JUNE 2019 CURRENT EVENTS: the trump shuttle is back

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > JUNE 2019 CURRENT EVENTS: the trump shuttle is back

Acebuckeye13: Nov 2, 2010; Against All Tyrants; Ultra Carp

Duzzy Funlop posted:

If you'd like to point and laugh at Germany some more, it's now looking like it's likely that the 2020 opening of the Berlin-Brandenburg airport (BER) will have to be postponed yet again, probably to 2022. If you haven't read anything about BER, it might surprise you to hear that it was originally scheduled to open in 2011, but the opening had to be delayed several times due to countless technical flaws. Germany's technical oversight agency had found more than HALF A MILLION technical flaws in its audit that caused the last significant delay a couple of years back.

To explain exactly how this could happen would take too long, so the tl;dr version is: BER was supposed to be the shiny jewel in European commercial air travel shown-off by the recently reunited Germany (yes, "recently", because that's how far back the planning goes), so the supervisory board was stacked with politicians that had no clue how to build an airport. What ensued was a comical amount of incompetence, stupidity, and corruption, it's all there. A perfect storm of stupid.

If you'd like to dive into the the specifics, read through the "construction progress" section on the BER Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Brandenburg_Airport#Delayed_opening_and_construction_flaws

A selection of my favorite items:

the entirety of the airport's 750 flight display boards have to be replaced due to reaching the end of their service life. If you're asking yourself "But the airport never opened, how could they reach the end of their service life without someone turning them on and running them for 7 straight years with simulated departure/arrival data?", you can figure out the answer

the fire detection system, which had been pivotal in the countless delays, was so far beyond hope of being redesigned/repaired, that the planning company at some point had employees with mobile phones at key points acting as a human early warning system. They decided the then-scheduled opening could be achieved by continuing this makeshift solution during the regular operation of the airport, so the inclusion of SEVEN HUNDRED HUMAN FIRE SPOTTERS was submitted in the official proposal to the authorities

the smoke removal system built into the airport's architectural layout is unique in that it doesn't vent the smoke through exhausts on the roof like every other system on the planet, because the designers "didn't like the aesthetics". Instead, a complex system of ducts was installed that would vent the smoke laterally, and then downward, through the loving basement beneath the airport before expelling it. If you're asking "doesn't that defy basic physics like the chimney effect?", you're right on the money
Bonus-points if you're thinking "How could something that stupid have been designed and approved unless the guy designing it forged his credentials as an engineer, and his design was green-lit because it wowed the oversight board with it's impressive audacity?"

about 700km of cabling have to be replaced because the subterranean cable-ducts weren't water-proofed and have corroded away

the original architect, a literal noble, envisioned the plans with an absolute minimum of retail zones because "he didn't like shops", and the impact of this wasn't noticed until construction of the terminal was almost completed, so they had to add extra floors

the state-secretary of Brandenburg and member of the oversight board had been earning a full salary and pension for 5 years as airport head for an airport that had never opened

the only traffic the railway station is seeing is a train being circulated daily to "keep the air moving"

a spokesman for the planning company was fired for being "too honest" in an interview where he said that anyone making assurances regarding the opening date of BER is on drugs

There is so much more to read up on in that story, words don't really do it justice

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-48527308

oh my god I'm reading the attached wiki article and you forgot to mention that a whistleblower was loving poisoned

Also that even when the airport's completed, as designed it's now too small to take over the capacity of the three smaller airports it was supposed to replace.

this is the craziest thing I've read all week, what an insane loving rabbit hole.

# ? Jun 30, 2019 16:56

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# ? Jun 9, 2024 12:19

Hot Karl Marx: Mar 16, 2009; Politburo regulations about social distancing require to downgrade your Karlmarxing to cold, and sorry about the dnc primaries, please enjoy!

bird food bathtub posted:

*sigh*

"Once again" he says, knowing the futility "Imagine if Obama had done this."

