#moribund goals

[1ore]

My stupid favorite moribund thing is invoking god (lowercase g) for phrases like ‘god-forsaken’ and ‘oh my god.’ Incidentally my other stupid favorite moribund thing is dropping hints that being a god is not an aspirational state

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Bill Bramhall

* * * *

Biden and Harris defend reproductive liberty

May 2, 2024

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

Republicans, the media, and the pollsters are underestimating the alarm and urgency that a strong majority of Americans feel about the GOP assault on reproductive liberty. When pundits are forced to explain why they were wrong in their predictions about the 2024 elections, they will claim they failed to appreciate the depth of anger and outrage felt by Americans who were denied basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

On a day when reproductive liberty was under active attack by MAGA extremists, President Biden and Vice President Harris were campaigning to protect and expand those rights. One day after Trump said he would support state laws to monitor women’s pregnancies to enforce abortion bans, the Biden-Harris campaign issued a joint statement that said, in part,

Donald Trump’s latest comments leave little doubt: if elected he’ll sign a national abortion ban, allow women who have an abortion to be prosecuted and punished, allow the government to invade women’s privacy to monitor their pregnancies, and put IVF and contraception in jeopardy nationwide. Simply put: November’s election will determine whether women in the United States have reproductive freedom, or whether Trump’s new government will continue its assault to control women’s health care decisions.

Vice President Harris was in Florida on the eve of that state’s six-week abortion ban. At a campaign stop, the Vice President attacked “Trump's abortion bans,” warning that “things will be even worse if Trump is reelected.” See ABC News, Harris hammers Trump for Florida's new abortion ban, warns it will be 'even worse' if he wins.

Vice President Harris said, in part,

Donald Trump's friends in the United States Congress are trying to pass a national ban and understand a national ban would outlaw abortion in every single state, even in states like New York and California.

Biden and Harris are not exaggerating the threat of a national abortion ban and pregnancy monitoring under the Trump administration. Trump's abortion policy is outlined in Project 2025, a detailed blueprint of the policy goals and actions planned by the Trump administration.

Project 2025 calls for a national abortion ban by simply appointing an Attorney General who will claim that the moribund Comstock Act effectively prohibits abortion healthcare. See The New Republic, Conservatives Plan to Ban Abortion and Cut LGBT Rights Starting Next January.

Per TNR, Trump's policy would be as follows:

Outlaw abortion. Until then, surveil abortion in the areas in which it remains legal in order to prioritize criminal cases against “chemical abortion” and “abortion tourism.” The playbook says the president should enforce a 150-year-old law, the Comstock Act, which right-wing groups see as a way to ban abortion nationally because it outlaws the use of the mail for the purposes of sending or receiving any object that could be used for an abortion.

As Project 2025 authors plot to further erode reproductive liberty, Republicans know that their extremist positions are losing propositions in the general election. On Wednesday, two Republicans in the Arizona Senate joined with fourteen Democrats to repeal Arizona’s 1864 analog to the Comstock Act. Arizona will thus revert to a 15-week abortion ban that was passed shortly before the Dobbs decision.  See NPR, Arizona lawmakers vote by a narrow margin to repeal Civil War-era abortion ban.

With only two Senate Republicans crossing over to repeal the 1864 law, the issue of reproductive liberty is still very much on the ballot in Arizona in November. Both chambers of the Arizona legislature have narrow Republican majorities and are flippable. Moreover, proponents of reproductive liberty successfully qualified a pro-choice ballot initiative to amend the Arizona constitution in November. See Ballotpedia, Arizona Right to Abortion Initiative (2024).

The issue of reproductive liberty drove voters to the polls in the 2022 midterms and special elections thereafter. But pundits and pollsters dismiss those actual results as unrepresentative because . . . why?? Because they don’t agree with their polls that overweight Republican respondents who still answer their landlines.

Actual results matter, and when women and men have had the opportunity to make their voices heard in elections, they have proven that Americans are highly motivated to vote for Democrats in 2024 in order to protect reproductive liberty.

It is essential that all Americans—but especially women and couples of childbearing age—understand that MAGA is trying to criminalize their family planning efforts.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[mariscool9]

Brief world history lesson (as I'll be making character introductions soon);

The world was once far bigger than it currently is as The Moribund, a nickname given to the remains of the world by its people. As it stands now, the Moribund is a dying world. It was always surrounded by the sea, which, at first, was something that didn't pose a threat. But as more waste from the beings above the humans began to secretly accumulate into something unmanageable and began to corupt the land. It began to grow as people began to die and creatures began to assimilate into it, becoming a strange and dark color. It appears almost grey, dipping into black at its deepest. Some say that it looks back if one was to look into it; the waves that pull are hands. At its simplest, it is a concoction of everything that has ever died and somehow a window for those horrors to return.

Creations began to arise from this sea, horribly mangled and grotesque. They were aggressive in nature and only wished to consume. These creatures were nicknamed Umbrages, or more formally known as the Scotomimus. When killed, their waste began to burn and mangle the skin of the people, killing them instantly if not a few moments later. On rare occasions, they would become consumed by the creations, assimilating into them.

This began the end of the Old World, giving way into the New World.

The disease, Pluvosis, began to arise as time went on. Although the people were unaware, as the water began to become contaminated with the water from the sea, the rain carried it in the cycle, but it was just enough not to be lethal. It has no major side effects besides a compromised immune systems. It has more major evolutions, but those will be detailed in a later post.

As the planet began to become consumed by the ongrowing scotomimus waste, it basically reverted itself to its beginning state of a population of only ~1,000 scattered throughout over 4x the amount of land that the Moribund currently has. It took quite some time for humans to regenerate and return to evolving, but by then, they already had to migrate far north and the amount of countries began to diminish. By -400,000, humans had created small bastions in the remaining countries and had early beginnings of armor and armies once again. The lifespan of the average person was roughly 26 at most, as the average human or fiend would die due to starvation, pluvosis, or the umbrages.

Fog from the sea began to slowly consume the countries, resulting them to be completely submerged into the water, minus the remaining few that the current map has.

