Well yeah, he totally pwned those cops. Wouldn't want to know him irl though obv. - what a fucking incel freak.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
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Well yeah, he totally pwned those cops. Wouldn't want to know him irl though obv. - what a fucking incel freak.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
Yeah I don't want to be his friend, but this level of mental illness is kinda fascinating. This is possessed by a demon shit.
It seems like he just rolled low on a bunch of life stuff, looks, social skills, astygmatism, can't play sports, etc., and high rolled on psychotic. Feel kind of sorry for the guy. Not as sorry as I feel for the girl who hit a -100 on the creepy neighbor roll, but yeah it's sad.
Also, the amount of variance in the skill the cops in the different videos have is striking. Some are just expertly breaking their suspects down brick by brick until they break, and some like these guys seem like they have no idea what they're doing.
There's a healthy mix of feeling sorry for him and being glad he's locked up.
I have a brother who suffers from schizophrenia. It's not fun. He's nowhere near this level of batshit but it still causes me to have a great deal of sympathy for sufferers, even when they do dreadful things. My bro hasn't done anything dreadful, nor do I think he ever will, but he has delusions and to him they are totally real, to the point where if I attempt to make him realise they are just delusions, he accuses me of gaslighting him. I don't want to go into details about his delusions because it's private, personal and painful, but I understand that it's a very strange illness that causes sufferers to lose touch with reality.
Psychoactive drugs are likely a factor in both this guy's story and my bro's, probably childhood trauma too. It's kinda strange in my brother's case because he was never a heavy weed smoker like me, he stopped smoking that a long time before he went crazy. It wasn't even LSD. It was an obscure drug called aMt. I've taken it once, it's a very nice drug, but it's definitely not a drug one would take regularly. These kind of drugs are something I did rarely even when I was a bit of a party animal. I got a bit carried away with ecstasy for a few years but things like LSD, they're more dangerous than people think, and I knew it at the time. I liked knowing the difference between la la world and reality. I'm glad I took these drugs to experience them but I'm also glad I stopped taking them.
My bro long ago stopped taking psychoactive drugs, at least I think, but the damage is done. There's more to it than just drugs, obviously, but they often play a role, to start with possibly as a means for the sufferer to self medicate the early onset of schizophrenia. I suspect that's why my bro got into this drug, but while it helped him with the symptoms of his illness, it also made the illness itself worse. That's a very fast slide downhill.
That's rough, man. Sorry for you and your brother. I have an uncle who's bipolar, but never spent much time around him. Suffice to say though, he is different.
On a less serious topic, in my life I've encountered a number of asian people who've come to live in an English-speaking country, and adopt an English first name. I'm sure everyone's experienced this. And in general, I get the idea, they want to fit in or whatever.
My question is, who the fuck advises them on what English name to go by? They're always weird. Today I had a meeting with a student from HK who goes by "Kitty." I mean wtf makes her think that's a good name for an adult woman who isn't a pornstar? Other names I've come across are "Johnny" (again, juvenile), "Helen" (not bad, but not a name that really gets given to anyone anymore), and my favourite "Reece" (which is like some weird spelling of Reese, which is already an unusual name, but they've just make it even stranger).
Also, why is this a thing at all? People from India or wherever don't change their name when they come here, they just go "yeah I got a foreign name, deal with it."
And I wouldn't be bothered by it if they chose normal names, but they don't. Personally I'd much rather call someone "hoi" or "fung" or whatever than some of these stupid names. At least they should get some advice before they pick a name so they're not going around with a ridiculous name like "Kitty."
Also, does this happen in other countries as well. Say if an asian student goes to Germany, do they change their name "Fritz" or "Dachshund" or something silly?
I think you may fail to appreciate the amount of culture that the US exports in the form of movies and TV. Names in the US are more familiar to others than vice versa.
Also, a lot of Western names are biblical in origin, and the Bible is a thing in China, too.
Even my own name roots back to the Bible, though it's about 5 cultural steps removed, it is the name Mary named her son who would later be called Jesus. She named him Ishua, BTW. I'm not even Christian and I bet that little tidbit of info is more than most who call themselves Christian know. Lol.
As I was reading poop's post I immediately thought of my friend Kitty at college, before getting to the bit where he names the person he met. Made me laugh.
The self-given nickname "Rambo" is popular in Eastern Europe, apparently. I think US TV definitely has a lot to answer for. But I'm not sure why Kitty is a popular name for Hong Kong girls coming to England. Maybe they just like kitty cats and think it's a cute name. idk. If I moved somewhere else I'd still be Matt, it's easy enough for anyone to pronounce.
