We're All Doomed!™ (the Conquest, War, Famine, and Death Thread)

[Per]

Why aren't we planting trees like there's no tomorrow?

I thought we are... ?

Heck, I've personally planted tens of thousands of trees.

Mainly spruce and pine, but the occassional pear, plum, cherry, apple and oak tree. Even two peach trees. The first one died during an exceptionally cold winter spell, so I had to replace it. Peaches aren't really native to Sweden.

I planted the oak tree across the street in the garden of the house where we moved when I was ten.
https://www.google.com/maps/@63.816553, ... FQAw%3D%3D

If you turn around you see the stadium where Björklöven play their home games.

I started to sneak in to watch the games right after we had moved there. They let the smokers out during the intermissions, so it was easy for a child to just tag along when they went back in... Then when I was 12 I realized I could sign up to sell the matchday programmes! I got like four cents (25 öre) för each programme and would sometimes manage to sell 200! CAD 8 was a lot of money for me as a 12-yo, and then I got free entrance to boot!

So, yeah, I saw all home games from the age 12 till I moved out of town at age 24. By the time I was 16 or 17 it was embarassing to hawk programmes, so I started paying, but a full year ticket for youth/students in the standing section was pretty cheap. Good times!

I saw Patrik Sundström get into his prime there, before heading to Vancouver. And then after finishing his NHL career in New Jersey he came back to give back a couple of years to the team that shaped him. His jersey is retired in this arena.

[JelloPuddingPop]

Why aren't we planting trees like there's no tomorrow?

I thought we are... ?

Heck, I've personally planted tens of thousands of trees.

Mainly spruce and pine, but the occassional oak, pear, plum, cherry apple and oak tree. Even two peach trees. The first one died during an exceptionally cold winter spell, so I had to replace it. Peaches aren't really native to Sweden.

I planted the oak tree across the street in the garden of the house where we moved when I was ten.
https://www.google.com/maps/@63.816553, ... FQAw%3D%3D

If you turn around you see the stadium where Björklöven play their home games.

I started to sneak in to watch the games right after we had moved their. They let the smokers out during the intermissions, so it was easy for a child to just tug along when they went back in... Then when I was 12 I realized I could sign up to sell the matchday programmes! I got like four cents (25 öre) för each programme and would sometimes manage to sell 200! CAD 8 was a lot of money for me as a 12-yo, and then I got free entrance to boot!

So, yeah, I saw all home games from the age 12 till I moved out of town at age 24. By the time I was 16 or 17 it was embarassing to hawk programmes, so I started paying, but a full year ticket for youth/students in the standing section was pretty cheap. Good times!

I saw Patrik Sundström get into his prime there, before heading to Vancouver. And then after finishing his NHL career in New Jersey he came back to give back a couple of years to the team that shaped him. His jersey is retired in this arena.

That is an awesome story Per! Living across the street from your favorite hockey team - that is a dream!

[Per]

While Trump has been stabbing Ukraine in the back by announcing that he will unilaterally lift sanctions on russian oil, Sweden is going in the opposite direction. We have in recent weeks seized two ships belonging to the "shadow fleet" russia is using to circumvent sanctions on their oil export.

The commanders of the ships are under arrest for using forged documents while investigations continue on other suspected crimes. One of the ships is believed to carry Ukrainian grain that has been stolen, the other has been transporting oil to Brazil.

The shadow fleet ships that traffic russian ports in the Baltic are a quadruple menace:

1) they are breaking the emargo on russian oil exports

2) they are mostly floating scrap heaps that should have been decommissioned decades ago and are accidents waiting to happen, possibly leading to natural disasters that could be devastating for a relatively locked in marine environment like the Baltic. These ships also often lack the proper insurance that would help finance the disasters they may cause.

3) several of them have been dragging their anchors, ripping apart underwater cables, both electric and telecommunication/internet ones, supposedly on purpose as part of the hybrid warfare russia is undertaking against Europe, mainly through sabotaging infrastructure.

4) many of these ships are not following regular shipping lanes but often going close to the shoreline, sometimes staying in an area for days or weeks. It is supposed that this is for intelligence gathering purposes. The ships often carry dozens of russian staff, often previously employed in the military or various mercenary groups, like Wagner.

France and Finland have seized ships before, and now we've stepped up to start addressing the problem as well.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqwg0yej04o

[Ronning's Ghost]

France and Finland have seized ships before, and now we've stepped up to start addressing the problem as well.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqwg0yej04o

Yay!

But doesn't this belong in 'Positive Shit' ?

[Per]

France and Finland have seized ships before, and now we've stepped up to start addressing the problem as well.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqwg0yej04o

Yay!

But doesn't this belong in 'Positive Shit' ?

Sort of, but there could be retaliation.

[Per]

An outbreak of epidemic meningitis in Kent, UK.

Two dead, both young women, 18 and 21. Another 13 in the hospital (article says 11 but is two days old).
There is a vaccination programme at the university where most of the infected go and distribution of antibiotics to people who have had close contact with those infected.

Epidemic meningitis isn't really airborne but can spread through saliva, so if someone sneezes or coughs it could travel to those standing nearby.
The outbreak is thought to be connected to a party that those who died had attended.

There is speculation that it may have spread through shared vapes.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxg35dv7npo

[Meds]

France and Finland have seized ships before, and now we've stepped up to start addressing the problem as well.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqwg0yej04o

Yay!

But doesn't this belong in 'Positive Shit' ?

Sort of, but there could be retaliation.

It would have to be minimal. You’ve been part of NATO since 2024. Russia would have to think they’ve got a damned big swinging dick to retaliate overly much against a NATO member.

[Per]

France and Finland have seized ships before, and now we've stepped up to start addressing the problem as well.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqwg0yej04o

Yay!

But doesn't this belong in 'Positive Shit' ?

Sort of, but there could be retaliation.

It would have to be minimal. You’ve been part of NATO since 2024. Russia would have to think they’ve got a damned big swinging dick to retaliate overly much against a NATO member.

Obviously not an overt military attack, no. But hybrid warfare.
They have been waging it against Europe for quite some time, and they could direct more of it toward Sweden.

Like drones shutting down airports, as has happened in eg Belgium, Denmark and Norway.
like blocking GPS and air traffic control frequencies, as they regularly do in the Baltic states and sometimes Poland, complicating navigation for ships and making landing planes more difficult and dangerous.
Cutting railway signal cables like they've done in France.
Sending incendiary packages through the mail as they've done in the UK and Poland.
And of course hacking government and commercial platforms.

And of course russia always denies any involvement or culpability.

[5thhorseman]

[Meds]

Oh I LOL’d at that!!!