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Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
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How hard can it be for the US to make a trade deal with Japan? Japan has the lowest tariffs in world at 1.9%. The US just needs to take off its current paused tariffs of 24% on Japan, and then further agree to drop its 2.2% pre-Trump tariff rate to the same level as Japan..............
1.9%-1.9% fair trade.
Wiley "Art of The Meal." (Chapter 2)
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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| Wiley wrote: | Russian rouble crowned world’s best-performing currency as dollar declines
They are still in trouble, as you would expect, having involved themselves in a long costly war, interest rates are at 21%, they have significant labour shortages and inflation at 10%. The rouble is going up as Russian speculators think that Russia military and Putin are doing well, ie the rouble is performing better because of military/diplomatic rather than economic performance. |
I was constantly having rows on Medium with Ukrainiacs about this and similar. They kept going on and on about this bad thing or that bad thing happening in Russia. I kept going on about none of it ever being remotely likely to deflect Putin from his path.
It reminded me of the day when Lord Woolton reported to the war cabinet that Britain was down to its last reserves of parsnip (for 'Woolton pies') and Churchill said there was nothing to be done but surrender to Germany. Luckily for us, Herr Hitler refused the offer.
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Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
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"Mr President"
"Not now"
"But Mr President, it's good news"
"Not now" "This is more important"
"But, Mr President, we have concluded our first trade deal, it is with Japan"
"Didn't you hear me! "
"But, sir, we have 180 deals to do with various nations around the world, it is vital to show the markets we are serious about this"
"And you think that is more important that this four footer?"
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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This year's Open is at Portrush in Northern Ireland. We invite him over to partner Rory McIlroy in the traditional Heads of State/pro golfers exhibition mulligans always held on the eve of the tournament proper (we tell him).
He will be trapped twixt UK and EU because of conflicting US sanction regimes and will have to divest himself of all his assets to get out. Something along these lines. I haven't worked it out in any fine detail. Or give the contract to an IRA splinter sleeper cell MI5 have been keeping on ice for just such an occasion.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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For as long as I can remember the Kurds have been described as the largest ethnic group in the world without their own country. Yesterday they were referred to on the BBC as 'one of the largest ethnic groups etc etc'. Since there are forty-five million Kurds, the other candidates must be formidable indeed. Anyone know who they might be? The Uighurs don't even come close.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Transgender politicking is teaching as a lot of lessons. It taught the Scottish government it is better not to get involved if it is someone else' problem--which in this case it largely was, since the legislation was Westminsterian and any domestic difficulties could be shucked off with a 'Our hands are tied, talk to London. You can have your New Jerusalem (carefully unspecified) after independence.'
But the real lesson is for the transgenders themselves. They should adopt Best Practice of all unpopular minorities:
* keep your head down
* make the best of things
* quietly lobby behind the scenes for gradual amelioration
Instead they are screaming from the rooftops. True, this policy has managed to bind their cause to the current portmanteau of Leftist Demands, but they are going to have to pay a severe price. Both meanwhile and if the New Jerusalem is duly delivered.
They will find transgenderism is a medical problem not a political aspiration.
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Boreades
In: finity and beyond
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| Mick Harper wrote: | | .. the Kurds have been described as the largest ethnic group in the world without their own country. Yesterday they were referred to on the BBC as 'one of the largest ethnic groups etc etc'. Since there are forty-five million Kurds, the other candidates must be formidable indeed. Anyone know who they might be? . |
Wiki says:
| A stateless nation is an ethnic group or nation that does not possess its own sovereign state. |
Especially for Mick, a list, because we know how much he loves lists. Here in order of size of population (descending).
#1 = Adivasi (in India)
#2 = Telugu (also in India)
#3 = Tamils (also in India)
#4 = Cantonese (in China)
#5 = Oromo (in Africa)
#6 = (at last) Kurds
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stateless_nation#List_of_stateless_nations
Some might say what's all the fuss about? Why do the Kurds get all the attention? Maybe its because of "Western Guilt" that we helped make the mess in the first place.
| After World War I and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the victorious Western allies made provision for a Kurdish state in the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres. However, that treaty was not ratified. When the Treaty of Lausanne set the boundaries of modern Turkey three years later, no such provision was made, leaving Kurds with minority status in all of the new countries of Turkey, Iraq, and Syria |
Footnote: Scotland does not appear on the list.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Adivisi I wouldn't accept if Wiki has it right
| Adivasi is the collective [twentieth century] term for the tribes of the Indian subcontinent, who are claimed to be the indigenous people of India. It refers to "any of various ethnic groups considered to be the original inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent". |
Telugu I would accept if they showed any sign that they don't regard India as 'their state'.
Tamils, yes. They've very much been showing signs, though in Sri Lanka. They do have their own 'state', Tamil Nadu, in India but I don't know whether this qualifies.
