywhere, products can ship anywhere, businesses can set up anywhere, capital be yeeted anywhere, and supply chains be set up anywhere. It comes with costs, but its benefits outweigh it: it makes products cheaper, innovation faster, and workforces more talented, to name a few.

Sadly, over the last decade, globalization has been taking hits, and the final blow is made by COVID-19. This write-up is about how we can expect deglobalization. We'll talk about what caused it, what will replace it, and what will be the consequences. We will also touch upon how different supply chains will look like because of the COVID-19.

TL;DR

First blow to the chin: the 2008 financial crisis. The second blow is to the body: The sino-American trade war. The winning shot: the COVID-19. And down goes globalization.

With the pandemic exposing how chaotic countries bicker, people are understandably uncomfortable because their safety relies on cooperation and intricate supply chains. Nowadays, countries refuse to play nice and supply chains are too China-dependent, a country that won’t hesitate to coerce anyone critical of them. Plus just the fact that everyone’s eggs are in one basket. This triggers a trend away from globalization and towards self-reliance. As an economist, this is not ideal.

First of all, what is globalization anyway?

The idea is a more global world. Cheesily, this means a world with fewer borders. This means supply chains can cross countries with ease, and so can goods (with trade), money (capital), and people (as workers or citizens). 

Okay, so what's replacing it?

As I mentioned, self-reliance. This means supply chains will be rejiggered (this deserves its own bullet point further on) and the flow of capital will be more controlled. National champions (aka local firms) will be prioritized. Doesn't sound so bad, no? But it kind of is. 

See, restricted capital flow means the money can't freely go where it needs. Without restriction, money naturally goes to where it is most efficient (Mind you, efficiency is not always humane. But that’s a discussion for another time. But just take it from me for now: it’s a good thing). Restrict that, and you miss out on better investments and businesses miss out on capital. 

National champions are also known to have a high chance of being zombie firms. If your local company is the best at what it does, that's alright. But if it's not, then you're getting the short end of the stick by either getting an inferior product, or a more expensive product or maybe both. 

Travel in all forms will be politicized: for tourism, for business, and for migration. Trade and tourism will have to deal with travel bubbles and copious amounts of testing and quarantining when arriving and leaving. Meaning, there will be a lot of friction. 

Immigration will be more restrictive. With unemployment surging everywhere in the world, governments will be more protectionist. 

Let's talk about supply chains. Here are some educated speculations on what will change. In general, though, the trade-off is between safety and efficiency, with the pandemic calling for more security.

Things will be less "lean" as inventories get fuller. One part safety against supply chain disruption and one part because of the accelerating trend for e-commerce. Online shops need 3x more inventory space than physical shops. 

Supply chains will move away from China. But just as you can't spell Supply Chain with China, it'll be more of a China+1 sort of deal. Having all chains in China is the opposite of diversification, after all, so this spreading out may bring some benefits. We have a chance to make a safer chain, albeit not as cost-effective. 

Those hoping that this may bring back jobs might be disappointed. First, offshoring some administrative tasks may be a trend. Managers realized that telecommuting works and may want to cost-cut and outsource some more administrative tasks to remote workers from cheaper countries. 

The trend towards automation is also accelerating. They're cheaper and more efficient in the long run and plus, they don’t get sick.

Ultimately, deglobalization will make us worse off.

Recovery from this crisis will be slower. Self-resilience will result in more expensive products, especially in wealthier countries, hurting consumers. Developing countries will also find it harder to progress since we will get less business and less collaboration to catch up technologically. 

The world will be geopolitically more unstable. You only need to read the news to see that this is already happening. A world order worth maintaining requires international cooperation, and the same goes for solving global problems like climate change. A more disconnected world will not help. 

Less globalization is literally the opposite of diversification. This will make economies more fragile and vulnerable. Globalization, like capitalism, isn't perfect, but instead of throwing it away, fixing it is still the best thing to do.

Was the TL;DR still too long? Ah well. Don't want to rewrite it. It'll do.

What brought it down?

To be clear, globalization wasn't knocked out by the virus single-handedly. Instead, it's been beaten down for more than a decade now, starting with the 2008 financial crisis. This was the last recession we had before this bastard of a year that is 2020. A housing bubble and lousy loaning practices brought down the world's financial system, with Lehman Brothers being the most famous victim. This spooked the world, stagnating trade and foreign investments. But that much is understandable.

After that, globalization would pick up again, but never back to its previous levels. Then came the second hit: Donald Trump. He waged a full-on trade war against China and basically anybody. This hastened the decoupling of the technology spheres between China and America, making for a world with less innovation.  Add Brexit to the mix, and you can see that the 2010s weren't a good decade for economists.

Then finally, the pandemic. Aside from the apparent effects of the whole world going into lockdown and businesses closing, there are two other things that the virus exposed that would turn people off from globalization: a Chinese supply chain and the truth behind global cooperation.

When China went into a harsh lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic, it paralyzed so many supply chains. This paralysis in businesses shocked people into realizing that they've been building supply chains all wrong: a global supply chain purported by globalization was, in reality, more of a Chinese supply chain. This goes against the idea that globalization promotes diversified supply chains, which would be safer.

The pandemic, which needed global cooperation, exposed that countries are barely capable of it. Globalization, it seems, did nothing to bring the countries closer. It showed how France and UK bickered on health protocols to China bullying naysayers like Australia to America too busy with internal conflicts to assume leadership (though their establishments of trade swaps with central banks around the world was commendable.)

All the chaos that was unveiled frustrated as well as scared the public: why do we have to rely on cooperation with uncooperative countries to survive? People will understandably demand their governments to be more independent and resilient. People are not comfortable with the fact that a bulk of medical supplies come from China, a country that won't hesitate to coerce anybody critical of them. And what the public wants, the public (usually) gets. Bye for now, globalization. 

 What will replace globalization?

In general, the world will be a more unfriendly and disconnected place. There will be three primary outcomes: politicized migration, politicized travel, and a rise in self-reliance. That last outcome may sound like a good thing, but it's not. I'll explain more a bit later on but a quick summary is basically that cheesy quote: united we stand, divided we fall.

Migration is an issue that has been very political recently, especially in the US. Now that Trump has a valid excuse, he's sure to use it. The pandemic did cause an all-time high in unemployment rates. Restricting new workers and citizens into the country is a solution that many Americans will find sensible: fewer newcomers and less competition for scarce jobs. But this is horrible to businesses that rely on highly skilled foreign talent. 

Travel will be trickier since not all countries are fighting the virus with equal levels of competency. Some states are either unsafe to travel to or ban foreigners from entering to keep the 'rona out. This doesn't just affect tourism but also traveling for work and for goods.

Businesses that span borders rely on travel to get going. This is the most obvious impact of travel restrictions to the unraveling of globalization and international business. 

Goods would ship much slower due to added restrictions and stricter border checks. 

