The outage hit the entire nation of 21 million people at around midday, and although power returned to some parts of the country after six hours, Colombo was in darkness as night fell.
Daily Archives: 17. August 2020
The all-virtual Democratic National Convention, explained
“This is a very serious time”: The coronavirus has reshaped the Democratic National Convention.
Virtual democracy means Congress and the courts should go online now
(21.03.2020)
Both Congress and the Supreme Court have stopped meeting out of fear of physical contact, even though the technology exists to allow officials to continue working in virtual spaces. Legal barriers could be removed to allow such a shift to a type of virtual democracy, but the main barrier seems to be conceptual and cultural.
We must not allow a constitutional system to wither like a starving man staring at an apple tree but incapable of imagining a stick.
Vote by Mail: Turning the Clock Backwards
Today, using the coronavirus as an excuse, the Democrats seek to abolish how we conduct elections in the United States.
Our current system of voting came into being as a result of a great progressive reform movement in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century.
Ardent progressive reformers, like the socialist Henry George in 1886, strove to prevent corruption in the electoral process. The progressive reformers championed a system of voting by an official ballot printed at public expense by a neutral authority. Previously political parties had printed their own ballots and ward bosses paid people to vote for their candidates, stuff ballots and vote repeatedly.
The system was intimidating and enormously corrupt. A supervisory public authority was necessary to monitor balloting, ensure fairness, and provide the necessary element of voter secrecy.
The new structure of reform called the ‚Australian ballot‘, (named from its place of origin) specifies that a citizen coming to the poll be registered to vote and identified. At the poll, he gives his name and address. He receives an official ballot; marks it in the secrecy of a booth and hands it in to be counted.
The Squad Is Here to Stay
With Ilhan Omar‘s primary win, the progressive Democratic congresswomen of color known as the Squad have solidified their staying power.
The U.S. Constitution gave Congress the power to establish the USPS, and for the survival of our democracy and everyone who depends on USPS for everything from paychecks to lifesaving medicines, we must use our power to protect it. #SaveTheUSPS
Trump indicates election won‘t be ‚fair‘ if universal mail-in voting allowed
In another exchange, the president said Democrats will struggle to unite at their convention this week, as many of the more progressive members of the party balk at a ticket including former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.
„These are the same people I beat last time and they‘re not gonna unite because they can‘t unite, they don‘t know how to unite,“ Trump said. „Also, Bernie [Sanders] is very unhappy, but actually, Biden went further left than Bernie wanted him to and Bernie‘s still unhappy.“
Italiens Experten drohen mit neuen Sperrzonen
Werden gewisse Grenzen überschritten, wird es zu beschränkten Sperrzonen kommen“, so Agostino Miozzo, Koordinator des wissenschaftlichen Komitees (CTS), das die Regierung in Sachen Coronavirus berät.Italien hat tags zuvor beschlossen, wegen wieder steigender Zahlen alle Diskotheken des Landes zu schließen. Die Verordnung gilt bis mindestens 7. September. Betroffen sind auch Stranddiscos und alle anderen Tanzevents im Freien. Außerdem ordnete die Regierung an, dass in der Zeit zwischen 18.00 und 6.00 Uhr an den von vielen Menschen frequentierten Orten und bei Ansammlungen vor Lokalen die Maskenpflicht gilt.
Second round of U.S.-Russia disarmament talks to start in Vienna
VIENNA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) — The United States and Russia will start the second round of nuclear disarmament talks here on Monday.
Russian, U.S. Officials Meet In Vienna For New Arms-Control Talks As Treaty Nears End
Russian and U.S. officials have begun a third round of nuclear arms-control talks in the Austrian capital as the end of the 2010 New Strategic Arms Treaty (New START) looms.
The two-day meeting in Vienna is led by U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
Erdogan und Putin fordern Schritte für Waffenruhe in Libyen
Sie müssten „reale Schritte“ in Richtung eines nachhaltigen Waffenstillstands gehen, teilte der Kreml heute in Moskau nach einem Telefonat von Präsident Wladimir Putin mit seinem türkischen Kollegen Recep Tayyip Erdogan mit.
Zudem sollten direkte Verhandlungen aufgenommen werden, wie sie beim Libyen-Gipfel Anfang des Jahres in Berlin vereinbart worden seien.
