BruceVC

Why would believe for a second that NK would be honest about its total deaths? It has a obvious interest in reporting its total deaths low because then the military operation was not only a success but only a "100 " soldiers died You can argue its not 4000 but that point cant be based on the evidence of a NK memorial, thats like saying " Iran is a peaceful country that respects human rights" because the Iranian state says that Also how did you count 100, I didnt see a single photo where you can see all the pictures? CSIS has released a new report on the war and they say Russia has had 1.2 million casualties but this link has other interesting analysis on the war so its worth a read Russia’s Grinding War in UkraineDespite claims of success in Ukraine, new CSIS data shows that Russia is paying an extraordinary price for minimal gains, with over 1.2 million casualties. Russia is also in decline as a major economi

Anyone planning on watching the Melania movie? It officially releases tomorrow. I wont be watching it I feel sorry for her because its hard to imagine the movie doing well considering who she is married to and the current levels of anger towards Trump

Only issue I had was the Light Mode setting and I have now set that back to Dark Mode So its all good so far

I think you misunderstanding me or Im not explaining my point properly The US is the worlds most powerful and influential country so even if you want to ignore what the US does it still has relevance through numerous geopolitical levels and its direct impact on the global economy. For example the entire worlds main financial markets follow US interest rates announcements because this has an impact on many currencies But Trump is just the US president for the next 3 years and after Midterms his ability to impact changes could be weakened if the GOP loses control of the House and Senate Thats not the same thing as being outraged and believing everything Trump says. He comments on Truth every few days and if you want you can be outraged 2-3/week for the next 3 years. Thats your choice I said from the beginning of Trumps presidency I was going to try very hard to not be influenced by Trumps SM comments, they often not the same as US official policy which does matter So the filter Im talking about is knowing the difference between " I want to create a Gaza Riviera " and " I will bomb Iran to stop them getting nukes " The latter was not only possible and understandable but the right decision by the US. Iran's nuclear program is no longer the global concern it use to be

Im about 400 hours into Skyrim\LoreRim and its time for another exciting update Im on level 67 and as I have previously mentioned slowing down XP gains is the best way to experience the hundreds of quests and force yourself to explore. It really makes you an active participant in everything LoreRim creates and provides There are too many events and developments to cover them all so I will just focus on the main things I have been playing the DLC with the main quest but completing quests at different stages and I have completed Dragonborn. I really enjoyed the whole Morrowind integration and Solstheim is a nice place to explore. I did make one " mistake ", I got to the final battle with Miraak without learning the Dragonrend shout. After being utterly defeated in minutes about 5 times I discovered you suppose to use Dragonrend to defeat his 2 dragons or he will basically restore himself twice which means you need to defeat him 3 times Just trying to defeat him once was almost impossible so I did what I hate doing and used Console Cheats to give myself endless Health and Stamina. I defeated him and took his very powerful Mask and Robes. The Mask seems overpowered and gives you 25 health regen/second so I only use it rarely even though its a legitimate item. I like the challenge and reward of strategy in tough battles and an item like this used with blocking means you can often be at full health in most battles I still have to defeat Vahlok a very powerful Dragon Priest on Solstheim, I tried and failed after defeating Miraak and I dont want to cheat to defeat Vahlok I have 5 companions but I only use 2 at a time unless its a very hard battle. I have Auri, Remeil, Katana, Gore and Serana. Each of them has unique side quests and different personalities but overall Serana is my favorite...I dont think I can Romance her so Im disappointed I have now joined all factions and Im in charge of the Mages and Thieves Guild after completing there main quests. I still do quests for the Dark Brotherhood, Companions and Bards guild The Companions have offered to make me a Werewolf which Im uncertain about and the Dark Brotherhood wants me to assassinate the Emperor which I doubt I will do even though I have progressed this quest As far as the main quest is concerned I have fought Alduin once and now Im busy with side quests around this and I decided to align with the Stormcloaks in the Civil War Im plodding along with Dawnguard and I have completed the Soul Cairn and found both Elder Scrolls you need and I now need to use moths to read them. I really like Dawnguard, the interaction and history of Serana is compelling Its feels like Im getting to the end of the overall game, Im probably about 120 hours away from that?

