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yourreddancer · 2 months ago

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This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 67. 2/9/25

Ron Filipkowski

Feb 9

… Elon Musk, JD Vance and their MAGA minions are fuming at US District Judge Engelmayer’s decision to halt DOGE’s attempts to seize control of the US Treasury. The emergency order temporary prevents “special government employees” access to Treasury Department systems. The court also ordered that any person who was granted access “destroy any and all copies of material downloaded from the Treasury Department’s records and systems.”

… A court hearing was set to resolve the matter on February 14 before Judge Jeannette Vargas, who is now assigned the case on a permanent basis.

… NJ AG Matt Platkin, who brought the lawsuit: “To be clear: the Judge ordered Elon and the DOGE bros to delete any data they illegally acquired since Trump took office. We are going to make sure they comply. Billionaires don't get to write their own rules.”

… Since the ruling late on Friday, Musk, Vance and their allies have called for the judge to be impeached, and have also suggested that DOGE and Musk will simply ignore the order of the court and continue with what they are doing illegally.

… Elon Musk: “A corrupt judge protecting corruption. He needs to be impeached NOW!”

… JD Vance: “If a judge tried to tell a General how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the Attorney General in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that's also illegal. Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power.”

… This is utterly and completely false. It basically just tears up 230 years of US constitutional law and throws it in the trash can. Certainly everything since Marbury v. Madison was decided in 1803.

… Rep. Dan Goldman: “It’s called the ‘rule of law’, JD Vance. Our constitution created three co-equal branches of government to provide checks and balances on each other (“separation of powers”). The judiciary makes sure that the executive follows the law. If you do, then you won’t have problems.”

… Sen. Tom Cotton: “Outrageous. Obama Judge Engelmayer didn’t just bar Musk and DOGE from Treasury systems, he barred the Sec of the Treasury himself. Without citing a single law or even allowing Trump admin to appear in court! This outlaw should be reversed immediately and Engelmayer should be forbidden by higher courts from ever hearing another case against the Trump admin.”

… Marge Greene: “We need to impeach rogue judges.”

… Rep. Darrell Issa: “I’m immediately introducing legislation next week to stop these rogue judges and allow Trump and DOGE to tell you where government is spending your money.”

… Charlie Kirk: “Judge Engelmayer just forbade all political appointees based on Blueanon conspiracy theories!! The judge’s ruling is, in essence, that Scott Bessent simply occupies a ceremonial position without real power, like the King of England. This is a grenade thrown into the functioning of the Treasury Dept. It forbids the elected government from accessing information about budget and finances. Instead, only the permanent, deep-state government can know what's being spent.”

… Sen. Mike Lee: “This sounds like a good time to file a petition for an extraordinary writ of mandamus. Here, it’d be a way of seeking immediate, judicial relief from an order issued by a judge who has severely abused his discretion.”

… Dan Goldman and Elon Musk then had this exchange:

Goldman - It wasn’t just a freeze on Musk and DOGE accessing Americans’ personal data. He was ordered to DESTROY any data they already took. Elon must confirm he has followed the court order.

Musk - We don’t have any personal data of Americans, you corrupt moron.

Goldman - Tell it to the judge under oath.

… DOGE announced they have identified just over $1 billion in spending cuts during the first 3 weeks of the Trump Administration, despite their pledge to cut at least $2 trillion this year. At this pace, it will only take them a few hundred years to fulfill their promise.

… Elon also announced that he wants to eliminate Radio Free Europe and Voice of America. Kari Lake was so excited recently when she was appointed head of VOA by Trump. Now Elon wants to abolish it. Poor Kari.

… Kristi Noem was asked on CNN why she wasn’t concerned about Musk’s DOGE Bros having access to everyone’s data. Dana Bash: “I remember a time when Republicans were very careful about the government having access to personal data.” Noem: “Well, we can't trust the government anymore.” Bash: “You are the government.”

… Sen. Chris Murphy on ABC responding to John Fetterman’s comments that many Dems are being over-dramatic about what Trump and Musk are doing: "I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced, certainly since Watergate. The president is attempting to seize control of power, and for corrupt purposes. He's trying to crush his opposition. This is a red alert moment ... our democracy is at risk."

(NOTE: Fettermanchin must've gotten permanent brain damage after his stroke!!!!!)

… Trump told the NY Post that he has spoken to Putin recently to set up talks to resolve their invasion of Ukraine. According to the report, Trump said this to NSA Mike Waltz on Air Force One after the call: “Let’s get these meetings going. They want to meet. Every day people are dying. Young handsome soldiers are being killed. Young men, like my sons.”

… While Russia wants to seize occupied territory and get assurances that Ukraine will never be allowed to join NATO (at a minimum), Trump also wants a piece of the action to extort our ally. Trump said he wants $500 million worth rare-earth minerals and gas from Ukraine as part of any agreement to end the war. So this is essentially like Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia agreeing to carve up Poland in 1939.

… Waltz was asked today on NBC about US aid to Ukraine: "We need to recoup those costs. And that is going to be a partnership with the Ukrainians in terms of their rare earth, their natural resources, and their oil and gas and also buying ours."

(NOTE: Ukraine should get ALL Russian money in frozen assets to rebuild their country as a start!!!)

… Waltz was also asked if Trump is serious about trying to take over Canada: “Look, I think the Canadian people, many of them, would love to join the United States.” They all have to act the fool to attempt to normalize Dear Leader’s insanity.

… Right-wing commentator Charles Downs says MAGA should be rooting for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl: “During the 2024 election, KC Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt donated to Rick Scott, Bernie Moreno, Kari Lake, Marsha Blackburn, Eric Hovde, and Mike Rogers. Eagles minority owner Christina Weiss Lurie loves spending her Eagles money on donating to failed candidates Kamala Harris and Bob Casey.”

… New CBS/YouGov poll results:

Trump's focus on lowering prices is: Not enough-66% Right amount-31%

Do you think Trump's policies will make the price you pay for food and groceries:Go up-51% Go down-28% Not change-20%

Do you think Trump's policies will make you financially better off: Better off-35% Worse off-40% Stay the same-25%

… AL Sen. Katie Britt was upset about the recently announced cuts by DOGE of NIH funding for cancer research and other things. Naturally, she is upset at Emperor Musk’s edict because this also hurts her state. She told AL.com: “Every cent of hard-earned taxpayer money should be spent efficiently, judiciously, and accountably — without exception. A smart, targeted approach is needed in order to not hinder life-saving, groundbreaking research at high-achieving institutions like those in Alabama.”

… The University of Alabama-Birmingham alone has received over $1 billion in NIH funding.

… Gary Marcus, one of the US’s leading experts on neuroscience, cognitive science, and psychology: “Drastically cutting NIH & NSF funding and reducing grant ‘overhead’ to 15% are among the dumbest ideas I have ever seen. America will never be the same. Science will take a huge hit; academic stars will leave; university reputations will crumble, and homegrown talent will be even harder to find. Asia and Europe will profit.”

… Republican Sen. Jerry Moran from Kansas was freaking out for a while about foreign aid getting cut off by Musk, since so many of Big Ag corps in his state make millions from it: “GOOD NEWS: State Dept. has approved shipping to resume, allowing NGOs to distribute the $560 million of American-grown food aid sitting in US & global ports to those in need. Thanks to Sect Rubio for helping make certain this life-saving aid gets to those in need before it spoils.”

… Amazingly, the only time these kinds of programs are worthwhile to Republicans is when people in their states, friends, relatives, and political donors benefit from them.

… Punchbowl reports that Rep. Byron Donalds just committed a clear and serious House ethics violation by giving his voting card to someone to cast two votes for him while he was in California to appear on the Bill Maher Show.

… House Republicans just past a law last year to ban this, and Donalds promptly violated it. This is what Donalds posted on X on 1/9/23 in support of the bill: “Today, House Republicans will vote to END proxy voting once and for all. The House of Representatives isn’t a tech company. Its members should work IN PERSON in the People’s House!”

… NYT reports that a mystery crypto trader who seemed to have inside knowledge because they made a $1 million investment in Trump’s new digital currency hours before launch, cashed out with a $100 million profit a short time later - which caused the price of the coin to plummet and people lose almost everything. 810,000 people lost money on Trump’s crypto so far, and Trump has collected over $100 million on it just in transaction fees alone.

… Trump Budget Director Russ Vought announced they are going to eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Act by starving the agency of funding: “I have notified the Federal Reserve that CFPB will not be taking its next draw of unappropriated funding because it is not ‘reasonably necessary’ to carry out its duties.”

… Before Vought made that announcement, Musk posted on X: ‘RIP CFPD’ with a grave headstone emoji. CFPD’s website was also taken down.

… NYT noted that CFPB was created by Congress in 2011 as a financial industry watchdog, so only Congress can legally shut it down completely, “but its director can freeze most of its actions by halting enforcement, weakening or repealing regulations and softening its supervision of banks and other lenders.”

… Sen. Chris Van Hollen: “This is the richest man on earth bragging about destroying an agency that’s returned BILLIONS of dollars to working Americans who were cheated by big corporations. Well guess what - the CFPB is protected by law and we will fight to ensure it can continue to fight for consumers.”

… After imposing his blanket 10% tariff on China with much fanfare, Trump quietly carved out a big loophole, exempting packages of goods coming in from China valued at less than $800, which nullifies the effect of his tariffs almost completely. So he backed down on this just like he backed down on his Canada and Mexico tariffs - except Xi simply refused to pretend to give Trump anything in exchange before he surrendered.

… WSJ on Trump’s latest tariff surrender: “Again Trump uses ‘tariff’ as a press release red flag for clicks and trolls, not real policy. In real policy he tears open a loophole he just said he was closing, allowing millions of Chinese imports to avoid inspection and doing big favors for China and Jeff Bezos.”

… WaPo reports that staffers and allies of Musk have sought access to sensitive data while disrupting operations in at least 15 different government agencies. DOGE continues to refuse to disclosed the names of any of the people working for it. WaPo identified at least 30 people working for DOGE by reviewing “the internal directories of multiple agencies and interviewing numerous federal workers, virtually all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.”

… The story says that Musk’s DOGE team has focused primarily on gaining control of 3 key agencies: OPM, which oversees the federal workforce; GSA, which controls real estate and logistics; and the Department of the Treasury.

… Bloomberg reports that Musk also has the critical National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration targeted for possible elimination as well. NOAA provides daily weather forecasts through the National Weather Service. The agency cooperates with other agencies around the world, from the exchange of satellite data to the coordination of aircraft that track hurricanes. NOAA is considered the world leader in weather forecasting.

… UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain: “Weather does not respect political boundaries. It is not possible to predict the weather in the United States without cooperation from other parts of the world.”

… Craig McLean, who was NOAA’s chief scientist during the first Trump Admin: “It’s a circus. If Trump’s goal is to destabilize, humiliate and embarrass the loyal people who have chosen to work for their country and federal government, he is succeeding.”

… Bloomberg: “NOAA employs more than 12,000 people across an array of labs and forecasting offices nationwide, watching everything from fish supplies in the ocean to the atmosphere of the sun. The agency’s research and observational data are the bones that support and protect billions of dollars of global markets, industry and real estate. It even has an unarmed uniformed service of about 330 officers to fly its planes and sail its ships.”

Sen. Cory Booker: “Trump is making a deliberate attempt to overwhelm the system, and to overwhelm you. It can be difficult to keep up. And that’s by design. But we can keep up – and respond. Trump's attempt to flood the zone is not a sign of strength – it’s an attempt to project strength, and to convince you that he’s more powerful than he is. Don’t let him. Stand up, speak out, and remember that democracy depends on those who refuse to be silenced.”

… AP reported that over 300,000 protesters rallied in Munich, Germany on Saturday against the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party that is being supported by Elon Musk in their election on February 23. The party is currently second in the polls in the multi-party election, as far-right political movements in the US and around the globe continue to seize on the issue of liberal immigration policies in the recent past in their countries.

… Vanity Fair reported that Musk has not been notifying Trump Chief of Staff Susie Wiles about his plans before he implements them, so the White House is typically in the dark finding out things the same time we are.

… The story cites sources close to Trump who say that while Musk might be annoying him, Trump will stick with him for a while: “Republicans I spoke to said Trump can’t, or won’t, challenge Musk because Trump understands Musk’s unprecedented power. Musk is reportedly worth nearly $400 billion and has more than 216 million followers on X.

… One former Trump staffer: “How can he say no to Elon? You think he wants to go to war with him?” Another Trump ally: “Elon is autistic and that scares people. He’s unpredictable and prone to tantrums.”

… HOWEVER, one prominent Republican strategist: “Trump has a limit to others getting credit.”

… The Trump ally said that eventually, “Elon is going to blow himself up.”

… Trump announced on Truth Social that he is making himself the Chairman of the Kennedy Center: “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture. We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!”

… The Kennedy Center issued a statement: “Per the Center’s governance established by Congress in 1958, the chair of the board of trustees is appointed by the Center’s board members. There is nothing in the Center’s statute that would prevent a new administration from replacing board members; however, this would be the first time such action has been taken with the Kennedy Center’s board.” (NOTE: SUE HIM, KENNEDY CENTER!!!!!)

… So Musk runs the country while Mad King Trump pretends he runs the Kennedy Center.

… Auto industry monitor FuelArc cites new data showing that fire fatalities are 17 times more likely in a Tesla Cybertruck than in the infamous Ford Pinto. At the current rate of fire deaths, FuelArc projects the Cybertruck will have 14.52 fatalities per 100,000 units — far eclipsing the Pinto's 0.85 while setting what would be a world record in death by vehicle fire.