I used to hang out with a part Vietnamese guy called Chip. It took me years to find out his real name... Andrew. His surname was Vietnamese, but he was christened with an English name. Yet he still chose to have an unusual nickname.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
There's four possibilities I can think of for where she came up with Kitty. This is my first guess:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...r_portrait.png
It's still lame for anyone over 12, but whatever. She likes cats is number two, like you said, and is almost forgivable, but "Cat" seems like a reasonable choice for a grownup in that case. Kit Kat chocolate bar and Ms. Kitty from Gunsmoke are the other two I can think of, but those both seem like longshots.
It's funny because it's such a dated name. When did Rambo come out, 40 years ago? Yeah ok buddy, you're Rambo and your mates are Scarface and Elvis.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
Fuck these guys. If I ever move to Asia I'm going to call myself Genghis. See how they like it.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
In fact, every time I go to a foreign country from now on I'm just going to adopt a stupid name that sounds like it belongs but is obviously lame and dated.
France, I'm going as Remy. Or Pepe LePeux.
Italy, I'm gonna be Pasta Man.
Australia, I'm going as Crocodile Dundee.
I mean I'm in this meeting with this student and I'm like "Ok Kitty, so what analysis are you going to use for your project data?" "Have you finished your methods section yet, Kitty?", etc., and every time I hear myself say her name I just want to stick my head in the oven and turn on the gas.
You get used to it. Kitty isn't all that strange to me since I was actually friends with a Kitty. It was only an odd name to begin with.
To break the "no poker in the commune" rule and talk for a minute about what this forum was actually made for, I just had that one-in-a-million dream scenario where some wild fish wants to have an all out minraise war with me when I'm holding the nuts. I knew he would click back every time so I obliged. We went up in 4p raises all the way to the dizzying heights of £1 before he was all in, and we flipped over our cards. I show Q9o (I raised) and I have the nut straight, he has a set of jacks and is actually drawing live, but bricks turn and river. Imagine him seeing my Q9o. He rage quite, obviously. Not a word, just gone.
I just remembered another lad I knew who called himself David, he was first generation Pakistani migrant. We hung out, played football and cricket together, and once I had to call his home to see if he was coming out. I knew his name was really Desraj so when his sister answered I thought I better show the family respect and use his real name. His sister shouted "David it's for you, and he called you Desraj". Seems like he even made his family call him David!
Dunno why he didn't just go for Des for Desmond.
I kinda recall Kitty being a more common name in the 40's and 50's? Wasn't one of the POTUS wives named Kitty?
Nope. Had to google it. I was thinking of Kitty Dukakis, wife of a POTUS candidate who did not win the race.
I've heard of a woman named Catherine going by Cat a couple times, but never met one in person.
I do believe the minimum time past the sell-by date for one of these names is 30 years, so that seems about right.
Imagine being so far removed from Western culture that you only have a vague idea who Michael Jackson is, and then being shown this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQSfTGFuvyE&t=424s
I'm glad they got the guys and gals in the JCS videos, but I can totally see how some of those techniques could get a false confession out of somebody. Not the bozo who interrogated the schizophrenic kid though... what a shit show. I'm surprised they got him to confess at all. He was so close to walking. Can't convict someone for bad vibes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Poopadoop
The lie detector lady who got a confession out of Chris Watts is a different story. He got played so hard. That seems to be the best one: spend about 4 hours to break their confidence and then offer them an easier confession that seems more palatable but ultimately makes no sense and leads to the real confession.
I can see how a frustrated and not so savvy person could break and offer some kind of innocent sounding confession just to please the interrogator that eventually lands him in prison for something they didn't do.
That's pretty much it. They basically just keep the person there for hours, beating on them psychologically, till they give up and "confess."Quote:
Originally Posted by oskar
Then again, you have to wonder why so many of them don't just zip it and call a lawyer. I guess if you're innocent you don't think you should need one, but still...
IDK exactly what you're talking about, 'cause I haven't watched it, but if you are read your Miranda rights, that's pretty much a direct message to STFU and get a lawyer.
It's like they literally told you, "Look, you can keep talking and dig your own grave, but you have the right to not do that, you see?"
So anyone hearing they have the right to remain silent, and then still talking... is being an idiot.
Exercise your right. Talk to an attorney who knows the archaic rules of these situations and with whom you have confidentiality. Let them speak on your behalf.
Innocent people are wrongfully prosecuted all the damn time. Just because you're innocent doesn't mean you don't need a lawyer.
This has been a PSA.
Perhaps not surprisingly, a lot of the innocent people in those interrogations who give false confessions are pretty dim bulbs. They may naively feel there is no harm in talking to the police if they are innocent. You can call them stupid (and they are), but it's not that hard to understand where they're coming from, is it? They want to help, they're often not (at first at least) being directly accused, etc.. Sometimes they're already vulnerable because it was a loved one who's died.
