#reforms

[unbfacts]

In Brazil, a program called “Remission for Reading” allows prisoners to reduce their sentences by 4 days for each book they read and review, up to a maximum of 12 books per year, totaling 48 days off annually.

[tomorrowusa]

John Oliver devoted his main focus this week to redistricting. You get an excellent idea of just how irredeemably racist the Republican Party is.

True, Republicans have given themselves a modest advantage this cycle by drawing maps which screw Blacks. But in a wave year, that electoral advantage could be minimized.

Democrats need to flip both chambers of Congress this year to restore balance to the country. Doing that requires two things:

Getting out the vote at the grassroots level by talking with neighbors one at a time. Zohran Mamdani got elected mayor largely because volunteers asked people in the neighborhoods what their main concerns were and then pointed to Mamdani's proposals relating to those concerns. If people agree with 80% of what you say, they are allies – not opponents. Don't make it difficult for people to agree with you.

A unified party is a winning party. Spending more time vilifying other Democrats than defeating MAGA Republicans is a sure way to guarantee GOP control for years to come. And yes, I'm talking about ALL sides involved. Once the primaries are over, it's time to shift the focus to winning the Midterm Elections. Purity is essential with food safety but it is poisonous when building winning coalitions.

Péter Magyar is now prime minister of Hungary because he won despite severe gerrymandering and media manipulation by authoritarian Viktor Orbán. Not only did the Tisza Party win, it even has enough power now to amend Hungary's constitution. This is the result of people to people power. We can learn from the Hungarians.

If we really want change, we need to work hard for it at both the state and federal levels. To push through the reforms suggested by John Oliver near the end of that segment, we need TWO good cycles in a row. While Trump and Capitol Hill Republicans will try to obstruct Democratic majorities in House and Senate in the 120th Congress, we can use their anti-reform obstructions against them in 2028.

Every one of us needs to feel that the midterms will not be won without our active personal involvement. If we're successful, November 3rd will be this year's true Independence Day.

[mommahoney]

The Campaign Platform

[empirearchives]

Napoleon’s reforms

As it is Napoleon’s death day (May 5th), I decided to make a collection of some of my posts with Napoleon’s reforms. This is not an exhaustive list of all of Napoleon’s reforms, just what I’ve been able to post about thus far, and I plan to dedicate many more posts to the subject.

Abolition of torture

British renunciation of the title “King of France”

Cadaster (land registry)

Canned food

Central Vaccine Committee & the Society for the Extinction of Smallpox

Child labor laws

Citizen cooks & the Society for the Encouragement of National Industy

Concordat of 1801

Constitution of 1799 (universal suffrage)

Education

Freedom of religion

Grand Sanhedrin

Imperial nobility

Legal impact (list of law codes)

Legal impact (part 2)

Metric system

Napoleonic Code in Bavaria

Paris Bourse

Paris Fire Brigade

Paris Health Council

Père Lachaise Cemetery

Prison reforms and changes

Reforms in Italy (undone during the Restoration)

Regulations limiting pollution

Restoration of universities

Rumford soup kitchens

Sewers and Sanitation

Smallpox vaccine

Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts Brussels

Sorbonne university

Sugar beet industry & trade

Sugar (part 2)

Switzerland (Napoleon’s impact in the country)

Tax collection system

Treaty of Campo Formio

Unification of the Italian peninsula

Water policies

Women artists in Napoleonic France

Women writers in Napoleonic France

[undergroundusa]

https://www.undergroundusa.com/p/the-democrats-cynical-3-year-obamacare

Schumer #Democrats #Obamacare #Scam #Reforms #Trump #Midterms #HealthInsurance

[alivewithclive]

“For Ukrainians, Europe is the values we defend every day: freedom, democracy, human dignity, the rule of law, and solidarity between nations. While defending our own independence, Ukraine is also contributing to the security and resilience of Europe as a whole.” ~ @ukraine.ua 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇪🇺

#Repost @ukraine.ua with @use.repost_ . . . Today, Ukraine celebrates Europe Day together with the countries of the European Union.

Ukraine has always been a part of Europe – geographically, historically, culturally, and through the choices of its people. Today, amid Russia’s full-scale war, this connection is growing even stronger – through reforms, unity, and our shared responsibility for the future of the continent.

For Ukrainians, Europe is the values we defend every day: freedom, democracy, human dignity, the rule of law, and solidarity between nations.

While defending our own independence, Ukraine is also contributing to the security and resilience of Europe as a whole. Millions of Ukrainians are already helping build a stronger European future – on the frontline, in communities, through innovation, reconstruction, culture, and everyday life.

Europe is not only something we belong to. It is something we build together. Happy Europe Day 🇺🇦🇪🇺

21h

[stromuprisahat]

Twenty shepherds, arriving from Silesia, were sent to Kazan to shear the sheep and teach the Russians there how to make wool so that it would no longer be necessary to buy English wool to clothe the army.

Peter the Great: His Life and World (Robert K. Massie)

WTF?!

They didn't know how to process wool?!