BruceVC

Interesting post, I wasn't expecting this type of response which is why I dont assume anymore why people say what they say and I prefer to ask Sanctions and their effect are a long-term strategy, meaning 12-24 months at least. We have to accept that the Russian economy was never going to collapse within 1-2 months due to sanctions, its literally impossible and if you look at different types of sanctions historically like SA, Zimbabwe or Iran they do work but it all depends on the types of sanctions But they will work with Russia as time goes on and it will require the EU to not be dependant on any energy from Russia, that will speed things up and it just require the West to be unified in not investing in Russia You also make some good points about being decisive. I would argue some EU countries have responded very decisively and some could do more, East European countries have proportionally done the most and I salute Poland's contribution. I know its hard economically and a drain on your resources but this stand against Russia and helping the Ukrainians is about a better future for the whole region and benefits all of us indirectly The US has also helped the Ukrainian war effort in many ways and this should be recognized

@Elerond This link is to build a house but I think when you convert $ and Euro to Rand buying may also be cheaper compared to Finland But it will depend on where you want to live and what size because Cpt is very overpriced because lots of foreigners buy property in the city but in the suburbs its cheaper. Its the same as most cities, property within the city is expensive but outside the city its cheaper

Elerond why dont you come live with me in SA? Putin wont invade SA because we part of BRICS

So when Russia invaded Ukraine what should have been the Wests response in your opinion? The reason I ask is Putin is only going the route of further mobilization because they losing the military campaign and he wants to change the current trajectory. So I am interested in how you believe this could have been avoided once Russia invaded?

I had a chance I had a chance to watch both leaked GTA6 videos and I must say the game looks excellent The one video has some excellent humor in it

What do you mean when you say " their soft power has failed " ...the UNSC has 2 members that arent part of the West and they make their own decisions. And the UN doesnt have control over any country in the world? Governments control countries, not the UN

Interesting assessment, I wonder if that will happen around Putin threatening to use nukes around the Donbas and defending its territories or would Putin call for full mobilization which I think is more likely ?

@Gorth Here is another video about the cost of living in Russia, its partly true and partly parody I think? But she is a real hottie either way

The issue I have is you are generalizing. Yes I can think of maybe 8-10 people of Codex who claim to sympathize or support Nazi ideology and I would argue most of them are attention seekers with maybe 50% of them being legitimate. And I know this because they call me a race traitor, liberal degenerate, not " white" and other terms they think matter to me or are going to offend me when I disagree with them on certain topics But as I mentioned before, I have had plenty of debates with people who just discuss games and other topics like TV series or fantasy books. There are lots of people on Codex who dislike SJWism and the woke movement but that doesnt make them racist

Yes I know you " active " on Codex, you have mentioned it several times. So then you should know there are lots of people who dont discuss politics And I dont know what you mean by nonsense, what did I say that is nonsense?

Sounds very SJW to me and VERY woke

Codex isnt that bad, you can ignore the political debates and there lots of members who dont engage in politics and just discuss games

Barti wont last 1 minute on Codex if he thinks this thread is vituperative

https://www.aol.com/putin-announces-partial-mobilization-russian-062025101.html Here is a summary of the new Russian war strategy, according to Putin its " partial mobilization "

Absolutely, Zora cant help himself. And then he will justify his defense of Russian war crimes with some irrelevant technical reason and say something like " yes but you cant call it a war crime because even though hundreds of men, women and children died and civilians buildings were destroyed the Ukrainians had a sniper in one building so its justified because that makes it a legitimate military target ", or " the Ukrainians are to blame because they fighting back, stop fighting back and you wont see this response from the Russians " But he genuinely cant help himself, its a compulsion but he means well so dont take it seriously. And it is whataboutism, its his form of whataboutism

The Russian stock market lost 8% of its value today in anticipation of the full war announcement ....investors dont like war and the instability it brings

Another " legitimate Russian referendum " ....let me guess, these will be options Do you want to join Russia Do you want full independence from Ukraine

But Monty the Kurds dont have a country so how can they be invaded?

You would think the constant appalling Russian military atrocities and war crimes would not surprise us anymore But they still do shock me

Now you talking Gorthfuscious

Oh my hat, its looking more and more unlikely the " new world Russian led order " is going to materialize Dammit, guess I should stop my Mandarin and Russian language classes

Oh its very believable and wouldn't surprise me in the slightest

Zora is talking about the drone attacks against the Saudis within Saudi Arabia from Yemen But I have never heard of them having advanced kit that can be used to stop suicide drones so Im interested because I dont follow these types of military details?

Im watching the procession and ceremony and its really impressive, extremely well done. Sad but something to see, the end of era. Imagine living a life where so many people care about your passing and are truly emotional I mentioned this on another post but one of the several things I will never forget about the Queens' funeral is how many people came from all over the world to pay their respects Yesterday on Sky they interviewed a group of 6 women, age 60-65, from the US who hadnt slept for 40 hours and were in the line to see the coffin, they were asked "why did you come all the way from the US" and they said "her life and actions is something we really admire and we wanted to pay our respects. We wouldnt do this for any US politician " ....says something about how the Queen resonated with people globally

Nice to see you recognising the Queens passing Gothforscious, it took long enough And most people dont celebrate at funerals, maybe in Denmark but generally you mourn and pay respect in most countries and cultures?