archer

News roundup
 
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Russia says its businesses can steal patents from anyone in ‘unfriendly’ countries - Washington Post
 
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"Panic is spreading among the personnel of the Russian troops due to the huge losses in manpower and equipment." The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on Facebook the day before yesterday.
 
Normally such I wouldn't take such claims as being newsworthy because it's practically the boss's job to claim the other side is falling apart, whether it's true or not. But then we get this from a number of sources out of an area in the north-central part of Ukraine.
 
 
That's a lot of equipment to abandon all at once. That area is defended by the Ukrainian army's 1st Tank Brigade so it's not like the Russians are running away in panic from just poorly-trained civilians armed with random anti-armor weapons...but still.
 
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550 of the Canadians who've arrive to fight have been formed into their own brigade and are deployed in the Kiev area.
 
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The US House of Representatives has approved a massive spending bill that would rush $13.6 billion in US aid to Ukraine. The Senate is expected to approve it today before they break for the weekend. Have of it is humanitarian aid, the other half is military aid.
 
So basically $6.9 billion in military aid.
 
To put that in perspective, Ukraine before the war spent around $5 billion per year on its military.
 
That amount was 3% of its GDP. To put that in perspective, NATO members are supposed to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense spending but most of them don't bother.
 
And of course this is in addition to the previous money and equipment that's already come from the US and the billions in money and equipment that's already come from other countries. Ukraine is getting likely more than a decade's worth of military spending poured into their country over the course of one month.
 
So now you have the context to appreciate the video. This is very recent, at least since the coldsnap/snowstorm went through the Kiev area. That's a heck of a lot of gear....
 
 
 
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< tongue-in-cheek >
 
Russia has been claiming Ukraine belongs to it because they were for a short time part of the same country together.
 
In historic terms, India was part of England for much longer. Could England reclaim India? How about Australia?
 
Putin claims Lithuania as Russian territory because it was once part of Russia for a decade then the Soviet Union. But Lithuania and Poland were (voluntarily) one country for much longer (more than two centuries).
 
Doesn't Poland have a superior right to conquer Lithuania because it's Polish territory?
 
Russia's been financially supporting the Texas separation movement despite the fact that Texas was a republic for only a couple of decades and has been part of the United States for more than 170 years. Isn't that inconsistent?
 
California has never been a separate nation but Russia financially supports the California separatist movement. The same goes for the Quebec separatist movement. Inconsistent?
 
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Facebook and Instagram temporarily allows calls for violence against Russians soldiers and officials
 
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Russia helps out with sanctions against Russia
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60689279
 
Russia implements an export ban of telecoms, medical, vehicle, agricultural, and electrical equipment, as well as some forestry products such as timber...so that no foreign country can buy such things.
 
The economy ministry said further measures could include restricting foreign ships from Russian ports...so that they couldn't deliver goods to Russia nor take on exports from Russia.
 
The article's a little unclear, to me, whether the sanctions extend to just the countries which have sanctioned Russia or whether it applies to all countries except for the ones specifically on Russia's list of friends.
 
====
 
US officials deny reports that it is sending Patriot anti-missile systems to Ukraine. (I hadn't thought that very likely.)
 
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Interpol decides not to kick Russia out. But says it will now begin monitoring Russia's use of Red Notices to harass and track down dissidents and Ukrainian politicians.
 
Also Russia is now forced to send requests through Interpol central, so it can decide on the validity of the request, rather than send requests directly to individual nations in Interpol.
 
Russia is currently responsible for 44 percent of the publicly available Interpol red notices. - The Guardian
 
That's as reasonable of a compromise as I guess anyone could expect, if they weren't going to kick Russia out.
 
====
 
The stalled Russian convoy forces are starting to deploy off of the road. Some appear to be just moving off into nearby trees. Other vehicles appear to be deploying in a coordinated fashion, likely as part of an effort to encircle Kiev enough to cut off resupply or utilities.
 
I've lost track of how many days they've been stalled in place but "hey, let's move off into the trees where we're less visible" should have dawned on someone PDQ. Or maybe they were just looking for shelter from the wind and snow.
 
Of course, perhaps the drop in temperature and the snowstorm has made moving off the road itself more feasible. But if that's the case, as soon as it warms up a bit, a large number of them will get stuck.
 