The current year is unknown, but society has returned to be slightly more organized and the population is more dense. People now organize themselves as knights and soldiers first and foremost, as battle is the only way to survive. The spawn from the sea are relentless and mindless, so war is the only way. People are raised from a young age to be soldiers or essential workers (such as blacksmiths, medics, tailors, etc). A common modern-day job, the one that most people have, is as a Bounty Hunter. They are additionally known as freelancers, assassins, mercenaries, and any other name of that sort. Their main goal is to rid the land of its accursed stains and fill in roles that the dead are unable to; commonly, they may be asked to fill in roles in armies. They are also tasked with regular assignments, such as killing other humans, monsters for specific reasons, gathering hard to get materials, and many more. They work on an honor and trade-and-barter system, gaining points from each job that they can exchange for goods and services, starting at 10 and getting up to 1.

[whitesalmanrushdie]

watched the barbie movie, friend INSISTED it was actually extremely feminist

it was just a decently funny commercial, you dont really gotta bother unless you're going with the squad. Even the takes about it actually being reactionary are overreaching i think - the goal of the movie is to reinvigorate the barbie brand. Whatever you interpret as being somehow male chauvinist, or being overly feminist, or whatever kinda politics you take from the movie - it's just to give you a way to buy in to a moribund brand. No one needs to see, talk about, or get mad about this movie tbh; if you DO go see it, please just laugh at the funny parts and then banish it from your memory as i will، and under no circumstances see any of the other movies this fucking company is going to make. It's the movie equivalent of chilis baby back ribs or the dancing six flags man, not a contender with Judith Butler or w/e

[handeaux]

Back In The Day, You Might Have Thought Everyone In Cincinnati Loved Fred Trump

People in Cincinnati were raving about Fred C. Trump a full decade before he ever dipped a toe into Cincinnati’s real estate market. Mildred Miller, in her Cincinnati Enquirer “Talk About Women” column [2 March 1954], begged the New York developer to buy some Queen City rental property:

“Sa-ay, why can’t it happen here? We sure could use a few ace-high landlords like Fred Trump of New York! He not only rents to families with children but also provides many extras to make them happy! . . . Such as playgrounds, indoor recreation centers, summer camps and baby sitters!”

Ten years later, Mildred Miller got her wish when Fred Trump purchased the moribund Swifton Village apartments in Bond Hill. Originally constructed with Federal Housing Administration financing at a cost of $10 million in 1954, the complex was half empty in 1964. The FHA foreclosed on the property and put it up for auction when the original developer defaulted. Fred Trump was the only bidder, snatching the complex for $5.7 million. The Cincinnati Enquirer [6 January 1965] was delighted:

“Before ink was dry on the Swifton deed, Mr. Trump said he sent his maintenance crews into the village on a $500,000 reconditioning and redecorating program. A new community center was built; streets and sidewalks were repaved; paint was dabbed here and there; new refrigerators and new laundry machines were installed; window shutters were ordered. New tenants started coming in.”

Although several sections of the complex were reserved for adult tenants, Fred Trump did build playgrounds in the portions of Swifton Village in which children were allowed. He also maintained a private swim club and sun deck for the exclusive use of tenants.

Fred Trump apparently worked overtime to satisfy the folks who lived at Swifton Village. One employee recalled when the owner visited Cincinnati around Mother’s Day and bought 1,000 orchids to distribute to the resident mothers. Trump passed out thousands of pre-stamped, pre-addressed post cards to all his tenants encouraging them to send complaints and suggestions directly to him. Enquirer business editor Ralph Weiskittel enthused [2 October 1966] about the benefit:

“This is the ‘service’ aspect of our plan, Mr. Trump said. When a tenant calls for a service he wants it ‘then’ – not an excuse that workmen are busy and will get to it the first thing tomorrow morning.”

Of course, the New York developer spent a lot of money burnishing his own image. The entire time he owned Swifton Village, every newspaper advertisement specified that the official name of the complex was “Fred C. Trump’s New Swifton Village.” Trump ran advertisements touting his concern for the tenants’ welfare. One advertisement in the Cincinnati Post [25 August 1966] promised a lofty goal:

“Who’s this man Fred C. Trump anyhow? He’s head man of Swifton Village. He loves this place. He’s out here regularly overseeing all the improvements that will make our Swifton Village a veritable paradise of suburban living.”

Another advertisement in the Enquirer [27 August 1966] emphasized his personal touch:

“This man worries a lot. If you lived here, you might be getting a phone call from Mr. Trump. Sound strange? Well, that’s the way Mr. Trump works. Several times a week (in addition to his regular visits) he picks up the phone and makes a long distance call to a tenant in his Swifton Village Apartments. Just to check up and find out if they’re content. Are things being taken care of? Anything he can do to help make living in his apartments a bit more pleasant? He’s the kind of landlord who worries about you.”

As a couple of lawsuits revealed, Fred Trump reserved his worries for his white tenants. In 1969, according to testimony by Trump’s own lawyer, only two or three apartments out of 1,167 in the complex were occupied by Black families.

The Cincinnati lawsuit was filed on behalf of Haywood and Rennell Cash, a young couple living with relatives because they were unable to find an apartment. At Swifton Village, they were told there were no vacancies, but they suspected otherwise. They consulted with the Housing Opportunities Made Equal organization, who sent a white woman out to Swifton Village. She was immediately offered an apartment. When the H.O.M.E. shopper returned with the Cashes, the apartment manager threw all of them out of his office.

A New York case, filed in 1973, involved almost identical circumstances, including allegations that Fred Trump’s managers falsely claimed that no vacancies existed and required higher rents from Black applicants. The New York lawsuit itemized incidents of discrimination at more than 17 Trump properties in New York and Virginia.

As it turned out, Fred Trump had been accused of discriminatory rental practices for years. At one point, folksinger Woody Guthrie lived in one of Trump’s Brooklyn buildings and crafted a new verse for his song “I Ain’t Got No Home” as a protest against the policies that kept that complex exclusively white:

We all are crazy fools As long as race hate rules! No no no! Old Man Trump! Beach Haven ain’t my home!

Despite his advertisements professing love for Cincinnati and his tenants, Fred Trump dropped a few hints indicating he was on the fence about his investment here. He told the Enquirer [6 January 1965] that Cincinnati was “a real disappointment” because the market was “overbuilt.” He described Swifton Village as a “Mexican stand-off,” meaning he expected to do no better than break even on his investment and that the property would mostly function as a tax write-off.

