On 1/04/2025 1:16 am, john larkin wrote:

On Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:29:49 +0200, Gerhard Hoffmann <[email protected]>
wrote:

Am 31.03.25 um 07:03 schrieb Bill Sloman:

So far he hasn't brought peace to the Ukraine in 24 hours.

It's so peaceful on our grave yard. Just brought a new candle for mom!

He doesn't seem to have a problem with Russia's desire to annex the
Ukraine - after all Trump wants to annex Panama, Canada and Greenland.

and Gaza

Sooner or later, there must be a casino that does not go broke?

The Trump/Musk/Edison technique is to try lots of different things
fast, but don't bet the farm on any one of them.

That's the standard venture capitalist approach. Trump's desire to annex Panama, Canada and Greenland is more of a Putin/Hitler-style predatory land-grab.

If he were serious he'd get hauled up before the international court of
justice in short order.

Musk's takeover of Twitter wasn't any kind of venture capital exercise.
He made a much larger offer for the business than he should have done,
and changed it after he'd taken it over in way that roughly halved its
value.

His changes to the US public service seem to be from the same playbook.

It's more "managing director's Lego" - once you have got control of
something you change it to demonstrate that you can. Any improvement is incidental, and - granting how little senior executives know about the
detailed operation of the organisation they nominally control - they do
tend to be rare.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 3/31/2025 3:16 AM, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

Gerhard Hoffmann <[email protected]> wrote:

Remember the Budapest Memorandum of Dec-5-1994 where Ukraine gave
up their nuclear weapons in exchange for safety guarantees from
US, RU and UK?
They had the 3rd largest arsenal on earth.

Foolish in retrospect.

That's where we went wrong, we should have nipped it in the bud. We
still haven't learned. The longer we leave it, the more expensive in
lives and materials it will be to push Putin's Russia back behind its
own borders.

Politicians never want to "solve" problems -- because that is
difficult and means telling people (who put them in power)
things that those people likely won't want to hear.

It's been so much easier for europe NOT to have to build up their
own defenses as that money can, instead, be spent on social programs,
generous "vacations", etc.

Amusingly, The Pastey One will likely find that the "benefits"
he thought he was accruing from his association with/manipulation of
Drumpf will likely bite him in the ass; everyone who cozies up to
Drumpf eventually gets f*cked -- because his "loyalty" only extends
to the most recent transaction.

So, even if NATO is neutered (OR replaced with EUTO) he will now
find himself with MANY inividual powers ON HIS BORDERS -- instead of effectively "controlled" from the other side of the Atlantic.

His dream of rebuilding "mother russia" just will be fantasy.
He will have signaled to others that seizing territory is
a viable strategy; how many border countries could opt to nibble
away at russia's toes? Lots of chinamen and indians who would
welcome additional real estate on which to live.

Nearly a trillion dollars suggested to be pumped into EU's
defense industry. Russians will be thrilled to be back living in
their drab grey overcoats and hats as more of their production KEEPS
being siphoned off to fund a new cold war.

[Remember, there's no guarantee that Drumpf's approach will
persist -- even through HIS administration! What if another
administration decides that its within reach to break russia
given it's apparent current state as a potemkin power? When
will The Pastey One have to follow through on the nuclear threat?
Does he think such an action wouldn't be reciprocated? And,
that his neighbors wouldn't avail themselves of that "available
real estate"? Poor Vlad, so sad. To preside over the demise of
a nation...]

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 3/31/25 12:16, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

Gerhard Hoffmann <[email protected]> wrote:

Am 31.03.25 um 09:39 schrieb Bill Sloman:

Putin does seem to be exploiting Trump's intervention - he has finally
got someone to talk to who doesn't see him as a murderous dictator
intent on territorial expansion. Not that it helps much. Trump isn't
quite idiotic enough to offer him the Ukraine on a plate, though Trump
is stupid enough to think that the Ukraine should be stupid enough to
offer the US it's mineral wealth on a plate without getting any security >>> guarantees in exchange.

The guarantees would not be worth the paper they are are written on.

As far as I know these were outrageous proposals by Trump that Ukraine
never agreed to. Does he think he can hold Ukraine to account for
renaging on 'agreements' they never made?

Remember the Budapest Memorandum of Dec-5-1994 where Ukraine gave
up their nuclear weapons in exchange for safety guarantees from
US, RU and UK?
They had the 3rd largest arsenal on earth.

Foolish in retrospect.

That's where we went wrong, we should have nipped it in the bud. We
still haven't learned. The longer we leave it, the more expensive in
lives and materials it will be to push Putin's Russia back behind its
own borders.

I suppose that was their inexperience in international diplomacy:
You should *never* cede anything without an equivalent concession
of the other party(ies). Reciprocity is the name of the game.

That's also why Trump cannot impose any tariffs without getting
tit for tat.

Jeroen Belleman

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 3/31/25 16:16, john larkin wrote:

On Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:29:49 +0200, Gerhard Hoffmann <[email protected]>
wrote:

Am 31.03.25 um 07:03 schrieb Bill Sloman:

So far he hasn't brought peace to the Ukraine in 24 hours.

It's so peaceful on our grave yard. Just brought a new candle for mom!

He doesn't seem to have a problem with Russia's desire to annex the
Ukraine - after all Trump wants to annex Panama, Canada and Greenland.

and Gaza

Sooner or later, there must be a casino that does not go broke?

The Trump/Musk/Edison technique is to try lots of different things
fast, but don't bet the farm on any one of them.

Trashing around like a bull in a china shop is bound
to make everyone keep their distance. That can't be good
for cooperation.

