Eight helpful tips on how to beat the Fake Stream Media at home & abroad. #2 and #3 are particularly notable: (1)

2. Don’t Call Media ‘Mainstream,’ Call Them What They Are

The more partisan the big names in media like The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, and their ilk become, the more inaccurate it is to call them “mainstream.” Call them the corporate media, the propaganda press, legacy media, or use DeSantis’ nickname for them: “smear merchants.”

3. You Catch More Flies With Wit than Boring Press Releases

DeSantis took notes from former President Donald Trump’s penchant for cutting through forgettable politician-speak and leaning into one-liners and comebacks. A witty line will help people remember what you said, and that’s not limited to media interactions.

Just look at the cheeky memo DeSantis put out Tuesday [[MORE]] recognizing Emma Weyant, who placed directly behind male swimmer Lia Thomas, as the rightful winner of the NCAA 500-yard freestyle. It’s far more memorable — and therefore, effective — than a whiny, boring press release. Well-placed snark cuts through the cloud of media lies and signals that you won’t play their game.

The way to defeat the ‘authoritarian liberalism’ of Globalists Brussels and WEF Davos is to confront it.

PEACE 😇
__________

(1) https://thefederalist.com/2022/03/23/8-lessons-from-the-ron-desantis-school-of-dominating-the-corrupt-media/

The ultimate #FakeNews – reporting something that never happened in an open democratic country that anyone can make a phone call and verify. Add an old outdated third world photo for good effect https://t.co/zTCB2zL1fT

— Allama 1ball (@Parikramah) March 28, 2022

Azerbaijan is not backing down and Armenia is too weak to fight them on their own.

Azerbaijani officials signaling that they mean to fully disregard the Nov 9, 2020 ceasefire agreement and hold the village they captured in Karabakh two days ago. This despite unanimous condemnation by US, Russia and France, the three OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. https://t.co/0hGEmjW21q

— Neil Hauer (@NeilPHauer) March 27, 2022

The optimistic case for restraining Azerbaijan is that unlike in 2020 when the West was neutral and Russia was in a mood to punish Armenia for their insolence, there is now unity among the major powers that this is a Bad Thing™.

The pessimistic case is that even if this crisis resolves itself, the cease-fire agreement will lapse in a few years anyway, after which it will be free hunting season for Azerbaijan once more. Doesn’t look too bright for Armenia.

From previous OT

Who wrote Biden’s speech where he mentioned “regime change?”

Despite the subsequent retraction, this phrase appears to have been planned & scripted. Those who could see the display side of the teleprompter verify the presence of the offending language: (1)

Those hopes collapsed when the muttering nutter rambled through 20 minutes of incoherent jibberish only to encapsulate the speech with the call for Russian regime change at the end, “for God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”

Also, don’t believe the nonsense about those being ‘off-the-cuff‘, or ‘ad-libbed ‘ remarks either. They were written into the teleprompter, and he read them (go look). White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain is trying to cover up his own ineptitude by claiming his boss ad-libbed those statements. He didn’t.

I doubt that a specific speechwriter can be identified. The whole thing comes off as an amateurish attempt at “good cop, bad cop”.

Remember, the goal of the Elite WEF is exacerbating the conflict as long as possible. They do not want a ‘winner’ they want the maximum number of refugees to bolster their Open Borders / Great Replacement effort.

PEACE 😇
__________

(1) https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/03/27/nbc-poll-most-believe-biden-to-blame-for-inflation-60-percent-disapprove-of-handling-of-economy-and-71-percent-no-confidence-in-biden-foreign-policy/

Are you really surprised by such reporting from The New York Dhimmi Times of Islam?

Smearing Indian Hindus and Sikhs is part & parcel of their Taqiyya duty to bolster the Muslim occupation of Kashmir. If the Dhimmi Times gets a story right, you can be reasonably sure it is purely by accident.

PEACE 😇

“Putin Stokes Nuclear Fears With Atomic Weapons Warnings”

While tactical nuclear weapons could trigger bigger and more powerful strategic weapons in response, Mr. Kristensen said it wouldn’t mean immediate all-out nuclear war.

“I don’t think it’s likely to expect an automatic, super-rapid escalation to all-out,” he said. “Both sides will want to look for ways to keep it limited because they both know full well what the consequences are of full escalation.”

Analysts said Ukraine would be the most likely target for any tactical nuclear attack, but that escalation after that would be hard to predict, particularly if NATO got involved.

https://archive.ph/XKDq2

Western analysts are doing a lousy job of shedding light on realistic scenarios for nuclear war. It’s hard to imagine Russia starting a nuclear war by using tactical nukes in Ukraine. Russia would not because it is far from running out of choosing even more devastating conventional firepower. It seems like most Western analysts even have the view of Russia as in danger of retreating and unable to repel strengthening Ukrainian counterattacks. That’s the impression I get from their wrong analysis of a nuclear war in Ukraine. It is a remarkable show of the power of a month of Twitter information and narrative dominance in distorting even expert perceptions.

Another downside of bad analysis of nuclear war scenarios is the lack of guidance for policymakers in understanding the consequences of escalation. I think the most obvious scenario for nuclear war is NATO intervention leading to the use of a tactical nuclear weapon in Poland. If this scenario and cause and effect were widely discussed it would dampen the current pro-war climate of providing fighters/getting into an air war/sending ground troops. Maybe for that reason, Western analysts are providing bad takes with the desire of not standing in the way of pro-war enthusiasm.

GDP Growth between (2008-2021)

Greater China (🇨🇳🇲🇴🇭🇰) a 258.046% increase.

India a 141.803% increase.

South East Asia/ASEAN a 101.818% increase.

European Union a 4.97849% increase.

The European Union will decline after this crisis and then stagnate.

Germany will not end up overtaking Japan’s economy despite of the Three Lost Decades.

I watched Lira’s Nuland video. Some of his videos are terrible. I learned in this one:

Nuland’s father was a brilliant accomplished man. He was so depressed when she was a teenager he had 1970’s-era electroshock treatment. The amps and volts they were using then made this a desperation move. Her grandfather was born in Russian empire and fled pogroms. This family is extremely messed up. She wants to destroy Russia.

Fortunately for them she inherited her mother’s brains.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherwin_B._Nuland

Also I looked up her husband. The couple could have a combined three digit Body Mass Index.

From what I’ve seen, it doesn’t look like it would be something easy to read.

As you alluded to, the front of the glass is unreadable (related to a technology called a “beam splitter”) He was using two panes, one on each side, but at an angle.

Several people walked behind him, along one side, but at quite a distance, and I believe they were security. I didn’t see the moment in question, but I did not notice anyone standing, but brisk walking, as if they were making it a point not to look at him.

Epic irony

Mariupol
The irony of fate: a helicopter was shot down over Azov, heading to evacuate the leadership of "Azov" pic.twitter.com/R28A1x7ruh

— S p r i n t e r (printerFamily) March 28, 2022

I never thought that thugs of the Azov battalion could have “officiality”.

bright for Armenia

Their conflict is not in legal territory of Armenia (unless in the future there would be fighting for a Nakhchivan corridor), but in Karabakh, which Armenian has settlers in and Armenians have invested a lot in.

It’s like a conflict located in the West Bank, between Israel and Jordan. It’s not a conflict in Armenia itself, so their situation in war with Azerbaijan, would not be as dangerous to their sovereignty as what happens in Ukraine.

Probably Armenia’s strategic problem is more that the country itself depopulates, than they would lose the settlements in Karabakh. A country with a falling population, is more in danger from the depopulation in its legally recognized territory. Although at least this year, they will be receiving a lot of immigration from Russia and Ukraine, including a lot of educated people from Russia. Georgia is also being flooded with Russian immigration.

Their conflict is not in legal territory of Armenia, but in Karabakh, which Armenian has settlers in and Armenians have invested a lot in.

I’m well aware of that.

Azeris breaking the agreement in such a blatant manner is a prestige defeat for Russia. Moscow now has a strong incentive to enforce the cease-fire agreement, because otherwise it will send a signal to other states that it’s too weak to enforce potential truces/agreements in the future. Thereby reducing its credibility.

So Russia, in this sense, has a stronger incentive to enforce peace than it had in 2020. In addition, the West is no longer on the fence. That’s my “optimistic” case.

Aliyev clearly calculated that Russia being distracted in Ukraine would allow for an escalation. We will see shortly if that gamble was correct.

Although at least this year, they will be receiving a lot of immigration from Russia and Ukraine, including a lot of educated people from Russia.

How many of those Russians are going to stay? Appears to be a temporary phenomenon. People generally don’t like to emigrate to poorer countries. Some may be digital nomads who may prefer a cheaper cost of living, but I’d assume they wouldn’t want to stay around for the long term, especially once/when the situation in Russia calms down. If not, there are plenty of 1st world countries who would want their services. ACX Open Threads are full of offers.

Probably Armenia’s strategic problem is more that the country itself depopulates, than they would lose the settlements in Karabakh.

Hard to see how Armenia can hold on to that territory once the cease-fire agreement formally ends in a few years – assuming Aliyev will be stopped this time around, which is far from clear.

For whatever reason, Armenians lack what the Palestinians call sumud; an almost fanatical attachment to their land despite overwhelming odds. They prefer to flee like cowards, preferably abroad. Such a people will not have a bright future.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up like Assyrians or other stateless peoples. Then again, is it in Russia’s interest for Armenia to be wiped off the map? It’s not clear to me. Perhaps that is their best shot: become a vassal in all but name to the RF. But the price that Moscow can extract from such an arrangement could be steep: look at its current expectations of Chechens to fight its wars.

Here is a story in Russia today (sorry the resource is only available in Russian https://new-vodokachkin.livejournal.com/274542.html ) .

