Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

coastalbison6 said:Back in July, electricity usage in the US dropped by about 4%, while gas consumption fell by 11%.
The US actually has some of the largest gas storage facilities in the world per capita; we're sitting at 65% capacity right now, which means we could easily cruise through the whole winter even if we started at 80%.

Actually, let me correct myself—they're at 68%.

If you want to talk about countries that actually matter more than Austria, check out these heavy hitters:

-Germany is at 86%

-France is sitting at 93%

-Italy is at 84%

-Poland is way up at 99%

Here's the link, it updates daily so you can keep tabs on it yourself...https://agsi.gie.eu/

gentlerider7 said:https://www.jeffsachs.org/newspaper-...yhzwxc5f72ancr

Look, we’re living through some seriously sketchy times, right? And honestly, if you ask me, instead of just following whatever Washington decides to do, European leaders really ought to be chasing after what actually matters—The true source of European security : not US hegemony. We need actual European security arrangements that respect The legitimate security interests of All European nations , certainly including Ukraine, while also keeping in mind that Russia isn't exactly thrilled about NATO pushing its way into the Black Sea. Europe should reflect on The fact that The non-enlargement of NATO and The implementation of The Minsk ii agreements would have averted this awful War in Ukraine. Seriously, at this point, if we want any hope for European and Global security, we've got to lean into diplomacy rather than just cranking up the military tension, don't you think?

Is Jeffrey Sachs just a total shill?

While Vladimir Putin sends 200,000 soldiers on an aggressive push along the line from Kyiv all the way down to Kherson, 1243 mileswe hear people claiming the conflict was actually triggered by "NATO expansion" and the failure to follow through on the "Minsk agreements."

If you don't consider that classic Russian propaganda, then I honestly don't know what is.

gentlerider7 said:https://www.jeffsachs.org/newspaper-...yhzwxc5f72ancr

Look, we’re living through some seriously sketchy times, right? And honestly, if you ask me, instead of just following whatever Washington decides to do, European leaders really ought to be chasing after what actually matters—The true source of European security : not US hegemony. We need actual European security arrangements that respect The legitimate security interests of All European nations , certainly including Ukraine, while also keeping in mind that Russia isn't exactly thrilled about NATO pushing its way into the Black Sea. Europe should reflect on The fact that The non-enlargement of NATO and The implementation of The Minsk ii agreements would have averted this awful War in Ukraine. Seriously, at this point, if we want any hope for European and Global security, we've got to lean into diplomacy rather than just cranking up the military tension, don't you think?

Is Jeffrey Sachs just a total shill?

Honestly, it kind of reminds me of those folks back home here in the States who say, "well, if Ukraine hadn't fought back, there wouldn't be any deaths or war to begin with." 🙄

https://www.zeit.de/2022/27/ukraine-...kipedia.org%2F

AN APPEAL FROM:
Jakob Augstein (publicist), Richard A. Falk (professor of international law), Svenja Flasspöhler (philosopher), Thomas Faith (professor of agricultural economics), Josef Haslinger (writer), elisa Hoven (professor of criminal law), Alexander Kluge (filmmaker and author ), Christoph Menka (professor of philosophy), Wolfgang Merkel (professor of political science), Julian Nida-Rümelin (philosopher), Robert Pfaller (philosopher), Richard d. Precht (philosopher), Jeffrey Sachs (professor of economics), Michael von der Schulenburg (former UN diplomat), Edgar Selge (actor), Ilija Trojanow (writer), Erich Vad (retired general, former military adviser to Angela Merkel), Johannes Varwick (professor for international politics), Harald Welzer (social psychologist ), Yogeshwar (science journalist), Jul Zeh (writer)

Gregory Ramos3 said:Honestly, it kind of reminds me of those folks back home here in the States who say, "well, if Ukraine hadn't fought back, there wouldn't be any deaths or war to begin with." 🙄

https://www.zeit.de/2022/27/ukraine-...kipedia.org%2F

AN APPEAL FROM:
Jakob Augstein (publicist), Richard A. Falk (professor of international law), Svenja Flasspöhler (philosopher), Thomas Faith (professor of agricultural economics), Josef Haslinger (writer), elisa Hoven (professor of criminal law), Alexander Kluge (filmmaker and author ), Christoph Menka (professor of philosophy), Wolfgang Merkel (professor of political science), Julian Nida-Rümelin (philosopher), Robert Pfaller (philosopher), Richard d. Precht (philosopher), Jeffrey Sachs (professor of economics), Michael von der Schulenburg (former UN diplomat), Edgar Selge (actor), Ilija Trojanow (writer), Erich Vad (retired general, former military adviser to Angela Merkel), Johannes Varwick (professor for international politics), Harald Welzer (social psychologist ), Yogeshwar (science journalist), Jul Zeh (writer)

Exactly.

Jeffrey Sachs (United Nations) is one of the people signing this letter, which basically tells the West to stop sending weapons and helping Ukraine, so they can just "negotiate for peace." 👎

Isn't that the same Jeffrey Sachs who served as an economic advisor during the "shock therapy and privatization" era in Russia under Boris Yeltsin? 🙂

Anthony Perez9 said:Exactly.

Jeffrey Sachs (United Nations) is one of the people signing this letter, which basically tells the West to stop sending weapons and helping Ukraine, so they can just "negotiate for peace." 👎

🤔. I guess if someone breaks into my house, I shouldn't call the cops—I should just try to "negotiate in peace" with the burglar instead.

hollowdriver13 said:🙏🙏🙏

https://twitter.com/DmitryOpines/sta...CzqfzNob0rAAAA

The Russians would probably still be sitting at the negotiating table right now, except they’d just be arguing over how to wrap up the terms that Moscow already decided had to be met. 😵

Does this include demands to "return" everything from Cleveland to Miami back to the motherland?

