World, Writing, Wealth discussion
World & Current Events
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If you're not in the U.S., what's up in your part of the world?
Beau, really? A lockdown for climate change? Nobody would buy that. As for civil unrest, by definition it would be futile because nobody would obey. If they are out there protesting about some vile government behaviour they are hardly going to go home and lock down because they were told to. For a pandemic it has chances because people see it might save their own lives.
Beau wrote: "Good man, Mark.Papaphilly, you're missing my point. I'm not saying there will be another covid lockdown but that lockdowns generally have now been accepted as a 'legitimate' government tool. Expe..."
I am not missing your point. I am telling you are wrong outright. The lockdowns were tolerated, not accepted. There is a big difference. At least admit you were wrong about more lockdowns over COVID.
You will own nothing and you will be happy:
Average UK energy bills could hit £3,000 a year
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...
Average UK energy bills could hit £3,000 a year
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...
. In NZ the big camp of protestors outside Parliament has finally been removed. The protesters got somewhat violent and lit a huge fire. Several dump trucks were needed to take away rubbish.. Omicron is now rampant.
. Rather than the usual threat of bush fires in February, it has been remarkably wet.
If you're looking for a yacht, this one might be coming to market...https://www.foxbusiness.com/luxury/ru...
Authorities in Germany this week seized a lavish $600 million yacht belonging to a Russian oligarch, according to reports.
The Dilbar, a 512-foot vessel belonging to billionaire Alisher Usmanov, was taken over by authorities while it was being refitted in a German shipyard, Forbes reported.
The business magazine learned about the move Wednesday, just two days after Usmanov was sanctioned by the European Union as part of its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the report said.
The EU has accused Usmanov of being a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a supporter of Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea, the Washington Examiner reported.
Not gonna lie, that is one sleek looking vessel.
J.J. wrote: "If you're looking for a yacht, this one might be coming to market...https://www.foxbusiness.com/luxury/ru...
Authorities in Germany this week seiz..."
Germany finally took the gloves off at least in the economic sense. Would make an excellent shelter to host Ukrainian refugees until the proceeds of its sale can be routed towards similar purposes...
J.J. wrote: "....Not gonna lie, that is one sleek looking vessel...."And another one, so you'll have a choice:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...
Soon a flotilla :)
Hitting the Oligarchs is going to bring pressure.
Yes, if anyone wants a cheap quality football club, I gather Chelsea is a forced sale. It will still cost, but it should be a bargain nevertheless.
Ian wrote: "Yes, if anyone wants a cheap quality football club, I gather Chelsea is a forced sale. It will still cost, but it should be a bargain nevertheless."Has it been seized?
No, but maybe Abramovitch's assets have. My reading is he is currently somewhat short of accessible cash, but that is only a guess.
I know there was a call to force him out, but I was so sure if there are assets seized.
Italy one-ups Germany and France by seizing two yachts.https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/r...
Nik wasn't joking, we really will have a flotilla before this is done.
Meanwhile, Shell just bought a couple more missiles for Russia.https://www.foxbusiness.com/energy/sh...
I wonder what the legality of such a seizure is. The individuals presumably had nothing to do with the war, which raises the question, can a government seize private property for some reason unrelated to the owner, and if so, under what law?
Ian wrote: "I wonder what the legality of such a seizure is. The individuals presumably had nothing to do with the war, which raises the question, can a government seize private property for some reason unrela..."It depends on where the vessel is flagged. If it's flagged out of the nation which is seizing it, then it is an internal matter. If it is flagged out of a foreign nation, then some state of extremis must be in play.
The main news here is that the Government is offering people £350 per month to host Ukrainian refugees. Boris has said that we will see 100s of 1000s of them arrive over the coming months (although the link states it’s 10s of 1000s):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60731485
On the face of it, this is a kindly gesture and I certainly don’t have a problem with it, but it once again raises the question of where the money is coming from.
We found the resources for the response to the pandemic but we can’t find them to give our homeless a home or low-income pensioners both heating and fuel. Now, we can afford to pay people a decent some of money to take in foreign refugees. (Also note that there was never a similar offer to take in black-haired, brown-eyed refugees from North Africa or Iraq.)
Does our old friend, the magic money tree, only blossom when it comes to paying for fashionable causes?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60731485
On the face of it, this is a kindly gesture and I certainly don’t have a problem with it, but it once again raises the question of where the money is coming from.
