Why ??!!...The whinging,moaning,complaining,ranting,letting off steam thread !!

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  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    Boris Johnson wants to remain in place until 2030. It feels like we are living in a real life Boulting Brothers film. I can see the cast now...

    Prime Minister ..... Peter Sellers
    Leader of The Opposition ..... Terry-Thomas
    Deputy Prime Minister ..... Kenneth Connor
    Speaker Of The House ..... John Le Mesurier
    Home Secretary ..... Joan Sims
    Minister for Opportunities & Governent Efficiency ..... Eric Skyes
    Secretary of State ..... Liz Fraser

    A scathing attack on a "fictional" government, that is self serving, but also couldn't find it's arse with both hands and a map. And where both sides of the house share a common interest: line their pockets before they are found out.

    This all sounds like a film I would want to see.... just not be living in it.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,179
    Boris Johnson wants to remain in place until 2030. It feels like we are living in a real life Boulting Brothers film. I can see the cast now...

    Prime Minister ..... Peter Sellers
    Leader of The Opposition ..... Terry-Thomas
    Deputy Prime Minister ..... Kenneth Connor
    Speaker Of The House ..... John Le Mesurier
    Home Secretary ..... Joan Sims
    Minister for Opportunities & Governent Efficiency ..... Eric Skyes
    Secretary of State ..... Liz Fraser

    A scathing attack on a "fictional" government, that is self serving, but also couldn't find it's arse with both hands and a map. And where both sides of the house share a common interest: line their pockets before they are found out.

    This all sounds like a film I would want to see.... just not be living in it.

    Looking at that cast list, yes, I'd love a film like that! Very much so. Throw in some of the ladies from CR67 as personal assistants to Sellers' PM, and I'm game.

    But in real life... no! To be honest, though, your projection still doesn't feel quite as depressing as where America's headed right now.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Boris Johnson wants to remain in place until 2030..

    They can all remain in place as long as they want. Just stop taking them seriously. Ignore them all.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    Boris Johnson wants to remain in place until 2030. It feels like we are living in a real life Boulting Brothers film. I can see the cast now...

    Prime Minister ..... Peter Sellers
    Leader of The Opposition ..... Terry-Thomas
    Deputy Prime Minister ..... Kenneth Connor
    Speaker Of The House ..... John Le Mesurier
    Home Secretary ..... Joan Sims
    Minister for Opportunities & Governent Efficiency ..... Eric Skyes
    Secretary of State ..... Liz Fraser

    A scathing attack on a "fictional" government, that is self serving, but also couldn't find it's arse with both hands and a map. And where both sides of the house share a common interest: line their pockets before they are found out.

    This all sounds like a film I would want to see.... just not be living in it.

    Looking at that cast list, yes, I'd love a film like that! Very much so. Throw in some of the ladies from CR67 as personal assistants to Sellers' PM, and I'm game.

    As a late 50's/early 60's film, I would cast Shirley Eaton as T-T's party *secretary*. Emphasis on secretary. And how could I forget Frankie Howard? Gotta have Frankie in there somewhere.
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    But in real life... no! To be honest, though, your projection still doesn't feel quite as depressing as where America's headed right now.

    I would hope not. With all respect to our cousins across the pond, they replaced a moron with a senile old duffer. Is there anyone in US politics, that wasn't born in the Jurassic period? Right now, we are still at the moron stage.
    Boris Johnson wants to remain in place until 2030..

    They can all remain in place as long as they want. Just stop taking them seriously. Ignore them all.

    That video is fascinating. He hasn't changed, he's still a lying blustering oaf.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,297
    Biden is not senile.
  • Posts: 16,162
    FoxRox wrote: »
    @ToTheRight Wishing you all the best. I desperately want something more career oriented and am trying to get there, but I can’t afford to quit without something lined up myself, which I did for my last two jobs. It was nice to have that luxury at the time. Anyhow, I know I, and I’m sure many others here, know how much jobs can suck sometimes, so I hope you finally find the right one ;)

    Thanks, @FoxRox. Yeah. Sadly in my town the selection of jobs is minimal and most suck. I certainly took this last one with career in mind. it was a teller position at a local bank. Apparently I wasn't quick enough hand counting thousands of dollars in cash. Also the paycheck problem was a red flag for me.
    Mathis1 wrote: »
    Best of luck @ToTheRight, hope all goes well! Am lucky that the job I am in for the past 20 years or so, I have loved, with fantastic colleagues, most of whom are now gone, and replaced by Know-it-all- but-no-nothing youngsters, and more Managers than we need, and who are trying to reinvent the wheel. Its my intention to retire in 3 years, but things are looking grave in the economy, so now I'm not so sure!

