This thread is the sadder counterpart of Today's Good News.

There might be a correlation between anesthesia and reduced language abilities.

The political, economic and military situation is unchanged. This is mostly pandering to the crazies. It's great for the crazy Muslims and the crazy Jews, neither of whom matter much in the US, and the crazy Christians, who do. A bit like ISIL; though with a different narrative (i.e. their reading of the Book of Revelation), they too want to hasten Armageddon and the end of the world.

I don't think we have that kind of crazy among us anymore, there might have been a couple in the old Opera forums. For the rest of us it is more the division of unavoidable trouble (e.g. Saudi Arabia and Iran are not going to find peace and tranquility through Buddhist meditation), from trouble we that could do without. This symbolic gesture would be in the latter category. Except for the crazies this doesn't have any tangible effect, and most likely it will signify nothing in the long run. Another endtime scenario is appearing though.

I believe many, many years ago I claimed in the Opera forums, with great confidence, that the Israel-Palestinian/Arab conflict was essentially over, and Israel had won. Israel had won separate peace with Egypt, Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Iran was sidelined, Iraq was disrupted, only Syria remained (and Syria could be bought). I also believe that was where I put up my Israel-Kurdistan-Iran model of the troubles in the Middle East: As the Israel-Palestinian conflict died down, the Kurdish question in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran would escalate, and finally we would have the great showdown between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Now 15 years later it seems clear that history didn't follow my grand scheme. The drivers are the same, but Israel dithered. Dictators are trouble, but they can be bought off, countries broken in civil war can't. Instead of Israel, Kurdistan, Iran sequentially, we have them simultaneously. 

I definitely wouldn't have thought so 15 years ago, but now there may be a sequence of events that will lead to the end of Israel as a Jewish state, the motivation for the two-state solution. Maybe future historians will say that fall began with a small misstep like this. 

Was a good attempt to show some kind of amusing balance re Christianity and Jews in America but you are very wrong.

Just last night I watched a passing interview with the Israeli Prime Minister who was cock-a-hoop with Trump and showed how close the two were. In addition it also showed a multi-billionaire Jew who is linked to Trump. Jewish rich are very deep into the US system and your mention of Christians really applies only to the fundamentalist corner not the broader ones. Due to the influence of that group and even more so the big money Jewish contingent that is an even stronger influence. Jewish money is a big part of the US and the brief speech by that arrogant Prime Minister went on to praise Zionism......

A simple question: What city does Israel name as its capitol?

The bad news is, of course, the expected reaction of Muslim populations around the world... As Trump would say, "Sad!"

What city does Israel name as its capitol?

None, I believe. Isn't a capitol a building? 

Yes you are right Frenzie but you are dealing with a brained ex-colonist!

What Trump has done is disgraceful. East Jerusalem has had a non-Jewish population for an awful long time. Last night on a news report an Arab was being interviewed and who had lived where he was standing all his lfe his father and grandfather before him. In the last year Israel has pulled his house down twice and they are belligerent mental jackboots mindsets. It is damnable the way those folk are being treated and East was the capital for them for ages.

Israel can do what it damn well likes and why? It is because America helps to fund it and it's military along with it's stealing of Arab territory.It is Zionist influence and big money control corporates in the US that pulls the strings over there.  When one considers what Israel gets away with in land stealing, arrogance and arrogance. Basically I don't trend to go in for wars unless very principled but i muse that it was a pity the Zionist regime did not lose the 6 day war decades ago.........

Four or five Arab countries attacked Israel at once... And they lost.
Egypt was the first to recognize reality. And their leader was assassinated.

Scotland -in the mind of Howie- has always hated Jews. But now he has to deal with Muslims (...that Raj thingie didn't work out so well, did it?) But he's always hated Muslims too... What is a good Scotsman to do?

The bloodshed seems to be minimal. I hope that continues to be the case.

At least I can say in view of that latest junk you prove you are a typical Yank by the lack of knowledge. We don't have many Jews they are happier in the ex-colonies as they run it's corporate control mob. The man that is PM of Israel would get voted in if he lived over the pond being a kind of Valhalla for that race. Israel has acted improper;y time and time again and I am sorry they won the 6-Day War as that would have solved the problem. Oh and let us not forget that Israel depends on finance from it's Zionist mob in America......

Building a wall is probably rather stupid,^[1] but I'm not sure if it's improper.

¹ Sure, in the short term you gain some security, but in the long term you completely alienate people living on opposite sides of the wall.↵

I suppose the problem America has is the enormous influx of Mexicans running into millions. Oh i dare say the open minds will muse on lots of space but that is something we DON'T have here and giving us problems on structure and everything else.

  One single Mexican bothers many people.
One million Mexicans bother many more.

I was referring to Israel's wall-building in response to Israel acting improperly, ftr, though what I said doubtless applies to most walls.

If ever space invaders come I hope they arrive in Tel Aviv..........

Today is Earth Overshoot Day.


But and if we all lived like....

That calendar can't be right. I live in Sweden and it's not 4th of April, but the 1st of August.

Swedish crown jewels: Speedboat thieves steal priceless treasures

Two priceless crowns and an orb belonging to a 17th Century king and queen were taken at around midday on Tuesday in Strängnäs, near Stockholm.

Witnesses said they saw two men running from the cathedral, which was open to the public and hosting a lunch fair.

They were seen motoring off into Lake Malaren, and have not been seen since.

Not just the thieves are wanted, but the stolen regalia also.

Strängnäs is not far from Södertälje. I have been on the lookout for any rider on a boat or ship coming from that direction wearing a crown or a sceptre. Haven't seen anyone yet.

Seen that news but heavens what a silly thing leaving such valuables so open.

I think it will be difficult to sell the goods. Unless it was already sold before the robbery to someone that wants to keep it.

You are correct as they will be well beyond any routine style of deal. Head shaking situation still though. Pity you lost your monarchy the way it happened. Wonder where your crown jewels are??

Charles Aznavour died on October 1st https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Aznavour#Mort (Hopefully no random editor goes to change the date on that one.)

Bush the First died at age 94. Gorbachev, 87, remembers good things about him https://apnews.com/e73505a6e6af447a99fb5ef9a4432974

Earlier today I was momentarily confused about seeing something about Bush being the last Republican president with a rational foreign policy. I mean, I'm inclined to agree, but just the headline seemed very random.

Not that random. The Democrats by that time got a more rational policy, while the Republicans were outsourcing it to the crazies, and they are not about to give it back.

He was also one of the few presidents who actually campaigned on foreign policy. The Clinton campaign famously came up with the "It's the economy, stupid!", and, just as famously, won.

Not that random.

I meant I didn't know he died yet.

Pharma Spending on Doctors Is Correlated With Opioid Deaths

This week came new revelations that the family that owned a major drug firm spent years misleading doctors and patients about the dangers of OxyContin in the early 2000s. The aggressive promotion of that one painkiller helped fuel the opioid crisis that killed more than 40,000 Americans in 2017.

There's also the more subtle influence of cash payments through speeches, conferences, trips, and free meals that drug company representatives use to tout their latest opioid medications.

When pharma corps take doctors to promo seminars (with all-included meals, housing, and recreation) and the regulatory framework permits to incentivise treating every problem with drugs, then what did you expect? The problem has been noted over here also.

Direct link to the study https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2720914