Alph

Just looking at the PL table and can't see Forest. 

Any advice?

Latifi is dedicated. 

Horner complaining about complaining and failing to look happy as Perez was on the podium was a particular highlight. 

If there's one thing Horner hates it's gossip and snitches. He's always been too focused on RB to notice what else is going on. 

My Mrs has turned me against George Russell. Her dislike of him is unjustified but she points out so much of his pouting and arrogance that I was actually not too sad at all to see him waaaaay behind Lewis

Kadyrov is a dog. Not even a loyal one. 

33 minutes ago, Stive Pesley said:

I don't pretend to understand this, but while looking at the charts that show the $ so strong against the £ - I expected to see the Ruble in "plummet" mode since they invaded Ukraine. Which it did - briefly

But now it looks to have bounced back and be stronger than at any point in the past 5 years?

Surprised too. 

So is it at a false value right now?

19 minutes ago, TexasRam said:

Should we not all feel a little more uncomfortable tonight followings todays events? Now Ukraine is applying for NATO using a apparently simplified process? (Thought they had done this and it had been rejected?). I feels like it’s going to escalate and quickly, I hope I’m completely wrong (I know a lot  of you are far more clued up than me on this subject so I’m hoping you can make the picture seem a little better than it does) 

Been pooping it ever since Putin  started talking about Nuclear weapons like they're an option. 

Then Liz Truss joins in with her numerous threats. 

The more desperate Putin gets the more scary it is. It's supposed to be a good thing that the war didn't go to his plan!

I hope you chaps right. But I think Putin's life may depend on this war. So maybe unrest will become so much that someone removes him by force?

But how can he de-escalate and explain that so many Russians were sent to their deaths for territories that remain disputed?  Surely nobody is buying this claim that they made.

How can he remain in power spending countless hundreds of millions on this war to have achieved so little. 

All he has achieved is showing Russian incompetence and making sure the Ruble plummets.

You're right about it taking a toll on Russia of course. Somebody said earlier in the thread that this could be their Vietnam. 

I just don't see how Putin can withdraw. He's surely not in the same position as two American Presidents able to scurry away with damaged pride about a war going bad on the other side of the globe. 

4 minutes ago, Tamworthram said:

What do you mean Ukraine has no allies? If that was the case then Russia would have won the war long ago.

It’s difficult to see how this will end. Ukraine will probably continue to fight whilst ever it has support from the West and, I would imagine, would only agree to the future of the regions in question being decided by referendums if Russia withdrew first, previous residents who had been forced to leave were allowed to vote and the voting was overseen by an independent party. I can’t see how Russia could agree to any such proposal now that they have annexed the regions.

I mean allies willing to step in and defend the country, push Russia back and secure the region. 

They have cheerleaders and a few of those would sooner this all blow over so they can get that Russian energy. 

And they have a Russia's enemies sending them what they need to fight Russia. But they're doing all the fighting and dying. For all the "Stand with Ukraine" it's more like "we back Ukraine"

I think Zelensky said as much but he understands the reasons nobody can help. They're not in our alliance.

In the coming months we'll all be concerned about the cost of living and internal politics and Ukraine will be a headache that we throw money at so they can weaken Russia. Some nations will distance themselves from the whole affair as they try to loophole through sanctions and send brown envelopes to Moscow. 

30 minutes ago, Tamworthram said:

If you're talking about the 2014 referendums, weren't these also carried put in areas controlled by pro-Russian separatists/militia with no external or independent monitoring? In which case, I'm not sure they were any more valid than this one. 

 

Yeah. I'm not sure how they were carried out. I think Ukrainians also did one in 2014 in contested areas. 

I was really just making the point that if referendums weren't the answer in 2014 then certainly don't think it's going to be the answer in the near future. 

I don't see how Ukraine can hope to keep/gain Donetsk and Luhansk. 