    My Dad ended up retiring a couple years later than planned due to economy. My folks are alright, but the budget is tight.

    That's a huge decision, @ImpertinentGoon.
    A very romantic one I must say. My late girlfriend relocated across the Atlantic to live with me in my city at the time. Then relocated across the States with me so we could be closer to my parents. From a city to a rural town. She was able to find a job almost immediately (in her field), where she worked the rest of her life. I bounce around from job to job like Bill Bixby on The Incredible Hulk, where in every episode he's working some random job he's over qualified for before he Hulks out and has to leave. LOL.
    I wouldn't change it for anything though, since I knew how much working in her field meant to her.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Getting new experiences is always valuable. Even when they suck.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    I hope things work out for you, @ToTheRight.

    ToTheRight wrote: »
    I bounce around from job to job like Bill Bixby on The Incredible Hulk, where in every episode he's working some random job he's over qualified for before he Hulks out and has to leave. LOL.
    :))

    DarthDimi wrote: »
    Trying new things is good! It takes courage but it opens up possibilities with a renewed perspective on life. In the end, your efforts will pay off.
    Getting new experiences is always valuable. Even when they suck.
    The truth.
  • Posts: 9,846
    Nearly was killed this morning by a guy who decided to be a jerk for no reason stopping short then speeding up not letting me get around him the guy was a psycho

    A second person hit me because of it and he drove away laughing all the way

    Sigh
  • edited June 2022 Posts: 15,117
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    Well. I've taken bit of a chance and hereby tendered my resignation from my job.

    crvcas-med1.jpg

    I have a second interview lined up already for another position that looks promising.
    A couple other distinct possibilities as well. I just don't have another job in the bag.
    That's why it's a gamble I'm taking.
    The interview is scheduled during my normal work hours, so I would have needed to call out anyway. Being a second interview I have a stronger chance of being offered the position.

    The odds favor standing pat. if you play the odds....................

    4b6b7217-79f1-46bf-9bb4-77cd73bcf429_screenshot.jpg



    Wish me luck!

    Merde as we say in French @ToTheRight .
    You're lucky in a way: this is the best time to look for jobs. I received more jobs offers since 2020 than I ever got from 2017-2020. It really changed with WFH and hybrid working. We don't have to put up for toxic work environment or lousy bosses because there's nothing else available.

    Okay, here's my whining, brace yourself:
    -I'm sick with man flu (though apparently not Covid)
    -my son is sick
    -my cousin has been fired from his job for sexual harassment and sexual assault. Whether the accusations are true or not I don't know, his employer tends to fire first , investigate later. I try not to be biased because I always liked him and his parents are my godfather. His mother especially has a heart of gold and used to be very close to my mum.
    -One of my brothers has Covid
    -My sister-in-law (the girlfriend of my brother who has Covid) who was one month pregnant probably lost her baby.

    So, all in all, a pretty rubbish week.
  • Posts: 5,993
    Not as dreadful as all that (it doesn't rain, but it pours), but :

    Today, I found out that the snacks at work had seen their prices raised, some by 50 %. And we weren't notified by advance (not even the director of the sorting center knew about it). Ah well, my doctor has recommanded that I stop all sugary treats if I want to avoid Diabetes. This will make it easier.
  • edited June 2022 Posts: 2,161
    Congested, feel like crap, at 3 am go into the guest bathroom to get something and find it flooded. Find the source, stop it, clean up. Later, dog throws up several times, clean up. Then found out a younger co-worker has died (that's two in seven months). Some day.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    All of that sucks, but especially sorry to hear about your co-workers, @Birdleson . Did you learn about the causes?
  • Posts: 2,161
    Cancer. Only a few people knew.
  • Posts: 12,466
    https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/04/chicago-shooting-fourth-of-july-parade-police

    How on earth am I supposed to feel patriotic and celebrate this country when this shit is the norm? Where the laws and culture make it so that innocent people get gunned down in droves every week and women’s rights get overturned and snatched from them despite the majority opinions of the citizens? Where politicians look out for the few and democracy is a myth? Land of the free and home of the brave, right…
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited July 2022 Posts: 24,179
    FoxRox wrote: »
    https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/04/chicago-shooting-fourth-of-july-parade-police

    How on earth am I supposed to feel patriotic and celebrate this country when this shit is the norm? Where the laws and culture make it so that innocent people get gunned down in droves every week and women’s rights get overturned and snatched from them despite the majority opinions of the citizens? Where politicians look out for the few and democracy is a myth? Land of the free and home of the brave, right…
    More like land of the right. The extreme right. Let's control every woman's uterus but throw weapons out in the open. Let's pretend the election was stolen and climate change is a good thing. Let's give subhumans like Marjory Taylor Greene a platform and arm every nutter out there. Oh and though this is the 21st Century, let us never change that fossile of a constitution. Second amendment? Yeah, decades before the advent of semi-automatic weapons...

