The United States(!) of A

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factotum started the topic in Thursday, 27 Aug 2020 at 11:12am

Septic Tanks are going to Septic Tank

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benskii Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 12:33pm
burleigh wrote:
Confusion wrote:

800 staff just fired from the NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Good luck with your surf forecasting in the future.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/27/politics/noaa-federal-workers-firings/ind...

Sure forecasting will be just fine. Have you heard of AI?

That might be the most idiotic comment to ever appear on this site. I mean seriously, tell me you don't understand AI without saying "I don't understand AI."

We don't need carpenters to build houses anymore folks, have you heard of nail guns?

Confusion's picture
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Confusion Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 12:39pm
burleigh wrote:
Confusion wrote:

800 staff just fired from the NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Good luck with your surf forecasting in the future.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/27/politics/noaa-federal-workers-firings/ind...

Sure forecasting will be just fine. Have you heard of AI?

Is that surf forecasting for wave pools ?

etarip's picture
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etarip Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 12:55pm

@a-mac
All good. I’m not denying the US has form in shaping the world it wants, and your area of study would have certainly given cause to be (appropriately) sceptical.
I just haven’t found the case that your outlining for 2014 to be as clear; and again, if closer relations with Europe weren’t genuinely popular in Ukraine then there has been plenty of opportunity for this trend to be reversed.

At the same time, looking for the malign American hand in everything gives a little bit of a free pass to Putin and his extensively documented use of those tools of policy.

The thing that Putin fears the most is a successful, democratic and better governed Ukraine (or Georgia for that matter) that is resilient against Russian pressure. A less corrupt Ukraine is not in Russia’s (or Belarus’s) interests. EU and NATO accession both have benchmarks / gates for improved governance.
That’s the real threat to a corrupt, kleptocratic authoritarian regime in my mind.

Not NATO’s military strength. Which everyone tells me is anemic, woke and feminine anyway.

As for corruption and democracy.
https://freedomhouse.org/country/ukraine/nations-transit/2024
https://freedomhouse.org/country/russia

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AlfredWallace Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 12:58pm
Confusion wrote:
burleigh wrote:
Confusion wrote:

800 staff just fired from the NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Good luck with your surf forecasting in the future.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/27/politics/noaa-federal-workers-firings/ind...

Sure forecasting will be just fine. Have you heard of AI?

Is that surf forecasting for wave pools ?

Definitely more white matter floating around in that cranial cavity than grey matter.
It appears as though it’s one large vacuous space with the odd spark analagous to a near flat battery.
And for crying out loud, get spellchecker, those many nights picking up fares from others who’d partied all night have affected your voCABulary. AW

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truebluebasher Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 1:02pm

Cheers burleigh...Our eyes in the Sky swellnet AI is listening & watching...Always!

Gutted swellnet AI department will take that as a Comment ...supastoked!
https://www.swellnet.com/forums/wax/594817?page=1

etarip's picture
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etarip Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 1:07pm
wax24 wrote:

Hey Eta…. have ya checked out Peter Zeihan? I think he has a decent amount of sound data but don’t like the way he says things as if they WILL happen. (Little too much confidence for a crazy world…)
I’d be curious to your opinion of him.
If you’ve already stated it, sorry to ask for reheated soup, but I’ll be fucked if I’m gonna look…. Cheers

Hey waxy. I’ve listened to a few podcasts or YT clips with Peter Zeihan, but not for a while. From memory he’s big on population / demographics / big economy stuff right? But I do recall that he was always very emphatic about China being on the track to failure, Russia being 6 months away from collapse etc - and I’m with you that I find that confidence offputting! You prompted me to recast and have a look what he’s put out recently.

Hope you’re well over there, and that whatever is happening politically is manageable at a personal and social level. Deportations aside….

Confusion's picture
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Confusion Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 1:43pm
AlfredWallace wrote:
Confusion wrote:
burleigh wrote:
Confusion wrote:

800 staff just fired from the NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Good luck with your surf forecasting in the future.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/27/politics/noaa-federal-workers-firings/ind...

Sure forecasting will be just fine. Have you heard of AI?

Is that surf forecasting for wave pools ?

Definitely more white matter floating around in that cranial cavity than grey matter.
It appears as though it’s one large vacuous space with the odd spark analagous to a near flat battery.
And for crying out loud, get spellchecker, those many nights picking up fares from others who’d partied all night have affected your voCABulary. AW

You have the sense of humour of a dead jellyfish

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wax24 Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 1:53pm

Yep Eta, you’re onto it re: Zeihan. HIS take on the invasion of Ukraine is interesting. Have no idea to it’s veracity. I would speak to it but I will muck it up. Not my thing.
Thanx for kind words.