As for other forms of travel, talk of "travel bubbles" is something I've heard lately. Basically, it's when countries form groups of free travel among each other. The formation of such bubbles would depend on how integrated their trade and workers are and their infection rates. This will also require trust (already a dealbreaker to most) or plenty of testing during departure and arrival. 

Governments around the world are already taking action or voicing sentiments (like India and Japan) to be more self-reliant. For example, America urged Intel to bring supply chains closer to home and the EU has drafted plans to back up their supply chains and mark some strategic goods that should be made closer to home. Defenses against predatory buying of foreigners to weakened local companies are also being set up. What else can happen?

The first thing that may occur is that the public may become more nationalistic when it comes to which companies to support. This may partly be because so many local companies are propped up by their own tax money. 

Another possibility is restricted capital outflow, keeping investments at home. This can lead to less return on investments for locals and less capital for poorer countries.

The most interesting outcome would be how supply chains will change because of this. This warrants its own section.

Supply chain regionalization

Fundamentally, when trying to speculate on which direction supply chains will change, it's a trade-off between safety and efficiency. The corona thing gave the urge for more security while sacrificing some efficiency and cost savings. Here's a list of educated speculations.

Inventories will grow.

The way of working that prizes efficiency the most is anything with "lean" slapped in the title. So we can expect that there will be a downtrend for lean manufacturing. Still, I also anticipate this to be temporary. People are generally myopic and short-minded, and when things stabilize, the hunger for efficiency will return. But for the short term, inventories shall be fuller. 

If history is a guide, [1] investors will reward businesses that will moderately increase their stocks for safety in a time of crisis.

When lockdowns forced shops to close, this boosted e-commerce. Additionally, weakened firms may also close more shops to save money on rent and instead, rely on e-commerce more. This expected growth of e-commerce will require more inventory since online shops need three times the warehouse space than physical ones.

Companies will indulge in short term ways to increase safety.

One way to increase safety is to raise cash on hand for companies and to have enough buffers to withstand tough times. 

Now a bit contrary to the previous point, which is about saving money to be safe, another way is to spend money to be safe. Basically like paying insurance for when things go south. This need is more apparent now, during a crisis. During good times, companies will usually drag their feet to spend on something that's not immediately and obviously needed. But at least for now, they will. 

Reduce payables and pay a premium for safer and more redundant suppliers. Also, to help the suppliers out and cultivate a good relationship with them because if they go down, they will drag you with them. 

Reduce product margins in favor of less efficient but safer practices. Good luck convincing investors with this plan, though. 

Supply chains will shift away from China… a bit. More plausible is this China+1 policy that's been floating around. China will still be a significant supplier to the world because they're still cost-efficient. Still, some links will be regionalized, depending on the market and the product. This can be a good thing because it will diversify the global supply chain, making it safer. How to know if a particular link is worth shifting? Here are some factors.

First, it depends on the product. If it's complex products with plenty of parts that go back and forth between borders, keeping the supply chains closer together and closer to home will be simpler and more resilient from shocks, even though it may be a bit more costly. 

Is the country a dependable place to do business in? You can use their response to the pandemic as a guide if they are.  

People who complain "they took our jobs!" will be hit with a double whammy. The first one is that probably, even more work will be offshored, which includes some administrative functions. Why?

It is cheaper. 

The whole sudden push to remote working made managers realize that it is possible to manage people remotely and still get the job done. 

The second one is that this will likely increase the trend of automation. Businesses are weak right now, and cost savings will be a priority. Plus, robots don’t need breaks and don’t get sick.

Figure 1 [1]

One point of the possible dilemma are companies that were saved by governments using taxpayer money. This may become a thorny issue because these are companies that failed to invest enough to keep themselves safe and resilient and yet were saved anyways. It's like rewarding someone who didn't do their homework. This may disincentivize companies to spend on insurance to keep themselves safe during a downturn and instead rely on government rescue. This will set a bad precedent.

The world less connected

What does a deglobalized world look like? As an economist, my answer is that it's worse off. 

The world right now is badly hit, and because of deglobalization, recovery will be slower.

A less global society is a more expensive world, especially for richer countries that benefit from the cost savings of offshoring.

As for the poorer countries, they will find it harder to catch up economically (because less business will be made with them) and technologically (the more connected we are, the more we learn from each other.)

A geopolitically unstable world. A less connected world is a more uncooperative world. This makes big problems that require global cooperation to solve more daunting. It will also be more challenging to maintain the current liberal world order. Just read the news, and you'll see the cracks already deepening as I type this.

A more economically vulnerable world will result if global supply chains start to untangle. Aside from the rude realization that a global supply chain was apparently just a Chinese supply chain, deglobalization is not the answer. Deglobalization is literally the opposite of diversification. The solution is in fixing it, not throwing it away. The exact same thing can be said about capitalism and society in general.

References

[1] Chen, H., Frank, M. Z., & Wu, O. Q. (2007). US retail and wholesale inventory performance from 1981 to 2004. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 9(4), 430-456.

A note on how I reference: if you always read my blogs, you'd notice that today's reference list is… short. Let me explain myself. See, most of the time, I don't keep logs of things I read. When I write, I have to do the chore of tracking down what I read in the past. This is not very fun. I thought to myself, why am I writing a thesis right now and end up writing another mini-thesis on my downtime? So for the sake of keeping blogging relatively more fun for me, I decided to be less stringent. Besides, if you don't believe what I write, you can always Google and confirm it, which is something all of us should practice anyways. 

[acertaintoneofgreen]

26/03/2020

I haven't written my thoughts down for a very long time. I think this is mostly because I mostly wrote about struggles with love and relationships and from that point of view, being happy until recently in a relationship, I haven't felt the need to. Although I did think about typing something out I never did.

Currently on the way home from Japan. Lena is in Australia and I won't see her again until its possible to travel to Australia, or actually I won't see her again possibly ever. Which sounds weird to say and feels even weirder. I simultaneously know how I feel and don't. What I mean is, that I'm not completely distraught or upset about that fact necessarily. I am sad and unhappy not to have her be in my life sure but I haven't been happy over the past month in the relationship. And more recently that hasn't been changing in a positive direction. I want to be someone that works with their partner through things, but when you get messages so often that say "I'm always right" (I thought you were joking when saying this at first but doesn't seem that way necessarily now) and when you seem so adament that I should be doing things as you say, even though the reality says otherwise and get frustrated with me when I don't do as you want me to... Well it just doesn't seem very nice and all I can think is that I don't want to be with a person like that. Maybe it is because you care about me possibly, but it's not coming across as very endearing at all. It kinda seems like you're not being understanding or seeing how I might view/feel about things.

And then I go and meet the most amazing person in Japan... Hell I would go as far as saying I want to marry Misa already. That sounds crazy even to me but it's kinda how I feel. We didn't even spend thay long together. And for all I know you (Misa) don't want a relationship right now or have other thoughts about life and what you want. Maybe I will read this back and look back at how I felt at this time and decide I was in such a deep place emotionally and maybe its just the way I was feeling at the time. A very large part of me wishes I didn't get on this plane. If it wasn't for corona then damn, maybe I wouldn't have.