Its a good assessment and he covers much of the sequence of events and outcomes from Trumps rhetoric and comments around Greenland. I still think people jump to certain unnecessary levels of panic and drama around what Trump might do but the article specifically mentions this as well when he says things like "Donald Trump was threatening military invasion. That was quite clear. He was talking about it, and said "we can't rule it out." It came in the context of what happened in Venezuela." "Denmark showed that they would be ready to fight this out. It's afterwards come out that the Danish soldiers in Greenland actually did have orders to use lethal force against an American invasion. That's the level we were at. They had the ammunition and were prepared for any such things. It was not considered likely that this would happen. But if it did, the orders were there about how they should behave." I often encourage people to try to learn to filter the difference between what Trump is serious about and what is just driven by SM drama and outrage and how Trump loves to trigger the media and get them angry. Because this creates a distraction from other real political issues he is facing domestically like the Epstein files But in this case EU leaders were taking the threat of invasion as a possibility so there response was real. Of course Trump was never going to invade Greenland but it doesn't matter Good link overall

I see oil investment and rebuilding Venezuela's collapsed oil infrastructure is going ahead nicely, that revenue is the key to restoring the country and public\private sector partnerships are going to be implemented like it use to be before Chavez started nationalizing\stealing foreign oil assets https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2...nts-oil-law-reform-to-break-with-chavez-model " Caracas, Venezuela: Venezuela’s parliament has advanced a proposal to loosen the state’s control over its oil industry and boost the private sector’s role in the first major overhaul of the industry in years. The proposal to reform Venezuela’s Hydrocarbons Law was thrust upon the country after the abduction of former President Nicolas Maduro by the United States on January 3 and had generated significant interest across businesses and political parties. Approved in its first reading on Thursday, the reform breaks with several principles of the oil nationalisation carried out by former President Hugo Chavez in 2006, which reserved exclusive crude marketing rights for state-owned oil company PDVSA. The new text allows direct commercialisation by private companies, permits the opening of bank accounts in any currency and jurisdiction, and, while reaffirming PDVSA’s majority stake in joint ventures, allows minority partners to exercise technical and operational management. The bill also proposes repealing the law that reserves ancillary services related to primary oil activities for the state, allowing private companies to subcontract oil extraction, provided they assume the associated costs and risks." Also the whole concern about " utter chaos and further instability in Venezuela if Maduro is removed " is not happening. Its primarily because most Venezuelans just want a functional country and Maduro as a leader systematically destroyed that reality https://www.terra.com.br/noticias/mundo/quase-ninguem-mais-fala-de-nicolas-maduro-na-venezuela,c92d4d1f52fe6fcef2b6b519530cd4e1x7j68fio.html "Almost no one talks about Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela anymore People go about their lives amid high inflation and hopes for improvement Almost 20 days after Nicolás Maduro was captured by US special forces in Caracas, Venezuelans hardly talk about the deposed leader anymore. A partially contained economic crisis, which manifests itself in daily increases in food prices, coupled with expectations of improvement through oil exploration, are recurring themes in different social and family contexts. In various cafes and bakeries, conversations these days tend to revolve around promises of a revival in the oil sector. "Trump has announced the mass return of foreign companies to the sector," commented a group of office workers gathered around a shared table, referring to the US president, who maintains a kind of guardianship over the Venezuelan government following Maduro's arrest and his appearance before the courts in New York. Experts estimate that this return could involve giants such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, and other European multinationals, which would inject up to US$ 20 billion in the first two years, according to projections by the Venezuelan Chamber of Petroleum. The potential impact includes the creation of thousands of direct jobs in the Orinoco Belt fields, an increase in crude oil production from the current 1.2 million barrels per day to more than 2 million by 2027, and the stabilization of the national energy supply. In a country with a long history of oil-based economics, all of this is easily understood by Venezuelans. Even those who do not work directly in the hydrocarbon industry expect to benefit from crude oil production. Meanwhile, in homes, Maduro is rarely mentioned, as the high cost of living dominates family conversations. Prices for essential goods, from flour to medicine, are pegged to the dollar or the euro, meaning that daily fluctuations in the local currency market exacerbate inflation. "Buying a basic food basket for a family of four costs the equivalent of $600 a month, but our income is less than $150 when we add up what I earn and what my husband earns," explains María López (a fictitious name for fear of reprisals), a resident of Petare, one of the most populous neighborhoods in Caracas. This situation has forced many