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Originally posted by Dr. Strangelove
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An interesting read. Seems to me that all safety procedures were followed when systems first detected the overheated axle in the wheel set of the first derailed tanker car. The report defers to the EPA on the impact of the spill. Standby for finger pointing between NS and EPA (the local response to the toxic chemical release by emergency responders). What's missing IMO is a report on the environmental impact of the chemical spillage into the air and water supply. I'd be surprised if it as "calamitous" as initial unofficial and probably wrong reports said it was causing the widespread panic and ensuing anger directed at NS.Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year. -
When Donald Trump went to East Palestine, he had several trucks come in with food and most importantly, bottled drinking water, and he just gave it away. He also went to the local McDonalds, and started buying food for everyone who showed up.
The guy is a total a-hole, and I'd never vote for him again, but for a stupid rich guy, he knows how to deal with a situation involving regular people. I doubt his actions earned him very many enemies .... well, .. except for at pMSNBC and CNN .. but I digress ..."in order to lead America you must love America"Comment
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I doubt if I'm the only one who thought "coyote date" after seeing that. If not, consider yourself fortunate.Originally posted by Hannibal View PostComment
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From what I've read Russia doesn't have a terribly big force in Transnistria. It's like 1200-1500 men. Any attempt to significantly increase that force would be treacherous and possibly cause more deaths and destruction than it'd be worth. They'd either have to be transported over Ukrainian airspace or attempt an amphibious landings southwest of Odesa, march across Ukraine and into Transnistria. Either seems pie-in-the-sky overly optimistic. Of course they've made huge mistakes in this war from the outset.
It seems more plausible that Ukraine and Moldova could be working together to remove a nuisance for them both. I don't know. It's only 1500 troops but Ukraine could be holding 3 or 4 times that number on their SW border to keep an eye on them. Troops they'd probably prefer to put elsewhere. Were Moldova to do this they'd be more less choosing to tie their fate to Ukraine.
Or it's just a total distraction (by someone) to draw the enemy's attention away from some operation the East. Dunno.Comment
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Sounds very much like a mechanical failure and not human error. IOW, shit happens. Unfortunately, this shit happened to several cars carrying vinyl chloride.Originally posted by Jeff Buchanan View Post
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Technically true, but she is the foreperson of a Grand Jury that recommended indictments. She would have been elected to that position. GJs are 25-40 people or so. Would you have voted for her?Originally posted by Dr. Strangelove View Post
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Probably not unless it meant I had to do considerably less work.Comment
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On the battlefield in Ukraine, nothing seems to change much except the number of living Russian soldiers. The two sides continue to each take ground (by meters not kilometers, streets not cities) and then give them back by retreating to established defensive positions.The line of contact, also called the FEBA or forward edge of the battle area, hasn't changed significantly in months. It runs from Kupyansk in the N to Vuldehar in the S, or about 300km. It stretches across three Oblasts, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk and a small part of northern Zaphorizia. The most active fighting is occuring west of the city of Donetsk surrounding Bakhmut where the Russians are concentrating forces some 100k or more. I posted yesterday about that region - the Russians are attacking with human waves rather that infantry supported by armor and artillery. I read today that this kind of assault harkens back to WWI and is reflected in every major battle the Russians have fought including now in Ukraine. High casualty figures are the norm for the Russian Army and RUssia has a population of 143m of which, more than 2m are men eligible for conscription. Russia's pool of potential reserves to get thrown into battle is deep.
The UN General Assembly is going to vote this week on a resolution that calls for Russia to end hostilities and withdraw from its neighbor on the eve of the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion. There are some 95 UN member countries out of 195 that have openly condemned Russia. These are the 17 holdouts: Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Laos, Mali, Nicaragua, North Korea, St. Vincent, Syria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe who do not condemn the invasion on the basis of their view that Russia has a right to be concerned for thier security given EU and NATO expansion. There are 83 fence sitters, India among them. Analysts believe that there are more fence sitting countries trending against the Russian invasion that are trending in support of it.
