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#91
Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread
Last post by Josephus - June 07, 2026, 06:23:52 AMGoing back to the Stargate thing. I was a huge fan of that (although I preferred Atlantis--(I was bored with the Goa-uld)).
But am i disappointed they are not bringing it back? Meh....it probably would have failed in comparison to the original one anyway. And no Amanda Tapping.
But am i disappointed they are not bringing it back? Meh....it probably would have failed in comparison to the original one anyway. And no Amanda Tapping.
#92
Off the Record / What are your earliest World C...
Last post by Josephus - June 07, 2026, 06:17:10 AMI know I'm one of the oldest people here (I'm turning 60 in less than two weeks 
). but I'm sure many of you, particularly the Europeans among us, have been following the World Cup as long as they can remember. And how long do you remember?
I was born a month before England won the World Cup, and don't remember any of that. I'm sure I would have watched some of the World Cup 1970 but I was 4, and remember nothing.
But I do remember the 74 world cup in West and East Germany. Tip and Tap were the mascots. I would have just turned 8. At this point, although school was out for the summer, I would have had several neighbourhood friends and we would have talked about it, probably parroting our fathers. For instance, I remember the first game Brazil V. Yugoslavia. The word in the playground as we kicked around our black and white balls, was that Brazil would not do well, as it was the first world cup in a decade that Pele would not be playing. But MY DAD said that they still had Rivellino and Jarizinho. That game, disappointingly (and perhaps a portent of many WC games to come) finished in a 0-0 draw.
I do remember Italy hammering Haiti 5-1 and my introduction to Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff. And i remember quite well the final with West Germany beating Holland 2-1 and loving the name Beckenbauer.
And yours?
). but I'm sure many of you, particularly the Europeans among us, have been following the World Cup as long as they can remember. And how long do you remember?I was born a month before England won the World Cup, and don't remember any of that. I'm sure I would have watched some of the World Cup 1970 but I was 4, and remember nothing.
But I do remember the 74 world cup in West and East Germany. Tip and Tap were the mascots. I would have just turned 8. At this point, although school was out for the summer, I would have had several neighbourhood friends and we would have talked about it, probably parroting our fathers. For instance, I remember the first game Brazil V. Yugoslavia. The word in the playground as we kicked around our black and white balls, was that Brazil would not do well, as it was the first world cup in a decade that Pele would not be playing. But MY DAD said that they still had Rivellino and Jarizinho. That game, disappointingly (and perhaps a portent of many WC games to come) finished in a 0-0 draw.
I do remember Italy hammering Haiti 5-1 and my introduction to Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff. And i remember quite well the final with West Germany beating Holland 2-1 and loving the name Beckenbauer.
And yours?
#93
Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...
Last post by Richard Hakluyt - June 07, 2026, 04:48:55 AMJust to add a semi-anecdotal point. I was talking with a senior retired copper a year or so back and asked him why the police seemed to be making so many mistakes these days. He told me that, in the Lancashire force, 85% of frontline officers had less than two years experience. ie they make mistakes because the job is difficult and complicated and they are novices. Also, whenever they got experience, the likely result was promotion away from the frontline. This is a problem that has been getting much worse in recent years it seems.
#94
Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...
Last post by Richard Hakluyt - June 07, 2026, 04:37:01 AMYes, the principal policy concern is that British policing gives up their efforts to make discrimination on skin colour a thing of the past. Before your time but there were significant riots back in 1981 over police racism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_England_riots which led to important changes to policing in the UK. The Scarman report (a response to the riots) was hugely important and led to many improvements in policing here. These improvements are in jeopardy if the right gets its way.
#95
Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...
Last post by garbon - June 07, 2026, 04:04:22 AMQuote from: Richard Hakluyt on June 07, 2026, 02:40:37 AMIt is not just about BBC viewing and watching middle class liberals though. There is strong evidence of the proto-fascist right in the UK being in the thrall of American right-wing social media, sites such as X and the AI Grok.
Take this story for example https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg7pl7zj024o
This former policewoman has been placed in danger by the shortcomings of a US-based AI run by a malignant fascist. Both her and another wrongly-identified officer have had to relocate. This is even ignoring the fact that even if the attributions were genuine there should be no risk of a criminal right-wing mob appearing outside your home.
I never go on X or use Grok of course;and for blood pressure reasons avoid right-wing sites generally, so am reliant on the BBC to inform me of these doings.
While that is a story of personal tragedy, I think it is more worrying that politicians of two prominent British political parties are saying that the police force is now biased towards delivering better outcomes for people of colour over white people. And their key example is where a dying white victim was handcuffed and his killer was convicted and went to jail.
#96
Gaming HQ / Re: Europa Universalis V confi...