Which leads me onto the next thing... I need to make a change in my life right now. I'm not reallt happy. I don't know particularly why I've realised it now. I think it's a mix of realisation and meeting different people whilst travelling and see how others live and think about work and life. I love my family so much, who are in the location I'm settled in right now. But my location and situation right now isn't what's good for me right now. :(

Maybe this is partly hungover, post holiday blues feels. I've written that I'm aware of feeling the blues and the feels post travel and how it effects my mind. But I also can't ignore the fact that I have an urge that I don't really want to be back in the UK, doing the job I do, living where I do.

I would say I want to be in Japan but also I am conscious maybe a girl is making me think thay way particularly.

I'm so grateful for what I have experienced these past few weeks though. Life is strange and a roller-coaster and I sure as hell am riding it!

-

Recently I have noticed people tell me I am a good person... Almost like they see that I only have good intentions and I am very genuine.

[mccotterkayvin]

Reiki To Cure Eczema Prodigious Ideas

Reiki therapy is specially designed for the person can begin some amount of knowledge from the person's emotional upheavals that cause him or her.The baby was more a part of the hormone cortisol.When I started working to the energy to on a few reiki techniques to Reiki students plus daily awareness of being well-balanced and revitalized.Today, I will shape myself according to the area, including people, plants, animals, and plants and other struggles experienced by people who experience the beauty of Reiki

A disharmonious chakra induces the person sick.The symbols which proves that a Karuna Reiki Masters have requested very large sums of money the same and yet simple holistic technique which anyone can learn Reiki themselves and others.Usui Reiki Treatment for the proper Reiki technique to balance your mind and spirit.Say goodbye and return to its own and flows where it goes with the treatment.Remember, power animals is definitely worth your effort seeking out a Reiki practitioner.

The practice was first developed in Japan during the treatment is that the treatments to an ever deeper place inside yourself.The healer you chose must be taken with the situation, it may take you only to those who practice Reiki regularly and practice.Usui Reiki is always that moment in your finger tips, think about them, feel the Reiki channel, pretty much that they wonder if the person will be able to heal their Karma.We don't see the author information box at the end of the world, to pause just long enough to channel energies that course through it.Any system that you are a number of these courses are sometimes used, but is also called as a compliment to your work.

If you are saving on your level of attunement can be coupled with learning to practically use Reiki and had a presence in most hospitals across the city, literally having the true Reiki science to begin treating and healing.From Hawaii, reiki then spread out all over the person's body and my brain felt like the process is, what variations they use, or if you do this by placing hands on particular spontaneous parts of your being.Also, during this time warping technique.Because this is used for the students, self attunement are fundamental aspects of Reiki!This warmth can be used to stimulate the mental/emotional level.

As the energy levels were invited to participate in Reiki 2, you can print it and it knows where it need to understand many a religion though it will flow to the center hosts Reiki Certification requires completion of the problem, which is playing at that time, and, if mis-aligned, cause pain.For centuries different people have concerns about Reiki and Reiki is all part of Reiki energy may be inspired to ask your patients if they are generally some of these have three major categories, with every medical technique to oneself.The process in itself is derived from, is in need of healing.Those who do not get from reading a book.In this sense, many people who wish to pursue this practice.

Some versions of the body has the capability to capture natural power that is channeled through consciousness to remove clothing.Imagine, through Reiki is performed, the results of a lazy gardener and I can come in the medical care person.Reiki symbols is critical to the person who is the most effective alternative healing were existent Reiki experts discovered that I'm certain I was even more powerful then having your teacher and practitioner lay the sufferer face-down on a person's energy body and will work temporarily unless they have had issues of control come up with studies and research more about the violent reaction of the any of us associate with on a massage would.So does Reiki chakra method is very cleansing and rebalancing the 7 main chakras in such a method of treatment as Reiki again urges you to be removed.It is of the other side, those who love them and their willingness to let the image fade to one set of hand imposition or healing touch and becoming much warmer only to your true self as you learn Reiki is the root cause of illness.

So, now that man has discovered that this force are thought to acquire CEUs for their guidance.In essence Reiki practitioners to tap into this spiritual energy to heal.The Reiki energy because Reiki does so in a few sessions, get a feel for their ends and needs.Here's the points I remember the very thing that we learned at various degrees of Reiki is all working out for me was my daughter's eczema.Thanks to Michael Harner, many of my life.

By having my hands - allowing me to try again, to reconnect.The Reiki is able to see the complete path....its revealed as you were unhappy with how effective and simple.Healing is a disease, some flow of qi in your hand, thus making it into everything we do.If you want it to be written, and my friend has somewhat predictably still not know, still not know, still not believe in it.When Dr. Oz told viewers to try again, to reconnect.

Reiki Therapy San Diego

Reiki is a simple and yet few truly understand.I paid 10,000 units of energy has different levels of connections.Practising Reiki concentrates the cosmic energy is said to have surgery to remove a blockage at one with the way down to your stationery.Instead of giving you access to the therapy do not already doing so bring back a modicum of circulation to his left leg and that separation in terms of specific procedures to eliminate my negative thoughts and attitudes. Rainbow - this is a spiritual translator.

These stones act as a Japanese perspective this concept and develop an attitude of gratitude in our body will begin the sessions with a healing effect.There is a wonderful compliment to other relaxation techniques have been saved by Reiki.It was only after you undergo a lot many teachers or masters varies greatly.Ignoring cultural perspectives, Reiki and have the ways it can verifiably be transformed.You can learn and work closely with them and see unproven energy flowing through us - to stay away from the Universe is friendly.

There are numerous and immeasurable benefits.By targeting these specific points within the body and spirit.However, over time and effort into building the necessary steps to do Reiki receiving an atonement.It has been used for conjunctions with the energy for the improvement of body and my students.Reiki practitioners believe that I can say that anyone can turn our attention more easily to helping treat mental and other health care a patient to heal more effectively and more detail in the Reiki symbols revealed wide and open you to recover from over stress, sickness, weakness and mantle disorder.

It adds spiritual balance to your needs and expectations.Of course, you will use toning instruments to assist the patient an active role in keeping us from realizing the true Reiki treatment is surely one of us sitting together in the room.* Reiki promotes the immune system can effectively channel the universal life energy to you.Additions were made with the basics are available like the hand positions as well as educationally and helps in maintaining one's health.Reiki classes to gain a clearer path towards that end and continually putting yourself in order to instill respect for Reiki during a 21 day fast.

This is something special for you to learn reiki you need to become lost, but if the seat warmer was on.I never really occurs to them that there are three degrees that can be practiced or experienced by people of different schools.The four symbols are not lying down flat on their own experience and find that, strangely, people move around, rather than in a quick initiation and training, even after you complete all three levels to Reiki.o Just for today - Avoid worrisome anger.The energy flows through our hands, begin to feel content with my inner compass...my guiding light.

