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2 episodes with but ukraine
Some of President Trump's fervent allies stood behind his actions in the Oval Office with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. But Ukraine supporters within the Republican Party have expressed concerns about how the meeting played out and fear it could derail further negotiations with the country. Amna Nawaz discussed more with GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
Some of President Trump's fervent allies stood behind his actions in the Oval Office with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. But Ukraine supporters within the Republican Party have expressed concerns about how the meeting played out and fear it could derail further negotiations with the country. Amna Nawaz discussed more with GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
This week Donald Trump met with Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the conflict in Ukraine. But Ukraine was not even given a seat at the negotiation table. After Trump's claims that Zelensky is a dictator (a term he has never used for Putin), many are wondering...are we the bad guys now? Is America no longer a force for good on the global stage? Tune in for Don's take. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The United States and Russia have begun talks to end the war in Ukraine. But Ukraine wasn't there.The United States and Russia just completed their first round of diplomatic talks to end the war in Ukraine since the start of Russian invasion in 2022. The exclusion of Ukraine representatives from the talks signals a new approach and new U.S. interests in the region.Host Martine Powers talks with White House correspondent Michael Birnbaum about Trump's conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and why the United States' actions over the past week have alarmed its European allies. Today's show was produced by Bishop Sand. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
THIS IS NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE. INVESTING IS RISKY AND OFTEN PAINFUL. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH.There are about 45,000 Russian casualties a month now in Ukraine. That equates to a rate of 540,000 soldiers per year or about 1% of Russia's male, fighting-age population, thus the call to North Korea to supply troops. About 15% of Russia's population died in World War 2, so today's losses are modest in comparison but by modern standards an incomprehensible cost for territorial gain. Almost all of those who die come from Russia's hinterlands. An American equivalent would be if the Pentagon emptied US jails, drafted from the poorest zip codes, sent them to attack Canada, and then gave generous cash packages to the next of kin. Some provincial Russians have even welcomed the war because the poorest, most alcoholic locals have been disposed of and replaced with a cash subsidy. The question is if President-elect Trump will view Putin's negotiating position as strong. I don't know the answer. I do know Trump's answer has vast implications for geopolitics. China is weighing Taiwan, Iran is weighing its tactic of spreading death and chaos in the Middle East. This also matters for US government finances, bond yields, and equity valuations. Today, I want to talk about the policy choice and financial implications and also share a conversation I had with Lt. Gen (Ret) HR McMaster, Trump's former National Security Advisor. He offers a perspective I lack and I am grateful he made the time to talk with me and allowed me to share that conversation with you. US Policy DecisionWhile Republicans control the White House and Congress, there are splinters within the Party. Some are isolationists, others are internationalists. HR does not share his affiliation but he believes the US can be a force for good. If someone like Musk wants to cut government spending, he needs to slash either social security, medicare, or defense. Slashing defense would narrow the US budget deficit and be a radical restructuring of the global order. But such a sharp jag is off-brand for traditional Republicans. A report by Senator Wicker (R. Miss) is making the rounds. It is titled “Peace Through Strength” and is clearly meant for Trump's desk. Below is an excerpt. I put the key sentence in bold. America's national defense strategy and military budget are inadequate for the dangerous world in which we find ourselves. An emerging axis of aggressors is working to undermine U.S. interests across the globe. Congress and military leaders agree: The United States has not faced such a dangerous threat environment since the years before World War II. The epicenter of this test is Ukraine. Regardless of Party, US Presidents have not wanted to deal with Russia for the last quarter century. It's far away, has almost no economic relationship with the US, and is highly corrupt. But time and again, US Presidents have been forced to focus on Russia in a way that has sometimes sabotaged their domestic agenda. Could this happen to Trump 2.0?ContextPutin took over on December 31, 1999. Not long after problems began developing and each US President sought their best to ignore them for the same reason—they didn't want to engage in conflict. However, this has only allowed the situation in Russia to metastasize. This echoes the same process that unfolded in Germany in the 1930s, so Wicker's comment is apt. While Russian assassinations at home and abroad began early in Putin's reign, the key events where the US whiffed was when:* Russia annexed parts of Georgia under President Bush in 2008.* Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 under President Obama.* Russia fired on Ukrainian ships in 2018 traveling between Ukrainian ports under President Trump.* Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 under President Biden.In each case, the response was bumbling and timid. Note that Russia and the US both signed the 1994 Budapest Memorandum whereby Ukraine gave up its nukes in return for its borders being secured. While it sounds extreme, I don't think it is a stretch to say that this is the 1930s with Putin playing the role of Hitler and the US playing the role of UK's Neville Chamberlain. Russia has slowly been swallowing more territory, violating international law, and threatening the West with nuclear war if the West intervenes. The assassinations on Western territory continue. Just last week, the UK foiled a Russian plot to murder investigative journalist Christo Grozev. If Putin isn't stopped in Ukraine, I believe he will move on, possibly to the Baltics. Fiscal ImplicationsThe US budget deficit is currently at 6%, even as the economy is strong. This is unusual. The only solution to narrow the deficit is by raising taxes and cutting spending. The solution isn't conceptually complicated but it is politically toxic. But what will Trump do? From what I can tell reading McMaster's books, Trump is conflicted. He wants to appear “strong” and also hates foreign entanglements. His ideal environments are neater, like Trump Tower or Mar a Lago or a golf course he owns. If he were to quickly sign a peace deal with Putin, I suspect Trump would look weak. But Ukraine is exactly the type of mess he wants to avoid. To deter Russia, the US is going to need to spend a lot of money. McMaster said he thought the US defense budget needed to go from 3% of GDP to 5% of GDP. Without tax hikes, that would drive the deficit to 8% of GDP and possibly drive bond yields to 5% or 6%. This then would hit the stock and housing markets. Since Trump got elected, US bond yields have fallen. It's interesting and counter-intuitive unless one thinks a significant adjustment in government spending is coming. This is also a bet that the Fed will cut rates later this month, of course. To be sure, If the Fed were strictly following an inflation mandate, they would not cut. Inflation in the US is around 3%. The target is 2%. The last major inflation print of the year comes out next week and is expected to be 3.3%. Trump confronting Putin is not in anyone's expectations. But if he goes down that route, it certainly is not priced into markets. This document is strictly confidential and is intended for authorized recipients of “A Letter from Paul” (the “Letter”) only. It includes personal opinions that are current as of the date of this Letter and does not represent the official positions of Kate Capital LLC (“Kate Capital”). This letter is presented for discussion purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, an offer, or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any security. Any unauthorized copying, disclosure, or distribution of the material in this presentation is strictly forbidden without the express written consent of Paul Podolsky or Kate Capital LLC.If an investment idea is discussed in the Letter, there is no guarantee that the investment objective will be achieved. Past performance is not indicative of future results, which may vary. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Unless otherwise noted, the valuation of the specific investment opportunity contained within this presentation is based upon information and data available as of the date these materials were prepared.An investment with Kate Capital is speculative and involves significant risks, including the potential loss of all or a substantial portion of invested capital, the potential use of leverage, and the lack of liquidity of an investment. 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MP Randy Boissonnault is out of cabinet. The decision follows controversy over his background and business dealings. Boissonnault is facing accusations he has misrepresented his Indigenous connections.And: Cleanup is underway in B.C. after the bomb cyclone weather phenomenon. Tens of thousands of people have no power, and many schools and services are closed. It's unusual for wind of hurricane intensity to happen so far north.Also: Canada has temporarily closed its embassy in Kyiv, as has the United States. Ottawa says the security situation is too dangerous. There are fears of escalation from Russia, after the U.S. allowed Ukraine to use long-range weapons, and anti-personnel landmines. But Ukraine is accusing Russia of spreading a fake warning about an imminent mass air attack.Plus: The Canada Post strike delays provincial support cheques, Jimmy Lai testifies in Hong Kong, new clues on the origins of Covid-19, and more.
Many governments are wary of providing transparency around their militaries' emissions, and campaigners can be hesitant to focus on the carbon footprint of conflicts, rather than more obviously humanitarian issues. But Ukraine has helped to shift opinion this year, after pushing for more accountability for wartime environmental harm. Recent estimates put the CO2e cost of Russia's invasion of Ukraine at 175 million tonnes, and day to day military operations - not including conflicts - at a staggering 5.5% of global emissions.Bertie spoke to Lindsey Cottrell, Environmental Policy Officer at the Conflict and Environment Observatory, about the military emissions gap in carbon accounting, and the campaign for UNFCCC rules to be changed to acknowledge it. Further reading: 'Russia's war with Ukraine accelerating global climate emergency, report shows', The Guardian, June 2024'Revealed: repairing Israel's destruction of Gaza will come at huge climate cost', The Guardian, June 2024'National climate action plans must include military emissions', CEOBS Blog, June 2024'UNEA-6 passes resolution on environmental assistance and recovery in areas affected by armed conflict', CEOBS Blog, March 2024'Does reporting military emissions data really threaten national security?', CEOBS Blog, February 2024'Ticking boxes: are military climate mitigation strategies fit for purpose?', CEOBS Blog, February 2024 Estimating the Military's Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions, 2022Click here to read our investigation into the UK biomass supply chain, or watch a clip from the BBC Newsnight documentary.
Russia says it's fighting raids by Ukrainian forces for a second day in the Kursk region. It appears to be one of the largest incursions into Russian territory in the war. The Ukrainian government has not claimed responsibility or acknowledged the attack. But Ukraine has been trying to intensify its fight against Russia in occupied Crimea and it's achieving some success. Nick Schifrin reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
Russia says it's fighting raids by Ukrainian forces for a second day in the Kursk region. It appears to be one of the largest incursions into Russian territory in the war. The Ukrainian government has not claimed responsibility or acknowledged the attack. But Ukraine has been trying to intensify its fight against Russia in occupied Crimea and it's achieving some success. Nick Schifrin reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
A children's hospital in Kyiv has been hit after Russian forces launched missile strikes against cities across Ukraine. Two people died when Ukraine's biggest paediatric hospital suffered major damage. Russia has denied it targeted the facility, saying the Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital had actually been hit by fragments of a Ukrainian air defence missile. But Ukraine says it found remnants of a Russian cruise missile. At least 41 people died in the missile strikes and 140 were injured.
Two Royal Navy minehunters, given to Ukraine last year, are still in UK waters because they can't get into the Black Sea while the war continues.But Ukraine's Navy is using them to prepare for when they can start clearing the hundreds of explosives lying on the sea-bed. Sitrep's Simon Newton has been watching some of that work on Exercise Sea Breeze in Scottish waters.Mark Rutte has been appointed as the next NATO Secretary General, so we ask a former alliance insider what the job involves and what the new leader will bring to the role.And another veteran shares the moment that made them. Professor Neil Greenberg tells Sitrep how hearing a radio interview by chance led him from young medical student to a world respected authority on military mental health via many Royal Navy ships and submarines.
June 13th 2024 Yuriy recounts 841 days of war, underscoring the invasion's intent to annihilate Ukraine entirely. He highlights the miscalculations of Russian forces and the continuing resilience and struggle of the Ukrainian people. https://yuriymatsarsky.substack.com/p/putin-the-miracle-worker-and-the You can email Yuriy, ask him questions or simply send him a message of support: fightingtherussianbeast@gmail.com You can help Yuriy and his family by donating to his GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-yuriys-family Yuriy's Podbean Patron sign-up to give once or regularly: https://patron.podbean.com/yuriy Buy Yuriy a coffee here: https://bmc.link/yuriymat ----more---- TRANSCRIPT: (Apple Podcasts & Podbean app users can enjoy accurate closed captions) It is June 13. I have been at war for 840 days. That's exactly 840 days more than anyone should ever have to spend at war. But in reality, I have no choice. None of the Ukrainians who went to war had a choice. It's now clear to everyone that this is a war of annhilation. For the Russians, the ultimate goal is not just seize part of Ukraine, but to completely destroy it. They have no other plans. The Russians thought it would be an easy and simple task, that they could annihilate Ukrainians, forcing some to give up their identity and executing others- in a matter of weeks. That Ukraine would be scared and surrender immediately. That was the calculation in 2022. It was supposed to be a blitzkrieg, A shockingly swift and successful operation for occupiers. Putin did not want a war; moreover, he did not believe it was even possible. In his mind, the destruction of Ukrainians was supposed to be walk in the park, something that would later be written about in history books as his unqualified triumph. I don't know if you've heard this, but the first burned columns of Russian equipment were filled with parade uniforms. The Russians, were preparing for a parade in Kyiv right from the start. They didn't expect any real resistance. War is very risky, full of unpredictable elements; there's reason we talk about the fog of war- the uncertainty that comes with it. That's why Putin did not intend to wage a war. He wanted to win without one, just by ratting his weapons and scaring the world. But it did not work out; the Russians had to fight. War- a large bloody war- has been our reality for. 841 days now for both us and we, and every day war becomes more significant in Russian politics. More important for them. Putin started it; he tried to control it, but now it increasingly controls him. That's exactly what I wrote about in my article for Substack. Read it and remember that the war has not gone anywhere. But Ukraine is fighting, but every day the best sons and daughters of our country are dying. And I want to warn you that this war is here for the long haul. These almost two and a half years of full scale fighting are, just the beginning, but more on that another time.
It's a tense moment for Ukraine. The optimism that followed Ukraine's early successes on the battlefield in 2022 started to fade last summer as its counteroffensive failed to achieve a breakthrough. By late 2023, Ukraine's then-commander-in-chief said the war had reached a “stalemate” — and by the start of the spring, things were looking even worse, with high-ranking Ukrainian officers warning a collapse of the front lines could be imminent without more weapons from Washington. In mid-April, U.S. lawmakers finally passed a $60-billion aid package, buying Ukraine some time and some hope. But Ukraine's defense still faces major headwinds, and Russian forces have continued gradually advancing along various sections of the front line in recent weeks. Amid this enormous uncertainty, a new report from the International Crisis Group titled “Ukraine: How to Hold the Line” aims to distill the lessons of the past year for Ukraine and its backers. According to Simon Schlegel, the group's senior Ukraine analyst, if Ukraine and its partners take these lessons into account, Russia's aggression is “likely to fail” — but applying them will be anything but easy. Schlegel joined The Naked Pravda to discuss Crisis Group's recommendations for Kyiv and its supporters and the stakes for the wider region if Ukraine fails to hold the line against Russia. Timestamps for this episode: (1:33) Stakes for Ukraine and Europe (6:41) Western military aid: Incrementalism and its impact (9:47) European allies: Preparedness and challenges (12:25) Advanced weapons systems: Training and deployment issues (16:59) Planning for contingencies: Ukraine's efforts and limitations (20:34) Negotiation prospects (24:54) Putin's mixed signals: Peace talks and nuclear threatsКак поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно
Perhaps the most perverse Russian invasion narrative, is that Ukraine is not old, and is not distinct from Russia in any case. But Ukraine is not just a footnote to Russian imperial history. As a nation, it is old, different, and diverse. Just as it went unrecognised by Russia, it has not been understood or recognised by the outside world either, for a variety of reasons. 100 years ago, few noticed its disappearance as an independent state; but that has now changed. Putin's tyranny and violence have accelerated the evolution of Ukrainian identity and increased the pressure for social, political, and economic change. ---------- Lubomyr Luciuk is a Canadian academic and author of books and articles in the field of political geography and Ukrainian history. He is currently a full professor at the Royal Military College of Canada and a Senior Research Fellow of the Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Toronto. In 2010, Luciuk was one of 16 recipients of the Shevchenko Medal of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress in recognition of his educational, research and advocacy efforts on behalf of the Ukrainian Canadian community. On 6 December 2019 he received the Cross of Ivan Mazepa, a Ukrainian Presidential Award, presented in Kingston by His Excellency, Andriy Shevchenko, Ukraine's Ambassador to Canada. More recently he was declared a persona non grata by the RU Federation. LINKS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubomyr_Luciuk https://www.writersunion.ca/member/lubomyr-luciuk https://cius40.artsrn.ualberta.ca/8-2/round-table-iii-ukrainian-canadian-studies/lubomyr-luciuk-reflections-interdisciplinary-nature-ukrainian-studies-canada/ ---------- BOOKS: Enemy Archives: Soviet Counterinsurgency Operations and the Ukrainian Nationalist Movement – Selections from the Secret Police Archives In fear of the barbed wire fence: Canada's first national internment operations and the Ukrainian Canadians, 1914-1920 Searching for Place: Ukrainian Displaced Persons, Canada, and the Migration of Memory ---------- ARTICLES: https://www.kyivpost.com/authors/610 https://www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/center-for-strategic-communications-campaign-against-lubomyr-luciuks-book-is-attack-on-ukrainian-history-and-academic-freedom/ ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- Welcome to the Silicon Curtain podcast. Please like and subscribe if you like the content we produce. It will really help to increase the popularity of our content in YouTube's algorithm. Our material is now being made available
Ukraine is the central theme of EU talks in Brussels, and notably whether Russian assets frozen in Europe should be diverted to Kyiv for the war effort. The support of the 27 states is increasingly under the spotlight as doubts persist over America's continued financing of the Ukrainian resistance. The EU has a new fund called the Ukraine Facility. An initial payment of €4.5 billion has been paid to Kyiv, part of a €50 billion pot to help assure the essential functions of the Ukrainian state. But the issue of weapons and military hardware represents another level, with EU leaders urging member states to put production onto a war footing. There is a packed agenda over at the EU summit: defence, the Middle East, expanding the bloc, migration and agriculture. But Ukraine is the central theme. Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Rebecca Gnignati and Juliette Brown.
U.S. President Joe Biden took less than two minutes to bring up Russia in his 2024 State of the Union address. “If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you, he will not,” Biden said, prompting a standing ovation. “But Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself.” An unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia has been at the center of the Biden administration's foreign policy for more than two years now. But Washington's relations with Moscow and Kyiv looked very different when Biden took office back in 2021. For the inside scoop on team Biden's Russia and Ukraine policy, and how Moscow's 2022 invasion turned all their plans upside down, Meduza turns to Politico national security reporter Alex Ward, the author of The Internationalists: The Fight To Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump. Timestamps for this episode: (5:07) How did team Biden originally plan to handle relations with Moscow and Kyiv? (11:40) How did the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal influence the response to Russia's looming Ukraine invasion? (15:46) Why did U.S. intelligence get Russia's invasion plan right but its military capabilities wrong? (23:40) What did the first two years tell us about team Biden's approach to foreign policy? (26:52) What will the Biden administration be remembered for?Как поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно
February 20th 2024 Yuriy recounts of the intense and tragic events during the beginning of the Ukrainian revolution, where unarmed protestors faced violent suppression by authorities, leading to the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war. He tells the story of courageous and resilient Ukrainians who fought for independence against corrupt regimes and foreign interference. You can email Yuriy, ask him questions or simply send him a message of support: fightingtherussianbeast@gmail.com You can help Yuriy and his family by donating to his GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-yuriys-family Yuriy's Podbean Patron sign-up to give once or regularly: https://patron.podbean.com/yuriy Buy Yuriy a coffee here: https://bmc.link/yuriymat ----more---- TRANSCRIPT: (Podbean app users can enjoy closed captions) It is February 20 From the metallic pole, bullets ricochet with a soft musical ring. You managed to hear a "ding" on a high note and the quiet whistle of a bullet rapidly losing speed after hitting the steel. This sound is deceptively pleasant, almost calming. It was from this sound exactly 10 years ago when the war began. I remember this day very well, February 20th, 2014. For several months a huge tent camp had been set up in the center of Kyiv- unafraid of winter colds and other inconveniences, thousands of people stood gut there demanding the resignation of the thieving pro-Russian President, Victor Yanukovych. The riot police he sent kidnapped and killed the most active protestors since the first weeks of revolution, set ambushes and raid on the revolutionaries for weeks. But it was on February 20 that were authorities decided on an armed assault on the camp. Snipers settled on the rooftops, riflemen and riot police with shotguns occupied the streets around with square, with the protestors. The police force advanced, broke several barricades, burned tents, but then something incredible happened- tired freezing people with sticks and stones drove the regime's dogs away. They retreated, hiding behind the backs of conscript soldiers whom they used as a living shield and shot at unarmed people. Blood flowed down the hills of Kyiv. Terrified police officers sprayed the crowd with wallet of bullets. At some point, a man next to me fell like a thrown sack. A bullet hit him in the head and went through. He didn't even have time to scream. They loaded him onto makeshift stretchers, made of boards, and tried to carry him out of the firing zone. But the police hit the leg of one of walls carrying the corpse. He fell, but didn't scream or cry, just cursed those who had caused this bloody turmoil. And although it was Ukrainian Riot police shooting at the protestors brought to Kyiv from all over the country, it was the first battle of Russo-Ukrainian war. And here's why. Protests in Ukraine began after Yanukovych refused to sign the long awaited agreement on cooperation with the European Union. He refused because Putin really did not want that, who approved and vetoed all important decisions over Ukrainian government. Having nominally gained independence from Moscow in 1991, in 2014 Ukraine had to reckon with what Russian rulers would want. And people got tired of it. We were tired of Yanukovych corrupt rule, tired of Russian managers sitting in all major enterprises and even government departments, Ukrainians were tired of being a colony and decided to truly become independent, so we went against the government. The riot police shooting at them, were not only defending Yanukovych, they were defending the order under which Russians could dictate their terms to Ukraine. And when this order fell along with Yanukovych fleeing to Russia with tracks of gold, the Russians started an open war. They entered Crimea, then the Donbas and in 2022 decided to finish off Ukraine once and for all. But Ukraine stood then, when people had nothing but faith in themselves and pieces of broken cobble stones. It'll stand now when instead of cobble stones, Ukrainians have guns in their hands.
