LOL, I just stumbled upon this absolute gem of a comment on a news site about how Erdogan basically told Putin to just hand everything back, including Crimea.
It says: these Russians are exactly like those guys from the North America. They start a war just to grab some extra territory, and then by the end of it, they’ve actually ended up smaller than when they started.
If you ask me, we’re looking at a massive mobilization way before anyone even thinks about dropping a nuke.
It’s pretty obvious they’re losing this war. At the rate they’re going, they aren't gaining an inch—just retreating. It leads me to one of two things: either they tuck their tails and run, or they pull a full-scale mobilization. And honestly? I highly doubt they have the stomach to just roll over and quit.
So, I could basically say we were steamrolling through Ukraine, grabbing territory left and right, until suddenly the West decides to jump in—you know, the US, the UK, all of them. And now, because they couldn't just sit on their hands while we were doing our thing, we have to deal with the fallout since they meddled in our war... it's wild, man...
It’s way easier for them to just push mobilization through to keep the gears turning and keep the West more deeply involved. They're all in on this.
Look, this isn't some joke. You can't just laugh off how insane the Russians have gone, or all the absolute garbage they spout on their national news networks.
It’s exactly how you prep a population to be obedient.
It's blatant brainwashing—just endless, mindless babble—and most people are just gonna soak it up until it becomes their reality.
The education level there is pathetic. They're struggling. For a lot of them, even having decent internet was a luxury, and now even that’s being censored.
All they get is pure propaganda. When a system like that starts screaming that NATO is the enemy, that America is attacking Russia, that they're trying to wipe them out, or that they could sink the UK with a single missile... you repeat that for months and months, and eventually, people start believing it.
They wouldn't have been able to pull off a mass mobilization at the start of the war, but this disgusting brainwashing creates this collective agreement with total bullshit.
There just aren't enough smart, educated, or well-informed people to push back when they're such a tiny minority.
Honestly, this feels like 1930s Germany, maybe even worse, but the playbook is identical.
Relentless lying eventually becomes "truth" once it hits the masses.
Bottom line: I don't think anyone pulls stunts like this just to cover up losses. I'd say they go this extreme because there's a much bigger endgame in play.
I'm terrified that if this war drags on, after two years of this nonstop bombardment, these naive people will actually start looking for rifles themselves. It won't be their fault, obviously, but these guys will keep washing their brains until it sticks, and that takes time.
The Germans ran what was probably the most effective propaganda in history, and even then, it took them a decade to totally wreck their nation.
With the Russians, because of the education gap and everything else, it might happen even faster, but still, you can't flip a switch overnight.
Sure, plenty of people doubt it at first, but given enough time, enough people will kneel just to stay on the winning side. At least the unified ones.
If even 30% end up supporting a total war, that's basically a majority, because everyone else will be split into tiny little factions of 4%, 12%, 16%, and so on.
Anyway, this kind of attitude toward their own people is seriously alarming.
Putin doesn't give a damn if 50k of them die or 20 million...
That's why I'm hoping the Ukrainians can really hammer them home in the next few months once things get serious. If they can win fast enough before the Russians finish brainwashing everyone, the regime will turn inward on itself. Even if I don't personally think a full-scale mobilization will actually happen, it would trigger the biggest chaos imaginable. A nasty WW3 scenario where we all get screwed, and many of us end up on the front lines through no fault of our own...
for self-defense, you might as well just practice running with your groin protected
personally, I think boxing is the way to go. when you're dealing with those drunk idiots on some backroad in the Midwest, all that matters is landing the shot. whoever lands first wins; if you miss or pull a weak punch, you're done for.
basically, you take a couple steps back immediately so you aren't getting cornered by some kid, maintain that distance, and anyone who’s actually trained in boxing is gonna nail an opponent who’s probably just swinging wildly like they're at a dive bar—total telegraphing on a cross.
you see tons of videos online where some UFC guy handles a few morons on the street and it's always the same pattern.
they step back to create space, and it works every single time. then they drop them with a hook. usually on the very first hit.
the goal in those situations isn't to trade punches, it's to knock them out, and a hook is the only way to do that. forget trying kicks or whatever else...
a fast, precise punch right to the jaw or the nose and it's game over.
if the guy is too close, then you go for the solar plexus to make him fold like a lawn chair, or just go straight for the nuts if you don't care about being "fair" to win.
none of that Taekwondo, karate, Krav Maga crap or finger poking nonsense.
all you really need is a decent punch and the whole story is over.
