Recent posts

#1

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by celedhring - Today at 03:03:51 AM

From the people I talked to while in Kosovo last year, they are not necessarily pro-Trump, but they are still very much pro-USA.

Yeah, for the same reason I'm surprised by the Ukraine result. Not that they would like him, given his dubious stewardship of US support, just not 49 points underwater.

#2

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Maladict - Today at 02:47:03 AM

From the people I talked to while in Kosovo last year, they are not necessarily pro-Trump, but they are still very much pro-USA.

#3

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Valmy - Today at 02:45:20 AM

It is funny since Kosovo was one of the countries Trump inexplicably banned from being able to immigrate to the United States.

#4

Off the Record / Re: The Miscellaneous Sports T...

Last post by Syt - Today at 02:12:51 AM

Btw, I think luge is still one of the more insane sports. Squeezed into tight onesie, shoes three sizes too small, no neck support on the sled, going down a narrow ice canal at well over 100 kph with a couple of g squashing you in every turn. I'm mostly shocked there's so few accidents.

AMA with an athlete that came up while googling for the G forces: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/6zvo0w/i_go_90_mph_and_pull_5_gforces_while_wearing_a/

#5

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Syt - Today at 02:06:22 AM

Approval ratings for Trump and Putin in Europe per Gallup poll:

#6

Off the Record / Re: The Miscellaneous Sports T...

Last post by Syt - Today at 02:00:10 AM

German TV had some sections highlighting how the IOC starts moving towards letting Russia back into competition. How it's "unfair to the athletes who didn't choose where they were born" and how it's depriving the competition, and really sports should not be a stage for politics. Meanwhile, they completely ignore the Ukrainians in that regard (many training and athletic facilities have been destroyed at this point, not to mention many athletes killed/wounded in the war). And of course Mr Infantino from FIFA agrees.

Funnily, they mentioned that Ukrainians are big into biathlon - from talking to my Ukrainian colleague: can fully agree.

But it also has some fun stories. Like the guy who won gold in ski jump yesterday - he hadn't packed the right skis. So one of the crew had to drive 8 hours back to Thuringian and then again to Italy to get them. Or one of the athletes whose father said if he made it to the Olympics he'd cycle the 1000km to Milan (which he did). Stuff like that is cute. (Seeing Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam and her fiance Jake Paul preening around much less so )

#7

Off the Record / Re: The Miscellaneous Sports T...

Last post by Syt - Today at 01:54:54 AM

I wish there were more winter sports video games. I don't think Epyx' Winter Games (actually, their entire Games series - Summer Games I & II which could be combined into one big session, California Games, World Games ...) was ever surpassed in accessibility and multiplayer fun.

I did see a Biathlon game on Steam with very good reviews. It doesn't looks great, but it might scratch some of that itch. There are others (like Ski Jumping) but the reviews aren't as good. Austrian ORF used to have an annual "Ski Challenge", a pretty decent online game where players could race the world cup pistes and compete for high scores. It was fairly popular in Austria, but it was shut down because it was found to create "unfair competition" between the public broadcaster and private channels. It still exists as a popular mobile game, but it seems full of microtransactions.

#8

Off the Record / Re: The Miscellaneous Sports T...

Last post by Syt - Today at 01:45:31 AM

The German hockey jersey for the tournament. I might be wrong, but I think it's the only German jersey that is using the Bundesschild.

It's on the German lugers' helmets as well.

True. But I think it's often just a small emblem, not as prominently as on the hockey jerseys. And of course many athletes are enrolled in the sports program of the Bundeswehr. (Though several hockey ladies play - unsurprisingly - in North America ).

German TV showed bits of women's hockey. Caught some of Sweden v France and yesterday Germany v France. Those French ladies like to rought it up quite a bit. 

#9

Off the Record / Re: [Canada] Canadian Politics...

Last post by Valmy - February 09, 2026, 10:58:18 PM

Ok, no chain.  They need to spend 3 years in the country.  But they get a favorable treatment comparable to other immigrants who'd want to become citizens, no?

If an Ivorian wanted to become a Canadian citizen, he couldn't just come here on a visa and become a citizen after 3 years, no?

I probably would need to actually find some kind of conclusive proof this guy was actually born in Sutton, Quebec. His family fled there after foul treachery occured in their native Rhode Island, but it isn't like I have some kind of birth certificate from 1811 laying around.

But hey maybe we just need to finally make our way up to Cape Breton. Hopefully we can drive across the Gordie Howe bridge on our way.

#10

Off the Record / Re: [Canada] Canadian Politics...

Last post by mongers - February 09, 2026, 10:05:11 PM

Well that Reddit community explains why the AI answered the way it did. Almost every dossier is a 4 generation descendant of the Canadian citizen.

I don't know if it's enough but it's the same situation Valmy find himself in.

Tbf, that's just the summary table.  I did quizz a lot more than that.

Valmy or his children could get the citizenship.

Then whomever gets the citizenship has to stay in Canada 3 years so that their children can get the citizenship.

Valmy gets the citizenship.  He sends his kids to study at UQAM.  They go back to Texas.  They send their kids to study at McGill. They move back to the independent Republic of California. Their children study at UBC because it's the hip thing to do when you want to be in a serious basketball league.  They meet CC's and Zoupa's great grandaughters who have become staple of the New Canadian Liberal Conservative Party opposed to the Republican Bloc.  And so on and so on they're all Canadians.