Posts by briskfox65

Carol Newman2 said:Nataša Miljković from the morning show on CBS is also a blonde. 🙂
Honestly, I find the actual content of her show much better than Good Morning America, which feels like it was designed specifically for retirees—and it definitely looks the part. 😠

http://pics.wikifeet.com/Natasa-Milj...eet-572929.jpg

Don't be like that! I've appeared on Good Morning America before, and I definitely wasn't in any "retirement spirit" myself!🤣

Rachel Carter90 said:People are out here claiming that Oliver Jovićević is basically Tijanica's side piece.

If that's actually true, then you have to give Tijanica credit for having great taste...

Honestly, Jovicevic is pure eye candy. It doesn't even matter who she's interviewing when she shows up in high heels and a mini skirt...
She can actually be quite serious during her segments, too. Reminds me a bit of Horvatika—each of them just dominates their own niche, whether it's sports or politics.

Kovacevic used to be way more poised and professional back when she was with Karica. Now? She’s just throwing out these silly, suggestive questions. She’d fit right in at CBS.

Daniel Garcia24 said:Hezbollah stands as the most powerful military force in the country, actually outmatching the "regular" army... which is a highly atypical situation for any sovereign state.

Well, plenty of things in that region are atypical. Palestinians realized Lebanon couldn't offer them any real protection, so they organized themselves and found a sponsor in Iran. They also saw that Israel doesn't respect anyone's borders or any international rules—diplomatic or otherwise. So, they geared up, trained hard, and decided to take matters into their own hands. Isn't it better to be self-reliant?

And honestly, isn't it easy to be stronger than the Lebanese military? I suspect even the US Army could take them down just as easily.

Daniel Garcia24 said:It’s worth considering whether that Israeli aggression would even feel inevitable if Hezbollah weren't there, or if those Palestinian refugee camps didn't exist; it seems they always find a convenient pretext.

Look, let’s be real: it would be ideal for Israel if there were no Palestinians at all, and the exact same goes for the other side. But Hezbollah itself is a direct byproduct of years of intervention and occupation by Israel in parts of Lebanon.
Given the current balance of power, Hezbollah is the only group capable of doing anything to halt what looks like almost certain future Israeli aggression. The real question is how much money Iran has poured into Hezbollah's new gear. They've definitely trained a massive number of recruits, and their morale is sky-high because they've proven they can hold their own against the IDF.
If nothing else, Hezbollah has shown something new in the Middle East: that it's actually possible to defeat the IDF's strength and emerge from a conflict even stronger. Furthermore, Hezbollah has proven it can act as a sort of strategic brain for the IDF, essentially creating the "decapitation" scenarios we saw after the 2006 war.

Daniel Garcia24 said:Hezbollah is nonetheless an integral part of the Lebanese state, given how deeply they are embedded in its public, political, and religious life, especially considering that the Shia make up roughly 25-30% of the population. Hezbollah stands as the most potent military force in Lebanon, and as long as that remains true, stability will remain elusive. The state simply lacks the strength or the institutional tools to restrain what might be labeled "anti-state" activities, which frequently results in innocent bystanders paying the price for conflicts they have nothing to do with.

The recent visit from the French president to Lebanon (though he visited several other countries in the region as well) was noteworthy. It could potentially signal a deeper level of French engagement within Lebanon. Only time will tell.

Hezbollah acts as both the primary driver of instability within Lebanon and, simultaneously, the only perceived shield against inevitable Israeli aggression.

wanderinggull9 said:Look, he was dragged into a war. Not the full-blown kind, but still—Hezbollah and the Palestinians played a pretty brutal game with the government in Beirut, who were really just trying to avoid an armed conflict.

Hezbollah’s got drones and long-range missiles now, too. Check out Saturday's edition of the Evening News; they have a whole breakdown of their arsenal.

I'm not one to support Zionist aggression, but I'm even less a fan of those extreme Palestinians.

Beirut is tiny. It's basically just a pawn in this massive game. Its territory and its unfortunate people are being used as bargaining chips by the Israelis, the Syrians, the Iranians, the French... you name it.

Yeah, choosing between two evils is never easy.

wanderinggull9 said:An American intelligence officer, General Amin Hutait, mentioned that Hezbollah has been gearing up for another conflict with Israel since that 33-day war back in 2006.

It looks like Hezbollah is heavily armed and is pushing Lebanon right back toward the brink of war.