In December 1972, Fred Trump sold Swifton Village to Prudent Real Estate Trust of New York for $6.75 million. He never again entered the Cincinnati real estate market. All of the original Swifton Village apartment buildings were demolished around twenty years ago to make room for a new housing development.

[raytm]

"so, what are we doing next, mystery girl?” ( sunday to sparkle ! )

he is so ethereal, even amongst the paradisiacal landscape of penacony does he stand out, preternatural in exquisite attire and an expression tempered to be dispassionate. his darling, beloved sister nothing but a moribund whisper now, an identity to be commandeered for her own capricious fancies. he sees through her, his gaze a punctuating lance of seething vengeance and he doesn’t need to contort his expression nor deviate his dulcet cadence for the impact to be felt down to her bones. “ you are mad, aren’t you, dreadfully so.” sparkle mourns his loss in her own aberrant way, robin’s delicate mouth and fair brows a rendering of sorrow. “ it is such a significant loss for all of the family, isn’t it ?” a long strand of silver luster is twirled around a solitary, gracile finger, around and around, as if she were in profound thought. “ but you, you’re different…”  she allows the lock to slip through her fingers, her hand finding respite against the fluttering of her heart, not robin’s. “ she is your sister -”  she looks up to him, at his regality, at his ineffable bereavement.  “ so you’d need to do something about this.” after all, the festival was only a few days off and the visitors were awaiting its prestigious main act. “ what will you do, what will you do?” she hums, delighted, resting her hands on the metal barrier separating them from the myriad of lights shimmering down below. “ either way, I’ll follow your lead, it’s not my goal to be the main attraction.”  she smiles, robin’s smile, erroneous in contrast to sparkle’s lilting voice.

[maskedinstructor]

Black Education in America... Money ! Money ! Money ! Money !

THE MONEY SCHOOL

THIS magnificent federation of states called America is famous for its valor. Long before other countries dared to engage in combat to achieve its freedom...America had forced the British from its shores... arrogantly and without apologies. What we currently view as America is tough, rugged and ferocious. It is also gallant in industry, sports, the Arts and war...But not so in education. In this field, America has been slow to act, quite disorganized and ponderous. Programs, projects, purposes, goals and objectives which would be of greater interests to our children and excite them with the learning and teaching methodologies stall in the red tape of the bureaucractic graveyard for moribund ideas. It appears that the zeal for fight and innovation are lost. Fear has seized a place of prominence in the educational reform movement. This is the most opportune moment to strike. Abandon all doubt and hesitation. Enlighten the populace. Propel he nation forward. Uplift the country with meaning, energy and new life. Make learning applicable, utilitarian and authentic. Let's make money talk.

How will we teach in The Money School? In the most marvelous of fashions !

The Best of 2023...

BOLD AS HELL AND NOT SHRINKING FROM IT. LET'S GET IT ON

[pupa-cinema]

Village Man's Store - 猫騙し人攫い(Nekomadashi-Hitosarai) - Lyrics English Translation

連れ出して八方暗がり I’ll whisk you away, til’ we hit a dark-end 背後に警戒ない君が好き I love how vulnerable you are from behind 腐ってラブソング御臨終 Our withering, moribund love song 飛びつく合図だけやるよ4カウント(1、2) I’m only gonna signal when I pounce on you, 4 by 4 beat (1, 2)

なあ君を見つけたのは ‘Eyy the reason I found you 一際目立つそのコートのせい Was because of your exceptionally flashy coat 退屈な時歩くは When I’m bored, walking is just 鼻につくコロンの行く末 The future of the sarcastic colon

震えてる　息を整え Shaking, trying to keep your breath steady 掴んだら離しはしない Once I get a hold of you I’m never letting go 連れ出して八方暗がり I’ll whisk you away, til’ we hit a dark-end 背後に警戒ない君が好き I love how vulnerable you are from behind 腐ってラブソング御臨終 Our withering, moribund love song 飛びつく刹那顔を見ていたい I wanna forever stare at the face you make when I pounce on you 猫騙人攫 Fake out, trick the kitty, kidnap it 君を守ってやるさ　いいだろ I’ll keep you safe, so what’s wrong with that

なんもない部屋の中　好きな物置いて飾ってやる I’ll decorate this empty room full of things you like いつでも駆けつけるなら If I’m gonna be rushing to your side whenever I need you then 居場所は分かった方がいいね It’s best if you know where you should call home

震えてる　息を整え Shaking, trying to keep your breath steady 掴んだら離しはしない Once I get a hold of you I’m never letting go

匿って八方塞がり Hiding from your pursuer, til’ you hit a dead-end 毎度疑心のない君が好き I love how you never suspect me, every time にゃあと驚く間に Even though your meowing tantalizes me 焦らされ取って食う様なヘマはしない I won’t do something stupid like catch and eat you

猫騙人攫 Fake out, trick the kitty, kidnap it 君を守ってやるさ　いいだろ I’ll keep you safe, so what’s wrong with that

低く地に伏せ　息を殺して Lying down low on the ground, holding your breath 風が揺らすのは伸びる薄い影 The wind stirs up your outstretched pale shadow

連れ出して八方暗がり

I’ll whisk you away, til’ we hit a dark-end 背後に警戒ない君が好き I love how vulnerable you are from behind 腐ってラブソング御臨終 Our withering, moribund love song 飛びつく合図だけやるよ4カウント(1、2) I’m only gonna signal when I pounce at you, 4 by 4 beat (1, 2)

結末、八方塞がり In the end, you’re at a dead-end 毎度疑心のない君が好き I love how you never suspect me, every time にゃあと驚く間に Even though your meowing tantalizes me 焦らされ取って食う様なヘマはしない I won’t do something stupid like catch and eat you 掌底パンと鳴ったら目を閉じりゃいい Just close your eyes when you hear the slap of a shoutei punch 単純なゴールテープじゃ救いようのないだけ Simple goal tape alone only means that there’s no hope 猫騙人攫猫騙人攫 Fake out, trick the kitty, kidnap it 君を守ってやるさ　いいだろ I’ll keep you safe, so what’s wrong with that

[generalpierrotdameron]

Ahsoka has apparently set out to be as average as possible. It achieves that goal with a thumpingly okay-ish finale. [...]

