Non-IT News Thread
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Pope Francis on Iraq visit calls for end to violence and extremism
Pope Francis has called for an end to violence and extremism, on the first ever papal visit to Iraq.
The pontiff is making his first international trip since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Covid and security fears have made this his riskiest visit yet, but the 84-year-old insisted he was "duty bound". He also said Iraq's dwindling Christian community should have a more prominent role as citizens with full rights, freedoms and responsibilities. He is hoping to foster inter-religious dialogue - meeting Iraq's most revered Shia Muslim cleric - and will celebrate Mass at a stadium in Irbil in the north. -
Major and Champ: Joe Biden's dogs moved out of White House
Joe and Jill Biden's German shepherds have been removed from the White House after the younger dog, Major, reportedly bit a security agent.
According to US media, the pets have been sent back to the Biden family home in Wilmington, Delaware. It follows Major's aggressive behaviour towards White House staff. The Bidens adopted three-year-old Major in 2018. He became the first dog from an animal shelter to live in the White House. Their other dog, Champ, is 13. Anonymous sources told CNN that Major had been jumping, barking and charging at White House staff and security. Both dogs moved into the White House four days into Joe Biden's presidency. -
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Major and Champ: Joe Biden's dogs moved out of White House
Joe and Jill Biden's German shepherds have been removed from the White House after the younger dog, Major, reportedly bit a security agent.
According to US media, the pets have been sent back to the Biden family home in Wilmington, Delaware. It follows Major's aggressive behaviour towards White House staff. The Bidens adopted three-year-old Major in 2018. He became the first dog from an animal shelter to live in the White House. Their other dog, Champ, is 13. Anonymous sources told CNN that Major had been jumping, barking and charging at White House staff and security. Both dogs moved into the White House four days into Joe Biden's presidency.Follow up story from Fox News: Secret Security can't even keep the President's dogs in check Since announcing that the Presidential dogs can't be controlled, this weak president has sent the dogs away to the family home, "just put down these rabid animals" says Chief of Staff.
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@DustinB3403 said in Non-IT News Thread:
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Major and Champ: Joe Biden's dogs moved out of White House
Joe and Jill Biden's German shepherds have been removed from the White House after the younger dog, Major, reportedly bit a security agent.
According to US media, the pets have been sent back to the Biden family home in Wilmington, Delaware. It follows Major's aggressive behaviour towards White House staff. The Bidens adopted three-year-old Major in 2018. He became the first dog from an animal shelter to live in the White House. Their other dog, Champ, is 13. Anonymous sources told CNN that Major had been jumping, barking and charging at White House staff and security. Both dogs moved into the White House four days into Joe Biden's presidency.Follow up story from Fox News: Secret Security can't even keep the President's dogs in check Since announcing that the Presidential dogs can't be controlled, this weak president has sent the dogs away to the family home, "just put down these rabid animals" says Chief of Staff.
Now there's a person who doesn't like dogs.
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Meghan and Harry interview: Royal Family 'very much not racist' - William
The Duke of Cambridge has said the royals are "very much not a racist family" in his first comments after accusations by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a TV interview.
Prince William also said he had not yet spoken to his brother but would do so. Meghan and Prince Harry said a royal had expressed concern over "how dark" their son Archie's skin might be. Buckingham Palace previously said the claim was "concerning" but it would be addressed privately. In a statement, the Palace said "recollections may vary" but that the Sussexes would "always be much loved family members". During a visit to a school in Stratford, east London, on Thursday, Prince William was asked by a reporter: "Is the Royal Family a racist family, sir?" -
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Meghan and Harry interview: Royal Family 'very much not racist' - William
The Duke of Cambridge has said the royals are "very much not a racist family" in his first comments after accusations by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a TV interview.
Prince William also said he had not yet spoken to his brother but would do so. Meghan and Prince Harry said a royal had expressed concern over "how dark" their son Archie's skin might be. Buckingham Palace previously said the claim was "concerning" but it would be addressed privately. In a statement, the Palace said "recollections may vary" but that the Sussexes would "always be much loved family members". During a visit to a school in Stratford, east London, on Thursday, Prince William was asked by a reporter: "Is the Royal Family a racist family, sir?"
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Arizona state representative quoted saying everybody shouldn't be voting.