It sounds like you have some intel that I simply don't have. Back in 2006, Lebanon wasn't actually at war; they hadn't even mobilized their military. You need two sides for a war, and Lebanon wasn't one of them.
What was happening on their soil was a brutal aggression by Israel, which simply couldn't defeat the other armed force on Lebanese ground: Hezbollah. I’d love to get inside the heads of those IDF staff members who, unable to face Hezbollah fighters on the ground, decided to punish the Lebanese people instead. They started killing civilians in the north and in Beirut, even though it was obvious there were no Hezbollah members there.
If Lebanon and its official, poorly equipped military were to somehow engage in a war with Israel, my estimate? It would last maybe 18 to 26 hours.

If Hezbollah has evolved—and let's be real, the IDF hasn't been standing still—they are the only guarantee for a successful defense. Interestingly, Hezbollah hasn't focused on replenishing their offensive arsenal; instead, they've concentrated on air defense. To my surprise, I have to admit, this seems Pro-government.

steelpanther722 said:We are clearly not on the same page here!
The Israelis were terrified that Hezbollah would strike them while they were pulling out. If they had been able to, they would have.
If Hezbollah lacked the resources, then how do you explain them launching most of their Katyushas at Israel right before the war ended?!
Do some actual research on the topics you're discussing and maybe tone down the insults!

You're insulting the entire audience with these reckless claims about chivalry! It defies common sense. Are we really supposed to believe two enemies who would literally drink each other's blood will suddenly act like knights!?

A Katyusha might have enough precision to hit a city, and that’s about it. And you think someone would use Katyushas to target a military convoy? Fine, let me paraphrase you: don't insult anyone here and go educate yourself!
Ugh, is it always this difficult to debate people who have zero basic knowledge about weaponry!

Melissa Chavez6 said:Why would the USA sabotage its own interests and its neighbors? This is just the same old strategic maneuvering between the two global titans, the USA and Russia. If you actually pay attention to the news, you’ve likely heard about Syrian rebels getting Stingers—that's just Russia hitting back at the Americans. It’s a cycle: the USA moves heroin into Russia via Afghanistan, while Russia pushes cocaine into the USA through Mexico. It's all part of a massive chess match where most people are just pawns.

Ugh, conspiracy theories everywhere! I'm exhausted. Look, this is much more straightforward than that; there's a market (the USA) and suppliers willing to do anything to meet it (Mexican cartels). By way of analogy, Mexican cartels move massive amounts of drugs into the USA. That's the reality. It isn't some grand chess match between Russia and the USA...

Besides, when you have huge amounts of cash, buying weapons is easy. An M79 grenade launcher isn't exactly cutting-edge tech, and any criminal group with even a little bit of clout has access to them. Those sensationalist headlines claiming "Mexican drug cartels have missiles" are just clickbait for papers like The New York Times to boost circulation and entertain the masses.

steelpanther722 said:What Rafik Hariri?! He’s Sunni.
That's a lie as flat as a Russian oligarch. At the time of his death, he was worth 16 billion dollars.
The vast majority of Lebanese Christians still support Hezbollah, which has defeated the Israeli army twice.
I remember back in 2006, Israel immediately agreed to a ceasefire because they were worried about being an easy target for Hezbollah during the withdrawal. Hezbollah let them withdraw peacefully, unlike, say, Americans who were clobbering Iraqis while they were retreating from Kuwait. Now you can see who fights with chivalry.

In what parallel universe are you living?

Knightly behavior? Give me a break! Hezbollah was incredible on the ground. They were tough, decisive, and they absolutely wrecked the IDF. The IDF high command was arrogant; they thought they could just march in, smash some guerrillas, and march right back out.
The IDF withdrawal is one of the few things the Israelis actually handled properly. If Hezbollah had the resources, they would have attacked and crushed them without hesitation. It’s simple: Hezbollah just didn't have the means to catch them.

The headline itself is misleading. When people talk about "international consensus," they really just mean the opinions of the USA, Israel, and maybe the United Kingdom. It’s anyone's guess why the voices of nearly two billion Chinese and Indian people aren't being counted in that equation.
Remember the war in Lebanon? You had 178 countries involved, but only three—those same three—were actually asking the questions.

I suspect they don't have the permit, but since this is all still pretty new, I’ll need to double-check.
What should the next steps be if it turns out they're operating without authorization?

