Blugolds

Ukraine does have a Nazi problem...but I would say that EVERY country has a Nazi/Fascist problem, it is not specific to Ukraine. I guess Im confused as to your position? You've made several comments about the Azov units...is this a surprise that Ukraine ALSO has these types? You can find Neo-Nazi trash or similar ideology in every military in the world and probably every city...including Russia. Personally I dont think the narrative is: Ukraine good, Russia Bad. I think its that the majority of Ukrainians are good, the majority of Russians are good, there are whackbags on both sides, just like any other country...its just happens that one Russian guy happens to rule his side and control the military...and unfortunately he has no problem specifically targeted bombing of civilians. As for your link to the Multipolarista website...that is extreme to say the least and clearly just anti-West, every single article written to stir the pot and paint the west as the problem and is predominantly pro-Russia/China, not one single criticism of any other country with all articles targeting US/NATO. So its hard to consider it any more credible than extreme websites in the US doing the same against Russia/China. You've stated Western Hypocracy...again is this news? Show me one country that is not hypocritical, does not spin a narrative, Russia is the KING of fake news, unless Im wrong and you're saying I should get all my info from RT? Maybe China gives a better picture of what is really going on? The lighthouse in a sea of disinformation? You even said yourself: Russians believe in Russian propaganda. Americans believe in American propaganda. This is true Yet you only have a problem with Western Hypocrisy? MSM? FYI Russia has the same issues: https://theconversation.com/putins-fascists-the-russian-states-long-history-of-cultivating-homegrown-neo-nazis-178535 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Imperial_Movement https://www.rferl.org/a/russian_neonazi_sentences_welcomed/24263471.html https://www.cidob.org/en/publications/publication_series/notes_internacionals/n1_128_russia_for_russians/russia_for_russians https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51236915 I can keep going...China has them too...there are literally hundreds of Fascist groups in every country...sometimes they work their way up the ladder..There are even Fascists in Israel... https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-when-jews-praised-mussolini-and-supported-nazis-meet-israel-s-first-fascists-1.7538589 https://www.timesofisrael.com/several-far-right-israelis-groups-said-on-extensive-facebook-blacklist/ https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2018/7/17/an-unlikely-union-israel-and-the-european-far-right So I guess I dont get the point...cherry picking articles from any country exposing extreme views...they can literally be found in EVERY country. Im not saying the West/NATO is not without fault, just that it seems silly to me to focus on the problem of one country when it can be found everywhere and is not indicative of the general consensus of citizens. The majority of Russians/Ukrainians/Chinese/Americans/Israelis are good, and just want to live their life in peace and be left alone, have a decent job, home and family...

If Finland joins first, Sweden will kind of get the benefit of joining without really having to pay/join...Russia would have to go through a NATO country to invade on land otherwise they would have to come across the Baltic and that would be tough. So if Finland joins, for all intents and purposes...Sweden is basically "protected" by NATO countries and could maintain their neutrality if they didnt want to make it official. If Im thinking about it correctly. I hope you're right about the food shortages

Biden says Western leaders discussed food shortages, which he says will be "real" US President Joe Biden said leaders discussed the possibilities of food shortages triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Biden said food shortages will be "real," and he called Ukraine and Russia the "breadbasket" for Europe. Supplies from the two countries together account for almost 30% of global wheat trade. "The price of the sanctions is not just imposed upon Russia. It's imposed upon an awful lot of countries as well, including European countries and our country as well," Biden said in remarks after an emergency NATO meeting in Brussels. "We had a long discussion in the G7 with ... both the United States, which has a significant — the third largest producer of wheat in the world — as well as Canada, which is also a major, major producer. And we both talked about how we could increase and disseminate more rapidly food ... In addition to that, we talked about urging all the European countries and everyone else to end trade restrictions on sending, limitations on sending food abroad. So we are in the process of working out with our European friends what it would be, what it would take to help alleviate the concerns relative to food shortages," he said. Biden also mentioned a "significant" US investment model for humanitarian assistance, which would include food. Separately, French President Emmanuel Macron laid out the details of a proposed EU-led food security initiative designed to alleviate the risk of food shortages caused by the war. “This situation will create a food crisis, extremely serious humanitarian situations in several countries and are sure to have massive political consequences in several countries,” Macron said at a news conference in Brussels on Thursday. According to a document circulated by the Elysée, Russia is the top exporter of wheat worldwide (33 million tons in 2021) with Ukraine not far behind (fourth largest exporter, with 20 million tons in 2021). The document estimates 27 mostly African and Middle Eastern countries source over 50% of their wheat from Russia or Ukraine. The three-pronged initiative spelled out in the document would rely on measures, such as making crisis stockpiles of grain available to “avoid any shortages and keep prices down,” raising production thresholds, and stepping up investments in sustainable agriculture in the most-affected countries. The "breadbasket" has been mentioned before...people will stomach higher prices at the pump...but if food increases even more, similar to construction materials (2-3x) and people will REALLY feel it. Never in my lifetime have I gone to the grocery store and literally seen 80% of store shelves empty, but it happened during COVID, possible that we see that again?

