@Doctor-Phibes said in Government bureaucracy at its finest: @Renauda said in Government bureaucracy at its finest: @Doctor-Phibes It’s been all over the news here for the last ten days. A lot of dual Canadian/British citizens affected and right vexed over it. I'd heard about it, but incorrectly assumed that with an ETA we'd be able to make short-term visits. I can understand the rationale if I wanted to live there permanently, but it makes absolutely no sense if we just want to go for a week or two. There are quite a few countries that have this requirement. I think, although I’m not certain, that the US requires it of its dual citizenship holders. I recall a former colleague who was born in New Jersey to a Finnish father and Canadian mother, having to maintain a US passport, so that she could travel without issue to into the US. Her family returned to their home in Finland when she was still an infant so she had no tie to the US other than being born there. She decided enough was enough a dozen or so years ago owing to a treaty between the US and Canada during the Harper years, that enables the IRS to requisition dual citizen holders banking and financial records from Canadian charter banks. She has since legally renounced her US citizenship at great effort; five years or more of sourcing proof of Finnish and Canadian residencies including all school and employment records in Finland and Canada to prove she was at no time an adult US resident or in the US in excess of 180 days in a given year. Legal fees and administrative costs totalled around $12k.

Link to video Symphony No. 1 for Orchestra and Organ, Opus 42 by Felix-Alexandre Guilmant Paul Jacobs played at the local music hall last week. I never heard of Guilmant before.

@Horace said in US Ambassador to France - French Will Not Meet With Him: This is TG’s area of expertise. Indeed, TG and I appear to share a lot in common.

What were the odds on Kalshi?

@kluurs said in Dry February…: Wonderful news! Your health is a good focus. Father-In-Law lost his foot in January to diabetes. Hearing the glucose numbers get up there was a big wake up call. It also made me realize that small little things that I was attributing to just getting older weren’t… Still, I was pleased to look back after 2 weeks to know that I wasn’t addicted to the booze physically, and look back this week to see that I’m not addicted mentally, lol. Not saying that I won’t have the occasional sip of whiskey, but not for another 8-12 weeks. What I am missing is the 2 times a week after work beers with a couple of guys at the pub. I’m hoping Jon’s Alliance Brews will help with that…

Dumb all around. But I support pelting Mamdani.

The inclusion of the term "Lord Mandelson" is highly offensive.

Link to video jake sullivan and jon finer (NSA and deputy NSA under Biden) interveiw Tyler Cowen. interesting if you are into america/china stuff

https://x.com/ShooterMcGavin/status/2025962304483799242?s=20

@jon-nyc said in “You people” on steroids: You know it would have been less embarrassing to take the L then to have done whatever this is you’re doing now. At the end of the day the Magtard of Crown Heights misquoted him twice and lied about the audience. It’s fair that you didn’t know the source having seen it on Reddit. Now you’re out of excuses. I can’t be the only one beyond bored of reading you on this thread. If you're not embarrassed by your own behavior in this thread, then it would fit with my description of your psychology. Your claim that the second sentence erases the first in "I'm like you. I'm no better than you." remains ridiculous, and the vehemence with which you claimed it, to the point of calling me an intentional liar for not going along with it, only points to your own delusional nature in adversarial discussions. As usual, you are fractionally as coherent as you think you are. As for the description of the audience, it was probably an honest mistake, given the venue and the obvious intentions of the interview. He may or may not be forthright in admitting that there were plenty of white faces, with the updated information. As for the lack of the ... between the sentences in the quote, I'm sure you'll get over that someday. The story as told is a far cry from a pure hoax.

@jon-nyc said in Is he wrong?: [image: 1771958560702-img_0775.jpeg] Nope. Not wrong. Of course, that goes both ways.

@Mik said in The Worlds Biggest Fast Food Chain............. Coming to America: We have some bubble tea places here. Can't imagine why I would ever want something sugary like that. Maybe Americans will unexpectedly discover that they really like sugary stuff?

A couple of things that I recently saw that are related to the above: Panama "kicks out" Chinese backed port operator at Panama Canal. https://www.ft.com/content/a2a97a04-b8bd-4088-8f58-ac17adb9bf85 Panama on Monday published in its official gazette a Supreme Court ruling canceling key port contracts held by a subsidiary of CK Hutchison, known as Panama Ports Company (PPC). The publication finalizes the legal annulment of concessions for the Balboa and Cristobal terminals near the Panama Canal, which Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison, had operated for nearly three decades. The ruling, issued in late January, came amid growing U.S.-China rivalry over global trade routes and marks a win for Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed to curb Chinese influence over the Panama Canal, which carries about 5% of global maritime trade. CK Hutchison said Panamanian authorities made "direct physical entrance" to the Balboa and Cristobal ports on Monday to remove PPC employees who were threatened with criminal prosecution if they defied orders. CK Hutchison said PPC staff were told not to make contact with the company. "CKH considers the ruling, the executive decree, the purported termination of PPC’s concession, and the takeover of the terminals to be unlawful," CK Hutchison said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. "The actions by the Panama State also raise serious risks to the operations, health and safety at the Balboa and Cristobal terminals." CK Hutchison said it was liaising with its legal counsel on pursuing national and international legal action against Panama and third parties. Second news: Similar to what has happened in Laos https://broadsheet.asia/2025/09/30/indonesias-china-backed-high-speed-rail-faces-financial-crisis/ Indonesia’s ambitious high-speed rail project, a cornerstone of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, is teetering on the brink of financial collapse just over a year after its launch in October 2023. Connecting Jakarta to Bandung over a 140-kilometer stretch, the rail line was heralded as Southeast Asia’s first high-speed service, promising to transform transportation in the region. Yet, with ridership far below projections, costs spiraling out of control, and deficits mounting, the project has become a cautionary tale for infrastructure ventures across the region, raising questions about debt sustainability and the long-term viability of such partnerships.

@taiwan_girl said in The Indiana Bears?: Do the Chicago team give a reason for wanting to move, other than wanting more money? Because I doubt changing to a different stadium will make them a better team. Indiana’s income tax is half of Chicago/Illinois. For the players they recruit in free agency, that can make a huge difference. High tax areas/states have lost quality coaching candidates and free agents to states with lower tax rates. So in theory, yes, this could help them build a better team.

Yeah a friend of mine (lives in Philly) sold his Miami condo that he had owned for decades when suddenly the condo fees went sky high and there was talk of special assessments. He said holding onto it as an occasional vacation getaway was untenable.

I know I’m not a colonist. But as Canuck, I still apologize. That’s almost genetic. UBC is a fine university. Good nurses and doctors graduate from there. I’d rather do medicine there or see a doctor who graduated from there than Toronto. B.C. is expensive though. We’ve a saying, “B.C.” -> “Bring Cash” .

TNCR could learn so much from the USA men’s hockey team. Link to video

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260223-britain-s-former-us-ambassador-peter-mandelson-arrested-amid-epstein-revelations Former British ambassador to the ​US Peter Mandelson has been arrested by London police on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following revelations over his ties to convicted ​sex ‌offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson, 72, was fired from ⁠the most prestigious posting in Britain's diplomatic service in September, when the depth ‌of his friendship with Epstein started to become clear. Police earlier ⁠this month began a criminal investigation into Mandelson after Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government passed on communications between the ​former ambassador and Epstein.