I don't think so. Not yet. But honestly, you should expect it to happen eventually.
It’s that time of year again—August is in full swing. It's happening slow, though.
Anyway, I was watching some nature documentary on Discovery Channel the other day. Immediately made me think about us humans and how we aren't anything more than animals.
Basically, this massive bull elephant died. Just huge.
The lions, hyenas, wild dogs, and scavengers all found him. They were all just tearing in together, having a damn fine feast—all they were missing was some music and beer.
Nobody even gives anyone else a second glance.
They’re brushing against each other, stepping over one another... All five of them. Pure bliss...
But then, you swap out that elephant for a little deer, and everyone starts ripping each other apart constantly.
There's no way people are gonna share food when there's barely any left. And when there's too much, nobody gives a damn because they can't eat it all anyway. Half of it's just gonna rot off that elephant regardless.
That's exactly what's gonna happen to Europe, and eventually the rest of the world.
Back when gas was cheap enough to throw away like peanuts, and everything else was easy, everyone sat at the same table, passing the salad and bread, joking about who's picking up the tab.
Now that all that stuff is disappearing at these insane prices, half the people won't even be able to—or dare to—sit at the table. And even the ones who do sit down? They won't be passing the salad and bread anymore. They'll be fighting tooth and nail over who gets to sit in front of the steak and who gets stuck with the water...
We haven't really hit that breaking point on a large scale just yet.
It's hot out, and people are finally getting greedy to travel after those COVID years. I bet a lot of them are grabbing the chance because they think it's their last shot. Better to blow some cash on a trip now than to waste it on skyrocketing utility bills next year.
Check this out—got a bit of a different, super interesting take on the war from Korado Korlevic:
Honestly, just listen to the first 10 minutes of the explore segment. It’s really fascinating stuff and totally flips the script compared to what all those other analysts and news outlets are peddling.
Man, if COVID-19 hadn't already sent prices through the roof, we wouldn't be in this mess. Now, when folks move into areas where everyone’s struggling, those extra costs for gas, water, electricity, and rent—which are already up by thousands of dollars—are gonna spike even more. I wouldn't be surprised if cars become a luxury for the ultra-rich.
Most people didn't even buy into the whole COVID-19 thing anyway.
But this? This is different. A ton of people are gonna have to dig deep into their pockets, assuming they even have any cash left, just to cover the massive jumps in living expenses.
It's a nightmare scenario. Imagine getting hit with a $5,000 surcharge and you've got zero savings, while your car is only worth maybe $10,000. The interest on a $5k loan just eats you alive. Honestly, I think a lot of people are gonna be forced to dump their $10k cars immediately just to keep the lights on. And there won't be any real buyers left. It'll just be those bottom-feeding resellers making offers. I know what I'm talking about—their prices are insulting.
You can't even compare this to COVID-19. This crisis is a direct threat to everyone, and it's the real deal.
COVID-19 was mostly just a political shouting match and a huge debate. But this? This is reality hitting you in the face.
Maintenance on the ST1 starts tomorrow, which means gas won't be flowing through it for ten whole days. I’m just sitting here wondering if they’ll actually open the pipe once those ten days are up, or if they’re gonna run into some massive headache with the maintenance and "discover" more broken parts just to drag this whole thing out even longer.
