The All Things Political Topic - Politics is the entertainment division of the military industrial complex

[xzar_monty]

37 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

One day I want to try this dish but we dont get it in SA and no one I know is interested 

I believe it's not widely exported because of its potential to cause olfactory crises. I mean, it's a lot worse than durian, the fruit, which you also cannot bring to places like airports, if I remember correctly.

The Mongols also have various foods whose smell will wake you up in a hurry and take some getting accustomed to -- like, a couple of generations, perhaps.

[Zoraptor]

I've eaten durian, biggest nothingburger of a controversial foodstuff ever so far as I'm concerned*. The texture is reminiscent of cold snot so not exactly the best but otherwise it was... ok. Would eat again, wouldn't go out of my way for it and very far from the most disturbing thing I ate in Bali (which was a plate of frogs legs. Not like the french ones which are big, but about a thousand tiny little frogs they'd obviously netted out of a paddy field. Tasted excellent, but far too many and they looked extraordinarily disturbing all tangled up in a big pile)

*the locals absolutely loved the stuff though, and most of the tourists hated it.

[Hurlshort]

6 hours ago, Zoraptor said:

I've eaten durian, biggest nothingburger of a controversial foodstuff ever so far as I'm concerned*. The texture is reminiscent of cold snot so not exactly the best but otherwise it was... ok. Would eat again, wouldn't go out of my way for it and very far from the most disturbing thing I ate in Bali (which was a plate of frogs legs. Not like the french ones which are big, but about a thousand tiny little frogs they'd obviously netted out of a paddy field. Tasted excellent, but far too many and they looked extraordinarily disturbing all tangled up in a big pile)

*the locals absolutely loved the stuff though, and most of the tourists hated it.

The smell is the rough part. I had a student bring one to class one year for a cultural presentation. It was entertaining.

[Malcador]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66851975

Surprisingly seems no one gives a toss

[Lexx]

I mean, some do https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-calls-azerbaijan-stop-military-activities-karabakh-2023-09-19/

[Zoraptor]

I'm sure all the dead Armenians will die glad in the knowledge the EU's thoughts and prayers were with them.

[Gromnir]

Pennsylvania announces automatic voter registration

PA is likely a battleground state in 2024, so this is big news. 

https://www.gpb.org/news/2023/06/08/new-study-shows-the-impacts-of-automatic-voter-registration-in-georgia

georgia shifted purple contemporaneous with auto voter registration. young people has historically been failures at registration.  unless a candidate or issue captures the imaginations o' millennials and gen z, registration becomes an afterthought. automatic registration is not a panacea for combating youth apathy, but it does result in a noteworthy uptick in millennial and gen z turnout on election day and especial in states like california where mail-in is de rigueur. 

in 2016, clinton lost PA by less than a % point... ~45K votes. 

edit: the reason we added the fox news link is so those interested could read the comments section. am aware europeans is unable to access the comments. you do not need take our word, but as one might imagine, the fox viewer feedback is dominated by conspiracy theories 'bout how auto registration leads to massive voting fraud. sure, auto registration is already a thing in multiple states and unsurprising there is safeguards in place to make certain people who should be prevented from voting do not gain access to the franchise because they acquired a driver's licensee. tucker carlson may be gone from fox, but the conspiracies remain, eh? 'course the writer o' the linked article does nothing to disabuse readers o' their obvious anticipated misapprehensions. 

HA! Good Fun!

Edited September 20, 2023 by Gromnir

[Gorth]

Reading the fox news comments section is an experience. Like, the inside of a Monty Python skit kind of experience, with the surreal factor turned to max. It shows you things about humanity, you wish you didn't know...

[uuuhhii]

29 minutes ago, Gorth said:

Reading the fox news comments section is an experience. Like, the inside of a Monty Python skit kind of experience, with the surreal factor turned to max. It shows you things about humanity, you wish you didn't know...

used to visit some very popular forum full of that kind of reply

it is pretty sad to see thousands of reply mostly agreeing with eachother on some idiotic garbage

[xzar_monty]

4 hours ago, Gorth said:

Reading the fox news comments section is an experience. Like, the inside of a Monty Python skit kind of experience, with the surreal factor turned to max. It shows you things about humanity, you wish you didn't know...

I have never done it and won't, but I suppose I can imagine at least parts of it.

One drastic change that has happened since the internet arrived is that previously there used to be a rather widely agreed-upon reality that people had different opinions upon, while right now there is not even a hint of consensus on the reality itself. It is not doing us any good.

[uuuhhii]

21 minutes ago, xzar_monty said:

I have never done it and won't, but I suppose I can imagine at least parts of it.

