PanAmerican

@dkpseudo

Not affiliated w/ the actual OAS | non-academic | Southern California | he/him

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Ist das dein Profil?Übernimm es — dann gehört dir dkpseudo.dirty.social.Profil übernehmen

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· 3d

"California Proposition 25, the Replace Cash Bail with Risk Assessments Referendum, was on the ballot in California as a veto referendum on November 3, 2020.[1] Proposition 25 was defeated, repealing the law." ballotpedia.org/California_P...

California's three ACLU affiliates opposed SB 10, issuing a joint statement that said: "SB 10 is not the model for pretrial justice and racial equity that California should strive for." The statement called for new legislation to "address racial bias in risk assessment tools."[16] ACLU of North California executive director Abdi Soltani said the group would not, however, align with bail bond businesses to overturn SB 10. Soltani stated, "Make no mistake, the bail industry is not interested in equal justice or equal protection under the law, they are seeking to turn back the clock to protect their bottom line."[17]

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Jul 26

Never has eating the tears of a civilization-ending war criminal out of his weapon of mass destruction tasted so good

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Jul 23

From Alan Blinder 1997, "Is Government Too Political?" in Foreign Affairs magazine. Former member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors uses Central Bank independence in determining monetary policy to propose an analogous independent fiscal authority www.jstor.org/stable/20048...

AN ILLUSTRATION of how these principles might be applied may help clarify matters. Without necessarily advocating such a change, let us consider how Congress might make some aspects of tax policy less political.

An independent federal tax authority might consist of presi- dential appointees serving fixed terms and removable only for cause, much like the Federal Reserve Board. These political appointees would have a highly skilled technical staff of nonpolitical civil servants, most of whom could be drawn from what are now the Treasury's Office of Tax Analysis and the staff of the Congress could make Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation. Unlike the Federal Reserve, the authority tax policy less political would be required to explain in detail the reasoning behind its decisions, and to open its supporting materials to public scrutiny.

The legislation establishing the authority should set its basic goals. Should the United States tax income, consumption, or something else? Should the authority strive for tax neutrality or should it seek to encourage particular activities such as saving, homeownership, or charitable contributions? What distributional goals should it seek? Congress now provides tacit answers to these questions through its actions. But these answers often form an unprincipled and inconsistent hodgepodge. One salutary effect of the proposed reform would be to make these clearly political decisions more explicit. Forcing politicians to take explicit stands on these general issues might even increase, rather than diminish, democratic accountability.

Having set the basic goals and parameters, Congress could do one of two things. It could explicitly delegate certain limited policymaking powers to the authority while reserving the most basic decisions for itself. Or it could direct the authority to design all the details and then subject the whole package to a single up-or-down vote.

Such a division of policymaking labor would improve policy design by …

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· May 1

He ran for mayor in Alameda in 2022. Got 3rd place at 6% (1) www.mercurynews.com/2022/10/21/e... (2) alamedapost.com/news/final-a...

The third candidate in the race is Barack D. Obama Shaw. No, that's not his birth name. He says he legally changed it in 2013. He also says he's a business communications consultant. He has little knowledge of city issues and has never run for office before. He told us he wants pay raises for school teachers and to keep children safe in school, which suggests that he should be runningbfor school board, not mayor.

Novel candidate Barack D. Obama Shaw did not translate early attention from his familiar name into votes and finished a distant third.

1. Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft - 17,131 /59.28%

2. Trish Herrera Spencer - 10,023

/ 34.68%

3. Barack D. Obama Shaw - 1,744

/6.04%

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Apr 8

From Nov 2025 bsky.app/profile/npr....

In the village of Hula in southern Lebanon, a monument engraved with the names of almost 100 Lebanese killed here in 1948 just after the creation of the state of Israel lies covered in graffiti and smashed to pieces. While Lebanon is made up of a variety of religious groups, the majority in the south is Shia Muslim.

The black spray paint scrawled next to a Star of David bears the message in Hebrew "the only good Shia is a dead Shia."

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Mar 25

March 16, 2026 - Kazakhstan’s new constitution cementing president’s grip on power approved in a referendum (Associated Press) apnews.com/article/kaza...