At best they give it up and are left vulnerable to future disruption on "new" borders. At worst the areas remain disputed for years with skirmishes, terror attacks and high crime rates making it the most dangerous place in Europe. 

Ukraine has no options. It has no allies. It won't be allowed strength to patrol its new borders. They're in an impossible position and have to keep fighting. 

Putin can't stop. So if nobody stops Putin from within Russia then this war is nowhere near the begining of the end

3 minutes ago, Ramarena said:

Not sure how referendums can be carried out, even if hostilities cease.

The damage has already been done and whichever side “wins” you’ll have infighting from those that didn’t. You risk creating a Iraq style militia based conflict, where the territory is constantly disputed despite a legitimate referendum. 

The only solution I see (and it’s not much of a solution, but best of a bad bunch of options) is Ukraine returned to its pre-invasion territories followed by an amnesty period, where citizens who want to join Russia can go live there and Ukraine allows passage through its border which would need to be independently monitored for the duration of the amnesty.

After that Ukraine would put up a heavily militarised border to try and prevent future Russian aggression/imperialism.

I think the chance has passed now. Russia would never see any monitoring as "independent" and neither would the West. 

It also wouldn't allow a strong military presence in Ukraine. Not after the whole war for them has been demilitarise and denazify. 

I only see it ending with Ukraine giving up Donetsk and Luhansk. And then we spend the years after the ceasefire with the same sort of issues in other regions that happened in Crimea and Donbass in the last decade. 

To ignore the referendums held in 2014(?) was the only time I think this could have resolved it peacefully. Maybe it wouldn't but I just think it's past that stage now. 

Previous referendums have been held in Donbass. And not during the chaos of all out war. They weren't recognised my most the world. So why during full scale war do they go to the trouble of doing such nonsense? 

I think he's gone a bit far to be worrying about justifying his actions. 

13 minutes ago, i-Ram said:

Who in their right mind has a dog sh!t in their mouth, and 

a) lets the press know and

b) takes a picture of it before washing her face.

We've all been there mate. Think you're being harsh

That is grim. 

Where do you start. Whenever my dog recommends that he top and tail with me I always politely refuse. 

But if he did poo in my mouth, which sounds quite difficult, then I'd decline any photo opportunities. Especially any that show dog poo around my mouth.

Yeah, she wins. I feel bad for complaining now when the Mrs sends me back to the shop I just came from because "we" forgot to put something on her list

Even the beautiful Elvaston Castle can't escape. Get some metal on it!!

Derby in full metal reality

Derby as advertised

We haven't seen the worst of it then

If Fury fights Charr then that's a disgrace. 

You wouldn't even pay to see Charr Vs Hughie Fury. 

"England's Football Association has backed calls for compensation to be awarded for "any injury or death related to any construction project" for the World Cup."

going in hard!! 

15 hours ago, Anon said:

No. I think it's utterly vacuous. I appreciate the anger about the working conditions in Qatar, but if you genuinely feel that strongly and want to make a statement, don't go. Don't broadcast it. Don't watch it. I won't be watching a second, but I have 0 respect for footballers and football associations thinking they're making any kind of relevant statement with their toned down shirts and rainbow armbands.

Agree with this. Tick box exercise. 

"We stand with..." (We stand behind) empty words.

9 minutes ago, 86 Hair Islands said:

Probably, but I don't think it'd be a pleasant night for him, or Usyk for that matter. Personally, I'd like to see him fight AJ. That's a fight that could go either way, but it could be the quickest route to a title shot if he did get to AJ's chin. It'd be a pretty easy sell to UK fight fans too. Whether AJ would want it, though, I'm not sure.

On a general note, I don't see why he'd want Dillian. What's the angle there?

No he's sitting right outside the top 4 now with a right to call any of them out. 

Fury clearly trying to send him down the Wilder path with a few comments about Wilder would beat him but nobody else would. 

Fighting Whyte would pay well but that's about it. Lose and he's 37 and high risk low reward. Nobody will touch him. Win and he's in the same place. 

