Bad beat/Moaning/Venting thread - Wordle Gummidge

[Solksjaer!]

Apparently in Helsinki they have a street named after Lenin Now discussing a rename to Zelenskyy . They've been looking for an excuse.

[Raoul Duke III]

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when former Putin cocksucking lackey Viktor Orban had the facts of life explained to him.

I would imagine it went something like "you're either in the club of civilised nations - or you can fuck off forever". Incredible the 180 he's performed.

[Raoul Duke III]

I feel this picture might illustrate something fundamental about Putin's diseased brain:

[Micknail]

Coming up to the end of our great Nintendo NES Lego build and had the genius idea to get the actual Nintendo NES reissued a few years ago, with all the original games preloaded. Found a version in CEX for a third of the price.

Still have an original NES here with a few games and most importantly the orange zapper.
Might have been worth a bit but maybe the emulator boxes have quashed that.

Come to think of it, not sure would it even connect to a modern flat screen now.

[Micknail]

Run on the banks in Russia with the SWIFT cutoff coming or in effect now.
Saw on Twitter a journalist in a hotel in Moscow was asked to pay by card this morning during his stay as reception weren't sure if their cc machines would work in the afternoon.

[Opr]

I wonder have we moved too quickly from covid doom to war doom. Was hoping after the last two years everything would calm the fuck down for a few months to give us a news breather. But it's just one crisis after another.

s2seit29jsj81.jpg?auto=webp&s=08f7f046ab709a58954f4c9ac61f100107fd30d7.jpg

[Lazare]

He'll have plenty of time to chat.

Might want to switch his attention to transporting Sicilian waste disposal experts.

Says his plane isn't affected as it's registered in Ireland. Says most Russian private aircraft are.

His bosses flew back to Russia last week so yeah, he'll be idle for a while.

[Lazare]

I wonder have we moved too quickly from covid doom to war doom. Was hoping after the last two years everything would calm the fuck down for a few months to give us a news breather. But it's just one crisis after another.

WWIII is some segue alright.

[coillcam]

Still have an original NES here with a few games and most importantly the orange zapper.
Might have been worth a bit but maybe the emulator boxes have quashed that.

Come to think of it, not sure would it even connect to a modern flat screen now.

Definitely worth keeping the original console and games. I had a mini nes but sold it after a few months. The novelty factor was good for a few weeks. Most of the games were on the switch online sub anyway.

[Micknail]

Definitely worth keeping the original console and games. I had a mini nes but sold it after a few months. The novelty factor was good for a few weeks. Most of the games were on the switch online sub anyway.

That new steam device looks great, be very interested if it can be cracked to run whatever

[horatio1]

I love all the apologists too.

“didn’t get out of first gear”.

The implication that they have higher gears just doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Consistently bad isn’t underperforming it’s just not very good.

Dublin ? Ireland ? Dancing with the stars?

[Raoul Duke III]

Dublin ? Ireland ? Dancing with the stars?

Rory McIlroy I think. Or possibly the Russian tanks.

[Theresa]

Hon Lowry. Making a run, playing solid.

[Theresa]

Dublin ? Ireland ? Dancing with the stars?

Rugby, Horatio sir!

[Micknail]

Kepa

[ArmaniJeans]

Kepa

His penalty has just hit an apartment block in Kyiv.

[coillcam]

Kepa

Kelleher the GOAT of PK shootouts. Was originally a tidy striker as a junior.

[Strewelpeter]

Wow, looks like boardrooms are getting the message about isolating Mad Vlad's lunatic Hermit Kingdom. BP just exited Rosneft.

What does that even mean? Looney stands down from the board and then what happens to the shareholding?

[coillcam]

Lowry tied for lead in Florida after 5 holes. Was 5 back at the start, the leader dropped 3 already in same stretch.

[Raoul Duke III]

What does that even mean? Looney stands down from the board and then what happens to the shareholding?

I presume they just write it off - not like anyone could or would buy it.

[Solksjaer!]

filedata/fetch?id=1714339&d=1645991633&type=thumb

[Strewelpeter]

Stanley Tucci's Italian food programme on BBC2 is fantastic.

[Raoul Duke III]

Norges (the massive SWF of Norway) is dumping all its Russian securities. Expect many more investors to do the same.

What the USD\RUB rate will be at the end of tomorrow is anyone's guess. Give it a few weeks and it'll be effectively patterned toilet paper.

[coillcam]

Lowry leading with 6 to play.

[Raoul Duke III]

"Ukraine is one of us, and we want them in the EU".

Ursula VDL just now.

We are literally seeing decades of history happening in hours.

[Strewelpeter]

"Ukraine is one of us, and we want them in the EU".

