They'll run out of space in the quarantine camps pretty quickly, at this rate.
Whole country in lockdown by St. Patrick's Day at this rate.
This is going to be quite the collision.
China's Zero Covid Policy (in which it has invested so much time, money and pride) meets Omicron the Mighty, on BA2 steroids
Can China avoid being one enormous Hong Kong?
Some maths. Hong Kong suffered 281 deaths yesterday, in a population of 7.5 million
China's population is 1.4 billion: 186 times bigger then HK
If China's Omicron crisis gets as bad as HK's, China will see 52,000 deaths a day
That's how bad it could get, potentially (tho of course the voluntary and obligatory lockdowns which would kick in long before then make this highly unlikely).
A relevant factor is China’s willingness (or not) to import western vaccines and implicitly admit it’s own aren’t as good. Seems unlikely, sadly.
Seems weird they'd take the economic hit rather than do as you say, even if they're that callous about the general population.
Dictatorships are even more obsessed about appearing weak than democracies. Better to deny impact of a hit than undermine glory of the party by acknowledging another option.
I keep posting it, but I will again. Who knows, maybe policymakers read this this board.
BRAIN DRAIN the Russians. Encourage their scientists, coders, engineers and even their artists.
I know this is a million miles from current government policy, which is to continue to cut its own nose off to seemingly please a couple of angry pensioners in Lincolnshire, but I live in hope.
Putin is 'planning a man-made catastrophe' at Chernobyl: Ukrainian intelligence claims Russia will fake a terror attack at nuclear plant and try to blackmail the world
If true, the news that 16,000 Syrians are joining the invasion of Ukraine is x3 extraordinary: as an admission of Russian military inadequacy; as a repudiation of Putin's claimed Russo-Ukrainian identity; as military idiocy: the Syrians only know how to fight disarmed civilians.
3 out of 20 Russian major generals currently in Ukraine have now been killed, says western official
Western official says it is of note that they are so far forward which you would expect to see when troops are unable to make decisions of their own or are fearful of moving forward.
I remember playing Stratego as a kid, you didn't want to go losing your General...
A bit of a rush job...
I am the very model of a Russian Major-General No information reaches me if we have support aerial I know the Tsars and Commissars, but that won't help the forces Z And very soon, I know I'll be, like many other comrades, dead
Putin is 'planning a man-made catastrophe' at Chernobyl: Ukrainian intelligence claims Russia will fake a terror attack at nuclear plant and try to blackmail the world
3 out of 20 Russian major generals currently in Ukraine have now been killed, says western official
Western official says it is of note that they are so far forward which you would expect to see when troops are unable to make decisions of their own or are fearful of moving forward.
I remember playing Stratego as a kid, you didn't want to go losing your General...
A bit of a rush job...
I am the very model of a Russian Major-General No information reaches me if we have support aerial I know the Tsars and Commissars, but that won't help the forces Z And very soon, I know I'll be, like many other comrades, dead
I blame creeping American influence that the last couplet didn't rhyme for me.
Putin is 'planning a man-made catastrophe' at Chernobyl: Ukrainian intelligence claims Russia will fake a terror attack at nuclear plant and try to blackmail the world
I keep posting it, but I will again. Who knows, maybe policymakers read this this board.
BRAIN DRAIN the Russians. Encourage their scientists, coders, engineers and even their artists.
I know this is a million miles from current government policy, which is to continue to cut its own nose off to seemingly please a couple of angry pensioners in Lincolnshire, but I live in hope.
So of the 36-40 most prominent Russian generals that are Maj/Lt generals in charge of units, and could be deployed on the ground, 4 of them have been killed, while around 10 of them aren't deployed to this conflict.
So at 10%
if 10% of all ranks where now dead, that would be 19,000 ish so about in line with Ukrainian government estimates.
Times defence editor: https://twitter.com/larisamlbrown/status/1502302254635929607 "3 out of 20 Russian major generals currently in Ukraine have now been killed, says western official. Western official says it is of note that they are so far forward which you would expect to see when troops are unable to make decisions of their own or are fearful of moving forward."
Ouch. My calculations were generous to the Russians.