It would be a weeks long endless blasting of how much that filthy ~~urban thug~~ unpatriotic anti-American was wasting our money taking his friends to other countries.

https://i.imgur.com/5ZrgCer.mp4

# ? Jun 30, 2019 17:04

bird food bathtub: Aug 9, 2003; College Slice

Oh, to further exactly how much Carlson is a shameless propaganda minister and also a white supremacist I present this, stolen from D&D:

https://twitter.com/QasimRashid/status/1145355152846741504?s=20

# ? Jun 30, 2019 17:08

Time Crisis Actor: Apr 28, 2002; by Hand Knit

bird food bathtub posted:

Oh, to further exactly how much Carlson is a shameless propaganda minister and also a white supremacist I present this, stolen from D&D:

https://twitter.com/QasimRashid/status/1145355152846741504?s=20

It�s official: Tuck will defend anything. He�s absolutely fash

# ? Jun 30, 2019 17:10

FAUXTON: Jun 2, 2005; spero che tu stia bene

Duzzy Funlop posted:

If you'd like to point and laugh at Germany some more, it's now looking like it's likely that the 2020 opening of the Berlin-Brandenburg airport (BER) will have to be postponed yet again, probably to 2022. If you haven't read anything about BER, it might surprise you to hear that it was originally scheduled to open in 2011, but the opening had to be delayed several times due to countless technical flaws. Germany's technical oversight agency had found more than HALF A MILLION technical flaws in its audit that caused the last significant delay a couple of years back.

To explain exactly how this could happen would take too long, so the tl;dr version is: BER was supposed to be the shiny jewel in European commercial air travel shown-off by the recently reunited Germany (yes, "recently", because that's how far back the planning goes), so the supervisory board was stacked with politicians that had no clue how to build an airport. What ensued was a comical amount of incompetence, stupidity, and corruption, it's all there. A perfect storm of stupid.

If you'd like to dive into the the specifics, read through the "construction progress" section on the BER Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Brandenburg_Airport#Delayed_opening_and_construction_flaws

A selection of my favorite items:

the entirety of the airport's 750 flight display boards have to be replaced due to reaching the end of their service life. If you're asking yourself "But the airport never opened, how could they reach the end of their service life without someone turning them on and running them for 7 straight years with simulated departure/arrival data?", you can figure out the answer

the fire detection system, which had been pivotal in the countless delays, was so far beyond hope of being redesigned/repaired, that the planning company at some point had employees with mobile phones at key points acting as a human early warning system. They decided the then-scheduled opening could be achieved by continuing this makeshift solution during the regular operation of the airport, so the inclusion of SEVEN HUNDRED HUMAN FIRE SPOTTERS was submitted in the official proposal to the authorities

the smoke removal system built into the airport's architectural layout is unique in that it doesn't vent the smoke through exhausts on the roof like every other system on the planet, because the designers "didn't like the aesthetics". Instead, a complex system of ducts was installed that would vent the smoke laterally, and then downward, through the loving basement beneath the airport before expelling it. If you're asking "doesn't that defy basic physics like the chimney effect?", you're right on the money
Bonus-points if you're thinking "How could something that stupid have been designed and approved unless the guy designing it forged his credentials as an engineer, and his design was green-lit because it wowed the oversight board with it's impressive audacity?"

about 700km of cabling have to be replaced because the subterranean cable-ducts weren't water-proofed and have corroded away

the original architect, a literal noble, envisioned the plans with an absolute minimum of retail zones because "he didn't like shops", and the impact of this wasn't noticed until construction of the terminal was almost completed, so they had to add extra floors

the state-secretary of Brandenburg and member of the oversight board had been earning a full salary and pension for 5 years as airport head for an airport that had never opened

the only traffic the railway station is seeing is a train being circulated daily to "keep the air moving"

a spokesman for the planning company was fired for being "too honest" in an interview where he said that anyone making assurances regarding the opening date of BER is on drugs

There is so much more to read up on in that story, words don't really do it justice

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-48527308

I thought this stopped being a thing Germany did way back in the 40s

# ? Jun 30, 2019 17:12

Terrifying Effigies: Oct 22, 2008; Problems look mighty small from 150 miles up.

