Both in Cyberspace and Real space.
On Wednesday (31/7/19) I embarked on one of my seemingly biannual trips to visit my mothers.
While there we made a special effort to visit the refurbished and reopened Bishop's Mill pub;
https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2019-04-05/pub-re-opens-following-novichok-poisoning/
Not for its notoriety. It's actually a very nice pub. Particularly in the summer.
It has a large, dog friendly beer garden. Which sits slightly set back from one on the main thoroughfares in the town. Making it ideal for people watching without the hustle and bustle of everyday life intruding too much. It also has a river running through it. Providing natural air conditioning on hot days.
I took its enforced closure as a personal insult.
The main purpose of the visit though was to see my mothers. Along with my sister. This involved leaving Wiltshire for the Hampshire Agricultural and Country Show. On Thursday (1/8/19).
The Hampshire Show seems rather similar to last Sunday's (28/7/19) Garlic Festival. In Gilroy, California, US.
In the sense that they both seem to be fenced off, mini-villages. Made up of vendor tents, produce stalls and cooking displays. The Hampshire Show differs in the sense that it is built around numerous parade rings. To show, primarily, livestock.
One of my mothers and my sister have both spent pretty much their entire lives around horses. Despite this I think it's fair to say that none of us were particularly interested in the farm animals. Concentrating instead on the "Country" aspects of the show. Hunting, fishing, falconry and working dogs etc.
This area of the show is very much dominated by the British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC). The Gun people.
It's an area we find particularly interesting because my mothers own a Cocker Spaniel. Which is a type of Gundog.
However neither of my mothers shoot. Leaving their dog as something of an unemployed hooligan. Making up for the boredom by constantly charging about causing havoc. She can't even be let off the lead due to her tendency to attack other, often much bigger, dogs.
As soon as she sees the people from the Gundog kennels though something switches in her brain. She suddenly becomes quiet, still and obedient. Focused entirely on her next mission.
They also had an open, fun-run scurry course for Gundogs. Which she won. Easily. Although I think she was the only actual Gundog to take part.
I did also run in to one of British Transport Police's (BTP's) Explosives dog and handler. The ones who went into the Manchester Arena to make it safe after the May 2017. Which to me is sort of the ultimate doggy celebrity.
Obviously leaving Khanistan unattended for an extended period presents a bit of a security concern. On account of all the murders.
It was of particular concern on this occasion. If you've been listening to my phonecalls and reading my SMS messages you would know that I was debating staying over Friday (2/8/19) night and returning today. As any police officer will tell you Friday and Saturday nights tend to be peak times in terms of violent crime.
In my very specific part of Khanistan there has been a slightly elevated threat profile recently. Really from about June 6th 2019 (6/6/19).
This has involved groups of about a dozen or so young men congregating around a couple of cars, in the middle of the street, late at night. In itself this is not illegal nor particularly threatening. It is though somewhat subtly intimidating.
Particularly when you consider one such incident was on June 29th (29/6/19). While the Kelly Mary Fauvrelle murder was occurring a couple of streets away.
Another such incident occurred on July 19th (19/7/19) amid the seizure of the Stena Impero tanker. Despite there being really heavy rain throughout that night.
So I can't say I appreciated having my plans telegraphed globally at the start of the week.
It was though the only week where being blocked by Twitter was a positive advantage. Rather than having to maintain the pattern of life I was able to go to bed at a time more fitting with getting up at dawn.
As it turns out my slight bacterial lung infection has not completely cleared. It's nothing serious. It's just enough to make everything seem like hard work rather than fun. So I actually returned on Friday (3/8/19), at around 16:00.
It would be nice to pretend that my failure to mention that at the time was part of the security discussion. The truth is I came home, sat down and decided I couldn't be bothered.
Apparently there is no detail of my life during these little trips which is too inane to mention.
So in that vein I should point out that on Friday (3/8/19) I was wearing a rather nice light blue checked shirt. I picked it up in the madness of a closing down sale years ago. Only to decide it was a bit much for city wear. I've since discovered the brand is basically the countryside equivalent of Armani.
Also on Monday (29/7/19) I burnt my forearm on a shelf in the oven. Ironically while distracted by looking at long sleeved oven gloves. Wondering why anyone would ever need those.
Again it's not in anyway serious. However in preparation for spending a day around farm animals I decided to cover it with an adhesive wound dressing. Basically a big white sticky plaster.
Despite my naturally white skin I don't think anyone who caught sight of it found themselves thinking;
"Wow! That looks natural."
19:45 on 3/8/19 (UK date).
Edited at around 16:25 on 5/8/19 (UK date).
At the show there was a Kids Zone. Essentially a place for parents to drop off their toddlers. This all seemed to loud, colourful and sticky for me to go anywhere near.
However next to the Kids Zone there was one of the several British Army recruitment stalls. Which I thought was rather cynical.
Aside from the battle field weapons on display this stall's main attraction was allowing people to dress up. In ballistic helmets and body armour.
It shows the difference age makes. My first thought was that on a hot day like that the last thing I wanted to be doing was putting on body armour. Although, in light of the Garlic Festival, it was nice to know it was to hand.
So you might get the impression the Skripal poisoning was a piece of performance art.
At which Russia was a mere bystander;
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49232807
I couldn't possibly comment.
At least not until Britain sorts out these Internet hate sites.
Saturday, 3 August 2019
Monday, 1 July 2019
The Enemy Within.
June 29th (29/6/19) and June 30th (30/6/19) saw the 2019 G20 Summit. Held in Osaka, Japan.
This became dubbed; "The G2 Summit." Dominated as it was by the relationship between just two members. The US and China.
The modern history of US, China relations is a broad and complicated subject.
However one of the key events was the creation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. Following the Communist revolution led by Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong.
Central to Chairman Mao's revolution were attempts to subjugate the bourgeois middle-classes to his cult of personality. Through back breaking and punitive agricultural labour. The Great Leap Forward.
The rise of Chairman Mao saw the US break off all diplomatic relations with China. Although technically they maintained relations with China. The US simply redefined; "China" to mean just the island of Taiwan.
This all changed in 1972 when Richard Nixon visited the People's Republic of China. Becoming the first sitting US President to set foot in the Communist country.
Primarily the US' restoration of relations with China was driven by a need to end the Vietnam War. However it involved a much wider policy of engagement. Including the opening up of trade between the two nations.
The thinking being that increased trade would bring wealth to China. In turn creating a new middle-class. As that middle-class grew it would reverse the subjugation of the Great Leap Forward. Forcing China to open up, allowing more political and social freedom to its citizens.
Initially this strategy worked incredibly well.
By the summer of 1989 this new middle-class had established itself to the point it had formed a pro-Democracy movement. Which held protests in over 400 cities across China. Most famously in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
The Chinese Communist Party's violent crushing of the 1989 Democracy Movement ushered in a new social contract between the Chinese people and their rulers.
Rather than being the driver of democracy economic prosperity instead became the compensation for totalitarianism. In short the Chinese Communist Party would pay the Chinese people not to demand things like democracy or justice under the rule of law.
Sadly western nations, such as the US, did not adjust to this shift in Chinese society.
In part this is because they had become too reliant on the short term profits that cheap Chinese imports bring.
Others, such as the US Democrat Party who currently occupy the legislative chamber, could not see the problem. Aspiring as they do to a society where the public are answerable to their leaders. Not one where leaders are answerable to the people.
So trade with China has continued unabated.
This indifference amongst western nations has seen China's progress towards democracy slow. In recent years it has even begun to reverse.
In 2017 the current Chinese President Xi Jinping had his philosophy on Communism added to the Chinese Constitution. A great honour for a Chinese Communist leader. One not bestowed since Chairman Mao.
At the same time President Xi amended the Chinese Constitution to remove Presidential term limits. Term limits that were imposed following the death of Chairman Mao and the period of chaos which ensued as an unprepared nation attempted to choose his successor.
It is not just me who is expressing this concern about China's slide away from democracy. It is also a concern that has been expressed by many senior members of the Chinese Communist Party.
You may have noticed that the G20 has been surrounded by carefully stage-managed pro-Democracy protests. In the Chinese city of Hong Kong.
This post-Tiananmen era of US, China trade has also created a growing strategic threat to the US.
The current trading relationship sees China send the US large amounts of products. In return the US sends China large amounts of US dollars.
This has allowed China to build up massive reserves of the US' currency. Currency China sometimes lends back to the US in the form of US Treasury bonds.
This imbalance has now become so great it has created the very real possibility that the US Federal Reserve no longer controls the US economy. The Chinese Central Bank now controls the US economy. So could bring it crashing down any time it likes.
This growing strategic threat is not a new one. It is something former US President Barack Obama tried and failed to combat. Through his 2012 "Pivot to the Pacific" policy.
As I mentioned prior the the 2016 US Presidential Election Obama's Pivot to the Pacific policy had two strands. A security strand and an economic strand.
The security strand centred around building up the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK/North) into a regional bogeyman. By assisting its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, including through supplying it with missile guidance software.
Building up the threat of the DPRK was intended to force China's neighbours to seek US support to protect themselves from the threat the US had created.
I honestly hope I don't need to explain to anyone how reckless and stupid this strand of Obama's Pivot to the Pacific policy was.
The economic strand centred around the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
This intended to establish US trade links with China's neighbours. Previously closed off nations such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar.
The idea was to undercut Chinese manufacturing in order to slow Chinese economic growth. Undermining the post-Tiananmen social contract.
This strand was fatally flawed for two main reasons.
Firstly it did not engage with China directly. As such it stood no chance of altering China's behaviour.
Secondly it actually served to endorse the more problematic elements of China's behaviour. By establishing links with nations whose behaviour is far worse than China's.
For example Obama declared Myanmar to be a normal country. With normal values. Something I'm looking forward to seeing Obama explain to Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority.
Upon becoming US President Donald Trump immediately scrapped Obama's Pivot to the Pacific.
Rather than attempting to build the DPRK up as a regional security threat President Trump is now engaging with the nation on the complex issue of denuclerisation and reform.
President Trump also withdrew from the Trans Pacific Partnership.
Sadly other nations, led by Japan decided to go ahead with it anyway. Most shamefully they have decided to proceed on China's terms.
President Trump has also imposed numerous tariffs on China. In order to remove the strategic threat to the US by reducing the trade imbalance and to alter China's behaviour more widely.
The most high profile of the US tariffs on China of late have been on the Chinese tech giant Huawei.
The specific problem with Huawei is its, and all other Chinese companies, legal obligation to assist Chinese spy agencies. A massive problem if Huawei is being used as part of the communications networks in western nations. Such as the Fifth Generation (5G) cellphone system.
This dispute is really how I came to be blocked from Twitter.
The lead up to the G20 Summit really began at the start of June 2019. This saw US President Trump undertake a diplomatic tour of America's European allies. Culminating with events to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings. On June 6th 2019 (6/6/19).
US President Trump's tour took him to my native Britain. On June 3rd (3/6/19) through to June 5th (5/6/19).
Opponents of US President Trump saw this as an opportunity to humiliate him. With mass protests led by the UK Labour Party Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
This backfired on Trump's opponents severely. The general outcome was that President Trump's popularity increased massively. While London Mayor Khan and his supporters became seen as a bit of a joke.
Being big supporters of Mayor Khan Twitter's London based moderators responded by throwing a childish tantrum. Blocking my account as a little act of revenge for the humiliation they felt.
Twitter's childish behaviour was entirely predictable.
Almost as predictable as the fact that I would not back down and apologise to them for their failures. Particularly as to do so would involve me admitting to a criminal offence which carries a maximum punishment of 14 years imprisonment.
In throwing their little tantrum Twitter themselves committed numerous criminal offences.
So the solution is quite simple.
The British police and security services simply inform Twitter that they are committing crimes. If Twitter fail to stop committing those crimes then they are arrested and prosecuted. Twitter's UK operations are seized as property used in the commission of a crime.
Prior to doing this though the British security services consulted with their US counterparts.
They were informed that Twitter had a Lawful Authority or Sovereign Immunity to commit those crimes. Such as how a police officer undercover in a drugs gang is allowed to commit the crime of possessing illegal drugs.
Some of the crimes Twitter are committing are not offences for which as Sovereign Immunity can be issued. Anyone attempting to do so is themselves committing an offence. That though story for another day.
By intervening to protect Twitter US spy agencies declared that the tech company was assisting them. Exactly the thing everyone is concerned about when it comes to Huawei.
Despite my efforts to limit it Twitter's actions have undoubtedly done significant damage to the company's reputation.
Twitter is of course a major rival of Facebook.
Many Facebook executives are quite close to US President Trump. For example Facebook's Head of Global Policy Joel Kaplan. Who supported Justice Kavanaugh at his confirmation hearings.
The damage being done to Twitter's reputation therefore gave the impression that US spy agencies were intervening in order to further Facebook's commercial interests against Twitter.
This is another major concern regarding Huawei. For example China's new AC-312 helicopter seems remarkably similar to the European AW-109. Like the one which crashed in New York City, US on June 10th (10/6/19).
In intervening to keep me blocked by Twitter US spy agencies were attempting to cut US President Trump's legs out from under him. Completely undermining the US' negotiating position with China at the G20 Summit.
To his credit US President Trump withstood this attack from within. In quite some style.
China and its US based agents were unable to force the lifting of existing US tariffs.
They were able to delay the introduction of new tariffs. But they did this by agreeing to return to negotiations with the US.
New tariffs were being threatened as a way to force China to return to negotiations. Achieving the goal without having to carry out the threat is the definition of success in situations such as this.
US President Trump did though make one concession. That US tech giants such as Twitter and Facebook are now able to trade with Huawei.
Making it clear to all that the US had come under attack from within. And why it had come under attack.
US President Trump then travelled to the DPRK. Becoming the first sitting US President to set foot in the Communist country.
US President Trump's demands to the G20 regarding the Strait of Hormuz were also highly entertaining.
