Recent posts

#71

Gaming HQ / Re: The Miscellaneous PC & vid...

Last post by Sheilbh - November 28, 2025, 02:14:14 PM

Imperator with invictus is enjoyable. Had fun roflstomping over Celtic Britain with my migrating saxons before having to defend against the Roman's.

Offensive and wrong

#72

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

Last post by crazy canuck - November 28, 2025, 02:12:37 PM

For the record, I tend to believe the pipeline MOU is good politics and won't necessarily mean a pipeline being built, but my impression is that a good number of British Columbians - and perhaps more importantly a number of Coastal First Nations - are understanding the MOU as an attempt to force a pipeline to be built without their consent; and they're reacting rather strongly to that.

The law does not require consent, it requires meaningful consultation. See my post above explaining why that process normally encourages agreement.  Although, I grant you the term consent is used a lot by the BC Premier and First Nations so I don't blame you for thinking that is so.

A point that has been made that has a lot of merit is that the Feds cannot download the Crown's consultation duties to the Province of Alberta, but I don't understand the MOU as suggesting that.  Rather, AB has to satisfy initial criteria before the Feds start stepping into the process.

I also hear a lot of talk that the MOU is imposing something.  It is not, and to the extent sophisticated people who know better are saying these sorts of things, consider the political reasons they might be doing so.

As an aside, out of curiosity, what record?

#73

Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...

Last post by Tamas - November 28, 2025, 02:03:34 PM

Munich from 1938 called, they want their imminent world war back.

#74

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Tamas - November 28, 2025, 02:02:18 PM

The rats are eating the bait and I THINK they have started to slow down, hopefully as a sign of their impending demise. Once we get silence for a few days I will look to deal with the suspected way in to the house.

#75

Off the Record / Re: The China Thread

Last post by HVC - November 28, 2025, 01:50:18 PM

I read that windows were covered in styrofoam and that what caused the fast spread. Not sure why you'd cover the windows in styrofoam? Sound deadening? Or I guess if you were spraying the facade with something. Another contributing factor, not in the fire but the death toll, is that the fire alarms were faulty and weren't sounding an alarm.

#76

Gaming HQ / Re: The Miscellaneous PC & vid...

Last post by Jacob - November 28, 2025, 01:42:17 PM

How does Imperator play?

#77

Off the Record / Re: The China Thread

Last post by Jacob - November 28, 2025, 01:39:52 PM

Yeah, if the building caught fire and then after the fire the bamboo scaffolding is not burned then it seems pretty reasonable to conclude that the scaffolding did not cause or spread the fire.

#78

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

Last post by Jacob - November 28, 2025, 01:38:36 PM

For the record, I tend to believe the pipeline MOU is good politics and won't necessarily mean a pipeline being built, but my impression is that a good number of British Columbians - and perhaps more importantly a number of Coastal First Nations - are understanding the MOU as an attempt to force a pipeline to be built without their consent; and they're reacting rather strongly to that.

#79

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

Last post by crazy canuck - November 28, 2025, 01:27:23 PM

The legal lens is not hypothetical.  Court challenges by First Nations are real, and that is why meaningful consultation is required.  That process is onerous and so it is often better to obtain agreement rather than try to defend the validity of the consultation process in court.

#80

Off the Record / Re: The China Thread

Last post by Sheilbh - November 28, 2025, 01:14:32 PM

Very early but from what I've seen people saying it might be the bamboo scaffolding (or at least that could be how the fire spread).

Yeah, I guess no internal fire resistiveness or compartmentalization will work if you wrap the whole building in kindling from the outside.

I have seen this be criticised by some Hong Konger engineers and surveyors in the UK who note that bamboo is fire resistant which is part of the reason it is used. For example you can still see the bamboo scaffolding intact despite two days of raging fire:


They say it's far more likely to be the meshing wrapped around the scaffolding that caused the spread of the fire, especially as there is apparently a well-documented problem in Hong Kong of construction companies using non-compliant, flammable mesh materials that are actually banned. Apparently this is something where there have been many whistleblowers but little action.

Not sure how accurate but the fact the scaffolding is still standing does make me doubt that it was spreading the fire.