This virus!

[Críoch]

Steve's gone to Iceland

[Críoch]

Tbh.. think in the meantime, it's every person for themselves. Get an education, a good job; preferably both, health insurance & start a pension / saving as soon as possible.

To have the best life, you have to be at your best. Its the only way to minimise how the ripples affect you.

Know that's obvious & easier done for some.

There's no utopia.

[kronk]

Tbh.. think in the meantime, it's every person for themselves. Get an education, a good job; preferably both, health insurance & start a pension / saving as soon as possible.

To have the best life, you have to be at your best. Its the only way to minimise how the ripples affect you.

Know that's obvious & easier done for some.

There's no utopia.

if the last crash / brexit has shown us anything its that the 'system' will make us pay for it

weathers not great in iceland though, eh?

[Críoch]

Change can be an opportunity, but only if you're young & healthy enough.

Agree. Everyone pays.. In one way or another.

__

Feels like Iceland here atm

[borg]

With a population of only 300.000, everything gets rather personal very quickly, I guess. If you're a real dick in Iceland, everyone will know. People are people, so there's always gonna be accidental mistakes and the occasional greedy alpha, and sometimes things go wrong, horribly, like after privatizing the banks in 2001.
But yeah, 1 city, a few towns, a string of villages around the coast, and 15°C on a good summer day, add about 100% renewable energy, fresh air and a mighty scenery to that, and it sounds about as good as it can get to me!

Change can be an opportunity, but only if you're young & healthy enough.

Tell me about it. We're 2021 now, so I can say that I'll be 50 next year! For long, I felt young at heart, but that changed enormously the last three years. Due to circumstances, but they are what they are... Also the job changed radically because of covid, and I ain't happy about it. It scares me, as it's a new road being taken in theatre/performance art, and I'm so mentally blocked at the moment that I can't throw myself on that flow, a flow that indeed the younger engineers are riding on. Now live streaming is a necessity and the only way to somehow provide an income for performing artists, but you can bet that it's gonna be a new form of media in performances in post corona times. I've assisted a few times, and it sure is interesting (7 remote controlled camera's, 2 operators, director, mixer, two sound engineers,...) and the action is intense when on the air, but it doesn't touch me (atm).
At the moment it feels like I need a thorough change in my life, in a stable world, but instead my life seems to be put on hold at the worst possible time.
Luckily I'm blessed with a few very dear friends, for the time being a steady income, no drinking problems (need to stop smoking though), so it's not that bad...

[nocernoc]

do we really want to sacrifice our freedoms in the belief it is for our own safety and well being when the people who are feeding us this narrative arguably do not qualify for that kind of credibility. how much have the elites and people in power already been exposed for misrepresentations? do we trust these people with our freedom?

covid lockdown measures are unjustified when considering deaths and infection rates in comparison to normal annual death rates or death rates due to common flu.

there is very little evidence to suggest that people are actually dying at all or that people are dying from a new virus. The idea that we are criticised for being sceptics over what the experts have to say, is pure elitism. Again, given the credibility of the elites, should we really be believing their horror narrative?

it is highly suspicious that the covid measures and propaganda commenced at or near the same time of protests in hong kong

covid is likely to involve an extensive propaganda campaign that is somehow centred on chinese politics and their expansionist foreign policies where the object of the campaign is to subvert the democratic and liberal ideals of the west. the fact that western governments are playing along is an indication of their fear that if they do not, a catastrophic event such as nuclear war is unavoidable; meaning that it appears that western governments prefer to sacrifice our age old ideals of liberty and democracy in exchange for preventing nuclear war but why not since it would have little impact on them.

subversion of liberal democracy is in the interest of the crown and monarchy of britain. the monarchy and the government of britain left the eu for no other reason than eu policy and power were a threat to their establishment.

the monarchy of britain shares the interests of subversion of liberal democracy and elimination of freedoms with the chinese government and they are openly enthusiastic with regard to their foreign policy and china in general.

