View Full Version : What Is Going On With Online News These Days?
Primalsea
28-06-2018, 21:38
After seeing headlines this week that Florida will be underwater soon, but no matter, the blood moon next month will bring about the end of the world anyway, I saw this:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/981019/Weird-Philadelphia-experiment-USS-Eldridge-teleport-stealth-invisibility-US-Navy
Really, how desperate do these news agencies need to be that they are reporting a conspiracy theory from 1943 but using a headline that suggests it has just happened recently.
Click-bait in the extreme or what?
I had little respect for the news media anyway, but this has just completely sunk my opinion of them.
walpurgis
28-06-2018, 21:47
And what's this nonsense about nobody knowing the new penalties for using a mobile phone when driving? All the online news media have been banging on about it all week. Why the heck would I and most sensible people need to know. The majority don't use one driving and know that a penalty is attached and that's all we need to know.
Oh. And why has nobody seen Nibiru yet. That's another piece of crap of course! And so is all the 'Flat Earth' garbage. Just 'cos the world is full of idiots, is no excuse for using this rubbish as news.
nonuffin
29-06-2018, 07:08
Has anyone looked at the Daily Mail online recently?
The standard of journalism has been utter crap for a long time now, with copy and paste of american news complete with spelling and grammar errors in abundance, photos with the wrong captions, but now it is riddled with pop up and drop down advertising, videos constantly playing all over the place and as you get further down the main page and click on an article you want to read, when you return the the main page it jumps up and down reloading all over the shop, which drives me insane. The more you try and control it the worse it gets so I quickly give up.
If any of the royals passes wind there are endless articles about that and the paper's total obsession with "celebrity" is also very tiresome now. I really don't want to know about some overpaid talentless bimbo "flaunting her enviable figure" in a skimpy bikini on some beach which I don't care where in the world it is.
I look at online papers to waste time while I slowly wake up in the morning more than any desire to catch up with any "news". After reading it I am no wiser to be honest.
I've got a book about the Philadelphia Experiment. It's a very interesting read.
narabdela
29-06-2018, 07:43
Has anyone looked at the Daily Mail online recently?
Do I look like an idiot? :scratch:
Primalsea
29-06-2018, 08:05
I read the Daily Mail once and immediately become paranoid that my neighbour, who secretly was an immigrant, was going to kick down my front door, kill my family and rape my dog.
I read the Daily Mail once and immediately become paranoid that my neighbour, who secretly was an immigrant, was going to kick down my front door, kill my family and rape my dog.
I only ever read the Daily Mail if I'm over at my mother's house. I don't know if I've just been unlucky but I've never seen any articles like that in it. Aside from a couple of pages of news it is more like a women's magazine. Celebs, fashion, dieting, all that crap.
Sometimes there is an opinion piece about something vaguely controversial but it's generally a case of tl/dr for me with them.
Sorry if I've spoiled anyone's left-wing fantasies.
Celebrity news in the US is insane! Any C rated star that utters anything slightly political is front page news! Like anyone cares what they think anyway?
Russell
Loads of people care which is why news media of any type is wall to wall with it.
The cart always gets put before the horse. People do not want to read complete shit because newspapers print it, newspapers print complete shit because people want to read it.
If you have a newspaper or a tv news station or an internet news site you have only one objective - to increase circulation/viewers. You don't do that by publishing content hardly anyone is interested in.
Another factor is that fewer staff are employed, so a) no-one 'fact-checks' any more and b) the few staff just trawl the web for 'interesting' stories about celebs/conspiracy theories and put them on their own company's website, even if the story has already been debunked. At least internet news is 'free'; imagine forking out whatever the Mail/Express/Mirror/Sun costs these days to read the same sort of recycled garbage in print form. (Though AIUI, no-one under the age of 30 or so buys newspapers any more).
I've got a book about the Philadelphia Experiment. It's a very interesting read.
As a work of fiction?
It covers the established facts and asks some 'what if' questions. It isn't a load of sensationalist nonsense.
It is a fact that the Yanks (and the Germans) experimented with all sorts of weird ideas and concepts in WW2 so it is a perfectly credible suggestion that at some point they attempted to make a warship invisible using an electromagnetic field.
Whether that resulted in the ship teleporting and the crew meeting trans-dimensional aliens is another matter.
I think the key word is 'invisible'. The aim was to make warships 'invisible' to radar than than actually invisible to the naked eye. ISTR from my boyhood reading of the Hotspur comic that British planes used to drop strips of aluminium foil to make their exact whereabouts less obvious. And my memory proves correct:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaff_(countermeasure)
'The idea of using chaff developed independently in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States and Japan. In 1937, British researcher Gerald Touch, while working with Robert Watson-Watt on radar, suggested that lengths of wire suspended from balloons or parachutes might overwhelm a radar system with false echoes[2] and R. V. Jones had suggested that pieces of metal foil falling through the air might do the same.[3] In early 1942, a Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) researcher named Joan Curran investigated the idea and came up with a scheme for dumping packets of aluminium strips from aircraft to generate a cloud of false echoes.[4] An early idea was to use sheets the size of a notebook page; these would be printed so they would also serve as propaganda leaflets.[5] It was found the most effective version used strips of black paper backed with aluminium foil, exactly 27 cm × 2 cm (10.63 in × 0.79 in) and packed into bundles each weighing 1 pound (0.45 kg). The head of the TRE, A. P. Rowe, code-named the device "Window". In Germany, similar research had led to the development of Düppel. The German code name came from the estate where the first German tests with chaff took place, circa 1942.[6] Once the British had passed the idea to the US via the Tizard Mission, Fred Whipple developed a system (according to Harvard Gazette Archives) for dispensing strips for the USAAF, but it is not known if this was ever used.
