EXTRAS

[Gio]

The full gaze ...

“Don’t stare directly into it, but, right behind me ...
Is that . . . ?”

The latest ...

Jon Stewart Interrogates America's Support
of Israel & 2024 Solar Eclipse Mania

| The Daily Show

Apr 8, 2024
Jon Stewart checks in on the war in Gaza and interrogates how America's purported values stack up against its support of Israel. Plus, Ronny Chieng and Grace Kuhlenschmidt report from the eclipse's path of totality with startling different reports.

13:46 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkwgnlPRdHg

[Emil El Zapato]

The full gaze ...

“Don’t stare directly into it, but, right behind me ...
Is that . . . ?”

The latest ...

Jon Stewart Interrogates America's Support
of Israel & 2024 Solar Eclipse Mania

| The Daily Show




13:46 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkwgnlPRdHg

As usual, his analysis is really good. There is no need to tippytoe around Israel, exercising the leverage it has over Israel is not an abandonment of support but enforcing regulations. It is a very 'awakening' point that he makes. The buried fear that has overtaken the relationship in part is the political conflict in the U.S. But that just demonstrates American dysfunction and a weakness in Biden as a World leader. It is not a time to try to satisfy 'everyone's' desires. I suspect that behind the scenes there is more 'fireworks' than we see on the surface due to the conventional wisdom that leaders cannot be seen to contradict their 'people'.

[Wind]

Jon Stewart Interrogates America's Support
of Israel & 2024 Solar Eclipse Mania

If anything, America surely needs Jon's voice in times like these. I'm glad he's calling out the bs.

[Gio]

From the director and writer ...

Alex Garland - “Civil War”

| The Daily Show

]Apr 9, 2024
Award-winning director and writer Alex Garland sits down with Michael Kosta to discuss his new dystopian thriller “Civil War.” The filmmaker talks about his intention to inspire conversation, why he chose to set the film in America, and the importance of journalism in a system of checks and balances.

9:31 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt9cKfiaAmQ

[Gio]

Back in the news ...

Panama Papers: 27 people are going on trial
for alleged money laundering

| DW News

Apr 8, 2024
In 2016, a huge trove of leaked documents revealed how the law firm Mossack Fonseca helped the world's rich and powerful evade taxes and hide their wealth. The scandal became known as the Panama Papers and it ensnared many of the world's wealthiest people - from billionaires to politicians to sports stars. Today, 27 people are going on trial in Panama City for alleged money laundering connected to the case.

6:08 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHFD0ZqjaTI

[Gio]

In February Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (top) requested that the U.S. drop its charges against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (bottom) and return him to his native Australia. He's in jail in the United Kingdom currently ...

Biden says he's 'considering' ENDING
the prosecution of Julian Assange
after Australia urged U.S. to drop
WikiLeaks founder's case

[Gio]

Try and try again ...

New EU Migration & Asylum Pact: A historical moment?

| DW News

April 10, 2024
Lawmakers in Brussels today agreed on far-reaching reforms to EU immigation policies. The European Parliament approved what's billed as a fairer system of settling new immigrants among the 27 member states. The changes will bring in tougher border checks and force all countries to share responsibility for immigration. The agreement follows nearly a decade of wrangling.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has welcomed the reforms as historic and indispensable. But Poland's prime Minister Donald Tusk says his government will not accept the relocation mechanism.

00:00 New EU Migration & Asylum Pact
02:19 DW Correspondent Jack Parrock at the European Parliament
03:38 Interview with Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs
05:36 Camille Le Coz, Migration Policy Institute Europe

10:13 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2jxU7JQPvg

[Gio]

A Short Film

Two officers in a nuclear bunker disagree
when an alarm goes off ...

MINUTEMEN

Lewis and Wil are two career officers who man the controls of a nuclear ballistic missile in a remote bunker. They enjoy a cordial if surface-level working relationship in a thankless job marked by self-described "decades of monotony."