They are starting to install hidden microphones in some schools, allegedly to monitor for suspicious discussions among children. These will be determined by the “neural network” for suspicious words like bombs, etc. But in anyway, the precedent to be live recording and analyzing children’s private conversations in schools.

Russians are going to stay?

Even in the normal peaceful situation of the last decade, it has been very difficult for most people to “escape” to a wealthy country. This is just not an option easily available for normal workers.

For most elite countries, you need a specific skilled profession, a job already secure in this profession, usually with a large corporation (to organize your visa), often a high score in an internationally recognized language exam to prepare you for the job interviews with those corporations. This all requires investment of money and time. Including (in my recommendation) going to language schools abroad when you are younger, although which requires your parents to pay a lot if you are a teenager or student.

Even then, you have quite a few years in a vulnerable situation internationally, being dependent on your employer for visa renewal.

Perhaps, some countries like Canada were more “open borders”, however, probably Canada receives less desirable immigrants as a result. (And Israel had real open borders for people with Jewish roots, and as a result received much lower “economic quality” of immigration).

But, now a lot of people with relevant skills (I won’t say “stupid people”, but poorly planning people) are suddenly panicking for an exit, which they could only have prepared carefully in the previous years. It’s another variant in Aesop’s fable of the “Ant and the Grasshopper”. It was obvious what you needed to plan for all these years, but many people don’t think in advance.

The consequence of this, is that some of these disorganized people might really try to settle in Armenia, Georgia, Serbia, Turkey (at least there will be a lot of IT outsourcing starting there, as well as good food and sunny weather). It’s not impossible they will panic enough that this will happen. Israel will also receive tens of thousands of panicked immigrants from Russia and Ukraine (but less immediately, because preparation of documents often requires a year). I’m not sure Western countries will lower entry requirements, but more likely the opposite. Why should they accept badly planning people from Russia? Would you look at such kind of potential employees, compared to well organized people who planned carefully their lives? I’m not sure I would want to employ them even if they had relevant skills.

Perhaps China would become a popular option for immigration from Russia and Ukraine. More elites destinations like South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Australia are perhaps quite strict for immigration, though I cannot say I have investigated any of this.

Given that this is an OPEN THREAD. I give you the latest in Auto Racing.

The full replay of the 12 Hours of Sebring

PEACE 😇

As Banderist resistance in Mariupol is dying now, the Zelensky regime starts just another series of Twitter counter-attacks.

Ukrainian schools seem not too bad?

One could get a lot of droll observations about modern Western Europe from these young Ukrainians, by asking them the right questions.

UAE as well.

Seem to recall vaguely from somewhere (perhaps, McCullough’s 1776) that George Washington was a barrel aficionado, and liked the idea of using them as a weapon, by rolling them downhill.

Perhaps, this reflects the fact that Northern Euro culture was a beer and barrel-making one, as mentioned by Pliny the Elder.

Wonder if he ever had any ideas about using butter as a weapon, or cows.

The look on the face of the adjacent Muslim student is priceless.

PEACE 😇

Morgenshtern now prophetically a few months ahead of trend (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8y3z-I9VP4.)

With the elite countries being as we know very difficult to enter from Russia for badly organized people who did not plan their life, and all accommodation overbooked in Armenia, Georgia et al.

If I had a startup with team of employees in Russia (which is not any of my real life problems or anything I would know about organizing), I would be now speculating if I could re-locate in this theoretical scenario a team perhaps to Chile to still be accepted by international investors.

Nobody talks about Chile, but they supposedly promote a “hi tech scene” there. For Russians it is very easy to learn Spanish (surprisingly similar language) to level to allow for daily living.

It’s definitely not an elite country, so I assume it would be easy to apply for working visas. On the other hand, standard of living is probably not so bad at all in Santiago for urban professionals. But perhaps it would not be so easy, as the politicians there have a lot of pressure from anti-immigrant sentiment protesters at the moment ( https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/venezuelan-migrants-chile-face-fiery-anti-immigration-protests-rcna2358 )

Somewhere, (was is /pol/?) someone posted a pic that purported to be from a Russian unit overrunning a group of international volunteers, who deserted their posts, and being shocked to find that among the dropped equipment was a dildo.

Just had a snap impression of it. As a still image it could have easily been staged – I’d honestly like to believe it was. But I really find it harder and harder, each day. For one thing, it matches completely what the other side is actually saying:

To me, the idea that it was intentionally on the teleprompter to deliberately generate a “news cycle” makes the most sense.

However, if you insist on the gaffe excuse… That gets quite amusing.

PEACE 😇

As an American, I understand his general positions in international relationship, often finding them less tortured than American justifications.
If I was Russian I think I would have a respect for Putin for stopping the hemhorraging of the Yeltsin years, but still be dubious of Putin’s policies domestically.

I was under the impression that Chile had a fair bit of ethnocentric superiority baked into their culture. Not as much as Argentina certainly but in that vein. They may look at Venezuelans as inferior brown hoi-polloi, while being more accepting of Russians as relative cultural equals, or at least not regarding them with hostility.

It’s just a guess on my part.

The look on the face of the adjacent Muslim student is priceless.

Am impressed by your confident identification.

Nearly dancing on the edge of supposing that she must be from Mali. But there are so many tribes and phenotypes from Francophone Africa, that I don’t feel confident myself.

But you have got me wondering what percentage of blacks in France are Muslim.
_____
That is pretty funny what Panetta said. (though I have never heard it before) One sad thing about the melting pot is that it cuts down on these funny, ethnic stereotype claims about politicians, sometimes made by themselves. My favorite, of course, is when some womanizers blame it on their “Italian blood.” Though Italians were possibly the last big group of Euros to come, so that might explain the frequency of the claim.

Am somewhat dismayed to find that Biden is accounted 5/8 Irish. Though, I feel in my heart as though it must really be somewhat less than half, if one accounted for blood rather than geography.

JFK may have been a scoundrel, but at least he was genuinely a war hero. (that is, unless his war story was concocted)

It’s a badly kept secret that the Google Chromebooks for schools was designed to do the exact same thing.

The current Chilean President is a big shitlib, and the country was a progenitor of the BLM cultural revolution in the US, with a new leftist constitution being imposed.

I would imagine that Boric would look favorably on disaffected Russian liberal emigres.

Seems quite surprising to me that Peru is food negative.

The look on the face of the adjacent Muslim student is priceless.

Am impressed by your confident identification.

Nearly dancing on the edge of supposing that she must be from Mali. But there are so many tribes and phenotypes from Francophone Africa, that I don’t feel confident myself.

French colonial African Christians become “French”. Once assimilated, mixed race “French” Christian marriages are quite common in France. The results could be described as light brown (or anachronisticly as high yellow).

While not 100% certain, based on the limited evidence of a single photo, the odds are steeply in in my favour in terms of Muslim identification.

you have got me wondering what percentage of blacks in France are Muslim.

Sadly, European statistical entities hate keeping that sort of demographic. Any such research will be further complicated by the aforementioned mixed race marriages.

If you find a reliable study, please share it.

PEACE 😇

I just can’t see direct NATO intervention. Europeans won’t fight and while the US Deep State would love to put troops in Ukraine, the US public would never stand for it. Also I don’t think that the current woke US military is capable of conducting successful combat operations.

That Europe and Canada have managed to stagnate since 2008 with no political upheaval shows that there is no hope whatsoever for those countries.

This deadline is approaching – fast. Who will blink first?

Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov on the question of whether Russia will cut off gas deliveries to Europe if it refuses to pay in rubles: "No payment – no gas"

— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) March 28, 2022

What will happen to Germany with energy?

Originally, I thought that all the actions would be limited to Nord Stream 2, and the rest of it would be talk. But, perhaps, unintentionally, they seem to be caught in an ideological trap of not being willing to pay in rubles. And, as far as I can tell, they have underestimated Russia’s willingness to pull the plug.

It is spring, at least. But I doubt that they can make up the difference over the next six or seven months. And that is not even considering industry, in the meantime.

I found Ursula von der Leyen amusing when she said “We will not allow our sanctions to be circumvented. The time when energy could be used to blackmail us is over.”

I mean, she has to be talking about winter, right? But that seems like very short term thinking. And total lack of thought about industry.

I suspect that, short of some peace deal (which may be unlikely), the EU elites would be willing to go to rationing, as long as it remains a workable solution for staying in power.

The European Union will decline after this crisis and then stagnate.

The stagnation already happened after 2008 GFC and the 2011 eurozone crisis.

These numbers are in US dollars. The euro was overvalued leading up to 2008 and the dollar undervalued, which can partly explain why the stagnation happened: there had to be an adjustment. As an aside, the dollar being undervalued in early 2000s may sound counter-intuitive given how wide American trade deficits were, but that was largely a function of an even more undervalued Yuan.

The 2010s saw a re-alignment for both of these currencies, which depressed EU GDP. Now the opposite argument can be made: America’s gigantic trade deficits are partly a function of an overvalued greenback whereas Europe has consistent trade surpluses.

That being said, Europe’s willingness to throw away its economic well-being to pursue a costly and ultimately foolish US-led proxy war in Ukraine doesn’t portend well for the continent. You cannot have prosperity if you do not have independence of action.

The story doesn’t appear to be concocted but it was promoted to bring him public attention and set him up for a political career. The writer John Hersey who later wrote Hiroshima, wrote a long recounting of the action that was published in New Yorker magazine during the war, thus bringing JFK to the attention of the journalists and elite who read that magazine.
The actual event wasn’t quite Medal of Honor material but he was brave, did his duty and took care of his men. If you strip out the puffery and dramatization, basically his PT boat was on a night patrol and was run over by a Japanese destroyer when they blundered into each other. JFK organized the survivors and swam with them to shore, helping a badly wounded crewman, then swam for help.
The destroyer captain survived the war and was interviewed by reporters when JFK was President. As I recall it was kind of funny, they breathlessly asked him to recount the story and the captain was somewhat nonplussed. He basically just said “uh, well we were on patrol, and we ran over a boat and were in a hurry so we didn’t stop”. “Are you happy you didn’t inadvertently kill the man who would become President of the US?” “Yeah sure, whatever”.