    Wake up, America! You are plummeting yourself into death and social decay. More mass shootings than there are days in a year. What else are you proud of?

    At least Buford and Luda Mae from Arkansas can sleep tight tonight. The devil has been stopped thanks to that asswipe Clarence Thomas. They can now continue to stop the steal. As for all those mass shootings, yeah what are you going about it?
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,790
    What is moderated here.

  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,179
    What is moderated here.

    If my post is offensive, I will delete it of course.
  • Posts: 12,466
    Bigotry and poisonous laws are what’s offensive to me.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,030
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    What is moderated here.

    If my post is offensive, I will delete it of course.

    While I can see the reason behind @RichardTheBruce 's response, I'm all with @DarthDimi on this.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,844
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    What is moderated here.

    If my post is offensive, I will delete it of course.

    While I can see the reason behind @RichardTheBruce 's response, I'm all with @DarthDimi on this.

    I'm with @DarthDimi on this.

    I normally tread carefully around politics, but after the last six years or so, my faith in my fellow citizens is dropping rapidly. The attitudes and statements that would end your political career and get you laughed at from coast to coast (even as short as ten years ago) now seem to the norm.

    "Monsters from the ID" isn't just a line from FORBIDDEN PLANET.
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    Posts: 3,152
    Dwayne wrote: »
    "Monsters from the ID" isn't just a line from FORBIDDEN PLANET.
    Ain't that the truth.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,297
    Dwayne wrote: »
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    What is moderated here.

    If my post is offensive, I will delete it of course.

    While I can see the reason behind @RichardTheBruce 's response, I'm all with @DarthDimi on this.

    I'm with @DarthDimi on this.

    I normally tread carefully around politics, but after the last six years or so, my faith in my fellow citizens is dropping rapidly. The attitudes and statements that would end your political career and get you laughed at from coast to coast (even as short as ten years ago) now seem to the norm.

    "Monsters from the ID" isn't just a line from FORBIDDEN PLANET.

    +1

    Sadly, I fear this is only the beginning for the US.

    Unlike the UK, we don't have a parliament, so it is very hard for systemic change to happen. We are a large country and many less populated states have more power than they should.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited July 2022 Posts: 24,179
    echo wrote: »
    Dwayne wrote: »
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    What is moderated here.

    If my post is offensive, I will delete it of course.

    While I can see the reason behind @RichardTheBruce 's response, I'm all with @DarthDimi on this.

    I'm with @DarthDimi on this.

    I normally tread carefully around politics, but after the last six years or so, my faith in my fellow citizens is dropping rapidly. The attitudes and statements that would end your political career and get you laughed at from coast to coast (even as short as ten years ago) now seem to the norm.

    "Monsters from the ID" isn't just a line from FORBIDDEN PLANET.

    +1

    Sadly, I fear this is only the beginning for the US.

    Unlike the UK, we don't have a parliament, so it is very hard for systemic change to happen. We are a large country and many less populated states have more power than they should.

    That's exactly my point. The crazies are running rampant; political feuds block any progress. You see a typical villain in a film, half the time they are decent and -- above all -- intelligent compared to some reps, senators and Supreme Court justices. I don't know what's worse: that some of these people are retarded, working from very archaic morals, ethics and norms, or just evil (or all of the above).

    America is a complicated political, social and economical structure. It is a big country with a large population, unevenly spread across an area whose North is vastly different from its South; whose coastal regions are vastly different from its central regions. There is wealth in some states and poverty in others; what troubles one state is of no concern to another. America doesn't stand a chance unless people give up worrying about the next election for a minute and sit down to tackle the various national and global threats that are currently being ignored because one fraction is pooling all its resources to reclaim the throne, while the other is doing all it can to keep it. Politics have become a goal rather than a means. It's time to consider another system because time, money, and lives are spent discrediting the other side, when they should be spent, with both sides working together, on what actually matters. Like gun restrictions.

    Only a fool or a blind man will continue to ignore the causality between the freedom of citizens to arm themselves and the many mass shootings.