The Cantonese are a bit iffy. They've been card-carrying Chinamen for so long, and Mandarin-writing and -speaking for so long, it would be hard to put them on the list.
The Oromo (new to me) absolutely count. Spread across various western-devised countries and persecuted by them all.
Not sure about Kurds.
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Boreades
In: finity and beyond
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How to start a fight in a Glasgow pub.
| Is Scotland an ethnic group without a nation state? | |
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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They will have to fight among themselves because they are two ethnic groups, one of which is dying out in the highlands and islands of Scotland, and the other is the same ethnic group as England.
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Boreades
In: finity and beyond
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Some USA Democratic-voting friends were ecstatic when Trump was prosecuted by Letitia James (New York’s Attorney General).
What for?
| Ms. James brought a civil fraud case against Trump, accusing him of overstating the value of his real estate holdings to secure favorable loans. |
That was when it just got weird. One might suppose the banks that Trump got the loans from were the alleged victims of the alleged fraud. But when the very same banks turned up in court, they testified in his defense.
| They said they were not defrauded, that they conducted their own due diligence, and that they profited from the loans. They said they would be happy to do business with him again. |
What made this crime so unique?
| Trump’s “crime” is so commonplace that the Governor of New York had to assure other real estate developers (who were panicking and fleeing the state) that no one else would be prosecuted for those same charges. Only Trump. |
Throughout the whole process, on many occasions, Letitia James declared, “No one is above the law.”.
It turns out, this was a case of the pot calling the kettle black; Letitia James has now been accused of far more serious crimes.
| According to a criminal referral from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Letitia James allegedly committed mortgage fraud by deliberately falsifying records to obtain favorable loan terms on multiple properties. |
For what?
| James purchased a property in Norfolk, Virginia in August 2023, and on her mortgage applications, she declared the Virginia property as her primary residence. Primary residences qualify for lower interest rates, better loan terms, and other programs not available to investors or non-primary homeowners. |
What's wrong with that?
| The only problem— she was serving as the Attorney General of New York, a role that legally requires her to maintain primary residence in New York State. |
Oops!
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Justice Hiram J Cocklecarrot adds, somewhat but not entirely off-topic:
* Trump refuses to pay whatever damages are ultimately awarded to any of his accusers
* He is arrested by the sergeants-at-arms of the various courts that have found against him
* He is taken off to prison for contempt
* Imprisoning a U.S. president is ipso facto a federal matter
* Therefore Trump can pardon himself on each occasion
* By the time he is not president, double jeopardy pertains.
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Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
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The Japan-US tariff talks ended with "Big Progress" according to Team Trump, or no deal according to Japan. One Japanese lawmaker referring to the talks as "extortion".
Its going to be difficult to get the Japanese to lower their trade surplus by buying American cars. US car manufacturers will need to get going on a left to right hand side conversion, which American producers dont currently offer.
The Japanese put no tariffs on US cars, but frustratingly to Team Trump, their consumers irrationally prefer smaller Japanese vehicles designed to easily maneuver through congested urban traffic, narrow Japanese roads and find parking in crowded areas, when they could have imported much larger US brands.....
Team Trump, appear to want further talks, preferably requested by the Japanese.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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| Wiley wrote: | | The Japan-US tariff talks ended |
I wonder if this can possibly be true. Famously these talks meander on for years so, since these took days, it sounds more like something else.
| with "Big Progress" according to Team Trump, or no deal according to Japan. One Japanese lawmaker referring to the talks as "extortion". |
Quite. Though 'no deal' is not compatible with 'extortion'. An extorted deal is still a deal.
| Its going to be difficult to get the Japanese to lower their trade surplus by buying American cars. US car manufacturers will need to get going on a left to right hand side conversion, which American producers dont currently offer. |
Nobody has ever bought American cars. Left and right hand models are routinely made by all car exporters.
| The Japanese put no tariffs on US cars, but frustratingly to Team Trump, their consumers irrationally prefer smaller Japanese vehicles designed to easily maneuver through congested urban traffic, narrow Japanese roads and find parking in crowded areas, when they could have imported much larger US brands..... |
This has been the story for all countries going back to the Model T. It is passing strange. [Oh, I forgot Cuba.]
| Team Trump, appear to want further talks. |
You are right to say 'appear'. They don't know themselves.
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Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
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I wonder if this can possibly be true. Famously these talks meander on for years so, since these took days, it sounds more like something else.
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Yes this is true, and in recognition of this Trump TBF paused his reciprical tariffs for 90 days, from April 9th to get trade deals done with the 180 plus countries impacted. The idea is that if Japan doesnt come back to table, befor the expiry they will then face 24% Tariffs across the board, so its only a case of..... no deal so far. We still have a couple of monthes to sort this.
Or.....
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