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180
DnD Central / Re: Will Europe have another War?
Australia looks really nice, much better than I imagined.

Is it true that Australian Tank regiments use armoured pogo-sticks called Wallahbees?

Having your wars somewhere else is a great idea.
183
DnD Central / Re: FIFA World Cups
Sepp Blatter to travel to Women's World Cup final

According to a press conference I just watched, this is not confirmed yet.

It raises some speculative thoughts about possible conversations the FBI might want to have should he fly through a US airport.

In a way I hope not because the Woman's World Cup is a major tournament and it would be a shame of attention was distracted from it.

Incidentally, for those that have not habitually followed the woman's game, the standard there is very high. Admittedly it is not quite as fast as the man's game, but the skill level is very high and the games are well worth watching.
186
DnD Central / Re: FIFA World Cups
FIFA seems to be imploding with the potential body count of arrests seemingly increasing daily.

Fifa crisis: Jack Warner 'to reveal all despite fears'.

Jack Warner was a former Vice President of FIFA who is on the "Red List" (those for whom a warrant is out for arrest (he is on bail at the moment) and is probably going to be extradited to the US. He has been seriously compromised for years and this comes as no surprise.

He seems to be a bit of a drama queen. When he left FIFA some years back he was full of threats about telling all about other people and it seems this has now re-surfaced in his recent statements. Whether he is a reliable witness is open to opinion. As you will see from the link he is now implicating Blatter in a bribery scandal. That comes as a bit of a surprise to me, I have not been assuming that Blatter had committed crimes, just that he was blind to them.

Incidentally, the day after Blatter's statement of intent that he would resign, an English Newspaper had a pithy headline:

Blatts all Folks !!
187
DnD Central / Re: Gun Control - Should Ordinary Citizens Own, Carry, & Use Firearms?
Quote from: mjmsprt40 on

String, I have bad news for you. "Armed" doesn't have to be with a gun. Your rapist could--probably does-- have a knife. Glasgow is crazy with knives, last I heard. Gangs who can't get guns do the next best thing and get knives. Failing that-- the rapist may have been drinking earlier and has a bottle--- which he breaks to use as a weapon. Ever been threatened by a thug with a broken bottle? Believe me, a young woman has a lot to lose when she's threatened by the thought of getting carved up like a Christmas turkey if she doesn't comply.

So---- don't even try to tell me that you don't have armed rapists. The stats say otherwise.

Actually I wasn't really making a serious comment, just poking fun at SF & Oak being so terrified at rapists hiding around each corner. A bit like the ubiquitous burglar, if you remember those discussions.

If anyone is slightly interested
This article gives a serious effort of trying to compare crime between the US & The UK

It's a long read, so if you're like me, you will read a bit of the first part but then skip through to the conclusions. Read them. But don't compolain to me, I didn't write it!

The fact is that both our countries should be ashamed of having so many violent people, whether rapists or not.
188
DnD Central / Re: FIFA World Cups
Yes, but in a very awkward way. Apparently the earliest that a new election can be held is in December, but it could be as late as March next year.

So even in resignation he is going to f**k things up!

In the meantime I understand he will be going ahead with some of the reforms he has been aching to do all these years.

Well it takes a long time to shred documents.

The right thing to do would be to ask the (ex) Vice President (who resigned earlier, refusing to serve under Blatter) to reconsider his resignation and hand over the reins to him as an interim President.
189
The Lounge / Re: Write A Collaborative Novel
The exposed wires had touched causing a spark which had set fire to the paper bag in which he kept his fish and chip sandwich.

He tried to rescue the halibut, but the paper bag split in two and ... ....
191
DnD Central / Re: FIFA World Cups
At last!

Blatter is resigning
Quote
Sepp Blatter says he will resign as president of football's governing body Fifa amid a corruption scandal.

In announcing his exit, the 79-year-old has called an extraordinary Fifa congress "as soon as possible" to elect a new president.