But one evening, the alarm sounds to arm and fire the missile, though it's not followed by any confirmation. Locked in a silo without any communication with the surface, Lewis and Wil face a choice: complete their mission, even if it means ending society as they know it, or disregard the alarm as a malfunction. They must act fast and in unison. But as the seconds count down, hidden agendas rise to the surface and tensions reach a boiling point, as the fate of the world rests on their shoulders.

Directed by Jason Nolte from a script by Travis Milloy

2022

14:09 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUJJiGlP76I

[Emil El Zapato]

A Short Film

Two officers in a nuclear bunker disagree
when an alarm goes off ...

MINUTEMEN




2022

14:09 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUJJiGlP76I

That's the end of that working relationship...

[Gio]

#Newbies

Baby penguins cliff-diving ...

ABC News

Apr 11, 2024
National Geographic has released a video of baby penguins cliff-diving for the first time as part of the Earth Month content hub found in the ourHOME collection on Disney+.

2:03 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HrivxY38C8

[Gio]

A quick take ...

Iran attacks Israel

| Ian Bremmer

Apr 14, 2024
In the Middle East, unprecedented strikes by Iran and its proxies against Israel. Clearly a very dangerous thing to do, but could have been a hell of a lot worse. What do I mean by that? Well, it is not World War III. Americans warned Iran not to hit the United States, and the Iranians gave a heads-up, days in advance.

9:38 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3u-D4SJhrI

Ian Bremmer here, and a Quick Take on a Sunday, which usually means something is not going well, and that is certainly the case in the Middle East, where you had unprecedented strikes by Iran and its proxies against Israel.

Now, on the one hand, clearly a very dangerous thing to do, on the other hand, could have been a hell of a lot worse. What do I mean by that? Well, it is not World War III. Americans warned Iran not to hit the United States, and the Iranians gave a heads-up, days in advance, through a number of actors, most importantly through Iraq. This reminds me very much of after the American servicemen and women, three were killed in Jordan, by an Iranian proxy. The Americans did not want a war to break out with the Iranians directly, waited about a week, gave a heads up through Iraq, of the kind of attack that the Americans were planning, waited four days, gave the Iranians a chance to basically prepare and get their own forces out, and warned them that if this were to happen again, there would be direct consequences, a direct strike on Iran itself.

In this case, you had the Iranian heads-up that gave the Americans and allies time to pre-position, to provide diplomatic support, both publicly and privately, to the Israelis. Send the head of CENTCOM to Israel, say that American support for Israel was ironclad, help ensure that the Israelis would be able to most effectively defend itself against the coming Iranian attack. That was, on the one hand, a really big deal by the Iranians that was meant to be a maximal display of force and a minimum likelihood of casualties. But still, there was a significant possibility of accident, that you could have a risk that would lead to a war directly between Iran and Israel. Something that the Americans desperately wanted to avoid because it would bring the US in. It would spike oil prices. It would probably mean the end of Biden's, potential of a second presidency. And it, of course, would also mean that Iran was going to get hit massively by the United States and Israel, something they wanted to avoid.

We saw hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles, many from proxies, but many from Iran itself, over 99% of which were taken down. And they were aimed solely at military targets in Israel. So again, lots of effort to try to reduce the risk but the potential that you would have had a number get through, accidentally hitting civilians or having significant military hit, that was a risk that the Iranians were prepared to take. So, it's a big deal, it’s a clear escalation, and it is certainly an effort by the Iranians to say, that if this is to happen again, that the likelihood that there will be a major war between Iran and Israel come what may, is very real. And the Iranians also said, and they said this before the missiles even hit their targets, or in the case of the vast majority of them were intercepted, said through the United Nations mission that this was directly in retaliation for the Israeli strike against an Iranian leader in Damascus, and that the matter, from Iran's perspective, should be considered closed.

[Gio]

” Politely drawing and quartering your opponent in a debate.”

Peter Zeihan Blames the Jones Act for Why
He Doesn't Care about the Key Bridge
| Better Call Sal!

What's Going on With Shipping?

April 14, 2024

In this episode, Sal Mercogliano - a maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner - reacts to Peter Zeihan's video on why the Jones Act makes the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore less significant.

19:42 min

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yg0xAZtlnc