Best,

So, I’ve run into a totally unexpected headache. My neighborhood is pretty rural, but we’re currently going through a massive wave of rapid development. Single-family homes are popping up everywhere, and now they've even added an apartment complex.
But here’s the kicker: someone just started building a sawmill right in the middle of all these residential properties.
Is there any way to actually shut this down?

Thanks in advance!

Well, here I am again, six years post-op.
It was a triploid case, and the doctor nailed it. It’s been one week since the procedure, and honestly? I feel so much better!
I’ve found that taking cold showers really helps me bounce back.

LP

boldgardener93 said:

Take the walls, for instance—even today, you rarely see German cars driving there. Some people actually have a backbone.

Can you actually back that up with some facts, or are you just saying it because it happens to suit your argument right now?☕

What can we even say about those two latest Israeli submarines that—believe it or not—were actually built in a hostile Germany? Isn't that just wild?

I’ll use this thread so I don't clutter things up with a new one.

So, I just had my tonsils out a few days ago, and the pain is absolutely brutal right now. Does anyone have any tips for getting some relief? Also, how much longer is this supposed to last?

Thanks!

slybison8 said:Yes—though I guess there is one small issue with that theory: even in Košice, Mercedes vehicles (along with many other German brands) sell much better than many non-German alternatives. That seems to sort of invalidate the whole theory, doesn't it?

As for the residents of those American nursing homes, whispering about "Krauts" while stroking their beards, I suspect they might be too affected by Alzheimer's to notice that even during a recession, the top performers in London City—and thus the biggest contributors to the taxes that fund those very nursing homes—are often banks with names like Kleinwort Dresdner.

Meanwhile, an American who dares to "go off" regarding the genocidal nature of Germany or Japan is almost performing a political "harakiri" worthy of The Last Samurai, especially considering the accusations that American science and historiography have had to grapple with since 1945, coming from our eastern neighbors...

It is completely irrelevant whether Mercedes sells well in Pittsburgh or if "Maple... whatever" does well in the UK.
Where would this thesis lead us, dear colleague, if we looked at mundane examples from World War II? The Finns dealt some brutal defeats to the Russians, and they did it using Russian weapons, believe it or not. Does that automatically mean they love Russian weaponry, or just that they couldn't do without it? No, let's agree: it simply means they were forced to use what was available.
Furthermore, just because a Mercedes is a technical masterpiece and citizens in Pittsburgh love them, does that absolve Germany of responsibility for the massacres committed in their name?
The point was raised specifically regarding the right of veto and a seat on the UN Security Council.
In my view, neither Germany nor Japan should ever be granted such power.

The comparisons our neighbors make about us are utterly insane, and they only affect those who allow themselves to be provoked. I would include anyone who doesn't understand how the Mexican machinery lied and manipulated things during the pre-war period in that group.
So, to summarize this issue: anything coming from our Eastern neighbors regarding our relations is a total fabrication!

slybison8 said:

briskfox65 It seems that...
I suppose giving those genocidal nations any sort of justice would be a mistake. Honestly, that might seem like a wise move to some, but I suspect the citizens of cities like Nanjing might have a different opinion on the matter.

The citizens of Košice would likely be struggling just to afford basic groceries if Toyota hadn't established its primary regional manufacturing hub there for those Prius models—you know, the ones that are supposedly great for the environment and which urban liberals across the US seem obsessed with buying, much like kids ditching donuts for healthier snacks during summer break. I suppose you might have missed the bigger picture here. 😁

I suppose mentioning Germany and Japan in a "genocidal" context today only really resonates with certain Mexicans or perhaps some less sharp elderly folks in British nursing homes. It seems like a rather strange circle to run in for a high flyer like yourself, colleague. 😉

That’s a very interesting perspective. Considering what the Germans did in Košice, it’s surprising Mercedes hasn't opened a branch there or at least a DM soap factory. It's strange how a "crust of bread" can somehow wash away all the genocidal nonsense one commits through history.
It’s fascinating, really. It’s almost telling that the wise elders in those English nursing homes actually know who the genocidal ones are, and they aren't particularly interested in taking bread from the hands of tyrants or genocidal Huns.😁

Richard Wilson4 said:Honestly, Russia and China just need to hand those rights over to Germany and Japan...

Those two autocracies basically use their status as an excuse to back places like Zimbabwe and stuff like that...

So you think giving power to those genocidal states is the way to go? Wow! What a brilliant move. I bet the citizens of Košice and Nanjing would be totally on board with you immediately!