maqroll

Except that the threat is more real now. At least over here.

Nice resurrection. Things have gotten much worse, haven't they! The USA is teetering. And it's a country flooded with firearms. I had a gun permit in Massachusetts but never got a gun. Took the course and fired some guns. But never felt the need for one. But that's changed. There are millions of well armed right wing Americans and many of the are itching for a slaughter. I'm going join a rifle club and train on rifles. I don't need a permit in Maine. I'd like to be able to handle a rifle in case things go from bad to worse. It's conceivable that a hostile actor could hack into to the power grid. So I'd like to buy a power generator. I have access to well water. I'm considering stocking food and water. I think its smart to have at least a year's worth of supplies. There are hearty people in Maine who can hunt deer, field dress a deer, butcher a deer and vacuum seal the meat. They store the meet in freezers and they have generators. A lot of people have chickens and veggie gardens. Solar panels and heat pumps are ideal, along with wood stoves. I bet there are a lot of Ukrainians kicking themselves for not preparing.

"First phase". Apparently they want to get the capacity up to 60K by 2030.

What a great piece of news. So excited to see the plans. Encouraging financial report as well. The Vegas deal looks all but complete. I can't believe this is actually happening!

There are a lot of people around the world tonight missing their regular bank deposits.

They want to deconstruct the government. It's the natural progression of a movement that started with Barry Goldwater. They have a fundamental cynicism towards government and a hostility towards pluralism and "the common good". They dabble in White supremacy. Nixon and Reagan were both racist. We know where Trump stands. They want to disenfranchise Black and Latino people, keep Native tribes oppressed, and if they can torpedo public education, that's a big step toward achieving that. They want us to pay for education and healthcare and they want the profits. If you can't afford it, good luck. They want to kill the postal service, public television/radio, They want our social security money too and who will stop them? They want a Mad Max style future where might and money make right and all the little people battle for resources. Climate change will make things even worse. Happy days!

We are living a nightmare here.

Yes, most people in the Americas tend to view slavery in terms of the transatlantic slave trade only, despite it's archaic roots.

I could be wrong, but weren't Muslims in Iberia before the Turks made it into the Balkans?

I've discovered Fuji apples and that's my go to fruit lately. Juicy, crisp, sweet and fragrant. And they keep in the fridge for weeks.

Her first take is a poor one. Her second take is accurate.

It will be interesting to see what other tyrants show up to Putin's so called anti fascism conference. There has to be a lot of hand wringing in India about what Modi will do here. The winner in this current crisis is Taiwan. China will be taking diligent notes on what Putin has brought upon himself by invading his neighbor. China are proposing to mediate peace talks which is fascinating. As will the West's response. Ukraine might be eager to reaffirm friendly relations with China and agree to it.

India is going to have to make a monumental decision sooner or later.

I tried listening to the album Wish You Were Here and I wanted to open my veins. I appreciate it. But it is depressing.

Strange, unholy alliance between the Ukrainian Left and neo Nazis fighting together. If Russia invaded the US, I'm not sure our far Right wouldn't side with the invaders!

14 months since I had a drink! Don't miss it much, but every now and then I crave a tannic red wine. I've found a great non alcoholic IPA that I dabble in occasionally. Never was that into liquor. Enjoy a drink for me, chaps. I'm with you in spirit.

The White Album is half complete garbage.

Pink Floyd are overrated. The Brummie accent is actually kind of pleasing to the ear. Bananas. Always slightly disappointing.

Even Coutinho should be rested from time to time. Any club with aspirations should rotate their players.

Not so fast. Barca have lost some of their lustre and the PL is universally accepted as the best league in the world. With Gerrard and Coutinho as a lure...anything is possible.

Reacher the series...I watched E1 and it's ok, but nothing special. Does it get better? The lead actor is sort of a douche.

It is so surreal and tragic. There is video of a woman with her legs blown off. Apparently the ICC is opening a war crimes investigation of Putin and his army brass. I'd love to see him in shackles at the Hague.

Except it's a complete catastrophe for Russia. I think Serbia will stay put. It's the Bosnian Serbs who are angling to break away from BiH. But their sponsor is getting battered at the moment so they might just decide to cool it for now.

We are 5 days into the invasion and the EU has unified behind a strategy. If they had to twist some arms to get there, I'm ok with that. I'd say 5 days is pretty fast. And they even got the Swiss involved. I hadn't heard of this new body, the ESC. They'd be fools not to involve British armed forces. I think by leaving the EU, the UK risks being out of the loop just as the EU starts to throw it's weight around. But I suppose NATO is a big enough security blanket. I think the US hasn't tried to strong-arm Europe into doing its bidding like in years past. Macron has been something of an interlocutor. And by virtue of a unified EU and everything that it potentially represents, US power is slightly reduced. Of course, none of this matters if Putin decides to nuke us all.