… The Byte, which covers science and tech: “The Cybertruck, an almost 3-ton vehicle which is apparently allowed to drive itself, has never passed independent crash testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and has refused to release its in-house safety testing data, which means other drivers and pedestrians are in the dark as to its safety.”

… While shutting down asylum claims for everyone else on earth, Trump issued an executive order to prioritize White people from South Africa to flee persecution to the US. From the XO: “The US shall not provide aid or assistance to South Africa. The US shall promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination.”

… The order then says that the Sect of State shall “prioritize admission and resettlement through the US Refugee Admissions Program for Afrikaners in South Africa.”

… Not all White people though. Only the Dutch/German Afrikaners.

… But AP reports that Afrikaners aren’t interested. Dirk Hermann, CEO of the Afrikaner Trade Union ‘Solidarity’, which represents 2 million people: “Our members work here, and want to stay here, and they are going to stay here. We are committed to build a future here. We are not going anywhere.”

… Kallie Kriel, CEO of the Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum: "We have to state categorically: We don’t want to move elsewhere."

… South Africa’s Foreign Ministry: “It is ironic that the executive order makes provision for refugee status in the U.S. for a group in South Africa that remains amongst the most economically privileged, while vulnerable people in the U.S. from other parts of the world are being deported and denied asylum despite real hardship.”

… Spokesperson for South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa: “South Africa is a constitutional democracy. We value all South Africans, Black and White. The assertion that Afrikaners face arbitrary deprivation and, therefore, need to flee the country of their birth is an assertion devoid of all truth.”

… As Trump rages about deportation numbers far lower than he promised, Tom Homan continues to blame the media and immigration activists. NY Post reported that last week in Chicago they only arrested 2 migrants despite 100 ICE agents spending 5 hours trying to hunt them down.

… ABC reports that 400 ICE agents were deployed on Wednesday to Colorado to arrest purported gang members who were migrants. After contacting people at hundreds of residences, only one alleged gang member was arrested. Homan predicted they would get at least 100 during the operation.

… Homan claims that local media is “tipping off” migrants prior to the raids and continues to threaten them with FCC action and arrests.

… SecDef Pete Hegseth weirdly attacked his former Fox colleague Jennifer Griffin after she simply reported that House Dems sent a letter to DOD demanding to know why he was spending well over $100K of taxpayer money to make “repairs” to his official govt residence while Musk was cutting spending everywhere. He posted on X: “Fake News of the Day (not surprising from Dems & Jen Griffin; same thing) Any/all house repairs were going to happen no matter who was moving in—and were all initiated by DoD. But Dems/Jen don’t care about facts; they’re just Trump haters.”

… Marco Rubio’s new Spokesman at the State Dept Darren Beattie recently responded to a shooting involving black people in ATL by saying that Black people should be sterilized. His post on X: “When a population gets feral, a little snip snip keeps things in control. Could offer incentives - Air Jordans, etc.

… Mark Zaid, who had a security clearance because he has represented govt officials including senior intelligence officials for decades, on Trump canceling it: “If he and his partisan minions thinks this will deter me from holding them accountable to the rule of law, they are sadly mistaken. By existing law, I am entitled to lawful due process, to include being informed why after 25 years of authorized access to classified info I am suddenly untrustworthy. I have represented US govt officials at the most senior levels during every admin since Clinton, and have prided myself on being a non-partisan registered independent. This highly politicized actions reflects far worse on the Trump Admin than it does me.”

… Oil and Gas Industry Expert Patrick De Haan responded to Trump bragging again about how cheap gas was when he left office last time: “Gas prices did not fall below $2.00 a gallon while Trump was President until Covid hit in 2020. Had Covid not hit, gas prices would not have fallen below $2. Gas prices rose every year under Trump until the pandemic.”

… Musk is upset about all the stories citing gaming experts that have outed him for cheating at video games by hiring people to play for him so he can make himself appear much better than he really is to his bros. He posted today: “Video game ‘journalism’ is garbage.”

… MAGA voter registration point man Scott Presler was embroiled in controversy this weekend as many of his right-wing fans suddenly discovered that he is gay. One of his friends recently posted this photo below of the two of them together, which went viral when it was reposted by a MAGA account with the caption: “This guy should be exiled from MAGA. This is disgusting.”

… Some of Presler’s MAGA fans came to his defense and said being gay should not disqualify you from the movement, but the post also drew hundreds of anti-Presler posts and over 9 million views from people who want him out of MAGA regardless of how many voters he registers.

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news365timesindia · 3 months ago

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[ad_1] Paromita Das GG News Bureau New Delhi, 8th Feb. The Changing Political Landscape in Delhi As the Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 reach their final stage, all eyes are on the vote count, which is expected to determine whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will finally reclaim power in the national capital after 27 years. Exit polls have predicted a landslide victory for the BJP, signaling a potential end to the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) decade-long dominance under Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership. If these projections hold, Delhi’s political landscape is on the brink of a historic transformation, with BJP making a resounding comeback. However, past elections have shown that exit polls do not always translate into final results, and AAP remains hopeful of defying predictions. The party, which has enjoyed significant voter trust in previous elections, dismisses the exit polls as misleading, pointing to its strong grassroots presence and welfare schemes. Meanwhile, BJP leaders are confident that Delhi voters have chosen change, bolstered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and the party’s focus on governance and infrastructure development. With the official results set to be declared today, Delhi’s voters, political analysts, and party workers await a decisive verdict that could reshape the capital’s future. Will BJP’s resurgence mark a new era for Delhi, or will AAP stage an unexpected comeback? The final outcome will determine the course of governance in the capital for the next five years. Exit Poll Analysis: Predicting BJP’s Big Win Several reputed agencies have released their exit poll projections, with most predicting a clear majority for BJP. Here’s a breakdown: Exit Poll BJP (Seats) AAP (Seats) Congress (Seats) P-Marq 39 21-31 0-1 Peoples Pulse 51-60 10-19 0 People’s Insight 40-44 25-29 0-2 Matrize 35-40 32-37 0-1 Chanakya 39-44 25-28 2-3 JVC 39-45 22-32 0-2 With 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly, the majority mark stands at 36. Almost all exit polls indicate that BJP will comfortably cross this threshold, with some even suggesting a landslide victory of over 50 seats. Why BJP Is Expected to Win: Key Factors Behind the Shift If BJP does manage to sweep the Delhi elections, it will mark a historic political comeback after nearly three decades. Several factors have contributed to this possible shift in voter sentiment: The Modi Factor and National Sentiment PM Narendra Modi’s popularity has been a game-changer in multiple state elections. The BJP’s success in the 2024 General Elections, coupled with Modi’s focus on Delhi’s infrastructural development, has resonated with voters. His personal brand of leadership, welfare schemes, and vision for Delhi have likely influenced the electorate. AAP’s Governance Fatigue and Controversies AAP’s 10-year rule in Delhi began with massive public support, but recent controversies have dented its image. Allegations of corruption, internal party conflicts, and Kejriwal’s confrontations with the Lieutenant Governor (LG) and central agencies have created political instability. Issues like the liquor policy scam and allegations of mismanagement in Delhi’s education and healthcare models have also weakened AAP’s standing. Anti-Incumbency and Voter Dissatisfaction After two consecutive terms, anti-incumbency sentiment appears to be rising against AAP. Issues like air pollution, water scarcity, traffic congestion, and irregularities in governance have contributed to growing dissatisfaction among Delhi’s residents. BJP’s Strong Election Machinery BJP’s extensive booth-level presence, targeted campaigning, and strategic use of social media have given it an edge. The party’s focus on Hindu voters, outreach to Delhi’s traders and business communities, and strong organizational structure have played a significant role in turning the tide. Congress’s Decline Benefitting BJP Congress has failed to remain relevant in Delhi politics since losing power to AAP in 2013.

Many traditional Congress voters have either shifted to AAP or BJP, further strengthening the latter’s position. AAP’s Counterattack: Can Kejriwal Defy the Predictions? Despite unfavorable exit poll projections, AAP isn’t giving up without a fight. The party has questioned the accuracy of these predictions, pointing to previous miscalculations in Delhi’s 2020 Assembly elections, where exit polls had underestimated AAP’s performance. AAP’s strategy moving forward will likely focus on: Highlighting its governance track record in education, health, and water-electricity subsidies. Presenting itself as a victim of BJP’s political attacks, particularly in cases like the liquor scam investigation. Mobilizing its core voter base, especially among lower-income groups and slum dwellers. While these efforts might help mitigate losses, exit polls indicate that AAP’s grip on Delhi is slipping. Congress: A Party in Decline Once the dominant force in Delhi politics, Congress has been reduced to irrelevance in the state. The party’s failure to rebuild its voter base and its lack of strong leadership have left it struggling to stay in the fight. With most exit polls predicting zero or a maximum of three seats, Congress seems unlikely to make a comeback in Delhi anytime soon. Implications of BJP’s Victory: What It Means for Delhi If BJP forms the government in Delhi, it will mark a new political chapter for the capital. Key changes could include: Stronger alignment with the central government, leading to better coordination on development projects. Reevaluation of AAP’s flagship policies, including subsidies on electricity and water. A new governance model, with BJP focusing on infrastructure, law and order, and economic growth. However, challenges will remain, particularly in addressing the expectations of Delhi’s residents and proving that BJP can deliver on its promises after 27 years out of power. Will Exit Polls Translate to Reality? While the exit poll results heavily favor BJP, it’s essential to remember that predictions don’t always match actual results. Several past elections have shown exit polls overestimating or underestimating parties’ performances. In 2015, exit polls predicted AAP would win around 40 seats, but the party secured a massive 67 out of 70 seats. In 2020, exit polls gave AAP around 50 seats, but it won 62 seats, proving even favorable predictions can be inaccurate. If AAP manages to retain power, it will be a major upset for BJP. However, if BJP’s projected victory materializes, it will be a historic political shift. Conclusion: A Pivotal Moment for Delhi As Delhi eagerly awaits the official results on February 8, the exit polls have set the stage for what could be a major political transformation. If BJP wins, it marks the end of AAP’s decade-long rule and a new political direction for Delhi. If AAP defies predictions, it will be a remarkable political comeback, reinforcing its stronghold in the capital. For Congress, the election remains a test of survival. Regardless of the outcome, these elections will shape Delhi’s governance, policies, and future political dynamics for years to come. The final results will ultimately reveal whether Delhi is ready for change or if AAP still commands the trust of its people. The post Delhi on the Brink of Change: Exit Polls Predict BJP’s Return After 27 Years, AAP Faces Tough Challenge appeared first on Global Governance News- Asia's First Bilingual News portal for Global News and Updates. [ad_2] Source link

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news365times · 3 months ago

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satanfemme · 2 months ago

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rambly end of week (2/14/25) thoughts (posting from my phone so apologies for any weird typos/formatting mistakes. rip my laptop)

on the VCU/UVA healthcare situation:

I heard confirmation today that the decision to cut trans healthcare for minors was 100% attorney general Miyares' doing, and that Miyares is turning into a lapdog for Trump. the way Miyares is intertwined with these hospitals behind the scenes should not be understated.

LGBT+ orgs in VA have begun putting formal pressure on these hospitals to reverse their decisions.

also of note, the executive order that prompted this has been officially blocked in federal courts as of yesterday. this makes the hospitals' decisions even more apparently illegal in VA than they already were.

on the general assembly:

this year's session is short, so the GA will conclude their meeting by the end of this month. I believe you have until feb 21st to visit the assembly in person. once it concludes, this doesn't mean nothing can be done until next year however. I want to stress, as I mentioned before, legislators will still be contactable and will be spending the rest of the year writing new bills and surveying what to focus on in the upcoming election. if you want them to write more laws to expand trans rights, or to affirm in their campaign that they will defend us, now is the time to tell them. if VA (and especially our governor) shift further left after this upcoming election, we could potentially see a wave of pro-LGBT legislation pass in 2026.

rumor also has it that there may be a special session later this year meeting specifically to address what is happening at the federal level and how VA plans to respond to it. I don't have more information on that, and i'm unsure if it's been confirmed EDIT: just got out of a meeting where I was told there would "for sure" be a special session in the spring or summer to deal with the budget and federal shit. its another opportunity to push for more protections.

on voting:

already said my peice but I'll briefly say it again: the 2025 VA election will likely decide if this state follows in the footsteps of states like Texas and Florida, or if we shift further left and become a safe haven in the south. every time I speak to a dem legislator I always hear the same frustration that these past few years, although we have done a lot of good, we have also been held back by a horrible governor and a slim majority. there are a lot of incredibly good bills that the democrats are trying to pass that just aren't getting through because the GA is too divided. there are also a lot of horrifying bills that are just barely being stopped by a slim margin.

I'm hopeful that we can shift left and bring in a brighter future, but we can only do that if everyone in the state who is elegible to vote makes a plan to do so and sticks to it. (& hopefully by the 2026 ballot we'll secure the final vote to restore voting rights in our constitution, paving the way to easier election victories in the future)

on a lighter note:

there will be a trans joy event on march 2nd in Richmond, to celebrate and strengthen the community here :-)

On Supporting the Trans Community in Virginia (US):

as of February 2025, Virginia is the safest southern state for both trans kids and trans adults. anecdotally, I've met many trans families in the south who have fled to our state to avoid persecution. major cities, such as Richmond, are in particular safe havens for the LGBT community here. however, we are a purple state with our fair share of fascists in government and conservatives voting those fascists in, and as such we are obviously not as protected as many blue states have shown themselves to be. so, many of the rights afforded to trans people, especially to trans children, are currently at high risk.

this will be a simple guide to some ways that you, especially if you are a Virginian or new to politics, can help advocate for and/or protect the trans Virginian community politically. I am invested in this topic as someone who has been involved in this state's politics professionally for over a year now, and who has personal interest in this state not only remaining safe, but broadening its protections in the future. I am also writing this as someone who is hopeful that broadened protections are very possible to achieve, if only people are loud and unwavering in their support.