The systems used the same concept of small aluminium strips (or wires) cut to a half of the target radar's wavelength. When hit by the radar, such lengths of metal resonate and re-radiate the signal.[5] Opposing defences would find it almost impossible to distinguish the aircraft from the echoes caused by the chaff. Other radar-confusing techniques included Mandrel, Piperack and Jostle.[7] Ignorance about the extent of knowledge of the principle in the opposing air force led planners to judge that it was too dangerous to use, since the opponent could duplicate it. The British government's leading scientific adviser, Professor Lindemann, pointed out that if the Royal Air Force (RAF) used it against the Germans, the Luftwaffe would quickly copy it and could launch a new Blitz. This caused concern in RAF Fighter Command and Anti-Aircraft Command, who managed to suppress the use of Window until July 1943.[8] It was felt the new generation of centimetric radars available to Fighter Command would cope with Luftwaffe retaliation.'
walpurgis
29-06-2018, 15:33
I remember hearing about 'chaff' as a little kid.
I think the key word is 'invisible'. The aim was to make warships 'invisible' to radar than than actually invisible to the naked eye. .'
Possibly, but chaff and other variations on that theme were also being developed.
The idea behind the Philadelphia experiment was to use electromagnetism to bend light. So that a ship would become invisible to an observer, if not to the people actually on the ship. According to supposed eyewitness accounts the ship was not entirely invisible whilst in the magnetic field, there was a hazy cloud effect in its location.
The originally proposed idea was that they could make a battleship invisible, sail it into Tokyo Bay and start shooting the place up with impunity. IIRC there are USN documents to this effect. But as I said the US military green-lighted all sorts of ludicrous projects that never went anywhere and were eventually shut down, some well before the end of the war.
Pigmy Pony
29-06-2018, 15:45
I've never, as far as I can remember bought a tabloid newspaper, and only occasionally read other people's copies, but it seems to me that they were always crap. With the daily Mail being the worst. Tory, royalist crap intended for women readers. I'm really not their target audience.
But still better than the 'online' versions - at least you could wipe yer arse on them. I blame the health & safety morons for the declining circulation of printed versions, by stopping chippies wrapping your takeaway in them. :( Bit of printers ink never did me any harm.
The originally proposed idea was that they could make a battleship invisible, sail it into Tokyo Bay and start shooting the place up with impunity.
I'd have thought the wake left by the ship would be a dead giveaway to its presence, let alone the noise its engines made.
Pigmy Pony
29-06-2018, 15:59
I bet the US military continued with ludricrous projects long after WW2, and probably still do. Puts me in mind of one of my favourite films, "Jacob's Ladder". I've no doubt there could be an element of truth in that.
I bet the US military continued with ludricrous projects long after WW2, and probably still do. Puts me in mind of one of my favourite films, "Jacob's Ladder". I've no doubt there could be an element of truth in that.
Certainly the CIA had some wacky ideas; eg getting Fidel Castro to smoke poisoned cigars so his beard would fall out and make him look foolish. I bet most of the time the boffins were just having a laugh, seeing what crazy ideas might gain some traction/funding. Just shooting the bloke would just be too easy, too quick, and too cheap.
Check out MK Ultra (not the band) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKUltra
walpurgis
29-06-2018, 16:51
Check out MK Ultra (not the band) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKUltra
I was reading about that (again) recently.
I don't read any newspapers or watch TV news or read news on the internet. Don't understand why people think some bollocks a politician is talking is of any more value then the bollocks that Tracy off of Love Island is talking.
Don't watch that either, I'm just guessing that there is a bird called Tracy on it. Or possibly a bloke.
Primalsea
29-06-2018, 17:22
I do wonder if the online news sites put these terrible articles up with headlines that seem far more current and interesting than they are just to be click bait, so that they can get more site visits which will help with revenue from the advertising. Actual real news has become secondary to just getting people on to the site.
walpurgis
29-06-2018, 17:33
I don't read any newspapers or watch TV news or read news on the internet.
Ah, well there's been something called BREXIT going on for a while, but I guess you've missed that ;).
Oh. And we've had WW3. It only lasted about four minutes, but there's not much left of China and India and Russia is 'walking wounded'! :eek:
Primalsea
29-06-2018, 17:37
I only ever read the Daily Mail if I'm over at my mother's house. I don't know if I've just been unlucky but I've never seen any articles like that in it. Aside from a couple of pages of news it is more like a women's magazine. Celebs, fashion, dieting, all that crap.
Sometimes there is an opinion piece about something vaguely controversial but it's generally a case of tl/dr for me with them.
Sorry if I've spoiled anyone's left-wing fantasies.
I’m not really sure what a left-wing fantasy would be.
TBF, it was a long time ago. I think that all the papers have evolved to some degree in order to compete with social media. The news used to be in either a newspaper or the TV but now it can be brought to you from all over the internet.
I’m not really sure what a left-wing fantasy would be.
That a right-wing newspaper called the Daily Mail branded judges 'enemies of the people'. Oh, wait, that actually happened.
I read the Daily Mail once and immediately become paranoid that my neighbour, who secretly was an immigrant, was going to kick down my front door, kill my family and rape my dog.
Something similar actually happened to me, but when he tried to rape my cat he got his todger ripped to pieces...;)
I sold the story to the Daily Star:D
montesquieu
29-06-2018, 19:54
Has anyone looked at the Daily Mail online recently?
The standard of journalism has been utter crap for a long time now, with copy and paste of american news complete with spelling and grammar errors in abundance, photos with the wrong captions, but now it is riddled with pop up and drop down advertising, videos constantly playing all over the place and as you get further down the main page and click on an article you want to read, when you return the the main page it jumps up and down reloading all over the shop, which drives me insane. The more you try and control it the worse it gets so I quickly give up.
If any of the royals passes wind there are endless articles about that and the paper's total obsession with "celebrity" is also very tiresome now. I really don't want to know about some overpaid talentless bimbo "flaunting her enviable figure" in a skimpy bikini on some beach which I don't care where in the world it is.
I look at online papers to waste time while I slowly wake up in the morning more than any desire to catch up with any "news". After reading it I am no wiser to be honest.
