Visualizing The Worrying Decline Of Freedom Around The World


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The 20th century was a bull market for literacy, freedom, prosperity, health, and technology.

As a result of these gains, wealth has increased exponentially, and world poverty is now at all-time lows. Life expectancy continues to improve in most countries, global literacy is near 90%, and there are well over 100 democracies throughout the planet.

But, as VisualCapitalist’s Jeff Desjardins notes, not every positive trend can keep going forever. Sometimes things regress temporarily, only to be corrected later on. Other times things change more fundamentally – and that regression can be the beginning of a newer, long-term reality.

The Decline of Freedom: An 11-Year Trend

According to the Freedom in the World 2017 Report, which scores countries annually on various levels of freedom, there have been recent setbacks in political rights and civil liberties in a number of “Free” countries. These newest declines are partially the result of populist and nationalist forces making significant gains in democratic states.

But Freedom House, the international watchdog organization that produces the annual report, says that this is not an isolated occurrence. In fact, based on their data and methodology, freedom has actually declined on a global basis for the last 11 years.

Here are the aggregate gains and declines in freedom for each year – you can see that declines have been outweighing gains since 2006.

11 Years of Decline

While the trend is clear, the most worrying part is that the biggest aggregate declines happened in the two most recent years. Is that a coincidence, or is the decline of freedom accelerating?

Here are the specific countries that have had the biggest declines in freedom over the last decade:

Largest Aggregate Declines Over the Last Decade

Countries like Yemen and Ethiopia, which are classified as “Not Free”, have lost further freedom. However, “Free” countries like Hungary or Nauru also lost 10 or more points in the index.

2016: Another Year of Setbacks

The biggest mover in 2016 was Turkey, a country that the Washington Post says is in a “permanent state of crisis”.

A failed coup attempt, the assassination of a Russian ambassador, trouble in bordering Syria, and economic crises have accelerated the march to authoritarianism in the country – and it’s had a 15-point decline of freedom as a result, according to Freedom House.

Biggest Movers in 2016

Hungary and Poland are among the Western democracies that lost significant points in 2016, but the report also has its crosshairs on the United States for 2017. It notes the U.S. as a “country to watch” this year because of the Trump administration’s approach to civil liberties, as well as a potential redefinition of the United States’ role in the world.

Here are where things stand as of now:

Map: World Freedom in 2017

For the whole report, which is a highly-recommended read, go here.

KOMMONSENTSJANE – MASS GRAVE CONTAINING INFANTS DISCOVERED IN IRELAND.


That this would happen in a Church sponsored or run home is beyond belief.

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You have to say a prayer – Will God forgive those who committed these evil deeds.  These were 800 unwanted babies who did not stand a chance at life – even though God gave them life.

A mass grave containing “significant quantities” of infants’ remains has been discovered at a former Catholic mother and baby home in western Ireland.

The discovery, announced by investigators Friday, follows a probe by a historian in 2014 who found the death certificates for nearly 800 children who died at the home in Tuam, County Galway, between its opening in 1925 and closure in 1961.

The government-appointed Mother and Baby Homes Commission said the remains were found in at least 17 of 20 underground chambers during excavations between November and February. The chambers appeared to be related to the treatment of sewage or waste water, it said.

A small number of the remains of up…

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One of the World’s Worst Ecological Disasters


This is a real disaster.

Le Pen says will call for referendum on FREXIT


Good for her get out of the EU before it collapses.

Le Pen Attacks Merkel in Parliament Representing a Free Europe


The EU Dream of creating a federalized Europe is collapsing. The immigration crisis was created by Merkel solely for he personal popularity was collapsing due to her hard stance against Greece. The Eurozone is collapsing and Brussels still refuses to recognize that they have gone too far beyond a mere trade union trying to create one government of Europe.

Hollande previous said that forcing Europe into a single federalized government was to end European War. This European Project has created the risk of internal civil war by trying to force an agenda upon a people no different than what Napoleon and Hitler attempted using military strength. Today, Brussels seeks the same end goal – a single European State.