He demanding an international agreement to protect commercial shipping.
Rather like the international agreement the US was negotiating with France back in 1798.
When a certain Mr George Logan made a name for himself.
16:30 on 1/7/19 (UK date).
This became dubbed; "The G2 Summit." Dominated as it was by the relationship between just two members. The US and China.
The modern history of US, China relations is a broad and complicated subject.
However one of the key events was the creation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. Following the Communist revolution led by Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong.
Central to Chairman Mao's revolution were attempts to subjugate the bourgeois middle-classes to his cult of personality. Through back breaking and punitive agricultural labour. The Great Leap Forward.
The rise of Chairman Mao saw the US break off all diplomatic relations with China. Although technically they maintained relations with China. The US simply redefined; "China" to mean just the island of Taiwan.
This all changed in 1972 when Richard Nixon visited the People's Republic of China. Becoming the first sitting US President to set foot in the Communist country.
Primarily the US' restoration of relations with China was driven by a need to end the Vietnam War. However it involved a much wider policy of engagement. Including the opening up of trade between the two nations.
The thinking being that increased trade would bring wealth to China. In turn creating a new middle-class. As that middle-class grew it would reverse the subjugation of the Great Leap Forward. Forcing China to open up, allowing more political and social freedom to its citizens.
Initially this strategy worked incredibly well.
By the summer of 1989 this new middle-class had established itself to the point it had formed a pro-Democracy movement. Which held protests in over 400 cities across China. Most famously in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
The Chinese Communist Party's violent crushing of the 1989 Democracy Movement ushered in a new social contract between the Chinese people and their rulers.
Rather than being the driver of democracy economic prosperity instead became the compensation for totalitarianism. In short the Chinese Communist Party would pay the Chinese people not to demand things like democracy or justice under the rule of law.
Sadly western nations, such as the US, did not adjust to this shift in Chinese society.
In part this is because they had become too reliant on the short term profits that cheap Chinese imports bring.
Others, such as the US Democrat Party who currently occupy the legislative chamber, could not see the problem. Aspiring as they do to a society where the public are answerable to their leaders. Not one where leaders are answerable to the people.
So trade with China has continued unabated.
This indifference amongst western nations has seen China's progress towards democracy slow. In recent years it has even begun to reverse.
In 2017 the current Chinese President Xi Jinping had his philosophy on Communism added to the Chinese Constitution. A great honour for a Chinese Communist leader. One not bestowed since Chairman Mao.
At the same time President Xi amended the Chinese Constitution to remove Presidential term limits. Term limits that were imposed following the death of Chairman Mao and the period of chaos which ensued as an unprepared nation attempted to choose his successor.
It is not just me who is expressing this concern about China's slide away from democracy. It is also a concern that has been expressed by many senior members of the Chinese Communist Party.
You may have noticed that the G20 has been surrounded by carefully stage-managed pro-Democracy protests. In the Chinese city of Hong Kong.
This post-Tiananmen era of US, China trade has also created a growing strategic threat to the US.
The current trading relationship sees China send the US large amounts of products. In return the US sends China large amounts of US dollars.
This has allowed China to build up massive reserves of the US' currency. Currency China sometimes lends back to the US in the form of US Treasury bonds.
This imbalance has now become so great it has created the very real possibility that the US Federal Reserve no longer controls the US economy. The Chinese Central Bank now controls the US economy. So could bring it crashing down any time it likes.
This growing strategic threat is not a new one. It is something former US President Barack Obama tried and failed to combat. Through his 2012 "Pivot to the Pacific" policy.
As I mentioned prior the the 2016 US Presidential Election Obama's Pivot to the Pacific policy had two strands. A security strand and an economic strand.
The security strand centred around building up the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK/North) into a regional bogeyman. By assisting its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, including through supplying it with missile guidance software.
Building up the threat of the DPRK was intended to force China's neighbours to seek US support to protect themselves from the threat the US had created.
I honestly hope I don't need to explain to anyone how reckless and stupid this strand of Obama's Pivot to the Pacific policy was.
The economic strand centred around the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
This intended to establish US trade links with China's neighbours. Previously closed off nations such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar.
The idea was to undercut Chinese manufacturing in order to slow Chinese economic growth. Undermining the post-Tiananmen social contract.
This strand was fatally flawed for two main reasons.
Firstly it did not engage with China directly. As such it stood no chance of altering China's behaviour.
Secondly it actually served to endorse the more problematic elements of China's behaviour. By establishing links with nations whose behaviour is far worse than China's.
For example Obama declared Myanmar to be a normal country. With normal values. Something I'm looking forward to seeing Obama explain to Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority.
Upon becoming US President Donald Trump immediately scrapped Obama's Pivot to the Pacific.
Rather than attempting to build the DPRK up as a regional security threat President Trump is now engaging with the nation on the complex issue of denuclerisation and reform.
President Trump also withdrew from the Trans Pacific Partnership.
Sadly other nations, led by Japan decided to go ahead with it anyway. Most shamefully they have decided to proceed on China's terms.
President Trump has also imposed numerous tariffs on China. In order to remove the strategic threat to the US by reducing the trade imbalance and to alter China's behaviour more widely.
The most high profile of the US tariffs on China of late have been on the Chinese tech giant Huawei.
The specific problem with Huawei is its, and all other Chinese companies, legal obligation to assist Chinese spy agencies. A massive problem if Huawei is being used as part of the communications networks in western nations. Such as the Fifth Generation (5G) cellphone system.
This dispute is really how I came to be blocked from Twitter.
The lead up to the G20 Summit really began at the start of June 2019. This saw US President Trump undertake a diplomatic tour of America's European allies. Culminating with events to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings. On June 6th 2019 (6/6/19).
US President Trump's tour took him to my native Britain. On June 3rd (3/6/19) through to June 5th (5/6/19).
Opponents of US President Trump saw this as an opportunity to humiliate him. With mass protests led by the UK Labour Party Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
This backfired on Trump's opponents severely. The general outcome was that President Trump's popularity increased massively. While London Mayor Khan and his supporters became seen as a bit of a joke.
Being big supporters of Mayor Khan Twitter's London based moderators responded by throwing a childish tantrum. Blocking my account as a little act of revenge for the humiliation they felt.
Twitter's childish behaviour was entirely predictable.
Almost as predictable as the fact that I would not back down and apologise to them for their failures. Particularly as to do so would involve me admitting to a criminal offence which carries a maximum punishment of 14 years imprisonment.
In throwing their little tantrum Twitter themselves committed numerous criminal offences.
So the solution is quite simple.
The British police and security services simply inform Twitter that they are committing crimes. If Twitter fail to stop committing those crimes then they are arrested and prosecuted. Twitter's UK operations are seized as property used in the commission of a crime.
Prior to doing this though the British security services consulted with their US counterparts.
They were informed that Twitter had a Lawful Authority or Sovereign Immunity to commit those crimes. Such as how a police officer undercover in a drugs gang is allowed to commit the crime of possessing illegal drugs.
Some of the crimes Twitter are committing are not offences for which as Sovereign Immunity can be issued. Anyone attempting to do so is themselves committing an offence. That though story for another day.
By intervening to protect Twitter US spy agencies declared that the tech company was assisting them. Exactly the thing everyone is concerned about when it comes to Huawei.
Despite my efforts to limit it Twitter's actions have undoubtedly done significant damage to the company's reputation.
Twitter is of course a major rival of Facebook.
Many Facebook executives are quite close to US President Trump. For example Facebook's Head of Global Policy Joel Kaplan. Who supported Justice Kavanaugh at his confirmation hearings.
The damage being done to Twitter's reputation therefore gave the impression that US spy agencies were intervening in order to further Facebook's commercial interests against Twitter.
This is another major concern regarding Huawei. For example China's new AC-312 helicopter seems remarkably similar to the European AW-109. Like the one which crashed in New York City, US on June 10th (10/6/19).
In intervening to keep me blocked by Twitter US spy agencies were attempting to cut US President Trump's legs out from under him. Completely undermining the US' negotiating position with China at the G20 Summit.
To his credit US President Trump withstood this attack from within. In quite some style.
China and its US based agents were unable to force the lifting of existing US tariffs.
They were able to delay the introduction of new tariffs. But they did this by agreeing to return to negotiations with the US.
New tariffs were being threatened as a way to force China to return to negotiations. Achieving the goal without having to carry out the threat is the definition of success in situations such as this.
US President Trump did though make one concession. That US tech giants such as Twitter and Facebook are now able to trade with Huawei.
Making it clear to all that the US had come under attack from within. And why it had come under attack.
US President Trump then travelled to the DPRK. Becoming the first sitting US President to set foot in the Communist country.
US President Trump's demands to the G20 regarding the Strait of Hormuz were also highly entertaining.
He demanding an international agreement to protect commercial shipping.
Rather like the international agreement the US was negotiating with France back in 1798.
When a certain Mr George Logan made a name for himself.
16:30 on 1/7/19 (UK date).
Friday, 7 June 2019
Once I Spoke Up For The Jews.
And now I'm banned from Twitter.
US President Donald Trump has been on a diplomatic tour of Europe.
On June 1st (1/6/19) and June 2nd (2/6/19) he visited Switzerland.
On June 3rd (3/6/19) through to June 5th (5/6/19) he visited my native Britain.
On June 5th (5/6/19) through to June 6th (6/6/19) he visited the Republic of Ireland.
On June 6th (6/6/19) President Trump travelled France.
There he gathered with leaders from across Europe. To mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings. These saw allied troops invade Nazi occupied France. At the beginning of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
On Tuesday (4/6/19) I attempted to withdraw cash from an ATM. There I discovered my bank account had been frozen.
After discussing the matter with my bank for most of the day I discovered that my bank account had not technically been frozen. The problem was that the UK network which connects point-of-sale devices - ATM's, Chip & Pin machines etc - to bank accounts. This mistakenly thought my bank account had frozen.
This was a light hearted reference to the much more serious time my bank account was frozen. On September 1st 2004 (1/9/04). An event which coincided infamous Islamist attack on a High School in Beslan, Russia. Which resulted in the murder of at least 334 people.
That black weekend featured heavily at the 2018 Winter Olympics held in the Republic of Korea (RoK/South Korea). An event which followed on from the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Russia.
The issue was particularly pushed to the fore by another Islamist inspired attack on a High School during the 2018 Winter Olympics. This time on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the Parkland area of Florida, US. On February 14th 2018 (14/2/18).
The Beslan High School massacre heavily inspired a 2007 episode of the US TV show; "The Unit." Although it was Episode 20 of Season 2 I just can't remember what that particular episode of The Unit was called.
During the 2018 Winter Olympics Twitter decided to clumsily insert itself into the discussion. Officially their Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms determined my account to be an AI bot account. So suspended my ability to post links while they investigated.
Following the suspension of my bank account Twitter again decided to clumsily insert itself into the discussion. And has made a terrible mess of it.
On Tuesday (4/6/19) Sky News' account Tweeted a link to a story about Noa Pothoven. A teenager from Arnhem in the Netherlands who it claimed had been euthanized due to mental health problems. Most notably Anorexia.
This is highly controversial topic. One which has been particularly addressed through the case of Belgian Para-Olympian Marieke Vervoort. At the 2016 Summer Para-Olympics she basically bummed everyone out by announcing her plan to seek euthanasia.
The accepted wisdom, on which huge swathes of law is based, is that people such as Noa Pothoven are not capable of making decisions about their health and wellbeing. They are certainly not capable of making decisions about choosing to die. In fact many have had their basic right to freedom removed after attempting suicide.
So even in societies where assisted dying is lawful patients must pass extensive psychological screening. In order to make sure that they are not suffering from any mental health problems which would impair their ability to make such a decision.
Prompting me to reply to the @SkyNews Tweet;
"I'd be fascinated how she was able to pass the psychological screening. It's quite a popular game amongst the mentally ill. Trying to get a psychiatrist to agree that you probably should kill yourself."
Officially Twitter's AI algorithms have identified that sentence structure as a call for someone to kill themselves. In violation of their terms of service regarding the promotion of self-harm and suicide. As such have suspended my account.
Since then it's been confirmed that the @SkyNews Tweet was completely Fake News.
Following an investigation Dutch authorities have confirmed that Noa Pothoven was not euthanized. Instead she chose to starve herself to death. With no assistance from anybody else. As Anorexics are prone to do.
In short she caused herself great harm through an extremely stupid decision. Dearie.
On Wednesday (5/6/19) my bank account was magically unfrozen. With no further effort whatsoever on my part.
Twitter however are still stubbornly keeping my account suspended.
This is despite the fact that the violation they are accusing me of did not occur. And in fact could not occur.
The conversation in which Twitter claim the violation occurred was between myself and @SkyNews.
This account is part of Sky Corp. A transnational corporate entity. Twitter are well aware of this fact. @SkyNews is classed by Twitter as a corporate account and is paid significant sums of money by Sky Corp as a result.
So in order to believe that I have urged @SkyNews to commit suicide Twitter have to believe that a transnational corporate entity is capable of suicide. I can offer little to no explanation of their reasoning.
Deep in their terms and conditions Twitter have designated the legal jurisdiction under which any dispute between the company and its users is resolved. They have chosen US jurisdiction.
Meaning that in this dispute Twitter, Sky News and myself enjoy full US Constitutional rights. Including the 1st Amendment right to political free speech/expression and the 5th and 14th Amendment rights to due process.
Therefore Twitter could attempt to cite; "Santa Clara County v Southern Pacific Railroad Company (1886)." This grants corporate entities personhood for the purpose of US Constitutional law. However that personhood is limited only to matters of Constitutional law.
Suicide is covered by US Common Law. It is defined as the intentional taking of one's own life. As with other offences against the person such as Homicide the act is defined by the extinction of life.
Under US Common Law the extinction of life is defined as;
"(1) irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions, or (2) irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem."