Can't say I read the Daily Mail but the Guardian has been turning into a parody of itself in the last few years, going down the same clickbait route as the Mail only from the opposite direction ... these are all real headlines:
https://www.thepoke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Screen-Shot-2017-08-22-at-15.01.10.png
These ones aren't but they might as well be: http://junkee.com/these-spectacular-guardian-parodies-deserve-all-of-the-walkleys/55962
Primalsea
29-06-2018, 21:07
If you haven’t read The Onion some my appreciate it. https://www.theonion.com/
Probably the case that the news there is not only more interesting but also more true than that you will see on the “proper” news sites.
I bet the US military continued with ludricrous projects long after WW2, and probably still do. Puts me in mind of one of my favourite films, "Jacob's Ladder". I've no doubt there could be an element of truth in that.
Oh yes, and it still continues! It’s been 15 years maybe, but some congressman had given someone over $100 million dollars to build a time machine! Not all at once mind you, but over a period of 5 years. His defense was that he wasn’t a scientist, he didn’t know time travel was impossible. I heard a similar story about a man who claimed he knew the secret to anti-gravity, and he was granted tons of money to conduct his research, with no oversight what so ever. After many years, he had nothing to show.
And also you should see the movie, “The man who stared at goats”, a partly true story of the government spending big bucks on mental telepathy as a weapon. A whole division of psychic soldiers who indulged in the “hippie”, lifestyle. I’m sure I could go on and on, like when the government bought up all the LSD to keep the Russians from getting any, and then overdosed unsuspecting soldiers and civilians trying to brain wash and hypnotize people. They were careless with it and it wound up leaking into the public domain, and started the entire world wide LSD craze. In 10 years we’ll hear about all the crazy stuff they are doing right now!
Russell
Can't say I read the Daily Mail but the Guardian has been turning into a parody of itself in the last few years, going down the same clickbait route as the Mail only from the opposite direction ... these are all real headlines:
https://www.thepoke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Screen-Shot-2017-08-22-at-15.01.10.png
These ones aren't but they might as well be: http://junkee.com/these-spectacular-guardian-parodies-deserve-all-of-the-walkleys/55962
That is some funny stuff! Scary that there are people who take this seriously.
Russ
Pigmy Pony
30-06-2018, 07:07
They started the acid craze did they, so not all bad then! :D
Is the film you mention the one directed by the Coen Brothers?I think I've seen every one of their films but somehow this one has passed me by. I will look out for it, you can get DVD's for 50p or less these days.
They started the acid craze did they, so not all bad then! :D
Is the film you mention the one directed by the Coen Brothers?I think I've seen every one of their films but somehow this one has passed me by. I will look out for it, you can get DVD's for 50p or less these days.
It’s an OK movie, it didn’t do well at the box office. I saw it on Netflix. Good for a few laughs
The story of LSD is near horrific! They destroyed hundreds of people not realizing how extremely potent it was. It’s a story well worth researching, truly incredible.
Russell
walpurgis
30-06-2018, 08:11
the government bought up all the LSD to keep the Russians from getting any, and then overdosed unsuspecting soldiers and civilians trying to brain wash and hypnotize people. They were careless with it and it wound up leaking into the public domain, and started the entire world wide LSD craze
And many of us were very grateful. :)
walpurgis
30-06-2018, 08:12
Is this really news? News for simpletons maybe.
http://www.itv.com/news/2018-06-30/nice-drive-in-doris-or-dave-poll-finds-over-quarter-of-motorists-name-their-car/
narabdela
30-06-2018, 09:07
News for simpletons maybe.
There's a lot of them about. :trust:
People who have £6800 to spend on a license plate. Really? The world is a total lunatic asylum.
Spectral Morn
30-06-2018, 09:36
After seeing headlines this week that Florida will be underwater soon, but no matter, the blood moon next month will bring about the end of the world anyway, I saw this:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/981019/Weird-Philadelphia-experiment-USS-Eldridge-teleport-stealth-invisibility-US-Navy
Really, how desperate do these news agencies need to be that they are reporting a conspiracy theory from 1943 but using a headline that suggests it has just happened recently.
Click-bait in the extreme or what?
I had little respect for the news media anyway, but this has just completely sunk my opinion of them.
Saw a pretty good together documentary on this myth once, and by the end of it was debunked completely.
Saw a pretty good together documentary on this myth once, and by the end of it was debunked completely.
I’ve seen maps from the Global Warming, excuse me Climate Change, advocates showing water covering half of Africa and about half the land on earth. But they don’t say where all this water is to come from? While some maps claim to show water a few inches or even a foot high, the map shows land that’s 400 feet above sea level covered? Exactly how much ice is at the poles? If it ALL melted, would it raise the ocean 3 inches? There is a LOT of ocean on this planet, I don’t see enough ice to raise the ocean 400 feet. Reminds me of Y2K, they had everyone scared to death! And nothing, and I mean nothing happened. I had to work all night through the biggest event of our lives so the company could be sure the computers didn’t crash while they were out partying. Being on salary of course I got nothing for my troubles.
Russell
Pigmy Pony
03-07-2018, 06:12
Yes but you probably got paid for the month-long hangover which followed :D
I’ve seen maps from the Global Warming, excuse me Climate Change, advocates showing water covering half of Africa and about half the land on earth. But they don’t say where all this water is to come from? While some maps claim to show water a few inches or even a foot high, the map shows land that’s 400 feet above sea level covered? Exactly how much ice is at the poles? If it ALL melted, would it raise the ocean 3 inches? There is a LOT of ocean on this planet, I don’t see enough ice to raise the ocean 400 feet. Reminds me of Y2K, they had everyone scared to death! And nothing, and I mean nothing happened. I had to work all night through the biggest event of our lives so the company could be sure the computers didn’t crash while they were out partying. Being on salary of course I got nothing for my troubles.
Russell
in truth, compared to sea water, not much! ...70% of the Earth's surface is water. Of this 70%, 98% is salt water, leaving 2% as fresh water. Of the 2% that is fresh, about 90% is frozen
? Exactly how much ice is at the poles? If it ALL melted, would it raise the ocean 3 inches? There is a LOT of ocean on this planet, I don’t see enough ice to raise the ocean 400 feet.
