Bad beat/Moaning/Venting thread - Mammy told me not to come.

[Raoul Duke III]

You could say the same about Airey Neave and Margret Tatcher.

They do have elections we may not like them but they do sit in the UN and are a legitimate state.

Yeah, elections.....

Let's not set up some kind of moral equivalence between real democracies and this murderous regime.

Per Amnesty:

The human rights situation in Iran severely deteriorated. The authorities suppressed the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, as well as freedom of religion and belief, and imprisoned hundreds of people who voiced dissent. Trials were systematically unfair. Torture and other ill-treatment were widespread and committed with impunity. Floggings, amputations and other cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments were carried out. The authorities sanctioned pervasive discrimination and violence based on gender, political opinion, religious belief, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. Executions took place, sometimes in public, and thousands remained on death row. They included people who were under the age of 18 at the time of the crime

.

[Denny Crane]

Evolution doesn't give a shit about our long term health, you're already superfluous m8.





Nutrition research in general is such a minefield as so much is money/industry orientated. Should see how much money goes into protecting the meat/dairy/egg industry in studies in general, it's ridiculous. It's like people dropping millions to researchers and going wink, nudge, soy is bad for you m8's, eggs are good for you m8's and so on.


Not too long ago the USDA / DHHS were thinking of removing limitations of dietary cholesterol from their recommendations (was 300mg per day), they ended up being sued over it because 92% of the studies were funded by the egg industry and the people making the decisions were being paid off. They ended up changing the guidelines to be eat as "little as possible".

[Denny Crane]

The Ayatollah is more legitimate than Trump for SP.

[Raoul Duke III]

This is pretty useful when it comes to scoring the shittiness of states:

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world-2018-table-country-scores

[Solksjaer!]

Irans leader was evil ?

And Trump is not ?

[Theresa]

Irans leader was evil ?

And Trump is not ?

Was? is.

Who is saying that anyway?

[Raoul Duke III]

This is pretty useful when it comes to scoring the shittiness of states:

https://freedomhouse.org/report/free...country-scores

Denmark must be pretty sick not to be the only Nordic country not to get 100%

[Raoul Duke III]

My own very subjective test is to ask 'just how scary are the cops in this country?'

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[Raoul Duke III]

Surely happiness and trust measures would be far more meaningful to how people actually want to live their lives. Would probably be quite similar but no point using a politically-inspired proxy when trust and happiness is already measured.

I'm sure there are plenty of happy people living in horrifically oppressive countries.

The fact that their state can murder them on a whim notwithstanding.

[Raoul Duke III]

And loads of unhappy Norweigans....

[Raoul Duke III]

Maybe as a thought experiment we should move 100 unhappy Norweigans to North Korea and 100 happy North Koreans to Norway. The results would be fascinating.

[Theresa]

AFB was spot on. The dumbasses in Iran did blow up their own plane. If US says it then they have proof.

Was a Ukrainian Airline.

[ComradeCollie]

Was a Ukrainian Airline.

It's good news for Boeing anyway.

[Theresa]

Thoughts on my line that booking anything through sites like Expedia, Trivago and Opentable is increasingly more and more -EV?

I guess for foreign hotels/restaurants it makes sense, but I don't think it does in any country where you can speak the language?

I feel like calling the place and speaking to someone they usually match the rate and also are a little bit more grateful for it? (maybe Im imagining that). It also means those hotels don't have to pay a cut to the sites, and if anything goes wrong you go to the hotel not the usual ping pong you get if you book through a booking site.

I wonder does this apply to sites like Skyscanner too.

Do aggregation sites/services still have a place?

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[Strewelpeter]

The Ayatollah is more legitimate than Trump for SP.

Politically they each have as much right to be there as the other so their legitimacy would be the same.

[Strewelpeter]

AFB was spot on. The dumbasses in Iran did blow up their own plane. If US says it then they have proof.

It wasn't theirs it was Ukrainian but full of Iranians and ex pat Iranians.

A Ukrainian plane hit by a Russian made missile at that moment is so dodgy.

Between that and whatever agreement Tehran and the Pentagon (for it was them and LOL at any fool who thinks Trump was involved) came to to allow the strikes on Iraqi bases go off safely is going to have the tin foil hat brigade in a spin.

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[DeeBrown]

If the Earth stopped spinning for a second would we go through the windscreen ?