So in order to believe that I have committed a violation by urging @SkyNews to commit suicide Twitter must be able to demonstrate its reasonable belief that, as a corporate entity, @SkyNews has a biological circulatory and respiratory system along or a biological brain and a brain stem.
I suppose Twitter could argue that the conversation between myself and @SkyNews occurred in a relatively public place. Therefore could have been overheard by a third party whom, without my knowledge, was urged to commit suicide.
If that is the approach Twitter is going to take it is going to have very serious implications for its business model.
As you may have started to suspect I have advocated at quite a few Mental Health Tribunals in the UK. These are a legal proceeding at which those detained on mental health grounds attempt to challenge the decision. I even went so far as to act in one of those proceedings at the UK High Court.
So trust me when I say it is quite common for the mentally ill to play a game. In which they try to convince their caregivers that not only should they be allowed to commit suicide the caregiver should also commit suicide.
I'll agree that sounds rather sociopathic. Where do you think sociopaths end up?
It takes a special sort of person to make ensure the answer to that question isn't "Somewhere near you."
However it does not require specialised knowledge to be aware of this game. It is something which is well established in popular culture.
It has certainly been that way since the publication of the 1961 Joseph Heller novel; "Catch-22."
I think that part of its longevity is that Catch-22 can be interpreted in different ways. To me it seems to primarily be an allegory for not allowing your life to be constrained by your fears and insecurity.
However it explores this idea through as Second World War Airman's attempts to get out of combat missions. By having himself declared mentally ill.
The Catch-22 of the title is the contradiction that fearing death makes you sane. So the psychiatrist sends you out to die. Not fearing death makes you insane so the psychiatrist orders you removed from harms way.
The central theme of the book is the often farcical battle of wills between psychiatrists and the mentally ill. It ends with the victorious phrase;
"Yossarian Jumps."
That is an extraordinarily dangerous phrase to whisper in the ear of someone in mental health crisis who is contemplating suicide.
So if Twitter's policy is to ban references which may be unknowingly overheard by a third party whom may urged to commit suicide they need to ban all references to the novel Catch-22.
They also need to ban all references to the 1970 movie adaptation of Catch-22. Which shouldn't be too much of a problem.
The 1970 movie Catch-22 is notable only as the first major Hollywood cinema release to feature full frontal female nudity. The rest is just some crap the studio slapped together to justify the nude scene.
Catch-22 is once again very much in the public consciousness.
It has recently been turned into a mini-series on the online streaming service Hulu. The cast is headed by the very famous George Clooney. It is soon to be shown in the UK on the Channel 4 network.
So if Twitter's policy is to ban references which may be unknowingly overheard by a third party whom may urged to commit suicide they need to ban all references to the Hulu mini-series Catch-22.
They're going to have to return all the advertising revenue Hulu and others have paid them to promote the mini-series Catch-22.
12:35 on 7/6/19 (UK date).
Edited at around 19:44 on 7/6/19 (UK date) to tidy the above and copy & paste from another place;
It should not come as a surprise to anyone that Shoreditch is just the worst.
The East London Tech City, based in Shoreditch is clearly not up to the job. Any job.
Twitter, whose UK operations are based at that so-called; "Silicon Roundabout," have decided they want to double down in their mistake of Wednesday (5/6/19).
Despite some pretty clear examples of how the game is played in the big leagues.
Rather than simply unfreezing my account Twitter have decided to dig down even further into their bunker. I gather they're now in so deep they can currently be found sitting on Adolf Hitler's lap.
They've contacted me declaring that my appeal has been reviewed by a human moderator. I think any reasonable person would conclude that an error had made by the AI system. However this particular human moderator has concluded the violation did occur.
So, in short, Twitter has just declared that it actually pays money to employ someone who believes @SkyNews, as a corporate entity, has a biological circulatory and respiratory system. Along with a brain and a brain stem.
Obviously I'm not going to make a joke about that famous nerd TV show; "The Big Bang Theory." Particularly not the Howard Wolowitz character's attempts to build himself a robot girlfriend.
Others though may not be so charitable.
What I have done is lodge a much more formal second appeal. This simply lays out the argument I've laid out here in a more official form. Along with specific detail of how Twitter's actions leave it with significant legal exposure.
Details I'm not exactly in a rush to share with the likes of James Woods or Tommy Robinson. Although I suspect Steve Bannon already has a copy. US President Trump is legally entitled to a copy.
Elsewhere in legal news the British High Court has dismissed the summons issued to Boris Johnson. In the private prosecution brought by Marcus Ball.
That of course would be the same British High Court where I have argued Mental Health Tribunals. Resulting in the presiding Judge permanently leaving the bench.
It really should not comes as a surprise that Mr Ball's application would be dismissed. A child could tell you that the application was flawed on two points;
1. The alleged offence did not occur. Mr Ball argued that Mr Johnson had lied in claiming that Britain sends the European Union (EU) GB£350m each week. This is a well established fact. Mr Ball's dispute was based on the amount the EU then sends back to Britain. In the form of a budget rebate and EU spending within the UK.
Mr Ball's entire position is based on Britain sending GB£350m each week. This requires him to accept that Mr Johnson's statement is indeed factual. As such it is a legal and logical impossibility for Mr Johnson to have lied by stating what Mr Ball accepts is a truth.
2. Whether truthful or not Mr Johnson's statements are protected under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The equivalent of the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution. These are the terms & conditions Twitter must accept if it wishes to operate anywhere in the EU.
Mr Ball's accusation is so weak it's the sort of thing that can be dismissed in a 280 character Tweet. If Twitter are seriously reviewing my account activity they wouldn't have far to go to find just such a Tweet.
The British High Court has certainly been very busy today. It has also set free a one Mrs Sally Challen.
Demonstrating what happens when that special sort of person is banned from taking part in the discussion.
As for Sky Corp specifically I'm sure you're all aware that it is part of News Corp. Founded by a one Rupert Murdoch.
In Rupert Murdoch's native Australia there has been some exciting developments over media companies which undermine national security. Specifically by hindering Special Forces operations.
I would assume Twitter would be keen to hear my opinions on that. Particularly because of the @SkyNews Tweet I reported because I felt it was in volation of not only UK anti-terrorism law but also the 1998 Rome Statute.
Twitter's human moderators however felt it did not violate their terms & conditions.
If I were to build myself up to a final thought it would be;
How to regulate and moderate social media is a new and complex issue. It is an issue of significant public interest. Over which many voices are trying to influence government policy.
It is also an issue that Twitter is spectacularly failing to cope with.
You would think then that they would want to employ someone to advise them.
I assume they have a preference for an employee whose native country would not then immediately declare war on the company.
For theft of property and chattel.
20:00 on 7/6/19 (UK date).
Edited again at around 21:30 on 8/6/19 (UK date) to add;
Honestly I've not bothered to check whether Twitter has bottomed out yet. Sometimes all you can do is lock them in a padded cell and wait.
While finally watching; "Girl On A Train" I did vaguely wonder if they had a take on this Khanistan homophobic night bus attack. The tacky performance piece by the South American Melania (Geymonat) and her American spouse.
I'm particularly interested now the police have declined to pursue charges. And won't be changing their position anytime soon.
The rumour I've heard is that the two baby dykes with bloody noses met while working as Twitter moderators.
But then I have heard the same rumour about Johanna Konta.
... ._. ...
21:40 on 8/6/19 (UK date).
US President Donald Trump has been on a diplomatic tour of Europe.
On June 1st (1/6/19) and June 2nd (2/6/19) he visited Switzerland.
On June 3rd (3/6/19) through to June 5th (5/6/19) he visited my native Britain.
On June 5th (5/6/19) through to June 6th (6/6/19) he visited the Republic of Ireland.
On June 6th (6/6/19) President Trump travelled France.
There he gathered with leaders from across Europe. To mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings. These saw allied troops invade Nazi occupied France. At the beginning of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
On Tuesday (4/6/19) I attempted to withdraw cash from an ATM. There I discovered my bank account had been frozen.
After discussing the matter with my bank for most of the day I discovered that my bank account had not technically been frozen. The problem was that the UK network which connects point-of-sale devices - ATM's, Chip & Pin machines etc - to bank accounts. This mistakenly thought my bank account had frozen.
This was a light hearted reference to the much more serious time my bank account was frozen. On September 1st 2004 (1/9/04). An event which coincided infamous Islamist attack on a High School in Beslan, Russia. Which resulted in the murder of at least 334 people.
That black weekend featured heavily at the 2018 Winter Olympics held in the Republic of Korea (RoK/South Korea). An event which followed on from the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Russia.
The issue was particularly pushed to the fore by another Islamist inspired attack on a High School during the 2018 Winter Olympics. This time on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the Parkland area of Florida, US. On February 14th 2018 (14/2/18).
The Beslan High School massacre heavily inspired a 2007 episode of the US TV show; "The Unit." Although it was Episode 20 of Season 2 I just can't remember what that particular episode of The Unit was called.
During the 2018 Winter Olympics Twitter decided to clumsily insert itself into the discussion. Officially their Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms determined my account to be an AI bot account. So suspended my ability to post links while they investigated.
Following the suspension of my bank account Twitter again decided to clumsily insert itself into the discussion. And has made a terrible mess of it.
On Tuesday (4/6/19) Sky News' account Tweeted a link to a story about Noa Pothoven. A teenager from Arnhem in the Netherlands who it claimed had been euthanized due to mental health problems. Most notably Anorexia.
This is highly controversial topic. One which has been particularly addressed through the case of Belgian Para-Olympian Marieke Vervoort. At the 2016 Summer Para-Olympics she basically bummed everyone out by announcing her plan to seek euthanasia.
The accepted wisdom, on which huge swathes of law is based, is that people such as Noa Pothoven are not capable of making decisions about their health and wellbeing. They are certainly not capable of making decisions about choosing to die. In fact many have had their basic right to freedom removed after attempting suicide.
So even in societies where assisted dying is lawful patients must pass extensive psychological screening. In order to make sure that they are not suffering from any mental health problems which would impair their ability to make such a decision.
Prompting me to reply to the @SkyNews Tweet;
"I'd be fascinated how she was able to pass the psychological screening. It's quite a popular game amongst the mentally ill. Trying to get a psychiatrist to agree that you probably should kill yourself."
Officially Twitter's AI algorithms have identified that sentence structure as a call for someone to kill themselves. In violation of their terms of service regarding the promotion of self-harm and suicide. As such have suspended my account.
Since then it's been confirmed that the @SkyNews Tweet was completely Fake News.
Following an investigation Dutch authorities have confirmed that Noa Pothoven was not euthanized. Instead she chose to starve herself to death. With no assistance from anybody else. As Anorexics are prone to do.
In short she caused herself great harm through an extremely stupid decision. Dearie.
On Wednesday (5/6/19) my bank account was magically unfrozen. With no further effort whatsoever on my part.
Twitter however are still stubbornly keeping my account suspended.
This is despite the fact that the violation they are accusing me of did not occur. And in fact could not occur.
The conversation in which Twitter claim the violation occurred was between myself and @SkyNews.
This account is part of Sky Corp. A transnational corporate entity. Twitter are well aware of this fact. @SkyNews is classed by Twitter as a corporate account and is paid significant sums of money by Sky Corp as a result.
So in order to believe that I have urged @SkyNews to commit suicide Twitter have to believe that a transnational corporate entity is capable of suicide. I can offer little to no explanation of their reasoning.
Deep in their terms and conditions Twitter have designated the legal jurisdiction under which any dispute between the company and its users is resolved. They have chosen US jurisdiction.
Meaning that in this dispute Twitter, Sky News and myself enjoy full US Constitutional rights. Including the 1st Amendment right to political free speech/expression and the 5th and 14th Amendment rights to due process.
Therefore Twitter could attempt to cite; "Santa Clara County v Southern Pacific Railroad Company (1886)." This grants corporate entities personhood for the purpose of US Constitutional law. However that personhood is limited only to matters of Constitutional law.
Suicide is covered by US Common Law. It is defined as the intentional taking of one's own life. As with other offences against the person such as Homicide the act is defined by the extinction of life.
Under US Common Law the extinction of life is defined as;
"(1) irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions, or (2) irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem."
So in order to believe that I have committed a violation by urging @SkyNews to commit suicide Twitter must be able to demonstrate its reasonable belief that, as a corporate entity, @SkyNews has a biological circulatory and respiratory system along or a biological brain and a brain stem.
I suppose Twitter could argue that the conversation between myself and @SkyNews occurred in a relatively public place. Therefore could have been overheard by a third party whom, without my knowledge, was urged to commit suicide.
If that is the approach Twitter is going to take it is going to have very serious implications for its business model.
As you may have started to suspect I have advocated at quite a few Mental Health Tribunals in the UK. These are a legal proceeding at which those detained on mental health grounds attempt to challenge the decision. I even went so far as to act in one of those proceedings at the UK High Court.
So trust me when I say it is quite common for the mentally ill to play a game. In which they try to convince their caregivers that not only should they be allowed to commit suicide the caregiver should also commit suicide.
I'll agree that sounds rather sociopathic. Where do you think sociopaths end up?
It takes a special sort of person to make ensure the answer to that question isn't "Somewhere near you."
However it does not require specialised knowledge to be aware of this game. It is something which is well established in popular culture.
It has certainly been that way since the publication of the 1961 Joseph Heller novel; "Catch-22."
I think that part of its longevity is that Catch-22 can be interpreted in different ways. To me it seems to primarily be an allegory for not allowing your life to be constrained by your fears and insecurity.
However it explores this idea through as Second World War Airman's attempts to get out of combat missions. By having himself declared mentally ill.
The Catch-22 of the title is the contradiction that fearing death makes you sane. So the psychiatrist sends you out to die. Not fearing death makes you insane so the psychiatrist orders you removed from harms way.
