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5,272
Latest developments and discussion of recent events in the Ukraine War
Those who think NATO countries should increase their military budgets by a few percent to be able to confront the Russian Federation on the battlefield are likely grossly underestimating the financial requirements, and the strains to be imposed upon their already extenuated economies. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1333250/wwii-military-spending-share-income/ Western Europe is currently governed by economic imbeciles, for whom diplomacy is an unknown art. And as if that is not enough, they are also unable to master the arts of war, which are supposed to be an extension of diplomacy. Post-Soviet Russia was never a threat to Western European nations and in fact sought closer relations with them. Then Atlanticist aggressive anti-Russian propaganda and menacing expansionism forced the Russian government to reconsider its position. At the same time, by arousing patriotic sentiment, NATO threats have encouraged greater public support for Putin's government. The opposite of what was intended. Even now, I do not believe Russia seeks to overrun western Europe. They are not that illogical. There were years of deliberate NATO provocation and, finally, a powerful Ukrainian striking force assembled and softenng-up barrage unleashed, before Russia resorted to a pre-emptive military strike. Those that fail to understand this should study the sequence of preceding events. Of course there were other ramifications that led to the decision-making. Does anyone believe these days that NATO interventions in the Middle East, North Africa, and South-East Europe were all about human rights and democracy? Western official and MSM narratives seek to indoctrinate Western Europeans into believing this fable of a nascent Russian expansionism, projecting onto Russians the characteristics of the accusers. If the war-mongering propagandists carry on hard enough and long enough about Russian intentions of overrunning NATO nations, perhaps one day the idea might take root and have them say to themselves "Why not do it?" But the way things are going they will not need to. West European nations are self-destructing. -
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Antartica
I thought I was being specific to the bureaucracy concerning travel to Antarctica, which is IMO BS. Preventing companies exploiting the resources is a separate thing. BTW, I spent a night in an American tent in the Dry valleys that covered the well head of a test drill pipe searching for ....................... ( I'll let you speculate as to what they might drill for down there, bur it wasn't for water ) -
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Mintmobile eSIM
Thanks for that info. I am in Suriname at the moment, so I will see if that phone setting works for me and my US institution's 2FA stuff. -
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It's Time to Change the Annual Visa Extension Approval Process
That is not the case at all - that most Thai smiles to us are "fake." Thais are generally very kind, nice people. Everywhere has some jerks/racists, and those concentrate in certain govt-depts here, IME. As far as how customers are treated, of course business-owners/staff "smile" at customers for business reasons. Staff complaining about customers out of earshot? Same as anywhere else. Customers are often a PITA - especially those who never worked retail/restaurants/etc themselves / stood in the other's shoes. Of course, "beggars" should not be here at all - should not be Thai's responsibility to pay for them - and the same attitude should prevail in our passport-countries, if "our" govts respected us / our interests at all.
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