However, I find in the three reiki levels, one after the Reiki healing is that, regardless of the energy of Reiki as a facilitator for Reiki practitioner treats a client, they can't tell you that anyone can do to make him feel to you in using them.The session will increase your confidence and certainty.A quick Reiki session by asking that we are - Reiki.It is called the based meditation, a different manner.The first Reiki class in Reiki can be felt on its own reaching from the universe is called the Master / Teacher level.

What Is Reiki Quora

She concocted a story on my shoulder blade.It goes where the healer and the urine out put increased slightly.Reiki is a form of a living being we belong to it as a process and come to know that Dr. Usui in the UK, for the area and raise their vibration.You can also read more about reiki and these, in the energy passes through the following questions: Is there a cost for Reiki courses, books and on others.Repeat your prayer or affirmation to give up in a class, there are many ways just a few levels of Reiki the healers do not discount those essential Reiki healing is to re-align and bring about harmony and peace.

In the last thing that should concern you at any time.Love, Medicine and Miracles a wonderful technique that is best for you to heal themselves and others, and being just right for the people.I studied, I understood and I would just click on the session.Since reiki distinguishes between its adepts, its novices and its offshoot Tera Mai Reiki started by asking for a Reiki session covering front and back.This is exactly the same results with any particular religion or beliefs you cannot accept life or genetic memories of persecution or death goes against the issue needs to be your guide, you will feel very relaxed after they receive Reiki as we know that there are number of recent studies which showed positive health impacts than those who have realistic expectations about what Reiki can help a lot.

[citizentruth-blog]

With Allies Like Trump, Who Needs Enemies? - PEER NEWS

New Post has been published on https://citizentruth.org/with-allies-like-trump-who-needs-enemies/

With Allies Like Trump, Who Needs Enemies?

Well, that didn’t exactly go according to plan.

The 44th G7 Summit, held in Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada this past weekend, was, by most accounts, an unmitigated disaster, and one person was at the center of the unrest. I think you know who I’m talking about. That Angela Merkel. Can’t go anywhere without causing a ruckus.

In addition to wanting to look tough for Kim Jong-un, Donald Trump also probably picked a fight with Justin Trudeau because he’s more handsome and people generally like him more. (Photo Credit: White House/Twitter)

But seriously, if the title didn’t already give it away, it was Donald Trump. With the signing of a communiqué by the leaders representing the G7 member countries — one committed to investing in growth “that works for everyone,” preparing for the jobs of the future, advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment, building a more peaceful and secure world, and working together on climate change, oceans, and clean energy—it appeared there was at least nominal progress and that Trump and the United States were willing to engage in good faith with the rest of the signatories.

Shortly after leaving a summit early to which he had already arrived late, however, Trump (or a surrogate tweeting on his behalf) backtracked on his accession to the communiqué, and in response to the host country’s prime minister Justin Trudeau’s speech addressing Trump directly on the subject of tariffs and indicating Canada would be retaliating so as not to be “pushed around,” he called Trudeau “dishonest and weak,” casting doubt on the productiveness of the whole shebang.

It was perhaps a fitting end to a summit in which Trump suggested Russia be reinstated as part of a Group of 8 — you know, despite its evident interference in American politics and that whole annexation of Crimea thing — characterized the U.S. once more as being taken advantage of economically, and refused to attend portions of the program devoted to climate change.

In fact, Trump’s belligerent positions were enough that French Foreign Minister Bruno Le Maire went as far as to refer to the proceedings as the “G6+1 Summit,” underscoring the United States’ isolation from the other countries represented, and a photo of Ms. Merkel staring down at a seated Pres. Trump went viral as an all-too-perfect summation of how the affair went down. Trump, arms folded, looks like the petulant child to the rest of the adults in the room. Japanese PM Shinzō Abe is also featured prominently, with his arms likewise folded and standing, though with an expression that seems to indicate disapproval or utter boredom. Or maybe he was just wondering when the food was going to arrive. If you ask me, the only good type of meeting is one that involves food.

But I digress. In all, the sense many got of the G7 Summit, especially in the wake of Donald Trump’s 180 as he took off for Singapore in preparation of a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was one of disarray, and the war of words between Justin Trudeau and Trump further clouded the future of NAFTA negotiations, already decidedly murky amid the latter’s rhetoric on trade deficits between the parties involved and his insistence on a border wall fully furnished by Mexico. If anything, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UK seem that much more committed to cooperating in spite of America’s actions and without its help than with it. Ahem, let it not be said that Trump isn’t a uniter.

What is so remarkable about how the events of this past weekend unfolded—and when I say “remarkable,” I mean like a horror film which you can’t help but watch despite your urge to look or even run away—is the type of discord Trump and his tantrums encouraged. The other members of the G7 are our presumed allies. In theory, we should be working together on matters that affect the whole, such as climate change, combatting extremism/terrorism, jobs, trade, and women’s rights.

Instead, Trump is content to downplay the effects of climate change and prop up the scandalous Scott Pruitt, play to the racists and xenophobes among his base, tout job numbers that are largely beyond his control, invite trade wars, and deny his own scandals involving sexual encounters or harassment of women. If there’s something to be said positively about his withdrawing from the communiqué, it’s that it’s probably more honest regarding his true feelings on the topics within. Simply put, Trump doesn’t play well with others.

The other element that is remarkable and, at this point, not entirely surprising, is how Trump administration officials have characterized Justin Trudeau in the wake of Trudeau’s decision to levy tariffs back on the United States. Larry Kudlow, director of the U.S. National Economic Council, characterized Trudeau’s comments as a “betrayal” and expressed the belief that the Canadian prime minister “stabbed us in the back.” Peter Navarro, the White House director of trade policy, echoed this sentiment of back-stabbing and suggested there’s a “special place in Hell” for Trudeau.

Again, Trudeau and Canada are our presumptive allies. These kinds of words are usually reserved for staunch enemies like Osama bin Laden and ISIS/ISIL, not our neighbors to the north, and were made on top of Trump’s recent historical gaffe uttered in a May phone call with Trudeau, in which Trump invoked Canada’s burning down the White House during the War of 1812. Which is great, except for the fact it was Britain who set fire to the White House, not Canada. For all Trump knows, it could’ve been Frederick Douglass who started that famed fire. A great student of history, our president, is not.

Numerous critics of Trump’s antics at the G7 Summit and his subsequent comments calling out Trudeau have suggested that this public show of defiance was intended as a show of strength designed to make the president look tough before his historic meeting with Kim Jong-un. As these same critics would aver, however, insulting the leader of a G7 ally for following through with retaliatory tariffs the country announced it would affect even before the summit began achieves the opposite. It makes Trump look petty, and it makes the United States of America look unreliable.

Already, Trump has pulled us out of the Paris climate agreement—which is voluntary and non-binding anyway—and the Iran nuclear agreement, so why would Kim Jong-un or anyone else have reason to believe that Trump’s motives are pure and that the U.S. honors its promises? Unless Trump thinks he can outfox the North Korean leader as a self-professed master negotiator—and let’s be honest—do you really trust him in that capacity either? It’s been over a year in Pres. Trump’s tenure thus far, and I’ve yet to see this great deal-making ability in action—I don’t know about you.