We found the resources for the response to the pandemic but we can’t find them to give our homeless a home or low-income pensioners both heating and fuel. Now, we can afford to pay people a decent some of money to take in foreign refugees. (Also note that there was never a similar offer to take in black-haired, brown-eyed refugees from North Africa or Iraq.)
Does our old friend, the magic money tree, only blossom when it comes to paying for fashionable causes?
Our government is also being asked to host refugees, but there is a reluctance to take many, the reason being we have a housing crisis, thanks to local government officials who, through self-interest in maintaining and maximizing the value of their personal property investment portfolios, inhibited the building of sufficient additional properties. We now have ridiculous property prices, and people sleeping in cars, garages, whatever, in the poorer parts of the cities. There is a lot of building going on, but there are constraints. There should be room for Ukrainians skilled in construction, though.Petrol prices have increased $1.11 per litre over the recent period. The government has now offered temporary reprieve by foregoing 25 cents a litre in tax. This was a response, I suspect, to the recent poll that saw the opposition in front thanks to the new leader's promise of tax cuts, specifically the recent government tax increase on high earners and the removal of certain property investors' tax deductions.
There is a shortage of cauliflower. There was one brief example of them hitting $11 each! However, weird climate, the Covid outbreak and additional fuel prices have sent vegetable prices soaring.
Thanks to Covid, our government blocked incoming visitors. Initially sensible, but now Covid has got in and vaccines are available for thos ewho want them, rather pointless. So realizing that and realizing that the horticultural industry needs seasonal workers, what does out inspired leaders do? Why, open the door to apple pickers. So what is wrong with that? Quite simply, they are doing it AFTER the current apple harvest is over! Where did that inspiration come from????
Ian wrote: "Our government is also being asked to host refugees, but there is a reluctance to take many, the reason being we have a housing crisis, thanks to local government officials who, through self-intere..."Seems like solid motivation for planning next spring's garden.
Yeah, but you can't store stuff. I have a pear tree, and over the past few weeks I have been eating cooked pears for breakfast, a raw pear at lunch time, and a pear crumble for dessert at dinner. The pears are now all gone, thankfully. However, shortly i would be able to base my dinners on the vegetables I have grown, but again, variation is fairly non-existent, and I like meat. All of which means, back to the supermarket :-)
Ian wrote: "Yeah, but you can't store stuff. I have a pear tree, and over the past few weeks I have been eating cooked pears for breakfast, a raw pear at lunch time, and a pear crumble for dessert at dinner. T..."I can and freeze a lot of fruit and veg. As a sportsman, I can assure you that protein is available outside of a store.
Unfortunately I am getting a bit too old to go out in the wild and hunt, but it is a good point for some. If everyone did it, it would be pretty congested, though, and with the amateurs there would be a lot shooting each other rather than identifying their target.
I used to go on fishing expeditions and filled the freezer. However, for river fishing there are no nearby rivers with reasonable numbers of fish, and sea fishing is out because the southern coast has been taken up by environmentalists with protections - no fishing, admire the sea.I could drive somewhere, I suppose, but with the price of petrol and the distance to any reasonable spots it is actually cheaper to go to the supermarket :-(
Ever considered a job with the NZ Tourist Board, Ian? You might do more to limit visa applications than the current points system :)
Great suggestion, Beau. Made me smile :-)
Don't know who produced that. Apart from the geothermal activity, it is no different from anywhere else. As for the drug avail;ability, show me a city that is drug-free.
J. wrote: "🤣
https://youtu.be/lbcOIetNZ9w"
I once visited Hobart in Tasmania. My travelling companion had read some books by the notorious Aussie criminal and author, Chopper Read, and in one of them Chopper had mentioned a pub in Hobart that was supposed to be the roughest in Tasmania, so we thought we’d pay it a visit.
My mate got cold feet and decided to leave after a schooner but I stayed for the evening. I got tanked up and ended up arm wrestling the locals. It was a great laugh and they were a good crowd. One particular image stuck with me – a woman, nicely dressed and made up for a night out, sat down at the bar and, instead of ordering a drink, drew out a bottle of wine from her handbag and started drinking straight from the bottle, while she chatted with the barman.