Read on for today's agenda below prepared by David (thank you very much). - Retired US Diplomat to 5 different nations David Hunter shares his knowledge, passion, interest, and experience.1)Ukraine's President Appoints New Top Military Commander?: This past week, President Zelensky replaced his Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, General Val Zaluzhny. He said this was just a normal rotation after almost two years. But Ukraine's 2023 spring offensive bogged down into trench warfare, and disappointed many Western backers of Ukraine's fight against Russian invaders. Is Zelensky's change of military leadership really needed?2)Beyond Ridiculous--- Who Won Pakistan's Election?: Elections were held last week in Pakistan, after months of delay. One of the candidates, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, had just been sentenced to 30 years prison two weeks prior to the election. His party logo was also banned from appearing on the ballot. But he is claiming now he won the election? Is that possible? If so, what are the consequences?3)Is Biden's Relationship With Netanyahu Becoming Strained?: As Israel continues its 4th month of Gaza war, Biden has privately expressed more and more discomfort with Bibi's actions. Is a rift developing between Biden and Netanyahu?
NTD Good Morning—2/8/20241. Trump's Illinois Ballot Challenge to Move Forward2. What Will SCOTUS Have to Weigh in Trump Eligibility Case?3. Judge Rejects Request for Mistrial in E. Jean Carroll Case4. Biden Classified Docs Probe Ends, No Charges Indicated5. Border Deal Killed in Senate Vote6. Vote on Ukraine, Israel Aid Sans Border Security Looms7. IDF: Tunnel Discovered Used to Hold Hostages8. What Blinken Hopes to Accomplish on Middle East Trip9. US Strike Kills Hezbollah Commander in Baghdad, Iraq10. Haley Loses to 'None of Above' in NV GOP Presidential Primary11. What to Expect in Nevada's GOP Caucuses12. Marianne Williamson Drops out of 2024 Race13. NY: Special Election to Fill Santos' Seat14. US Trade Deficit Contracted by Most in 14 Years15. Polls Open in Pakistan's General Election16. New Bloc in Indo-Pacific Changing Global Architecture?17. Rpt: CCP Firm Behind Global Influence ‘News' Campaign18. Senate Rejects Border Deal, But Ukraine, Israel Aid may Survive19. Will Senate Bill Solve Any Problems at Border?20. Trump's IL Ballot Challenge to Proceed21. Judge Rejects Trump's Request for Mistrial in Defamation Case22. Biden Classified Docs Investigation Ends, No Charges Indicated23. Haley Shrugs off Defeat, Vows to Stay in Race24. Analysis on Nevada Caucuses Today25. Why do Global Elites Fear Another Trump Presidency?26. 5 Marines Found Dead, After Helicopter Went Missing27. The Art Behind the Perfect Super Bowl Ad
Former President Donald Trump has won the New Hampshire Republican primary, defeating former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley. Ms. Haley vowed to continue her campaign, however, saying “this race is far from over.” On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden did not appear on the ballot, but won as a write-in candidate. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun is meeting with Senators on Capitol Hill this week to address concerns about the company's 737 MAX 9 model. Calhoun said the company will only support the operation of its airplanes if it's “100 percent” confident in their safety. The meetings come after a door plug blew off on an Alaska Airlines jet in midair, forcing an emergency landing. Russian sources are reporting that a Russian military plane has crashed, killing all passengers on board—including a number of Ukrainian prisoners of war headed for a prisoner exchange. Moscow is accusing Ukraine of shooting the plane down. But Ukraine says it's still investigating the incident, and cautioned against “spreading unverified information.” ⭕️Watch in-depth videos based on Truth & Tradition at Epoch TV
Odessa Black.It's the name of a (Ukranian) grape variety. But it could almost be code for the desperate times the people of Ukraine are living through.In this episode, we explore the history and current context of Ukraine, hearing first-hand insights from Tania Olevska of the Ukrainian Wine Company and Svitlana Tsybak of the Beykush winery.Despite the chaos and devastation in Ukraine, wine represents a point of hope, an expression of Ukrainian culture, terroir, identity and resilience.Although what is Europe's second largest country has a long relationship with the vine, quality wine isn't one of Ukraine's most emblematic products. That started to change after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and since 2010 there has been a quality revolution as a new wave of craft winemakers captured the public attention.Then came full-scale war with Russia in early 2022. But Ukraine's winemakers are refusing to be cowed. They soldier on, ministering to their vines as the relentless rhythms of winemaking insist they must. Despite the shells and rockets overhead. Despite the mortal peril that has already cost so many lives, including many from the wine community.'We didn't pay money for our PR; we paid [with] the lives of Ukrainians for our PR,' says Tania, grimly.And yet celebrating and savouring Ukraine's new wave wines is an act of joy, resistance and solidarity in its own right.In this episode, we raise a glass for exactly this reason, and hear many an eye-opening, heart-warming story along the way. Wines we recommend include:Shabo Telti Kuruk Reserve 2022, OdessaBiologist Sukholimanskiy 2022, KyivBeykush Lerici Timorasso 2021, MikolaivKolonist Odessa Blanc 2021, BessarabiaWe love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website (link below).All details from this episode are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E8 - Ukraine: Wine not WarThanks for tuning in. Here's to the joy of wine - and cheers to you!
100 years ago, few in Western Europe cared about Ukraine – or its disappearance as an independent state – swallowed up as the newly born tyranny of the USSR flexed its imperial muscles; but that has now changed. Putin's Russian World revanchism and violence have accelerated the evolution of Ukrainian identity and increased the pressure for social, political, and economic change. Perhaps the most perverse Russian invasion narrative, is that Ukraine is not old, and is not distinct from Russia in any case. But Ukraine is not just a footnote to Russian imperial history. And at the end of this war, Ukraine could prove to be the rock upon which the decrepit, brittle hull of the Russian imperial ship tears itself apart and sinks from history. ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- Kateryna Babkina is a Ukrainian poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. She is the winner of Angelus Central European Literature Award (2021) for her book ‘My Grandfather Danced'. Kateryna was born in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine and attended Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv to study journalism, graduating in 2007, after which she worked as a freelance journalist. Babkina's novella for children "Cappy and the Whale" was published in translation by Penguin Random House, UK. In April 2023. Kateryna was the first Ukrainian author to have her readings at the Library of Congress, US. ---------- LINKS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kateryna_Babkina https://twitter.com/babkina https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/295414/kateryna-babkina https://pen.org.ua/en/members/babkina-kateryna https://www.instagram.com/babkina ---------- POETRY St Elmo's Fire (2002) The Mustard (2011) Painkillers and Sleeping Pills (2014) Charmed for Love (2017) Does not hurt (2021) SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS Lilu After You (2008) Schaslyvi holi lyudy (Happy Naked People) (2016) ---------- NOVELS Sonia (2013) My Grandfather Danced the Best (2019) ---------- SCREENPLAYS Evil, as part of the 2013 Kinofest NYC festival ---------- PLAYS Hamlet.Babylon (2016), an adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet ---------- CHILDREN'S STORIES Harbuzovyi rik (The Pumpkin Year) (2014) Шапочка і кит (The Hat and the Whale) (2015) Girls's power (2018, co-authored with Mark Livin) Snow heaty (2022) ----------
The US policy of using revolutionaries in other nations to topple governments that aren't in line with the leftist's global plan is not a new concept. But Ukraine can be explained using the historical account of the 2014 Ukrainian "Revolution of Dignity". This led Russia to step into the fray and led us to this moment. Many of the revolutionaries that the US trained are actually Nazi's. And it looks like they're using them here at home. Is the CIA conducting a domestic color revolution? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/adrianslade/support
100 years ago, nobody cared about Ukraine – or its disappearance as an independent state – swallowed up as the newly born tyranny of the USSR flexed its imperial muscles; but that has now changed. Putin's Russian World revanchism and violence have accelerated the evolution of Ukrainian identity and increased the pressure for social, political, and economic change. Perhaps the most perverse Russian invasion narrative, is that Ukraine is not old, and is not distinct from Russia in any case. But Ukraine is not just a footnote to Russian imperial history. As a nation, it is old, different, and diverse. And at the end of this war, Ukraine could prove to be the rock upon which the decrepit, brittle hull of the Russian imperial ship tears itself apart and sinks from history. ---------- Olha Mukha is a culturologist, academic editor and compiler, project manager and curator in the sphere of culture and education, civil rights and freedoms activist. She was born on 31 March 1981 in Lviv. Olha has been the curator of congresses, committees and new centres of PEN International (London, UK) since 2018. Chairwoman of the Lviv: UNESCO's City of Literature Office (2014–2017), co-founder of Ukrainian Association of Culturologists in Lviv (Program Director since 2019) and Academic Religious Studies Workshop (since 2004). Member of the British Society of Aesthetics. She taught at the Franko National University (2003–2011) in Lviv and Drahomanov National Pedagogical University (2011–2018) in Kyiv. Since 2008 she has been curator of a number of academic and cultural projects (i.a.,Religious Scholar's Handbook, Human in Contemporary World, Narrative War, Tolerance in Theory and Practice, Kitsch Angels, History of Ukrainian Culture in Achievements and Victories, Basia in the City of Literature multiplication series, and others). She is expert counseling at Territory of Terror Museum (since 2017) and member of editorial board at Religious Essays Journal. Olha Mukha is the author of over 80 academic publications, numerous articles and columns. Compiler and co-author of the illustrated literary encyclopedic guide "Lviv: An Inspirational City. Literature" (Old Lion Publishing, 2017). ---------- LINKS: https://pen.org.ua/en/members/muha-olga https://www.linkedin.com/in/olha-mukha-67a443211/ https://twitter.com/OlhaMukha https://twitter.com/pen_int ----------
The Biden administration has done a great job of supporting Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia's attacks. But Ukraine's counteroffensive hasn't inflicted any major wounds on Russia's ability to wage war. So, is the US doing enough to help Ukraine actually win the war? Col. Jonathan Sweet breaks down how the US can help Ukraine transition from defense to offense.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
GUEST: Konstantin Samoilov - Well-known YouTuber and outspoken opponent of the war ---------- Russia has no borders. This was the expansive and imperialistic idea behind the Russian World philosophy. But Ukraine has turned the tables on this idea and shown that Russia's vast border regions are undefended, and in some ways undefendable. From the ‘little blue men' appearing in Belgorod, to the drone strikes deep in Russian territory, the theatrical explosion about the Kremlin roof, and the mysterious fires happening at strategic facilities all over Russia, it seems that Putin's war to secure Russia's borders has actually had the effect of stripping Russia of any safety and security. ---------- SPEAKER:Konstantin Samoilov is a well-known YouTuber whose channel ‘Inside Russia' comments insightfully on Russia's decent into authoritarianism over the last few years. But now, like many others, he's outside Russia, with no idea of when he can return there.
100 years ago, nobody cared about Ukraine – or its disappearance as an independent state – swallowed up as the newly born tyranny of the USSR flexed its imperial muscles; but that has now changed. Putin's Russian World revanchism and violence have accelerated the evolution of Ukrainian identity and increased the pressure for social, political, and economic change. Perhaps the most perverse Russian invasion narrative, is that Ukraine is not old, and is not distinct from Russia in any case. But Ukraine is not just a footnote to Russian imperial history. As a nation, it is old, different, and diverse. And at the end of this war, Ukraine could prove to be the rock upon which the decrepit, brittle hull of the Russian imperial ship tears itself apart and sinks from history. ---------- SPEAKER: Dr Sasha Dovzhyk is a London-based author from Zaporizhzhia and a special projects curator at the Ukrainian Institute London. She holds research affiliations with Goldsmiths and Birkbeck, University of London. Since February 2022, she has been dividing her time between London and Ukraine. Sasha has written on topics as diverse as the legacies of Chornobyl, transnational decadent aesthetics, and Ukrainian literature for various publications, including Los Angeles Review of Books, The Guardian, CNN, The Ecologist, openDemocracy. Sasha regularly gives public talks, interviews, and moderates events on the topics of Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion and Ukrainian traditions of resistance. #SashaDovzhyk #ukrainianinstitute #ukraine #ukrainewar #russia #zelensky #putin #propaganda #war #disinformation #hybridwarfare #foreignpolicy #communism #sovietunion #postsoviet ---------- LINKS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasha-dovzhyk-3a907b25/ https://twitter.com/sasha_weirdsley https://www.sashadovzhyk.com/ https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/people/olexandra-dovzhyk https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/author/sasha-dovzhyk/ ---------- ARTICLES: https://www.londonukrainianreview.org/ https://theecologist.org/profile/dr-sasha-dovzhyk https://www.theguardian.com/profile/sasha-dovzhyk https://lareviewofbooks.org/contributor/sasha-dovzhyk/ https://newlinesmag.com/writers/sasha-dovzhyk/
As drones hit Moscow buildings in a rare attack in the heart of Russia, the Kremlin is placing the blame squarely on Kyiv. But Ukraine denies any direct involvement. It's a dramatic escalation that makes clear Putin's war is coming closer to home and now puts Russian civilians at risk. US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith discusses this pivotal point in the war and how it is being viewed by Western allies. Also on today's show: Former candidate for Georgia governor Stacey Abrams; author Héctor Tobar; musician Peter One To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
Russia has no borders. This was the expansive and imperialistic idea behind the Russian World philosophy. But Ukraine has turned the tables on this idea and shown that Russia's vast border regions are undefended, and in some ways undefendable. From the ‘little blue men' appearing in Belgorod, to the drone strikes deep in Russian territory, the theatrical explosion about the Kremlin roof, and the mysterious fires happening at strategic facilities all over Russia, it seems that Putin's war to secure Russia's borders has actually had the effect of stripping Russia of any safety and security. Konstantin Samoilov is a well-known YouTuber whose channel ‘Inside Russia' comments insightfully on Russia's decent into authoritarianism over the last few years. But now, like many others, he's outside Russia, with no idea of when he can return there.
HOUR 1SCOTUS wetlands / EPA ruling a big deal for property owners / (MB) https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/2023/05/25/supreme-court-ruling-favors-lake-houses-over-wetlands?Gov. DeSantis raises $8.2 million for his presidential bid / (CBS News)https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ron-desantis-raises-8-2-million-dollars-first-24-hours-presidential-campaign/All 123 federal prisons have problems / (ABS News) https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/123-us-federal-prisons-maintenance-inspector-general/story?id=99601450Former Anheuser-Busch executive Anson Frericks outlines why he believes the Bud Light boycott will continue and discusses politics in business / (FOX News) https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6327835673112Major military operations are normally shrouded in secrecy. But Ukraine's planned offensive against Russia has been part of a lively public debate for months. This has created a wide range of expectations / (NPR) https://www.npr.org/2023/05/25/1178015627/what-are-realistic-expectations-for-ukraines-military-offensiveHOUR 2Dalton in Mat-Su on the Bud Lite boycott and his trip to South CarolinaAdam Holz from Focus on the Family's "Plugged In" overviews: The Little Mermaid, About my Father, Kandahar, You Hurt my FeelingsTodd Smoldon from Gov Dunleavy's Mat-Su Office ( 7:35 AM to 8 AM)
Perhaps the most perverse Russian invasion narrative, is that Ukraine is not old, and is not distinct from Russia in any case. But Ukraine is not just a footnote to Russian imperial history. As a nation, it is old, different, and diverse. Just as it went unrecognised by Russia, it has not been understood or recognised by the outside world either, for a variety of reasons. 100 years ago, nobody cared about Ukraine – or its disappearance as an independent state; but that has now changed. Putin's tyranny and violence have accelerated the evolution of Ukrainian identity and increased the pressure for social, political, and economic change. ---------- SPEAKER: Volodymyr Yermolenko (Володимир Анатолійович Єрмоленко) is a Ukrainian philosopher, essayist, translator, Doctor of Political Studies, candidate of philosophical sciences, and senior lecturer at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. He is laureate of the Yuri Shevelyov Prize (2018) and of the Petro Mohyla Award (2021). Yermolenko was born Kyiv to a family of philosophers. His father, Anatoly Mykolayovych Yermolenko, was director of the Institute of Philosophy. His mother taught philosophy at Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. In 2020, together with Tetyana Oharkova, Yermolenko started the Kult podcast, dedicated to defining epochs in the history of culture and cult authors who had a great influence on the development of literature and culture. Is also a prolific podcaster on the Ukraine World channel, with his compelling ‘Explaining Ukraine' series of interviews. Links below. ---------- LINKS: https://twitter.com/yermolenko_v https://www.linkedin.com/in/volodymyr-yermolenko-bb0b0b11/ https://twitter.com/ukraine_world https://twitter.com/PENUkraine https://twitter.com/InternewsUA ---------- BOOKS: Ukraine in Histories and Stories: Essays by Ukrainian Intellectuals by Volodymyr Yermolenko (Editor) ----------
Unverified footage of a drone attack on the Kremlin has emerged overnight, with Moscow calling it an assassination attempt on President Vladimir Putin. But Ukraine's president Vlodymyr Zelensky says Russia staged the incident to drum up public support for its invasion of Ukraine. The BBC's Sergey Goryashko spoke with Corin Dann from Russia.