Ursula VDL just now.

We are literally seeing decades of history happening in hours.

[coillcam]

"Ukraine is one of us, and we want them in the EU".

Ursula VDL just now.

We are literally seeing decades of history happening in hours.

They've basically fucked Putin, cronies and Russia with sanctions. At this point what other cards are left to play by EU/NATO?

Significantly upping aid > EU membership > NATO membership > Direct military intervention?

[Raoul Duke III]

They've basically fucked Putin, cronies and Russia with sanctions. At this point what other cards are left to play by EU/NATO?

Significantly upping aid > EU membership > NATO membership > Direct military intervention?

The ultimate card.

"If Russia renounces all violence, withdraws all forces to its pre-2014 borders and then holds democratic elections observed by internal monitors, then we commit:

1. to offering a new, democratic Russia a guaranteed pathway to EU membership
2. to offering to dismantle NATO on receipt of binding security guarantees
3. to jointly de-nuclearise both NATO and Russian nuclear arsenals"

Nice to have a pleasant dream echoing in my head for a couple of minutes...

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

I presume the war itself is considered a done deal, despite the headlines, if they are putting all the sanctions up to 100%.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Worth bearing in mind also that RT is primarily an Internet company, so it needs YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, to play ball on that front.

[Raoul Duke III]

In all seriousness...the card is 'keep squeezing'.

Watch the run on the banks in Russia this week.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

I feel if I was Ukrainian right now, I'd be making a run for it. While feeling bad about it. Those poor fuckers who stuck behind in East Germany had a horrific few decades. I wonder what the end goal here might be in Russian thinking. They presumably can't build a wall, so what's the possible plan, as why would a Ukrainian stay behind in the medium term in an already poor country run by a poor and despotic country when you have been invited to join the EU where you will be looked after and have decent life prospects.

[coillcam]

I feel if I was Ukrainian right now, I'd be making a run for it. While feeling bad about it. Those poor fuckers who stuck behind in East Germany had a horrific few decades. I wonder what the end goal here might be in Russian thinking. They presumably can't build a wall, so what's the possible plan, as why would a Ukrainian stay behind in the medium term in an already poor country run by a poor and despotic country when you have been invited to join the EU where you will be looked after and have decent life prospects.

If you were Ukrainian right now, you'd be fucked back into a truck and dropped back to the nearest population centre with an ak47 plus a few spare mags.

[Raoul Duke III]

I presume the war itself is considered a done deal, despite the headlines, if they are putting all the sanctions up to 100%.

Even if they win militarily, they have already lost. Even if they lose militarily, they have also lost.

You do understand that, don't you? Putin fucked himself and his entire country, in his insane rage.

[Lazare]

In all seriousness...the card is 'keep squeezing'.

Watch the run on the banks in Russia this week.

It's intense stuff alright, what sort of timeline will all this play out in?

Fascinating explainer here..

https://theconversation.com/just-short-of-nuclear-the-latest-financial-sanctions-will-cripple-russias-economy-178000

The medium term aim is to cause revolt amongst the Russian people, but could it backfire and harden resolve?

[Raoul Duke III]

If you were Ukrainian right now, you'd be fucked back into a truck and dropped back to the nearest population centre with an ak47 plus a few spare mags.

Hitch would probably be interned as a fifth columnist though.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Even if they win militarily, they have already lost. Even if they lose militarily, they have also lost.

You do understand that, don't you? Putin fucked himself and his entire country, in his insane rage.

I suspect that's not the case, and the future reality is quite a bit worse. One of the best armed countries in the world, with a long history of aggression, doesn't just disappear and quieten down. The reality is its probably not stopping at Ukraine.

[Raoul Duke III]

It's intense stuff alright, what sort of timeline will all this play out in?

Fascinating explainer here..

https://theconversation.com/just-short-of-nuclear-the-latest-financial-sanctions-will-cripple-russias-economy-178000

The medium term aim is to cause revolt amongst the Russian people, but could it backfire and harden resolve?

Markets open in Tokyo in a few hours. Likely that the rate immediately goes over 100 and who the fuck knows from there.

The Russian Central Bank might be able to put a floor under it for a bit but most of their reserves are frozen so they're fucked too.

Basically, your average Sergei is quite likely to be half as rich (or twice as poor) by the end of next week. Hopefully that gets them out on their streets in their millions although we have it on good authority that they don't listen to the news so maybe they won't join the dots back to Mad Vlad.

[coillcam]

How long are Russia are going to be fucked after this all plays out?

This isn't just some mini recession you can ride out, surely they could end up back in the 19th century with a worthless currency and no trade partners.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

If you were Ukrainian right now, you'd be fucked back into a truck and dropped back to the nearest population centre with an ak47 plus a few spare mags.