3 out of 20 Russian major generals currently in Ukraine have now been killed, says western official
Western official says it is of note that they are so far forward which you would expect to see when troops are unable to make decisions of their own or are fearful of moving forward.
I remember playing Stratego as a kid, you didn't want to go losing your General...
A bit of a rush job...
I am the very model of a Russian Major-General No information reaches me if we have support aerial I know the Tsars and Commissars, but that won't help the forces Z And very soon, I know I'll be, like many other comrades, dead
Perhaps "supportIVE aerial", to keep the rhythm?
Otherwise, superb job. Especially the last line and that final comma
I keep posting it, but I will again. Who knows, maybe policymakers read this this board.
BRAIN DRAIN the Russians. Encourage their scientists, coders, engineers and even their artists.
I know this is a million miles from current government policy, which is to continue to cut its own nose off to seemingly please a couple of angry pensioners in Lincolnshire, but I live in hope.
How many do we prise away from Mother Russia before the borders get slammed closed?
"Ah, coder you say? And your reason to go to Helsinki? And your wife too? Go see my colleague through that door please...."
3 out of 20 Russian major generals currently in Ukraine have now been killed, says western official
Western official says it is of note that they are so far forward which you would expect to see when troops are unable to make decisions of their own or are fearful of moving forward.
I remember playing Stratego as a kid, you didn't want to go losing your General...
A bit of a rush job...
I am the very model of a Russian Major-General No information reaches me if we have support aerial I know the Tsars and Commissars, but that won't help the forces Z And very soon, I know I'll be, like many other comrades, dead
I blame creeping American influence that the last couplet didn't rhyme for me.
Yeah, the thought crossed my mind. But I had to leave it in. Off with your hee.
3 out of 20 Russian major generals currently in Ukraine have now been killed, says western official
Western official says it is of note that they are so far forward which you would expect to see when troops are unable to make decisions of their own or are fearful of moving forward.
I remember playing Stratego as a kid, you didn't want to go losing your General...
A bit of a rush job...
I am the very model of a Russian Major-General No information reaches me if we have support aerial I know the Tsars and Commissars, but that won't help the forces Z And very soon, I know I'll be, like many other comrades, dead
Perhaps "supportIVE aerial", to keep the rhythm?
Otherwise, superb job. Especially the last line and that final comma
Bravo
Yeah, I knew the second line was a bit of a bodge. But thank you
3 out of 20 Russian major generals currently in Ukraine have now been killed, says western official
Western official says it is of note that they are so far forward which you would expect to see when troops are unable to make decisions of their own or are fearful of moving forward.
I remember playing Stratego as a kid, you didn't want to go losing your General...
A bit of a rush job...
I am the very model of a Russian Major-General No information reaches me if we have support aerial I know the Tsars and Commissars, but that won't help the forces Z And very soon, I know I'll be, like many other comrades, dead
Perhaps "supportIVE aerial", to keep the rhythm?
Otherwise, superb job. Especially the last line and that final comma
Bravo
Eh? You’re introducing a new syllable. It was very good first go.
Putin is 'planning a man-made catastrophe' at Chernobyl: Ukrainian intelligence claims Russia will fake a terror attack at nuclear plant and try to blackmail the world
I've really enjoyed 2022 so far, but, TBH, I wouldn't mind a Slow News Day now
Just one. Just one single day when the entire world isn't threatened, in multiple forms, by outright catastrophe
I sort of miss the days post-referendum but pre-actual-Brexit where it was all just big late night Commons votes, opposition seizing the order paper, defection watch, May-bot malfunctions and endless twitter rumour. When it was high political drama but none of it had crystallised into actual outcomes.
If true, the news that 16,000 Syrians are joining the invasion of Ukraine is x3 extraordinary: as an admission of Russian military inadequacy; as a repudiation of Putin's claimed Russo-Ukrainian identity; as military idiocy: the Syrians only know how to fight disarmed civilians.
How are they planning on getting these in to area? presumably they cant ship them in, as Turkey has closed the striates, overland would mean going though lots of nations, not all of which are happy with Syria/Russia at the moment, so presumably it will have to be Aeroplane?