(disclaimer that this guide is being written on 2/11/25, and with the way politics move sections of this may become obsolete in the future. I am also speaking directly to Virginian state politics only. if sections of this feel relevant to other states and/or federal politics, good. if sections of this feel contradictory to how you understand other states and/or federal politics to be, please don't harass me about it ^_^. lastly, I would consider myself knowledgeable on this topic but not an expert or authority figure by any means.)

topics of pressure I will cover here: the Virginia High School League, the VCU/UVA healthcare systems, the General Assembly, the 2025 election, and pro-trans organizations I trust

I am putting this under a read more because it is a long post (I have a lot to say), but I want to encourage people to reblog it if they find it helpful.

Pressure the Virginia High School League

yesterday, the Virginia High School League, which overseas over 300 public high schools, announced that it would walk back its 10 year long policy protecting transgender athletes in Virginian high schools, instead caving to the recent executive order on this topic and banning transgender girls from competing on a high school level. over the past 10 years, their trans policy has protected 42 students total, an average of 4 a year across the entire state. we are still waiting for more information to come out about this decision, but if it is upheld it is likely to take affect over the summer.

notably, the vote behind this decision was likely rushed and unfair. the meeting this vote took place through was called last minute on a friday afternoon and at least 2 pro-trans members of the voting committee, Senator VanValkenburg and Delegate Cousins, who would have fought against this transphobic decision, were unable to vote because they were stuck at the GA serving the state when the meeting was called.

additionally, this decision is likely illegal, as it goes against Virginia's Human Rights Act, an act that is embedded in our legal code. this act explicitly protects against discrimination on the basis of both assigned sex and gender identity.

anyone can contact the executive director of the VHSL, Billy Haun, and inform him that this decision is harmful and not going to be accepted quietly. his public email is [email protected].

if you live in Virginia, or know any students who do, you should also contact the committee member who oversees your district to let them know how you feel. a full list of committee members with their contact information is available here. demand that they are accountable for this decision and that they re-instate their previous trans-inclusive policies.

Pressure the VCU and UVA healthcare systems

across the country, only a few hospitals so far have caved to the executive order banning gender affirming care for people under 19. this executive order is not yet law, and is unenforceable, therefor these are conscious decisions being made by boards of directors.

two of these hospitals are in virginia: VCU Health and UVA Health. trans minors and young adults in their care have already been denied treatment going forward. this, once again, goes against Virginia's Human Rights Act. in other words, these decisions are being made to prioritize unenforceable orders over the democratically decided upon code of law in our state.

to my knowledge, the reason VCU Health caved so fast is that they have many expensive programs, such as their cancer center, and they're concerned about losing funding. so they've thrown trans children and young adults under the bus to secure more money. I am less aware of the situation at UVA Health but I would assume it's similarly funding related. this is not an excuse, as they are still required to follow Virginia law, including the Human Rights Act, and they are obviously still expected to center their patients' best interests. this new policy is going to get kids killed.

VCU Health is intertwined with the state's attorney general, who seems to be the one who pressured both of these hospitals into making these decisions. I recommend contacting attorney general Jason Miyares about this to let him know how you feel. his public phone number is (804) 786-2071.

besides Miyares, I'm not currently aware which points of contact are the most effective, but any noise about this is good and helpful right now.

The General Assembly

Virginian lawmakers meet in Richmond for about 3 months at the start of every year to pass the bulk of state legislation. when it comes to trans rights, votes fall along party lines with democrats reliably voting in support of us, and republicans reliably voting against us.

a list tracking all current LGBT+ related bills can reliably be found through Equality Virginia's website here.

I have been tracking trans legislation in this state for 3 years, and this is the 3rd year in a row that all anti-trans bills have been defeated in committee thanks to the democrats and those lobbying the democrats.

this year we have 6 pro-LGBT bills which right now have successfully crossed over, meaning they're progressing through the GA and are on track to pass. (at which point our governor, who is a trump supporter and anti-trans, could still veto them)

how you can participate in this: when deciding how openly supportive or unsupportive they want to be, and when deciding which bills are worth submitting for the next GA session (because they are limited on how many bills they can submit each year), legislators look at what their constituents are telling them over phone, email, and in person. it is important that we pressure republicans to stop targeting us AND that we pressure democrats to continue supporting us even if/when their staff tries to convince them we aren't worth saving (something many people are predicting is going to happen with elections coming up). in other words we can rely on the dems now, but we need to ensure they still have our back in the future too.

side note for this section: when contacting a legislator and their staff, you should at the very least tell them your zip code, if not your address, so they can confirm you are a constituent.

you can find out who your VA legislators are through this website.

when deciding how to contact them, I would personally rank in-person above emails, and emails above phone calls.

you can meet with your legislators, or their staff, in-person with or without a prior appointment AND with or without the support of a larger organization. you could, right now, walk into the GA building in Richmond, find their office, and tell them your thoughts directly. anyone is allowed to do this during working hours. in my experience, this is incredibly easy to do, and they will be cordial with you even if they disagree with you. it costs you nothing but your time to force them to listen to you rant and vent. if you want to go in a group, you can join a lobby day with an organization you trust, or go with a group of friends and host your own personal lobby day. the reason in-person meetings are so important is because they allow you to have a natural dialogue with your legislator and it forces them to put a face to what you are saying, so you are more than just a statistic.

emails are also incredibly beneficial, especially when it comes to legislators who are already supportive of you, because it allows them to easily reference your statements during debate. I have heard from legislators themselves that they like it when people send them informative emails, even if they have already met with or been called by the person, so they can pull up exact quotes during committee meetings and directly speak to what the facts are, and how their constituents are being affected.

year-round outside of the General Assembly session itself you should continue calling and emailing your legislators, though I am less informed on how to meet with them in person as this depends on the specific office and representative. (I know my RVA reps have open offices year round for example, but I can't promise that of everyone).

On Voting

this November, every Virginia lawmaker including the governor and attorney general will be up for re-election. this has the potential to flip our GA to a republican majority, which would guarantee an onslaught of anti-trans legislation. or, alternatively, it could broaden our democrat majority, which would bode well for expanded protections for trans people and create stronger opposition against transphobia in the state.

as someone who has been watching the dems on a state level, and has been speaking to many of them directly, I strongly encourage you to vote blue for the GA this November. I can not stress enough how important it is that we at the very least maintain a dem majority in this state if we want to protect and expand trans rights, not to mention the rights of women, the Black community, and the LGBT+ community as a whole considering the important constitutional amendments that are making their way through the multi-year voting process now.

I am aware it makes me sound like a liberal. in this instance I do not care, because I have seen the impact first hand. on a state level, the VA democrats are not spineless, and they are making genuine efforts to support our community.

there will also be a vote this November on our next governor, which has the potential to be a game changer (either for the better or worse). currently, our dem-majority GA has been passing many great bills that are just getting vetoed by governor Youngkin, who is a big Trump supporter. if we elect another republican governor, the best we can hope for is a few more years of stand-still. if we elect a democrat governor instead, a lot of the pressure that's been building up these past few years will finally be released and we could genuinely push this state to the left. a lot of people, including legislators themselves, are hopeful that our next governor will be a democrat. but this is NOT a guarantee.

lastly it's a similar situation with our attorney general, Jason Miyares, a republican who pushed the VCU and UVA decisions I mentioned before. he has been directly responsible for holding back many LGBT+ rights. replacing him with a democrat has the potential to shift this state's approach to trans rights for the better.

personally, I am very nervous about these elections and would like it if more Virginians were aware of their importance.

Organizations I trust

fighting this battle alone isn't going to be as affective as if you get involved in larger organizations with the resources to put large amounts of pressure on the state. I'll give you the local groups I most trust, and who I've seen do the most good. through their websites and social media pages, you can find ways to support them and/or get involved through events or calls to action.

ACLU VA

Equality VA

He She Ze and We

Side by Side

that's all I have today

I may have more to add to this in the future, but these are just some basic directions for anyone who feels overwhelmed and isn't sure how to approach this topic outside of social media.

I don't have any big conclusion here, I just hope this is educational and/or informative to someone out there, thank u

#nothing new really happening with the VHSL as far as I know sorry

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southeastasianists · 4 years ago

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A lot has been written about Myanmar since the military takeover in the hours before dawn on Feb. 1. Much of it has been about the violence on the streets, which after a weekend when at least 114 people were shot dead is understandable. But more needs to be said about the reasons for the coup, the historical context for what we see today, and how both affect what is happening in full public view before an increasingly critical global audience.

It is time to tick a few boxes.

The past

The first time an elected government was removed in Myanmar was in 1962 when the Tatmadaw (armed forces) commander, General Ne Win, overthrew Prime Minister U Nu and abolished the 1947 independence constitution. It was an almost bloodless event that at the time many people saw as a logical and not unreasonable reaction to fears of the imminent disintegration of the then Union of Burma.

It was only later that Ne Win’s Revolutionary Council made up entirely of Tatmadaw officers launched what was known as the “Burmese Way to Socialism” and ultimately the end of Burma as a prosperous nation. Socialism was, however, used by Ne Win as the ideological glue binding the Tatmadaw and the civilian bureaucracies.

The evolution of Tatmadaw rule into the “Socialist Republic” in 1974 saw the institution of a one-party state with all significant offices held by the men of the Tatmadaw, who retired from their military command posts to take up parliamentary or other civilian positions.

The second, in 1988, was in part a takeover from itself. The collapse of the Ne Win system that year was accompanied by the promise of constitutional amendments allowing free-and-fair, multi-party elections. This promise was maintained by the new Tatmadaw regime, which styled itself with Orwellian flair as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). Headed at first by General Saw Maung, and after 1992 by his deputy General Than Shwe, SLORC abolished the 1974 constitution.

SLORC decided it had restored law and order in 1997 and changed its title and defined purpose to become—with an inspiration that rivals Orwell’s “Ministry of Truth”—the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). It is tempting to believe that Orwell, who wrote “Burmese Days” in 1934, saw this coming.

The SPDC remained a body formed by, and largely constituted of, Tatmadaw officers. It remained in office until March 2011, when it handed over power to the parliament elected under the 2008 Constitution, a document put to a national referendum by the SPDC and approved through a process widely described as rigged. The SPDC announced 94 percent of voters were in favor.

The 2008 Constitution included provisions that guaranteed Tatmadaw control of all essential state security functions, a quarter of the membership of all elected bodies, and a requirement that any proposal for constitutional amendment obtain three-quarters support in the national parliament—an effective veto over change.

The present

The National League for Democracy (NLD) was founded by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in September 1988, 10 days after the SLORC seized power but pursuant to the promise of multi-party elections first mooted by Ne Win. Many tribulations befell her in the years that followed, but the NLD remained a registered political party despite persistent harassment of its leadership. The party was ordered to cease political activities in 2004. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was seen by the Tatmadaw, and the population alike, as the only person with the stature and personality to deprive the military of its control, generating both fear and hope in both camps.

There was, however, a general appreciation of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as the person most likely to make a difference, and also of her as a person who could achieve change with the support of large sections of the Tatmadaw because of her place in the country’s history—the daughter of independence hero General Aung San. It was because of this strength that she was kept under various forms of house arrest between 1989 and 2010 (with some breaks during which she was able to build the image of the NLD and herself throughout the country).

When she attained power after elections held in 2015, it was clear one of her priorities would be to remove the Tatmadaw’s control of parliaments by virtue of its 25 percent guarantee of the share of seats. Whenever this issue was raised, it was immediately clear the Tatmadaw leaders, especially commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, would not entertain such a change. However, many others in Myanmar had believed that Snr-Gen Than Shwe’s Constitution was part of a planned transition from military to civilian rule.

The Myanmar general elections in 2015 were the first contested countrywide by the NLD. The result gave the NLD 86 percent of the seats in the national Parliament. This was more than enough for the election, by the Parliament, of the president. As Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had been rendered ineligible to be president by qualifications placed in the Than Shwe Constitution, the Parliament elected the nominee of the NLD at the time, U Htin Kyaw. He retired on health grounds in 2018 and was replaced by NLD nominee U Win Myint.

Approaching tomorrow

Tatmadaw commander-in-chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing has been in this office since March 2011 and so was present during the three presidencies since the retirement from public life of Snr-Gen Than Shwe. Many Myanmar people, including Tatmadaw officers, were surprised when he was elevated to this position by Snr-Gen Than Shwe, for he had not had a particularly distinguished army career and was promoted above many more senior colleagues.

In that sense, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing was seen as a parallel to an earlier president, U Thein Sein, who was elevated by Snr-Gen Than Shwe and served between 2011 and 2016, despite there being others seen as more senior and deserving.

U Thein Sein quickly became a president who seemed to have the public’s interests at heart and was known for his instruction in 2011 to parliamentarians to go to their constituencies, meet the people, understand their problems, and bring them to the capital for solution. Nobody had ever done that before.

Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, on the other hand, was widely rumored to have engaged in corrupt activities through ownership of shares in companies run by the military. Despite some efforts to meet a wider range of people than is normal for Tatmadaw commanders, he never won public admiration or trust.

The NLD won a stunning victory in the elections on Nov. 8 last year, when it improved on its 2015 numbers. There was a widespread expectation the NLD would lose some seats in ethnic regions, but would hold its numbers in the Bamar (ethnic Burmese) heartland. The elections were observed by respected international observers (such as the Asian Network for Free Elections and the Carter Center) as well as 13 accredited domestic groups. All found the procedures on election day stood the test of fairness.

When results started coming in, the first murmurings of dissatisfaction emerged from the Tatmadaw, matching protests lodged with the Election Commission by the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). Nobody took the complaints seriously, and the country began to prepare for a peaceful transfer of power.

It was striking at the time to see how similar some of the protests were to those lodged in the US by people alleging voter fraud and other irregularities, and perhaps that dulled the impression that the protests should have generated. When challenged about the Tatmadaw’s intentions, and whether it would allow a peaceful transfer of power, the Tatmadaw spokesman played down the questions. It was not until a couple of days before the newly elected parliament was to meet for its swearing-in ceremony that anyone started to think that the ceremony might not take place.

Why Feb. 1?

At this point it’s necessary to note that the elections took place under Snr-Gen Than Shwe’s 2008 Constitution, held up by the Tatmadaw as the way forward. Had the new Parliament been sworn in as scheduled at 10 a.m. on Feb. 1, it would have had a five-year term ahead of it, under the Constitution.

It would have had the authority to choose the president and it would have been responsible for choosing the next Tatmadaw commander-in-chief when Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing compulsorily retired on July 3—his 65th birthday.

As banal as this sounds, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing’s personal expectations stand out as the core element in the takeover and its date. It is widely believed he aspired to the national presidency himself, but the size of the NLD victory dashed that hope, and also introduced the real possibility that antipathy to the Tatmadaw everywhere in the country would permit Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to mobilize the people for constitutional change aimed at reducing Tatmadaw influence.

There are plenty of signs that most of the people were looking forward to the swearing-in of the new Parliament, and few signs that the Tatmadaw or the police were preparing for anything else. When the army and police struck, there were no signs of much preparation. People detained were at home or asleep, and they were not taken off to detention sites for some time, sometimes for days or longer. There were no measures in place to lock down communications or take any action for public control. There was no immediate release of legal language to justify what was being done.

In other words, although some close observers did say they had picked up noises that the Tatmadaw might move before the Parliament was sworn in, very few of those in power, including in the NLD, saw it coming. Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing would have anticipated no serious resistance.

Afterwards

The situation which confronted Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing and his self-appointed State Administrative Council was the appearance on the streets, day and night, of millions—yes, millions—of Myanmar citizens demanding respect for the Nov. 8 elections and the resumption of democratic government.

Now, almost two months later, the demonstrations continue, undeterred by extreme violence. They are everywhere in the country, from the big cities to the villages and involve people of all ethnicities, religions, cultures, genders and age groups. Age is a special consideration, for the demonstrators include the bulk of the country’s youth, most born and raised after Gen. Saw Maung’s takeover in 1988 and virtually all, thanks to President U Thein Sein, fully internet-literate.

Internet literacy enables the population, led by the youth, to communicate with each other, and with their colleagues and friends outside Myanmar. This has produced a great deal of public pressure from outside the country, and while most of the Tatmadaw have not traveled widely, nearly all of them have relatives who have. There is much more knowledge of the outside world now than in 1988, and the lessons which Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing would have learned as a young man would no longer fit to the world he inhabits now.

Tomorrow

The indications from yesterday and today say that this is where astrologers (very popular in Myanmar) would be looking:

#Southeast Asia #Burma #Myanmar #Military Junta #Military Coup

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newstfionline · 4 years ago

Text

Monday, July 5, 2021

Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter mark 75 years of ‘full partnership’ (AP) The young midshipman needed a date one evening while he was home from the U.S. Naval Academy, so his younger sister paired him with a family friend who already had a crush. Nearly eight decades later, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter are still together in the same tiny town where they were born, grew up and had that first outing. In between, they’ve traveled the world as Naval officer and military spouse, American president and first lady, and finally as human rights and public health ambassadors. “It’s a full partnership,” the 39th president told The Associated Press during a joint interview ahead of the couple’s 75th wedding anniversary on July 7. It will be another milestone for the longest-married presidential couple in American history. At 96, Carter also is the longest-lived of the 45 men who’ve served as chief executive. Yet even having reached that pinnacle, Carter has said often since leaving the Oval Office in 1981 that the most important decision he ever made wasn’t as head of state, commander in chief or even executive officer of a nuclear submarine in the early years of the Cold War. Rather, it was falling for Eleanor Rosalynn Smith in 1945 and marrying her the following summer. “My biggest secret is to marry the right person if you want to have a long-lasting marriage,” Carter said.

Tropical Storm Elsa nears Cuba amid fears of flooding (AP) Tropical Storm Elsa swept along Cuba’s southern coast early Monday, and forecasters said it could make landfall on the island’s central shore by midafternoon. By Sunday, Cuban officials had evacuated 180,000 people as a precaution against the possibility of heavy flooding from a storm that already battered several Caribbean islands, killing at least three people. Most of those evacuated stayed at relatives’ homes, others went to government shelters, and hundreds living in mountainous areas took refuge in caves prepared for emergencies. Elsa was forecast to cross over Cuba by Monday night and then head for Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 15 counties, including in Miami-Dade County, where a high-rise condominium building collapsed last week.

Brazil Vaccine Scandal Imperils Bolsonaro as Protests Spread (NYT) The plot twists of a coronavirus vaccine kickback scandal that has rattled Brazil’s capital have been worthy of a reality TV show. The main stage has been a congressional hearing room, where scores of witnesses have been shedding light on the government’s chaotic response to the pandemic, which has killed more than 520,000 in the country. There has been plenty of yelling as the audacity and scope of a scheme by health ministry officials to solicit bribes from vaccine dealers have come into focus. The outrage drew tens of thousands of Brazilians to protest across several cities on Saturday, the third large wave of demonstrations in recent weeks. Much about the scandal, which federal prosecutors are investigating, remains unclear and in dispute. But the widening inquiry is likely to pose a major threat to President Jair Bolsonaro’s re-election bid next year—and perhaps even to his ability to serve out the remainder of his term.

Cyber attack against U.S. IT provider forces Swedish chain to close 800 stores (Reuters) The Swedish Coop grocery store chain closed all its 800 stores on Saturday after a ransomware attack on an American IT provider left it unable to operate its cash registers. Hundreds of American businesses were hit on Friday by an unusually sophisticated attack that hijacked widely used technology management software from a Miami-based supplier called Kaseya. According to Coop, one of Sweden’s biggest grocery chains, a tool used to remotely update its checkout tills was affected by the attack, meaning payments could not be taken. State railways services and a pharmacy chain also suffered disruption.

EU deploys assistance for Cyprus as huge forest fire rages (Reuters) The European Union on Saturday deployed aerial assistance to help Cyprus contain a huge forest fire raging north of the cities of Limassol and Larnaca, a blaze one official called the worst on record. The blaze, fanned by strong winds, affected at least six communities in the foothills of the Troodos mountain range, an area of pine forest and densely vegetated shrubland. “It is the worst forest fire in the history of Cyprus,” Forestries Department Director Charalambos Alexandrou told Cyprus’s Omega TV.

Japan’s leader pushes rescue after deadly mudslide hits town (AP) More than 1,000 soldiers, firefighters and police on Sunday waded through a giant mudslide that ripped through a resort town southwest of Tokyo, killing at least two people and leaving about 20 missing as it swept away houses and cars. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters 19 people had been rescued, and 130 homes and other buildings were damaged in Atami. Two people were dead, but more were feared missing, he said speaking after an emergency Cabinet meeting. Earlier, disaster officials said 20 were unaccounted for, but warned the number may rise. Troops, firefighters and other rescue workers, backed by three coast guard ships, were working to clear the mud from the streets of Atami and reach those believed to be trapped or carried away. They were barely visible in the rainfall and thick fog except for the their hard hats. Six military drones were being flown to help in the search.

Some Chinese shun grueling careers for ‘low-desire life’ (AP) Fed up with work stress, Guo Jianlong quit a newspaper job in Beijing and moved to China’s mountain southwest to “lie flat.” Guo joined a small but visible handful of Chinese urban professionals who are rattling the ruling Communist Party by rejecting grueling careers for a “low-desire life.” That is clashing with the party’s message of success and consumerism as its celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding. “Lying flat” is a “resistance movement” to a “cycle of horror” from high-pressure Chinese schools to jobs with seemingly endless work hours, novelist Liao Zenghu wrote in Caixin, the country’s most prominent business magazine. “In today’s society, our every move is monitored and every action criticized,” Liao wrote. “Is there any more rebellious act than to simply ‘lie flat?’” It isn’t clear how many people have gone so far as to quit their jobs or move out of major cities. Judging by packed rush hour subways in Beijing and Shanghai, most young Chinese slog away at the best jobs they can get. Still, the ruling party is trying to discourage the trend.

Myanmar forces kill 25 in raid on town, resident and media say (Reuters) Myanmar security forces killed at least 25 people on Friday in a confrontation with opponents of the military junta at a town in the centre of the Southeast Asian nation, a resident and Myanmar-language media said on Sunday. Myanmar has been plunged into chaos by the Feb. 1 coup against elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, with violence flaring in many parts of the country of more than 53 million people.

Philippine military plane crashes, 45 dead, 49 rescued (AP) A Philippine air force C-130 aircraft carrying combat troops crashed in a southern province while landing Sunday, killing at least 42 army soldiers on board and three civilians on the ground, while 49 were rescued from the burning wreckage, officials said. Some soldiers were seen jumping off the aircraft before it crashed and exploded around noon in the periphery of the Jolo airport in Sulu province, military officials said. Three of six villagers who were hit on the ground have died.

Former South African president Jacob Zuma delays prison deadline with last-ditch legal maneuver (CNN) Jacob Zuma and his lawyers successfully delayed the former South African president’s prison sentence for contempt of court on Saturday when the country’s top court agreed to hear his application for a review of their decision to sentence him to 15 months in prison. In the application, 79-year-old Zuma and his lawyers claimed that the sentence threatened his life and that the Constitutional Court’s decision was unfair to their client. This comes after Zuma was ordered to hand himself in to a police station in his hometown Nkandla or Johannesburg by the end of this Sunday. Failing that, the police were given three days to bring him in. The Constitutional Court hearing will take place on July 12. Some legal analysts say the application is highly unlikely to succeed, but it buys Zuma more time.

Pope doing well after intestinal surgery, Vatican says (Reuters) Pope Francis is doing well following intestinal surgery, the Vatican said on Sunday after the 84-year-old pontiff was hospitalised for the first time since his election in 2013. Spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement that the pontiff "responded well" to the surgery, which was done under general aesthesia and which the Vatican had said earlier had been scheduled and not prompted by an emergency. Francis underwent surgery for symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon, a condition where sac-like pouches protrude from the muscular layer of the colon, leading it to become narrow. The operation was carried out by a 10-person medical team.

#headlines #news

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theliberaltony · 5 years ago

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via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

After a stint as the Democratic primary front-runner, Sen. Bernie Sanders’s revolution is rapidly stalling. After a series of surprising losses on Super Tuesday, he lost again in Michigan earlier this week, despite spending days campaigning across the state.

In contest after contest, Sanders has struggled to make inroads with key Democratic constituencies — in particular, black voters and older voters. But there’s another trend that’s plagued him throughout the primary: He does poorly with women. According to aggregated exit polls from the states that have voted so far,1 Sanders’s support is 8 points lower among women than his support among men.

Sanders consistently gets less support from women

Vote share by gender in entrance and exit polls from completed state primaries and caucuses, by candidate

Sanders Biden State Men Women Diff. Men Women Diff. Iowa 26% 20% -6 16% 16% 0 New Hampshire 31 23 -8 8 8 0 Nevada 38 30 -8 18 17 -1 South Carolina 24 17 -7 48 49 +1 California 38 32 -6 19 28 +9 Texas 34 27 -7 33 33 0 North Carolina 27 21 -6 42 42 0 Virginia 29 19 -10 49 57 +8 Massachusetts 31 26 -5 34 34 0 Minnesota 37 25 -12 39 41 +2 Tennessee 27 23 -4 38 44 +6 Alabama 20 14 -6 61 65 +4 Oklahoma 30 21 -9 40 37 -3 Maine 38 29 -9 29 37 +8 Vermont 53 51 -2 24 20 -4 Washington 41 27 -14 28 36 +8 Missouri 38 32 -6 56 64 +8 Mississippi 18 12 -6 78 83 +5

Source: Edison Research

Sanders has consistently been at a disadvantage among women in this year’s primary. And that’s not a deficit that a Democratic primary candidate can simply ignore, since women make up a majority of the party’s electorate this year — 57 percent of primary voters so far.

“Consistently having lower support among women is a problem of optics because it makes it look like there’s something going on that prevents women from backing you,” said Kelly Dittmar, a political scientist at Rutgers University–Camden who studies gender and politics. “But it’s also an actual numbers issue because men are just a smaller proportion of the Democratic electorate. You need to do well among women in order to win the nomination.”