Yeah, but that's this week. Next week when it's probably all over, I'd be rewatching Good Bye Lenin and realising it was time to get the fook out of dodge.

[Raoul Duke III]

How long are Russia are going to be fucked after this all plays out?

This isn't just some mini recession you can ride out, surely they could end up back in the 19th century with a worthless currency and no trade partners.

The world has decided, very fucking quickly, that Russia is a rogue state (which it has been for years, we just pretended not to notice). We're going to squeeze them with every tool in our arsenal until they decide that maybe being ruled by a psychopathic lunatic might not be the best idea.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

The issue is when does China step in. That's the critical point. I can't see China wanting the complete demolition of Russia. Its quite a handy space for them, even if they don't always see eye-to-eye.

If China steps in, then the country keeps operating, as Russia largely just sells natural resources. They've a very basic economy in terms of exports. If they can sell the resources in one place rather than the other, then they should be okay in that respect.

The big issue is that the short-term pain is going to be very harsh, so theres that window for political action to happen

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Now China might decide that Russia is too hot to handle, then they are clearly fucked. But I'm not sure China would want that. A pliant source of most natural materials, compared to having to deal with the racist fuckheads (in their eyes) in Oz?

[Lazare]

Another friend of mine is a currency trader, says he's working since 6pm and it's going to be a long night.

Had WhatsApped him some curry pics

working since 6pm today already but not allowed touch Rouble anymore. It’s going to dust now so prob a wise call by the firm. Could you send a few of those bhajis and some left over curry in a cab to me?? Gonna be a long night and you’ve given me the munchies

[Raoul Duke III]

The issue is when does China step in. That's the critical point. I can't see China wanting the complete demolition of Russia. Its quite a handy space for them, even if they don't always see eye-to-eye.

If China steps in, then the country keeps operating, as Russia largely just sells natural resources. They've a very basic economy in terms of exports. If they can sell the resources in one place rather than the other, then they should be okay in that respect.

The big issue is that the short-term pain is going to be very harsh, so theres that window for political action to happen

China couldn't give a fuck about Russia. China couldn't give a fuck about any country that isn't China.

They'd be quite happy to see their historical enemy collapse and then buy up all their resources at bargain basement prices. How do we know this? Because it's a blueprint they've already followed all over the world. Africa, South America, the Caribbean...

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

China couldn't give a fuck about Russia. China couldn't give a fuck about any country that isn't China.

They'd be quite happy to see their historical enemy collapse and then buy up all their resources at bargain basement prices. How do we know this? Because it's a blueprint they've already followed all over the world. Africa, South America, the Caribbean...

That idea, the China lends money to countries to gain power, or lends money to countries unfairly, has been shown comprehensively - with full scale data analysis across many countries - to be a complete lie, spread initially by India, and then latched on to by right-wing American politicians, especially Trump.

Here's the study abstract:

In 2017, a meme was born in a think tank in northern India: Chinese ‘debt-trap diplomacy’. This meme quickly spread through the media, intelligence circles and Western governments. Within 12 months it generated nearly 2 million search results on Google in 0.52 seconds and was beginning to solidify into a deep historical truth. Stories can contain truths and falsehoods. Human emotions, including negativity bias, prime us to think in certain ways. This paper retells a series of stories about China’s international involvement, including in Angola, Djibouti, Sri Lanka and Venezuela, that challenge the media’s spin. It concludes with some suggestions about the relationship between academia and the media and policy worlds, and the need for scholars to speak ‘truth’ to ‘power’.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

But, China does care deeply about resources. And Russia has resources, and hasn't got the same number of buyers as they previously had. From a Chinese economic perspective, that suggests opportunity.

[Tar.Aldarion]

I presume the war itself is considered a done deal, despite the headlines, if they are putting all the sanctions up to 100%.

I mean it's going terribly for Russia but it was always a done deal if you're just talking about a conventional war. The non done deal part is he suspected it would be a walk over (it's so far the opposite it is astounding) and now it will be a massive insurgency for ages if he tries to hold it or install some puppet government. Not to mention the huge amount of assistance they are getting now and from the borders of multiple countries afterwards, and there isn't exactly anybody to hold the territory.

[Raoul Duke III]

I mean it's going terribly for Russia but it was always a done deal if you're just talking about a conventional war. The non done deal part is he suspected it would be a walk over (it's so far the opposite it is astounding) and now it will be a massive insurgency for ages if he tries to hold it or install some puppet government. Not to mention the huge amount of assistance they are getting now and from the borders of multiple countries afterwards, and there isn't exactly anybody to hold the territory.

