Nepenthe

I was about to say that in spite of my globe-trotting past with several local honies hasn't helped my allergies one bit, but then I realized you were talking about the stuff bees make.

Actually, an increasing amount of EU legislation leaves the "2nd level" to the Commission. Proposals, such as the data protection regulation when I was working on it, are absolutely rife with these openings for the Commission to legislate, meaning thatneither the member-states nor the EP has any say in the final product. The activism of the EU Court is terrifying, not least in the legal uncertainty it creates. (See the test-achats case) Additionally, directives (minimum harmonization with national implementation) are becoming rarer, with old directives being systematically replaced with directly applicable regulations. In my understanding Lisbon Treaty (Article 290) removed comitology procedures and replaced them with more limited delegated acts (which gives for Commission rights to determine technical details that are seen as non-essential elements of the legislative act in limited scope, so that legislator can therefore concentrate on policy direction and objectives without entering into overly technical debates ) which both EP and Council can object if they see fit to do so. Although I don't have any first hand experience how things work in reality. Judicial activism is something that is hard to avoid in court systems, but at least it concentrate on invalidate legislation. Specifically about test-achats case, one could argue that by invalidating directive at question court in effect also created new legislation, but in other hand one could argue that if directive did go against Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, as EDJ ruled, meaning that those legislation based on that directive shouldn't have existed in first place (of course in this case most of those legislations existed before said directive or adoption of said charter, which make things much more complicated), and therefore being quite excellent case for judicial activism. Yeah, that's the theory re: technical standards and delegated acts. Practice, as always when it comes to legislation, no matter the country or federation, is something else. There is so much goin on at the EU, do you really think the EP and council can keep abreast of what the Commission doeswithin its own powers (unless lobbyists tell them....) Putting people in a different position based on sex is still universally accepted (only Sweden has maternity leave for bith men and women). Insurance is based on using all available information re: client and pricing the risks based on that information. Reducing information makes the risks go up, makes the price go up. Thus, test-achats made the insurance prices go up for almost everybody (apart from a few risk groups) due to the amount if useable info going down. Imo one of the best examples of do-goodyism biting everybody, including its targets, in the ass.

Why you insist on spreading this sort of misinformation is beyond me. It's either irony or malice at play that you blame it on ignorance and "the population being morons", seeing how, as evidenced by the Ukraine thread, you either don't know how the EU siphons sovereignty off member states and towards the Union structures or are, rather dishonestly, downplaying it. But I'm the FSB shill. Again, member states are obligated to: relinquish control over monetary policy once switching to the Euro (handled at the Union level by ECB) acknowledge rulings and domestic ruling overturns by the ECJ and ECHR obey regulations and directives issued by the European Commission (secondary legislation, I'm sure you know what this is) fall in line with the common trading policy or face severe penalties If that all sounds familiar, it's because you already read and glossed over it in the other thread. The structures and organisms responsible for the above are eminently undemocratic and suffer from transparency and accountability deficits. The argument that the EU doesn't micromanage countries is deceitful because what it does is hand out high level objectives for countries to legislate towards, and then sets deadlines for said legislation, leaving only the wording and execution up to member states, while monitoring both and penalizing any deviation from the directives issued. It's not that people believe that some sort of EU nationality is in danger of supplanting whatever their passport currently reads—it's that they correctly surmise that the democratic process is being rendered increasingly irrelevant by the slow but sure transfer of power from their elected representatives to a supra-national organization they have no reason to trust and whose interests, motivations and inner workings are, at best, opaque. Euro is not EU's currency, although original idea of Euro was that it would become such, but currently it hasn't and it more like Independent monetary union, with close tides with EU. Even though all EU's member states are members of EMU, only those countries that have been participated in European Exchange Rate Mechanism II, which is voluntary, for at least two years can adopt Euro as their currency. States outside of EU also can adopt Euro as their currency if they fulfill certain criteria. Currently there are several countries and territories outside EU that use Euro as their currency. ECHR is Council of Europe's court that is institute that is independent from EU and nearly all European countries are it's members. Decisions of national courts can't be appealed to ECJ. ECJ works as institute that determines how EU law should be interpret, but final decision is on national courts. ECJ also works as arbiter between EU's institutions. European Commission don't have power to issue regulations or directives, it only has power to make proposals for legislation, that Council of the European Union and European Parliament has to accept, if proposal is accepted it is Commission job to see that all member states obey it. EU is first and foremost trade union, so it should not come as surprise to any country that joins it that there is trade agreements that they have to obey if they want to be part of the union. Actually, an increasing amount of EU legislation leaves the "2nd level" to the Commission. Proposals, such as the data protection regulation when I was working on it, are absolutely rife with these openings for the Commission to legislate, meaning thatneither the member-states nor the EP has any say in the final product. The activism of the EU Court is terrifying, not least in the legal uncertainty it creates. (See the test-achats case) Additionally, directives (minimum harmonization with national implementation) are becoming rarer, with old directives being systematically replaced with directly applicable regulations.