    "But knives kill too. Will you take away people's knives as well?"
    Knives kill. We have knifings a few times every year. Few of those result in death. This is nothing compared to more mass shootings than there are days in a year with death tolls from a few to a few dozen each time.

    "But the bad guys will still get their weapons."
    Yes, they will. But Joe Average with mental issues won't, or at least less likely. And most of these killings happen when Joe Average has had "enough" and can't find a way to cope.

    "But it's the NRA and they are unstoppable."
    Not really, but you need a government willing to act and capable of acting. If the smart people on both sides come together, ignore their petty differences for once, and do what it takes (you know, a few signatures here and there), it's over. Most of Europe got disarmed in no time. We don't really love our guns as an extension of our genitals, but still, here too people used to keep guns and rifles in the house. Most people don't anymore. Shootings still happen. But rarely. Most shootings I saw covered on TV this year were from across the Pond.

    "But without guns, thugs will just barge in; thieves will rob you; terrorists will kill you."
    Those things happen. Barely. Crime rates continue to go down. The reason we give media coverage to home break-ins is that they are some of the worst things to happen in our country right now, and rare enough to keep that news fresh. You can't stop crime. But a fully armed population seems to add to the crime rates rather than to lower them.

    "But it's our constitutional right."
    And constitutions aren't prone to change? You mean progress is possible without changing a few things after a couple of centuries? \sarcasm

    I'm sick and tired of having to mourn the dead, lament the sadness, and listen to NRA lobbyists as they express their deep condolences. I have a heart, I care, even if these atrocities happen on the other side of the bloody globe. But I really do care; There are a lot of good people in the USA. I've made tons of good friends in this community over the years; many of them are from America. I'm not smiling; I'm not saying "I told you so, fools!" I'm in pain just as much as most other people are. Especially because some solutions are simple. But they require a little political courage and, like I said, a few brief moments during which both sides forget that every four years they step into the ring again to duke it out.

    Lastly, America... *Sigh* MTG? Really? If she were in my school, she'd be with the "speshul" kids. How is it even possible that a moron like that is given a political mandate? That is beyond me! The Orange is dangerous in his outrageous hunger for power. But she is dangerous in her idiocy.
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    That last bit is really the one I don't get. I know about echo chambers and I know not everyone sees the world the way I see it. I know the political discourse in the US is broken and still I cannot understand how anyone can look at many of these US politicians and not only say "yea sure. I'll vote for them for national office" but to be so rabidly partisan about it. It's incredible.

    Oh, and having very educated people, who have dedicated their lives to the law to such a degree that they are put on the US Supreme Court (even if it's radically along partisan lines) seriously say: "The most important thing that should guide the way we live today, the basic law of the country, the foundation of our entire way of being should be what we believe some guys in the 18th century meant and thought." Like, that just doesn't make any kind of sense, to me. At all.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited July 2022 Posts: 6,297
    The problem is the too-high bar for constitutional amendments in the US on any issue whatsoever. This could be gun control or climate change initiatives or civil rights. Most of the population is in favor of these things.

    2/3 of Congress or 2/3 of the state legislatures can propose an amendment. Congress is roughly 50/50 and the Senate is 50/50, so there is no way we are getting there. The extra-constitutional filibuster, a remnant of the slavery era, requires 60 votes, and it has been used liberally by conservatives to thwart Obama's Presidency, particularly judicial appointments.

    We have a lot of small population states, like the two Dakotas and Wyoming, that have equal votes with New York and California in the Senate. The various states go back to pre-Civil War compromises that would admit one free state and one slave state together to the US.

    Even worse, 3/4 of Congress or 3/4 of the states need to vote to ratify an amendment. That too, will never happen, because of polarization and a lack of compromise. (Don't even get me started on how Murdoch and Fox have poisoned that well.)

    Even worse, the Supreme Court because of the stolen Gorsuch seat and Ginsburg's untimely death, is now 6-3 conservatives-liberals, which is why we're now seeing inane decisions on abortion and climate change.

    The Court had been 5-4 conservatives for most of my lifetime so there was hope for compromise on (usually) civil rights issues, which gave us marriage equality, universal health care, and preserved abortion rights until recently.

    6-3 is demonstrably worse, because Trump installed three anti-abortion zealots on the Court (unsurprisingly, they are all Catholics, but unlike JFK, nobody asked them whether their allegiance is to the church or to the state). These three are in their 50s, and they have lifetime tenure. And they have better tax-funded health care than any of us, so they will be around for a while.