The Germans are in a total panic right now. Honestly, I bet we’ll see cars hitting the market for absolute peanuts soon. Tons of them. They'll start dumping them for sale, but good luck finding anyone actually willing to buy...
ironseal said:Look, nothing has changed. This war is playing out just like it always could have. Back then, Ukraine reacted perfectly to Russia's tactics. Now, they've adjusted their strategy, and Ukraine is adapting and hunting for a way through. War isn't a straight line where one side just marches forward constantly. We knew from the jump that Ukraine wouldn't defend itself or liberate territory overnight, and we knew we'd have to bite the bullet on sanctions too. People were writing about those exact economic hits in the very first days of the invasion. And let's be real: if Putin wins, we're in deep trouble long-term. Yeah, the next few years are going to be rough, but it beats being permanently tethered to Russian energy. Breaking that kind of dependency is painful, but necessary.
I honestly think the EU needs to do exactly what the Russians just did. Buy them off.
The Russians dumped billions into buying up energy politicians across Europe, and now everyone is totally screwed. A little late for that, though.
Now the EU needs to come up with its own secret plan, no matter how dirty it feels. The Russian octopus has a thousand tentacles, and some of the biggest ones are reaching right into Berlin, Paris, Rome, and all that.
We know how they work—Russians love corruption and fast cash. For the next few decades, the EU needs to start playing their own game, but play it *against* them.
Massively grease the palms of politicians to push through decisions, just like the EU did with those green energy and healthy living mandates.
Grease everything with heavy cash so they can secure even cheaper energy, but make it impossible for them to pull the stunt they're doing now where they just shut off the valves.
Literally, buy out Gazprom and whoever else.
It’s not exactly brilliant, and it's definitely not easy to completely walk away from their natural resources and minerals. I mean, Russia is massive. There's too much good stuff there. That’s the biggest headache.
Even if we're talking nukes and war, Russia has enough raw materials to make aliens jealous. And don't even get me started on the ores.
The EU needs to turn them into their own helpless little mine. Exactly like what we've been hearing China plans to do for months. Miles and miles of profit, but for us? Not a chance. The only problem is the EU doesn't realize this like China and the US do, because the EU is too busy arguing over the shape of cucumbers or pizza sizes.
Sanctions, under-the-table deals, whatever it takes to get smart. When you're dealing with something spanning three continents, it pays to invest, but you gotta do it quietly, dirty, and damn near brilliantly. Not just nodding along like "yes, yes, sure, sure," and then acting shocked when things go south.
feralhawk45 said:Maybe things will feel a bit warmer in a trench in a year or two when the war reaches Germany. Or maybe you'll just flee to South America.
Man, you people are really something. Oh yeah, I’ll definitely "flee" to America—straight into the arms of the bureaucrats and the thieves. I’ll happily settle for a 25% tax rate just so I can go to a private doctor who charges the exact same amount as the bribe you have to pay at the public hospital, except I don't want to support corruption. Since my private option is way too far, I'll end up paying the most expensive highway tolls in the world, so I might as well stop by a mechanic on the way back who doesn't issue receipts because my stabilizer links went out, and it'll cost me a few bucks less per gallon $5.00. And hey, I won't be stingy; I'll still throw a little tip to the lady at the counter since under $167 it isn't considered a bribe, and that way I can stay an honest, upright citizen consistent with my "principles."
I'm so exhausted I'm probably just gonna stop at the store, grab a Budweiser, Miller Lite, or a Coors for $2.25 in a bottle, because those idiots behind the counter only stock Paulaner, Erdinger, Beck's, and the priciest stuff for $1.75
ironseal said:I remember you clearly. Just a month and a half ago, you were right here posting about how the Russian army was falling apart and how they’d be running for the hills the second the Ukrainian offensive kicked in. Now, suddenly, gas prices tick up a bit in Germany and all I hear from you is defeatism, whining, and panic. You're acting like we need to give Putin a pass just because your heating bill went up. Some people—and some entire nations—are dealing with much bigger problems than a price hike at the pump. You live in a country that bears a huge chunk of the responsibility for this whole mess, so you can deal with the consequences of what you helped sow. Tighten your belts and deal with it. You can whine all you want, but nothing changes until Russia is militarily defeated. Instead of bellyaching, maybe try actually sending some real weapons to Ukraine to speed things up. There is no going back to February 23rd. Never again.
