Pending Energy Crisis?

[Andy M]

A quote from the article:

A U.S. official confirmed the ICBM launch and said it was carried out through the protocols of the START Treaty. Per the treaty requirements the official said the United States was notified of Russia’s planned launch long before the current crisis in Crimea.

Sadly, this is just an ordinary everyday event and he is no worse than any other politician. I am sure they are all cooking up some particularly good madness tailored to the Crimean crisis.

Still, if it wasn't for the huge stir in the gene pool that was the second world war then I would not be here!!

Good luck to future generations.

No more politics and misery from me - tomorrow I am 61 and will spend the day in my 4 acres in North Norfolk.

[oldclaypaws]

The U.S. routinely delays or cancels tests of weapons or exercises if they might be unnecessarily provocative or inflammatory. Last spring Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel delayed a long-planned Minuteman test launch during a time of heightened tensions with North Korea.

A defense official said at the time that Hagel had delayed the launch so it would not be misinterpreted and exacerbate the Korean crisis. The launch took place a month later after tensions had ebbed.

The Russians have been asked to 'de-escalate' the crisis by backing off, instead of which they are posturing, giving warning shots, holding 'exercises' and letting off ICBM's.

Its not the predictable and carefully designed strategys that can kick start a shooting situation, its the guy who had too much vodka the night before and has a shaky trigger finger.

Yes, turning the telly off and going to the woods sounds like a great way to forget the rest of the world and its idiots. I'd be happier if my wood wasn't within the 20 mile blast radius of anything dropped on RAF Yeovilton, it would be a real bummer if having spent the last 2 months coppicing and tidying fallen trees someone undid all my good work by vaporising it.

Personally, I strongly disapprove of all military, the glorification of slaughter, the arms industry, and the way that the ranks of the worlds armies are filled with psychotic misfits. Gimmee a shady tree and a glass of beer, so glad I'm a treehugging hippy.

[Dexter's Shed]

thankfully whilst clearing some hazel from our plot, I stumbled across this



I'll be ok if anyone drops anything, theres enough room for at least 10 people in there, with beds and everything, I'll be picking names soon for anyone that wants a place inside, although it will be related to what sexual favours they can do, as it'll be pretty boring locked up down there for a few weeks/months/years (delete as necessary)

[oldclaypaws]

Given a choice between your offer Dexter, requiring certain novel forms of payment, and frying on the surface, thats a pretty easy choice- I'll take the surface thanks.

I suspect as a Google image search for 'bomb shelter' yields the image of 'your' shelter, its probably in California, not Kent- they're big on doomsday prepping over there, and having bombed half the globe in the last 60 years there are quite a few people with a grudge against our friends across the pond, so they can rightly be paranoid. As their sidekicks, dare say we're on the hit list as well.

As a secure toolstore, shelter and bolt-hole in the event of armaggedon, a bomb shelter in the woods might be a not entirely daft idea. Lo and behold, I found someone selling them in the UK ! Makes interesting reading.

http://www.bunkershield.co.uk/

This guy is keen !

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/weirdnewsvideo/8076123/Nuclear-bomb-shelter-for-sale-in-Devon.html

[TerryH]

According to that http://www.bunkershield.co.uk site, Dexter may be able to see a very different kind of mushroom in his woods this year...



!!!

[oldclaypaws]

When I saw that, I wondered what on earth the Russians would be targeting in Kent, then I remembered Mr Putin gave me his mobile number a couple of years ago. Curious episode, that. I was strolling down a beach in Greece unaware it was a gay cruising area. I heard a wolf whistle, followed by a shout of 'hello cutie', turned round, there was Vladimir, wearing a Cossack hat and rather fetching pink latex thong. "Are you cruising for a bit of botty fun, Mr Putin, I didnt think that was your scene?" - Sure, he replied, "why do you think they call me Put-in? If ever you want a bear hug, here's my mobile number, sexy English boy."

So anyway, I rang Vladimir tonight, declining his invite to his weekly graeco-roman wrestling evening, and asked him "why have you targetted Kent with your ICBM's?"

Ah, pretty English boy, he said; "We use spy satellite and find little secret military installation in place called Goose Wood. It is 3 metre by 2 metre, painted in military camoflage and it says 'HQ' on the side, so that the first thing we are going to hit".

Mystery solved.

[Landpikey]

A quote from the article:

tomorrow I am 61 and will spend the day in my 4 acres in North Norfolk.

Happy Birthday! I hope you have a wonderful day in your woods.

[Meadowcopse]

Marvellous - next weekend (Sunday 16th March) there is an anti-fracking demo in Cheshire, at the drill site up the road from my plot (technically it's an appraisal well that won't be fracked).
Torn between just keeping my head down and out of the way, or do a deal with a refreshment van at the end of one of the access tracks...

[oldclaypaws]

So did you make a fracking nuisance of yourself meadowcopse?

Yes, its seems international geo-political energy concerns are going to fast-track fracking in the UK and Europe. The US today signed licences to allow the export of LNG, and the EU have drawn up contingency plans to do without Russian gas- which is apparently quite doable by shuffling round Norwegian and Dutch imports and importing bulk LNG from the US. Its all been made possible by the fracking bonanza in the US, so expect the UK government to push for it here and force it through. It seems the cold war has morphed into the (maintaining) room temperature (without Russia) war.

Nice to know those sneaky Yankees are succeeding in damaging Russia without any military bluster- The mild sanctions so far have caused an exodus of capital in the last couple of months equivalent to 8% of Russian GDP, so they are heading for a recession. They might have nicked a chunk of Ukraine but its gonna hurt them in the pocket- and hack off the environmentalists when the drilling starts in Sussex and the home counties.

We would be heading for higher energy bills and further attention on alternative fuels such as wood and wind, but the Chinese have decided this is a good time for their credit 'bubble' to go 'pop', so the prospect of a slowing Chinese economy and lower US energy imports are driving oil prices down. That's a relief, filling the diesel tank and petrol for the chainsaw was getting beyond a joke.

[Meadowcopse]

Hmm, I work (for the time being) for a large oil company, originally in refining, then research and finally the north-sea for the last 13 years.
I kept my head down, but chatted with a few neighbours and the occasional visitor that wandered by.
I did go to a locally arranged meeting presented by the group 'Frack Off' - although the presentation hinted at the larger scale level of activity (supported by images from Australia and the USA), it was technically competent and I wouldn't say alarmist. Worth going to with an open mind if there is intended activity in your area.
What surprised me was the lack of local awareness from locals (a couple asked why the Parish Council hadn't done or said more - robustly batted off by the 2 PC members present that if more than 1 member of the public attended monthly meetings and bothered to read the local noticeboard / website, they would see what's on the Agenda).