(1) Talking about Russia’s use of nuclear weapons is natural consequence of what Putin was intimating in his speeches and it is a well known Russian doctrine of de-escalation (of conventional war) via nuclear escalation so talking abpould could be justified. But I agree that Russia would not do it unless some Karlin like madman took over Kremlin but talking about it in our media actually serves Putin as it is defeatist in nature as Putin wants to bring Ukraine and the West sooner to the negotiating table. Your vigilance of picking up all anti-Russian vibes in the MSN seems to be off. Talking about nukes is pro-Russian because that’s what Russia wants us do.

(2) US can do the same to Kremlin with ballistic missiles what you claim Moscow can do to Pentagon with its “hypersonic” wunderwaffe.

(3) Does Russia have better anti-missile systems? Where did this idea come from? Can they intercept ballistic missiles that are as hypersonic as say, Russian Kinzhal. Kinzhal is modified Iskander. And Iskander not much different from Pershings that were retired in 1990’s?

(4). Hype of hypersonic weapons.

HYPERSONIC HYPE OVERESTIMATES MODERN MISSILE DEFENSE CAPABILITIES ( March 28, 2022)
https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/hypersonic-hype-overestimates-modern-missile-defense-capabilities/

Because most conversations surrounding hypersonic missiles tend to focus a great deal on the idea that they can’t be intercepted, the inference seems to be that non-hypersonic ballistic and cruise missiles are a problem that current air defenses have already solved. Below every story or video you can find online about the Kinzhal, for instance, you’ll find commenters arguing that the Kinzhal must be some kind of cutting-edge technology like the world has never seen, otherwise, the U.S. would have systems that can intercept it.

This imaginary juxtaposition of “impossible to stop” future missiles against “practically useless” current missiles is, to be clear, just that: imaginary.

For example, I think Putin could announce that tomorrow morning at 10am he’ll be destroying NATO headquarters in Brussels, and there’s absolutely nothing NATO could do to stop that. Same for the Pentagon.

That would destroy the globalist deep state like nothing else. Alas, Putin is unlikely to go along with this idea. Because,

Putin is a very rational individual with extremely limited aims who certainly doesn’t want to risk nuclear war

But many times a rational individual cannot fight a crazy, wicked, evil oligarchy. Some quantity of unpredictability is absolutely essential. Nothing worse than the enemy predicting your reactions 100% under all circumstances.

The Saudis have had a fair amount of success against Houthi ballistic missiles using the PAC-3. I think they intercept like 50%, something that would have been unthinkable 30 years ago.

It’s not Germany’s role, it’s their entire attitude toward human life and us Ostuntermenschen: With a “polite smile”… they have not changed one tiny bit. https://t.co/xfj7Ad9dlz

— toomas ilves, ex-verif (@IlvesToomas) March 28, 2022

Former president of Estonia. His profile pic shows him talking to John McCain.
While I would even admit that Lindner’s behaviour towards the Ukrainian ambassador was inappropriate, I increasingly think those Baltic dwarf states should be ignored. Their representatives seem to be incapable of expressing themselves in a way that doesn’t let their deep-rooted inferiority complexes and resentments shine through.

lol, and many here been making fun of soviet boomer Putler with his idiotic and delusional planing abilities, but appears he is no any different from some absolutely respectable average mainstream carreer politician in the middle of EU. Luckily it is bad omen for RF though 😉
btw, honesty should be valued in such conversations, not condemned, as it saves very much time, so Ilves himself looks like quite an idiot too without a doubt, if he is really sincere.

from some absolutely respectable average mainstream carreer politician in the middle of EU.

Lindner isn’t a politician I’m going to defend, and I would even admit that Germany’s stance prior to the invasion (not sending weapons to Ukraine) was very misguided. Still, people like Ilves should learn to express their sentiments in a more diplomatic way. These points of view aren’t constructive when it looks like the next winter might be rather problematic for Germany in terms of energy supply.
And to be blunt, I’m really creeped out by the enthusiasm for people like John McCain…ok, I get many Eastern Europeans are legitimately afraid of Russia, but imo it’s foolish if this translates into support for the most extreme American hegemonists.

Globohomo news from Germany:
https://jungefreiheit.de/debatte/kommentar/2022/transgender-maus/

Sendung mit der Maus, one of Germany’s longest-running children’s tv programmes (aimed at children in kindergarten and elementary school), recently had a segment about transgenderism…ending on the hopeful note that soon everybody in Germany will be able to declare their gender according to their own desires without much legal hassle (this is a reference to legislation to that effect planned by the new government).
TV must be one of the worst inventions ever, even if the medium isn’t inherently subversive, it’s certainly one of the more effective channels for re-propramming society.

looks like the next winter might be rather problematic for Germany in terms of energy supply.

imho, there about 70% probability that all the fun with natgas export ban from RF will begin way sooner, next week even. OTOH it is way better to start all the forced natgas rationing in spring &summer, when overall demand is seasonally lower than in the middle of winter.

30% leaving for the possibility of introducing some convoluted Kremlin financial legal scheming of EU natgas payments a la “baikal finans group” circa Yukos raiding era, which will change nothing in essence, but will be presented as some huge rouble victory through various RF prop channels for the gullible audiences both domestic&abroad.

it looks like the next winter might be rather problematic for Germany in terms of energy supply.

Not to worry, Ted Cruz will be sending you American LNG. You will, of course, have to pay 4-5 times what you would have paid for Russian gas, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping the world’s greatest defender and promoter of rainbow people and not some backward country that hates it’s LGBTQXYZ citizens.

some backward country that hates it’s LGBTQXYZ citizens

What a disgusting slander, how dare you?!

Chile does happen to be sitting on very large reserves of Lithium, which is a good jump starter for hi tech.

It was an episode of McHale’s Navy (comedy show about PT Boat commander

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McHale%27s_Navy

and his doofus commanding officers.) Tim Conway was one of them and he actually was a great comedian though you probably did not see much of that in this stupid television show. McHale was a better driver than the Kennedy family members.

Does anybody know the correct spelling of Kennedy, plural? Neither Kennedies nor Kennedys looks right to me so I have to write awkward sentences like the two previous!

Seen a few takes saying security guarantees are the equivalent of NATO so unacceptable to Russia, don’t understand this argument, the issue is foreign troops basing there, exercises with foreign militaries and WMDs, all of which are to be prohibited. Whether Ukraine ever joins the EU is doubtful, perhaps more of a sticking point though.

Hopefully these talks will go somewhere, they seem to be doing so. Lets see how the crazies react…

Storage levels in Europe, already at levels that indicate issues next winter, are rebuilt in the summer. Also industry requires natural gas supply to keep the factories working, again there are already issues here. That is before we get in to issues regarding production of diesel, fertiliser and the myriad of items that are by-products of the energy sector. You sound as clueless as the neocons when they frog marched us off the economic cliff.

The real president Trump, very recently came out and inferred that Biden is acting cowardly and that the US should be sending more than just planes to Ukraine:

How will posterity judge us 100 years from now for being so cowardly and sitting on the sidelines?

Trump let the Iranians bomb that US base, just political point scoring, Russia and Ukraine isn’t something he will want to dog him in his second term. Instinctively antiwar.

The real president Trump, very recently came out and inferred that Biden is acting cowardly and that the US should be sending more than just planes to Ukraine:

Bludgeoning the current occupied White House is not a good predictor for future policy. Inferring, on your part, is a precarious position.

Trump started no new wars despite being baited by sociopath Khamenei.

You assumption that Trump would start a war with Russia is quite detached from Trump’s actual record.

How will posterity judge us 100 years from now for being so cowardly and sitting on the sidelines?

Posterity will judge Not-The-President Biden as a loose cannon, nearly provoking nuclear war. Posterity will judge those who avoided such a war as wise.

______

Let me restate material from a prior post:

https://www.unz.com/akarlin/open-thread-182-russia-ukraine/#comment-5256569

@MrHack
My strategy is to wait till “the real not the president Trump” is reelected and becomes the real president again. He’ll correct things in the US and in Ukraine too, just wait and see. Putin will have no other choice but to remove all of his troops from Ukraine, in deference to Trump’s omniscient greatness.

There can be little doubt that Not-The-President Biden’s elevation emboldened aggressive WEF Elites. The Blue Coup color revolution in the U.S. placed a huge amount of pressure on Putin to act sooner rather than later.

It is key to note that Trump is neither omniscient nor omnipotent. Your expectation that he will be able to somehow reverse Putin’s gains to date is badly misplaced. You have the magnitude wrong, and likely the direction too.

I suspect Trump would tacitly endorse Putin’s border revisions as fait accompli. The last thing MAGA wants is Russia supporting the actual enemy to American worker/citizens. Peeling Russia away from China, at aggressor WEF/Ukraine expense, would be a win.

Your expectation that Trump will ride in to save the day is deluded. This will be over in a few months.

PEACE 😇

You assumption that Trump would start a war with Russia is quite detached from Trump’s actual record.

I never inferred nor stated that Trump should start a war with Russia in order to presumably save Ukraine. For supposedly being a sophisticated commenter at this blog, you have this bad habit of putting words in peoples’ mouths. Helping Ukraine out by sending some weaponry (planes) that it can use to defend itself, especially in its skys, would be heroic. To believe that Putin would retaliate against any such action by using atomic weaponry is foolish. Ronald Reagan stood up to a much stronger and unified Soviet Union, took a lot of flack for it, and remains a popular conservative cultural icon to this day. Your weak stance as to not supplying Ukraine with planes is much more reminiscent of the “loose canon” Biden, then either that of Trump or Reagan. 🙁

The fact remains that Trump is now on record for supporting planes for Ukraine, while you whimper around trying to run some sort of misdirection against his stated stance.

