Politics & Stuff

[Fernando 6,585]

2 hours ago, Vesper said:

climate change is being driven by anthropogenic causes, unlike anytime in the past

it is not being caused by natural cycles

CO2 levels have NEVER been higher (as I have shown) over the past 800,000 years

they have skyrocketed over the past 100, 150 years, caused by humans use of fossil fuels

these are driving an unprecedented rapid increase in global temperatures over such a short duration

this has been definitively proven, it is settled science

And I agree with that. What I'm saying is that man made global warming pales in comparison to the record of global warming in the past. We are not at the level where green land is no longer ice like in the past. 

[Vesper 30,195]

6 hours ago, Fernando said:

And I agree with that. What I'm saying is that man made global warming pales in comparison to the record of global warming in the past. We are not at the level where green land is no longer ice like in the past. 

We are very rapidly headed there, far faster (10 times faster on average in terms of global temperature increases) than any rate seen over the last million or so years.

The only truly major change in terms of interlocking systemic inputs over the past 150 to 200 years has been humans releasing CO2 to massive degrees via fossil fuels, etc. That release has been scientifically proven to be the prime, by far, reason for the ever-increasing global climate change we are witnessing.

[cosmicway 1,333]

There is no climate change.
It is a myth created by the commies to stall industrial progress and hopefully destroy the western economies.
Some western governments like it because it gives them the chance to increase taxes and apply new taxes.
The climate change is something that happens from geological period to geological period - it takes hundreds of millions of years.
We certainly have n't witnessed it.
What is true is that the atmosphere becomes foul in large towns because of bad planning and polluting factories allowed to exist inside the towns perimeter.
In Athens there is a mountain to the west called the Egaleo. If you go there you see the entire city infront of you. Straight ahead and slightly to the right you see the Acropolis.
Then a little to the right you see a neighbourhood to the west of the centrum where is the main railway station.
That area then looked black with smog, almost like as if there had been a fire there and smoke was rising.
But it was atmospheric pollution, not climate change.

[Vesper 30,195]

2 hours ago, cosmicway said:

There is no climate change.
It is a myth created by the commies to stall industrial progress and hopefully destroy the western economies.

🤪

[Fulham Broadway 17,319]

 

Bottom-of-the-class RFK Jr says he went to the top after he started taking heroin

RFK Jr said his foray into drugs began in the summer after his father, Robert F Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968. His older brother’s friend invited him to a party. Hitchhiking home, an “older boy” picked him up and offered him LSD. Later that day, after a 10-hour acid trip, he ran into some boys in the woods who offered him crystal meth. He took some, snorted it and “felt great,” he said.

“Within a month, I was shooting heroin and that was my kind of drug of choice,” RFK Jr said. For the next 14 years, cocaine and heroin became his drugs of choice, he said.

Independent

[Vesper 30,195]

The End of the Liberal West

Donald Trump’s reelection marks a critical moment for the global liberal order, forcing Europe to confront its vulnerabilities and redefine its future.

https://www.socialeurope.eu/the-end-of-the-liberal-west

 

We all think, speak, and write within certain intellectual frameworks that we largely take for granted. But, eventually, the passage of time renders familiar categories and ideas obsolete. For example, who still talks about the “Soviet Union” today, apart from historians? 

In a similar vein, this year’s presidential election in the United States was the most significant political event of 2024, and it will almost certainly be remembered as a historical turning point. The outcome will shape global events for decades to come. 

The effects will be felt on two levels. The first is the more immediate, practical, operational level of day-to-day governance. With Donald Trump back in the White House, the US will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, impose new tariffs on its trade partners, and launch a massive campaign to round up and expel millions of undocumented immigrants. Taken together, this all represents a fundamental shift in how the world’s most powerful country operates, and in what it represents. 

Then there is the global dimension, where many scenarios are possible – from major power shifts to the dissolution of long-standing alliances and the disintegration of the world’s governing institutions and norms. What will happen to transatlantic relations? What about Ukraine? Will the US develop closer ties to Russia and other authoritarian regimes at the expense of the European Union and other allies? 