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wax24 Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 1:59pm

Hey Jeffy….. have you ever heard of Turritopsis Dohrnil? Also known as The Immortal Jellyfish! It lives in the Med Sea. It can reverse its aging process. You should check it out!
(I have no point. Just pinch hitting a response for A-Dubs, and trying to imagine what he might say.)

Confusion's picture
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Confusion Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 2:13pm
wax24 wrote:

Hey Jeffy….. have you ever heard of Turritopsis Dohrnil? Also known as The Immortal Jellyfish! It lives in the Med Sea. It can reverse its aging process. You should check it out!
(I have no point. Just pinch hitting a response for A-Dubs, and trying to imagine what he might say.)

Not sure who Jeff is but anyway did you know that antipsychotics block your serotonin and dopamine receptors and cause depression.
IE government sanctioned depression ?
Although I don’t think Albert Einstein is a T Dornhill. , maybe a T Dorkhil

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velocityjohnno Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 2:15pm
flollo wrote:

Yeah ok. That sounds good. So he’s cutting foreign aid office, same as Trump is cutting USAID? And reduce offshore climate goals? And stop immigration…Sounds very Trumpian to me. But hey, I’m on board with this. Let’s see if he’ll actually do it. There will be many broken hearts if he does.

And then every other country in Europe needs to do it. And Kajla Kallas is negligible in greater scheme of things. Her Estonia would get crushed in days without NATO. I’m in support of them being in NATO but let’s be realistic, she will have to kiss the US boot for a long time to stay safe.

Further news is Reeves has allowed defence access to the 27Bn pound climate fund so there's more - funny how when things get serious funds can be found.

And for Kallas

https://commission.europa.eu/about/organisation/college-commissioners/ka...

"Kaja Kallas is the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. Her task is to lead a more strategic and assertive foreign and security policy that better enables the EU to pursue its strategic interests and shape the global system."

I think she's speaking beyond just Estonia's interests in this role.

Starmer has welcomed Zelenskyy to Downing St and meeting set for this arvo at Sandringham I think. We'll know more after.

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velocityjohnno Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 2:39pm
Confusion wrote:

800 staff just fired from the NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Good luck with your surf forecasting in the future.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/27/politics/noaa-federal-workers-firings/ind...

Trump can't touch Craig.

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velocityjohnno Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 2:42pm
flollo wrote:
thermalben wrote:
etarip wrote:

Link to the substack that the Twitter thread above is drawn from. I’d trust Kazani’s analysis of Russian war aims that Mearsheimer et al.

https://kamilkazani.substack.com/p/three-years-of-war

What a great summary.

This is so clear. I can’t believe people are not seeing it this way. This whole NATO propaganda is a complete nonsense. We need strong NATO with the US leading it. People are so happy to preach about democracy, freedom but fail to acknowledge that freedom and democracy need a strong army behind them.

Agree. Would add if you are an island, it's a strong navy and merchant marine that you need.

To build the stuff: presently many of the factories were shipped offshore, or closed; and the arsenal of democracy is behaving strangely.

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flollo Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 2:46pm

Let’s see what happens. Zelensky is getting plenty of tweets and ‘stand with Ukraine’ stuff but it’s time to actually open the wallets. Enough of this fluff. I can’t see much money flowing yet. We even have a Ukrainian ambassador here in AUS clearly saying that Ukraine cannot survive without US support.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-02/ukrainian-ambassador-australia-sa...

Confusion's picture
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Confusion Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 2:51pm
velocityjohnno wrote:
Confusion wrote:

800 staff just fired from the NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Good luck with your surf forecasting in the future.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/27/politics/noaa-federal-workers-firings/ind...

Trump can't touch Craig.

Where do surf forecasting and other forecasters get their information from,
They don’t put up their own balloons and wave buoys, all around the world.

velocityjohnno's picture
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velocityjohnno Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 2:52pm
wax24 wrote:

Hey Jeffy….. have you ever heard of Turritopsis Dohrnil? Also known as The Immortal Jellyfish! It lives in the Med Sea. It can reverse its aging process. You should check it out!
(I have no point. Just pinch hitting a response for A-Dubs, and trying to imagine what he might say.)

"Turritopsis dohrnii, also known as the immortal jellyfish, is a species of small, biologically immortal jellyfish[2][3] found worldwide in temperate to tropic waters. It is one of the few known cases of animals capable of completely reverting to a sexually immature, colonial stage after having reached sexual maturity as a solitary individual."