Ahsoka also breaks with recent Star Wars tradition by delivering a downbeat ending similar to the anti-climactic conclusion to The Empire Strikes Back. But if you admire its courage in going for a muted final curtain, it’s still hard not to lament the series’ many misses.  

These include Mikkelsen as alleged evil genius Thrawn. [...], the blue-skinned scoundrel never lives up to his reputation as an existential threat to the Republic. He’s just a B-list Bond villain with a weakness for monologuing. [...]

Ahsoka also wasted Hayden Christensen, aka Anakin Skywalker. He popped up in a baffling mid-season flashback when Tano – Dawson, stalwart, but never scintillating – was drowning. In Star Wars, your life doesn’t flash before you in your final minutes. Instead, you’re forced to revisit Lucas’s prequels, complete with stiff acting and moribund dialogue.  

Star Wars comes out of Ahsoka in rough shape. A decade after acquiring the franchise, Disney still seems stumped as to what made Lucas’s creation so adored in the first place. It knows Star Wars is beloved – but cannot work out why.

[mariacallous]

It might be a slight exaggeration to say that the future of progressive politics in Europe rests on the shoulders of one man. It would be no exaggeration to say that this man bears few characteristics of a potential savior.

Olaf Scholz took office as postwar Germany’s ninth chancellor in December 2021 by saying as little of note as possible. During the election campaign of that year, he stood and watched as his two rivals from the conservative Christian Democratic Union and the Greens repeatedly ran into trouble.

The man who rose without trace then faced the task of cobbling together a coalition, a regular ritual of German politics, except this time he was required to forge an alliance of not two but three parties—his own Social Democrats; the Greens; and the liberal party, the Free Democrats (FDP). Their program for government, with the less-than-galvanizing title “Dare to Make Progress,” allowed each party to cherry-pick a few of its chosen goals. Germany would accelerate the decarbonization of its economy; it would improve life chances for the disadvantaged, and it would stick to a strict budget. And on one point in which they all easily agreed, it would ramp up the digitization of a woefully analogue economy (payments by cash and broadband speeds slower than Albania’s).

So far, so reasonable—and attainable. In one respect, the goals would seem minimalist, and yet set against the rampant right-wing authoritarianism besetting much of Europe, locating itself within mainstream conservative parties, such as in the U.K., or in alternative groupings such as in Poland, France, Italy, and Spain, not to mention the ever-present hostile force that is Hungary. Just being ordinary is some achievement.

Then came Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, which upended decades of conventional wisdom in Germany. With his Zeitenwende speech three days later, Scholz signaled the transformation of his country into a military player for the first time since the Second World War.

He seized the day with a flourish. He prepared his speech secretly and hurriedly, informing his coalition partners only hours before appearing before parliament. Legislators were stunned but stood to applaud him. Voters were shocked but sent his poll ratings sky high. And in governments around the world, senior officials wondered whether they were witnessing the real Olaf Scholz, a risk-taker, a leader from the front; perhaps the diffident election candidate had been a ruse to gain power.

They would be quickly disabused of such thoughts. As he himself noted without irony in July 2023, before embarking on his summer break: “I am no John Wayne.”

As the political season resumes, his coalition is fractious, his economy is spluttering, the mood is fractious, and the far-right is resurgent. Abroad, it has become axiomatic to disparage Germany, with one publication wondering whether it had become the sick man of Europe. Unlike in 1999, at least this time, the Economist magazine caveated its front page headline with a question mark.

Discussion of Germany is often accompanied by two tiresome cliches. Foreigners indulge in schadenfreude at the first sign of difficulty, while Germans themselves indulge in their favorite pastime, self-flagellation. As I noted recently in Die Welt newspaper, the difference between healthy self-criticism and self-indulgent whining can be small.

Yet Germany’s present problems are very real. The biggest of them all: Does its leader have what it takes to surmount them? The rest of the world—especially Europe’s other progressive parties—are watching closely.

One answer is offered by Ukraine policy: Scholz’s big speech kick-started a debate about the moribund state of the Bundeswehr (the armed forces) after years of neglect and underspending. At least as important, it opened a much-delayed discussion about Germany’s role in the world. To what degree were Germans comfortable with the use of hard power for justifiable ends, not least the defense of Ukraine’s sovereignty?

A country that had previously convinced itself of Russian good intentions and of the ability to engineer change through engagement, over 2022 and into 2023, Germany steadily became Europe’s second-largest purveyor of weaponry to Ukraine. And yet Scholz received scant appreciation from the Ukrainians or others for this momentous change.

There is one simple reason for this: the character of Scholz himself, remarkably unremarkable, with two interlinked behavioral traits. Scholz says little and does little, until the last perceived hurdle has been cleared, before moving. He is also a man of seemingly unshakable self-belief who sees no reason to explain, less still to convince, and least of all to charm those around him.

Scholz deliberately portrayed himself as the natural heir to Angela Merkel, even though he belongs to a different party. In this he is a small part right, a larger part wrong. He has her calmness under fire, for sure. But he does not command the room like the former Chancellor did. She did not do exuberance. She had grit, but she had more than that. She had a wry smile that won people over.

The most frequently used term attributed to Scholz is besserwisser, or know-it-all. Take this remark: Speaking at the 13th German Mechanical Engineering Summit (this is Germany, after all), he said that Putin was using energy “as a weapon,” before adding: “I was always sure that he would do that.”And this from a man who was entirely comfortable with supporting and then continuing Merkel’s policy of energy dependency on Russia, both as an easy source of energy for German business and as a (mistaken) means of seeking to tie Putin into the international community.

Somewhere inside him, he believes that others will eventually come around to his point of view. He can wait it out.

His diplomats tear their hair out in frustration, pleading with their interlocuters that Germany is doing far more than it is given credit for. They watch with frustration as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gives his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, an overly familiar bear hug and effusive praise, even though France has provided far less kit. What does the German leader get? An awkward handshake.

