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#1

Off the Record / Re: Iran War?

Last post by Richard Hakluyt - Today at 12:43:50 AM

The Phillipines, given the circumstances, want to make friends with China https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cre0vl84qy9t

"The war in Iran is reshaping politics within Asia. Even with its long-running dispute with China over the South China Sea, Manila is hinting it might be ready to get closer to Beijing.

Asia - and the Philippines in particular - is highly exposed to any disruption in global oil supplies, especially through the Strait of Hormuz, because the country depends so much on imported fuel.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said he's open to restarting talks with China on joint oil and gas exploration in contested waters, calling the current crisis a possible "impetus" for cooperation.

For China, it's a chance to show it can be a reliable energy partner in Southeast Asia. Both sides have clear reasons to engage: the Philippines needs more energy sources, and China wants to strengthen its influence in the region."

#2

Off the Record / Re: Iran War?

Last post by Syt - Today at 12:04:14 AM

https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-pentagon-christian-worship-service-30db48b6ceb8af5e6172fb3ba2eafaa0

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, hosting his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began, prayed Wednesday to have "every round find its mark."

"Every month it is fitting to be right here," he told the gathered civilian employees and uniformed military personnel. "All the more fitting this month, at this moment, given what tens of thousands of Americans are doing right now."

He read a prayer he said was first given by a military chaplain to the troops who captured then-President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela.

"Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation," Hegseth prayed during the livestreamed service. "Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy."

Hegseth frequently invokes his evangelical faith as head of the armed forces, depicting a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might.

"I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed," he read from the Psalms on Wednesday.

[...]

#3

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

Last post by Syt - Today at 12:01:15 AM

Michael Flynn settles for $1.2M with DOJ over "malicious prosecution".

https://apnews.com/article/trump-michael-flynn-russia-justice-department-7b1d493300b5336900cb508c855fd59d

#4

Off the Record / Re: Iran War?

Last post by Syt - March 25, 2026, 11:55:47 PM

If this war means that the world switches to renewable energy and electrification of economy and transport that would be great.

I recall that 10+ years ago, the US military was very much investigating alternative fuel sources because they considered relying on petroleum a strategic liability.

#5

Off the Record / Re: Iran War?

Last post by Syt - March 25, 2026, 11:52:46 PM

https://x.com/SkyNewsAust/status/2036644477486649680?s=20

Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust)
More than 500 service stations across Australia's two largest states have run out of petrol or diesel as the nation's fuel crisis worsens.

'I remember a time of chaos... ruined dreams... this wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called "Max." To understand who he was, you have to go back to another time... when the world was powered by the black fuel... and the desert sprouted great cities of pipe and steel. Gone now... swept away. For reasons long forgotten, two mighty warrior tribes went to war, and touched off a blaze which engulfed them all. Without fuel they were nothing. They'd built a house of straw. The thundering machines sputtered and stopped. Their leaders talked and talked and talked. But nothing could stem the avalanche. Their world crumbled. The cities exploded. A whirlwind of looting, a firestorm of fear. Men began to feed on men. On the roads it was a white line nightmare. Only those mobile enough to scavenge, brutal enough to pillage would survive. The gangs took over the highways, ready to wage war for a tank of juice. And in this maelstrom of decay, ordinary men were battered and smashed... men like Max... the warrior Max. In the roar of an engine, he lost everything... and became a shell of a man... a burnt-out, desolate man, a man haunted by the demons of his past, a man who wandered out into the wasteland. And it was here, in this blighted place, that he learned to live again.'

#6

Off the Record / Re: Iran War?

Last post by Jacob - March 25, 2026, 11:45:32 PM

Iran has outlined their conditions for peace:

• Complete stop of attacks and assassinations.
• Establishing concrete mechanisms ensuring the war against Iran is not restarted in the future
• Guaranteed and clearly defined war damages paid as well as reparations
• An end to war against all resistance groups across the whole region
• International recognition and guarantees for Iran's sovereign rights to control the Hormuz Strait.

Link (in Danish, but not AI nor social media) https://www.dr.dk/tjenester/kimaira/article-by-path/nyheder/udland/live-israel-og-usa-er-gaaet-i-krig-med-iran?focusId=11408372

According to the link it's also reported  by the BBC and Al Jazeera

#7

Off the Record / Re: Iran War?

Last post by Zanza - March 25, 2026, 11:43:45 PM

If this war means that the world switches to renewable energy and electrification of economy and transport that would be great.

#8

Off the Record / Re: Iran War?

Last post by jimmy olsen - March 25, 2026, 11:31:32 PM

News not looking good.

https://vxtwitter.com/AaronBastani/status/2036940132666802435?s=20

Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani)
"Many of the 13 military bases in the region used by American troops are all but uninhabitable..."

A pretty extraordinary admission in the NYT. You know it's bad when they're being that candid.

A ground invasion certainly makes a lot more sense after reading that.

The internal combustion enginge vehicle is dead.
https://www.france24.com/en/france-confirms-oil-crisis-says-30-40-gulf-energy-infrastructure-destroyed

France's Finance Minister Roland Lescure revealed on Wednesday that between 30 and 40 per cent of Gulf refining capacity has been damaged or destroyed by Iran's retaliatory strikes, leaving a shortage of 11 million barrels a day on global oil markets. Lescure warned it could take up to three years to restore damaged facilities, and several months to restart those that were urgently shut down.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/03/25/south-korea-iran-oil-shock-middle-east-conflict.html

South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok warned the government must prepare for "worst-case scenarios" stemming from the Middle East conflict.

https://x.com/SkyNewsAust/status/2036644477486649680?s=20

Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust)
More than 500 service stations across Australia's two largest states have run out of petrol or diesel as the nation's fuel crisis worsens.

#9

Off the Record / Re: The AI dooooooom thread

Last post by Syt - March 25, 2026, 11:22:35 PM

#10

Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread

Last post by Jacob - March 25, 2026, 10:15:41 PM

The Christopher Tolkien "nepo baby" stuff did amuse me. He was just an editor, and did a fine job by all accounts (I'm one of the few that has actually read The History of Middle Earth). Those claiming that he "get famous" on the back of his father seriously overestimate his "fame."

Yeah taking potshots at Christopher Tolkien as an editor is pretty silly IMO. It's all the Amazon LotR stuff that's kind of rotten IMO.