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Russia’s energy ministry has claimed that Belarusian specialists have restored electricity supply to the Chernobyl. No corroboration. - Reuters
 
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A humanitarian convoy trying to reach Mariupol today has been forced to turn around due to fighting. Civilians still haven't been allowed to evacuate from there despite it being one of the first places where humanitarian corridors were supposed to have been established by agreement with Russia. It hasn't had operational power or water for days. Or food/medicine shipments. - Reuters
 
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Following the end of the cold war, Sweden’s defense spending as fallen from 3% of GDP in the early 1980s to around 1% in recent years. Sweden’s government plans to increase military spending to 2% of GDP “as soon as practically possible” - prime minister, Magdalena Andersson.
 
Sweden is considering NATO membership where governments are expected to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense.
 
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Greece sending busses and airplanes to Poland to help relocate refugees from there to Greece. It's already taken in over 50,000 Ukrainian refugees while Poland has taken in around 1.3 million.
 
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The Kyiv Independent, said the Kharkiv institute - home to experimental nuclear reactor - had been bombed, citing an announcement from the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine.
According to the inspectorate, the facility was struck with damage to the exterior and possibly numerous labs throughout the building.

News roundup
 
====
 
Russia says its businesses can steal patents from anyone in ‘unfriendly’ countries - Washington Post
 
====
 
"Panic is spreading among the personnel of the Russian troops due to the huge losses in manpower and equipment." The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on Facebook the day before yesterday.
 
Normally such I wouldn't take such claims as being newsworthy because it's practically the boss's job to claim the other side is falling apart, whether it's true or not. But then we get this from a number of sources out of an area in the north-central part of Ukraine.
 
 
That's a lot of equipment to abandon all at once. That area is defended by the Ukrainian army's 1st Tank Brigade so it's not like the Russians are running away in panic from just poorly-trained civilians armed with random anti-armor weapons...but still.
 
====
 
550 of the Canadians who've arrive to fight have been formed into their own brigade and are deployed in the Kiev area.
 
====
 
The US House of Representatives has approved a massive spending bill that would rush $13.6 billion in US aid to Ukraine. The Senate is expected to approve it today before they break for the weekend. Have of it is humanitarian aid, the other half is military aid.
 
So basically $6.9 billion in military aid.
 
To put that in perspective, Ukraine before the war spent around $5 billion per year on its military.
 
That amount was 3% of its GDP. To put that in perspective, NATO members are supposed to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense spending but most of them don't bother.
 
And of course this is in addition to the previous money and equipment that's already come from the US and the billions in money and equipment that's already come from other countries. Ukraine is getting likely more than a decade's worth of military spending poured into their country over the course of one month.
 
So now you have the context to appreciate the video. This is very recent, at least since the coldsnap/snowstorm went through the Kiev area. That's a heck of a lot of gear....
 
 
 
====
 
< tongue-in-cheek >
 
Russia has been claiming Ukraine belongs to it because they were for a short time part of the same country together.
 
In historic terms, India was part of England for much longer. Could England reclaim India? How about Australia?
 
Putin claims Lithuania as Russian territory because it was once part of Russia for a decade then the Soviet Union. But Lithuania and Poland were (voluntarily) one country for much longer (more than two centuries).
 
Doesn't Poland have a superior right to conquer Lithuania because it's Polish territory?
 
Russia's been financially supporting the Texas separation movement despite the fact that Texas was a republic for only a couple of decades and has been part of the United States for more than 170 years. Isn't that inconsistent?
 
California has never been a separate nation but Russia financially supports the California separatist movement. The same goes for the Quebec separatist movement. Inconsistent?
 
====
 
Facebook and Instagram temporarily allows calls for violence against Russians soldiers and officials
 
====
 
Russia helps out with sanctions against Russia
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60689279
 
Russia implements an export ban of telecoms, medical, vehicle, agricultural, and electrical equipment, as well as some forestry products such as timber...so that no foreign country can buy such things.
 
The economy ministry said further measures could include restricting foreign ships from Russian ports...so that they couldn't deliver goods to Russia nor take on exports from Russia.
 
The article's a little unclear, to me, whether the sanctions extend to just the countries which have sanctioned Russia or whether it applies to all countries except for the ones specifically on Russia's list of friends.
 
