Open Thread April 2, 2024

 Posted by at 5:58 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 022024
 

Yesterday, it literally took me more than four hors to payy just one medical bill with a credit card. A big part of that was that the bill showed a single figure which I had to go through 11 MSNs (formerly EOBs) where i found more than 10 line items for this particular service, not all of which were from this provider, and the only way I could find out which were was by trial and error adding p combinations until I foundthe combination that matched the bill. That took about three hours. Then I spent 15-20 minutes making a PDF of just the claims which applied to this provider,because it would have taken even longer to do it later, and w=even paying by credit card on line I willl eventually have to provide documentation to my HRA. The outher hpur was spent fighting with the provider’s billing agency’s website. I wasn’t expecting that, and after spending all that time just putting the information tpgether, I was not in a good mood to begin with. And then I had to get back to my email inbox, which was pretty well stuffed.

This is a “Missouri leads the way” story, which I can now put up because Nameless’s computers (yes, that’s plural – everything was down) are fixed. It’s not the Missouri government, of course – it’s individual Democrats working together to unsure there is a Democrat in every race.

This is a very moving story about an extraordinary person, who has a warning for all of us.

Share

Europe and the US election

 Posted by at 9:15 pm  Politics
Oct 292020
 

So close to the November 3 election, Americans might like to know what other nations think of another four years of Trump. The following article is one taken from 9 clips in The Briefing, a weekly background letter (e-mail) written by Darren McCaffrey, Euronews Political Editor with an overview of the most important European news across the continent that week.

For Europe, does it matter who wins the US election next week?

If it was up to Europe, Joe Biden would win next week’s US Presidential election, and win big.

Earlier this month, the polling company YouGov surveyed seven European countries – Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Sweden – and found that over 60 per cent of people in all but one country wanted to see Joe Biden triumph over Donald Trump. Even in Italy, where support was highest for the incumbent, only 20 per cent backed Trump.

Clearly, this is not Europe’s election and we have no say in the final result but whoever wins will have a big impact on our politics for years to come.

For most of the post-World War II era, the United States, while not necessarily agreeing with its Western European allies on every issue, has shown commitment to our continent. This arrangement may have been mutually beneficial but it has also helped Europe prosper, bringing the Marshall plan, security from NATO and political unity, as well as support for the EU project.

Four years of Donald J Trump have proved, however, to be a cold, hard slap in the face for much of Europe. The predictability of the past 75 years has been challenged and replaced by mounting uncertainty. Assumed US support for the Iran deal, the Paris climate agreement and NATO simply haven’t been there. An understanding that the world operates on a set of principles and rules, enforced by the US, has been cast in doubt. Even the existence of the European Union as we know it has been questioned and undermined.

There is little doubt that Biden as president will restore a more familiar state of affairs but Europe’s relationship with the United States is unlikely to ever be the same again.

The Atlantic is getting bigger, America is changing, pivoting away from us and towards a big, more complex Asia-Pacific. The United States has always been a bi-oceanic nation but for most of our lifetimes, the trans-Atlantic relationship has dominated its view on the world. This is no longer the case. This pivot did not start with Donald Trump and rather dates back several presidents, accelerating under Barack Obama.

For Washington in the 20th century, Europe was the crux of international affairs, with its strategic rival Russia. In the 21st century, Asia and, more importantly, China are assuming this position.

Changes at home are powering this too. America is becoming more diverse; the number of white, Protestant Anglo Saxons with European heritage is decreasing. They are being replaced by growing numbers of people with Hispanic, African-American and Asian heritage whose view of the world has Europe on the periphery.

This huge, geopolitical dance should be an opportunity for Europe to define and assert its own, united foreign policy position. But for the time being, that seems to be more of an aspiration than a reality, simply because leaders often cannot agree. A point that was proved by the farce last month when the UK and Canada imposed sanctions on Belarus before the EU could because of other internal battles over Turkey. Surely, unanimity is no longer fit for purpose?

Over the past four years, Europe has had a wake-up call concerning what the future might hold. It cannot simply rely on the United States – a US that is prepared for trade wars, a more inward-looking nation, a country that might view the EU itself as a threat rather than a partner.

This means Europe standing on its own two feet, but that spells change. A Biden presidency might feel reassuringly familiar but we shouldn’t become complacent. The European Union needs to take decisive action now if it is to become the major global player it clearly wants to be.

Share

As Seen from Afar 06/07/2020

 Posted by at 10:03 pm  Politics
Jun 062020
 

BLACK LIVES MATTER ACROSS THE WORLD

The Largest Demonstrations In Australia Despite The Coronavirus Pandemic

Protesters rallied in Canberra on Friday, ahead of more than 60,000 Australians taking part in rallies in the nation’s three biggest cities, with Brisbane attracting the largest crowd of about 30,000 people on Saturday.

