Sad that the NOWZAD/The Ark, save the animals thread has been moved

[Pale Rider]

that was shut down and a lot of good posters lost,

Moderators past and present would give you an argument, not to mention the site's owner.

 

[steveindenmark]

This is NOT political. It was humanitarian and now its tragic.

Just a catch up.

The company who owned the plane that was going to be hired, made it very clear only animals could go in the hold as the aviation authorities insist on that. Ben Wallace knew this all along as did the other politicians. They decided to spin it another way.

Pen is now back at the shelter with his staff and animals.

Ben Wallace has closed the gate at Kabul airport and the airlift will end today. Pen and thousands of other passport holders are now trapped.

Many of Nowzads supporters will villify Ben Wallace. I think he made the right decisions in the time frame he had.

How Pen goes from here, I do not know. His staff were encouring to leave by himself. But that chance has gone.

He could stay and see what happens. He has a truck and is used to yomping. Pakistan is 80km as the crow flies, through taliban infested country.

I will keep you posted.

 

[steveindenmark]

170 cats and dogs versus 100 or so people. Which would you save?

This was a privately hired airliner. Aviation rules state that human cargo cannot go in the hold, only animals. They made this clear to Pen and he made it clear at the outset to Ben Wallace, who decided to spin it for his own ends. People were never going to be allowed in the hold of the plane. The pilot would have refused to take off. But apart from his staff, there were 150 free seats available to anyone who was trying to leave.

 

[Fab Foodie]

We don't have a politics section, that was shut down and a lot of good posters lost, because people who invariably didn't contribute complained about reading it, all they had to do was stop reading it.
The post this thread is about has been moved to News and Current Affairs which is a fair description of the threads content, the original poster may not have wanted it in that section though.
Why can't people still contribute to the thread in that section ? is is it a self imposed ban or are they banned for some reason ?
I rarely know (unless I start the thread) what section the post I am reading is in, I just look at new posts and read what takes my interest

Well this. It’s not the location it’s the subject!
Sadly a lot of well intentioned threads in NACA are degraded by obvious trolling and running-off to teach.
On @Blue hill’s point about ignoring certain members - it does help to improve the signal to noise ratio.
Many threads are degraded by the same few members that have little of value to add or unprepared to debate in good faith.

There’s no reason that any thread anywhere needs to descend into the abyss.

C’est la vie!

 

[steveindenmark]

Well this. It’s not the location it’s the subject!
Sadly a lot of well intentioned threads in NACA are degraded by obvious trolling and running-off to teach.
On @Blue hill’s point about ignoring certain members - it does help to improve the signal to noise ratio.
Many threads are degraded by the same few members that have little of value to add or unprepared to debate in good faith.

There’s no reason that any thread anywhere needs to descend into the abyss.

C’est la vie!

Well this one should'nt. I have sympathy with Ben Wallace and Pen Farthing (l have just realised that he is cycle related)

I would not want to be in either of their shoes.

 

[Drago]

Why can't people still contribute to the thread in that section ? is is it a self imposed ban or are they banned for some reason ?

I'd tell you Mr Nod, but someone would whittle and the post would be deleted. Moderation is not even handed, and I don't blame the mods for that, it occurs because those of a certain politcal situation simply make the most noise.

It makes for an unpleasant, rather strident environment and extremely lopside discussion. Had this particular topic not been moved here I wouldn't be venturing in myself.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Well this one should'nt. I have sympathy with Ben Wallace and Pen Farthing (l have just realised that he is cycle related)

I would not want to be in either of their shoes.

I would hope not too.
The whole situation is a clusterfark of the highest order and many good people are going to pay a very heavy price for political blunders.
If there is a positive from any of this, it's hearing how many people are moving heaven and earth to help get other people to safety.

 

[Blue Hills]

On @Blue hill’s point about ignoring certain members - it does help to improve the signal to noise ratio.

Not entirely sure what you mean by this mr foodie.
I never put anyone on ignore just as I never report, except, very rarely, to ask for something to be removed that quotes something else that may have been chopped, thus removing any context.
Some folk (not saying you) do habitually ignore in that they never listen, hear what they want to hear in order to convince themselves of their own righteousness, the better to revel in their own delightful voice.

Anyways, even that extremely minimal reporting will I am pretty confident not be needed in the cycling and general chat bits I now enjoy.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Not entirely sure what you mean by this mr foodie.
I never put anyone on ignore just as I never report, except, very rarely, to ask for something to be removed that quotes something else that may have been chopped, thus removing any context.
Some folk (not saying you) do habitually ignore in that they never listen, hear what they want to hear in order to convince themselves of their own righteousness, the better to revel in their own delightful voice.

Anyways, even that extremely minimal reporting will I am pretty confident not be needed in the cycling and general chat bits I now enjoy.

Apols me old fruit, it was your quote about 'outrageous silencing' - I had assumed (maybe wrongly) you meant blanking by putting on ignore - I function that sadly I have started to use for reasons stated. Apart from Mods removing people from threads I hadn't noticed any other form.

 

[Mugshot]

Moderators past and present would give you an argument, not to mention the site's owner.

As discussing moderation of this site, on this site, is forbidden, how do you know this?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

This is NOT political. It was humanitarian and now its tragic.

I thought it was about saving animals not humans. Therefore by definition it’s not humanitarian

 

[Accy cyclist]

Well this one should'nt. I have sympathy with Ben Wallace and Pen Farthing (l have just realised that he is cycle related)

I would not want to be in either of their shoes.

It seems that abusive 'tweets' between animal rights activist Dominic Dyer and Ben Wallace didn't help the situation. Also according to reports Biden moved the goalposts as they say, changing the rules 2 hours before the animals and staff were due to be loaded onto the charity funded plane. According to more reports Pen Farthing and his staff are going to try again today, but i can't see them being successful for obvious reasons. At least the animals and staff are still alive,back at the animal sanctuary.

 

[Kingfisher101]

170 cats and dogs versus 100 or so people. Which would you save?

The cats and dogs, the adults had plenty of choices early on regarding not having a family in the middle of all that total chaos. Foreign Aid has paid for clinics re contraception. Those animals had no choice about being born.

 

[matticus]

Pen Farthing (l have just realised that he is cycle related)

So .. his real name is Paul. Did "Pen" come about as a cycle-related nickname? Seems very likely.
But "Pen" seems quite a common nickname/firstname in military circles, so I don't know ...

 

[FishFright]

This is NOT political. It was humanitarian and now its tragic.

Just a catch up.

The company who owned the plane that was going to be hired, made it very clear only animals could go in the hold as the aviation authorities insist on that. Ben Wallace knew this all along as did the other politicians. They decided to spin it another way.

Pen is now back at the shelter with his staff and animals.

Ben Wallace has closed the gate at Kabul airport and the airlift will end today. Pen and thousands of other passport holders are now trapped.

Many of Nowzads supporters will villify Ben Wallace. I think he made the right decisions in the time frame he had.

How Pen goes from here, I do not know. His staff were encouring to leave by himself. But that chance has gone.

He could stay and see what happens. He has a truck and is used to yomping. Pakistan is 80km as the crow flies, through taliban infested country.

I will keep you posted.

I've just read Flashman so the thought of an overland escape from Afghanistan makes me shudder