The new constitution also stipulates that marriage will no longer be a union of two people, but rather a union of a man and a woman. Analysts say this provision was introduced in the new constitution as a follow-up to a law banning what authorities view as “propaganda” of LGBTQ+ relations.

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Mar 2

From Al Jazeera's interview yesterday with Iran’s Foreigner Minister www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/...

“What happened in Oman was not our choice. We have already told our armed forces to be careful about the targets they choose,” Araghchi said, adding that the Iranian army was acting on general instructions.

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Jan 6

"Mr. Maduro’s regular public dancing and other displays of nonchalance in recent weeks helped persuade some on the Trump team that the Venezuelan president was mocking them and trying to call what he believed to be a bluff" www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/w...

It was one dance move too many for Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro.
Mr. Maduro in late December rejected an ultimatum from President Trump to leave office and go into a gilded exile in Turkey, according to several Americans and Venezuelans involved in transition talks.
This week he was back onstage, brushing off the latest U.S. escalation — a strike on a dock that the United States said was used for drug trafficking — by bouncing to an electronic beat on state television while his recorded voice repeated in English, “No crazy war.”
Mr. Maduro’s regular public dancing and other displays of nonchalance in recent weeks helped persuade some on the Trump team that the Venezuelan president was mocking them and trying to call what he believed to be a bluff, according to two of the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the confidential discussions.
So the White House decided to follow through on its military threats.

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Jan 3

Nytimes reported that CIA had a source tracking Maduro for them www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Jan 3

Apparently the Vice President and Defense Minister survived and are still in Venezuela. www.wsj.com/livecoverage...

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Dec 29

Moderator: Where do you get your political news from? Lauren: www.city-journal.org/article/manh...

Lauren: Various sources through Instagram and YouTube, just kind of like, whatever pops up. I’ve seen a lot of Alex Clark and Brett Cooper, and then kind of just going into the whole religious political space. I love Mark Driscoll, he’s amazing.

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Dec 29

Not sure this will save Canada in the long term, but electoral geography plus FPTP has been advantageous towards Libs over Cons in recent general elections. In both 2019 and 2021, Cons won more votes than Libs, but won fewer seats.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Results_breakdown_of_the_2025_Canadian_federal_election

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Results_breakdown_of_the_2021_Canadian_federal_election

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Results_of_the_2019_Canadian_federal_election

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Results_of_the_2015_Canadian_federal_election

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 27

"collective religious practice" on pages 3, 16, 19 of the pdf on this website: www.assnat.qc.ca/en/travaux-p... french language version of the website: www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/travaux-p...

The bill enacts the Act to foster religious neutrality, in particular in the public space. The enacted Act prohibits the use of public roads and public parks for the purposes of collective religious practice without the authorization of the municipality. That Act sets out the f ines applicable in a case of non-compliance with that prohibition.

“CHAPTER II “RELIGIOUS NEUTRALITY IN THE PUBLIC SPACE “2. No public road, within the meaning of the third paragraph of section 66 of the Municipal Powers Act (chapter C-47.1), or public park may be used for the purposes of collective religious practice unless a municipality authorizes, exceptionally and on a case-by-case basis, such a use in its public domain by resolution of the municipal council. For the purposes of this Act, “religious practice” has the meaning assigned by section 10.1 of the Act respecting the laicity of the State (chapter L-0.3). “3. A municipality may grant an authorization under section 2 only if the use for the purposes of collective religious practice meets the following conditions: (1) it does not compromise human safety; (2) it is of short duration; (3) it is accessible to all; and (4) it does not unduly impede access by any person to the municipality’s public domain. A use for the purposes of collective religious practice that excludes a person on the basis of a ground of discrimination recognized under the first paragraph of section 10 of the Charter of human rights and freedoms (chapter C-12) is not accessible to all.

“CHAPTER V “MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS “11. Anyone who does any of the following is liable to a fine of $125 to $375 in the case of a natural person and $375 to $1,125 in any other case: (1) organizes or participates in a collective religious practice that is prohibited under section 2; or (2) contravenes section 4.

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 27

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/w...