Last post by Solmyr - June 07, 2026, 03:08:54 AMThey are axing the trust system apparently. It's a good sign when the shiny new mechanic you introduce doesn't even make it out of beta. 
#97
Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...
Last post by Richard Hakluyt - June 07, 2026, 02:40:37 AMIt is not just about BBC viewing and watching middle class liberals though. There is strong evidence of the proto-fascist right in the UK being in the thrall of American right-wing social media, sites such as X and the AI Grok.
Take this story for example https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg7pl7zj024o
This former policewoman has been placed in danger by the shortcomings of a US-based AI run by a malignant fascist. Both her and another wrongly-identified officer have had to relocate. This is even ignoring the fact that even if the attributions were genuine there should be no risk of a criminal right-wing mob appearing outside your home.
I never go on X or use Grok of course;and for blood pressure reasons avoid right-wing sites generally, so am reliant on the BBC to inform me of these doings.
Take this story for example https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg7pl7zj024o
This former policewoman has been placed in danger by the shortcomings of a US-based AI run by a malignant fascist. Both her and another wrongly-identified officer have had to relocate. This is even ignoring the fact that even if the attributions were genuine there should be no risk of a criminal right-wing mob appearing outside your home.
I never go on X or use Grok of course;and for blood pressure reasons avoid right-wing sites generally, so am reliant on the BBC to inform me of these doings.
#98
Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...
Last post by Josquius - June 07, 2026, 02:12:25 AMI wonder what the solution is for the common language factor making Britain so America facing.
It's so obvious that culturally, economically, in terms of our interests, we should be looking far more at our neighbours instead.
It's so obvious that culturally, economically, in terms of our interests, we should be looking far more at our neighbours instead.
#99
Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...
Last post by crazy canuck - June 06, 2026, 10:14:41 PMQuote from: Tonitrus on June 06, 2026, 01:41:09 PMQuote from: garbon on June 06, 2026, 01:23:47 PMAmerican VPs are typically not well covered in part because they don't have much power. JD Vance is known for spewing shit. Him spewing off about a dead kid is hardly a top story for Britain. We have much more significant things to deal with at home.
Exactly...our VPs are even less relevant than the King (unless/until the boss dies).
Part of me thinks it would be amusing if after the mid-terms the Democrats got to a functionally (I use that term because...Fetterman) 50-50 Senate split...as that could lead to Vance having to park his ass in the Senate chamber most of the time instead of being out and about causing trouble. The other edge to that sword is that it would likely put him in the limelight much more (which could be good...or bad).
Perhaps in theory, but Dick Cheney was de facto the President
#100
Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...
Last post by Sheilbh - June 06, 2026, 10:05:51 PMAlso I sort of think we're not Americans. It's not a matter of whether or not the British media are "normalising" Trump. The British media don't matter. It's not our political system, they're not our government and how the BBC leads means nothing in American politics (I regularly think of the 2004 election when the Guardian did a letter-writing campaign to a swing county in Ohio - which swung even harder towards Bush 
). I get there's a little bit of a difference now with British media companies going big in the US (the Guardian US edition sits between the WSJ and Washington Post in pageviews - and generates millions from US supporters) but I think it's pretty marginal.
I think the main reason it's a big story is becaue Starmer chose to respond in a quite splashy way. The way this story disappears with barely a trace is if the British government doesn't respond or just plays it down, which isn't what happened. And I think that is a story. The implications for US-UK relations are because of the way the UK government has responded more than what Vance has said.
I've no doubt Starmer believes what he's said. But also I think it is politically helpful for him. It moves the debate and focus from issues around Nowak's murder and the police onto a foreign leader politicising it. An American politician meddling in British politics is never popular (on either side), by a particularly unpopular American politician - plus being anti-Trump is very popular (even Reform voters preferred Harris). Particularly in the Labour Party, particularly when he's facing a challenge to his leadership.
). I get there's a little bit of a difference now with British media companies going big in the US (the Guardian US edition sits between the WSJ and Washington Post in pageviews - and generates millions from US supporters) but I think it's pretty marginal.I think the main reason it's a big story is becaue Starmer chose to respond in a quite splashy way. The way this story disappears with barely a trace is if the British government doesn't respond or just plays it down, which isn't what happened. And I think that is a story. The implications for US-UK relations are because of the way the UK government has responded more than what Vance has said.
I've no doubt Starmer believes what he's said. But also I think it is politically helpful for him. It moves the debate and focus from issues around Nowak's murder and the police onto a foreign leader politicising it. An American politician meddling in British politics is never popular (on either side), by a particularly unpopular American politician - plus being anti-Trump is very popular (even Reform voters preferred Harris). Particularly in the Labour Party, particularly when he's facing a challenge to his leadership.