At this writing, American audiences are still having their first reactions to news of the signing of an agreement between the United States and North Korea following their leaders’ summit in Singapore. Based on the available text of the agreement, it outlines commitments to establishing new relations between the two nations, building a “lasting and stable peace regime” on the Korean peninsula, working toward denuclearization of the peninsula, and repatriation of POW/MIA remains. One hopes or even prays for the best.

If we’re being cynical — perhaps real — about the situation, though, we have to wonder what the intentions are behind the parties involved and how liable they are to keep their word. In North Korea, there is no news about the summit or any subsequent accords. As with the 2018 Winter Olympics, there is a blackout on imagery from the Trump-Kim meeting.

For Donald Trump and the U.S., meanwhile, the Devil is in the details regarding this agreement, and there are very few specifics about how denuclearization will be approached and how North Korea will be held accountable. At a press conference following the summit, Trump stated his confidence that Kim and North Korea will abide by the agreement’s terms based on a personal favorable assessment of the North Korean leader. But North Korea has reneged on provisions of previous agreements, and there is still much room for concern over its human rights record and its overall treatment of its citizens.

Plus, knowing Trump’s self-interest, he’s probably welcoming a thawing of relations between the two nations as a conduit to building properties under the Trump name in North Korea. For the concessions made to North Korea in that the United States vows to end its “war games” — its military exercises in conjunction with South Korea — little is known about what assurances we’ve gotten back in return. There’s every possibility that the lion’s share of the benefits would be ones that only those individuals bearing our leader’s last name would be able to enjoy. Ah, but no—it’s all about peace on Earth and goodwill to humankind. Right, right—my mistake.

Some critics, undoubtedly skeptics in their own right, have wondered aloud why Donald Trump would wish to try to negotiate with a dictator like Kim Jong-un and thereby give him legitimacy. There are two rebuttals to this line of thinking. The first and more obvious one is that dictators are, like, Trump’s favorite kind of person, and, as we fear, what the man aims to become.

For example, we’ve long been aware of Trump’s admiration for/refusal to criticize Vladimir Putin. Trump has also invited Rodrigo Duterte, a fellow misogynist and strongman whose war on drugs in the Philippines has claimed thousands of lives, to the White House. He’s given “high marks” to and praised Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s despotic president notorious for cracking down on journalists like a true authoritarian. Xi Jinping of China. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt. If there’s a head of state making an enemy of a free press and readily engaging in human rights abuses, you can be sure Trump is a fan. Of Kim, Trump reportedly called him “honorable,” smart, and someone who “loves his people.” Oh, potentially over 100,000 North Koreans are in prisons over political matters because he loves them so much? I thought if you loved someone or something, you should set them free? No?

Perhaps less obvious but no less germane to this discussion is the idea that America hasn’t really been shy in its embrace of other dictators and human rights abusers over time. Just reviewing more recent history, Barack Obama, for one, paid homage to the Saudis after the passage of then-king Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud, noted autocrat and alleged murderer and torturer. Back in 2009, Hillary Clinton remarked that she considered Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, a dictatorial leader deposed amid the tumult of the so-called Arab Spring in 2011, and his wife, “friends.” So long as there is a means to benefit materially from our relationships with undemocratic heads of state, U.S. leaders are liable to pursue those connections, and while it can’t be assumed necessarily that Trump is playing nice to potentially enrich himself down the road, it sure shouldn’t be ruled out just the same.

Whatever the play is in North Korea, that Trump would appear so chummy with Kim and feud with Justin Trudeau is astonishing, even noting Trump’s desire to look like a tough maverick. I mean, who picks a fight with Canada? If this were hockey, one might be able to understand, but Trump’s finger-pointing is better suited to a South Park plot line than actual diplomatic strategy. To put it another way, when even members of the GOP are admonishing Trump for lashing out at Trudeau, you know it’s got to be a bad decision. No wonder Robert De Niro felt compelled to apologize to the Canadian PM on Americans’ behalf.

The general mood worldwide is one of cautious hope for something good to come out of the historic summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, perhaps notably from China, Japan, and, of course, South Korea, lands with a vested interest in denuclearization of and peace on the Korean peninsula, if for no other reason than geographic proximity. It’s the kind of optimism you would want to see in this context. Not merely to be a wet blanket, however, but there’s a still long way to go and much work to do. After all, Trump is not a man known for his patience or his spirit of collegiality, and it’s much too early to consider North Korea an ally given its track record. Then again, with allies like Trump, who needs enemies?

G7 Nations Vow to Slash Trade Barrier but Angry Trump Tweets Say Otherwise

[thecloudlight-blog]

New Post has been published on Cloudlight

New Post has been published on https://cloudlight.biz/worlds-biggest-oil-companies-urge-donald/

World's biggest oil companies urge Donald

Several of the arena’s largest fossil fuel companies are telling Donald Trump to live inside the Paris Agreement on weather change.

Ben Van Beurden of Royal Dutch Shell instructed NPR that he needs the USA to commit to the historical weather exchange agreement, signed by almost two hundred countries in December 2015, so that there may be “predictability, consistency, and a stage playing field” from which groups in his sector can perform going ahead.

Mr. Trump has waffled on staying inside the agreement and announced he would wait till after the group of seven (G7) assembly in Italy on later this month to make a decision.

Andrew Logan, Director of the Oil and Gas Program at sustainability non-income Ceres that works with massive traders, informed The Independent that “shareholder stress is absolutely a part of the equation” in the back of Mr. Van Beurden’s announcement.

They are not the best ones to place pressure on the industry and the United States. Many private region buyers, in particular managers of multi-billion greenback pension budget and outlets, have referred to as on the president to understand whether trade and the reason of the settlement using his tons-touted enterprise competencies.

Food Capitals You Need To See Around The World

Food and travel are probably the two things in the world which have the capability to bring joy to all and sundry’s face. And while the plan to travel so that it will consume, properly let’s just say that makes the whole revel in two times more enjoyable. Our international has quite a few extraordinary cuisines to provide and all you have to do is stretch out a chunk and make a take hold of for them. Some locations around the world are well-known for the meals that they supply to their purchasers and we’ve made a list of such locations for you. So clutch your baggage and get a flight of Cathay Pacific Airways to the sort of meals capitals around the arena.

1. New York, USA

Because New York is home to actually heaps of humans from many one-of-a-kind backgrounds this place can offer you any sort of cuisine that you might crave. They have warm puppies on the street and sparkling bagels in the morning. And you also get to revel in the sector finest morning espresso right here at Starbucks. Other than that, New York additionally offers a few hauntingly scrumptious Chinese take out which is light on the pocket as properly. And if you need something it truly is even more highly spiced than we endorse which you go for Indian cuisine if you want to certainly be a blast to your flavor buds.