Yeah, I said it. Truth is, I said it. And I don't see anything wrong with changing my mind based on what's actually happening on the ground. Only an idiot sticks to a stance no matter how much the situation shifts. If things change drastically, your opinion should too. Period.
And I wasn't the only one saying it either. The convoy situation near Kyiv, the weeks of hell at Azovstal... back then, everything pointed exactly toward what I was writing. At least to me, anyway. ok.
Things are different now. It sucks that you can't see it, but you will soon, unfortunately. Though, for your sake and all of ours, I really hope it doesn't come to that.
Honestly? I'm scared that a lot of us are gonna end up pissed off once we finally realize just how deceptive propaganda really is.
Especially when you start seeing how both sides try to manipulate the narrative.
Gregory Ramos3 said:I mean, let's be real, you guys were basically living the dream with those dirt-cheap gas prices back in the day, but since Germany was so heavily reliant on Russian gas, I'd say you can pretty much kiss that era goodbye now. 🙂
Right now in NYC: $0.15So, I'm looking at about 6 cents per kWh, though that’s actually being offset by a little 0.10 cent subsidy. Honestly, I really should dig through my old files and find some past utility bills to see what the rates looked like before this recent price hike hit, because even if things had doubled—which, let's be real, they definitely didn't—it would still mean we were sitting at around 3 cents per kWh back in the day.
I hear you, man, but honestly, now is not the time or the place for that smiley face. A nasty reality check is coming for all of us.
The number of happy little smileys on the internet is going to tank by 90% if this doesn't get fixed immediately.
And when I say immediately, I mean within the next few weeks at the latest.
Arthur Watson4 said:The sooner Putin is defeated, the sooner things will improve.
Let's hope our neighbors realize that sooner rather than later.
But who’s actually gonna stop him? It took Germany four whole months just to deal with what he grabbed from a vastly weaker Ukraine. Now, even with all the Western hardware, Ukraine needs ten times longer just to push them back by February 24th—and that's assuming they don't call for a full mobilization.
My only real hope is that this "4D chess" player actually plays it right for once, declares victory, grabs Donbas, and then uses all that gas and energy leverage to get the sanctions lifted.
Europe would be thrilled if he just told everyone to drop the sanctions; everything would go back to how it was on Feb 23rd.
Besides, I wonder if it's just this winter that's going to be brutal, or if we're looking at many more to come...
Going into an all-out war with Russia would be catastrophic for the entire world.
Let him have this one battle—his little special operation—but play the long game. Play for decades, not days.
Fuel prices shot up over 50% in just four months, and that only started once the warmer weather kicked in.
Food and everything else has gotten insanely expensive in just FOUR months.
I can't even wrap my head around where this goes if it keeps up for another year...
Man, Europe basically caused its own mess by being too soft and handing him all those powerful cards. Too late now, though.
I'm worried Europe might have to suck it up and kneel during this fight, and once you start bowing, who knows who's calling the shots later.
That bastard didn't just launch this randomly at the end of February for no reason.
The guy knew: if he couldn't pull it all off in a week or two, and things dragged on, winter would hit, and their weapons would be stronger than anything Europe has.
I don't know, man, I'm seriously worried.
We need to find a ceasefire, and fast.
Zelensky is out here talking about borders like they'll be set by Feb 24th.
Which means the war could drag on for years. Seriously, look at how long it took Russia—four months to grab three cities totaling 600k people plus some villages.
Now, pushing them out? For Ukraine, that's going to take years.
Damn...
I bet the West eventually pressures Zelensky to cave, and the Ukrainians along with him.
One thing's for sure: the whole of Europe isn't footing this massive bill, and neither are Americans. Nobody is.
Even energy prices haven't dropped in China. But Europe is the most vulnerable because the war is right on their doorstep.
