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Everything posted by flatdawgs
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2024 Presidential Election Thread - Let's keep the party going.
flatdawgs replied to bolverk's topic in Cloak Room
Serious question, from someone who's been to most of these island countries (Polynesia/Micronesia/Melanesia all) - do you have a specific game plan as to how to obtain residency in any of them? If not, you'll find that it's nearly impossible and for a very good reason - there is an extreme scarcity of resources for their own people, let alone folks who see the swaying palm trees, beaches, and lagoons and think "paradise!" and have since the Bounty mutineers decided they wanted to go back to Tahiti. You'll find some of the loveliest people anywhere out there - and you'll also find that as happy as they are to see you, they're at least as happy when you go. Go out to say, Tarawa in Kiribati (I know you're familiar with that particular island's place in history) and see what a shitshow the i-Kiribati themselves have made it. Hell, even as an American citizen you can't just pick up and move to one of the American territories like you can to Hawai'i. A further aside to the expat life in general - and there's several on the board who can attest to this - you will be much more successful in your quest to find the right place for you if you aren't doing it just to flee somewhere else. Everywhere on Earth has their share of problems, assholes, and greedy shitbags who will happily give you a big "Fuck you!" to your face. Generally speaking, like here, it's 30-40% and that's easily borne out looking at election results (Europe is a great example of this). The Solomon Islands, for example, are a freaking mess between the pro-Western and pro-Chinese factions, both of whom just see them as strategic and don't give a rat's ass about them. In Fiji, the Fijian native population and those of Indian descent brought by the British cordially hate one another (I was there when a coup occurred, which was fun). It goes on and on no matter where you are. Doesn't mean there aren't great places - I've looked at many - but there's no perfect place where you can avoid the troglodytes and venality that are a function of being human. I know your affinity for that part of the world - we have a similar love of history - and I truly wish you luck in finding the right place, and one where you'll be able to relocate. I just hope that it's an "eyes wide open" move. Being an expat can be really, really hard without that. -
Good on ya! Looks like we voted pretty much the same (and yes, the sticker is cool) - the initiatives are definitely ratfuckery but as usual I think the electorate here will see through it. Bob Ferguson is a pretty good dude, or at least he was when he was my neighborhood's county council rep years ago; Reichert is dumb as a sack of hammers although I don't think terribly MAGA. I'm a bit concerned about how far behind the vote counts are from 2020 (especially regarding WA-03, which we may lose), but there seems to be a slight improvement over the past couple of days.
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2024 Presidential Election Thread - Let's keep the party going.
flatdawgs replied to bolverk's topic in Cloak Room
This in effect isn't true, although it's technically not called that any more. The parameters are the same (again, with the caveat that the investment in real estate route, which was by far the easiest, is now gone). For other investment pathways still available, you would still apply the same way as before but the visa technically transfers into a D2 entrepreneurship visa. The Golden Visa stay and investment requirements remain what they've been; you do not need to fulfill the standard D2 requirements. The issue with all this is that SEF (now AIMA, the immigration agency) has a long backlog that they are trying to work through. The D7 passive income and D8 digital nomad visas are much cheaper and easier to obtain, but you must be in country a minimum of 181 days/year whereas the Golden Visa is 7 (note again that the standard D2 visa has different requirements than that). With all of these visas you have the opportunity to switch to a permanent residency visa or obtain citizenship after 5 years. (probably a better topic for a thread in food and travel. Perhaps I'll see some of you in country someday) -
2024 Presidential Election Thread - Let's keep the party going.
flatdawgs replied to bolverk's topic in Cloak Room
Yes, that's one of the paths. You have to prove concept, yadda yadda, but it's fairly straightforward, as is just investing in Portuguese funds/securities (not a huge value play, to say the least). Hopefully none of this gets pushed to the front burner Tuesday evening (I don't think it will, but I live in super blue land). -
