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Tuco

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Posts posted by Tuco

  1. On 10/8/2022 at 6:20 AM, Slacks said:

    Figure out how to get the people paid from it and they'll go green.... 

     

    On 10/8/2022 at 6:26 AM, WhatTheBuck said:

    We know how but there are vested interests paying a lot of money to support the status quo. 

    Climate change is an important topic, which is why it has its own thread.  I will respond to slack in that thread. 

  2. It was a fundraiser, held at the General Lyon museum at SNA airport.  It was organized by the Luckey's, aka Matt Gaetz' in-laws.  
    It was $1,500 to get in the door, and $5,000 minimum if you wanted dinner. 
     

    Sure. But, they’ve got to be close to the point where you have a hard time spending new money. There is a point in the campaign where new donations make no difference (to the budget) because you’ve already committed what you’re going to spend. Candidates keep fundraising either because they’re in the hole (lots of campaigns finish in red) or they want a war chest for theirs and other candidates next election. With such a tight race, I wouldn’t think that would be the priority, unless you are way in the hole.
  3. It's so weird that modern warfare includes a strong Twitter game:

    Quote

    The Ukrainian Postal Service will issue stamps featuring the damaged bridge, its CEO said Saturday.

    In images he shared on Twitter, the stamps would feature two figures resembling Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, standing on what appears to be a damaged bridge in a pose that recalls the actors’ arms-locked embrace from the 1997 film “Titanic.”

     

    There was also a cargo train that dun blowed up in Eastern Ukraine.  Much of the Russian military logistics is dependent on rail.  Russia is losing the ability to resupply while trying to defend against the Ukrainian counter-offensive.    Happy fucking birthday Vlad. 

    Quote

    Meanwhile, a cargo train in Ilovaisk in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region was hit by a “powerful explosion” Saturday morning, according to the adviser to Mariupol Mayor Petro Andrushenko.

    “Not only Crimea. Not only fuel tanks. There is also a cargo train in Ilovaisk. Locals report a rather powerful explosion and subsequent detonation at night. The occupiers now have big problems with supplies from both sides,” Andrushenko said.

    CNN link for both quotes. 

    • Hook 'Em 3
  4. 3 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

    It we’re designing systems to sneak past the Russians and the Chinese, wouldn’t it stand to reason that we could sneak them past the Turks?

    You know, unless Donald Trump is selling state secrets. 

    Are you saying a secret sub somewhere in the world or in the Black Sea.  I think it would pretty hard to sneak anything into the Black Sea unless you airlifted it. 

  5. It’s going to be Pete once Jim Pillen gets elected and appoints him, which at least will get him out of the state part of the time. Of course if Carol Blood pulled off a major upset it would be hilarious to see how it played out.

    Blood selects Ernie Chambers. Enough Republican heads explode to turn Nebraska blue.
    • Hook 'Em 1
  6. So what I'm learning is that blue states actually want informed and educated citizens to participate and have democracy work the way it is supposed to, while red states want the complete opposite. 
    That's reason enough for me to move right there.

    Yep. The cynic in me would say that when the majority party benefits from greater voter participation suddenly access to the polls magically becomes less complicated. But, beyond just maintaining power, I do think their are ideological differences regarding democracy.
  7. I moved from a suburb in Seattle to Seattle proper about six months ago. Didn’t get around to updating my driver’s license for a while. But I did get vote-by-mail cards for the primary prior to going to DMV. And voter guides. Landlords send in info when you sign a lease.

    • Like 1
  8. 16 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

    Former President Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the dispute over materials the FBI seized from his Mar-a-Lago estate this summer.

    His emergency request with Supreme Court is the latest example of the former President seeking to involve the justices in investigations that entangle him – at a time when the high court’s legitimacy in politically explosive cases is under intense scrutiny.

    This story is breaking and will be updated.

     
     

    I hope this ends with Trump calling Kav a drunken loser. 

    • Hook 'Em 3
    • Haha 6
  9. 1 hour ago, Dahobbs said:

    It is not like Russia is physically unable to supply Germany with gas right now. The pipelines were/are irrelevant for supplying today's demand. So your entire thesis is invalid. 

    Sure.  All they need to do is ship it through the country that they invaded and is currently kicking their ass.  And pay them transit fees, which were about $1.2B prior to the start of the war. But that's irrelevant. 