The old Soviets got a lesson in SISU!

@formthirteen thanks!

Cliff notes for those of us who are a little rusty on the translation (aka dont speak the language at all)?

Wow that takes me back…that was THE game back in the day for me and my friends, countless hours against each other…if this was the case we could send the Ukrainians some Shelby Cobras and be done with it… - Shelby Cobra = how do you turn this on

“Ukraine’s military intelligence published a letter allegedly written by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu asking for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s permission to start mass logging of Ukrainian forests. The wood would be sold, and the money would go for the Russian army. “All forests in the temporarily occupied territories are at the highest risk,” Ukraine’s intelligence said” This just gets better and better…..just how are you going to start a mass logging operation with heavy machinery and trucking…I don’t know the seasons in Ukraine like I do here, but I know several family/friends who own large logging operations…they are out of the woods shortly, if not already. Snow is melting, ground is thawing…its the wet season and those machines are large and heavy..the logistics of even getting the machines back in there are unbelievable, they even have semi trucks full of huge Timbers (like railroad ties) to build “mats” in wet/soft spots in case they run a little late in the season on a job. That’s not even considering the fact that the trucks themselves need to be loaded in the woods before heading to the mills.. I almost find this hard to believe.

Thought I read that Ukraine sunk that battleship that took the “go Fawk yourself” island…. Didn’t even think about Vietnam…and didn’t know about Korea..agreed we should have never tipped out hand or advertised that we were delivering the Migs or anything else…let Putin find out Ukraine is armed to the teeth the hard way…

Schiff's tweet says nothing about Zelensky and everything about Schiff.

I think Ukraine NATO is a "threat"...is it really real? If Russia didnt have nukes that would be one thing..but with nukes and a leader that isnt afraid to threaten using them...can you honestly envision a time where NATO would challenge them in armed conflict? I cant unless it was WW3 and then it doesnt really matter anyway. I know he says NATO expansion...and obviously that is probably a point of pride, but seems like the real thing he wanted was the land bridge/separatist regions...is Ukraine really that much of a buffer between Russia and Poland et al? I know it would be uncomfortable probably...just like nukes in Cuba..but when we are talking about 5k nukes capable of traveling the globe, does it really matter if they are on your doorstep or it takes 30 min to get to the US? I guess I just feel that if it gets to that point...whats the difference. What happens when the Nordic countries (who are now terrified) decide that they want to join NATO? Ukraine 2.0? What happens when Finland wants in next? I guess its FAAFO

