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bolverk

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by bolverk

  1. His legacy shall be a ruin, and his name shall be a slur.
  2. Zelenskyy's response starts at the 1-minute mark. He sidesteps it but astutely mentions the relationship between his people and ours, but you can see the pain in his eyes.
  3. Macron Raises Prospect of New European Nuclear Weapons French President Emmanuel Macron has said he is ready to start discussions for nuclear deterrence for Europe in response to the threat posed by Moscow. Macron told the newspaper Le Monde he was ready for talks about nuclear weapons for the continent following a request from the likely German chancellor, Friedrich Merz. The French president's comments on Friday follow reports earlier in the week that France was ready to use its nuclear deterrent to help protect Europe. Michael Witt from King's Business School, King's College London, told Newsweek that France's offer to extend its nuclear umbrella was in response to President Donald Trump signaling a retreat from NATO which meant Europe could not rely on U.S. protection. Why It Matters France is one of the two European countries with a nuclear deterrent, along with the U.K. Trump has cast doubt on the U.S. role in NATO and so a Europe-wide nuclear weapons capability signals the continent accepts it can no longer rely on Washington for protection. What To Know On Friday, Macron told Portuguese television that if Europe wanted "greater autonomy" in matters of defense, then its leaders should start a strategic and "open" discussion about a nuclear deterrent. Macron referred to the threats posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in comments which follow a statement by Germany's election winner Merz about "nuclear sharing" with France and Britain, and Europe exerting its nuclear independence. The U.S. has an arsenal of around 100 nuclear missiles, many of them stationed in a U.S. military base in Germany but this security guarantee for Europe is under threat with Trump's rhetoric. Michael Witt, professor of international business and strategy at KCL, said France's offer to extend its nuclear umbrella to Germany and Europe could solve the issue of a U.S. retreat from security support of Europe. But Germany must overcome its reluctance and take a leading role in funding the effort. Witt also said that Europe must tackle its energy vulnerabilities, as reliance on external sources risks blackmail and weakens defense without U.S. support and that boosting domestic production, including nuclear, is key to this. Boris Johnson, the former British prime minister, told The Telegraph there was a "moral case" for Ukraine to have its own nuclear weapon due to the danger posed by Russia which has issued numerous nuclear threats since the start of the war. What People Are Saying French President Emmanuel Macron: "If colleagues want to move towards greater autonomy and deterrence capabilities, then we will have to open this very deeply strategic discussion. It has very sensitive and very confidential components but I am available for this discussion to be opened." Michael Witt, King's College London: "With Donald Trump signaling a retreat from NATO commitments and prioritizing American interests over alliances, Europe can no longer rely on U.S. protection. France's offer to extend its nuclear umbrella to Germany and the rest of Europe presents the most viable solution." What Happens Next Citing German diplomatic sources, The Telegraph reported talks on a European deterrent for Germany had not started amid discussions on forming a coalition government following last weekend's election. Macron has been pushing Europe to hold a debate on the role that French nuclear weapons can play in the continent's defense, which could pressure the U.K. to follow suit.
  4. Now is the time for all messageboard grammar Nazis to shine.
  5. I don't recall them using any names at all when she was in the different rooms.
  6. Man, I'd like to be able to pretend there wasn't a turd in the punchbowl, too, but that is one gnarly greasy log.
  7. Cuts to NOAA, NWS, & FEMA are in the news and going to make tornado and hurricane seasons that much more fun, you know? Do you not care to see a reminder of the cause and the ensuing consequences of those cuts? Are we supposed to just pretend there isn't a turd floating in the punchbowl? "You know, Bob, there's a bit of a whang to this punch, wouldn't you say?" "I know what you mean, Jim. Maybe it was a bad idea to let Stan take a shit in it." "FUCK YOU FOR REMINDING ME! Don't ever bring him up again. Now, drink up and stop complaining."
  8. Z obliterated his dang face!
  9. Okay. Those people "get" it now. Shit, they sound like run-of-the-mill CR "liberal cabal" posters. Why did they not "get" it four fucking months ago if it's so gotdam easy to see the big picture now? The only possible rational answer is they got caught up in the bullshit culture war crap, as @'stache alludes to, that makes them so short-sighted.
  10. I could very well see AU, NZ & CA all tagging along with the Brits to join the good guys club. No clue what JP, TW & KR are going to do. Maybe they'll come along, too, or set aside all their historic grievances and do a joint Manhattan Project.
  11. Some lucky guessing in this round. Wordle 1,351 3/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #629 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🙂 Daily Quordle 1132 4️⃣7️⃣ 8️⃣5️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 ⬜⬜🟨🟨🟨 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ 🟩⬜🟨⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
  12. I think Biff has mentioned he lives in Hyde Park
  13. I find that guy's ugly swollen face offensive, inappropriate, and disrespectful.
  14. This is probably some of the least important, or maybe consequential, commentary I've read today about the meeting. That said, I still enjoyed reading it and getting this guy's thoughts. Most around here are likely familiar with him, but he's always got an interesting perspective. Thread of about 15 short skeets or whatever the fuck we call them.
  15. Fuck, dude. I generally like you and often agree with you, but sometimes you say the weirdest, most naive shit. That was an ambush. They planned to publicly fuck over Zelenskyy. They wanted a big show to demonstrate a hard turn away from Ukraine (and our allies). It wasn't about Zelenskyy making Krasnov big mad. This was a statement to the world.
  16. Agreed, but until the US formally exits NATO, we can still veto shit and gum up the works, which I think is still the plan. In the last couple of days, France, UK, Turkey, and Ireland have announced their willingness to send peacekeepers to Ukraine. They can already make those bilateral decisions (even if coordinated) outside of NATO's framework. I'm betting after today, we'll hear from a few more countries stepping up. If Germany is one of them, then we start seeing the birth of some sort of an EU military independent from NATO. Hell, the UK hooking back up with the EU might actually be in play now. The Tories' "Global Britain" idea to distance themselves from the EU certainly backfires if the US is seen as an adversary. I mean, the combined economic and military might of the EU+the main Commonwealth countries shouldn't be taken lightly by Russia or its new sidekick.
  17. It really is good timing, since we have our 250th birthday next year.
  18. Four-page thread at the top of Movies & TV
  19. Just came to post that. TASS was in the room. Reuters and the AP were not granted access.
  20. 4.8 a little bit ago. I didn't exactly "feel" it, as in experiencing any shaking, but it was almost like a giant gust of wind was trying to lift the roof off the house with the creaking and groaning from the attic, but, for once, there was no wind. Kind of unnerving. https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/tx2025edml/shakemap/pga
  21. Meanwhile, earlier today...
  22. Well, seeing as they're still flying the Union Jack, I don't see why not.
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