Just when you thought the world couldn’t get weirder

Introversion · Apr 4, 2020

The date on this is April 3rd, so... Real? I guess? What The Actual Hell, though.

Venezuelan warship shoots, rams into German cruise vessel before sinking

Jerusalem Post said:
BERLIN – A Venezuelan navy ship fired shots at a German-owned cruise ship on March 30 and rammed into the passenger vessel, leading to the sinking of the warship in the Caribbean.

The Iranian regime-allied Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accused the captain of the RCGS RESOLUTE cruise ship of “terrorism and piracy" and sought to force the ship into a new direction on the high seas. The cruise ship, which had no passengers on board and was sailing under a Portuguese flag, has a reinforced hull that enables it to sail through ice water.

...

talktidy · Apr 4, 2020

Somebody got the date wrong?

I can't help thinking that it was the warship which sunk is some sort of metaphor.

Also where did this engagement occur? I'm assuming Venezuelan waters cos otherwise that's pretty much an act of war.

Introversion · Apr 4, 2020

From the article:

Columbia Cruise Services, the Hamburg-based company that owns the RCGS RESOLUTE, issued a statement on Wednesday: “In the early morning hours of the 30th of March 2020 (local time), the cruise vessel RCGS RESOLUTE has been subject to an act of aggression by the Venezuelan Navy in international waters, around 13.3 nautical miles from Isla de Tortuga with 32 crew member and no passengers on board.”

The company added that “When the event occurred, the cruise vessel RCGS RESOLUTE has already been drifting for one day off the coast of the island to conduct some routine engine maintenance on its idle voyage to its destination, Willemstad/ Curaçao. As maintenance was being performed on the starboard main engine, the port main engine was kept on standby to maintain a safe distance from the island at any time.”

MaeZe · Apr 4, 2020

It's so comical.

Roxxsmom · Apr 4, 2020

WTAF?

A Venezuelan naval vessel attacked a cruise ship and was sunk by it? I don't know which of these two connected facts is more bizarre.

Well, we've gone from train engineers trying to ram hospital ships to this.

talktidy · Apr 4, 2020

Roxxsmom said:
WTAF?

You got that right.

I can't get my head around that it was international waters.

I saw the story on the train engineer trying to ram the hospital ship and I gotta wonder if that bloke may be unwell.

On the other hand, if he is some QAnon conspiracy twat, then I hope he gets a nice long prison sentence.

Roxxsmom · Apr 4, 2020

And now, this.

Conspiracy theories tying 5G networks to the coronavirus pandemic are troubling telecom authorities in the United Kingdom and being cited as possible motivation for multiple cellphone tower fires this week.

Fires on three towers have been reported over the past few days. In at least two instances, accompanying videos and online posts are raising concerns that the attacks may be linked to conspiracy theories that cast 5G networks as the actual cause of COVID-19.

https://www.npr.org/sections/corona...S&utm_campaign=nprblogscoronavirusliveupdates

There have already been a lot of people out there who are unbalanced, unwell, and outright paranoid. This pandemic is not making them any better. Back in 1918 some Americans thought the Germans were smuggling the influenza into Boston via contaminated Bayer Aspirin, so odd conspiracy theories are nothing new. Still, this shows how woefully illiterate people are with respect to Biology, and not just in the US. How in the heck could a cell phone network create a viral pandemic? They picked a really strange scapegoat.

I also can't imagine anyone would be very popular (to put it mildly) if they are disrupting cell service and internet access for a housebound population.

talktidy · Apr 4, 2020

Excuse me. I need to smack my head into the nearest wall a few times.

frimble3 · Apr 4, 2020

Roxxsmom said:
I also can't imagine anyone would be very popular (to put it mildly) if they are disrupting cell service and internet access for a housebound population.

Let's imagine the hell that your life would be if every teen and millennial knew who you were, and hated you for potentially destroying their social lives. And, with the world going into lockdown, where can you hide when that mob comes for you? Doxxing is only the start of it.