What does Ukraine need planes for (whose number would be rather limited in any case), the course of the war so far seems to indicate that anti-tank weapons and anti-air missiles can be pretty effective, not least in urban combat.

Your illiteracy is a severe problem. Combine that with your unsophisticated trolling and the most you can do is provide comic relief.

— You Keep Lying —
— We Keep Laughing —

PEACE 😇

by asking them the right questions.

[MORE]

Reading this makes me glad I voted third-party instead of trump the second time around.

The US government does not need to instigate or escalate conflict any more than it has already. If Trump wants to help Americans be safer and less poor, he should call for an end to US invasions, occupations, and meddling far from our borders — and the gradual closure of most of our 700-plus bases abroad. That eliminates hundreds of “tripwires” that can get us unnecessarily into conflicts far from our borders. It will save more than $150 Billion per year, too, all of it borrowed.

Instead, Trump appears content with the US’s military encirclement of Russia, its breaking of multiple clear high-level promises not to move NATO eastward, its apparent construction of biological-warfare laboratories on Russia’s borders, its economic sanctions designed to hurt average Russian families, its attempt to interfere in and overthrow governments or exacerbate unrest in neighboring CIS countries like Kazakhstan, its support for beating & terrorizing and discriminating against Russian-speakers in the ukraine, its assistance in inculcating ukrainian youth to hate their close kindred people in Russia proper, and its constant lies, exaggerations and insults against Russians.

We don’t make America great again by spending ourselves further into oblivion. Trump’s preferred policy of massive ever-increasing military budgets and escalation of war with Russia isn’t even arguably in the interest of Americans. With the aggressive attempt to control the world and dictate to other countries far away from us, people like Trump ensure ever more government debt, ever higher interest payments on that debt, then hyperinflation and insolvency.

But you appear to be correct that Trump was elected president of the USA, not fraudsident biden.

Our kids are learning Mandarin. They’ll let you know how historians record this era.

The planes should have and could have been given to Ukraine long time ago. But the process that was going on behind the scenes was sabotaged by making it public by, iirc Josep Borrell that led to Blinken’s “green light” putting Poland on the spot and Poland’s proposal to hand over planes to the US first and then Nuland and State Dept getting cold feet which all took place in the public sphere. The process that should have been kept behind the scenes was made public which allowed for the input and interference by all kinds of twats exemplified here by German_reader here and other Russian assets. Josep Borrell should be thoroughly X-rayed and subjected to very deep and invasive colonoscopy to find his Russian connections.

Russian nuclear threats should be ignored in decisions making. The threats are made for the twats like German_reader and Russian assets to pick theme up and amplify. Russians will threaten us with nukes when we try to stop buying their gas and oil which is Russian version of gunboat diplomacy many orders of magnitude greater than opening Japan by Commodore Perry. But Japanese did not have guns while we have nukes. The doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction is here to stay and it keeps the balance as it kept before and us withdrawing from doing something because Russia is making threats only weakens the effectiveness of MAD and brings the war more likely. Thus the “Bring It On” attitude is what makes MAD effective. Russians know that that’s why they so much rely on twats like German_reader to erode the MAD.

“We will not allow our sanctions to be circumvented. The time when energy could be used to blackmail us is over.”

Thus spoke Ursula: a perfect example of an assistant school principal rising to the heights if power. They have one in England too, even dumber. The time for running in the hallways is over!!!

Brussels is committed – the switch to rubles would be too humiliating and very public. We will get rationing, promises, blackmail – block any oil and gas they can, that’s what navies are for.

Russia’s point is simple: you can’t pay us in money that you then freeze. Saying that energy is exempted is nonsense – money is fungible. EU in effect demands energy from Russia for free – that’s what freezing the euro payment accounts means. Let’s see who blinks.

Kiev has tried this and ended up buying with a huge mark-up through intermediaries. It can be costly. Anyone can open an energy shop in Yerevan or Istanbul and for a fee exchange euros for rubles. (Yevardian is leaving, maybe he smells a business opportunity?)

The process that should have been kept behind the scenes was made public which allowed for the input and interference by all kinds of twats exemplified here by German_reader here and other Russian assets.

Yeah, I’m sure they didn’t send those planes because of me.
The planes are merely a symbolic issue anyway, the number of MiGs from Eastern EU states that could be given away can’t be that high, and of course you’re not even trying to make a case they would have much effect on the war (unlike the anti-tank weapons and anti-air missiles which have proven to be effective in degrading Russian capabilities).

Russian nuclear threats should be ignored in decisions making.

Boomer who’s spent the last two years hysterically screeching about Corona thinks one should totally ignore the nuke issue in decision-making. Can’t make this shit up.

Your reply is pathetic. There was nothing at all unsophisticated, nor funny nor any lie within my reply. Your inability to respond (as others have) in an intelligent manner belies your weak and defenseless stance. Methinks that it’s actually you who is acting the troll.

Nobody’s laughing, except maybe at you. 🙂

you appear to be correct that Trump was elected president of the USA, not fraudsident biden.

Almost everyone has reached this conclusion. Every objective look at 2020 demonstrates more vote fraud. (1)

In his report, on the Public Choice website but still awaiting final approval, Lott said that there were 255,000 excess votes and possibly as many as 368,000 for Biden in the key states.
…
He concluded, “The voter turnout rate data provide stronger evidence of significant excess Biden votes in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The estimates imply that the counties wherein vote fraud was alleged returned between 142,000 and 368,000 excess Biden votes. While the findings reported here are dramatic, they may be underestimates because the voter turnout estimates do not account for ballots cast for the opposing candidate that are lost, destroyed, or replaced with ballots filled out for the other candidate.

Anyone claiming Not-The-President Biden as legitimate are at best out-of-touch, at worst genuinely irrational.

Trump appears content with the US’s military encirclement of Russia, its breaking of multiple clear high-level promises not to move NATO eastward, …

You are falling into the same bad assumption as Mr. Troll.

While Trump should be in office, he is not. He is not even formally campaigning as a candidate at this point. Trump is not in a position to officially set policy, thus he has much broader latitude to roast the occupied White House.

His record while in office shows substantial resistance to the excesses of NeoConDemocrat warmongers.

PEACE 😇
__________

(1) https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/washington-secrets/new-report-255-000-excess-votes-for-biden-in-six-key-2020-states

I’m no military expert, but those in the know seem to indicate that planes would be needed in some instances, beyond drones and anti-air missiles. I often wonder how many planes Ukraine actually still has that can be used? Reports seem to indicate that they’re still being used and are quite effective.

Ok, I’m no military expert either. I don’t really have a position whether it would be a good idea or not to give Ukraine those planes, on some level it shouldn’t be any more escalatory than the arms shipments that are already happening. But I don’t know how much it would impact the defense capabilities of Eastern EU members.

Mr. Troll,

ROTFLMAO

My reply is accurate. Your denial is ludicrous.

Let us examine your histrionic diatribe / fake position.

— Cowardice = Sending potentially useful arms to Ukraine.
— Bravery = Adding a tiny number of planes unlikely to be useful.

According to you, Mr. Troll, actions that change nothing are determinate between Cowardice & Bravery. No one with two brain cells to rub together would attempt make that sort of specious, bizzaro-land distinction.

PEACE 😇
_________________________________

We are not laughing with you.
   We are all laughing at you!!!
_________________________________

Russia is one of the few White countries that doesn’t allow endless third world immigration.

Another country is Ukraine.

But the White nationalists here think it is a win against the Jews to have Russia butcher White Ukrainians.

White nationalists like Anglin that defend Putin should line up on a bridge and jump off while shouting

INTERNATIONAL JEWRY I STAB AT THEE

Hey, I know that you’ve been scrambling to counter Trump’s recent call to send some planes to Ukraine. I’ll even concede that it’s in part politically motivated to make Biden (and guys like you) look cowardly. Last time around I suggested that you take two aspirins to deal with the pain. Calling me names wont help. Maybe this time try a good stiff drink of good old fashioned American bourbon to cope. 🙂

….it would impact the defense capabilities of Eastern EU members.

Do you mean NATO members? This confusing EU and NATO shows that you really don’t understand much of anything.

But there would be no impact, we don’t shoot at each others lately and any threat from Russia would be long-distance, the MIGs couldn’t do anything about it.

If the MIGs move to Ukraine they would be quickly destroyed. The weaker side in a war should minimize potential targets. Kiev is doing the opposite: digging in its forces so they can be gradually obliterated, prancing around places like Mariupol where there is no way to escape, showcasing planes and ‘volunteers’ so Russia has more targets.

The way to get something out of this for Kiev is jiu-jitsu: stop shooting, withdraw and scatter. That would preserve Ukie forces, put Russians in a difficult position of responsibility for civilians, and move the conflict from war to discussions: West is clearly better at talking than Russia. Russia traditionally wins wars and loses peace.

But Washington prefers Ukie martyrs, more blood the better – they really don’t care much how people in Ukraine live, they are just props in their power games.

Do you mean NATO members? This confusing EU and NATO shows that you really don’t understand much of anything.

Was somewhat sloppy on my part, but the Eastern EU members are all in NATO (and iirc Russia in 2014 also seemed to regard the two organizations as linked; btw, wtf, Albania and Montenegro are in NATO? I’m sure I registered it at the time of their accession, but still shocking to be reminded of this absurdity).
Disagree about your recommendations for Ukraine, they have to keep fighting until Russia is willing to settle for acceptable terms.
Anyway, since I manage to get shit both from you and that miserable old fool utu (who by now belongs in a padded cell, given his insane, paranoid ranting about “Russian assets” hiding in cupboards and who knows where else) I probably should follow Yevardian and take a break from this comments section. Almost everything worth saying about this war has been said many times over anyway, not much point to write more until there’s some sort of conclusion.

fashioned cruise missiles

Strategic nuclear weapons are fired by intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Cruise missiles are a kind of small unmanned, subsonic kamikaze plane. They are used for tactical bombing of fixed targets.

shoot down all our

From all I read, intercontinental ballistic missiles cannot be intercepted by current missile defense, well at least with MIRV (Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle).