It’s hard to pin down a single reason why men seem to be more attracted to Sanders’s candidacy than women. There isn’t really evidence, for example, that Sanders is especially likely to attract supporters who display hostile feelings toward women. In a recent analysis, researchers for Data for Progress did find that gender bias kept some voters from supporting Warren — but Sanders’s supporters didn’t hold more sexist views than Biden’s. But there is evidence, according to an analysis by Dan Cassino, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, that while support for Biden increases among voters with more sexist views, those with the most sexist views were disproportionately likely to favor Sanders. And sexism was higher, in general, among men.

“Educated Democrats who are quite sexist are disproportionately likely to be Sanders supporters,” said Cassino. “To be clear, there aren’t a lot of those people in the Democratic Party. But because of their education and social capital, they’re probably more inclined to tell people about their views and express them online.”

This doesn’t explain all of Sanders’s struggles with women. But his lopsided support among this group provides a window into some of the divisions that are roiling the Democratic primary electorate this year — particularly the limits of Sanders’s lefty, anti-establishment message and the aggression of his supporters at a moment when many Democratic voters are laser-focused on finding a candidate who can beat Trump.

At a Biden rally in Detroit last week, Mary Mckenney, 69, said that she hadn’t made up her mind about which candidate to support until the race narrowed to Biden and Sanders. Then, she said, her choice became very clear. “It’s not even that I don’t like Bernie’s ideas, I just think they can’t happen,” she said. “And I think if he’s the nominee there will just be more fighting and conflict. We need someone who can bring Democrats together.”

Views like Mckenney’s aren’t universal among Democratic women. Plenty of women are enthusiastic about Sanders — including Mckenney’s daughter Carrie, 43, who was standing next to her at the rally. But older women like Mckenney make up a much bigger share of the Democratic electorate, which makes them a disproportionately important group. So far, women over the age of 45 have made up 38 percent of Democratic primary voters, while women under the age of 45 only made up 19 percent. And the age gap that has emerged across the primary is almost certainly shaping women’s support for Sanders too: older women tend to be more moderate than younger women, which means they may be less likely to see Sanders’s calls to upend the status quo as feasible or appealing.

But generational fissures aren’t the whole story. Women of all ages told us they liked Sanders’s ideas but found aspects of his candidacy alienating. “I don’t have the same aversion to the DNC and the Democratic establishment that a lot of Bernie supporters seem to have,” said Tiffany Keane Schaefer, 31, who lives in Chicago and volunteered for Warren but is now undecided about who she’ll support. Schaefer told me she’s disturbed by some of the criticism Sanders allies levied against Warren for not endorsing Sanders after she dropped out. “Right now it feels like I am getting blasted every single day on social media about why Warren isn’t doing enough to help Sanders.” That antagonism makes Schaefer feel uncomfortable about the prospect of supporting Sanders, even though she’s closer to him on the issues than to Biden.

One of the central messages of Sanders’s campaign is the need to take on the political establishment — including the party whose nomination he is seeking. On the day before he won the Nevada caucuses, Sanders tweeted, “I’ve got news for the Republican establishment. I’ve got news for the Democratic establishment. They can’t stop us.”

That kind of message obviously appeals to people who are disaffected with the Democratic Party — but to people who don’t have a problem with the party, it can seem like an unnecessary risk. “I understand why the young people love Sanders — student debt, it’s a real problem,” said Grace Andrews, 79, who was waiting outside the Biden rally in Detroit with her grandson. “I just have a concern that he is not willing to make the compromises that are necessary in our political system, or work with people in the party who may not share his views.”

Women are especially likely to say that being a Democrat is an important part of who they are. According to our analysis of a Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape survey of likely primary voters administered from Feb. 20 to Feb 26, 63 percent of Democratic women say that their party affiliation is somewhat or very important to their identity, compared to 58 percent of Democratic men. That’s not an enormous difference, but it is statistically significant — it also lines up with other research that finds partisanship functions as a more important social identity for women than it does for men. Women over the age of 45 are especially likely (67 percent) to say being a Democrat is an important part of their identity.

Of course, not all women are turned off by the idea of radical changes to the system — including radical change to their own party. “It just feels like the Democratic Party has forgotten what it means to be the party of the working class,” said Diana Post, 30, who lives in Detroit and said she was torn between Warren and Sanders until Warren dropped out of the race. She now describes herself as a “big Sanders fan.” “We need someone more radical than what the establishment is putting forward, a candidate who can shake things up.”

Over the course of the primary, voters have been asked if they would prefer a candidate who agrees with them on the issues or a candidate who can beat Trump. According to the exit polls so far, women are likelier to be in the latter category: 65 percent of women say they would prefer a candidate who can defeat Trump, compared to 59 percent of men. That isn’t an overwhelming gap, to be sure, but it’s still noteworthy given that women make up a disproportionate share of the Democratic electorate. And in the primaries so far, voters who prioritize a candidate who can defeat Trump are disproportionately likely to support Biden.

That was where Ruth Vail, 77, said she had landed. She was standing on the University of Michigan quad, waiting with her 15-year-old grandson Leo to hear Sanders speak. But even though she was curious to hear what Sanders had to say, she said she’d probably be voting for Biden. “I think unfortunately it’s just going to be very easy to paint Sanders as an extremist, someone who’s a scary person who wants to change everything,” she said. “And I really just want a president who won’t keep me up at night, thinking about what he’s going to do next, thinking about who he’s going to appoint to the Supreme Court. The most important thing to me in this election is just ensuring that Donald Trump is no longer our president.”

Laura Bronner contributed research.

#IFTTT #Politics – FiveThirtyEight #politics #538 #Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux and Meredith Conroy

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hardynwa · 2 years ago

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‘FG blocks 200 cyberattacks during presidential, NASS elections- Prof. Muhammad

The Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone (GBB) Prof. Muhammad Abubakar said the Federal Government had blocked over 200 cyberattacks during the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on Feb.25. Abubakar made this disclosure at the opening session of a two-day Ministerial Training for GBB’s Board members and Management staffers on Tuesday in Abuja. The training is tagged: “Positioning the GBB Team for Effective Management and Leadership in the 4th Industrial Revolution”. He said a business continuity and cyberspace protection committee had been formed to guard and regulate digital activities while optimising the GBB’S Technical Services. Abubakar said that the training was aimed at reviewing the agency’s performance while initiating alternative means of revenue generation. “On the election day alone, we were able to block more than 200 attacks and the next day, the attacks geometrically increased to about 1.2 million and all were blocked from our own businesses,” he said. The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, said the training was aimed at evaluating and recalibrating Galaxy backbone Limited in regard to management and leadership for optimal outputs. Pantami, who served as the training facilitator, applauded GBB’s approach to digital Infrastructural development while saving the cost of governance. “In this training, I will be very much sincere with you to point out some areas where we need significant improvement. “Training is key when it comes to improving our performance and at the same time training is key when it comes to our self-evaluation, self-judgement, self-assessment. “We need to think out of the box to discover new areas for government revenue generation. “We need to be proactive in our thinking, let us not maintain the same process every day when it comes to revenue generation,” he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the ministry had on Feb. 23 inaugurated a committee for cyberspace and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure protection ahead of the 2023 general elections. Read the full article

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newswireml · 2 years ago

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How will voting be conducted in Nigeria?#voting #conducted #Nigeria

On Feb. 25 the Nigerian general elections commence. Alongside voting for its next president and vice president, there are elections to choose the Senate and House of Representative members. This will be followed two weeks later on Mar. 11 by elections for 24 of 36 state governors and members of parliament at federal and state levels. The main question is who replaces incumbent Muhammadu Buhari…

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swldx · 2 years ago

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6195Khz 0458 23 FEB 2023 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from WOOFFERTON. SINPO = 55333. English, s/on @0458z w/Bow Bells int. then ID@0459z pips and newsday preview. @0501z World News anchored by Gareth Barlow. Saturday's presidential election in Nigeria may come to be remembered as the moment when young people went up against the establishment. Spurred on by the 2020 EndSars anti-police brutality protests that morphed into calls for good governance, millions of young people have registered as first-time voters, hoping to elect a president from a relatively unknown party to represent them and bring change. UN head António Guterres has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine as an "affront" to the world's collective conscience at a meeting of the General Assembly nearly one year on. The meeting was debating a motion backed by Ukraine and its allies demanding Russia pull out immediately and unconditionally. Mexican lawmakers on Wednesday approved a controversial overhaul of the body overseeing the country's elections, a move critics warn will weaken democracy ahead of a presidential vote next year. A TV reporter and a nine-year-old girl have been fatally shot near Orlando, Florida, close to the scene of a murder that took place hours earlier. A second reporter and the girl's mother were shot and injured by the same gunman, who is also suspected of the other homicide, police say. The Israeli military said Palestinian militants fired six rockets from the Gaza Strip toward the country’s south early Thursday, hours after an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank triggered a fierce gunbattle in which 11 Palestinians were killed and over 100 injured. Sports. Severe weather is forecast over North Island through at least early Feb. 25. A low-pressure system over North Island is likely to persist over the coming days before tracking away to the south late Feb. 25. Hundreds of stone artifacts and 54,000-year-old human teeth have been found in a rock shelter in the south of France, pushing back evidence for Homo sapiens wielding the bow and arrow in Europe by 10,000 years. @0506z "Newsday" begins. MLA 30 amplified loop (powered w/8 AA rechargeable batteries ~10.8vdc), Etón e1XM. 200kW, beamAz 160°, bearing 47°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 6312KM from transmitter at Woofferton. Local time: 2258.

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opedguy · 3 years ago

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Biden Alienates Saudi Arabia

;LOS ANGELES (OnlineColumnist.com), Oct. 12l 2022.--Already alienating the Russian Federation and Communist China to the point of war, 79-year-old President Joe Biden takes out his ire on Saudi Arabia, all because Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman won’t increase oil production. Biden propensity to alienate U.S. allies and adversaries has been extraordinary, leaving U.S. national security in the most vulnerable spot since WW II. Biden started a proxy war using Ukrainian troops against he Russian Federation, promising to remove Putin from power and to degrade the Russian military to the point it can no longer wage war. When Putin invaded Ukraine Feb. 24, Biden has been supplying Kiev with combat weapons for months, driving the Kremlin to take what Russian President Vladimir Putin calls “special military operation,” essentially to demilitarize Ukraine. So when Biden started his proxy war against Putin, he’d been supplying Kiev arms for months.

Biden’s tendency to lash out at any country that doesn’t acquiesce to his Once demands present problems for U.S. foreign policy. Saudi Arabia has been a consistent ally in the Middle East to the United States for generations, reliably supply oil until the 1973 OPEC oil embargo drove prices through the roof, at least for that time, creating widespread shortages of gasoline at the pumps. Once the OPEC embargo took place, the U.S. set a long course of energy independence, long before anyone knew anything about global warming or climate change. Under former President Donald Trump’s four years in office, he did everything possible to incentivize the fracking industry to ramp up U.S. oil production. Once Biden took office, he did everything possible to dismantle Trump’s energy independence, making a renewed push for alternative energy industry.

Less than two years later, Biden finds himself heading into a Midterm election that could swing the House and Senate back to Republicans, making the next two years of his presidency gridlock. Biden capitulated with the radical fringe of his party led by 32-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to scuttle the Keystone XL pipeline, approved by Trump, and commited to the fracking industry. Biden’s proxy war in Ukraine boycotted all Russian oil, accounting to 5% of the U.S. import market, creating shortages and skyrocketing prices. Things were far worse in the U.K. and European Union, where Russia supplies some 25% of gasoline and 40% of natural gas. Facing a long cold winter, Europe doesn’t know how it’s going to make up for the loss of Russian energy supplies. What’s known for sure is that energy prices are up over 100% in the U.K. and EU.

Biden’s approach to the Ukraine War didn’t take into account the oil shock created worldwide by a Russian oil embargo. If that weren’t bad enough creating global inflation and recession, Biden now attacks Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for not ramping up more Saudi oil production. Biden’s been told that OPEC has set strict production limits, all designed to boos the price of oil on world markets. Biden blames Bin Salman because he recklessly ended U.S. fossil fuel independence. “There’s going to be some consequences for what they’ve don with Russia,” Biden said of Saudi Arabia, knowing that Russia is an integral part of the OPEC oil cartel. “I’m not going to get into what I’d consider and what I have in mind. But there will be—there will be consequences,” Biden said. Biden said in 2020 that he would never recognize Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Biden and the U.S. press accuse Bin Salman of ordering the Oct. 2, 2018 hit on Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi entered the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul and never came out, at least alive. Biden knows that 86-year-old Saudi King Salman no longer runs the Kingdom. That duty was handed over to Bin Salman years ago. But that didn’t stop Biden from visiting Bin Salman July 15, begging the Crown Prince to increase oil exports to the U.S. Biden’s visit backfired, with Bin Salman knowing Biden accuses him of murdering Khashoggi Oct. 2, 2018. Biden was pushed to visit Bin Salman because high energy prices are killing Democrat prospects in the Midterm election. Whether Biden admits it or not, he blames Bin Salman for no bailing Democrats out before the Nov. 8 Midterm election. Bad economic news has voters looking away from Democrats.