If it all melted then I think the rise has been estimated at around 70 feet. So it would be ... noticeable. On the plus side, I wouldn't have so far to go to the beach.
montesquieu
03-07-2018, 07:54
I’ve seen maps from the Global Warming, excuse me Climate Change, advocates showing water covering half of Africa and about half the land on earth. But they don’t say where all this water is to come from? While some maps claim to show water a few inches or even a foot high, the map shows land that’s 400 feet above sea level covered? Exactly how much ice is at the poles? If it ALL melted, would it raise the ocean 3 inches? There is a LOT of ocean on this planet, I don’t see enough ice to raise the ocean 400 feet. Reminds me of Y2K, they had everyone scared to death! And nothing, and I mean nothing happened. I had to work all night through the biggest event of our lives so the company could be sure the computers didn’t crash while they were out partying. Being on salary of course I got nothing for my troubles.
Russell
It’s been calculated that if the Antarctic ice sheets melted the rise in global sea levels would be around 70 metres.Levels have certainly been this high in the past. Granted this is unlikely to happen any time soon but even a metre or two would have fairly dramatic impacts on low lying areas.
This is not all down to ice sheet and glacial melt there is also thermal expansion - as temperatures rise existing water takes up more space, causing levels to rise without additional melt. By contrast levels fall dramatically during ice ages as these factors go into reverse - enabling humans to walk across what is now the English Channel, or the Bering, Torres or Taiwan straits. (To name just a few).
As to climate change it’s very clear something has been going on, from the measurements, the argument is between those who say it’s man-made, and others who say it’s to do with solar activity cycles. Either way we still have to deal with its consequences.
Pigmy Pony
03-07-2018, 18:25
I live about 400 feet above sea level, so I would probably jack me job and open a B&B. I may even buy a boat.
in truth, compared to sea water, not much! ...70% of the Earth's surface is water. Of this 70%, 98% is salt water, leaving 2% as fresh water. Of the 2% that is fresh, about 90% is frozen
So, if we roughly add 2% to the existing ocean, it shouldn’t make a huge difference?
Russ
I live about 400 feet above sea level, so I would probably jack me job and open a B&B. I may even buy a boat.
That’s the spirit! The rich folk who own Beach front hotels are the ones loosing out, we’ve got lots of unused land here in the US and Canada to move into in the North. I recall seeing on tv there were palm trees above the arctic Circle back 160 million years ago, buy some land up there and open a Club Med once it gets warm enough!
Russ
montesquieu
03-07-2018, 19:14
So, if we roughly add 2% to the existing ocean, it shouldn’t make a huge difference?
Russ
https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/antarctic_ice_sheet.htm
Antarctic ice sheet
The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest single mass of ice on Earth.
It covers an area of almost 14 million square km and contains 30 million cubic km of ice.
Around 90 percent of the fresh water on the Earth's surface is held in the ice sheet, an amount equivalent to 70 m of water in the world's oceans.
In East Antarctica, the ice sheet rests on a major land mass, but in West Antarctica the bed can extend to more than 2500m below sea level.
The land would be seabed if the ice sheet were not there.
Ice enters the sheet through snow and frost and leaves by calving of icebergs and melting, usually at the base but also sometimes at the surface at warm sites.
It’s been calculated that if the Antarctic ice sheets melted the rise in global sea levels would be around 70 metres.Levels have certainly been this high in the past. Granted this is unlikely to happen any time soon but even a metre or two would have fairly dramatic impacts on low lying areas.
This is not all down to ice sheet and glacial melt there is also thermal expansion - as temperatures rise existing water takes up more space, causing levels to rise without additional melt. By contrast levels fall dramatically during ice ages as these factors go into reverse - enabling humans to walk across what is now the English Channel, or the Bering, Torres or Taiwan straits. (To name just a few).
As to climate change it’s very clear something has been going on, from the measurements, the argument is between those who say it’s man-made, and others who say it’s to do with solar activity cycles. Either way we still have to deal with its consequences.
I’ve heard these numbers too, but looking at the Earth from weather satellites it just doesn’t look that big? Antarctica I mean. While it’s true that we dig up sea shells when digging wells around here, an hour and a half from the coast, the Earth was a much different place back then. Much continental drift, and upheaval and sinking of land masses, mountain ranges were oceans once were, it’s really hard to say that just because water was once here, that we were at the same level back then. I won’t say it’s not true, but I am a bit skeptical. 70 meters is a long, long way! When you consider the area of the entire planet. Antarctica would have to be 100 Miles tall!
Russell
Pigmy Pony
03-07-2018, 19:39
I’ve heard these numbers too, but looking at the Earth from weather satellites it just doesn’t look that big? Antarctica I mean. While it’s true that we dig up sea shells when digging wells around here, an hour and a half from the coast, the Earth was a much different place back then. Much continental drift, and upheaval and sinking of land masses, mountain ranges were oceans once were, it’s really hard to say that just because water was once here, that we were at the same level back then. I won’t say it’s not true, but I am a bit skeptical. 70 meters is a long, long way! When you consider the area of the entire planet. Antarctica would have to be 100 Miles tall!
Russell
I don't possess a great deal of knowledge in the geography department, but I agree it does seem unlikely.
At the risk of showing myself up more, do you live anywhere near Walton's Mountain? You should be safe up there and the locals seem nice :)
I don't possess a great deal of knowledge in the geography department, but I agree it does seem unlikely.
At the risk of showing myself up more, do you live anywhere near Walton's Mountain? You should be safe up there and the locals seem nice :)
My father grew up a few miles from Walton’s Mountain! His mother actually knew the mother and grandmother. It’s about two hours from where I live now. It really is a beautiful place in that area, the Appalachian Mountains are a very old mountain range, worn down where the peaks are about 3500 feet, but were once as high as the Rockies. Green valleys with beautiful vistas of old farms, every turn looks like a post card. And a great place to ride the motorcycle!
