General News Thread

[leicsmac]

6 minutes ago, Lionator said:

 

Despise Vance and most things he stands for but this is at least very good communication in an increasingly mad situation. 

It's good communication based on logical throughput, but the intent that comes with it is, as is almost always with that man and his superior, negative. 

Edited 17 June 2025 by leicsmac

[Lionator]

13 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

It's good communication based on logical throughput, but the intent that comes with it is, as is almost always with that man and his superior, negative. 

My theory is that they’ve basically got Iran on the brink and Trump is going with the wind and is coming in for the victory lap. 

Edited 17 June 2025 by Lionator

[Jattdogg]

Do we trust USA to have nuclear weapons? I don't.

 

[Lionator]

4 minutes ago, Jattdogg said:

Do we trust USA to have nuclear weapons? I don't.

 

It would be theoretically absurd to use them in this situation. Iran are absolutely zero threat to them at this stage. It would also mean Russia would immediately bring nukes into Ukraine as the taboo would be gone. It would be an act of incomparable insanity. 

Edited 17 June 2025 by Lionator

[Jattdogg]

Just now, Lionator said:

It would be theoretically absurd to use them in this situation. Iran are absolutely zero threat to them at this stage. It would also mean Russia would immediately bring nukes into Ukraine as the taboo would be gone. It would be an act of incomparable insanity. 

Don't get me wrong, I understand why we don't want them to have it but always a bit rich for nuclear nations to preach about it when they already have. That's another topic though

 

[Parafox]

8 hours ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Imo they just reflect your mood. If you go into them expecting to have a good experience you usually do. Act a mardy bastard and you're more likely to have issues.

If I have to be up at 3am to be at EMA for a 7am flight I'm likely to be grumpy.

 

If the travel time to the airport plus the check in process takes longer than the flight, I'm grumpy. So that's most European destinations.

 

Flying to Florida was no bother for me as I had time during the flight where I wouldn't be stressed about the destination arrival procedure. Even the kids on board were chilled.

 

One bloke on board the return flight about 2 rows ahead of me had a seizure. I did my paramedic thing with help from the cabin crew. On returning to my seat my youngest daughter (7) declared me to be "amazing"

 

That was a memorable experience.

[ajthefox]

2 minutes ago, Parafox said:

If I have to be up at 3am to be at EMA for a 7am flight I'm likely to be grumpy.

 

If the travel time to the airport plus the check in process takes longer than the flight, I'm grumpy. So that's most European destinations.

 

Flying to Florida was no bother for me as I had time during the flight where I wouldn't be stressed about the destination arrival procedure. Even the kids on board were chilled.

 

One bloke on board the return flight about 2 rows ahead of me had a seizure. I did my paramedic thing with help from the cabin crew. On returning to my seat my youngest daughter (7) declared me to be "amazing"

 

That was a memorable experience.

No-one likes the return journey but it sounds like you're a bit of a grumpy bastard, Para 

[st albans fox]

1 hour ago, Jattdogg said:

Don't get me wrong, I understand why we don't want them to have it but always a bit rich for nuclear nations to preach about it when they already have. That's another topic though

 

Interestingly those countries/leaders that gave up their nuclear weapons or programs (Ukraine, gadaffi, sadam) didn’t go so well without it whereas n korea held onto their program, now have a weapon and are basically untouchable militarily 

 

(and answering your basic question is that it’s almost impossible to put the genie back into the bottle ). 

Edited 17 June 2025 by st albans fox

[Vacamion]

 

1 hour ago, Jattdogg said:

Do we trust USA to have nuclear weapons? I don't.

 

 

Yeah, a rambling 79 year old POTUS with online anger issues, supported by a cabal of Christofascists and Billionaires who either want the rapture to happen or are rich enough to have well-prepped bunkers.

 

It all bodes incredibly well.