I agree, and I think it was discussed on this board, Putins plan was bomb the hell out of Ukraine so there is nothing left to join NATO and they take decades to rebuild, he was never going to occupy because thats impossible (Afghanistan 2.0), connect his land bridge to Crimea..and then try to "negotiate" away the consequences... BUT if he has nothing to negotiate, and neither party will compromise. Then how does it end. Then it comes down to how much Ukraine is willing to lose. Its pretty clear outside of some weapons, Ukraine is unfortunately on their own in this one. Putin can sit there and continue to lob in missiles for a month until there really is nothing at all left of Ukraine...meanwhile his holiness the Pope will continue to "be close to those who are suffering" and the rest of the world will change their FB profile pic to the Ukrainian flag and tweet "thoughts and prayers". World has come together for sanctions and humanitarian aid, I have a close friend that flew to Poland last week as refugee assistance and he said it was tremendously moving to see so many compassionate people helping others, almost got choked up telling me about it...but at the end of the day, thoughts and prayers, cookies and blankets has never stopped a dictator. The smarter move, if they want anything left of Ukraine is to give him the rogue regions that they've been fighting with anyway and start from there, the rest of the sanctions dont concern Ukraine as they asked for them but didnt impose them. IMO thats between Putin and the rest of the world, same as the other points. Have they even seen the Tier 1 fighters yet? Because the captured guys on video are the C-squad...they arent even equivalent to US National Guard, no battle tactics, no strategy, barely know how to use the equipment and weapons, not even a sandwich..these guys literally were told to just drive West and didnt even know what they were doing...Putin hasnt even used 1st string players yet has he? I saw the one Tank General or whatever was killed, but this honestly CAN NOT be the best the Russians have, they havent been using their "good" tanks or aircraft...or soldiers, so if I was Ukraine I would be expecting things to get "more serious" as this progresses and Putin gets frustrated and stops messing around. I could be wrong on this but it seems like he just sacrificed some 3rd stringers and blew through some of the old stock at the missile warehouse. I dont think he will get regime change, Zelensky was unanimously voted in by a wide margin (what was it 70 some %?) and he has certainly earned it thus far both in Ukraine and on the world stage, the guy is the real deal and tbh I have a little bit of President envy...(current and previous) I dont think the people would accept a regime change, thats too extreme, it will be another puppet like Belarus and then they mise well just take all of Ukraine. As for the East side, I dont know what Ukraine could do to stop that, probably too late, what is already captured I dont think they are gonna get back. Also lets assume that things are rolled back, will businesses really want to re-assume that risk, maybe its not an issue for another 5-8 years but they are then at the mercy of whatever day Putin wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. I think this behavior has some serious consequences even if things are rolled back, and it should be making companies think about doing business in other parts of the globe that could result in similar limitations. The longer this goes on IMO the Ukrainians are heading down a narrowing tunnel, but more time for Putin also means its harder to hide, more Russians maybe find out about it, feel the pain of any sanctions and become more disgruntled with current "leadership" and maybe something interesting happens in Russia via the citizens. Honestly I dont know how this gets negotiated with both sides feeling like its something they can stomach. Can anyone offer alternatives that Ukraine might actually go for? I personally dont think they should give an inch..but thats not reality and I also dont want to see the rock pile that used to be Ukraine. As for the Syrians..what does Ukraine do about that? Are there other large mercenary groups they can hire? Can they afford it? Assuming no French Foreign Legion, France in NATO but Legion technically not? I did see an interesting article about Soldiers from the UK going AWOL to fight in Ukraine and British gov "doing everything they can to get them to come back"...I said two weeks ago wait till a gov says that rogue warriors are over in Ukraine as plausible deniability. I just dont buy that...no solider I have ever known would go AWOL and throw away their career, risk court martial etc to go fight in another country..I think thats unlikely. they also didnt say how many...could be British SF for all we know, if true.

FOMO is a powerful drug... The recent meme/crypto gainz have been the most amazing thing I have seen in my lifetime with regard to the markets...no no I didnt make any money off them (I guess I did have one stock that I had held for years that had an elevated short interest and by association spiked to a 5 year high at which time I was ecstatic to exit immediately that morning, better to be lucky than good) but just the "discussions" among coworkers, many of whom IMO should just index...putting serious amounts of cash into names they see in the news..those discussions have quieted significantly... Alot of these guys should just go down to the gas station and buy a powerball ticket...at least they'll likely only "invest" $20 in that gamble...the markets and hysteria entice people to use real/significant dollar amounts at the chance for perceived life changing returns...the irony of this is, I do know a couple guys who did get in relatively early in the meme stonks...but then rode it all the way up...and then all the way back down below their CB...because when you dont understand what is going on they all think "it will come back, just have to ride it out, its all part of the game" so even when they do catch a lucky break, their understanding of what is going on is so elementary that they dont know when to exit and ultimately STILL end up in the red.

