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stui magpie
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Post by stui magpie »

This could easily go in the WTF thread.

Findingd from the Victorian Royal Commision into Crown Casino
In the words of the commissioner, Ray Finkelstein:

"The commission discovered that for many years Crown Melbourne had engaged in conduct that is, in a word, disgraceful.

"This is a convenient shorthand for describing conduct that was variously illegal, dishonest, unethical and exploitative."
Yet they're allowed to keep operating. :?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-27/ ... /100569696
Every dead body on Mt Everest was once a highly motivated person, so maybe just calm the **** down.
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Post by David »

I've always thought of James Packer and co. as basically organised crime figures who have been given official legitimacy by weak laws and governments (like Daniel Andrews, who, if Crown tells him to jump, asks how high).

We should never forget that, while if an ordinary person lies on their Centrelink form and gets a few hundred dollars they're not entitled to they might end up in jail for fraud, people like Packer who have overseen corruption on such a vast scale often get a fine and/or slap on the wrist at worst. That's if anyone even finds out to begin with.
"Every time we witness an injustice and do not act, we train our character to be passive in its presence." – Julian Assange
pietillidie
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Post by pietillidie »

Yeah, it makes a mockery of the commonsense morality that holds civil society together.

On a positive note, here's a statement on the OECD/G20 15% minimum tax rate and related measures as part of dealing with 'base erosion and profit shifting' (BEPS). A massive step in the right direction for everyone, though don't expect headlines:
Pillar Two introduces a global minimum corporate tax rate set at 15%. The new minimum tax rate will apply to companies with revenue above EUR 750 million and is estimated to generate around USD 150 billion in additional global tax revenues annually. Further benefits will also arise from the stabilisation of the international tax system and the increased tax certainty for taxpayers and tax administrations.
https://www.oecd.org/tax/beps/internati ... al-age.htm

More than just the 15% and related rules, it's also an understanding and a mechanism.
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Post by David »

"Every time we witness an injustice and do not act, we train our character to be passive in its presence." – Julian Assange
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Post by stui magpie »

I think I really hate clicking on Guardian links. :x

It certainly calls his character into question. That's a classic example of someone wanting the qualification for it's own sake, not trying to actually learn anything or do anything original.
Every dead body on Mt Everest was once a highly motivated person, so maybe just calm the **** down.
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Post by eddiesmith »

This is why VicPol will always struggle for respect from all when they constantly have people ruining their image.

https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.a ... 5-million/
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Post by think positive »

Constantly?
You cant fix stupid, turns out you cant quarantine it either!
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Post by eddiesmith »

Well there have been more than a couple recently, thankfully none as serious as that one.
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Post by pietillidie »

Remember all that small-town nonsense about us not doing anything because they won't do anything?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprised delegates at the COP26 climate summit with a bold pledge: the world’s third-biggest emitter will reach net-zero by 2070.

The announcement injected new life into talks that had been set back by a disappointing outcome from the Group of 20 meeting in Rome this weekend, especially since Indian officials had earlier pushed back against demands to set a carbon-neutrality target. Though India’s goal is two decades behind rich nations such as the U.S. and U.K., it’s compatible with what scientists say is needed to avoid catastrophic global warming.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... ells-cop26

Two decades extra for India to achieve the same surely sounds fair enough, right? Well beyond fair, many would say.
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Post by David »

I guess the devil is in the (apparently unresolved) detail, right? I haven't been following this closely, but Morrison's "net zero by 2050" plan has been pilloried and labelled a fraud by many observers here in Australia, so I wonder how much there is to get excited about here.

It's a pity, reading that article, to see so many other nations still dragging their feet.
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Post by pietillidie »

I don't want to buy the official EU line without investigation, and I don't care for Poland's far right fasco-fundamentalists, but if true Lukashenko is not just a garden-variety Putinesque thug, but an outright deranged psychopath.

Anyone been following it to know more?
The European Commission has accused Belarus's authoritarian leader of luring migrants with the false promise of easy entry to the EU as part of an "inhuman, gangster-style approach".

At least 2,000 migrants are now at the Belarus border with Poland.

"Upon arrival they are being pushed to the border and forced to make an illegal entry into the European Union," said Commission spokesman Peter Stano.

Belarus's leader Alexander Lukashenko denies orchestrating the problem.

EU and Nato members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have all seen a surge in the number of people trying to enter their countries illegally from Belarus in recent months. Many are young men but they include women and children, largely from the Middle East and Asia.

Poland has seen the most arrivals, especially around its major border crossing at Kuznica.

Migrants have described how Belarusian authorities seized their phones and pushed them towards the border fence. Overnight temperatures at the border have slumped below zero and several people have already died in recent weeks.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59215769
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Post by David »

"Every time we witness an injustice and do not act, we train our character to be passive in its presence." – Julian Assange
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Post by stui magpie »

David wrote:I guess the devil is in the (apparently unresolved) detail, right? I haven't been following this closely, but Morrison's "net zero by 2050" plan has been pilloried and labelled a fraud by many observers here in Australia, .
To be fair, the majority of those "observers" would have said the same about any plan short of closing all coal mines next week.
Every dead body on Mt Everest was once a highly motivated person, so maybe just calm the **** down.
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Post by pietillidie »

No time now to look into this, but it may interest:
Relations between the world’s two biggest economies have steadily improved since Chinese officials told Kerry in September that progress on climate depended on improved overall ties, prompting President Joe Biden to call counterpart Xi Jinping in search of a breakthrough. Shortly afterward, the U.S. reached a deal to release Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou from extradition proceedings in Canada -- one of Beijing’s top demands.

The joint agreement on climate comes ahead of another virtual summit likely to be held next week between Biden and Xi, who skipped an in-person appearance at COP26. Xi wrote in a letter this week to the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations that China is ready to deepen ties with the U.S. and better manage their disputes.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... ate-issues

Then again, maybe not. Morrison will be pleased.
China Digs In on Coal...
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... oals-early
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Post by stui magpie »

Not really news, but a really powerful driving safety ad from NZ.

https://twitter.com/CouchNish/status/14 ... 7278662661
Every dead body on Mt Everest was once a highly motivated person, so maybe just calm the **** down.
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