 

I'm currently reading "6 Minutes to Winter, Nuclear War And How To Avoid It" by Mark Lynas, and (so far) it argues that it's fairly pointless the big nuclear powers having nukes set to launch on a hair trigger, because the resulting Nuclear Winter would last over a  decade and kill almost everyone and everything on the planet.

 

It goes into great and indeed terrifying detail about the amount of soot in the atmosphere above cloud level, the resultant decrease in temps and massive extinction of life. 

 

Lovely pleasant thought for a Tuesday evening.

 

 

 

 

[Torquay Gunner]

2 hours ago, leicsmac said:

It's good communication based on logical throughput, but the intent that comes with it is, as is almost always with that man and his superior, negative. 

Suspect this was issued to appease Trump’s base, although he has used some big words in there so many of them, including Trump himself will struggle to follow. 

[Sampson]

54 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Interestingly those countries/leaders that gave up their nuclear weapons or programs (Ukraine, gadaffi, sadam) didn’t go so well without it whereas n korea held onto their program, now have a weapon and are basically untouchable militarily 

 

(and answering your basic question is that it’s almost impossible to put the genie back into the bottle ). 

Exactly. All these leaders just look at what happened to Ghaddaffi after he took back his nuclear programme and was shortly after deposed and killed. Compare that to Kim Jon Un who Trump kept threatening but who called Trump’s bluff and is now untouchable.

 

All the West have shown to dictators in recent years is getting nukes helps you to survive. 

Edited 17 June 2025 by Sampson

[StanSP]

On 16/06/2025 at 08:46, Jon the Hat said:

I fly quite a lot, and you do start to appreciate that priority check-in, fast track security, airline lounges, priority boarding and meet and greet taxi pick up are not perks but more benefits to reduce the stress of it all.  I still find flying with the family a bit more stressful than alone.

Ever since having a kid we do fast track security as standard. For the time and less stress as stated it's worth it for about £12.

 

 

[leicsmac]

40 minutes ago, Vacamion said:

 

 

Yeah, a rambling 79 year old POTUS with online anger issues, supported by a cabal of Christofascists and Billionaires who either want the rapture to happen or are rich enough to have well-prepped bunkers.

 

It all bodes incredibly well.

 

I'm currently reading "6 Minutes to Winter, Nuclear War And How To Avoid It" by Mark Lynas, and (so far) it argues that it's fairly pointless the big nuclear powers having nukes set to launch on a hair trigger, because the resulting Nuclear Winter would last over a  decade and kill almost everyone and everything on the planet.

 

It goes into great and indeed terrifying detail about the amount of soot in the atmosphere above cloud level, the resultant decrease in temps and massive extinction of life. 

 

Lovely pleasant thought for a Tuesday evening.

 

 

 

 

I remember someone saying something along the lines of "the whole point of a nuclear weapon lies in deterrence. The moment one is used, anywhere, it and in all likelihood all the others, become useless".

[JonnyBoy]

On 16/06/2025 at 13:52, Tommy G said:

I'd disagree, plenty of cheap flights knocking about with low cost airlines still.

 

If you are up for some serious punishment board a flight to Ibiza from any UK airport late afternoon or early evening, if I ever went again I would avoid any form of low cost airline as you get all the riff raff on it, not pleasant. 

 

yep, we are pre booking seats for ryanair flight to palma at 05:45am near the front in case they are any Malaga riff raff 

 

did ibiza flight two years ago - never again. Delayed flight back from ibiza as well as the incoming plane had to deal with some arrests 

[Trav Le Bleu]

1 hour ago, Vacamion said:

 

 

Yeah, a rambling 79 year old POTUS with online anger issues, supported by a cabal of Christofascists and Billionaires who either want the rapture to happen or are rich enough to have well-prepped bunkers.

 

It all bodes incredibly well.

 

I'm currently reading "6 Minutes to Winter, Nuclear War And How To Avoid It" by Mark Lynas, and (so far) it argues that it's fairly pointless the big nuclear powers having nukes set to launch on a hair trigger, because the resulting Nuclear Winter would last over a  decade and kill almost everyone and everything on the planet.