Once upon a time, the business model of war was straightforward. You attacked some neighbouring realm, overpowered it, then plundered and taxed the conquered people. The Vikings were great pioneers of the model, as was Ancient Rome: it worked for as long as the empire kept expanding and Rome kept winning wars. When the expansion stopped, Rome had to replace the plunder with some other form of income. That's when the currency debasement started.Often, but not always, the conquerors built infrastructure - buildings, roads or train lines (in the case of the British) - they stabilised the currency and introduced functioning bureaucracies, leading to the common argument that the conquerors actually improved things, which in many ways they did.The business model didn't always function well, especially if the fight was ideological or, more importantly, if you lost. Europe “came second” in the Crusades and the grand part of the bill fell to the lowly European tax-payer. The various tithes of Henry II, Richard I and John, for example - with the Saladin tithe being the most famous - have gone down in history as some of the most punitive taxes ever imposed. There were even cowardice taxes, “scutage”, for those who didn't want to go to war. On the other hand, the Catholic Church and the papacy, which, broadly speaking, initiated the expeditions, made extremely good by the whole affair: the church experienced an enormous increase in wealth and power, the papacy especially.Something changed with the great wars of the twentieth century. The Nazis may have vigorously pursued the traditional business model of war - to overpower, plunder and then tax. But the Allies emerged victorious and Britain, in particular, did not enjoy the spoils of victory that were enjoyed after the wars of previous centuries. There was little plunder, loot and taxation. Instead, the cost of the war fell on the British citizen. Taxation in 1947 was three times as high as it was in 1938. The cost of living doubled between 1938 and 1951 - put another way, the pound lost 50% of its purchasing power. The US supplied Britain with all sorts of essentials during the war and then after the war provided all sorts of credit. But it would not accept pounds as repayment, instead demanding gold or dollars. It took Britain two generations - 60 years - to settle the debt. Germany, on the other hand, had its debt written off in 1953. The British were not rewarded for their sacrifice.Today, the US's enormous military-industrial complex has had its coffers tremendously enriched by its various wars in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, and through America's role as world policeman. From defence contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing to oil giants, such as Halliburton, which benefitted from lucrative contracts gained in the aftermath, billions have been made. But who actually foots the bill?Broadly speaking, there hasn't been the “traditional” plunder and taxation of the newly conquered territories in the wars that the US nominally won, and it lost quite a few others. Some of the cost has been covered by the “exorbitant privilege” of the US dollar and the ability the US has to print and loan. But probably the largest portion of the cost of war falls on the US citizen, paid for in taxes. Roughly 12% of total US government spending (21% of federal spending) - so roughly 12% of everything an American pays in tax - will go on what the US disingenuously calls defence (I don't recall any nation actually invading the US). That same citizen will be the one hit to get hit if/when those debt chickens come home to roost.With the enrichment of the military-industrial complex, and the worship of many of those who operate in it, there are many parallels between today's US war business model and that of the Crusades. Some large organisations are enriched and empowered by it, others pay.You might say the current model is unsustainable, which would be true. But that doesn't mean it can't go on for a long time. The Crusades went on for two hundred years.And what about the current war in Ukraine? At first glance, I suggest Russia was hoping for a traditional plunder-and-tax affair with its invasion. But Ukraine has since attracted vast support, the original source of which is the western tax-payer. I guess we have a blend of the two models.Thank you for reading The Flying Frisby. This post is public - please like and share.West End gig alert! This May, wearing my comedy hat, I'll be coming back to Crazy Coqs in Brasserie Zedel for another night of “curious comedy songs”. That's this May 7th. Please come if you're in town. They are super nights.AI and the FutureI recorded this 90-minute interview about AI the other day with Andy - super interesting - and it's now available to free subscribers:GoldInterested in protecting your wealth in these extraordinary times? Then be sure to own some gold bullion. My current recommended bullion dealer is The Pure Gold Company, whether you are taking delivery or storing online. Premiums are low, quality of service is high. You can deal with a human being. I have an affiliation deals with them. The Flying Frisby is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe
Once upon a time, the business model of war was straightforward. You attacked some neighbouring realm, overpowered it, then plundered and taxed the conquered people. The Vikings were great pioneers of the model, as was Ancient Rome: it worked for as long as the empire kept expanding and Rome kept winning wars. When the expansion stopped, Rome had to replace the plunder with some other form of income. That's when the currency debasement started.Often, but not always, the conquerors built infrastructure - buildings, roads or train lines (in the case of the British) - they stabilised the currency and introduced functioning bureaucracies, leading to the common argument that the conquerors actually improved things, which in many ways they did.The business model didn't always function well, especially if the fight was ideological or, more importantly, if you lost. Europe “came second” in the Crusades and the grand part of the bill fell to the lowly European tax-payer. The various tithes of Henry II, Richard I and John, for example - with the Saladin tithe being the most famous - have gone down in history as some of the most punitive taxes ever imposed. There were even cowardice taxes, “scutage”, for those who didn't want to go to war. On the other hand, the Catholic Church and the papacy, which, broadly speaking, initiated the expeditions, made extremely good by the whole affair: the church experienced an enormous increase in wealth and power, the papacy especially.Something changed with the great wars of the twentieth century. The Nazis may have vigorously pursued the traditional business model of war - to overpower, plunder and then tax. But the Allies emerged victorious and Britain, in particular, did not enjoy the spoils of victory that were enjoyed after the wars of previous centuries. There was little plunder, loot and taxation. Instead, the cost of the war fell on the British citizen. Taxation in 1947 was three times as high as it was in 1938. The cost of living doubled between 1938 and 1951 - put another way, the pound lost 50% of its purchasing power. The US supplied Britain with all sorts of essentials during the war and then after the war provided all sorts of credit. But it would not accept pounds as repayment, instead demanding gold or dollars. It took Britain two generations - 60 years - to settle the debt. Germany, on the other hand, had its debt written off in 1953. The British were not rewarded for their sacrifice.Today, the US's enormous military-industrial complex has had its coffers tremendously enriched by its various wars in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, and through America's role as world policeman. From defence contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing to oil giants, such as Halliburton, which benefitted from lucrative contracts gained in the aftermath, billions have been made. But who actually foots the bill?Broadly speaking, there hasn't been the “traditional” plunder and taxation of the newly conquered territories in the wars that the US nominally won, and it lost quite a few others. Some of the cost has been covered by the “exorbitant privilege” of the US dollar and the ability the US has to print and loan. But probably the largest portion of the cost of war falls on the US citizen, paid for in taxes. Roughly 12% of total US government spending (21% of federal spending) - so roughly 12% of everything an American pays in tax - will go on what the US disingenuously calls defence (I don't recall any nation actually invading the US). That same citizen will be the one hit to get hit if/when those debt chickens come home to roost.With the enrichment of the military-industrial complex, and the worship of many of those who operate in it, there are many parallels between today's US war business model and that of the Crusades. Some large organisations are enriched and empowered by it, others pay.You might say the current model is unsustainable, which would be true. But that doesn't mean it can't go on for a long time. The Crusades went on for two hundred years.And what about the current war in Ukraine? At first glance, I suggest Russia was hoping for a traditional plunder-and-tax affair with its invasion. But Ukraine has since attracted vast support, the original source of which is the western tax-payer. I guess we have a blend of the two models.Thank you for reading The Flying Frisby. This post is public - please like and share.West End gig alert! This May, wearing my comedy hat, I'll be coming back to Crazy Coqs in Brasserie Zedel for another night of “curious comedy songs”. That's this May 7th. Please come if you're in town. They are super nights.AI and the FutureI recorded this 90-minute interview about AI the other day with Andy - super interesting - and it's now available to free subscribers:GoldInterested in protecting your wealth in these extraordinary times? Then be sure to own some gold bullion. My current recommended bullion dealer is The Pure Gold Company, whether you are taking delivery or storing online. Premiums are low, quality of service is high. You can deal with a human being. I have an affiliation deals with them. The Flying Frisby is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe
The war has already done untold damage. By some estimates, tens of thousands have died, and the country has sustained tens of billions of dollars' worth of damage that has left cities flattened. But Ukraine has also largely stopped the offensives of its much larger and better-armed neighbor and has regained some captured land.On the first anniversary of Russia's invasion, these Ukrainians reflect on how the past year of conflict has changed their lives.Background reading: Here's a guide to how the war came about, and what's at stake for Russia and the world.People in Ukraine have become adept at telling which threats are probably not deadly, leaving room for a little enjoyment, and even hope.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
A year on from Russia's invasion, Joe Biden has made it clear: America's backing for Ukraine “will not waver”. But Ukraine needs more than strong words. Does America have the will and the means to back Ukraine for as long as it takes? And what does its commitment in Europe mean for America's readiness to help defend allies elsewhere? The Economist's Anton La Guardia tells us how the battle in Ukraine compares to other recent conflicts. The Economist's Jon Fasman visits a munitions plant in Pennsylvania. And Commandant of the United States Marine Corps General David Berger considers the prospect of war in the Pacific. John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. Do you have a question for the Checks and Balance team? Email us at podcasts@economist.com with “Checks Q&A” in the subject line and we'll answer it in a special upcoming episode. You can now find every episode of Checks and Balance in one place and sign up to our weekly newsletter. For full access to print, digital and audio editions, as well as exclusive live events, subscribe to The Economist at economist.com/uspod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Russia thought it could take Kyiv in a matter of days, some Western analysts thought the same. But Ukraine is still standing. This conflict has had one foot in the past and one foot firmly in the future. There's been First World War style massed artillery and infantry storming trenches on the one hand, but unmanned drones and ultra-modern missiles on the other. So has Europe's biggest conflict since World War II changed how wars are fought? Guests: Roderic Lyne Former British Ambassador to Russia Iuliia Osmolovska Director of Kyiv office at GLOBSEC David DesRoches Former official in the US Department of Defense Roundtable is a discussion programme with an edge. Broadcast out of London and presented by David Foster, it's about bringing people to the table, listening to every opinion, and analysing every point of view. From fierce debate to reflective thinking, Roundtable discussions offer a different perspective on the issues that matter to you. Watch it every weekday at 15:30 GMT on TRT World.
This episode we welcome Callum back to Hearts of Oak as he joins us to discuss his latest trip. First it was an Afghanistan vacation, then a cheeky weekend in Serbia and now his recent sabbatical takes him to Russia! He is best known for being the co-host on the hugely popular Lotus Eaters Podcast and is now carving out a 'dark tourism' niche for himself by showing us these countries in a way we have never seen before. His report on his latest trip to Russia, including the Donbass region is a must see, absolutely fascinating viewing. The media tell us one story. Callum is showing the other side. Watch the documentaries of his adventures... Russia: https://youtu.be/B0i0zbuCIIM Afghanistan: https://youtu.be/2oMW5pL9Z4w Serbia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0Q_Tp0IVzc&t=3s Our previous interview with him... Callum - رجل إنجليزي في كابول / An Englishman in Kabul https://www.podbean.com/pu/pbblog-vti5d-b2f6e6 Connect with Callum at... GETTR https://gettr.com/user/Callum TWITTER https://twitter.com/AkkadSecretary?s=20&t=jM2HdR0iXmda0vJHwrTg-w YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/@BritannicaPolitica SUBSCRIBESTAR https://www.subscribestar.com/callum LOTUSEATERS https://www.lotuseaters.com/ Interview broadcast live 16.2.23 *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art https://theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com/ and follow him on GETTR https://gettr.com/user/BoschFawstin To sign up for our weekly email, find our social media, podcasts, video and livestreaming platforms... https://heartsofoak.org/connect/ Please like, subscribe and share! [0:22] Callum, it is great to have you back with us once again. Oh hello, thank you for having me again. Not at all. You go to these weird and wonderful places in the world, so it's always good to get a completely different viewpoint. So thanks for coming on and obviously the links to not only this trip but all the other ones are in the description. So people can just click and go to your Britannica, Politica YouTube, which actually gave me it gives me so many ads. So it's obviously popular if it's throwing up so many ads I don't think YouTube's found out yet. I think they're just doing our travel vlog, right? Nothing unusual there. [1:03] I thoroughly enjoyed it but to our viewers obviously you've done, This is your third one, isn't it? because you were on talking about your Afghan trip and then you did a little sneaky week ender in Serbia. And then this is number three. Yeah. In the series. I'm trying to go to Chitels for fun. So we did Afghanistan, which thanks to Miles. When we went to Serbia, I mean, the main thing there wasn't, I mean, it was Serbian culture and whatnot, but also we went to go meet the migrants. So loads of Afghans and whatnot, they come up through Serbia. One of the main routes because they're not in the EU to then get into the EU via Hungary or Croatia and then to the rest of where we are. So we went and interviewed those guys and those guys are just not great. I'll be honest. I was not filled with confidence meeting those people because they have no interest in us. They have no interest in anything that is with the West. It's literally just gibs. They're not in danger in the slightest. So whatever. There's that. So go check that video out. And the most recent one was I decided I'd go to New Russia. [2:12] So not only old Russia, as we know it, the Russian Federation, but the new provinces. So I went down to Luhansk and saw what life was like there at the moment. Well, let's get into all this. This is an Englishman in Russia and not some of your others. Again, the links for those documentaries there in the description. But I guess Russia is easier to get into than Afghanistan, but maybe more difficult than Serbia, so its kind of in the middle. [2:41] I mean, what do you define by more difficult, I suppose? Well, you did. It's probably slightly more difficult. Maybe there aren't as big a range of flights and then you still have to go and pay for your visa. So, I mean, you just go to Serbia. I've been to Serbia quite a few times and you can drive there. So it's actually kind of more accessible, I guess. [3:04] But you got there, your hotel. I love the way you... What was it? Big ass bed. Very nice. Big ass TV. Very nice. Carpet. Very nice. I love the surprise to see carpet. But yeah, it was a decent hotel. It was a very nice carpet. I'll be honest. I wouldn't have mentioned it if it was. I was like, oh, it's great. Like just to have such a high quality, who cares, carpet, right? You just leave it, you forget it for 10 years, turns into a piece of crap. No one ever replaces it. No, this has been replaced recently by the feel of it. But the getting into part, when I went to Afghanistan, you pay for the visa, you pay for the flight, whatever it was. I think it was, what was it? 30 hours or something of flights. So that was pain. But going through security, you turn up, fill in some form, no one reads it, no one interviews you. What are you going to do? Make the place worse? Good luck. But Russia right now, of course, they're taking their security extremely, extremely seriously. For the understandable reason. So I got taken to a separate room after my passport just failed to scan. [4:16] Okay, they take the passport off you. You're then looking around and you notice that the only people with you are a bunch of people from like Egypt and then some Ukrainians. That's gonna be fun. They then move you to another room where you just get told to sit and wait. How long? [4:34] Four hours later. I've been here for four hours. What's going on? Wait. Thanks. Cool. Everyone around you by that point. The Ukrainians have left. They're fine. You're still there with all the Egyptians. And then eventually you get dragged into a third room where you just have to get, I don't know if the word is interrogated, but they want to know everything about your life. And a mate of mine who's also British, who was only visiting Russia, not the new regions, he had the same experience. So apparently this is for, if not EU citizens, at least all UK citizens, which is you get enhanced security, which is they check your phone, they check what you got in your bag, They ask you what you're doing, who you know, they call them up, ask them why the hell you're here, they want to know where your parents live, the whole shebang. [5:20] So yeah, I mean, that's worse than the Taliban, but you know, it's understandable. Taliban is up there. Hey, I'm sorry, DJ Q says Zelensky green question mark. So is that a Zelensky t-shirt you have? No, I got this before him. He's stealing my look, if anything. Victoria Willing there says, Mcduck is tasty. We'll get on to that in a bit. But one of the big things obviously is cash. So you were showing your hoards of cash on your desk when you got to the hotel. Obviously cash is the only way. I mean, tell us what that was like. [6:00] Yeah. So for the Russians, people seem to think, so I had all the cash and the people thought that everyone just uses cash there. No. As soon as we kicked them off the payment system in the West, they've just logged onto a new one. [6:13] British, it all works, it's fine. And everything they pay with this card, I saw very few people carrying cash. The only people that affects are us. So when we turn up as foreigners, we have to bring piles of cash now because you won't have a card that works. And if you think, oh, we'll just open a Russian bank, put money in there and then use a card. Yeah, you can, but it's not the easiest thing in the world. And also, I don't know, do you really want to go through that rigmarole. It's easy just to carry the cash. So yeah, if you're going to go, definitely take US dollars. That's the best thing. The other thing is euros. I tried some British pounds. No bank in all of Moscow would accept my British pounds. So I tried like five. What was it like? I remember when I was living in Bulgaria and I could open up a bank account and it had to be US dollar. So whenever you went to get money, you'd queue up, the 20 years ago at the end of ATO, you'd queue up, you'd eventually get your dollars, you'd join another queue, and then you'd get, that would give you a slip to exchange it into lever. And then you join the third queue, and that would give you lever as about 45 minutes. But how do you just go in and you had to show ID and exchange your money? You don't even need ID. You just turn up to an exchange place, as much dollars, um, they'll give you whatever. I think if you did a high enough amount. [7:37] So if you did like a couple of grand or something like that in one go, maybe a grand, they'd ask you for ID and documentation, but if you do like a few hundred here and there, no one cares. So it's, it's very relaxed. Or if only we were like that. And what, so you, yeah, you got there, you, You checked it. The hotel was an impressive hotel. I mean, the lobby was huge. [7:58] Yeah, it's an old Stalinist building. I think Stalin used to have dignitaries stay there. [8:03] Beautiful building from the outside as well. If people want to look it up, Hotel Hilton, Leningradskaja. Really old. They actually have a video playing in the lobby of all the different people who have stayed there and Soviet propaganda about how great it is, which is really weird. But whatever. One way of advertising your hotel, propaganda films. I think it was number 50 out of like 750. I guess it wasn't packed full of foreigners. [8:30] It was. I didn't see a single Russian person staying though. There was some Brazilian journalist I met on the last day. He was really nice. What was weird there is he was also, because we're sort of set up in this mindset of the West right now, at least generally, you know, we're combating Russia and Russia's bad and the West is good and we're helping, whatever, like your thing, right? But when you speak to someone from Brazil or the world that's just away from this dichotomy, it just didn't give a crap. I was talking to him, he was like, yeah, I just don't care. I'm just, here to cover a story about this, that or the other Russian-Brazilian trade relations. But when, it came to the conflict, he was just like, who wins, wins. Not interested. So when you met anyone in that hotel that seemed to be that position. I didn't find any Westerners. Quite refreshing. So the first thing was going to get food. I loved it. You went to McDonald's via an off license. So I'm off to McDonald's the next thing you are looking at vodka. So you seem to be more interested in getting your vodka fitting in Russia than getting your Big Mac. [9:42] Yeah, well the vodka is two euros. Sorry, two dollars, not two euros. A bottle. You know how you get to check out in this country and you'll see a bunch of confectionary? They just have crates of different kinds of vodka, all for two bucks. So if you're just popping home, why not get a bottle while you're driving? I don't know. [9:58] It works. I mean, I don't know if it works, but it's how they live. But they do survive on vodka. The Balkans survive on brandy and I guess Russians on vodka. But tell us about food. Whenever you did get food, it was Subway. That's not really Russian cuisine, is it? [10:19] No, I get criticised in a few comments. Like in Afghanistan, people were like, why didn't you eat Afghan food? I do. It's just not very interesting, I didn't find, when looking through the footage. It was me staring at a bunch of borscht or pilemi, which is like pierogis. But I don't know. It's all nice. I don't really have anything insightful to say about it other than it's nice. So it just seems like a bit of a waste of time because you don't know what it is. You don't have the flavour in your mouth. Right? But if I could tell you about their version of Subway or McDonald's, you know what that tastes like. You've got a reference point. So I just thought it was a bit more interesting. But some people say in the chat, Freddos are a safe bet. They always are. Still looking for that KitKat. Did you bring any? No, I'm not. Did you bring those? It was KitKats. I think it was Cadbury buttons. The Caramel ones and the Plain ones and some other stuff I gave away. I only filmed the buttons. I'm actually thinking of reaching out. I mentioned that I want to get sponsored by Cadbury. Why not? It'll be funny as hell for them. They've got nothing going on. You want to