Matthew Young35 said:Seriously though... environmental groups are constantly pushing back against natural gas infrastructure projects.
But honestly, it feels a bit suspicious when people immediately start hunting for hidden agendas or pointing fingers at George Soros.

Besides, those organizations don't actually hold much sway. At this point, a random DVD from some basement dweller probably carries more influence than an eco-activist group.

Anyone who gets regular airtime in the media has influence. As far as I know, that fire department isn't in the news, but that environmental group near the Gulf of Mexico definitely is.

dustytiger8 said:Isn't that the same Jeffrey Sachs who served as an economic advisor during the "shock therapy and privatization" era in Russia under Boris Yeltsin? 🙂

Lately, he’s been leaning hard into the China angle, basically arguing that we need to "dismantle" Western hegemony and just embrace China's rise as the next global superpower.

It’s almost like it was tailor-made for him to come over here, trash the West, and play defender for Russia—it’s like he’s getting a little bonus for it, if you catch my drift. 😬

Anthony Perez9 said:Exactly.

Jeffrey Sachs (United Nations) is one of the people signing this letter, which basically tells the West to stop sending weapons and helping Ukraine, so they can just "negotiate for peace." 👎

He is nothing more than an idiot playing the part of a peacemaker, much like Mearsheimer. Is it not incredibly easy to gamble with someone else's territory? If Putin were to come knocking at his own door tomorrow, would he not suddenly find his voice to sing anthems of freedom and democracy, loudly calling for defense?

I’m feeling a little rusty when it comes to these YouTubers who spend their lives fighting against the decaying West (or alongside them, depending on how much they hate themselves)... Who even is this guy? Based on his video titles, you’d think the firebrands were already chilling out in the Algarve.

https://www.youtube.com/c/AlexanderMercourisReal/videos

driftingfox66 said:I’m feeling a little rusty when it comes to these YouTubers who spend their lives fighting against the decaying West (or alongside them, depending on how much they hate themselves)... Who even is this guy? Based on his video titles, you’d think the firebrands were already chilling out in the Algarve.

https://www.youtube.com/c/AlexanderMercourisReal/videos

Comment from the video:

This winter is going to be a brutal one, if you look at how the winter just wrapped up down south in places like Australia. Usually, when things get freezing in the southern hemisphere, the north follows suit. Besides, it feels like some kind of cosmic justice... to me, it felt like pure karma that caused crop failures in Europe and US this year, while Russia Got a bountiful near-record harvest.

Putin’s emissaries aren't just looking for "volunteers" among the convict population; they’re casting an even wider net, targeting the homeless and—get this—even the mentally ill!

The St. Petersburg psychiatric clinic actually posted a call on its website for volunteers to join armed units stationed at the Neva River, Kronstadt, and Pavlovsk https://theins.ru/news/254707

P.S. Just a few days ago, Putin posthumously honored Ivan Neparatov, the leader of a gang of killers who was sentenced to 25 years for murdering five people and running extortion rackets before deciding his true calling was joining the Wagner mercenaries https://theins.ru/news/254656

In hospitals within the occupied Donetsk region, representatives of the Russian occupation forces are forcibly recruiting patients and wounded individuals into the "DNR army." This forced conscription is also reportedly underway in Luhansk. https://theins.ru/news/254700

And they call this the second most powerful military in the world... quite a feat, isn't it? 🤦

Jessica Peterson2 said:Putin’s emissaries aren't just looking for "volunteers" among the convict population; they’re casting an even wider net, targeting the homeless and—get this—even the mentally ill!

The St. Petersburg psychiatric clinic actually posted a call on its website for volunteers to join armed units stationed at the Neva River, Kronstadt, and Pavlovsk https://theins.ru/news/254707

P.S. Just a few days ago, Putin posthumously honored Ivan Neparatov, the leader of a gang of killers who was sentenced to 25 years for murdering five people and running extortion rackets before deciding his true calling was joining the Wagner mercenaries https://theins.ru/news/254656

In hospitals within the occupied Donetsk region, representatives of the Russian occupation forces are forcibly recruiting patients and wounded individuals into the "DNR army." This forced conscription is also reportedly underway in Luhansk. https://theins.ru/news/254700

And they call this the second most powerful military in the world... quite a feat, isn't it? 🤦

Sure, prisoners can make decent soldiers, but recruiting the mentally ill? That’s usually just a recipe for endangering your own troops.

https://twitter.com/catbuchatskiy/st...90437863800834

According to US intelligence docs, Russia's been scooping up millions of shells and missiles from North Korea: New York Times.

driftingfox66 said:I’m feeling a little rusty when it comes to these YouTubers who spend their lives fighting against the decaying West (or alongside them, depending on how much they hate themselves)... Who even is this guy? Based on his video titles, you’d think the firebrands were already chilling out in the Algarve.

https://www.youtube.com/c/AlexanderMercourisReal/videos

International Affairs Editor Russia Insider at Russia Insider

He resides in London 🙏

driftingfox66 said:I’m feeling a little rusty when it comes to these YouTubers who spend their lives fighting against the decaying West (or alongside them, depending on how much they hate themselves)... Who even is this guy? Based on his video titles, you’d think the firebrands were already chilling out in the Algarve.

https://www.youtube.com/c/AlexanderMercourisReal/videos

He actually lost his law license for forging evidence.

coastalbison6 said:He actually lost his law license for forging evidence.

Well then, he is perfectly qualified for his current profession.

Last week, the Iranian Navy seized two American Saildrone Explorer drones in the Red Sea. They ended up releasing them back into the water only after US 5th Fleet destroyers stepped in and warned the Iranians they were ready to strike back if they didn't.
That’s what you call showing strength.