Other than showing the world in a very public venue whose side you are on, voicing an opinion one way or the other is a symbolic gesture. Still, nations that signed on to the UN charter in 1945 or who have since signed on agree to abide by the UN Charter that says: “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.” Obviously, Russia, a plank holding signatory of the UN Charter, is in blatant violation of it. Well, so what. And that is the fact in matters involving Ukraine. It also puts those who are openly supporting Russia's invasion or the fence sitting nations who don't condemn what is clearly a Russian violation of the UN Charter in a bad spot ...... and that is only if those nation's leadership believe in the existing world order the international law that defines it. China and Russia, and I'd include NK and Iran, have made it a point to demonstrate they don't.
And therein you have the basis for a conflict pitting competing ideologies in autocratic and liberal democratic states. That would be your big picture, both sides convinced of the viability of their ideologies and the need to change the world order from a unipolar to a multipolar one as actors. This big picture and the stakes involved. explained through analysis and reporting, is emerging with more clarity as Russia's invasion of Ukraine plays out.Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.Comment
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This is a news piece floating around within the last couple of hours that highlights exactly what I'm talking about. Yes, points made in UN GA speeches like this are little more than symbolic and the point has been raised in the recent past that the UN can't really do shit about the invasion of Ukraine by the Russians. OTH, world opinion can shape diplomacy and bend bad actors to change strategy. The case being made that Russia is responsible for rising energy and food prices and, in some instances, exacerbating already near famine in many Africa nations, along with the points Germany's UN Ambassador makes in a conflicting speech at odds with the Chinese UN Ambassador can have a positive impact on the outcome in Ukraine that is more favorable to upholding the UN Charter and the implied current world order bounded by international laws:
The German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, clashed with Chinese diplomats on Thursday, passionately rejecting their claim that the west was adding fuel to the fire by arming Ukraine.
Baerbock said it was time for China to tell Russia to stop its aggression.
In a debate at the UN general assembly marking the anniversary of the invasion and seen as a key barometer of the state of world opinion, China intervened to present itself as above the conflict by proposing a catalogue of measures: a ceasefire, dialogue, security guarantees for Russia, protection of civilians and the upholding of territorial integrity.
The deputy Chinese envoy to the UN, Dai Bing, insisted the west was worsening the situation by arming Ukraine, saying: “Adding fuel to the fire will only exacerbate tensions”.
His remarks provoked Baerbock into a powerful rebuttal rejecting his claim that the west was indulging in military spending at the expense of other priorities more important to ordinary people.
She asked: “Why on earth would we do that?”, adding: “We did not want this war. We did not choose this war.” She said her government “would much rather focus every bit of our energy and money in fixing our schools, in fighting the climate crisis and strengthening social justice”, adding: “The truth is that if Russia stops fighting, the war will end, If Ukraine stops this fighting, Ukraine ends.”
She said the suffering, including “abduction, rape and torture”, would continue every day, and that the world’s gaping wounds, caused by hunger, inflation and energy shortages, would not end.
Every country, she argued, had a duty to send a clear signal that the war was coming to an end. Addressing the 30 to 40 countries likely to abstain from the resolution, including China, India and South Africa, she noted: “Today each of us has to make a decision to stand in isolation with the oppressor or stand together for peace.”
She said there was a peace plan for Ukraine, and it was called the UN charter with its principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity and the non-use of force.
“Every single one of us today has the opportunity to contribute to this peace plan by telling the aggressor to stop”.
With Iran again saying it will abstain, it looks as if Russia will gain support, as opposed to an abstention, only from Nicaragua, North Korea, Syria and Belarus. Last time a comparable vote was held 35 states abstained, including 18 in Africa.
The debate was dominated by European voices, with few of the African nations planning to abstain coming forward to explain their thinking. The French foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, appealed directly to the likely abstainers, saying the war was “everyone’s business” and stressing: “Neutrality can amount to complicity with the aggressor.” She said our common duty was to stop to excessive violence, adding: “None of would be able to sleep easy in a world when a great power can at its own discretion attack its neighbours.”
Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.Comment
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”To determine if rock was dead we decided to ask a 70 year old whose been creatively dead for over 30 years”
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Rock isn't dead. He has a new show on NBC...Shut the fuck up Donny!Comment
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...Shut the fuck up Donny!Comment
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