we are prohibited from gathering in groups in public places, we can only communicate by social media controlled by the elites and people in power, we are being told we cannot be outside at all. we must put aside all the rhetoric and look at the matter with pragmatism. the old adage of if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it is a duck. i.e. if it walks like a tyrant and talks like a tyrant, then it is a tyrant. we are in critical danger of falling victim to any and all sorts of exploitation. This is a much greater risk to us than becoming ill with what for all intents and purposes appears to be nothing more than common flu.

zero hour contracts and the gig economy is just the start of a general movement started by the technocratic elite toward enslaving the working classes. Through legal obfuscation and the complexity of legal system, people who are otherwise ignorant of the system are being led to believe that they have no rights or if they do that they should simply forget about them because they are in the way of progress. this is partially a result of the compulsion of the elite to stay competitive with countries like china who have zero respect for liberty and human rights.

smartphone technology, in its present state, is a serious threat to liberty. we believe that we own the devices but in fact we have very little power and control over them. these devices are being used to spy on us. think about why every company you depend on for services such as banks or insurers, ask you to install their app. this is creating a single point of dependence on a piece of property that is not in your control. how many times have you heard someone say “I have lost my phone, my entire life is on there!”? if you can only access services through your smartphone, how easy would it be for those in control to limit and control your access to services?

smartphone technology goes hand in hand with mass surveillance systems which are increasingly being used to invade peoples privacy. this includes cctv systems in public spaces and the use of monitoring internet activity en masse.

there is a delicate balance between government interference for the purpose of equality and fairness and government interference for the purpose of oppression, totalitarianism and tyranny. intruding upon the privacy of the family unit is going too far.

the west has been subject to an increasing loss of the civil liberties in the past decade which coincides with the rapid growth of china. china seeks to export its system and way of life to other countries in an effort to control and subjugate.

the chinese government and political system is brutal, oppressive and elitist beyond anything we presently have in the west but the british monarchy most closely resembles it and that is why they play so well together.

china’s foreign policy in the pacific south east is an alarming threat to democracy and civil liberty of the west. instead of fostering a good trade relationship, britain should be more assertive in its stance as a champion of liberal democracy but this is not the case because the monarchy and/or elements of the crown establishment tend toward absolutism and tyranny.

china has repeatedly threatened the sovereignties of japan, america, australia and taiwan. it is clear that they seek hegemony in the south pacific region. china has made it clear that taiwan is there property and they intend on asserting their authority. so it is simply a matter of time. taiwan is a corner stone for democracy/liberty in the region and if they go, it is likely that a number of others in the region will follow. threat of loss of liberty from there to the rest of the world justifies costs of maintaining a barrier to the prevailing chinese political system which is already showing signs of spreading to the free.

the sovereignty of taiwan should be recognised by the international community and the UN. the only basis for exclusion so far is based on the original political split between the ‘two chinas’ and the claim of each over the other. i.e. no consideration has ever been made to their individual sovereignties. it is clear that mainland china still believes it has full sovereignty over taiwan. it is also obviously clear that taiwan is and has been de facto independent since the end of the chinese civil war.

as long as the bourgeoisie majority are comfortable they will be content to accede to and comply with their governments, people who dissent presently stand no chance of change because they do not have the numbers and they do not have the power. this is all a result of shifting power centres. if they could see what is coming further down the road, perhaps they would not be so complacent in giving up what they have in exchange for a nuclear stay of execution.

[Lost to the Void]

God damn it, we were doing so well.....

[Críoch]

I think the West is playing along because it has no alternative. It may also suit to portray China as the bad guy.. but there has been a natural difference in response west vs.china due to the political set-up; democracy vs. TOTAL CONTROL OR WE WILL KILL YOU.

People are dying. It's fucking horrible. It's not a conspiracy or whatever. It's just really shit & the hospitals can't cope, so they're doing their best to stop them getting overwhelmed with dead bodies. I think.

Will there be social change & some sneaky government stuff happening after it all goes away? Yes.