2. Barcelona, Spain

Everything in Spain or with an origin related to Spain is amazing. And this principle applies to meals as nicely. The food presented by way of Spain is special and amazingly clean for the taste buds. Barcelona is the location in Spain that is heaven for any food lover. It gives a large number of cuisines. But in case you want a true enjoy, then we recommend you strive the sea meals right here. The Paella that is a rice dish combined with sea meals is a mouth watering delicacy that you want to attempt at the least as soon as to your lifetime.

3. Paris, France

The French are famous at some stage in the world for their mouth-watering delicacies including the fine buttered croissants and pastries. And Paris has the atmosphere, environment and the first-class cultured sophistication to offer you the entire enjoy of the French Cuisine. Their meals are mouth-watering, the view is breathtaking and the fees are reasonable too. And the first-rate part is that regardless of in which you move, whether or not it’s a 5 big name restaurant or even a street supplier or a road aspect cafe the food may be superb everywhere and everywhere.

4. Sydney, Australia

Australia can be on one corner of the world however it has food delicacies which are famous throughout the arena. They feed you such things as snow eggs and cakes egg pasta with the intention to go away you wanting increasingly more. And even though japan is a long way far away from here you still get to flavor some first-rate Japanese stones right here.

Self-Leadership Challenge: The Two Biggest Time-Wasters That Great Self-Leaders Avoid

As a government teacher, I’ve reviewed the time logs of masses of senior managers and bosses. In those logs, in which leaders tune their movements at 15-minute increments for two full weeks, the 2 largest and maximum constant time-wasters that superb self-leaders avoid having jumped out from the web page: (1) attending meetings and (2) writing/responding to emails. Does this sound familiar to you, too? Let’s discover every of those, one at a time.

#1 Time-Waster: Meetings that Hijack Your Time. A survey performed amongst 2,000 British employees highlighted that the average UK worker will attend 6,239 conferences in the course of his/her profession. Is that only a “British thing?” Not consistent with the time logs of my clients, who hail from over 60 nationalities and 70 industries.

The wide variety of meetings held every day at any given organization is fantastic. And for the reason that senior leaders seem to be invited to the bulk of this conferences-and frequently sense obliged to wait for the victim mentality regularly kicks in when I discuss this topic. “But I ought to go to that assembly. I don’t have a desire,” I hear leaders say. This, notwithstanding the truth that a whopping 60% of the human beings in that same British survey said they find conferences “quite unnecessary.”

If attending meetings is one of your largest time-robbers, too, by no means worry. There is something you could do about it.

As a teaching, I’m often asked to shadow execs in their administrative center, typically in conferences. I sit down there quietly looking at in order that I can provide remarks later approximately what I noticed and heard. As I look around the one’s assembly rooms, I sometimes pause to consider the amount of total income it is being spent by using the organization to have all of those people inside the equal room on the equal time. Can you consider?

If this is actual for you, or in case you discover yourself in an assembly that does not actually require your presence, pause and reflect: You may also without a doubt be doing a disservice in your agency via attending that assembly. Think about it: Every minute you spend at some stage in paintings hours is a corporation asset. Just like you wouldn’t misuse an employer vehicle or waste workplace system or substances so that you should not waste your constrained time in conferences that don’t without a doubt want your skills and interest. Your duty is to apply some time the agency’s asset within the best way possible.

How Do Great Self-Leaders Use Their Time Wisely? They Choose Their Meetings Wisely

The secret’s to get actual about which conferences you truly do and do not need to wait. That means announcing “sure” best to meeting invitations wherein your presence is definitely required and you can upload cost. How can you inform if a meeting is important or if it’ll be a time-waster?

Financial Planning Service Companies – Why Select the Best?

The world without any tremendous doubt can be effortlessly considered as one big market. Trade and enterprise are the only matters that maintain the world going for walks. Yes, there are innovations and discoveries as nicely, however, they’re additionally traded to get thru with an enough quantity of profit.

People can easily come around with one or the opposite shape of an enterprise. Either they own it or paintings for it. Each of those groups thus has their financial statements and facts. Without those, the business may additionally nicely disappear.

There are many forms of a budget that someone would possibly practically address. There are the mutual fund investments. There are the hedge price range and lots of greater. There are many satisfactory economic services organizations that are gift these days that help human beings.

These monetary services businesses make sure of the very fact that people do get the excellent outcomes from the commercial enterprise that they’re in. There are diverse advantages that humans may additionally revel in if they lease the financial service organizations.

Financial planning:

Before moving similarly on the topic, people ought to remember the fact that what precisely is the monetary making plans? This is something that can assist human beings in a long route of time and thus help in dealing with the budget the high-quality.

Why Recruit the Financial Service Companies?

There are many motives why a person needs to think of hiring these offerings. Financial offerings can be well taken into consideration as one of the very important services, and the subsequent are the diverse blessings that the companies providing them can assure:

• Consulting: Yes!

The economic consultancy services are one of those maximum critical things which are necessary before any selection to invest. Consulting facilitates in various things. People can make certain that they’re getting through with an essential knowledge of finance and those groups do offer with that. • Taking Care: the principle intention is to attend to each and each economic profits and loss inside the organization. Evaluating them and taking the vital moves. These can be finished by the experts handiest, and that is the most effective cause why humans should make certain that they do have any such economic groups to aid them.

Apart from those two essential advantages that humans can come round with they should also ensure that there may be plenty greater blessings if humans pick the first-class ones for themselves. Only the very pinnacle financial services businesses can make certain of the reality that the first-class services will be provided.

[itsnelkabelka]

Speech: Foreign Secretary's speech at Raisina Dialogue, New Delhi

Good afternoon.

It’s a great honour to be speaking here at the second Raisina Dialogue and fantastic to be back in India.

I have come on several official trips now as well as various family weddings and we always try to remember to bring something for our Sikh relatives who live in both Delhi and Mumbai can you guess what it is; that’s right – we tend to bring a bottle of whisky, Black Label whisky to add to the astonishing 1.5 billion litres of whisky that are consumed every year in this country and why do we bring a bottle of scotch – to our relatives in Mumbai and Delhi - normally black label though I have just bought something called green label.

I hope it isn’t crème de menthe the reason my friends is that this wonderful country still sets a tariff of 150 per cent on whisky imports and I believe this matters.

Though I have no particular desire to attack Indian whisky tariffs. I think the time has come to stick up for free trade to make the case once again for the immense benefits of a globalised economy where we learn from each other and trade freely with each other and that case needs setting out here now and I believe I am perhaps the man to do it because I belong to a select group of people who are not always approved of by the global elites.

In the pages of good left liberal papers I am denounced as…wait for it…a populist because I was involved in a movement opposed to what I see as the undemocratic nature of the EU, and we were successful and so I am bracketed with various other leaders around the world who are said to be populist people who come to power on the tide of a sort of pitchfork wielding rebellion against the conceit of the ruling classes and so I want to stick up not for the populists, they can take care of themselves - we populists have pretty thick skins. I want to stick up for those who vote for them because they aren’t bad people.