Great year! I have 2 1997 vehicles, daily is a 97 Camry with 165k runs like a top,, hoping for 2-3 more years out of her

lol true...they're def better golfers than I am, if you put $10k on the table in front of me and bet that in one swing I could drive a golf ball 100yrds with the club of my choice, I wouldnt take it cause I would give myself a 50/50 chance lol. Tennis...nadda. Next level.... I'm not in the horse polo crowd so I dont have to worry about embarrassing myself there at least...

Wow, never knew there were so many games! I'll have to look into those, the Mrs. loves some quality time in front of a board game at the cabin, but my experience have never gone much past Monopoly, Yahtzee, or if we wanna go waaaay back...Chutes n Ladders and Candyland lol. Assuming Amazon has all these of course..but do you have to go to a special game store for these or are they available at WMT/TGT types? I honestly never knew there were that many board games past the "classics" that probably every family had, Im a bit intrigued.

@cubsfan refugees anywhere generally dont enjoy the same standard of living as citizens, thats part of the deal...theyre refugees... But since you asked..Jordan has taken in 20% of the total Palestinian refugees. I've never been in a refugee camp, but I've been to Amman, it's no Omaha, but I enjoyed my time there.

@adesigar What are those? Star Trek is the only name I recognize. Assuming games of some sort?

@boilermaker75 I was fortunate enough to have an uncle that was a gearhead, spent many nights in the shop working on the Camaro and a 1978 F250 that I have (IMO the Dentside Ford trucks are the best looking trucks ever made). The simplicity of vehicles even 30 years ago blows my mind sometimes..to think that in 1990 you could still buy a new car that had a carb is hard to fathom! Contrast that today with GPS/Internet connection, autostart, complicated 4X4/AWD systems, hybrids, to say nothing of a Tesla...amazing the speed in which tech has changed transportation in such a short time. I do all basic maintenance on my vehicles now, oil, fluids, grease, brakes...basic stuff but I wouldnt feel comfortable tearing apart a DOHC or replacing a timing belt. The vehicles of the 60-70's and earlier were just so darn simple, nothing to them, even to tear apart a 327/350/302/426...couple little differences but the concept was the same across all platforms Ford/Chev/Mopar etc and once you "saw" it, it was simple to make sense of. I think what you are seeing in the lab can be seen across a variety of things. It seems to me to just be the way things are going, fewer and fewer DIY out there in any capacity. I grew up in a more rural community, everyone did probably 90% of what needed to be done themselves, construction, automotive, you name it. When I came to the city and met my significant other she couldnt believe that I did everything and had enough tools to resupply a HD. I had never realized that everyone wasnt like that because everyone I had ever known was, it just wasnt a big deal. Slowly as I assimilated into her friends group I too saw that none of the guys really did anything themselves, and ended up calling me to swap out garbage disposals or light fixtures, faucets etc in exchange for steak and beer. I dont know if those are geographical, generational, or socioeconomic differences, but they are there. To be clear, these guys have plenty of other skill sets, just different than what I considered basic. Also everyone has different abilities, some mechanical, some artistic. If you asked me to draw a person or a horse you're not gonna get much improvement over what I would have produced in the 1st grade...

Im no Nazi supporter obviously, their entire idea turns my stomach and makes me sick, that they would fly the Nazi flag makes me livid etc...BUT given the current circumstances...you have an already mobilized group of violent people with more experience than many in your army, ready to fight for your side against the Russians...I dont know that they can afford to tell them to "stand down and stand by" (see what I did there) when the Russians are rolling in. Im sure they figure, lets take care of the immediate threat, that we all die, first...and then work out our grievances after...America has these shit bags too, and I hate them...but if the Chinese or Russians were rolling through the streets of my town, I wouldnt ask the guy in the foxhole next to me if he was a Nazi...