====
 
US officials deny reports that it is sending Patriot anti-missile systems to Ukraine. (I hadn't thought that very likely.)
 
====
 
Interpol decides not to kick Russia out. But says it will now begin monitoring Russia's use of Red Notices to harass and track down dissidents and Ukrainian politicians.
 
Also Russia is now forced to send requests through Interpol central, so it can decide on the validity of the request, rather than send requests directly to individual nations in Interpol.
 
Russia is currently responsible for 44 percent of the publicly available Interpol red notices. - The Guardian
 
That's as reasonable of a compromise as I guess anyone could expect, if they weren't going to kick Russia out.
 
====
 
The stalled Russian convoy forces are starting to deploy off of the road. Some appear to be just moving off into nearby trees. Other vehicles appear to be deploying in a coordinated fashion, likely as part of an effort to encircle Kiev enough to cut off resupply or utilities.
 
I've lost track of how many days they've been stalled in place but "hey, let's move off into the trees where we're less visible" should have dawned on someone PDQ. Or maybe they were just looking for shelter from the wind and snow.
 
Of course, perhaps the drop in temperature and the snowstorm has made moving off the road itself more feasible. But if that's the case, as soon as it warms up a bit, a large number of them will get stuck.
 
====
 
Russia’s energy ministry has claimed that Belarusian specialists have restored electricity supply to the Chernobyl. No corroboration. - Reuters
 
====
 
A humanitarian convoy trying to reach Mariupol today has been forced to turn around due to fighting. Civilians still haven't been allowed to evacuate from there despite it being one of the first places where humanitarian corridors were supposed to have been established by agreement with Russia. It hasn't had operational power or water for days. Or food/medicine shipments. - Reuters
 
====
 
Following the end of the cold war, Sweden’s defense spending as fallen from 3% of GDP in the early 1980s to around 1% in recent years. Sweden’s government plans to increase military spending to 2% of GDP “as soon as practically possible” - prime minister, Magdalena Andersson.
 
Sweden is considering NATO membership where governments are expected to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense.
 
====
 
Greece sending busses and airplanes to Poland to help relocate refugees from there to Greece. It's already taken in over 50,000 Ukrainian refugees while Poland has taken in around 1.3 million.
 
====
 
The Kyiv Independent, said the Kharkiv institute - home to experimental nuclear reactor - had been bombed, citing an announcement from the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine.
According to the inspectorate, the facility was struck with damage to the exterior and possibly numerous labs throughout the building.

Kris Bryant was held in the minors for a couple months before he was called up, until a particular deadline was passed.  That deadline impacted his years of service credit;  after it passed, he didn't get credit.  Years of service dictate when a player can become a free agent, so by sitting the player out for a few months, the club gets an additional year of control.
 
Bryant was an early, *glaring* example but it's gone on a fair bit, as I understand it.

A non-profit pharmaceutical company is getting into the insulin business.
 
The drug company will provide three types of insulin, which total about 80% of insulin prescriptions in the United States. The products correspond to Lantus, Humalog and Novolog, and will be offered for no more than $30 per vial or $55 for a pack of insulin pens.
 
The insulin will not be available until the first part of 2024 when they expect to obtain approval from the Food and Drug Administration. In the meantime, the company will complete all clinical trials and meet all standards for FDA approval.
https://www.standard.net/news/health-news/2022/mar/09/company-to-make-insulin-more-affordable-in-utah/
 
I'm not an expert at the insulin crisis but the article goes into it a bit. But Biden in the State of the Union mentioned insulin was $300 per vial. 
 
So a company wanting to provide it for $30 per vial (before the local pharmacy's markup) would make a significant dent in the problem.
 
FDA fast-track anyone?

Russia’s Central Bank has announced a new policy, allowing citizens with foreign currency accounts to withdraw up to $10,000 US until 9 September. Anything above that amount will have to be withdrawn in rubles at the market rate.
 
I have no idea why they think that'll work out. Everyone who has a significant amount of foreign currency accounts to withdraw are going to rush the banks to withdraw that money as quickly as possible before the central bank changes the policy again.
 
And they'll have to change the policy again because everyone will be rushing the banks.
 