Maria Corina Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October and is considered the opposition’s de facto leader, has recently amplified debunked claims that Mr. Maduro fixed elections in the United States, aligning herself closely with President Trump and his allies.
“I have no doubt that Nicolás Maduro, Jorge Rodríguez and many others are the masterminds of a system that has rigged elections in many countries, including the U.S.,” Ms. Machado told Bloomberg News, referring to Venezuela’s president and the head of its National Assembly.
Mr. Trump followed over the weekend by amplifying unproven assertions that Venezuela interfered in the 2020 election.

Going ROGUE with Larn Logan
STOLEN ELECTIONS with Gary Berntsen & Ralph Pezzullo
Episode 45

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 24

Neat en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michell...

Hobbies
Wu plays the piano, having started taking lessons when she was 4, and on her first day as mayor, had one put in her office at city hall.[264] In May 2023, she performed the second movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.[265] She took refresher lessons at Berklee College of Music prior to performing George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue as a guest soloist with the Boston Pops in September 2024.[266] In November 2025, she played Bach's “Ave Maria” alongside Yo-Yo Ma at Boston's Symphony Hall.[267]

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 22

"Minister [of Armed Forces and Veterans in France] backs army chief over warning France must accept 'loss of our children'" (euronews) www.euronews.com/2025/11/21/a...

General Mandon was responding to a long-standing invitation from the president of the AMF, David Lisnard. The Chief of the Defense Staff is fully legitimate in expressing himself on the threats that continue to grow, and it is indeed important for mayors to be made aware of the current context.

His remarks, taken out of context for political purposes, reflect the military language of a leader who, every day, knows that young soldiers risk their lives for the Nation.

Our responsibility is clear: avoid any confrontation but prepare for it, and strengthen the spirit of defense, this collective moral force without which no nation could hold firm in the face of trial.

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 22

Netanyahu Golan tour 'triggered by Trump's warm welcome of Syria's Sharaa' Israeli media say Benjamin Netanyahu’s sudden tour of southern Syria was a direct reaction to US President Donald Trump’s warm reception of Ahmad al-Sharaa. www.newarab.com/news/netanya...

Israeli sources told local media that Trump spraying his branded perfume on al-Sharaa and his foreign minister during the White House meeting was seen as a symbolic gesture that had "provoked" Netanyahu's team and pushed them to organise a high-level tour of the occupied southern Syria.

During Thursday's meeting of Israel's security cabinet, Netanyahu reportedly launched a fierce verbal attack against al-Sharaa. According to Israel's radio broadcaster Kan Reshet Bet, Netanyahu told ministers: "The Golan guy came back from Washington puffed up, and he has started doing things we will not accept."

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 21

similiar 2023 House resolution clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023106

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 20

The websites for Eurostat (EU) and OECD (38+ developed countries) has lots of accessible comparative analysis on lots of topics. For example, on social spending: 1) ec.europa.eu/eurostat/sta... 2) www.oecd.org/en/topics/so...

dark blue - OECD member states
light blue - OECD applicants

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 18

Sometimes I wonder how USA politics would differ if POTUS net ratings were similar to those of Presidents of Philippines (who serve single 6 year terms). Exception: after Estrada left office early in 2001, VP Arroyo became President and won election in 2004. She had no honeymoon Link in alt text.

https://www.sws.org.ph/swsmain/artcldisppage/?artcsyscode=ART-20250930190641

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 17

Black Americans tend to vote for the Dem POTUS at a higher rate than other polls/surveys would suggest (1) 2 party POTUS vote (2) avg feeling wrt POTUS candidates (3) avg feeling wrt parties (4) party id Links in alt text. Also, graphs have no years b/c I'm posting from phone, not desktop

https://electionstudies.org/data-tools/anes-guide/anes-guide.html?chart=vote_for_president_2_parties

https://electionstudies.org/data-tools/anes-guide/anes-guide.html?chart=avg_ft_pres

https://electionstudies.org/data-tools/anes-guide/anes-guide.html?chart=avg_ft_parties

https://electionstudies.org/data-tools/anes-guide/anes-guide.html?chart=party_identification_3_pt