The central theme of the book is the often farcical battle of wills between psychiatrists and the mentally ill. It ends with the victorious phrase;
"Yossarian Jumps."
That is an extraordinarily dangerous phrase to whisper in the ear of someone in mental health crisis who is contemplating suicide.
So if Twitter's policy is to ban references which may be unknowingly overheard by a third party whom may urged to commit suicide they need to ban all references to the novel Catch-22.
They also need to ban all references to the 1970 movie adaptation of Catch-22. Which shouldn't be too much of a problem.
The 1970 movie Catch-22 is notable only as the first major Hollywood cinema release to feature full frontal female nudity. The rest is just some crap the studio slapped together to justify the nude scene.
Catch-22 is once again very much in the public consciousness.
It has recently been turned into a mini-series on the online streaming service Hulu. The cast is headed by the very famous George Clooney. It is soon to be shown in the UK on the Channel 4 network.
So if Twitter's policy is to ban references which may be unknowingly overheard by a third party whom may urged to commit suicide they need to ban all references to the Hulu mini-series Catch-22.
They're going to have to return all the advertising revenue Hulu and others have paid them to promote the mini-series Catch-22.
12:35 on 7/6/19 (UK date).
Edited at around 19:44 on 7/6/19 (UK date) to tidy the above and copy & paste from another place;
It should not come as a surprise to anyone that Shoreditch is just the worst.
The East London Tech City, based in Shoreditch is clearly not up to the job. Any job.
Twitter, whose UK operations are based at that so-called; "Silicon Roundabout," have decided they want to double down in their mistake of Wednesday (5/6/19).
Despite some pretty clear examples of how the game is played in the big leagues.
Rather than simply unfreezing my account Twitter have decided to dig down even further into their bunker. I gather they're now in so deep they can currently be found sitting on Adolf Hitler's lap.
They've contacted me declaring that my appeal has been reviewed by a human moderator. I think any reasonable person would conclude that an error had made by the AI system. However this particular human moderator has concluded the violation did occur.
So, in short, Twitter has just declared that it actually pays money to employ someone who believes @SkyNews, as a corporate entity, has a biological circulatory and respiratory system. Along with a brain and a brain stem.
Obviously I'm not going to make a joke about that famous nerd TV show; "The Big Bang Theory." Particularly not the Howard Wolowitz character's attempts to build himself a robot girlfriend.
Others though may not be so charitable.
What I have done is lodge a much more formal second appeal. This simply lays out the argument I've laid out here in a more official form. Along with specific detail of how Twitter's actions leave it with significant legal exposure.
Details I'm not exactly in a rush to share with the likes of James Woods or Tommy Robinson. Although I suspect Steve Bannon already has a copy. US President Trump is legally entitled to a copy.
Elsewhere in legal news the British High Court has dismissed the summons issued to Boris Johnson. In the private prosecution brought by Marcus Ball.
That of course would be the same British High Court where I have argued Mental Health Tribunals. Resulting in the presiding Judge permanently leaving the bench.
It really should not comes as a surprise that Mr Ball's application would be dismissed. A child could tell you that the application was flawed on two points;
1. The alleged offence did not occur. Mr Ball argued that Mr Johnson had lied in claiming that Britain sends the European Union (EU) GB£350m each week. This is a well established fact. Mr Ball's dispute was based on the amount the EU then sends back to Britain. In the form of a budget rebate and EU spending within the UK.
Mr Ball's entire position is based on Britain sending GB£350m each week. This requires him to accept that Mr Johnson's statement is indeed factual. As such it is a legal and logical impossibility for Mr Johnson to have lied by stating what Mr Ball accepts is a truth.
2. Whether truthful or not Mr Johnson's statements are protected under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The equivalent of the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution. These are the terms & conditions Twitter must accept if it wishes to operate anywhere in the EU.
Mr Ball's accusation is so weak it's the sort of thing that can be dismissed in a 280 character Tweet. If Twitter are seriously reviewing my account activity they wouldn't have far to go to find just such a Tweet.
The British High Court has certainly been very busy today. It has also set free a one Mrs Sally Challen.
Demonstrating what happens when that special sort of person is banned from taking part in the discussion.
As for Sky Corp specifically I'm sure you're all aware that it is part of News Corp. Founded by a one Rupert Murdoch.
In Rupert Murdoch's native Australia there has been some exciting developments over media companies which undermine national security. Specifically by hindering Special Forces operations.
I would assume Twitter would be keen to hear my opinions on that. Particularly because of the @SkyNews Tweet I reported because I felt it was in volation of not only UK anti-terrorism law but also the 1998 Rome Statute.
Twitter's human moderators however felt it did not violate their terms & conditions.
If I were to build myself up to a final thought it would be;
How to regulate and moderate social media is a new and complex issue. It is an issue of significant public interest. Over which many voices are trying to influence government policy.
It is also an issue that Twitter is spectacularly failing to cope with.
You would think then that they would want to employ someone to advise them.
I assume they have a preference for an employee whose native country would not then immediately declare war on the company.
For theft of property and chattel.
20:00 on 7/6/19 (UK date).
Edited again at around 21:30 on 8/6/19 (UK date) to add;
Honestly I've not bothered to check whether Twitter has bottomed out yet. Sometimes all you can do is lock them in a padded cell and wait.
While finally watching; "Girl On A Train" I did vaguely wonder if they had a take on this Khanistan homophobic night bus attack. The tacky performance piece by the South American Melania (Geymonat) and her American spouse.
I'm particularly interested now the police have declined to pursue charges. And won't be changing their position anytime soon.
The rumour I've heard is that the two baby dykes with bloody noses met while working as Twitter moderators.
But then I have heard the same rumour about Johanna Konta.
... ._. ...
21:40 on 8/6/19 (UK date).
Thursday, 6 June 2019
Never Would An Umbrella Be More Poignant
https://news.avclub.com/a-very-british-mike-myers-talks-bohemian-rhapsody-and-g-1830147435
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away a group called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fought the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Despite my long absence they're still doing it.
Within the SDF there is a small battalion of foreign volunteers. The International Brigade. All the times I sing the praises of the SDF's International Brigade it raises the question of why I'm not there with them.
I've long delayed fully answering that question because it would simply take too long. Not least because it would involve me going through the very long list of things that are medically wrong with me.
My main medical issue at the moment is a form of arthritis commonly known as; "Gout."
I think one of the most famous Gout sufferers was British King Henry VIII. Particularly in Britain this has led to the condition being associated with obesity, an overly rich diet and over consumption of alcohol.
Medical science has improved slightly since the 16th Century. It's now known that Gout is an auto-immune disease caused by a genetic predisposition.
The short explanation is that one part of the human body decides to pour highly corrosive acid onto another part of the body. As with when a corrosive acid comes into contact with the skin this cause redness, inflammation and considerable pain.
When I say; "considerable pain" bear in mind one of my most famous distinguishing features. Full thickness scar tissue on the palms of my hands. The result of third degree thermic burns. This is comparable.
The particular body part my immune system is currently conspiring against is my left hallux phallange. Big toe basically.
If you're in the market for a long saga I would recommend the HBO/Sky mini-series "Chernobyl" instead.
That features explaining how a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant came to explode.
The radioactive substances Uranium becomes inflamed. This is cooled with water. In turn that creates a chemical reaction which causes the Uranium to become more inflamed. This is further controlled with Graphite. Which creates a chemical reaction that creates Xenon. Which chokes the Uranium. You constantly have to keep the chemical cycle in balance.
The chemical cycle of Gout is pretty similar. I'm constantly on the verge of wanting to stab my own foot with a Graphite tipped Boron rod.
Being the result of a chemical reaction Gout is painful at all times. However it becomes particularly painful when pressure is applied to the affected area. Such as sitting, standing or walking.
So I apologise for the delay in covering the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. Then getting back to covering the conflict in Syria.
The bitter irony is that sitting still at a computer typing actually increases the chemical reaction making the pain much worse. Pain which isn't some much distracting as constantly putting you on the verge of wanting to vomit.
Today I went to see my General Practitioner (GP) Doctor.
I was very sorely tempted to bring an umbrella to act as a sort of walking stick. Particularly as it would have had even less effect on my pain than the collection of walking sticks I already have in my possession.
The main reason for my visit to the GP was to obtain a repeat prescription for a certain psychoactive drug. Under Britain's National Health Service (NHS) rules this particular drug cannot be obtained through an automatic repeat. Frustratingly I actually wrote that rule.
The fact that I require that drug is one reason why I am medically unfit for work. Gout is another reason why I am medically unfit for work. And therefore legally entitled to financial support from the government. Currently dispersed through the Employment Support Allowance (ESA).
However the most recent round of letters I received from the government begging me to sign up for ESA arrived on March 29th 2019 (29/3/19). The highly politically sensitive Brexit day.
I received a similar begging letter (unopened) on May 11th (11/5/19). The day before the Opening Gala of the always highly politically sensitive 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.
I received a further begging letter (unopened) on May 17th (17/5/19). The day before the Grand-Finale of the always highly politically sensitive 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.
So I think it is obvious to all that I could amputate my own foot with a chainsaw. During the ESA assessment interview.
The British government would still determine that I am nothing more than their property or chattel. A recruitment policy which has been unlawfully in the UK since 1807. As reaffirmed by the 2015 Modern Slavery Act.
You may have noticed that the issue of US access to the NHS post-Brexit came up during US President Trump's recent visit to the UK.
No small part of this is due to some smart alex deciding to send me a SMS. Urging me to book a GP appointment using the NHS Smartphone App.
Simple pattern of life surveillance would have made it obvious to even the least competent that the earliest I consider making and appointment is today.
I think it is a good job that I did not respond to Britain's request.
My particular case study shows that under the NHS Britain's drug market is needlessly expensive and dangerously over-regulated.
You can't really treat Gout. However the best way to manage it is with high dose, 1600mg per day, Non-Steriod Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID's). The most common being Ibuprofen.
Ibuprofen is a non-regulated drug. So you can obtain 3200mg's of it on NHS prescription at a cost to you of roughly £9. This is your contribution to the total cost to the NHS which is around £32.
Or you can buy from any high street shop for around £00.40.
If Ibuprofen doesn't work, which in this case it isn't, you have to move on to a Cortical Steriod. Commonly Cortisone.
In the UK Cortisone is a regulated drug. Meaning you can only obtain it via an NHS prescription. At a cost to you of around £9.
However the NHS is forbidden from prescribing Cortisone until you have used Ibuprofen for two weeks. In order to show that is has not worked.
Particularly over a sustained period of time high does Ibuprofen causes a number of significant adverse effects to the human body. On the Kidneys and the Cardiovascular system.
I am already suffering from those adverse effects to the Cardiovascular system. High blood pressure, erratic heartbeat and shortness of breath. The NHS though demands that I keep taking the drug which is causing those adverse effects for at least another two weeks.
In short the NHS is demanding that I make myself so ill I have to be admitted to hospital as an emergency case. Rather than simply letting me buy Cortisone over the counter and solving the underlying problem.
I had a similar problem back in 2013 when I broke my finger. In a fist fight with one of London's Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan's thugs.
This was only a tiny break in a small bone. So all it required was a splinting material. Foam aluminium basically. However under the NHS that is regulated medical device.
So instead I had to go to hospital, have an X-Ray and be referred to a fracture clinic. Where a Senior Consultant had to tell me what I already knew. That I needed to put splinting material on it and wait for it to heal itself.
I appreciate there is a much wider issue. However on basis of those case studies it sounds like the NHS is in serious and urgent need of US-style deregulation.
That the level of incompetence you need to display in order for the British taxpayer to give you upwards of a six figure salary.
16:30 on 6/6/19 (UK date).
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away a group called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fought the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Despite my long absence they're still doing it.
Within the SDF there is a small battalion of foreign volunteers. The International Brigade. All the times I sing the praises of the SDF's International Brigade it raises the question of why I'm not there with them.
I've long delayed fully answering that question because it would simply take too long. Not least because it would involve me going through the very long list of things that are medically wrong with me.
My main medical issue at the moment is a form of arthritis commonly known as; "Gout."
I think one of the most famous Gout sufferers was British King Henry VIII. Particularly in Britain this has led to the condition being associated with obesity, an overly rich diet and over consumption of alcohol.
Medical science has improved slightly since the 16th Century. It's now known that Gout is an auto-immune disease caused by a genetic predisposition.
The short explanation is that one part of the human body decides to pour highly corrosive acid onto another part of the body. As with when a corrosive acid comes into contact with the skin this cause redness, inflammation and considerable pain.
When I say; "considerable pain" bear in mind one of my most famous distinguishing features. Full thickness scar tissue on the palms of my hands. The result of third degree thermic burns. This is comparable.
The particular body part my immune system is currently conspiring against is my left hallux phallange. Big toe basically.
If you're in the market for a long saga I would recommend the HBO/Sky mini-series "Chernobyl" instead.
That features explaining how a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant came to explode.
The radioactive substances Uranium becomes inflamed. This is cooled with water. In turn that creates a chemical reaction which causes the Uranium to become more inflamed. This is further controlled with Graphite. Which creates a chemical reaction that creates Xenon. Which chokes the Uranium. You constantly have to keep the chemical cycle in balance.
The chemical cycle of Gout is pretty similar. I'm constantly on the verge of wanting to stab my own foot with a Graphite tipped Boron rod.
Being the result of a chemical reaction Gout is painful at all times. However it becomes particularly painful when pressure is applied to the affected area. Such as sitting, standing or walking.
So I apologise for the delay in covering the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. Then getting back to covering the conflict in Syria.
The bitter irony is that sitting still at a computer typing actually increases the chemical reaction making the pain much worse. Pain which isn't some much distracting as constantly putting you on the verge of wanting to vomit.
Today I went to see my General Practitioner (GP) Doctor.
I was very sorely tempted to bring an umbrella to act as a sort of walking stick. Particularly as it would have had even less effect on my pain than the collection of walking sticks I already have in my possession.
