polymerpunkah

Leicester 2-0 vs Southampton. They look like they'll be back up. Should offer more of a challenge than the current three.

Why even show up? Gutless fucking cowards.

The eye-gouger can fuck right off.

1967: Israel, the War, and the Year that Transformed the Middle East by Tom Segev A detailed examination of the Six Days War, after which Israel annexed East Jerusalem, re-occupied the Gaza strip, and occupied the Golan heights and the West Bank. Deals almost exclusively with Israel, which is a limitation, but still an excellent book. In particular, the discussions of the top leadership before during and after the conflict. A book well worth reading if you want a better understanding of the modern world.

Appearing increasingly clear that those at the top have changed their minds on Ukraine. Taylor-Greene getting the Corbyn treatment now:

If the US and Germany/EU don't resume funding UNRWA, how will the Palestinians, in Gaza and elsewhere, survive? At least for the US, I think there is no chance that they resume funding, regardless of what happens going forward. Neither party will touch it. So the Palestinian refugees in Gaza are left to starve in the rubble, and those elsewhere, in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the West Bank, also face an uncertain future. I'm sure some in Israel, and elsewhere, will see that as a major victory, but will it lead to more violence or less?

Terry Anderson, US Journalist Held Hostage for Six Years, Dies at 76 The kidnappers, identified as Shia Hezbollah militants of the Islamic Jihad Organization in Lebanon, beat him, blindfolded him and kept him chained in some 20 hideaways for 2,454 days in Beirut, South Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. The militants, supported by Iran, indicated that they were retaliating against Israel’s use of American weapons in earlier strikes against Muslim and Druze targets in Lebanon. They also had been seeking to pressure the Reagan administration to secretly facilitate the illegal sales of weapons to Iran — an embarrassing scheme that became known as the Iran-Contra Affair because the administration had planned to use proceeds from the arms sales to secretly subsidize the right-wing Contra rebels in Nicaragua. RIP

Forest not helping by being absolute shite, but clearly the fix is in on this one.

Volkswagen workers vote to unionize in major win for organised labour It's not directly tied to Biden (other than his constant bragging that he's the most pro-union president in history), and it's just one plant, but it's a win for the Democrats and a pretty significant win for the union as it happened in the normally anti-union south.

That's that.

I think I've made my feelings about Israel's current actions in the Gaza strip eminently clear in that thread. Just as you have made eminently clear in this thread your feelings regarding Putin's murder of tens of thousands of innocent Ukrainians.

Ukraine bill passes 311-112.

Oliver is bent.

Tiktok TickTock Bill has passed.

Jackson one-on-one with the keeper and he effectively runs it into the corner.

The UK has rejected a EU offer that would make it easier for people aged between 18 and 30 to study and work abroad in the wake of Brexit. The European Commission had said the deal would be a limited arrangement, not a restoration of free movement. But No 10 has rejected the offer, stating "free movement within the EU was ended". The UK already runs schemes with some non-EU countries to allow people to come to the UK for up to two years. It says it is open to extending that to individual EU member countries, rather than throughout the EU. "We are not introducing an EU-wide youth mobility scheme - free movement within the EU was ended and there are no plans to introduce it," a government spokesperson said on Friday evening. Downing Street said it prefers country-by-country deals to an agreement that would apply across all 27 member states. And Labour has said it has "no plans for a youth mobility scheme" if it wins the general election later this year. A party spokesperson said it had already pledged "no return to the single market, customs union or free movement" if it takes office. It added it wanted to improve the UK's relationship with the EU by agreeing new arrangements for recognising work qualifications, trading food and agricultural products, and touring performers.

Next race is in North Korea. Guess who my money's on.

Dr. Breen (Half-Life)

If it were all just a game, as it often is in Congress, then I'd be hoping the Repubs do screw the Dems, just for the long term political damage it would do to them. And I think they're fully capable of shooting themselves in the foot; they've done it repeatedly since the last election. But in this case aid to Ukraine is essential. One thing that has me somewhat hopeful is that they've incorporated a couple of the things that Trump was calling for into the bill (forgivable loan vs. gift, etc). So perhaps he has given his tacit approval to it, and they won't try to pull any shenanigans hijinx.

My question is what is the vote order? If I'm a Democrat, and Johnson is expecting my support, the Ukraine bill has to go first. What is the point of splitting the bill if not in hopes of getting aid to Israel and Taiwan passed without having to pass the bill sending aid to Ukraine.

Two founding nations, two languages, two religions, two civil legal systems, etc. Two referenda on separation as well of course. But still together. (My point being only that it is possible.)

Canaanda

How many other children does Boris Johnson have? It is believed that the former prime minister has nine children, however, he has not officially confirmed the exact number.

Pep Guardiola has revealed that Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Manuel Akanji all asked to be substituted before Manchester City were taken to penalties by Real Madrid.