General News

[Trav Le Bleu]

1 hour ago, leicsmac said:

Some fascinating insights here today, pleasure to read them.

 

The idea of it being a tetrapolar world in terms of powers now is on the money, and I think the digital age has vastly hastened and deepened that division of power. However, this comes at a time where unity in some areas is more imperative to the future than it has ever been.

 

The only thing I'd add challenging comment to is while on paper the US economy figures appear good, that doesn't actually mean much when the wealth disparity over there is already horrible and continues to widen. Gilded Age all over again, indeed.

Tetrapolar?

 

USA, USS... I mean Russia, and China. Who's the fourth?

[leicsmac]

9 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

The one thing that people with loads of money want is more money. Because more than you could spend is never enough.

Yep. Because power over people, which money buys, is a drug to them.

 

Of course, that doesn't end well for them or anyone else.

 

6 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Tetrapolar?

 

USA, USS... I mean Russia, and China. Who's the fourth?

The EU. Not necessarily military, but there's economic and other soft power there.

[Trav Le Bleu]

8 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

 

 

The EU. Not necessarily military, but there's economic and other soft power there.

I did wonder, but very much the Spurs of the big 4.

[Dunge]

I think that’s very generous to an EU that’s likely (IMO) to get weaker rather than stronger.

[bovril]

Always interesting how many Brits see Russia as a world power but not the EU. 

[leicsmac]

33 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

I did wonder, but very much the Spurs of the big 4.

 

32 minutes ago, Dunge said:

I think that’s very generous to an EU that’s likely (IMO) to get weaker rather than stronger.

I think it really depends on what kind of power is going to be critical going forward.

 

If it's the mushroom cloud kind, then yes, it would be easy for the EU to become marginalised - but then that kind of world will be shit for everyone anyway. If it's other forms of power, the bloc may still have decent influence.

Edited 29 January by leicsmac

[leicsmac]

13 minutes ago, bovril said:

Always interesting how many Brits see Russia as a world power but not the EU. 

That's because of the aforementioned mushroom cloud power that they do have a lot of, I think.

[izzymuzzet]

5 hours ago, fox_up_north said:

As a former history teacher, take a bow

Haha, thanks. My first degree was history but I spent three years mostly inebriated, so trying to make up for lost time by reading all the books I should have back then. 

[izzymuzzet]

1 hour ago, leicsmac said:

 

I think it really depends on what kind of power is going to be critical going forward.

 

If it's the mushroom cloud kind, then yes, it would be easy for the EU to become marginalised - but then that kind of world will be shit for everyone anyway. If it's other forms of power, the bloc may still have decent influence.

Our temperate climate could make Northern Europe a very attractive proposition - for capital, labour and finance - over the next 50 years. That will create political challenges as well as opportunities of course. 

[leicsmac]

9 minutes ago, izzymuzzet said:

Our temperate climate could make Northern Europe a very attractive proposition - for capital, labour and finance - over the next 50 years. That will create political challenges as well as opportunities of course. 

If things have gotten to the state where that is the case, I would posit the situation is dire enough that it's beyond pretty much anyone's control tbh, because it will mean a truly vast amount of people will no longer be able to live and source food and potable water where they are.

 

That will produce challenges that will be pretty much insurmountable by civilisation as it currently is.

[Daggers]

We may not have our condemned hospital replaced until 2035, and we may not have clean water, and we may not have controlled heating bills - but we will have a third runway at Heathrow possibly never.  
 

I for one am delighted with our new political overlords. 

[blabyboy]

They (Politicians and the civil service) really need to get The Green Book overhauled if this big white elephant project mentality is to have a chance of being eradicated

[leicsmac]

How on earth did a US military helicopter collide with a civilian airliner coming into land in one of the most ATC-intensive areas of the world?

[foxy boxing]

3 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

How on earth did a US military helicopter collide with a civilian airliner coming into land in one of the most ATC-intensive areas of the world?

There is so much air traffic nowadays, planes, helicopters,drones etc. Clearly pilot error, the military helicopter shouldn't really have been there!.

Conspiracy theory: was there someone on the plane Trump wanted eliminated, most unlikely but possible!.

[Bellend Sebastian]

I've seen a lot of social media coverage drawing attention to the upheaval caused by the new adminstration"s cuts and firings at the Federal Aviation Authority, and at the same time the counter argument that this happened because the FAA employs 'retards' under ill conceived DEI policies and as always it's just so difficult to guess at which scenario is the more likely

[Bellend Sebastian]

For some reason I'm reminded of a former colleague who got carried away when 'tidying up' her PC and ended up not just deleting all her old unwanted documents etc, but any files that she did not recognise or know the purpose of, including those of the operating system itself and was most indignant when it stopped working

[Thefox81]

Just as i was reading those interesting comments poof theyve gone 😟

[Lionator]

I think there’s more to it than we’ll ever know. 

[jgtuk]

9 minutes ago, Thefox81 said:

Just as i was reading those interesting comments poof theyve gone 😟

 

2 minutes ago, Lionator said:

I think there’s more to it than we’ll ever know. 

Goddam, I always miss the interesting stuff 😡

[leicsmac]

Early reports make it look like the heli definitely violated procedures and the ATC warned them multiple times about the airliner, but I guess we'll find out more in due course.

[SecretPro]

Helicopter pilot lost the plot? Terrorism? Who knows...but definitely something more to it.

Edited 30 January by SecretPro

[FoyleFox]

Why do Trump's media posts about something so serious and tragic sound like a Karen on FB

"This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!"

[leicsmac]

5 minutes ago, FoyleFox said:

Why do Trump's media posts about something so serious and tragic sound like a Karen on FB

"This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!"

... because those same people elected him. Kindred spirits.

[davieG]

10 hours ago, Daggers said:

We may not have our condemned hospital replaced until 2035, and we may not have clean water, and we may not have controlled heating bills - but we will have a third runway at Heathrow possibly never.  
 

I for one am delighted with our new political overlords. 

Not forgetting clearing the area so that Man U can have new stadium when they should be paying to have the problems removed.

[NJFox]

That airspace is known to be highly congested and the need for security around DC makes it doubly challenging, but commercial pilots who fly in and out of Reagan National are given very specific flight paths, so there’s really no deviation on their end. Probably not too dissimilar from London City Airport.