Eddied extra bit: I wonder if the 16,000 is a symbolic number to 'match' the 16,000 who volunteered to join the Ukrainian Foren Legion?
I keep posting it, but I will again. Who knows, maybe policymakers read this this board.
BRAIN DRAIN the Russians. Encourage their scientists, coders, engineers and even their artists.
I know this is a million miles from current government policy, which is to continue to cut its own nose off to seemingly please a couple of angry pensioners in Lincolnshire, but I live in hope.
How many do we prise away from Mother Russia before the borders get slammed closed?
"Ah, coder you say? And your reason to go to Helsinki? And your wife too? Go see my colleague through that door please...."
I believe Russia is already trying to ban such types from leaving, as they are integral to what is left of the economy.
But some will get out, and we should be encouraging them to relocate in the Uk, or better yet, in Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham as part of our levelling up policy.
3 out of 20 Russian major generals currently in Ukraine have now been killed, says western official
Western official says it is of note that they are so far forward which you would expect to see when troops are unable to make decisions of their own or are fearful of moving forward.
I remember playing Stratego as a kid, you didn't want to go losing your General...
A bit of a rush job...
I am the very model of a Russian Major-General No information reaches me if we have support aerial I know the Tsars and Commissars, but that won't help the forces Z And very soon, I know I'll be, like many other comrades, dead
Perhaps "supportIVE aerial", to keep the rhythm?
Otherwise, superb job. Especially the last line and that final comma
Bravo
Eh? You’re introducing a new syllable. It was very good first go.
The scansion's a bit off though, it puts the stress on the wrong syllable of "support". It could be "if we're supported aerially", if you elide the last word a little, but then you get too far away from the rhyme. But I wanted to keep some link to the first verse of the original in the first three lines.
3 out of 20 Russian major generals currently in Ukraine have now been killed, says western official
Western official says it is of note that they are so far forward which you would expect to see when troops are unable to make decisions of their own or are fearful of moving forward.
I remember playing Stratego as a kid, you didn't want to go losing your General...
A bit of a rush job...
I am the very model of a Russian Major-General No information reaches me if we have support aerial I know the Tsars and Commissars, but that won't help the forces Z And very soon, I know I'll be, like many other comrades, dead
Perhaps "supportIVE aerial", to keep the rhythm?
Otherwise, superb job. Especially the last line and that final comma
Bravo
Eh? You’re introducing a new syllable. It was very good first go.
True
So:
"No information reaches me if we've supportive aerial"
Keeps the syllable number but also keeps the right rhythm?
I prefer talking about this to talking about the various ways the world could end this month
And squeak the second, the current Crufts champions go through
I've only just looked at this thread and didn't have a clue what you were commenting on. I thought is was some sort of F1 testing where you were using codenames for the teams.
3 out of 20 Russian major generals currently in Ukraine have now been killed, says western official
Western official says it is of note that they are so far forward which you would expect to see when troops are unable to make decisions of their own or are fearful of moving forward.
I remember playing Stratego as a kid, you didn't want to go losing your General...
A bit of a rush job...
I am the very model of a Russian Major-General No information reaches me if we have support aerial I know the Tsars and Commissars, but that won't help the forces Z And very soon, I know I'll be, like many other comrades, dead
Perhaps "supportIVE aerial", to keep the rhythm?
Otherwise, superb job. Especially the last line and that final comma
Bravo
Eh? You’re introducing a new syllable. It was very good first go.
The scansion's a bit off though, it puts the stress on the wrong syllable of "support". It could be "if we're supported aerially", if you elide the last word a little, but then you get too far away from the rhyme. But I wanted to keep some link to the first verse of the original in the first three lines.
(Edit: and thanks )
The scansion is less important, I think, in a Gilbert & Sullivan pastiche.
You could replace it with, If we’ve supportive aerial
But I actually still prefer the original, because the “support aerial” is a nice grammatical echo of “major general”.
Bellingcat (& replies in comments) showing Russian jets taking off, crossing the border with Ukraine before u-turning and attacking a Belarussian town. Ukrainian Parliament and Belarussian media also saying that a Belarussian town was attacked. Looks like Belarus is now in.