to reduce the number of meals they eat, take on multiple jobs, or accept temporary work, as informal jobs are known in Venezuela. In 20% of households, remittances sent by Venezuelans who have emigrated also help alleviate the crisis. Before his capture on January 3, Maduro had warned that his arrest would trigger a "major general strike" and national chaos. None of that happened. Ordinary people, exhausted by years of shortages and repression, seem to have moved on. "Maduro is history," said a taxi driver stuck in Caracas traffic. Memes and deepfakes are circulating on social media showing the former Venezuelan dictator wearing an orange jumpsuit in an American prison, but checks by specialized websites confirm that these are creations of artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, in the political sphere, the unicameral National Assembly, headed by Jorge Rodríguez, brother of interim president Delcy Rodríguez, has become the scene of disparate interventions. On the one hand, the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, is denounced as a "kidnapping," but without direct attacks on Trump. On the other hand, the same Parliament is preparing to carry out a profound reform of the laws, including the strategic Hydrocarbons Law, following guidelines from Washington. Initially, starting on January 5, supporters of Chavismo held marches in Caracas, but with low turnout, according to observers, under the slogans "Maduro will return" or "We want them back." This week, however, none of these demonstrations took place. According to independent records, civil servants often participate in these marches under duress. There was one such demonstration in the capital on Wednesday, with few participants. In practice, life goes on in Venezuela without Maduro. Children and teenagers attend school, the oil industry is preparing for what could be a qualitative leap driven by Trump, and Chavismo has not boycotted cooperation with the United States, although analysts point to the existence of internal friction and disagreements, as demonstrated by the slow release of political prisoners, a central demand in the White House's messages. For now, the echoes of Maduro and Flores' arrest are fading, although state television insists on highlighting them. What Venezuelans are whispering and debating is uncertainty about the future, as it is not known how long Rodríguez will remain in power as interim president, but there is hope in the face of expectations for economic growth.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/media-advisories/2026/01/human-rights-council-adopts-resolution-extending-mandates-fact-finding As expected the UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution condemning Iran and the killing of thousands of protestors. The real consequence will be limited as usual but this resolution adds continued global attention and visibility to the oppressive nature of the Iranian state and a fact finding investigation will be initiated Only 7 countries voted against the resolution and they were China, Cuba, Indonesia , Iraq, India, Pakistan and Vietnam In summary the resolution states " In a resolution (A/HRC/S-39/L.1) on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially in the context of the repression of nationwide protests starting on 28 December 2025, as orally revised, adopted by a vote of 25 in favour, 7 against and 14 abstentions, the Council strongly deplores the violent crackdown of peaceful protests resulting in the deaths of thousands of persons, including children, and large numbers of injured individuals, as well as the arrest of thousands in connection with the nationwide protests that started on 28 December 2025; urges the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to respect, protect and fulfil its human rights obligations and to take all measures necessary to stop and prevent extrajudicial killing, other forms of arbitrary deprivation of life, enforced disappearance, sexual and gender-based violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, incommunicado detention and torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including against peaceful protesters; decides to extend the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, for a further period of two years, and requests the Fact-Finding Mission to present a report to the Council at its sixty-fourth and sixty-seventh sessions during an interactive dialogue and to present an oral update, to be followed by an interactive dialogue, on the implementation of the mandate to the General Assembly at its eighty-first and eighty-second sessions; requests the Fact-Finding Mission to conduct an urgent investigation into allegations of recent and ongoing serious human rights violations and abuses and crimes perpetrated in relation to the protests that began on 28 December 2025, including for potential future legal proceedings in line with its mandate, and to present a report on its findings to the Council at its sixty-third session, during an interactive dialogue, and to provide an oral briefing update to the General Assembly, during a joint interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur at the eighty-first session of the Assembly; and decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, for a further period of one year, to order to continue to monitor the ongoing situation of human rights in the country, including civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, and to measure progress in the implementation of recommendations, and requests the Special Rapporteur to submit a report to the Council at its sixty-fourth session, during a joint interactive dialogue with the Fact-Finding Mission and to the General Assembly at its eighty-first session."