2024 Presidential Election Thread - Let's keep the party going.
flatdawgs replied to bolverk's topic in Cloak Room
wheelhouse -
2024 Presidential Election Thread - Let's keep the party going.
flatdawgs replied to bolverk's topic in Cloak Room
New government changed the rules, although there may be some new programs I'd be very interested in should they come up. Real estate no longer counts. May just end up retiring and doing the D7 visa instead and not worrying about the investment strategies. There's a house just outside of Tavira I really want to have a look at... need to get back there again. -
2024 Presidential Election Thread - Let's keep the party going.
flatdawgs replied to bolverk's topic in Cloak Room
I have a Tuesday am conference call with my Portuguese attorney - wasn't set up for election day specifically; she set it up and I'm sure there'll be non-Americans on it - but always nice to go over my options again. -
I'm rather partial to the whole "secret ballot" thing, so nah. Around here (WA) and as far as I can tell in other VBM states, there is no identifying info on the ballot itself. You sign the exterior (mailing) envelope, which is checked at the county election department, then the envelope is piled up with all the other ones to be opened and the ballot removed from the security envelope inside. The ballots are then processed in large groups. Prior to the ballot being removed from the mailing envelope, yes, they can find your ballot, but once it's taken out they can't. A ballot cast in person of course does not have the signed mailing envelope and so can't be identified at any point. The ballots themselves are identical. This story is poorly written as no ballot has identifying info, VBM or in-person, and the story states otherwise. It appears the election officials did not get adequate proof of citizenship to register the student and he should never have been allowed to vote in the first place. That sort of thing could happen anywhere; fortunately it is exceedingly rare.
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2024 Presidential Election Thread - Let's keep the party going.
flatdawgs replied to bolverk's topic in Cloak Room
Not interesting in so far that the Seattle Times endorsed Harris, but it should be noted that the Blethen family (owners of the paper; Frank wrote this endorsement) are by no means liberal/progressive; they're just not MAGA. The Times has forever been a bulwark of old-school conservative white suburbanism in this area, and the Blethen family has trailed behind the continued leftward movement of the suburbs here (except Alaska, which is Seattle's conservative suburb, heh - IYKYK). I did like the "Hell, yes!" headline, however. Good to see them take a firm stance in their endorsement. -
nvm - 2024 primary vs 2020 general - i completely misunderstood you. Post deleted, user banned.
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lolololol WA not only has no party registration, but an open "jungle" primary, yet somehow some very specific numbers pop up there. They'd be more believable if they just left that blank for states like WA (they do for "VBM/in person" here where there is no in person voting, so it can be done).
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2024 Presidential Election Thread - Let's keep the party going.
flatdawgs replied to bolverk's topic in Cloak Room
Spoklahoma. Spokane is actually a pleasant enough purply-blue city with some excellent golf courses that always seems on the cusp of boom or collapse, and never does either. I have a lot of family history there; g-g-grandparents moved there 125 years ago with their little girl, who grew up and married there and had my grandmother (all three houses they lived in are still there). They all eventually moved to Seattle, though. /csb The drive from Montana to Spoke isn't bad; it's pretty much through the Rockies the whole way, albeit not the super-scenic parts. It's the drive west from Spokane to Ellensburg that seriously sucks for this part of the country. -
2024 Presidential Election Thread - Let's keep the party going.
flatdawgs replied to bolverk's topic in Cloak Room
lol. Ugliest part of a decidedly not ugly state. Also the heart of MAGAland in WA - central WA is more conservative than the Palouse to the east, mostly due to Whitman County (Pullman/WSU) normally going blue. A Democrat didn't even make the general election in central WA's congressional district, which includes the Tri-Shitties and Moses Hole. -
2024 Presidential Election Thread - Let's keep the party going.
flatdawgs replied to bolverk's topic in Cloak Room
Shit, you don't have to go that far. Drive 45 minutes N, E, or W and you're deep in the heart of MAGA country. Lewis County, WA - about halfway between Seattle and Portland - is Alabama with scenery. Oregon is the most "conservative" (and by far the poorest) of the three West Coast states - they had (modified) Jim Crow laws, anti-miscegenation laws, and despite entering the union as a free state in 1859 was such a sundown state that two of (then) Washington Territory's most prominent pioneers were Black men who crossed the Columbia because Oregon told them and their families to GTFO. Oregon is a very weird state politically - the extremes have always had an outsized role. Even with all that, they're pretty solidly blue and the vast majority of that is neither Antifa or anarchist. -
Thing$ $till not going well for Joe Rogan, I $ee.