Not only would we go through the windscreen but we'd keep going for a complete orbit and collide with the rear window on our way past.

Disclaimer: I'm not a real scientist.

[Raoul Duke III]

Are you seriously disagreeing that the average happiness of a nation is a better measure of its success for the people who live there that whatever political ideology is in the 'freedom' ranking?!!!

As a measure of desirability (to live there), of course. Happiness is completely subjective and means vastly different things in different cultures.

Put it this way, if a sample was taken of North Koreans (who always look delighted with life when you see those wonderful public displays of loyalty to the Glorious Leader) and French (who generally look like someone shat in their beret), would you rush to Pyongyang on the strength of it?

[Raoul Duke III]

Politically they each have as much right to be there as the other so their legitimacy would be the same.

Trump doesn't systemically murder his domestic political opponents.

Yet.

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[Raoul Duke III]

I'd prefer to see the question phrased not as 'do you feel you can trust most people?' but rather as 'do you feel you can trust the police\the government\public institutions?'.

As regards China, it's been a dictatorship for so long that people simply have no idea what democracy is and why it's better. And they get bombarded with propaganda 24/7.
Not that the poor fuckers have any say in the matter.

[Lazare]

Seem to have gradually switched my wardrobe almost entirely towards Tommy Hilfiger without quite intending to. Their clothes seem to fit so well compared to stuff that is maybe 30% cheaper and hangs off you. Not an important piece of news, but there we go. Well done Tommy. Weren't they all tracksuits at some point?

Tommy Hilfiger is Penneys in the states. Apparently because black people like to wear it.

Was fascinated by how cheap it was when I was there.

Funny tale about it actually.

About 15 years ago I was working as a painter. Had no van, it had packed up.

A friend of mine gave me a lend of one for a few weeks.

I went to the credit union and borrowed €3k to buy a van, was working for myself.

Had the cash in my pocket when a mate rang and asked would I be interested in going to Vegas for a week.

I had three grand in my pocket. So I went to Vegas.

Gambooled it all until the last night when I won a poker tourney for $1200.

Headed shopping the next morn before we had to go to the airport.

Went into Tommy Hilfiger and spotted a lovely jacket for about $50. Decided to buy it for my painter friend back in Dublin as a small thank you for the loan of the van.

Got home and called up to his gaff with the jacket. He was delighted with it.

A few weeks later, around Xmas time I was walking out of Smyths and in walks my painter mate Paddy, in his overalls. The Tommy Hilfiger jacket on covered in splashes of white emulsion.

He loved it so much he wore it to work.

[Strewelpeter]

I'd prefer to see the question phrased not as 'do you feel you can trust most people?' but rather as 'do you feel you can trust the police\the government\public institutions?'.

As regards China, it's been a dictatorship for so long that people simply have no idea what democracy is and why it's better. And they get bombarded with propaganda 24/7.
Not that the poor fuckers have any say in the matter.

If Democracy can deliver us Trump, The Iranian Theocracy, Hitler, Putin, Bertie, Brexit, Berlusconi etc. ad nauseam then maybe its time we should consider that there could be better ways of delivering the social contract between state and citizen.

There are people who argue that the Chinese system has been more successful in delivering for its citizens in the past 50 years than any western democracy.

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[Raoul Duke III]

We should measure what we want improved.

In a dictatorship, that's not an option.

That's one thing about autocracy; it's incredibly infantalising. The message from the State is "we know what's best for you, don't even think there are alternatives". With the unspoken message, but still insidious, of "we'll kill you if you step out if line".

Whereas in a democracy, messy and noisy as it may be, you do at least, in the immortal American phrase, have the opportunity to 'throw the bums out!'

[Raoul Duke III]

There are people who argue that the Chinese system has been more successful in delivering for its citizens in the past 50 years than any western democracy.

Those people probably didn't experience the Cultural Revolution. Or spent time in an Uighur concentration camp. Or be Tibetan.

It's a feature of Western liberal democracies that people tend to be blind to their good fortune.

[Strewelpeter]

It's a feature of Western liberal democracies that people tend to be blind to their good fortune.

And even more blind to the misfortune of those closer to home.

[ArmaniJeans]

West Indies 36/3 in reply to Irelands 237 in Barbados.
Exciting stuff, need to hammer it home and not let them turn it into 136/3.

