The unimportant news thread

[Turner]

Montenegro, a penguin and a polar explorer.

https://twitter.com/MaximEristavi/status/857963411212296192

[Todd]

Little Beirut, ca 2017, take two.  (I opted for a national source for the link.)  Much of the violence was caught on news camera.  My favorite bit was when protestors/rioters smashed out a large window at a Target and one threw a flare inside.  Before 5:00.  When many shoppers were inside because, you know, it's a store.  Must have been conservative types doing the rioting. 

[Karl Henning]

Oh, there's a bulletin:

If organic farms violate organic rules, consumers are being misled and overcharged.

[Spineur]

Emmanuel Macron, 39yo elected president according to swiss and RTBF media with a score as close to the pools as possible: 62-63% of the votes.  Marine Le Pen lost a lot of momentum after the debate, where it wasnt clear if she had a program at all.

This campain did generate an unusal amount of trash (already in the can with food trash covering it so you cant smell it).  Foreign powers involved, us far right movements, anarchist organizations and social medias.

This was a horrible experience for us, even though the unexpected outcome should be alright for the EU.  Putin will suffer.

A new serie in the style of "House of cards" is planned. Since reality overcame fiction, they have plenty of new material to work on.

[Turner]

Emmanuel Macron, 39yo elected president according to swiss and RTBF media with a score as close to the pools as possible: 62-63% of the votes.  Marine Le Pen lost a lot of momentum after the debate, where it wasnt clear if she had a program at all.

This campain did generate an unusal amount of trash (already in the can with food trash covering it so you cant smell it).  Foreign powers involved, us far right movements, anarchist organizations and social medias.

This was a horrible experience for us, even though the unexpected outcome should be alright for the EU.  Putin will suffer.

A new serie in the style of "House of cards" is planned. Since reality overcame fiction, they have plenty of new material to work on.

I saw a no doubt rather one-sided, but very sharp British documentary yesterday with some staggering figures - no matter how much sympathy one can have for the social thinking implied, hearing of the 69 days of average work absence PLUS days on holiday per year among public servants in Montpellier & the super-expensive public building projects there, 57% of French economy being related to the public sector, rules implying that the number of child care absence years from a job (!) being flexible and totally relying on variable decisions from the worker, and the lack of progress in the industrial sector etc. - it all seems unrealistic under the pressure from globalization, and I think also merely on a European level of competition.

Macron is facing big problems, and Le Pen is probably more orientated towards the next round, as a stronger alternative then. But who knows what the situation will be then ...

[Turner]

Apparently wins 65% versus 35% ...

[Spineur]

A Macron is not the same as a Macaron !  He got a very strong mandate and he should also get the absolute majority in the house.  With an impoving econnomy in Europe he also benefits from a good tailwind.
His only real challenge is the much necessary labor law reform.  If he succeeds, national unions will be weakened and France will achieve what other countries have.

This is always like this Turner: France is often late in the game.  But once it gets moving its a Tsunami.

I am optimistic for the time being.

[Turner]

A Macron is not the same as a Macaron !  He got a very strong mandate and it seels difficult to see how the absolute majority in the house can escape him.  With an impoving econnomy in Europe he also benefits from a good tailwind.
His only real challenge is the much necessary labor law reform.  If he succeds, national unions will be weakened and France will achieve what other countries have.

This is always like this Turner: France is often late in the game.  But once it gets moving its a Tsunami.

I am optimistic for the time being.

Yes, there´ll be some positive dynamics and optimism created now.

I think macaron/macron depends on the circumstances; in my country it´s a makron biscuit. But macaron is indeed more widely used, and "macron" can have other meanings as well

[Todd]

We're all fucked!  (Or, the Norwegian government shit the bed.)

[Todd]

Belgian royalty sure is tetchy.  (Old Phil is probably worried he'd lose.)

[Todd]

Assuming the story is true, this looks like good guerilla marketing.

[kishnevi]

Assuming the story is true, this looks like good guerilla marketing.

Who needs to go on vacation when you can google it?
https://www.google.com/search?q=bergun&client=tablet-android-google&prmd=minv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiV_Im2nZvUAhWr1IMKHVa6AIAQ_AUICigC&biw=960&bih=600

[SurprisedByBeauty]

A lot is online.  A helpful hint: don't rely on Forbes.

I second that. Except when it comes to classical music. Then, of course, they are infallible. 

How To Build A Top Quality Classical Music Library: The Second $100

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2017/06/02/how-to-build-a-top-quality-classical-music-library-the-second-100/

Back in February of 2013, George Pieler and I wrote a column here on Forbes.com
("Two Cents About Classical Music For $100") on some of the market- and technology-
changes that affect this sneakily growing, more-important-than-you-think niche in
21st century entertainment: classical music. We followed this up with an actual list,
"How To Build A Top Quality Classical Music Library For $100" – which refers back
to a 2011 post on Tyler Cowen's "Marginal Revolution". Here's the sequel.

The complete list on Amazon on CDs – and as mp3s/streaming.

[Karl Henning]

The first recorded use of the word kludge is attributed to Jackson W. Granholm, who defined the word in a 1962 issue of the magazine Datamation as: "an ill-assorted collection of poorly-matching parts, forming a distressing whole."

[Todd]

Canada First.

[Ken B]

Canada First.

A naive person might think Trump's approach is working!

[Spineur]

Macron is going to win the parlementary elections by a landslide

www.letemps.ch/monde/2017/06/11/legislatives-republique-marche-premier-parti-france

Left parties (parti socialiste, la france insoumise) are just going to reach 20% of the votes when tallied together.

National front is making quite a poor showing (between 13 an 16% of the votes).

With the 2 round election system, Macron may have more than 400 seats out of the 570.

Macron just got the strongest mandate to reform france (some may say its about time )

[Turner]

Astonishing.

As they say, comparable more or less to a "peaceful revolution".
A low turnout though, and a lot of very new candidates.

A new poll gives him 32.2 %
https://twitter.com/CasMudde/status/873963581238374401/photo/1

Here the suggested number of seats
https://twitter.com/XVIVLXX/status/873964506015305728/photo/1

[Turner]

Kommersant is usually not considered an oppositional newspaper in Russia, but has published a series of surprisingly critical photos from yesterday´s demonstrations, not supporting the official stance of "mislead people influenced by foreign agents, causing trouble" etc.:
http://www.kommersant.ru/gallery/3324122

[Todd]

Amazon to buy Whole Foods.