BruceVC

Good reads but I think their is bias and some unfair criticism towards Germany and its response to Putins War I agree with some of it but I disagree with most it like the whole statement " Other than a dishonest agenda and blackmail, we struggle to find an explanation that would be consistent with his actions " .....no I can think of several other reasons to justify Germany not sending heavy weapons to Ukraine For example I cant see Russia ever becoming a " normal " member of the international community until Putin is gone but he will be gone one day. Then its important to have Western countries that are seen as more neutral toward Russia become part of the process to reintegrate Russia back into the global economy and be part of reducing the necessary Western sanctions once Putins War is over. Germany could be that country but Russian hubris will make it hard if a Western country has been unequivocally " anti-Russian " so by not supplying heavy weaponry it is more neutral ? I also expect every EU country to support Ukraine and condemn Putins War which Scholz has done from the beginning but every Democratically elected government in the worlds first responsibility is its own citizens and stability. Germany cannot just immediately cut energy imports from Russia because of the domestic impact. They have already abandoned Nord Stream 2 and that was a major investment for Germanys energy grid https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/31/the-nord-stream-2-pipeline-lies-abandoned-after-russia-invaded-ukraine.html And then the whole world didn't act meaningfully enough back in 2014 when Putin illegally and belligerently annexed Crimea and supported the eastern breakaway Ukrainian states. Its not just Germany who tried to avoid a confrontation with Russia But Putins War changed all that and now the West and NATO is more united than ever before, the West didnt start Putins War but we will finish it Finally Germany as a country and a people have done more to address its dark Nazi past than any other country I know when it comes to historical injustice and wars. They even publicly recognized the mass murder of Namibians in 1904-1908 ( I think this type of acknowledgement was well meaning but misplaced because of the unreasonable demands for redress this type of statement leads to but once again Germany felt this was the right thing to do which I respect ) So I find it ridiculous and scurrilous that anyone would suggest that overall Germany doesnt do the right thing in its public actions and statements https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_Island_concentration_camp

Generating additional tax revenue by buying their exports is a real, albeit small, way of supporting any country On Saturday I had a choice of what blue cheese to buy from the UK, Germany, Denmark and France. I chose France as part of the anticipated Macron victory....you can do the same?

I dont consider political correctness (PC)the same as "wokeness " or " SJWism" PC is normal and understandable. I am opposed to Wokeness and SJWism not because I want to discriminate against minorities but because its generally inconsistent, historically inaccurate, intolerant, condescending and most people who claim to be "woke " (not that many people say they woke) just want to hear one side of the narrative and arent interested in a debate.

@Pidesco and @Azdeus Why you guys burning Korans? Thats not very Swedish, liberal and socialist? But on a serious note, I do have an issue with people protesting, damaging property and attacking the police over something that a Swedish extremist group wants to do. Why must the whole country be subjected to violent protests? I find it offensive that they want to burn the Koran in the same way I would object to the Bible being burned but that doesnt justify criminality. The Swedish police must arrest and prosecute people involved in the violent protests

In what way ?

https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2022-04-19/russias-central-bank-says-that-the-economy-will-plummet-in-the-second-trimester-and-putin-is-ignoring-the-warning.html A sobering economic analysis of the future of the Russian economy from the president of Russian Central Bank Its grim news but exactly the long term damage the Western sanctions have over time The Ruskies have basically burned through their available war chest\sovereign fund. Once this is exhausted you will see real economic hardships in Russia...Putins War is coming home to roost

Yes but which Nordic country do you live in, no reason to be coy. The Nordic countries are held in very high regard by most people on this forum and their are several active forum members who live in, or were born, in this region That includes ( and Im just including the active members on Off-Topic ) Gorth and Not Totally Gorgon : Denmark Azdeus and Pidesco : Sweden Elerond : Finland I truly admire how the Nordic countries have been able to create a working economic and political model which is a hybrid of socialism and Capitalism. It works because most citizens support the system....sadly it cant be implemented in other countries because of entitlement, self-interest\greed and lack of support for this type of system that many people outside of the Nordic countries practice

Well done for stopping and not killing the kitty Do you have car insurance?

You right, I would like to see structural reform in Russia if Putin croaks But then I think, who would replace him? What do we know and like about other Russian possible leaders, are they going to immediately end Putins War? Maybe they will or maybe they might be more nationalistic than Putin? But I like your description of the difference between Western governments and Russia. Its important to have meaningful opposition parties in any Democracy because it makes the elected party aware they might get voted out if they fail to deliver Where do live Monty? Did you study history and geopolitics or is just a hobby because you make some good points

Absolutely, their was only one candidate if you believe and support Constitutional Democracies anywhere in the world and the freedom that this type of government brings And since we all live in Constitutional Democracies and we all believe in things like human rights, freedom of speech and free and fair elections Macron was the only candidate to support Thats why I suggest everyone goes to their local supermarket and buys some sort of French product, I bought Roquefort cheese on Saturday, as a tribute towards this appreciated French election results Remember what the alternatives are, Putins war has shown us the brevity of sovereignty and Democracy None of us want to live in a world where the likes of Le Penn and Putin define how geopolitics exist

