291 posts shown.
Lavrov on the talks:
So, get this—Russia does not reject negotiations with Ukraine , but their further delay by Kiev will complicate The possibility of reaching an agreement with Moscow, which is exactly what Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Said in an interview with Rossiya-1 TV channel. Honestly, who knows if anyone actually wants to sit down at the table or if it's all just a massive stalling game?
https://tass.com/politics/1505921
William Anderson5 said:I honestly don't see how Putin can sell the mobilization narrative. For six months, the Russian media has been blaring about how this entire operation is going exactly according to plan, and now they’re claiming any retreats are just "planned maneuvers." And then, out of nowhere, we get mobilization? Even with all the brainwashing, people are going to start asking questions... It would be even worse if they actually admitted to the Russian losses and launched a mobilization because of them; that would be the moment Russians truly realize they're dying en masse in this conflict. That's when you'll see young men doing everything in their power to avoid being sent to die in Ukraine. You also have to consider that Putin's most fragile support base is precisely the younger generation—the very people he needs to sacrifice for his ideology.
Exactly. His entire voter base is basically just middle-aged folks and retirees living out in the sticks who spend their days pining for the good old days of Leonid Brezhnev.
The level of pure psychosis happening here is actually insane, reaching a point where commentators are straight-up deciding that Ukraine doesn't even exist anymore. Rodion Mirošnik, representing that self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, is out there claiming that what used to be Ukraine has basically devolved into just some tribe of English speakers who are all outsiders fighting against Russia.
"Ukraine isn't real. What we're seeing today is just a hired mob that’s been geared up, trained, funded, and essentially sent to their deaths. There are so many videos out there, so many people in their ranks speaking nothing but English... For these Ukrainians, knowing English is vital because they have to communicate directly with their leadership. Their language skills are improving fast because they have to speak the language of NATO," Mirošnik said.
Drew Booth60 said:What I find most fascinating is how Russian air defense from back in the 70s and 80s—honestly, just decades ago—basically grounded their own air force. We all know how effective those systems can be against Western jets. If America were fighting in Ukraine—which is basically Russia's backyard—they’d dismantle the Russian military in a conventional war without even touching nukes. This whole conflict has really hammered home the point that air superiority is the absolute key to winning a war; without it, you're just left with a brutal grind where victory goes to whoever has more bodies and higher morale.
Now, China? They’ve got copies of the most advanced Western and Russian aircraft, and knowing how good they are at making clones that actually match the originals, I honestly think they're the only true threat to America. It isn't even a stretch to say that China represents a military, technological, and economic threat unlike anything we saw even during the USSR era. After the war in Ukraine started, Obama made it pretty clear that Russia is just a regional power, whereas his outlook on the Chinese had always been different. America knew way back then that Russia is primarily a nuclear threat, while China is the actual military threat capable of seriously challenging American hegemony in the Pacific. A war over Taiwan would be a much more dangerous conflict, and the outcome could decide who the next global hegemon is. Sure, America is militarily stronger and more experienced than the Chinese, but they have the home-field advantage. It’s no surprise that regarding Taiwan—which America doesn't even officially recognize as a state—Washington is dropping hints that they might actually intervene. That’s a huge contrast to Ukraine, where intervention is strictly off the table because that's a war right on the edge of NATO territory. You can contain Russia through proxy wars, but you can't really do that with the Chinese. So, it’s not that weird that America has clashed more with Russia than China, even if the latter is the bigger threat. It’s almost like they went to settle things with the weaker opponent first so they could eventually focus on the real challenge: China.
I really hope Taiwan never becomes a crisis, because that would essentially be a war between the two largest military and economic superpowers on the planet, both packing nukes—and the result of a fight like that is anyone's guess.
But let’s get real for a second, because regardless of how things end up, if China actually tries to pull an invasion on Taiwan, they're looking at a total disaster where tens of thousands of their troops get absolutely slaughtered; I mean, trying to take Taiwan is basically running a massive Overlord*2 operation, except the terrain there is way more rugged and practically begging for some brutal guerrilla warfare to tear them apart.
