Random Picture Thread

"What exactly was your role on the Pasha Bulker...."

 

Prop polisher! ;-)

 

Guillermo, I know what your saying and in that respect I agree with you, but can you do anything? No! These people are not FORCED onto these boats are they? they may be unwise in their choice but it is their choice! Laughter is mans way of releaving his tension as "Phew there but for circumstances go I!" the rest of us DO have to get on with life, if we were serious about everything like this we'd cut our wrists in a week! So yes a few Joke are in order - it's how you tell them that matters!

PS as an ex service man you see a lot of this in whatever service your in - you develope a cynical sense of humour quickly! You have too! Unfortunately it stays with you after your time!! Once you've seen somebody getting blow to bits your never the same again (especially when you know the guy)

 

I see your point Mike, but I refuse on my side to accept impassively or lightly that kind of human tragedies.

Those are people risking their lives in the pursue of a better one for them and their families. They are victims of their governments and unescrupulous human-trafickers lying them and taking away from them astronomical (to their economies) amounts of money for the crossing. Not to talk about the big responsibility and guilt we, europeans, have because of the colonization process.

Only in the Canaries, statistics for 2006 show they received 31058 inmigrants by this kind of boats ('cayucos' and 'pateras'), having rescued from the seas 983 corpses. Some organizations think around 6000 more have dissapeared at sea.

Nowadays in Spain, with the (late) help of the EU and the (also late) awakeness of our naive actual government, we are fighting a titanic fight to try to avoid that happening. The most important action is to avoid the departures from the African countries (from Marocco down to Guinea), by means of a huge fleet of patrol vessels spread along thousands of kilometers of coast, and diplomatic action with the involved governmets, some of which are just blackmailers.

Cheers.

 

Yes my friend and unfortunately it is happening throughout the world, all countries of any worth have this problem in some way or another and also the unscroupulous (?) who will attempt (?) to benefit from it and don't really care who they hurt in the process - as long as it's not them!!

 

Guillermo, Walrus - You both make valid points. 'Smuggling' human cargoes is a squalid business and those who initiate it (those who profit from misfortune) should be hunted down...
Unfortunately here in Australia we presently (polling next month) have a government which used the despair of 'boat people' to its electoral advantage. The 'Tampa' incident; and 'Children Overboard' being two perceived 'Vote Winners' for the incumbent J.Howard. And strong suspicions exist that many other lives were lost when Australian patrol vessels were ordered to 'ignore' pleas for help from those in an overloaded sinking vessel. Instead they were turned back towards Indonesia - and never heard of again.
As our squalid Prime Minister proclaimed to an adoring audience of Party followers: "We shall decide who comes to this country..."

 

As I said - see post 970 this thread!

 

Now, when I say go, everyone go to the front of the ship, then run to the back and jump up and down while I stick it in reverse and drop the clutch...

 

I think we have a winner!

 

Looks rather like it!!

 

Guillermo,

You're absolutely correct in your description of the problem. Human trafficing is a crime akin to genocide and **** in its barbarity. Of course, all governments spend more time and money pointing the finger of responsibility (I'm not talking about blame, only responsibility) away from themselves than it would take to make a measurable impact on the problem. The situation with African countries is to Europe as Mexico is to the US. Local governments ignore their citizens who are poor to the point of starvation or poor health, perhaps hoping that they will, literaly, go away. They try to, only to learn that the journey is often fatal and that, with no skills or language facility, they are still limited to an existence defined by poverty. I am pleased that some governments are making a barrier patrol; I only hope it is very close to the coasts of the "sending" countries, as the boat in the photo you showed is better off than many of them.

Mike is right in that gallows humor and laughter in the face of tragedy is often the only alternative to tears. Perhaps not the best response, but often a way to maintain our sanity in the face of so much needless cruelty that we don't have the power to fix.

Recently there were 2 different cases in which child molesters killed themselves as the police were attempting to capture and arrest them. My view of that is to thank them for saving us the trouble and expense. Problem solved. Would that all abusers of humanity saw fit to remove themselves in that way.

 

Yeah, good one!

 

Great pictures at this site, along with short articles.


http://telstarlogistics.typepad.com/telstarlogistics/sea/index.html




Tugboat Races in New York City




Solar Ferry Service Coming to San Francisco

 

Some interesting perspectives on small boats and large ships:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gcquinn/

 

Takes a long time to load, but it's a very interesting photo link:

Sample:
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?page=7&t=53823


http://www.geocities.com/usnavyindanger/falklandslessonsnotlearned.htm


http://eltiradorsolitario.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html


http://www.hrvatski-vojnik.hr/hrvatski-vojnik/147-1482007/tehnika.asp


Or in English:
http://cruelkev2.blogspot.com/2007/04/south-koreas-new-landing-ship-set-for.html

http://www.kdia.or.kr/engs/02_news/news_01_views.asp?code=1&idx=82

http://nk.chosun.com/board/read.php3?table=bbs_dong&forum_id=3&no=2562


http://www.defence.co.kr/bbs/bbs.cgi?db=seaarms5&mode=read&num=797&page=1&ftype=6&fval=&backdepth=1


Source:
http://www.defence.co.kr/bbs/bbs.cgi?db=seaarms5

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=70075&page=3


http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=76973&page=2



http://forums.army.ca/forums/index.php?topic=44741.0;all