 

It goes into great and indeed terrifying detail about the amount of soot in the atmosphere above cloud level, the resultant decrease in temps and massive extinction of life. 

 

Lovely pleasant thought for a Tuesday evening.

 

 

 

 

Tbh, I'd welcome a decrease in temperature.

 

 

Though I realise it would come with a massive and sudden increase in temperature first.

[leicsmac]

Just now, Trav Le Bleu said:

Tbh, I'd welcome a decrease in temperature.

 

 

Though I realise it would come with a massive and sudden increase in temperature first.

I don't know, I think 100 million Kelvin is rather temperate... 

[Zear0]

Something so insidious about watching live news channels just waiting for the US to absolutely pound Iran.

[Vacamion]

45 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

I remember someone saying something along the lines of "the whole point of a nuclear weapon lies in deterrence. The moment one is used, anywhere, it and in all likelihood all the others, become useless".

 

Maybe Brezhnev?  Can't find a ref, though.

 

The Russians, Chinese and Americans have satellites which focus on detecting the take off plumes of the other powers' ICBMs and sub-based missiles.

 

A good description of the hair-trigger nature of these systems is in Annie Jacobsen's "Nuclear War - a Scenario" which I read earlier this year (it's been that kind of year    )

 

Once these early warning systems detect an attack, or what it thinks is an attack, the leader of, say The USA has about 6 minutes to decide what to do.

 

So glad the Tech Bros were asked to put AI all over the place to save money, and that Big King Don has the nuclear codes and the power to use them.

 

 

 

 

[Sampson]

5 minutes ago, Vacamion said:

 

Maybe Brezhnev?  Can't find a ref, though.

 

The Russians, Chinese and Americans have satellites which focus on detecting the take off plumes of the other powers' ICBMs and sub-based missiles.

 

A good description of the hair-trigger nature of these systems is in Annie Jacobsen's "Nuclear War - a Scenario" which I read earlier this year (it's been that kind of year    )

 

Once these early warning systems detect an attack, or what it thinks is an attack, the leader of, say The USA has about 6 minutes to decide what to do.

 

So glad the Tech Bros were asked to put AI all over the place to save money, and that Big King Don has the nuclear codes and the power to use them.

 

 

 

 

This is a good video on the matter 

 

 

[Foxdiamond]

46 minutes ago, JonnyBoy said:

 

yep, we are pre booking seats for ryanair flight to palma at 05:45am near the front in case they are any Malaga riff raff 

 

did ibiza flight two years ago - never again. Delayed flight back from ibiza as well as the incoming plane had to deal with some arrests 

Just an ordinary working class bloke I still get depressed when coming across riff raff

[Jon the Hat]

5 hours ago, Jattdogg said:

Don't get me wrong, I understand why we don't want them to have it but always a bit rich for nuclear nations to preach about it when they already have. That's another topic though

 

I don’t recall the leaders of the US basically telling the world they will nuke another country for 40 years as soon as they have the capability though?

[Jattdogg]

3 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

I don’t recall the leaders of the US basically telling the world they will nuke another country for 40 years as soon as they have the capability though?

...I mean only the US has ever used one...

 

Always depends on how you look at it. That said it was a long time ago but I still don't trust America with Trump in power. Mr no war seems to be sticking his cock into the mix.

[Trav Le Bleu]

9 hours ago, Sampson said:

This is a good video on the matter 

 

 

I found another video about it...

 

 

[Trav Le Bleu]

The old That Was The Week That Was (I think it's from?) sketch with John Clease, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett ("I look down on him") needs an extra person smaller than Corbett these days.

[Trav Le Bleu]

8 hours ago, Foxdiamond said:

Just an ordinary working class bloke I still get depressed when coming across riff raff

Just now, Trav Le Bleu said:

The old That Was The Week That Was (I think it's from?) sketch with John Clease, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett ("I look down on him") needs an extra person smaller than Corbett these days.

Sorry, above was reply to this.