And squeak the second, the current Crufts champions go through
I've only just looked at this thread and didn't have a clue what you were commenting on. I thought is was some sort of F1 testing where you were using codenames for the teams.
Putin is 'planning a man-made catastrophe' at Chernobyl: Ukrainian intelligence claims Russia will fake a terror attack at nuclear plant and try to blackmail the world
I've really enjoyed 2022 so far, but, TBH, I wouldn't mind a Slow News Day now
Just one. Just one single day when the entire world isn't threatened, in multiple forms, by outright catastrophe
I sort of miss the days post-referendum but pre-actual-Brexit where it was all just big late night Commons votes, opposition seizing the order paper, defection watch, May-bot malfunctions and endless twitter rumour. When it was high political drama but none of it had crystallised into actual outcomes.
The sad thing is that we were all focussed on brexity-votey-handbags while ignoring real evil growing in Syria and other parts of the world. Yes bad things happen in the UK, but not draw-jopping evil. We need to look afresh at our fellow countrymen and find strength that we mostly agree on something now.
Reading Anne Applebaum’s “Red Famine: Stalin’s war on Ukraine” - from the very beginning of the USSR Ukraine wanted independence - they wanted communism, not Bolshevism, Kyiv not Moscow - and many Bolshevik’s simply thought of Ukraine as “little Russia” with no conception of how Ukrainians viewed themselves - so Putin is far from unique in his miscalculation.
3 out of 20 Russian major generals currently in Ukraine have now been killed, says western official
Western official says it is of note that they are so far forward which you would expect to see when troops are unable to make decisions of their own or are fearful of moving forward.
I remember playing Stratego as a kid, you didn't want to go losing your General...
A bit of a rush job...
I am the very model of a Russian Major-General No information reaches me if we have support aerial I know the Tsars and Commissars, but that won't help the forces Z And very soon, I know I'll be, like many other comrades, dead
Perhaps "supportIVE aerial", to keep the rhythm?
Otherwise, superb job. Especially the last line and that final comma
Bravo
Eh? You’re introducing a new syllable. It was very good first go.
True
So:
"No information reaches me if we've supportive aerial"
Keeps the syllable number but also keeps the right rhythm?
I prefer talking about this to talking about the various ways the world could end this month
Because on this you know what you're talking about?
3 out of 20 Russian major generals currently in Ukraine have now been killed, says western official
Western official says it is of note that they are so far forward which you would expect to see when troops are unable to make decisions of their own or are fearful of moving forward.
I remember playing Stratego as a kid, you didn't want to go losing your General...
A bit of a rush job...
I am the very model of a Russian Major-General No information reaches me if we have support aerial I know the Tsars and Commissars, but that won't help the forces Z And very soon, I know I'll be, like many other comrades, dead
Perhaps "supportIVE aerial", to keep the rhythm?
Otherwise, superb job. Especially the last line and that final comma
Bravo
Eh? You’re introducing a new syllable. It was very good first go.
The scansion's a bit off though, it puts the stress on the wrong syllable of "support". It could be "if we're supported aerially", if you elide the last word a little, but then you get too far away from the rhyme. But I wanted to keep some link to the first verse of the original in the first three lines.
(Edit: and thanks )
The scansion is less important, I think, in a Gilbert & Sullivan pastiche.
You could replace it with, If we’ve supportive aerial
But I actually still prefer the original, because the “support aerial” is a nice grammatical echo of “major general”.
Yeah, I agree. Also, the internal rhyme in line 3 isn't authentic but it was just too good to change.
Reading Anne Applebaum’s “Red Famine: Stalin’s war on Ukraine” - from the very beginning of the USSR Ukraine wanted independence - they wanted communism, not Bolshevism, Kyiv not Moscow - and many Bolshevik’s simply thought of Ukraine as “little Russia” with no conception of how Ukrainians viewed themselves - so Putin is far from unique in his miscalculation.
They were treated appallingly. I'm surprised there are many ethnic Ukrainians left.
Biden announces that the U.S. and allied nations will move to revoke MFN trading status for Russia, known as PNTR in the U.S. (He needs Congress to do it, though.)