Deathy McDeath posted:

It’s official: Tuck will defend anything. He’s absolutely fash

Best bit is all the commentators lamenting the scores of Trump backers 'abandoning their principles' as though the same sort of thing wasn't right out in the open back in the 80s with Reagan and the Contras, Saddam, Pinochet, etc etc

# ? Jun 30, 2019 17:17

bird food bathtub: Aug 9, 2003; College Slice

Terrifying Effigies posted:

Best bit is all the commentators lamenting the scores of Trump backers 'abandoning their principles' as though the same sort of thing wasn't right out in the open back in the 80s with Reagan and the Contras, Saddam, Pinochet, etc etc

I think you might be misunderstanding what they mean when they say 'abandoning their principles'.

I think they mean white supremacy and fascism.

# ? Jun 30, 2019 17:20

EBB: Feb 15, 2005

Duzzy Funlop posted:

Some more choice facts from BER:

In anticipation of the opening, they've been running "phantom" operations at it for about two years now. They try to have the people actually do something that matters, like having them work off-site for the airports that are actually open, but a ton of people are running make-believe drills. Personell costs alone are upwards of 25 million monthly. Upkeep is about another 20 million.

Then there's a fun detail that could legit end the whole undertaking: around 40,000 plastic screw anchors were used in the lime-sandstone bricks to secure cable ducts, and while the use of the lime-sandstone bricks was already in violation of building code, the plastic screw anchors are both in violation of building code and fire safety regulations.

If no "legal" way to certify the anchors is found, uh...you have to dismantle the building

Tell Angela I have a bridge to sell her

# ? Jun 30, 2019 17:34

Casimir Radon: Aug 2, 2008

Things are definitely worse now.

2003: We will be greeted as liberators and Iraq will have freedom and McDonalds and maybe an Arbys, and we're doing this cause 9/11.

2019: We're going to skull gently caress the Iraqis to death, women and children first because we're white Christians and they're not.

# ? Jun 30, 2019 17:34

colachute: Mar 15, 2015

sometimes as a leader you gotta do some murderin, what's the big deal yall

# ? Jun 30, 2019 17:35

Dingleberry: Aug 21, 2011

Casimir Radon posted:

Things are definitely worse now.

2003: We will be greeted as liberators and Iraq will have freedom and McDonalds and maybe an Arbys, and we're doing this cause 9/11.

2019: We're going to skull gently caress the Iraqis to death, women and children first because we're white Christians and they're not.

Fwiw the embargo that went from �92 to �03 was responsible for like 500k children�s deaths due to various reasons, so business as usual. It was like a soft opening at The American Policy Bistro.

# ? Jun 30, 2019 17:51

Slim Pickens: Jan 12, 2007; Grimey Drawer

Christ, the BER airport thing sounds like a last week tonight episode.

In other news, the poo poo apple doesn't fall far from the poo poo tree

https://twitter.com/oneunderscore__/status/1144432184608088064?s=19

# ? Jun 30, 2019 17:51

Crab Dad: Dec 28, 2002; behold i have tempered and refined thee, but not as silver; as CRAB

Slim Pickens posted:

Christ, the BER airport thing sounds like a last week tonight episode.

In other news, the poo poo apple doesn't fall far from the poo poo tree

https://twitter.com/oneunderscore__/status/1144432184608088064?s=19

what what what lol

did anyone tell Jamaicans they aint black?

# ? Jun 30, 2019 18:27

ElMaligno: Dec 31, 2004; Be Gay!
Do Crime!

LingcodKilla posted:

what what what lol

did anyone tell Jamaicans they aint black?

It's a weird nationalist thing

# ? Jun 30, 2019 18:38

Viva Miriya: Jan 9, 2007

Slim Pickens posted:

Christ, the BER airport thing sounds like a last week tonight episode.

In other news, the poo poo apple doesn't fall far from the poo poo tree

https://twitter.com/oneunderscore__/status/1144432184608088064?s=19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJJ30mfaF9Y

# ? Jun 30, 2019 18:40

facialimpediment: Feb 11, 2005; as the world turns

Casimir Radon posted:

Things are definitely worse now.

2003: We will be greeted as liberators and Iraq will have freedom and McDonalds and maybe an Arbys, and we're doing this cause 9/11.

