xzar_monty

How disappointing that the following tweet is true in the sense of how the speeches turn out (but certainly not in the sense of expectation). In mathematical terms, Putin's Speech <> Churchill's Speech.

So, Ukraine has to resist militarily, because that's what it got down to. In Belarus, the people have tried to resist very bravely, but at least the ruler of the country is firmly in Russia's pocket. More plans apparently underway: https://www.dw.com/en/russia-plans-belarus-absorption-by-2030-media-reports/a-64771429 In Russia, clear resistance to tyranny is effectively at nil.

Interesting presentation concerning global GDP and its division into various factions around the war in Ukraine: Countries with a generally Western view of things: 10% of total GDP. Countries that are actively on Ukraine's side: 59% of total GDP. Countries that are actively on Russia's side: 2% of total GDP. Countries whose stance is generally favorable to Russia: 20% of total GDP. Neutral countries: 9% of total GDP. These calculations from a local weekly, with information based on data by CNN, The Economist, The Guardian, HRW, ISW, Kiel Institute for the World Economy, The World Bank, The New York Times, NPR, Rating Group, Reuters, The UN.

We recently had some discussion about Austria being something of a centre for spying and other dubious activities. Its recent announcement may accord with its legislation, but it's hard to see it as anything other than a somewhat despicable act of cowardice, or worse. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/02/14/austria-ukrainian-soldiers-leopard/ @BruceVC: The whole condemnation business is something of a mess. It's probably better for other countries to condemn things like the Ukrainian war than not condemn them, but let us not forget than the condemnation means and achieves essentially nothing. The problem is if someone fools himself into thinking that it does.

Wow. It continues to be astonishing and somewhat depressing, especially when you consider that there simply don't appear to be any calls from the inside for a radical change in how the country is managed.

There's a lot in your post that I could comment upon, but I'll restrict myself to just this one claim. I don't think your logic here is particularly good, nor is your argument convincing. In fact, I think you're a bit confused about what is important and what is not. If you first look at where the mass immigration is coming from, and if you then look at the countries that are in the EU, you will notice that we are essentally talking about movement from countries with severe difficulties into countries that tend to be reasonably old(*), stable and democratic. It is not the EU as an entity that is the determining factor here, although it's probably not meaningless, either. In other words, if the EU didn't exist, we'd see pretty much the same kind of desire for immigration because the countries that happen to constitute the EU are also countries that are so much better off than the places the immigration is coming from. No value judgement here, only some considerations concerning stability, economy, and so on. As for whether the EU works or not, we'd first have to determine the conditions under which we would make that claim and then see whether the EU does in fact fulfill them. That's a complicated question. (*) Not all of them are, of course.

Well, it's not as if the EU or the UN don't have similar problems. In fact, I think it would be interesting to go through the histories of major international organizations such as these and determine which of them has done the best / worst, and, more generally, simply make comparisons between their ideals and realities. Mind you, I am not being cynical, and I am not saying that "it's all the same rubbish" or anything like that. It's just that talk is extremely cheap, and sometimes international treaties are cheap as well.

Russia has a lot of so-called friends in Africa.

Severe PTSD already in effect, which I'm sure is no surprise to anyone. The devilish thing with modern warfare is that it has the capacity to damage the central nervous system and the psyche to an irreparable degree. All fighting can do this, to an extent, but there's a world of difference between swords and shields vs. what we have today. I have read a little on wartime traumatization, and it seems that the most brutal experience is when you are targeted by mortar shelling. First, anything that strips you of agency is more traumatizing than everything that doesn't, i.e. if you can fight back, as a person, you will be less damaged neurally and psychologically: it is simply much better for you when you can do something in the circumstances you're in (which goes for everything, not just war). When you're being shelled, you cannot fight back. Being shelled is a lot worse than being bombed, because when you're being bombed, you can see and hear it in advance and you know what's going to happen, so it's less devastating. Mortar fire can start just like that, there is no way of knowing where the next one hits, and the noise can be literally deafening. At least in WW2, this was apparently the most brutal and traumatizing combat experience. I don't know for sure, but I would think that we are still completely incapable of healing the most severe traumas, so this is yet another example of Nietzsche's edict ("If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger") being utter rubbish. I think no one is ever going to even try to take care of these guys:

He has also grown up in a completely different world from the one we live in. So the possibility that he has been severely brutalized is not negligible at all -- just read some reports on how much violence even very young children are often subjected to in Russia. There is also the possibility that he was a rooster himself while in jail, which probably wouldn't increase his love for humanity. So while what you're saying is certainly a possibility, it is also quite possible that the roots of his behaviour are much, much darker than that. And of course these two are not the only possibilities.