The main reason for my visit to the GP was to obtain a repeat prescription for a certain psychoactive drug. Under Britain's National Health Service (NHS) rules this particular drug cannot be obtained through an automatic repeat. Frustratingly I actually wrote that rule.
The fact that I require that drug is one reason why I am medically unfit for work. Gout is another reason why I am medically unfit for work. And therefore legally entitled to financial support from the government. Currently dispersed through the Employment Support Allowance (ESA).
However the most recent round of letters I received from the government begging me to sign up for ESA arrived on March 29th 2019 (29/3/19). The highly politically sensitive Brexit day.
I received a similar begging letter (unopened) on May 11th (11/5/19). The day before the Opening Gala of the always highly politically sensitive 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.
I received a further begging letter (unopened) on May 17th (17/5/19). The day before the Grand-Finale of the always highly politically sensitive 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.
So I think it is obvious to all that I could amputate my own foot with a chainsaw. During the ESA assessment interview.
The British government would still determine that I am nothing more than their property or chattel. A recruitment policy which has been unlawfully in the UK since 1807. As reaffirmed by the 2015 Modern Slavery Act.
You may have noticed that the issue of US access to the NHS post-Brexit came up during US President Trump's recent visit to the UK.
No small part of this is due to some smart alex deciding to send me a SMS. Urging me to book a GP appointment using the NHS Smartphone App.
Simple pattern of life surveillance would have made it obvious to even the least competent that the earliest I consider making and appointment is today.
I think it is a good job that I did not respond to Britain's request.
My particular case study shows that under the NHS Britain's drug market is needlessly expensive and dangerously over-regulated.
You can't really treat Gout. However the best way to manage it is with high dose, 1600mg per day, Non-Steriod Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID's). The most common being Ibuprofen.
Ibuprofen is a non-regulated drug. So you can obtain 3200mg's of it on NHS prescription at a cost to you of roughly £9. This is your contribution to the total cost to the NHS which is around £32.
Or you can buy from any high street shop for around £00.40.
If Ibuprofen doesn't work, which in this case it isn't, you have to move on to a Cortical Steriod. Commonly Cortisone.
In the UK Cortisone is a regulated drug. Meaning you can only obtain it via an NHS prescription. At a cost to you of around £9.
However the NHS is forbidden from prescribing Cortisone until you have used Ibuprofen for two weeks. In order to show that is has not worked.
Particularly over a sustained period of time high does Ibuprofen causes a number of significant adverse effects to the human body. On the Kidneys and the Cardiovascular system.
I am already suffering from those adverse effects to the Cardiovascular system. High blood pressure, erratic heartbeat and shortness of breath. The NHS though demands that I keep taking the drug which is causing those adverse effects for at least another two weeks.
In short the NHS is demanding that I make myself so ill I have to be admitted to hospital as an emergency case. Rather than simply letting me buy Cortisone over the counter and solving the underlying problem.
I had a similar problem back in 2013 when I broke my finger. In a fist fight with one of London's Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan's thugs.
This was only a tiny break in a small bone. So all it required was a splinting material. Foam aluminium basically. However under the NHS that is regulated medical device.
So instead I had to go to hospital, have an X-Ray and be referred to a fracture clinic. Where a Senior Consultant had to tell me what I already knew. That I needed to put splinting material on it and wait for it to heal itself.
I appreciate there is a much wider issue. However on basis of those case studies it sounds like the NHS is in serious and urgent need of US-style deregulation.
That the level of incompetence you need to display in order for the British taxpayer to give you upwards of a six figure salary.
16:30 on 6/6/19 (UK date).
Wednesday, 5 June 2019
So Twitter (US) Has Just Ceased Operations.
US President Donald Trump is currently on a diplomatic tour of Europe.
On June 1st (1/6/19) and June 2nd (2/6/19) he visited Switzerland.
On June 3rd (3/6/19) through to June 5th (5/6/19) he visited my native Britain.
On June 5th (5/6/19) through to June 6th (6/6/19) he will be visiting the Republic of Ireland.
On June 6th (6/6/19) President Trump will travel France.
There he will gather with leaders from across Europe. To mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Landings. These saw allied troops invade Nazi occupied France. At the beginning of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
The net result of all this is that Twitter has temporarily suspended my account. Much like they did during the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Yesterday (4/6/19) Sky News' account Tweeted a link to a story about Noa Pothoven. A teenager from Arnhem in the Netherlands who has been euthanized due to mental health problems. Most notably Anorexia.
This is highly controversial. Even in societies which allow assisted dying it is a right denied to people with severe mental health problems.
The accepted wisdom on which large swathes of law is based is that due to the nature of their illness these people a not considered able to make decisions about their safety and well-being. They are commonly denied the basic right of freedom after attempting to kill themselves.
I can't be bothered to get into the specifics of what is a complex issue here.
However the timing of the Noa Pothoven story is an attempt by the Netherlands to troll Britain. Specifically over Britain's longstanding attempts to force me to teach them how to do mental healthcare better.
Britain's plan involves not paying me at all. Instead paying other people upwards of five figure salaries to take credit for my work.
Britain particularly wants me to overhaul mental health services in Croydon. Which has been twinned with the Dutch city of Arnhem. Since shortly after the D-Day Landings.
Mental health care in Croydon comes under South London and Maudsley Hospital. Home to a supposedly European centre of excellence on eating disorders. Such as Anorexia.
I replied to the Sky News Tweet by pointing out that;
"It's quite a popular game amongst the mentally ill. Trying to get a psychiatrist to agree that you probably should kill yourself."
Officially Twitter's Artificial Intelligence algorithms have identified that sentence structure as a call for someone to kill themselves. In violation of their terms of service regarding the promotion of self-harm and suicide.
This is something the UK government have been putting Facebook under pressure over. Using the Molly Russell case.
To anyone familiar with mental health issues it's pretty clear that rather than caring Britain is exploiting the father, Ian Russell.
To use him as an example of the Remoaners who wish to not only block Brexit but silence anyone who supports the notion of Brexit. That in a democracy elected officials have to abide by the results of elections.
Ian Russell is clearly engaging in displacement activity. Rather than indulging that by giving him a public profile Britain should be forcing him to face up to the fact that he has failed in the most basic duty as a parent. He'll be much happier once he stops trying to blame everyone else and makes peace with that fact.
I've lodged an appeal against Twitter AI's clearly erroneous decision to block my account;
"Congratulations you have successfully inserted yourself into the dispute between Facebook & the UK government over the Ian Russell. The archetypal Remoaner dad.
In order to start the process of reinstating my Twitter account I have to acknowledge that my Tweet was in violation of their rules. It's clearly not. Their AI systems are just not up to the job of moderating this type of content.
On June 1st (1/6/19) and June 2nd (2/6/19) he visited Switzerland.
On June 3rd (3/6/19) through to June 5th (5/6/19) he visited my native Britain.
On June 5th (5/6/19) through to June 6th (6/6/19) he will be visiting the Republic of Ireland.
On June 6th (6/6/19) President Trump will travel France.
There he will gather with leaders from across Europe. To mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Landings. These saw allied troops invade Nazi occupied France. At the beginning of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
The net result of all this is that Twitter has temporarily suspended my account. Much like they did during the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Yesterday (4/6/19) Sky News' account Tweeted a link to a story about Noa Pothoven. A teenager from Arnhem in the Netherlands who has been euthanized due to mental health problems. Most notably Anorexia.
This is highly controversial. Even in societies which allow assisted dying it is a right denied to people with severe mental health problems.
The accepted wisdom on which large swathes of law is based is that due to the nature of their illness these people a not considered able to make decisions about their safety and well-being. They are commonly denied the basic right of freedom after attempting to kill themselves.
I can't be bothered to get into the specifics of what is a complex issue here.
However the timing of the Noa Pothoven story is an attempt by the Netherlands to troll Britain. Specifically over Britain's longstanding attempts to force me to teach them how to do mental healthcare better.
Britain's plan involves not paying me at all. Instead paying other people upwards of five figure salaries to take credit for my work.
Britain particularly wants me to overhaul mental health services in Croydon. Which has been twinned with the Dutch city of Arnhem. Since shortly after the D-Day Landings.
Mental health care in Croydon comes under South London and Maudsley Hospital. Home to a supposedly European centre of excellence on eating disorders. Such as Anorexia.
I replied to the Sky News Tweet by pointing out that;
"It's quite a popular game amongst the mentally ill. Trying to get a psychiatrist to agree that you probably should kill yourself."
Officially Twitter's Artificial Intelligence algorithms have identified that sentence structure as a call for someone to kill themselves. In violation of their terms of service regarding the promotion of self-harm and suicide.
This is something the UK government have been putting Facebook under pressure over. Using the Molly Russell case.
To anyone familiar with mental health issues it's pretty clear that rather than caring Britain is exploiting the father, Ian Russell.
To use him as an example of the Remoaners who wish to not only block Brexit but silence anyone who supports the notion of Brexit. That in a democracy elected officials have to abide by the results of elections.
Ian Russell is clearly engaging in displacement activity. Rather than indulging that by giving him a public profile Britain should be forcing him to face up to the fact that he has failed in the most basic duty as a parent. He'll be much happier once he stops trying to blame everyone else and makes peace with that fact.
I've lodged an appeal against Twitter AI's clearly erroneous decision to block my account;
"Congratulations you have successfully inserted yourself into the dispute between Facebook & the UK government over the Ian Russell. The archetypal Remoaner dad.
The point you've raised is that you need to employ expensive
human moderators to police issue of self-harm. Rather than cheap AI algorithms.
You have incorrectly suspended my account for promoting
self-harm.
Specifically for a @SkyNews story about Dutch teenager, Noa
Pothoven, being euthanized due to her battle with psychological problems.
This is something which is strictly against UK law. Due to
the accepted belief that people with such mental health problems are not
capable of making decisions over their health and wellbeing. Particularly the
decision to end their lives.
From my experience working in mental health I know that it
is a popular game for hospitalised mental health patients to try and get their
caregivers to agree they should be allowed to kill themselves.
If you are concerned with the promotion of self-harm I think
your dispute is with @SkyNews for its Tweet promoting the idea that those with
mental health problems should be allowed to harm and/or kill themselves.
Or perhaps with the entire nation of the Netherlands for
promoting the eugenicist notion of exterminating the mentally feeble.
I doubt you would want to be sanctioning accounts for
arguing against it.
Particularly on the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings."
Twitter's widespread suspending of accounts which support President Trump is a big issue in the US.
Although I doubt it was their intent this incident has shown me that Twitter's entire terms & conditions are incompatible with US law.
In order to start the process of reinstating my Twitter account I have to acknowledge that my Tweet was in violation of their rules. It's clearly not. Their AI systems are just not up to the job of moderating this type of content.
It is a discussion about a news story. Which relates to an element of government policy. As such my Tweet is protected under the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution. Therefore any disciplinary action Twitter takes regarding it must include due process. Under the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.
That means that no sanction can be imposed until I have been given the right to respond. They certainly cannot begin the process of deciding who has made the mistake by forcing me to accept guilt.
If I had the resources of someone like prominent Trump supporter James Woods not only wouldn't I be acknowledging that my Tweet was in violation of Twitter's terms of use I'd be mounting a legal challenge on the grounds Twitter's terms of use are themselves a violation of US Constitutional law.
Meaning the US based company has to change them. Or have its right to operate as a US company suspended. Possibly forever.
The same thing applies for Twitter's operations in the European Union (EU). Under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
17:50 on 5/6/19 (UK date).
Edited at around 12:05 on 6/6/19 (UK date) to add;
Twitter have still not got back to me explaining how they came to suspend my account by error.
In their defence they have set themselves quite the challenge there.
Sky News is a transnational corporate entity. So Twitter's legal team are going to have a tough time explaining how they came to think a corporate entity could commit suicide. Let alone be urged to do so.
Deep in their terms and conditions Twitter have designated the legal jurisdiction under which any dispute between the company and its users is resolved. They have chosen US jurisdiction.
Meaning that in this dispute Twitter, Sky News and myself enjoy full US Constitutional rights. Including the 1st Amendment right to political free speech/expression and the 14th Amendment right to due process.
Therefore Twitter could attempt to cite; "Santa Clara County v Southern Pacific Railroad Company (1886)." This grants corporate entities personhood for the purpose of US Constitutional law. However that personhood is limited only to matters of Constitutional law.
Suicide is covered by US Common Law. It is defined as the intentional taking of one's own life. As with other offences against the person such as Homicide the act is defined by the extinction of life. Although corporate entities have personhood they have never been considered to have life.
So, for example, if a consumer boycott or class action lawsuit, puts a corporate entity out of business the boycotters or litigants can't be prosecuted for assaulting or murdering the corporation.
As a person for the purposes of US Constitutional law Twitter is also protected from having an undue regulatory burden placed upon it.
This is something even liberal sweetheart of the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) Ruth Bader-Ginsburg recently had to explain to Planned Parenthood. After that organisation's enthusiasm for the Nazi ideology of Eugenics disgusted even her.
As such Twitter is lawfully entitled to tell all these low-rent politicians with their Christchurch call nonsenses to f*ck right off.
I can only strongly suggest they hurry up and do. Rather than wasting anymore of my time.
12:30 on 6/6/19 (UK date).
Edited at around 12:05 on 6/6/19 (UK date) to add;
Twitter have still not got back to me explaining how they came to suspend my account by error.
In their defence they have set themselves quite the challenge there.
Sky News is a transnational corporate entity. So Twitter's legal team are going to have a tough time explaining how they came to think a corporate entity could commit suicide. Let alone be urged to do so.
Deep in their terms and conditions Twitter have designated the legal jurisdiction under which any dispute between the company and its users is resolved. They have chosen US jurisdiction.