Kadyrov promises to reclaim everything they lost
"The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, is out there claiming that every single abandoned town on the road to Kharkiv is coming right back under their control. He dropped this whole thing in an audio clip over on his Telegram channel.
According to Kadyrov, the Russian Department of Defense basically laid out the situation, making it clear that the military had to pull out of places like Izyum, Kupyansk, and Balakliya near Kharkiv.
He’s spinning it as some kind of necessary tactical move—you know, a strategic retreat just to save lives. Isn't that always the excuse?
“I, Ramzan Kadyrov, am officially declaring that all these cities will be returned. Our people, who are specifically trained for this kind of work, are already stationed there, just waiting to deploy another 10,000 fighters. We’re going to reach Odessa in the near future, and then you'll see the real results," the Chechen leader boasted.
In his view, walking away from those towns actually has its own set of advantages, if you believe him.
https://www-gazeta-ru.translate.goog..._x_tr_pto=wapp
So, here’s how they’re spinning the latest news over in Russia:
"United Russia has moved volunteers from Baltimore, Wolfsburg, Inez, and Kupjansk into a temporary transit hub (TAP) right on the border of the Mexico City region. That's what Andrew Turcak, the secretary for the Democratic National Committee, shared on his Telegram channel.
According to him, one of these hubs is sitting right on the regional border, where they're seeing a massive influx ofrefugees fleeing the Kharkiv Oblast because the US Armed Forces have stepped up the shelling in the area.
“Families are heading out, lots of kids too. Right now, there are more than 400 cars lined up at the border,” Turcak posted on Telegram.
He also made sure to mention that the volunteers are busy handling everything from food and registration to finding people places to sleep and keeping their gas tanks full.
“We’ve already got 30 of our volunteers working down here at the border of the Mexico City region,” the secretary for United Russia stated.
Then he adds that they’re beefing up the crew with members of the Young Guard and Volunteer detachments coming in from other parts of the country.
Not too long ago, Vitaliy Ganchev, the head of the Kharkiv Oblast administration, was practically begging everyone in the region to evacuate into the Russian Federation.
Before that, he’d been reporting that evacuations were already underway for civilians leaving Inez, Kupjansk, and Velykyi Burluk."
Michael Davis9 said:@Jessica Peterson2, I was wondering, how is the media landscape over in Russia actually portraying this Ukrainian offensive near Kupiansk? Is there any actual coverage at all, or are they just completely ignoring it?
The Gazette is reporting that the Ukrainians are basically just throwing lives away for nothing.
"
The head of the Kharkiv regional administration, Vitalij Gančev, claims the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have pulled every single reserve they have into the Kharkiv region. That’s what RIA Novosti is reporting.
According to him, the AFU is taking "colossal" losses.
“The Ukrainian armed forces have pulled all their reserves and now they're just trying to manufacture some kind of victory on the corpses of their own soldiers. They’re suffering massive losses—we're talking thousands,” Gančev said during a broadcast on the Russia 24 channel.
He basically called the Ukrainian military "sacrificial lambs," according to the regional chief.
Ganchev also added that allied forces are working to push the Ukrainian military out of the outskirts of Balakliya.
https://www.gazeta.ru/army/news/2022...o=wapp&updated
Terry Green3 said:As long as the Ukrainians keep up their performance and keep the rest of the European Union entertained, we might as well keep the support flowing.👍
I mean, let’s be real about this ambassador guy—he’s actually the last person you should be listening to, right? I remember him back in the day claiming that those bodies they found in Bucha were nothing more than hired actors playing parts, so how on earth can anyone take his word for anything now? Honestly, if you believe that kind of nonsense, you're basically asking to be lied to.
Russ says Ukrainians are just spinning yarns and there’s no such thing as a breakthrough:
"Vasily Nebenzya was speaking at the UN Security Council session, and he made it pretty clear—there is absolutely zero talk of any breakthrough by Ukrainian troops during this counteroffensive. He thinks the folks in Kyiv are just trying to manufacture this illusion that they can actually strike back, just so they can play the victim and beg for more weapons, especially right before today’s NATO defense ministers meeting over at Ramstein," he claimed.