Judicial Tyranny & Why We Need Strict Construction


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COMMENT:  The Insanity of the EU Bureaucrats and the European Court of Justice (ECJ – The Vnuk Case Summary: In August 2007 Slovenian Damijan Vnuk working on a farm was injured when the farmer who was parking his tractor and trailer in a barn accidentally reversed into the ladder Vnuk was up on. Vnuk sued for compensation to the amount of €15,944.10. Slovenian courts rejected his claims by saying that the tractor was at the time not being used as a method of transport but one of propulsion to manoeuvre the trailer attached. The case was then referred to the ECJ. In September 2014, the ECJ ruled in Vnuks favour interpreting the European Motor Insurance Directive to mean that any motor vehicle must have third party insurance regardless of whether they are on private or public land. In framing their judgment the ECJ (whose decision can not be appealed) extended the scope to the point where many other activities including motorcycle and motorsports are now affected, and because the ECJ is the highest court in the European Union there is no possibility of appeal. This now means in theory that any motorized vehicle used on any type of private or public land must be covered by third party insurance. As well as affecting all motorsport vehicles, it could affect electric bicycles, sit-on lawnmowers, golf buggies, mobility scooters, segways and even motorised ride-on children’s toys. The seriousness of the situation prompted the UK’s Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) in December 2016 to issue a stark warning that British motorsport could end due to the EU ruling.

KMS

Antonin ScaliaREPLY: This is how judges seriously alter the entire economy. They make decisions that are then so broadly applied that they really change everything and defeat democracy. In the USA, Congress NEVER made taxes apply to worldwide income. That was simply the Supreme Court ruling that Congress did not exempt it so they must have included it. This type of interpretation seriously disrupts everything. This is what Justice Scalia was against and he employed what is called “STRICT CONSTRUCTION” meaning if it does not expressly authorize something, then the court has no power to expand the interpretation. This is what the ECJ has just done and it will drastically alter the European economy compelling everyone to get insurance on everything.

The judiciary MUST be stopped. It must be restricted to Strict Construction, for otherwise, judges get to create laws based solely upon what they think. This eliminates any possible democratic process. It is effectively Judicial Tyranny. If a law does not expressly apply to something, it should not be interpreted to apply by judges. Put this on the list of structural reforms we MUST incorporate after the Crash and Burn.

Something’s Not Right


Tyler Durden's picture

It all made sense earlier (to those attempting to write the narrative explaining why The Dow gapped open to 21,000) but the last couple of hours have seen an odd decoupling between the USD Index and bonds (and a recoupling of the USD Index and stocks). The question is – what happens next?

Who’s right? Bonds or the dollar?

 

Gold is rising as the USD drops (no decoupling there)

 

And have stocks run their course?

 

Still with options buyers surging into S&P 2,600 strike calls for December, what could go wrong

Dramatic Aerial Footage Shows What The Oroville Dam Looks Like Now


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Via Daniel Lang of SHTFPlan.com,

Earlier this month, we all heard the news that the Oroville Dam was damaged, and that thousands of residents living in its shadow would have to be evacuated. Fortunately the dam held, and the residents of Oroville were able to return to their homes. For the most part the story has since faded from the news. However, the damage remains.

When the crisis was at its peak, you may have heard about what specifically went wrong with the dam. The main spillway was damaged when the dam operators attempted to release some water to control the depth of Lake Oroville. Essentially, a crater unexpectedly emerged in the middle of the spillway, and when the water flowed through that hole, it eroded the soil beneath. So the dam operators decided to let the water flow over an emergency spillway instead. But as the emergency spillway began to erode as well, an evacuation order was issued.

But hearing that doesn’t really do it any justice. To really appreciate the magnitude of what occurred that day, you have to see it with your own eyes. And now you can.

On Monday the California Department of Water Resources stopped the flow of water down the spillway so that they could assess the damage. Here’s what they found:

I have a feeling that this isn’t going to be fixed for a long time.

We need a New Alliance!


During WW II America, Brittan, Russia and the French resistance fought the Axis powers lead my Germany and totally destroyed them. What we need now is to save Western Civilization once more from the invasion of Islam which is in the process of bringing 5,000 years of progress to a screeching halt throwing us into a new Dark Age.  So some strange reason the left or the progressive movement as they prefer to be called have aligned themselves with the the Medina faction of Islam (Jihadists) in there attempt to set up a one world government under the principles of Marxism.  Trump had now correctly defined the obvious enemy as Radical Islamic terrorism he will now need to bring in the other half which is lead my George Soros with is Open Society movement which is Marxism; BTW Karl Marx was German.

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If Le Pen can win in the French election than an alliance of America, Britain, Russia and France is possible and we could save Western Civilization once more.  Russia does have clean up to do but the Russian people are good and even Putin could see the advantage of this new alliance.   I hope trump can see this and put something like this together; as this not inconsistent with the MAGA movement.

French Presidential Candidate Francois Fillon Anticipated To Make Noon (Local Time) Announcement….


French Presidential candidate, Francois Fillon, has called for a 12:00pm (local time – 6:00am U.S. Eastern Time zone) press conference.  This comes a day after he cancelled a trip to the annu…

Source: French Presidential Candidate Francois Fillon Anticipated To Make Noon (Local Time) Announcement….

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