All-purpose news and politics thread

[Cavemold]

What is it that makes arizona such a intolerable state ............ !?

[Vibranium]

I think the immigration law was the first crack in the dam, and sensible people (instead of trying to effect change) are just leaving....I have a friend who relocated out there about three years ago,almost half of his small residential street (he is in a middle class neighborhood) have moved out and no one has moved in

[Cavemold]

I think the immigration law was the first crack in the dam, and sensible people (instead of trying to effect change) are just leaving....I have a friend who relocated out there about three years ago,almost half of his small residential street (he is in a middle class neighborhood) have moved out and no one has moved in

Crazy.... A state I have no intrest visting

[Charles RB]

It's more that most Green voters are ideologically left wing. If the Greens didn't exist, their voters would most likely support Labor or one of the minor left wing parties.

The Tories are unlikely to attract many of those voters so why even try?

I don't expect the Tories to try - I'd expect Labour or Lib Dems to, but I've never heard them say "we need to bring these voters in". I have heard Labour say that about the BNP.

[thehod]

"Critics who dismiss reform of the House of Lords or legislation for gay marriage as unpopular irrelevances have just been given fresh electoral ammunition" is worrying.

If the Tories want to focus on combating gay marriage and Lords reform, best of luck to them, as they'll be destroyed at the next election. This mauling had nothing to do with that, and everything to do with the economy, and their blind refusal to see it will cost them dear.

[dupont2005]

What is it that makes arizona such a intolerable state ............ !?

The Republicans

[Charles RB]

This mauling had nothing to do with that, and everything to do with the economy, and their blind refusal to see it will cost them dear.

They can't admit that because then they'd have to admit they're doing it wrong (or, at least, are crap at PR).

[Iangould]

China and the US may have a solution to the Chen Guangsheng case: Chen has been offered a chance to study at a US University.

Chen repeatedly said he wouldn't leave China, then left the American embassy under a deal that would supposedly allow him and his family to live safely inside China and then reversed himself and said he did want to leave after all.

[cactusmaac]

The "small" company he inherited from his father was accompanied by the equivalent in contemporary terms of about a billion dollars in cash.

Was it as much as that? I didn't know Keith Murdoch was that loaded.

[Iangould]

Was it as much as that? I didn't know Keith Murdoch was that loaded.

A couple of hundred million Pounds in 1960's currency.

Keith Murdoch had built up a national newspaper and radio chain, when he died his exectors insited on selling most of the assets leaving Rupert with the Adelaide News and not much else except a pile of cash.

They did if firstly because they didn't trust a guy in his 20's to run a business that size and secondly because they had to pay death duties. The death duties bit was apparently what killed off any lingering traces of Rupert's university Marxist phase.

A few years later, Ruper used some of that cash to buy the Australian rights to the entire output of all three US TV networks and used his control of that to negotiate entry into television here.

Edited to add: actually according to this report Keith Murdoch's estate was valued at only 400,000 pounds.

What that equates to in contemporary terms
will have to wait until after FCBD I'm afraid.

[cactusmaac]

I'm not sure about the hundred million pounds figure.

His probate report shows he left a gross estate of £410k in 1952. That's about £10m in today's money before any death duties.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/arti...&searchLimits=

[mikekerrIII]

China and the US may have a solution to the Chen Guangsheng case: Chen has been offered a chance to study at a US University.

Chen repeatedly said he wouldn't leave China, then left the American embassy under a deal that would supposedly allow him and his family to live safely inside China and then reversed himself and said he did want to leave after all.

The offered to let him apply to leave, no guarantees and I would not insure him for a dollar the minute they think he has been forgotten enough. From what i understand that supposedly live safely quickly looks to have been BS

I will give the State depart the shadow of the doubt here and assume they were simply played.

Anyone know what happened to "Tank Man" I beloved that he will be Chen's roommate soon after this is forgotten.

[Charles RB]

The West Bank is recruiting more female officers for its new police force, both for community liason and for drug raids - at least one woman in every raid, ideally (since dealers keep hiding the evidence on their wives). So that's the West Bank police force getting better at its job, and Palestinians are getting to see women doing important, dangerous jobs and holding positions of authority. And it's hard to put that particular genie back in the bottle.

[Iangould]

The offered to let him apply to leave, no guarantees and I would not insure him for a dollar the minute they think he has been forgotten enough. From what i understand that supposedly live safely quickly looks to have been BS

I will give the State depart the shadow of the doubt here and assume they were simply played.

Anyone know what happened to "Tank Man" I beloved that he will be Chen's roommate soon after this is forgotten.

Wang Weilin (Tank Man) was almost definitely executed.

As for Cheng, if he isn't residing in the US three months from now I will give you $10.

[Iangould]

It's three weeks since the increasingly absurd "ceasefire" in Syria was supposed to start.

I haven't bothered linking to stories about the daily massacres of civilians by the government or the sporadic acts of violent terrorism by some of its opponents.

This story may be worth noting though.

Aleppo is the second largest city in Syria and the main commercial centre. It's been largely peaceful up to now with occasional peaceful anti-government protests.

Then someone decided to

1. Shut down the main university with no notice and use live ammo on students protesting this and then

2. to shoot people protesting the previous violence.

An extension of violence to Aleppo would make things even more difficult for the Syrian government which is trying to pay its security forces despite a virtual economic collapse.