Posts by Christian Torres3

Joshua Myers432 said:If the Soviets hadn't turned the tide on the Eastern Front—and they were damn close to folding—Americans would NEVER have landed in Europe. Instead, they spent months grinding through Normandy and Italy against German reserves. They would have ended up just like the British, beaten years earlier.

Exactly. If the Russians hadn't been getting weapons and intel from the Brits and Americans, they would've been left with nothing on the other side of the Urals.

George Robinson43 said:A nation capable of landing Rovers on Mars can no longer be dismissed as just a workshop for the West.
They are doing everything in their power to transition away from being a mere manufacturer, and they are succeeding brilliantly.

Maybe not, but sending a Rover isn't just about tech—it's an economic leap. The real struggle isn't building it; it's actually being able to afford it.

gentlestag15 said:Maybe communism was supposed to be non-nationalistic, but let’s be real—it went out of its way to target specific groups based on their ethnicity, and honestly, there were some pretty heavy elements of genocide involved in that whole mess.
Let's take a second to look back at the dozens of different ethnic groups that were slapped with blacklists by the Communists.

The Deportation of Koreans in the Soviet Union Koreans Back in the Soviet Union, there was this massive operation that started being planned around 1926, got moving in 1930, and really hit its stride by 1937. It actually stands as the first time the Soviet Union ever pulled off a mass relocation of an entire nationality. We're talking about almost the entire Soviet population of ethnic Koreans—about 171,781 people—who were basically uprooted and forced out of the Russian Far East to live in the empty stretches of the Kazakh SSR and the Uzbek regions.
When you take a long look at the whole era of Stalin's rule, you can basically check off a list: Poles (1939–1941 and 1944–1945)Norwegians (1940–1942), Romanians (1941 and 1944–1953)Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians (1941 and 1945–1949), Volga Germans(1941–1945), Ingrian Finns (1929–1931 and 1935–1939), Looking back at the history of the Finns living in Karelia, you realize how much shifts when borders start moving around. It’s one of those historical footnotes that actually carries a lot of weight if you stop to think about it. (1940–1941, 1944), Crimean Tatars, Crimean Greeks(1944) and Caucasus Greeks (1949–50), Kalmyks, Balkars, Italians of Crimea, Karachays, Meskhetian Turks, Karapapaks, and Far East Koreans. (1937), Chechens and Ingushs Back around 1944, things got incredibly dark. Shortly before, during, and immediately after WWII, Stalin carried out these massive, sweeping deportations that basically redrew the entire ethnic landscape of the Soviet Union. We're talking about a scale that's hard to wrap your head around—estimates suggest that between 1941 and 1949, nearly 3.3 million people were forcibly moved to Siberia and Central Asia. To make matters even worse, some researchers estimate that as many as 43% of those resettled didn't make it, dying from disease and malnutrition. It was a total catastrophe.

The history of how different groups were moved around within the Soviet Union is pretty heavy stuff. If you look at the massive shifts in demographics that happened under Stalin's rule, it wasn't just random; it was systematic. You have cases like the Deportation of Koreans in the Soviet Union, which affected almost the entire Soviet population of ethnic Koreans. It’s wild to think about how much the map changed because of those decisions. When you dig into the specifics of what happened during that era, you can see patterns involving various groups—Poles, Kazakh SSR and the Uzbek looking at the entire period of Stalin's rule, one can list: Poles, along with others like the Volga Germans, Ingrian Finns, and even the Crimean Tatars and Crimean Greeks. Then there were the Kalmyks, Balkars, Karachays, and Meskhetian Turks, not to mention the Far East Koreans. It basically touched everyone from the Caucasus Greeks to the Chechens and Ingushs. A lot of this tension and movement was happening shortly before, during and immediately after World War II, especially in places like Siberia and Central Asia or deep in the Russian Far East. It really shows how much the government could reshape an entire continent's identity just by moving people from point A to point B. It's some dark, complicated history, but it explains so much about why things are the way they are today.

In theory, sure, it was non-nationalistic—the name "Soviet Union" practically screams that it wasn't about any specific nation. But let's be real: communism *needs* enemies to function, so they just branded entire nations as the enemy to keep the momentum going.

Melissa Bailey5 said:Sam Wright21 gave you a pretty solid answer about why we actually need political appointees for public roles, which is something you totally dodged when she asked if you had any actual, logical explanation for why those positions exist in the first place.

Quincy:

So, looking at this past year, I guess the biggest crime the Mayor's Office committed was basically just making up a massive public ledger and setting these insane goals that they expected everyone else to hit. Sorry guys, but in my book, I suppose that's still an improvement over Ed Koch and his crew.