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[oleras]

Watching the BBC Dracula, first episode was quirky, some dark humor thrown in, quiet long at 1.5hrs, but nothing wrong with it, just finished episode 2 this evening and am so glad i stuck with it, cant wait for the final installment.

Would recommend !!

[Strewelpeter]

BBC Coverage of Ken McGuinness 'Hate Crime' spat just now was comedy gold.

Was surprised to find out Ken was still alive, thought he would have imploded under the weight of his overwhelming bigotry by now but instead he's hanging out in the house of lords.

His hate crime was to have used and then denied using the word 'Queer' to describe a Scottish MP then a recording of him saying it appeared.
His very existence is a walking talking hate crime but I must admit to being a bit confused over the word queer... I thought it had been turned around and was ok to use as shorthand for the entire LGBTQ+ whatever you are into yourself spectrum

[Guest]

Seem to have gradually switched my wardrobe almost entirely towards Tommy Hilfiger without quite intending to. Their clothes seem to fit so well compared to stuff that is maybe 30% cheaper and hangs off you. Not an important piece of news, but there we go. Well done Tommy. Weren't they all tracksuits at some point?

I'm that guy that buys one exact pair of jeans repeatedly. Got 3 pairs of TH Denton straight fit and replace them as they wear out for about 5 years now. Never wear anything else except shorts occasionally in summer.

[premierstone]

BBC Coverage of Ken McGuinness 'Hate Crime' spat just now was comedy gold.

Was surprised to find out Ken was still alive, thought he would have imploded under the weight of his overwhelming bigotry by now but instead he's hanging out in the house of lords.

His hate crime was to have used and then denied using the word 'Queer' to describe a Scottish MP then a recording of him saying it appeared.
His very existence is a walking talking hate crime but I must admit to being a bit confused over the word queer... I thought it had been turned around and was ok to use as shorthand for the entire LGBTQ+ whatever you are into yourself spectrum

I guess it falls under the same umbrella as the N word and who uses it. There is also of course context and tone which have to be taken into account.

A vile human being if there was ever one. And I would suspect his views on the gay community are very much a case of 'me think the lady doth protest too much'

[balfejohn]

West Indies 36/3 in reply to Irelands 237 in Barbados.
Exciting stuff, need to hammer it home and not let them turn it into 136/3.

I think John Delaney is bowling for Ireland
He’s been battered all over the park

[ArmaniJeans]

That last over was horrible, I don't think you are meant to be able to get the ball onto that giant stand in Kensington.
Ahead of run-rate, have to bowl them out.

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[Lazare]

Found the perfect opportunity for you

[DeeBrown]

Chatting to a guy today who was one of the first people hired by Apple and he told a neat sorry about how Steve Jobs was regarded by people under him.

After about a year they decided to give employees numbers and Wozniak was awarded the number 1. Jobs was miffed by this and insisted he be assigned the moniker 0. One day he was walking down a corridor and as he walked past a door the occupant was overheard muttering "there he goes, the big zero".

[Opr]

Just finished The Lighthouse and it is incredible. For anyone interested in seeing it, do yourself a favour and go watch it in the cinema when it's release. I feel absolutely robbed of a first time viewing experince in the cinema.

Opr

[balfejohn]

Simi Singh is some bowler when on form
Cracking last wicket

[newbie2]

WI have this in the bag

[luckforsome]

WI have this in the bag

...Gonna be tight...

[newbie2]

Stupid game

[luckforsome]

Stupid game

...Absolutely blew it by not catching it 2nd last ball, and literally 1 tv frame away from a run out...

[newbie2]

Decision could've gone either way, although I think it was the right one. VAR works

[MrsFlushdraw]

AFB was spot on. The dumbasses in Iran did blow up their own plane. If US says it then they have proof.

When I heard about it and the timing etc. I thought the US had done it somehow, like a bomb on board. With so many Iranian on board, didn't think it would be Iran and didn't think they had equipment stupid enough to blow a civilian craft.

[shrapnel]

Anyone seen this? I'd imagine tds rare recommendations are worth following.

Decent watch. Pretty messed up.

[Raoul Duke III]

sure! Does the immortal American phrase include the caveat that in many shiny fantastic democracies like the US you can only throw out one lot of bums in favour of another approved party of bums who are largely the same?

