The Rant Box

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  • The Domino EffectThe Domino Effect Posts: 3,638MI6 Agent
    That's true Number 24, but there's a difference between making an election promise in good faith and discovering once in office that it's simply not sensibly viable, and making an election promise knowing full well that they'll not implement it and then blaming their predecessor. It's that sort of behaviour that many people rightly tire of. That said, democracy is still by far the best system out there even if it is sometimes misused.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    My government's back 'on' again. We only wasted 24 billion dollars playing power struggle... 8-) X-(
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,337MI6 Agent
    They make EU politicians look fiscally responsible :))
  • minigeffminigeff EnglandPosts: 7,884MI6 Agent
    Today's rants;

    Traffic 'calming'.

    'Considerate' drivers.

    Echecks.


    Traffic 'calming'.

    On driving through my pretty SHlTTY city, it's become apparent that should you go through a green traffic light, you are almost gauranteed to hit a red one at the next set of lights. There's a few places I can think of where if you apply a slightly increased amount of go-pedal, you'll just squeeze through the next set, or get lucky and hit them on amber.

    "Why the hell do they do that?" I asked an esteemed colleague. "it's traffic calming" he replies. Traffic calming?! It's not bloody calming, it's fooking annoying! You can see that green light down the road as you sit there at your red light. Praying to the god of traffic lights 'please stay green, please stay green' as the seconds tick by. You lights change to green, you floor it, speeding up as you approach the next set of lights. They're still green! You're going to make it! And then click, they change to red just as you're getting to them. A quick application of the anchors pulls you up and the process starts all over again.

    The infuriation is only magnified when said set of traffic lights change red so that the invisible man can cross the road and you have to sit there looking at an empty stretch of tarmac. Plus there's the situation where if we'd adopted the american 'you can turn right on a red light' idea, we could all get along a bit quicker. Course, we'd be turning right as we drive on the correct side of the road.

    All this traffic 'calming' seems to do is either infuriate people or force them to speed so they can beat the next set of lights. Calming anything down is the polar opposite of anything it achieves.

    'Considerate' drivers.

    As you sit there in your car, gleefully letting everyone and their dog across the road, or letting all those cars to pull into the side street, have a thought for the people you're not thinking about - the poor pleb stuck behind you. You might not be in a rush or have much to do, but the people behind you might, so if you want to be considerate and let 15 cars into that side street, have a care for the 3 cars behind you who ar stuck where they are because of your 'consideration for others'.

    Echecks.

    Your paypal account does not have sufficient funds..... clicking through the speedy checkout process on ebay, you unwittingly pay via paypal by using something only the devil incarnate himself could dream up - the echeck. That's not even how you spell cheque by the way, but hey ho, that's the least of my gripes.

    I only realised my mistake of using an echeck when the vital bits I need haven't turned up, 2 days later than expected. I check the ebay app which states my payment is still pending. Eh? I paid straight away as I always do. On checking my paypal account this bloody echeck thing rears its stupid head.

    To add insult to injury, out of the two items I ordered, the least important one has gone through, finally. The really urgent item however is still pending, even though I bought both items just 10mins apart. Hows that work then? 10mins makes 3 days worth (and counting) of time to clear.

    Progress? My arse.
    'Force feeding AJB humour and banter since 2009'
    Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
    www.helpforheroes.org.uk
    www.cancerresearchuk.org
  • ppw3o6rppw3o6r Great BritainPosts: 2,280MI6 Agent
    Bondtoys wrote:
    New rant - just in:

    This came thru my webpage :
    "Hi
    Any chance of emailing me a manual for Seiko H357-5000
    I am having trouble to set the alarm!
    Thanks if you can!"

    Though I found the tone snotty, I decided to help out a fellow collector and sent the manual.
    The watch still does not work and i learn, that the guy is an acuctioneer in the UK and tries to get the watch ready for an auction.

    What should I do with similar requests in the future?

    GET DANJAQ_OFF TO ANSWER ALL YOUR MAIL :D
  • The Domino EffectThe Domino Effect Posts: 3,638MI6 Agent
    Bondtoys wrote:
    New rant - just in:

    This came thru my webpage :
    "Hi
    Any chance of emailing me a manual for Seiko H357-5000
    I am having trouble to set the alarm!
    Thanks if you can!"

    Though I found the tone snotty, I decided to help out a fellow collector and sent the manual.
    The watch still does not work and i learn, that the guy is an acuctioneer in the UK and tries to get the watch ready for an auction.

    What should I do with similar requests in the future?

    Just say... "Computer says noooooo."
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,337MI6 Agent
    I misplaced this rant on the 'Random chat' thread, but here it is better suited:

    I'm really appaled by Obama's surveilance of ..... everyone! I understand some surveilance is necessary and I also know the US are not the only ones doing this, but come on ...
    First of all - listening in on so many people is plain wrong. I know the 'listening in on six million phone calls in Spain in two months' is just a rumour, but I think it's clear by now that the NSA has gone much too far. Tapping the phones and computers of allied leaders is both wrong and unnecessary. What did they expect? Angela Merkel phoning the Spanish prime minister and saying: "I know where ze leader off Al Quida is. I can tell yoo zis iff yoo promise not to tell ze Americans! Jaaa?" :)) Who would have guessed that Obama would illegally wiretap people to such an extent it would make the Gestapo and Stasi blush!

    s-YES-WE-SCAN-large.jpg?6
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    It does seem like the American Secret Services' are the new Stasi. :#
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • welshboy78welshboy78 Posts: 10,320MI6 Agent
    Well to be honest are we really surprised by all this? More surprised they were "outed", imagine they are all at it in one way or another!!

