BruceVC

Latest UN resolution on Russia's invasion, in a year not much has changed. 80% of the countries who voted support Ukraine with 7 countries supporting Russia SA again disappoints with abstaining but good to see most African countries supporting the resolution

That wasnt my logical conclusion from the article? Covid created a period of isolation for Putin but he received terrible advice around how the invasion would be received and he overestimated the efficiency of the Russian military . And thats been more or less confirmed by numerous sources, dont you remember the infamous and cringe " Kiev will fall in 3 weeks " and " Most Ukrainians will welcome the Russian invasion " For me the article just confirms what we have already seen and know. It didnt even mention the word China?

Fair enough, its the innuendo that concerns me because sometimes governments get accused of lying but its not lying they doing. They not sharing everything which is not the same as lying

But Monty I hope you realize that no government in the world can be completely honest with its citizens all the time, especially when it comes to security of the country. Thats why you have confidential and secretive labelling of documents and why Diplomatic cables are confidential This sometimes creates unnecessary levels of concern and activism from citizens because they have an unreasonable expectation that they have a right to know everything but we dont. And this is more prevalent in times of war

Im 8 hours into Kingdom Come: Deliverance and so far Im loving the overall Medieval experience the game provides, some highlights its a beautiful game. I am running it on maximum graphic settings I know nothing about this historical time period so I am enjoying the lore around Bohemia I like the different survival mechanics like nourishment and rest. Its realistic I haven't really touched on serious combat but I finally worked out how lockpicking works which was very rewarding when I got the ring the miller asked for from the executioner I like the open world design, I enjoy exploring and interacting with people I installed some good mods and everything I was advised to use, like save anywhere , seems relevant and appropriate for the game. I will do another update once I am further in the game but Im very impressed

Geez...thats a Siberian sentence nowadays isnt it

I think its a bit early for those types of optics?

But Biden took a risk here, I dont think the Russians would have intentionally tried to kill him but accidents and miscalculations happen And Kiev does get targeted sometimes so you never know

Malc remember you said you were going to try not to be so cynical, its the anniversary of the invasion in a few days and Bidens visit is about symbolism and solidarity for Ukraine and its efforts Thats what this visit was about

Thats a really interesting video, its amazing how much Russian SM usage has helped the Ukrainians

Hilarious as usual, great S&M impersonation...she is a natural

Nah, its stinking Commie subversive technology But I do believe strong winds blew the balloon over the US but then you can see a deliberate control of its flight path over places like Montana. So the Chinese took advantage of where the balloon ended up over the US

Im considering Kingdom Come: Deliverance as my next game, whats the consensus for those who have played it ?

Haven't you heard, Switzerland is deploying its military to Ukraine. They always get involved in wars and geopolitical events @xzar_monty Yes I agree, condemnation or support for this war isnt going to change anything. Its just the principle of the statement that matters to me

Good question and a valid one The AU if it was consistent with its manifesto should make an official statement and condemn the invasion of Ukraine because its a sovereign country. Individual African countries did condemn the invasion but not the AU All Im asking for is consistency with what we say we stand for. But both Mali and Burkina Faso have been suspended from the AU because of the coups so the AU has no influence in there government decisions

My point wasnt about immigration, it was that the EU compared to the AU works because its not a talkshop. And if you dont consider the EU to be working union thats also fine. Thats not the original point I was making which is why the AU is a failure, it doesnt enforce its own rules. I provided you with a link that highlights what the AU is supposed to stand for. We wont see the real transformation of Africa if the body that enforces its joint rules allows certain countries to completely ignore these rules My logic and argument is consistent and easy to confirm because I follow the progress and failures of the AU. And you can use mass immigration from countries as a sign of success of a government. There are lots of African countries where the governments provide services, jobs and a future to their citizens and you dont see the same levels of immigration. So " severe difficulties " means in the year 2023 bad leadership which creates the main reason for immigration and then this goes back to the AU and its purpose

I hear you but there are massive structural differences between the UN, EU or AU. You cant compare the UN to the EU or the AU because the latter represent blocks of different countries that are bound by common laws that are suppose to be about enforcing shared and agreed societal, political and economic outcomes that unite and benefit all member countries The EU has its problems but it works, its the worlds most successful economic union and you see this by the desire for mass immigration to the EU for a better quality of life. But the EU does mostly enforce and follow its own rules even if they unpopular to some member states The AU was founded in 2002 and it has a manifesto\charter that members states are supposed to adhere to so we can achieve the real transformation of the entire continent. But they made an unintentional and egregious mistake when they created the AU in 2002, they allowed all African countries to automatically join with no vetting or changes expected to dictatorships or governments that were not Democracies like Libya, Sudan or Zimbabwe. The AU charter has points in it that include " To promote democratic principles and institutions, popular participation and good governance. To promote and protect human and peoples' rights in accordance with the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other relevant human rights instruments. To promote co-operation in all fields of human activity to raise the living standards of African people https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Union But obviously if sitting at a table with certain countries, like I mentioned, and they dont practice these things in the slightest then that union is going fail and it just becomes a talkshop But the EU is not a talkshop, the ECB, the Euro and the EU courts are real and expect member states to follow its rules. Thats why the EU works, the Europeans realized it has to enforceable and practiced to succeed considering its different countries