Trump won decisively despite his contempt for democratic institutions, his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and his subsequent 34-count felony conviction. Though voters know about his chaotic approach to governance, his habitual mendacity, and his sinister immigration policies, he won every swing state. Even with full knowledge of who Trump is, more Americans voted for him than for Kamala Harris. 

We must not mince words: liberal democracy in the US has suffered a lethal blow. It will be under increasing pressure on both sides of the Atlantic, and there is no guarantee that it will survive. After all, can there be any future for the liberal West without the US as its leader? I believe the answer is no. 

Trump will begin his second term with Republican control over both houses of Congress, and many observers expect the 6-to-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court to back him unequivocally. In June, the Court ruled, in a case brought by Trump, that presidents enjoy broad immunity from criminal prosecution for “official” acts. Thus, he will be able to govern – indeed, to rule – unimpeded. There is nothing to stop him from reshaping American liberal democracy into an illiberal oligarchy. 

Obviously, the pressure on European democracies to contribute more to their own security will intensify. But Trump has no interest in strengthening the EU – quite the opposite, in fact – and the EU’s capability to advance independently without the tacit support of the US is doubtful. Doing so would require a fundamental shift in Europeans’ political mentality, and such a change is currently nowhere in sight. Moreover, the Franco-German engine that has always propelled the EU is no longer operational, and no one knows when, or if, it will be restarted. 

Another major issue is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Will the current Israeli government now rush to annex the West Bank? What will it do about Iran, which has been amassing near-weapons-grade uranium? All signs point to a major war in the region – to a violent restructuring that will bring anything but peace or even a lasting ceasefire. 

That brings us to the final, all-important question: What will the world look like without a liberal West? For decades, the transatlantic alliance projected power (both hard and soft) and modeled the values that underpinned a cohesive global order. But now the global order is in the midst of a chaotic transition. 

If Europe fails to come together at this moment of tumultuous change, it will not get a second chance. Its only option is to become a military power capable of protecting its interests and securing peace and order on the world stage. The alternative is fragmentation, impotence, and irrelevance. The challenge is compounded by a massive technological shift toward digitalization and AI, as well as by Europe’s demographic crisis. Though the continent has too many elderly people and too few young people, it is increasingly opposed to immigration. 

So, what now? Will Europe prepare itself, or will it revert to a structure resembling the one that followed the 1814-15 Congress of Vienna, in which Russia’s influence was dominant and pervasive? Europeans woke up on November 6 to a result that will affect them more profoundly than all their own elections combined. Trump will not only change America (for the worse); he will also shape European history – if we let him.

[Vesper 30,195]

From Trump’s Win to Valencia’s Floods: Is Europe’s New Security Focus Putting Social Justice at Risk?

As Europe braces for mounting crises, a new EU agenda prioritizes security, but at what cost to social justice and climate action?

https://www.socialeurope.eu/from-trumps-win-to-valencias-floods-is-europes-new-security-focus-putting-social-justice-at-risk

Massanassa, Valencia, Spain. October 31, 2024 – After the floods, a person empties a bucket full of mud taken from his house into the street. Cars and debris in the street. (photo: Vicente Sargues/shutterstock.com)

Two significant events marked the beginning of November 2024, both of which may foreshadow what lies ahead for Europe in the coming years and decades. Firstly, a climatic catastrophe struck the Spanish city of Valencia, and secondly, Donald Trump secured victory in the US presidential elections.

While these events are distinct from one another, they underscore the uncertainties and, more importantly, the vulnerabilities of the European Union to both its internal and external environments. A recent study by the European Trade Union Institute examines these vulnerabilities and identifies six key areas of concern: geopolitical (the war in Ukraine, European defence and security), economic (protectionism in the United States, increasing trade conflicts with China), climatic (extreme events, delays in the industrial transition, etc.), energy (price fluctuations and security of supply), technological (dependence on critical technologies and materials), and health (the risk of new pandemics and shortages of medicines).