It seems to me that the answer to that question is a resounding yes. I could be wrong, though.

His word doesn't make it true, however. He probably has a hand in many shady dealings, but he also has the grandiosity to match. So whether he's the man "behind" the troll factories or not... I wouldn't want to say. Fun fact: more than 130 people have confessed to the murder of Swedish politician Olof Palme.

I thought this analysis was extremely interesting. How true it is, I don't know. But it reminded me of the fact how much cultures differ in things like this. The French are notoriously prone to demonstrating, rioting and protesting -- and apparently the Russians are something of an opposite to that, priding themselves on their ability to suffer. As far as diplomacy goes, I remember reading something about how the Israeli are the most argumentative and confrontational negotiators, whereas the Japenese are their opposite in this regard. (The Israeli are also proven to be very untrustworthy, but that's another story.)

So, "near" the Institute, but not in it, I gather.

I wonder if stuff like this reliable: https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-may-have-lost-an-entire-elite-brigade-near-a-coal-mining-town-in-donbas-ukraine-says/ @Mamoulian War: The difference is indeed noticeable. It would be naive to regard "the West" as somehow uncorrupt, but it would be equally naive to claim that everyone is as corrupt as everyone else. There are some major differences than run through the entire fabric of the society. One good measure of how the society works is whether you can protest against your government on the street, and what happens if you do.

@bugarup, the words "Finnish Tango" immediately made me think of this. In the 1970s, Frank Zappa and his band decided to have a go at a classic Finnish tango in Helsinki. Obviously they jammed on it quite a bit. The funny bit is the singing: obviously Napoleon Murphy Brock, the vocalist, has no idea of Finnish pronunciation; it actually takes some effort to recognize that he is singing the right lyrics (presumably from the sheet music, I can't imagine he'd have memorized them). The result is an absolute treasure.

Wow. Thanks. I think it's also interesting that both numbers are so low. The real hardcore players who have mastered the system are a small minority indeed.

Serbia being in the EU might not mean much, given that Hungary is in the EU, and look at what it does. The EU itself is in trouble with some of its members and policies.

Have you seen any percentages somewhere? And yes, I suppose anything that requires Dimension Door in the Abyss is more rare than everything that basically comes your way no matter what.

Ok, thanks a lot for that. You are almost certainly right: we will see in a few weeks' time. For now, we don't know.

Ok. You didn't say this last part in your previous comment, so that changes things a bit, right? Anyway, I'm sure tensions were high in the group, and I can see how one of them might have overreacted to essentially anything. I don't think there's much of a cultural difference at work here, although I can't be sure, of course. I wasn't there. I think Tarja's sacking is a good example of both sides being true: she really deserved to be sacked, but the manner of the sacking really was unprofessional. A pity, really, that.

Which reports, where? I read a comment where he apparently said that it takes or would take 18 months to capture some area in Ukraine, and three years to capture another, larger area (sorry, can't remember their names, but the quote is very recent). I found this surprising, because if it is true, then it's definitely not in line with the official Russian story.

This is a question of culture and, as it seems to me, a question of age as well. I understand what you're saying, but the underlying premise there is that you think you have a right to expect service from your rock stars, which is preposterous. It is true that there is a culture of asking for and giving autographs, etc., but it's not reasonable to take it as a given. Björk, for example, never gives autographs. I have worked in journalism long enough and met enough celebrities to recognize that the best way to show your respect to someone you admire is to leave them alone; they really appreciate that. I wouldn't read anything into how someone responds to a request for an autograph, and I'd never ask for one myself. However, and quite apart from that, Tarja's behaviour in the band really did warrant a sudden sacking, as far as I know, and tensions were probably running high. And in the spirit of the thread, here's an excellent song on this very topic:

The open letter does appear overly dramatic, but I have no doubt that the firing itself, without prior notice, was warranted. I am willing to reconsider if enough evidence to the contrary comes to light. (Not a fan of the band as such, although I think Ghost Love Score is a nice enough song, especially when sung by Floor Jansen.)

This reminds me of how there have occasionally been calls for people like her to sort of come forth and do something remarkable in Russia, in the anti-war sense. If memory serves correctly, approximately 18 million people served Hitler's reich in Germany. And the total number of people like Oscar Schindler who went out of their way to save as many jews as possible is estimated to be about one hundred. That's how rare people like this are. Unfortunately, people who are prepared to set up and enforce places like the Ustase camps or the Partizan Sporting Hall raping centre in Foca are much, much more common. Which sort of doesn't augur well.