NATO’s strategic nuclear weapons use MIRV, while Russia is currently also upgrading to this system (with around 30% of strategic missiles now claimed to be moving to MIRV according to the articles I read)

their hypersonics seems to be

Strategic nuclear weapons, on all sides, will be from intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are “hypersonic” (above Mach 5). For example, the new intercontinental ballistic missiles are going to Mach 23.

In strategic missile conflict between Russia vs. USA (with maybe UK and France). Weapons used will be these below.

Russia
From submarine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSM-56_Bulava
From land
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RT-2PM2_Topol-M

USA
From submarine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UGM-133_Trident_II
From land
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGM-30_Minuteman

France
From submarine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M51_(missile)

United Kingdom
From submarine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trident_(UK_nuclear_programme)

rational individual with extremely limited aims who certainly doesn’t want to risk nuclear war.

Nuclear war is always very unlikely, but because as an ordinary citizen we can’t really know how unlikely. It is still a good idea to know how you would manage.

There is the map of probable targets in the USA according to Federal Emergency Management Agency. Blast radius is not that large of the weapons and number fired would not be as many as shown in this map, but fallout would be going over wider areas.

For Russia, NATO would probably focus on “genociding” the country by destroying of cities.

Entirely leaving aside the claims that the Russian military is being defeated in Ukraine, they ignore Russia’s important conventional advantage in hypersonic missiles, which Scott Ritter seems to have confirmed in his long interview.

I suspect you’ve already read his latest in-depth analysis, in case you haven’t and for the benefit of others.

No.

Anti Russian dogma is hideous and stupid. The demise of Soviet communism and the appearance of a far freer Russia is fabulous. Humanity is winning you idiots.

I am not a Russian asset. I am a moose asset.

I never inferred nor stated that Trump should start a war

Once is an innocent mistake, twice a misuse of the word. You mean implied not inferred.

https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/chooseyourwords/imply-infer/

Russia have better anti-missile system

There is a system from the late Cold War (like a different idea than Reagan’s “Star Wars”), to fire nuclear weapons above Moscow, to block intercontinental ballistic missiles. Nuclear weapons would explode to destroy or move the ICBM from its destination.

The concept probably hasn’t been tested except in the conceptual level, but it claimed it could succeed if 2 ICBMs are fired at Moscow. (But of course, in nuclear war, there will probably be dozens of ICBMs, with MIRV).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABM-1_Galosh
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-135_anti-ballistic_missile_system

The USSR had probably more verifiable advantage compared to the USA, was the “passive defense” for civilians.

In Soviet times, there was a gasmask available distribution for every citizen (to survive fallout). (However, this doesn’t exist today).

Moscow also has fallout shelters located in (at least some older) metro stations. This has even independent air and walls which raise to seal the station. There is a video report about this system.

Mr. Troll,

Why are you ducking the question?

Your accusations depend on your definition of bravery and your definition of cowardice.

Based on your inarticulate posting, this is the best possible analysis of you position:

— Cowardice = Sending potentially useful arms to Ukraine.
— Bravery = Adding a tiny number of planes unlikely to be useful.

If this is not an accurate grasp of your near illiterate deployment of the English language. Please provide explicit, unambiguous definitions for bravery and cowardice in terms of *exact* count and types of material that needs to be delivered to Zelensky before he loses.

PEACE 😇

You are right, sorry…I typed w/out much reflection…It happens when one lives in a cupboard :). But there is difference between EU and NATO: with some exceptions (Poland, Lithuania) support for joining NATO in East-Central Europe was low: 30-40%. Then EU made it clear that there will be no EU without first NATO and that moved things along. In effect a blackmail.

With Ukraine it is similar: Russia never objected to Ukraine in EU, they simply said there would be economic consequences since one can’t have open trading borders with both. EU was the one that didn’t want Ukraine – and still doesn’t. Russia objected to NATO – West intentionally confuses it for propaganda.

If Kiev waits for acceptable terms they will lose people-assets and likely worsen their military situation. They are not winning and time is not on their side. It is likely that as Russia invests more in the fighting – and correspondingly has more losses – they will want to get more. The Black See coast is very tempting. You only fight a grinding attrition war if you can eventually win or get a stalemate. Based on Russia’s situation they will not settle for less. More fighting makes the eventual deal worse for Kiev. The best deal they could have gotten on the eve of the war, but that opportunity is gone.

‘utu’ has become totally unhinged. He is old and knows how this will turn out, so seethes with anger. But we get to see a real example of how societies descend into paranoid madness. The 20th century explained in front of our eyes, we have not moved too far from out grandparents.

Now, this is better.

— Cowardice = not sending potentially useful arms to Ukraine.
— Bravery = Adding a sufficient (30 – 50) number of planes likely to be useful.

However, I don’t feel that providing an opinion contrary to your own, in any way makes me a troll. Keep coping.

mells a business

Lol I would guess most commercial materialist oriented personalities in Armenia, who are not connected to the political class, will have emigrated to Glendale, or at least Moscow nowadays. Cutting a little money changing currency in Erevan or Gyumri does not seem such a great opportunity by comparison.

Yevardian seems more interested in secularized cultural, coffee house, branch of the Armenian society. He starts to write more confidently, when writing about literary criticism, Dostoevsky, Basque history. Although unusual to be with us, as those kind of people seem very politically liberal on average.

Haven’t you read what utu said to me about nuclear war?

New levels of RussoCope have been reached, so time for another list of absurdly cringe and often contradictory Russbot claims:

1. 4 of our 5 axes of advance are defeated, but that is just as planned as they were actually all feints.

2. Rather than using our strengths against Ukrainian weaknesses, as is the normal manouevrist approach, we cleverly turned this on its head and used our weaknesses against Ukrainian strengths. This is Russian style.

3. We launched the biggest and highest casualty war in Europe since WW2 in order to slightly expand the territory we already de facto controlled. At least until we have to revise our past aim next week.

4. We have demilitarised Ukraine. Its forces are bigger, better equipped and with higher morale than when the war started, but we have shot missiles at a lot of barracks.

5. Something about “biolabs.” Literally defined as laboratories which deal with biological issues, like PCR tests.

6. We have hypersonic missile, so it doesn’t matter that we are second best military in Ukraine. We would still easily beat NATO!

7. Something about Ukraine developing nukes.

8. Something about Azov, despite the invasion making them heroes.

9. We have crushed Ukrainian nationalism.

10. Our Potemkin exchange rate shows how great our completely non-primitive farming and resource extraction economy is.

11. We never invaded.

12. We would invade again.

13. Ukraine deserved it.

14. We have very few casualties.

15. India didn’t actively sanction us, nor did Congo.

16. Ukrainian rightists won’t accept the peace deal that everyone thinks humiliates Russia, so Ukraine will have civil war, and then we will take all of Ukraine.

17. Ukrainian civillians will rebel when they find out real costs of war.

18. Neighbours of Ukraine will take advantage of Ukrainian weakness and will pick back up old conflicts to Ukraine’s disadvantage.

19. Numbers 16, 17 and 18 aren’t just projections of our own fears!

20. We are happy that our best and brightest have run away.

21. Cauldron encirclement cauldron encirclement pocket deep war encirclement master Russian tactics is coming really soon.

22. The US Dollar system is over.

23. But what about Western censorship?

24. But what about people not liking Russians after our invasion?

25. The war has just started. We always wanted a war of attrition with our supposedly brand spanking new professional army.

26. Russia has done amazingly well. We had so much less manpower. We have truly, by our advances only being defeated so far, rather than routed, won a David versus Goliath victory against hegemon Ukraine.

27. We’re going to start trying real soon.

28. No really, we were just letting the Ukrainians win.

29. We’ve been winning all of this time. Can’t you see that we are now at 10% of Ukraine’s territory, and even two weeks ago, were at 15%. This is tremendous.

30. We are not retreating. We are making tactical advances.

31. We’re going to keep the nuclear power stations in Ukrainian territory and own the Ukrainians’ electricity market.

32. The Chinese didn’t sanction us. They are our greatest friends.

You are the one with a coping problem. You also have a counting problem.
___

Now that you have given exact numbers… Let us drill down on them. Your desired number of planes is 50 — Where are you going to get you “bravery” MiG-29’s?

Poland has less than 30 operational MiG 29A. Bulgaria and Slovakia have about 10 each. Even if you could sweep up every operational plane that is less than 50. If you have heard higher numbers, you are trying to include “down checked” aircraft being cannibalized for spare parts.

You are clearly numerically challenged. Why do you want things that are impossible?
____

As a side question. Why do you think a limited number of fighters would be long-term helpful versus Russia?

It might buy a little time for Zelensky to negotiate, but it does not seem to strategically change the balance of power. Russia’s Air Force would still be many times larger (higher count & more modern) than Ukraine’s AF if 30 (or even 50) used fighters were added to their service.

PEACE 😇

some 600,000 defenders (or more).

…and goes straight to the garbage box with such numerical analitics, lol

The market seems to believe more on Peskov words than on Ursula words.

https://twitter.com/GeromanAT/status/1508780448608137224/photo/2

Mariupol summary.
– The flag of Donetsk People Republic flies in the city.
– 5000 ukronazis dead. 5,000 captured.
– Mopping operations in some buildings of the city.
– Some Azovites hide in the Azovstal steel factory. They will be supressed by hunger.
– Kadirov and Pushilin in the city.
– Civilians come out of the cellars.
– Many coincident testimonies about the atrocities committed by the Nazis of the Azov battalion against civilians.
– The city was badly damaged but there is relief in the people as the news about the suppression of the Azov Battalion spreads.