Then fourteen hours later they're confessing to just get it over with.
If you have a chance to watch the show, I'd recommend it. It's easier to sympathesize with them when you see firsthand how badly they're being manipulated. I'd go as far as to call it a subtle form of mental torture really. They just break these poor fucks.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that making this mistake means you're stupid, but it is an idiot mistake to make.
Talking to the police is one thing. They don't have to read you your Miranda rights until and unless they start asking you "guilt seeking questions." So if they're talking to you and asking questions and haven't read you those rights, then they're in murky territory if it goes to trial. You can certainly just openly confess to something before they've sought that guilt, and no Miranda rights were needed in that case.
However, if you're talking to a police officer and suddenly they read you your Miranda rights, then the tone of their inquiry has shifted from simply gaining information from you to suspecting you as a criminal.
That reading of the Miranda rights signals that you are no longer helping them find someone else, but helping them convict YOU.
Ergo, if you are read your Miranda rights, you should STFU. They are actively trying to get you to confess to something. Don't do that. Get a lawyer.
I know the feeling of self-righteousness that says "I know I'm innocent and therefore the law will be on my side," but that's unicorn thinking. The world isn't that good and just.
Because all the guys in those videos got caught. My takeaway is that it is really hard to get a first degree murder conviction if they don't have a confession. You have to convince a jury that they're guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. You have to convince them of intent and premeditation. Even if you're not smart enough to shut up and call a lawyer, as long as they're not confessing, they still have an out. Casey Anthony takes the price for dumbest murderer to ever walk free. Probably the only thing in the entire process that she did right was not confessing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Poopadoop
Yeah well the convo had moved on to false confessions, but I take your point in bold. The irony is that a confession is very compelling to a jury, but is much less reliable than actual physical evidence. People confess to shit they didn't do all the time, for a variety of reasons.Quote:
Originally Posted by oskar
Same goes for eyewitness testimony. By all accounts it's as likely to be shit as to be accurate. Memory is really fallible. But get someone on the stand to point at the defendant and say "it was him," and the jury will almost always convict (unless the witness is obviously "unreliable," e.g., strung out on drugs, senile, or a sex worker).
None of those Asian name.changes are as strange as the name changes people legally make irl. I used to work in a data entry job and was provided with legal proof to change one account name to Bilbo Baggins and another to Iram Butts. Then a couple of Harry Potter changes.
We also had a Dr Phil Mycock and Dr Paul Mycock on the account database. I've no idea if they were jokes or not.
How much does it cost to legally change your name? It's great that these people are willing to pay to make fools of themselves. That shows real dedication.
It's relatively cheap in the UK, in the order of hundreds of pounds. I think, anyway. I have no intention of legally changing my name. If I did, it would also be something stupid that made no sense, like Ongratiio Bonga, and I'd only do it if I was wealthy, bored and drunk.
Dick and dicker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOInYwP8-Es
I could understand him refusing to get on the ground if he was wearing a suit.
It's not like on the X-Files where shouting "Federal agent!" is the top trump.
I'm glad the presenter called out the police for showing up with weapons drawn and shouting commands to a guy standing in front of a house holding some papers in one hand.
Granted, the ATF agent was a total dumbass thereafter, and perhaps before.
IDK. Maybe he touched a door knob. Not bothered since he didn't actually enter the house.
In the end, I guess I'm just glad no one was hurt despite the asshattery all around.
It's the kind of thing that makes you glad there's an internet where people can wave their dicks about without anyone getting shot.
Is Tiktok still a thing now, or have these people completely ruined it for everyone?
Warning: this video contains nuclear supernova levels of cringe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r7OmDuyY_U
that's rough.Quote:
Originally Posted by Poopadoop
TikTok is something for me to look at and go: I am completely out of touch with whatever generation this is. We're past Z now... What are they? Does anyone know? What comes after letters?
I'm so glad we didn't have easy access to cameras back when I was a teen. I can't imagine having an extensive public record of my cringe years online for everyone to see.
I don't do well with cringe. Some of those I can't even sit through the whole 15 seconds. So painful.
I'm more confused by a lot of it that cringeing at it. It's like "I must be missing something. Is this normal now?" Maybe it helps that I'm old enough to have mostly forgotten how stupid I was as a teenager. But some of it definitely makes you embarrassed for them.
And yeah, if there was a video of my ages 14-18 available online I'd probably never want to show my face in public again. Imagine these people when they get old enough to realise what absolute zeroes they look like.