Russia was going to join but only because of a translation problem, they thought it was called the " board of pieces " But on a serious note, Trump thinks this will somehow create an alternative to the UNSC and how it often "fails " to agree on creating solutions to wars But this is because of the veto which is actually necessary and of course the US itself is guilty of using the veto when its suits them Any serious new global initiative to end wars without most Western counties being part of it is doomed to fail

" The board of peace " ..what a joke Have you seen the countries that are on the board I am prepared to make prediction, they will come up with ideas for Gaza peace that have already been discussed but not implemented and they will achieve nothing substantive in other conflicts And once Trump is no longer president it will collapse into obscurity, like it never existed

The USA was never going invade Greenland, that was just the expected sensationalism and SM drama with this story. There were comparisons to the regime change in Venezuela to how Greenland was going to be annexed and they not remotely the same thing for various reasons that include how Congress wont support any military action over the taking of Greenland despite the rhetoric from several of Trumps spokespeople. Would they declare Greenland an example of narcoterrorism Trump initially tried the threat of economic bullying to try to take Greenland through tariffs and now he was dropped that idea We dont know what this " framework " deal is he suggested and I doubt he even knows. But yes the EU and Canada stood there ground and it was good to see some backbone but its what you expect because as we discussed this was about the future of a sovereign territory that is part of an EU country and they had to draw a line

Thanks, its important to get collaboration with this type of feedback. I am going to share what you guys have mentioned with my family because we currently discussing Greenland and what the US wants to do and my SA family dont know any Danes to get personal feedback so forum feedback like this is important Its interesting you and @Gorgon mentioned Danish Colonialism because its not something I was aware of. In all the discussions and research I have done about European Colonialism its almost all around Africa so Denmark was never mentioned. But I see there was 1 Danish colony which I had never heard of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_Gold_Coast Just for the record I have watched lots of interviews with Greenlanders lately and none of them seemed to have a negative opinion of Denmark and they all prefer the current setup to being annexed by the USA Its probably because the anxiety of becoming Trump's latest "win " is much more real than what happened in the past and Denmark has made amends as Gorgon mentioned?

I stopped watching Trumps speeches at live events about 14 months ago and I just follow highlights But my stepmom was very angry and asked me to come watch "what Trump was saying " So to be polite I watched about 20 minutes of his Davos ramblings and it was the predictable waste of time with him going off script and peddling revisionist and selective " facts" He megalomania is getting worse as he gets older, he did make me laugh because he makes such inaccurate points about history and world events

Thanks, this is the feedback I was looking for and expecting and you have to ask Danes to get it The entire Greenland narrative has been hijacked and misrepresented by Trump and the media in general Its become about Trumps hubris or how " important "Greenland is to Denmark but would anyone be talking about how " important " Greenland is to Denmark if Trump wasnt trying to force US control over it? But I do understand the EU pushback because its about the principle and respect of sovereignty and the rules based order and Trump has now resorted to tariffs to get his way So I support the EU position I just wanted information about the reality of Greenland for Denmark which you have provided

Not a surprise at all DOGE became the perfect example of a sensationalized and failed Trump policy Add to that he brought in Musk who thought public sector and private sector restructuring is the same and it was almost guaranteed that all the grandstanding and rhetoric on DOGE achievements would end in the failure it became