Besuch in Libyen: Maas warnt vor militärischer Eskalation
Bundesaußenminister Heiko Maas hat in Libyen vor einem neuen Aufflammen der Kämpfe in dem Bürgerkriegsland gewarnt. Dass die Waffen derzeit weitgehend schwiegen, sei eine „trügerische Ruhe“, sagte der SPD-Politiker bei seinem überraschenden Besuch in der libyschen Hauptstadt Tripolis. Er verwies darauf, dass auf beiden Seiten mit internationaler Hilfe massiv aufgerüstet werde
US-russische Abrüstungsgespräche in Wien fortgesetzt
Sowohl Russlands Vizeaußenminister Sergej Rjabkow als auch der US-Sonderbeauftragte Marshall Billingslea betonten vor dieser dritten Gesprächsrunde ihre Dialogbereitschaft. Die Verhandlungen im Palais Niederösterreich sollen bis morgen Abend dauern.
Trump administration finalizes plan to open up Alaska wildlife refuge to drilling
“The Trump administration’s so-called review process for their shameless sell-off of the Arctic Refuge has been a sham from the start. We’ll see them in court,” said a statement from Lena Moffitt, The Sierra Club’s senior director of its Our Wild America campaign.
MOVEMENT FOR A PEOPLE’S PARTY PEOPLE’S CONVENTION, 2020, August 30
One week after the Democratic and Republican national conventions, people from all walks of life will come together to discuss the state of the nation and plans to form a major new political party in America. A party free of corporate money and influence. A people’s party.
Join us on Sunday, August 30, from 4-6 pm Eastern Time for The People’s Convention.
The Convention will be digital and broadcast live to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages with well over a million subscribers and followers. Sign up for more information and updates.
Vote for who you want in 2020, but It’s time to help build the People’s Party. The convention is Aug. 30 with Nina Turner, Cornel West, Ryan Knight, and Jimmy Dore speaking. Register to participate.
What I ordered, what I got
Across 15 battlegrounds, “Biden has the backing of 49% of registered voters, while Trump lands at 48%.”
I want Trump to lose. I think that if Democratic leaders hadn’t spent 4 years screaming about 2016 & Russia, they’d be in a better position for 2020.
Trump slashes Biden‘s sizeable lead in CNN poll
President Trump closed the gap on presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden‘s lead among registered voters in a CNN poll published Sunday evening. And across 15 battleground states, Biden leads by 49 to 48 points ahead over Trump.
Krystal Ball: Biden‘s Hillary 2.0 Campaign Could Be Headed For Disaster
(13.08.2020)
Krystal Ball compares Joe Biden‘s campaign to Hillary Clinton‘s 2016 campaign, highlighting recent polling predicting a Biden win in November.
AOC is becoming part of Biden’s inner circle. It’s a risky move
(29.07.2020)
In May, Biden tapped Ocasio-Cortez to lead his campaign’s Climate Task Force, alongside climate crusader and former secretary of state John Kerry.
Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany
Article 28
[Land constitutions – Autonomy of municipalities]
(1) The constitutional order in the Länder must conform to the principles of a republican, democratic and social state governed by the rule of law within the meaning of this Basic Law. In each Land, county and municipality the people shall be represented by a body chosen in general, direct, free, equal and secret elections.
(…)
Article 38
[Elections]
(1) Members of the German Bundestag shall be elected in general, direct, free, equal and secret elections.
Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Art 28(1)
Die verfassungsmäßige Ordnung in den Ländern muß den Grundsätzen des republikanischen, demokratischenund sozialen Rechtsstaates im Sinne dieses Grundgesetzes entsprechen. In den Ländern, Kreisen und Gemeinden muß das Volk eine Vertretung haben, die aus allgemeinen, unmittelbaren, freien, gleichen und geheimen Wahlen hervorgegangen ist.
(…)
Art 38(1) Die Abgeordneten des Deutschen Bundestages werden in allgemeiner, unmittelbarer, freier, gleicher und geheimer Wahl gewählt. S
Secret ballot: United States
Elections in the United States are mostly held by secret ballot,[20] although some states use mail ballots instead, which violate requirements 3 and 4 of the „Australian ballot“, as it is distributed to the home, and potentially marked in the presence of other people. The states of Colorado, Oregon, and Washington conduct all elections by mailed ballots.[21] The Constitution for the state of West Virginia still allows voters to cast „open ballots“.
Dear Colleague on House Returning to Save the Postal Service
That is why I am calling upon the House to return to session later this week to vote on Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Maloney’s “Delivering for America Act,” which prohibits the Postal Service from implementing any changes to operations or level of service it had in place on January 1, 2020. House Democratic Leader Hoyer will soon be announcing the legislative schedule for the coming week.