Speaking of not normal, I've never heard of celebrating your mum for having to give birth to you and your siblings. Isn't that kind of part of what Mother's Day is for? Why does this woman need two Mother's Days, and one on her oldest son's birthday no less?
https://twitter.com/AITA_online/stat...49301065080833
Guess who didn't read the full story?Quote:
Why does this woman need two Mother's Days, and one on her oldest son's birthday no less?
This mother has FIVE Mother's Days, one actual Mother's Day and one for each of her four children. And this isn't her eldest son telling the story, it's her eldest daughter.
Anyway, this mother is a narcissist who cares more about gifts than her children. Not very Christian. This would be kinda sweet if she was happy with home made fudge, a family photo, a bottle of wine, a bunch of flowers, normal things that normal Moms appreciate, but when she wants a Macbook and a necklace, she's being greedy, and at the expense of her children. And the extended family all ganging up to "support" the greedy mother and run a massive guilt trip, this is not normal, healthy family relationships. These people are nasty people. I'd be more than happy to cut them out of my life, I imagine this woman has had 25 years of misery from her family.
Good analysis Sherlock. Maybe I didn't take time to read every word because I didn't need to read the whole story to see she's a cunt.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
What I don't get is why someone would think there's a chance they might be the asshole in this scenario.
I disagree. It's sweet if she expects a kiss on the cheek, then makes the kid the center of attention for the rest of the birthday. She can be the star of the show on Mother's Day. Any more than that and it's somewhere between borderline and full-blown NPD.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
Well in that case, the whole family is 'tarded.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
I mean I get it, a child's birthday should be about the child, not the mother, and it seems incredibly narcissistic of the mother to demand to be centre of attention. But I can also kinda get the idea that the children should grow up to appreciate their mother, and to not allow birthdays to become days where the children only think of themselves. It's not how I'd go about parenting, I think it's fine for kids to have one day a year that's only about them, but I'm not critical of the idea. What I'm critical of is the expectation of expensive gifts, to the point it means the children get shitty presents, and the guilt trip associated with non compliance.Quote:
I disagree.
Probably because her parents are assholes who use guilt trips to control their children. If you have parents like this, chances are you'll question these situations which seem so clear cut from the outside.Quote:
What I don't get is why someone would think there's a chance they might be the asshole in this scenario.
Fair enough, sucks to be gaslit by your own family I guess.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
Keep an eye on your neighbors, the suspicious fuckers.
https://twitter.com/bestofnextdoor/s...19554619576320
I've noticed that the attractive woman who lives opposite me has changed her shampoo. Not sure if she has dandruff, or if she's a terrorist. I'll continue to be vigilant and keep an eye on her.
Dude. That's a clear sign of terrorism. Whether or not she even uses the new shampoo, the fact that she wants you to think she's changed shampoos is a major red flag.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
Prob. report this to whatever you Bri'ishers have that's equivalent to the FBCIA or whatever.
Don't worry, I'm compiling evidence. Fortunately she leaves the window open when she bathes, so I've started filming her. I've also been collecting her laddered tights from her wheelie bin, and other potentially incriminating material.
FYP.Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMojoMonkey
Nah. On the countless occasions I've asked her what underwear she's wearing, she gives me a funny look and calls me a creep. She's blatantly not interested in me, so I'm pretty certain she's not stalking me.
So Putin's doing something in Ukraine, but unclear what. Some shelling, some incursions, picture pretty murky.
I think I'll go to my twitter source.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FMXALC9W...g&name=900x900
Boris' response so far has been weakest of all Western powers. Blah blah blah, sanctions on three minor Russian oligarchs, and five Russian banks no-one has ever heard of. Guess it's tough to sanction the guys who are funding your party.
It's white supremacy ldo
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FMXU8sRX...jpg&name=small
She sounds like the black equivalent of Uncle Leo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYZBKqemQrU
lol "nukes" trending with "Gary Lineker". Imagine a former footballer thinking he's an expert on geopolitics.
Quote:
Trending in United Kingdom
Nukes
There have been no reports that nuclear weapons have been used in the unfolding situation in Ukraine
Trending with Gary Lineker
:lol: :lol: :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Poopadoop
Jesus, that post is offensively stupid on so many levels.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
Can't wait for Audit the Audit to start doing confrontations between Ukrainian citizens and Russian soldiers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJJ8zmcBH2A
"The woman gets an A for standing up to aggression. The soldier also gets an A for not blowing her head off."
"The man gets an A for kindly offering the tankers a tow. The tankers also get an A for not blowing his head off."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14gVDF2b1vA
At this point I really question what Putin's end game is. Even if he takes Kiev, kills Zelenskyy, installs a puppet government and so on, he'll be batting insurgents for decades and nobody will accept the new leadership.
