Instead of banning certain members...

[Cowlitz]

Stephan: It's a good thing I have no coffee right now. It would be all over the screen. Those tractor cartoons are priceless. Keep them coming. I'm still laughing.

 

[Mulezen]

In case you can’t read this I’ll copy the opening:

With the Russian military stagnating in its invasion of Ukraine and suffering significant losses of men and armaments, many are wondering what happened to the huge sums of money designated by the Kremlin to create a well-trained and well-equipped army. Former Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev provided one answer on Twitter: “The Kremlin spent the last 20 years trying to modernize its military. Much of that budget was stolen and spent on mega-yachts in Cyprus.”

The man responsible for the invasion, Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu, who had no prior military service before he assumed his defense post in 2012, bears much of the blame for this alleged thievery and the military’s consequent failings in Ukraine.

Read This: "Putin’s Soft Spot for His Favorite Crony Is Wrecking His Precious War"
https://www.thedailybeast.com/vladi...-wrecking-his-precious-war-in-ukraine?via=ios

 

[Cowlitz]

In case you can’t read this I’ll copy the opening:

With the Russian military stagnating in its invasion of Ukraine and suffering significant losses of men and armaments, many are wondering what happened to the huge sums of money designated by the Kremlin to create a well-trained and well-equipped army. Former Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev provided one answer on Twitter: “The Kremlin spent the last 20 years trying to modernize its military. Much of that budget was stolen and spent on mega-yachts in Cyprus.”

The man responsible for the invasion, Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu, who had no prior military service before he assumed his defense post in 2012, bears much of the blame for this alleged thievery and the military’s consequent failings in Ukraine.

Read This: "Putin’s Soft Spot for His Favorite Crony Is Wrecking His Precious War"
https://www.thedailybeast.com/vladi...-wrecking-his-precious-war-in-ukraine?via=ios

There was an article stating that the whole idea for this invasion was to have a new country to loot. I guess the various yacht owners have stolen all they can in Russia and need a new source.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

With the Russian military stagnating in its invasion of Ukraine and suffering significant losses of men and armaments, many are wondering what happened to the huge sums of money designated by the Kremlin to create a well-trained and well-equipped army. Former Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev provided one answer on Twitter: “The Kremlin spent the last 20 years trying to modernize its military. Much of that budget was stolen and spent on mega-yachts in Cyprus.”

These speculations might not be far from the truth. Russia is now a cleptocracy: from the top to the bottom. Think of why the Russian tanks could not get very far; perhaps it was the soldiers who sold their fuel themselves before the invasion started?

During the Russian Imperial era, any state official was assigned to a station, or a rank. One of famous Russian writers of the era put these words in one of his books: "He was punished not because he was stealing but because he was stealing above his station".

I lived for 30 years under the Communist system. Almost everybody was stealing. Here are the famous lyrics of a 1981 song by the band Perfect:
"What is it all about? Nobody really knows [...] An electronic steals in TEWA, a farmer drinks, what a jazz!" TEWA was a factory of electronic components; the song hero was stealing from work whatever he could. No wonder we had shortages of products to be bought, and the products were of very poor quality. Russia is not any different until this day.

There is an excellent 1998 Russian comedy movie Peculiarities of the National Fishing. In one of the scenes, a Captain of 4th Rank, a commander of a Russian warship wakes up half drunk on a morning; he forgot about military maneuvers to happen on that very morning. He becomes very nervous; everything falls out of his hands -- he even cannot find his orders! By a mistake, he presses a button, incidentally launching a rocket. Soon, an inspection comes. Our Navy officer thinks he's finished. He stands pale in attention in front of the inspector to hear: "Captain of the 3rd Rank... yes, you heard me! Captain of the 3rd Rank: Congratulations! Your ship has hit the designated target with 100% of accuracy! Well done!"

 

[Art Deco]

These speculations might not be far from the truth. Russia is now a cleptocracy: from the top to the bottom. Think of why the Russian tanks could not get very far; perhaps it was the soldiers who sold their fuel themselves before the invasion started?

During the Russian Imperial era, any state official was assigned to a station, or a rank. One of famous Russian writers of the era put these words in one of his books: "He was punished not because he was stealing but because he was stealing above his station".

I lived for 30 years under the Communist system. Almost everybody was stealing. Here are the famous lyrics of a 1981 song by the band Perfect:
"What is it all about? Nobody really knows [...] An electronic steals in TEWA, a farmer drinks, what a jazz!" TEWA was a factory of electronic components; the song hero was stealing from work whatever he could. No wonder we had shortages of products to be bought, and the products were of very poor quality. Russia is not any different until this day.