The U.S. is also blocking imports of certain Russian goods, like seafood, diamonds and vodka, he says.
Reading Anne Applebaum’s “Red Famine: Stalin’s war on Ukraine” - from the very beginning of the USSR Ukraine wanted independence - they wanted communism, not Bolshevism, Kyiv not Moscow - and many Bolshevik’s simply thought of Ukraine as “little Russia” with no conception of how Ukrainians viewed themselves - so Putin is far from unique in his miscalculation.
Someone will be along to point out the Scotland/England comparison forthwith!
And squeak the second, the current Crufts champions go through
I've only just looked at this thread and didn't have a clue what you were commenting on. I thought is was some sort of F1 testing where you were using codenames for the teams.
Reading Anne Applebaum’s “Red Famine: Stalin’s war on Ukraine” - from the very beginning of the USSR Ukraine wanted independence - they wanted communism, not Bolshevism, Kyiv not Moscow - and many Bolshevik’s simply thought of Ukraine as “little Russia” with no conception of how Ukrainians viewed themselves - so Putin is far from unique in his miscalculation.
Someone will be along to point out the Scotland/England comparison forthwith!
You'd have to go back at bit; Culloden and then the Clearances. !00 years part, too. Although if you'd like tanks involved, there's another Essex chap who'd be, I gather, willing to help!
Bellingcat (& replies in comments) showing Russian jets taking off, crossing the border with Ukraine before u-turning and attacking a Belarussian town. Ukrainian Parliament and Belarussian media also saying that a Belarussian town was attacked. Looks like Belarus is now in.
There needs to be a very well planned 'special operation' to overthrow Lukashenko.
Dreadful man. No domestic mandate whatsoever. Rigged the election, terrorizes opponents with his police state, beholden to Putin for everything.
Europe's last dictator - already dodgy as a title if one accepts Russia as in Europe - really needs to be final.
But he was already a pariah, more so than Putin - how much more vulnerable can he be made?
What?! I've only been away from an hour. Is Russia now attacking Belarus?
Reminiscent - and not in a good way - of Hitler's decision to invade Hungary in March 1944 partly because Kallay was secretly trying to formulate a peace treaty with the Aliies and partly because Horthy wouldn't hand over his Jews to be murdered. Even though Horthy was a raging antisemite who had been making their lives miserable for 25 years, he drew the line at murder. So Hitler invaded his ally, captured their leaders, installed a puppet government and took the Jews by force.
It was the action of a criminal madman who had lost not only the war but whatever small plot he once had.
It is a very good job that Hitler was prevented from developing atomic weapons in his final Nero order days.
It is a less than comforting thought that Russia already has them.
Bellingcat (& replies in comments) showing Russian jets taking off, crossing the border with Ukraine before u-turning and attacking a Belarussian town. Ukrainian Parliament and Belarussian media also saying that a Belarussian town was attacked. Looks like Belarus is now in.
There needs to be a very well planned 'special operation' to overthrow Lukashenko.
Dreadful man. No domestic mandate whatsoever. Rigged the election, terrorizes opponents with his police state, beholden to Putin for everything.
Europe's last dictator - already dodgy as a title if one accepts Russia as in Europe - really needs to be final.
But he was already a pariah, more so than Putin - how much more vulnerable can he be made?
What?! I've only been away from an hour. Is Russia now attacking Belarus?
that would be in interesting tern of events but no.
Belarusian dictator is visiting Russian dictator in Moscow today,
Some are speculating this could end up with Belarussian troops on the ground in Ukraine, which would be bad, but I think unlikely. its also possible IMHO that he has just enough independence to say things to Putin that Putin's own advisers cant say or they would be under house arrest (and worse) he might be able to say something along the lines of:
'Putin you are a great leader and a wonder to your people and history, but the Ukrainian special military operation is not going to plan. and its not going to be trend around by 10,000 extra Belarusian troops, its not going to be trend around at all. if we want to keep our jobs and carry on doing all the amazing things we do for our people then we need to find an exit strategy and it needs to be soon. please think about it.'