go to the middle of nowhere and sell Cadbury to random village people? Sure. On this trip, I actually saw you eating more than I've ever seen you eat in my whole life. I think every next clip was you eating somewhere. [11:40] Hey, boys go eat. Another thing that struck me was the architecture, the buildings. They look quite impressive. When you think of England and lots of things being knocked down and built up, you kind to think Russia as well, it'll be communist, it'll be massive concrete blocks, which you kind of get over all different parts of Eastern Europe. But it seemed to have a beautiful, architecture, beautiful buildings. I think you commented on that. [12:12] Yeah, I mean, there's a couple of aspects. So once you get into the more rural parts of Russia. [12:18] So Moscow and St. Petersburg are the classic amazing cities, westerners go there for a couple of days and that's their experience, which is fine. And they're the most astounding places. And the Stalinist architecture for all the bastard things that Stalin did, his Stalinist architecture is really good. The Metro is unbelievable in the sense of how beautiful it is. People big it up a lot and I always thought maybe it's overrated. I've been there before this trip, but still, every time I go back, I'm like, that's gold. I hate going to London and seeing the comparison. The Elizabeth Line opened earlier in London and people raving about it. It looks like shit. Sorry to swear, but it is awful. Just modernist nonsense that'll look terrible in 10 years. Everything in the Moscow Metro looks like that five star hotel, but underground. It's amazing how good that stuff is. But once you do get out into... So I went to Rostov in the south, which is a fairly big city, or some of the places around there, Novoshanskoye, or. [13:20] Kimishkish, or whatever the hell it was called, the one in the middle. And then, and then Luhanskoye, yeah, you get the commie blocks, commie blocks, or still a thing. But you, You do get the occasional building that they've just redone and it looks like something from the Romanov era. So they seem to be having the same sort of transition that maybe you've seen in Hungary, or I saw in Serbia where they've got the old buildings, they were run down and now they're building them back up. So the entire Slavic world seems to be experiencing that, as well as the Hungarians, which is nice. [13:53] And we don't have it. Yeah, same in Bulgaria. You get them all being put back together and rebuilt and remembering their history after trying to forget about the communist past or life before then. They're trying to find it again. And of course, flags. One other thing I noticed, lots of Russian flags and of course, communist paraphernalia. But the two flags that were missing, which I think are our national flags, our LGBT flag and Ukraine flag, it was quite nice. Those didn't exist there. Yeah, I mean, there's certainly one of the Ukrainian flags. What is funny about all that is that you see, I mean, I don't not understand the reasons as to why, but in Ukraine, you've seen endless videos of them smashing up statues or anything that was Russian or represents Soviet Union or anything like that. Some of them are understandable where it's like, you know, Lenin, screw that guy, Stalin, screw that guy, whatever, right? But then they started smashing up like Russian authors. Some of them were even like half Ukrainian. [14:59] It all just, I think it seems like people in Ukraine are a bit caught up in that. I don't know. But in Moscow and Rostov, from what I saw, there's loads of Ukrainian writer statues or, you know, the Hotel Ukraina, things like this. They've not got rid of anything Ukrainian, because of course they don't really seem to think they're going to destroy Ukraine as a thing or, the Ukrainian language. But you could argue being invaded and therefore have this massive of Ukraine phobia or something. So there's that argument for sure. As for the LGBT flags. [15:34] Yeah, yeah, none. Didn't see any BLM flags either. Now I think about it. But that's part of what I certainly like about Russia. And generally when you look at a lot of the Eastern European countries, that they have pride in their identity, they have confidence in their identity. And in the West, we've lost that. all of kind of big bear Russia and for it can seem like an aggressor maybe to some of the smaller countries. Actually, at least it has pride in its identity. Absolutely. I mean, that is one of the things people get confused about. There's some aspect of the right, specifically the right I'm going to talk about here, who get a bit obsessed with Russia. Many of them have never been and never going to be going there. So it's a bit strange from those folks because they kind of get caught caught up in the propaganda, I find. [16:30] But for those who have been, everyone can appreciate it. And it's not just Russia. You find this in Poland. You find this in probably Bulgaria and et cetera. An acceptance of patriotism, an acceptance of, like, this is where I'm born. It's my land. That's why it's good. Not because I'm better than everyone else, but because it's mine, which we don't in the West. We actively suppress that. It's embarrassing that we do so. And when it comes to the homosexual stuff as well, my understanding is that in Russia, it's not a crime to be gay. If you want to be gay, that's fine. If you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, I don't know how accepting Russian [17:05] Culture of that being public. But I know that the most recent thing I saw in terms of legality, just if anyone's game is planning on visit, I don't think you'll have a problem as long as there's no public displays of affection, I imagine. Like, I know that's a most traditionalist place, to put it politely. But when it comes to the legal side, the only thing they have is that they banned, firstly, it was LGBT propaganda aimed at children. That was banned. Come on, come on. Very Hungarian. [17:38] You know, Ron De Santis would probably approve of that original law, which was just, look, you can't have this stuff aimed at kids. If it's a kids program, if it's aimed 18 or below, you can't do that. If you're aiming a program 18 or above the wave, you want to give a crap. I think whilst I was there, they expanded the law now to include 18 and above, which of course is far more controversial and far less about, let's say, freedom in that regard. But that is what it says. One of the things about this sort of traveling, I don't want to pass too much of a judgment on the places I'm going because I'm just trying to tell you what's there. I ain't living there. So I'm not going to sit around and tell you how they should change their laws because It's foreign land, we have no influence, what would be the point? I barely have any influence in my own country. But I guess that's similar to that stance in Russia. It's actually similar to Serbia and certainly similar to Afghanistan. So I think that's what ties those three countries together. [18:45] Maybe, I just know it's a bit more... Because they don't really have any pride in being Afghan in that same way that the Serbs, the Russians do, in being Serbian and Russian. Yeah, but I think that's something, I'm thinking of the LGBT stuff. Oh yeah, well they're all certainly on that train. I think the Afghans win that competition though, because Allah Akbar. Yeah Allah doesn't do the LGBT stuff very well. No. One of the few things they'll command him or Muhammad for, but we'll not get into that conversation. I think they're accepting of T's. I think T is still okay. T? Do you think so? So in Iran, for example, tea is okay, because if you're found being homosexual in Iran, there is a Quranic solution, which is that clearly this man is not a homosexual man, because that would be a crime against nature according to the Quran. So in fact, he is transgender. He was a woman the whole time, therefore it's not gay. So you either accept that bargain and go through the surgery or get killed. [19:48] So that's the tragedy of being homosexual in Iran. But it does mean that the transgender acceptance is a thing. So I don't know if that's your world, Silver lining. I don't know what to talk about. I'm advertising to the transgender adventure brigade out there. Anyway, moving on. The Metro, how much of the Metro did you use? Because as you said, the pictures I've seen, how impressive it is. And you had that little clip of it. But did you go on it a lot? Obviously you didn't, you got told off for filming all this. [20:25] Yeah, I don't know if that's it's a really weird place for filming in that sense. So I've never seen this in any Slavic country except Russia. Russia seems to still have it was explained to me. So, for example, if you get on a train in Russia, let's avoid the metro first. You have to present your passport. You have to go through airport style security and then you get on the train. You can't just tap and walk in. No, very serious about that. [20:51] I thought this is because of counterterrorism. I was told the reason for this, and also the fact that people checking your papers all have these communist style hats with communist logos on still, is because under the Soviet Union, of course. You mean like this? Yeah, exactly like that. I could have given that to you to keep warm because you kept getting cold. Well, I would have looked like a police officer if I got arrested. But no, they've got these railway workers. There was no freedom of movement in Soviet Union. You have to have papers to be able to move to the next town or wherever, I was told, at least at one point. So that system is still there for the trains. So when you go on the metro, same thing. You walk into the metro and there's meta detectors. And if you're holding a bag nine times out of 10, someone will shout at you in Russian. You freak out. But then they just take your bag, shove it in a metal detector, nothing, you know, it, gets scanned, there's no bombs. They just give it back to you, bugger off. And then there's some lady at the escalators who's just like on her phone on every escalator, I don't know why she's there. Just pointless. But there's like security everywhere. So you don't know what you can and can't film. But then I tried to film too close to the tracks and then three guys came over and all, started shouting at me. I was just like, sorry, not Russian. Leave me alone. How visible was your filming? [22:16] I always found it's better to be, if you're ever going to travel to somewhere strange and film, do it publicly. If you're seen trying to secretly film, that's way worse because you can explain, oh, sorry, I'm a stupid foreigner from the foreigner land. And in any culture, they'll be like, yeah, whatever, just bugger off and it'll be over. So always just hold up the camera, look like an American tourist pretty much. And that's usually what I do. The only exemptions to that is probably when I was in Taliban land and we try and maybe, not attract attention. But the black markers. Yeah, I mean, you don't really want to attract that attention. So the only exception. What was it, did people look at you cynically or with suspicion? Because obviously someone from the West must be coming to put something negative out about Russia. Was that part of it? Because you said you had to wait four hours to get in. Is that a kind of thinking behind a lot of the maybe suspicion of the West? [23:25] To be honest, maybe this is just me being lucky. On this entire trip, I didn't find any suspicious people being suspicious of me except security, and that's their job, so fair enough, or in Luhansk. So the civilians there were a bit distrusting because we spoke to people and tried to ask, do you mind if we interview you, ask you these questions, we're showing the questions. I had a guy look over them just to make sure it wouldn't spook the hell out of anyone. He said, yeah, no, those are fine. But no one, no one would talk to us because they're just that scared. I think for a couple of reasons, which is that if the Ukrainians come back and they're on camera saying something nice about Russia and maybe something will happen, maybe they're worried that they'll say something wrong and get in trouble or something. I don't know. That's the only place I felt any problems. I mean, I ran into a guy in a flea market in Rostov and jabbering away in half Russian, half English with this dude and the other people around us, all friendly. Go to an Irish pub, start talking about the situation, all friendly, all smiles. I never had to explain and sit there and be like, oh yes, I am here to film about Great Russia or something to get someone's trust because they're incredibly isolated. Any foreigner who comes there and is like, yeah, I want to show what life's like, they're [24:48] immediately just like thank you for coming. You know, show people. So. War Museums, you did some filming, some beautiful tanks in different places, but yeah, tell, us about that. And is that a, do you have a specific tank fetish? Oh, who doesn't like tanks? Come on. So, yeah, there's a few places I went. There's the Victory Museum in Moscow, which if anyone goes to Moscow, it's the easiest place to go on holiday. Go for a weekend or two with a loved one. It's a very romantic place to be as well, especially even winter. Definitely take your girl to the Victory Museum, because even though it's military nonsense, you know, women don't generally like staring at, there's enough there to be fun. There's enough light shows and stuff I didn't really have time to show in the video that they have. There's some old remakes of the Reichstag you can go and see. [25:48] Uh any kind of gun any kind of tank there's patriot park i went to that's a big thing in Russia, various uh there's sort of like theme parks throughout the country and it's just piles of every weapon you could think of every tank every plane, railway tanks or railway guns, and I don't know why they're called that it's like a railway car right but covered in artillery and, and anti-tank guns and machine guns. The idea is you drive the train into the town and shoot it up. I don't remember that on Thomas the Tank Engine. No, but it should have been. A Russian Thomas the Tank Engine is a whole other thing. But that's, you can also shoot any gun you want there. I chose the Mosin. I was kind of annoyed because we just didn't have the time on the way back out. I just, I had to leave because of time. But I'd love to go back to Patriot Park because it was 500 rubles for like 100 rounds or something on an LMG. I had loads of money left though because I just hadn't spent it. I wish I'd just gone back to Patriot Park and be like, chh, dada, dada, dada, dada, dada, for 30 minutes straight, because that's just fun. So yeah, if you like shooting, that's easy too. Well, did you, I can't remember, you went with someone there, or did you just turn up as a foreigner saying I'd like to shoot things? [27:03] So the trip was a bit weird. I knew a couple of people in Russia from a previous trip. So I met them in Moscow. I met friends of friends of friends. Your network very quickly expands once you just ask, hey, do you know anyone who's around tomorrow? I went to like an Indian market with a lady, for example. That was really funny actually, because we're walking around and I hear the Indian music and I see the brands and the spices. I was instantly transported back to the UK. [27:29] You get what I mean? Which just was so weird because she didn't get it either. She was like, what do you mean it's like the UK? I'm like, you don't know. You just don't know. [27:41] So that was fun. So you start meeting friends like that and then when I got a train I was going to go meet someone else. So I had someone with me at any given time. Some people seem to think, that someone was chaperoning me like it's the Soviet Union. I can't transmit enough how much things have changed since the Soviet Union. It's not like that at all. Even when I went to Luhansk, the Russian soldier guy I had with me, he was only with me like half the time. And even when he was with me, he didn't even know what he was getting in for, frankly. I decided where we wanted to go. I decided what we're going to see, who we're going to talk to, what we're doing today. [28:20] He was a quirky character. Yeah, I mean, he was just a friend of a friend of a friend was Rostov. Great guy, made friends with him. I said, look, the guy was going to go meet has been blown up by a mortar. I'm kind of buggered. Do you know what he could take me to the new regions? He says, you know, I have a friend introduced me to an Afghani weird character, big moustache, larger than life, goes to Ukraine a lot, has been fighting since 2014, killing people. He did mention to me at one point apparently he fought in Syria which okay because he talks a lot about Wagner. I never really got to the question about whether or not he worked for Wagner but whatever. [29:04] Fit as a fiddle, clearly does a lot of stuff. He's out there right now, he's upgraded his telegram, he's out fighting today I think. But he seemed to just be some guy because he agreed to take me. And then when we got to the border, it was like, don't speak about this, don't speak about that. And I'm like, brother, you don't know what you're getting in for. Because, of course we get taken to additional security and he's like, oh, it's been 10 minutes. I'm, like, no, it's not going to be 10 minutes. We're getting stuck for four hours talking to Russian border guard, then military intelligence, and then even more. We were just like, who the hell are you? And then when we're going around Luhansk, everything's fine. He knows everyone there. He's been fighting and he used to live in Luhansk for years. That's the thing about all the nationalists, the people who are fighting there, they've, all got massive connections to Ukraine, like family connections. This is a real family thing for them. It's not some group of guys who have no connection to the land. All their family live there or their grandparents live there or something. So that's fine. On the way back out, of course same border, checkpoint, more security. I just remember we got off the bus in Rostov, he was just so pissed at me. So he was just like, oh for god's sake. Like it was just some guy, he didn't know what he was getting in for. I was just like, yeah sorry man, it's gonna be a lot of stops. My passport's cancer in this place. [30:28] Yeah, it's free to travel around. If you meet friends of friends, you'll be able to meet someone in any given town. And if they're a friend of a friend, they'll be nice to you. So what was the part that's kind of partially Russian, partially Ukrainian? Is that Luhansk or the other one, Rostov? Yeah, so to explain for people who might not know the situation Ukraine became a country after the Soviet Union collapsed. It used to basically just be a Soviet Republic of USSR, I don't think a Ukrainian nation really existed before in peacetime. You could argue maybe like the kingdoms of the root of, Kevin Rusev's me, but yeah, I did I mean in modern times probably, then stuff happens, politics Russia ended up annexing Crimea and then there was an uprising in these two places called Donetsk and Luhansk, large Russian populations, Stalin's fault as most things are as to why there's so many Russians. [31:34] If I think that the next used to be called Stalino, because of course These people rose up. They've been fighting an insurgency for years with help from Moscow, And then when the Russian army moved in properly, not just, you know, unofficially, they have now annexed Luhansk province, Donetsk province, Zaporizhian and Kherson. So we went to the Luhansk province, which that place has been a battlefield for, what has it been, eight years, something like that. They've now got all of that province under control. We didn't feel any active threat. There was no, like, range for artillery to kill us. To kill us, there was range for missiles to kill us or airstrikes. You can see bullet holes in all the buildings, much for the buildings been blown up. [32:22] But as for what it is, it's according to the Ukrainians, their lands, all of it. According to the Russians, they've annexed it, it belongs to them now. And according to the people who live there, from what I saw, I didn't see anyone Ukrainian. I didn't see anything that made me think Ukraine, everything that made me think of Russia. The flags, the people, the food, the apartments. The place used to be a large Russian area, even when it was part of Ukraine. And since the uprising eight years ago, and then ever since. Anyone who is pro-Ukraine has probably left. I've read multiple stories online of people used to live in these places, more than the stories I've read, but same thing will be happening in Luhansk. If you were pro-Ukrainian or a young person who's Ukrainian or any of that sort, you've probably gone. Why would you have stayed? In which case the result, I imagine if they did do a census, even if it's done by the UN, run by Canadians or Bangladeshis, there's no interest. The demographics of that place have probably hugely changed. So that's an argument for claiming the land, obviously. I did hear a story from a Russian lady who works for a Western organization in Moscow. So she's got access to both sides. One of the things the Ukrainian government's doing, is near the front line, if there's Ukrainians living there, they desperately want the Ukrainians to continue living there. [33:51] Because if the Ukrainians leave, that's yet more territory that has a huge deficit of Ukrainians versus Russians. So whenever some kind of peace deal ends up coming, you've got less of an argument and the Russians are playing the same game. Don't get me wrong, but it's just funny to me how when it comes down to what everyone understands, the claim of a land is just having your people there. And from what I saw in Luhansk, I didn't see anything Ukrainian. [34:20] I know they're going to be Ukrainians that are like that, but that's how it is, man. I hadn't worked out actually before watching your video because in the middle you kind of look at the geopolitics of the area, but I actually didn't realize that Ukraine was, only a province of Russia because other countries like Bulgaria have got a thousand year history, and other countries had to fight and there was, I should think Slovenia had like a three-week, battle with the USSR to actually gain their freedom as a country. But Ukraine existed as a part, as a province, as opposed to a separate country. So it is quite different, Ukraine, when you look at the other kind of satellite states, the USSR. [35:02] Yeah, I mean, it's really interesting, actually, because so Ukraine was basically a province of the Russian Empire, nothing special. And then when that collapse and you get Soviet Union, most of it was in the Soviet Union. Sure, it was made into a Soviet republic. This is mostly just PR. Anyone looking at the history can tell that, but it's an integral part of the Soviet Union. It's not flourishing in that way or independent in that way that Bulgaria or any of the satellites are. Since independence in the 90s, that's when you really start to get this, it's seemingly and someone could correct me if I'm wrong, this actual solidifying of what are we? And seeing because I mean that's where you get the changes of okay no we should be focusing on the Ukrainian language not this bilingual state this hyper focus and celebration specifically of Ukrainian culture to make it aware in people's minds. One of the great conversations I had was with a guy in a bar in Rostov his half of his family Ukrainian living around that region. [36:06] Again everyone you goddamn meet in this area there's cross-border families no one's some kind of rabid nationalist just for their side. It's not like I'm Bosnian, I'm Croatian or something. There's no crossover. No, there's massive crossover in ethnic times. But he mentioned that he used to go on holiday to Ukraine all the time. And he had gone to the 2000s, everything was cool, meet anywhere you want, no problem. And then around about 2014 and there throughout he started just getting random hostility from people he's on holiday with as if you know He'd like murdered 14 Ukrainian babies or something like we talking to them in Russian. They're talking [36:48] Russian to him because they think he's from Ukrainian Russian province and then if I don't hear some the Russian Federation They just stopped talking to him and they start talking Ukrainian and refused to use the Russian language, So what the hell was that about and then ever since this guy was mentioning he's been on so many more holidays, even before the special operation. And it just got worse and worse and worse. I still haven't been to Ukraine. I'd love to go if it's safe. I don't know how badly some people might take the video I made there, but I'm happy to show the Ukrainian side as well. I'm not got problem with that. But my best guess from what I can see and what I heard is that the Ukrainian identity and Ukrainian culture really is something new in historical terms in the way it is now. And that proper split of when nothing to do with Russia is very new. What was it like when you were getting the bus down to Luhansk? You're kind of thinking, well, I'm going to somewhere which is on the edge of a war zone that's disputed territory. Were you slightly apprehensive going down there? [37:54] So when we got on the bus from Rostov, you then get to the old border, and that's what the border checkpoint is, about hour three and a half into that checkpoint I did honestly sit there and