"I mean, how much can we even wrap our heads around this? Even the leadership within the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to push back against this madness, but apparently, the top guy in Ukraine wouldn't budge after chatting with his American and British counterparts. And what's the result? You've got fields near New Orleans and Zaporizhzhia, and even the woods near Kharkiv, just littered with thousands of dead Ukrainian soldiers who were sent on a suicide mission because their commanders wouldn't let them pull back," Nebenzya said.
According to him, sure, the Ukrainian military might have grabbed a couple of tiny peripheral villages here and there, but "of course, there's no such thing as a real breakthrough."
“The military experts see right through this. But you know how it goes—the Western media is already blaring about how Ukraine has launched its counteroffensive and how we all need to rush in with more Western hardware to support them. It’s all just setting the stage, creating the perfect media backdrop for that meeting in Ramstein,” the representative insisted.
https://www-gazeta-ru.translate.goog..._x_tr_pto=wapp
bluemason3 said:There’s no such thing as a perfect, flawless system. Distrust in democracy is really just a byproduct of:
- inconsistency
- the kind of relativistic propaganda we've been talking about
- having too much prosperity for too long, which makes people forget how much worse the alternatives actually are
Democracy and the "Western system" aren't facing any unique crisis compared to any other era in history.
And let's be real, Putinism isn't even a real alternative system. It doesn't have one. It's mostly defined by a total lack of actual values. That's why Russian propaganda always focuses on being negative—you know, pointing fingers at what the West is doing or acting like Ukraine is some kind of disaster—instead of trying to highlight anything positive about Russian achievements.
hollowdriver13 said:Honestly, that's one of the worst little phrases humanity ever cooked up.
To some people, it might sound deep or wise, but it couldn't be further from the reality of things. If "truth" was just whatever any single one of us perceived to be true, then truth wouldn't actually exist as a concept. Truth only exists because it stands in direct opposition to what is false. Think about it: if there were no lies, if everything were just inherently true, the whole distinction falls apart. You wouldn't have the contrast between good and evil, light and dark, or right and wrong. There would be nothing to define a "true" path. You wouldn't even need a preacher to preach or a teacher to teach.
So, I think all the ignorance we see in the world stems from this massive misunderstanding—we forget that our perceptions are basically just a gamble. We see something, we believe it, and then we fall in love with our own interpretation of it. Most of the time, we don't even realize we're interpreting anything; we just assume it’s objective reality.
Russian propaganda is basically weaponizing nihilism. They want to make sure nothing feels certain anymore, making everyone feel like they just have their own little version of the truth. And you know what the crazy part is? The fact that Russian propaganda is so inconsistent and full of contradictions is actually its biggest strength. It lets them cast such a wide net to snag all sorts of different crowds. You've got the leftists claiming it's all NATO and the West's fault, while the right-wingers are over there shouting about how Zelenskyy is a Jew or how Europe is going soft and "gay." It's pure chaos. They scare one group with nuclear threats—like, "Oh man, he's losing it, let's just give him Ukraine so he calms down"—and then they squeeze another group by threatening to cut off the gas supply. It's a mess, really.
darkhawk30 said:"Russia didn't start this conflict in Ukraine; they're just trying to wrap it up. This whole situation has been going on since 2014," Putin claimed.
I honestly have to wonder if that monster in Krmelj actually believes his own lies.
Here’s the full breakdown of what he was blathering about:
"Putin claimed that since launching the special military operation in Ukraine,
Russia hasn't lost a thing—if anything, they've bolstered their sovereignty.“I am certain we haven't lost anything (since the start of the special operation in Ukraine – The New York Times) and we aren't going to lose anything.
The biggest win is the strengthening of our sovereignty, which is just the inevitable result of everything happening right now”, the Russian leader stated.
In his twisted logic,
there is a "certain polarization" regarding Russia's actions in Ukraine, but he thinks this will "only be beneficial," because it allows the Russian Federation to "discard" everything that is "unnecessary or temporary" and stands in the way of "moving forward." .