One thing I will say for Hobart – it’s got some good fish and chip shops :)
https://youtu.be/lbcOIetNZ9w"
I once visited Hobart in Tasmania. My travelling companion had read some books by the notorious Aussie criminal and author, Chopper Read, and in one of them Chopper had mentioned a pub in Hobart that was supposed to be the roughest in Tasmania, so we thought we’d pay it a visit.
My mate got cold feet and decided to leave after a schooner but I stayed for the evening. I got tanked up and ended up arm wrestling the locals. It was a great laugh and they were a good crowd. One particular image stuck with me – a woman, nicely dressed and made up for a night out, sat down at the bar and, instead of ordering a drink, drew out a bottle of wine from her handbag and started drinking straight from the bottle, while she chatted with the barman.
One thing I will say for Hobart – it’s got some good fish and chip shops :)
Some uplifting news for a change:
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60768437
Her husband has campaigned for this tirelessly, even going on hunger strike. Great to see her home.
The article makes for interesting reading because it shows how states interact with each other. Obviously, this sort of government maneuvering will be evident on a much wider range of issues than just this story.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60768437
Her husband has campaigned for this tirelessly, even going on hunger strike. Great to see her home.
The article makes for interesting reading because it shows how states interact with each other. Obviously, this sort of government maneuvering will be evident on a much wider range of issues than just this story.
The interesting thing is the attitude of the UK - they sell tanks, take the money, then refuse to deliver the tanks. That is morality? If they were not going to deliver the tanks for some reason they should at least refund the money rather than simply steal it.Of course, they had to steal it because Donald Trump told them to. Great excuse.
U.K. organization warns of pothole repair risks after Rod Stewart takes on the task himselfhttps://beta.ctvnews.ca/national/ente...
I do love how the "authorities" are complaining that he might not do it right, when the government didn't do it at all.
In a similar vein, there is a new highway built to supplement the current highway out of Wellington, which was built a very long time ago. The snarky comments are this is a waste of money because it only saves 11 minutes. Whoever said that obviously has never used the current one at rush time or during the holiday season.Another interesting point - it has been threatened to be open for a very long time, but they are arguing over financial aspects of the contract, however it is now threatened to be open on, er, April 1. :-(
Ian wrote: "In a similar vein, there is a new highway built to supplement the current highway out of Wellington, which was built a very long time ago. The snarky comments are this is a waste of money because i..."It would be a simple matter to calculate how much fuel would be saved by shaving off those eleven minutes. Do you think that would shut them up?
I actually think opening the road is the best way to shut them up. When everyone starts using it, I think that will be sufficient .
J. wrote: "U.K. organization warns of pothole repair risks after Rod Stewart takes on the task himself
https://beta.ctvnews.ca/national/ente...
I do love how the "authorities" ..."
Saw this. Good on Rodney. Since I've been on goodreads, the biggest change in my political opinions has been to move from a state is good standpoint to a belief in minimal government.
You are the main person responsible for changing my opinion.
https://beta.ctvnews.ca/national/ente...
I do love how the "authorities" ..."
Saw this. Good on Rodney. Since I've been on goodreads, the biggest change in my political opinions has been to move from a state is good standpoint to a belief in minimal government.
You are the main person responsible for changing my opinion.
Ian wrote: "I actually think opening the road is the best way to shut them up. When everyone starts using it, I think that will be sufficient ."Is the road built?
Genuine question...does anyone know of a new road that has actually eased congestion?
Thing is, whenever a new road pops up in Britain, more cars seem to appear to fill it :)
Thing is, whenever a new road pops up in Britain, more cars seem to appear to fill it :)
Papaphilly wrote: "Ian wrote: "I actually think opening the road is the best way to shut them up. When everyone starts using it, I think that will be sufficient ."Is the road built?"
Yes. Some people sneakily got around the barriers and drove it. The problem is legal issues. It was built with a public private partnership with penalties for not opening on time, but the government had lockdowns with Covid (just why a guy driving a bulldozer or dump truck was in danger of catching or infecting others is an interesting question. Allowances were made, but then it turned out a stretch of seal was not properly laid, which meant re-doing it, and that delayed opening. So there are legal squabbles, but why they have to close the road while squabbling is unclear.