Its a huge disappointment to see some African countries staying neutral or supporting Russia. Considering the decades of outrage around Colonialism and how the African Union charter is opposed to invasions, military coups and respects sovereignty ( both Mali and Burkina Faso are led by military coups and they been suspended from the AU and both are "pro-Russia " with Wagner group operating in these countries) But this is another example of why the AU is just a talkshop and doesnt lead to real transformation, its inconsistent to its own values and what it says it stands for

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-02-15-smoke-mirrors-naval-exercise-mosi-ii-is-a-potemkin-village/ Tomorrow the SA navy is doing a naval training exercise with Russia and China for 10 days. Its been heavily criticized for numerous reasons and its disgraceful. The local media has been banned from being able to report on it at the actual event, but obviously not reporting on it, which is not surprising considering Russia are China are involved. Last year SA trained with the US and the media coverage was encouraged and allowed The link discusses some interesting Russian equipment that will be showcased

I watched an interesting interview about how there is now an overreaction in the US, created by political pressure, on the Biden administration to down any object over US airspace. With the reality being thousands of “unidentified aerial phenomena,” or UAPs fly over all countries and they dont need to be shot down because they harmless Here is link that discusses this, to quote "The seeming proliferation of suspicious airborne objects could simply stem at least partly from focused attention on what the US government now refers to as “unidentified aerial phenomena,” or UAPs — which have long been observed by pilots, military personnel and civilians, according to reports. In recent days, the US also has sought to enhance its radars and atmospheric trackers to more closely monitor the nation’s airspace after the incident with the Chinese balloon.Experts warn the move could result in a rash of false alarms about the objects. " https://nypost.com/2023/02/14/why-the-sudden-surge-in-ufo-sightings-after-chinese-balloon-saga/

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/02/14/wagner-founder-prigozhin-admits-he-was-behind-russias-infamous-troll-farms-a80228 Wagner founder confirms he is behind the myriad of Russian troll Internet factories that exist

I finished DA:I last night after about 100 hours, it was an entertaining gaming experience and it scores a 65\100 on the globally respected " BruceVC game rating system" . I cant give it higher score because of the 2 main criticisms I have for it which are the combat is routine, its still fun using tactics like Fire Mine but overall its not complex or strategic. You also end up using AI for party members because you dont want to have to micromanage the various abilities in every combat....it would be laborious map markers make exploration easy, I like to explore and find things. So it lacks challenge in this respect These negatives dont negate from the things that are positive, so what I enjoyed about it include the Power Point system is an excellent component. It motivates you to complete the myriad of quests and to participate in activities like the Requisition Table and gain points. I would like to see similar systems in other RPG as a good reason to complete quests I liked the politics and machinations of the War Table, it is fun getting input from advisors and taking their advice I gave the Grey Wardens another chance and at the final narrative updates they rebuilt there origization I liked the idea of being the Inquisitor and the status and influence it provided I appreciated the large number of quests and map regions Crafting was fun and worthwhile, you end up looking for resources to improve your items I loved closing Rifts and I enjoyed the broader narrative Frostbite provides a beautiful graphic experience especially when you can max the settings So its a fun game that I recommend but its important to be aware of the shortfalls which I mentioned

https://www.defense.gov/News/Speeches/Speech/Article/3297356/opening-remarks-by-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iii-at-the-ninth-ukraine/ Here are the comments from yesterday of Lloyd Austin at the Ninth Ukraine Defense Contact Group Its powerful words and accurate. You cant dispute almost everything he says, to quote some of the truths he mentions " And we're here to reaffirm our resounding support for a free and sovereign Ukraine. Nearly one year ago, Putin began his unprovoked and indefensible invasion of Ukraine. Putin thought that in a matter of days, his forces would seize Kyiv and overthrow Ukraine's democratically elected government. And he thought that the international community would just live with it. Russia did not prevail. Kyiv did not fall. And Ukraine's friends did not falter. In the year since Putin's war of choice began, Ukrainian soldiers have won the battles of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson.They pushed back invading Russian forces with Javelins, Stingers, and other systems donated by the countries in this room. The world was inspired by the resilience of Ukraine's people and the courage of Ukraine's troops Well said

https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2023-02-11-vucic--serbia-will-have-to-impose-sanctions-against-russia-due-to-pressure-from-the-west.SkqQGrrTo.html Well done @Sarex, its good to be on the right side of history. The next step is for Serbia to join the EU

So local SA political drama, last night was our SONA (state of the nation address ) and the EFF, Economic Freedom Fighters, tried to storm the stage and they got thrown out. It was classic and even though irritating what the EFF tried to do it provided much entertainment. The EFF are our anti-white, "socialist ", far left revolutionary party and the funniest thing about this was their leader ranting and raving on the street outside while SONA continued