There is an excellent 1998 Russian comedy movie Peculiarities of the National Fishing. In one of the scenes, a Captain of 4th Rank, a commander of a Russian warship wakes up half drunk on a morning; he forgot about military maneuvers to happen on that very morning. He becomes very nervous; everything falls out of his hands -- he even cannot find his orders! By a mistake, he presses a button, incidentally launching a rocket. Soon, an inspection comes. Our Navy officer thinks he's finished. He stands pale in attention in front of the inspector to hear: "Captain of the 3rd Rank... yes, you heard me! Captain of the 3rd Rank: Congratulations! Your ship has hit the designated target with 100% of accuracy! Well done!"

From an armchair on the other side of the world...

NATO to boost Ukraine’s chemical, nuclear defences

NATO chief says new aid will likely include equipment to fight chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

www.aljazeera.com

If PU actually thought this invasion would be a easy way to weaken the Western military, he has apparently made his military enemies stronger throughout all of Europe.

If Pu is bogged down in the military situation in the Ukraine, he is just as stuck in the mud in the economic and social situations worldwide.

Compare Putin’s long tables with Zelensky's gifted communications in PR , the surprising strength of the Ukrainian resistance to the widely reported decline of Russian morale, and the little issue of not having access to either China ’s money, or even to half the money Russia expected due to sanctions and boycotts.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

I live within 7 miles of the third largest nuke repository in the world. If the nukes start flying, it is entirely likely that my home and everyone and everything here will be vaporized. Oh, well. Probably for the best that it should happen while we are home. Better than at the edges, searing but not dying immediately. Or living in a radioactive Mad Max scenario.

But we are going on a camping trip next month. I said to my husband, you know, we need to have our passports and proofs of our bank accounts and such with us when we go on this trip, because of nuclear war hits, there won't be anything to come back to, even if we wanted to. Everything here will be gone, all our people here, everything. So we will have to keep going. South, maybe to South America somewhere, or catch the first flight to New Zealand.

Really much better if we are here at home when it hits. Kaboom - pffffft! Done!

Haven't had to seriously consider such things in 55 years. Thanks, Putain, for bringing back the glory days of the USSR. Ain'tchu bitchin'!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Yuri Gagarin didn't drink or smoke, and he was exercising for his whole life only to be able to spend 108 minutes outside the Soviet Union.

 

[Gordon71]

I live within 7 miles of the third largest nuke repository in the world. If the nukes start flying, it is entirely likely that my home and everyone and everything here will be vaporized. Oh, well. Probably for the best that it should happen while we are home. Better than at the edges, searing but not dying immediately. Or living in a radioactive Mad Max scenario.

But we are going on a camping trip next month. I said to my husband, you know, we need to have our passports and proofs of our bank accounts and such with us when we go on this trip, because of nuclear war hits, there won't be anything to come back to, even if we wanted to. Everything here will be gone, all our people here, everything. So we will have to keep going. South, maybe to South America somewhere, or catch the first flight to New Zealand.

Really much better if we are here at home when it hits. Kaboom - pffffft! Done!

Haven't had to seriously consider such things in 55 years. Thanks, Putain, for bringing back the glory days of the USSR. Ain'tchu bitchin'!

I live in a tiny town on the coast of Maine but my house is about 1/4 mile as the crow flys from a major Atlantic submarine tracking station. I'm guessing it's probably a main military target for Russia. Personally I take some comfort in that knowledge as I think maybe getting instantly vaporized might be preferable than surviving an all out nuclear war. On the other hand if the Russian nukes work as well as their military maybe there won't be that much to worry about after all.

 

[Mulezen]

Read This: "Ukraine Claims to Have Destroyed Large Russian Landing Ship in Berdyansk"
https://www.thedailybeast.com/ukrai...rge-russian-landing-ship-in-berdyansk?via=ios

 

[tomjasz]

I live within 7 miles of the third largest nuke repository in the world. If the nukes start flying, it is entirely likely that my home and everyone and everything here will be vaporized. Oh, well. Probably for the best that it should happen while we are home. Better than at the edges, searing but not dying immediately. Or living in a radioactive Mad Max scenario.

But we are going on a camping trip next month. I said to my husband, you know, we need to have our passports and proofs of our bank accounts and such with us when we go on this trip, because of nuclear war hits, there won't be anything to come back to, even if we wanted to. Everything here will be gone, all our people here, everything. So we will have to keep going. South, maybe to South America somewhere, or catch the first flight to New Zealand.

Really much better if we are here at home when it hits. Kaboom - pffffft! Done!

Haven't had to seriously consider such things in 55 years. Thanks, Putain, for bringing back the glory days of the USSR. Ain'tchu bitchin'!

