Political Discussion

this is heartbreaking and maddening


Linda Tirado, a journalist who permanently lost sight in her left eye after being struck by a police projectile as she covered the 2020 riots in Minneapolis, has entered hospice care as a result of her injuries, according to the National Press Club.

Tirado, now 42, was 38 years old when she and other journalists covering the riots were fired upon by officers with less-lethal munitions.

Tirado was struck in her left eye and, despite wearing protective goggles, suffered permanent blindness the eye.

Emily Wilkins, president of the National Press Club, said in a statement Tuesday that Tirado has a traumatic brain injury from the blow and corresponding dementia.

"While she has battled, her condition has continued to worsen to the point she is at life's end and receiving palliative care," Wilkins stated.
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The EU is accusing Apple of not following the "spirit of the law" when it comes to DMA.

While Apple complied to the letter of the law, EU regulators said that by charging a core technology fee for apps with 1 million or more downloads does not follow the spirit of the law. Their intentions were that app developers could make their apps available through third party app stores and never pay Apple a dime.

Apple stance is the core technology fee pays for the development of iOS and all the dev took kits they provide developers. And developers can't have it all without ever paying in. The law never said Apple could not charge any type of fees. The EU is expected to levy heavy fines on Apple within the coming weeks.

What I find interesting, that in the United States, "spirit of the law" is not a thing. The letter of the law is how the courts decide things. And Apple would not be in violation of anything if the DMA was a law in the United States.

Is this the norm in the EU for regulators to decide things off the "spirit of the law"? Or is this a relatively new thing?


In other Apple news, Apple will not be releasing Apple Intelligence, their AI platform in the EU. They said that their focus on privacy and protecting users data is in violation of the DMA. They would need to open up data access to any AI without gate keeping (restrictions) to any AI developer if they were to launch in the EU>
 
RenegadeMonster said:
Apple stance is the core technology fee pays for the development of iOS and all the dev took kits they provide developers. And developers can't have it all without ever paying in.
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Curious what Apple thinks iOS has to offer w/o apps? Apps are what make Apples devices (pretty much all mobile devices), so their approach of making developers life’s difficult is baffling. Guess when you have nothing new to offer just squeeze every dollar you can?

The AI bit is confusing; is Apple claiming the EU law requires them to make people’s data available to AI devs? That seems counter to the position EU laws have been lately with regards to technology and privacy.

Seems like Apple is fighting a losing fight, likely as a result of waning device sales.
 
I just heard the following story on NPR.

So far this year, more than 20 million Americans have lost their healthcare as states reviewed their medicare eligibility. Whether it be because expended medicare was cut back when covid funds ended or errors or missing paper work required by the state for proof of income / eligibility that have not been reviewed in the past several years due to covid.

The above wasn't the main focus of the story, but rather how dangerous this is especially for people that are on medications. Most medicines can't be quit cold turkey safely, and this is what is happening when states cancel peoples medicare as they can't afford the prescription drugs without insurance.

One example they gave was a treatment for opioid addition. It costs people more than $100 a week and being cut off this prescription causes withdrawals that causes people to go right back on opioids. Opioid deaths are up 14% so far this year. It's not clear yet how much of that is due to people losing access to their addiction treatment due to being cut from medicare. But they believe there is some correlation and are going to research it more. None profits have done fund raisers to help get these peoples treatments paid for and have raised a lot of money, but are no where close to being able to meet the current need.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
The EU is accusing Apple of not following the "spirit of the law" when it comes to DMA.

While Apple complied to the letter of the law, EU regulators said that by charging a core technology fee for apps with 1 million or more downloads does not follow the spirit of the law. Their intentions were that app developers could make their apps available through third party app stores and never pay Apple a dime.

Apple stance is the core technology fee pays for the development of iOS and all the dev took kits they provide developers. And developers can't have it all without ever paying in. The law never said Apple could not charge any type of fees. The EU is expected to levy heavy fines on Apple within the coming weeks.

What I find interesting, that in the United States, "spirit of the law" is not a thing. The letter of the law is how the courts decide things. And Apple would not be in violation of anything if the DMA was a law in the United States.

Is this the norm in the EU for regulators to decide things off the "spirit of the law"? Or is this a relatively new thing?


In other Apple news, Apple will not be releasing Apple Intelligence, their AI platform in the EU. They said that their focus on privacy and protecting users data is in violation of the DMA. They would need to open up data access to any AI without gate keeping (restrictions) to any AI developer if they were to launch in the EU>
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EU law is messy and confusing and the ECJ makes some completely out there judgementa to make sure it applies the way they want it to, or feels it has to make it work, than necessarily how it is written down. There is also the fact that it has to have an equal applicability in 30+ languages, and be translatable into the law of all the member countries, and all the translation issues and the ways that creates loopholes.

I fucking hate the EU on so many levels but it’s a club that’s it’s better to be in than out…

That said their stance against tech companies is one place where I’m generally in agreement with them.
 

The Supreme Court won’t take up a case challenging Georgia’s system for electing its public utility board in a defeat for Black voters who argued the so-called “at-large” electoral system diluted their votes.

