WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Stanley]

THIS and it is madness....
3 hours ago
Every time Donald Trump has mentioned his plan to levy massive tariffs on imports into the US, there has been a widespread assumption that they will be delayed, watered down or rowed back. Today, he will reveal in the White House Rose Garden not just how serious he is about "the most beautiful word in the dictionary", but effectively call time on decades of economic globalisation. And it is still possible that he will do this by launching the equivalent of a salvo of ballistic missiles into the global trading system, with a universal tariff on all imports into the USA. The option of a 20% universal tariff is the only way to get to some of the massive revenues of trillions of dollars claimed by some of his advisers.

[PanBiker]

I reckon it will all come back to bite him, one way or another. I live in hope!

[Whyperion]

THIS and it is madness....
3 hours ago
Every time Donald Trump has mentioned his plan to levy massive tariffs on imports into the US, there has been a widespread assumption that they will be delayed, watered down or rowed back. Today, he will reveal in the White House Rose Garden not just how serious he is about "the most beautiful word in the dictionary", but effectively call time on decades of economic globalisation. And it is still possible that he will do this by launching the equivalent of a salvo of ballistic missiles into the global trading system, with a universal tariff on all imports into the USA. The option of a 20% universal tariff is the only way to get to some of the massive revenues of trillions of dollars claimed by some of his advisers.

One of the latest spin is that the money from the tariffs will go to people to reduce their taxes. A Tax to Pay down a Tax ? Am I confused ?

[Whyperion]

Normally a little company deal would attract little worth noticing

Danish company Maersk acquires the Panama Railway (Company)

The acquisition "represents an attractive infrastructure investment in the region aligned to our core services of intermodal container movement," said Keith Svendsen, CEO of Maersk's unit APM Terminals.

Founded as a joint venture between units of Canadian Pacific and Lanco Group, the Panama Railway Company provides rail-based freight and passenger services along the canal. It posted a revenue of $77 million last year. This allows CanPac to basically concentrate on Canada US and Mexico core operations.

This neatly puts the Danes (with Greenland) above and below the US .

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on reactions to the US tariffs.
We're now getting a wider picture of how investors are reacting to Trump's sweeping tariffs. In Asia, major stock indexes have fallen in morning trading as concerns grow over the threat of a global trade war. Stock markets in mainland China have just opened with the Shanghai Composite index trading broadly flat, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng is down by 1.2%. The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo is down by 2.9%, the Kospi in South Korea is down by 1.7%, and Australia's ASX 200 is around 1.2% lower. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down by around 800 points, or 1.8%, while S&P futures fell 2.7%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures were 3.3% lower. Futures are contracts to buy or sell an underlying asset at a future date. In this case, they are an indicator of how US stock markets are expected to trade when they open on Thursday - although futures trading can be volatile.
There is much more in the article. What is puzzling some people is why uninhabited islands like Svalbard are taxed 10%

[Stanley]

The site is very slow this morning......

[Big Kev]

The site is very slow this morning......

I've added a few Hong Kong IP address ranges to the firewall and banned a 'listed' IP from Utah. The CPU usage has dropped and the site is running OK now

[Stanley]

[Whyperion]

There is much more in the article. What is puzzling some people is why uninhabited islands like Svalbard are taxed 10%

A place some might know better as Spitsbergen. While incorporated into Norway in treaty of 1925 it has a free economic status (so a bit like the Channel Isles/Isle of Man situations). It is mainly used now as a science research base with one of the seed bank storage facilities there, formerly it was a whaling base with itinerant occupation. While it might not have a permanent resident population it does have economic activity and I suppose could be used as some kind of virtual tax haven

[Tizer]

From the Bluesky app...

[Big Kev]

[PanBiker]

What can you expect when they put an idiot in charge.

[Tripps]

Nice - Brexit benefit - in that UK will only pay a 10% tarriff on exports to the USA whilst the EU has to pay 20%.
The EU has impoosed tarriffs on Californian wine for ages - I heard no objections from here - I doubt many were even aware. President Trump has just returned the compliment, and levelled the playing field. That's fair isn't it?

Interestingly - not sure if this is true, but it doesn't surprise me if it is - I heard this morning on the radio that Range Rover, even with the tarriff, will still costs less to buy in America than in UK. It's not just all about tarriffs.

[Big Kev]

The site is very slow this morning......

