Posts by rowdytiger13

Sherman25 said:So what’s the takeaway? If things go south for the Ukrainians—say, if the Russians pull the trigger on a full mobilization—the West won't just sit by and watch Lviv fall. You can bet the Poles certainly won't let Lviv fall.

I caught something yesterday about some hawks egging Putin on to declare a general mobilization. I don't have the link handy since I was just scrolling on my phone.

Probably doesn't mean much...
It’s just an official statement from a representative. General Richard Dannatt commented on it, noting that while it's sound advice, it doesn't imply troops will be deployed in Ukraine; rather, it's simply the duty of any peacetime military to prepare for war in every possible capacity.
It’s all in the same article.

Nathan Evans78 said:

The benchmark German baseload power price for 2023 delivery climbed 3.1% to reach $519.89 per megawatt hour (MWh) at 16:02 GMT.

German baseload contracts covering November and December 2022, Q4 2023, Q1 2024, and the full years of 2025 and 2026 have all hit fresh peaks.

Over in France, the first-year contract also hit a high of $745/MWh, marking an 11.1% jump.

Earlier, the French contract for Q4 2022 touched a high of $1,135, while the Q1 2023 contract saw its first trades at $1,195.

The facts are simply relentless. ☕

Wednesday as gas and carbon contracts climbed and German utility Uniper announced

🤦

And yet... I’m ready for it all.
I've got my thermal blankets bought and enough canned goods in the basement to survive an apocalypse.

Brenda Murphy3 said:Man, we're all circling the drain here...😁

I look around and honestly, it feels like half the people I know are struggling just to put food on the table, let alone keep the heat running through the winter... and it’s all being blamed on those sanctions against Russia🤣 ...man, I wouldn't mind having a slice of that Russian prosperity instead of this total American meltdown...😵

It doesn't matter if 90% of these doom-and-gloom scenarios are complete nonsense. It doesn't matter that energy prices weren't even tied to the sanctions and were already skyrocketing long before the war in Ukraine kicked off... but none of that matters to the usual suspects. They'll just keep shouting about how incompetent the US is, how "stupid" the sanctions are, how "strong" the dollar is becoming, or how the whole system is collapsing. Just endless noise...

Of course, according to them, everything would be fixed if we just scrapped the sanctions entirely and let Russia do whatever the hell they want...
How dense do you have to be to constantly peddle the same garbage that the usual idiots are always spewing?

The European Union isn't going to collapse. That's nothing but a fever dream.
Living standards might drop—and they already are—but that doesn't mean mass starvation or freezing in the streets; it just means we won't be vacationing in exotic spots this year.
Russia will come out much stronger, but as they say, they're used to it. When you're accustomed to being at the bottom of the economic barrel while catering to a handful of oligarchs at the top (who aren't exactly unscathed either), who are we to judge?
By the way, America certainly isn't cheap this season; it's absolutely packed with hungry Europeans and Americans alike.

China is feeling the heat too. It started with the real estate market, and things got messy enough that the central bank had to step in.
Asian markets are just sliding.
The Euro is hitting its lowest levels in two decades, while the Pound is holding steady. Meanwhile, the Dollar is surging—banking experts are saying this momentum is pretty serious.
Well, now things are getting interesting.

Anthony Hill5 said:Margaret Thatcher has essentially given an indirect admission that the Skripali poisoning was indeed the work of those Salisbury church tower enthusiasts she loves so much.

Specifically, she took to Twitter to claim that Tallinn refuses to extradite the alleged assassin linked to Dugin, but noted that they possess certain "professionals" who simply can't help but admire the architecture in Tallinn.

It is almost pathetic to watch the usual forum Russophiles—those individuals who have wasted years of their lives defending Putin's political assassinations with the most moronic conspiracy theories imaginable—suddenly feeling a bit foolish, don't you think?

https://twitter.com/M_Simonyan/statu...Hn1423hnA&s=19

Some top-tier dark humor right there.
It was a great way to start my morning coffee. 🤣
Watching them trip over their own words is truly priceless. 🙏

Jessica Rivera37 said:There’s something truly fascinating about this whole situation involving Duginov—or maybe it’s Platonov, if I recall correctly—but there's also another angle to consider: the vast majority of Ukrainians have absolutely no clue who Dugin even is.

When I first caught wind of the news regarding her death, my immediate assumption was that everyone would instantly recognize the connection, almost like if someone were to assassinate Šešelj’s daughter here in the States. However, based on everything I've gathered from my conversations with Ukrainians, most of them haven't even heard the name Dugin mentioned once, which feels incredibly surreal to us given how much we obsess over this topic.