  10. Speaking of crazy shit on the Russian side, have we talked about Ramzan Kadyrov?  He's the Chechen "Head" who is fucking insane.  Today he said he was sending his teenage sons to the front lines.  Recently he was urging Putin to use nukes.  His family fought against Russia, then flipped sides, and have ruled Chechnya since.  

    Reading his wiki page, you might assume that it's just been filled with bullshit: 

    Quote

    When his sister was detained by the Dagestan police in January 2005, Kadyrov and some 150 armed men drove to the Khasavyurt City Police (GOVD) building. According to the city mayor, Kadyrov's men surrounded the GOVD, forcing its duty officers against a wall, and assaulted them, after which they left the building with Zulay Kadyrova, "victoriously shooting in the air."

     

    Quote

     

    In February 2006, responding to the publication of the Mohammed cartoons, he accused the Danes of "spying" and being "pro-terrorist". He also banned Danish citizens from entering Chechnya, effectively banning activity of the Danish Refugee Council, the largest non-governmental organisation working in the region. Kadyrov is quoted as saying, "That cartoonist needs to be buried alive." He was eventually pressed to overturn this decision by Moscow, a rare example of federal intervention in Kadyrov's rule in the republic.[44]

    Quote

    On 26 May 2015, he announced that he was going to star in a Hollywood thriller titled Whoever Doesn't Understand Will Get It which will be directed by a director of famous Hollywood films and also feature global film-stars.

    Quote

    Kadyrov launched his reality show titled The Team with the first episode being aired by Channel One on 30 June. People from across Russia were invited by Kadyrov to register for the contest. The winner of the contest will go on to become head of Chechnya's Agency for Strategic Development.

     

    Quote

    During the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia, Kadyrov initially in March dismissed the spread of the disease as nothing serious.[111] Later, Chechnya imposed strict measures to curb the spread of coronavirus after it first emerged in the republic. In an interview to Caucasian Knot, Kadyrov purportedly stated that infected people violating self-quarantine should be killed. 

    It's a weird fucking world. 

     

     

     

  11. 1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

    Seth Meyers Please GIF by Late Night with Seth Meyers

    For context, I believe Trump also claims he was cooperating with the DOJ.  I guess the alternative is pleading the fifth, right?

    Is Bobb the one who signed the everything-was-returned-because-someone-told-me-everything-was-returned affidavit?  Unless she was outright lying on that affidavit (and now admitting to it), I don't know if she will really add much.  The whole point of the way it was phrased implied she didn't know much directly. Maybe it could help build an obstruction charge.  

    • Hook 'Em 1
  12. Could you imagine the level of violence in the heavily armed "annexed" areas if we just set a date and said the side with the most surviving voters wins.  It'd be worse than a typical civil war.  It'd be closer to ethnic cleansing. 

    • Hook 'Em 1
  13. 13 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

    The single best indicator that Russia did it is also in the speech and that is the assertion with zero evidence that the “Anglo-Saxons” (US/UK) did it. 

    1. What would he have said if it the Russians didn't do it? 

    2. If that's the "single best indicator" you have, then you don't have shit. 

    Edit to add: I think our main disagreement is whether Russia thinks there would ever be a future in shipping gas to Europe.  I think they are planning on things eventually returning to some form of normal.  You think...I'm not sure what...that they are engaged in some sort of apocalyptic battle that precludes ever shipping gas again(?).  Maybe you could explain what you think Putin believe the next 25 years will entail, assuming defeat Ukraine for the annexed provinces. 

  14. 24 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

    You're ridiculous. Of course it was Russia. No one else had anything to gain from blowing up a pipeline that wasn't doing anything. Russia did the same thing its been doing for over a decade, creating situations that cause confusion and doubt in the West. That's it. And you're feeding into it by speculating that Poland or fucking Ukraine would have done it. No one else has anything to gain and a whole shit lot to risk by blowing up the pipeline. Also, hint 3,056 that it was Russia: Russia blames "Anglo-Saxons." Come the fuck on man. 

    Really.  You honestly believe that "no one else had anything to gain" ?  Not Ukraine? Not Poland? Not the US?  Nothing to gain in damaging a pipeline those three parties have pushed against for years?  You honestly believe that? I mean, the valves were shut, so that alleviated everyone's concerns moving forward, right?

    I know that when the war drums are beating no one wants anyone to dissent.  But, that's also the time when propaganda gets spun up the most.  Currently the belief is that Russia blew up a pipeline it spent years lobbying for and constructing, and your evidence is "but Putin said Anglo-Saxons!" Would he have said something different if he didn't blow it up?  