Putin is not looking great, it will solve much of the problems around Putins War if he did die. Its like you cant have Trumpism without Trump And remember this is Russia, people die all the time under strange circumstances, you see 2 Russian Oligarchs died under "unusual " circumstances. One in Moscow and one in Spain https://www.businessinsider.co.za/2-russian-oligarchs-found-dead-spain-moscow-reports-2022-4?r=US&IR=T

It looks like Macron has won with 58%, well done France. I think you made the right decision 🇫🇷 I am going to celebrate by eating some Roquefort cheese tonight, its my favorite blue cheese....I like it even more than Stilton (I cant tell my UK family that )🧀

I agree but I would rephrase it differently, Western companies will get contracts to access the energy sources in Ukraine. This energy needs to be accessed so international investment is necessary and the Im sure all of us will agree that these energy tenders definitely arent going to Russian or Chinese companies

I tend to agree which is why I was saying we need an end to Putins War and then we can look at the reconstruction costs and loan repayments

Every Sunday at 9:30am I can hear the Anglican church bells, its very calming and pleasant Here is a photo from my balcony towards the Anglican church

What do you think the West is going to do?

The word " girls " can also be used as a way of endearment in the nuances of the incredibly complex English language Its like when a women walks into a room and their are a group of men sitting down watching sport, drinking or playing cards she can say " hello boys " or " what you boys doing ". Its used all the time in SA and its not about the age or an insult in anyway So I dont see any issue around how you used word girls because of the intent and context of how you used it...dont get depressed and think you a sexist

Its not just unhelpful, its historically inaccurate to suggest the US was founded only on negative things like slavery, racism and warmongering ( or similar things) It ignores the nuance and complexity of the myriad of historical factors that contributed towards the success of the US today And when you ignore all these factors you will inadvertently create confusion and a false narrative of " why are things the way they are today " and that means you will never meaningfully address things like inequality because your policies wont have the right information to address the right objective

Its very disappointing when people play the race card to justify basically any point It demonstrates laziness and lack of understanding of the actual causes and reasons for something like Putins War and the support for Ukraine from most of the world US normal aid to Syria was basically ended in 2011 when Russia and China vetoed military intervention in the UNSC and when Obama was US president he made a decision to not intervene military in most conflicts in the ME unless it directly influenced US interests But Putins War is about an invasion of a country on the border of the EU with direct and indirect ties to the EU and the stability of the EU . It also automatically impacts NATO and therefore the US So Western intervention is not about " blond hair and blue eyes " its about the stability of security of the region and the EU

Avocado has become very expensive, you right. SA producers locally and imports avo's from countries like Spain so you guys need to make sure that continues . We like Spanish avo's But Im more concerned with the price of food like Scottish salmon or French blue cheese....that has really skyrocketed

Their will be some loan forgiveness towards Ukraine for both the economic aid and the weapons supplied once Putins War is over But a well run economically strong Ukraine is a future reality so they will pay some of the money back in the normal way countries back loans from the IMF or World Bank So they will calculate the total debt, write off a large percent and set new payment terms But I do think many countries will write the debt off for economic aid like the US?

Good point and true, only 5% or so of people who are LGBT are gay because of abuse The rest are born like that and cant change it even if they wanted to, they can pretend to be straight but thats not the same thing

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/cnn-plus-to-shut-down-after-just-one-month/ CNN+ has only lasted 1 month, I thought it would do better But from what I saw it was too SJWish for me. Besides I already pay and watch International CNN so I didnt think I would benefit from this

https://unsharednews.com/awkward-moment-as-bbc-world-news-struggle-to-find-south-africa-on-map-video A BBC media anchor thought the DRC was SA....I am amazed peoople get confused by where SA is on a map. Its at the bottom of Africa, you can miss it I feel sorry for her for making such a mistake but I would say its more the producers fault

No its got nothing to really do with Bloodlines 2, its just about the IP being available for developers If you look at the list below these seem to be all smaller games or narrative RPG like Coterie but they not full length RPG like Bloodlines 2. So this is good news and just provides more visibility to the WOD franchise "These are the first six games from the Vampire Jam launching under the Unbound program: DESCENT: Survival horror adventure set in an old cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Find out who the inhabitants are and stay safe while uncovering the terrifying story. You can check out a trailer for DESCENT here. THE CHANTRY TRIALS: A puzzle game with horror elements where the protagonist undergoes various “tests” to prove worthy as a Vampire of clan Tremere. THE GAME OF ELDERS: A strategic card game with plenty of options to experiment. Play as an Elder Vampire who uses all assets available to survive. THE AUTUMN PEOPLE: First Person Shooter that encourages exploration to uncover its story, set in modern night Phoenix, AZ. PRAXIS: A mix of 4X strategy and roleplaying where you climb to the top of the Vampire hierarchy in Portland, Oregon. Build up a coterie of like-minded Kindred, gather intel and influence, and claim Praxis! PRODIGAL: Delve into a rotting mansion and your twisted psyche to uncover the truth of your memories in a Vampire: The Masquerade point-and-click adventure "