Basically, in just one year, we've seen:
- Bajakić's conflict of interest involving Arena bonds
- possible reports filed with the authorities because of the overlapping roles within the NYC oversight board
- that supposed savings of at least 50 million dollars annually from using shredders, which I think there's already a complaint out to the Department of Justice about
- the new NYC Administration—results, plans, anything? Zero, nothing at all
- them not following through on what they said about open competitions for new board members
- potential lawsuits from employees regarding the lack of restructuring at NYC
- Novaković, Tesla
- Vić, the apartment
- the cash grab
- yet another delay on the new waste management system
- that whole mess with the green market
- the fact that most department heads haven't even been picked yet
- the sanitation system falling apart due to (lack of) maintenance
...

I'll probably keep going whenever I can remember more.

She didn't answer anything—that was just a desperate attempt to deflect because she didn't have a real comeback.

Quincy:

So, looking at the last year: - Bajakić's conflict of interest involving Arena bonds - potential complaints filed with authorities regarding overlapping roles on the NYC Board - alleged savings of at least $7 million annually from shredders, which has already led to a DOJ complaint - the new NYC Administration—results, plans? Zero. Nothing. - failing to follow through on the public search for new Board members - possible lawsuits from employees over failed restructuring within NYC - Novaković, Tesla - Vić, the apartment - singing street performers - yet another delay on the new waste management system - the total mess with the green market - still haven't appointed most department heads to this day - the sanitation system falling apart due to (lack of) maintenance ... I'll keep going when I remember more.

Great. Go ahead and vote for some ideologically similar candidate in the next city election. I'm sure you'll be thrilled when some Ed Koch/JPV or Filipović clone is running the city. Honestly, you should probably just lobby for Ivica Lovrić to be the next mayor.

Drew Fowler4 said:I didn't say the operation went according to his playbook; I said the man isn't an idiot. He is an exceptionally intelligent individual—something he has demonstrated countless times—and as for who is truly responsible for this conflict, every single contributing factor... well, that will become transparent in due time.

For the time being, it seems clear that despite massive losses, Russia will come out on top. As for what happens next to the global economy or the Russian economy specifically? That remains to be seen.

Just a bunch of empty word salad.

Some great news here

Great News : Yuliia "Taira" Paievska was released from russian captivity. She’s a legendary volunteer and medic who's been out there saving lives in the Donbas for eight years.
They grabbed her back on March 15th.
https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/...u8mbRYdIyTEVLA

hiddennomad34 said:Where on earth are you getting this idea that Poland wants a piece of Ukraine?!?

Russian disinformation

Sam Wright21 said:It’s really not even about the cash.

The whole circus in New York City

Why on earth would you need a "trusted confidante" in a situation like this? Do you have any actual, logical explanation for that?
Honestly, I’ve lost track of what counts as top secret anymore, so let's just throw the question back at you.

Look, the biggest crime TT pulled this year was acting like a public notary and setting impossible goals that they expected everyone else to hit. Sorry guys, but in my book, that's still an upgrade from Milan Bandic and his crew.

As for those disappointed Republican Party hacks and the 365 trumpeters... that's a whole other mess.😉

gentlerider7 said:The Russians are running with this narrative in their media right now, spinning this whole tale that Poland, backed by the USA, is gearing up to invade and annex western Ukraine, while Lukashenko supposedly plays the hero trying to protect Ukraine's borders.

Luke is just waiting for the dust to settle so he can jump ship to whichever side comes out on top.

Sam Wright21 said:The issue isn't even about the coffee shop itself, for heaven's sake; it’s the fact that this whole group seems hell-bent on keeping matters of public interest shrouded in secrecy. It’s just endless conspiratorial nonsense and pure paranoia.

The first appointment in New York City was verified by the sister of the newest member of the Holding Board of Directors. From Tomašević's office, they claim: "We needed someone we could trust"

I don't know, maybe I missed something, but please explain to me what exactly was "secret" about verifying an appointment?

Wow, they’re actually so desperate they’re recycling that old scandal about the notary and those legally mandated service fees. Unbelievable...

hollowdriver13 said:It’s funny, really. I can't stand the West, yet here I am saving in their "sinful" currency. I claim to dislike the West, but my son is out there making his living over there... 🤔

I say I hate the West, but I’m out here buying Swiss investment gold.... 🤷

Yeah, right. Nobody ever wants to admit they actually made their money in dollars...

Olivia Stewart2 said:It is worth remembering that Eric Adams was elected specifically to FIX things, which means very few people should be satisfied with hearing "it isn't much worse than it was under Joe Biden."