One drastic change that has happened since the internet arrived is that previously there used to be a rather widely agreed-upon reality that people had different opinions upon, while right now there is not even a hint of consensus on the reality itself. It is not doing us any good.

age of enlightenment always seems to be right around the corner

but didn't religion pretty big thing for as long as human existed

old idol are left in the dust and newer one taking their place

[BruceVC]

16 hours ago, Malcador said:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66851975

Surprisingly seems no one gives a toss

Its not that, people generally dont relate to wars that are not  on there continent, directly impact them  or are aligned with there ideological or political views

For example in Africa  there are now 5-6 military coups, several wars and ongoing Islamic extremist violence but very few people on this forum talk about it

But thats because the majority of people on this forum dont  live in  Africa and they would understandably have other things they focus on. 

Edited September 20, 2023 by BruceVC

[BruceVC]

40 minutes ago, xzar_monty said:

I have never done it and won't, but I suppose I can imagine at least parts of it.

One drastic change that has happened since the internet arrived is that previously there used to be a rather widely agreed-upon reality that people had different opinions upon, while right now there is not even a hint of consensus on the reality itself. It is not doing us any good.

But Monty if you dont read peoples comments how would you know you dont agree with them?

What if someone says something that you agree with?

[Elerond]

14 hours ago, Zoraptor said:

I'm sure all the dead Armenians will die glad in the knowledge the EU's thoughts and prayers were with them.

They have probably at least same level warm feeling as they have towards they ally and security partner Russia, that declared that area belongs Azerbaijan and that conflict is Azerbaijan's internal struggle and that they will not get involved with the conflict.

[Amentep]

16 hours ago, Gromnir said:

https://www.gpb.org/news/2023/06/08/new-study-shows-the-impacts-of-automatic-voter-registration-in-georgia

georgia shifted purple contemporaneous with auto voter registration. young people has historically been failures at registration.  unless a candidate or issue captures the imaginations o' millennials and gen z, registration becomes an afterthought. automatic registration is not a panacea for combating youth apathy, but it does result in a noteworthy uptick in millennial and gen z turnout on election day and especial in states like california where mail-in is de rigueur. 

Auto registration also bypasses the groups that go to college campuses on voter registration drives but are there primarily to ensure that those registration aren't valid and students aren't eligible to vote.  

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

1 hour ago, Amentep said:

Auto registration also bypasses the groups that go to college campuses on voter registration drives but are there primarily to ensure that those registration aren't valid and students aren't eligible to vote.  

.....what?

[Zoraptor]

8 hours ago, Elerond said:

They have probably at least same level warm feeling as they have towards they ally and security partner Russia, that declared that area belongs Azerbaijan and that conflict is Azerbaijan's internal struggle and that they will not get involved with the conflict.

Russia is not a security partner and ally of Artsakh. Armenia itself doesn't recognise Artsakh* as independent either.

If they wanted Russian help they probably shouldn't have spent the last 7 years slagging them off in the hope of joining NATO- one of the most staggering stupid geopolitical stances of all time given that Turkey is a member with veto powers on matters of accession. Pashinyan is quite possibly even dumber than Sakashvili and that's really saying something. Basically their only hope is, well, Iran who doesn't want a Greater Turkey stretching from the Black to Caspian Seas.

*Much like Crimea, Artsakh/ N-G should have had a referendum on independence after the USSR split up since it was in the soviet constitution that autonomous oblasts get one if their parent SSR leaves. It might even get one, once all the Armenians there have been liquidated.

[Amentep]

3 hours ago, PK htiw klaw eriF said:

.....what?

There are groups that go onto college campuses whose intention is to get students to 'register' to vote. Because of free speech rules for public schools, there are places there allowed to go so long as they aren't disruptive or use space adjacent to campus. 

Some are legit.  Some will do things to invalidate all or some registration forms, such as using fake forms or offering to mail them for students and disposing of them.

Some are seeking to use voter registration to get personal details and scam students. Been a big problem here locally at least.

Auto registration ruins this scam somewhat if students get drivers licenses.

[Keyrock]

I believe every citizen and lawful resident should have available to them a government ID card free of charge. This would not be much of an expense to the state, likely a minuscule fraction of what they waste because of red tape, ludicrous "business" expenses, redundant positions, not to mention money just disappearing into thin air that no one in government ever suffers any consequences for. You could then mandate a valid ID to vote, which some states already do, and it wouldn't penalize underprivileged citizens. Plus, it would go a long way toward curbing check cashing scams where scumbags prey on the poor.