P.s., the Norwegians aren't in the EU

am recalling our boss from the short period o' time we were at us attorney office. guy comes into work with his right hand middle-finger heavily wrapped in gauze-- had a little tube sticking out o' the end o' the bandages. apparently the tube were to allow puss and other nastiness drain from his terrible infected digit. ick. turns out that he got finger lacerated when trying to clear grass from lawnmower. and o'course the mower were running when he tried to clear the grass. this is from almost twenty years ago, so please recognize that average lawnmower were a bit more primitive and dangerous at the time. our boss didn't seem like an idiot, but am guessing we all do extreme stupid stuff from time-to-time. HA! Good Fun! If it had been a splint, I would have assumed setup. I mean, I have an absolute turd of a case with an oral hearing at the court of appeal next Monday, I'd do anything to have an excuse to give everybody the finger there (they gave the junkie that beat my client up a new hearing in the most obvious case in the history of mankind)...

Have you considered marbles?

It's the same here when it comes to ids and permits they issue.

I'm pretty sure my lack of ps+ will take care of that.

From the farce department, the guy who got most votes (eu elections in Finland are on a single nationwide list) announced today that he's going to attempt to hecome the next prime minister of Finland, ie. not spend a single day representing the people who voted for him.

Picked up watch dawgs too, but probably won't get to play it until next week...

Yeah, it would be Nelux after brussels gets gutted via running down the european institutions.

I call your stomach bug and raise with my 2 week holiday (all i got this year) and sinusitis.

And, of course, cheated to do so: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HcjMHb906Y (The Russian head coach was suspended for the game, so he wasn't allowed on the bench and shouldn't have communicated with the team, either)

Fair enough I don't know anyone who is in the exact situation as you mentioned and truly doesn't have time to exercise. All I would argue is that a cardio workout is going to relax you more than alcohol or drugs. But the alcohol and drugs is a perceived method to relax a person, I don't think its a long term solution.You don't know a lot of lawyers, do you? My boss gets exercise due to running from home to work and/or vice versa most days, massive respect. I've found my job to be mentally draining to the point that I can't so anything more physically or mentally demanding than Madden when I finally get home from there. And I hate it. Edit: I had a fairly good friend, an older laywer but still under 50, who mentored me when I started drink himself to death last year.

To dp, for the "far right" to succeed, it has to offer something also to moderates, that is the nature of democracy. It isn't poverty and illiterates that empower it, it is the stagnation of established political parties and becoming the "only alternative" to whatever, capitulation to a higher level of corruption. Again, anecdotal, but as some of you know, I worked as a lobbyist before I borderline burned out and left for a country: EU legislative process = horror

I'd like to point out - for a second time - that while there are some actually far-right parties in the mix, some others are getting painted as "far right" just because it's "convenient" (either politically or out of laziness) I was particularly amused by the guy who got most votes, a member of the more "responsible" "conservative" party, one who repeatedly calls out the eurocritics out on their populism, stand around in the post-election party wearing a Finland hockey jersey...

The economy and most likely not (at least in regards to the continuation of the union). I do worry a little about the rise of nationalistic socialistic and Lib/Soc parties (not to be confused with 1930 style nationalsozialismus .. just yet) - Extremism is almost always a direct consequences of a perceived lack of resources... but this political movement under way, is so populist that it's not entirely healthy. These parties try to compass extreme conservative notions like nationalism, immigrations issues. Liberal notions like tax cuts for the rich and "transperancy" while being unequivocally Top-Down in their own management.. and left wing politics in the style of elder care, welfare issues and healthcare. The problem is their policies become completely polluted with "here and now" issues - meaning a lot of the actual needed political management, that needs to be a lot more farsighted, is completely overlooked - which is basically paving the way for the next huge crisis down the road. This mirrors the political development of Europe in the 1930s, except the union and the peaceful atmosphere towards fellow member states fuels the anger outwards. Europe won't go to war again, but it might shut itself in and look inwards. Which is also bad for the development of Europe. Wow another interesting perspective, nice one But tell me something. Denmark, if I'm not mistaken, was one of the current EU countries where a far right party gained major support. So I have to ask why, why in such a prosperous and socially stable country could far right ideals be so popular? For example are Danish people really that worried about immigration? i don't have the statistics, mostly because the powers that be make them as hard as possible to access, but crime committed by eastern europeans has gone through the roof recently. Highly professional, highly organised, and at worst, brings along organised beggars that bleeding hearts liberals want to rescue with other people's money. And I do have considerable personal experience on the matter vs. Prejudices.

Indeed, it's changed a lot from the '94 version we joined, as well. And no referenda here, either.

I'm not sure I follow, are you saying the far right in Finland gained support because the current Finnish government bailed out foreign banks ? Yes, but the Finnish skeptics don't really qualify as "far right", at least in no other reasonable political climate. The main issue is that in most European countries, the "old, established parties" are unequivocally in support of a constantly deepening union. A union, that is already a bureaucratic nightmare that hasn't had its budget cleared by auditors ever. Basically people, especially in countries with high tax rates, are getting fed up for footing the bill of it all. Certainly in cases where the funds are tranferred to other countries with considerably laxer taxation... I know I am.

Ugh, that happened to me when I was in early teens. Still, when I open the door, especially after having been gone for a while, I find I am bracing myself...

It's at moments like these when I suddenly feel very old. Is the highest difficulty "I am Death incarnate"?

That DLC WAS probably their best work since, well, I dunno, ME1?

Highland Park Valhalla collection Loki. Apparently scored one of the final 5 bottles in the country...

Not exactly. The only conclusion is that you shouldn't read too much into what he says. I read it as more or less supporting the legend directly.