The Off Topic Topic

[The Brain]

OMG Ireland was the worst crap I've ever seen in Eurovision.

[Josquius]

Another of those BBC Archive clips. From 1960, a 16 year old got arrested in East Germany on holiday
https://x.com/bbcarchive/status/1788463919113339230?s=46&t=o9GOIj6BKKcLcHiyQTlAoA

How very Famous Five.

[Admiral Yi]

Why bots can't click "I'm not a robot."

[Jacob]

Interesting.

I suppose it's not impossible to do "random path before clicking on the captcha box" behaviour, so I guess this box is will eventually lose it's efficacy.

[Sheilbh]

So apparently the first official portrait of King Charles was inspired by Vigo the Carpathian, which I don't entirely hate. If I was someone who got portraits painted I'd also want a healthy number that are plausibly cursed


In general I actually think it's really good and ambiguous.

Edit: There must be some interesting portrait artists in the UK now as I also really like Theresa May's official portrait

[Josquius]

For he is prophesised to rule over a reign bathed in blood.

[Sheilbh]

"I am in blood/ Stepped in so far, that, should I wade no more,/ Returning were as tedious as go o'er"....

[HVC]

Woe to the colourblind

[Sheilbh]

Assassination attempt on Slovakia's PM who has been shot.

[Tamas]

Assassination attempt on Slovakia's PM who has been shot.

His group of "politicians" has had a lot of literal mob (as in, the Italian one) connections I believe. They had a journalist and his girlfriend murdered several years ago.

I hope he won't survive it. He is a version of Orban that went to the maffia for funding.

[Josquius]

On the surface it does sound like oh dear what a shame.

But you just know how this type can spin these things. Hopefully it was an angry mobster rather than a dumb progressive or some such.

[Tamas]

On the surface it does sound like oh dear what a shame.

But you just know how this type can spin these things. Hopefully it was an angry mobster rather than a dumb progressive or some such.

Good point. If he survives (which seems assured based on latest news) he will not hesitate turning this into political capital in whatever nasty way it makes sense.

[Sheilbh]

His group of "politicians" has had a lot of literal mob (as in, the Italian one) connections I believe. They had a journalist and his girlfriend murdered several years ago.

I hope he won't survive it. He is a version of Orban that went to the maffia for funding.

So separate from this there is something going on with gangs in Europe at the minute. Obviously the jailbreak in France right now - but in the media world there's been a string of murders across Europe of crime journalists specialising in this sort of reporting. Journalists in the Netherlands and Germany especially have flagged a chilling factor from the increased threat of violence for journalists. I think the Netherlands has slid down press freedom charts not because of government action but because of the very real risk journalists run in reporting on organised crime.

I don't think they're all connected and some giant mega-gang or anything like that, but it feels like the level of violence/risk has increased across the board recently.

On the surface it does sound like oh dear what a shame.

But you just know how this type can spin these things. Hopefully it was an angry mobster rather than a dumb progressive or some such.

I think broadly speaking assassination attempts tend to produce a bit of a rally round the flag effect, particularly for that leader. Not sure that's specific Euro-populists.

Weirdly have actually just read two books about American assassinations - I think there was some incredible stat in one (both in the charity shop now so can't check) that something like one in three US Presidents since the civil war have had an assassination attempt or success against them (off the top of my head: Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, both Roosevelts, Kennedy, Ford - twice! - and Reagan, I think there may have been others too).

[Josquius]

I recently heard the funny but selectively created claim that statistically President is the deadliest job in America.

[Maladict]

I recently heard the funny but selectively created claim that statistically President is the deadliest job in America.

Four fatalities in nearly 250 years isn't that bad.