I keep hearing 'obviously russia will win'... superior firepower yadda yadda but what about any historical context. The Taliban took back Afghanistan from the US like yesterday, and today they're saying: well obviously Ukrainians could never do anything like that. I'm all JackieChanWTF.jpg over here.
If the numbers are to be believed, Russia suffered more fatalities in the first few days of this than the US did in the entire Afghanistan deployment.
Just some perspective, since the comparison was brought up.
As much as I'd like to believe Ukraine is beating Russia's ass, I find it really hard to. Russia has a big advantage in everything military.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/25/e...ntl/index.html
Granted, they may not be using it all, or using it effectively, but it seems incredible they could be losing. OTOH, Russia does have some history of being bad at war, so who knows.
That said, I would take any casualty figures coming out with a huge grain of salt.
The thing about a war in times of social media is that there's an abundance of information but you can't trust any of it. It's safe to assume the real number of russian casualties is much lower than Ukraine is reporting, but I can believe that it is very high.
Firepower didn't matter much in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam... It didn't matter in Czechoslovakia and that was with a russian army with plenty of combat experience and not operation baby shield. Have you seen the pictures? It looks like germany's last effort in 45 over there.
Putin was hoping for a repeat of Georgia/Crimea. He for sure didn't expect nearly as much pushback. The russian economy is getting railed by sanctions. This is so much more expensive than Afghanistan ever was for the US, and it will be an ongoing war until Putin decides to stop it. I really think you have it backwards. I do not see how Russia can "win" this, unless we're really stretching the definition of what winning means.
I agree there's different definitions of "winning." If you mean kill more Ukrainians than Russians, I think Russia will win that war. If you mean control and pacify the country, I don't like their chances.
The parallels with Vietnam are interesting. In both cases you have soldiers on the aggressor's side whose hearts don't really seem to be in it. OTOH, there's a very determined and righteous bunch of citizens on the defender's side. It's that dynamic that makes me think the Russians have a very poor chance of subduing Ukraine.
Best case scenario is it goes so bad that someone inside Russia decides it's time for a new leader, and someone a lot more reasonable takes over from Putin. I think he's the one really pushing this thing. Worst case scenario is that he gets frustrated and goes scorched earth on Ukraine. That would be awful.
I can't help but think the long-term consequences of the isolation of Russia's economy is going to cause more suffering than a short-term war.
Russia is vast and gutting the economy is going to hit the poorest the hardest.
I'm not an economist, but fucking hell, they're still getting hammered from all sides economically.
I think the most "win" Russia can get out of this is no NATO in Ukraine (possible), recognition of Russian sovereignty of Crimea (unlikely), and autonomy for the breakaway states (unlikely). If that's the end result, Russia has had a fantastic result.
Only succeeding in ensuring no NATO in Ukraine would probably be seen as a Russia win, but not quite so emphatic.
If NATO ends up in Ukraine, then Russia has lost.
That's my metric.
I'm guessing Putin didn't wargame this scenario.
https://twitter.com/3TrAmvL026aJRar/...59021537120262
Who said it?Quote:
"Putin may circle Kyiv with tanks but he'll never gain the hearts and souls of the Iranian people."
a) Liz Truss
b) Joe Biden
c) An EU official
d) A NATO official
Either A or B is my guess.
Meanwhile Finland is right at this moment discussing joining NATO, and Sweden has indicated they'll be doing the same after the dust settles. With the way this has unified EU and brought most of the planet against them, there's 0 chance this will be a win for Russia by any metric.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
Good time to do it, while Putin's troops are busy in Ukraine.Quote:
Originally Posted by CoccoBill
It's not looking good at the moment for sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by CoccoBill
Finland are discussing it because a petition of 50,000 forced the politicians to talk about it. I'd be very surprised if they actually did it.
It's pretty much exactly guided by what the majority of the people want, and the support for joining went from roughly 45% to 53% in the past week.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
Why wouldn't they do it? It guarantees them the whole might of NATO on their side if Putin attacks them. So he'd never attack them. It's a no-brainer really.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
Well, Finland used to do quite a bit of trade with Russia, less so after the 2014 sanctions though. Quite a bit of electricity/oil/natural gas imports still, some of which would be tricky to replace quickly. All of that is pretty much out of the window anyway now, so not surprised if we're joining relatively quickly.
Because doing so would destroy Russian relations.Quote:
Originally Posted by Poopadoop
Russia won't attack Finland for a multitude of reasons. It would still risk NATO involvement, certainly Sweden, it would also consume a huge amount of Russian resources, and it will be a long, bloody war, they will never subdue the Finns. Russian relations with Finland are currently amicable, and given Finland are an ally of the West, it's good to have someone who can act as a mediator.
