WORLD_IN_FIRE

2021-09-01 15:00:14 "This is retribution. Slowly but surely we will get to each of them."

A Virginia transgender person has filed a lawsuit against the school he attended for not being allowed to use the men's room. Laughter and laughter, but the court ruled that the school "refused to recognize his gender identity", which means it violated the ban on discrimination on sexual grounds in educational institutions.

Now the school must pay the young transgender over a million bucks. He (she?), Of course, is happy and now bravely threatens anyone who, in his opinion, promotes laws "directed against transgender persons." Open / Comment

2021-09-01 13:00:13 Open / Comment

2021-09-01 11:00:09 Here I would like to intercede as a person who knows a little about the problem of gambling addiction in China (and not only there, gambling addiction is a cultural Asian feature) and the reasons for the introduction of this policy *. For reference - they started talking about her at least two years before the appointment of Chairman Xi.

To begin with, extrapolating 15 percent to a billion and a half will bring us to a figure of 225 million people - this is practically the entire population of the United States, if we draw analogies.
Secondly, gambling addiction in China is a very multifaceted phenomenon, which, among other things, does not allow Chinese citizens to enter the Macau SAR on a tourist visa more than once every 2 months. State officials and other equated persons are generally deprived of the right to enter (and in Macau itself, SAR officials have the right to visit casinos only for the first three days of New Year's holidays). At the same time, Macau casinos are almost entirely dependent on tourism from the mainland, and in 2018, it seems, their revenues were seven times higher than the revenues of Las Vegas open to the whole world. This is why concessionaires like Sands and Wynn stay there, even though they pay 53% in income tax.

Thirdly, as the experts who promoted these decisions (they were not taken at random) say, they have one and a half billion in their country and the various consequences of gambling addiction have a slightly different impact on society, which will be in a country with a population slightly more than the number of inhabitants of the province. Guangdong (113.5 million), or even many times less.
And finally, I would like to note that the lies when testing for addiction is connected, among other things, with the fact that addicts involuntarily seek an excuse for themselves and their behavior. And they realize it, by the way. Therefore, you need to look at the polls, their wording and, based on, add a corrective percentage.
Well, there are many, many more subtleties and points in the problem of teenage gambling addiction. Therefore, it is too early to judge the effect of measures when they are just taken.

* I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the national legislation of Singapore on citizens' access to local casinos. Open / Comment

2021-09-01 08:30:44 US President Joe Biden announced the end of two decades of US military operations in Afghanistan, defending the withdrawal and rejecting criticism that it was carried out incorrectly.

"It's time to end this war."

The US President considered the withdrawal operation "incredibly successful."
The United States faced a choice to leave Afghanistan, or to escalate the conflict.
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan ends the era of attempts to rebuild other countries, he said.
USA needs to focus on new challenges, including those related to Russia and China. Open / Comment

2021-07-01 18:44:15 American Wally Funk will go into space on July 20 with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. She is 82 years old, and no one has waited longer for space flight.

Funk was supposed to fly into space in 1961 - she was the best in the training program "Women in Space - Mercury 13", but the program was canceled.

Today, the founder of Amazon announced that Wally Funk's dream will come true and she will be the guest of honor on his spaceship. Open / Comment

2021-07-01 08:00:11 The Taliban announced the seizure of 80% of the territory of Afghanistan.

The Taliban controls the border with Tajikistan, whose president has promised support to the authorities in Kabul in the confrontation with the Taliban ... so far only humanitarian and financial.

The militants are already on the border with Uzbekistan, where thousands of refugees have also accumulated, and Tashkent is trying to prevent their infiltration. Open / Comment

2021-07-01 06:00:07 Over the past three months, India has sent its troops and military equipment (aviation) to the border. As a result, the total number of military personnel reached 200,000, which is 40 percent more than in 2020.

It is unclear what numbers China has, but it has strengthened its infrastructure in the disputed area by building airstrips, fighter bomb shelters, howitzers and border outposts. Over the past few months, Beijing has also sent long-range artillery, tanks, anti-aircraft missiles and fighter squadrons.

India's new deployment gives commanders more options in the event of an attack and the use of tactics known as "offensive defense".

The northernmost Ladakh region has seen the largest increase in the number of troops on both sides. This is the area where the clash between the PLA and Indian troops took place last year.

In addition to Ladakh, India has sent troops to other borders with China, including along the southern Tibetan plateau, between Nepal and Bhutan. Open / Comment

2021-07-01 05:00:08 In Uzbekistan, a sudden, but officially planned, check of the combat readiness of troops continues.

Its background is the situation on the border, which from the Afghan side is gradually coming under the control of the Taliban. Open / Comment

2021-07-01 04:00:07 https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/06/26/chinas-communist-party-at-100-the-secret-of-its-longevity Open / Comment

2021-07-01 02:00:03 While many only dream of losing weight by summer, Kim Jong-un has already done it.

Yes, so famously that the people of North Korea even began to worry about the leader's health. Kim Jong-un's usual weight is about 90-100 kilograms. But, last year, he recovered to a record 140 kilograms. And now - a sharp weight loss in recent months.

Only South Koreans, represented by the South Korean special services, monitor Kim Jong-un's health more closely than the North Koreans. It was they who in early June drew attention to the fact that the leader of North Korea began to tighten the watch strap on his thinner wrist.

South Korea's concern (and not only) for Kim Jong-un's health is understandable - issues of political continuity, including health issues, are of particular importance for the heads of nuclear powers. Open / Comment