Each of these six areas presents its own unique threats. For instance, the EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, has referred to the ‘weaponisation’ of migration. Europe must now venture beyond its comfort zone. Over the past few years, the EU has been attempting to develop what could be called a ‘security agenda’. This agenda remains relatively fragmented and includes an economic security strategy, support for the military industry, an emergency instrument for the single market in the event of extreme events, a body to prepare for health threats, and stricter migration policies. This focus on ‘securing Europe’ is reflected in the composition of the new European Commission von der Leyen II (2024-2029). Key responsibilities include ‘technological sovereignty’ and ‘security and democracy’ for Commissioner Henna Virkkunen, ‘preparedness’ for Roxana Mînzatu, ‘industrial strategy’ for Stéphane Séjourné, ‘economic security’ for Maroš Šefčovič, ‘defence’ for Andrius Kubilius, ‘migration’ for Magnus Brunner, and ‘crisis management’ for Hadja Lahbib. It is notable that only the latter role existed in the previous Commission, highlighting a shift in context.

What implications might this changing environment — particularly one that is becoming increasingly hostile — have for the European social agenda, the climate transition, and the roles and strategies of social stakeholders? If these threats become reality — such as wars on the European continent, exacerbated climate disasters, new pandemics, and the rise of ‘AI extremism’ — what new issues and challenges will arise, and how will progressives respond? This is the question the ETUI publication aims to address. The emerging challenges could include the risk of transforming the objective of security into a security-driven Europe, prioritising it over fundamental rights. There is also the proliferation of new ‘socio-climatic’ risks, including forced displacement, housing shortages, health crises, and mobility issues. Additionally, energy poverty, the weakening of labour markets, rising inequalities, polarisation, and social unrest are pressing concerns.

Furthermore, the rise of the far right, the decline of international cooperation, and the closing of borders add to the social issues and challenges in these worst-case scenarios. How can we prepare for these developments? Currently, the priorities articulated by the EU’s heads of state and government centre on competitiveness and a return to fiscal discipline, if not austerity. If we also consider the more or less hidden agenda of enhancing European security, what space will remain for a just transition and social investment? This is not a theoretical question; it is one that Valencia currently poses. Security is a legitimate concern which serves as one of the primary missions of public authorities. In the more hostile environments that lie ahead, the major strategic challenge for social actors will be to demonstrate that security is also social.

Edited November 27, 2024 by Vesper

[Fernando 6,585]

5 hours ago, Vesper said:

We are very rapidly headed there, far faster (10 times faster on average in terms of global temperature increases) than any rate seen over the last million or so years.

The only truly major change in terms of interlocking systemic inputs over the past 150 to 200 years has been humans releasing CO2 to massive degrees via fossil fuels, etc. That release has been scientifically proven to be the prime, by far, reason for the ever-increasing global climate change we are witnessing.

Well that could be in the cards. 

Then if that's true some place that was not able to be lived can be lived in like Greenland and other north parts of northern hemisphere. 

Sadly others will suffer as well. So that's bad but then the good to migrate northern. 

Greenland once truly green, scientists reveal

Greenland was once truly green, according to new research which shows that the southern highlands of the country used to be home to a lush boreal forest. The work, which was partly funded by the EU's Marie Curie programme, is published in the latest edition of the journal S...