Russell
Pigmy Pony
04-07-2018, 06:18
You're very lucky to have that on your doorstep, a holiday over there would be pretty expensive though for us Brits.
It would be easy to think your entire country would be easily accessible for you, but I suppose the reality is that the vastness of the place would make seeing it all virtually as difficult as it would be for us. In fact touring Europe would only be a fraction of the mileage.
Mrs. P's dream holiday has always been to do the old "Route 66" thing on Harleys, though I had heard that with the way the major routes have developed, many of the places on the old route are quite run-down and neglected. Shame if it's true.
Bit like what happened with the A9 in Scotland, but on a much smaller scale. When the road was updated to make it quicker and more efficient, many of the small towns and villages were bypassed, meaning you had to "come off" the road to visit them. Not good for local economies. I guess the upside is no more endless streams of lorries shaking the old buildings to bits.
You're very lucky to have that on your doorstep, a holiday over there would be pretty expensive though for us Brits.
It would be easy to think your entire country would be easily accessible for you, but I suppose the reality is that the vastness of the place would make seeing it all virtually as difficult as it would be for us. In fact touring Europe would only be a fraction of the mileage.
Mrs. P's dream holiday has always been to do the old "Route 66" thing on Harleys, though I had heard that with the way the major routes have developed, many of the places on the old route are quite run-down and neglected. Shame if it's true.
Bit like what happened with the A9 in Scotland, but on a much smaller scale. When the road was updated to make it quicker and more efficient, many of the small towns and villages were bypassed, meaning you had to "come off" the road to visit them. Not good for local economies. I guess the upside is no more endless streams of lorries shaking the old buildings to bits.
It’s true, the US is a BIG place. And once you cross the Mississippi River, there are some vast distances between towns, between trees in Kansas and Neighboring states. My Dad took the family on a Western vacation when I was a teenager, to Colorado and it’s neighboring states. The Rockies are awesome, breathtakingly huge. Like the Alps in Europe I would imagine. At that time in the late 70’s there were still remnants of the old West to be seen. Cowboys herding cattle, on horseback with big hats and 6 shooters, old ghost towns, covered wagons abandoned on the Prairie. Old abandoned gold mines where we picked real gold up off the ground. West of the Rockies we saw ancient Indian ruins, stone castles built into the rock cliffs, and the doors were tiny. Painted deserts and giant bluffs, things that have stayed with me a lifetime.
And you are correct about Route 66. The new highways have caused the old towns to dry up, entire towns of empty buildings and cracked up roads. The nostalgia has caused some old places to reopen, or remain open, for the tourists. The deserts out west are massive, a thousand miles in any direction of nothing, they tested nuclear bombs out there and no one missed it. A million square miles fenced off and no one even cares. If you ever want to get lost, drive as fast as you can go in a straight line, that’s the place to do it. But much of it is breathtakingly beautiful, red buttes and random cactus and tumble weeds.
Personally I dream about traveling Europe! Some of those river cruises look amazing! I’d love to see Italy, Rome, and the Italian Alps. The old towns in England and Ireland, the castles of Germany, that Black Forest castle especially. I saw a Harley bike tour in Poland that was most interesting, winding old roads between old villages. Lots to do in Europe! But the cost to see it from here would be prohibitive. If I win the lotto it’s on my to do list!
Russell
Pigmy Pony
05-07-2018, 17:16
Although the flights to the UK would probably be quite expensive, staying here may be quite cheap, especially considering the way exchange rates have been going. You would be a welcome guest here at Pony Castle, and I've no doubt other AOS members would gladly extend the same welcome. :)
Britain would make a good "base camp" for a touring holiday. Where I live is barely more than an hours drive from the Lake District, Yorkshire, Wales and the Derbyshire Peak District. and Scotland about 2 or 3 hours. If you were in the southeast, you're only about 25 wet miles from mainland Europe.
Last year me and Mrs. Pony talked about a "once in a lifetime" holiday in the States as I turned 60 this year and she'll be 50 in December. On my wish list were Memphis and New Orleans, and for her it was everywhere else, including New York, Washington DC, Grand Canyon, San Francisco and the Pacific Coast Highway (that lot would cover a few miles!). Anyway, life got in the way, and the small matter of no money.
Still, never say never eh, I know she is ferreting money away for a good holiday, so I'll see how that pans out. Hopefully it's not a secret "goodbye Steve you Old Fart" fund. :D
Although the flights to the UK would probably be quite expensive, staying here may be quite cheap, especially considering the way exchange rates have been going. You would be a welcome guest here at Pony Castle, and I've no doubt other AOS members would gladly extend the same welcome. :)
Flights would be maybe £600?
You could stop at mine for a few days no problem. It's a dump but I've got guitars and everything. Foods more expensive here as are clothes. You can't get a Maccy D for a buck like you can in the States. But you could live on baked potatoes and cheese on toast, save money that way. You can rent a small car pretty cheap here though, drive all over the country in it and see everything.
Flights would be maybe £600?
You could stop at mine for a few days no problem. It's a dump but I've got guitars and everything. Foods more expensive here as are clothes. You can't get a Maccy D for a buck like you can in the States. But you could live on baked potatoes and cheese on toast, save money that way. You can rent a small car pretty cheap here though, drive all over the country in it and see everything.
A trip to Europe wouldn’t be complete without driving a fast car on the Autobahn, wherever that is! I see them driving exotic sports cars on Top Gear on the BBC channel doing 200kph and over. Looks like fun!
I am truly touched by the offer to stay over with you guys! We’ve got a spare room here too, if any of you found your way here. As evidenced by all the fat people in the US, good food is plentiful. I recently took my girl to a nice restaurant and had a steak and potato, salad, and bowl of chili, while she had Salmon and all the same extras, beer, and the total was $38 US. I did leave a nice tip, but was surprised how affordable it was. A Big Mac is around $3, but a double Cheeseburger is only $1.