    Going to put one hell of a strain on relations with Allies!
    Instagram - bondclothes007
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,337MI6 Agent
    The stasi could never listen in on so many people as NSA does (not for lack of trying ...), so in some ways this is worse. Yes, it would be naive not to assume some surveilanse is going on, but the sheer volume and shamelessness of the American government is staggering. The tapping of the phones and computers of allied leaders is obviously not about terrorism. I wouldn't be surprised if the EU cansels the the trade agreement talks with the US. How can Merkel and other European leaders when it's probable that the people on the other side of the table already know their negotiating tactics? How can they negotiate with the US when they can't trust them?

    How do the Americans on this forum feel about the surveilance scandal?
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    Number24 wrote:
    How do the Americans on this forum feel about the surveilance scandal?
    Since my government is totally good & trustworthy, I don't see the problem. ;)

    Seriously though, it's the same old thing- once you get hold of power, you don't let go, and the alphabet agencies here are no exception. Power corrupts, as they say.
    The 10 % that might indeed be necessary gets overshadowed by the 90% that's done to expand agencies and payrolls. And THEN the problem becomes one of who's going to take responsibility for the intel gathered. The correct indications before 9-11 were swept aside because everyone was covering their arses; the falsified indications of WMD before the Iraq mess were gladly embraced & distributed. IMO anyone who has fun being a spook probably shouldn't BE one. Hence my love of Bond. -{
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,337MI6 Agent
    It would be a shame if the free trade agreement is stopped because of the surveilance scandal. Both Europe and the US are in economical problems and an agreement woouldn't go amiss. But negotiating with the US now is a lot like playing poker with a player known for using marked cards.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    We DO seem to shoot ourselves in the foot a lot, politically speaking. :))
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    Firstly Congratulatons to Children in Need another fantastic total. -{ ( Yes I do donate )

    But, I'm getting sick of having Multi-millionaires tell me, ( on a Basic wage ) that I have to dig deep and help.
    Espicially annoying for me last night was a certain X-Factor judge who looked so upset at all the sick kids
    and worried at the lack of funding.
    Seeing as he was named, But not too loudly as a Tax Doger, ( as he's a Big supporter of the Conservatives )
    Perhaps if a few rich Bast*rds and Companies would pay the tax They Should, then Charities like "Children in need "
    wouldn't have to step in and help the NHS.
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Sir MilesSir Miles The Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,761Chief of Staff
    Perhaps if a few rich Bast*rds and Companies would pay the tax They Should, then Charities like "Children in need "
    wouldn't have to step in and help the NHS.

    That very much sounds like a nail being hit squarely on the head -{
    YNWA 97
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,337MI6 Agent
    It has just been revealed that NSA listened in on 33 million Norwegian mobile phone conversation during a few months last year. I know we are scary and Norway is a major threath to the US, but this is beyond the pale ... X-(
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    What are you hiding from uncle Sam ?
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,337MI6 Agent
    I could tell you, but then we'd have to kill you afterwards ... :D
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    :)) :)) :))
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,337MI6 Agent
    There is a new development. The commander of Norwegian military inteligence and the minister of defence held a press conference. It appears the newspapers got it wrong. It isn't the NSA that listened in on 10% of all Norwegian telephone calls. It's Norwegian military inteligence who listen foreigners! They say they are using surveilance to safeguard Norwegian soldiers abroad (read:Afghanistan) and and/or to stop terrorism (probably other contries too). So it's OK then :)) Some of this information we give to the NSA. I tend to belive this. Norwegian inteligence forces have been caught in the past in not telling us everything (far from everything), but they seldom caught lying. We know that in the field of SigInt Norway is and has been for some time a major player. Did you know the UK sunk the Genaral Belgrano in the Falklands war based of Norwegian intel? :v On the other hand - this doesn't mean the NSA are not listening in on Norwegian in Norway, it just means it wasn't discovered today.
  • The Domino EffectThe Domino Effect Posts: 3,638MI6 Agent
    I still haven't quite figured out what's more embarrassing: your government listening in on a friendly nation...or having your government listened on by a friendly nation!
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,337MI6 Agent
    We're not listening in on a friendly nation (as far as we know ..)When did Afghanistan become friendly? It's not the state of Afghanistan we listen to anyway, since it's anlikely that the Afghan government will attack Norway. We probably listen to Russia (even though nothing was said of it today) because we always have and we would be idiots not to. We probably listen to Pakistian and some other Middle East nations too, none of them known for being particularely friendly.
  • The Domino EffectThe Domino Effect Posts: 3,638MI6 Agent
    Actually, I was thinking about the U.S. and Germany!
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,337MI6 Agent
    Ah ... yes, I wasn't completely sure what you ment. Actually pretty much the same thing happened in Spain as we experienced today. But in Norway the authorities reacted very quickly and were fairly fourthcoming.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I for one wouldn't trust those Norwegians. :)) :p ;)
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • The Domino EffectThe Domino Effect Posts: 3,638MI6 Agent
    Especially the Norwegian Blue when they start pining for the fjords.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    :)) :)) :))
    I see the pythons are getting back together again. -{
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 37,870Chief of Staff
    :)) :)) :))
    I see the pythons are getting back together again. -{

    They're not all individuals?
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,337MI6 Agent
    Especially the Norwegian Blue when they start pining for the fjords.

    Our conciense is as pure ass the driven snow
    :-)
  • minigeffminigeff EnglandPosts: 7,884MI6 Agent
    :)) :)) :))
    I see the pythons are getting back together again. -{

    When they get back together do they have to pull some outrageously camp karate moves, shout their name then jump into the air simultaneously so when they come back down they've combined to create 'Ultra mega multi-tool morphing monty python'?
    'Force feeding AJB humour and banter since 2009'
    Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
    www.helpforheroes.org.uk
    www.cancerresearchuk.org
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