This clearly matters little to Scholz himself. At international summits, he appears content to stand at the side during the leaders’ official photograph. At European Union meetings, he seems quite happy to take the flak for opposing a particular initiative. He sits hunched in his chair, leaving it to his underlings to try to justify his position.

Scholz’s refusal, or inability, to lead from the front is factored in by allies. What matters, in their view, is not charisma but delivery. The Americans and NATO have cut him considerable slack.

To understand his approach on the domestic agenda, think soccer. His coalition is riven with open hostility. The FDP is wedded, even more than the other parties, to the notion of the so-called black zero, a balanced budget. It is also an ardent supporter of the automotive industry and skeptical of a number of climate initiatives.

The Greens, who secured more votes than the FDP in the 2021 election, have come off the worst in the 20 months of the coalition. The onetime golden boy, Economy Minister Robert Habeck, has seen his ratings plunge over an unpopular law to ban new oil and gas heating systems. In recent weeks, a public spat broke out between the Greens’ Family Minister Lisa Paus and the Finance Minister (and FDP leader) Christian Lindner. Paus wanted increases in child benefits. When she didn’t get them, she blocked Lindner’s plans for corporate tax cuts.

All the while, Scholz sits back, giving rise to the metaphor not of the captain of the soccer team, but of the referee. In so doing, he usually wins the individual game, but it leaves his coalition partners—and voters—cold, not knowing what he really stands for, what he cares about.

The main opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union—the party of Merkel, Helmut Kohl, and Konrad Adenauer—is leading the polls, but not by anything like the amount it should be. Its current leader, Friedrich Merz, is the butt of at least as many jokes as any other politician.

The real beneficiary is the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is now ahead of Scholz’s Social Democrats and way in front of the smaller coalition parties. It is expected to become the most popular force during a series of regional elections over the next 12 months, particularly in the former communist east. Mainstream parties continue to insist that they will never entertain a coalition with the AfD. Time will tell whether that position holds. The party could also score alarmingly well during next May’s European elections, following the so-called populist trend that is seizing much of the continent. That, in turn, is in danger of undermining Western support for Ukraine.

Amid the gloom, there is potentially another story to tell. Germany remains on track to generate 80 percent of its energy from renewables by 2030—one of the Greens’ priority areas that has not been challenged. It has weaned itself off Russian oil and gas with commendable speed. Although the 2 percent target for defense spending (to which all NATO countries committed themselves in 2014, and even 18 months into Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, few countries have enacted) will take time to achieve, Germany is starting to make progress. The overall change in foreign-policy outlook is generational. And while the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development are giving the Germans a poor score card, many economists expect the country to turn around by 2025. It invariably does.

Is it possible to be an incremental revolutionary? This three-party coalition has not even reached its halfway mark (assuming it doesn’t crash, and there are few signs that it will). There is much that it could achieve, if it can focus again on the key targets it set itself (such as speeding up digitization) and if it finds a way of managing its differences less acrimoniously.

It is worth remembering that Germany remains an outlier in having a centrist, or even marginally center-left government, that is alive and kicking. There are not many European models to follow, which is why the leader of the British opposition, Keir Starmer, has developed particularly close relations with Scholz. According to opinion polls, Starmer is set to win Britain’s general election next year, but such have been the Labour Party’s electoral failures in the past, he has adopted and adapted Scholz’s approach to win power and to hold on to it, come what may.

Scholz appears confident that he may yet prevail. The despondency of the Berlin political class is overdone and will dissipate over time. The popularity of the AfD has a tendency to ebb and flow. But facing down its easy slogans requires far greater political courage and more dynamic leadership than he has shown so far.

This will not come naturally to him. He has shown it once so far, during his Zeitenwende speech, if all too briefly. If his remaining tenure is to be a success, and if progressive politics is to survive, let alone thrive, in Europe’s largest economy, he will have to find it again.

Welcome to the West’s Olaf Scholz Era

[xtruss]

Joe Biden, The Ultimate American Snake-oil Salesman — Scott Ritter

© AFP 2023/Nicholas Kamm

The second Summit for Democracy kicks off in Washington, DC today, with President Joe Biden gathering representatives from around 120 countries vision of in hopes of breathing life into his vision “restoring” American leadership on the world stage after four years of Donald Trump

According to the US State Department, Biden’s American vision seeks to “prove democracy still works and can improve people’s lives in tangible ways,” adding that “democracies have to come together—to rejuvenate and improve our open, rights-respecting societies from within; to stand together in defending against threats from autocracies; and to show we can address the most pressing crises of our time.”

It is notable that two NATO allies—Turkey and Hungary—are absent from the list of invited nations.

The Summit for Democracy is, in fact, anything but. Genuine democracy is a by product of the domestic political realities of a sovereign state, where its constituent population builds institutions and values derived from their own collective experiences.

The American vision of “democracy” being promulgated by the Biden administration, however, ignores this reality. What the Biden administration is seeking to do is to further the span of control of what it calls the “rules based international order”, an unwritten “standard” imposed by the United States in the aftermath of the Second World War which, at one time, was seen as the necessary mechanism for which to oversee global post-conflict reconstruction efforts, but which eventually was used a the means for sustaining American economic, political, and military hegemony over the world.

Devastating Quakes? Don’t Care Must Rob: US Continues Oil Looting of Quake-Hit Syria! Syrian UN representative Bassam Sabbagh blasted Washington’s effort to politicize the humanitarian response in Syria in the wake of last month’s devastating earthquakes, pointing out that the US’s “illegitimate dominance on oil and gas wells in the northeastern part of Syria and the smuggling of petroleum outside the country” constitute a special form of cruelty which “deprived Syrians from these materials and billions of dollars in estimated income.”

Like any “system”, the rules based international order requires an antagonist from which it can generate the fear necessary to compel people and nations to rally to its cause. In the aftermath of the Second World War, this antagonist was the forces of international communism embodied in the form of the Soviet Union and Communist China. When the Cold War ended, rather than adapt the rules based international order to meet the needs of the newly-emerging multi-polar world, the US opted instead to use the cause of “democracy” as a means of imposing its will not only on its former ideological opponents, but also to compel conformity among those nations of the world who had espoused non-aligned points of view.