2019: We're going to skull gently caress the Iraqis to death, women and children first because we're white Christians and they're not.

One thing that twitlibs are kind of right about is that the end result of your 2003/2019 comparison hasn't actually changed much over time. The only thing that has changed is how they talk about it.

The veneer of morality is gone, but the results are still the same.

# ? Jun 30, 2019 18:54

Arc Light: Sep 26, 2013

Duzzy Funlop posted:

Groverflughafen

How much does "human fire alarm" pay, anyway?

My German is only passable, but I can scream FEUER verrrry loudly.

# ? Jun 30, 2019 19:06

Mr. Nice!: Oct 13, 2005; bone shaking.
soul baking.

ElMaligno posted:

It's a weird nationalist thing

Its not at all a weird nationalist thing. It's due to historic racism. People have had to spend centuries trying to find a reason to say they weren't black, because being black in America meant you were at best 3/5 of a person.

# ? Jun 30, 2019 19:10

piL: Sep 20, 2007; (__|\\\\); Taco Defender

My initial assumption was that the statement was national not ethnic, but Kamala Harris was born in Oakland.

# ? Jun 30, 2019 19:22

Mr. Nice!: Oct 13, 2005; bone shaking.
soul baking.

piL posted:

My initial assumption was that the statement was national not ethnic, but Kamala Harris was born in Oakland.

Ah, I get what you mean there.

# ? Jun 30, 2019 19:26

Crab Dad: Dec 28, 2002; behold i have tempered and refined thee, but not as silver; as CRAB

piL posted:

My initial assumption was that the statement was national not ethnic, but Kamala Harris was born in Oakland.

Ifs she�s so proud of her heritage why doesn�t she move back to were her parents are from????!!!??

# ? Jun 30, 2019 19:28

Hot Karl Marx: Mar 16, 2009; Politburo regulations about social distancing require to downgrade your Karlmarxing to cold, and sorry about the dnc primaries, please enjoy!

really glad this lady was in the debates

https://twitter.com/Sturgeons_Law/status/1145389788775636992

# ? Jun 30, 2019 20:25

A Bad Poster: Sep 25, 2006; Seriously, shut the fuck up.

She's my #3 right now. I want her as VP or secretary of state, whichever one Bernie doesn't give to Warren.

# ? Jun 30, 2019 20:27

Wingnut Ninja: Jan 11, 2003; Mostly Harmless

Arc Light posted:

How much does "human fire alarm" pay, anyway?

Generally in the E-1 to E-3 range from what I've seen.

Like, I've seen that done for when the alarm system is down for maintenance or repairs or whatever, for like a day or two. The idea that it would be a normal, planned part of operating a building is loving mind blowing. (as is that entire story)

# ? Jun 30, 2019 20:28

Nostalgia4Butts: Jun 1, 2006; WHERE MY HOSE DRINKERS AT

want harris to use this as her campaign song now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kga2soqvMF0

# ? Jun 30, 2019 20:28

Godholio: Aug 28, 2002; Does a bear split in the woods near Zheleznogorsk?

Hot Karl Marx posted:

really glad this lady was in the debates

https://twitter.com/Sturgeons_Law/status/1145389788775636992

# ? Jun 30, 2019 20:32

Slim Pickens: Jan 12, 2007; Grimey Drawer

Probably do Cory Booker more good tbh

# ? Jun 30, 2019 20:33

mlmp08: Jul 11, 2004; Prepare for my priapic projectile's exalted penetration; Nap Ghost

Love won at Stalingrad. Love of Mother Russia, love of kicking out the Nazis.

# ? Jun 30, 2019 20:33

Nostalgia4Butts: Jun 1, 2006; WHERE MY HOSE DRINKERS AT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3nzuv87ik4

# ? Jun 30, 2019 20:34

Bored As Fuck: Jan 1, 2006; Fun Shoe

mlmp08 posted:

Love won at Stalingrad. Love of Mother Russia, love of kicking out the Nazis.

Love of killing Nazis.