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 17

From his Facebook page

I have resigned from the board of the Heritage Foundation. I could not remain without a full retraction of the video released by Kevin Roberts, speaking for and in the name of Heritage, on October 30th. Although Kevin publicly apologized for some of what he said in the video, he could not offer a full retraction of its content. So, we reached an impasse.
Kevin is a good man. He made what he acknowledged was a serious mistake. Being human myself, I have plenty of experience in making mistakes. What divided us was a difference of opinion about what was required to rectify the mistake.
I’m sad to be leaving the Heritage board. I have great affection and esteem for Barb Gaby, who chairs the board, and my other board colleagues. I wish them and the Heritage Foundation the very best.
My hope for Heritage is that it will be unbending and unflinching in its fidelity to its founding vision, upholding the moral principles of the Judeo-Christian tradition and the civic principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. I pray that Heritage’s research and advocacy will be guided by the conviction that each and every member of the human family, irrespective of race, ethnicity, religion, or anything else, as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, is “created equal” and “endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights.”
The anchor for the Heritage Foundation, and for our Nation, and for every patriotic American is that creed. It must always be that creed. If we hold fast to it even when expediency counsels compromising it, we cannot go wrong. If we abandon it, we sign the death certificate of republican government and ordered liberty.

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 16

"A vote of no confidence in a sitting leader must be held if 15% of Conservative MPs write to the chairman of the 1922 Committee saying they no longer have confidence in the leader." commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri... www.parliament.uk/site-informa...

Rules
The leader of the Party must be a sitting MP.

Conservative Party leadership elections usually consist of two stages:

Stage 1 – Conservative MPs choose two candidates to put forward to stage two.
Stage 2 – Party members are balloted. The candidate with the most votes wins.
A leadership contest will occur if a sitting leader resigns or if they lose a vote of no confidence of MPs.

A vote of no confidence in a sitting leader must be held if 15% of Conservative MPs write to the chairman of the 1922 Committee saying they no longer have confidence in the leader. The current 15% threshold is 54 MPs. MPs may withdraw letters at any time.

The rules for votes of no confidence are a matter for the 1922 Committee and are not available in the public domain.

Stage 1
The rules and procedures for stage 1 of a leadership election are determined by the Executive of the 1922 Committee in consultation with the Conservative Party Board. This will include how an MP can be validly nominated.

The rules are not in a publicly available document. Each time a leadership election is held the chair of the 1922 Committee will announce the rules to be followed and the timetable.

If there are more than two candidates the field is whittled down. This will usually involve a series of ballots, depending on the number of candidates. If multiple ballots are required, the candidate(s) with the lowest vote is/are eliminated and MPs are re-balloted until only two candidates remain.

In 2019 there were initially 10 candidates in the first ballot and six rounds of balloting were required before the final two candidates were known.

In the event of only one candidate being successfully nominated they become leader of the Party. However, they may be subject to a vote of Party members to ratify the result.

Stage 2
The two MPs selected in stage 1 face a ballot of Party members. This is done on the basis of one member one vote. The candidate who receives the most votes wins.

The 1922 Committee, also known as "the 22", is a committee of all backbench Conservative MPs that meets weekly when the Commons is sitting. Its chair, usually a senior MP, is elected by committee members and has considerable influence within the Parliamentary Party.

Despite its name, the 1922 Committee was actually set up in April 1923 following an initiative by new Conservative MPs elected at the 1922 General Election to facilitate cooperation within the party.

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 16

"Labour MPs cannot formally hold a vote of confidence in the party leader. [...] An MP wishing to challenge an incumbent leader must be supported by 20% of Labour MPs [...] incumbent leader is automatically on the ballot paper commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...

Vacancies
When a vacancy arises, Labour Party leadership or deputy leadership elections consist of two stages:

Stage 1: Nominations
Candidates seeking to enter the ballot must be an MP.

Candidates must be nominated by 20% of fellow Labour MPs.

The current rules were last changed in 2021, when the Labour Party Conference agreed to raise the threshold for nominations from 10% to 20% of MPs.

To progress candidates must also be nominated by:

5% of constituency Labour Parties (CLPs), or
at least three affiliates of the Labour Party (at least two must be trade unions) where the combined membership of nominating affiliates should be at least 5% of affiliated membership
Affiliates are groups or organisations which have interests consistent with those of the Labour Party; they include trade unions and co-operative and socialist societies.