In Arizona, another battleground seeing an onslaught of election-related legislative battles, state Rep. John Kavanagh, a Republican, told CNN, "Democrats value as many people as possible voting, and they're willing to risk fraud. Republicans are more concerned about fraud, so we don't mind putting security measures in that won't let everybody vote -- but everybody shouldn't be voting."
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@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
Arizona state representative quoted saying everybody shouldn't be voting.
In Arizona, another battleground seeing an onslaught of election-related legislative battles, state Rep. John Kavanagh, a Republican, told CNN, "Democrats value as many people as possible voting, and they're willing to risk fraud. Republicans are more concerned about fraud, so we don't mind putting security measures in that won't let everybody vote -- but everybody shouldn't be voting."
That's kinda the foundation of America and the point of the Constitution... only rich, land-holding, white males should be allowed to vote. It's at the very core of the American experience, unequal representation.
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
Arizona state representative quoted saying everybody shouldn't be voting.
In Arizona, another battleground seeing an onslaught of election-related legislative battles, state Rep. John Kavanagh, a Republican, told CNN, "Democrats value as many people as possible voting, and they're willing to risk fraud. Republicans are more concerned about fraud, so we don't mind putting security measures in that won't let everybody vote -- but everybody shouldn't be voting."
That's kinda the foundation of America and the point of the Constitution... only rich, land-holding, white males should be allowed to vote. It's at the very core of the American experience, unequal representation.
Every one in Australia has to vote. You cop a fine for not voting.
Doesn’t mean you can’t donkey vote but everyone is expected to.Just be aware that if it wasn’t mandatory then only a tiny fraction would vote.
Curious to how other countries handle it.
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@nadnerB said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
Arizona state representative quoted saying everybody shouldn't be voting.
In Arizona, another battleground seeing an onslaught of election-related legislative battles, state Rep. John Kavanagh, a Republican, told CNN, "Democrats value as many people as possible voting, and they're willing to risk fraud. Republicans are more concerned about fraud, so we don't mind putting security measures in that won't let everybody vote -- but everybody shouldn't be voting."
That's kinda the foundation of America and the point of the Constitution... only rich, land-holding, white males should be allowed to vote. It's at the very core of the American experience, unequal representation.
Every one in Australia has to vote. You cop a fine for not voting.
Doesn’t mean you can’t donkey vote but everyone is expected to.Just be aware that if it wasn’t mandatory then only a tiny fraction would vote.
Curious to how other countries handle it.
In the U.S. everyone is manipulated into misvoting, but you have the freedom to choose not to vote. Other than that, there's tons of fake votes.
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Iceland volcano eruption: Onlookers flock to see Mount Fagradalsfjall
Thousands have flocked to a volcano in Iceland which erupted near the capital, Reykjavik.
Lava started to burst through a crack in Mount Fagradalsfjall on Friday evening, in the first eruption of its kind in more than 800 years. The site was initially blocked off, but from Saturday afternoon people were allowed to make the trek. "It's absolutely breath-taking," Ulvar Kari Johannsson, a 21-year-old engineer, told the AFP news agency. "It smells pretty bad. For me what was surprising was the colours of the orange: much, much deeper than what one would expect," he added. -
Coronavirus: France accuses UK of 'blackmail' over vaccine exports
France has accused the UK of "blackmail" over its handling of coronavirus vaccine exports, amid continuing tensions over supply chains.
Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was asked whether the EU had been "scammed" by sending millions of doses to the UK while its own rollout stuttered. "We need to build a co-operative relationship," he told France Info radio. "But we cannot deal this way." France has called for the EU to implement tougher export controls. Vaccine rollouts have started sluggishly across the bloc, and the EU has blamed pharmaceutical companies - primarily AstraZeneca - for not delivering its promised doses. AstraZeneca has denied that it is failing to honour its contract. -
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Coronavirus: France accuses UK of 'blackmail' over vaccine exports
France has accused the UK of "blackmail" over its handling of coronavirus vaccine exports, amid continuing tensions over supply chains.
Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was asked whether the EU had been "scammed" by sending millions of doses to the UK while its own rollout stuttered. "We need to build a co-operative relationship," he told France Info radio. "But we cannot deal this way." France has called for the EU to implement tougher export controls. Vaccine rollouts have started sluggishly across the bloc, and the EU has blamed pharmaceutical companies - primarily AstraZeneca - for not delivering its promised doses. AstraZeneca has denied that it is failing to honour its contract.This is interesting - I really wish the US news channels would post this information as well as the US numbers...
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Uyghurs: Xinjiang cotton ban is self-defeating, China tells H&M
The Chinese government has warned clothing brand H&M it will not earn a penny in the country if it refuses to buy cotton from the Xinjiang region.
H&M and other western brands are facing a backlash in China after they expressed concern about the alleged use of forced labour in cotton production. China has been accused of forcing members of the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority to pick cotton in Xinjiang. China denies this and, in recent days, critical brands have faced boycotts. "I don't think a company should politicise its economic behaviour," said Xu Guixiang, a Xinjiang government spokesman, at a news conference on Monday. "Can H&M continue to make money in the Chinese market? Not anymore." Mr Xu said the decision by some brands to stop buying Xinjiang cotton was "not reasonable", comparing it to "lifting a stone to drop it on one's own feet". -
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Uyghurs: Xinjiang cotton ban is self-defeating, China tells H&M
The Chinese government has warned clothing brand H&M it will not earn a penny in the country if it refuses to buy cotton from the Xinjiang region.
H&M and other western brands are facing a backlash in China after they expressed concern about the alleged use of forced labour in cotton production. China has been accused of forcing members of the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority to pick cotton in Xinjiang. China denies this and, in recent days, critical brands have faced boycotts. "I don't think a company should politicise its economic behaviour," said Xu Guixiang, a Xinjiang government spokesman, at a news conference on Monday. "Can H&M continue to make money in the Chinese market? Not anymore." Mr Xu said the decision by some brands to stop buying Xinjiang cotton was "not reasonable", comparing it to "lifting a stone to drop it on one's own feet".Maybe they should move their factories to Taiwan and cotton production to India lol. I'm sure China would love that.
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@obsolesce said in Non-IT News Thread:
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Uyghurs: Xinjiang cotton ban is self-defeating, China tells H&M
The Chinese government has warned clothing brand H&M it will not earn a penny in the country if it refuses to buy cotton from the Xinjiang region.
H&M and other western brands are facing a backlash in China after they expressed concern about the alleged use of forced labour in cotton production. China has been accused of forcing members of the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority to pick cotton in Xinjiang. China denies this and, in recent days, critical brands have faced boycotts. "I don't think a company should politicise its economic behaviour," said Xu Guixiang, a Xinjiang government spokesman, at a news conference on Monday. "Can H&M continue to make money in the Chinese market? Not anymore." Mr Xu said the decision by some brands to stop buying Xinjiang cotton was "not reasonable", comparing it to "lifting a stone to drop it on one's own feet".Maybe they should move their factories to Taiwan and cotton production to India lol. I'm sure China would love that.
Because both of those location have no problems at all...
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George Floyd: Teenage witness 'stays up apologising for not doing more'
The teenager whose film of George Floyd's death sparked global protests said she "stays up apologising" to him for "not doing more".
Darnella, who was 17 at the time, was one of four young witnesses who gave gripping descriptions on the second day of Derek Chauvin's trial. In emotional testimony, she compared Mr Floyd to her dad, brother, cousins and uncles "because they are all black". The case has brought issues of racial equality and policing to the fore. On Monday, the opening session of the trial heard Mr Chauvin, an ex-police officer, knelt on Mr Floyd's neck for over nine minutes while arresting him in Minneapolis in May 2020. Prosecutors say this was a "major cause" in his death. -
Jill Biden butchers Spanish pronunciation during speech to California farmers
*First lady Jill Biden took a page out of her husband’s book and offered the internet a gaffe of her own this week, completely botching the pronunciation of the Spanish phrase “Sà se puede.” The flub occurred Wednesday, when the first lady appeared at an event for farmworkers in Delano, Calif., alongside embattled Gov. Gavin Newsom to celebrate César Chávez Day, which honors the late Latin American civil rights activist. While delivering remarks to the socially distanced crowd, Biden first noted that Chávez “understood that no matter the obstacles, when people come together united in a cause, anything is possible.