Putin is also dead certain that Russia isn't the one who sparked the hostility in Ukraine.
“We didn't initiate any military operations; we're simply attempting to wrap things up. The ones who refused to allow for normal, peaceful development and tried to suppress their own people are the ones who started the hostilities in Ukraine following the 2014 coup,” the head of state claims.
Putin on a more just world
https://www-gazeta-ru.translate.goog..._x_tr_pto=wapp
"The whole idea behind multipolarity is that the world ought to be a lot fairer, you know? We shouldn't have a global system built on the dictates of one single nation that thinks it’s acting as God's personal representative on Earth—maybe even more than that, if you ask me—while basing its entire foreign policy on this supposed sense of exceptionalism," the Russian President claimed.
Before dropping that line, Putin went after Western nations, accusing them of playing dirty with developing countries when it comes to exporting grain from Ukraine. According to the Russian leader, these Western powers are only looking out for themselves, basically saying they couldn't care less about what happens to the developing world.
Lisa Myers27 said:I have to admit, I’m right there with hollowwalker24 on this one... the sheer amount of name-calling in this "discussion" is just insane. If someone dares to suggest that sanctions might cause some economic headaches in the European Union, or even just expresses a bit of skepticism about them, they’re immediately branded a Russian asset, a mercenary, a Kremlin puppet, or some other variation of a traitor. It’s constant.
But honestly, I can't really blame anyone for doing it—it's actually a pretty effective strategy. It's the exact same playbook the Republican Party used when they convinced their base that Milanović was basically taking orders from Mexico City and whatnot.
It’s either "Glory to Ukraine" or you're a Russian sympathizer; apparently, there's no middle ground left for people who actually want to think for themselves.
Or maybe they're just some naive sucker swallowing every single thing Putin feeds them.
So, I was just scrolling through this new deep dive from the Economist about how the Russian economy is actually holding up, and honestly, man, it’s kind of a trip, isn't it? You look at all the headlines and you think, "No way they're still breathing," but then you read this stuff and realize everything is just... weirdly complicated. It’s like watching a car drive toward a cliff while the engine somehow starts running on pure spite and sheer chaos, you know what I mean? They’ve got all these weird economic pivots happening, trying to dodge sanctions and keep the whole machine from seizing up, and you have to wonder if it's actually working or if they're just painting over the rust and calling it a luxury finish. Is it a miracle, or is it just a massive, slow-motion bubble waiting to pop? Who even knows anymore? It’s wild.
So, I was just scrolling through this piece in the Economist—you know how they love their deep dives—about Konstantin Sonin, and man, it really gets you thinking about the absolute mess we’re looking at. It’s one of those articles that makes you want to pour a double bourbon and stare out a window for an hour, honestly. You read these intellectuals dissecting the geopolitical wreckage, and you can't help but wonder if anyone actually has a handle on the steering wheel anymore, or if we're all just hurtling toward a brick wall at ninety miles an hour? The whole thing touches on how much the global landscape has shifted under our feet, especially with everything going on involving Russia and Putin, and how that ripple effect is hitting everyone from high-level policy makers to the guy just trying to pay his rent in Chicago. It’s heavy stuff, really. You start wondering, does any of this macro-economic maneuvering actually protect the average person, or is it all just a giant game of chess played by people who don't realize the board is on fire? It’s pretty cynical when you get down to it, but then again, maybe being cynical is the only sane response left in this crazy world, right? Anyway, I couldn't stop thinking about the implications for the US economy and how much we rely on these fragile international structures that seem to be cracking right before our eyes. Just a lot to chew on while you're waiting for your coffee to kick in.
