Things That Really !&$%2 You Off

Going on a trip to the chicken tikka roll stand, a regular Wednesday treat that tastes lovely - with a group of four others who are into the Premier League.

We/you can discuss at length the merits of the game, and this incarnation of it; of its ubiquity; of the economics and fairness, of 'romances' like the Leicester win; of the culture, or 'culture', behind it; of what's more obnoxious, football comments or comments mocking football (tip of the hat to Mr. Lilly).  What you can't argue is that the four other people in your group talking about something you find dull as all hell, an outright Bad Thing, is no fun.  I'd like to think that, in a group with one person who can't stand videogames, I wouldn't keep a videogames conversation up for long (unless I were trying to drive them off).

It's widely claimed that one of the great things about the ubiquity of football is that it can 'bring people together'.  It can also, however, make people who aren't into it feel isolated.


Also, top comment on this, if you've somehow not seen it yet: https://www.reddit.com/r/britishproblems/comments/22osn0/as_the_fifa_world_cup_approaches_the_antifootball/

AAAAAAANTS!

That time of year again, summer is approaching.  Last night I found two ants on the hallway walls, and today I found about three dozen of the cretins forming a trail on my front door just beneath the door gap.  

It's been several years since they've launched a full scale invasion that forced my hand and required my bringing in my ace in the hole, the fumigator.  

Will this year be Dawn of the Ants Revengeancening?  Will I even still be living in this unit at the time?  Find out next time on Athrun888 Rant Z!

Is that the sequel to the animated film Antz: Rantz?

Anyway, food poisoning. At first I'd thought that my weekend drinking had had a one-day-delayed response time; however my friend who I dined with on Saturday is off work with the FP, so bleagh. Not my fault.

When your tablet won't connect to the Wifi, so you have to think about restoring it to its factory settings.

Has it previously connected and gone bad, or is it a new wifi it isn't get along with?

Some small consolation: most other products, phones and tablets included, are much more agreeable when it comes to moving and restoring things than Nintendo are.

Previously connected and gone bad, I'm afraid! I'll leave it overnight and see what's what then.

Right, before anyone rings the Daily Mail, I'm not against the poppy itself. I'm against the modern twisting of the message, the use of the poppy to celebrate military action, headlines that totally miss the irony like "POPPY WAR". It's a little distasteful to use the word "war" to describe a falling out between sports organisations while discussing the poppies we use to memorialise the untold millions of pointless deaths brought about by war.

The debate about Battlefield 1 is similarly vexing.

Quote :

It's disrespectful to make a game about World War 1!

Quote :

World War 1 was a pointless, heinous loss of life that we shouldn't be glorifying!

Obviously, I'm not disagreeing with either of those statements, but the implicit things one says whenever one says them. World War 1 was terrible. . . but not World War II. All those young, conscripted German men deserved to die. That was a pointless waste of life, but modern military action in the middle east is completely justified.

Condemn war if you like, I encourage it, but don't try to pick and choose which wars are a heinous waste so you can continue to support the military industrial complex.

For this reason, I'll be buying a white poppy from now on.

...yes, Mas, I know I'm rambling again.

Did you know your White Poppy link doesn't work though?

I guess with WW2 there's the whole Nazis being very evil making them an obvious, real, bad guy. You don't get that with other wars, it's much murkier at face value.

I'm with you on it though, I wouldn't get a normal Poppy for both the corruption of the message, as well as the fact I don't want to support a charity for the armed forces, give the money to something important like Cancer Research.

That's the thing, the Nazis were evil but 90% of German soldiers weren't full-blown Nazis. If Farage or Trump got their way, we'd all be conscripted into the army and not everyone would conscientiously object. Would all those Brits and Americans be "evil" because the powers that be shipped them off to war?

The thing is, I'm part of the problem. I have those genes that make me enjoy seeing explosions on a screen and feeling the illusion of combat.

I'm innocent! (waves white flag)

I'm - I'm wearing a red poppy badge as we speak (not the real paper, plastic and pin one - pins and dyspraxia do not mix). I appreciate everything you've just said and totally share your opinion. The only constant in any conflict should be that you support the troops: those poor souls whose job it is to carry out orders that they may or may not believe in. Orders that we may or may not believe in, either... but at least we can express it.

I'm rambling too.

Oh, I agree, which is why I still want to wear a poppy, I just want to distance myself a little from the messaging that tries to co-opt the traditional red one. I have the utmost respect for soldiers, knowing a few and having looked at joining the forces myself, but very little respect for the political machinations which deploy those soldiers.

Crumpy Andy wrote:

I don't want to support a charity for the armed forces, give the money to something important like Cancer Research.

Isn't that a little disrespectful Andy, funding something like research for cancer is very important but servicemen and women, who have maybe fought on the frontline who may have come back injured, surely they need help from things like help the heroes.

The argument I guess could be made the government should be funding stuff afterwards be it physical or mental afterwards and not us.

To be fair, all of this stuff should be getting funded by our governments, instead of bailing out banks and giving their rich businessmen friends little incentives . . .

I'm actually not opposed to help for heroes and charities of that ilk- I actually think the white poppies help a lot of similar causes as well as other peace-oriented ones.

ALL THAT SAID andy is allowed to have his own opinions on what are the best causes. Personally, nature conservation and disease research are the two kinds of charities I'm most inclined to help but that's just because they're important causes that get nowhere near the help they need from the system.

I agree, if the government did help out former servicemen and women then people that do give to help for heroes, could give to cancer research instead of the government aren't going to fund things to do with things like that.

I just feel If I was a servicemen, I would found what Andy said a little disrespectful especially if I came back injured and I needed help from charities.

At the end of the day that is a risk of the job, maybe that sounds kinda harsh, but if you sign up for something where death or serious injury is in the job description and you don't think to check that there wouldn't be some serious care if it does all go tits up that's a little short sited.

At the end of the day disease research makes a positive impact on people who are suffering through no fault of their own, it can save & improve millions of lives, how is that not the most worth cause of all?

I'm not saying it isn't but what you said is you didn't want to give to a armed forces charity.

Cancer funding > war funding

Who said anything about funding war well part from the government should fund after war plans fro servicemen and women.

A charity for ex-servicemen and women aren't finding war, it's helping people and if buying a poppy be it red or white does that then that can only be a good thing and we should help people where we can.

Marking.

Do your cats sometimes sit on top of your marking Zero? I have a teacher friend who has that problem. The photos. are adorable, mind.

I don't really mind marking, I'm a pretty big mark myself. It's the smarks I hate.

Balladeer wrote:

Do your cats sometimes sit on top of your marking Zero?  I have a teacher friend who has that problem.  The photos. are adorable, mind.

No. That never happens. Ever.

Drunkalilly wrote:

I don't really mind marking, I'm a pretty big mark myself. It's the smarks I hate.

Today I have learned!

Democracy.