The Serious Discussion Thread.

[Richie]

Even on th

Nearby Poland is girding its loins too. Finland is no walk over either.
One for all and all for one.
NATO - US is girding it's loins too. Wise move.

Trump has been played by the slippery snake that Putin is and it's taken a while for him to realise that, not being the sharpest tool in the shed.
(I love our Aussie slang)
I wouldn't trust Puttin as far as I could toss him.

I heard Trump's has been offered a free top shelf jet liner for a new and better Air Force One, from a very very nice Arab nation.
"Lovely people, they really respect me, ...."
Is that obsequious grovelling?
It seems to work though as seen recently.
I hope Trump's fancy new superbly maga-liferent super jet liner has lovely bright colours and sparkling bright decals, slogans too, even Ads.

You really have a way with words Terry, albeit with a touch of sarcasm. Trump is in a word, unbelievable as Victor Meldrew often said.

 

[Richie]

French Actor Gerard Depardieu Charged With Sexual Assault.​

He was charged after being arrested for groping two women on a film set in 2021 and has been handed an 18-month suspended sentence.

All the predators will be heading for France now given the lenient sentence handed out there for grabbing a womans bum cheeks or boobs.

 

[Richie]

This blows my mind.

 

[Grier]

This blows my mind.

That was a very revealing clip Craig, I'm happy Russia is exhausted, almost a million Russian forces killed and now a lack of cannon fodder, hence the enlistment of foreign forces, mercenaries, criminals ... conscripts, ...
Puttin is a vile despot.

 

[Grier]

I was happy Susan Ley won the leadership of the Aussie Liberal party.
Already I've heard mummers of toppling her, the first ever female leader..
Crikey,, that would only further diminish the Party's image.

 

[Grier]

I like words Craig and have a good range creeping into my dottage, from sincere praise to snide sarcasm for the few that deserve a tongue lashing.
Recently I've been thinking that Trump really is anti-war, but today he sold almost a trillion $ of arms to the Saudis. They were the ones who gave a $400 luxury Boeing jet to Thump as an upgrade for Air Force One. Such nice people ...
Interestingly Trump has taken off all tariffs on Syria .A Saudi influence I think. Trump met the new leader of Syria describing him as strong and handsome.

 

[Grier]

Just thinking about Trump after reading a scathing article on his fiscal policies, I realised he has a great influence as an Anti-War proponent. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe it's just an affectation? I do remember him once yearning for a Nobel Peace prize?
Whatever the motivation he is doing a good thing in the context of the Wars popping up.
Am I being deluded? It's very possible.

He's certainly given weight to left leaning political Party's.

Here's the worrying article from our Aussie ABC:
Donald Trump's economic agenda could irritate the money market into catastrophe - ABC News

The bond market is flashing red and market turbulence is far from over

US Treasury bond yields are surging again because investors are selling bonds and using the cash to buy stocks, with a renewed sense of optimism about the future.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Richie]

he has a great influence as an Anti-War proponent.

A misperseption mate. Ukraine was never gonna agree to Trumps conditional end of war giving Russia all it wanted and them nothing. Nations keep underestimating Ukraine. As for the genocide in Gaza has he put an ultimatum to Netanyahu to end the atrocity. Not that I have read. So basicly this war monger has given his Jewish friends carte blanche to continue with its war crimes, which are being blasted more and more by the UN SC and Europe, specially Macron, China too yesterday. Wondering how long both Turkiye and the Arab League will stand for this massacre and blatent starvation of innocent Muslim women and children.

 

[Grier]

I stand corrected Craig. His Peace blather is a smoke screen.

 

[Grier]

Today I heard a reply from Greenland telling Trump to flock orf re his desire to annex Their country. ".. in words he'd understand!"
Canada 51st US state, Australia 52nd US state, Panama cannal annexed, Greenland annexed to become a US territory, .... really, he's dreaming.
In fact backfiring on many such fronts.

More and more I'm seeing global governments turning to the Left because of Trumpish ideology. Good!
The Trumpish hard right selfish economic global chaos is pushing governments the other way it seems. Certainly Australia, Canada, and several big elections coming soon in various countries.
We'll see if the left leaning trend continues.

For the time being it seems our Aussie Conservative party (called the Liberals) has shifted from far right back to middle right with the Election of Susan Ley, first female Liberal leader ever. I wish her well and all the best. Her elderly mother died just 2 days later but at least she saw her daughter's great achievement. So often the Libs overlook great talent because they're female.
Julie Bishop comes starkly to mind, a top shelf and best candidate, but she was a woman and ignored. I don't blame her throwing in the towel after that.
I usually vote left (Labor) but would seriously consider Ley as a Liberal PM.

Is Trump a genius Saint who orchestrated such a global shift towards a more caring planet with the economic tramua sacrifice his US citizens are starting to face? A noble sacrifice for the getter good? I doubt it. Just stupidity. I heard a senior economist on ABC saying Trump has little understanding of basic economics which is what I thought all along.
He blinked before Chi-nah did! Another back flip from the fart of the deal.

Trump with stupid angry chaotic tariff games has taken the headlines when it should really be about Global Warming. Truly in my humble opinion. Imho.
So many have blinkered eyes avoiding the issue for reasons of mainly power and wealth. That's a very sad indictment of our Human species imho.
Try living in India with no air conditioning during a 50C humid day.
It's killing the poor and elderly already, and mostly ignored..