At least Germany is rich, so you can wipe your tears in eurobills. Meanwhile:

We are pleased to share that in our endeavour to make our campus a truly inclusive space, the ground floor of GH-6 has been designated as a gender neutral space with rooms allotted to students self-identifying as members of the LGBTQ+ community, with plans to move towards a pic.twitter.com/163JeSGQ99

— NALSAR University of Law (@NALSAR_Official) March 26, 2022

The GDP of Somalia but the cultural mores of coastal America.

It’s time to surrender in Ukraine.

WN are split on this question. Besides, legally speaking if you go to fight for either state you are giving yourself a legal problem.

The Ukrainians have acted insane with Russia. They should have appeased the stronger state.

You also have a counting problem…You are clearly numerically challenged. Why do you want things that are impossible?

I CLEARLY WROTE: Adding a sufficient (30 – 50) number of planes likely to be useful.

No need to go berserk and call me “numerically challenged” when it’s clearly you who are inept at juggling numbers (I won’t even try to embarrass you and bring up that your reading comprehension skills seem to be sub par too). 🙂

conventional hypersonics. As Ritter points out, the fact that they’re maneuverable means that they can’t be intercepted by standard anti-missile defenses.

The problem with this type of overstatement is that standard anti-missile defenses can work, though less effectively. Hypersonic is an incremental improvement, not a strategic battlefield change.

One does not want to be trapped by understatement either. Existing anti-missile defenses will need more time & distance to intercept. Flattop super carriers will have to operate further away from their targets. This slows cycle time, requires more mid air refueling, and is inconvenient in any number of ways.

China is still working on their TYPE-003 & -004 super carrier efforts which will first sail after the U.S. has their own hypersonic missiles. Clearly the PLA does not believe the hyped message they are trying to push.

PEACE 😇

Ha, ha, ha!!! Keep ’em coming. You should get paid for writing this well.

https://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSkS0ZWnf2_vqgKhdS3I_jo4EBNyYXq89iD81je9v7Fi4ZRfMWM

I am sorry that you have numeracy & linguistic issues.

Please, explain how YOU can get to YOUR number of 50 when that exceeds the maximum number of operable MiG-29A’s that are potentially available.

Even if you could get your mythical “‘Bravery 50” it would make no long term difference. So, not particularly “brave” by any objective standard.

We all understand that you are in ultranationalistic denial because your side is losing. However, you do not need to compound that clear desperation by pushing fiction. It is embarrassing *copium* on your part.

PEACE 😇

The planes are merely a symbolic issue anyway, the number of MiGs from Eastern EU states that could be given away can’t be that high

By the way, there was some talk about the Warsaw Pact weapons that the Federal Germany took over from GDR. Some of those may even have been constructed by Ukrainians back in the day. The Ukrainians inquired about those weapons. But Germany apparently did an inventory and said there was very little left of use.

The Ukrainian Air Force has actually been very efficient. They are taking out Russian Su’s in respectable numbers. There is a limited number of pilots Russia possesses (each pilot takes like $8M and years to get trained & prepared). If it wasn’t for the Ukrainian Air Force (including the famous Ghost of Kyiv, who apparently was real), much more damage would probably have been inflicted by Russia. So more planes for Ukraine definitely would’ve helped (potentially changed the course of the war in Ukraine’s favor even earlier, although the turn of March 25 has been sensational as it is).

I said “30 – 50” indicating a range. 30 being on the low side that even you admit that might be possible. 30 would be helpful for now, perhaps more later. Get it, now?

So Russia is beaten, then?
It is going to wipe up the blood of its patriots and return the territory to the faggots in Ukraine?

Well, at least they have NATO as guarantors.

This whole thing is a huge head fake or Putin has just regime changed himself and the Faggot World Order won.

…little money changing currency in Erevan or Gyumri does not seem such a great opportunity by comparison.

Sure, it is no big deal for $100k. But imagine the volume a sharp intermediary could get here, 25 basis points for billion euros pays for a lot of Turkish coffee. Even Dostoevsky would jump on it.

We have two sides that can’t give in publicly, but both want the business to continue. So you go through intermediaries, it is not that hard.

In the short run Russia will muddle the process, delay and wait. In the long run EU will pay in rubles. EU stupidly shot itself in the foot by objecting “but, contracts“, hiding behind a temporary reason. As the current contracts end – some are ending later this year – they will quietly switch to rubles. On the spot market there are no contracts – a gold mine for middlemen. The ruble will climb and prices will be higher.

Both sides will claim that they prevailed. After all it is about who can preen and strut as a victor. Silly world.

I get that you stated the number 50. A number in a range is still part of that range. Now you need to:

— Defend the number 50 that you introduced to the conversation.
— Or, admit error and withdraw it.

Linguistic prevarication will not help your desperate attempts at evading what you previously stated. Number do not give you that option.

Please stop with the *copium* and explain YOUR number that YOU introduced to the conversation. Or, do you lack the linguistic capability to understand ?

PEACE 😇

You assumption that Trump would start a war with Russia is quite detached from Trump’s actual record.

Of course Trump would not start a war with Russia. He would just make Russia bleed more in its invasion of Ukraine.

Trump started giving Ukraine lethal weapons after Obama/Biden refused to do so. Trump sanctioned Nordstream despite Germany’s howls; Biden removed those sanctions. Trump demanded that European countries pour more money into their militaries, Biden and Obama didn’t.

Biden seems to have woken up to Russia when it was already clear that Putin would invade due to Biden’s weakness and started pouring in weapons, but has refused to provide MIGs.

Planes would not be central to Ukraine’s defenses but it would be good to replace those that had been lost.

The destroyer captain survived the war and was interviewed by reporters when JFK was President. As I recall it was kind of funny, they breathlessly asked him to recount the story and the captain was somewhat nonplussed. He basically just said “uh, well we were on patrol, and we ran over a boat and were in a hurry so we didn’t stop”. “Are you happy you didn’t inadvertently kill the man who would become President of the US?” “Yeah sure, whatever”.

One of the funniest things that I ever heard was that clip from the Arab Spring, where an American reporter keeps asking a street protester what he thinks of Obama. Probably was in Cairo.

How fast could an additional gas pipeline be built from Israel?

In 67/73 air superiority was the key to IDF victories over Arab opponents which greatly outnumbered them. Russia hasn’t gone to full mobilization of reserves, but largely controls the air. Setbacks on the ground appear linked to a smaller number of infantry than is required (hello Rumsfeld).

Zelenksy called on Arab countries to supply more oil and gas to Europe. No wait – that was last Saturday. Today, he campaigned for a quick transition to green energy.

They have their landbridge now. The Kiev front was a FUSAG.

No. Let the big West Donbass cauldron boil. Azovites in the Mariupol cauldron have already been cooked.

It’s time to surrender in Ukraine.

It is against the Laws of Nature to surrender when you’re gaining momentum and starting a counterstrike. On the contrary – now is the time to pound harder. Keep pounding in all directions. More men are coming.

With conventional warheads, perhaps it could be effective in ship war.

In the land war, though, missiles with conventional warheads do not cause much destruction relative for their cost. Things like airbases, can repair runways within a few hours of the missile attack.

If you think about long-range missile with conventional warhead, most of the weight is for the energy of its propulsion to target. Iskander tactical ballistic missile is 4000 kg, but its warhead is only up to maximum 700kg. (https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/ss-26-2/), with a cost of tens of millions dollars per missile. Because of the cost, the number of missiles available is low. They also only destroy fixed targets.

These systems become transformational, with tactical nuclear warheads. Iskander deployed in Kaliningrad, has tactical nuclear warheads.

I’m not an expert, but this is just my amateur reasoning.

In terms of navy conflict, then a single missile, can destroy a ship. This happened last week, when Ukrainian Tochka missile destroyed “Saratov” landing ship.

So, a new kind of cruise missile (like hypersonic cruise missile), with conventional warhead, probably changes the balance of power in navy war much more if it cannot be intercepted by navy air defense.

From what I heard, it would be difficult to get the different countries involved to agree. Wouldn’t it need to involve the two sides on Cyprus or something?

Ritter’s persuasive point was that all existing anti-missile defenses are based upon locking onto a fixed trajectory as they approach the target. If hypersonics are maneuvering, those methods can’t be used so the missiles can’t be intercepted.

The concept is not as persuasive as it may first appear.

Longer range solutions use onboard detection to continuously update target location. This is necessary against potential diversions such as decoys or other countermeasures. Maneuvering makes the intercept harder, but not conceptually different. Instead of a “double tap” to completely box the inbound missile it could require a “triple tap” with three interceptors. There are only so many evasion options available.

At short range, how much can a extremely high speed system maneuver when approaching a fixed target before it misses? Physics is a cruel mistress. Late stage maneuver still leaves the incoming weapon in a similar intercept location vis-a-vis less maneuverable options.
___

Again, I do not want to underestimate the hypersonic concept.

Dealing with such a weapon is incrementally more difficult. It requires a super carrier position that is further back from its potential targets and chews up more interceptors per inbound. It is a genuine issue of tactical & usage doctrine changes that are undesirable for a carrier Task Force. However, while expensive and logistically challenging, hypersonic weapons are not inherently a game changer.

PEACE 😇

Wasn’t it taken two days ago? Or the 24th? I wouldn’t be surprised if today was the day, but who knows?

Many coincident testimonies about the atrocities committed by the Nazis of the Azov battalion against civilians

I’m sure people will say all sorts of things that armed Russians want to hear.

Kadirov and Pushilin in the city.

Not really:

Nice Bod, Wrong Message

Re: Below Tweet

Marco Rubio noted the obvious about Russia being different from some other countries where no fly zones have been implemented.