Then feel free to suggest a better solution for what was chosen back during the last election.

Alex Moore3 said:Doesn't the new model come with higher fees since we're paying for those recycling bags? And aren't we also footing the bill for the new bins?
You claim the number of pickups stays the same. Would it really stay at twice a week like before, or are we stuck with once a week like what's become the "new normal" over the last couple of months?
I haven't seen my May bill yet, and I'm curious to see how many pickups they try to charge me for.

The chaos isn't because of the new pickup schedule; it's because of the people running the show. Terrible hiring decisions, a lack of expertise, and leadership refusing to communicate have led us straight to this disaster.
It’s honestly tragic that they’re being so stubborn. Instead of owning their mistakes and asking New Yorkers for more time to fix the system back to how it was when he first took office, they just dig in.

So basically, you're saying you want Michael Bloomberg (or some other "worthy" successor) and his old crew back.

George Robinson43 said:Regardless, that point is moot because all space cooperation with Russia is being severed. It's like trying to run a modern marathon in heavy wooden clogs—without imported tech, they'll be dragged straight back to the 1970s in terms of space capabilities.
That is exactly why Dmitry Rogozin threatened to hold onto Vanda Hei until those technology sanctions are lifted. He knows his window of opportunity is slamming shut! 😉

I guess he can always just go jump on a trampoline instead, right?

Ethan Gomez82 said:European embargo!?

With incredible, stubborn stupidity—likely fueled by propaganda—everyone keeps writing about how much damage the embargo has done to Russia, while conveniently ignoring that the EU has taken ten times more of a hit. Since Europeans tend to be a bit more pampered, the situation is even worse. It’s a massive self-inflicted wound, but apparently, we aren't allowed to talk about that. As long as America doesn't feel the pain, everything is fine. ☕

And I bet you'll try to back that up with links and "official" numbers, right?

Editor's note: Reports from June 5 suggest that Dmitry Medvedev's son, Ilya Medvedev, who lives here in the US, might be getting deported back to Russia. Unconfirmed rumors claim US officials pulled his visa and told him he has to get out of the United States within 48 Hours. Honestly, that would definitely explain why Dmitry Medvedev is losing his mind right now.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/english...medvedev_west/

Typical. You send your kids off to live in the West only to get kicked out, then you throw a massive tantrum about it.

darkdriver said:Excuse me, 👍
I definitely didn't say that—that's just what the Wiki page you linked says, because apparently "dispute" means a disagreement in English.
But hey, I'm not exactly expecting you to be a pro at English—honestly, I don't expect much from you at all, especially after that masterclass in how *not* to speak American.
Anyway, excuse me, I'm gonna go run a few miles while you guys keep arguing about the border dispute between Russia and Ukraine.
See ya!

...since China, just like I already pointed out, hasn't occupied a single neighbor besides Tibet... #4312

😵

darkdriver said:Erich, seriously, you killed it with this Google search—really, mad respect, no joke
If we’re gonna take the exact same logic people are using for China and apply it to Russia, then I guess this whole Russian military operation is basically just some minor border skirmish or a "border incident," right? Because, like I was saying before, China hasn't actually occupied any of its neighbors except for Tibet—which, let's be real, even the Chinese Republican government didn't recognize sovereignty over anyway—nor have they launched a full-scale invasion, you know, USA style, against any sovereign nation.
So, maybe in the future, you guys won't have any trouble calling this Russia and Ukraine conflict a "border dispute" either?

Thanks for the compliment. Seriously.

If we apply the same logic used for China here to Russia, then this Russian military operation is nothing more than some border skirmish or a minor incident—especially since China hasn't actually occupied any neighbors besides Tibet, as I mentioned before...

Oh, so they "failed" to occupy? Give me a break. So you're saying if you don't succeed, you aren't an aggressor? By that logic, Nazi Germany wasn't an aggressor because they didn't manage to occupy the USSR and all those other countries?

🤣 x5000

darkdriver said:Man, the classic move—dodging the point by putting words in someone else's mouth or accusing them of stuff they never even said or did.
By the way, isn't it funny how in this modern culture of a thousand little brainwashed commissars rambling all over the internet and watching everyone like a hawk to call out anyone who doesn't think exactly like them, that behavior itself isn't called whataboutism?
Because I guess if someone calls out the USA for its history of aggression, suddenly it's "whataboutism," but when you guys point at China or Iran for their aggressive policies—which, btw, haven't even resulted in a single formal invasion of another territory yet (aside from Tibet)—then it's totally fine and definitely not whataboutism?

Territorial disputes of the USA
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terr...ublic_of_China

Maybe this will help jog your memory.