 

Greenland was once truly green, according to new research which shows that the southern highlands of the country used to be home to a lush boreal forest. The work, which was partly funded by the EU's Marie Curie programme, is published in the latest edition of the journal Science. The scientists reached their conclusion after analysing ancient DNA from the base of an ice core taken at the Dye 3 site in southern Greenland. The samples revealed the presence at the site of trees such as alder, spruce, pine and yew as well as invertebrates such as beetles, flies, spiders, butterflies and moths. The samples were dated back to between 450,000 and 800,000 years ago, making them the oldest authenticated DNA obtained so far. 'Analysing ancient biomolecules from beneath glaciers and ice sheets is challenging due to the very low concentrations, but the information is worth the effort,' commented Dr Enrico Cappellini of the University of York, one of the authors of the paper. Knowing the environmental limits of the plants identified, the researchers believe that the average July temperatures at the time must have been over 10°C, while winter temperatures could not have been lower than -17°C. 'These findings allow us to make a more accurate environmental reconstruction of the time period from which these samples were taken, and what we've learned is that this part of the world was significantly warmer than most people thought,' commented Dr Martin Sharp of the University of Alberta. This ancient arctic forest disappeared and the land was covered in an ice sheet when temperatures fell during the subsequent ice age. However, when temperatures rose again some 116,000-130,000 years ago, the ice sheet remained in place, even though during that period, the temperature was 5°C warmer than today. 'If our data is correct, then this means that the southern Greenland ice cap is more stable than previously thought,' commented Professor Eske Willerslev of the University of Copenhagen, who lead the study. 'This may have implications for how the ice sheets respond to global warming.' However, Professor Willerslev is quick to note that this does not mean we should stop worrying about sea level rise resulting from global warming. 'We know that during the last interglacial, sea levels rose by five to six metres, but this must have come from other sources additional to the Greenland ice cap, such as Antarctic ice,' he notes. 'I would anticipate that as the Earth warms from man-made climate change, these sources would still contribute to a rise in sea levels.'

 

https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/28003-greenland-once-truly-green-scientists-reveal#:~:text=journal S...-,Greenland was once truly green%2C according to new research which,edition of the journal Science.

 

 

Edited November 27, 2024 by Fernando

[Vesper 30,195]

38 minutes ago, Fernando said:

Well that could be in the cards. 

Then if that's true some place that was not able to be lived can be lived in like Greenland and other north parts of northern hemisphere. 

Sadly others will suffer as well. So that's bad but then the good to migrate northern. 

Greenland once truly green, scientists reveal

Greenland was once truly green, according to new research which shows that the southern highlands of the country used to be home to a lush boreal forest. The work, which was partly funded by the EU's Marie Curie programme, is published in the latest edition of the journal S...

 

Greenland was once truly green, according to new research which shows that the southern highlands of the country used to be home to a lush boreal forest. The work, which was partly funded by the EU's Marie Curie programme, is published in the latest edition of the journal Science. The scientists reached their conclusion after analysing ancient DNA from the base of an ice core taken at the Dye 3 site in southern Greenland. The samples revealed the presence at the site of trees such as alder, spruce, pine and yew as well as invertebrates such as beetles, flies, spiders, butterflies and moths. The samples were dated back to between 450,000 and 800,000 years ago, making them the oldest authenticated DNA obtained so far. 'Analysing ancient biomolecules from beneath glaciers and ice sheets is challenging due to the very low concentrations, but the information is worth the effort,' commented Dr Enrico Cappellini of the University of York, one of the authors of the paper. Knowing the environmental limits of the plants identified, the researchers believe that the average July temperatures at the time must have been over 10°C, while winter temperatures could not have been lower than -17°C. 'These findings allow us to make a more accurate environmental reconstruction of the time period from which these samples were taken, and what we've learned is that this part of the world was significantly warmer than most people thought,' commented Dr Martin Sharp of the University of Alberta. This ancient arctic forest disappeared and the land was covered in an ice sheet when temperatures fell during the subsequent ice age. However, when temperatures rose again some 116,000-130,000 years ago, the ice sheet remained in place, even though during that period, the temperature was 5°C warmer than today. 'If our data is correct, then this means that the southern Greenland ice cap is more stable than previously thought,' commented Professor Eske Willerslev of the University of Copenhagen, who lead the study. 'This may have implications for how the ice sheets respond to global warming.' However, Professor Willerslev is quick to note that this does not mean we should stop worrying about sea level rise resulting from global warming. 'We know that during the last interglacial, sea levels rose by five to six metres, but this must have come from other sources additional to the Greenland ice cap, such as Antarctic ice,' he notes. 'I would anticipate that as the Earth warms from man-made climate change, these sources would still contribute to a rise in sea levels.'