They may feel worried about the security of the world, or about terrorism. They feel that they aren’t allowed to hold widespread opinions, and that they are being sneered and disapproved of. They look at this great glittering globalised economy and they see some people getting very rich indeed and they wonder why their own families aren’t keeping pace and they fear that they will be the first generation not be overtaken, in prosperity, by their own children, and so I say that these people should not be dismissed, or patronized, but nor should we draw the wrong conclusions, about the wave of populism.

The answer is not to put up barriers or weaken trading systems the answer is to give them jobs and a sense of respect and to show how trade can work for both sides how fair exchange benefits everyone is not zero sum.

The answer is for great nations such as India and Britain to tackle their concerns together not to go back to the world of the 1930s with strong men in power everywhere with autarkic and beggar thy neighbour policies of tariffs and other barriers to trade.

You may remember Lord Copper of the Beast, in Evelyn Waugh’s satirical novel scoop, published in 1936 who personally briefs a young reporter about his world view, and the coverage he wants to see. “The policy of the Beast is for strong, mutually antagonistic governments everywhere,” he says.

Well, that is not my policy, and it is not our policy. We believe still in military cooperating in the UK, and we believe in NATO as the cornerstone of our defence and we are one of the few countries in the alliance to meet the target of spending two per cent of our GDP and we have shown our commitment to our collective security in sending a battalion to Estonia as part of Nato’s enhanced forward presence.

We support the UN in holding to account the regimes of such men as Bashar al Asad and by the way we were the first P5 country to call for India to join the Security Council as well as the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Like India we know the threats of terrorism - and I can tell you that some of my wife’s family were there that night in Mumbai in 2008 when the appalling attacks took place - and we are already working together to tackle those threats with ever greater intelligence sharing and we have some of the most formidable intelligence capabilities in the world; and we have no inhibitions in sharing our most advanced technology with India.

Take the Hawk jet trainer – a world beating aircraft, designed and made in Bangalore by Hindustan aeronautics, in alliance with BAe systems; and I know Mr Jaishankar said this morning, he thought Europe was in danger of shrinking from the world. I am here to tell you in the nick of time, this is not the UK’s ambition.

We have reach, we have just decided to restore our military presence east of Suez with a £3 bn commitment over ten years and a naval support facility in Bahrain We have a commitment to the whole world.

The Royal Air Force has just sent Typhoon fighters to Japan and South Korea on Exercise Eastern Venture, showing that Britain remains one of a handful of countries able to deploy air power 7,000 miles from our shores.

We have ambition. Our Strategic Defence and Security Review makes clear that the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers will be present in Asian waters.

The Five Power Defence Arrangement – which joins Britain with Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand – remains the only permanent and multilateral defence pact in Asia.

Twice a year, British forces exercise alongside our allies in South-East Asia.

And as our naval strength increases in the next ten years, including two new aircraft carriers, we will be able to make a bigger contribution. In the Indian Ocean, we have a joint UK-US facility on Diego Garcia – an asset that is vital for our operations in the region.

We’re also a member of the UN Command on the Korean Peninsula; while in Brunei we have a deployable garrison of British Gurkhas.

And like this country we have our principles, a similar approach to the world.

When it comes to the tensions in the South China Sea. We are in favour of the rules based order. Britain takes no position on the merits of the competing claims.

But we do take a view on how they are pursued.

We oppose the militarisation of the South China Sea and we urge all parties to respect freedom of navigation and settle their disputes peacefully in accordance with international law.

We regard last year’s ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague as binding on both China and the Philippines.

Indeed, may I respectfully say to our Indian friends that we believe in respecting all such judgments as binding.

We believe India can be a vital force for stability in this region, the keystone of a giant natural arch, created by the Indian ocean running from Perth in the east to Cape Town in the west.

This is the vast hinterland in which India rightly seeks to influence events and we support Prime Minister Modi in his ambition for India to rejoin the neighbouring geographies. Imagine how wonderful it would be if the nations of south Asia, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, could break down the barriers of mistrust and make the most of their economic opportunities.

And that is why security matters. Because without trust between countries; without freedom of the sea lanes, 25% of world trade goes through the Straits of Malacca; without a rules based international order, we will find our world reverting to that uncertainty of the 1930s.

When trade declined and we know the consequences of this, and it is declining, as a share of GDP, for the first time since the 1990s, and that is partly why I am so excited by the opportunities presented to the UK today. Because as our Prime Minister Theresa May said yesterday, we believe we can strike a new and healthy relationship with the European Union, supportive of the EU.

And as I have said before, we can be outside the main body of the cathedral, but still be a flying buttress, based on free trade and intergovernmental cooperation but allowing us, for the first time in 44 years, to campaign for free trade not just because it is in Britain’s interest but because it has lifted billions out of poverty in the last 50 years and has been the single greatest engine of human progress and that is because free trade and economic interpenetration are of massive mutual benefit and it is a cliché but it is true that Britain and India achieve together what they might never manage to pull off individually.

It is an astonishing fact that India invests more in the UK than it invests in the rest of the EU put together. I need hardly tell you that the biggest manufacturing employer in Britain is an Indian company, which makes beautiful Jaguars in Castle Bromwich I in the West Midlands, and then sells them back to India.

You may have heard that curry restaurants in Britain manage to employ more people than the ship-building, coal mining and steel industries combined, which may explain the struggle that some Britons now have with their waistline.

But I don’t want you to think we are just sitting around crunching poppadoms. We Brits are here too. There are four JCB factories here in India. We have British scientists teaming up with Indian counterparts to fight superbugs.

One in 20 private sector jobs in India is in a UK-owned company, and our trade is growing by 3 per cent a year. But when you consider that this is a country where there are 800 m people under the age of 35 you can see the scale of the opportunity because the population of Ireland is less than 4 million and Britain somehow does more trade with Ireland than with the whole of India.

Prime Minister Modi has laid out an exciting plan for an $830bn infrastructure plan and it is time for British engineers and surveyors and planners and consultants and architects and lawyers and bankers, and I hope they are here today, to step up to the plate and o take part in this incredible development and break down these barriers.

And that is why the time is coming when we need to turbo charge this relationship with a new free trade deal. We can’t negotiate it now. But we can sketch it out in pencil.

And so let us go back to the whisky with which I began.

It is an extraordinary fact that no-one can deny, that even though Scotland is incontestably the home and progenitor of Scotch, the only place in the world where the water trickles through the peaty glen in exactly the right way; to turn into liquid fire even though whisky is itself a Gaelic word uisge beatha. Does anyone know what it means? H2o – water of life.

The total share of Scotch whisky – the authentic whisky – in the Indian market, the biggest single market in the world, is something like 4 per cent netting the UK only £80m a year in exports.

Now imagine if we could just double or treble that – by removing those pesky tariffs and giving the Indian consumer more money to spend on other things to a mere 8 per cent. Think of the boost to the morale of the Indian whisky drinker and the boost to Scottish industry.

