If you can’t handle your beers sufficiently to make the solar draft cooler, you could knock up some fancy paint that is so potent it basically bats the heat back into space….

It’s taking the art of divide and conquer to its logical conclusion

The blame can only be placed on artificially targeted at boomers with the power of hindsight…

Meanwhile, the younger generations all benefit from an improved quality of life made possible by the technology advances that our generous forebears came up with.

If you really want to blame someone, other than oil executives, bankers, politicians and most importantly media barons, who until the advent of the internet had almost complete control over the flow of information, then Michael Faraday is probably as good a target as any;

besides Electricity Generation being mankind’s primary contribution to climate change, the discovery of electricity increased the potential for mass production, which in turn produced a means of constantly filling peoples homes with enticing adverts for more consumer products…

Drink more beer!

Then use the cans to make a solar draft cooler…

If you’re feeling especially crafty, you could use a portable panel to shield a window

Or at least it will be after an all encompassing war to use up old stock…

the resulting economic boom brought about by gathering the resources to manufacture the replacement arsenal may even give us a bit left over to address environmental concerns and stop the whinging about mass extinction; it is just another name for corporate streamlining after all!

FFS, as if I wasn’t dehydrated enough! 🤤🤤🤤

Yet, again I find myself ‘arguing’ with people who I pretty much agree with, whilst the government tears the country apart.

Divide n conquer innit… pretty much sums up the political system of Her Majesty’s gov and indeed the majority of 2 party systems modelled on it

Kenry Hissinger? Never heard of him!

The 60’s and 70’s literally challenged everything

Hmmm… is it the generation, or the technology?

We’re talking the same period when TV began to permeate the collective consciousness…

And let’s not forget Henry Kissinger

Well someone had to make the BMWs, Mercs and Audis for the boomers to enjoy at their leisure!

(then of course, you need to go further afield to ensure a steady supply of fuel for such decadence…)

Considering how good boomers had it in the post war period, the obvious answer is war…

We already have all the infrastructure in place and though everyone pretends death and destruction is terrible for political purposes, they all secretly love it (at least as a spectator sport, and moreso when there’s profits to be made)

The only problem is, to really alter global consumption trends, for a change, we might have to focus on the extermination of droves of white people, rather than brown ones

If we become too hot for heating we’ll then need want aircon! 🙂

Like some of the more environmentally friendly, yet less profitable means of energy generation, that technology will be suppressed, for the good of all!

Should anyone discover the deception and raise the subject, they will be mercilessly targeted by a deftly crafted media campaign and end up scorned for their outdated concepts of decadence, being denied all shade as a punishment

The real reason energy prices are going up is that soon we won’t need heating, so the energy companies are just squeezing what profit they can, bless em.

As such, the model for our future already exists; look to British expats having it large on the Costa Del Sol; in time, lager will become the official currency; dwindling water stocks for lager production will ensure the currency’s continued value in the long term. Any shortfalls in water for agriculture will be made up by urine.

Of course, there will come a point whereby there is no longer sufficient water stocks to produce lager, at which stage, they will just recycle urine.

This means that it is in the interests of both Palestinian and Israeli hardliners to keep the conflict going as a low-intensity thing that furnishes propaganda for their side.

There’s every chance there’s some truth in that, in much the same way, it’s in NATO’s interest to ensure conflicts and threats continue, to ensure funding and increase membership…

We have been discussing this a lot over the last few days, as I’m in Les Gets on a 14 year old Canfield (boxxers with splug) and the boys in the chalet are amazed I can still keep up. I also have a 180mm forked (yari with splug) Merida ebike out here. The ebike is great but still not as good as the Canfield for the proper rough stuff, once you’ve got over how short it is!

Kudos on a fine choice of bicycle sir, always look back on my Canfield Jedi fondly and feel they haven’t had the recognition they deserve for pushing the high pivot game forward since the last millenium

Having spent a fair bit of time at Dyfi Bike Park recently, I’ve been wondering how my (now sold) 26″ Canfield Jedi would compare to the Zerode Taniwha I now (well, at least until the other day, when I trashed my shoulder) ride…

I’ve still yet to try a 29er and due to grumpy (and tight) old man syndrome, am still reluctant.