Finland should continue to set an example of how Russian border nations that are not politically aligned to them should manage their Russian relations. You don't have to kiss their ass, you just have to not pose a threat to their security. Russia respects Finland because Finland do not seek NATO membership. I understand they'll discuss it when Russia invades another country, but I don't see any reason why Finland should be afraid of a Russian invasion. It makes no sense.
NATO doesn't guarantee security. What it does guarantee is that if a world war breaks out, Russia's border countries that are NATO members are the first places to get hit. If we back Putin into a corner and he says "fuck it", suddenly being in NATO means you're at war.
Is it really worth it? Maybe it is for Ukraine, but I really don't think so for Finland.
They don't need friends like Putin.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
A lot of people thought Russia would never invade Ukraine. In fact, you can make all the same arguments about Ukraine as about Finland. Maybe the latter is a bit more likely to be protected by NATO, but other than that...
Lol, Russia is going to be too busy running for the Urals to attack any of its neighbors if it starts a war with NATO.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
If I were living in Finland, I would want to get along with Russia, sure. But I'd be a lot quicker to trust NATO than to trust Putin. Maybe if Russia had a different leader you could trust them, but not with Putin in charge.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
It doesn't have to be a binary choice. And the problem is, once you join NATO, you're forever an enemy of Russia. You might not see NATO as an anti-Russia alliance, but they do. Being in NATO is the same as declaring Russia your enemy. It is not a neutral status.Quote:
If I were living in Finland, I would want to get along with Russia, sure. But I'd be a lot quicker to trust NATO than to trust Putin. Maybe if Russia had a different leader you could trust them, but not with Putin in charge.
I didn't think he'd invade Ukraine, not like this. I thought we might see a semi-invasion, like the Donbas region, but not full scale. Still, there are big differences between Ukraine and Finland. Ok, Finland has been part of the Russian Empire, but afaik they have not been part of the Soviet Union. There's also not much to be gained strategically by invading Finland, assuming they are neutral. It's useful to Russia as a buffer zone.Quote:
A lot of people thought Russia would never invade Ukraine. In fact, you can make all the same arguments about Ukraine as about Finland. Maybe the latter is a bit more likely to be protected by NATO, but other than that...
They are anything but, at the moment there are no relations. Finland has joined the sanctions with full effect, sending military aid to a warzone in the first time in its history.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
You do remember that in WW2 we were not in NATO and were the first to get hit?Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
In my opinion, we could use the NATO deterrent, and we could use article 5 in case shit hits the fan. We should have joined in the early 2000s together with the Baltics, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Slovenia. The next best time is probably right now.
Well, they were amicable until the invasion. At least, I thought they were. Obviously you know better than I do.Quote:
Originally Posted by cocco
Yeah let's not talk about how Finland were, briefly, fighting alongside the Nazis against the Soviets, before joining the Allies to fight the Nazis. It was only because Finland lost to the Soviets that they were forced to expel the Germans from Lapland.Quote:
You do remember that in WW2 we were not in NATO and were the first to get hit?
But no, I didn't know that Russia attack Finland in WWII. We didn't learn that at school, at least I don't think we did. The war started for us when Germany invaded Poland, though I also don't remember learning that the Soviets invaded Poland at the same time as Germany, with plans to share the territory between them. Soviet WWII history was largely missed out of my history lessons. I have to teach myself this stuff.
I mean, if Finnish public appetite really is there for joining NATO, good luck to you. I think it takes away an important mediator between NATO and Russia and worsens the security situation, but Putin has surprised my with the invasion of Ukraine and it's reasonable to ask how much further he's willing to go.
Yeah that did happen, not our proudest moment. That was in a different war though, the Continuation War of '41-'44. I was talking about the Winter War of '39, where they fired artillery against their own targets (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelling_of_Mainila) as an excuse to invade. The Continuation War was initially launched to get back those areas we lost in the Winter War, but I guess we got greedy.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
It's anything but an easy decision, there are only bad options. I've been hesitant about joining, but after this shit and Putin fondly reminiscing about the Russian Empire, if they succeed with Ukraine I don't see them settling for that.Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
I think NATO has to do its bit by simply giving Finland guarantees that it will be protected, but without committing missile systems to the territory.
The thing with Finland's awkward past with the Nazis, it kinda shows the shitshow that geopolitics is. Your enemy's enemy is your friend. And the UK must take some of the blame for allowing Finland to turn to Germany, because they approached us first but we were at war with Germany and didn't want to get drawn into a war with the Soviets. I guess that's war games, we were waiting for the Nazis and the Soviets to turn on each other, and ultimately that strategy won the war in Europe. But we should not have abandoned Finland then, and we should not do so now. NATO or not, the West cannot sit idle and watch Russia annex Finland. That has to be a huge red line.