I got a mailer selling long boat river cruises and the prices varied, a couple could ride on the boat for $2000, but a nice cabin with a view was closer to $4000. And plane fair was about $1000, (£600 is about right?) of course that is for rich folks. I’m sure it would be far better to find your own fun and see the spots you like instead of only what the boat offers. My niece and her new husband went to Ireland for their honeymoon, kissed the Blarney Stone, and looked for classic neighborhood pubs, toured a brewery, etc, brought me back a T shirt! I’m not sure what they spent.
Russ
Although the flights to the UK would probably be quite expensive, staying here may be quite cheap, especially considering the way exchange rates have been going. You would be a welcome guest here at Pony Castle, and I've no doubt other AOS members would gladly extend the same welcome. :)
Britain would make a good "base camp" for a touring holiday. Where I live is barely more than an hours drive from the Lake District, Yorkshire, Wales and the Derbyshire Peak District. and Scotland about 2 or 3 hours. If you were in the southeast, you're only about 25 wet miles from mainland Europe.
Last year me and Mrs. Pony talked about a "once in a lifetime" holiday in the States as I turned 60 this year and she'll be 50 in December. On my wish list were Memphis and New Orleans, and for her it was everywhere else, including New York, Washington DC, Grand Canyon, San Francisco and the Pacific Coast Highway (that lot would cover a few miles!). Anyway, life got in the way, and the small matter of no money.
Still, never say never eh, I know she is ferreting money away for a good holiday, so I'll see how that pans out. Hopefully it's not a secret "goodbye Steve you Old Fart" fund. :D
Your wife sounds like she has a very specific list of places to see! New York is a great place for tourists to see what a huge city looks like, “The Big Apple”, is world famous, with lots to do and see, if you’ve got the money. Like any big city, the poor section is not all that great. Personally, I didn’t loose anything in NY. But if you like fancy shopping and Broadway Shows, museums and culture, they’ve got plenty.
DC is good for a few days, the Smithsonian Museum is fantastic! And can take days to see it all, the capital buildings and monuments you can see in an afternoon, they look much bigger on TV.
Nashville is a music city! If you want to see big nightclubs and all kinds of music that is the place to go. Austin Texas is also a huge music city, with any kind of music you can imagine. New Orleans is disappointing to most. Bourbon Street is decked out antique style, like you see on tv and in movies, where you can carry alcohol in the street and visit a few dozen bars. Great on Fat Tuesday, but beyond that, the French Quarter is a dangerous place you don’t want to be after dark. There is the few places where voodoo was practiced, the old cemetery and other tourist stuff, and if you look further there are old plantation mansions to tour, the ones that haven’t been washed away by hurricanes.
The Grand Canyon is something to witness! The biggest hole in the ground you will ever see! But there is much more in that area. Other large parks there, Bryce Canyon National Park, the Petrified Forest, Aztec Ruins, Arches National Park, and many others! And even more interesting than the Grand Canyon. Plan at least a week to see some of it. Some nice cities in that area too, and if you like Mexican food, plenty of it in that part of the world.
California is a vacation all to itself. Hollywood and Burbank in the LA area are full of tourist things to do and see, lots of weird people walking the street. North of there in San Fransisco you’ll see the Golden Gate Bridge, my niece recently went to Napa Valley to see all the wineries and sample some of the great wine, and it is an expensive place to be. Of course north of there you find the Sequoia National Park, and no photographs can relay the sheer size of these giant trees, 600 feet tall! And the one with a road cut through the bottom, a drive up the Coastal Highway is one of the most beautiful things to see in the whole state, you’ve got plenty of rocky coast in England, but here, it’s something to see.
So, you’d better plan on spending about 3 or 4 months to see all the things on your wife’s list! Or you’ll wind up jetting from one point to another and only seeing a few major points before jetting to the next sight. It’s nice that you can travel from coast to coast with no passport, nothing but a sign telling you when you pass over to a new state. And if you stay out of problem areas it’s fairly safe, the roads are in pretty good shape, and English is the main language all over. So yes, touring the US is fairly trouble free, trains are expensive, and only get you to main cities, everyone drives or flies. And you can rent a full dresser Harley for about $400 a week.
Russell
Pigmy Pony
05-07-2018, 22:01
With fuel in Europe costing around 1.5 euros per litre, and those Top Gear sports cars doing about 3 miles per litre that certainly wouldn't be cheap.
And those riverboat cruises are definitely on the pricey side. But here's a suggestion: buy a rubber dinghy and stick it on the Leeds-Liverpool canal (only half a mile from my house). Scenery not quite up there with the best that northern Europe has to offer, but we do have a building near the canal called Botany Bay which has pretend turrets with flags atop them. If you squint as you pass by, it could look like the real thing!
And I could lend you our Honda Civic to visit other places. Not exactly a Ferrari, but a gallon of fuel will take you 50 miles, and if you switch the speedo to read kph, you could pretend you're doing 160mph instead of just 100.
We really don't have anything to offer, and you're welcome to all of it. :)
One important point - Northern cuisine is better than southern, you can't even get gravy on your chips down there.
Pigmy Pony
05-07-2018, 22:25
Most of what we "know" of the US is what we see on TV, so it's good to hear from someone who actually lives there. It would definitely be cheaper if I just go on my own and send Mrs. P a post card. The information you give about the music cities is particularly interesting. But the one thing I already knew was that the place is huge, and short of a lottery win, you would have to be very selective.
I worked with an American guy a few years ago, who came from Utah, and yes he was a Mormon, although the constant black coffee, chain smoking and permanent hangover made him a bit of a black sheep with his family. But I used to enjoy his stories about his life "back home", even though most of his stories were probably crap! Maybe being round me drove him to drink, as he always slurred his words a lot (he would call it a drawl), but I heard him on a talk-in on BBC Radio 2 a few months ago, and the slurring was gone, and he properly wiped the floor with the guy he was arguing with.
I’ve been out west a few times, and been from Florida to Canada along the East Coast. My parents have been out west a few times, and I flew to a few destinations on business, farthest away was Spokane Washington. Which is a small logging town that boomed into a tech town. Hewlett-Packard is located there, among others.
