BruceVC

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

I use Chrome and for a month I couldnt post, quote or rate posts, its all working now

It doesnt concern me in the slightest even it true, the Russians have been pushing numerous false narratives and hyperbole that they " fighting the US\NATO" to justify there military failures and lackluster performance so the US helping with navigation coordinates is fine. But saying all that the article does say " Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said in the statement. “The Ukrainians are responsible for finding targets, prioritizing them and then ultimately deciding which ones to engage. The U.S. does not approve targets, nor are we involved in the selection or engagement of targets.” The senior Ukrainian official described the targeting process, generally: Ukrainian military personnel identify targets they want to hit, and in which location, and that information is then sent up to senior commanders, who then relay the request to U.S. partners for more accurate coordinates. The Americans do not always provide the requested coordinates, the official said, in which case the Ukrainian troops do not fire"

Do you think they created these Terminators in similar labs to what the Ukrainians use for there mutant soldiers?

You onto me Sarex, insightful as usual

I didnt realize it but spy balloons do have certain advantages over satellites used for spying. This link highlights it https://breakingdefense.com/2023/02/balloons-vs-satellites-popping-some-misconceptions-about-capability-and-legality/

Nah, we dont mind speculation on this forum. We do it all the time And its definitely true within Russia you cant be honest or vocal around anti-war sentiment. Here is some polling data from Serbia, its reveals most Serbs are supportive of Russia and think Putin is someone to be admired. But I dont know how accurate it is because its a SA website? https://theconversation.com/ukraine-war-serbia-is-shifting-closer-to-russia-heres-why-192472

She must have been in a fantastic mood during the Novak banning and deportation

Nah, dont be so hard on yourself. Serbs never bring up the past

You can absolutely be anti-vax\anti-corona vaccines and opposed to Russia invasion of Ukraine, the 2 are not mutually exclusive I have always supported vaccines but the global pushback to Corona vaccines was based on several things like the right to say no. Im fine with that because 80-90% of people who died in hospitals or had the most severe sickness were the unvaccinated so everyone must accept the consequences of their decisions We didnt see major cases of variants escaping the vaccine efficacy so vaccinated people like me were fine. But end of the day because Corona had a relatively low mortality rate of 5-7%, unlike the black plague or Ebola which is 40-60%, people who were unvaccinated didn't feel threatened or were asymptomatic. Of course the risk is also spending time with the high risk people over 65 and being asymptomatic but again thats a personal choice people made. But you cant force people to take vaccines for Corona, as prudent as it is it didnt work, in most countries, and just encouraged the whole " globohomo\deep state\big pharma is trying to control us " conspiracy theorists and that made more people object to it I do think vaccines should be mandatory in old age homes for staff

Wow, what a brilliant review. HL looks incredible. The combat is complex and I love the open world and activities

https://the-secret-of-darkwoods.vercel.app/ Here is an upcoming CYOA game, it reminds me of the Fighting Fantasy PC games The developer is active on Codex and Im very interested in it

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/western-sanctions-push-russias-energy-revenues-lowest-level-since-2020-2023-02-03/ Some grim economic data for Russia from the Western oil price cap and sanctions

Yes thats the thing, satellites would provide more accurate surveillance than a balloon. But its still concerning and this balloon isnt the only one floating around https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/photos-appear-to-show-second-chinese-balloon-passing-over-latin-america/ar-AA176oGH