 

https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/28003-greenland-once-truly-green-scientists-reveal#:~:text=journal S...-,Greenland was once truly green%2C according to new research which,edition of the journal Science.

 

 

why are you reposting the same article that you already posted 15 hours ago?

here is where you posted it before:

 

that article does not remotely counter what I have said

you can post it 50 times and it will still not be an effective counter

Of course there has been cyclical warming and cooling in the past

no one is disputing that, certianly not me

what I AM SAYING is that the RATE OF INCREASE in global temps is now FAR greater, moving FAR faster than it has at anytime over the past million or so years (it is increasing 10 times faster than the average rate of increase seen over the past million years)

the absolutely scientically proven consensus is that the unprecedented rats of increase we NOW are seeing is caused by human based activity, ie the massive increase in CO2 levels cause by the use of fossil fuels and other anthropogenic factors

your article does nothing to counter the scientific consensus on the current global climate change's causes

it simply is a historical documentation of a a forested Greenland during a warm period, one that occurred hundreds of thousands of years ago

also

your own article ends with this:

Edited November 27, 2024 by Vesper

[cosmicway 1,333]

URBAN WARFARE, WHAT LIES BEHIND IT ?
--------------------------------------------------
You may have read that two weeks ago in Athens a terrorist bomb exploded inside a house.
It was the house of the terrorist himself. While he was putting it together it exploded in his hands.
He was killed and his female companion severely injured.
As a result 5-6 accomplishes -so far- have been arrested while the police investigation continues.
It is believed that they intended to place that bomb at some central building in Athens.
Whether they intended to cause human victims as well or not is unknown but it is believed the intended target was one of the central banks or some embassy.

It baffles me. The purpose baffles me.
I am of course positioned against it but I 'm also prepared to look at it from a neutral's perspective.
During the war we had such actions by the resistance. The resistance was a people's movement and its military wing bombed many places belonging to the nazis, also ships-trains.
Hamash, reprehensible or not, is another people's movement.
The recent right wing riots in Britain is a people's movement too - with aspirations to promote Faragism it appears.
But here where is the people's movement ?
Let's even suppose that the left wingers actually did tacitly approve some of of the actions of the urban terrorists in the past. It still does n't make it a people's movement.

So what is there behind it ? What is the hidden agenda behind such diverse groups as red brigades, Baader-Meinhoff, 17 November and offsprings ?

Edited November 27, 2024 by cosmicway

[Fulham Broadway 17,319]

Good that there is a ceasefire in Lebanon - Israel seemingly getting their nose blooded and media blackout on the drones hitting Tel Aviv. Like all bullies they back down when people fight back, even though they have the most sophisticated military in the World. Back to massacring children and raping surgeons to death in Gaza then.

[Fulham Broadway 17,319]

4 hours ago, cosmicway said:

There is no climate change.
It is a myth created by the commies to stall industrial progress and hopefully destroy the western economies.
Some western governments like it because it gives them the chance to increase taxes and apply new taxes.
The climate change is something that happens from geological period to geological period - it takes hundreds of millions of years.
We certainly have n't witnessed it.
What is true is that the atmosphere becomes foul in large towns because of bad planning and polluting factories allowed to exist inside the towns perimeter.
In Athens there is a mountain to the west called the Egaleo. If you go there you see the entire city infront of you. Straight ahead and slightly to the right you see the Acropolis.
Then a little to the right you see a neighbourhood to the west of the centrum where is the main railway station.
That area then looked black with smog, almost like as if there had been a fire there and smoke was rising.
But it was atmospheric pollution, not climate change.

Perhaps you are right and every government and NASA are wrong. Though highly unlikely.

[cosmicway 1,333]

Just now, Fulham Broadway said:

Perhaps you are right and every government and NASA are wrong. Though highly unlikely.