think, what am I doing with my life? Why don't I just stay home? Why don't I just play video games? Who cares? Oh God. Cause you don't know. Maybe the phone call gets made and the guy at the top just goes, arrest him. Fuck him. Like, who is this? Thankfully it got to someone and they just said, yes. Um, don't know who, [38:21] Thanks bro. And then when you get on the bus to the war zone and I honestly, I felt great. Um, don't know if there's something wrong with me, but [38:32] there's something about, I was the same with Afghanistan. I don't know how to put this into words, probably. Maybe you've had this in Eastern Europe when it was less lawful as well. There's something about those kind of places where everything's a bit serious in the regard of only serious things matter, life or death matters. Whether or not you've got a vaccine passport, it's like the stupidest question you could ever ask, that kind of environment. I love it. Because it doesn't feel like you're being controlled anymore, even though everything around you is men with guns, army soldiers, people who could probably kill you if they had no reason to but just felt like it. [39:14] It still feels freer in that way. Am I making any kind of sense? Well, I think the seriousness comes from that life can be harder in those places. And I think in the West we have entertained ourselves to death where there actually life is, you're right, more serious. Here life is what you want to watch on YouTube that evening or that day. It's, or how many likes you have for something that's life is reduced down to that trivialness where there it is life and death. It is more serious. It's way more real. And you actually care about like what you're going to eat tonight, for example, such a, mundane thing. But like I genuinely was thinking about, Oh God, what we're going to have dinner. And so the kind of stress you get from that is almost rewarding in a way. I was trying to have this conversation today about like the acceptance of corruption and why it makes life better. I don't mean bribery, but I was thinking about some more. So when I got on the plane from Afghanistan on the way back. [40:13] I get to this front of the queue, blah, blah, blah, blah, sorry, man, I don't speak Pashtun English. Oh, no problem, sir. And then they take my bag, they wrap it up, And then the guy says, vaccine passport, sir. [40:26] I ain't got a vaccine. He didn't need a vaccine to get into Afghanistan. So I look at him and just go, I ain't got one. He looks at me like utter confusion, like he's never had this before. Gets his supervisor up, the supervisor just looks at him just annoyed and just goes. [40:42] Walks off and the guy just goes, oh bugger off. Just lets me through. [40:47] When like someone who's getting paid minimum wage turns down the stupid pointless laws that we all know are stupid and pointless. It's just a much better life. If he was checking the bag and said, did you put a bomb there? And I said, well, yeah, but you know, I want to blow up the plane. He obviously would have arrested me on the spot. He doesn't not care about serious things. But when it comes to stupid stuff like your vaccine pass, no one gives a crap. And they shouldn't give a crap in that country. But you do that in the West. It's still illegal for me to go to the United States because of the vaccine stuff. If I get that some TSA agent is going to be like, we haven't got it, you've got to go back. [41:24] Bro, what the hell do you care? You're getting paid minimum wage to work in the TSA. You give a crap about the vaccine? No, like you shouldn't for Christ's sake. And it's, we had that in the UK as well. It's not even that rare to us. Remember when Boris was caught with his pants down, he was having parties and the day after, none of those rules applied anymore. Security guys didn't bother trying to stop people for not wearing masks. Nobody gave a crap. We had that culture for a day there. That's what I mean. The fact that those petty laws mean nothing. And when I was in Luhansk and you're back in a zone it's, you know, state of war. [41:59] None of that petty crap means anything. I don't know, it's something spiritually that just makes you happier in a really messed up way because you're in a really messed up place. It's liberating. [42:14] When I last time was flying from Bulgaria and you had to wear masks, it must have been last summer, and everyone had to wear a mask. You wear a mask, they all get on the plane and as soon as they're sitting down, they all just drop it down to their chin. Literally, all the Bulgarians. [42:34] Here, people would have it up over their nose. Here, of course, you've got the, Air Stewardesses checking people. I know I've got friends, Air Stewardesses, and they said they spent all their time checking masks. Where in Bulgaria, they realized it just was a load of crap. Therefore, they didn't, they kind of would pay lip service, but really they knew it was nonsense where in the UK they paid not only did they pay lip service, but they believed, everything they were told. And it's that ability to think for yourselves. And it's quite weird when you come from the West. And so that's what I noticed. I guess you noticed that as well, that they just don't fit in and don't accept things just because you're told them. Yeah, I mean, like a chap in the chat is mentioning anarchism. It's not anarchism. Like in it was the same thing with Afghanistan and Luhansk there is utter security in your position, no one's gonna kill you for no reason, you know if you blaspheme or something in Afghanistan you're buggered but don't do that if uh there's an ISIS terrorist in Afghanistan, there's Taliban every hundred meters with guns that dude's dead before he gets to you in Luhansk there are tanks and army soldiers everywhere, someone tries to start something they're getting arrested or shot immediately you couldn't feel safer in terms of like no one's gonna stab me it's not, It's not like you're in Birmingham. There's none of that, personal threat. [43:51] But the actual rules of life matter again, the things the state are doing, is actually something you can respect, security. That's the number one concern. That's what's actually going on. But none of this, oh, nonsense. Mentality exists. Andrew Tate actually described this in a really interesting way. And maybe you'll get it as well. He was in Romania. He walks into the gas station. And the Romanian guy goes, you need a mask and he just, I don't know, sorry, I thought the story wrong. He's in the UK, goes to a gas station, the guy says, you need a mask. He's like, bro, I filled up the car, here's the money. He says, no, you need to wear a mask before I can make you pay. He's like. [44:31] If you take the money or I'm leaving with the gas for free, I don't. [44:35] I'm not putting on a mask. What are you talking about? The dude starts losing it and he's like, no, you have to wear a mask or I can't take your money. Bro, you're getting paid minimum wage to, to work in a gas station? What the hell do you care? Like if Shell have this policy of you worst man, you think the CEO of Shell gives a crap if the new customer walking in is wearing a mask when he pays. No, nobody cares. This rule is meaningless. Everyone in the room knows it. And yeah, I don't know if it's our Protestant work ethic or something, but the Anglosphere worker who's getting paid minimum wage just goes, the rules are the rules, like a German. And he's just like, yeah, must implement the rules. No one's going to make him implement those rules. He does it to himself. [45:15] And then Tate mentions, you do that in Romania. Same situation. You walk in, the Iranian guy will say, sir, you must wear a mask. And you say, I'm not doing it. And the Romanian worker will go, eh. Not because he wouldn't do that if you were like, I'm not going to pay. [45:31] You've got to pay. That's important. But on stupid nonsensical rules, I don't waste my time with this. And we don't have that in the West. It annoys the crap out of me. I remember some Bulgarians telling me you have to wear a mask because they were wearing one on their chin. It's just like, it's so weird. Do you realize it's just like a piss take? It's like, we don't give a shit. You kind of pretend. It's like, yeah, so weird. But it's that part of the outside. Once you get outside the Western world, that's really the metric. It's not like corruption and bribery or the law doesn't apply. It's the, I'm not listening to nonsense mindset. And you have that in spades in Russia of the people? So I can appreciate that of the people. Sure, there's other problems. Sure, no, I don't agree with those things. But when I talk about this thing, and you'll recognize it as well in Bulgaria, Tate recognized in Romania, really the ex-Soviet nations really know how to go. I don't care what the dear leader's saying. For a good reason. One thing I want to ask you that actually didn't really talk about, I don't think, but I live in London and sometimes it's difficult to find English people living in London. I assume over there in Russia it's still fairly Russian. I guess it hasn't been hit by the multicultural nonsense. [46:59] So this is a big criticism of Putin from the Russian nationalists I found on both the trips I've done there. And it's true, it's a valid criticism, which is that if you go to Moscow, for example, yep, there's a lot of Russians, but they have some of the same problems we have. The reason for this is because not only is the Russian Federation a huge country, huge amount of ethnic diversity just because it's so big, and there are loads of ethnic republics inside that are made up of ethnic minorities that travel all over the place. They also have the Kazakhstan border, which is ridiculously huge. They don't really man it. They don't really have the ability to man it. So that's not happening. In which case, they have loads of illegals, not to mention the legal immigration from those countries, because the quality of life working in Moscow as a taxi driver is way better, blah, blah, blah. One of the funny stories I got told, so there's a huge amount of those people in Moscow, which is visible, especially in the taxi drivers. One of the stories I got told is that the mayor of Moscow was talking about the fact that they're putting up Uzbek language signs below the Russian signs in this district in Moscow because the Uzbeks are taking too long in the metro. They'll get out, they'll stare at the signs, they don't really know where, they're going. So he's putting up the Uzbek language. And this lady's telling me the story and I'm looking at her like, lady, I've been here three days, I can read Cyrillic. You're [48:18] telling me these people live in Moscow and they can't read a Russian metro sign about, which street they live on. It was just kind of strange that kind of cuck-oldery in that sense of having no standards for your ethnic minorities. You treat them like children. You should just give up all of your culture and language and everything else because, oh, well, they can't read the signs. Learn to read then. I mean, it's not a big ask, learning to read. So they do have those problems as well. It's just nowhere near what we have in the UK. And for them, it's really only in these, big hubs like Moscow where all the money is. So, you know, I don't, this is why I mean by like some sections of the right who have never been to Russia, don't know anything about it, will fetishize, Putin and be like, yeah, he's tough on immigration and whatnot. Yeah, it compared to us, sure. But it doesn't mean there's no problems. And it's [49:14] again, same solution, which is just say no. We're not putting up Uzbek language signs. Learn to read, you goddamn losers. That's the correct response. What do you mean you can't read? Education's free. Exactly. Let's finish off on food. Looking for food you got McDuck. I'm kind of thinking, did you order a big duck and that just doesn't sound right. Tell us about it because these places, obviously, Western companies have pulled out and then you get McDuck. What was that like? It probably takes a little bit slower. In the Russian Federation, the old Russia, the Western companies pulled out. You've got mainly the ones you'll find in day-to-day life. Ikea isn't there. Very few Russians went to Ikea. It's very much a rich person thing. So it means nothing. You've got McDonald's, which has been changed to its tasty full stop. It's now run by some Russian guy, all the profits stay in Russia. Supply chains are all the same. All the food comes from Russia. Nothing's changed. So great. That's actually a net win for them. They're no longer sending money to the McDonald's USA company. Starbucks, same deal. There were a couple of others you'll find in day to day life. [50:35] Again, all the products don't come from the West. So, I mean, remember the West is basically a service economy for a place like Russia, and in which case they can do the services. It's not hard. In fact, they could pay Russians to do it, save money. [50:49] And then in Luhansk, because that used to be Ukraine and has been for eight years in a state, of conflicts, they care even less about copyright laws. So they opened McDuck, which I still have the wrappers for. [51:02] And that's the McDonald's there. Yeah, it literally has the Disney font, which is illegal. And they have the Disney characters that they put out, which I guess is illegal. What was weird there is that the interior design of McDonald's, remember when it used to be black and white squares or whatever, and then they changed it so it was those wavy patterns, and they had these wooden things behind the benches that would have gaps missing. Yeah, like slats. Yeah, you know the kind of design I'm thinking of? That's what they have in Ukraine, Luhansk, the Russian territory, because it's just not been touched in like eight years, it's still clean. All the fryers make the same beeping noises. [51:40] You could buy a black bread Big Mac, which I didn't do because I don't like a black bread. But in Russia, they've got the modern ones because it's only a year ago that changed. When I asked people about all of that, no one could have given a crap. This is something I really, I'm kind of annoyed about that the delusion so many people have in the West about Russia, they think it's just like the West, and it's just as effective as if we lost McDonald's tomorrow, people would be freaking out. [52:12] McDonald's was even only in quite good places in Russia. The people who went there, Russian people don't like McDonald's all that much. They've got their own fast foods, which are frankly better. Smoked salmon is so easy to get there for some reason, so cheap compared to your crappy Big Mac. And even then [52:31] If you're a Russian and some company does that, not only do you not care. If they ever came back, you're not going to go back and shop with them because they betrayed your country. So it's a lose-lose on that front. Places like Burger King hasn't left. They're making bank. McDonald's left, but they're open. So our biggest competitor decided to leave the country. What a retard. Make loads of money. And for the companies doing that, the argument is made that, oh, maybe they did it for moral reasons. [53:01] You think any of these companies do anything for moral? Are you high? No. They're not doing it for Ukrainian nationalism reasons either. None of these companies are Ukrainian. None of them have big markets in Ukraine. They've done this because some letter was sent from the White House. All their CEOs are actually that dumb and have just been taken on with the current thing and jumped in on it. I don't think any of these CEOs actually care about the morality question in any of this. And I cannot stress enough things in Russia are not collapsing as a result of the sanctions. I was re-watching the YouTube channel called LaserPig. I quite like the guy. I've got nothing against him. I love his content. Tank stuff. Love that. Anyway, so he did some videos about when the war started and I was going back and just checking out, what people were saying when it first kicked off. And one of the predictions he makes, for example, is like, oh, the conditions in Russia are perfect for being about the same as the Russian Revolution in 1918. You know, it was sort of a weird thing to say then after being there, food's cheaper than ever. Gas is cheaper than ever. I don't know if you saw it's 19 pence for unlimited gas in the Luhansk. I saw you enjoying just watching gas burn. Oh, it was great. [54:21] Life could not be more normal. I met people who were anti-Putin as well. I met people who were anti-special operation, anti-war, all of that. And I asked them, what's changed then for you? Because I mean, you're not gonna tell me everything's fine because you're some Russian nationalist who just is sitting there writing Zeds on everything you find. And they just, all of them without thought were just like, well, not really anything. The only lady I could find who told me anything changed was she worked in selling high-tech equipment. So like high tech cameras or high tech computer systems, right? And she said, so I asked her, well, OK, that must have been blocked off now, because those companies aren't doing it in Russia. And she says, no. I said, what do you mean? Is it where they fly to Kazakhstan and then the plane flies to Moscow? So the worst thing that's happened to them on a human level is like really high tech stuff is up 20% in cost. And only rich people were buying that anyway, so they don't give a crap. And like when I went to the GUM, the GYM, the richest place, the Harrods of Russia and all the Western stores have a little sign that's saying down due to technical issues. They're all still paying rent. They all still have equipment. They also have the lights on in those stores. They are just waiting for the right time to reopen those stores. They do not want to give up those spots. They make mad money on those things in normal circumstances. And those companies, again, if you're rich and you want to buy Louis Vuitton and you're Putin's mistress, easily done. Kazakhstan exists. We'll fly it in darling. [55:50] It really kind of hurts me that it seems to have done so little, not because I necessarily want Russians to suffer or something, but just because I am being endlessly propagandized in the West, but trust me, something's being, nothing is being done. The average life of an average Russian has not been affected at all. The rich Russians, not affected at all. If someone wants to make an argument about like their banking industry has taken a hit, and maybe there's some long-term effects there, you can argue. Sure, I don't know anything about that, so I'm not going to speak on it. But if someone wants to think that the average life is about to make the Russian population rise up and overthrow, and you're not living in reality, come back down. Okay. For them, life is more normal than it's ever been. Something weird is happening in our country to do with war. Okay. I'm Russian. That happens every 20 years. It's not new. [56:39] So here, while our fuel bills have quadrupled, actually we're still winning. Even though family finances are decimated. It's a weird winning. Very weird. I actually played a game with everyone I met, even the border guards. So I messaged a mate of mine, I was like, so what's the average gas bill? Because I only have electricity in my apartment here. And he's a landlord, so he's got a few apartments and friends. So he told me, okay, so there's this lady who pays this much. That's about average right now. And so I converted it into roubles and show everyone. Same reaction every single time. [57:12] Serious not that serious. Yes. Yes true. Oh. [57:20] Then they'd ask me how much does the average English person make convert it back into roubles, It's not enough for them to think that's normal because they were like you this much of your salary goes on just gas. [57:33] Yeah, there are so many people in this part of the civilization, who I found are still deluded into thinking that they're living some cold, miserable hell, and we're the ones who are doing just a little bit rough around the winter. No, man, we're really suffering and they're not noticing it. [57:54] That's the truth of the matter. You can be mad about that, you can wish it was the opposite, it's not. Just final thought is that what you talked about, they don't survive on McDonald's, not a big thing if they lose these brands. I think a sign that the West has collapsed is people sitting at home being able to order a McDonald's to come to your home. It's just literally bonkers that actually our populations in the West are living on McDonald's. Just, a sad state of affairs. You can get it with a bike directly to your front door. What am I? And you said salmon maybe? No, no, no. Let's go for a Big Mac and fries. Okay. I'm imagining you looking out the window, seeing Deliveroo and just be like, this is the end of the West. Because I eat a lot of McDonald's. I happen to have a McDonald's right next to my apartment. So pro tip, double cheeseburger, small fries, three quid. [58:52] Best cost for money you can get. And I quite like the concept. It's a very capitalistic mindset, maximize calories, lowest cost, all that stuff gets the rightest part of my capitalist brain. Excited. I know a friend who used to work at McDonald's and he loved the calculation of how quickly you could wrap stuff, would save this many pennies and all that nonsense. [59:15] But if you're really deluded enough to think without McDonald's, Russia is finished or Saudi Arabia is finished or China is finished or some other country you don't like. [59:24] Number one, you're high. Number two, what happens when Burger King stays? That's right, nothing. Nothing happens. And we really seem to have a lot less power than we think we do. The idea that Western sanctions will really cripple the enemy in North Korea, yeah. In Iran, apparently it had some large effect. In a place like Russia that has all the damn resources, it couldn't mean less. Like, we've got all this stuff, it's just the services we don't have. High-level things but if you've already set them up for them. Okay, copy paste. Copyright, what's that? Yeah, and of course they still have access to the Chinese markets. So what Britain says, we're not buying or whatever, that's okay, we'll just go to China. You guys don't make anything anymore. Like the world really has changed about who makes things, who's important in that dynamic, and we mentally haven't caught up to that. We aren't, leveraging what we have and instead thinking, oh, we can make them suffer with this, and it doesn't work. [1:00:26] Callum, thank you for coming on and sharing your thoughts. I don't know whether an African shithole country is going to be next on your list. I mean, if you have any recommendations. I think I recommended Zimbabwe. I was thinking about turning up in a Rhodesian light infantry uniform. I just go and see what's left of Rhodesia. But I called a mate who used to be there, he's like, yeah, they'll probably kill you. I was like, maybe not. Well, the guy you met, the weird guy, the dancing guy, the moustache guy, some undercover terrorist guy. Evgeny. No, no, no. He's like a soldier slash, you know, soldier of fortune. I don't know. I was just thinking whether Lotus Eaters would have paid your ransom. I could see this going horribly wrong. Originally, he didn't ask for any money either. He was just like, yeah, I'll do it for free. By the time I'd ruined his week, I was just like, yeah, here's 100 quid. Thanks for joining us. And our viewers and listeners, obviously Britannica Politica, you can find the videos there in the description. And however you're watching, the links should be in there. Or if you're listening on podcasting apps, the links are also there. So, Callum, Thank you once again for joining us. [1:01:47] Thanks so much for having me. I'll come around next time I go to some hellhole. No, no, you didn't bring any AK-47s back or t-shirts, no? [1:01:57] I got some Hello Kitty t-shirts actually. Maybe I should sell stuff. Have you still got Hello Kitty? Yeah, yeah. Well, I don't know how much of that I could say. So I've got all the Russian stuff, still I've got some merch. Got on my Twitter page. There's a full list there of the things, Afghan, Serbian and Russian stuff. If it has a quote teat selling sold out, it's sold out. If it don't, I probably got it. Message me on Twitter or SubscribeStar. If you want to support me, subscribe to SubscribeStar. But the Hello Kitty shirts. So guy I knew in Afghan, I said to him, like, bring them to the UK. I'll come pick them up. He did that. [1:02:33] Bad news. He's gone bye-bye now. So the shirts I have are the last shirts I'm ever getting. So limited supply. Like all your friends keep dying in these places. It's weird. Well, I mean, it's not Miami. That is true. That is true. Give us your handle again on Twitter. I think it's @akkadsecretary. It's called Callum. There's a picture of me with Luhansk sign behind me and a couple of Russian soldiers off to kill people. Who knows? And people can click on the subscribe star there and they can actually support your extensive travels. Yeah. Again, if you go to the YouTube channel, you'll find these things fairly easily around there somewhere. Okay. Perfect. Well, on that, I'll say goodbye to our viewers and we'll see you on Saturday with David Vance and his week's review of the news. So thank you very much for tuning in, for watching. Have a good rest of your Thursday. We'll see you back on Saturday. Thank you very much and good night to you all.