The American definition of “democracy” had more to do with imposed subservience, and less with genuine empowerment of sovereign goals and aspirations.

In the decades that have passed since the end of the Cold War, however, the reality of imposed “American” democracy has been exposed as a false promise, buried in the ashes of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, and, most recently, Ukraine. The inconsistencies of a US foreign policy built on the premise of “human rights” which are selectively embraced depending on the needs of American national security, combined with the glaring inadequacies of the American democratic model as practiced at home, have removed the rose-colored lens behind which America had shielded its vision of “democracy” from the rest of the world, leaving the moribund reality of the American enterprise laid bare for all to see.

Joe Biden’s “Summit for Democracy” is little more than a modern-day manifestation of the American snake-oil salesman of old, a seedy profiteer trying to exploit an unsuspecting public by selling it quack remedies. In this case, however, it isn’t just the cure that is fake, but also the underlying ailment for which the cure is offered. To make the cure-all of the American democratic model more palatable, the Biden administration has had to resurrect the demons of old—Russia and China—portraying them as the forces of “autocracy” (i.e., the new communism) for which the only cure is American-directed “democracy”—the ultimate snake oil.

China Urges US to Stop Interfering in Other Countries' Affairs Under Pretext of Democracy. Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, said! "What our world needs today is not to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs under the guise of democracy, but to advocate genuine democracy, reject pseudo-democracy and jointly promote greater democracy in international relations," the diplomat said. (March 28, 2023)

"We have stated our position on the so-called 'Summit for Democracy' on multiple occasions. Despite the many problems at home, the US is hosting another 'Summit for Democracy' in the name of promoting democracy, an event that blatantly draws an ideological line between countries and creates division in the world. The act violates the spirit of democracy and further reveals the US’ pursuit of primacy behind the façade of democracy," Mao added. (March 28, 2023)

One of the problems facing Joe Biden and the coterie of erstwhile “democracy” proponents with which he has populated his foreign and national security team is that not only does the United States not have a cure (“democracy”) for a non-existent disease (“autocracy”), but Biden, by overplaying his hand through publicity stunts such as the “Summit for Democracy” has inadvertently opened up American-style democracy for diagnosis by the other nations of the world who, while finding no cure, have actually classified the American snake-oil as a disease, the cure for which is the very force the US is seeking to isolate and weaken through its actions—Russian and Chinese “autocracy.”

While the Biden administration can bully, cajole, intimidate, and bribe nations to attend his Summit for Democracy road show, at the end of the day nations vote with their feet, and it is to institutions like the Shanghai Security Organization (SCO) and BRICS that the global collective is gravitating to in increasing numbers, rejecting the failed policies and false promises of the core institutions that comprise the so-called rules based international order that serves as the key ingredient of the snake-oil cure being offered by Joe Biden.

Increasingly the IMF and World Bank are being viewed by the developing world as the extensions of the foreign and national security arms of the US, the EU, NATO, and the G7—the so-called “collective West” that have so openly aligned themselves against both Russia and China. By joining the SCO and BRICS, many nations have made it clear they want no further part with a “rules based international order” which can, on a whim, violate or make moot the very rules it advocates for by illegally seizing foreign assets, sanctioning nations in violation of international law, and controlling through economic manipulation.

One only need look to the example of Saudi Arabia, a long-time stalwart American ally, which has openly divorced itself from the rules-based international order it had served for many decades, aligning instead with Russia and China. More and more nations are positioning themselves to follow in the footsteps of Saudi Arabia, opting to become part of a global multi-polarity which is successfully challenging the antiquated and decrepit system built around the flawed premise of American singularity.

Joe Biden’s Summit for Democracy is simply the modern version of the scam perpetrated by the ultimate personification of the American snake-oil salesman, Clark Stanley, who plied his trade at the turn of the 19th century.

Like Stanley’s customers of old, who had been misled into buying a cure that contained none of the ingredients he claimed it did, and as such cured nothing, the world is seeing through the overhyped claims regarding the benefits of American “democracy”, exposing it as little more than false promises and outright lies which, if embraced, leads to only suffering, death, and destruction. The real threat to the world, it seems, isn’t the forces of “autocracy” for which American “democracy” is intended as a cure, but America itself, especially in the form of politicians such as Joe Biden who seek to continue the scam for as long as possible, regardless of the consequences for both the salesman and the customer.

— Wednesday 29 March, 2023

[irvinenewshq]

Renewables finest solution to take care of inflation

Russia’s vitality struggle and excessive vitality costs in Europe has some politicians calling on the EU to restart beforehand moribund gasoline infrastructure initiatives and increase gasoline provide. However international suppose tanks Ember and E3G declare fast-tracking renewables is a more practical solution to take care of vitality worth inflation. The growth of photo voltaic and wind technology in Europe—complete technology in Europe went up 13 % between March and September—saved EU nations €11bn, or eight billion cubic metres (bcm) in extra gasoline imports. In complete, Europe generated 345 TWh of wind and solar energy in these months, changing 70bcm of gasoline—leading to complete financial savings of €99bn. The findings got here as a part of Ember’s International Electrical energy Mid-12 months Insights for 2022, revealed on Monday (17 October). “Wind and photo voltaic are proving themselves,” senior Ember analyst Małgorzat Wiatros-Motyka wrote. “Step one to ending the grip of pricey and polluting fossil fuels is to construct sufficient clear energy to fulfill the world’s rising urge for food for electrical energy.” European demand will outstrip international provide for years. The EU ought to resist the urge to spend money on new gasoline initiatives as they won’t resolve excessive costs within the subsequent few years and danger an oversupply of gasoline in the long term. As a substitute, the report calls on the EU to increase all current renewable programmes. Renewable vitality saves cash To make the case, the researchers present how speedily renewable initiatives can scale back gasoline dependence. Nineteen of the EU’s 27 member states elevated wind and photo voltaic technology this 12 months. Wind and solar energy now make up 24 % of the bloc’s electrical energy combine. Poland noticed its share of wind- and solar energy develop by 48.5 % in a single 12 months, a European document. Spain changed €1.7bn value of gasoline imports in solely 4 months. And Portugal, Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands are planning to generate almost 100% of electrical energy from renewables by 2030. However many EU member nations are nonetheless grappling with a historic dependency on imported Russian gasoline, which made up 41 % of all imported gasoline in 2020. Ember researchers warn gasoline made up 20 % of European electrical energy technology, at the price of €82bn—a determine that has elevated since final 12 months as some nations had been compelled to exchange low hydro- and nuclear output with electrical energy derived from gasoline. Vitality inflation This substitute has put additional stress on inflation. Russia’s gasoline cut-off has resulted within the “largest inflationary shock in Europe for the reason that Second World Conflict, beating that of the oil disaster within the Seventies”, the report stated. Vitality prices had been 40 % larger in September than a 12 months in the past. Most European governments have introduced assist schemes to guard households and companies towards excessive costs. However the report warns this is not going to be financially sustainable for the long run and as an alternative calls on EU governments to “deal with the underlying explanation for inflation” and double down on wind- and photo voltaic vitality. The fee in Might introduced a proposal to extend the share of renewables from 40 to 45 % of the whole vitality combine in 2030. The EU Parliament has already supported the proposal, however the council of 27 member states is but to take action. To take care of excessive gasoline costs “and calm the [gas] markets” within the “subsequent three winter seasons”, the report calls on the EU Council to again the upper goal and scale back gasoline imports by 41 % by 2030. Originally published at Irvine News HQ