Threatening Saudi Arabia is no way to treat a traditional ally, especially one Biden counts on to deal with future energy needs. With little prospects of Biden returning to Trump’s fracking industry, the U.S. grows more dependent on foreign suppliers for fossil fuels. Biden’s Russian oil embargo has precipitated the worst inflation in over 40 years, prompting the Federal Reserve Board to continue hiking interest rates. Biden’s proxy war against the Russian Federation has created the most dangerous security situation since WW II. Even in the depth of the Cold War, the U.S. never went to war against the Soviet Union. Biden’s proxy war against the Russian Federation has driven the worst inflation in 40 years. Apart from the obvious risks of escalation to WW III on the European Continent, the prospect of worldwide wide recession looms high as the war goes on.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analzying spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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accuratenewsng · 3 years ago

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2023: Civil Defence to deploy 30,000 operatives

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) is to deploy 30,000 operatives to ensure peace during the upcoming general elections in Nigeria. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation is billed for another general election, starting on Feb. 25 next year, when the president and vice-president will be elected. A crowded field of 18 political parties are expected to field candidates, in a…

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#2023 general election #NSCDC

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weekinethereum · 6 years ago

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December 14, 2018 Week in Ethereum News

News and Links

Layer 1

[Eth 2] Danny Ryan’s state of the spec

[Eth 2] Latest Eth 2 implementers call. Agenda to follow along.

[Eth 2] What’s New in Eth2

[Eth 2] Latest Prysmatic dev update

[Eth 2] Lighthouse dev update

[Eth 2] Coindesk profiles the teams building Eth2

[ewasm] Latest Ewasm call.

[1 -> 2] When stable, the beacon chain to finalize the POW chain

[Eth1] State Rent proposal update

[Eth1] How types of contracts would handle contract state-root-plus-witness architecture

NEAR: Unsolved problems in blockchain sharding

Boneh, Bünz, Fisch: Batching Techniques for Accumulators for stateless chains

Justin Drake Ethereum 3.0 tweet

Layer 2

Storj is planning to use Raiden for its payments. Raiden v0.19

Building MixEth as a state channel dapp with Counterfactual

Celer’s team to play their state channel Gomoku game for real Eth

gas payment abstraction in layer 2

prime numbers to transactions instead of coins?

should fraudulent exit bonds be partially burned?

Demo snark for Plasma Cash and Cashflow history compaction

SKALE releases architecture of their sidechain network

Stuff for developers

Ethereum on ARM. Constantinople-ready images

registry-builder: A modular approach to building TCRs from LevelK

7 uses cases with 3box.js

Gnosis Apollo to create your own prediction market interface or tournament

Schedule your token transfers on MyCrypto using Ethereum Alarm Clock

BudgetBox from Colony. Binary choices turned into budget percentages, and can be done onchain. Github

web3j v4.1 for Android

You can now integrate Gitcoin’s Kudos into your app. Gitcoin also hit 500k in issues.

A quick Austin Griffith tutorial on Commit/Reveal

Matt Tyndall’s counterfactual loan repayment for Dharma

Linkdrops: let people send crypto embedded in URLs without gas/wallets

Panoramix decompiler using symbolic execution instead of static analysis

Streamr’s cold chain monitoring tutorial

Dennis Peterson: Spam protection with probabilistic payments and cheap doublespending protection

How to debug with Tenderly and Truffle

A teaser for Harvey fuzzer from ConsenSys Diligence

Automated Eth code exploiter and similar how to scan and steal ETH

Hard fork enabled client releases

Geth v1.8.20 - hard fork enabled, Puppeth improvements, etc

Parity Ethereum 2.2.5-beta and Parity Ethereum 2.1.10-stable hardfork enabled

Trinity v0.1.0-alpha.20 Constantinople support and genesis file support

Ecosystem

Opera releases native Eth wallet and dapp browser for Android. Download. Slick and well worth checking out.

How I learned Solidity basics for free as a noob dev

Uncle rate keeps falling. Time to start nudging up the gaslimit?

Monetary policy chart of historic and future Ether issuance

All the impressive ETHSingapore submissions and winners. Some of Josh Stark’s favorites.

A comparison of ETHSanFrancisco and EOS SF hackathons

Ethereum product management interviews. Also, video of Eth PMs call

Alethio’s EthStats block explorer

Ecosystem job listings

Web3Foundation, Validity Labs and Status working on Whisper alternative

Live on mainnet

OriginTrail: data exchange in supply chains protocol

Enterprise

Quorum v2.2.0

Cheddar suggests Facebook wants to do its own basechain and is recruiting

Why Enterprise Ethereum is way more than DLT

See OriginTrail above

Governance and Standards

ProgPOW testnet block explorer

A quick case study on Aragon’s AGP1 proposal

Evolution of a security token standard

ERC1643: Document Management Standard

ERC1644: Controller Token Operation Standard

ERC1666: Decentralized Autonomous Zero-identity Protocol

ERC1613: Gas stations network

Application layer

Cellarius first anthology released. Free to MetaMask users.

Golem’s Graphene-ng demo part2

XYO Network to launch satellite named EtherX on SpaceX’s Falcon9 in next few months

Data auditing and repair with Storj

The Fluidity stack to allow liquid secondary markets

Vitalik tweetstorm on non-financial apps

Onchain mutual insurance to return insurance to its origin: communities sharing risk

p2p loan offers on Bloqboard using Dharma

Ujo Portal out of beta and in version1.

KyberNetwork’s monthly update - new reserves, wBTC updated

Liquality offers crosschain swap of testnet Eth for Bitcoin. You can also get a good price buying Eth with Summa’s crosschain swap

GnosisSafe users can pay gas fees in OWL.

Maker proposal to reduce stability fee from 2.5% to 0.5%. Vote Dec 17

Augur’s controversial US House elections market has been reported as Republican. This is obviously nonsense because no one would have bet on that market and it makes no sense to encourage wordsmith trickery. This is a huge test of Augur and will be interesting to watch. Also, v1.8.4 out with new node endpoint. And a nice Augur 2018 review from Guesser

Interviews, Podcasts, Videos, Talks

All Devcon4 videos and photos

Arthur Falls uploads some Joe Lubin Devcon3 video footage

Video: a Wolfram language platform for Ethereum

Zero Knowledge ETHSingapore episode

Open Block Explorers community call

Blockchain Insider with Vitalik Buterin

Grid+ Alex Miller and Karl Kreder on Hashing It Out

Prysmatic’s Preston Van Loon and Raul Jordan on Into the Ether

Andrew Keys talks ConsenSys2.0 with Laura Shin

Tokens / Business / Regulation

Chris Burniske argues Ether and Bitcoin prices are undervalued based on fundamentals

4 eras of blockchain computing: degrees of composability from Jesse Walden

CFTC requests input. EthHub and Brooklyn Project are both crowd sourcing responses

Basecoin/Basis quits after raising ~130m and returns money to its VCs, blaming the SEC. I feel there may be more to come with this story.

MythX (formerly Mythril) decides against its announced token

Don’t think there was any doubt, but Coinbase is listing tokens. 30 assets up for consideration

Bonding curve intuition and parameterization

Harberger taxes in action on r/ethtrader banners

Simon de la Rouviere: Desire paths and recommendation markets

General

Zero-Knowledge Proofs Starter Pack

Support starving Venezuelans by buying NFT Christmas cards through Giveth. Easy onboarding for your non-crypto friends.

Results of Bounties Network paying local to participate in Manila Bay beach cleanup. Some interesting UX lessons.

Terra-Bridge: Transfer between Ethereum and Bitcoin protocol

CMEGroup puts up an Intro to Ether course

Zilliqa testnet v3 is live and in feature freeze ahead of January mainnet release. It also got an AWS case study

Boerse Stuttgart and SolarisBank say in next 6 months they’ll launch crypto trading platform in Europe

The state of Surveillance Capitalism is dire: your apps are tracking your location and selling it. It’s very easy to figure out who you are from your location. Bring on web3!

Dates of Note

Upcoming dates of note (new in bold):

Dec 17 - vote to reduce Maker stability fee

Jan 10 - Mobi Grand Challenge hackathon ends

Jan ~15 - Constantinople hard fork at block 7080000

Jan 29-30 - AraCon (Berlin)

Feb 7-8 - Melonport’s M1 conf (Zug)

Feb 15-17 - ETHDenver hackathon (ETHGlobal) next hacker application round closes December 31st

Feb 23-25 - EthAustin hackathon (EthUniversal)

Mar 4 - Ethereum Magicians (Paris)

Mar 5-7 - EthCC (Paris)

Mar 27 - Infura end of legacy key support (Jan 23 begins Project ID prioritization)

Apr 19-21 - ETHCapetown

If you appreciate this newsletter, thank ConsenSys

This newsletter is made possible by ConsenSys.

I own Week In Ethereum. Editorial control has always been 100% me. If you're unhappy with editorial decisions or anything that I have written in this issue, feel free to tweet at me.

Housekeeping and random Twitter banhammers

One of my best friends launched Stoop, an Android/iOS newsletter reader. It uses a dedicated email and clean design experience to keep your information diet healthy. If you subscribe to newsletters, you will like it.

Link: http://www.weekinethereum.com/post/181120057303/december-14-2018-week-in-ethereum-news

I’m sure that I missed things for this newsletter due to Twitter’s banhammer last week. Sorry! Plenty of folks in Ethereum got random Twitter banhammers this week. :(

If you’re wondering “why didn’t my post make it into Week in Ethereum?”

Did you get forwarded this newsletter? Sign up to receive the weekly email

#ethereum #crypto #Cryptocurrency #bitcoin #Web3

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ve-man-blog · 6 years ago

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Ontario Municipality Election 2018 – Tamil Candidates in Markham and Scarborough – Few Observations

Tamils living in Canada (or Canadian Tamils), especially in Ontario have involved in Canadian politics for a long time. Many individuals have run for MP, MPP, City Councillor as well as School Board Trustees in the past 15 years. Compared to the past election history of Canada, we had a larger number of Tamil candidates who ran for different positions in Toronto, Markham, Ajax and other regions this year. Among them, most of the Tamil candidates were running for office in Markham and Scarborough area.

It is obvious that there are many Canadian Tamils who would like to see their fellow Tamil representatives shine in Canadian politics as they have shined in other positions. However, when more than one Tamil Candidate run for an office in same electorate, Tamil community has been divided and it has been criticized by Tamil media and Tamil community at large. Are the valid criticisms? Should Canadian Tamils collectively choose one Tamil candidate to run for an office in the future?

The purpose of this review is to look at how Tamil candidates conducted their campaigns and whether their strategies were successful and what are factors influenced he results.

Scarborough -City of Toronto Councillors

There were three Tamil candidates who ran for Councillor Position for Toronto City Councillor in three different wards in Scarborough. The promises by all the candidates were around the following key issues,

· Lesser crime and safer city

· Better roadways and more transit facilities – including subway and LRT

· More affordable housing for low income families and newcomers

· More funding for health and mental health

The following were the three Tamil candidates in Scarborough.

1. Ward 23 Scarboorugh North – Neethan Saba

2. Ward 24 Scarborough Guildwood – Priyanth Nallaratnam

3. Ward 25 Scarborough Rouge Park – Neethan Shan

Among those three candidates, Neethan Shan is a well-known candidate among Tamil Community. He served as a Trustee in York region – 2006 to 2010 and Toronto TDSB trustee from 2016 to 2017 and as Toronto city Councillor from Feb 2017 to date. Among the three Tamil candidates, he has secured more votes in his electorate (40%). Neethan Saba has secured 13.5% of total votes in Ward 23 while Priyanth Nallaratnam has received 8.3% of total votes in Ward 24. Though all three were supported by Tamil voters and other communities and have received significant number of votes, none of them were able to win and secure a seat.

Their campaigns were decent in general and they didn’t waste their valuable time on tarnishing opponents’ image. Among these three, Neethan Shan proved his strong support, but has lost with very narrow gap of 154 votes. I believe that the recent changes imposed by Provincial government which changed the catchment area has impacted his victory. As his boundary is expanded to South east Scarborough, Neethan Shan had to work hard in a short period of time to convince lots of conservatives that live in South section of Scarborough Rouge-Park electorate. On the other hand his affiliation with key Tamil organizations in the past has also impacted positively as well as negatively.

Scarborough - School Trustees

If we look at the TDSB School Board Trustee election in Toronto, there were six Tamil candidates who ran for these positions in different wards. Many residents believe that School board trustee is a stepping stone position to becoming a Councillor or MPP or MP in the future. They believe that a candidate tries to become a school trustee to get popular in the community and to expand their social network for their future goal. However, some of the candidates would consider this position to genuinely contribute to shaping the education system in Ontario.

The promises/ commitments given by these trustee candidates were around providing better education, improve the curriculum by updating them, prioritize mental health support, give more attention to arts and culture, etc. There were 6 Tamil candidates in the recent Trustee election in Scarborough.

1. Ward 18 – Parthi Kandavel – 22.3% of total votes and he won

2. Ward 21 – Yarlini Rajakulasingham – 31.5% of total votes and she won

3. Ward 21 – Ganesh Kulaserampillai – 3.8% of total votes

4. Ward 22 – Dr. Anu Sriskandarajah – 36.3% of total votes and she won

5. Ward 22 – Akila Rudrasingam – 10% of total votes

6. Ward 22 – Tharshigan Vijayapalan – 4.6% of total votes

Parthi Kandavel from ward 18 has already completed one term as Trustee and he was able to talk about achievements in the past during this election campaign. He has launched a decent campaign this time too as he did in the past. I wouldn’t say it was an easy win for him as he got only 22% of the total votes and the candidate secured second position has secured 20% of the votes.