That said, between the increased reach, improved rollover and perhaps most importantly, additional BB drop below the axles, a decent 29er gnarpoon shred sled of the enduro variety would likely descend at least as well as yesterdays DH exotica, before proceeding to kick the pants off it when gravity turns mean.

There’s no doubt bikes these days are far more versatile; though the ‘all mountain’ moniker has faded away, it’s truer than ever

Clearly I was wrong to even consider comparing the plight of Palestinians with that of Ukrainians…

quite aside from their being prevented from access to any significant arms to defend themselves from the constant onslaught of Israeli military might on the civilian population and the collective punishment bought about by regular cuts to both electricity and more shockingly water, they also have to contend with increasing levels of racism.

When you're definitely not an apartheid state… pic.twitter.com/AjkShnGkxa

— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) August 9, 2022

Blimey, imagine if a weapon like that got into the wrong hands!

Over @ Breaking Points @krystalball & @esaagar have footage from the deleted CBS report questioning where all the billions in aid and weapons are actually going in Ukraine. Crazy CBS was bullied by the Ukrainian gov into pulling this report. Watch here:https://t.co/IXCfVE5k5G

— Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungarsargon) August 8, 2022

I’ll start building my drool reserves ready for the pics when it arrives!

Mornin’ thols, hope you slept well old chap!

The CBS report has been criticized by those responsible for the failings exposed, because they’re generally used to gushing PR, rather than scrutiny for their actions. Reading between the lines it sounds like they shat themselves at being discovered and rushed a high ranking General out to tidy things up pronto.

I’ve extracted the only indisputably true bit I can find in your ramblings…

Palestinian rockets are crude unguided weapons that are pretty much useless for hitting any military target

The reasons for this have already been covered

Are militants in Palestine using IDF tactics and intentionally targetting civilians?

Or is it merely that they only have access to primitive weaponry to counter the regular bombardments they face from occupying forces who are more heavily armed to an exponential level?

Whatever the truth may be on that front, I’m not convinced Hamas are Palestine’s best hope of liberation; especially as their formation can be traced back to funding by Israel’s security services, in much the same way that Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State were spawned from covert training and weapons trafficked on behalf of Western Intelligence agencies (Though Israel were involved in both Operation Cyclone and Timber Sycamore, it would be unfair not to include the arguably larger roles played by the CIA, MI6, Saudi Intelligence etc etc)

It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that flooding weapons into a situation is never the best solution (unless you’re in the ‘defence’ industry, or a shareholder thereof)

A CBS News documentary reveals that up to 70% of Western aid for Ukraine falls into a black hole of corruption and doesn’t make it to the front lines.

Are you surprised? pic.twitter.com/o4E1pvZDLZ

— Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil (@ivan_8848) August 7, 2022

You mean the Egypt that until recently has consistently been one of the largest recipients of US military aid?

So whilst Palestine is effectively prohibited from forming an army to protect itself, Israel continues to receive vast amounts of military aid…

Perhaps cameras are some of the best tools to bring about peace in the region:

Though of course, those peddling arms are unlikely to welcome that outcome

Throwing rocks at armed border guards isn’t a harmless kid’s prank and the kids doing that know exactly what they’re doing.

Kid with rock “I’ve got a lock on the target”

I have no doubt there is a wealth of videos out there that would completely debunk your analysis, though many would likely be a touch gruesome for the forum, so instead, let’s take a look at one of many first-hand testimonies on the subject:

Aside from both being formed by the British in the 1st place, the Saudi and Israeli regimes have the continued full support of Western Powers.

Hence the soft touch when it comes to media coverage

Palestine is under constant seige and invasion, yet is not allowed to form an army; hence their entire civilian population, who have every right to defend themselves, for the purposes of indiscriminate murder by Israeli forces, can effectively be classed as combatants…

“Strange how NATO are not sanctioning apartheid Israel & arming the Palestinians…”

This was the quote from the other thread that started this conversation

For what it’s worth, personally, I’m pretty disgusted at the human race as a whole for the vast amount of resources that are funneled into war, which trumps pretty much everything else including the future of the planet…

And to clarify, I don’t actually think arming the Palestinians is a viable option; after all, besides not being allowed to form an army, any weapons they did receive would 1st be vetted by the Israeli authorities, so as to ensure they remained largely ineffective.