[terryfalafel]

Ditching 1st past the post and the two party political system would be a good start for the UK

[terryfalafel]

do we really want to sacrifice our freedoms in the belief it is for our own safety and well being when the people who are feeding us this narrative arguably do not qualify for that kind of credibility. how much have the elites and people in power already been exposed for misrepresentations? do we trust these people with our freedom?

covid lockdown measures are unjustified when considering deaths and infection rates in comparison to normal annual death rates or death rates due to common flu.

there is very little evidence to suggest that people are actually dying at all or that people are dying from a new virus. The idea that we are criticised for being sceptics over what the experts have to say, is pure elitism. Again, given the credibility of the elites, should we really be believing their horror narrative?

it is highly suspicious that the covid measures and propaganda commenced at or near the same time of protests in hong kong

covid is likely to involve an extensive propaganda campaign that is somehow centred on chinese politics and their expansionist foreign policies where the object of the campaign is to subvert the democratic and liberal ideals of the west. the fact that western governments are playing along is an indication of their fear that if they do not, a catastrophic event such as nuclear war is unavoidable; meaning that it appears that western governments prefer to sacrifice our age old ideals of liberty and democracy in exchange for preventing nuclear war but why not since it would have little impact on them.

subversion of liberal democracy is in the interest of the crown and monarchy of britain. the monarchy and the government of britain left the eu for no other reason than eu policy and power were a threat to their establishment.

the monarchy of britain shares the interests of subversion of liberal democracy and elimination of freedoms with the chinese government and they are openly enthusiastic with regard to their foreign policy and china in general.

we are prohibited from gathering in groups in public places, we can only communicate by social media controlled by the elites and people in power, we are being told we cannot be outside at all. we must put aside all the rhetoric and look at the matter with pragmatism. the old adage of if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it is a duck. i.e. if it walks like a tyrant and talks like a tyrant, then it is a tyrant. we are in critical danger of falling victim to any and all sorts of exploitation. This is a much greater risk to us than becoming ill with what for all intents and purposes appears to be nothing more than common flu.

zero hour contracts and the gig economy is just the start of a general movement started by the technocratic elite toward enslaving the working classes. Through legal obfuscation and the complexity of legal system, people who are otherwise ignorant of the system are being led to believe that they have no rights or if they do that they should simply forget about them because they are in the way of progress. this is partially a result of the compulsion of the elite to stay competitive with countries like china who have zero respect for liberty and human rights.

smartphone technology, in its present state, is a serious threat to liberty. we believe that we own the devices but in fact we have very little power and control over them. these devices are being used to spy on us. think about why every company you depend on for services such as banks or insurers, ask you to install their app. this is creating a single point of dependence on a piece of property that is not in your control. how many times have you heard someone say “I have lost my phone, my entire life is on there!”? if you can only access services through your smartphone, how easy would it be for those in control to limit and control your access to services?

smartphone technology goes hand in hand with mass surveillance systems which are increasingly being used to invade peoples privacy. this includes cctv systems in public spaces and the use of monitoring internet activity en masse.

there is a delicate balance between government interference for the purpose of equality and fairness and government interference for the purpose of oppression, totalitarianism and tyranny. intruding upon the privacy of the family unit is going too far.

the west has been subject to an increasing loss of the civil liberties in the past decade which coincides with the rapid growth of china. china seeks to export its system and way of life to other countries in an effort to control and subjugate.

the chinese government and political system is brutal, oppressive and elitist beyond anything we presently have in the west but the british monarchy most closely resembles it and that is why they play so well together.

china’s foreign policy in the pacific south east is an alarming threat to democracy and civil liberty of the west. instead of fostering a good trade relationship, britain should be more assertive in its stance as a champion of liberal democracy but this is not the case because the monarchy and/or elements of the crown establishment tend toward absolutism and tyranny.

china has repeatedly threatened the sovereignties of japan, america, australia and taiwan. it is clear that they seek hegemony in the south pacific region. china has made it clear that taiwan is there property and they intend on asserting their authority. so it is simply a matter of time. taiwan is a corner stone for democracy/liberty in the region and if they go, it is likely that a number of others in the region will follow. threat of loss of liberty from there to the rest of the world justifies costs of maintaining a barrier to the prevailing chinese political system which is already showing signs of spreading to the free.

the sovereignty of taiwan should be recognised by the international community and the UN. the only basis for exclusion so far is based on the original political split between the ‘two chinas’ and the claim of each over the other. i.e. no consideration has ever been made to their individual sovereignties. it is clear that mainland china still believes it has full sovereignty over taiwan. it is also obviously clear that taiwan is and has been de facto independent since the end of the chinese civil war.

as long as the bourgeoisie majority are comfortable they will be content to accede to and comply with their governments, people who dissent presently stand no chance of change because they do not have the numbers and they do not have the power. this is all a result of shifting power centres. if they could see what is coming further down the road, perhaps they would not be so complacent in giving up what they have in exchange for a nuclear stay of execution.