Just got back from a homeowners association meeting over here in Germany. Some guy was saying natural gas prices jumped from maybe 1.8 cents or 1.08 cents up to almost 10 cents per kWh or whatever the hell they measure it by . Man, we are getting absolutely screwed this winter. It’s not even just about heating; we might not even have hot water because they’ll be cutting it off—maybe leaving us with two hours a day or some nonsense. And the extra bills? They're gonna be astronomical.
This doesn't look good at all. We don't even realize what's coming for us.
The idea that there will actually be enough gas and everything else is a total pipe dream. Honestly, props to anyone heating their place with wood. Everyone else is just asking for a massive beating.
Over in Swabia, they’re already starting to drop hints, but of course, they won't tell us the real truth or show the actual projections right now. They don't want to trigger a panic or total chaos, so they're just going to drip-feed the bad news bit by bit.
I'm certain as hell that fuel prices are going to hit at least $10 by the end of the year, if there's even any left to buy.
I wish I could be an optimist, but honestly, being optimistic right now is probably the worst thing you can do.
We need to seriously gear up for the worst. That way, if things don't work out, we aren't totally crushed, and if they do, at least we can survive the winter a little easier.
Being convinced that everything will be fine and that nothing will run out is incredibly dangerous in times like these...
Honestly, I’m terrified this whole thing is just gonna spiral even harder.
Word on the street is things are heating up over in Belarus—massive military movement. Plus, they’re prepping over 300k troops for a push. And don't forget, winter is right around the corner, and it looks like it's gonna be a long, brutal one.
If gas prices, inflation, and the cost of living keep spiking like this, people across Europe are gonna flip. Support for the US and NATO jumping into the fight could skyrocket because, let's be real, Westerners love their comfort. They'll eventually be like, "Yeah, fine, let's just send NATO in, wrap this up in two or three months, and get everything back to normal."
But here's the thing—even NATO can't just "fast-track" a war. It’ll probably end before NATO even steps in. Because if they do? If NATO gets involved, Russia goes full general mobilization, and then we're looking at a war that drags on for years. That’s when Europe truly falls into the absolute shit.
I mean, obviously, I hope none of this actually happens. I’m praying some kind of peace deal gets struck and this whole mess wraps up before the year is out...
Maybe there’s a fix, but it would take some seriously nasty maneuvering, massive deals, and insane willpower.
Hand over a slice of territory to the Russians just to stop more young and old Ukrainians from getting slaughtered, BUT...
Make sure the price tag is absolutely astronomical. The West needs to strike a secret deal, give the Ukrainians every single guarantee that everything destroyed gets rebuilt within two years, and then isolate Russia so hard they won't even show up on a Western compass anymore.
I’m not talking about an Iron Curtain—I mean a wall like the one in GOT.
Pull all the tech out. All the goods, all the manufacturing. No visas for anything that leans toward the West. Basically, make both the Southwest and Northwest completely off-limits to them.
No cars, no software, no tech... don't sell them a damn thing. I mean none of this "symbolic sanctions" nonsense, but literally...
Here’s what you asked for, but because of that, you don't exist to us anymore, and we don't exist to you. You’ve got China and India and a whole lot of nothing else.
They didn't send that turbine to China or India for repairs; they sent it to Germany and Canada.
The Ukrainians can hand back the territory; who cares what they do with it? They're the poorest people in Europe. They wouldn't be able to rebuild it even in 150 years, and generations would just die from hunger and disease while the world forgets them in a heartbeat. The war is over. You got your land back, now go screw yourselves, we've got our own problems to deal with.
Look, the EU and the USA cough up a few billion, and they rebuild the people in Ukraine until it looks like Dubai. In exchange, the EU gets to grab a little bit of Ukraine's natural resources, but at least people won't be dying and living in rubble and dust for the next century or two.
One small American state hasn't been blown to bits yet, but what's gonna happen to Ukraine when it's nothing but ash?