# ? Jun 30, 2019 20:38

mlmp08: Jul 11, 2004; Prepare for my priapic projectile's exalted penetration; Nap Ghost

E: wrong tweet link.

https://twitter.com/inthesedeserts/status/1145331727465930753?s=21

mlmp08 fucked around with this message at 20:44 on Jun 30, 2019

# ? Jun 30, 2019 20:42

Flying_Crab: Apr 12, 2002

Duzzy Funlop posted:

I should probably also mention that the airport is going to be undersized in relation to the traffic it's supposed to handle. Like, comically undersized.

I mean how much worse can it be than Tegel?

# ? Jun 30, 2019 20:57

McNally: Sep 13, 2007; Ask me about Proposition 305

Do you like muskets?

Glenn Kessler over at the Washington Post did some fact checking.

Fact: Glenn Kessler is a loving idiot.

quote:

�Three people in this country own more wealth than the bottom half of America�

�Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)

This snappy talking point is based on numbers that add up, but it�s also a question of comparing apples to oranges. Sanders is drawing on a 2017 report from the left-leaning Institute for Policy Studies, which said that three billionaires � Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos (who owns The Washington Post) and Warren Buffett � had total wealth of $248.5 billion, compared to $245 billion for the bottom 160 million of the United States. The wealth of the three men has gone up even more since then.

But people in the bottom half have essentially no wealth, as debts cancel out whatever assets they might have. So the comparison is not especially meaningful. We once gave Sanders Three Pinocchios when he asserted that the six wealthiest people had more wealth than the half of the world�s population. That was an even more problematic comparison, and we said at the time it was better to focus on inequality within a country.

Hmm, yes. "It doesn't count to have more wealth than people who have no weath."

quote:

�Millions of Americans are forced to work two or three jobs just to survive.�

� Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)

Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that nearly 8 million people hold more than one job. But most of those extra jobs are part time, not full time. And the �millions� of people amount to just 5 percent of Americans with jobs. So that means 95 percent of workers are not working two or three jobs �just to survive,� making this a misleading statement.

"Eight million people is only 5% of workers in the US, so 95% of US workers only need one job so this statement is misleading somehow."

# ? Jun 30, 2019 21:14

colachute: Mar 15, 2015

"yeah he said millions. but he didn't mean billionaire millions. eight million? lmfao get away from me you poors"

# ? Jun 30, 2019 21:20

Duzzy Funlop: Jan 13, 2010; Hi there, would you like to try some spicy products?

Flying_Crab posted:

I mean how much worse can it be than Tegel?

# ? Jun 30, 2019 21:28

Defenestrategy: Oct 24, 2010

McNally posted:

Glenn Kessler over at the Washington Post did some fact checking.

I'm confused as to what this guy is trying to say

"Three guys own more wealth than the bottom 160 million people" != "Three guys own more wealth than the bottom 160 Million people because the bottom 160 million people have no assets when you take into account debts." ?

# ? Jun 30, 2019 21:34

aphid_licker: Jan 7, 2009

The guy who designed the terminal also designed the puzzlebox so now it's stuck shut and they just hired a couple guys who promise to show you such sights but really they just gesture vaguely off into the middle distance

# ? Jun 30, 2019 21:37

Acebuckeye13: Nov 2, 2010; Against All Tyrants; Ultra Carp

McNally posted:

Glenn Kessler over at the Washington Post did some fact checking.

Fact: Glenn Kessler is a loving idiot.

Hmm, yes. "It doesn't count to have more wealth than people who have no weath."

"Eight million people is only 5% of workers in the US, so 95% of US workers only need one job so this statement is misleading somehow."

This is an impressive level of disingenuousness.

# ? Jun 30, 2019 21:40

Proud Christian Mom: Dec 20, 2006; READING COMPREHENSION IS HARD

Acebuckeye13 posted:

This is an impressive level of disingenuousness.

welcome to the Washington Post and NY Times coverage of Bernard Sanders

# ? Jun 30, 2019 21:44

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# ? Jun 9, 2024 12:19

King of Bees: Dec 28, 2012; Gravy Boat 2k

Loving airport chat to close.out the month. Also, what's the problem with Trump walking into NK? It should have been done a long time ago imo. I loving hate Trump just for reference.

# ? Jun 30, 2019 23:12

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