After years of seeking a peaceable option, Russia established a no-fly zone in Ukraine with hypersonic missiles. Not worth risking WW III to challenge it. Best to seek a settlement ASAP, if the true intent is to reduce deaths. Looking ahead, note what the eventual settlement will likely entail, relative to how if could’ve been earlier achieved.

Otherwise, a great workout. On that unit, I’m up to 20 minutes straight at level 21 (out of a 25-level max) on manual.

Of course many Americans voluntarily flaunt their support for Ukraine's war effort and clamor for military escalation.

"24 HOUR STAIRWALK…to support a NO FLY ZONE over Ukraine"

Meet the principal constituency for WWIII in the US. pic.twitter.com/lkiyPDuAnq

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) March 27, 2022

From what I heard, it would be difficult to get the different countries ed to agree. Wouldn’t it need to involve the two sides on Cyprus or something?

The illegal Muslim occupiers in Cyprus are recognized by a single country, Turkey. The madness that is Erdogan has badly over reached on multiple fronts. Turkey is totally dependent on energy imports and if they declare “pipelines are legitimate targets” the ones needed for Turkey’s economy will be blown up.

EastMed is technically quite challenging. This will limit how quickly it can be completed rather than political issues.
___

BalticPipe 1 will complete this year, though it is relatively small. It is a proof of concept for Baltic 2, 3, etc. Gearing up Norwegian production and building using proven technology can meet Northern European natural gas needs in a time efficient manner.

PEACE 😇

The best Russia-Ukraine analytical shows:

https://america.cgtn.com/2022/03/26/the-heat-ukraine-crisis-10

https://america.cgtn.com/2022/03/29/the-heat-russia-ukraine-conflict-2

Max Blumenthal said that a NY area discussion featuring himself, Scott Horton, Julia Ioffe and Clint Watts was abruptly cancelled. Ioffe and Watts would’ve been intellectually demolished. It’s not a crackpot conspiracy theory to believe that the establishment at large, is intentionally restricting a more accurate reporting and analysis of the Russia-Ukraine situation.

https://mobile.twitter.com/MaxBlumenthal/status/1503461767040618506

If the sanctions do not go and sanctions are (currently) very leaky, then what happens is that there is more “transaction cost”.

This will be the same with the consumer goods. Kadyrov will still import Maybachs, but they go from Germany to somewhere like Armenia, and then Armenia to Russia, and so you are probably right that countries like Armenia could profit with a transaction cost.

All the luxury products will become more “high status”, as the price increases. If Nike and Adidas really freeze in the long term, they will become more fashionable and high status, than they already are. When I was a child, you were already the cool kids in school, although in recent years there was a lot of brand deflation.

In Soviet times, Levi jeans, were viewed like real luxury products, because of the ban on import.

Although expensive European companies were already doing this in Russian market, simply by raising the price a lot. It’s famous that all luxury products, whether Dior handbags, or just Miele dishwasher, cost a lot more in Russia, because the companies know the customers almost desire higher prices to limit “European prestige” to narrower circles.

Japan luxury cars are also being restricted now (https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5282541) so probably Lexus imported via e.g. Armenia will attain increasingly prestigious perceptions with local bourgeoisie, other things equal.

50 would be 20 planes greater than 30. Planes could be gathered together from Poland, Bulgaria and Slovakia as you point out (30+10+10). Why would it be better? More planes to defend Ukraine’s skys from bombs that are falling on civilian enclaves.

You really don’t think they’d get bombed before ever being used in battle? How many Kiev regime planes are flying right now? We know the story about that ghost guy shooting down Russian planes.

That was in Russia before he entered into former Ukraine. That’s yesterday

https://twitter.com/200_zoka/status/1508528805815767043

I know you are waiting Von Manstein counter attack from Volnovakha but it will not happen. Remaining Azovites will just starve in Azovstal.

Here are interesting historical documents I found you can read freely on Google books – classic versions of “Life Magazine” (1883 to 1972).

In relation to the discussion about Vietnam War in the Oliver Stone thread.

Here is a copy of the famous Life Magazine about the weekly deaths in the war in 1969 (over 200 deaths of American soldiers), while the president was Richard Nixon.

https://books.google.com/books?id=pE8EAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&hl=ru

The articles are quite interesting to read there. But the majority of “Life Magazine” is really advertising, for cigarettes and expensive liquor (apparently spending habits the 1960s American bourgeoisie, reflect decadent ways to use your money to enjoy life without too much conscience about health).

Hmm…I can imagine Zelensky’s popularity in the Arab street: he loves the West, gets all the sympathy for a tiny fraction of suffering that Palestinians have endured, let’s not forget he is a … I am sure everyone in the Arab world knows it. They will send something, I doubt they are cheering him on…

EastMed is technically quite challenging. This will limit how quickly it can be completed rather than political issues.

It was my understanding that the Biden Usurpation ended it, but it could be quickly revived and given priority access on material if the US used the “Defense Production Act”.

The other alternative is a pipeline from Nigeria, which requires even more political collaboration in an even more unstable region.

Coastal desert, dry mountains, high-plain badlands, wet mountains, Amazon jungle. And 35m people.

10,000 captives in Mariupol. The Sloviansk pocket awaits. 35,000 troops to be bagged.

Hypersonic would be for fleet actions.

He has a math problem and is so trapped by desperation he cannot make even a simple correction. The sum (less than 30 +10+ 10) is less than his 50.

I also asked him about how useful his “Bravery 50” would be against a vastly superior Russian Air Force. He declined to answer.

His precious Azov battalion as fallen and Zelensky has no forces capable of a counter offensive across the open ground in South Eastern Ukraine. That territory is permanently gone.

Sadly, he is a case of massive *copium* overwhelming common sense. I have been trying to force him to stop linguistic evasiveness and face the truth, but it appears to be futile. His ultra nationalistic self delusion simply cannot be reasoned with.

*shrug*

We do what we can, but I am not about to place myself in the role of Sisyphus trying to push the Boulder of Hack uphill to the pinnacle of Logic. The Boulder of Hack willingly chooses the Pit of Irrational Copium.

PEACE 😇

Sammy Davis Junior Jr, Seeing Eye Bitch.

Actually, around 60K between Marinka and Izyum (before the bombardments). The cauldron is not closed yet but they can’t retreat by just walking.

Looking at a climatological map of Peru is really eye-opening. The temperate area is a relatively narrow sliver, a big part of the country is rated as polar tundra.

I’ve always wondered how the Inca were able to have such a large empire, compared to the Greeks who were disunited and fighting against each other for so long, until Phillip II was using phalanxes against them.

But it seems to make sense, when you look at the climate. Looks relatively easy to defend – though I believe they did have hostile contact with jungle tribes, who had pointy teeth. That probably made it easier to consolidate, under one political system, since it is just like one long line, going north and south.

EastMed is technically quite challenging. This will limit how quickly it can be completed rather than political issues.

It was my understanding that the Biden Usurpation ended it, but it could be quickly revived and given priority access on material if the US used the “Defense Production Act”.

EastMed was slowed not stopped by the ineffectual Not-The-President Biden. Everyone serious realizes that his administration has no credibility or long term endurance. Simply getting out of the way would be enough to resume its former pace. No need of anything as enthusiastic as the DPA.

PEACE 😇

On twitter, Christopher Rufo recently posted a clip of a Disney executive producer, who appeared to be a black lesbo, saying her team has implemented a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” and is regularly “adding queerness” to children’s programming.

Definitely not a secret (1)

PEACE 😇
___________

(1) https://www.proudparenting.com/2018/04/disney-introduces-rainbow-colored-mickey-mouse-ears-for-pride-month/

I need to composite a new 😁Open Thread Humor😂 collection…

While you wait, I give you this tribute to Pope Francis…

Jesus would not wear the hat from the previous post…

PEACE 😇

IIRC, Bob Iger introduced some sort of gay day, nearly 20 years ago. But I suppose it must be more than one day now.
_________
BTW, is Will Smith gay? I hadn’t realized that he was supposed to be some super cuck.

This will be a medieval war in one interesting respect. Lots of powerful players and officers getting killed or captured in proportion to lower ranks.

It’s been interesting to see the Russians do war in Ukraine. Lot’s of driving around in the north while they captured the south. Western media did its bit to distract itself from the Landbridge Scenario.

It’ll be like Falaise.

We can view Ukraine as a chess board.

Hypersonic are like Bishops.

is Will Smith gay? I hadn’t realized that he was supposed to be some super cuck.

His wife *boinked* someone else while they were legally separated. That hardly scores as super cuck. Perhaps mildly so if he was not using the opportunity for his own *boink*.

Much of the reputation is IMHO unfair. During his years as a rapper he offered up commercially interesting work about girls, cars, school, etc. Those using rap to espouse crime, drugs, and prostitution did not appreciate his lack of deviancy.

PEACE 😇

I hate to disagree with you but the sum of 30 + 10 +10 is not less than 50, but equals 50.

I also asked him about how useful his “Bravery 50” would be against a vastly superior Russian Air Force. He declined to answer.

I would expect that those flying these planes would do as well as the rest of the armed services, greatly outnumbered – bravely and spectacularly.

His precious Azov battalion as fallen and Zelensky has no forces capable of a counter offensive across the open ground in South Eastern Ukraine. That territory is permanently gone.

The Azov battalion is still fighting bravely in bombed out Mariupol (another good reason that Ukraine needs planes), and was involved in heroically defending Kharkiv today against your precious Russian military.

Sadly, he is a case of massive *copium* overwhelming common sense. I have been trying to force him to stop linguistic evasiveness and face the truth,

It’s a shame that you’ve decided to abandon the one that you’ve revered so much, Donald Trump, and now more than ever resemble more his antagonist Joe Biden, at least with respect to questions regarding the Ukrainian theater of war. This is the truth that you refuse to face and are infuriated that I’m willing to call you out on this one! And I’ll continue to call you out on this one!!