Western Syria watchers reporting significant numbers of Syrian rebels wanting to go and fight for Ukraine in Ukraine, because at least there they'll be fighting Russian soldiers, not jets. Going to be quite something watching Syrian Army fighting Syrian Rebels in Chernobyl.
That mud isn't particularly muddy, for all we know the truck is driving along just fine in some rather deep ruts. It's very tightly cropped so we can't see whether anyone is trying to dig/tow it out.
Reading Anne Applebaum’s “Red Famine: Stalin’s war on Ukraine” - from the very beginning of the USSR Ukraine wanted independence - they wanted communism, not Bolshevism, Kyiv not Moscow - and many Bolshevik’s simply thought of Ukraine as “little Russia” with no conception of how Ukrainians viewed themselves - so Putin is far from unique in his miscalculation.
Someone will be along to point out the Scotland/England comparison forthwith!
You'd have to go back at bit; Culloden and then the Clearances. !00 years part, too. Although if you'd like tanks involved, there's another Essex chap who'd be, I gather, willing to help!
On a point of PB pedantry, Culloden was the last act in a partly Scottish civil war and dynastic dispute. Started when the Scots kicked off the Civil Wars of Britain and Ireland in 1638 ... and as for the clearances, they extended for quite a long time, beginning quite soon after Culloden (and had already begun in the Lowlands at the time of Culloden, IIRC).
https://twitter.com/JackDetsch/status/1502316871642750986 "NEW: US believes Russia dispersed its stalled 40-mile long military convoy to protect itself from Ukrainian attacks: senior US defense official. But Russian vehicles remain stalled. “They’re not going anywhere," SDO said. "It’s not like they’re off-roading their way to Kyiv.”"
Looks like my 'we may see the decisive battle for Kyiv in the next few days' prediction was incredibly wrong. Given how off roading has gone for them so far, we might as well consider the convoy out of the offensive war.
Those LD results in Hitchin last night were pretty spectacular. That part of the country could go LD in a big way at the next election.
Hitchin and Harpenden is the Parliamentary constituency - a wide area
It's going to be sliced up in the boundary review. Hitchin and Shefford (South East Bedfordshire) is probably - but who knows - too high a hill for anyone except the Tories to climb. Harpenden, Berkhamsted, Tring may well be a Lib Dem target. All depends on boundaries going through but I don't see any serious counter-proposals in this area.
Those LD results in Hitchin last night were pretty spectacular. That part of the country could go LD in a big way at the next election.
Hitchin and Harpenden is the Parliamentary constituency - a wide area
The current proposal in the boundary review is for Harpenden and Hitchin to split. Harpenden will join Tring and Berkhampstead and a greater Hitchin seat will be formed encompassing Stotfold, Shefford and Kimpton.
LDs had a good result in the old Harpenden and Hitchin seat in 2019.
3 out of 20 Russian major generals currently in Ukraine have now been killed, says western official
Western official says it is of note that they are so far forward which you would expect to see when troops are unable to make decisions of their own or are fearful of moving forward.
I remember playing Stratego as a kid, you didn't want to go losing your General...
A bit of a rush job...
I am the very model of a Russian Major-General No information reaches me if we have support aerial I know the Tsars and Commissars, but that won't help the forces Z And very soon, I know I'll be, like many other comrades, dead
Perhaps "supportIVE aerial", to keep the rhythm?
Otherwise, superb job. Especially the last line and that final comma
Bravo
Eh? You’re introducing a new syllable. It was very good first go.
The scansion's a bit off though, it puts the stress on the wrong syllable of "support". It could be "if we're supported aerially", if you elide the last word a little, but then you get too far away from the rhyme. But I wanted to keep some link to the first verse of the original in the first three lines.
(Edit: and thanks )
The scansion is less important, I think, in a Gilbert & Sullivan pastiche.
You could replace it with, If we’ve supportive aerial
But I actually still prefer the original, because the “support aerial” is a nice grammatical echo of “major general”.
Yeah, I agree. Also, the internal rhyme in line 3 isn't authentic but it was just too good to change.
I'm very well acquainted too with warfare asymmetrical, I give every city a present pyrotechnical, About our glorious victory I'm teeming with a lot of news, Despite the men and tanks we frequently seem to lose
"No problem, Ukrainian tractor will be along in a short while. Meanwhile, Moscow is that way...."