I've added a few Hong Kong IP address ranges to the firewall and banned a 'listed' IP from Utah. The CPU usage has dropped and the site is running OK now

It certainly looked to be the Utah IP address causing the problem

Screenshot_2025-04-03-21-11-23-990_com.odin.plesk.mobile.jpg

[Stanley]

It's certainly back to normal Kev.....

[Tizer]

The most important news straight to your OG page...
`RAF clear 'exploding' Tunnock's teacakes to fly again' BBC

[Whyperion]

The most important news straight to your OG page...
`RAF clear 'exploding' Tunnock's teacakes to fly again' BBC

Tizer I would point out that although this story has "gone viral" in the last 24hrs or so , I would look at the earliest tag line
https://www.forcesnews.com/services/raf ... bomber-ban at Forces News , although dated April 1st the time officially 12.52(BST) but does look suspicious

Having said that the story , and subsequent tests have been rolled out from time to time
https://random-times.com/2019/07/02/exp ... -teacakes/ 2019

[Stanley]

My question Peter is; why would anyone want to eat something that is so bad for you? I'm so pleased I haven't got a sweet tooth....
What grabs me today is that Ian McKay is giving a lecture on Bancroft Shed this morning in Barlick Library at 10:30 and the library have invited me as guest. (And I suspect as a functioning Bancroft artefact!) I shall be there with Susan acting as my minder in case I fall over....

[Tizer]

Whyperion, Yes I know it's not a new story and it's been bandied about for ages but I posted the link because it was a bit of fun to lighten up our lives in these difficult times. Don't take everything seriously.

[Whyperion]

Whyperion, Yes I know it's not a new story and it's been bandied about for ages but I posted the link because it was a bit of fun to lighten up our lives in these difficult times. Don't take everything seriously.

At first I did think it was an April1st story - did you spot the one in BBC Radio 4 Today about quarter to eight in the morning ? its not been reported on nor could I find a BBC article on it

Back to chocolate covered mallows, I was not sure if the research most recently done (or previously) exactly replicated the depressurization event as first reported. Tunnocks of course are a Great British Export

[Stanley]

THIS caught my attention......
A man has been attacked by a "large aggressive dog" and left with life changing injuries despite neighbours' attempts to help him, police have said. The victim, aged is in 50s, suffered serious injuries to his head, neck and body during the attack in Lyme Grove, Knott End-on-Sea, at about 22:00 BST on Friday. Lancashire Police said members of the public made "numerous attempts to free the man", who was then taken to Royal Preston Hospital. The force said the dog had continued to be aggressive and ran at officers who "took the difficult decision" to shoot it.

[Tizer]

I've been re-reading one of my old TP Discworld novels. It's one of the Night Watch ones and Corporal Nobbs asks Sergeant Colon to explain something that's troubling everyone. Colon's answer: `Well, Nobby, it's one of those things...you know...a mysery wrapped in an enema'.

[Stanley]

I know them well Peter....
THIS caught my eye this morning.
2 hours ago
The 80-year-old mother of a man shot dead in a Tube station by police who mistook him for a terror suspect says she will continue to fight for him and "show the world the truth". Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes was shot seven times in the head and once in the shoulder by two police marksmen in Stockwell underground station on 22 July 2005. His family have flown to London ahead of a new Disney+ four-part UK TV drama which looks at the events surrounding the 27-year-old's death. The Metropolitan Police says the shooting is a matter of very deep regret. "Our thoughts remain with his family and we reiterate our apology to them." Ahead of the 20th anniversary of her son's death, Maria de Menezes told BBC News she never wants to see other mothers suffer in the way she has. She hopes the drama series will portray her son's true character and shed light on his story. "I was reassured that the truth was being told," she says. "They were going to be truthful about the story unlike other media outlets and other reports previously which told lies." She says she wanted the real story portrayed after incorrect initial reports that he jumped the barriers and hit police.
I have always been uneasy about the shooting. For one simple reason, why on earth seven bullets in the head? That seems to me to denote a lack of discipline in the armed officers if nothing else. If I remember rightly Cressida Dick was the officer in charge of the bungled operation. It didn't do her career any harm did it.

[Tizer]

There's a bit of old B&W in this...
`Watch: Scotland's oldest electricity pylons pulled down' Brief BBC video

[PanBiker]

In Barlick, they have just taken down the pylons that crossed the Rolls Sports Field. I think originally the route was part of the feed to the Rolls Factories. The cables they carried have all gone underground though.