Meaning that in this dispute Twitter, Sky News and myself enjoy full US Constitutional rights. Including the 1st Amendment right to political free speech/expression and the 14th Amendment right to due process.
Therefore Twitter could attempt to cite; "Santa Clara County v Southern Pacific Railroad Company (1886)." This grants corporate entities personhood for the purpose of US Constitutional law. However that personhood is limited only to matters of Constitutional law.
Suicide is covered by US Common Law. It is defined as the intentional taking of one's own life. As with other offences against the person such as Homicide the act is defined by the extinction of life. Although corporate entities have personhood they have never been considered to have life.
So, for example, if a consumer boycott or class action lawsuit, puts a corporate entity out of business the boycotters or litigants can't be prosecuted for assaulting or murdering the corporation.
As a person for the purposes of US Constitutional law Twitter is also protected from having an undue regulatory burden placed upon it.
This is something even liberal sweetheart of the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) Ruth Bader-Ginsburg recently had to explain to Planned Parenthood. After that organisation's enthusiasm for the Nazi ideology of Eugenics disgusted even her.
As such Twitter is lawfully entitled to tell all these low-rent politicians with their Christchurch call nonsenses to f*ck right off.
I can only strongly suggest they hurry up and do. Rather than wasting anymore of my time.
12:30 on 6/6/19 (UK date).
Monday, 3 June 2019
Eurovision 2019: ASIE: Israel/Palestine Conflict.
My coverage of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest has already developed an introduction and required reading section.
Which can be found here; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2019/05/eurovision-2019-and-so-it-ends.html
This year's Song Contest was held in Tel Aviv, capital of Israel. As such there was never going to be any prizes for guessing that the main political topic was going to be the Israel/Palestine Conflict.
Rather than being an embarrassment everyone was trying to avoid this was the main reason why the 2019 Song Contest was held in Israel.
To give the Eurovision nations the opportunity to protest Israel's behaviour in that conflict. A protest Israelis would not only be forced to see, one they would be forced to pay for.
In addressing this topic I should start by reminding everyone that in 2015 Europe experienced the migration crisis. This saw upwards of 1.5 million Arab Muslims suddenly flood into what are not are traditionally non-Arab, non-Muslim European nations. Ostensibly as refugees from the war in Syria.
As a result the main theme of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest was how best to integrate this large number of Arab, Muslim migrants into their new homelands.
With everyone knowing what the topic would be in advance this led to an incredibly sophisticated Song Contest. Not only did themes emerge between nations a sort of lingua franca, bridging language, emerged. Allowing nations to discuss different aspects of the topic in, actually, rather a lot of detail. For a song contest.
Despite its reputation Israel is far from an exclusively Jewish state. Only around 75% of the population. The other 25% are Arabs of various religions, most predominately Muslims.
One of the main drivers of support for the creation of a Palestinian state amongst Israeli Jews is a fear that the Arab population is growing faster than the Jewish population. Creating a concern that the Arab population will soon exceed Israel's Jewish population.
Israel's Arab, Muslim population is far, far higher than any other Eurovision nation. Nations such as Albania and Azerbaijan may be Muslim majority. However they are not Arab Muslim nations.
Unlike most Eurovision nations though Israel seems to have absolutely no interest in integrating its Arab, Muslim population. Instead they seem to be actively trying to exclude the Arab, Muslim population. Leading to comparisons between Israel and South Africa under the Apartheid system.
So at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest Israel emerged as a valuable example in the discussion over how best to integrate Arab, Muslims into society. A prime example of how not to go about it.
The aspect of how Israeli Jews try to exclude Arabs from society which was particularly relevant to a televised song contest was the issue of language. Specifically how foreign TV shows and movies are translated for a domestic Israel audience.
Typically this involves the TV show or movie being dubbed into Hebrew, the Jewish language. While Arabic subtitles are provided for, largely speaking, non-Jewish viewers.
This is obviously extremely frustrating for parents taking young children to see movies aimed at them. Children so young they can't read in either Hebrew nor Arabic.
In January 2016 one Arab parent, Kamal Nasser from Tira, became so frustrated by this he decided to take matters into his own hands. Purchasing cinema versions of US children's movies, dubbing them into Arabic and organising screenings for other parents of Arabic speaking children.
Unfortunately I've not had the time to seek out a progress report. However Mr Nasser's efforts could certainly be aided by the liberal American Jews who supposedly control Hollywood.
By making sure that children's movies dubbed into Arabic were more easily available in Israel. Or by making it cheaper and easier for Mr Nasser to have the movies dubbed himself.
Due to this language issue many of the nations at the 2016 Song Contest were represented by artists with a lot of experience of dubbing foreign movies into their native language.
This was particularly true of Sergey Lazarev who represented Russia. He was very much billed as; "The Russian Zac Efron." Due to the fact that he provides the Russian voice to characters pretty much every American movie shown in Russia. Notably Zac Efron's character Troy Bolton in the "High School Musical" franchise.
Since 2016 Israel has gone even further in its efforts to exclude Arabic speakers. In July 2018 the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) adopted, as a constitutionally significant Basic Law, the; "Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People" bill. Commonly referred to as; "The Nation State Law."
Amongst other provisions The Nation State Law declares Hebrew to be the only official language of Israel. Relegating Arabic to mere special status. In contravention of the 1948 Israeli Declaration of Independence which established Arabic as an official language. Sharing equal status with Hebrew.
In light of The Nation State Law Sergey Lazarev represented Russia again at the 2019 Song Contest. Bringing with him his body of work dubbing American movies and its implications for Israel's treatment of its Arab population.
Belarus were also represented by Zena. She provided the voice for the lead character in the Russian language version of the Disney children's movie; "Moana."
When it was released in America the movie Moana was widely celebrated for casting Hawaiian actress Auli'i Cravalho in the role of the Polynesian Princess. A major step for the Disney Corporation which was a passionate supporter of Adolf Hitler in the 1930's.
The celebration of Moana very much stemmed from the almost cult of diversity and inclusivity which sprung up amongst the vicious and divisive racial politics of former US President Barack Obama.
Having Zena as; "The Russian Moana" very much trolled that cult. Polynesians and even Native Americans can trace their roots back to Russia. Meaning that casting Zena in the Moana role is arguably more ethnically sensitive then casting Auli'i Cravalho.
It's certainly more knowledgeable. Russia being a far larger country than US National Security Adviser John Bolton seems aware.
The main message of Belarus' entry being that Ukraine will adopt the Minsk Protocol in full. And they will; "Like It."
The Minsk Protocol being drawn up by the; "Normandy Four" which purposefully excluded former US President Obama. Who was clearly intent on nothing but vicious racial division.
Israel: This year they were represented by Kobi Marimi. With the song; "Home."
On the surface of it the song is just a love letter to Israel as the homeland of a Jewish man. Referencing being able to; "Feel the (desert) sun upon my skin."
Somewhat controversially it also implied the Golan Heights are part of Israel; "I've been running barefoot to the mountain tops // I can hug the water when it snows." A lot of people probably don't realise that there are ski resorts in the mountains of the Golan Heights.
The Syrians, whom Israel annexed the Golan Heights from in 1967, clearly are aware of it. The rockets they fired over the Golani Mount Hermon ski resort just on June 1st (1/6/19) suggests they would very much like it back. A move the Israeli song doesn't seem wholly opposed to, suggesting; "Nothing comes as easy as it goes."
Aside from the Golan Heights issue the song's notion of Israel as the homeland of a Jewish man raises a wider point in the Israel/Palestine Conflict.
The solution to the conflict which has been long endorsed by the United Nations and the wider international community is known as; "The Two State Solution." This would see the two semi-autonomous, Arab majority regions of Israel become the nation state of Palestine. It will sit alongside the nation state of Israel.
One barrier to this has come from the Palestinian side. They refuse to recognise Israel as a nation state. Instead demanding that Israel eradicated and replaced with a nation of Palestine, "From the River to the Sea."
This attitude is particularly prevalent amongst European and American leftists. The sort of people who want to see the deserts of the Golan Heights returned to the Palestinian people.
In taking that position these leftists are being far more extreme than many of the Palestinians themselves.
Hamas, for example, do not currently recognise the nation state of Israel. However in 2017 even Hamas gave up any territorial claim over the geographic area which is generally considered to be within Israel's 1967 borders.
That demand for a single, Palestinian state may have been viable when the state of Israel was created in 1948. Since then though many generations have passed and things have changed.
Israel has compulsory military service. With very few exceptions all Israelis are conscripted into the military at age 18. The recent collapse of the Israeli government ostensibly stems from a dispute over the military service exemption granted to Ulta-Orthodox and Haredi Jews.
The Israelis being conscripted this year simply do not remember the 9/11 Al Qaeda attacks on America. There is no way for them to. Many of them were simply not born in 2001.
Much of the population of Israel is like this. They were born in Israel. To parents who were also born in Israel. To grandparents who were also born in Israel. It is only their great-grandparents who emigrated to Israel from somewhere else.
If you're talking about Israel being eradicated to make way for a single Palestinian state what you're suggesting is exterminating or forcibly displacing some 8 million people from the only country they've ever known.
That is something which is completely morally indefensible. Particularly if you're demanding it to show that the forcible displacement of around 800,000 people back in 1948 was wrong.
At around 17:20 on 3/6/19 (UK date) there's still so much to add.
Edited at around 20:05 on 2/6/19 (UK date) to copy & paste from another window;
Through his mere existence Israel's singer challenges the popular myth of Israeli Jews as European invaders of Arab lands.
Kobi Marimi is Jewish. However he is also Arab. If you were to deport him from Israel to the land of his great-grandparent's birth he'd only end up going as far as Iraq.
The "Jewish Home" motif is also a joke of at the expense of European and American leftists who claim to support the Palestinian cause. These people only claim to support the Palestinians for their own selfish reasons. As a result they actually seem to know very little about the topic.
For example they all despise Benjamin Netanyahu. Who, at the time of writing, is still Israel's Prime Minister. This hatred of Benjamin Netanyahu seems to stem from the fact he is the only Israeli politician they know about.
It must be said that many Israeli Jews seem view the world in a rather unique way. They see the world as divided into Jews and non-Jews, the "Goyim" of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
Provided you are Jewish even the Israeli far-right is still pretty left of centre. Much of Israel's agriculture is still done on Kibbutzim. Which are Anarcho-Syndicalist in structure.
The mystery has always been why Israeli Jews can't extend those very tolerant liberal, left-wing attitudes to non-Jews.
Netanyahu and his Likud Party are actually very firmly a centre-right party. That means they are slightly to the right of the centre ground. For Jews the Israeli centre ground would still be considered left-wing extremism in America and most European societies.
You wouldn't believe that though listening to the protests of American and European leftists.
According to them Netanyahu is a religious extremist and fascist. Worse even than Adolf Hitler and D.F Malan, the South African Prime Minister who introduced apartheid.
As always in democracies the main issue with Netanyahu's governments are the attitudes of the electorate.
Particularly the section of the Israeli electorate who keep voting for the United Right. A coalition of three far-right, Zionist parties Netanyahu's Likud needs to rely on to form a governing coalition in the Knesset.
The most prominent party in the United Right coalition is; "The Jewish Home Party," an Orthodox Jewish, Zionist party. They are certainly the member of the United Right who are easiest to reference in a three minute pop song.
If you want to embarrass American and European leftist supporters of the Palestinian cause. Ask them to name the other parties in the United Right coalition.
With American and European leftists being completely unaware of the United Right and associated parties it fell to the Israeli Song Contest entry to protest them. I think it's fair to assume much of Israel's Eurovision delegation voted for Benny Gantz's Blue & White coalition.
This protest mainly came in the form of the fact that Kobi Marimi is from the town of Ramat Gan (Garden Height). This is a satellite town of Tel Aviv which has become known as Israel's diamond capital.
Any mention of Tel Aviv or its satellite towns immediately challenges the myth of Israeli Jews as European invaders of Arab lands.
Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 while the area was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Long before British Mandated Palestine and the Balfour Declaration of 1917. Significantly before the end of the Second World War and the creation of modern Israel in 1948. Ramat Gan itself was founded in 1921.
Tel Aviv was founded by the Ottoman Empire. Not as Israel's capital but as a Yiddish speaking city.
This was a significant development in the so-called; "War of the Languages." Beginning in the late 19th Century these were attempts by ultra-religious, Zionist Jews to revive the Biblical language of Hebrew as a spoken language of common use amongst Jews.
The War of the Languages really escalated in the period between the end of the Second World War and the creation of Israel. It will probably surprise you to learn that this language war was fought not between Jews and Arabs. But between Jews themselves.
Ramat Gan was a significant holdout against Tel Aviv's demands that all Jews speak Hebrew. They continued to speak Yiddish, a rival Jewish language. Even publishing a daily newspaper in Yiddish.
So the ultra-religious, Zionist terorist Jews attacked Ramat Gan. Blowing up its Yiddish printing press.
That piece of history allows Israel's Eurovision delegation to nod at ultra-religious, Zionist parties such as of the United Right coalition. Along with their Nation State Law which imposes Hebrew above Arabic as the official language of Israel.
As a way remind everyone that of course they're opposed to them.
When it comes to Hebrew those religious extremists have been oppressing people for nearly two hundred years. Many of them other Jews.
At around 20:15 (UK date) there is still so much more to come.
Which can be found here; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2019/05/eurovision-2019-and-so-it-ends.html
This year's Song Contest was held in Tel Aviv, capital of Israel. As such there was never going to be any prizes for guessing that the main political topic was going to be the Israel/Palestine Conflict.
Rather than being an embarrassment everyone was trying to avoid this was the main reason why the 2019 Song Contest was held in Israel.
To give the Eurovision nations the opportunity to protest Israel's behaviour in that conflict. A protest Israelis would not only be forced to see, one they would be forced to pay for.
