archer

War never bothered me anyway....

A man is standing on the Red Square in Moscow with a banner: "Death to the bloody madman". Promptly, the police appears. "What, are you against our glorious leader Vladimir Putin?". And so the police beats him up. "Wait, stop! I was protesting against Zelenskyy - the bloody madman!" - the man shouts as he is being dragged into the police car. "Shut up, you. We all know who the bloody madman is here".

The Russian Navy has announced that it's commissioning glass-bottom warships ...so they can keep an eye on the Russian Air Force.

To all the people out there suffering from paranoia just remember: you're not alone....

A Blonde calls her boyfriend and says, "Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle and I can't figure out how to get started." Her boyfriend asks, "What is it supposed to be when it's finished?" The blonde says, "According to the picture on the box, it's a rooster." Her boyfriend decides to go over and help with the puzzle. She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table. He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says, "First of all, no matter what we do, we're not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster." He then takes her hand and says, "Secondly, I want you to relax. Let's have a nice cup of tea, and then we'll put all these Corn Flakes back in the box."

Yeah, that appears to be the case. One interesting story from the last couple of days is that Russia's two military armored train now appear to be taking an active part in the fighting in Ukraine. They were used in Chechnya and again during the war against Georgia in 2008. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/44620/a-russian-armored-train-has-joined-the-invasion-of-ukraine It's a real mark of desperation to use them in Ukraine where they have no control over the countryside. Men with simple hand tools can loosen a rail (or rails) enough to derail a train. No one's ever figured out how to armor a train enough to withstand derailment. And I doubt they could withstand modern anti-tank weapons either.

News roundup Russia threatens to cut off LNG supply from Nord Stream 1 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/03/08/russia-ukraine-news-war-live-putin-peace-nato-latest/ I don't think they could take the financial hit from doing that but it shows where their heads are at. ==== Ukraine's navy used rockets to sink Russian patrol boat Vasily Bykov (roughly 94 m long and displaces 1500 tons). It was one of the newest ships in the Russian navy and the first of its class of ship. "Yesterday, this missile-armed colossus, which exceeds in its combat potential everything that is available in terms of the surface forces of the Ukrainian Navy, came under attack by Ukrainian naval rocket artillery. It happened in the Odessa region. The ship sank today. There is no information about the fate of the crew." https://translate.yandex.com/translate?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdumskaya.net%2Fnews%2Fpodvig-ukrainskih-moryakov-pod-udar-rszo-rossiys-160920%2F&lang=ru-en ==== US supplied 17,000 Javelin Anti-Tank Weapons in 6 Days during the last week and 2000 Stingers. - NY Times and CNN ==== The value of a ruble over the last few days has dropped from being worth one cent each to being worth 2/3rds of a cent each....which might explain this story: The Russian Central Bank has asked banks to stop publishing their financial performance records https://see.news/russias-central-bank-asks-financial-institutions-not-to-publish-records/ ==== Russia to implement limits on individual purchases of essential goods to prevent potential shortages caused by hoarding (or by people spending their rubles before they become completely worthless) https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-03-04/card/russia-imposes-antihoarding-price-control-measures-YRKE3kS4E3EeEk34cXAU ==== Russia has committed virtually 100% of its assembled forces to the fight inside Ukraine. Basically no identifiable units still outside Ukraine and no strategic reserve to shift to trouble spots. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-has-deployed-nearly-100-pct-pre-staged-forces-into-ukraine-us-official-2022-03-07/?taid=6226589218c5730001d501ff&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter ==== A senior Defense official says the US has corroborated reports that the Russians are trying to recruit Syrians to fight in Ukraine. Earlier it had been alleged the Russians were offering Syrians the equivalent of a $300 bonus to come fight in Ukraine. (I would suppose that's a lot of money to a Syrian?) ==== Crowdsourcing Ukrainian defense http://supportukraine.cz/en.html Also noteworthy: A few days ago Netherlands had a fundraiser for Ukrainian defense and raised an amount which was more than $10 per person in their country's population. ==== Ukraine military is showing footage of its claims of destroying 30 Russian helicopters on ground at Chernobayivka airport near Kherson (an occupied city in southern Ukraine). That'd be the biggest single day loss of aircraft by either side of the war. ==== I don't remember if I mentioned it but Ukraine is offering to pay money and provide amnesty to Russian soldiers who surrender. Ukraine has also significantly increased the pay of their country's soldiers, twice, since the war began. ==== Anonymous is hacking into Russian TV stations and streaming services to share war news and video footage. ==== Russia has instructed all state-owned websites and services to switch to the Russian domain name system by 11 March, according to Russian state media outlets. Perhaps a sign that Russia is beginning active preparations for disconnection from the global internet. ==== Japan to ban oil refining equipment exports to Russia. Plus extends sanctions to an additional 32 Russian and Belarusian government officials and business magnates, along with 12 entities including military-related companies. https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Ukraine-war/Japan-to-ban-exports-of-oil-refining-equipment-to-Russia ==== The blizzard is starting to hit Ukraine, and is expected to hit Russia much harder. This will either grind Russia to a halt because they have no fuel and ammo. Or the Russians have stored up enough fuel and ammo to take advantage of the weather to go on a major offensive. I'd bet on the "grind to a halt"...but I haven't been infallible since my anti-megalomania drugs started kicking in. ==== Russia is still shelling cities and the "humanitarian corridors" to agreed to set up. But their latest twist is that they're saying they're going to open evacuation corridors so the citizens of Ukraine can go to Russia or Belarus. Presumably they'd be hostages there, if current Russian behavior is any guide. Ukraine is objecting to this strenuously. ==== United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand called on Interpol to implement an immediate suspension of Russia's access to its systems. Interpol issues what are known as Red Notices to request the location and arrest of an individual pending their extradition. - CNN Russia's main "contribution" to Interpol for years has been to request Red Notices on opposition figures, protesters, journalists, etc. to have someone else pay to keep tabs on them and harass them. ==== Despite huge donations of humanitarian aid from various governments and a hefty amount of private donations there's only a small fraction of the money allocated which would be needed to take care of the 1.7 million Ukrainian refugees who've already left that country. And if the war goes on another two weeks, the number of refugees could easily double. This is going to dwarf the flood of Syrian refugees which came to Europe a couple of years ago. If I were the practical type, I'd send them to western Canada, get them as much farm equipment and wheat seed as possible, and put them to work building up cities and doing agri-business. At least until they can go home....