Edited September 20, 2023 by Keyrock

[Gromnir]

6 hours ago, Amentep said:

Auto registration also bypasses the groups that go to college campuses on voter registration drives but are there primarily to ensure that those registration aren't valid and students aren't eligible to vote.  

admitted both parties has long histories o' individuals, groups and even leadership as a whole advocating voter suppression efforts. however, since Gromnir were o' age to vote, the gop has been the party most obvious involved in or complicit with coordinated efforts to prevent minorities and young people from voting. most such schemes is state level endeavors, but national level republicans who condemn those inequitable activities is too few and far between.

one o' the main reasons why Gromnir, in spite o' our conservative voting patterns, never considered registering as a republican is 'cause we had seen too many gop voter suppression schemes. yeah, big tent was the gop mantra at the national level for many decades, but willful ignoring what were actual happening, particular in southern states, were too much hypocrisy for us to ignore.

HA! Good Fun!

ps even in georgia, fraudulent voter registration efforts is criminal and am suspecting the numbers o' people successful denied the vote through such means is gonna be low, particular in recent years when something like 40 states (including georgia but not mississippi) have online voter registration. is tougher to scam young people into believing they has been registered when there is online access to registration status. am not saying amentep described activities don't still happen, but the more effective means for the gop is to do legal as with more than a couple o' the provisions o' sb 202.  

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Gromnir

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

1 hour ago, Amentep said:

There are groups that go onto college campuses whose intention is to get students to 'register' to vote. Because of free speech rules for public schools, there are places there allowed to go so long as they aren't disruptive or use space adjacent to campus. 

Some are legit.  Some will do things to invalidate all or some registration forms, such as using fake forms or offering to mail them for students and disposing of them.

Some are seeking to use voter registration to get personal details and scam students. Been a big problem here locally at least.

Auto registration ruins this scam somewhat if students get drivers licenses.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised about that. I think you work at a university, where you're at is it more of a scam thing or more of a stop the kids from voting thing?

[Amentep]

1 hour ago, PK htiw klaw eriF said:

I guess I shouldn't be surprised about that. I think you work at a university, where you're at is it more of a scam thing or more of a stop the kids from voting thing?

I'm told it's been more of a stop kids voting thing the last few years. 

[Gromnir]

aside, north dakota is the only state which doesn't do registration for voting and instead uses id exclusive. multiple courts determined the north dakota solution is a transparent effort at suppressing votes o' indigenous peoples.

in all fairness, nd had been doing an id requirement since the late 1940s or early 50s and while there were problems, the scheme weren't particular discriminatory. 

 https://www.npr.org/2020/02/14/806083852/north-dakota-and-native-american-tribes-settle-voter-id-lawsuits

While Native Americans in North Dakota are roughly 5% of the state's population, the voting bloc was instrumental in securing a narrow victory for former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, in 2012, according to The Bismarck Tribune.

Following the election, the paper notes, the Republican-controlled legislature decided to no longer allow voters without proper state-issued ID from casting ballots simply "by signing an affidavit attesting to their eligibility."

regardless, universal id requirement is most certain not a solution in and o' itself. similar, the id requirement, as were the case in nd, is frequent used in predictable gop voter suppression schemes.

but again, id is not the fundamental problem. the issue is people. as long as you got people running the system, some o' them is gonna try and find a way to make the system work better for their side/group. there is almost never a simple solution to enduring social, cultural, economic and political problems, 'cause at their core, the problems and solutions depend on people.

have said more than once, am not a fan o' crt in total, but am genuine wishing the nightmare o' a few boardies were a reality. for all its faults, crt challenges students to dispassionate and objective consider those laws which disproportionate advantage the dominant cultural group. yeah, is too ez to fall into the trap o' seeing every law which benefits the dominant cultural group as "racist," though crt should simultaneous diminish the stigma o' the "racist" label itself.

also, crt don't end with identifying bad/racist laws. is not all that difficult to identify laws which benefit the dominant group and are intended to do so. go on social media and announce that sb 202 or north dakota voter id is bad should not be the end o' the analysis. the tough part is producing change. crt recognizes change almost never occurs 'cause the dominant group were made to feel bad about a law, rule or scheme.

regardless, am not seeing a real downside to ubiquitous teaching o' crt at the university level, and while am dubious o' the value in high schools, we wouldn't be afeared o' mandatory crt curriculum neither.

HA! Good Fun!

[Elerond]

23 hours ago, Zoraptor said:

Russia is not a security partner and ally of Artsakh. Armenia itself doesn't recognise Artsakh* as independent either.

Yes, because Russia demanded them stop to do so

[Zoraptor]

There was no 'stopping', Armenia has never recognised Artsakh as independent. If anyone 'stopped' that it was the Turks. Ironic of course, given Cyprus, but then that just reinforced that a 1915 repeat was certainly within Turkey's capabilities, in both meanings of the term.

(Armenia's position has always been that it 'should' (have) be(en) part of Armenia in the first place under the soviets. Which it should have along with Nakhichevan, but wasn't. Once the Azeris have ethnically cleansed Artsakh they'll move on to creating a corridor through to that exclave, or at least try to. Nothing more certain under the sun)

Edited September 21, 2023 by Zoraptor