The justices’ refusal to get involved will potentially make it much harder for challenges to such at-large systems of voting – that challengers call a “relic of Jim Crow” – to move forward in three states in the South.

The five members of Georgia’s Public Service Commission are each elected in staggered, statewide votes – a system that a federal judge said violated the Voting Rights Act. That ruling was then reversed by the 11th US Circuit.
 
Last nights episode of John Oliver was all about the state of politics in the UK and the upcoming election and why conservatives aren't likely to win.

Though, it sounds like the person who would most likely win and take over as PM is even sleepier than Joe Biden and will leave pretty much all the Torries cuts in place.
 
Hemotep said:
I really hate this country.
www.yahoo.com

Courts block part of Biden’s student loan repayment plan for millions

The two court rulings, in response to lawsuits filed by Republican-led states, prohibit the Education Department from moving ahead with major provisions of Biden’s SAVE loan repayment program.
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com
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The irony of it is, if Trump takes office again he's going to vastly expand the powers of the executive branch, and conservatives have plans in place to help make that happen.
 
My neighbor, who has been living in his unit for more than 15 years is moving out today. He's retired, single and living on a fixed income. The rent increases he was facing this year were just too much. He can't afford them and he can't afford anything in Salem or Massachusetts for that mater.

He tried to negotiate to reduce the increase in his rent this year but was denied. He's being forced to move in with a relative while he figures out what his next moves are. He doesn't know what he's going to do or where he's going to end up.

Even though I in the past I have heard mention that rent is not negotiable and is calculated by a algorithm the leasing office staff told me it doesn't hurt to try so I did. It was no surprise when I got an email back pretty much outlining the section in the lease that says rent is negotiable. Pretty much a you dumb ass, did you read the lease type response.

Last year when they renewed my lease, they increased the maximum percentage that they can up my rent by each year, and surprise surprise, they opted to increase my rent by the new maximum.

Essentially, what is going on, is market value in this area has increased faster than they can raise rent on existing tenants. So tenants who have been year for years rent is under market value, thus they are losing money on us. And as they love to mention, at the end of the day, they are a business. They would love to get us out to get new people in paying higher rent.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
My neighbor, who has been living in his unit for more than 15 years is moving out today. He's retired, single and living on a fixed income. The rent increases he was facing this year were just too much. He can't afford them and he can't afford anything in Salem or Massachusetts for that mater.

He tried to negotiate to reduce the increase in his rent this year but was denied. He's being forced to move in with a relative while he figures out what his next moves are. He doesn't know what he's going to do or where he's going to end up.

Even though I in the past I have heard mention that rent is not negotiable and is calculated by a algorithm the leasing office staff told me it doesn't hurt to try so I did. It was no surprise when I got an email back pretty much outlining the section in the lease that says rent is negotiable. Pretty much a you dumb ass, did you read the lease type response.

Last year when they renewed my lease, they increased the maximum percentage that they can up my rent by each year, and surprise surprise, they opted to increase my rent by the new maximum.

Essentially, what is going on, is market value in this area has increased faster than they can raise rent on existing tenants. So tenants who have been year for years rent is under market value, thus they are losing money on us. And as they love to mention, at the end of the day, they are a business. They would love to get us out to get new people in paying higher rent.
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They are not, in fact, "losing money". There's a substantial difference in opportunity cost and actual revenues.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
Last nights episode of John Oliver was all about the state of politics in the UK and the upcoming election and why conservatives aren't likely to win.

Though, it sounds like the person who would most likely win and take over as PM is even sleepier than Joe Biden and will leave pretty much all the Torries cuts in place.
Click to expand...

I think John Oliver maybe needs to go back to Britain and engage if that’s the take you’re getting.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
My neighbor, who has been living in his unit for more than 15 years is moving out today. He's retired, single and living on a fixed income. The rent increases he was facing this year were just too much. He can't afford them and he can't afford anything in Salem or Massachusetts for that mater.

He tried to negotiate to reduce the increase in his rent this year but was denied. He's being forced to move in with a relative while he figures out what his next moves are. He doesn't know what he's going to do or where he's going to end up.

Even though I in the past I have heard mention that rent is not negotiable and is calculated by a algorithm the leasing office staff told me it doesn't hurt to try so I did. It was no surprise when I got an email back pretty much outlining the section in the lease that says rent is negotiable. Pretty much a you dumb ass, did you read the lease type response.

Last year when they renewed my lease, they increased the maximum percentage that they can up my rent by each year, and surprise surprise, they opted to increase my rent by the new maximum.

Essentially, what is going on, is market value in this area has increased faster than they can raise rent on existing tenants. So tenants who have been year for years rent is under market value, thus they are losing money on us. And as they love to mention, at the end of the day, they are a business. They would love to get us out to get new people in paying higher rent.
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debianlinux said:
They are not, in fact, "losing money". There's a substantial difference in opportunity cost and actual revenues.
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THIS!!
Sometimes it’s even worth it for these companies to have vacancies because they can write it off as losses.
 
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