I hope he goes for Wilder. Or like you said, AJ is a good fight but AJ will either fight Fury or go on Eddie Hearns world tour I imagine. Wants to take him to China, Africa, Dubai etc 

32 minutes ago, Wolfie said:

I'm not normally one for conspiracy theories but this topic has me scratching my head. I've just seen this elsewhere and it's actually quite plausible that Putin could have arranged this for his own security:

By sabotaging the gas pipelines, Putin improves his own safety by removing one of the motives for his own defensteration - even if he were removed from power, the gas exports to Europe are not restarting any time soon.

It might give plotting oligarchs something to think about.

I saw that too. I just couldn't understand how it removes motive of those that oppose him.

It would harm anyone with wealth tied up to that pipeline but surely it only alienates them further? 

Once again, not saying it isn't Russian sabotage. The problem I have is that all the reasons for Russia doing it so far seem a bit flimsy. The best being that it might create suspicion for the USA?

35 minutes ago, 86 Hair Islands said:

That's a pretty easy question to answer if approached from a neutral standpoint - plausible deniability. If they are the guilty party, then it clearly would suit their purpose to have some believe otherwise, as you clearly do. After all, how would going down the 'maintenance route' play out in the battle for hearts and minds?

I'm afraid seeking to apportion blame on the basis that if only the US benefits, then only the US could have done it, is a path fraught with pitfalls. And for the sake of clarity, I have no idea at all who is responsible and neither does anyone on this thread, but I would wager good money on the likely aggressor nonetheless.

Perfectly fair answer. 

I wouldn't put it past either nation though with considering their histories. It was Radek Sikorski who tweeted "Thank you USA" and followed it up with the Biden video. 

I'm not saying I believe it. I just believe America is capable of it considering past controversy and scandals along with them being the major beneficiary and Putin doesn't NEED to destroy it. His maintenance claim was never going to be swallowed

But yes, Sikorski I think is or has gone on to imply its quite a suitable tactic to Russia. I'm not sure. He has commented in the past about USA's interference and "help" in Europe. At the same time he's commented on Russia's aggressive posturing. 

It beats "yawn". 

I think Fury would just jab him all night from the outside and get a points win. I'd still love to see it just incase. 

I saw the Clarke v Joyce scrap. Poor Clarke absolutely nailed Joyce and still couldn't make him go backwards. 

I've not watched it back but am I right in thinking the attack that finished Parker came from Parker hitting Joyce with a good shot? I know there was one moment where Joyce looked stunned by a shot for like 0.0001 second before increasing his pressure by double. 

I saw a comment on "Could Joyce take a clean shot from Wilder?". The comment was "could Wilder's hands take a clean headbutt from Joyce"

45 minutes ago, Crewton said:

I haven't made a comment about the pipeline explosions either way. It's you that came out with an unsubstantiated diatribe fully in accordance with your previous postings about this conflict which also clearly display your clear political bias. 

That's why I found it boring and commented accordingly. 

It was a reply to the 2 posts above mine. The speech Utch mentioned is a Biden speech in which he said they will stop the pipeline and when asked how he said "I promise, we can do that."

The reason this is doing the rounds on the internet is not because of me but because of a tweet from a Polish politician. I think he was meaning to suggest Russia has tried to frame American interference or something possibly. The post was quite strange. But it's not me that came out with the unsubstantiated diatribe. 

You could not comment on it? You know like in RL where you wouldn't rudely yawn when I spoke.

That way the thread can stay friendly whatever my political bias (which is that I hope Ukraine win the war and I can be anti America and anti Russia interference and wish both to fight their wars on bloody Mars).

It's not hard to not be rude. Even online where it's much safer 

19 minutes ago, Crewton said:

Yawn. 

Nice.

Ever thought about ignoring or responding why Russia would need to sabotage a pipe they can shut off for "maintenance" instead of just being passive aggressive rude? 

Classic internet warfare there.