As you see the results in Ward 21 – Yarlini got 32% votes. If we look at the campaign method of Yarlini, she used only positive messages in her campaign. There were criticism that she is running only because her father was supporting her financially therefore able to run a good campaign. However, shouldn’t we expect a candidate to use all the resources to win in an election? Despite of all the criticisms, she has proven that she is capable of winning the election by securing votes from other communities as well. Roy Hu lost to her just by 276 votes

Ward 22 - Among all the wards in Scarborough this is the only ward we had three Tamil candidates for the seat. However, Anu Sriskandarajah got 36% of the votes and set a clear victory where next person in the list got only 14% of votes. Interestingly, Akila Rudarasingham campaigned that she was the first Tamil candidate to register to run for this position. I was wondering since when registering first to run for an office became a qualification to win in the election? I believe that Anu’s education background was a strong asset for her in the election.

More interesting fact of this election is the winners of ward 18 and ward 22 are husband and wife. But, it was not highlighted or no memes or trolling videos were created to criticize them whereas a candidate in Markham ward 7 was highly criticized by Tamils.

Both winning candidates of Ward 18 & 22 were smart enough to use both ethnic resources and main stream media for their campaign. Both had very good online presence during their campaign and both won in their constituency. It is a rare occasion for husband and wife to win in two wards in an election in one city.

Markham - Councillors & Regional Councillors

If we look at the Candidates in Markham, Niran Jeyanesan ran in the election with “I am the only Tamil candidate” slogan for regional councillor position. Even the Tamil media decided to support him as he was the only “Tamil” Candidate for Regional Councillor Position. However, he got only 14, 984 votes and secured 8th position out of 12 candidates. Interestingly in Ward 4 and 8 also we had only one Tamil candidate who ran for City Councillor position. However, Tamil media didn’t endorse those two candidates as they did for Niran Jeyanesan.

Among all the candidates for council and regional council, Niran Jeyanesan and Killi Chelliah put Safety first. Killi was more concerned about Road safety compared to other candidates. Niran has been working for police service and he highlighted his transferrable skills on safety during his campaign. Malar and Killi both had concern about better flow of traffic in Markham area, safety city, better city services including snow removal, services for seniors and other residents.

City Councillor Positions – there were 8 candidates

1. Ward 4 - Shaarmina A. Rodrigo – She got 372 votes

2. Ward 5 – Sri Sivasubramaniam – He got only 734 votes

3. Ward 5 – Jeremiah Vijeyaratnam – He got 525 votes

4. Ward 7 – Kethika Logan Kanapathi – She got 2,635 votes and stands 2nd

5. Ward 7 – Killi Chelliah – He got 1,961 votes and became 3rd in the ward

6. Ward 7 – Malar Varatharaja – She got 1,587 votes and stands 4th

7. Ward 7 – Sothy Sella – He got 481 votes

8. Ward 7 – Elauppillai Srinathan – He got only 236 votes

9. Ward 8 - Joseph (Mohan) Remisiar – 2,599 votes

Tamil community didn’t talk much about ward 4, 5 & 8. Though, there were two Tamil candidates who ran in Ward 5, discussion about Ward 5 wasn’t the “Talk of the Town”. However, I personally liked Joseph’s (Ward 8) message to the public. He asked people to come out to vote – not necessarily to him. He clearly promoted democracy.

The biggest battle amongst Tamil candidates was observed in Ward 7. I noticed that some candidates typically following the tactics used in Sri Lanka and India to win the election. Slogans like “I registered first”, “I am the most qualified candidate”, “I am the only candidate ran in the previous election”, “I am already winning and don’t waste your votes by casting for others”, “We can’t allow family members to run in the election”, etc. were widely used in this ward during last few weeks of the election campaign.

Logan Kanapathi was criticized for encouraging his daughter to run in the same ward where he was ruling for 12 years. Other candidates mentioned about this in their campaign. Some people went one step further to say there is a under the table deal between Usman and Logan. However, Logan proved that he still has strong support. I am not sure if he used this election to check the support he has in ward 7 and whether there is a possibility for his daughter to win in the future.

Malar Varatharajah had a very good social media presence. She has also used her professional skills in her campaign. Many Tamils assumed that she would win. However, she became 4th in the race. Similarly, Killi Chelliah entered the contest with strong background and a strong volunteer team to work for him. He was able to secure 3rd position. Many people mentioned that he should have used his picture at least in his big signs. As he didn’t use his picture in public spaces, for many other community he would have been an unknown candidate.

Even after the election, supporters of the Ward 7 candidates are blaming each other for their defeat. Tamil media also gave lots of attention to ward 7 during the election. There were individual also either campaigned in support or against a candidate. For example, Mr. Kathi Selvakumar released three different videos during the campaign period. He openly supported Malar Varatharajah in one video. Later he directly criticize and condemned Killi Chelliah in other video. But, Malar couldn’t beat Killi in the election. Kethika and Malar have used “Gender” card in their campaign. In general, all the Tamil candidates tried all different strategies to win the election.

Ward 7 situation was a “Talk of the Town” for days after the election as people continued to discuss about this ward on social media. Thanks to Sri Lankan political situation which gave new topic for Tamils to talk. There were number of complaints about election malpractices in ward 7. Malpractices includes, removing signs of other candidates, installing signs without home owner’s permission, taking the laptop to houses and asking residents to vote online, changing the votes after casted, etc. However, those complaints are yet to be proved.

Markham - School Trustees

If we look at the Trustee position for Area 4 (Ward 7 & 8) of Markham,

1. Juanita Nathan and

2. Kavitha Senthil were running in the same Area and Juanita secured her position back.

There were stories that Logan tried to convince Kavitha to withdraw. Those who spread this story also questioned “Why doesn’t Logan withdraw his daughter’s application and let the other leading Tamil candidate to win and secure the Ward 7 seat within Tamil community”..

If we look at the election results of Trustee positions, it seems that they won their seats by targeting all the residents while giving adequate attention for Tamil voters. But, I am not sure whether candidates who ran for the Councillor positions in Markham and Scarborough targeted all the residents. They merely depended on Tamil votes. I believe candidates from Tamil communities have to come out of ethnocentric approach if they want to secure the seat.

If Tamil candidates are interested in running in the future election, they should consider the followings, in addition to their other preparations.

1. Hire a skilled campaign manager who follows ethics in election campaign.

2. Shouldn’t talk about other candidates (highlighting their weaknesses or mistakes) in your social media profile continuously. If you do so, you are giving a free (negative) publicity for them.

3. Develop your strategy to have multi-ethnic campaign team. Then only you can reach other communities.

4. Don’t depend on Tamil media alone for your success. Expand your network through other media outlets.

5. Hire volunteers from high-school and university to do the campaign for you. Depending on friends, families and social media groups alone will not bring you the victory.

6. Plan your campaign ahead of time. Start attending social and cultural events and record your presence as photos and videos – name them and save them for future use.

7. Attend the social and community campaigns and advocacy activities around systemic issues that affect residents – Ex: Discussion on safety, discussion on basic salary increase, transportation issues. This will help you to get to know more and more people over the time and when you go for election you already know many individuals from different ethnic background.

I would like to conclude my review with few questions. I have seen a very important question on social media during this election and similar question was asked in the past too. The question is “Why should a Tamil voter vote for a Tamil candidate?”

Is it a valid question or not?

Are we electing a candidate to take care of Tamil affairs or are we electing a person from our community to serve all the communities living in the area?

What qualification and quality a candidate should have to be a Trustee, Councillor, MPP or MP? Have we ever asked this question?

Do we have healthy discussion about each candidates?

What do we do after the election? What is our post-election civic contribution?

Are we using the elected officials for our own benefit or for a common interest?

Are we keeping them accountable for what they promised to do?

Finally, do we have the right answers for all the above questions?

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superbexpertflower · 3 years ago

Text

25.11.21 Politics & Finance

Kindly Pray and Prophesy in the Name of Lord Jesus Christ that MPLADS/ MLALADS funds should be abolished in India & Misused fund should recover from respective MP/MLAs and disqualify the legislators to contest elections in their lifetime & Ban their offspring, siblings, relatives to contest elections and government jobs for next 99 years in all states of India to make corruption free India for inclusive growth of India.

Ref: 14.11.21,05 May 2020 Hindu -English, 06.Mar. 2011 Business Today, 25.Feb.2019 & 04.Jun.2019 News18.com, 06.Apr.2020 The Print, 06 May 2020 Opindia, 21 Apr 2020 Business Line, 15. Aug.2010 Hindustan Times, 30July 2013 rediffnews

(Under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme, Every MP is entitled to Rs 5 crore a year, that is Rs 3950 crore for the 790 members. The fund planned to utilize for creation of durable community assets and for provision of basic facilities, including community infrastructure based on locally felt needs. A Loksabha member can recommend works in his constituency alone , while a Rajya Sabha member can use the funds for works anywhere in a state. Actually this scheme money not directly go to the account of the MPs. They can only recommend works. Thereafter it is the responsibility of the district authorities to sanction , execute and complete the works within stipulated period. More money is released only on receipt of the completion certificate. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme implementation monitors the scheme. But Since inception this MPLAD Scheme has been mired in controversy and breeds corruption. MPLADS has a flawed idea that encouraged institutionalised corruption. This scheme is poorly monitored, plagued with misreporting and unnecessary parallel bureaucracy. There were many lacunas in the administration of the scheme at the ground level and often the MPs have deviated this money from the original purpose of the scheme. MPLADS funds mostly underutilised and misused.There seems no local area development of constituency but only self development of MPs. Unfortunately this scheme have a constitutional validity in supreme court . So the taxpayers money provided to Indian Member of Parliament for public interest work should be stop immediately.

It was launched during the Narasimha Rao Government in 1993 with the grant of Rs 50 Lakh a year to each MP. This sum was increased to Rs 1 crore during 1994-95. The third revision to Rs 2 crore happened in 1997 -98. The United Progressive Alliance Government in 2011-12 raised the annual entitlement to Rs 5 crore. There have been regular demands from MPs across party lines to increase the amount further. Actually this scheme was launched by Shri. Narasimha Rao as a part of package to buy support and trying to keep MPs for his coalition minority government. As Congress Concept, this was a kind of bribe paid at that time by the Union Congress government to retain their coalition supporting MPs. Now this MPLADS becomes a money making machine for unscrupulous MPs. Many systematic weakness affecting the implementation of MPLADS has been persisting since its inception. They spent less in beginning of their term and spend balance amount on final year before the general election to woo the voters. Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament and Planning Commission had termed MPLADS useless and corruption generating. Rahul Gandhi himself wanted this scheme to be scrapped before the general election in 2014, but it is quite interesting to see how politicians behave differently before and after elections. Political Parties had made corruption in various ways. MPLADS is one of the many ways where corruption and bribery were legalised. So the Government must discontinue this MPLADS scheme, so that taxpayers money can be used in a better way.

HOW MPLADS FUND MISUSED BY MPs

1. Assetts allegedly created under the scheme could not be traced by the surveyors. Prohibited projects that MPs are recommending. 2. MPs investing these funds in private trusts and societies created by them. Biggest area of misuse is allocated of these funds to trusts and societies often controlled by the MPs themselves. 3. Repeat expenditure on a length of road via MPLADS after the same contract has been executed under MLALADS a similar constituency development scheme for state legislators. 4.MPs recommend work for NGOs, Clubs and Educational institutions , the beneficiary institution were themselves appointed as a Implement agencies for the projects. Diversion of computers bought for schools to commercial enterprises and supply of computer to private educational institutions. Frauds happening in some places, school class rooms constructed by village educational committees were nowhere to be found. 5. Community Centres built with MPLADS funds being commercially let out by the beneficiary agencies of MP's interest group. Construction of shopping complexes to promote private enterprises. Funds misused to construct MPs Property and their relatives. In 2009, Sakshi Maharaj , a Rajyasabha member from Utterpredesh released Rs 25 Lakh from his Local Area Development fund to his own private college. By this Public Money have gone down the drain not for development of their constituency but their own wealth creation. So this MPLADS must be scrapped.

MODUS OPERANDI OF MISUSE OF MPLADS BY OUR MP'S

This scheme gives MPs discretion in deciding which public works projects to recommend to district officials. This Scheme gives the executive functions to Legislators. There are argument that MPs only recommend projects but the final choice and implementation rest with district Authorities is strange. There are hardly any Authorities in the district who have the courage or the gumption to defy the wishes of an MP. While this implementation is officially in the hands of the district bureaucracy, there are several channels through which MPs can influence the process. District authorities often come under pressure to appoint an implementation agencies of MP Choice. MPLAD fund has been released on basis of forged documents. MPs constantly resisting transparency and accountability and Insisting on choosing the implementing agencies and want to control payments to contractors. CAG ( Comptroller and Auditor General) found that contracts were awarded without adopting standard tendering process. In some cases contractors were also the beneficiaries. It is widely believed that MPLADS funds are channelled to contractors who give kickbacks to MP. It is widely alleged that MPs use these funds to get a percentage of Commission from contractors. To misuse this fund great nexus build up happen between politicians, contractors and bureaucrats. The Comptroller and Auditor General has examined this scheme lack of supervision at the district level and gross violation of guidelines by MPs. Another irregularity was the absence of financial sanction and administrative approval. Sofar Government has not taken any initiative to create the administrative infrastructure to monitor the scheme at the district level. The response of parliamentary committee on MPLADS fraud with all the evidence was not yield any fruitful outcome for citizens development. Even though the evils of this scheme were well known for years, why was it still running? So to Ensure corruption free India, We make Fix our MPs & MLAs first and the system will fix itself by scrapping MPLADS and MLALADS. So We should Pray and Prophesy for that those who misused the MPLADS/ MLALADS funds must be right to recall from Legislative role for incompetence corruption and disqualify from election on their life time and not allowed to contest elections/ government employment for their offspring, Siblings and relatives for next 99years & Should recover the misused money from respective MPs/ MLAs , district collectors and officials responsible for fraud committee.