[chawsl]

THIS ARTICLE EXPLAINS WHY THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN THE WORLD THE WAY IT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW

https://worldaffairs.blog/2022/09/16/why-the-us-needs-to-destroy-russia-and-china-the-need-for-bretton-woods-iii/

WHY THE US NEEDS TO DESTROY RUSSIA AND CHINA — THE NEED FOR BRETTON WOODS III

The United States of America is in big trouble, short term and long term. In 2022, the stock market is crashing, bond market is down the most in 40 years, housing bubble is bursting, inflation is skyrocketing, debt is exploding, and GDP is shrinking. These are not temporary crises. Instead, they reveal systemic flaws in the American economy that is propped up by a rigged global financial system. However, that system is starting to crumble and the primacy of US dollar is in serious trouble, thanks to an emerging multipolar world. (Don’t believe the nonsense that the US can keep printing infinite amount of dollars).

US central government’s debt is now $31 trillion, amounting to 130% of GDP. Soon, the interest payments on the debt alone will be $1 trillion per year. Of course, the principal amount will never get paid off. Then, add in the unfunded liabilities — like future payments for social security — the debt is staggering over $200 trillion.

Furthermore, there are not enough buyers of US treasuries. Thus, since the 2008 financial crisis, the Federal Reserve Bank has been creating trillions of dollars literally out of thin air and buying the US debt (treasury bonds). This is voodoo economics and not sustainable.

What’s the end game? The US needs to default on its debt and start new. The goal is to declare bankruptcy and … yet remain the #1 country. This will be the “Bretton Woods III” agreement.

Sounds ridiculous? Well, it’s possible if all the other countries are weak and nobody is strong enough to challenge the US.

This is why the US must not only crush Russia and China — the two biggest geopolitical rivals — but also weaken Europe, and establish the new global order to prolong the American Century.

Dollar Hegemony

America’s extraordinary power comes from the power of US dollar, which is the preferred global currency for trade. This also means that countries around the world must accumulate US dollars in their foreign exchange reserves. But the US has been abusing its power by printing money, and by weaponizing the dollar through sanctions and confiscations of hard-earned reserves.

No wonder that China, Russia and others are finding ways to circumvent the dollar in trade. The share of US dollar in global reserves is only 59% now. When that number falls below 50%, the tectonic shifts in global finance will become more apparent to Americans.

To fully grasp the nature of the current world order, let’s see how the US established the dollar as the world currency, performed the biggest gold heist in human history, then defaulted on its obligations, but revived the moribund dollar with a clever deal. Those are the stories of Bretton Woods I and II.

Bretton Woods I — Gold-backed Dollar

WW2 was a wonderful thing for the US. First, it took the US economy out of the Great Depression. The US played the role of arms supplier and gladly watched European empires destroy themselves. Even before the war was over, the US brought in all the allies to Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, in 1944 and said, “When the war is over, you will all be weak and broke. I will be the new empire, and my dollar will be the global currency. But don’t worry, it will be as good as gold — at a guaranteed rate of $35 per ounce of gold.”

This meant that if you have $35, you can go to a US bank and get an ounce of gold!

The world agreed. When the war was over, everyone bought US dollar with gold and used it for trade. Huge amounts of gold were also physically transferred from Japan, Germany and other parts of the world into the vaults of the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.

This system worked until 1971 when the US suddenly declared, “Oops, the dollar is not backed by gold anymore. If you have US dollars, they are just pieces of paper now. You cannot get your gold back!” People called it the “Nixon Shock.”

1970s – When Fiat Dollar almost died

This was also the biggest gold theft in human history. But what could the world do? America had nuclear weapons and the mightiest military.

Of course, the switch to a fiat currency wreaked havoc. The value of US dollar fell precipitously and inflation skyrocketed. Oil price quickly doubled and grew five-fold by 1979. The oil shock and gas shortage rocked American politics.

The US economy was in deep trouble. That’s when the US elites came up with a clever idea to rescue the dollar and restore its primacy.

Bretton Woods II — The Birth of Petrodollar

How to make the dollar relevant? Hmm…What if everyone needed US dollar to buy something essential?

Like … OIL. Brilliant!

This was the birth of Petrodollar.

Basically, the U.S. used Saudi Arabia’s oil to save the dollar. That is, Saudi Arabia (and other smaller producers) would sell oil only for US dollars. And to make sure that the Saudis don’t get too powerful, they will be forced to recycle most of their profits back into the US economy. It was also a protection racket, which meant the US military would occupy Saudi Arabia and protect it from enemies.

Saudi King Faisal with Kissinger. Birth of Petrodollar

But why would the Saudis agree to this? Because the U.S. would make Saudi Arabia the new king of oil and the most influential Middle East power … after crippling Iran.

Win-win.