I suspect you don't know many Chinese people outside of books, as you speak about them and their society in a strange way. They are not 'infantalised' and are indeed surprisingly quite like you and me. The vast majority of Chinese who come to be educated in Western Europe can't wait to get home and laugh at the idea of staying in our apparently perfect countries. Why do they want to go home? And it is strange to ignore their own stated individual views that they are perfectly happy with how things are, and that the same individual views of e.g. Americans are that they really aren't happy at all.

Anyway, it doesn't really matter. Except maybe that the Celtic Tiger was our own experiment at being a mini-America and it was neither happy during it nor after it. Just like America. My point is that setting an ideal where the pre-written correct answer is 'Western society' is both simplistic nonsense and ignorance of how the vast majority of the world find meaning in their lives. And its not through charting their position in Roosevelt's Freedom House rankings.

so walk the walk. Go live in China, I'm sure many exciting opportunities abound for a thought leader such as yourself.

Just be careful not to be too outspoken.

[Ed]

Just finished The Lighthouse and it is incredible. For anyone interested in seeing it, do yourself a favour and go watch it in the cinema when it's release. I feel absolutely robbed of a first time viewing experince in the cinema.

Opr

Loved it, though imagine it'll be a marmite one for a lot of people. Very excited about seeing Parasite in a couple of weeks.

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[Raoul Duke III]

What is for certain is that the world is quite rapidly moving to oreintate itself around China and broader Asia. Its virtually unstoppable at this stage. Adopting a perspective that this is automatically terrible, even though the people themselves don't find that and are on average much happier and trusting in their fellow folk than most Western countries seems like a lesson in foolhardiness and long-term disappointment, and also quite a depressing way to view the world.

The economic growth of China is not a terrible thing. Not by any means. It's a good thing, mostly. As is growth anywhere.

Dictatorship (as recent history has surely told us) is a terrible thing.

I will tell you an anecdote about these happy Chinese though that might illustrate what I am driving at.

I was having lunch with three (happy) Chinese colleagues a while back, during the HK protests and it was all over the tv news. Including on the TV that we found ourselves sitting beside.

I asked Xi (one of the lads) what he thought.

"They should shoot them!" i.e. the demonstrators. He was most adamantly serious. The other two lads heartily agreed with this position.

I asked them what they thought about elections. They couldn't really grasp the concept. I explained that if you didn't like the government, you could vote them out and replace them. That in China, this could mean replacing the CCP with a different party and style of government.
They found this a shocking concept. They told me that the one thing Chinese fear above all others is chaos and instability - and that they perceived Western style democracy to be chaotic and unstable.
"You need strong leaders". They said Chinese society rests on harmony i.e. that you must follow the path laid down by the Communist dictatorship and that anyone who does not "must be made an example of". Like the HK students that they would like shot dead.

It's like something out of 1984.
But to them, infantilised politically as they are by decades of dictatorship, this is normality. This is order. Because that's what their government tells them and no opposing views are allowed.

So economic progress - Yes
Political freedom - very much No

don't conflate the two.

[Raoul Duke III]

Another (personalised) scenario that you could consider is this

You take a professorship in China at the University of Megacity.
All is good.
Your students are bright, enthusiastic.
You are paid well, you have a nice apartment.
Your familiy is happy, you are well looked after. You make friends.

One of your friends is an ethnic Uighur. He tells you all about the terrible things that are happening to his people - murder, enslavement, concentration camps.

You are troubled by this.

You decide to raise it one of your lectures. You tell students what is going on and ask them what they think. They sit there in shocked silence and refuse to say anything.

The next day, you get called in by the Dean. Your students have reported you. You have raised questions they are not comfortable with. This is not part of the course. It is deviationist. You must not raise these topics again and you must stick only to course materials.
He hopes this is clear, otherwise there could be....repercussions.

What do you do?

[ArmaniJeans]

Another (personalised) scenario that you could consider is this

You take a professorship in China at the University of Megacity.
……
He hopes this is clear, otherwise there could be....repercussions.

That's hardly unique to China.
If Hitch takes a professorship job in Yale or Harvard and starts dedicating lectures to how the Palestinian/A-Rab cause is quite just, and the USA/Israel axis is largely responsible for most of the regions problem, then a job-threatening visit from the dean will quickly ensue.