VILLAMARV

Back to preferred draws for a moment, I think drawing Juve woud be nice. I believe we owe them one. A game with Real Madrid sounds tasty.

7 hours ago, VILLAMARV said:

But I haven't seen any evidence of that on VT

having read a few more pages I see there's a few pages dedicated to debating exactly this, I'm not trying to re-open that can of worms, or go to bat for other posters, more embellishing upon my point about the noted correlation of posters and threads and inference of a hidden agenda.

Plasterboard

I can't look past the Cunningham fight without noting he's struggled with speedy little guys before and I just feel Usyk is all wrong for Fury. I want Fury to win. I think Usyk has his number.

1 hour ago, blandy said:

Also it’s fair trade organic free range and dolphin friendly, probably.

I really wish I liked the taste, Clipper are a company I always feel I'd like to share a pint with down the pub. IIRC they decaffinate their decaffienated stuff in a more expensive for them, less chemically extracting way than all other brands do.

They used to make a banana milk shake powder that was divine and sadly discontinued many years ago. #boringthread

I have a taste led aversion to sweeteners, they've always tasted like a mouthful of chemicals to me.

You've already pointed out a dislike for my preferred tea brand from Harrogate. I don't find Clipper or Twinnings strong enough for my taste. I used to drink PGtips before I lived in Yorkshire and was converted. Never really got on with Tetley. Actively dislike Typhoo which I assume is swept up off the factory floor. My FIL likes Aldi's red label, but then he likes a weak brew that I would describe as more grey than brown.

16 hours ago, magnkarl said:

‘Russophobia’ Term Used to Justify Moscow’s War Crimes in Ukraine, Historian Tells Security Council

No? Again, and this is not a gripe I have with people who have a cause they're into, it just seems like the pro-Palestinian sentiment is often not directly linked to wanting to fight for the oppressed, but rather the most popular thing at the moment, and you'll find people who think Russia isn't committing war crimes while they think Israel are, just as you'll find people who think Russia doesn't use 'Russiaphobia' as an argument for their genocide and threats of nuclear war when they have been for years. Either you're not that well read on the Ukraine war or you're willfully ignoring it to make a point about Israel.

 

I'm happy to fall into the category of not being an expert on either conflict tbh. I feel the 'as far as I'm aware' I wrote was doing some work on either sentence that followed and provides the retort to your closing statement, but fair cop, there's a full stop and the Russians obviously have attempted to use slavophobia as justification for their actions as per your post.

I appreciate in the wider community one will encounter all sorts of people and opinions, and I can't speak for other posters internal motivations behind posting any more than I would infer to know what they are or present them in a falacious context. It's the inference that there were 'telling' motivations behind criticising Israel in this thread if we don't also criticise Russia in another thread that compelled me to weigh in. Despite my incorrect statement that you've highlighted, would you agree with my second sentence there that you've quoted, about manifold and varied reasoning? Or do you agree with the other poster - do you feel there's something 'telling' about it, whatever that might mean, that I did not touch upon in my reply?

I'm not sure what comparing atrocities adds to the discussion past deflection from justifiable criticism as others have already alluded to tbh.

I understand the point you are making suggesting some people are out there that may...

Quote

think Russia isn't committing war crimes while they think Israel are

But I haven't seen any evidence of that on VT (although as I say I'm less inclined to read the entirity of the Ukraine thread) and you're certainly not talking to any such person while engaging with me. As I highlight with the Leyton Orient bit, I don't agree with the concept that one has to comment on everything in order to comment on something. If people base arguments on false assumptions we're veering off into the realm of the strawman and that helps no one or the wider discussion imho.

On 11/05/2024 at 08:41, tinker said:

Mate went to Iceland last month to see them and never, missed em last night as well  

On 11/05/2024 at 17:36, Davkaus said:

My partner didn't see them despite being up and looking for them, as we were talking about it, she mentioned which room she was in. The room which definitely faces south

Both of these apply to MrsVM, although her window of choice was east facing and she went to Iceland in January.

We went up the hills away from any street lighting and didn't see a thing.

On 30/04/2024 at 17:13, Panto_Villan said:

I mean, I agree with @magnkarl when he points out that there seems to be an awful lot of people who appear to have an incredibly narrow interest in war crimes - if Israel does them, they're constantly posting about how horrific it is, but they're nowhere to be found if war crimes are being committed elsewhere in the world (or by anyone else). The cynical part of me does wonder why that might be.

It's quite telling that almost everyone active in the Ukraine thread also posts in this thread, but the reverse isn't true - and often it's the people who are the most interested in condemning Israel who are missing.