Ukraine as Agincourt?
Well, they're taking a bow on the international stage.
It was, I believe, Welsh archers in Henry's army who made the difference.
I thought it was the mud. French men-at-arms in full body armour crushed closer and closer together as they advanced down the tapering boggy field, and then run over by their own cavalry.
So of the 36-40 most prominent Russian generals that are Maj/Lt generals in charge of units, and could be deployed on the ground, 4 of them have been killed, while around 10 of them aren't deployed to this conflict.
So at 10%
if 10% of all ranks where now dead, that would be 19,000 ish so about in line with Ukrainian government estimates.
The other day a senior analyst or military type used the word "decimation" - correctly.
If an army gets decimated ten times, it'll still have over a third of its men remaining.
Worth bearing in mind that in the Formation of Next Government Steeplechase the horse called Tory Majority Government is, according to Oddschecker, the favourite at 15/8. They also have Lab Minority at 3/1, and Lab Majority 3/1 also. I am not sure any of these are right but Lab Minority looks possible value.
I know little to nothing about military tactics etc, but naively I am not that surprised their kit isn't as good as they said it was, but I presumed they at very least had trained their troops to a good level.
some Russians are trying to use Bitcoin to either transfer money out of Russia or to transfer money they've already put into Bitcoin into an actual foreign currency while they still can.
It's not working out for them as no exchange has anyone wanting $6bn of Bitcoins.
Bellingcat (& replies in comments) showing Russian jets taking off, crossing the border with Ukraine before u-turning and attacking a Belarussian town. Ukrainian Parliament and Belarussian media also saying that a Belarussian town was attacked. Looks like Belarus is now in.
There needs to be a very well planned 'special operation' to overthrow Lukashenko.
Dreadful man. No domestic mandate whatsoever. Rigged the election, terrorizes opponents with his police state, beholden to Putin for everything.
Europe's last dictator - already dodgy as a title if one accepts Russia as in Europe - really needs to be final.
But he was already a pariah, more so than Putin - how much more vulnerable can he be made?
There are repeated rumours that significant units of the Belarusian army have mutinied. Perhaps that might explain both a Russian air strike and the visit of Luko to Moscow.
With the arrest of the FSB officers, it is obviously undeniable that the Russians continue to face significant problems.
Comments
Who knows, maybe policymakers read this this board.
BRAIN DRAIN the Russians.
Encourage their scientists, coders, engineers and even their artists.
I know this is a million miles from current government policy, which is to continue to cut its own nose off to seemingly please a couple of angry pensioners in Lincolnshire, but I live in hope.
Just one. Just one single day when the entire world isn't threatened, in multiple forms, by outright catastrophe
Tails take the first round . They’re European record holders.
https://twitter.com/eluttwak/status/1502296906873069574?s=21
I am the very model of a Russian Major-General
No information reaches me if we have support aerial
I know the Tsars and Commissars, but that won't help the forces Z
And very soon, I know I'll be, like many other comrades, dead
Tails take it easily and go through
War, pestilence, and agility trials from Crufts.
"3 out of 20 Russian major generals currently in Ukraine have now been killed, says western official. Western official says it is of note that they are so far forward which you would expect to see when troops are unable to make decisions of their own or are fearful of moving forward."
Ouch. My calculations were generous to the Russians.
Otherwise, superb job. Especially the last line and that final comma
Bravo
"Ah, coder you say? And your reason to go to Helsinki? And your wife too? Go see my colleague through that door please...."
Muttley crew score a shock first win…
It was very good first go.
Eddied extra bit: I wonder if the 16,000 is a symbolic number to 'match' the 16,000 who volunteered to join the Ukrainian Foren Legion?
Focus have a whippet and three cross breeds, paws are mostly collies
But some will get out, and we should be encouraging them to relocate in the Uk, or better yet, in Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham as part of our levelling up policy.
