The Off Topic Topic

[Syt]

Deutsche Bahn is turning into a laughing stock due to their increasing lack of reliability. Additionally, they've reported a loss of EUR 1.2 Billion in the first 6 months this year. So they've announced they will cut 30,000 jobs. Clearly that will right the ship, err, train.

If only someone could make the trains run on time in Germany.

[crazy canuck]

Sad story, there has been a large male black bear strolling around the beach at Deep Cove, a big tourist area around here this time of year.  The bear became a bit famous because he was completely indifferent to the humans that he walked past.

All the changed yesterday when the bear came up behind someone bent over guarding in their yard and nipped them on the bum.

No injury, didn't even break the skin.  But the bear had gone from indifferent to curious and so the conservation officers had no choice but to put it down.

What caused the change in the bear, the thought is somebody must have offered it food.

[Syt]

[Josquius]

Sounds like he cracked into a cache of carry on films.

[Valmy]

Deutsche Bahn is turning into a laughing stock due to their increasing lack of reliability. Additionally, they've reported a loss of EUR 1.2 Billion in the first 6 months this year. So they've announced they will cut 30,000 jobs. Clearly that will right the ship, err, train.

If only someone could make the trains run on time in Germany.

They clearly need an Austrian man to lead them.

[Syt]

Deutsche Bahn is turning into a laughing stock due to their increasing lack of reliability. Additionally, they've reported a loss of EUR 1.2 Billion in the first 6 months this year. So they've announced they will cut 30,000 jobs. Clearly that will right the ship, err, train.

If only someone could make the trains run on time in Germany.

They clearly need an Austrian man to lead them.

Speaking of, today is also the 90th anniversary of nazis assassinating Austrian chancellor/dictator Engelbert Dollfuß in 1934. He was succeded by Schuschnigg (another dictator).

Fun fact: the three youngest chancellors in Austria have been Dollfuß, Schuschnigg and Sebastian Kurz.

Austria's conservative ÖVP caught flak for having a memorial service for Dollfuß in 2004. They removed a commemorative portrait of Dollfuß from their party's rooms in parliament in 2017. The party's official line is "Well, it was not good that he was creating a Austro-fascist regime, we only honor him for his fight against the nazis."

[Valmy]

He later went on to be the villain of the movie Princess Bride.

Timeghost made a great video about him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqYTTOHc7yM

[Josquius]

A weird game I've taken to playing.
I got a bit of junk mail from an evil telecoms company.
It has a return address on it so I popped it back in the post...
It came back to me.
I put a tally mark on.
It comes back again.
Another tally. Another post when I remember to do so.
Again it arrives at my house.
How long will this go on.

[Duque de Bragança]

Speaking of, today is also the 90th anniversary of nazis assassinating Austrian chancellor/dictator Engelbert Dollfuß in 1934. He was succeded by Schuschnigg (another dictator).

Fun fact: the three youngest chancellors in Austria have been Dollfuß, Schuschnigg and Sebastian Kurz.

Austria's conservative ÖVP caught flak for having a memorial service for Dollfuß in 2004. They removed a commemorative portrait of Dollfuß from their party's rooms in parliament in 2017. The party's official line is "Well, it was not good that he was creating a Austro-fascist regime, we only honor him for his fight against the nazis."

A martyr of freedom I guess. 

Though austro-fascism is a bit dated as label; the Dollfuß regime was much closer in kind to Salazar's or even Metaxas' regime i.e corporatist dictatorship so Ständestaat. As a matter of fact, it's missing several key components of fascism such as totalitarism, personality cult, aggressive foreign policy (Austria was trying to survive by playing Italy vs Germany which worked for a time).

[Josquius]

Alkmaar's new away kit.
Looks familiar...thats not Alkmaar right?



Still. Want. If it didn't cost 70 quid,

[Maladict]

Alkmaar's new away kit.
Looks familiar...thats not Alkmaar right?



Still. Want. If it didn't cost 70 quid,

Looks like Zaansche Schans, which would be very appropriate. It's what the Z in AZ stands for.

[Josquius]

I just learned an awesome word.
Anemoia.
Nostalgia for a time or place that you've never known.
Man I know that.

Alkmaar's new away kit.
Looks familiar...thats not Alkmaar right?



Still. Want. If it didn't cost 70 quid,

Looks like Zaansche Schans, which would be very appropriate. It's what the Z in AZ stands for.

Yes. That's what I thought it looked like. I've been there twice.
Didn't know that's why they were called that. It's a fair few miles away no? (though close relatively)
Funny they've got that name as it isn't a huge place.

[Josephus]

So when did Brat become a good thing?

[Tamas]

So when did Brat become a good thing?

When a mid-tier British pop star tried a media stunt with good timing and the Democrats made it into a "how do you do, fellow kids?" moment.

[Norgy]

Don't think I was ever called a brat. Manwhore, moron, idiot, drunkard, loser. Can we make those into positives too now?