When it doesn't just blow up in your face....

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Yeah, I'm kind of the opinion that if you buy an intellectual property that you should try to put the author's vision on the screen. Then let the audience debate whether it was a good movie and whether the society as presented held together as a worthwhile idea. Most fictional societies don't because most authors aren't sociologists, political theorists, or public policy wonks. But it's the filmmakers' job to put the author's work on the screen then let the audience members pick it apart at dinner afterward. I think the society put forth in the Starship Troopers movie was repugnant. It's been too many decades since I've read it to pass judgement on the book, which I barely remember reading as a teen.

Non-technological. A crossbow is too complicated for their preferred level of culture. No need to eat. That makes them automatically not carnivores and not much need to create wagons, roads, or farms. (Maybe make them green=skinned with green blood if you want to suggest they might be plant-based.) Ones who master magic to cover things like "Change Environment to make themselves comfortable" are likely to be nudists. Zero interest in sex outside their species (the biochemical signals are just wrong). Very patient, with a non-hectic lifestyle. Able to sit still thinking or observing for hours at a time. Alcohol doesn't give them a buzz unless it's turned to vinegar (though some like the sensation of drinking typical alcoholic beverages or milk). They like studying other cultures and seem fascinated by other species' fixation on technology. They produce fine sages and scholars if you don't mind learning things from their culture's perspective. Over the centuries they've adapted quite thoroughly to the idea of having and using other culture's currency for transactions.

Still stuff like the guy actually having a physical copy of his contract from Hertz and his credit card bill showing that Hertz had been paid for the rental getting a felony conviction for stealing the car from them because the company didn't have a copy of the rental in its files... That's the kind of thing that should have been fixed without resorting to going before a judge, much less getting their customer convicted for something so ridiculous. Hertz got their money for the entire rental and the car back: that's exactly what's supposed to happen after renting a car. Why they felt the need to push for prosecution then testify against the guy in court and intentionally ruin his life is beyond me.

A man in Moscow buys a newspaper glances at the front page; and tosses it away. He does the same thing every day for a week. Finally the shop owner inquires: “Why do you do that?!” The man replies: “I’m just checking for an obituary.” “But obituaries aren’t on the front page!” “The one I’m looking for will be….”

Florida to become first state to recommend against vaccinating healthy children according to Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo on Monday. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-10586973/Florida-recommend-against-COVID-vaccines-healthy-kids.html

1) Indians 2) My mother told me to never sketch people in their briefs. 3) Indians again. 4) Bandywine was Hobbits vs Dark Riders. Great Meadows was the Orioles vs the Yankees. Though come to think of it, that might have been Camden Yards. Auntie Nam was last Thanksgiving vs my mother. Buena Vista was the Great Parking Lot Debate of 1989. 5) A bunch of guys with cool accents shot at a bunch of guys who didn't have cool accents. 6) The War of 1812 started because they'd already printed up all the t-shirts for merchandizing efforts so it didn't make any sense to wait until after the new year. Perhaps the most famous battle of the War of 1812 was when the British tried to burn Lincoln's bedroom before he even got the chance to not sleep in it. 7) I'm too good at naming things to play this game. I should have been Adam. 8 - See the answer to #7 9) Trump was impeached due to phone charges. 10) False: The Who invented none of those things and neither did the World Health Organization.

impossibletocrack or impossible2crack

I never saw that one printed on the cover. But it makes sense.

Other people may reject you. But if you lie on the forest floor long enough, the moss and fungus will accept you as one of their own.

Every dead body on Mt. Everest was once a highly motivated person. So learn to calm down.

Pitch it as: "That's not a bug, it's a feature."

Alternate ending:

< at Dumbledore's grave > Voldemort: "What's up YouTube? Time for another unboxing video!"