Finland wasn't exactly keen to join the Nazis, it had been a democracy since getting its independence in 1917. It was just that Russia had attacked it in '39 and taken some border territories so in '41 Finland saw a chance to get them back. It refused to send its armies beyond its 1939 borders iirc, which pissed Hitler off because he wanted their armies to join up.
Also, the allies had not helped Finland in '39 so it had to fight Russia alone (and it gave Russia a good spanking for a few months before getting overwhelmed by numbers - it was a real "finest hour" moment for them).
Stalin was just as much a cunt as Hitler. He took half of Poland, attacked Finland, occupied part of Romania, and annexed the Baltic states in the first two years of WWII. There's evidence he was getting ready to attack Hitler before Hitler attacked him first.
No surprise, it's Craig Murray who is the voice of reason. Here's an opinion that is critical of both Russia and NATO.
I should remind you guys this guy is a left wing socialist. When it comes to foreign policy, I shift heavily towards the left. Ironically, leftists seem to be shifting alarmingly to the right. It's bizarre.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archi...ting-of-putin/
I've not heard anyone (left or right) say this. All the media has been reporting is how shitty Russia is doing, and how brave the Ukranians are.Quote:
A section of the western left chooses to boost the propaganda of western arms manufacturers by talking up Russian power, claiming the Russian military is massively capable, putting a good gloss on the performance of the Russian military in Ukraine, and insisting that Putin is a strategic genius.
The bolded is completely out of left field, and makes me wonder where this guy has been getting his information.
If they are, they're being pretty quiet about it. Or maybe he's using the same mind-reading technique as you.Quote:
many on the left are hoping for a Russian victory.
I think he makes a good point here though. NATO is definitely OP vis-a-vis Russia. Like I said, if it came down to a war, NATO would kick Russia's ass in no time. That said, the countries in NATO have to cover a lot more ground than just Russia. China is also a potential threat.Quote:
NATO does not defend the interests of the people of Europe. It embodies the interests of the global elite, who benefit from feeding the military industrial complex. NATO is an instrument of the military and the weapons manufacturers. To exist, it needs an enemy. NATO’s role will always be to secure its own existence and its controllers’ cashflow, by creating enemies.
If the world were just NATO, neutrals, and Russia, I'd say fine, they're totally overdoing it. And they're probably still overdoing it (though tbf, it's mostly because the US spends so much, and the US is still defending an "empire" of sorts, so they're going to spend a lot).
The whole argument about the military-industrial complex running the show everywhere is a bit stale too. Historically, countries have routinely spent 1-3% (and often a lot more) of their GDP on their military. Was France in 1799 run by the military-industrial complex (which apparently was a lot of people getting rich sewing those ridiculous hats?) Was Britain in 1850? Spain in 1520? Seems unlikely it's all just for the sake of profits. Countries do have to be ready to defend themselves.
http://eh.net/encyclopedia-graphics/eloantra003.gif
This is the weirdest war ever. "Hey look, we got a tank!"
https://twitter.com/olex_scherba/sta...59588779368449
Titkok might not be dead after all.
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/statu...88452291215364
My youtube algorithm thing for rec'ing videos keeps bringing up female track and field athletes. Maybe I should stop watching them so it won't do that. ;)
The funny thing though is they all basically have the same physique. You could pretty much put one of their faces on another's body and not know the difference.
I'll have to watch some more to confirm this theory.
Judge is all like wtf just happened here?
https://twitter.com/DrGBuckingham/st...17002898276356
So the first X-man is now among us.Quote:
Originally Posted by Poopadoop
If you watch it looks like he's too stunned to stop the stopwatch
Meanwhile, Russian bears are hooked on huffing gas fumes.
This is the weirdest timeline.
Apparently, Australian cricket legend Shane Warne died of "natural causes".
I agree. It's perfectly natural for the heart to stop working when you nail four hookers, with the aid of Viagra and cocaine. Allegedly.
Way to go buddy. What a fucking legend.
Yeah I heard I can't get an appointment not because there's not enough doctors, but because the ones we have are only working 48 hour weeks. Lazy.
It's a joke, mocking the vast amount of middle management the NHS has. Images of Karen barging to the front of petrol queues screaming "I'm a key worker" because she's a diversity awareness officer for the NHS spring to mind.
We had a couple of admin guys in our dept. whose jobs became obsolete. One was obsolete when he started I think, I don't remember him ever doing much of anything for about 10 years. Every once in a while you'd see him doing something and it always came as a surprise lol.
The other guy was a handyman kind of guy who worked in the workshop building things for people's labs. They decided to close the workshop but kept him on for a few more years, while he basically just wandered around doing nothing afaict. Finally both guys got a golden handshake.