Basically, screw the Russians. Give them the middle finger while letting them think they actually won. Let them build the walls, pave the roads, lay the sewers, and run the phone lines, but ban them from everything else. Like, you go straight to jail if we catch you selling a smartphone to a Russian.
Why am I saying this?
Because what are those poor Ukrainians gonna do? Kick the Russians out in a year or two and take back Crimea?
What are they supposed to do with a massive stretch of territory that's just ashes, inhabited by people barely surviving??
Ukraine can't get back what existed before the invasion because it's gone. Russia wiped it out. So, you might as well give it to them since it isn't what it used to be. Before February 24th, a square meter was worth a fortune; now, it's worth negative 300. Who wants anything there?? Not even a scavenger would want to pick through that. But listen, we aren't talking about going back 50 years—man, it's gonna be worse than some remote village in China with 14 people living in it.
A bicycle should be a luxury item; let them kill each other over a bike.
What kind of power plant? Wooden wheels, my foot.
Keep it simple and civil. I have nothing against them, but I'm not selling you anything.
These guys trashed a fifth of the country, and now they want people to bleed for years just to get it back? For what? Rubble? Nothing but rubble...
Hmm, why do I get the feeling that Europe is way more dependent on gas than people want to admit? I'm not saying you're wrong, per se, but it feels a little too optimistic to me.
But hey, maybe you've got a point.
It’s just, my gut tells me if things were actually going the way you described, the EU would have cut ties with Russian gas a long time ago...
Look, we all know what the real issues are here: oil, gas, and everything else under the dirt.
Russ wants to become the world's top energy superpower because they just can't compete economically or militarily anymore.
They might be #1 on territory, and maybe even on energy resources too, so they’re playing that specific card.
It's like, sure, go ahead and be the greatest carpenter on the planet with the fanciest tools, but I'm the one who actually owns all the wood.
Anyway, this whole gas situation could get seriously ugly.
I honestly think the EU has totally underestimated the Russian thoroughbred in this race—specifically when it comes to gas and oil.
Winter is coming, and if they really decide to turn off the tap, the EU could completely fall apart. We're talking full-blown internal chaos.
Let's try to actually wrap our heads around what would happen if they just shut it all down.
The entire EU industrial sector would collapse. Maybe like 50% of people over there would end up unemployed, freezing their asses off. People would start doing crazy stuff. Stealing, looting, whatever it takes just to survive.
Unfortunately, the EU is living in a dream world if they think they can just swap out those Russian energy supplies in a year or two... And it isn't just about gas and oil that they're hooked on. Fertilizers, steel... you name it.
But hey, let's hear it—what's your scenario if they actually cut the supply?
To me, it looks like that would absolutely bring Europe to its knees. You only see real unity in an alliance once the dark days actually hit.
It's easy to play at being united and solid while Ukraine is getting hammered and we're all sitting pretty, eating gourmet food, driving our shiny new cars, hitting the beach or the slopes, and messing around with Bitcoin because we don't know what else to do.
I'd love to see that "unity" when Germany has to shutter Siemens, Daimler, and VW... or when the French and Italians have to shut down their factories because, well, there's no heat and nothing else that runs on gas.
Whatever works, I guess. Personally, I’m looking at getting my kid into swimming or water polo as soon as possible.
When it comes to combat sports, I was leaning towards wrestling first, but man, Taekwondo and all those sub-styles seem to be blowing up everywhere lately...
But yeah, probably start with wrestling and BJJ.
As for swimming, honestly, I think it's the best move for a kid globally. It builds insane cardio and hits the whole body. You don't really worry about injuries there. Maybe a little bit of stuff in water polo, but that’s actually good—helps toughen them up. And honestly, in swimming, unless you take one to the groin, it doesn't hurt.
Water polo players are built different, too. They’re usually massive, powerhouse types, easily hitting 220 pounds of pure, natural muscle.
Plus, it’s great that it’s a team sport rather than an individual thing. It builds social skills so the kid won't end up being some antisocial loner or totally awkward.