Brexit, for once some facts.

[flecc]

Historically Flecc they are actually a land Empire themselves that has morphed into a single entity,and they had a phase of acquiring foreign dominions too
They still hang on to some far flung places even now

Military bases, certainly, but such as Hawai and Puerto Rico wanted to be part of the USA. The lands of the main USA and the addition of Alaska were for the integity of their northern continent.

But it cannot be said they want a land empire, they emphatically do not as all their actions show. Having killed off the Spanish empire, they didn't retain any of those lands as the Philipinnes demonstrates. Neither did they retain Japan after WW2, instead as I've said getting the Japanese to integrate US culture into their own.

And lets face it, they could have taken over most of Europe in 1945 if they'd wanted a land empire.
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[oldgroaner]

Military bases, certainly, but such as Hawai and Puerto Rico wanted to be part of the USA. The lands of the main USA and the addition of Alaska were for the integity of their northern continent.

But it cannot be said they want a land empire, they emphatically do not as all their actions show. Having killed off the Spanish empire, they didn't retain any of those lands as the Philipinnes demonstrates. Neither did they retain Japan after WW2, instead as I've said getting the Japanese to integrate US culture into their own.

And lets face it, they could have taken over most of Europe in 1945 if they'd wanted a land empire.
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This is true

 

[OxygenJames]

Yes, I'm familiar with all that and don't disagree. But ultimately resources are finite and it's not all about resources anyway.
Remember my remark about species decline in variety and quantity. Also my remark about the quality of life and the ways that has not just improved in some ways but also declined in very many ways due to population growth and technical advancement.
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'Resources are finite'. Flecc. Think. Are they? How much of the energy of the atom have we gotten out thus far? They're talking about mining asteroids. We are a million billion times away from what's possible. Talk to anybody in mining. You know - those that dig stuff out the ground. The amount they say is available nearly always relates to its price. The price goes up they find more of it or find better mining techniques - so the price drops again. And so on. But what about technologies where we make these minerals (apart from that asteroid idea). Who would have thought shale oil would come along. What a bonus.

 

[OxygenJames]

'Resources are finite'. Flecc. Think. Are they? How much of the energy of the atom have we gotten out thus far? They're talking about mining asteroids. We are a million billion times away from what's possible. Talk to anybody in mining. You know - those that dig stuff out the ground. The amount they say is available nearly always relates to its price. The price goes up they find more of it or find better mining techniques - so the price drops again. And so on. But what about technologies where we make these minerals (apart from that asteroid idea). Who would have thought shale oil would come along. What a bonus.

It all comes down to harnessing energy. We're getting better and better at it. Without energy the whole thing fails. As a species that is where we are so amazing compared to other animals. They just don't do any of that. Bless their stupid selves. My dog can't even remember which door is open when he's been let out just one of them. But us - we're amazing. We keep finding ways to do stuff we'd never been able to do before. It keeps on happening.

Now the doomsayers will say this can not go on. They have no evidence for this because obviously there is none. The past is no prediction of the future. Nobody knows - but we have never fed so many people before - fewer people will die of starvation this year than obesity. The technology of trapping sunlight and the technology of getting energy from within the atom continue to develop. When you pick up a smartphone or laptop how many know how that thing is made? Pretty much nobody. It doesn't matter. Its a collective thing. Although we argue like bug***y we're actually very effective at cooperation and passing on knowhow. So long as we don't blow ourselves up beforehand. So far so lucky I guess.

 

[flecc]

'Resources are finite'. Flecc. Think. Are they? How much of the energy of the atom have we gotten out thus far? They're talking about mining asteroids. We are a million billion times away from what's possible. Talk to anybody in mining. You know - those that dig stuff out the ground. The amount they say is available nearly always relates to its price. The price goes up they find more of it or find better mining techniques - so the price drops again. And so on. But what about technologies where we make these minerals (apart from that asteroid idea). Who would have thought shale oil would come along. What a bonus.

Of course, but the realisation is so often a different thing as getting to our ruddy shale oil is proving.

However, as I posted, it's not all about resources. It would be much easier if that was the only facet.
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[OxygenJames]

Thought this was interesting:

 

[flecc]

Thought this was interesting:

View attachment 30426

A great showing by Cambridge, even better if one takes into account the US practice of vigorously importing talent from around the world.
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[Woosh]

A great showing by Cambridge, even better if one takes into account the US practice of vigorously importing talent from around the world.
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Paris is also on the list with 59!

 

[oldgroaner]

Still all quiet on the Brexit front, the newspapers are having to serve up any old rubbish like this in the mirror
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tommy-robinson-supporters-attack-journalists-15872453.
And the Guadian had this on little Tommy
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/may/15/tommy-robinson-sued-by-syrian-schoolboy-he-accused-of-assault

His thick supporters will be upset.

Even Nigel hardly got a look in today

 

[oldgroaner]

Amazing how the truth can be twisted by the Daily Mail
"
EU IMPLODING: Top Brussels official Verhofstadt admits EU 'WON'T SURVIVE the 21st century'
GUY VERHOFSTADT has admitted that he doesn't believe the European Union will survive until the end of the century in an astounding moment of candour.
By FREDDIE JORDAN
This is what he actually said
"
“I think that this EU as it works today, or as it doesn’t work today, will not even survive the 21st century.

“But the solution to the challenges we are facing today is not to go back to the nationalist and populist rhetoric of the 20th century.”