    Unlike Republicans before him who at least had some principles, Trump gave credence and a voice to the white supremacists (see: Charlottesville and the insurrection) and now they have taken over. They became enraged that our country dared elect a black man. In short, we are still fighting the Civil War, and probably always will be.

    God help my country and, truly, the world, if Trump and Co. engineer a presidential election "win" in 2024. Because we are all going to be drowning, figuratively and literally.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited July 2022 Posts: 24,179
    That last bit is really the one I don't get. I know about echo chambers and I know not everyone sees the world the way I see it. I know the political discourse in the US is broken and still I cannot understand how anyone can look at many of these US politicians and not only say "yea sure. I'll vote for them for national office" but to be so rabidly partisan about it. It's incredible.

    Oh, and having very educated people, who have dedicated their lives to the law to such a degree that they are put on the US Supreme Court (even if it's radically along partisan lines) seriously say: "The most important thing that should guide the way we live today, the basic law of the country, the foundation of our entire way of being should be what we believe some guys in the 18th century meant and thought." Like, that just doesn't make any kind of sense, to me. At all.

    Indeed. Times have changed. We need to understand this. Times have changed. "Natives" aren't coming to steal your horses anymore. And to allow people to arm up with rifles that require several seconds before reloading is something else than allowing them to carry weapons that can fire dozens of bullets in no time at all with more precision and more lethal power.

    Also, I'm not here with any political agenda. I don't unconditionally side with one group and from that point on "hate" the other group. I always believe in governments built from the best on both sides, who from there on abandon party politics as much as possible to actually do what's best for people. Because a one-sided take on the world is just not good enough anymore. The world has become unbelievably complicated in the past century. We have to manage the "now" and the "tomorrow". We have to navigate global as well as domestic obstacles. We also have to make the best of trends that cannot be stopped, rather than pretend that we can stop them with the threat of punishment. And we always, constantly, at all times, have to open ourselves up to the possibility that "certainties" from the past can be scrutinized, re-evaluated, and perhaps abandoned. Clinging on to "how it's always been" is the easy option, I get that. But it's also pointless because the world changes, inevitably, like there's a force of nature behind that. (In fact, there is: it's called entropy.) To shut your eyes to that is to let yourself down and drift away in isolation while every one else is moving on and making progress. Embrace change, make the best of it, learn to manage and navigate it, and see the possibilities.

    Take climate change. You can pretend it's not a thing, overthrow laws that try to do something about it and mock the scientists who study it. But closing your eyes to it, will not make it go away. Meanwhile, a lot of money is being spent on R&D in companies that know we will soon rely on their colossal construction works and advanced tech to live the best life possible and maintain crops and livestock amidst floods, droughts, storms and water shortages. But those companies are currently operational in countries we sometimes condescendingly refer to as "developing". Well, they are developing alright; they're not standing still nor moving backwards. Soon, they will be in the economic epicentre of the world. We won't be.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited July 2022 Posts: 13,978
    https://news.sky.com/story/sajid-javid-resigns-as-health-secretary-12646456

    I would say that the wheels are coming off, but they fell off miles ago, and now the Government is launching into a cartwheel, down a steep hill. Could we have just have one second pass, without something happening? Dominic Cummings must be lurking around somewhere, waiting for the right time to emerge from the shadows, to drop some poison into the wound.
  • Posts: 12,466
    https://www.psypost.org/2022/06/sexualized-video-games-are-not-causing-harm-to-male-or-female-players-according-to-new-research-63388

    One of the things I preach about a lot is that "sexualization" in media isn't the big evil that both sides of the political aisle cry about. What I can concede is that yes, it can and has been done wrong, when women are literally used as 100% objects with no actual character or other use besides their sex. That's not what I'm condoning or advocating for. HOWEVER! Women being shown as "sexy" while still proving to be three-dimensional characters is something that I feel doesn't need to be complained about. Sex appeal, sexuality, nudity are things that are NOT inherently evil as so many would have you believe these days. I feel like as long as the characterization is there and both men and women are being taken seriously, then the sexualization is just a bonus that doesn't harm anything or anyone!
  • Posts: 2,917
    To paraphrase Fleming, I consider myself a patriotic sort of chap, but the Fourth of July has turned into an excuse for jerks to light illegal fireworks at any place and time. I spent the holiday weekend in Sacramento, Oakland, and San Francisco, and all three sounded like war zones. I don't enjoy being startled by horribly loud bangs and explosions. Aside from official firework shows, when the authorities put on a good light show, the only good place for fireworks is up the rectums of those who light them.
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