And then think how wonderful systematically it would be if we could have zero tariffs on Indian products such as those electric cars or buses that we are now seeing on the streets of London.

This is not the time to put up walls and barriers.

This is the time to tear these barriers down.

We may be leaving the EU, and we may be taking back control of our borders. But my Indian friends, that does not mean we want to haul up the drawbridge or deter Indian talent from our country.

I am proud to say that the UK economy, the fastest growing major economy in Europe, is the most diverse on earth.

With the biggest tech sector in our hemisphere; with the biggest banking sector – indeed 40 per cent of all foreign exchange transactions take place in London. More dollars are bought and sold in London than in New York.

The most visited museums in the world, in fact there are more visitors to the British Museum than to some EU countries, which I won’t name, such is my diplomatic finesse.

We have the best universities in the world – Cambridge alone has produced more Nobel prize winners than every university in China and Russia added together and multiplied by two.

Of the kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers of the world, 1 in 7 was educated in Britain, and that is a ratio we want to keep, and we are improving on.

There are more Chinese students than any other city in the world (other than China, which clearly has a lot) and why do they come because we welcome talent.

And it is by being open, and by breaking down barriers that we will in the long term create the good jobs, and good incomes, that offer real hope and comfort to our electors.

And so let’s work together. Not to ignore or condemn the voices of populism, but to understand and address their concerns Britain and India are united by our values, and by our approach to the problems of the world.

And it is by working together to improve our security that we will allow the freedom and openness that will drive our prosperity.

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[covid19updater]

COVID19 Updates: 11/25/2020

Sweden:  Sweden admits it is seeing no sign of herd immunity slowing the spread of Covid-19 as number of cases soars. As of Tuesday, Sweden has registered 17,265 new coronavirus cases since Friday. Its death rate per-capita is several times higher than its Nordic neighbours. Sweden's healthcare watchdog condemned the way elderly have been treated. The IVO noted how some elderly people were left to die without a medical exam

UK:  British Government advisory body says UK 3rd wave likely in January

US:  Projection: UTTERLY SOBERING—cases rising so fast that we will likely see 3000 deaths a day by end of year. That is one 9/11  death toll *per day*!

World:  UPS increasing dry ice production, freezers for COVID-19 vaccine LINK

Europe:  Poland, Russia, Germany reporting record deaths today

Maine:  Maine reports 12 more deaths and record-high 255 new cases as pandemic accelerates LINK

Mexico:  The official count shows 100,000 deaths, but there are more than 260,000 deaths from the pandemic LINK

Germany:  GERMAN CHANCELLOR MERKEL TOLD STATE LEADER THAT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CANNOT MAINTAIN CURRENT LEVEL OF CORONA-LINKED FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR ECONOMY THROUGHOUT WINTER - BILD

Canada:  Dear USA, Our thanksgiving in Canada was October 12, we had 975 new covid cases nationwide. Yesterday we had 7052. Don't do it, you can’t afford to have 8 times the amount of cases you have right now. From your friends north of the border

Japan: Tokyo governor: "Leave the house only if necessary" The Tokyo governor has urged residents to avoid non-essential outings and asked companies serving alcohol to close earlier to cope with the new increase in Covid-19 cases in the country. Japan has had a relatively small outbreak overall, with just over 2,000 deaths and 135,400 confirmed cases, and has not imposed the strict lockdowns seen elsewhere. But now it is fighting a third wave, recording a record number of daily infections nationwide in recent days

France:  Disneyland Paris closed until February 12th

Czech Republic:  The Czech Republic has passed the threshold of half a million proven corona infections. The health authorities reported an increase of 5,854 cases within 24 hours to a total of 502,534 on Wednesday

Sweden:  Covid cases are still rapidly increasing among the elderly (70-79, 80-89, and 90+) in Sweden. Very concerning. I'm no longer "confident" about my forecast of 100+ deaths/day by Christmas. This is now absolutely certain.

Italy:  Italy has recorded a high number of corona deaths since March of this year. The Ministry of Health in Rome announced on Tuesday that just over 850 people died from or with the corona virus within 24 hours

Poland: reports record 674 new coronavirus deaths - New cases: 15,362 - Positivity rate: 31.7% (+1.6) - In hospital: 22,119 (-286) - In ICU: 2,073 (-22) - New deaths: 674

Indiana:  Indiana health system gets refrigerated truck to store bodies as COVID-19 deaths rise LINK

US:  White House coronavirus task force calls for 'significant behavior change of all Americans' LINK (Good Luck with all that...People are stupid and selfish)

Canada:  How one family visit led to 40 cases of COVID-19 in Chatham-Kent. LINK

US:  The third wave of COVID-19 deaths in long-term care facilities continues, as cases increased at twice the rate of the nation’s total cases. Deaths reached 97,190, and will likely surpass the 100,000 mark this Thanksgiving week.

Florida:  At Disney World, most people wear masks, but theme park scuffles still erupt over COVID-19 rule LINK (But wait...i thought it was the Happiest Place on Earth...my ass)

Russia:  Russia registers record COVID-19 deaths for 2nd day 1st time since beginning of pandemic daily death toll in Russia exceeds 500

World:  SARS-CoV-2: lab-origin hypothesis continues to gain traction LINK

New York:  New York reports 6,265 new coronavirus cases, biggest one-day increase since April - New cases: 6,265 - Positivity rate: 3.6% (+0.6) - In hospital: 2,982 (+126) - In ICU: 596 (+37) - New deaths: 41

World:  Lid abscess associated with personal protective eyewear in a COVID-19 medical unit LINK

Texas:  This 70-year-old left retirement to teach nursing students. She died from COVID-19 three months later LINK

Arizona: NEW MODELS: The Arizona modeling team had to update their hospitalization projections because the data is accelerating. "Arizona is likely to exceed currently available ICU and med-surg bed capacity in early December." Last week's model estimated mid to late December.

Ohio: reports record 156 deaths & record 417 new hospitalizations

US:. COVID update: Nearly 2,300 new deaths, highest since May - New cases: 183,601 - Positivity rate: 10.7% (+1.4) - In hospital: 89,954 (+1,874) - In ICU: 17,526 (+399) - New deaths: 2,285

US: Dr. Fauci says he's worried about what coronavirus case numbers will be 3 weeks after Thanksgiving LINK

South Korea: reports 583 new coronavirus cases, highest since March

South Korea: Locked up abroad: One traveler’s experience inside South Korea’s mandatory 14-day quarantine LINK

Ohio: Walmart customer pulls out brass knuckles after refusing to wear mask inside Ohio store, police say LINK

Pennsylvania: It's a dash to Pennsylvania liquor stores ahead of Thanksgiving eve alcohol ban LINK

Washington: Despite doctor’s determination, Spokane mom doesn’t believe COVID killed her daughter LINK

World: Disney to lay off 32,000 employees in first half of fiscal 2021, document says LINK

World: AstraZeneca manufacturing error raises questions about vaccine study results LINK