As to the comment that the new road merely increases traffic, the new road is a motorway. The old road is single lane each way and goeas through what were originally small villages to one side but have since grown to serious suburbs which means there are cross-roads with lights, roundabouts, etc. During holiday periods I have once driven it and the 11 minutes extra of theoretical time for the motorway dragged out to over an hour longer on the old road. (used because no alternative) There are frequent accidents on the old road, and because there is no alternative, even longer delays are possible.
Beau wrote: "Genuine question...does anyone know of a new road that has actually eased congestion? Thing is, whenever a new road pops up in Britain, more cars seem to appear to fill it :)"
The dirty secret of Traffic Engineering is that you cannot build your way out of congestion. The roads built relieve congestion for a very short period and then they fill up too.
Ian wrote: "Papaphilly wrote: "Ian wrote: "I actually think opening the road is the best way to shut them up. When everyone starts using it, I think that will be sufficient ."Is the road built?"
Yes. Some p..."
gotta love this, they are squabbling over a road that is built. the legal issues will hammered out at some point. In the meantime, what are they going to do, not open it? Exactly what would that solve.
Not quite my neck of the woods but the same continent. The evil dictator, Justin Trudeau, is on a visit to Europe. While HM The Queen was humiliated into meeting the wretch, some of our friends in the European Parliament weren’t quite so accommodating to him…
Mislav Kolakusic MEP
https://twitter.com/mislavkolakusic
‘We watched how you trample women with horses, block bank accounts of parents so they can’t pay their children’s education, pay utilities, mortgages. To you, these may be liberal methods, for many citizens of the world, it is a dictatorship of the worst kind.’
An equally, possibly even more, powerful condemnation of the tyrant…
Christine Anderson MEP
https://twitter.com/AndersonAfDMdEP/s...
Canadians, this is your Prime Minister. Perhaps your media hasn’t told you yet, but Trudeau has turned your country into a rogue state.
Mislav Kolakusic MEP
https://twitter.com/mislavkolakusic
‘We watched how you trample women with horses, block bank accounts of parents so they can’t pay their children’s education, pay utilities, mortgages. To you, these may be liberal methods, for many citizens of the world, it is a dictatorship of the worst kind.’
An equally, possibly even more, powerful condemnation of the tyrant…
Christine Anderson MEP
https://twitter.com/AndersonAfDMdEP/s...
Canadians, this is your Prime Minister. Perhaps your media hasn’t told you yet, but Trudeau has turned your country into a rogue state.
And listen to the applause Christine received.Was it posted in here where he had to leave Parliament in humiliation after accusing Jewish members of the body of standing with Nazis?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmQgh...
It now appears, from our news report, that China has purchased the right to create a military base in the Solomons, and there is a strong possibility that the same will happen in Tonga. Since I have been against NATO bases on Russia's border, I think I have a right to be concerned here, but what does everyone else think? Is this development fine by you?
From whom did China purchase that right?
The government of the Solomons (which is known to be rather corrupt, so it would be a few in power, the local version of oligarchs.)
Ian wrote: "It now appears, from our news report, that China has purchased the right to create a military base in the Solomons, and there is a strong possibility that the same will happen in Tonga. Since I hav..."I know why don't we invade the Solomon Islands and Tonga to save them from themselves....
There are a lot of important issues in the world that need addressing, so good to see UK Labour Leader, Sir Kier Starmer, tackling them head on (double pun intended :)):
Keir Starmer Refuses to Say Whether a Woman Can Have a Penis
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...
Some pensioners can't heat their homes AND eat, a massive issue with homelessness, unprecedented NHS waiting lists, huge economic problems, and...this.
Keir Starmer Refuses to Say Whether a Woman Can Have a Penis
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...
Some pensioners can't heat their homes AND eat, a massive issue with homelessness, unprecedented NHS waiting lists, huge economic problems, and...this.
World, Writing, Wealth
Books mentioned in this topic
1984 (other topics)Common Sense (other topics)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (other topics)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (other topics)
Lolita (other topics)
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Mel Brooks (other topics)Victor Davis Hanson (other topics)
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Jordan B. Peterson (other topics)
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Papaphilly, you're missing my point. I'm not saying there will be another covid lockdown but that lockdowns generally have now been accepted as a 'legitimate' government tool. Expect to see them again in the future with climate change, civil unrest or terrorism as the pretext.