Random News Stories

[Cain]

Yeah.  Them and Jews.

Europe is, as the article relates, doing fuck all about this.  America has at least imposed some measures....our failure to deal with Hungary should be a stain on the Union, if not for the fact there are now so many stains on the Union it's like one big stain at this point.

[LMNO]

American ignorance cropping up here: Is Hungary part of the EU? 

[Cain]

Yup, and NATO too.

Which is another reason we should be looking very suspiciously at Orban and his friendship with Putin. 

I think Israel, which has previously had good relations with Hungary, will also become concerned...especially if Jobbik are now in the coalition.  They've previously tolerated Orban, though not without a certain level of unofficial suspicion...but this could be a red line.  Jobbik are one of the best organised fascist groups in Europe, with strong links to Hungarian nationalist paramilitary groups.  Oh, and close links with Russia, of course.

I'm not saying we necessarily should be going all "colour-coded revolution" here...I'm just saying it wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea.

[Cain]

lol Scott Walker

http://www.thenation.com/article/201817/these-republicans-want-take-away-your-weekend#

lol Party of Christianity

[The Wizard Joseph]

lol Scott Walker

http://www.thenation.com/article/201817/these-republicans-want-take-away-your-weekend#

lol Party of Christianity

It's like they waited until Nigel left the country.


Walker is a tool, but an effective one in the hands of his Koched up masters.

Fuck him.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

lol Scott Walker

http://www.thenation.com/article/201817/these-republicans-want-take-away-your-weekend#

lol Party of Christianity

Yeah, it lets workers choose to "voluntarily" waive their days off, like workers choose to "voluntarily" take below-living-wage jobs and "voluntarily" give up benefits like paid vacation, medical care, etc. I mean, all they have to do if they don't like it is find another job.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Demolition Squid]

I hate April Fool's Day.

I am loving the Guardian Liveblog for the tone the guy running it is taking though:

This is interesting. I just looked up 'April Fools' Day' in the dictionary. Look what it says:

noun [C usually singular] UK /ˌeɪ.prəlˈfuːlzˌdeɪ/ ( UK also All Fools' Day) US

› 1 April, a day when people play tricks on other people

› The single worst day of Stuart Heritage's life, when every single sodding PR worker in the whole poxy country tweets him at the same time to say 'Here's a badly-Photoshopped picture of a hat made of spoons or whatever, thought this might be fun for your liveblog LOLOLOL YOLO LOL' until he starts crapping his pants and puking up blood at the same time in anger.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/apr/01/april-fools-day-jokes-2015-the-best-from-around-the-world

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I've never been a fan of the day, myself. That or St. Patrick's Day, which is essentially COMPLETELY MEANINGLESS TO ME and yet people always insist on trying to impose it on me, ie. "What, you aren't wearing green?" YEAH THAT'S BECAUSE I DON'T GIVE A FUCK, JUST TRY TO PINCH ME MOTHERFUCKER, TRY.

[Reginald Ret]

I've never been a fan of the day, myself. That or St. Patrick's Day, which is essentially COMPLETELY MEANINGLESS TO ME and yet people always insist on trying to impose it on me, ie. "What, you aren't wearing green?" YEAH THAT'S BECAUSE I DON'T GIVE A FUCK, JUST TRY TO PINCH ME MOTHERFUCKER, TRY.

[Doktor Howl]

MURRICA

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

MURRICA

Jesus fucking fuck.

[jonb]

Is it true news of the Icelandic Revolution has been Banned in America?

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/01/11/why-did-media-keep-the-recent-peaceful-icelandic-revolution-quiet/

Certainly in Britain there is very little coverage, but I heard news of it is banned in the states. Can anyone enlighten me?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Is it true news of the Icelandic Revolution has been Banned in America?

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/01/11/why-did-media-keep-the-recent-peaceful-icelandic-revolution-quiet/

Certainly in Britain there is very little coverage, but I heard news of it is banned in the states. Can anyone enlighten me?

Try it on Facebook. They're super gullible there.

[Reginald Ret]

Is it true news of the Icelandic Revolution has been Banned in America?

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/01/11/why-did-media-keep-the-recent-peaceful-icelandic-revolution-quiet/

Certainly in Britain there is very little coverage, but I heard news of it is banned in the states. Can anyone enlighten me?

What do you mean by Banned? I want a very specific and testable definition.

Also, no-one can enlighten you.
That is not a philosophical statement about self-enlightenment, I just think you are hopeless.

[jonb]

What me hopeless?

I'm very hopeful indead!

Who knew that the revolution would start with those radical Icelanders? It does, though. One Frosti Sigurjonsson, a lawmaker from the ruling Progress Party, issued a report today that suggests taking the power to create money away from commercial banks, and hand it to the central bank and, ultimately, Parliament.

Can't see commercial banks in the western world be too happy with this. They must be contemplating wiping the island nation off the map. If accepted in the Iceland parliament , the plan would change the game in a very radical way. It would be successful too, because there is no bigger scourge on our economies than commercial banks creating money and then securitizing and selling off the loans they just created the money (credit) with.

Everyone, with the possible exception of Paul Krugman, understands why this is a very sound idea. Agence France Presse reports:

Iceland Looks At Ending Boom And Bust With Radical Money Plan

Iceland's government is considering a revolutionary monetary proposal – removing the power of commercial banks to create money and handing it to the central bank. The proposal, which would be a turnaround in the history of modern finance, was part of a report written by a lawmaker from the ruling centrist Progress Party, Frosti Sigurjonsson, entitled "A better monetary system for Iceland".

"The findings will be an important contribution to the upcoming discussion, here and elsewhere, on money creation and monetary policy," Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson said. The report, commissioned by the premier, is aimed at putting an end to a monetary system in place through a slew of financial crises, including the latest one in 2008.

According to a study by four central bankers, the country has had "over 20 instances of financial crises of different types" since 1875, with "six serious multiple financial crisis episodes occurring every 15 years on average". Mr Sigurjonsson said the problem each time arose from ballooning credit during a strong economic cycle.

He argued the central bank was unable to contain the credit boom, allowing inflation to rise and sparking exaggerated risk-taking and speculation, the threat of bank collapse and costly state interventions. In Iceland, as in other modern market economies, the central bank controls the creation of banknotes and coins but not the creation of all money, which occurs as soon as a commercial bank offers a line of credit. The central bank can only try to influence the money supply with its monetary policy tools.

Under the so-called Sovereign Money proposal, the country's central bank would become the only creator of money. "Crucially, the power to create money is kept separate from the power to decide how that new money is used," Mr Sigurjonsson wrote in the proposal. "As with the state budget, the parliament will debate the government's proposal for allocation of new money," he wrote.

Banks would continue to manage accounts and payments, and would serve as intermediaries between savers and lenders. Mr Sigurjonsson, a businessman and economist, was one of the masterminds behind Iceland's household debt relief programme launched in May 2014 and aimed at helping the many Icelanders whose finances were strangled by inflation-indexed mortgages signed before the 2008 financial crisis.

http://www.theautomaticearth.com/2015/03/iceland-to-take-back-the-power-to-create-money/

Or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-SiYQ8s_6I

Or
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/15/lessons-from-iceland-people-power

Or it is talked about a bit in blogs but not as far as I know the main paper, is there a reason for this?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/04/02/iceland-has-a-radical-plan-to-redefine-money/

At the moment I am not seeking to define, I just would like to see other peoples perspectives.