"Battling cancer takes place in many parts of the world and our next guest has led initiatives to do just that. In Part Two of this Oncology, Etc. Podcast episode, Professor of Cancer and Global Health at King's College London Dr Richard Sullivan shares with us his research into cancer care in conflict zones around the world (0:58), his thoughts on “colonial” cancer research (5:50), his advice to people interested in pursuing a career in global oncology field (10:08) and using “pooled procurement” as an innovative approach to cancer care (11:13). Participant Disclosures Dr. Richard Sullivan: Honoraria – Pfizer; Consulting or Advisory Role – Pfizer Dr. David Johnson: Consulting or Advisory Role – Merck, Pfizer, Aileron Therapeutics, Boston University Dr. Patrick Loehrer: Research Funding – Novartis, Lilly Foundation, Taiho Pharmaceutical If you liked this episode, please follow the podcast. To explore other episodes, as well as courses visit https://education.asco.org or contact us at education@asco.org. TRANSCRIPT The disclosures for guests on this podcast can be found in the show notes. Pat Loehrer: Hi. I'm Pat Loehrer, director of Global Oncology and Health Equity at Indiana University. I'm here with Dave Johnson, a medical oncologist at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, Texas, and a friend of mine. This is the second half of our Oncology Etc. conversation with the professor of cancer and global health at King's College in London and the director of the King's Institute of Cancer Policy and the co-director of the Conflict and Health Research Group, Dr. Richard Sullivan. In part one, we chatted with Professor Sullivan about his international travels as a child to his transition from biochemistry and finally to a great career in health policy and research. Today we're going to continue our conversation with Professor Sullivan by asking him about his insight into the current state of the progress in global health care. Richard Sullivan: Conflict and fragile populations around the world are sadly growing. They're unique ecosystems for a whole variety of reasons. I think fundamentally, though, to do research in those systems requires a huge amount of sensitivity and experience and expertise because you're dealing with the most vulnerable of the most vulnerable. And then, of course, whatever research you do, you're constantly thinking in the back of your mind how you then tie this into any form of impact. There is a tendency, often with research in these populations, that the research is just done for the researcher's sake rather than actually being utilized to help improve those lives you're actually involving and studying. But I admit it's a very tricky area to work in. Cancer in conflict populations, a particular interest is a relatively new domain. It's only really been around for the last eight to ten years for a variety of very understandable reasons. Let's be honest, 30 years ago, cancer was not a significant factor in humanitarian conflict operations. You were dealing with demographically untransitioned societies, much younger. Really the group one, infectious diseases, child and maternal mortality, et cetera, were the primary foci. That still is the case. But what we're seeing now is much more transitioned populations being impacted by conflicts. And you think about in Mexico, in the Narco Wars, Syria, Iraq, even Afghanistan, and all of those have changed dramatically the nature of how care is delivered and how patients move. And we call these new therapeutic pathways, and we consider them kind of post-Westfalian. We're not talking about cancer care anymore that's boundaried within nation states. Patients moving across national lines, we have patients moving in pathways which are absolutely unique and we've never experienced or seen before in the high-income West. And that means you have to have a different paradigm for care and a different paradigm for building cancer control systems. And I guess for the last ten to fifteen years that's what we've really been interested in is this dynamic of conflict populations and how you deliver care and who delivers it. And there, of course, you're talking with a very mixed act, a bunch: humanitarian organizations, the big NGOs, the ICRCs, Medecins Sans Frontières. You're talking about the militaries in many countries. The militaries are very powerful in many countries in terms of providing care. And then finally there is, of course, the health services or systems that exist to varying degrees in the individual countries infected by conflict. So our program really tries to understand how you strengthen health systems per se in these conflict populations. And obviously, my particular interest is in cancer and palliative care. But I'm going to be honest, for that we have a very large team, some remarkable colleagues I've worked with over the years, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and increasingly, there's a lot of leadership coming out from these countries taking these sorts of programs forward. It's an important time, and I think Ukraine has taught us as well that if you don't think about, for example, cancer care within humanitarian operations, within UNHCR, you can end up in serious trouble in terms of planning, financing, sustainability. So I think Ukraine is going to be an interesting turning point in generally thinking about cancer care and conflict and humanitarian operations because it's really illuminated to everyone very clearly in Europe and the USA, what cancer and conflict really is, because I think the Middle East has felt a little bit far away, and it's been quite difficult selling all that kind of policy and work. But Ukraine is really having a dramatic impact and I think it's producing a lot of learning points. Dave Johnson: You recently published, along with colleagues, I thought, a very provocative paper in JAMA Open Network about the participation of lower and upper middle-income countries in oncology clinical trials led by high-income countries. You made the point, be sure to correct me if I'm wrong on this, that first of all, Ukraine and Russia are actually two of the top participants in these kinds of trials. Number one. Number two, the question is, is it exploitative of the higher-income countries to be conducting these trials in these two countries and then more particularly, what the recent conflict in Ukraine has done to the participation of patients? And I wonder if you might comment on those points. Richard Sullivan: I'll maybe talk to the last point first. The conflict has been devastating for recruitment. It's also important to realize a lot of these sorts of clinical trials are funded by industry and they've been the backbone of funding research and also to a greater degree also access to certain types of medicines in these countries. Is it exploitative? I think it's a very hard judgment call to make and I think if you ask my Ukrainian colleagues, the answer is no. We know exactly what we were getting into. When companies work in these places, they pay and they pay properly. The difficulty I think is, generally speaking, there is obviously this discussion now ongoing about neocolonialism and exploitation of low middle-income settings more generally. It's very hard, all the research we've been doing, it's very hard to make generalizations. There is absolutely no doubt. I want to recognize right up front that there has been some appalling exploitation and what I would consider to be colonial cancer research going on over the last 20 years. And it's blindingly obvious when you read papers, when you look at authorship, when you undo this sort of analysis, that there has been a lot of exploitation where high-income countries are parachuted in. Investigators have taken whatever they needed data, samples, interview data, made good careers on the back of it and good research funding, and not really put much back into the ecosystem they've been working with. So that's absolutely clear up front. Then we have this other problem, as well as research funding generally, because if you step back and look at the data, and this is something we've published on, actually, with Julie Gralow, and ASCO, we talk the talk about funding global cancer, that's big, high, powerful, wealthy, high-income countries. But when you actually look at the data and you ask that question, of all the cancer research publications, how many from the USA, the UK, the Frances, the Germany are actually with lower middle-income countries, you barely get above 4%. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize we taught the talk here, but we're not walking the walk. The money is not being provided to do genuinely equal collaborative work. We've not built capacity and capability in many countries in terms of clinical research methodologies and strengths. We failed to back up a lot of the rhetoric. We talk about global cancer with actually proper cancer research system strengthening. And I think there's that realization, and there's been that realization over the last five or six years that that's been the case. And when you take countries like India who kind of realized, you know, maybe ten to fifteen years ago this was the case, they've obviously gone themselves and driven their own agenda. So the National Cancer Grid of India, the development of Credo, the methodology workforces led by Dr. C.S. Pramesh from the Tata Memorial Centre, has been absolutely superb work. I mean, it's been amazing. A real master class in national development. But I think we do, as high-income countries have to think, look ourselves in the mirror and ask the question, is this what we mean by global cancer? Are we really putting enough money in? And are our research priorities right? You've heard me argue about this enormous amount, about how much money goes into discovery science and biopharmaceuticals. Where's the money going into implementation science, health services research, social science research, health economics, all the stuff that actually leads to direct improvements by strengthening cancer systems. It's a drop in the ocean compared to the billions and billions a year that have been spent in these other areas. So I think the agenda is unbalanced. But I think when you talk about exploitation, you have to be kind of more nuanced about that argument. Pat Loehrer: Richard, we were just at the World Cancer Congress and it was heartening to see all these wonderful young people from around the world thinking about global oncology and various different aspects of things. But I'm thinking about Brexit. I'm thinking about some of the issues going on in our country in which we are hunkered down to issues in our own country. P30 grants for the cancer centers are focused on issues in our catchment area. They have an illusion of global stuff, but it's really not a priority. What would you say to young people who are interested in pursuing a career in global oncology? Is this something that's worthwhile for them to do, and what would you advise them? Richard Sullivan: Yes, it's absolutely worthwhile to do. And I think two pieces of advice I would have is develop, first of all, your interests with friends. The work we do around the world is with friends. These are close colleagues. This is not some instrumental transactional research program of sending your samples to a genome lab for them to sequence it and send back to you. These are really long-term true friendships. That's what makes the difference, is that long-term commitment, year after year, decade after decade. So find out where it is and what it is you're really passionate about. Make those friends and then develop the suite of knowledge that you're going to require to do the kind of research. I mean, the thing with global cancer is it requires a very broad outlook. It doesn't matter what you are the master of; whether you're an epidemiologist or social scientist - mixed methods is absolutely the way to go. What you have to be able to do then is sort of think more broadly about other sorts of disciplines to bring out, because most of the really complex problems require a very transdisciplinary approach methodologically, and that takes a few years to build the insight into these other disciplines and also to make research relationships. And again, there is no substitute for experience in terms of going to places, working with people, working on projects. And of course, with that comes the advocacy. Cancer crosses borders, the advocacy for global cancer. You need people who are going to be passionate about this, who are really going to stand up and shout from the rooftops what's really needed and change, I think, the minds of both national and the philanthropic funders, which, as you said, Pat, you're spot on, are still very, very insular, very inward looking in terms of how they see the world of cancer research. And I think it needs a bit of a sea change. But the opportunities are out there. There's some, as we know, wonderful, wonderful people working all over the world on really, really different problems. Building capacity in surgery in Zambia is not the same as building capacity in surgery in one of the states in India, for example. So there's an incredible richness and diversity. It's a really, really important area. And I think younger crowds don't get put off because there's no clear pathway and there's a reason there's no clear pathway. It's so diverse, but it's absolutely worth it. And there's plenty of us, I think, out there now that can help. There's some great conferences like the Word Cancer Congress, amazing regional conferences like AORTIC, which is happening in Senegal next year, the big conferences in India. Absolutely superb. Just go immerse yourself in this. Dave Johnson: You've talked about a lot of different innovative approaches to cancer care and lower- and middle-income countries. One thing that I read that you'd written about was something that I had never thought about. I think you called it pooled procurement. Can you talk about that? Where maybe two countries can join together? It seems irrational to me that we could expect something like that to happen. Are you aware of any examples? Richard Sullivan: It's interesting because I've the pleasure of working with a lot of colleagues over the years on access to essential cancer medicines. And it's interesting because we're now getting into a domain in global health, which again is very rich for more learning, for more people coming into which is the political economy of cancer. Because this is where the disciplines of health economics, decision procurement, logistics, all kind of fuse together, as well as an understanding of power and decision making in individual countries. So, in and of itself, procurement is where groups of countries or centers within a particular country will come together to create sufficient volume to negotiate with suppliers for a particular consumable. And that drives down the prices. You become much more powerful in negotiating prices if you can all get together. One of the biggest problems, and again, there's some amazing work that's been done, for example, by Chai on this, who have really innovated in the pool procurement medicine space. But we've also seen pool procurement as well for radiotherapy. If you can come together as large groups with common needs, you've got a lot more power to negotiate prices with individual suppliers. And more importantly, one of the problems with suppliers, whether it's essential medicines or other sorts of consumables, is if the market is too small, if you're trying to negotiate on a center by center basis, it's often it's just not worthwhile for the supplier to come to attend a deal with you. They don't want to contract with you because the volumes are too small and the margins are therefore too small. So pooled procurement is one way of getting around this. But I speak very easily about something that's actually a very complicated and complex subject. There's a lot of law involved in this, there's a lot of economics in this, there's a lot of business work in this. Again, it's one of those areas of research and expertise in the cancer area that's really quite thin and really needs to be bolstered. And here we're talking about the second translational gap is you've got the Essential Cancer Medicines list - how on Earth do you deliver that in an equitable and affordable manner to population X and country Y? That is in of itself a research question, that falls under the political economy of cancer in terms of research, but again, also falls out with most research funding organizations who don't quite know how to handle supporting this sort of research and capacity building. But as you can see, absolutely crucial. Great. You've invented the drug, you've invented the new surgical technique, or the new form of radiotherapy. It delivers clinically meaningful benefits. So how on Earth do you embed that in a sustainable manner in a health system? And that is a big missing gap in the global research agenda. Pat Loehrer: You can have all the drugs and radiation equipment in the world, but if you don't have the healthcare professionals trained to give it, it's worthless. I think one statistic was that there's 176 physicians in the United States for every one in Uganda. And how do you deliver cancer care by trained oncologists? It's getting more and more complex for us, too. But this has been just a wonderful discussion. Just as a quick question, though, Richard, Dave mentioned his book. Anything you're reading right now or anything of interest? Richard Sullivan: Yeah, yes, I've just started reading a fascinating book called Dadland by Keggie Carew. And it's fascinating because this is a marvelous piece of work, actually. And this is a daughter trying to make sense of her father's life. And she really sort of spends years patiently collecting all these details of her father's life and growing up with it. And she sort of takes, juxtaposes– when she starts the book, he's got dementia. But this is a man who in his early days was in Jedburgh, was a Special Operations executive, fought behind enemy lines in France in D-Day, went to the Far East in Burma. And there's this extraordinary pathos and sensitivity in this book about watching his decline with dementia, as she puts it, as he slowly disconnects from reality and then he disconnects from himself, and trying to make sense of it with the individual he once was and the kind of individual. And through that, she gets to explore all the kind of boxes of letters and things that were all stuck in the attic. Memento mori, essentially, of his time in Burma and France. But it's very, very touching, and I would really recommend your listeners to read it because it unpacks dementia in a way I've never seen a book unpack before in terms of the impact it makes to an individual. And it asks that question about - what makes you you? And when this father, he dies, is he still the same man who jumped out of airplanes in the middle of the night in France? Is he still the same man as he was in Burma? It's very touching. It's one of the most impressive books of exploration into human nature and an identity that I've read for a long time. So, yeah, Dadland, excellent. Pat Loehrer: I'll get it. Dave Johnson: Absolutely. Sounds great. Well, that's all the time we have for today, and I want to thank Richard Sullivan so much for joining Pat and me. This has been a fascinating conversation and you're to be congratulated on all of your many accomplishments and all the things that I'm sure you'll do in the future. I want to take the opportunity to thank our listeners for tuning in to Oncology, etc. This is an ASCO Educational podcast where we'll talk about almost anything and everything. So if you have an idea for a topic or a guest you'd like to hear on our show, please email us at education@asco.org. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement.
We all have people in life that stimulate our mind and how they happen to come into our life is always sometimes precarious. So my Hungarian Jewish Hungarian friend older, we have these daily talks sometimes and sometimes weekly, monthly, bimonthly. But it's always good because he's so full and rich with.And fun. Here's our message to you. Have a good listen. It's relative. And today what is, what the progresso did, reversing the two words. But as I told you and you concurred with me, that it's impossible to put those two words in the same sentence, in the same breath. One reason only three words. Once you are a socialist, you are tyrant my way or a highway.And the two best examples for you. I'm surprised you read that so well. I can even determine by you getting that pseudonym so these lefties wouldn't know and traced you. I truly tip my head. You're not a girl to get compliments, but this was smart. No, Mike, nobody can. Yeah the, smartest one can figure out who is nana.Nana is a lady's whether she's a babysitter, . Anyway, why I am telling you this, because these two examples tell you all a when Judge Kava the, Roe versus Wade happened. All these lunatics. They woke idiots, the Antifa and all these, they marched in front of his home wanting to hang him, right?And the second one is even a better proof. And you know this in your dreams, if you take 1000 children and 1000 PA parents, right? Which side? you can't even say it with a straight face would agree. No, first, which side would not even allow the grandchildren to visit the children much less. They would never go at the same Christmas table together.It's not 50, 60, 70%, it's 110% clear cut. Because a conservative would never turn away from a. No of course. Can you find better examples than these two ? It's, rather simple once you get past the, how do you say it? The, once you get past the illogic, it's very logical, right?No question. But the problem is you get stuck in the illogic rather easily because that's an emotional thing. illogic is always an emotional thing. I don't know when we originally met, if I mentioned to you this about our country versus Israel. Regarding Trump, did I ever mention to you, because I don't wanna repeat myself.No, I don't remember we we met at my house in Santa Monica, in front of my house in Santa Monica. You the one who opened my eyes. Susan Rosenberg, when I mentioned to you, you said she lives in our neck of the woods. That stunned me, . It's funny how, it's funny how I can tell you how I learned English.It's funny how you read memory one. And of course, those four years Latin in medical school made me beat 95% of these college idiots in the game of Scrabble , but in advance and in master rooms. Mike. Then that's my pastime. I think I may have mentioned to you that in America, the television, the entire media, New York, slimes, LA Times, all the constipated network news work, like Mike Levine co.That's I, he coined the words, not me. . Yes. Yes. . The reason I listen to him, you may even know this about him. He's the best US Constitutional attorney. Yeah. Bar. Mike Levine. Yeah. He even, he started I think, ner serving in Nixon administration. Correct. Anyway as far as knowing the Progresso of course Dennis Prager incredible knowledge, but I, he changed my mind actually one day.You know why? Because he gave the title. David Horowitz. Oh, with him? Yeah. Why? Because he, came from a communist family, right? Incidentally, speaking of communist family, who do you think Vagina Giggles father is? Who? The re You don't know who Vagina Giggles is? No. You are the humorist. . Tell me who paved her way all the way to the.Through what? You stumped Kamala No way. At age 29. You're not aware. She was the conine of Willie Brown in San Francisco. Oh, I knew that. Okay. So from then on, and when first word came out that the Progresso may pushed push her in the White House, Willie Brown was vehemently against.He knows that she's a empty skirt. She is a, airhead complete. You notice anytime she doesn't have an answer, what does she do? Giggles. Incessantly. . Yes. The clown, that's part of their, plan though, right? Is to put people who don't have original thoughts, but are good actors. Look at a question to you, Mike.Yeah I'm, having my cereal now. Yeah. Do you Recall or have you seen? Cuz I never watched tv. I played the game of Scrabble with all around the world on pogo.com and it's not like word with friends heck, you have a half a day to think of a word. No, it's competitive chess. 