I think Xerxes makes a decent point..and I think he is being rather unbias about it. I think he made it pretty clear he isnt singling out Israel. To ask why the Palestinians dont leave is to ask the same question as to why the Ukranians dont just leave... Also, the Israeli-Arab conflict has gone on for so long now that it has made it more difficult IMO. Generations on both sides seeing friends/family killed creates blood feuds, thats hard to stop. As Xerxes said, to the victor goes the spoils..and as he has said, this is a common thread throughout history, survival of the fittest, all the empires of the world were built/taken...Here in the US vs the British, the Indians, the civil war...when there is a dispute that cant be resolved diplomatically it comes to fisticuffs and the stronger opponent wins and gets his way.. I dont think its Isreals "fault" and I dont think Xerxes is saying that any more than the US expansion to the west "displaced" the native tribes, or the Dutch/Roman/British empires were at "fault" for their expansion, at least thats not how I am reading his statements...it just is what it is man. Throughout history, "I will do what I want, and unless you are stong enough to stop me, tough shit"...thats human nature.

Anyone have any input on this thought I had? I understand that Russia is censoring western media, FB etc. cutting the people off from any info that may describe this "military exercise" as War/Invasion...I also read that Anonymous has hacked things in Russia to expose the people to what is really happening, and reports say that 17k people have been arrested for protesting... But lets assume that there is a significant portion of the population that is still unaware of what is going on, there were videos of captured soldiers phoning home and relatives they spoke to didnt even know they were in Ukraine or what was going on... My question is...how does the Russian gov explain the sanctions? You can snowball people for so long until they notice none of their social media works anymore, they cant order Nikes, Disney is unavailable, the Ruble is crashing, the markets are crashing etc...what is their explanation for that? Sooner or later Russian people have to notice that they are being cut off from the rest of the world? Maybe it doesn't matter, as Putin and his gov have such a tight grip on the population and the penalties are so stiff for even saying anything that I dont think there is much the people could do even if they were aware and mad about it. My view is that Putin wont stop until Ukraine is a pile of rubble, you dont have to occupy a pile a rubble. Destroy everything so that it takes a generation to rebuild. I dont know that there is anything the Russian people could do to stop it either, he says Ukrainians are the same people and he has no problem sacrificing them, an uprising in Russia would likely yield the same result I suspect.

When I built our vacation home I used this: https://www.amazon.com/Viega-49143-1-2-Inch-PureFlow-Manabloc/dp/B008LAFEIE/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=manablock+pex+manifold&qid=1646706766&sprefix=manabloc%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-5 Worked very well, simple and orderly, even got a compliment from the building inspector. I had initially planned on building my own manifold but the price to build my own vs a commercially made manifold was not even close, so I just bought it and saved time/money. Each location is labeled with provided stickers and each run hot/cold can be shut off individually. Regardless of the brand, a manifold is the way to go, no brainer. As a side note, I have never personally had a pex connection leak, I always pressure the system up and hold, especially in areas that will be covered. I HAVE had sharkbite fittings leak to my surprise, they make a tool to ensure that you are 100% seated in the fitting, but I swore that it was seated after pushing in with all my might...sure enough had another 1/16 1/32 to get it totally seated...so Im personally a little leary sometimes using them but there is nothing easier when transitioning from copper to PEX, it beats soldering a connection.

As you know the 1st gen Camaro/Firebird share the same bodylines for the most part, thats a great looking car!. I actually prefer the 68's over the 69's and I like the 67 side vent windows... I bought the car as a basket case and went through the entire thing. I dont have many completed pics on this computer but enough to give you an idea of the project. All numbers match, 327 car with 4 speed. Literallt every nut and bolt replaced, upgraded vintage air system, full disc brake setup, all new interior...completely new car including backup cameras and apple car play with microphone in headliner. I actually dont like the wheels/tires on it, I got them for a great deal and couldnt pass up, but will be going back to the rally wheel look, I upgraded things tastefully to keep relatively original looking. As purchased: (Looks cleaner here than it actually was, after media blasting, there are no secrets...)