Despite the federal and state governments pleading with people not to attend these demonstrations and avoid new outbreaks of COVID-19, Australia saw the largest protest gatherings in decades.

Crowds gather in Brisbane for a Black Lives Matter protest. (ABC News: Tim Swanston)

“It was a peaceful protest, without any real concerns, and we were happy with how it went,” a Queensland Police spokesperson told the ABC. “Police were even handing out face masks to people.”

The Sydney rally of around 20,000 people came after the New South Wales Court of Appeal ruled in favour of a last-ditch attempt to lawfully authorise a Sydney protest. The last-minute decision meant those marching in Sydney were immune from prosecution for breaching public health orders.

Indigenous Black Lives Matter Too

Current events in the United States had inevitably refocused attention on Australian Indigenous issues. And the call to protest has resonated because of it. These are demonstrations of solidarity highlighted by local injustices and problems.

Events in the United States following the death of George Floyd have inevitably refocused attention on Australian Indigenous issues.(ABC News: Jack Fisher)

[In Australia] deaths of Indigenous people in custody continue — more than 400 over the past three decades — as does excessive use of force on occasion (which happened this week with a policeman’s reaction to the threatening language used by an Aboriginal youth in Sydney).

The high rate of incarceration of Indigenous Australians remains unaddressed; appalling conditions exist in many communities. Labor’s spokeswoman for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, herself Indigenous, said this week that “in some parts of Australia, particularly in the north, the incarcerated population — adult and juvenile — are almost all Indigenous”.

 Australian Government’s Reaction to Protests

Senior Federal Government Minister Mathias Cormann has taken aim at Australian Black Lives Matter protesters, dubbing their actions “selfish”, “self-indulgent” and “reckless” amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles said his comments were tone-deaf.

“I don’t feel like I’m in a position to say to Indigenous Australians, who are protesting against that, that this is a selfish and indulgent act,” he told the ABC’s Insiders program. “I felt uncomfortable about the mass gathering but I’m not about to engage in that kind of judgement of those who did it.”

Protests In European Countries

¨Large numbers of people took to the streets in European cities on Saturday to demonstrate in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, some defying restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The protests in capitals such as London, Paris and Berlin were the latest in a global wave of anger and revulsion at racism and police brutality, following the killing of black American George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

UK

People hold placards during a Black Lives Matter rally in Parliament Square in London, Saturday, June 6, 2020.   –   Copyright  AP Photo/Frank Augstein

Thousands of people gathered outside the UK Parliament and the US embassy in London to protest against racism, despite official warnings to stay away for fear of spreading COVID-19 infections. Many wore face masks but the density of the crowd made it impossible to observe social distancing.

Demonstrators take part in a Black Lives Matter rally in Parliament Square in London, Saturday, June 6, 2020.AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali

The rallies were largely peaceful but in the early evening, some protesters clashed with police near Downing Street, the prime minister’s residence. Police brought out riot gear and mounted police charged at demonstrators to clear them from the area.

More demonstrations took place in Manchester and other cities in England, in the wake of similar protests during the week. Rallies are planned in Scotland on Sunday.

France

Another large demonstration took place in Paris, despite a police ban on the protest, the authorities citing the risk of spreading COVID-19 and fears of public unrest. The police decree noted that social distancing regulations ban gatherings of more than 10 people.

Preparing for the eventuality that protesters would ignore the ban, French police sealed off roads around the US Embassy early on Saturday.

A communique from the Prefecture noted that several calls had gone out on social media calling for demonstrations near the Eiffel Tower against “police violence”, despite a ban for public health reasons.

Crowds also turned out to demonstrate in other cities in France, including Bordeaux, Lyon, Lille, Rennes and Marseille — where some skirmishes were reported. The interior ministry estimated the number of protesters in France at 23,300, of whom 5,500 were in Paris.

Germany

Protesters in Cologne

Germany saw the largest crowds demonstrating in Europe. In Berlin, police estimated that 15,000 people gathered in the city centre for a Black Lives Matter rally on Saturday afternoon. As elsewhere, protesters held up signs with slogans such as “No justice, no peace”. The scenes were calm, though overnight on Friday police said several store windows were smashed and walls were painted with slogans referring to George Floyd’s death. Protesters also gathered in München (20,000),  Hamburg (14,000), Cologn and other cities.

Black Lives Matter demonstrations were also reported from Italy, The Netherlands, South Korea

References:

ABC News: Mathias Cormann criticises Black Lives Matter protesters for gathering amid coronavirus By political correspondent Brett Worthington

ABC News: Coronavirus killed Indigenous referendum, delivers likely mortal blow to religious discrimination legislation. The Conversation / By Michelle Grattan

EuroNews: Black Lives Matter: Large anti-racism protests in Europe despite pandemic restrictions. By Alasdair Sandford with AP, AFP

Share