Jeroen Belleman

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Mon, 31 Mar 2025 19:16:08 +0200, Jeroen Belleman
<[email protected]> wrote:

On 3/31/25 16:16, john larkin wrote:

On Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:29:49 +0200, Gerhard Hoffmann <[email protected]>
wrote:

Am 31.03.25 um 07:03 schrieb Bill Sloman:

So far he hasn't brought peace to the Ukraine in 24 hours.

It's so peaceful on our grave yard. Just brought a new candle for mom!

He doesn't seem to have a problem with Russia's desire to annex the
Ukraine - after all Trump wants to annex Panama, Canada and Greenland.

and Gaza

Sooner or later, there must be a casino that does not go broke?

The Trump/Musk/Edison technique is to try lots of different things
fast, but don't bet the farm on any one of them.

Trashing around like a bull in a china shop is bound
to make everyone keep their distance. That can't be good
for cooperation.

Jeroen Belleman

History shows that nobody is very good at predicting human events. Our
world is too chaotic.

A little teacup breaking might be handy now and then.

I design that way, break rules and try a lot of crazy ideas on the
front end. Of course, I can blow up parts at small expense.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 1/04/2025 4:45 am, john larkin wrote:

On Mon, 31 Mar 2025 19:16:08 +0200, Jeroen Belleman
<[email protected]> wrote:

On 3/31/25 16:16, john larkin wrote:

On Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:29:49 +0200, Gerhard Hoffmann <[email protected]>
wrote:

Am 31.03.25 um 07:03 schrieb Bill Sloman:

So far he hasn't brought peace to the Ukraine in 24 hours.

It's so peaceful on our grave yard. Just brought a new candle for mom! >>>>

He doesn't seem to have a problem with Russia's desire to annex the
Ukraine - after all Trump wants to annex Panama, Canada and Greenland. >>>>

and Gaza

Sooner or later, there must be a casino that does not go broke?

The Trump/Musk/Edison technique is to try lots of different things
fast, but don't bet the farm on any one of them.

Trashing around like a bull in a china shop is bound
to make everyone keep their distance. That can't be good
for cooperation.

History shows that nobody is very good at predicting human events. Our
world is too chaotic.

Making it even more chaotic isn't a good strategy.

A little teacup breaking might be handy now and then.

Trump screws up on a larger scale than that. His business history
includes several very expensive bankruptcies.

I design that way, break rules and try a lot of crazy ideas on the
front end. Of course, I can blow up parts at small expense.

You don't actually design your circuits. You evolve them. Blowing up mass-produced parts is more acceptable than inviting Russia to to take
over the Ukraine, or threatening to invade Greenland, Panama or Canada.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 1/04/2025 4:10 am, Don Y wrote:

On 3/31/2025 3:16 AM, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

Gerhard Hoffmann <[email protected]> wrote:

Remember the Budapest Memorandum of Dec-5-1994 where Ukraine gave
up their nuclear weapons in exchange for safety guarantees from
US, RU and UK?
They had the 3rd largest arsenal on earth.

Foolish in retrospect.

That's where we went wrong, we should have nipped it in the bud.  We
still haven't learned.   The longer we leave it, the more expensive in
lives and materials it will be to push Putin's Russia back behind its
own borders.

Politicians never want to "solve" problems -- because that is
difficult and means telling people (who put them in power)
things that those people likely won't want to hear.

It's been so much easier for europe NOT to have to build up their
own defenses as that money can, instead, be spent on social programs, generous "vacations", etc.

Europe has spent quite a lot on it's own defences. The US
military-industrial complex would like it to spend more, preferably on
buying American weapons from the US military-industrial complex.

<snip>

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Gentlemen,

Please let's try to bear in mind that one of Trump's big election
pledges was to wash America's hands of any more foreign conflicts and
bring peace IRO the Ukraine/Russia war. By now he should have no more
than a passing disinterest in what's going on there. 'Let Europe sort
their own problems out' is essentially what he said.
I'm just saying keep that stated stance in mind going forward and see
what actually happens.....

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 3/31/25 7:16 AM, john larkin wrote:
<...>

Sooner or later, there must be a casino that does not go broke?

The Trump/Musk/Edison technique is to try lots of different things
fast, but don't bet the farm on any one of them.

But surely you would have second thoughts about randomly removing
components from a live circuit controlling a 32,000 ship turbine?

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Tue, 1 Apr 2025 10:58:43 -0700, KevinJ93 <[email protected]>
wrote:

On 3/31/25 7:16 AM, john larkin wrote:
<...>

Sooner or later, there must be a casino that does not go broke?

The Trump/Musk/Edison technique is to try lots of different things
fast, but don't bet the farm on any one of them.

But surely you would have second thoughts about randomly removing
components from a live circuit controlling a 32,000 ship turbine?

There's no point in being deliberately stupid, when the outcome is
predictable. It's not interesting either.

I did automate a 32,000 HP ship turbine.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 2/04/2025 6:38 am, john larkin wrote:

On Tue, 1 Apr 2025 10:58:43 -0700, KevinJ93 <[email protected]>
wrote:

On 3/31/25 7:16 AM, john larkin wrote:
<...>

Sooner or later, there must be a casino that does not go broke?

The Trump/Musk/Edison technique is to try lots of different things
fast, but don't bet the farm on any one of them.

But surely you would have second thoughts about randomly removing
components from a live circuit controlling a 32,000 ship turbine?

There's no point in being deliberately stupid, when the outcome is predictable. It's not interesting either.

It's precisely what Trump and Musk are doing with DOGE, and if you are
aren't interested you aren't into self-preservation.

I did automate a 32,000 HP ship turbine.

So you claim. It seems to have been a long time ago.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)