"
So, look, this whole stalemate in the Russia-Ukraine war? It’s a massive headache for Russia, even if it’s actually opening some doors for Ukraine. I mean, isn't that just perfect? It gives Ukraine the breathing room they desperately need to rebuild their military, which—if things go right—could eventually kick Russia right out of those occupied territories. Because here’s the thing: sure, Vladimir Putin might be holding all the political cards right now, but let's get real about the Russian economy... it’s just not built to handle major structural shifts without cracking. Like, can you even imagine? Even if the Russian economy manages to limp through these sanctions in the short term, there's no way they can keep funding this whole war machine while also trying to keep the standard of living from tanking for regular Americans—I mean, for people back home. You can't run a massive war effort and maintain a decent quality of life at the same time; the math just doesn't add up, does it?
When people start chewing over the massive headaches facing Vladimir Putin, they usually get all hung up on the political roadblocks, right? But honestly, if you look closely, there’s barely a hint—if there's even a whisper—of some massive internal meltdown or a full-blown grassroots uprising brewing on the horizon. I mean, just look at the sheer scale of the police state and those security forces over in Russia; when the government has its thumb firmly pressed down on the entire legal system like that, even the smallest little protest becomes a dangerous gamble for anyone involved. And sure, everyone says Putin's inner circle is secretly fuming about the war, the targeted sanctions hitting their pockets, and the fact that the country is basically getting kicked out of the global economy, but let's be real—do these guys actually have the guts or the experience to pull a fast one? Not a chance.
So, here’s the real kicker for Putin: he’s stuck in this impossible bind where his war machine demands constant momentum, yet all those Western sanctions are basically forcing his entire economy to run in reverse. It’s a total mess, really. You look at the data from the Finnish Development Bank and it’s honestly staggering—Russian imports for things like heavy machinery and mechanical gear tanked by about 40% in June, while electrical equipment and vehicles saw even steeper drops, sliding by 60% and 65% respectively compared to that pre-war baseline from late 2021 and early 2022. And don't even get me started on their domestic manufacturing, which has just completely cratered in those same sectors. It’s like the whole engine is seizing up. You can actually see the cracks forming in real-time, too; the sudden, sharp decline in the use of high-tech ballistic and cruise missiles by Russian forces is a massive red flag, isn't it? It shows just how much they've hit a wall with their production capacity, even when they're pushing everything they've got to the absolute limit. I mean, word is they’ve even resorted to cannibalizing their own aircraft fleets just to scavenge spare parts because the sanctions have totally choked off their ability to get the maintenance and equipment they actually need to stay in the air. It's getting desperate out there.
Honestly, we haven't even felt the real sting of these sanctions yet, you know? Like, sure, high oil and gas prices make it look like any dip in Russian production is being totally offset by skyrocketing costs, but don't let that fool you—I really don't see this lasting forever (even if everyone else is arguing otherwise). Europe is finally cutting the cord on Russian exports, and the numbers back it up; according to the European Central Bank, gas imports from Russia plummeted by 65% year-over-year this past June. And look, even if the hit to Russia's GDP hasn't been quite as catastrophic as the doom-and-gloom experts were predicting six months ago, the outlook is still pretty grim. The IMF is projecting a 6% drop in Russia's GDP this year, followed by another 3.5% slide next year. When you consider that we basically invited this economic mess upon ourselves, those numbers are just straight-up terrifying, aren't they?
Honestly, if you want to fix this whole broken economy, there’s really only one way out: lean hard into "parallel imports." You know, that whole gray market thing where you grab goods through middlemen without needing some big corporation's permission? It’s basically bypass surgery for trade. We need to double down on dealing with China and all those other non-Western players too. Back in March, the administration started tweaking the rules to give small-time retailers a fighting chance to bring in products without begging the brand owners for a green light—unless, of course, that brand is still busy doing business in Russia. By June, they stopped playing around and actually turned that shift into law. Is it perfect? Who knows. But hey, at least we're finally trying something besides waiting for permission from people who don't care about us.