    Tell me, do you think people should have questioned the logic for invading Iraq a little more?  Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator who lied a bunch.  It would have been unpatriotic to question our reasoning against his lies.  Right?  I'm not even questioning a US position here, just rampant speculation from the internet.  And you think that's too far.  

  15. 6 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

    I’ve read it in and watched it live in Russian. Most people haven’t had the bad fortune of parsing what Putin means for years, so I’ll annotate it.  One pretty basic principal is that he does whatever he blames other people for doing...

    It's definitely easier to make an argument when you can just change what people say and then say "OMG, look what he said!" You brought up the speech and claimed it validated your argument.  It doesn't. 

    And FWIW, there isn't a disagreement about any of your edits, unless they are meant to mean that Russian will not ship gas again regardless of what happens with Ukraine or sanctions.  I think everyone accepts that Russia is using energy exports as a weapon.  What you have failed to explain is why he would he would spend any effort to blow up a pipeline he mostly owns.  For propaganda?  Ok, I think it's pretty thin.  If you believe it, cool, but I think you are stretching way too far to make it compelling.  

  16. Zeus, you left out Texan LNG folks.  I mean, I don't believe it, but they do have a financial interest and I am amused by the vision of some Slim Pickens character getting suited up to blow up a Rooskie pipeline. 

    • Haha 1
  17. 30 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

    To deliver or not deliver gas is a political and not technical/economic question, it’s framed as technical and economic for low information audiences.  

    I think everyone on this thread understands that currently the pipelines were not being utilized because of political reasons.  I think most people who understand basic economics understand that the demand for Russian gas (or gas in general) is not a fixed number.  The worse the infrastructure for delivering it, the higher the price, the lower the usage.  

     

    8 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

    And it has economic value if you think that the current war is a bump in the road, that at any point in the foreseeable future Europe and Russia will get back to work on energy integration, and Russia will care about being a reliable partner.

    It has an entirely different sort of value if you believe you’re locked in a millennia long struggle with forces of Satanism from the west, that the energy crisis will never end, and that you’re going to completely destroy the existing world order.

    Which speech got delivered from the Kremlin on Friday? 

    The speech that got delivered Friday set the Russian criteria for peace, that Kiev accepts the annexation of part of their country.  That's not going to happen, but that was the speech.  The speech also talked about how people can't heat their homes with greenbacks.  It also claimed that European leaders were betraying their people by trying to get off Russian gas, essentially driving them to de-industrialization.  So, yeah, the speech on Friday projected a vision that Russia gets the annexed provinces and then returns to supplying gas to Europe for political leverage and economic gain.  The millennia thing was discussing the history, importance, blah, blah, blah of the Russian people.  The Satanism thing was about the Western acceptance of gay and trans people.   

    Link to the Kremlin transcript

  18. 15 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

    It’s only silly logic if you treat Gazprom like a Western company.  It’s not. It’s a majority state owned enterprise in a nation led by a former KGB officer.  Look at it this way, if someone told you in the 1970s that some massive Soviet project made little sense economically and appeared to exist to create make work and for some political purpose, would you have trouble believing that? Putin’s understanding of state enterprises is not significantly different.

    This is hardly my original contention.  Providing work for contractors is important (a key feature for decades of Soviet and Russian industry, the only question being who benefits most) and geopolitics (by far the most important) drove NS2 and even NS1 provided capacity that Europe didn’t need. 
     

    https://www.ft.com/content/fc359642-e818-11e8-8a85-04b8afea6ea3

     

    https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/06/16/why-gazprom-corruption-is-bad-for-the-world-not-just-russia-a78012

     

    For fucks sake, you can post all the fucking financial times articles you want, the reality is that a pipeline that connects a gas producing nation with a gas consuming nation 100s of miles away is a valuable asset.  It may not have the value it cost to construct it, but after it was constructed, it has value.  Everything else is just handwaving bullshit.  And it's not like it was just Gazprom.   

    I get it.  You think it was the Russians blowing up their own shit.  Maybe they did.  But use more logical supporting evidence. 

  19. It wasn’t a money making enterprise because it cost money to build. After that money was sunk (no pun intended), it would make money. I don’t know who bombed it, but let’s not build an argument on silly logic. Gazprom had already exhausted its cash on it.

    I would be curious if there were any contractual shit that would kick in - insurance, force majeure relief, etc. that wouldn’t happen by just sitting idle.

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