To save the Postal Service, I am also calling upon Members to participate in a Day of Action on Tuesday by appearing at a Post Office in their districts for a press event.
Streit um US-Post: Pelosi holt Abgeordnete aus Sommerpause
Die Abgeordneten sollen gegen Ende der Woche über ein Gesetz abstimmen, das betriebliche Veränderungen bei der Post verhindern soll, wie aus Pelosis Mitteilung hervorgeht. Am Freitag waren interne Unterlagen bekannt geworden, laut denen die Post derzeit zahlreiche Briefsortiermaschinen abbaut. Zudem hatte es Berichte über den Abbau von Briefkästen gegeben.
Warum Kolumbiens Präsident nach zwei Jahren Regierung vor dem Scheitern steht
Eine Tragödie ist die große Anzahl von ermordeten Aktivisten und Menschenrechtsverteidigern sowie von demobilisierten Mitgliedern der Farc-EP.
The BIPOC Project
Our Thinking
This nation is firmly entrenched in maintaining white supremacy, patriarchy and capitalism. This reality has been resisted in multiple ways, including organizing led by and among various communities of color for survival. However, many efforts still focus only on combating white supremacy, with limited attention to the way communities of color adopt and reinforce these harms amongst ourselves and against other marginalized groups in a “race towards the bottom” for naming our pain. As a result, many multiracial BIPOC communities continue to be challenged to develop authentic and accountable inter-group relationships despite a shared struggle under white supremacy. These challenges often undermine anti-racist organizing among people of color because each community is differently shaped and situated depending on intersectional issues and identities.
THIS IS CHICAGO RIGHT NOW. BIPOC YOUTH ARE BEING BEATEN AND ARRESTED RIGHT NOW LIKE WE ARE ANIMALS. THIS IS WHAT YOU ALL CALL POLICE?
„Agitators.“
The following video footage shows the initial incident that sparked yesterday‘s violence and arrests, as well as the aggravated battery against a CPD officer with a skateboard. More video will be released throughout the day as it is received.
Südkorea und USA beginnen gemeinsame Militärübung am Dienstag
Die ursprünglich geplante Überprüfung der Fähigkeiten für den Transfer der Befehlsgewalt in Kriegszeiten an Südkorea wurde jedoch de facto aufs nächste Mal verschoben.
China infuriated after the U.S. formalizes sale of new F-16s to Taiwan
A U.S. Department of Defense announcement on Thursday said Pentagon’s No.1 weapons supplier Lockheed Martin Corp has been awarded a $62 billion, 10-year contract for the production of F-16s for Foreign Military Sale (FMS), and the initial delivery order is for 90 aircraft.
House Democrats, Working With Liz Cheney, Restrict Trump’s Planned Withdrawal of Troops From Afghanistan and Germany
The NDAA that was approved last night by the Committee also imposed restrictions on Trump’s plan to withdraw troops from Germany. Trump’s plan called for the removal of roughly 9,500 troops from German soil, reducing the number of U.S. troops in this extremely prosperous and rich European nation from 34,500 to 25,000. But by an overwhelming vote of 49-7, the Armed Service Committee approved an amendment to the NDAA that “bans the administration from lowering troop levels below current levels until 180 days after Pentagon leaders present a plan to Congress and certify it will not harm U.S. or allied interests.”
From the new CBS poll of Democrats: Which of these people would you like to hear speak at the DNC?
@AOC
Yes: 63%
No: 37%
Bill Clinton
Yes: 56%
No: 44%
John Kasich
Yes: 38%
No: 62%
Biden vor Nominierung: Parteitag der US-Demokraten startet
Die viertägige Veranstaltung findet wegen der Corona-Pandemie weitgehend online und über Videokonferenzen statt und nicht wie ursprünglich geplant mit Tausenden Delegierten und Zehntausenden Gästen in Milwaukee im US-Bundesstaat Wisconsin.
What To Expect From The 2020 Democratic National Convention
The scaled-down, virtual convention will officially nominate Joe Biden for president and Kamala Harris for vice president.
Democrats kick off their nominating convention tomorrow night, and it‘s going to be an unusual one – no crowds, all virtual speeches from remote locations.
Spahn sieht Feiern als Gefahrenquellen
Gesundheitsminister Spahn warnt davor, das Gefahrenpotenzial von Feierlichkeiten in der Corona-Krise zu unterschätzen. Die meisten lokalen Ausbrüche hingen mit Hochzeiten oder anderen Festen zusammen, sagte er.