Blatter was re-elected last week, despite seven top Fifa officials being arrested two days before the vote as part of a US prosecution.

But he said: "My mandate does not appear to be supported by everybody."


197
DnD Central / Re: FIFA World Cups
The London Times has been one of the most active media sources in the struggle to bring evidence of corruption to light in the FIFA/World Cup/Blatter saga. They amassed a large dossier identifying issues that needed investigation but were not successful in getting FIFA to gaze inwards at their own corruption. Such inputs were, it seems,  deemed "too late", or "biassed" or simply ignored.

But the Times data has been passed to the FBI and at last there seems to be the prospect of the whole business being brought to a head.

I don't normally buy the Times (it costs 4 or 5 € here in Majorca (my mind tends to black out unpleasant things!)) but yesterday, I bought the Sunday edition where they had some 6 large pages all about FIFA. I searched to see if there was a "killer" fact.

I didn't find one, but there were some promising remarks.

The view was that the FBI investigation was making good progress. Some 14 People have been arrested, including a couple of FIFA Vice Presidents (1 past,  1 present) and more information is being unearthed. The USA deems any criminal activity related to its currency as a Crime in America and this forms the legal basis for it's investigation and justification for arresting/deporting people from anywhere. This would normally be viewed as high handed, but I'll swallow it in this case.

The US also has the facility for "plea bargaining" where a criminal can get a lighter sentence of he helps the court, for example giving evidence against other criminals. This seems to be a major factor in the FIFA prosecutions and likely to gather pace. Chuck Blazer, the American head of the N.American Football grouping, is reputed to have taken bribes and to be availing himself of this arrangement. Walker, an ex FIFA Vice President has indicated he might be amenable to "spilling the beans".


In Switzerland, investigations are ongoing on the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and the Swiss Press is apparently starting to fulminate against Blatter, a Swiss Citizen. It has been reported that he will be questioned by police although there has been no credible claims yet that he has taken bribes, only that all this happened on his watch and thus he should go.

UEFA have their next meeting on this Friday to decide what to do, and there is a rumor that they will consider a competing competition put forward by the Danish delegate.


All that is probably  more than enough for now, but I can recommend a very good article: Fifa corruption: The 161-page dossier exposing the organisation's dark heart
198
DnD Central / Re: Will Europe have another War?
Quote from: Colonel Rebel
Whichever side I am nominated for, let me go ahead and announce my intentions to run for Head of the Treasury.
I nominate you, String, to be Deputy Minister, so as we'll have a semi-checks 'n balances system.

A brave choice Colonel; I suggest you start running straight away.

I can't be Deputy Minister for Treasury because I can't count. I was hoping to be the voter so I could vote everyone else out of office.
199
DnD Central / Re: Will Europe have another War?
Yes, before we  degenerate into civil war, let's examine this independent country a little further.

I was struck by the remark in the link I have that anyone can define a new country.

If that is true on the physical world it should certainly be true on the virtual world.

So we could have the

Kingdom of DnD.

We would immediately have two political parties, the Royalists and the Republicans. So that's sorted until we have our first election.

As it turns out we have a smattering of a government already.

If we start as a kingdom then maybe Sang should be king (it would serve him right for being so anti Royalty) or maybe Queen since that's ambiguous.

I would put Frans as the Labor minister because he does all the work, mjm as transport minister Luxor as our Entertainments manager and Jax as our Information Minister.

Smileyface is the obvious choice for the army, and bearing in mind the importance of the saying that any publicity is good publicity rjhowie as our foreign minister in charge of diplomacy.

Who else, well someone else have a go!
200
DnD Central / Will Europe have another War?
The clouds of war are gathering; while politicians distract themselves with football hooligans, the Micronation of Enclava is on the move and seizing vast territories for it's King, HIs Majesty Prince (TBD).

It is expected that a United Nations Peace-keeping force consisting of San Marino and the NYPD armed forces will be sent to restore calm.

Enclava on the move