Kjbartolotta · Apr 4, 2020

Ok so the high seas are just Waterworld now good to know

JJ Litke · Apr 5, 2020

Kjbartolotta said:
Ok so the high seas are just Waterworld now good to know

MaeZe · Apr 5, 2020

Kjbartolotta said:
Ok so the high seas are just Waterworld now good to know

JJ Litke said:

And I am confused.

But no worries, lately it's a chronic condition.

Brightdreamer · Apr 5, 2020

The world will forever be poorer for the warship captain not saying to the cruise liner: "You sank my battleship!"

RedRajah · Apr 6, 2020

The Resolute made it to Badass of the Week!

Roxxsmom · Apr 6, 2020

Brightdreamer said:
The world will forever be poorer for the warship captain not saying to the cruise liner: "You sank my battleship!"

JimmyB27 · Apr 6, 2020

RedRajah said:
The Resolute made it to Badass of the Week!

'And, second, literally every story about this that I could find refers to the front of Resolute as a "bulbous prow," which, maybe that's an official nautical term or something, but all I can think is that it sounds like a slang phrase a Brit would use to refer to his dong.'

Totally going to start doing just that.

frimble3 · Apr 6, 2020

Brightdreamer said:
The world will forever be poorer for the warship captain not saying to the cruise liner: "You sank my battleship!"

We may not have heard the words, but it's doubtless what he was yelling, both as he shook his fist at the 'enemy', and, as he held his head in his hands, contemplating the ruin of his ship, his men and his career.

Introversion · Apr 6, 2020

Roxxsmom said:
And now, this.
https://www.npr.org/sections/corona...S&utm_campaign=nprblogscoronavirusliveupdates

I mean, sure, why not? We’re all mad here, Alice.

JJ Litke · Apr 6, 2020

JimmyB27 said:
'And, second, literally every story about this that I could find refers to the front of Resolute as a "bulbous prow," which, maybe that's an official nautical term or something, but all I can think is that it sounds like a slang phrase a Brit would use to refer to his dong.'

This should be written into all sex scenes from now on.

ElaineA · Apr 6, 2020

JJ Litke said:
This should be written into all sex scenes from now on.

Bite. Your. Tongue. [eggplant emoji][splash emoji]

Roxxsmom · Apr 6, 2020

JJ Litke said:
This should be written into all sex scenes from now on.

It's probably also been used in conjunction with dewy petals or something. His bulbous prow sought to part her...

Oh, God, I just can't do it.

Hmm, does "Yaaaar. To the bottom with ye, ye dewy petal" sound like something an enraged ship's captain would shout, while shaking his fist?

Introversion said:
I mean, sure, why not? We’re all mad here, Alice.

I just tossed that in as a further example of how craziness is growing almost as exponentially as Covid-19 cases.

Introversion · Apr 6, 2020

Roxxsmom said:
I just tossed that in as a further example of how craziness is growing almost as exponentially as Covid-19 cases.

I fully approve of appending anything sufficiently weird in the news to this thread!

JJ Litke · Apr 6, 2020

Roxxsmom said:
It's probably also been used in conjunction with dewy petals or something. His bulbous prow sought to part her...

Oh, God, I just can't do it.

Hmm, does "Yaaaar. To the bottom with ye, ye dewy petal" sound like something an enraged ship's captain would shout, while shaking his fist?

“Ye dewy petal” is going to be my new insult. It’s a great blend of slightly vulgar and pretty milquetoast for an insult. People will be left unsure if they should be offended or not.

JimmyB27 · Apr 9, 2020

Is Boris Johnson better yet? It seems a bit off to do it while he’s ill, but ‘bulbous prow’ seems like a perfect way of describing him.

Introversion · Apr 9, 2020

‘It Was, For, Uh, Medical Reasons,’ Says Doctor To Boris Johnson, Explaining Why They Had To Give Him Haircut

Just when you thought the world couldn’t get weirder

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Beastly Fido

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Beastly Fido

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Hoopy frood

Pie aren't squared, pie are round!