The nomination stage for CLPs and affiliates was added after a review of Labour leadership elections in 2018. In the 2020 leadership election, the candidates had to secure the required level of support from fellow MPs before moving on to the next round of securing the required nominations from CLPs and affiliates.

Stage 2: Ballot
Eligible members of the party and affiliates vote for the leader using a preferential voting system. Each voter has one vote but may rank the candidates in order of preference by marking their ballot 1, 2, 3 and so on. The winner is the first candidate to secure over 50% of the vote, using rounds of transfers of preferences if required. If a candidate wins over 50% of first preference votes, no transfers are required.

The rules for stage one are set out in chapter 4 of the Labour Party Rule Book (PDF). The precise rules on eligibility to vote in stage two of a leadership election are set out by the NEC.

Leadership challenges
Labour MPs cannot formally hold a vote of confidence in the party leader. However, MPs may initiate a leadership challenge each year prior to the annual session of party conference.

An MP wishing to challenge an incumbent leader must be supported by 20% of Labour MPs. If enough support is gathered to initiate a stage two membership ballot, the incumbent leader is automatically on the ballot paper, and they do not need to seek nominations from MPs.

Elections for the deputy leader of the party follow the same format.

Timings are affected by whether Labour is in government or not. If the Labour leader is also Prime Minister and the party leadership becomes vacant for any reason, the Cabinet, in consultation with the NEC, appoints one of its members to serve as party leader until a ballot can be organised.

If Labour is in opposition and the party leadership becomes vacant, the deputy leader automatically becomes party leader, and the NEC will determine the timing of a leadership ballot.

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 14

www.chosun.com/english/nati...

The ‘Joint Factsheet’—a product of South Korea-U.S. tariff and security negotiations—was finalized on the 14th.

President Lee Jae-myung personally announced the final agreement on the factsheet’s contents at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, that morning. It marked 16 days since President Lee and U.S. President Donald Trump reached a consensus on key tariff and security issues during their summit in Gyeongju on the 29th of last month.

President Lee evaluated, “We successfully secured U.S. support for expanding uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing rights,” calling it “a highly significant advancement.”

South Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation has expanded to include collaboration on naval vessel construction. President Lee stated, “We agreed to explore institutional improvements to allow not only U.S. commercial ships but even naval vessel construction to take place within South Korea,” adding, “A foundation has been laid for both South Korean and U.S. shipbuilding industries to grow together.” He continued, “We reaffirmed the continued stationing of U.S. troops in South Korea and the extended deterrence commitment,” emphasizing, “Through strengthening defense capabilities and reclaiming the Operational Control Authority, we declared our proactive stance, and the U.S. strongly expressed its support and commitment.”

President Lee remarked, “The international community has little legal enforcement, and might often prevails,” stressing, “Rapidly building national capabilities is essential to protect our national interests and the lives of our people.”

When asked about reflections on concluding negotiations with the U.S., he said, “The time it took was an inevitable and only measure to maximize our sole strength. I hope no one criticizes the delay.” He added, “In negotiations to protect our national interests with a truly powerful adversary on the front lines, enduring the pressure was already challenging. It was unbearable to face constant criticism from behind—tripping us up or demanding faster concessions,” concluding, “Our only strength lies in perseverance.”

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 14

The article doesn't mention that Iraq used SNTV only for the 2021 election. They went back to PR for 2025 election. Photos of Iraq 2025 ballots I found in various articles show people's faces, which makes me think it's open list, though I'm not sure about that. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Ir...

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 13

1) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of... 2) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_p...

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 10

from C-Span transcript: "They're all bidding and we're going to pick the best one and it will get built relatively quickly and we're going to have the greatest air traffic control system anywhere in the world."

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 6

Net Satisfaction Rating of President Marcos Jr (latest Jun 2025) by SWS. Social Weather Stations has been polling Philippines Presidents since 1986, when President Marcos Sr was overthrown, so it's useful compare presidential ratings across the past 40 years www.sws.org.ph/swsmain/artc...

PanAmerican@dkpseudo· Nov 6

"However, on one culture war issue — the debate over transgender rights — the US and UK right was broadly aligned, with more than 90 per cent of Trump supporters and 88 per cent of the British right saying gender is based on the sex assigned at birth, not self-identification."