A good overview along the lines of Ritter:

https://audioboom.com/posts/8056648-ukraine-the-same-kremlin-kyiv-deal-that-was-ready-in-january-gregory-r-copley-gregory_cople

It’s entirely an engineering/physics/technical issue.
…
Scott Ritter seems to have pretty good technical expertise
…
Maybe he’s entirely mistaken, but I’m just deferring to his judgment unless/until someone of seemingly comparable credibility says otherwise.

You position is understandable, but there is a catch… How does the media grant “seemingly comparable credibility”?

— Those who say “hypersonic” is unstoppable = audience
— Those who say “hypersonic” is useless = audience
— Those who say “hypersonic” is nuanced and merely incremental = near zero ratings

It may not be an expression of intentional malice, but the “middle of the road” case is given short shrift. I am sure there are credible voices speaking to the ambiguity of hypersonic weaponry. What venue hosts ambiguity?

PEACE 😇

They’ve got their water back on, they got the Azov Sea, they have the EEZ in Black Sea…probably got the bulk of the Ukie army in the Kramatorsk pocket…Kiev will just die on the vine now.

Ukraine is going to implode in a civil war after this invasion. The factions there don’t get on.

Ukraine will probably implode into civil war, in which smuggling will be easy.

Reminder:

https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/the-crisis-in-ukraine-is-not-about-ukraine-its-about-germany/?showcomments#comment-5193865

Wokechoke says:
February 24, 2022 at 4:25 pm GMT • 1.1 months ago ↑
@peterAUS

Many airports have been seized. It’s already over.

https://www.unz.com/article/us-foreign-policy-is-a-cruel-sport/#comment-5193887

Wokechoke says:
February 24, 2022 at 4:33 pm GMT • 1.1 months ago ↑
@Corporal Punishment
The current Leadership. They’ll flee. The Ukrainian state is disintegrating and evaporating. There’s too many Russians living in Ukraine already for a guerrilla war.

What of it?

A pity they didn’t let Zelensky speak at the Oscars.

Heard 4-5 since Tupac (though they were just dating back then), but I can’t confirm. There’s definitely some strange language in an interview about Jada coming from a family with open relationships.

Maybe, it would go against the theory that Jada is his beard, that she was his second wife? But I’ll put it aside. Some would say that they are just practicing African norms.

I grew up with Will being heavily promoted. I won’t say that I ever considered him a role model, but I think he was given a lot, and I was disappointed that he broke his vow about using clean language. For one thing, the Bad Boyz movies (I only recall the second) were filled with cuss words and very degenerate.

4 million people ran…

How will posterity judge us 100 years from now for being so cowardly and sitting on the sidelines?

As intelligent.

(For once.)

You’re either not capable to grasp the very concept of rationing or have some strange illusions about EU being reliant 100% on RF natgas.

All kinds of mentioned issues are inevitable and baked in as temporary rationing will be done both for industries and home consumers in order to make those mentioned problems more or less manageable through coming this and next year in case of RF natgas embargo.

Yes, mostly women and children left, as they should. That’s not what you predicted though 🙂

Rationing is neither possible nor desirable, economic collapse would quickly materialise.

Selective. I called the northern front a FUSAG. Look up that term. First United States Army Group. A fake inflatable threat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY9sWBho6EI&ab_channel=%D0
%AD%D0%9A%D0%A1%D0%A2%D0%A0%D0%95%D0%9D%D0%9D%D0%AB%D0%95%D0%9D%D0%9E%D0%92%D0%9E%D0%A1%D0%A2%D0%98

Kadyrov saying there is no Ukrainian authority, they are merely puppets of the West.

Rationing is just equivalent of fastening and result is not collapse, but leaning of a body. For some reasons you’re trying to pretend that rationing is complete refusal to use food&water instead of reducing amount of lavish intake temporary.

It has been already done in 1972-73 and the end of the world didn’t come.

assuming their hypersonics can similarly destroy our carriers, the cost-effectiveness ratio is probably something like 1000-to-1.

If hypersonics can easily destroy carriers — Why is China still building carriers that will not go to sea until after the U.S. has hypersonics?

No side pursuing both hypersonic and carriers has discarded their carrier program. In fact no nation, with a strategic need for them, has abandoned carriers. That points out the likelihood that that hypersonics are not the unstoppable weapon that Ritter is personally cashing in on.

PEACE 😇

The carrier is still useful as a mobile airfield.

This deadline is approaching – fast. Who will blink first?

I guess we have our answer.

Russia won’t demand immediate switch to rouble gas payments, Kremlin says

Russia will not immediately demand that buyers pay for its gas exports in roubles, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, promising a gradual shift and saying Russia should work on an idea to widen the list of its exports requiring rouble payment.

Asked whether the payments should be in roubles starting from Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Absolutely no.”
“As we discussed before, payments and delivery is a time consuming process … This does not mean that a tomorrow’s delivery should be paid (in roubles). From a technological point of view, this is a more prolonged process,” he said.

If you need a few laughs, read Pepe Escobar’s latest prognostication for Donbas’ future glory within a new Eurasian empire. Unfortunately, he doesn’t let his readers know that Russia is about to go bust. The ruble is worth about 1 us cent. I don’t think he’ll let my comment go (50/50) as he probably doesn’t want to have his illusions burst, so I’m reprinting it here:

How Mariupol Will Become a Key Hub of Eurasia Integration” or “Parts of the factory complex are quite modern while some, decades old, are badly in need of upgrading, which Russian industry can certainly provide.”??

Pepe, what have you been smoking lately? Don’t you realize that Azovstal, as the rest of bombed out Mariupol, has been totally devastated? With the ruble worth slightly more than 1 US cent, how and when is Putler going to rebuild this new Mecca? And the rest of you crackheads believe this wierd propaganda that Pepe is blurting out?
Invaders have totally destroyed the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works which is part of the Metinvest Group based in Mariupol (Donetsk region).
Mariupol deputy city mayor Serhii Orlov has told this to Forbes, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

Did Karlin said anything about how The Gathering of Russian Land is going since the war started?

Just look at the photo that I included just above to get an accurate idea of how Karlin’s Gathering of Russian Lands is going. 🙁

Or a mini Stalingrad.

Mini Barricade Factory. The issue for the Ukrainians in that city is there’s no Volga River at their back to resupply from.

Russia, on the one hand, says the west is ‘non agreement capable’, and, on the other, negotiates with them and scales back operations.
Russia is losing. Russia will lose.

Putin and Medvedev just need to go on live TV and perform gay sex acts already.
Its over, Russia is f*ing up.

Slavs write brilliant but sh*y code. The dont finish things. They leave all kinds of bugs.

They are up against the Anglos, who are evil as night, but who plan every contingency, track down every flaw and fix every bug.

Execution is 90% of success and evil is executing better than the good.

pathetic:

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-will-not-demand-immediate-switch-gas-payments-roubles-kremlin-2022-03-30/

That rusty piece of 1930’s industrial junk should be destroyed and rebuilt. Achmetov lacks insurance and will lose it. But the combination of energy, coal, metals and expertise in a great port will stay. Mariupol will be an industrial hub.

You are missing the point of the article by Pepe: the economic activity that involves real stuff – making things and not just taking pictures of them – is moving to the Euro-Asian landmass. EU tried to be a part of it (Italy quite aggressively), but now they are out.

The world economy will gradually split into two groups: Atlantic and Euro-Asian. They have strengths and weaknesses, but the cost advantage and resources are with the Euro-Asia. Finances are built on top of real economy, not vice-versa. So the money will also follow.

The final switch of Russia to the Euro-Asian group has just happened. That will make it much harder for the Atlantic economies to dominate. That is what is going on and the smart people in the West know it, they see the catastrophic consequences of the realignment.

As with bombing Dresden to dust in 1945 when it was clear that it would be in the Russian sphere, they are blowing things up in Ukraine on their way out. It won’t make much difference in the long run. Losing Russia and its resources is not a good thing for the West – it may be the worst thing that has happened to the West in 50 years.

Pepe, what have you been smoking lately? Don’t you realize that Azovstal, as the rest of bombed out Mariupol, has been totally devastated?

Azovstal was used as a fortified redoubt by the Azov combatants. As such, it was blasted fairly thoroughly. Little can be done about that.

Describing all of Mariupol as “bombed out” is over reach. Knowing that they were going to own the reconstruction key pieces of infrastructure, such as water supply, were avoided as much as possible. The key questions become:

— How much damage did the losing Azovs do before they were defeated?
— How much will locals blame the losers for the damage they caused?

Success on these questions requires Russia to act quickly on beginning reconstruction. It is yet to be decided if they will Win The Peace. If Russia is seen as rescuing the people from the hated Azov, they have a good chance at desirable long term outcomes.

PEACE 😇

Maybe they execute in a different way. The West uses threats and is focused and self-serving. Russia lets the situation evolve to its benefit, they don’t threaten, they let the punishment speak for itself. The timing is the least important part of any project or initiative. People in the West simply don’t understand it, they live hurried lives and assume that it is always now or never. Not at all.

I said a few days ago that Russia would obviously delay. They received a lame EU response “but contracts” that gave them all they needed. The contracts are ending – some later this year – and spot market has no contracts. Russia got the principle of eventually billing in rubles accepted – they will enforce it at the right time.

The real question is whether EU can function without Russia’s energy and other resources. To pay more for less means a drop in living standards no matter how Brussels spins it. In any commodity market the lowest-cost producer has the ultimate power. In this case it is Russia, they can always undercut the much more expensive alternatives like LNG. EU will end up paying in rubles.

This is a process that takes time. Don’t go for PR, pay attention to substance.

It was pretty weird, when they chanted “gay” at the Oscars in opposition to DeSantis. (I did not watch, but saw the clip.)

I suppose Hollywood has always been rotten at the top, but I wonder how outwardly different it would be, if there were morality clauses that were enforced.