Good management there, let's pay people to do nothing for years then give them a big severance package.
When I was around 18 I worked at a printing factory through an agency, 12 hours shifts on a printing production line. Fucking tedious it was. Every now and then, the machines would break, requiring engineers to fix. We were supposed to go and help out in other areas of the factory when this happened, but my favourite trick was to pick up a clipboard and walk round the factory in circles pretending to be busy. Nobody ever asked what I was doing. I'd usually get an hour out of it.
I didn't give a shit if I got fired, it would have been a blessing. 5 days a week, 12 hours a day, and the worst thing about the job was that I'd dream about my work so even sleep wasn't a respite. Still, I held that job down for six months or so. I haven't always been a lazy shit.
...Quote:
Originally Posted by OngBonga
...
https://c.tenor.com/EO7qqC1bu_IAAAAM/ayy-lmao.gif
60 hours minus 1 hour still equals 59 hours.
Heh.
The worst job I had was in a place that sold steel products - rods, bars, pipe, etc.. My job was to lug the steel from the yard to the customer. There were no light tasks, it was basically an 8 hour strenous workout. At the end of the day every muscle in my body was exhausted. I lasted two weeks then finally decided it wasn't worth worth it and quit.
Runner up was a job on an assembly line that made cultivator shovels. I was at the end of the line and my job was to buff off the scale using a pneumatic wire brush thing. 10 hour shifts, four days a week, and a 45 minute walk to and from work as I had no car. I think I lasted about six months, and was relieved to get fired for missing a couple of shifts.
I managed one day of hard graft at the Safari Park where I was a seasonal ride operator. I applied for early off-season work the one year, preparing the park for opening. I had to help build one of the rides, which meant laying the concrete foundations. After just one day, every part of my body hurt. I took the next day off, turned up on day three full of apologies, and asked to paint fences instead. I discovered right there that I'm not a grafter. It did give me a lot more respect for the maintenance staff though.
Still, worst job I've had wasn't either of those. It was a job in a butchers, chopping up meat and serving customers. I really hated this. The place stunk, the staff I worked with were arseholes, and they had absolutely no respect for food safety. Drop some meat on the floor? Throw it in the grinder. It's a bit grey? Throw it in the grinder.
Never buy mince from a butcher.
Oh, the one day one of the kids who worked there tried to steal the day's takings. I just happened that day to take a five minute break because I wasn't feeling too well. That turned out to cast initial suspicion on me. Police were obviously involved and I was informally interviewed in the office. The next day when I turned up, one of my colleagues was missing. Turned out he took the money out the back door, and hid it in the loading bay to collect later. He didn't realise the area was covered by CCTV. Idiot.
My best job, on the other hand, was working for an irrigation company. We'd drive out for half an hour or hour to a farm, fix a couple of pipes with holes in them, drive somewhere else, rinse and repeat. Ezy money.
But the best part was the guy I worked with was totally accident-prone and nearly offed himself on a daily basis. His name was Wally Woo.
The boss was a little bald Japanese guy, and whenever Wally would fuck up the boss would rub his little bald head and go "Oooooh, Wally Woo!" It was like living in a cartoon lol.
I'd still be doing that job today if I could. Unfortunately, it was seasonal work for 3 months a year so worked well while I was in uni, but after that I had to say goodbye to Wally Woo. My last year he almost died when he tried to siphon gas from a truck and ended up with a lungfull. It was during the offseason and I noticed he had quit smoking. I asked him about it and he told me that story. When he told me about it it was all I could do not to laugh. Obviously I laughed my ass off later on with my friends. What a fuckup lol.
That sounds too ridiculous to be true. In fact the only reason I believe it is because I don't think you've give him such an unacceptable name by 2022 standards if you made that up on the fly. It has to be real.
I didn't work with anyone quite like that, but the biggest fuck up has gotta go to the guy who was running a little kiddie's train, which went round a track at like 2mp. Nobody wanted to run that ride but everyone had to take their turn. This guy was bored and, somehow, figured out how to speed the train up. The controls were simple... three buttons... start, stop, big red stop which is the same as the little stop but bigger. Oh and on on/off switch and a key. I genuinely do not know how he made it go faster, this requires engineering knowledge and not something they train mere ride operators. He didn't seem the clever type but there you go. Anyway, obviously he set it too fast and it derailed on a corner, with kids crying in a mangled wreck of a tipped over train. I'm probably exaggerating that a bit, this is how it was described as word got around.
Why would you even do that? If it doesn't derail, they just complete the ride faster and you have to do more work. I'd want to slow it down so I can sit on my arse for longer.