My cousin was in the Air Force stationed near Austin Texas. Home of Gilly’s Bar! The biggest bar in the world! Or so they claim. It has 5 stages hosting 5 bands on any given night. My cousin said the place was full of stereotypical beautiful buxom American women! And that you had to be retarded to not score! Sounds like he had a good time while stationed there. ZZ Top is from Austin, and there is a serious music scene there, most any kind of music you fancy from country/bluegrass to heavy metal, jazz, you name it, it’s were bands go to be discovered. Home of Stevie Ray Vaughan, too. There is a LOT to see in Texas, beautiful beaches on the Gulf of Mexico, lakes and rivers for outdoors adventures, several major cities, and up towards the Panhandle it’s cowboy country, with rodeos and horse back riding and the likes.
But if you really like the Old West, north to Wyoming is still full of real cowboys herding cattle, Indians living out there. Cheyenne is a great place to see old west art museums, the home of Western Outfitters and Stetson’s home store. And a gun museum that has every gun ever made! From the first Chinese thunder sticks to present day machine guns, and everything in between, a real must see. Estes Park, and Yellowstone, those are the places to see the big American outdoors, with giant Moose, buffalo, elk and caribou, and big horn rams. God’s county, you can’t open your eyes without seeing something breathtakingly awesome. And the volcanic parts of Yellowstone are like being on another planet! Bubbling cauldrons and geysers, Steam rising, crazy.
If music is what you’re looking for, besides Nashville, and Austin, out in LA there is still a big music scene there. Where Guns and Roses and all those hair metal bands of the 80’s were discovered at the Whiskey a Go Go, The Roxy, and the Viper Room, are still great places to see new bands. Of course there’s a music scene in New York, CBGB’s where all the punk rock bands were discovered, KISS is from NY, in a city that big, it has to have a music scene and lots of famous bands came from NY. And still do. And the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is located in Cincinnati Ohio! A most unlikely place to find a thriving music scene.
Heck, for that matter there is a good music scene in Richmond VA, just 20 minutes from where I live. A few famous people came from here, Joan Jett, Bruce Hornsby, and a few others. My friend I play music with played with a Danish band called Shotz. They came all the way from Northern Europe to Richmond to get famous? I’m not sure why they chose here instead of Nashville or LA? But their bass player got deported and they hired my friend. Who is an amazing bassist with 35 years of experience, I’m off subject here, but had to brag on my friend and teacher.
I remember being in Canada, directly north of New York, we were in Arrowhead Park, rented a canoe and the water was so clear you could see the bottom 25 feet deep, and big fish, long as your leg! Were so thick they were bumping into each other! Walleye or steel heads or something. And you could beat them with bait and they wouldn’t bite. Apparently it was mating season? Strange that in New York everyone had that American Yankee accent, and we drove over the line and suddenly everyone had a British accent, big woods! Huge trees and beautiful lakes, very spacious.
If I ever get to Europe I’ll will definitely look you up! I’m sure just as here, a local can show me the better sights and steer me clear of the tourist traps. And of course show me where all the good food is! I once happened to set by an airplane pilot on his return flight, and all he did was fly from NY to Rome! What a gravy job! But he was telling me how he knew all the locals, and got an airport car and showed the stewardesses around town, lucky dog! And could get into local restaurants without reservations. But had a wife and family back in Richmond, VA. Sly dog!
Personally, I’ve been wanting to go back to Colorado again since they’ve legalized weed there. Not that I would endorse such things! I understand the stores there are luxury shops, with the best product in the world, even giving away free samples. That alone may not be reason enough to go, but I know there is plenty of amazing things to do and see in Colorado. One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.
Russell
Pigmy Pony
08-07-2018, 15:49
I think Boulder, Colorado was where 'Mork and Mindy' was set. Place looked beautiful, and with the added bonus of hassle-free weed shopping! What's not to like.
If you're ever over here and good food is on the agenda, Marco is probably the AoS resident 'foodie'. As long as you can tolerate all the farting. :)
I think Boulder, Colorado was where 'Mork and Mindy' was set. Place looked beautiful, and with the added bonus of hassle-free weed shopping! What's not to like.
If you're ever over here and good food is on the agenda, Marco is probably the AoS resident 'foodie'. As long as you can tolerate all the farting. :)
Mom and I were just saying how much more we fart when we’re old! If he can tolerate mine, I can deal with his.
When I was in Colorado, we burned up rolls of film! (Remember film?), but no pictures did justice. I’m sure any large mountain range will have the same effect. From valley to peak is about 9,000 feet difference, so the Rockies are pretty tall. I’m not sure how that compares to others, like the Alps? Which look super awesome in pictures! Pictures of the Swiss Alps with cog trains and quaint little mountain villages, looks like the place to be!
Russ
Pigmy Pony
08-07-2018, 19:59
I'd imagine the Alps and the Rockies would be broadly similar in appearance. Mont Blanc, at 15000+ feet is the highest mountain in Europe, but is actually in the French Alps. Same neck of the woods though.
I'd imagine the Alps and the Rockies would be broadly similar in appearance. Mont Blanc, at 15000+ feet is the highest mountain in Europe, but is actually in the French Alps. Same neck of the woods though.
Highest in Europe is Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus, 18000 feet.
The Rockies range from 12,000 to 15,000 feet. But how low the valley is gives the overall impression of how tall it is. Denver is 5,280 ft. And Pike’s Peak, right behind Denver, is 14,110, so that 9,000 feet of difference will give you a crick in the neck looking up at it! The tallest peak of the Rockies is Mt. Elbert at 14,440. There is a dirt road all the way to the top of Pike’s Peak, with a restaurant on top! They have races up the mountain every year. The Grand Tetons in Wyoming are extremely steep! The sides are so straight up, they seem impossible to climb. We actually camped at over 12,000 feet, the sky like I’ve never seen it. Stars of all different colors, spiraling up forever, looking like they were all different distances away. And the air was so thin you couldn’t take 5 steps without stopping to catch your breath. And looking out at the horizon you could easily see the curvature of the Earth.