flatdawgs replied to Parliament's topic in Cloak Room
Hell, my entire city burned to the ground a couple of years ago and I missed it. Sounded exciting. -
Thanks Wood - figured I could count on you. I've used the metro extensively there (and in a bunch of cities a bit, uh, edgier) and it's generally my preferred method of travel. Fun and underrated city even without the race. Would love to see a Euro race but they'll not be having another Portuguese GP any time soon - shame as Portimão isn't all that far from where I stay in Tavira. Montreal is definitely on the list as well.
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Any of the Surly F1 cabal been to CDMX for a race? Trying to convince my brother to go - it's one of my favorite cities to visit. Looks like the track is easily accessible by Metro and was wondering if that's handled well during race weekend.
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Somewhat interesting trend in WA that I've not figured out yet. Of course we are a dark blue state, so no worries there (most recent poll has Harris +20, although this will probably end up being 14-16%), but right now ballots returned are at about 60% of 2020 levels as of Election Day -13. Since WA is a 100% vote by mail state and has been for many years, the pandemic really shouldn't account for much difference in ballots received or timing here between 2020 and 2024. Although the state is safely blue, there is one House seat that barely flipped R to D in 2022, and one other that could be in play, worst-case scenario. I'm definitely following this with interest and the hope that for whatever reason the voters are just a bit late this year.
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wrong thread dammit
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True, but that information is independently verifiable - either they were cashiered or executed, or they weren't. (A couple like von Paulus were captured, true, but Hitler made no bones about what he thought of him for surrendering at Stalingrad rather than eating his last bullet.) Of those that were sacked or executed, it can be surmised that most were felt by Hitler to have disobeyed at one level or another. Rommel notably hadn't, despite not being much of a supporter, but Trump didn't even know who Rommel was (per Kelly).
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“Of seventeen field marshals, ten were sent home during the war and three lost their lives as a result of July 20, 1944 [the plot against Hitler]. Only one field marshal managed to get through the war and keep his position. Of thirty-six full generals eighteen were sent home, and five died as a result of July 20 or were dishonorably discharged. Only three full generals survived the war in their positions.” - Field Marshal von Manstein, testimony at Nuremberg So, about those "German generals doing what they were told...."
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A story about a pathetic man's downfall [34 Felony Convictions]
flatdawgs replied to Francisco 2.0's topic in Cloak Room
Much cheaper. Hitler has only got one ball. -
My niece in the UK turned 18 in August (no pics ya filthy animals); she's a dual US/UK citizen. She just missed being able to help vote out the Tories but has already returned her ballot for our election. When I talked to her today she was so excited to have voted - glad it seems to be the same rite of passage for her that it was for me. One more youth vote in the bank!
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Suzanne Simpson, the disappearing San Antonio realtor (UT alum)
flatdawgs replied to chainsaw's topic in Daily Texan
This is a major issue in Canada as well. Just terrible, and as down here mostly ignored. -
Yes, the judicial positions in WA state are non-partisan, both at the state and local levels, as are school boards and, at least in Seattle, the mayor and city council (those are off-year elections and so we didn't vote for them this time; they will be ranked choice in 2027). You can't vote a straight party ticket anyway, nor is party registration really a thing here. Almost all of that dates back to the Progressive movement at the turn of the previous century when many Western states wanted to get corrupt party politics out of, well, politics. (King County, which Seattle is a part of, switched to non-partisan offices a couple of decades ago when it became clear to the GOP that even in the suburbs they were becoming unpopular and wanted to hide who they were; it didn't really work for them.) Statewide positions and the Lege are partisan and in other counties/cities they may be as well. For the non-partisan positions I do study the state and county voters' guides as well as other sources - sometimes the candidate's statements in the guides are clear evidence; sometimes it's who they claim support from. There have at times been efforts by the right to "flood the zone" particularly when it comes to the state Supreme Court; to my relief the voters have seen through that to date. This year that didn't happen. We'll see what the voters think about the efforts via initiative to overturn some of the more progressive recent legislation to come out of Olympia.
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