Because of that disconnect, I’m increasingly convinced we are looking at an internal power struggle. It just doesn't make any sense for the Ukrainians to execute such a sophisticated and high-risk operation just to target some insignificant agitator on the battlefield.

Well, clearly.
The big shots are starting to tear each other apart...
Brilliant!

shadowbison15 said:It’s what you’d call a “soft target”—easier to hit than the heavy hitters, but it still sends a message. That said, this one felt like a total setup; I don't buy for a second that she was actually the intended target.

Look, I’m not insisting it was the Ukrainians. Anything can happen inside Russia, and maybe someone is just seizing the moment. But they’re definitely the first ones I’d suspect.

Not me.
If an ammo dump or some military facility had blown up, I’d be certain it was Ukrainians.
If it were a general or something similar... then I'd have my doubts.
The way it happened, I highly doubt it was Ukrainians. If I had to put money on it, I'd bet on an internal power struggle.

shadowbison15 said:I agree, but then how do you explain all those massive fires and explosions happening inside Russia itself?

I mean, if someone keeps walking around acting like a sitting duck, what else should we expect?

If we're really looking at Ukrainian saboteurs being behind this, then all I can say is:
They certainly know how to dress the part—hats off to them! 🙏

shadowbison15 said:"And we might just say, '...our reach will find you in...'."

It wouldn't be the first time in history.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US sent a squadron to bomb Japan, fully aware those planes weren't coming back. It was all about sending a message...

I wouldn't, mainly because it's impractical and frankly idiotic.
Ukraine can't afford to burn through resources like that. Using Western-trained saboteurs against targets inside Ukraine itself is just too much.
No matter how much of a headache Dugin or his daughter might be, he isn't some general on the front lines. He’s an ideologue sitting safely back in Russia. It's far too risky for very little gain beyond a bit of moral satisfaction. That’s not how you run a war. Cold, sure, but not like this.

crimsoncyclist71 said:The FBI? They're just inventing extra enemies so brave Putin can protect the people.

It could be the FBI, but for different reasons. Everyone saw this coming—the oligarchs and the power players are finally starting to wobble. Sanctions tend to hit them the hardest.
Beyond that, Putin is reportedly breathing down the FBI's neck because of their bad intel and a failed plan that supposedly cost a fortune in wasted funds. I heard some FBI agents were put under house arrest because the CIA caught wind of the plan and shut it down.
He’s already cycled through a massive amount of people in the military...
This is just getting started... they're the ones who are going to feel the squeeze.

Edit: There was a recent report about how Zelenskyy looked completely stunned when Americans told him, "Start digging trenches and get ready. You're going to be attacked." That was all before the troop buildup.

goldenowl73 said:The Russian “National Republication Army” claims responsibility for the killing of Alexander Dugin’s daughter

BREAKING: So, I was just scrolling through my feed and saw this crazy news—there's a video up on YouTube right now where a group calling themselves the Russian “National Republication Army” is actually stepping up and claiming they were behind that car bombing that took the life of ultra-nationalist Alexander Dugin's daughter. It's absolutely wild how fast things move these days, isn't it?

https://t.co/xzgIiYkxQ5 https://t.co/vdO3H4FJHE

And who exactly are you people?

George Robinson43 said:The Ukrainians are busy figuring out how to use HIMARS to deal with those greedy generals back home, rather than worrying about some schizo in Moscow whose ramblings are only listened to by fools across the North America.

Exactly.
If I were placing a bet, I'd put it on a mafia-style hit.
The Ukrainians aren't losing sleep over Russian propaganda far away from the actual battlefield.

electricstag9 said:When Ukrainians strike down warships or blow up ammunition depots inside the Russian Federation, or even hit targets in Crimea, suddenly it’s all just a "tragic accident." It’s a coincidence, or something just happened to catch fire—nobody ever points the finger at the Ukrainians. But the second Darya Dugina was killed? Oh, immediately everyone starts blaming Ukraine. That’s the clearest sign possible that they had absolutely nothing to do with it. They have much smarter operations to run and far more critical targets to hit. As for who actually pulled the trigger on her, I don't think we'll ever know, much like how the true perpetrators behind other high-profile hits in Russia always remain a mystery.

She didn't deserve to die, but there are others who deserve our mourning—thousands of young men (including her own countrymen) who were slaughtered in this war that she and her uncle so enthusiastically championed. She was nothing more than a war agitator. According to her, Ukrainian soldiers are "war criminals" who don't deserve to live, yet there she was, posing for photos in Mariupol right in front of U.S. Steel...

In a recent interview with the Russian channel 1RNK Dugina claimed that the atrocities committed during the Russian occupation of the Ukrainian city of Bucha were nothing more than American propaganda.