Look, I have never seen a climate change.
I have seen atmospheric pollution in cities but this is easily reversible once the appropriate measures are taken,
So it's a myth.

[Fulham Broadway 17,319]

1 minute ago, cosmicway said:

I have never seen a climate change.

Well you need to tell all governments, climate professors, NASA, geologists, meteorologists, global scientists they are all wrong then. Comic know better !

[cosmicway 1,333]

1 minute ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Well you need to tell all governments, climate professors, NASA, geologists, meteorologists, global scientists they are all wrong then. Comic know better !

Climate change means giraffes in England, ice caps in Libya.
There ain't no such thing.

[Fulham Broadway 17,319]

Just now, cosmicway said:

Climate change means giraffes in England, ice caps in Libya.
There ain't no such thing.

Yes thats a sensible rebuff to World scientists

[Fulham Broadway 17,319]

24/11/2024

Greece this week signed a clean energy deal with the EU in a bid to fast-track the green transition on its fragile islands threatened by climate change.

Hundreds of Greek islands are facing major challenges including water scarcity, said Dimitris Lianos, the mayor of Naxos, the largest island in the Cyclades archipelago, where the deal was signed Thursday with the European Union and the European Investment Bank to finance decarbonisation projects.

Athens is focusing on developing renewable energy infrastructure -- offshore wind farms, energy storage systems and connecting the islands with the mainland for power supply.

Greece, which is at the forefront of global warming in the Mediterranean Basin, has been experiencing scorching summers and disastrous wildfires due to climate change.

MSN News

[Fernando 6,585]

36 minutes ago, Vesper said:

why are you reposting the same article that you already posted 15 hours ago?

here is where you posted it before:

 

that article does not remotely counter what I have said

you can post it 50 times and it will still not be an effective counter

Of course there has been cyclical warming and cooling in the past

no one is disputing that, certianly not me

what I AM SAYING is that the RATE OF INCREASE in global temps is now FAR greater, moving FAR faster than it has at anytime over the past million or so years (it is increasing 10 times faster than the average rate of increase seen over the past million years)

the absolutely scientically proven consensus is that the unprecedented rats of increase we NOW are seeing is caused by human based activity, ie the massive increase in CO2 levels cause by the use of fossil fuels and other anthropogenic factors

your article does nothing to counter the scientific consensus on the current global climate change's causes

it simply is a historical documentation of a a forested Greenland during a warm period, one that occurred hundreds of thousands of years ago

also

your own article ends with this:

True and what I'm saying that just like there's some bad there's also some good to that, colder regions can be habitable. 

But also that it will not be the end of the world. We will get warmer but eventually Mother nature will self correct and produce and ice age. 

But for that to take place it will take years. 

People will be eventually migrate to northern territory because of this global warming. 

[cosmicway 1,333]

Just now, Fulham Broadway said:

24/11/2024

Greece this week signed a clean energy deal with the EU in a bid to fast-track the green transition on its fragile islands threatened by climate change.

Hundreds of Greek islands are facing major challenges including water scarcity, said Dimitris Lianos, the mayor of Naxos, the largest island in the Cyclades archipelago, where the deal was signed Thursday with the European Union and the European Investment Bank to finance decarbonisation projects.

Athens is focusing on developing renewable energy infrastructure -- offshore wind farms, energy storage systems and connecting the islands with the mainland for power supply.

Greece, which is at the forefront of global warming in the Mediterranean Basin, has been experiencing scorching summers and disastrous wildfires due to climate change.

MSN News

There have always been scorching summers and wildfires.
When I was in the army, decades ago, I helped put out some - it's the summer heat causing automatic fires.

[Fulham Broadway 17,319]

5 minutes ago, cosmicway said:

There have always been scorching summers and wildfires.
When I was in the army, decades ago, I helped put out some - it's the summer heat causing automatic fires.

You need to tell all governments and scientists and NASA that they are all wrong. I am sure they will take it very seriously.