(Obviously that doesn't necessarily make them wrong about Israel.)

I'm also perhaps one of those people you're referring to. What is 'telling' about it? What do you feel this correlation tells you? Surely people can condemn barbarism without having 'an interest' in doing so? It reads like you're suggesting there's an ulterioir motive on display from multiple posters in this thread.

For the record, and to embelish on what the other answers have said - those of us of a certain age have been witnessing events unfold in Israel/Palestine since we were in nappies and old enough to stare at a screen. In a time before Embedded Journalism was so widespread and normalised too. I remember reports of Palestinians firing rockets at civilians, I grew up with the horrors of suicide bombers at markets and other gatherings being reported on after Tizwaz and Swap Shop et al. To not share an opinion on what we have collectively borne witness to over decades is the domain of people who have little interest in geo-politics and who, for whatever myriad of reasons, don't want to think about or talk about it. We as a nation, do not have a passive role in this and never have. Britain's involvement pre-dates the Balfour Treaty, we have provided armaments, our secret services are intertwined. Israel is much more than just your average run-of-the-mill military ally. A de-facto nuclear state that runs an apartheid regime, the actions of which seem only deemed newsworthy when attacked by others and a political framework (and wider society) over here that not only seems reticent to condemn the actions of, but in recent years having been rather publically wondering how to respond to the notion of criticism of a nation state being labelled the domain of antisemitics. A country whose political classes are demonstrably more inclined to act against potential transgressors of WTO trade agreements than against transgressors of International Human Rights Laws.

FWIW, that last sentence is the 'telling' bit to my way of thinking. Not some odd correlation of VT posters and threads.

I find the Ukraine thread hawkish. I think of videos of tanks being blown to pieces along the same lines as snuff videos and I'm still wondering when it became socially acceptable to share/watch them, let alone share in any delight over them. It's hard for me to join in with 'take that putin' style rhetoric when I'm usually thinking about the poor lied to, propagandised young Russian lads sitting in the tank waiting to die. It's one of the threads that when the next unread topic button leads me there I scroll, mostly without reading anything, to the end of the last page and leave. A bit like the wrestling thread - it's not for me. I appreciate there are ex-military posters and engineers and so on among us who have different backgrounds to mine that have their life's work entwined with some of these machines of war and I'm not so far gone down the committed pacifist road that I don't understand there's a real need for a defensive force. I come from a military family. And then, as others have alluded to, I don't have the years, nay decades, of emotional attachment to that comparitively recent conflict as I do to the one I've borne witness to since sentience. As far as I'm aware, the news doesn't try to tell me how justified the aggressor is. The Russians haven't tried to conflate criticism of the Russian State or it's leaders with Slavophobia. The differences that contribute to commenting on one conflict and not the other are surely manifold and varied.

I don't subscribe to binary thoughts of good and evil when it comes to nation states or geo-politics. I'll leave that up to works of fiction. But I have no problem ascribing those labels to individual acts. Doesn't make a difference to me if it's British, Russians, Chinese, Israelis, Iranians, Saudis or Americans - murder is murder, war crimes are war crimes. There is no need to address all atrocities at the same time in order to comment on what we see in front of our eyes - any more than I need to comment on the Leyton Orient result to have an opinion on the Villa game. I don't pretend my nation of birth hasn't committed atrocities, propped up fascist dictatorships, stood idly by while ethnic cleansing takes place, engaged in rendition for allies to torture 'some folks', publically backed apartheid regimes and so on, so it's of little surprise that here we are again engaging in - at best - morally dubious tacet approval of many of those things once more. Unfortunately, there seems to be little appetite for holding these power stuctures and individuals within them to account for their crimes.

I'd like to think this post argues a humanitarian viewpoint. It's how I view and categorise my own beliefs and it's certainly what drives me to add comment in this thread and many others.

All interpretation though innit. A picture never lies and all that

For the avoidance of doubt my pictures from around Radnor include a sheep with foot rot whose baby is to be taken away from her and slaughtered in cold blood for monetary gain, A valley where people were driven from their homes against their will by the govt of the day by compulsory purchase orders so Brum can have a drink, some birds of prey hand fed by humans as to be overly tamed now and unaccustomed to actual hunting of prey and a wooded area closed off to the public because the Ash die-back makes it unsafe for ambulation.

At least I could share how horrible it is in the country

On 12/05/2024 at 09:31, mjmooney said:

Not sure what is required here. 

Generic tourist board pic of the relevant city/town/village? 