Thus, the U.S. armed and funded Saddam Hussein of Iraq to wage a decade-long war on Iran. US provided arms/intelligence. Germany and France provided deadly chemical/biological weapons to Iraq. Here’s Donald Rumsfeld with Saddam in 1983.

Of course, the same Rumsfeld would bomb Iraq and kill Saddam twenty years later.

Thus, the Petrodollar deal with Saudi Arabia could be called Bretton Woods II. It extended the life of the American Empire by a few more decades.

Bretton Woods III

For the last four decades, countries around the world have been foolishly working hard for US dollars, buying US treasuries, and funding the American Empire. But within the next decade, those U.S. treasury bills and bonds might be worthless. Deja vu all over again.

The U.S. needs Bretton Woods, Version 3. Somehow, the world needs to write off all American debt and start new. But … with America still as #1 How the hell could this happen?? This is how:

If the world is full of weak countries, they will accept the new rules — just like they did in 1944 and 1974. Imagine a world where Russia and Europe destroy one another. Imagine a world where Japan and India attack China … and they all get destroyed. A world on fire, destroyed by passion and bombs.

In that world, America will come in as the savior at the last moment, stop the war, and make everyone a happy vassal.

Great Reset. Bretton Woods III. New World Order. Call it what you will.

Conclusion

The wheels are in motion. After eight years of provocation, the US successfully forced Russia to invade Ukraine. And the US also brilliantly pulled Europe into the mess. Europe’s economy is now being decimated and de-industrialized.

As for China, the U.S. is trying its best to start a war using Taiwan as the pawn. Japan is being asked to re-militarize and procure 1000 long-range missiles. The US needs a few more years to manufacture this mother of all wars. A lot depends on India, since Japan wouldn’t want to be the only Asian country to attack China.

Four years ago, I predicted all this in the article “The Most Dangerous Decade.” However, much of the world is still happy to be mesmerized and led into the slaughterhouse.

Only Russia and China can change how this story evolves. If Putin can quickly and decisively win the Ukraine war, he can force a peace settlement with Europe.

And China needs to accelerate the internationalization of Yuan. Also, the BRICS members and other developing nations can create a basket of currencies that would be more democratic. Bottom line: There is no de-dollarization without a robust alternative financial system.

China also needs to muster the greatest diplomatic efforts to make peace with India as well as with Japan, which would blindly follow US orders. China should also make a deal with Taiwan to reduce tensions — perhaps something like “We won’t invade you and, in return, you won’t buy weapons from the US or declare independence.”

In the most optimistic scenario, the Global South — people of the developing nations — can bring into fruition a new fair world without catastrophic wars or financial devastation. As Sun Tzu said, “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”

[concordeducations]

7 Keys to Motivating Staff

Engagement, motivation and job satisfaction are inextricably linked. Understanding the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators is key to being able to create engagement and job satisfaction with your staff. People are more motivated by individual internal factors than external ones. Learn how to identify the unique motivators for each person.

Why Should You Attend

Are you Disheartened when you see staff who are just going through the motions - not motivated to do a good job, to provide outstanding customer service, go slightly above and beyond, to get that project finished on time, contribute in meetings, add input to the creative process, problem solve on their own, moving in slow motion … to name just a few.

It can be Frustrating and time consuming trying to figure out how to get them out of this moribund state.

If you would like staff that are more motivated, set and achieve goals and self-regulate, understanding the key underpinnings of how motivation occurs is essential.

You have staff or know people who seem to be intrinsically motivated – they don’t need anyone to tell them what or when to do something – they have already done it. They are very focused on results and taking effective action.

You’ve might even have thought, I would like to be more like that, or have some of my staff or team-mates be more like that.

It’s possible – by understanding this one core concept about motivation, you will learn how to approach staff, projects and even life differently while feeling more connected and motivated by your work. Learn the core drivers of motivation.

This workshop is for anyone who wants to be able to bring the best out in people, have staff more motivated, a high-performing, people centric environment that motivates and excites. People will take great joy in being in that energy. You'll find yourself more motivated too.

This is a how-to webinar - you will come away with not only a new understanding of how motivation works, but also a detailed plan, and set of tools for implementing your new understanding.

Areas Covered in the Session » The 3 core elements that create job satisfaction » Why putting energy into things you can't change can backfire » Why intrinsic (internal) motivation trumps extrinsic (external) » The flaws that prevent most motivational concepts from working » What you Can and Can't change in relationship to your staff to motivate » The 2 questions to align intrinsic motivation to the external world

Who Will Benefit » Leaders and managers who oversee a team or staff » Those who want to create high-performing, people centric environments » Anyone who wants to have better relationships and retention of staff To Register (or) for more details please click on this below link: https://bit.ly/3SYdEmC/a> Email: support@concordeducations.com Tel: (989)341-8773

[chebbites]

“This is all of me for all the world to see.” | Boy Epic, Scars

Commissioned Niu from @new-veqas! This is such a gorgeous style, and the artist is super nice too!! 

[notwiselybuttoowell]

Joe Biden’s election triggered a global surge in optimism that the climate crisis would, finally, be decisively confronted. But the US supreme court’s decision last week to curtail America’s ability to cut planet-heating emissions has proved the latest blow to a faltering effort by Biden on climate that is now in danger of becoming largely moribund.

The supreme court’s ruling that the US government could not use its existing powers to phase out coal-fired power generation without “clear congressional authorization” quickly ricocheted around the world among those now accustomed to looking on in dismay at America’s seemingly endless stumbles in addressing global heating.

The decision “flies in the face of established science and will set back the US’s commitment to keep global temperature below 1.5C”, said Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh, in reference to the internationally agreed goal to limit global heating before it becomes truly catastrophic, manifesting in more severe heatwaves, floods, droughts and societal unrest.

“The people who will pay the price for this will be the most vulnerable communities in the most vulnerable developing countries in the world,” Huq added.

The “incredibly undemocratic Scotus ruling” indicates that “backsliding is now the dominant trend in the climate space,” said Yamide Dagnet, director of climate justice at Open Society Foundations and former climate negotiator for the UK and European Union. António Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations who has called new fossil fuel infrastructure “moral and economic madness”, said via a spokesman that the ruling was a “setback” at a time when countries were badly off track in averting looming climate breakdown.