MPLADS/ MLALADS Schemes had failed to yield the desired results. This scheme allowed to handle the funds for his/her political advantage. There is a tendency among MPs to spend the funds in place where they want to increase their popularity rather than where they are badly needed. Our Panchayats and Municipalities are starved of funds to perform their constitutionally assigned role, while MPs and MLAs enjoy the privilege of an uninterrupted yearly flow of funds to do the job of panchayats and Municipalities. MP/ MLA funds are nothing but a sort of attempted bribery to elected representatives for run the ruling coalition governments in India. So this scheme politically wrong and morally improper. I don't say all MP/ MLAs are dishonest, but I don't want a single MP / MLA to be suspected of dishonesty on account of MPLADS/ MLALADS Scheme. It only gives scope for corruption at an individual MP/MLA's level and creates suspicion in the minds of the people. So this MP/ MLA Local area development schemes should be abolished in India. MP/ MLAs should make law , make policies and not perform the role of the executive. Under India's constitution, MP/ MLA's don't have no executive power which MPLADS/MLALADS illegimately gives them. It is right time for politicians to surrender their discretionary spending power for questionable local area development as well as their wealth development for betterment of real development for our country.

In Present Electoral systems money only brings a candidate in the contest and if one doesn't have money, he or she is not even in the contest. No Party , no candidate in India contests elections and spend less than the Rs 70 Lakh stipulated by the election commission. For every election roughly takes 1-2 crore for an assembly candidate and 6-7 crore for a Loksabha aspirant to strengthen his or her chances of winning. illegal cash flows in our elections. The 2019 Loksabha election most expensive ever anywhere in world as Rs 60000 crores spend in India. There are at least 75 to 85 seats where individual candidates spend more than 40 crores in 2019 loksabha election which is over 50 times higher than expenditure limit of Rs 77 Lakh mandated by the election commission per candidate in a MP constituency. Where does all the money come from? How difficult is it for a common citizen to fight elections on his/her own. With such a huge amount of cash flowing during the elections what are the chances for a common citizen to fight election without any political finding or corporate donation? So Elections in India can no longer be fight by commoner. This should be changed in India.

BIBLE Talks About Misuse of MPLADS/ MLALADS Fund

one sinner destroys much good.

Ecclesiastes 9:18

who destroy whole households, teaching things they ought not, for the sake of sordid gain.

Titus 1:11

Because sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men among them is fully set on doing evil.

Ecclesiastes 8:11

A good man is gracious and lends. He will conduct his dealings with discretion.

Psalms 112:5

We are arranging things so that no one will blame us for the way this large gift is administered by us, preparing matters with integrity, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

2 Corinthians 8:20-21

We are giving no offense in anything, so that our ministry will not be not blamed, but in everything we show ourselves to be servants of God

2 Corinthians 6:3-4

Feed the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly; not for sordid gain, but with a ready mind; not like lords over God’s inheritance, but being examples to the flock.

1 Peter 5:2-3

18 பாவியான ஒருவன் மிகுந்த நன்மையைக் கெடுப்பான்.

பிரசங்கி 9

11 அவர்கள் இழிவான ஆதாயத்துக்காகத் தகாதவைகளை உபதேசித்து, முழுக்குடும்பங்களையும் கவிழ்த்துப்போடுகிறார்கள்.

தீத்து 1

11 துர்க்கிரியைக்குத்தக்க தண்டனை சீக்கிரமாய் நடவாதபடியால், மனுபுத்திரரின் இருதயம் பொல்லாப்பைச் செய்ய அவர்களுக்குள்ளே துணிகரங்கொண்டிருக்கிறது.

பிரசங்கி 8

5 இரங்கிக் கடன்கொடுத்து, தன் காரியங்களை நியாயமானபடி நடப்பிக்கிற மனுஷன் பாக்கியவான்.

சங்கீதம் 112

20 எங்கள் ஊழியத்தினாலே சேர்க்கப்படும் இந்த மிகுதியான தர்மப்பணத்தைக் குறித்து ஒருவனும் எங்களைக் குற்றப்படுத்தாதபடிக்கு நாங்கள் எச்சரிக்கையாயிருந்து,

2 கொரிந்தியர் 8:20

21 கர்த்தருக்கு முன்பாகமாத்திரமல்ல, மனுஷருக்கு முன்பாகவும் யோக்கியமானவைகளைச் செய்ய நாடுகிறோம்.

2 கொரிந்தியர் 8:21

3 இந்த ஊழியம் குற்றப்படாதபடிக்கு, நாங்கள் யாதொன்றிலும் இடறல் உண்டாக்காமல், எவ்விதத்தினாலேயும், எங்களைத் தேவஊழியக்காரராக விளங்கப்பண்ணுகிறோம்.

2 கொரிந்தியர் 6

2 உங்களிடத்திலுள்ள தேவனுடைய மந்தையை நீங்கள் மேய்த்து, கட்டாயமாய் அல்ல, மனப்பூர்வமாயும், அவலட்சணமான ஆதாயத்திற்காக அல்ல, உற்சாக மனதோடும்,

1 பேதுரு 5:2

3 சுதந்தரத்தை இறுமாப்பாய் ஆளுகிறவர்களாக அல்ல, மந்தைக்கு மாதிரிகளாகவும், கண்காணிப்புச் செய்யுங்கள்.

1 பேதுரு 5:3

Govt study finds misuse of MPLAD scheme - https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/govt-study-finds-misuse-of-mplad-scheme/story-gVChJQzXQE6DcCByt8mS8O.html?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ht_AMP For news on the go, download HT app. Click https://bit.ly/HT_Download

https://www.rediff.com/news/special/how-mps-misuse-thier-mplads-funds/20130729.htm

The MPLAD scheme should be discontinued - Business Line - https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/the-mplad-scheme-should-be-discontinued/article31394877.ece

The MPLADS funds were a tool to appease MPs and keep a coalition government intact, read details https://www.opindia.com/2020/05/mplads-corruption-modi-government-congress-upa-nda-development-coronavirus-funds/

MPLADS encouraged corruption, was poorly monitored. Its diversion to Covid-19 fund a wise move

https://theprint.in/50-word-edit/bjp-has-much-to-be-proud-of-at-40-but-is-it-truly-bharatiya-or-just-hindu-majoritarian/396480/

https://www.ideasforindia.in/topics/governance/electoral-cycles-and-incomplete-public-works-projects-an-analysis-of-the-mplad-scheme-in-india.html

MPLADS, its suspension, and why it must go - The Hindu - https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/mplads-its-suspension-and-why-it-must-go/article31504548.ece

At an Estimated Rs 60,000 Crore, Lok Sabha Elections Costliest Ever; BJP Spent 45% of it, Shows Study-https://www.news18.com/news/politics/with-about-rs-100-cr-spent-in-each-ls-constituency-we-just-witnessed-the-most-expensive-election-ever-2171789.html

With Cash Flow Worth Crores, It’s No Longer an Aam Aadmi’s Election-https://www.news18.com/news/politics/lok-sabha-elections-2019-with-cash-flow-worth-crores-its-no-longer-an-aam-aadmis-election-2024521.html

The lad fails to deliver via @business_today https://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/features/story/mp-and-mla-local-area-development-scheme-under-scanner-19539-2011-02-18?utm_source=btweb_story_share

#politics# politicians#elections# MPLADS #MLALADS #fraud#misuse#bureaucracy #nexus#corruption# MLA#MP# Parliament #assembly #CAG#india

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southeastasianists · 4 years ago

Link

Tensions are rising in Myanmar after military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun hinted at the possibility of a coup, should the military’s claims of electoral fraud go unaddressed. Particular attention has been paid to his comment on Tuesday that “The military will abide by existing laws including the Constitution. But that doesn’t mean the military will take responsibility for the state or won’t take responsibility for the state.” This has led the media to focus on the likelihood of a coup, though top military leaders say such a step would be a last resort.

The spokesman’s words have fueled concern among citizens, businesspeople, politicians and diplomats. A Yangon-based diplomat told The Irrawaddy that his embassy is watching and monitoring the situation closely and carefully. “There is great cause for concern,” he said.

A day after Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun spoke, military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said in an address to senior cadets, “The Constitution is the mother law. We have to follow the Constitution. If the law is not respected or followed, we must abolish it. Even if it is the Constitution, we must abolish it. In the time of the Revolutionary Council, the 1947 constitution was abolished.” He seemed to be suggesting that the 2008 Constitution can be abolished. But how?

The Tatmadaw’s recent comments are a departure from military leaders’ repeated assertions in the past that they would safeguard the 2008 Constitution, which was drafted in favor of the country’s former ruling generals.

Who dares abolish the ‘military’s charter’?

Under the 2008 Constitution, the military in Myanmar plays an unusually powerful role in the executive branch of government and in national politics. The army controls three security-related ministries: Defense, Home Affairs and Border Affairs. Moreover, the military’s unelected representatives occupy 25 per cent of the seats in Parliament.

The Constitution states that the president has the executive power to declare a state of emergency, after consulting and coordinating with the military-dominated National Defense and Security Council (NDSC). However, no NDSC meetings have been held since the current government led by the National League for Democracy (NLD) came to power.

Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing’s reference to previous constitutions that were abolished has only fueled the speculation. (Myanmar’s 1947 constitution was abolished when General Ne Win staged a coup in 1962; the 1974 charter was scrapped in 1988 when the military staged a bloody coup after crushing a nationwide pro-democracy uprising.)

Meetings between top-ranking government officials have reportedly been held to discuss possible ways of easing the tension, and the NLD has ordered all of its MPs, who are now gathered in the capital preparing to attend the opening of the new Parliament on Feb. 1, to remain calm and not to resist in case of a coup. However, anxiety and foreboding are spreading among NLD MPs, and sightings of armored vehicles on the streets of Yangon have only hightened the concern and tension. Ruling party lawmakers are preparing for the worst-case scenario.

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who leads the party, and several other MPs previously endured years of incarceration in detention centers and prisons or under house arrest.

In any case, the senior general’s comments have only inflamed the coup speculation, with some pundits predicting a takeover in a matter of weeks—if not days. The military chief’s comment that, if the law is not followed “we must abolish [the Constitution]” is ironic given that just last year the military blocked the ruling party’s bid to amend the charter.

Analysts believe the military’s claims of electoral fraud are motivated by the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)’s heavy defeat in November’s general election. The USDP was founded as a proxy party for the military.

USDP: 2020 poll’s big loser

The USDP won around 10 percent of seats in the Union Parliament in the 2015 general election, but in last year’s poll it secured just 5 percent.

Senior figures in the USDP suffered defeats in the election, losing their races to NLD rivals. This was a serious defeat for the military and its proxy, and the USDP will be a diminished force in the new Parliament.

The USDP was formed in June 2010 to contest that year’s general election. It is an offshoot of the former military junta and the successor to its mass organization, the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA). Its evolution is similar to that of the Golkar party in Indonesia, whose origins lie in an organization with military links.

The largest and best-funded military-backed party, the USDP was established to play a major role in national politics over the coming decades. Its senior officials and leaders are former military personnel with strong ties to active military generals.

The patron of the USDA was Senior General Than Shwe, who is now retired and following the unfolding political events from his home in Naypyitaw. It is not known how the former regime leader views the current political stalemate, but it is safe to assume he wants to see stability and a compromise. Neither of those could be achieved through a coup or by abolishing the 2008 Constitution he designed and whose drafting he guided.

After its election drubbing in November, the USDP refused to recognize the results of the general election and called for a re-run of the voting as soon as possible, with the military’s cooperation, “in order to have an election that is free, fair, unbiased and free from unfair campaigning”.

The Union Election Commission (UEC)—whose impartiality and fairness military leaders called into question—rebuffed the calls for a new election.

“It’s their allegation that the election was unfair. It’s from a small group of people. A true democracy values the majority’s wish,” said UEC official U Myint Naing.

In December, the military came to the USDP’s rescue, saying the armed forces were scrutinizing and reviewing voting in 218 townships where military personnel and their relatives cast ballots on Nov. 8.

The UEC instructed its sub-commissions not to hand out electoral documentation without its permission a day after the military called for documents to be provided to support its probe into claims of fraud.

Mid-ranking military officers in Naypyitaw say the ball is in the UEC’s court and that it must now come out and refute the allegation. They say that Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing doesn’t want to be pushed into a corner, where he will have no choice but to stage a coup.

Political analysts in Yangon suspect the military leaders would like to see the UEC dissolved, but this is impossible.

NLD–dominated Parliament

Myanmar’s newly elected Parliament, the second assembly dominated by the NLD, is due to convene on Feb. 1. The USDP and the military don’t want to proceed with this parliamentary session and have reportedly demanded that the government postpone it.

In its second straight landslide election victory on Nov. 8, the ruling NLD won 396 out of 476 elected seats (83 percent) in the two houses of Parliament, allowing it to form the next government. The USDP won only 33 seats (around 7 percent). The military representatives will have their usual quota of 25 per cent of seats, meaning a combined 166 military personnel will sit in the two houses of Parliament. In December, the military released the new list of names of its appointed lawmakers who will attend the upcoming Parliament session.

In the new Parliament, the USDP—a once powerful, ruling party—will no longer be a tiger but a kitten. This is a real concern for the military and the USDP.

#Southeast Asia #Burma #Myanmar #Tatmadaw #Politics #Democracy

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