The unimportant news thread

[EddieRUKiddingVarese]

Today, when I threw a piece of litter in the bin outside a small train station in the suburbs, a recorded voice from the bin greeted me saying "How sweet of you! Thank you very much."

Sure you weren't on the set of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?

[Turner]

Sure you weren't on the set of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?

I´ve never experienced it before, but did some web research on the subject. Apparently similar, talking bins have been introduced sporadically as gimmicks in order to improve public behavior in the UK etc., a couple of years ago.

[Parsifal]

Finally some good news

Federal jury acquits Ammon Bundy and six followers of conspiracy in standoff last winter

Tragic that one was killed by the FBI.

He was shot by two state troopers, not an FBI agent.

[Turner]

If authorities aren´t really able to do a repair of a sidewalk - well, there´s always Photoshop:

https://themoscowtimes.com/news/st-petersburg-city-officials-caught-trying-to-fool-locals-with-photoshop-55986

[Todd]

You say president, I say sultan . . .

[Todd]

Trudeau is really just Trump North?

[Todd]

DOD sends Thanksgiving condolences to family of US soldier killed in Syria.  I'm trying to remember which AUMF authorizes boots on the ground in Syria.  Ah well, that's just a formality.

[Todd]

News you can use.

[Todd]

If you don't get the AUMF you want, just redefine an old one.  Thanks, Obama!

[Todd]

No François for France.

[Spineur]

No François for France.

Watch out, he aint the only François (Fillon)

[Turner]

A Russian woman from Sochi just got a prison sentence of 7 years for high treason
- for sending a SMS about local tanks moving in the area towards Abkhazia.
She was arrested in 2015, for sending the SMS 7 years earlier:

http://www.mk.ru/social/2016/12/01/7-let-za-sms-za-chto-posadili-oksanu-sevastidi.html

(it´s a verified story that can probably be found in English-language media soon).

EDIT: Dec. 9th: here´s one: https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/jailed-for-a-text-message-welcome-to-krasnodar-the-epicenter-of-russian-treason-56474

[Todd]

One day, and not one, but two prime ministers resign, though for different reasons.  Equity markets are up in the US and Europe.  It's all good.

[ahinton]

Watch out, he aint the only François (Fillon)

Indeed not - and, at least for the time being, Fillon looks set to be the greatest threat to electoral success for le Pen, given that he's already well to the right (even though not quite as much so as she is).

[ahinton]

One day, and not one, but two prime ministers resign, though for different reasons.  Equity markets are up in the US and Europe.  It's all good.

For how many minutes, do you suppose?

[Todd]

For how many minutes, do you suppose?

FTSE, DAX, and CAC closed up for the day, so at least one trading day in the European markets that matter.  US markets have been up for almost four hours as I type.  So quite a few minutes.  New Zealand is irrelevant to global politics and economics, and the tumult in Italy wasn't a huge shock.  If the Italian government can't address banking concerns, that's more important. 

[Spineur]

Indeed not - and, at least for the time being, Fillon looks set to be the greatest threat to electoral success for le Pen, given that he's already well to the right (even though not quite as much so as she is).

Nothing is written and much can happen in the six coming month.
Marine, François and Manuel (Valls) will probably the main contenders.  They have the authoriarian personalities that people want to see in their leader today.  Isnt that the real reason for Donald (Trump) success ?

Emmanuel (Macron) has zero experience.  Ex banker from Rotschild, never elected, not even 2 years as minister and always in a game of smoke and mirrors.  Considering his weak personality, will he be able to keep the illusion all the way ?  I have my doubt.

The orator of the extreme left has the usual leftist rethoric, but travels in Mercedes with chauffeur and is extremely self consious.

As you may surmise, I dont like any of them, but I will have to.make a choice as the french president has power even if doesnt have a majority at the parliament.  (Power to call for a referendum,power to disokve the parliament, the head of the armies, nuclear control, etc, etc)

[Todd]

$25 billion here, $25 billion there, pretty soon you're talking Pentagon money.

[ahinton]

FTSE, DAX, and CAC closed up for the day, so at least one trading day in the European markets that matter.  US markets have been up for almost four hours as I type.  So quite a few minutes.  New Zealand is irrelevant to global politics and economics, and the tumult in Italy wasn't a huge shock.  If the Italian government can't address banking concerns, that's more important.

"Minutes" was clearly intended to be figurative. The European markets, like any other, can be subject to all manner of vagaries and the events in Europe, principally but not solely within EU, are such that the only thing that's certain is uncertainty, as is indeed the case with the UK Brexit situation in which wilful lack of government action, a raft of pending Court cases and a wide variety of other considerations appear so far to have conspired to cement such uncertainty over the 5½+ months since the non-legally binding opinion poll result was announced; financial markets and sustained political and economic uncertainty are not great bedfellows.

[Todd]

"Minutes" was clearly intended to be figurative.

European markets up today as well. 

Perhaps you missed my mention of the more important issue facing Italy that pertains to markets.  Sure, Italy might be able to pull its own version of Brexit, I guess, but that's apparently not on the table right now.