Steve Walker

I think environmentalists probably, either protesting runway extension or climate change or both. You can block the wireless range they use, but youd also take out wifi. You can block it very locally with a directional antenna, at which point they may land or autopilot back to base. Unless its flying a pre-programmed route, in which case it will ignore you. You may be able to hack it and take control. You can fry its electronics with microwaves or EMP, burn it with lasers or if it is low enough you can resort to good old fashioned high velocity lead shot. Unless, it would appear, you are a British airport, in which case you have ignored all the warnings that this is a risk, are utterly unprepared, and must resort to trying to bring it down with harsh language. And be thankful that it wasnt carrying anything nastier than an obstruction.

It's not an immune disease in the sense that AIDS is - HIV is a sneaky, subtle beast. If HIV is like having your country stolen by people infiltrating your government, Ebola is more like being invaded by rampaging Vikings setting fire to everything they see. Ebola is very poorly adapted to humans, which is why it doesn't have a great transmission mechanism and just tends to obliterate the host in a short period of time. But, yes, lower lethality would be a good thing if you caught it but would enable the virus to spread further (which is why it would evolve in the first place)

That's a double edged sword, though, because it will also tend to become less lethal.

Phone, it was a reference specifically to the phrase in the linked article "revolutionary socialism" - that's the dogma that socialism is not an end in itself but a transitional phase to communism. The article claims that this is no longer an objective of the current Labour leadership, that the idea is dead. Perhaps so. Perhaps not. Corbyn is a well meaning fool, but the people pulling the strings are no fools and have a long history with the communist movement. It wouldn't happen even if they tried, of course. They'd just screw up the economy and get kicked out of power.

They may still see socialism as a stepping stone to communism, they've spent enough time hanging around with the communist movement that they may still harbour those ambitions - but even if not they certainly would make very radical changes.

Interesting analysis of Comrade Corbyn's motives (and from the UK's left wing paper of choice) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/16/why-are-labour-party-leaders-so-quiet-on-europe---maybe-it-is-the-lure-of-disaster

Hang on a second. As I understand it, the Austrian domestic courts made that decision. The appeal was made to the ECHR The ECHR declined to override the judgment of the Austrians. The ECHR did not take away free speech from the Austrians. The Austrians did, and the ECHR agreed with them.

I would never have guessed how much Andy Serkis in a wig looks like May. Its quite disturbing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tjp5OmoDYQM

Watching the footage of demonstrators and counter-demonstrators, I am tempted to wish the lot of them could have been hosed into the Thames.

Yep, the same EU that enforces the right to be forgotten, that routinely sticks the boot into US tech companies and is currently busy over-regulating the enforcement of copyright on the internet in a manner which is likely to cause considerable difficulty. They have a track record of having both the power and the will to poke their nose into online behaviour and to attack (American) tech companies at every opportunity. Most nation states lack the power to do what you suggest. The US lacks the will. The EU is the only body I can think of which is both willing and able to do what you suggest. (By the way, the ECHR which made the decision on Austria's policy on defaming Mohammed is not the highest legal authority of the EU, it's not even part of the EU)

The right to freedom of expression, I am very much in favour of. The right to the freedom from the consequences of expressing oneself, not so bothered about.

I think there is only one jurisdiction with the power and will to impose such a thing - and (a) their track record on doing so successfully is not good and (b ) we're in the process of leaving it.

Ken, when I clicked on it, I also got a dodgy pop-up of the "your computer has viruses" variety.

Don't worry Ken, the UN has decided that we have extreme poverty here, nobody will want to come.

Im not sure that the presence of a balanced number of extremists makes it representative - but then rioters arent representative anyway. Theres definitely agitation going on - for instance theres a faked video being shared on nationalist sites showing police firing on protesters.

At the same time, there are Brits protesting in London that we aren't adopting their massively unrealistic demands for drastic cuts in CO2 emissions.

What made you think they were eating the carpet, John?

I haven't managed to get out at all for weeks

Congratulations!

Good price, but I can't find any weight or reviews for it, and there are some dodgy reviews of its predecessor. Everything talks about how powerful it is, so I think it might be a better commercial pole than something I can use for silvers too.

I think one of the Drennan poles comes similarly equipped, though I'm not sure whether it's the one I fancied then discovered was discontinued!

Yeah, that's one I was looking at. Hmm.