Arty or amusing shot that makes some sort of statement?  

Actual house/garden/living room? 

I assume the answer is yes

53 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

Where I live regularly makes it on to ‘shit’ lists, and simultaneously on to lists of nice places to live.

That rings true up here too chris and it's all about the metrics innit. I remember chatting to a journalist from the Independant back in the 90's who'd been sent up to my town in Radnorshire from that there London to do a piece on the place in the UK with the highest amount of single women per capita from census data at the time. Phwoar etc. But of course when he got there and was chatting with us over the bar he realised how many retirement homes there are/were here.

It's often in 'the most desirable locations to live' type lists but they are generally based on a rather limited/limiting metric of how much property you can buy for some money. No mention of the fact that there's crippling levels of unemployment, which itself leads to population 'leakage', no major hospitals in the entire county, a real lack of affordable housing to buy or rent. No mention of the lack of nhs dentists for a 40 mile radius, little and generally unreliable public transport provision and so on.

39 minutes ago, bickster said:

More than once, on the blind crossroads on the road to Llanidloes.

damn you, all these years of not doxxing myself (shakes fist)

but yeah, close enough to spend many an hour indulging in the local sport of watching the truck drivers beach their arctics on the clocktower, handily placed in the middle of said blind crossroads

2 hours ago, bickster said:

Which one? Given that there really aren’t many, it’s highly likely I’ve been in  

20+ years ago now, luckily before the age of onine feedback

Boiling hot today, predicted thunderstorms have arrived..... with all new added hail it seems.

Great thread idea mike btw

3 minutes ago, bickster said:

Hmmm Rhyader brings back a lot of memories of staying up the Dernol Valley

Technically down the road a bit now, but the much heard of 'I used to run a pub' pub was in Rhayader. Fun times.

By here

By there

Over by there

Over by here

Chastening and frustrating but credit Olympiacos and Mendilibar, the best team in both games won.

We all know it's a case of what might have been with the injuries we're suffering, but I really hope we have a plan B for games like this nect year.

It's such a hard watch when we're chasing the game and we're still just aimlessly dicking around with it. Mendilibar knew how Emery woud set up and his players have carried out his plans to near perfection.

Of course it's amazing to be here after the journey we've been on with this club but I was hoping we'd have something to really celebrate for the first time since my youth.

We can console ourselves with having another pop at it next year. Respect to Olympiacos. Still a great season for us. UTV. VTID

7 minutes ago, Brumstopdogs said:

"And it's Aston Billa, Aston Billa FC...."

 

It's all Greek to me

didn't expect to see Tielemans but was hoping Moreno and Zaniolo would be around for a bit of depth off the bench but there we go. Being positive before the match I'll just remind everyone that few would have predicted Spink coming off the bench in '82 and keeping a clean sheet. Youngsters on the bench for sure. Someone could yet be an unexpected hero.

Come on.

18 minutes ago, CroVillan said:

Hopefully in a that Newly designed Zeppelin jersey some have designed  Lol

this one?

On 07/05/2024 at 23:06, mrchnry said:

On 03/05/2024 at 02:33, Marka Ragnos said:

I've voted 1-4 consistently for Where do you think we will finish this season? almost the entire season.

One of the very few who did, tbh. I guess I'm pretty optimistic --- or a bit thick.

I think I wobbled after the opening day thrashing and Mings injury but otherwise, IIRC I've kept the faith too.

Have been trying to sort out a scale infestation on the olive tree we have indoors for a while now and while spraying it today with my neem oil solution I noticed white cottony fluff in a few places and apparently I've also got a mealybug infestation at the same time. It's about 6' tall so pretty heavy pot but I've managed to drag it into the shower and given it a proper hose down and every now and then go in and keep hand picking the scales off. I perhaps should have done this as soon as I'd noticed them a few months back. Although the Kaffir Lime and the mini orange thingy seem to be better now.

For years me and MrsVM only had a load of cacti and succulents indoors except for the odd thing I've grown from food waste like my avocado and my mango etc and a bunch of dracaenas I've been taking cuttings off for years, but a few years ago we got some more fruit plants and since then it's been infestations galore. Got the fungus gnats under control last year (cheers for the gravel tip blandy) so hopefully I'm catching them early enough this time round. More trouble than we anticipated for sure

Loving the small space container gardening there Bicks. That's what got me into the whole green fingers malarkey.

Tried sprouting some cherries and peach pips in the fridge over the winter and having inspected them all now all I managed to do was to grow a few tubs of mould.