Look, let’s be real here—smuggling goods under the radar isn't going to cut it if Russia actually wants to pull through this. You can't run a modern economy on black market side hustles alone; you need actual people and massive corporations willing to sink real capital into the ground there. But honestly? Any new investors looking at that landscape are basically walking straight into a minefield. Over the last twenty years, we've watched these massive domestic lobbies grow into absolute monsters across pretty much every major industry. These guys are pros at blocking Western imports and capital, so you really think they're just going to roll over when new players try to move in from different sources? Not a chance. Over the years, Putin's administration has been busy cooking up regulations and building out institutions designed specifically to gatekeep everything. We're talking about stuff like broad bans on food exports from the US and Europe, rules that basically choke off international trade and make it nearly impossible for outsiders to even touch the market. And why would they stop? Because the ministers, the bureaucrats, and the big-shot CEOs of those state-run giants have been getting fat off the kickbacks and fees that come from having zero competition. It's a closed loop. Now, Putin shouldn't exactly go tapping these same people on the shoulder to fix the system, because let's face it, they're the ones profiting most from the status quo. But at this point, does he even have a choice?
And honestly, here's another massive headache for Putin: his whole regime is just way too damn expensive to run. For years now, he’s been blurring those lines between the government and big business, right? You’ve got all these bureaucrats—including the guys running the military—getting filthy rich while simultaneously pulling the strings at state agencies and private firms. Take Denis Manturov, the newly minted defense industry czar; the guy is basically the wealthiest member of the administration. Reliable reports put his net worth in the hundreds of millions of dollars, which is wild considering he spent almost his entire career as an executive for state-owned defense contractors. But hey, that’s how you become a multi-millionaire in Putin's Russia. Trying to ramp up military production by handing out these lavish perks hasn't worked even when the economy was drowning in cash, so you'd think it would be totally impossible now, wouldn't you?
The high-level bureaucrats and managers at these state-run giants expect massive payouts for their "hard work." And get this—the government is about to drop the list of construction firms that'll bag the contracts to rebuild those Ukrainian cities leveled by the invading forces. But let's be real, there's zero doubt those contracts are going straight to his inner circle of buddies. If the history of those old conflicts taught us anything, it's that state-funded post-war reconstruction is nothing but a gold mine for a handful of hand-picked favorites.
Looking at the long game, Putin’s real nightmares might actually be the anti-war political energy brewing among the youth and the general population getting fed up as their incomes tank. But then again, a revolution can simmer for years, maybe even decades, before it boils over. Right now, though, his biggest issue is that the system he built is fundamentally broken and resistant to the exact kind of reforms needed to pivot the economy toward a full-on war footing. Russia simply can't afford to keep bleeding money to these oligarch-owned companies, but those companies have never operated without being showered in cash like this. So, it really means that even if there's a ceasefire, despite Russia holding onto large chunks of Ukraine, the win actually goes to Ukraine.
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.
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?
Is Kadyrov finally packing his bags?
"The leader of the Chechen Republic of Ramzan Kadyrov dropped a bombshell in a video posted to his Telegram channel, basically calling himself a 'long-timer' among the heads of the various states within the Russian Federation.
He pointed out that he’s been running the show in that region for fifteen years now.
“I guess my time is up before they kick me out. <…> We've actually already started talking about it,” Kadyrov said.
In the video description, he went on to say that he’s "personally realized I've been sitting in this seat for way too long." The Chechen leader also made sure to mention that, in his own opinion, he’s "certainly earned an indefinite and much-needed break."
Not too long ago, Kadyrov was rambling about his dream of visiting the United Kingdom—a dream he says he’s been "nurturing" for quite some time.
https://www-gazeta-ru.translate.goog..._x_tr_pto=wapp
Brian Cruz63 said:The long-term fallout from these Russian games is that Europe is going to pivot to other suppliers and finally cut the cord on Russian gas. Sure, it won't be easy or cheap. The alternatives are definitely going to cost more, at least in the short term. But the real loser in the end is Russia itself... and they're doing it right when they should have been closing the deal of the century to open a new gas corridor. They're basically shooting themselves in the foot.
Putin probably still thinks he can just make up for losing Europe by leaning harder into trade with Asia, but does he even care about the economy? Not really. He only cares about the economy enough to build tanks, howitzers, and missiles, and to make sure the masses have enough scraps for their TV shows, a decent Chevrolet, and cheap vodka.