45 seconds to two minutes, you lose a turnNah. Way life should. Why I am asking you who is running the country? Of course, everybody knows that the corpse, like B, BBC calls him the corpse, not me. Look, just two best examples for you. When a person says that he's been 160 years in Senate, hello, four lifetimes, Yeah. And the second biggest doozy, he said, you may have heard it maybe not about a year ago, he said The first time since World War II, Putin invaded Russia.Hello? His own country. Yeah. is obl. There's no question about that. But the reason I mentioned to you about Barak Hussein, Because he was on show and I got it. I read news in couple languages, right? I got this clip on the internet and I had to put it on my telephone. It's about a 32nd clip, and if you haven't heard it, I'll play it to you now.That's what I'm looking for, where he says, the question came, Mr. President, have you ever considered the third term? Now, here is verbatim what he. This doesn't show the whole thing, but I remember him saying the following, actually, many, many a times, I am missing the camaraderie. And if I could be sitting in a basement in my jogging suit and two earpieces and they'll implement my ideas, I'll be fine with that.what do you think of? That's happening so officially, it's his third term. I'm sorry, unofficially. The fact is his first two terms were a failure, right? There's no question. So the question 1%, g d p, the worst in history. So this validates that his ego is bigger than his mind.There is no question. And but, The issue is, I've con come to the conclusion, and I've always said this, he is the weakest link because of, the same reasons that in the old parable, the giant fell. Right? Because you gotta realize as the ego grows, so does the everything else diminish because we can always only work at a capacity of a hundred percent.He is the weakest link. Now, what's putting that in front of him? We already know. We see the world economic, we see all the things that's happening. We're seeing the plan. The plan is pretty obvious because it's getting toward the end. Not of end times, I just mean the end of their plan. You see what's happening in Canada, you see why they want Newsom there.You see why they're gonna push him out, biting out so they can put Newsom in there so they can have a, what they want is, America to be a puppet, right? They're trying to, in Mexico, they're trying to implement a Mexican woman who's the mayor here, who's just a puppet, Uhhuh once again, right? So, they're putting puppet masters.They're not even masters. They're puppets and, they have faces and ideas that are very against the people, but at the same time, that is how they've done it. They've done it by manipulating the ego to want to succeed, which is natural. But I, still have a question though. You're a, deep philosopher of, knowledge.What's the end? The people who are manipulating all this, I'll tell you what, when you see around us now, left center, whatever, 79% of the population don't like to pay 9 99 for 18 x in the 99 cents. They see what's happening. They don't need to be awakened, yeah. That's one. So that's why it cannot continue.And look again in, I surmise to you the last 24 months, in just one example, I believe it's as clear as daylight. At first, if you remember, it was 6.8 trillion wasted, right? Now they added another 1.8. So yeah. Subsequently, after 8.3 trillion wasted. Zero accomplished absolute zero. They can't. Now they throw the word infrastructure.That's bullshit because the best example really tells you how big of a liars they are. , your best example is what? That 450. If you look at that. Package that has four 4,500 pages, you know that nobody . It's like Nancy Pelosi said, if you remember several years ago, you have to pass it to see what's in the bill, to have the time to read.It's for given to Arab countries to protect their border. When I don't have to reiterate to you how porous ours is because zero control. 750 terrorists marched across this last year and 5 million people from 38 countries just marched through you to remember. There is no country on universe other than if, you look into it Canada, that has no borders because they are our baby brother.If anybody lifts a pinky against Canada, we are right there with, this Ukraine situation I, do know that we are going overboard because I read a speech by it's, he sounded like a no. His name is, either probably Chinese, whoever is the head of un, he was saying that Ukraine has no borders, which is very true.It's not a separate country. It was over. It was part of what Union of Soviet social. Yeah. Former US Russia. One thing is for sure that Crimea always belonged to Russia. Since Catherine the Great, I may have even mentioned that to you before. But Ukraine, there are two places, Donbass and Donk.I would say almost 10 out of 10 people, Russian speakers, so Ukraine simply took advantage of them because they were attacking them and they treated them like third class citizens. But the rest, Putin is a thug. Goes without saying. Just look at his background. Out of kgb in the most vulnerable, as I told you before in, the world Eastern Germany and the Americans were shedding crocodile tears about 30,000 American soldiers.Yeah, I learned in Soviet army that there were three quarter million Russian soldiers on that border. Wow. For the, they had a good reason. If I give you the numbers, America says 20 million Russians lost lives. It's twice as many. Wow. So Zov the one in charge who finally totally crushed the Germans.Zov said when they mo hoisted the flag over Hitler's bunker, that in Russian. We going to erase the Germans from face of the map. Wow. That's the reason for, and this, number, I'm giving you three quarter million I heard in 1967 during the Mid East War because Russia was like two peas in a pod or, like my former managers say they were tight as frog pussy with with, them.Oh my God, that I learned English in the hood 38th and Crenshaw . So matter of fact since you are not a brother, you may even be stunned. What I what in a humorous way. No, actually, it's a jargon because 99% of Huns, they call us , were lost. I'll remind you the incident. You definitely know it. It took.When Schmo Bamba, as always jumped into conclusion, racism, the call came in when Skip Gates, the professor in Chicago lost his keys coming back from a trip and across the street the neighbors called in. Two people burglarizing a home. When he heard that he stepped on his Dali, like this black man called his feet , he quickly invited them.This part you million percent aware of the beer fest in the White House, right? To make peace between. Luckily, one of those three cops was a brother. Otherwise, this would've never happened. This. The professor Gates and his body broke the bag last somehow. They were indoors already. The man in charge, Sergeant Crow, walked over the, window and, him peeking out.He asked him politely. Professor Gates kindly step out on the porch for four or five minutes, and my nephew, captain. Michael Weiss in New York is a police captain. It's customary on a burglary. You For last time they have to check every nook and cranny because the accomplice may be hiding. Lurking in the closet.His answer was the cause for the arrest. That's when the black cop spoke up and says, Sarge, I'm putting the shackles on this man. Let him mouth off down. So just to teach him a lesson formality, as you can imagine, they hauled his ass downtown quarters. There are tens of thousands of jokes. , I'll put it on the plate for you.Your mama is so fat. Yo mama is so ugly. I have to hang pork ups on her ears for my dog to play with her . But in this case, what is your opinion? What was yo mama. I step out for yo mama . That was the answer. My god. So the black cop spoke up? Yeah. You talk to an average white person. They'll say he offended him.That's quite ambiguous. , what do you think it meant that it warranted the rest. When I told this to a black pen, he couldn't stop laughing for five minutes. Yeah, , he got it. Of course. You know it meant what it actually meant is, I'll step out for your mama who's a who is a, puttanot for you. Fool. These are the nuances. Rest are simple. No, I truly understand. American Colloquialism. Yeah, . But let's, I was regarding languages. I happen to be a linguist because folks are much better in mathematics. Algebra, not me. Weakest. Now this, you must recall when we first met, and you mentioned to me that you're moving in a few months in Mexico, right?I told you're gonna be lost even though you have Spanish descent, but your English is so impeccable. I don't think you understand Spanish and you're correct what you do. And I'm surprised. So you know what that tells me? Put you in Hungary. And it Eight, eight months you speak Hungarian? Yeah. . I loved Hungary though.They were the first ones to stand up against Stalin's regime, yeah, I know. Hungary was that when I went there, it was a very fascinating I, don't know why I became engrossed by it. I really, I just did, I didn't go to, I, and I didn't even go to, the bad parts where the parts, everything happened.I was there, I just didn't go in. I just was engrossed by everything about it. I don't know why. Then they told me that Hungary was the Mexico of Europe . And I'm like, okay. Oh, maybe that's why , GWE, Mexico of Europe. In what regard? I, didn't get it. The poor. The poor and the manufacturing. And they used to, they the poor that are there in Hungary and that they went up the workers.Workers in Hungary. Yeah. That they were in the past, in the history. I don't know in history or how well you understood it, but Hungary was little America for Russians. Yeah, I know that. Everything. No, We lived, you know how far we lived from Hungary. How about 10 kilometers. Oh, wow. Which is less than six miles.Yeah. First of all, I learned here in America, this was telling you that come September of 1945,he was of Georgia and descent. Of course, Stalin gave a nice present. To the capital of Transcarpathian region is exactly where I'm from, where my wife was born in the capital ua, and I am from a small Hungarian town where 100% Hungarians. Nobody even spoke any Russian. You ask how to get to the nearest post office and you'll be lost.Because we had six Hungarian schools, one Ukrainian, and one Russian. As you can imagine. For children of border patrol offices so that's where my mama enrolled me. But to show you that I'm not exaggerating about being a linguist if, look, if until age 26, I haven't spoken three words of English, and yet by 1976 when I was already managing the dealer.And when you work in a mamma papa store, you know you overworked and underpaid. I had to write those contracts, Mike, not in Majo, my mother tongue, Hungarian. It's called Mojo because even the country is called Mojo is the nation. Ah, SAG is the country. So thus the word is . Hungary in, in Hungarian. So why?I'm telling you, not in that my language not Russian, Ukrainian, as you can imagine, was forced on us in the Ukrainian Soviet tripa. But in English, I never made a mistake because that's a dealer's biggest nightmare, right? And if there were no computers, And what you may not realize, a dealer loses practically half of the car value and there's no point going to lawyers.It even cost double. In other words, worst nightmare the dealer cannot imagine than an unwind, meaning the customer takes the car Next day the bank is telling me that the down payment should be instead of 2,500 3,500 or the credit was weak. In those days you didn't have T r W. But we fax, yes.And I had to decipher the person's ability to repay that loan. So bottom line is I never made an error in my contract. That's why when I got my second job at an Acura in a Toyota store in the valley. Keys, Acura, you may have. I know that. Yeah. I know that they, hired me on the spot because when I wrote on my resume that no unwinds, that means I don't believe people bringing back a car.That was the clincher. But you can imagine by 1980. Two. How relieved I was. The very first computers I was involved was like a big suitcase. Yes. And IBM , you recall? It was. It was actually in car business. It was oak leaf and it was geared for all the Programs for dealerships, and the forms.So they came, they just told me which one is which, and they left me alone. And, that's how you can imagine the relief I had. I didn't have to do all these when your parents were getting cause by hand. I could just put in the information in that right quick suitcase and it just prints out like a breeze.So what I'm trying to tell you is, It was a great help for me as far as cutting time for customers to wait. But regarding Hungarian language, I had an interesting example when a Turkish person that will tell you the, common family of Hungarians Turks they. Finn Finnish language many thousands years ago, they were breathing because as a general manager at Kaiser Brothers I, think I told you, it was downtown across convention center.Your parents knew it as a third oldest Oldsmobile dealer in the nation. If the granddaughter was 94 years old, you can imagine they've been there since 1917. They own about eight blocks downtown. So why am telling you this? Because when I worked there This fellow was sitting with my salesman taking an application.And in those days, in early nineties, they had cassette tape players, and when I brought back his car appraising, assessing the value how much to allow him, I asked him a question. I, said, you're not Turkish, are you are not Turkey shy. And he said, hi, did you see my applic? I said, no. When I told him how I came to conclusion, I said, I popped your cassette layer.I wanted to see the, how it functions your A M F M cassette, and I see on the cassette you know what he told me? What very clever. He said, , I figured out that he's Turk. Because that's the only countries I know that do all this. It's not all, it's not a. Even elementary words in Hungarian is not simple.Ju just like Russians, for example. If I went to this Hungarian town Russian school, Of course, I'll tell you as far as knowing Russian, when I opened my mouth in Russian, you wouldn't believe it. What they say here in Santa Monica, they think I was born in Moscow and I pretend to be Hungarian. Of course, I tell you why, probably mimicking the words and listening is, these two.And of course what I'm not telling you the most helpful in Russian for me. The 10th Soviet army, 30 months, I was the head of a pharmacy. They used my medical knowledge in making drugs. They didn't have an Eli Lilly and Merck and all that. I had to make those drugs by hand. mixture. And I, remember new land in Russia where it's 99% frozen, everything.Soldiers had scabies left and right. You can imagine why. Lack of cleanliness, right? Lack of so that, that's what I picked up really mainly the, ized accent. And here one more help was we, befriended the Russian couple in 70. And they came to buy an Omega in that, in those days, Boyd Peterson, where I worked at Crenshaw, was an old, small and a Jaguar store.And when, I don't know if you're aware or not, but Cars in America were bought like you or the food in the restaurant. The parents came in, I have 150 cars in inventory. And by the time I was the manager and the manager always. Gas and demo as a perk. So they fell in love with my Regency 98, which was like a Cadillac de elegance.The color, the vogue tires with gold dreams, et cetera. And we said in the industry, they deed me. They took my horse here away with 218 miles . So we, wouldn't need, but otherwise you ordered a vehicle according to your SP specification. SMO believe even had a mo, a slogan, can we build one for you? Oh wow.And within six weeks, your car comes the way. Desired. Wow. You don't need to buy unwanted options. So why I'm telling you this, because ever since they very quickly they promoted me. La Later, about eight months into it, I asked Mr. Peterson, the owner, I said, why? I was never trained in this. Because they made me a manager first.They made me in four months, a closer. Why? Because one Saturday I substituted the manager and the gross prophet was more than twice as what Mike McBride was doing. Oh, wow. So later on they relegated him. You may even know the area 54th and Crenshaw closer to Lawson. We had a Volvo and a British Leland dealership.I call them zoom, calls the TR seven and et cetera, the ones that making the noise, right? So I became the general manager. Why I am telling you this, because that's what I picked up the knowledge. But when my, I deviated what I answered to my boss, no. When he answered to me, when I asked him how come I was not trained, he says, I Simply thought that you are a member of KG B because by 75, he says, you lived in America only two and a half years and your English impressed me.He said . Sohe playing it Smart Russian folks, for example. No, it's some linguistic ability if the the reason. When Russian people speak, they still continue in their own mother tongue, and Russian is a soft language. Three simple letters. Mike, they unable to pronounce, for example, any. They don't say any.They say any, many. You may even notice because in, in Los Angeles, there were plenty of Russians already. Yeah. You see now on the beach, I see them exercising about 120 of them. And the instructor, of course she, really makes out nicely $15 a pop. She makes about pretty nice money. About 1800 every Sunday.Wow. Times four. and uncle Sam knows nothing about . Yeah. , but seven grand. Yeah. Once I joked with them when I came to California, there were not three Russian speaking in the whole town because Russia was an iron curtain. Do you know regarding this, your best illustration would be my mother.We are Hungarian Jews and. Mama's brother lived out of nine children. Two survived those 79 death camps, right? And it took mom 27 years just to come and visit them from 45 when Stalin took over right until 70 to December. And the response in Russia was always cookie cut. The. In your request to visit United States is declined.Your request could be reevaluated in eight months. End of story. Wow. And that's for all those years. So this reminds me, I'll leave you with this best example about blowjob Clinton. Oh God. you, naive Americans were given some fables on the when, he was first for president. He was running right in 91.They asked him under what circumstances. Were you able to travel to Russia in 1967? And the song and dance you were all given, including you, you had to swallow it. He was a Rhode Scholar. My funny bone , you look at and this, factoid I may have mentioned to you when we met. Did I or did I not? Yeah, you did.Yeah, that's what I remember. Yeah, because you looked exactly like Paul Allen. And he was kicked out from Oxford for his marks, his views. Do you see how exactly and turn goes? Yes, Exactly. Exactly. That's a convenience position, right? That's a convenience position for power. Yeah. There is no question.Yeah, and he was just as an empty suit as Obama, basically all of them, except he was shiftier because he's actually. Narcissist. Both are, yeah, both. But, about Obama, I did tell you the most important part where he got his philosophy. Franklin, I remind you. Franklin Marshall Davis Jr. He's Angela Davis card, Kerry, communist father. we need anymore? Yeah, you gotta remember what attracts people to those readings. I from a philo, from a, for philosophical viewpoints. It's fine to read them, but that's the difference is the people who are attracted to them, meaning they, they read them as a lessons plan because they don't have the concept or in the intellect to decipher what they really.So that's, the problem. That's, the, unfortunately those positions and those people often are shifty enough to find people who will give them power to continue because they want something, right? So it always boils down to the same thing are you my prostitute or are you leaving meWhich one are you? But I do know about, I know the whole background of both that. You, heard the name Sola Lins of course. Yes. Rules for radicals. Yes. Hillary Raham Rotten. I call her rotten. She was meeting him for coffee, corresponding with him. She's just as Marxist as his incidentally.Speaking of that, you know what I learned, from Dennis Prager about Marxist that, and this will surprise you. M l K belonged to that group. Wow. And I'm not surprised the Black Panthers in those days. Oh yes. This was when you were no more than five years old. They were rebels. Do you know?Yes, I do. All this, all these communist movement. Yep. The Dipper Reagan stopped it cold. Yep. But now the movement is picking up scene, big time. But it wouldn't get too far. Yeah, because it's, funny how mental disease it's, a truth that those in power rewrite the history. And because the next generation either doesn't have time or trust, the history is true.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Britain's shipment of tanks. But Ukraine needs more from Western allies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Britain's shipment of tanks. But Ukraine needs more from Western allies.
Propaganda and Information warfare have been at the forefront of Russia's efforts to control, dominate and coerce the people of Ukraine. Disinformation is as much part their offensive arsenal as missiles and artillery. But Ukraine has been fighting this information assault since 2014, and so has become an expert in developing techniques to counter Russian propaganda narratives and methods. A whole community of Digital and news media innovators are fighting back, and Open-Source Intelligence has evolved rapidly in response to the threat from Russian aggression. Olga Tokariuk is an independent journalist and non-resident fellow at CEPA (Center for European Policy Analysis) based in Ukraine. Her professional interests include international relations and disinformation research. Olga has vast experience working with Ukrainian and international media. Her reports were published and aired by TIME, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, NPR, New Lines Mag (USA), Monocle (UK), EFE (Spain), Il Foglio, ANSA (Italy). She is a former head of foreign news desk at the independent Ukrainian Hromadske TV. Olga worked on several disinformation research projects and was the lead author of Mythos Labs' reports on Russian disinformation/propaganda related to invasion of Ukraine, which were featured on BBC, Le Monde, Huffington Post, Newsweek and other major outlets. She is a former scholar of the Digital Sherlocks program at the Atlantic Council's DFR Lab. Olga Tokariuk holds an MA in political science and international relations from the University of Bologna (Italy) and an MA in journalism from the Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv (Ukraine).
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K445: After Big Gains, Ukrainians Face Critical Choices After Ukraine's stunning offensive in its northeast drove Russian forces into a chaotic retreat and reshaped the battlefield by hundreds of miles, Ukrainian leaders were weighing critical gambles that could determine the near-term course of the war. 在烏克蘭於東北部展開驚人攻擊，讓俄國軍隊混亂撤退數百哩並重新開闢戰場後，烏克蘭領袖正慎重考慮可能決定近期戰爭走向的重大賭注。 Stretching the Ukrainian forces too far could leave the troops vulnerable to attack. Moving too slow, or in the wrong place, could leave an opportunity squandered. And waiting too long could allow the front lines to freeze as winter sets in. 讓烏軍前進太遠，可能讓部隊難以抵禦攻擊。移動太慢或方向錯誤，可能錯失良機。還有待命太久，可能在冬季將臨之際讓前線受凍。 By expelling Russian troops from a large slice of strategic territory in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian forces are now positioned to make a move on the Donbas, the industrialized eastern territory that President Vladimir Putin of Russia has made central to his war aims. Just before flooding troops across the border in February, Putin declared the Donbas independent from Ukraine, and he held up the region's sovereignty as a key justification for the invasion. 在東北部哈爾科夫地區的一大片戰略領土上驅逐俄國部隊後，烏軍現在準備要在東部工業地區的頓巴斯採取行動，此處是俄國總統普亭戰爭目標的中心。就在大批俄國部隊今年2月跨越邊境之前，普亭宣稱頓巴斯從烏克蘭獨立，而且他將這個地區的主權作為正當化侵略行動的一項關鍵。 Russia now has control of nearly 90% of the Donbas, where its military shifted much of its focus after a staggering defeat around the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in the spring. If Ukraine were to retake even a part of the region, it would be an embarrassing blow to the Kremlin. 俄國目前控制近九成頓巴斯地區，今年春季在烏克蘭首都基輔附近遭遇停滯的挫敗後，俄軍轉移大部分的焦點到此處。如果烏克蘭未來奪回這個地區，即使是一部分，也將是對克里姆林宮的一記難堪重擊。 Western analysts, including at the Pentagon, said that the Ukrainians were overall making gains as quickly as Russian forces were falling back. 包括五角大廈在內的西方分析家說，整體而言，烏克蘭有所斬獲的速度和俄軍節節敗退的速度一樣快。 But Ukraine faces potentially serious pitfalls if it pushes any farther. 但若烏克蘭向前推進，就會面臨潛在的巨大陷阱。 Any future advances would mean that Ukrainian forces would further extend their supply lines, straining convoys of fuel, ammunition and reinforcements as they have to move farther away from their established logistics hubs. 未來任何的推進，意味著烏軍需要進一步延伸他們的補給線，讓運送燃料、彈藥和援軍的車隊更吃力，他們必須從已經建立的後勤據點推進更多。 That could leave Ukrainian units vulnerable, said John Blaxland, a professor of security and intelligence studies at the Australian National University in Canberra. Although he added that a Russian counterattack was “not necessarily going to happen,” in part because the morale of Moscow's troops appears to be foundering. 坎培拉的澳洲國立大學安全與情報研究教授布雷斯藍說，那可能讓烏克蘭部隊容易遭遇攻擊。他補充說，雖然俄國的反擊「不一定會發生」，部分是因為莫斯科的部隊士氣明顯受挫。 Russian officials face their own hard questions, especially with a growing backlash to their “special military operation” from pro-war voices at home. 俄國官員也面臨自家的艱難問題，特別是在家鄉支持戰爭的言論中，對於「特殊軍事行動」的反彈聲浪逐漸增加。 The current Ukrainian offensive “was a rapid breakthrough designed to take advantage of favorable positions and thinly manned Russian defenses,” said Michael Kofman, the director of Russian studies at CNA, a research institute in Arlington, Virginia. 美國維吉尼亞州阿靈頓的研究機構「海軍分析中心」俄國研究主任考夫曼說，現階段烏克蘭的攻擊「目的是利用有利位置和俄國防衛兵力薄弱，取得快速突破」。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6636218 歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Powered by Firstory Hosting
Russian-installed leaders in Ukraine's south have put forward referenda to officially become part of Russia, as Ukraine's President calls for more weapons, sanctions and a war crimes tribunal. But Ukraine says Russia is holding the referenda because it's losing the war.