Trump and his ilk bury their heads in the sand regarding the already detailed data, trends, effects, affects, predictions, prognostications, ... of Global Warming putting their power and wealth before safe guarding our precious Earth.
We have one and only one Earth gifted to us humans, to be guardians of by whatever happenstance of luck or divine plan, we have only one home world and seeing it bleeding so is heart wrenching.
Maybe our fate is self oblivion, and I wonder if that might be a common scenario for evolving sentient life forms elsewhere in our Galaxy and Universe, ...?

Best I phone Captain Picard on the matter.

 

[Richie]

Australia 52nd US state

Your not serious Trump. The bloke is delusional.

 

[Richie]

Pressure is mounting on the Israeli regime from all quarters, even their own population. But I think the biggest is coming from the Commie Chinese. Next is Turkiye as Erdogan has threatened them at least twice in last month. Not convinced Trump is serious as America is Netanyahus strongest ally and without them he knows the IDF w'd have fewer weapons with which to take on their enemies and to carry out Operation 'Gideon's Chariots', their fancy new name for the genocide of the Palestinian people.

 

[Richie]

About 50 million people worldwide live with some form of dementia, and that's expected to triple by 2050, according to the World Alzheimer Report.
But even that could be an underestimate because identifying people with the illness can be challenging.
Now, an American- Australian team of researchers has developed an artificial intelligence tool that detects dementia by analyzing medical records for hundreds of clues including memory, difficulty performing daily activities, anxiety and unexplained agitation.
In short, it makes it easier to diagnose potential sufferers.

 

[Zman]

French Actor Gerard Depardieu Charged With Sexual Assault.​

He was charged after being arrested for groping two women on a film set in 2021 and has been handed an 18-month suspended sentence.

All the predators will be heading for France now given the lenient sentence handed out there for grabbing a womans bum cheeks or boobs.
View attachment 3370

When I was a young bloke, I use to pinch or grab chick's arses all the time and they loved the attention and use laugh about it but nowadays if you try that it's straight to jail do not pass go. How times have changed.

 

[Richie]

When I was a young bloke, I use to pinch or grab chick's arses all the time and they loved the attention and use laugh about it but nowadays if you try that it's straight to jail do not pass go. How times have changed.

Same here, but not strangers. Be too embarrassed to do that. Some laws today are ridiculous.

 

[Grier]

I feel vinicated about Trump muttering anti-war rhetoric for wanting a Nobel Peace prize. I heard someone else saying the same on the TV.

If Trump was serious about saving Gaza and its innocents from being slaughtered and starved, all he needs to do is to terminate all military sales to Israel. That won't happen though for political and financial reasons.

 

[Grier]

With all the tornadoes cutting a wave of destruction through the US's mid western states, many ardent Trumplicans there still fail to join the dots to realise the increasing extreme climate events are from Global Warming. Duh!
Our Australia is certainly feeling and acknowledging the affects of Global warming, not just on land but in the oceans around us too. Our Pacific neighbours also whose islands are in peril from rising waters. It behoves us to help them as a light in our remote global region. We've got a lot of good will in our region from decades and decades of our typical Aussie altruistic nature. We're a trusted (?) neighbour.

In this day and age I find such US ignorance on Global Warming sadly appaling. The dumbed down US citizens are less savvy, connected, moral, educated, ... than they were say 50 years ago. A once great nation now sadly in decline with Trump at the helm... steering a ship towards an old stone bridge with no power to the rudder to avoid it. THUMP!

Moody's has just taken away the US's triple A financial rating thanks to Trump's chaotic fiscal shenanigans, hence interest payments on the US's ~$70 trillion national debt makes light of all the cruel cost cutting measures by musky DOGE. ... and the almighty US $ dollar might well lose some of its sheen.
Gold is up and US bonds down reflecting the global financial uncertainty one man has created through ignorance giving no benefit to any. Even the risk of a global recession has been mentioned. That's a devilish plan if intended.

I wouldn't put a child in charge of a tractor.

 

[Richie]

If Trump was serious about saving Gaza and its innocents from being slaughtered and starved, all he needs to do is to terminate all military sales to Israel. That won't happen though for political and financial reasons

Spot on. America and Israel are joined at the waist. If this indiscriminate killing and starving of innocent civilians continues something will give. And it wont be inaction like that toothless tiger UN offers.

 

[Richie]

..




Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський
@ZelenskyyUa


I spoke with
@POTUS
twice today. First, we had a one-on-one call before his conversation with the head of Russia, and later we spoke together with President Trump and European leaders President @EmmanuelMacron, Prime Minister @GiorgiaMeloni, Federal Chancellor @bundeskanzler, President @alexstubb, and President of the European Commission @vonderleyen.

This is a defining moment. The world can now see whether its leaders are truly capable of securing a ceasefire and achieving real, lasting peace.At the beginning of our bilateral conversation, I reaffirmed to President Trump that Ukraine is ready for a full and unconditional ceasefire, as has spoken about, particularly the United States.

It is important not to dilute this proposal. If the Russians are not ready to stop the killings, there must be stronger sanctions. Pressure on Russia will push it toward real peace – this is obvious to everyone around the world.

 

[Grier]

Hi Craig,

What about the Libs and Nats having a spat ??

There were 3 main issues of discord and even Howard said they should re-connect being much stronger together than apart. I agree. Ley says she has an open door and Littleproud and her should talk, but, and a big but, the Libs have been busy forming their shadow cabinet with a lack of qualified candidates to fill those roles. Hmm . Maybe they just need time apart for a while. Whatever. They'll probably vote in accord anyway which is fluid democracy in motion. I like that. I like our independants too.