Actually sounds like a bit of an incel and I reckon I might be capable of the same feat. Or at least my sense of humour.

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velocityjohnno Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 2:52pm
Confusion wrote:
velocityjohnno wrote:
Confusion wrote:

800 staff just fired from the NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Good luck with your surf forecasting in the future.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/27/politics/noaa-federal-workers-firings/ind...

Trump can't touch Craig.

Where do surf forecasting and other forecasters get their information from,
They don’t put up their own balloons and wave buoys, all around the world.

We ask Craig for waves, and he brings them.

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basesix Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 2:54pm

if the offerings meet with his approval.

Confusion's picture
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Confusion Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 2:59pm

So we should be going to church on Sunday and praying for insight into Gods Low Pressure systems developments .

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basesix Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 3:00pm
velocityjohnno's picture
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velocityjohnno Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 3:03pm
Confusion wrote:

So we should be going to church on Sunday and praying for insight into Gods Low Pressure systems developments .

No, no, science killed God or something, something and so these days all we have to do is ask Craig.

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Confusion Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 3:06pm
velocityjohnno wrote:
Confusion wrote:

So we should be going to church on Sunday and praying for insight into Gods Low Pressure systems developments .

No, no, science killed God or something, something and so these days all we have to do is ask Craig.

Maybe Craig was God ?
I can see a new cult starting at Kingscliff or somewhere else.

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velocityjohnno Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 3:13pm

There may be some truth to that.

I'm having a bit of fun with an amusing theme in the Vicco forecast notes, where people drop their list of demands for conditions for the next swell. (It's interesting how many times Craig delivers, tho)

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basesix Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 3:18pm
Confusion wrote:

Maybe Craig was God ?

nah I once saw Craig and God having beers on the steyne rooftop deep in convo about something on their phones..

Confusion's picture
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Confusion Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 3:19pm
basesix wrote:
Confusion wrote:

Maybe Craig was God ?

nah I once saw Craig and God having beers on the steyne rooftop deep in convo about something on their phones..

Oh now you’re getting too controversial for me !

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tubeshooter Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 3:22pm

Thou shalt have no other gods before Huey.

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sypkan Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 3:45pm
flollo wrote:

Let’s see what happens. Zelensky is getting plenty of tweets and ‘stand with Ukraine’ stuff but it’s time to actually open the wallets. Enough of this fluff. I can’t see much money flowing yet. We even have a Ukrainian ambassador here in AUS clearly saying that Ukraine cannot survive without US support.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-02/ukrainian-ambassador-australia-sa...

https://x.com/ggreenwald/status/1895905979994444128

Confusion's picture
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Confusion Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 3:57pm
sypkan wrote:
flollo wrote:

Let’s see what happens. Zelensky is getting plenty of tweets and ‘stand with Ukraine’ stuff but it’s time to actually open the wallets. Enough of this fluff. I can’t see much money flowing yet. We even have a Ukrainian ambassador here in AUS clearly saying that Ukraine cannot survive without US support.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-02/ukrainian-ambassador-australia-sa...

https://x.com/ggreenwald/status/1895905979994444128

Isn’t it amazing, all. this power that the US has built up over the years, and Trump is the one that’s bringing it all down , while at the same time taking credit for it all and using it to hold a country to ransom for the sake of some good TV !

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southernraw Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 4:02pm
basesix wrote:
Confusion wrote:

Maybe Craig was God ?

nah I once saw Craig and God having beers on the steyne rooftop deep in convo about something on their phones..

Well he has now moved to God's country. Hmmmm.
Sorry not meant to be here. Self scolding.

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Supafreak Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 4:10pm
Confusion wrote:
wax24 wrote:

Hey Jeffy….. have you ever heard of Turritopsis Dohrnil? Also known as The Immortal Jellyfish! It lives in the Med Sea. It can reverse its aging process. You should check it out!
(I have no point. Just pinch hitting a response for A-Dubs, and trying to imagine what he might say.)

Not sure who Jeff is but anyway did you know that antipsychotics block your serotonin and dopamine receptors and cause depression.
IE government sanctioned depression ?
Although I don’t think Albert Einstein is a T Dornhill. , maybe a T Dorkhil

If you’re confused about who jeff is then you could try asking heeby or juliang . What’s really confusing is why you subscribe to a surf forecast website .

Confusion's picture
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Confusion Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 4:14pm
southernraw wrote:
basesix wrote:
Confusion wrote:

Maybe Craig was God ?

nah I once saw Craig and God having beers on the steyne rooftop deep in convo about something on their phones..

Well he has now moved to God's country. Hmmmm.
Sorry not meant to be here. Self scolding.