Ukraine's advances are due to Western weapons, and also American training during the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. But Ukraine can also credit the Russian Army, which has been debased and corrupted by senior officers and political leaders. Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) joins Charlie Sykes today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ukraine's advances are due to Western weapons, and also American training during the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. But Ukraine can also credit the Russian Army, which has been debased and corrupted by senior officers and political leaders. Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) joins Charlie Sykes today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The long-trailed counter-offensive to retake the Russian-occupied regional powerhouse and symbolically powerful provincial capital has begun. But Ukraine's forces are in no hurry. Visa and Mastercard are two of the world's most profitable companies; we look at efforts to break their iron grip on the payments market. And the blue-blooded horseshoe crabs that are needlessly bled in their millions.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
The long-trailed counter-offensive to retake the Russian-occupied regional powerhouse and symbolically powerful provincial capital has begun. But Ukraine's forces are in no hurry. Visa and Mastercard are two of the world's most profitable companies; we look at efforts to break their iron grip on the payments market. And the blue-blooded horseshoe crabs that are needlessly bled in their millions.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fresh from the front lines of the war in Ukraine, humanitarian nurse Helen Zahos joins Nick and Tom to talk about her first-hand experience. But Ukraine is far from being Helen's first rodeo, having also volunteered in Iraq, in Greece during the Syrian refugee crisis, but also helping victims of the Bali bombing. Helen has put herself in the firing lines of some of the world's most dangerous places and conflicts, and has seen things that most people simply wouldn't want to see. She's given Ted Talks, been featured in the global media from News Corp and Al Jazeera, to local and international Greek media outlets. But above all else, she's a nurse, and for those who she has helped, Helen has been a guardian angel – and she's far from done.Email us at ouzotalk@outlook.comSubscribe to our Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3n85GSdk5Q&t=6sFollow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OuzoTalkFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ouzo_talk/Find out more about Helen and her work here: https://helenzahos.com/ Support the showEmail us at ouzotalk@outlook.comSubscribe to our Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3n85GSdk5Q&t=6sFollow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OuzoTalkFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ouzo_talk/
Ukraine is home to millennia-old culture, including some of the holiest sites of the Orthodox faith. Now, facing a brutal artillery campaign and intentional cultural persecution by Russia, Ukraine's identity is under attack. But Ukraine is not alone in having its heritage threatened by war, despite this being a war crime. Kyiv-based museum director Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta and Jim Cuno, former President of the Getty Trust, join Deep Dish to help us understand why protecting cultural heritage in Ukraine, and in other conflicts is so important, and what the international community can do to help. Reading List: Inheritance, Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta, Ukraine Crisis Media Center, March 16, 2022 Protecting Cultural Heritage in Ukraine and Beyond, James Cuno and Thomas G. Weiss, Wall Street Journal, April 14, 2022 Cultural Heritage and Mass Atrocities, Edited by James Cuno and Thomas G. Weiss, Getty Publications, September 20, 2022 How the War Changed a Kyiv Museum's View of Its Past, Jason Farago, New York Times, August 10, 2022
This week, most of Alan, Quinta, Scott, and co-host emeritus Ben Wittes got together to discuss the week's big national security news, including: “It's Over, but Don't Leave Before the Mid-Credits Sequence.” The Jan. 6 committee held its final primetime hearing this past Thursday, focused on Trump's inaction in ending the riot on Jan. 6. But it's suggested more may be coming. What has the committee accomplished and what is yet to come?“Oh, HIMARS.” The war in Ukraine has become a slow and difficult grind, as Russian forces backed by heavy artillery have made slow but steady progress towards their revised goal of controlling the breakaway Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. But Ukraine recently received what it claims is a game changer—the HIMARS rocket system—and wants the United States to give it more. What does this tell us about the dynamics around its import for Ukraine, the risks of escalation, and where the conflict may be headed in this new phase?“Orange is the New Three Stupid Shirt Collars Right On Top of Each Other for No Goddamn Reason.” Steve Bannon is going to jail, after being found guilty of contempt of Congress—and assuming that the conviction holds up on appeal. What will his conviction mean for the Jan. 6 investigation and future inquiries?For object lessons, Alan recommended a recent episode of Lawfare's own daily Lawfare Podcast focused on Moore v. Harper and the implications of independent state legislature doctrine. Quinta urged listeners to check out Isaac Chotiner's withering new interview with Alan Dershowitz regarding his cancellation by his neighbors on Martha's Vineyard. Scott passed along a new favorite cocktail with a name very appropriate for the modern era, the Palpable Apathy. And Ben urged folks to check out his latest 3D printing experiment: a baby HIMARS, ready to be shipped to Ukraine.Be sure to visit our show page at www.lawfareblog.com and to follow us on Twitter at @RatlSecurity. And Rational Security listeners can get a committed ad-free feed by becoming a Lawfare material supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Ukraine - what should the west do next? It's 125 days since Russia's tanks rolled into Ukraine in a full scale invasion of the country. Since then the world has watched, appalled by the bloodshed, the destruction of towns and cities, the 12 million refugees. At first there was relief that the Ukrainians had beaten back the attack on the capital Kyiv. Now there is less optimism as Russia takes more territory in the east. From the start Britain and its allies have been clear: Russia must be stopped. Billions of pounds worth of weapons have been sent to help Ukraine fight back. With a unity that surprised many, western countries have imposed tough economic sanctions on Russia. But Ukraine says it needs more weapons, and more powerful ones, if it is to drive the Russians back across the border. Some observers do not think that's a realistic aim in any case. The conflict has become bogged down and our own Prime Minister says 'we need to steel ourselves for a long war.' Global prices of food and energy have risen steeply, causing hardship in the west and the prospect of famine in Africa. What should the west do now? Is it time to supply Ukraine with NATO's most powerful weapons, short of nuclear missiles? Must Russia fail and be seen to fail? Or should we, as the French President has argued, be offering Putin an ‘off-ramp'? In any case, is it practical - or moral - to behave as though the choice between war and peace can be our decision? With Paul Ingram, Orysia Lutsevych, Richard Sakwa and Edward Lucas. Producers: Jonathan Hallewell and Peter Everett Presenter: Michael Buerk
Europe has ceded its core decisions to the US warmongers flooding Ukraine with arms, expediting the global economy's collapse and extending the war against their own interests. But Ukraine isn't the only major event stressing the global order: the US flexing against China, global inflation, a possible victory for the left in Colombia, massive protests in Sri Lanka, and even the senseless school shootings in the US reverberate across the world. To help make sense of it all, Vijay Prashad, Executive Director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and author of “Washington Bullets: A History of the CIA, Coups, and Assassinations,” joins Dispatches with Rania Khalek. Time codes:0:00 Intro1:46 Why has Europe ceded control to the US?8:43 Inflation & madman theory to dominate Russia & China16:43 NATO expands to Sweden & Finland22:03 Is Ukraine losing?31:08 Media complicity in whitewashing Nazis37:59 Russia's resilience against sanctions 46:10 Food insecurity & fuel shortages in Sri Lanka55:00 Republicans are NOT antiwar1:00:49 Mass shootings in the US1:06:38 Death of liberalism
Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Ukraine Post #10: Next Phase, published by Zvi on April 12, 2022 on LessWrong. This is another Covid-style Ukraine post in the ‘here are all the things that caught my attention since the last one of these posts' tradition. I have noticed that the rate at which I notice noteworthy new things while looking at my sources has declined steadily. The situation is becoming more static, and ambiguity over what is happening is steadily declining. Thus, I expect to spend less time monitoring those sources. Doing these about once a week still might make sense, or it might not, we will have to see. I do want to start moving away from doing such an intense amount of taking in and reacting to current events, and find the time to also return to more long-term model building. Military Progress and Conditions Overview of what happened in the battle of Kyiv. Good detail on exactly how the Russian plan was supposed to work, and the various ways in which it didn't. Analysis of why Russia could not achieve its objectives and was forced to withdraw from the north. This kind of warfare depends on encircling and destroying the enemy forces, and Russia failed to do that, largely because their equipment was stuck on the roads. 6 April: Time lapse maps to toggle between for the previous week. 11 April: Report that 30% of Russian units are combat ineffective. Kamil Galeev is back with a long and fascinating thread about what has happened militarily. He sees the Ukraine invasion as a replay of what the USSR did to Czechoslovakia in 1968, except against a real army and without adequate force, which matches many other observations. Among many other things, he explains that Soviet tanks were designed for use in a nuclear war, which makes them terrible in conventional war. Some review of old material from him, but a lot new as well. Russia has appointed the first general from Syria to run its Ukraine war. This seems like a doubling down on atrocity-based strategies rather than putting the wartime generals in charge. They do, however, seem to have an actual reasonable objective in mind now. More time lapse video at the link, always good for perspective. Good to see the progress. Very little happened in the days following – e.g. this April 11 map shows no changes. What does the future hold? Ukraine calls for some areas of Donbass to evacuate, Russia blows up the railway that would have enabled them to do so. US military claims Russia is attempting to call up 60,000 reservists. We will see how that goes, but certainly such moves are necessary to sustain efforts at all. They are trying to recruit soldiers anywhere they can, including Transnistria. Russia also unifying command of its forces. British Intel confirms the common sense intuition that it will take substantial re-equipping (and therefore, at a minimum, time) for Russia to get its withdrawn units into condition for redeployment to Donbass in any condition to be effective. Sources seem to strongly agree on this, and disagree only on a matter of how long it might take or whether it can happen at all. 6 April assessment of the situation, with prediction that Russia will be unable to bring sufficient force to bear to make meaningful progress in the east. In response to the NATO claim that the war could last months or even years, a thread claiming that Russia cannot sustain a long war without general mobilization, they lack the manpower, and that they are losing a lot for very little, so they likely intend to quit after they take Donbass. This does feel like the maximal war aim on their side. As the thread notes on 6 April Russia had been making gains there and is pouring in even more men. But Ukraine presumably now can also poor in a lot more men. I continue not to hear anyone talking about this, but Ukraine has a huge number of no longer pinned uni...
Link to original articleWelcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Ukraine Post #10: Next Phase, published by Zvi on April 12, 2022 on LessWrong. This is another Covid-style Ukraine post in the ‘here are all the things that caught my attention since the last one of these posts' tradition. I have noticed that the rate at which I notice noteworthy new things while looking at my sources has declined steadily. The situation is becoming more static, and ambiguity over what is happening is steadily declining. Thus, I expect to spend less time monitoring those sources. Doing these about once a week still might make sense, or it might not, we will have to see. I do want to start moving away from doing such an intense amount of taking in and reacting to current events, and find the time to also return to more long-term model building. Military Progress and Conditions Overview of what happened in the battle of Kyiv. Good detail on exactly how the Russian plan was supposed to work, and the various ways in which it didn't. Analysis of why Russia could not achieve its objectives and was forced to withdraw from the north. This kind of warfare depends on encircling and destroying the enemy forces, and Russia failed to do that, largely because their equipment was stuck on the roads. 6 April: Time lapse maps to toggle between for the previous week. 11 April: Report that 30% of Russian units are combat ineffective. Kamil Galeev is back with a long and fascinating thread about what has happened militarily. He sees the Ukraine invasion as a replay of what the USSR did to Czechoslovakia in 1968, except against a real army and without adequate force, which matches many other observations. Among many other things, he explains that Soviet tanks were designed for use in a nuclear war, which makes them terrible in conventional war. Some review of old material from him, but a lot new as well. Russia has appointed the first general from Syria to run its Ukraine war. This seems like a doubling down on atrocity-based strategies rather than putting the wartime generals in charge. They do, however, seem to have an actual reasonable objective in mind now. More time lapse video at the link, always good for perspective. Good to see the progress. Very little happened in the days following – e.g. this April 11 map shows no changes. What does the future hold? Ukraine calls for some areas of Donbass to evacuate, Russia blows up the railway that would have enabled them to do so. US military claims Russia is attempting to call up 60,000 reservists. We will see how that goes, but certainly such moves are necessary to sustain efforts at all. They are trying to recruit soldiers anywhere they can, including Transnistria. Russia also unifying command of its forces. British Intel confirms the common sense intuition that it will take substantial re-equipping (and therefore, at a minimum, time) for Russia to get its withdrawn units into condition for redeployment to Donbass in any condition to be effective. Sources seem to strongly agree on this, and disagree only on a matter of how long it might take or whether it can happen at all. 6 April assessment of the situation, with prediction that Russia will be unable to bring sufficient force to bear to make meaningful progress in the east. In response to the NATO claim that the war could last months or even years, a thread claiming that Russia cannot sustain a long war without general mobilization, they lack the manpower, and that they are losing a lot for very little, so they likely intend to quit after they take Donbass. This does feel like the maximal war aim on their side. As the thread notes on 6 April Russia had been making gains there and is pouring in even more men. But Ukraine presumably now can also poor in a lot more men. I continue not to hear anyone talking about this, but Ukraine has a huge number of no longer pinned uni...
The war in Ukraine has shifted into a new phase. Putin is quickly becoming more and more isolated. And more and more brutal. But Ukraine is on the offensive. And more and more by the day, the mighty Ukrainians are looking like they can win this thing. Almost single-handedly. On behalf of the world. But make no mistake. It can get worse. MUCH worse. Especially in Ukraine. Worse than the targeting of schools and churches. Worse than the shelling of civilians flying. Worse than shooting missiles that kill kids. Worse than that? Yes. Worse than that. What's the worst that could happen? One word: NUKES. Yep, nukes. We're getting to the ground truth about what the real nuclear threats are, what the most dangerous nuclear threats are, and what the most likely nuclear threats are. Joe Cirincione (@Cirincione) is back. He worked on nuclear weapons policy in Washington for more than 35 years and is one of the top experts in the field. He was the Director for Non-Proliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Threats, and co-author of Universal Compliance: A Strategy for Nuclear Security. He was the president of Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation. Taught at the Georgetown University Graduate School of Foreign Service. He's one of America's best known weapons experts, appearing frequently in print and on FOX News, MSNBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, PBS, NPR and occasionally on Comedy Central. After joining us for Episode 141 - Nov. 18, 202, he's back to drop knowledge bombs about nukes. And it's an episode you don't want to miss. Every episode of Independent Americans hosted by Paul Rieckhoff is the truth beyond the headlines–and light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It's content for the 42% of Americans that proudly call themselves independent. And delivers the Righteous Media 5 Is: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and veterans issues. This is another pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans will continue to be your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. Listen to President Biden's speech here: https://www.c-span.org/video/?519061-1/president-biden-putin-cannot-remain-power -Get extra content, connect with guests, attend events, get merch discounts and support this show that speaks truth to power by joining us on Patreon. -Read Joe's latest article in Responsible Statecraft: Let's curb loose talk of using lower-yield nuclear weapons - WATCH video of Paul and Joe's conversation here. -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers on Twitter. And share yours. -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm. Independent Americans is powered by Righteous Media. America's next great independent media company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres has said the people of Ukraine are enduring a living hell, and warned that the situation is becoming more destructive and unpredictable by the hour. Russian forces are continuing to shell a number of cities in the country, and the latest efforts to secure a humanitarian corridor into the southern city of Mariupol, have failed. But Ukraine's military has managed to re-take some areas from Russian troops. Here's this update from the BBC…
Most Russians are getting a distorted picture of what Vladimir Putin calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine. Even the use of the words “war” or “invasion” is prohibited and state controlled TV does not acknowledge that Russian troops are attacking civilians. Yet news is filtering back to thousands of mothers of servicemen in the invasion force. Many say their sons were deceived about their mission and are being treated as cannon fodder. The Russian authorities and military commanders remain tight lipped. But Ukraine has posted pictures and videos of the dead and captured Russian soldiers on the internet. For Assignment, Tim Whewell follows the story of one young prisoner of war. He looked so terrified during an interrogation that a Ukrainian woman took pity on him and helped his family to get in touch, even though her own home in Odessa was shelled by Russian forces. Will the 21 year old soldier ever be able to return to his family and could the truth about Russia's defeats and losses change attitudes to the war back home? Producers: Lucy Ash and Yulia Mineeva (Image: Pro-Russian service member in an armoured vehicle in the Donetsk region of Ukraine March, 2022. Credit: Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko)
Since invading Ukraine three weeks ago, Russia has embarked on a second war - one of words. Misinformation, censorship, and controlling the narrative is all part and parcel of its powerful propaganda machine. But Ukraine's endeavours to expose the truth are winning out as stories of heroism and civilian sacrifice reach every part of the globe, including Putin's beloved Russia. Host: Fionnán Sheahan. Guests: Tanya Lokot, Associate Professor in Digital Media and Society at DCU and Journalist Jason Corcoran. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan talk about watches, computers, inflation, and Ukraine. That's about what you would think they would talk about this week, isn't it? Well, you would be right. Although it might have been hard to guess the watches and computers part, those come up less often these days. But Ukraine and inflation? Yeah, those were gimmies. Show Details: Recorded 2022-03-11 Length this week - 1:59:20 (0:00:42-0:40:24) But First World Problems Ivan: Rolex Watches Sam: Mac Studio (0:41:11-1:09:24) Inflation Oil and Gasoline Impact on Efficiency Demand Reduction (1:09:58-1:58:46) Ukraine Current Situation Escalation Concerns Possible Outcomes Economic Squeeze Hostage Taking Ukrainian Offensive? The Curmudgeon's Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch. Our intro is “The Oh of Pleasure” (Amazon MP3 link) Our outro is “Celestial Soda Pop” (Amazon MP3 link) Both are from the album “Deep Breakfast” (iTunes link) Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.
Thousands of people leave Sumy in the northeast. But Ukraine's president accuses Russian forces of continuing to attack civilians. Also: the Chernobyl nuclear plant, which is under Russian control, has lost its power supply, and in other news, Shackleton's lost ship is found in the Antarctic.
A number of big name western brands have added to the Kremlin's global isolation over its invasion of Ukraine. McDonalds and Starbucks will temporarily close stores in Russia, while Pepsi and Coca-Cola are suspending business in the country. Meanwhile civilians have fled the besieged city of Sumy in the first successful humanitarian corridor. But Ukraine has accused Russian forces of shelling another evacuation route, from Mariupol in the south. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has renewed calls for more sanctions and no-fly zones, something the West has rejected for fears of escalating the conflict. Anei te kai ripoata a Andrew McRae.
* INTERVIEW: Privacy — Crypto's Next Step. After Trudeau's actions against Freedom Convoy, everyone realizes the need to control money OUTSIDE of the control of govt and central banks. But HOW? A discussion of Monero, Pirate and other tools for privacy* RT folds under censorship as DirectTV, Netflix, Spotify, and many other attack anyone who doesn't parrot the war narrative. But Ukraine is allowed to boast of war crimes on social media and neo-nazi groups in the country are taken off prohibition* First set of 55,000 pages of data Pfizer gave to FDA show NO oversight by FDA who put review under control of Pfizer. And, 9 pages of adverse effects listed with 1 out of every 35 trial participants — DEAD* How Microsoft partnered with the Chinese military and Bill Gates partnered with Jeffrey Epstein as Melinda Gates calls Epstein "abhorent, evil personified"* Got Milk? Michigan study shows milk protein fights Covid and other virusesFind out more about the show and where you can watch it at TheDavidKnightShow.comIf you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-show Or you can send a donation throughZelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Mail: David Knight POB 1323 Elgin, TX 78621
* INTERVIEW: Privacy — Crypto's Next Step. After Trudeau's actions against Freedom Convoy, everyone realizes the need to control money OUTSIDE of the control of govt and central banks. But HOW? A discussion of Monero, Pirate and other tools for privacy* RT folds under censorship as DirectTV, Netflix, Spotify, and many other attack anyone who doesn't parrot the war narrative. But Ukraine is allowed to boast of war crimes on social media and neo-nazi groups in the country are taken off prohibition* First set of 55,000 pages of data Pfizer gave to FDA show NO oversight by FDA who put review under control of Pfizer. And, 9 pages of adverse effects listed with 1 out of every 35 trial participants — DEAD* How Microsoft partnered with the Chinese military and Bill Gates partnered with Jeffrey Epstein as Melinda Gates calls Epstein "abhorent, evil personified"* Got Milk? Michigan study shows milk protein fights Covid and other virusesFind out more about the show and where you can watch it at TheDavidKnightShow.comIf you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-show Or you can send a donation throughZelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Mail: David Knight POB 1323 Elgin, TX 78621
https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/ukraine-warcasting Yeah, I know you're saturated with Ukraine content. Yeah, I know everyone wants to relate their hobbyhorse to Ukraine. But I think it's genuinely useful to talk about prediction markets right now. Current conventional wisdom is that the invasion was a miscalculation on Putin's part, after he surrounded himself with so many yes-men that he lost touch with reality. But Ukraine miscalculated too; until almost the day of the invasion, Zelenskyy was saying everything would be okay. And if there's a nuclear exchange, it will be because of miscalculation - I don't know what the miscalculation will be, just that nobody goes into a nuclear exhange because they want to. Preserving people's access to reality and helping them avoid miscalculations are peacekeeping measures, sometimes very important ones. The first part of this post looks at various markets' predictions of how the war will go from here (Zvi published something like this a few hours before I could, so this will mostly duplicate his work). The second part very briefly tries to evaluate which markets have been most accurate so far - though this is a topic which deserves at least paper-length treatment. The third part looks at which pundits deserve eternal glory for publicly making strong true predictions, and which pundits deserve . . . something else, for doing . . . other things.
Democracy and freedom have seemed to be on the decline. But Ukraine's pushback against authoritarianism has lit a spark around the world. Will Saletan is back for Charlie and Will Mondays. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Democracy and freedom have seemed to be on the decline. But Ukraine's pushback against authoritarianism has lit a spark around the world. Will Saletan is back for Charlie and Will Mondays.
The latest intelligence indicates the border city of Kharkiv could be particularly at risk. But Ukraine's foreign minister says there are no plans to evacuate the city. Meanwhile, Latvia's prime minister says Russian forces and tanks have moved into regions of eastern Ukraine that Vladimir Putin recognized yesterday as "independent." Our reporters report live from Kyiv on the latest developments in the crisis. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
Live from the no panic zone—I'm Steve Gruber—I am America's Voice— I am Fierce and Fearless— I am here to tell the truth—I mean lets be honest—somebody has to—And—I'm the guy— Here are three big Things you need to know right now— ONE— The United States keeps ratcheting up the idea that Russia is going to invade Ukraine at any minute—But Ukraine says no—and commercial airspace remains open— TWO— Bill Maher—has apparently been checking out the program—because he is on the side of the regular folks the Middle Class—and taking shots at Justin Trudeau— THREE— Donald Trump said from the very first day—that the Steele Dossier and the entire idea of some connection between his campaign and the Russian Government was Fake News— Over the past 5 years—every single thing that the 45th President said about the Russian Hoax was proven to be true—and the entire narrative from entire news networks— plus the New York Times—The Washington Post and others were proven to be completely false—But I should point out—those works of fiction by the papers did earn them Pulitzer Prizes—showing just how dishonest the media can be— President Trump called Hillary for what she was then—and is now—corrupt and dishonest— a criminal in fact— But what we have learned from a weekend filing by Special Counsel John Durham—is damning—and not only proves that President Trump was right about everything he said about wiretaps and spying on his campaign—Durham shows that his investigation has established that the Hillary Team—continued its spying—right into the Oval Office—and spied on the President of The United States— And there is a lot more to come—BUT you will not hear about this on NBC or the major networks of course—because that would out them—and their entirely dishonest reporting over the past several years on President Trump— And the major media outlets were all on the same page protecting Hillary and smearing Trump—
The winter Olympics in Sochi are providing the showcase promised by Vladimir Putin. But Ukraine's bloody violence may threaten his hopes for Russia's resurgence.
Ukraine had a historic opportunity this week to move toward full integration with the European Union. EU leaders wanted to seal an association agreement which would have drawn one of Europe's largest nations firmly into Brussels' orbit. But Ukraine's president walked away from the deal, in favour of closer ties with Russia. Why? Hardtalk speaks to Petro Poroshenko, Ukrainian billionaire-businessman and former minister. East or West - where do Ukraine's real interests lie?
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