(Edit: and thanks
And squeak the second, the current Crufts champions go through
One of the largest Internet exchanges in the world has locked out two of Russia's leading telecom companies.
https://twitter.com/razhael/status/1502304088188465154
https://twitter.com/woodyatpch/status/1502257208347615235
So:
"No information reaches me if we've supportive aerial"
Keeps the syllable number but also keeps the right rhythm?
I prefer talking about this to talking about the various ways the world could end this month
Meanwhile the best of the rest….Friday champions to be…
Lightening one up against Tails..and two.
Now Aces against Focus…a fault from Aces, first leg to Focus
You could replace it with,
If we’ve supportive aerial
But I actually still prefer the original, because the “support aerial” is a nice grammatical echo of “major general”.
Focus take the first…but a fault on the second, so it’s all even.
Meanwhile news come through that Focus were milliseconds away from breaking the Crufts record on the first round ..
Focus take it after a crossover fault on the near side.
Focus go into tomorrow favourites to retain their title.
Biden announces that the U.S. and allied nations will move to revoke MFN trading status for Russia, known as PNTR in the U.S. (He needs Congress to do it, though.)
The U.S. is also blocking imports of certain Russian goods, like seafood, diamonds and vodka, he says.
Although if you'd like tanks involved, there's another Essex chap who'd be, I gather, willing to help!
It was the action of a criminal madman who had lost not only the war but whatever small plot he once had.
It is a very good job that Hitler was prevented from developing atomic weapons in his final Nero order days.
It is a less than comforting thought that Russia already has them.
https://twitter.com/oryxspioenkop/status/1502311504904863749
Belarusian dictator is visiting Russian dictator in Moscow today,
Some are speculating this could end up with Belarussian troops on the ground in Ukraine, which would be bad, but I think unlikely. its also possible IMHO that he has just enough independence to say things to Putin that Putin's own advisers cant say or they would be under house arrest (and worse) he might be able to say something along the lines of:
'Putin you are a great leader and a wonder to your people and history, but the Ukrainian special military operation is not going to plan. and its not going to be trend around by 10,000 extra Belarusian troops, its not going to be trend around at all. if we want to keep our jobs and carry on doing all the amazing things we do for our people then we need to find an exit strategy and it needs to be soon. please think about it.'
At least thats what I hope for.
Down to the hollow
And there let us wallow in glorious mud.
https://twitter.com/ELINTNews/status/1502314311913463815
https://twitter.com/NotWoofers/status/1502306603030220811
Грязь, грязь, чудная грязь,
лучшее средство как кожная мазь.
Так возьми свою даму
и поведи её в яму,
и там мы окунемся в чудную грязь.
https://defencyclopedia.com/2015/06/12/cbu-105-sensor-fuzed-weapon-usafs-ultimate-tank-buster/
https://twitter.com/TheAPJournalist/status/1501588231715901440
Click to see the whole thread...
"NEW: US believes Russia dispersed its stalled 40-mile long military convoy to protect itself from Ukrainian attacks: senior US defense official.
But Russian vehicles remain stalled. “They’re not going anywhere," SDO said. "It’s not like they’re off-roading their way to Kyiv.”"
Looks like my 'we may see the decisive battle for Kyiv in the next few days' prediction was incredibly wrong. Given how off roading has gone for them so far, we might as well consider the convoy out of the offensive war.
https://youtu.be/PhNT_XQMfv8
LDs had a good result in the old Harpenden and Hitchin seat in 2019.
I give every city a present pyrotechnical,
About our glorious victory I'm teeming with a lot of news,
Despite the men and tanks we frequently seem to lose
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2017/01/20/miracle-in-the-mud-the-hundred-years-wars-battle-of-agincourt/
https://twitter.com/ELINTNews/status/1502075497991348226
Does this now, ineluctably, lead to Russian defeat and withdrawal?
He looks remarkably like this chap out of Despicable Me
https://stack.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Mr_Perkins.jpg
some Russians are trying to use Bitcoin to either transfer money out of Russia or to transfer money they've already put into Bitcoin into an actual foreign currency while they still can.
It's not working out for them as no exchange has anyone wanting $6bn of Bitcoins.
https://twitter.com/SilvermanJacob/status/1502316584739684360
With the arrest of the FSB officers, it is obviously undeniable that the Russians continue to face significant problems.