So Craig has moved to Texas ,
strange move , you’d think he’d realise that the Gulf of America doesn’t get much swell ?

southernraw's picture
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southernraw Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 4:17pm

you're a funny fellow Jeffrey/not Jeffrey!

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Supafreak Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 4:22pm
southernraw wrote:

you're a funny fellow Jeffrey/not Jeffrey!

Funny or peculiar ?

Confusion's picture
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Confusion Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 4:34pm
southernraw wrote:

you're a funny fellow Jeffrey/not Jeffrey!

I think Jeff was actually someone else that wasn’t Jeff .
What you think I’m going to try to paddle out in that , have you seen the webcams
Oh the horror Super
I should have done the trip to East Ballina caravan Park

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southernraw Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 4:38pm

Love your work not Jeffrey.
Please take that as a compliment this time!

Confusion's picture
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Confusion Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 6:54pm

Trump is Putins last chance

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green room Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 7:47pm

Trump’s Europe’s last chance. These EU socialist warlords are driving the whole joint straight into a dumpster fire for the third time in a hundred years.

If the EU keeps pushing the envelope, they’re gonna get smoked by Russia and China, easy peasy, light work. The EU’s gonna be a total clown show. The US will just shrug and be like, ‘We tried to put you on game, but you had to find out the hard way - FAFO.’ The EU’s gonna disintegrate, EU socialism will fall. Europe’s gonna get sliced up between Russia and the US again, like old times.

Putin’s playing it cool, giving Trump a window to help Europe get its act together. The EU’s been the one throwing punches on this one for at least the last 20 years. They need to chill out and chop it up with Russia at the table.

etarip's picture
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etarip Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 8:13pm
green room wrote:

Trump’s Europe’s last chance. These EU socialist warlords are driving the whole joint straight into a dumpster fire for the third time in a hundred years.

If the EU keeps pushing the envelope, they’re gonna get smoked by Russia and China, easy peasy, light work. The EU’s gonna be a total clown show. The US will just shrug and be like, ‘We tried to put you on game, but you had to find out the hard way - FAFO.’ The EU’s gonna disintegrate, EU socialism will fall. Europe’s gonna get sliced up between Russia and the US again, like old times.

Putin’s playing it cool, giving Trump a window to help Europe get its act together. The EU’s been the one throwing punches on this one for at least the last 20 years. They need to chill out and chop it up with Russia at the table.

This is a pretty inane take tbh. “Socialist warlords”. Probably sounded better in your head than it came out on the screen I guess.

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seeds Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 8:23pm

He’s a goose Etarip.
I’m enjoying yours and others take on things. Insights on what may be the bigger picture.
Way over my head and I’m quite comfortable with that.

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etarip Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 8:28pm

Hey seeds - thanks. Been an interesting few days and I (almost) always enjoy the views of the swilnutters on these issues.
Was listening to a podcast this arvo, recorded before the WH blow up, with a few seasoned commentators on security issues / foreign affairs. They all said that they have no idea what to make of it all. What the Admin is aiming to get out of it.

So we’re all in the same boat I reckon.
But I don’t get the sense that there’s a well thought out plan in any case.

seeds's picture
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seeds Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 8:47pm

There’s always more going on behind the scenes

?si=Di4nOcQh0D3dAodS

Confusion's picture
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Confusion Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 9:17pm

At least democratic pro Ukraine protesters derailed
Vance’s ski trip to Vermont after his little bully boy attack on Zelenskyy at the White House.

southernraw's picture
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southernraw Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 9:26pm

Apparently they were holding up signs saying "go ski in Russia".

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Confusion Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 9:32pm

At least some people are getting it .
It doesn’t matter what the bigger picture might be, the smaller picture is Putin creating world chaos and Trump backing him.

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seeds Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 9:32pm

Plenty more protests going on too since the cunties did as they do. Let’s see how it plays out. Only 2 months in. It’s going to be a long four years no matter which way it goes. Daily Trump news isn’t good for anyone.

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tubeshooter Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 9:47pm

What's Donald gonna do today?

seeds's picture
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seeds Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 10:03pm

Haha that was great. Don is different that’s for sure.

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Confusion Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 10:13pm

Wow even Kevin Bloody Redneck , turning against Donald
I could be wrong, but that’s how he appears with his accent.
The audience loves a good swear word.

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velocityjohnno Sunday, 2 Mar 2025 at 10:18pm

Keeping up with the European newsfeeds now, we've got a 'coalition of the willing'

Nobody expects a coalition of the willing!

And those of you with 'coalition of the willing' on your bingo cards - drink!