It's literally the worst idea in modern warfare since Hitler had the bright idea of marching his armies over the same territory. Another paranoid, insane ultra-nationalist racist nutter who led his people into destruction.

Not quite Paraguay declaring war on basically the rest of the world, although to be fair that was in 1864. Paraguay hasn't ever recovered either.

[Solksjaer!]

The rise of people power is not to be underestimated by any country going forward .

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

I mean it's going terribly for Russia but it was always a done deal if you're just talking about a conventional war. The non done deal part is he suspected it would be a walk over (it's so far the opposite it is astounding) and now it will be a massive insurgency for ages if he tries to hold it or install some puppet government. Not to mention the huge amount of assistance they are getting now and from the borders of multiple countries afterwards, and there isn't exactly anybody to hold the territory.

Yeah. Its hard to see what the long-term plan could be. As just about everyone will simply leave the country if it is taken over, and at this stage they are almost pot-committed to taking it over also, as a retreat would probably seem too militarily humiliating. Dammed if they do, dammed if they don't.

[Solksjaer!]

Lowry leading with 6 to play.

.Irishman undone by the rain ?

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

It's literally the worst idea in modern warfare since Hitler had the bright idea of marching his armies over the same territory.

If my junior cert history is any memory guide, wasn't Hitler going in the opposite direction. Towards Russia, rather than away from it. And with all his soldiers wearing t-shirts and mankinis in the height of winter.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Was playing the original Super Mario tonight with the kid. A game that famously is, in its entirety, about the same size as a modern jpeg image. And ... it really is something. Was playing the original Donkey Kong also, and that's a game that definitely looks 40 years old. But Mario is still as beautiful today as it seemed back then. Mad the way the old muscle memory kicks in also as you jump on a certain block and feel the urge to bump your head against a certain part of the ceiling above. Do it, and then a gorgeous 1P mushroom appears. Like, where has that memory been resting for the last 30 years!

[coillcam]

.Irishman undone by the rain ?

Rain ruined the 18th for sure but he had 3x putts from 6 foot that didn't sink earlier in the round. He's absolute bulling walking off. Without the rain he probably birdies to force a playoff. For his 3rd shot on 18 you could argue he ran out from the umbrella and rushed a big swipe at it. His wedges were excellent prior to this.

[dobby]

Obviously a sweeping stereotypical generalisation but anyone I've encountered from the "Eastern bloc" countries has always seemed quite patriotic and proud of where they are from.

The Ukrainian president is leading by example on the front and openly refusing evacuation. What would our leaders do in a similar situation?

Ukrainian lads in Dublin airport today, heading for Poland to then drive onto Ukraine to join the fight. I'd like to think I'd enlist if similar happened here or if this escalates to all out WW3

Seeing women on social media saying they have learned how to shoot a Kalashnikov and are joining the fight. Found that mad when I first saw the pic but fits into my stereotypical view of the people.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Just looked it up, as I would have been under that impression as well around patriotism. Thought I remembered reading some story saying that before. But this data suggests something quite different. Its an interesting way of viewing the world. I've met quite a few people from Ghana, as there was huge France-Ghana emigration, and they are indeed deeply proud of being Ghanaian.

patriotism_around_the_world_clean.png

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

So, for Friday ... this Friday? omg.

Will we say The Bar With No Name to start off with? Aiming for around 7pm.

I've never seen an exposed wall that I haven't thought - that wall now looks better than if it had been properly plastered by a licensed plasterer.

We may need to eject some folk at the entrance who haven't adequately dyed their grey roots.







.

[MysteryGuest]

It’s interesting watching people on likes of twitter who clearly have no clue about that part of the world treating the whole conflict like some marvel superhero movie “oohs the ghost of Kyiv”- you know the sort of people who normally get offended over nothing suddenly saying “actually it’s Kyiv not Kiev” and swooning over Zelensky when in normal times they would be describing him as someone akin to hitler because of his non progressive views on LGBT rights

[Raoul Duke III]

Markets open in Tokyo in a few hours. Likely that the rate immediately goes over 100 and who the fuck knows from there.

The Russian Central Bank might be able to put a floor under it for a bit but most of their reserves are frozen so they're fucked too.

Basically, your average Sergei is quite likely to be half as rich (or twice as poor) by the end of next week. Hopefully that gets them out on their streets in their millions although we have it on good authority that they don't listen to the news so maybe they won't join the dots back to Mad Vlad.

The first bit happened immediately. RUB now over 100. The Russian CB immediately doubled interest rates to 20%. Trading on Russian exchanges also suspended.

Once London gets going, then you'll really see some action.

IMO, that Russian middle class could disappear very quickly.