BruceVC

The problem with Finland joining is I wonder if it wouldnt provoke Russia again which we want to avoid ?

Yes and Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia dont care either but once again you dont need countries like this to make sanctions be effective . Thats not how the real strength of the global economy works ...you know that

This article made me laugh when it mentions " China repeated calls for talks to resolve the crisis in Ukraine on Thursday while refusing to criticize Russia’s attack, and in a move that could help reduce the impact of Western sanctions against Moscow " Of course China wont criticize Russia, they have less human rights interests than Russia and their intentions around hegemony is much worse than Russia We dont need China to be involved in sanctions and I never thought they ever would

Is that a yes ?

@Elerond Some people on Codex are suggesting that this invasion of Ukraine will mean Finland will be " rushing " to join NATO What do you think?

Does anyone agree with me that this is the best time to get a discount on a hot Russian bride? Im not married so Im just asking

Its rare I say this but I agree with you on this post The economic consequence to this invasion and the sanctions that are coming will hurt the average Russian and not Putin or his billionaire Oligarch sycophants. But the various Russian companies the Oligarchs own will be hurt by this Its late to prevent the consequence to the Russian economy and how this will impact the Russian people and thats on Putin and his autocratic system of government

Russian stock market lost 45% of value when it opened today and the Russian ruble is at its lowest against the $ it has ever been @Darkpriest I guess the invasion of Ukraine is not going to lead the collapse of the US economy ? https://finance.yahoo.com/news/russian-stocks-slump-most-record-075557424.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Whats equally important as acknowledging its a sad affair is calling it out for what it is Putin lied to the whole world and he is a warmonger. And what is happening in Ukraine is nothing but an unprovoked invasion on a sovereign country

I appreciate your real opinion on this, I knew you were just joking earlier Also I asked you those questions not because I want vindication or for anyone to think I was right or that you were wrong I wasnt right about anything, the reality of what Russia was doing was raised by numerous sources and the media does get things wrong and engages in hyperbole at times. But the US intelligence and other intelligence sources were 100% correct this time and more correct than I ever would have guessed because I didnt think Russia would invade Ukraine. I assumed they would only operate in the separatist states

Only you suggesting that Azdeus

@Chairchucker Dont take the bait, he is trolling as usual I like Comrade but this is what he does when it comes to these types of geopolitical and ideological realities

The impact from sanctions can take years and Russia has an impressive foreign reserve but yes the sanctions will have impact but its a long-term game I dont see the Ukrainian military lasting very long and then the question will be will it be an occupation or something else ? My advice would be to the Ukrainian military is to let Russia control the country but resort to guerilla warfare like we saw in Iraq and Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation because I dont see the point of trying to take on the Russian and Belarus forces directly ?

No of course he didnt say that, he just said its Ukraine's fault for not implementing Minsk

Dark we all make mistakes, its okay. The important thing is to acknowledge it and not make these types of predictions going forward Their wont be WW3 but their will be sanctions But I am going to insist you eat your hat, make a video and post it

And their we have it, the famous " lets blame someone else for what Russia is doing " ....thanks Zora for doing exactly what is predictable

Im waiting for @Zoraptor latest handwaving, whataboutism and " nothing to see here " or other Russian apologists to say things like " you cant trust the Western media " and or " everyone knows the US are the worlds warmongers, Russia would NEVER invade Ukraine " But we should focus on what many of us have been saying about this Ukraine illegal invasion. Sanctions are the only realistic option going forward but the most severest sanctions possible. Also Tucker Carlson's sycophantic support for Putin is not helping but most of the GOP is united in condemnation I have been engaging on Codex around this discussion and their plenty of Russia supporters on that discussion and lots of anti-Russian sentiment but as usual people take extreme views. But their is a guy from Ukraine who I chatted and as you said I feel deep sympathy for the Ukrainian people We must see how things unfold

Im confused by your point? Aribeth betrays Neverwinter in the OC and you fight Mephistopheles in HoTu which is an expansion

I agree, thats a very complicated war because of all the countries that got involved It was partly ethnic but IMO more about about the massive mineral wealth within the DRC with countries like Angola and Zimbabwe ( Mugabe of course ) sending troops to " help " the people of the DRC but most countries getting involved didnt care about the people of the DRC but wanted to enrich themselves And to this day the DRC still doesnt have a proper, functional government. It has huge amounts of unmined mineral wealth and should be the wealthiest country in Africa. Nice people from the DRC, they speak French and English. I worked their once in 2005 or 2006 at a massive mine that was a self-sufficient compound that had its own private airstrip for expats and workers to fly directly in All 3 of the security guards in my flat complex in Cpt are from the DRC

Also he is referring to wars over tribal and ethnic conflicts and not all the current conflicts are about that So for example their are 4-5 areas where countries are battling Islamic Extremists like Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram

Yes you right, their are numerous conflicts and coups in several African countries. I would say the most in the last 20 years so the end of Colonialism hasnt changed that But then their are the rising stars and success stories so its a mixed bag But he is right about Ukraine and what Russia is doing

I am amazed in a first world country some citizens could be so ignorant about how their government works...to quote The organizers of the convoy protest said they hoped to dissolve the federal government through appeals to the governor general. Im truly amazed and shocked

Nooooo,......its far too early to go sleep, I thought you were hardcore ?

You must try other fruit similar to strawberries like blackberry, youngberries and blueberries in smoothies. Im not sure if you get them in Illinois? I would be interested to see how cherry works? Also mix fruit up like banana and any berries is a nice combination

Some people think patriotism is a bad thing, its not. Because it just means you support and believe in your country I think people confuse patriotism with jingoism which is a bad thing