I felt bad for the girl because it wasn't her fault her father is a piece of work, but then I saw on social media that she was just as bad as him, and here is the proof.
I don't feel sorry for her one bit.

The fascists have started bickering amongst themselves, which is great news. Even better is the fact that there’s an underground resistance movement in Russia currently plotting an assassination against their own version of Joseph Goebbels.
Unfortunately, that fascist propagandist didn't happen to be in the car at the time. Instead, his daughter was killed.

Adam Collins4 said:Hmmmm, so it’s pretty obvious to you that this whole mindset depends entirely on who his opponent is, right?

I mean, sometimes you just have to hold your nose and check the box for the lesser of two evils once you see who's running on the other side...

Yeah, I get it. I'm sure plenty of people will do exactly that.
By the way, I'm one of those people who thinks he'll actually win the presidency again.
Meanwhile, the party he belongs to will probably struggle to hold onto power—at least not anytime soon.

Richard Wilson4 said:See, I look at it totally differently.

He probably won't win over the conservatives, but the leftists will likely just suck it up and vote for him anyway—even if they aren't exactly thrilled with his usual talking points (like Canada, the American Civil War, or sovereignty).

Now, as for those moderate votes, that's going to depend entirely on who his opponent ends up being in the second round...

Maybe.
Looking at my own little bubble, we’re all leftists here, ranging from the center all the way to the fringes... we all voted for him once, and nobody is doing it again. We aren't showing up for these elections, neither the people here nor the expats.
Of course, my bubble is just one of many... so, who knows.

Linda Harris59 said:In all likelihood, his behavior will cost him more in the next election than his sheer rudeness or lack of class. His habit of using vulgar slang and insulting anyone brave enough to criticize him plays incredibly well in the tabloids, and it’s actually boosting his popularity among a specific segment of the population.

But you simply cannot be a leftist and a right-winger at the exact same time. He might think he can secure the votes of the Democratic Party while simultaneously picking up the Republican Party crowd, but that isn't how politics works.

I doubt it.
He'll make up for lost left-wing votes by picking up the right. There aren't many conservatives who won't vote for him since he hails from a center-left party—though that logic doesn't necessarily apply to presidential elections where you're voting for an individual.
The Democratic Party is essentially a dead party now. To their voters, he’s become synonymous with the whole organization (even if he isn't the sole reason). He didn't single-handedly destroy them, but he certainly helped the cause.
It sounds a bit ridiculous, but he's actually handed the Republican Party a massive advantage in staying in power longer, because the GOP knows exactly how to handle competition coming from the right.

Linda King said:I’d bet my life savings he’d put his money on Gustav.

He’s really the only one with enough motive to report both Judolina and me—since we’re on opposite sides of this, the complaint wasn't some ideological crusade.

☕

bluecyclist64 said:Does it really take someone like Antilles, Sale, rowdytiger13 or some other busybody reporting a post just for you to delete it or move it halfway across the country?

Correction on that inaccuracy—it’s called a snowflake : proud:
And I didn't report you; I'm just a woke snowflake, not some hall monitor.

Nicholas Watson said:really curious if anyone is actually squeezing triangles into Guns N' Roses posts
maybe an old friend who enjoys Stalinist tactics

driftingtinker, I don't know if you were talking about me when you mentioned people with partialities debating Ukraine with the chat

and does Linda King bother you more with the moderation now that you're here opening more threads to increase the oversight

🍿

red_shrike said:Actually, those people who mindlessly swallow Russian propaganda and then try to push it on the West aren't anything more than plain old fifth columnists and ideological Nazis. It is quite fascinating, though, how you can call someone a (neo)communist on this forum and they’ll either take it as a badge of honor or ignore it, but the moment you rightfully label someone a (neo)Nazi, you get an immediate message from a moderator. Even if communists and Nazis are essentially the same brand of garbage. 🙂

Nazism is a criminal ideology. Communism isn't inherently criminal. We can debate how impractical or utopian the idea is, but the concept itself isn't evil.
But... in practice, communism has always devolved into a dictatorship that was outright criminal.
It just doesn't work outside of small, self-sustaining communities. I always point to the Israeli kibbutzim as an example—they pulled Israel out of the sand and built the nation, and that spirit of communal living kept them going and defended them, but that way of organizing society has never truly scaled beyond the kibbutz, and for good reason.
The elders in a kibbutz live just like everyone else and have the same resources, regardless of how they lived or what kind of communist dictators were in power.
Unfortunately, equality just isn't part of human nature.
Unlike the kibbutzim, Nazi communes in the US were purely criminal, much like the ideology itself.