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I don’t trust this government, the media will make slightly bad or worrying news seem catastrophic because it gets them clicks and sales, none of this is dependent on the pandemic, it has always been the case (with any government I can remember at least). The scientists have been right and wrong at different times throughout the pandemic and they along with the government have both been guilty of too much and too little caution based on imperfect information. At the height of this crisis, we had 2,000 people dying a day in the UK and that was WITH a full lockdown to reduce the traffic hitting the NHS. Short memories much? If you believe the restrictions introduced earlier in the pandemic were an over reaction, then you'll believe anything. As for now, it's more complex with vaccines and more knowledge available. The data coming out of South Africa was promising but the sample size was pitifully small. It's not 'agenda driven' for the UK scientists to do their own studies as well. It's called due diligence and the fact that they've ratified the initial findings from South Africa enables all of the "we've lost our minds over this" crowd to finally have their "told you so" moment. It doesn't mean everything that came before was an overreaction. You'll also note that the government in England at least haven't actually imposed meaningful restrictions besides asking you to wear a piece of cloth on your face and carry around a copy of your vaccine certificate on your phone. Neither of these are exactly massive hardships and are measures taken to keep infection rates down so that they don't need to step in and take away the basic human rights of being allowed to go and watch multi millionaires kick a football about in a huge stadium and going and getting wasted with your mates in the pub or in town after.

RIP.

Alright guys. I have it on good authority that we have a shot at winning Thread of the Year. Give me quality content!

We live in a capitalist society, lockdowns do not benefit societies elite as it restricts their abilities to make a profit, they need people buying anything and everything, especially a society governed by Tories who will have plenty of external influences related to turning a profit. Genuinely baffled when people suggest this was all to gain control over us, as if we were not already being controlled as a consumer society. Your phone tracks your face, your voice, your conversations, your location, all of your data, your interests, everything. The only real benefit lockdown has had other than the government handing out dodgy contracts left right and centre (classic Tory behaviour let’s be honest) is to put through anti-protest laws as a reaction to BLM, Insulate Britain. But even then lockdowns we’re not put in place to push those laws through, they were pushed through to benefit from a needed lockdown.

Yes - L2 is a location where gravitational forces of Sun and Earth combined balance out the centrifugal force, so any object in that position will orbit the Sun together with the Earth (so it stays stationary from Earth's point of view, with Earth blocking most of the sunlight). It's not stable like some other Lagrangian points, so small corrections are required every 26 days or so.

Even Bertrand went off injured in the warm-up today...

First course correction completed successfully. Webb has now traveled about a third of the distance to L2.

Don't understand why people don't accept he's gonna be a bullshitter like any other business guy. Too many fans think he's one of them.

I don't know how many times these things that get called conspiracy theories have to come true before people stop with that ridiculous phrase. If you still trust this government, the agenda driven scientists or the media at this point you'll trust literally anything.

Yes for question one. As for question two, I'd say no as it's a prequel to the first one and this basically sets up the first one.

Pit for sauce. Box box, box box.

I think we need a new klaxon in this thread for when people *aren't* posting crackpot conspiracy theories.

*conspiracy theory klaxon*

I reckon he bailed because he got Max.

In one experiment scientist grew trees in a sealed biosphere, they started to fell off before maturing. It was found out that the perfect growing environment lacked wind, which provides stress and ensures trees grow strong enough to support themselves. This also applies to humans as individuals and as nations, too much comfort in life is a slow poison there needs to be some balance of adversity with it, it teaches fortitude which is necessary to progress

I came back to try make this list. I will try better in 2022.

"Don't look up" Depressingly accurate political satire.

Poor kid. Just kidding, a little bit.

Quite a haul for my oldest.

Best Christmas present ever

I really wish that would be the case. Unfortunately, I just think the cycle of shit will continue. Hell, our lot in the Welsh Government are the only one that won't have a separate enquiry into how they've handled it, reassuring themselves that the UK one as a whole will showcase Wales (basically, they don't want any accountability of their actions and want to fob it off to the UK Government, as per the norm).

No...its not Puddin, its Tilly, the latters wee sister, we are looking after her over the Xmas period as her owners are off to Glasgow over the festive period, just as cuddly as Puddin though but a wee lady.

We've had victory laps before though followed by a step back. This is good news of course but this virus has mutated every few months in a way that has completely changed the risk profile. It does mean that England have probably made the right call this time, helped by the public increasing their personal levels of caution in the last few weeks, and Scotland and Wales have taken the plunge to the next level of restrictions a bit too quickly. It's cause for cautious optimism but that's the maximum I'll allow myself for the immediate future. Anyone celebrating this as if it's the end of the pandemic is equally as misguided as the perpetual doomsday crowd. Everyone reacts differently though. Some people feel the need to release their elation. Others are terrified of the beacon of hope in case it gets taken away from them again. The media we know are at least slightly biased towards bad news because it sells better for them, that part is what it is. There's a lot of psychology and emotional fatigue going on though, you can't expect everyone to always react the same as each other to each piece of news.

Inglorious Basterds - 9/10 I havent seen it in quite some time so I figured it was due a rewatch. Just love it. I still think its one of Taratino's top couple films. I also forgot how good Brad Pitt is.

Russia's cutting the flow of gas to Europe by 83% - at a time where demand is particularly high. I'm assuming this is a warning to the EU - to not interfere with their plans to fuck with Ukraine.

The mountain range in Pakistan's side of Balochistan is called Koh e Suleiman ' Mountains of Solomon '. Legend says that the Biblical Prophet & King of Israel Solomon came to these parts. One peak is called Throne of Solomon, where he camped with his entourage of humans and supernatural beings & overlooked the entire subcontinent. The area is known for it's spoky places & people avoid travelling in night.

So will the government be paying millions in compensations to the families of those they potentially murder if they are forced to be vaccinated and suffer death as a side effect? No matter how small the chance, it will and has happened.

Today I learned: the country I was born in is directly responsible for the IRI killing off some of my family members. https://portside.org/2020-01-25/how-britain-helped-irans-islamic-regime-destroy-its-left-wing-opposition And after the collapse of the revolution’s first government in the middle of the Iran-Iraq war & purges of the 80s, I think most hope of Iran’s revolutionary ever shifting from the theocracy it ended up with probably died. It’s mental how badly world powers can fuck other countries up over geopolitical struggles, then was their hands of the blame and do things like impose sanctions collectively punishing all Iranians in Iran for a course of events they’ve had a hand in pushing along the way.

I'm 28 in April. Never even had the slightest desire to have a child. Had lots of short term GFs, and I think my openness and stubbornness on the issue has definitely hurt me in seeking meaningful relationships. I get lumped into the fuckboi category unfairly (sometimes unfairly) and there is definitely still a residual social stigma on this choice of mine, even in a very progressive age