LOL Larry, LOL

[Duffdeal]

...there is very little evidence to suggest that people are actually dying at all or that people are dying from a new virus...

Err

[Lost to the Void]

...there is very little evidence to suggest that people are actually dying at all or that people are dying from a new virus...

Err

No it's true. A friend of ours lost her healthy husband to Covid19 leaving her devastated, last autumn.

It turns out he wasn't dead from covid, just pining for the Fjords.

Apparently if we search the Fjords we will find all the missing people.

[Circular]

do we really want to sacrifice our freedoms in the belief it is for our own safety and well being when the people who are feeding us this narrative arguably do not qualify for that kind of credibility. how much have the elites and people in power already been exposed for misrepresentations? do we trust these people with our freedom?

The hospitals are nearly full again (I know multiple people who work in hospitals, in the covid department), I'd recommend asking people who work there directly instead of believing facebook and youtube bs sources.

[Lost to the Void]

Let's not continue this any further ey?

I'm not talking censorship or locking the thread, but we have been refreshingly tinfoil hat free so far. Most here having decent critical thinking skills.
Before this escalates into.... Something.

Let's just leave it alone. And keep this place conspiracy free.
Stick to facts and science.

Please don't engage in a conspiracy argument.

I've seen too many.

[kronk]

anyway, back to project utopia...
interesting piece on the gordon gekkos of the 'scene'tm :
https://5mag.net/i-o/save-yourself/
"We’re on our own. Nobody is coming to save us. The man will shut down your job and shrug at your empty belly."
i really would wish, although im not hopeful, that ppl involved in music can see RA/BR and the like for what they are - largely no different than any corporate profit focused entity. i mean if we cant start there then theres not much hope of changing the democratic structures and having our own las vegas in the hills of iceland.

[Lost to the Void]

anyway, back to project utopia...
interesting piece on the gordon gekkos of the 'scene'tm :
https://5mag.net/i-o/save-yourself/
"We’re on our own. Nobody is coming to save us. The man will shut down your job and shrug at your empty belly."
i really would wish, although im not hopeful, that ppl involved in music can see RA/BR and the like for what they are - largely no different than any corporate profit focused entity. i mean if we cant start there then theres not much hope of changing the democratic structures and having our own las vegas in the hills of iceland.

Yeah....well..... What more can be said about Resident Advisor. Contributors to the gentrification of underground music.

[jordanneke]

Yeah....well..... What more can be said about Resident Advisor. Contributors to the gentrification of underground music.

What? I'll hear no more of this blasphemy.

How else can they afford their monthly coke bill without the 750.000 pound grant from the government?

You are just too cynical, Steve.

[Lost to the Void]

I am very cynical. And I am constantly disappointed that my cynicism often ends up with the same conclusion as reality.

[Críoch]

anyway, back to project utopia...
interesting piece on the gordon gekkos of the 'scene'tm :
https://5mag.net/i-o/save-yourself/
"We’re on our own. Nobody is coming to save us. The man will shut down your job and shrug at your empty belly."
i really would wish, although im not hopeful, that ppl involved in music can see RA/BR and the like for what they are - largely no different than any corporate profit focused entity. i mean if we cant start there then theres not much hope of changing the democratic structures and having our own las vegas in the hills of iceland.

The system does need to be maintained somewhat.. but they're basically a redtop. It's hard not to become like that once you go down that road. I'm enjoying seeing them getting roasted non-stop in their FB comments.

Support People, not brands.

____

Bonus points for that reference there btw

[Críoch]

I am very cynical. And I am constantly disappointed that my cynicism often ends up with the same conclusion as reality.

Oh no your not!!!