Also
Head of the Central Bank of the Russia Elvira Nabiullina resigned, but Putin refused to allow her to.
https://translate.yandex.com/translate?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcensor.net%2Fua%2Fnews%2F3323249%2Fgolova_tsentrobanku_rf_nabiullina_podala_u_vidstavku_putin_vidmovyv&lang=uk-en
 
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UK government announces it intends to detain any Russian aircraft that enters UK airspace. (They were barred from UK airspace officially a couple of days ago but it's a step further to actively force them to the ground and detain them.)
 
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At least one humanitarian corridor stayed open long enough to evacuate a significant number of people (from Sumy). Russians fired into at least two others which were supposed to be open Kyiv and Mariupol. I don't have specific news about the other two, Chernihiv and Kharkiv (though if a significant number of civilians had managed to make it out of Kharkiv, I'd expect it to be big news).
 
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Russia has been trying to cut a deal with India to sell it oil at a 25% discount off of the world price.
 
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Russian’s delegation at peace talks with Ukraine “will not concede a single negotiating point,” reported a RIA news agency today.
 
In recent days, Russian negotiation points have included:
1) Ukraine ceding sovereignty of Crimea and those two breakaway provinces.
2) Compete disarmament of Ukraine.
3) Enshrining "we will never join NATO" into their constitution.
 
So it's a big "in your face" to pretend to negotiate while you're telling the country you're invading that you'll settle for nothing less than their complete disarmament.
 
====
 
Systems of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that were monitoring nuclear material at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine have stopped transmitting data, said the agency today, reported Reuters.
Yesterday, the same interruption of data was reported at the Chernobyl power plant (so the interruption appears to be deliberate).
 
At the Chernobyl plant, the Russians haven't allowed the staff any relief since it took over the plant more than a week ago. 
 
Yesterday, Russia cut off power to the plant which could eventually cause problems because new water to cool the nuclear material can't be pumped in.
 
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WHO says the rate of attacks on Ukrainian healthcare facilities is rapidly increasing.
 
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Russian stock market to remain closed at least until Friday.
 
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UK's ministry of defense says Russia's ministry of defense has confirmed to them that Russia has used thermobaric weapons (fuel-air explosions) in Ukraine.
 
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Ukraine’s government has banned exports of wheat, rye, barley, buckwheat, millet, sugar, salt, and meat until the end of this year.
 
Not that anyone with half a brain expected Ukraine to have a surplus for export this year. But since it's a major exporter of food to Europe and the Middle East, it shows you where we're at.
 
====
 
The Russian foreign ministry has claimed that its goals in Ukraine would be better achieved through talks and that it does not plan to overthrow the country’s government, reports Reuters.
 
Whew, that's a relief!
 
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Warner media (HBO, Cinemax, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network, CNN) along with the Discovery network's 15 channels (Discovery, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Science Channel, Cooking Channel, Food Network, etc.) no longer broadcasting in Russia as of today.
 
At some point it's going to be impossible to hide the impact of the war from older Russians who get most of their information about what's going on by watching TV.
 
====
 
Temps in Kiev area dropping to as low as -20C today. Troops in that convoy stuck north of of the city are likely to be Russian popsicles inside rolling metal refrigerators.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-troops-convoy-freezing-death-b2031696.html
 
That's only -4F. But when you're in a vehicle with no fuel and with no ground insulation effect, it's much different than being in a house.
 
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The Russian Ministry of Defense has supposedly posted this as well.
 
 

From Episode 2 - We started with a pre-WWII War of the Worlds story arc.  In episode 2, the heroes fight a Martian tripod.  During the fight...
 
Diamondback (the team's Brick) - For TRUTH, JUSTICE and punching you really hard!

Crossing fingers for Dex!    

Licensed novels depend heavily on the quality of the author. Those types of books are often done by writers just starting their careers or who can’t get their own novels published
  For instance the DC comics and Star Trek novels done by Greg Cox I’ve found to be excellent.  Try seeing if any of the franchises you enjoy have material by an author you’ve heard good things about.  Good hunting.

Hey, good to see you! It's been a bit, it feels like. 

Yet another argument for energy independence for the U.S. 

I always default to con artist.
 