Youthful post Vietnam veteran full of hope after Dewey Canyon III now feeling hopeless. With hits as hard as you anticipate we’ll be napping with you. War is dumb. “Fighting for peace is like f ing for virginity.”

 

[Dewey]

I hear stories how Polish individuals help our Ukrainian guests.

Yes, Poland's ambassador to the US was on the PBS Newshour earlier this week talking about how Polish people are hosting refugees in their homes, he emphasised the need for redistributing Ukranian refugees throughout the EU, UK, US, etc. Poor Judy Woodruff was having difficulty pronouncing his last name, how should you pronounce Magierowski?

 

[Cowlitz]

Yes, Poland's ambassador to the US was on the PBS Newshour earlier this week talking about how Polish people are hosting refugees in their homes, he emphasised the need for redistributing Ukranian refugees throughout the EU, UK, US, etc. Poor Judy Woodruff was having difficulty pronouncing his last name, how should you pronounce Magierowski?

All the people with names that end in ski are called "Ski" in my part of the woods. However, there might be too many in Poland to do that. Maybe put numbers? Like Ski four.

 

[mclewis1]

With all the posturing that Belarusian forces are doing along the north western Ukrainian border (and my gut tells me that they're really just posturing and have no real desire to go anywhere) I'd like to see Poland quietly place another one of their highly mobile heavy armor divisions that they're so famous for just on their side of the border from Brest. Then have a quiet conversation with Mr. Lukashenko about what happens if Belarusian forces cross into Ukraine, and that his buddy in Moscow is no longer in much of a position to help. Basically "find a reason to stay put, or else".

Then the west keeps resupplying the Ukrainians to continue chewing up Russian forces (making an ongoing conflict unsustainable for Russia) and finally putting both of them in an appropriate position to "negotiate" the end to this. But yes, I'm aware of the cost to the country and people of Ukraine in the mean time. It's an awful catch-22, do you lose much of your country to occupation or being reduced to rubble?

 

[ChezCheese:)]

It's more than just sacrificing half a country or even destroying the whole of one country. Because we all know it won't stop there. The Lebensraum excuse is ever-hungry. Every country in Europe knows this. It was madness to invade, and the madness will not somehow suddenly cure itself. Putain will not wake up tomorrow and say, "Whoops, my bad!"

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Magierowski

Mah-gyeh-rov-skee.
G like in "girl".

For unawares: Ukrainian is not Russian. The Ukrainian do even have own Cyrillic, which is different from Russian. The language is between Russian and Polish, and Ukrainian is easier to understand by Poles than the Russian is.

Now, daily tractor jokes!

Hello? Any tractor around? I've got two rocket launchers available!

May 9th, Moscow. A traditional parade to celebrate the victory over Nazizm.

 

[mclewis1]

Putin's parade

The latest Cartoons,/cartoons,,cartoons, breaking news, comment, reviews and features from the experts at The Week

theweek.com

 

[Oberst]

Here you go

 

[Catalyzt]

I live within 7 miles of the third largest nuke repository in the world. If the nukes start flying, it is entirely likely that my home and everyone and everything here will be vaporized. Oh, well. Probably for the best that it should happen while we are home. Better than at the edges, searing but not dying immediately. Or living in a radioactive Mad Max scenario.

But we are going on a camping trip next month. I said to my husband, you know, we need to have our passports and proofs of our bank accounts and such with us when we go on this trip, because of nuclear war hits, there won't be anything to come back to, even if we wanted to. Everything here will be gone, all our people here, everything. So we will have to keep going. South, maybe to South America somewhere, or catch the first flight to New Zealand.

Really much better if we are here at home when it hits. Kaboom - pffffft! Done!

Haven't had to seriously consider such things in 55 years. Thanks, Putain, for bringing back the glory days of the USSR. Ain'tchu bitchin'!

The threat of nuclear war may dwarf the threat of nuclear accident, but still...

I'd like to believe that 35 pound aluminum frame mid drive 90 nm FS eMTBs are available for $600 on Indiegogo.

I'd also like to believe that the reactors in Ukraine are safe.

I'd like to believe a lot of happy things, but unfortunately, most of them are not true.

Europe’s Nuclear Nightmare Isn’t Even Close to Over

An undetonated Smerch rocket is sitting in a Kharkiv nuclear facility, leaving the risk of a “new explosion” near nuclear materials.

www.thedailybeast.com

 

[Stefan Mikes]

A Comic A Day...

Where is the Russian Defense Minister Shoigu?

 

[Art Deco]

A Comic A Day...

View attachment 117736
Where is the Russian Defense Minister Shoigu?

The table isn't long enough...