In addressing this topic I should start by reminding everyone that in 2015 Europe experienced the migration crisis. This saw upwards of 1.5 million Arab Muslims suddenly flood into what are not are traditionally non-Arab, non-Muslim European nations. Ostensibly as refugees from the war in Syria.
As a result the main theme of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest was how best to integrate this large number of Arab, Muslim migrants into their new homelands.
With everyone knowing what the topic would be in advance this led to an incredibly sophisticated Song Contest. Not only did themes emerge between nations a sort of lingua franca, bridging language, emerged. Allowing nations to discuss different aspects of the topic in, actually, rather a lot of detail. For a song contest.
Despite its reputation Israel is far from an exclusively Jewish state. Only around 75% of the population. The other 25% are Arabs of various religions, most predominately Muslims.
One of the main drivers of support for the creation of a Palestinian state amongst Israeli Jews is a fear that the Arab population is growing faster than the Jewish population. Creating a concern that the Arab population will soon exceed Israel's Jewish population.
Israel's Arab, Muslim population is far, far higher than any other Eurovision nation. Nations such as Albania and Azerbaijan may be Muslim majority. However they are not Arab Muslim nations.
Unlike most Eurovision nations though Israel seems to have absolutely no interest in integrating its Arab, Muslim population. Instead they seem to be actively trying to exclude the Arab, Muslim population. Leading to comparisons between Israel and South Africa under the Apartheid system.
So at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest Israel emerged as a valuable example in the discussion over how best to integrate Arab, Muslims into society. A prime example of how not to go about it.
The aspect of how Israeli Jews try to exclude Arabs from society which was particularly relevant to a televised song contest was the issue of language. Specifically how foreign TV shows and movies are translated for a domestic Israel audience.
Typically this involves the TV show or movie being dubbed into Hebrew, the Jewish language. While Arabic subtitles are provided for, largely speaking, non-Jewish viewers.
This is obviously extremely frustrating for parents taking young children to see movies aimed at them. Children so young they can't read in either Hebrew nor Arabic.
In January 2016 one Arab parent, Kamal Nasser from Tira, became so frustrated by this he decided to take matters into his own hands. Purchasing cinema versions of US children's movies, dubbing them into Arabic and organising screenings for other parents of Arabic speaking children.
Unfortunately I've not had the time to seek out a progress report. However Mr Nasser's efforts could certainly be aided by the liberal American Jews who supposedly control Hollywood.
By making sure that children's movies dubbed into Arabic were more easily available in Israel. Or by making it cheaper and easier for Mr Nasser to have the movies dubbed himself.
Due to this language issue many of the nations at the 2016 Song Contest were represented by artists with a lot of experience of dubbing foreign movies into their native language.
This was particularly true of Sergey Lazarev who represented Russia. He was very much billed as; "The Russian Zac Efron." Due to the fact that he provides the Russian voice to characters pretty much every American movie shown in Russia. Notably Zac Efron's character Troy Bolton in the "High School Musical" franchise.
Since 2016 Israel has gone even further in its efforts to exclude Arabic speakers. In July 2018 the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) adopted, as a constitutionally significant Basic Law, the; "Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People" bill. Commonly referred to as; "The Nation State Law."
Amongst other provisions The Nation State Law declares Hebrew to be the only official language of Israel. Relegating Arabic to mere special status. In contravention of the 1948 Israeli Declaration of Independence which established Arabic as an official language. Sharing equal status with Hebrew.
In light of The Nation State Law Sergey Lazarev represented Russia again at the 2019 Song Contest. Bringing with him his body of work dubbing American movies and its implications for Israel's treatment of its Arab population.
Belarus were also represented by Zena. She provided the voice for the lead character in the Russian language version of the Disney children's movie; "Moana."
When it was released in America the movie Moana was widely celebrated for casting Hawaiian actress Auli'i Cravalho in the role of the Polynesian Princess. A major step for the Disney Corporation which was a passionate supporter of Adolf Hitler in the 1930's.
The celebration of Moana very much stemmed from the almost cult of diversity and inclusivity which sprung up amongst the vicious and divisive racial politics of former US President Barack Obama.
Having Zena as; "The Russian Moana" very much trolled that cult. Polynesians and even Native Americans can trace their roots back to Russia. Meaning that casting Zena in the Moana role is arguably more ethnically sensitive then casting Auli'i Cravalho.
It's certainly more knowledgeable. Russia being a far larger country than US National Security Adviser John Bolton seems aware.
The main message of Belarus' entry being that Ukraine will adopt the Minsk Protocol in full. And they will; "Like It."
The Minsk Protocol being drawn up by the; "Normandy Four" which purposefully excluded former US President Obama. Who was clearly intent on nothing but vicious racial division.
Israel: This year they were represented by Kobi Marimi. With the song; "Home."
On the surface of it the song is just a love letter to Israel as the homeland of a Jewish man. Referencing being able to; "Feel the (desert) sun upon my skin."
Somewhat controversially it also implied the Golan Heights are part of Israel; "I've been running barefoot to the mountain tops // I can hug the water when it snows." A lot of people probably don't realise that there are ski resorts in the mountains of the Golan Heights.
The Syrians, whom Israel annexed the Golan Heights from in 1967, clearly are aware of it. The rockets they fired over the Golani Mount Hermon ski resort just on June 1st (1/6/19) suggests they would very much like it back. A move the Israeli song doesn't seem wholly opposed to, suggesting; "Nothing comes as easy as it goes."
Aside from the Golan Heights issue the song's notion of Israel as the homeland of a Jewish man raises a wider point in the Israel/Palestine Conflict.
The solution to the conflict which has been long endorsed by the United Nations and the wider international community is known as; "The Two State Solution." This would see the two semi-autonomous, Arab majority regions of Israel become the nation state of Palestine. It will sit alongside the nation state of Israel.
One barrier to this has come from the Palestinian side. They refuse to recognise Israel as a nation state. Instead demanding that Israel eradicated and replaced with a nation of Palestine, "From the River to the Sea."
This attitude is particularly prevalent amongst European and American leftists. The sort of people who want to see the deserts of the Golan Heights returned to the Palestinian people.
In taking that position these leftists are being far more extreme than many of the Palestinians themselves.
Hamas, for example, do not currently recognise the nation state of Israel. However in 2017 even Hamas gave up any territorial claim over the geographic area which is generally considered to be within Israel's 1967 borders.
That demand for a single, Palestinian state may have been viable when the state of Israel was created in 1948. Since then though many generations have passed and things have changed.
Israel has compulsory military service. With very few exceptions all Israelis are conscripted into the military at age 18. The recent collapse of the Israeli government ostensibly stems from a dispute over the military service exemption granted to Ulta-Orthodox and Haredi Jews.
The Israelis being conscripted this year simply do not remember the 9/11 Al Qaeda attacks on America. There is no way for them to. Many of them were simply not born in 2001.
Much of the population of Israel is like this. They were born in Israel. To parents who were also born in Israel. To grandparents who were also born in Israel. It is only their great-grandparents who emigrated to Israel from somewhere else.
If you're talking about Israel being eradicated to make way for a single Palestinian state what you're suggesting is exterminating or forcibly displacing some 8 million people from the only country they've ever known.
That is something which is completely morally indefensible. Particularly if you're demanding it to show that the forcible displacement of around 800,000 people back in 1948 was wrong.
At around 17:20 on 3/6/19 (UK date) there's still so much to add.
Edited at around 20:05 on 2/6/19 (UK date) to copy & paste from another window;
Through his mere existence Israel's singer challenges the popular myth of Israeli Jews as European invaders of Arab lands.
Kobi Marimi is Jewish. However he is also Arab. If you were to deport him from Israel to the land of his great-grandparent's birth he'd only end up going as far as Iraq.
The "Jewish Home" motif is also a joke of at the expense of European and American leftists who claim to support the Palestinian cause. These people only claim to support the Palestinians for their own selfish reasons. As a result they actually seem to know very little about the topic.
For example they all despise Benjamin Netanyahu. Who, at the time of writing, is still Israel's Prime Minister. This hatred of Benjamin Netanyahu seems to stem from the fact he is the only Israeli politician they know about.
It must be said that many Israeli Jews seem view the world in a rather unique way. They see the world as divided into Jews and non-Jews, the "Goyim" of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
Provided you are Jewish even the Israeli far-right is still pretty left of centre. Much of Israel's agriculture is still done on Kibbutzim. Which are Anarcho-Syndicalist in structure.
The mystery has always been why Israeli Jews can't extend those very tolerant liberal, left-wing attitudes to non-Jews.
Netanyahu and his Likud Party are actually very firmly a centre-right party. That means they are slightly to the right of the centre ground. For Jews the Israeli centre ground would still be considered left-wing extremism in America and most European societies.
You wouldn't believe that though listening to the protests of American and European leftists.
According to them Netanyahu is a religious extremist and fascist. Worse even than Adolf Hitler and D.F Malan, the South African Prime Minister who introduced apartheid.
As always in democracies the main issue with Netanyahu's governments are the attitudes of the electorate.
Particularly the section of the Israeli electorate who keep voting for the United Right. A coalition of three far-right, Zionist parties Netanyahu's Likud needs to rely on to form a governing coalition in the Knesset.
The most prominent party in the United Right coalition is; "The Jewish Home Party," an Orthodox Jewish, Zionist party. They are certainly the member of the United Right who are easiest to reference in a three minute pop song.
If you want to embarrass American and European leftist supporters of the Palestinian cause. Ask them to name the other parties in the United Right coalition.
With American and European leftists being completely unaware of the United Right and associated parties it fell to the Israeli Song Contest entry to protest them. I think it's fair to assume much of Israel's Eurovision delegation voted for Benny Gantz's Blue & White coalition.
This protest mainly came in the form of the fact that Kobi Marimi is from the town of Ramat Gan (Garden Height). This is a satellite town of Tel Aviv which has become known as Israel's diamond capital.
Any mention of Tel Aviv or its satellite towns immediately challenges the myth of Israeli Jews as European invaders of Arab lands.
Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 while the area was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Long before British Mandated Palestine and the Balfour Declaration of 1917. Significantly before the end of the Second World War and the creation of modern Israel in 1948. Ramat Gan itself was founded in 1921.
Tel Aviv was founded by the Ottoman Empire. Not as Israel's capital but as a Yiddish speaking city.
This was a significant development in the so-called; "War of the Languages." Beginning in the late 19th Century these were attempts by ultra-religious, Zionist Jews to revive the Biblical language of Hebrew as a spoken language of common use amongst Jews.
The War of the Languages really escalated in the period between the end of the Second World War and the creation of Israel. It will probably surprise you to learn that this language war was fought not between Jews and Arabs. But between Jews themselves.
Ramat Gan was a significant holdout against Tel Aviv's demands that all Jews speak Hebrew. They continued to speak Yiddish, a rival Jewish language. Even publishing a daily newspaper in Yiddish.
So the ultra-religious, Zionist terorist Jews attacked Ramat Gan. Blowing up its Yiddish printing press.
That piece of history allows Israel's Eurovision delegation to nod at ultra-religious, Zionist parties such as of the United Right coalition. Along with their Nation State Law which imposes Hebrew above Arabic as the official language of Israel.
As a way remind everyone that of course they're opposed to them.
When it comes to Hebrew those religious extremists have been oppressing people for nearly two hundred years. Many of them other Jews.
At around 20:15 (UK date) there is still so much more to come.
Friday, 31 May 2019
Eurovision 2019: ASIE: The App Pt.3
A direct continuation of Part 2; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2019/05/eurovision-2019-asie-app-pt2.html
The Czech Republic: This year they were represented by Lake Malawi. With the song; "Friend of a Friend."
Taken on its own this was a strange little song which didn't make much sense at all.
It began as a boyfriend talking to his girlfriend. Initially they were hearing the sounds of another couple having sex. Either in another room or another apartment. He was complaining that their relationship was no longer as passionate as the couple they were overhearing.
Then the boyfriend starting talking about another woman. Who may or may not have been the woman in the couple they were overhearing. He was explaining to his girlfriend that this other woman was someone he used to know a long time ago. Possibly while they were at school together. Or she's the friend of a friend of his.
It was only once you watched the video in support of the entry that things started to make sense. This was made up of fans, particularly female fans, of the band singing along to the song. In short video clips of the sort you get on social media such as Instagram and Facebook.
So the song was really about a boyfriend who has been caught by his girlfriend. Liking pictures of other women and secretly sending them direct messages on social media. Sliding into their Direct Messages (DM's). This has very much emerged as the modern form of relationship cheating in the social media age.
The boyfriend in the song is the ultimate Distracted Boyfriend. A meme that recently became very popular based around a stock photograph of a young man holding his girlfriend's hand. Only he's checking out another woman behind her back, she's just noticed and is not happy.
The Czech Republic's entry obviously touches on the emergence of this sort of social media cheating. It also touches on the Israel/Palestine Conflict. By urging people to listen to what's going on behind the wall (between Israel and the West Bank).
The main focus of the Czech Republic's entry this year was the;
Directive (EU) 2019/790 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on copyright and related rights in the Digital Single Market and amending Directives 96/9/EC and 2001/29/EC.
The title of a piece of EU legislation which itself would probably take up much of a three minute song.
ED 2019/790 was passed by the EU Parliament on March 26th 2019 (26/3/19). Amid the noise of Brexit it was quietly adopted that the April 15th 2019 (15/4/19) EU Council (EUCO) Summit. All EU member states are now obligated to adopt it as domestic law within the next two years.
It should certainly be fun watching British MP's try to adopt ED 2019/790 by passing domestic legislation. Normally they wouldn't have to worry their pretty little heads about something like that. Replaced as they were by the 1972 European Communities Act.
The purpose of ED 2019/790 is to provide universal protection to copyright holders online. Across the EU.
ED 2019/790 has been particularly supported by songwriters and music publishers. A group which is well represented at the Eurovision Song Contest.