My wizard is a con artist. Most of his spells help him in some way of being able to accomplish pulling of the con and make people trust him. He's more into the spirit of pulling off the con rather than necessarily making money off of the con. He deeply wants to be popular and to leave each and every mark liking him at the end (rather than being out for his blood).
 
Young, healthy, charismatic (but in more of a subtle manner than a televangelist manner). Some combination of Acting, Charm, Conversation, multiple languages if that's needed to interact with NPC's in the campaign area, Persuasion.
 
A small Transform as a mending and repair (or breaking) spell which can be used on clothing, houses, and carts or just to keep himself looking nice. Or which save his marks enough time and effort to gain their gratitude. Or to break something so he can later repair it in order to gain gratitude. He uses this very liberally to help people because it always helps to have friends.
 
A reliable offensive spell. Probably fire based so it can be used for starting campfires.
 
Some Mental Illusions.
 
An Aid spell with variable result, usable on others. Gives him a way to assist his comrades or make his horse/cart move faster.
 
A ranged shielding spell usable on others, something more flashy than Aid if there's still points available for it. I've preferred something like Force Walls in the past but if magic is frowned upon or feared, it'd be more likely to be a boost to PD or ED.
 
If there's something campaign-specific, perhaps a spell to deal with that. Like a desert campaign would leave him needing a spell to create water and another to dissipate heat. 
 
Other than that, it's all interacting favorably with NPC's and trying to amuse his traveling companions.
 
He doesn't see himself as a nice person even when he's actually being a nice person. He sees himself as conning people into thinking he's a nice person. If he mends someone's clothing and they offer him a drink of wine, he's sees that as "I conned someone into giving me a drink of wine".
 
He wants to be remembered and to develop a favorable reputation.

The U.S. is for some reason terrified of anything that Putin might perceive as a direct NATO vs. Russia attack, because that automatically triggers World War III® somehow.  I am not sure why a thirty year old Russian-built MiG counts more than a U.S. built Javelin.
 
Alternatively, the U.S. is terrified that Zelenskyy might do something unapproved with the MiGs, like attack supply lines or missile launchers on Russian soil, which he is eventually going to  have to do if he is serious about getting his country back.
 
Meanwhile the Russians are laying the internal propaganda to justify the use of chemical or tactical nuclear weapons, or else blow up a reactor.

War never bothered me anyway....

War never bothered me anyway....

Lord of the Flies was the only book I didn't like that I finished (it was high school).
 
Any book where an author has to write an explanation, included in the book, of what all the imagery is supposed to mean...has failed as an author.

Tolkien had basically two types of elves, those who went to the lands of the gods and learned metallurgy and sciences & those who stayed behind in the dark then never advanced as much as the others.
 
Then the ones who came back to Middle Earth after the sun was created mostly reverted.
 
D&D seems to deal with elves as if they're granola-crunching individualists who never create cities or infrastructure for a technological civilization.
 
====
 
I thought it'd be interesting to deal with elves as those granola-crunching individualists who never create cities or infrastructure for a technological civilization...who happened to live next to (essentially) African animist tribes (or Australian aborigines) who shared a lot of the elves distain for technology and cities.
 
So the elves of today are mostly intermarried with black tribes. 
 
In the vast savannahs, they often pursue a nomadic lifestyle.
 
In areas with more rainfall, they do subsistence farming and are elaborate storytellers and gift the world with a large number of bards. 
 
In coastal regions, many of them take to the seas. Some of them have used magic to revert to a form suited for living underwater. Others fish. Many live close to large ports and are coveted by captains for their seamanship.
 
But in any case, most "elves" which you meet are at least part-human. And all are black.

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."

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.

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."

4 free test kits per residence are available to US residents. 
 
This is the second time this has been offered. 
 
You can accept the offer up to twice. (So if you ordered free kits before, you can now do so again. If you've never ordered free kits, you can order them then wait a couple of days then order another set.)
 
https://special.usps.com/testkits

4 free test kits per residence are available to US residents. 
 
This is the second time this has been offered. 
 
You can accept the offer up to twice. (So if you ordered free kits before, you can now do so again. If you've never ordered free kits, you can order them then wait a couple of days then order another set.)
 
https://special.usps.com/testkits

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.

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.
 
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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.
 
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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.
 
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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....

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….”