That said, given Israel is increasingly being recognized as an apartheid state, it does beg the question as to why there is no significant talk of sanctions

That being the case, why aren’t Palestinian Freedom fighters described as such in the media?

After all, Israeli soldiers often target civilians, yet terrorism is never mentioned in relation to Israel’s actions…

As thols seems to have picked up on, language is very important for propaganda purposes:

In the 1st headline, it’s Palestinian militants as aggressors against an unnamed air strike.

In the 2nd headline, it’s outgunned Ukrainian defenders against a clearly named Russian attack.

How the media frames the story impacts how people understand it. It’s not an accident.

— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) August 6, 2022

I was involved in building the new sections on Skyline… I’d imagine an E-bike would be more fun on much of it, as between minimal elevation drop and challenging ground conditions, for the most part, it was never going to put that much of a tickle on the fun buttons.

That said, I can imagine the ‘Bow’ section being pretty mint, although as is often the case as a professional trail builder, we never got to ride them.

So whilst Palestine is effectively prohibited from forming an army to protect itself, Israel continues to receive vast amounts of military aid…

What is the legal position on war when you don’t have an army?

Perhaps if the Palestinians formed a recognized army they could fight back without risking the terrorism label.

Oh…

The State of Palestine has no land army, nor an air force or a navy. The Palestinian Security Services (PSS, not to confuse with Preventive Security Service) do not dispose over heavy weapons and advanced military equipment like tanks.

In the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, Israel has consistently demanded that the Palestinian state would always be demilitarized. Israeli negotiators demanded to keep Israeli troops in the West Bank, to maintain control of Palestinian airspace, and to dictate exactly what weapons could and could not be purchased by the Palestinian security forces.[4] In June 2009 at Bar-Ilan University, Benyamin Netanyahu said: ″We cannot be expected to agree to a Palestinian state without ensuring that it is demilitarised

Perhaps if the Palestinians formed a recognized army they could fight back without risking the terrorism label.

Oh…

The State of Palestine has no land army, nor an air force or a navy. The Palestinian Security Services (PSS, not to confuse with Preventive Security Service) do not dispose over heavy weapons and advanced military equipment like tanks.

In the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, Israel has consistently demanded that the Palestinian state would always be demilitarized. Israeli negotiators demanded to keep Israeli troops in the West Bank, to maintain control of Palestinian airspace, and to dictate exactly what weapons could and could not be purchased by the Palestinian security forces.[4] In June 2009 at Bar-Ilan University, Benyamin Netanyahu said: ″We cannot be expected to agree to a Palestinian state without ensuring that it is demilitarised

I’ve started a new thread for comparisons between Palestine and Ukraine…

So back to Ukraine; found this interesting:

It seems that, in exchange for IMF loans, Ukraine changed its laws on land ownership to permit foreign corporate ownership. However, thus far, foreign corporations appear to have acquired more like 3.6-6 million hectares (12-21%). Enough to be an issue. https://t.co/a6fu2blebB

— Stephen McIntyre (@ClimateAudit) August 1, 2022

With the events of Maidan in 2014, the Western camp prevailed, while Putin retaliated by taking Crimea and waging war in the Donbass. The developments marked the beginning of Ukraine’s “annexation” into the Euro-Atlantic economic sphere, described by Mousseau and Elisabeth Fraser in a 2014 report entitled The Corporate Takeover of Ukrainian Agriculture, which gives an account of the redoubled push by Western financial institutions to “throw open the nation’s vast agricultural sector to foreign corporations.”

From the West came arms and money in the form of assistance packages from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. As usual, the cash was strongly tied to reforms that Ukraine was required to implement, all under the banner of fiscal restraint and austerity. Also according to Mousseau, the drive in Ukraine to privatize the land market is unprecedented in recent history. To limit unrestrained privatization, a moratorium on the sale of land to foreigners had been imposed in 2001. Since then, the repeal of this rule has been a main goal of Western institutions. As early as 2013, for instance, the World Bank provided an $89 million loan for the development of a deed and land title program needed for the commercialization of state-owned and cooperative land.