They object to large tech companies such as Facebook and particularly YouTube allowing copyrighted material to be uploaded to their platforms. The big tech companies then make money from this copyrighted material through adverts and subscriptions. Without paying the copyright holders their fair share of that money.
Big news organisations also support ED 2019/790. They particularly object to big tech companies, mainly Facebook, including copyrighted articles written by their journalists on people's news feeds. Then making money from that copyrighted material through adverts and subscriptions. Without paying the copyright holders their fair share of that money.
The big tech companies are obviously very opposed to ED 2019/790. It prevents them from profiting from other people's copyrighted material.
It also obligates them to spend money to remove copyrighted material from their platforms. Where it is uploaded without the copyright holders permission.
ED 2019/790 has also met with opposition from ordinary Internet users. They're concerned that it will affect things like memes. The Distracted Boyfriend meme is based on a stock photograph which is presumably protected by copyright.
Although it is intended to target the unearned profits of big tech companies ED 2019/790 could well make it illegal to post things like the Distracted Boyfriend meme. With tech companies forced to tag the image and automatically remove it. They same as they do with child pornography or terrorist propaganda.
Even the band's name "Lake Malawi" sounds like a possible copyright violation. Copied as it was from a song of the same name by the band Bon Iver.
The Republic of Ireland: This year they were represented by Sarah McTernan. With the song "22."
This also touched on ED 2019/790. It could easily be mistaken for a violation of the copyright on the 2012 Taylor Swift song; "22."
In the history of Internet meme wars Taylor Swift has a special place.
Around 2013 some Internet users started producing memes featuring Taylor Swift songs set to video of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler giving speeches. Presumably for no other reason than they thought it was funny.
Taylor Swift's lawyers did not see the funny side. So they very aggressively threatened to sue the Internet users who made the memes along with the tech companies which hosted them for breach of copyright.
Despite the fact that, as they well knew, the use of small amounts of copyrighted material is permitted for the purpose of parody. A form of protected speech under the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
You suspect that Taylor Swift didn't know much about this. Instead her lawyers were motivated only by a desire to send Taylor Swift a large bill for all the work they'd done threatening innocent Internet users.
Either way the Internet took its revenge.
It quickly became a matter of established Internet fact that Taylor Swift is a fully fledged Nazi and White Supremacist. She was merely waiting for Donald Trump to become US President so she could proudly let her true beliefs be known.
To her credit even Taylor Swift got in on the joke. The artwork for her 2017 Reputation album included lots of references to the Nazi style. Such as rune type lettering.
It's testament to how utterly insane US leftists have become that after releasing the album Taylor Swift was met with demands to publicly denounce Trump and White Supremacists.
In a nice touch Taylor Swift's lawyers responded by threatening to sue.
At around 15:45 on 31/5/19 (UK date) I'll pick this up later.
Edited at around 11:40 on 2/6/19 (UK date) to copy & paste from another window;
The Taylor Swift song 22 is about being aged 22.
The 22 in the Sarah McTernan refers to a house number. Home to a boy with whom she did something she now regrets.
Amongst Song Contest viewers there is a popular game called; "Eurovision Bingo."
Rather than matching randomly drawn numbers to a scorecard you try and match Song Contest cliches. Such as someone singing a song about love, someone singing a song about peace. Someone using fire as part of their stage show or someone using a rain machine.
In traditional bingo, particularly in the UK and Ireland the numbers have their own little nicknames based on their appearence. Such as 88 being known as; "Two Fat Ladies" or 11 being known as; "Legs Eleven."
22 is known as; "Two Little Ducks."
So the main message of Ireland's 2019 entry was to remind everyone of Ireland's 2018 entry. "Together" by Ryan O'Shaughnessy.
That song was all about Brexit. Particularly the effect it would have on both Ireland's economy and on the cross-border trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland which is so important the 1998 Belfast Agreement.
So it was a really vicious and bitter break-up song.
Except in the middle of the staging you had a young gay couple, very much in love. Which made absolutely no sense.
No sense until you realise that the Song Contest has a very large gay and gay friendly fanbase. Once on of the most successful nations as Eurovision Ireland were absolutely desperate to qualify for the Grand-Finale, after years of falling short.
So Ireland simply included this gay couple in the cynical hope that Eurovision fans would vote them through.
Since then this practice has become so widespread that it's developed its own name; "Queer Baiting." When celebrities and corporations tease the idea that they might be gay in order to con gay people out of their money.
Now we're into June, Gay Pride Month, this is something you'll see a lot. Particularly from alcohol companies such as Absolute Vodka.
Even before you get into the prejudice and discrimination being gay can be pretty miserable.
Only about 3% of the population are gay. So when it comes to finding a life partner straight people have around 50% of the population to choose from. Gay people only have around 1.5% of the population to chose from. Making the chances of success much lower.
As a result the gay community experiences much higher levels of loneliness, depression, drug and alcohol abuse.
When big alcohol companies announce that they are supporting Pride Month it's not because they support gay people. It's because they want to profit from their misery.
The 2019 Eurovision Song Contest was of course held in Tel Aviv, Israel. Leading to calls for it to be boycotted over Israel's role in the Israel/Palestine Conflict.
One of the largest Palestinian political parties is Fatah. They were founders of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO).
A Revolutionary Socialist organisation the PLO was part of the Cold War Arc of Resistance. Made up of groups like the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey and the Irish Republican Socialist Party/Irish National Liberation Army (IRSP/INLA) in Ireland/Northern Ireland.
This has meant there have long been deep links of solidarity between Palestinians and Irish Republicans. Meaning that the Republic of Ireland was under particularly pressure to boycott the 2019 Song Contest.
Rather than boycotting the Republic of Ireland decided to attend.
But used their song to remind everyone of the really offensive thing they did last year. In the hope of being voted out at the earliest possible opportunity.
It worked.
11:50 on 2/6/19 (UK date).
The Czech Republic: This year they were represented by Lake Malawi. With the song; "Friend of a Friend."
Taken on its own this was a strange little song which didn't make much sense at all.
It began as a boyfriend talking to his girlfriend. Initially they were hearing the sounds of another couple having sex. Either in another room or another apartment. He was complaining that their relationship was no longer as passionate as the couple they were overhearing.
Then the boyfriend starting talking about another woman. Who may or may not have been the woman in the couple they were overhearing. He was explaining to his girlfriend that this other woman was someone he used to know a long time ago. Possibly while they were at school together. Or she's the friend of a friend of his.
It was only once you watched the video in support of the entry that things started to make sense. This was made up of fans, particularly female fans, of the band singing along to the song. In short video clips of the sort you get on social media such as Instagram and Facebook.
So the song was really about a boyfriend who has been caught by his girlfriend. Liking pictures of other women and secretly sending them direct messages on social media. Sliding into their Direct Messages (DM's). This has very much emerged as the modern form of relationship cheating in the social media age.
The boyfriend in the song is the ultimate Distracted Boyfriend. A meme that recently became very popular based around a stock photograph of a young man holding his girlfriend's hand. Only he's checking out another woman behind her back, she's just noticed and is not happy.
The Czech Republic's entry obviously touches on the emergence of this sort of social media cheating. It also touches on the Israel/Palestine Conflict. By urging people to listen to what's going on behind the wall (between Israel and the West Bank).
The main focus of the Czech Republic's entry this year was the;
Directive (EU) 2019/790 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on copyright and related rights in the Digital Single Market and amending Directives 96/9/EC and 2001/29/EC.
The title of a piece of EU legislation which itself would probably take up much of a three minute song.
ED 2019/790 was passed by the EU Parliament on March 26th 2019 (26/3/19). Amid the noise of Brexit it was quietly adopted that the April 15th 2019 (15/4/19) EU Council (EUCO) Summit. All EU member states are now obligated to adopt it as domestic law within the next two years.
It should certainly be fun watching British MP's try to adopt ED 2019/790 by passing domestic legislation. Normally they wouldn't have to worry their pretty little heads about something like that. Replaced as they were by the 1972 European Communities Act.
The purpose of ED 2019/790 is to provide universal protection to copyright holders online. Across the EU.
ED 2019/790 has been particularly supported by songwriters and music publishers. A group which is well represented at the Eurovision Song Contest.
They object to large tech companies such as Facebook and particularly YouTube allowing copyrighted material to be uploaded to their platforms. The big tech companies then make money from this copyrighted material through adverts and subscriptions. Without paying the copyright holders their fair share of that money.
Big news organisations also support ED 2019/790. They particularly object to big tech companies, mainly Facebook, including copyrighted articles written by their journalists on people's news feeds. Then making money from that copyrighted material through adverts and subscriptions. Without paying the copyright holders their fair share of that money.
The big tech companies are obviously very opposed to ED 2019/790. It prevents them from profiting from other people's copyrighted material.
It also obligates them to spend money to remove copyrighted material from their platforms. Where it is uploaded without the copyright holders permission.
ED 2019/790 has also met with opposition from ordinary Internet users. They're concerned that it will affect things like memes. The Distracted Boyfriend meme is based on a stock photograph which is presumably protected by copyright.
Although it is intended to target the unearned profits of big tech companies ED 2019/790 could well make it illegal to post things like the Distracted Boyfriend meme. With tech companies forced to tag the image and automatically remove it. They same as they do with child pornography or terrorist propaganda.
Even the band's name "Lake Malawi" sounds like a possible copyright violation. Copied as it was from a song of the same name by the band Bon Iver.
The Republic of Ireland: This year they were represented by Sarah McTernan. With the song "22."
This also touched on ED 2019/790. It could easily be mistaken for a violation of the copyright on the 2012 Taylor Swift song; "22."
In the history of Internet meme wars Taylor Swift has a special place.
Around 2013 some Internet users started producing memes featuring Taylor Swift songs set to video of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler giving speeches. Presumably for no other reason than they thought it was funny.
Taylor Swift's lawyers did not see the funny side. So they very aggressively threatened to sue the Internet users who made the memes along with the tech companies which hosted them for breach of copyright.
Despite the fact that, as they well knew, the use of small amounts of copyrighted material is permitted for the purpose of parody. A form of protected speech under the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
You suspect that Taylor Swift didn't know much about this. Instead her lawyers were motivated only by a desire to send Taylor Swift a large bill for all the work they'd done threatening innocent Internet users.
Either way the Internet took its revenge.
It quickly became a matter of established Internet fact that Taylor Swift is a fully fledged Nazi and White Supremacist. She was merely waiting for Donald Trump to become US President so she could proudly let her true beliefs be known.
To her credit even Taylor Swift got in on the joke. The artwork for her 2017 Reputation album included lots of references to the Nazi style. Such as rune type lettering.
It's testament to how utterly insane US leftists have become that after releasing the album Taylor Swift was met with demands to publicly denounce Trump and White Supremacists.
In a nice touch Taylor Swift's lawyers responded by threatening to sue.
At around 15:45 on 31/5/19 (UK date) I'll pick this up later.
Edited at around 11:40 on 2/6/19 (UK date) to copy & paste from another window;
The Taylor Swift song 22 is about being aged 22.
The 22 in the Sarah McTernan refers to a house number. Home to a boy with whom she did something she now regrets.
Amongst Song Contest viewers there is a popular game called; "Eurovision Bingo."
Rather than matching randomly drawn numbers to a scorecard you try and match Song Contest cliches. Such as someone singing a song about love, someone singing a song about peace. Someone using fire as part of their stage show or someone using a rain machine.
In traditional bingo, particularly in the UK and Ireland the numbers have their own little nicknames based on their appearence. Such as 88 being known as; "Two Fat Ladies" or 11 being known as; "Legs Eleven."
22 is known as; "Two Little Ducks."
So the main message of Ireland's 2019 entry was to remind everyone of Ireland's 2018 entry. "Together" by Ryan O'Shaughnessy.
That song was all about Brexit. Particularly the effect it would have on both Ireland's economy and on the cross-border trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland which is so important the 1998 Belfast Agreement.
So it was a really vicious and bitter break-up song.
Except in the middle of the staging you had a young gay couple, very much in love. Which made absolutely no sense.
No sense until you realise that the Song Contest has a very large gay and gay friendly fanbase. Once on of the most successful nations as Eurovision Ireland were absolutely desperate to qualify for the Grand-Finale, after years of falling short.
So Ireland simply included this gay couple in the cynical hope that Eurovision fans would vote them through.
Since then this practice has become so widespread that it's developed its own name; "Queer Baiting." When celebrities and corporations tease the idea that they might be gay in order to con gay people out of their money.
Now we're into June, Gay Pride Month, this is something you'll see a lot. Particularly from alcohol companies such as Absolute Vodka.
Even before you get into the prejudice and discrimination being gay can be pretty miserable.
Only about 3% of the population are gay. So when it comes to finding a life partner straight people have around 50% of the population to choose from. Gay people only have around 1.5% of the population to chose from. Making the chances of success much lower.
As a result the gay community experiences much higher levels of loneliness, depression, drug and alcohol abuse.
When big alcohol companies announce that they are supporting Pride Month it's not because they support gay people. It's because they want to profit from their misery.
The 2019 Eurovision Song Contest was of course held in Tel Aviv, Israel. Leading to calls for it to be boycotted over Israel's role in the Israel/Palestine Conflict.
One of the largest Palestinian political parties is Fatah. They were founders of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO).
A Revolutionary Socialist organisation the PLO was part of the Cold War Arc of Resistance. Made up of groups like the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey and the Irish Republican Socialist Party/Irish National Liberation Army (IRSP/INLA) in Ireland/Northern Ireland.
This has meant there have long been deep links of solidarity between Palestinians and Irish Republicans. Meaning that the Republic of Ireland was under particularly pressure to boycott the 2019 Song Contest.
Rather than boycotting the Republic of Ireland decided to attend.
But used their song to remind everyone of the really offensive thing they did last year. In the hope of being voted out at the earliest possible opportunity.
It worked.
11:50 on 2/6/19 (UK date).
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