Mr Verhofstadt is one of the highest-profile candidates for the EU’s top job and said he wants to reform the way the bloc is run.

The EU Brexit co-ordinator told Euronews' Raw Questions programme that he wants to shrink the European Commission and replace it with a “smaller government” — but he also wants to take more decisions at a federal level and defended his vision of a United States of Europe."


What he actually said it wouldn't in it's present form, an entirely different thing, but then what's the truth to the Daily Mail?
The truth is it will be replaced by a United States of Europe by then!

 

[gray198]

And the most astute way is to limit the population to make the world's resources self sustaining and protect the natural world.
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agreed but how

 

[flecc]

agreed but how

Indeed, nightmarishly difficult. But in limited ways it could be part of the armoury to tackle all the problems that are linked to population growth.
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[vfr400]

I take it you are taking responding to the fella I put on ignore, why bother? he's just taking the mickey . He will use anything at all to annoy, not contribute to the debate.

Still pining for your fake alta ego! You can con some of the stupid people on this forum, but not the working class guys. We're too clever for you.

 

[oldgroaner]

Indeed, nightmarishly difficult. But in limited ways it could be part of the armoury to tackle all the problems that are linked to population growth.
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If the anticipated next ice age arrives the problem will solve itself in the most unsatisfactory way imaginable

 

[Nev]

That’s actually not a bad solution. Compared to the age of the planet, the amount of time that humans have occupied it is an insignificantly small blip. When we are gone, perhaps things will return to normal and the blip in time when humans were here will just be a freak event.

Scientists think if any advanced civilisation was smart enough to develop the technology for interstellar flight it would take them around 10,000 years to completely populate the galaxy. The fact that we haven't heard a peep from them since we started looking 50 odd years ago suggests the following.

1. No such civilisation has ever existed, or it goes extinct before it develops the required technology.
2. It is so advanced it can remain hidden from us.
3. Perhaps we will become this civilisation and end up populating the galaxy.

I would like to think 3. above is what might happen in the future, we just need to cancel Brexit and start building inter stellar space ships lol.

 

[oldgroaner]

There is some amusement to be had at the antics of Michael Gove , the latest whisper of course if that if May's deal fails to get through the choice will be no deal or no Brexit, so how does Gollum react to that?
From the Guardian
"

• Michael Gove, the environment secretary, has urged the home secretary to introduce flexible immigration rules for skilled workers after Brexit to avoid vacancies in certain industries. As the Press Association reports, Gove claims to have called on Sajid Javid to “look flexibly in how we interpret what a skilled worker is,” and criticised the £30,000 salary threshold for immigrant workers. Giving evidence to Holyrood’s rural economy committee, Gove said that assessing whether a migrant worker qualified as skilled by their salary was not appropriate for all industries. Questioned about “significant vacancies” of approximately 30% in the fish processing sector in Scotland by the SNP’s Stewart Stevenson, Gove argued that the migration advisory committee’s recommendation of the minimum earnings for a worker to be allowed to stay after Brexit would harm businesses who rely on foreign labour. Gove said:

Pitching the level at which you define a skilled worker as someone earning over £30,000 a year wasn’t actually responsive to the particular needs - not just of the fish processing sector - but the food and drink sector overall. One of the points that I have made to the home secretary and others is that we look flexibly at how we interpret what a skilled worker is in line with specific industries.

For the benefit of No deal Brexit fans what he is actually saying is there will be no change to the lower paid immigrant numbers coming in.
We need them

So the main purpose of Brexit is still going to be trashed whatever happens.
A vote for Brexit was a vote for no change, regardless of what was promised.

Farage is simply lying to the public as usual.

How amusing, even if Farage wins hands down in the EU elections, it is entirely irrelevent, as the intention of the Government is obvious.

And to be fair even if by some miracle his rabble evolves into a legitimate political party with a manifesto, events will force him to adopt exactly the same measures as there really isn't an alternative is there?

 

[Danidl]

Telling the Prime minister of the UK to F,,k off just about sums up the EU's contempt for us.

Even if a member of the European Parliament did say that... he is not the EU. ..
But more pertinently , is this not the attitude that your UK press has expressed to both any of the institutions of the EU, its own UK officials ,judiciary politicians from opposing views

 

[oldgroaner]

Scientists think if any advanced civilisation was smart enough to develop the technology for interstellar flight it would take them around 10,000 years to completely populate the galaxy. The fact that we haven't heard a peep from them since we started looking 50 odd years ago suggests the following.

1. No such civilisation has ever existed, or it goes extinct before it develops the required technology.
2. It is so advanced it can remain hidden from us.
3. Perhaps we will become this civilisation and end up populating the galaxy.

I would like to think 3. above is what might happen in the future, we just need to cancel Brexit and start building inter stellar space ships lol.

What has the Galaxy done to deserve such a fate, with Trump's all American Space Force leading the charge?
Seriously we need as a species to advance into being sentient beings first that can live in peace on a single planet.

 

[flecc]

Scientists think if any advanced civilisation was smart enough to develop the technology for interstellar flight it would take them around 10,000 years to completely populate the galaxy.

3. Perhaps we will become this civilisation and end up populating the galaxy.

Assuming we can first become technologically advanced enough to lastingly repair potholes.
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[wheeler]

Who would have thought shale oil would come along.

James "Paraffin" Young in about 1850.