Saw a programme before on it. Half the yanks weren't the full shilling to say the least. A clatter of local honeys turn up before they go clubbing to get free bubbly n caviar, a couple of hookers mixed in n the odd yank feels like a hero the next morning! Think it was 10k + for each yank to go over, yer one organizing it was cleaning up.
I'd be even less surprised if UEFA/FIFA said something like "it's a strong bid from the Russians, we'll definitely take this under consideration". They like their Gazprom money too much.
I don't get the issue with home heating in Germany & Russian gas.
We are going into summer.
Glen Dimplex Ireland needs to Ramp up production of their electric heaters and sell to Germany.
Need more employees? Employ Ukrainian refugees.
Germany needs to recommission their nuclear power stations.
Everyone is cozy cozy.
Its energy for cooling that's used in the summer.
Problem happens when you try and generate the power to turn on those electric heaters.
We, rather the poliical and corporate powers that be, were quick to sanction Russia because let's face it, other than oil and gas their economy and the foreign earnings from it are small in the worldwide scheme of things. Or small enough that it wouldn't immediately hurt and would hurt them far more. It would be like sanctioning Italy or Greece, minus the great art and history. If they didn't have oil and gas then that Great Wall of Sanctions would be even tougher and higher. If they didn't have nukes the Americans would have gotten involved a week in. No fly zone first, then if that didn't soften their cough airstrikes.
Nobody will sanction the Chinese. Not when our Western companies, especially America who gutted her working class to do it in favour of billionaires, outsourced their production there because of more profits, so we could all buy more and cheaper "stuff". Look around your house, the very device you're eading this on. Almost certainly Chinese made. Try find anything Russian made. Now the Chinese themselves are trying to do that in places like Africa, because the Chinese people don't want to be paid a pittance any more. Rinse and repeat.
To be fair, it's no more ridiculous than the ludicrous reason he's actually claiming.
Good, if depressing interview with a former Putin advisor. Points out that sanctions did not bring regime change in Iraq, Iran or North Korea and won't in Russia.
Says that the Wests whole approach emboldened Putin and Putin knows from way back in the USSR era that Biden is weak. Until the West directly stops him, he'll keep going.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl_nWwx2B7w
Ukrainian farmer holds a sale.
😁
He looks like an absolute fool at this point. A lot of egg on his face but that makes him in my estimation far more dangerous.
The US sees Russian troops North of Kyiv actually digging into defensive positions, and not trying to move forwards, defense official says
Sanctions brought down apartheid South Africa.
Ukraine's figures:
Watched first 15 minutes. Interesting guy. Cheers. Hopefully get a chance to watch the rest later.
Ukraine Ploughing Championship 2022
I don't know that regime change is the primary objective of the sanctions. I mean if they could topple Putin peacefully and a Russian Nelson Mandela coulod step forward to take the reins everybody would be delighted but the potential for things to get out of control amidst a chaotic fall of the Putin junta means I suspect Western leaders are wary of pushing too hard for that.
IMO the sanctions are primarily designed to weaken Putin's capacity to wage war by crippling the Russian economy...
Russian propaganda machine isn't as effective in Syria as first thought:-
Yep, saw reports and pics of them setting up trenches. Weird move because trenches are not great against drones. Still, the Russians must know what they're doing 😂
I hope he embarrases them thoroughly for being one of the most unhelpul western countries.
Sly boy Roman, he’ll pretend to be a go between to safeguard his assets until the war is over.
I sense a couple of new verses of Bayraktar in the pipeline...
In reality many doctors do more harm than good
No they didn't: https://reason.com/2013/12/06/did-economic-sanctions-help-end-aparthei/
"Eventually, the Reagan administration levied economic sanctions against South Africa in September 1985 (with Congress following suit a year later). The result was nothing--at best. In the wake of sanctions, the South African stock market soared as local investors picked up "fire sale" bargains. The pro-apartheid National Party gained political momentum it had lost years before, largely due to the intense "rally 'round the flag" boost that all sanctioned pariah governments--from South Africa to Iraq--tend to enjoy.
...
sanctions failed to "lower South African trade flows from their previous levels, but GNP growth actually accelerated after the European Community and the United States imposed sanctions (in September and October 1986, respectively). Perversely, South African businesses reaped at least $5 billion to $10 billion in windfalls as Western firms disinvested at fire sale prices between 1984 and 1989." That's worth noting every time that sanctions are brought up as a way of undermining a regime or policy that somebody doesn't like. They rarely work as intended, if they even work at all."
It should be obvious to people that during the summer natural gas usage would drop.
Warmer & brighter days.
It's during those months when there's less demand that countries should be replenishing their stockpile with as much non Russian gas as possible to see them through the winter.
The Ukranian ploughing championships will be epic
I bet those T72s with a 125 mm canon and bmp-2 with 30 mm is great for vermin and culling
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