Furthermore, Western banks are imposing the optimization and consolidation of agribusinesses into large entities at the expense of small producers, who still constitute the majority in the country, with the goal of increasing “added value,” and, in the words of a 2019 World Bank paper, “accelerating private investment in agriculture.” The same report states that “a 30-percent productivity increase in agriculture could result in an additional 4.4 percent Ukrainian GDP growth in five years, and 12.5 percent growth over ten years.” It is safe to assume that the growth rates of private agricultural producers were expected to see far greater increases.

Not wanting to stray too far off topic, but can you clarify which of Israel’s policies you don’t support?

https://twitter.com/protestencil/status/1556232568479137793

Strange how NATO are not sanctioning apartheid Israel & arming the Palestinians…

Here’s a bit more background (albeit from when he was previously reported dead in 2020):

Of course, he may have just been in hiding, or perhaps the US chopped up someone else entirely with a missile to show off their new toys and make Biden look like a strong leader…

Would also help reduce criticism of Biden’s visit to Saudi and help distance the western elite from rumours of covert support of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (especially after the news broke last week of Prince Charles’ accepting cash from the Bin Ladens)

Can @SimonMcDonaldUK explain why terrorist funding report suppressed when in @FCDOGovUK w/@BorisJohnson? @CommonsForeign @TomTugendhat @RhonddaBryant @liambyrnemp @aliciakearns @IoWBobSeely @StewartMcDonald @coyleneil @AndrewRosindell @HenrySmithUK @Royston_Smith @JustinOnWeb pic.twitter.com/wc5ngLTpEm

— Tom Young (@OldTomYoung) July 5, 2022

The implications:

Zawahiri came to power following the death of Osama bin Laden. Zawahiri was very different from bin Laden, he is old and tends to repeat himself in long-winded and meandering speeches. Zawahiri is different from bin Laden due to being restrained in his operational strategy and has had a different management style to bin Laden. Zawahiri has advocated for a less flashy role of Al-Qaeda and believes in the preservation of the jihadi vanguard, he believes this can be done through unity and careful politics. This method is very different from that of the Islamic State and is an approach that is unappealing to younger would-be jihadists.[4] Zawahiri has also been more focused on near, local enemies rather than further ones, reducing the amount of transnational terrorism Al-Qaeda participates in. Whoever succeeds him, will be stuck in the balancing act of continuing Zawahiri’s strategy or going back to a bin Laden strategy. While Al-Qaeda has not been able to conduct the types of attacks they did under bin Laden, they have maintained a strong relationship with the Afghan Taliban and maintained other relationships with key affiliates around the world, all while being able to avoid destruction by the US.

Alternative futures include the possibility that Zawahiri’s successor will be more like bin Laden and go back to focusing on transnational terrorism, especially given the death of al-Masri by Israeli agents (reportedly directed by the US). Given their rise of influence in Africa, Al-Qaeda may recruit affiliates from the region to carry out attacks transnationally. The alternative is that Zawahiri’s successor follows in his footsteps and maintains a level-headed moderate approach. Because Al-Qaeda has not fallen into the recruitment styles like the Islamic State, this is probable.

Given that Al-Qaeda has a strong connection to Saudi Arabia and that Saudi Arabia is beginning to have closer ties to Israel, Al-Qaeda may take a step back from the US and Israel. It is also possible that Al-Qaeda will try to mirror the Taliban and become a political party (or is waiting for post-peace-talks to do so). Given Al-Qaeda’s more patient and thought out strategy of building a network lately, this is possible.

Ah, fair play, that is pretty much the exact situation we find ourselves in now, so I’m happy to dismiss the Forde report and the evidence showing Joan Ryan’s collaboration with a foreign power.

This was of course in response to your original post, prior to the edit…

and the likelihood of alternate energy supplies will kick in as im sure its not Russian gas or nothing….

And to think, at one point during lockdown, the price of oil went negative…

Now everyone is gagging for fossil fuel goodness all over again, whatever the price.

Kinda forgot just how cunning and dishonest some folk can be when it comes to politics…

Constant editing is always sure to spice up a discussion…