18,000 feet is high! I imagine it’s very hard to breath at that height.
Russ
Pigmy Pony
09-07-2018, 16:41
Highest in Europe is Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus, 18000 feet.
I stand corrected, I'm guessing this is because a lot of countries that used to be in the Soviet Union are now Eastern Europe?
I stand corrected, I'm guessing this is because a lot of countries that used to be in the Soviet Union are now Eastern Europe?
No, it was always in Europe. Europe ends at the Ural Mountains which are much further East.
Pigmy Pony
09-07-2018, 17:00
No, it was always in Europe. Europe ends at the Ural Mountains which are much further East.
Thanks Martin, I like learning new stuff. I think my internet must be broken. Having said that, I seem to remember being told it was Mont Blanc when I was at school. If I could get inside my head and have a good tidy up, I'd chuck out everything I learned at school and just keep the stuff I've learned since. That would make some space for more useless facts (my favourite kind).
By the way, where does Eurovision end?
Eurovision can only be destroyed with fire. They not teach you that at school?
I think the Mont Blanc thing is Western Europe. I mean if you think about it you wouldn't say Moscow is a city in Asia would you?
No, it was always in Europe. Europe ends at the Ural Mountains which are much further East.
The division between Europe and Asia is an artificial construct and one which is subject to debate by geographers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundaries_between_the_continents_of_Earth In fact it is a single continent: Eurasia.
There is a place, somewhere in Russia (I can't remember exactly where), displaying a sign demarcating the division between the Europe and Asis, where all rivers to the west flow westwards into 'Europe', and all rivers to the east flow eastwards towards 'Asia'.
The division between Europe and Asia is an artificial construct and one which is subject to debate by geographers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundaries_between_the_continents_of_Earth In fact it is a single continent: Eurasia.
There is a place, somewhere in Russia (I can't remember exactly where), displaying a sign demarcating the division between the Europe and Asis, where all rivers to the west flow westwards into 'Europe', and all rivers to the east flow eastwards towards 'Asia'.
Hah! I counter your Wikepedia with Wikipedia of my own. Hah!:
https://i.imgur.com/5ovAfup.png
Pigmy Pony
09-07-2018, 17:55
As always I'm in awe at the breadth of knowledge possessed by AoS members.
So here's one for you. If you shaved a tiger, it would still be stripey. Also you would be dead. You're going to tell me you already knew that, aren't you? Ok, how about this one: Zebras are thought to be stripey because horseflies don't like it.
Hah! I counter your Wikepedia with Wikipedia of my own. Hah!:
https://i.imgur.com/5ovAfup.png
I wasn't disputing that Mt. Elbrus is generally regarded as being the highest mountain in Europe; I was pointing out that the division of Eurasia into Europe and Asia (and where that division is) is open to debate.
walpurgis
09-07-2018, 18:06
[QUOTE=Pigmy Pony;993267If you shaved a tiger, it would still be stripey[/QUOTE]
Yes. I believe it would show faint stripes in its skin.
I wasn't disputing that Mt. Elbrus is generally regarded as being the highest mountain in Europe; I was pointing out that the division of Eurasia into Europe and Asis (and where that division is) is open to debate.
Your Kung Foo is strong. I concede.
I think the watershed is to the west of the Volga but east of Moscow. The Volga could also be considered a dividing line as well I suppose.
I wasn't disputing that Mt. Elbrus is generally regarded as being the highest mountain in Europe; I was pointing out that the division of Eurasia into Europe and Asia (and where that division is) is open to debate.
My Elbrus is like Kilimanjaro, a volcano so not really a mountain in the truest sense.
Technically the biggest volcano in world is Mauna Loa although much of it is under water. In fact it's much taller than mt everest
Mt. Elbrus is like Kilimanjaro, a volcano so not really a mountain in the truest sense.
Technically the biggest volcano in world is Mauna Loa although much of it is under water. In fact it's much taller than mt everest
Again there are several definitions of 'mountain', though none of them exclude volcanos. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain
I have 'climbed' Kilimanjaro (a dormant volcano, where if you dig down under the snow at the top, you can feel the warmth), and at just over 19,000' it's enough of a mountain for me. I have a piece of obsidian (volcanic glass) picked up at the summit as a souvenir.
I flew over the volcano on Montserrat in a chopper on Friday 13th. Thought I might be tempting fate and sure enough the damn thing tried to kill me by blasting out superheated steam at that precise moment. Fortunately the pilot had quick reflexes.
Again there are several definitions of 'mountain', though none of them exclude volcanos. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain
I have 'climbed' Kilimanjaro (a dormant volcano, where if you dig down under the snow at the top, you can feel the warmth), and at just over 19,000' it's enough of a mountain for me. I have a piece of obsidian (volcanic glass) picked up at the summit as a souvenir.
Sounds like quite an adventure!
Russ
My Elbrus is like Kilimanjaro, a volcano so not really a mountain in the truest sense.
Technically the biggest volcano in world is Mauna Loa although much of it is under water. In fact it's much taller than mt everest
Mauna Loa has been erupting lately! Took out about 400 homes. It was all over the news for a few weeks, it’s still erupting, but the news has lost interest. I don’t think they realized that volcanoes can erupt for eons. The cops have had to arrest people to keep them away from the lava flows!
Russ
I watched some of the footage when it first started. Got to be some drawbacks to living in Hawaii I suppose.
Mauna Loa has been erupting lately! Took out about 400 homes. It was all over the news for a few weeks, it’s still erupting, but the news has lost interest. I don’t think they realized that volcanoes can erupt for eons. The cops have had to arrest people to keep them away from the lava flows!
Russ
One of the things "to do before I die" is to see a lava flow. I did at one time plan a trip to the Kamchakpa peninsula for the active volcanic activity there, but it never came to fruition.
I'm waiting for Vesuvius to blow again. It's closer, it's overdue and it is only £80 return on Ryan Air.
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