Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Dr. Strangelove]

Wiz - You got Grand Island written all over you.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Don't link me to that god forsaken town full of packing plants....now you've gone too far...

[Jeff Buchanan]

Photos and seismic activity recordings provided by the Danish government indicate 3 explosions over 4h took place in the immediate area over the Baltic sea where Nordstream 1 and 2, inactive but full of gas pipelines that originates in Russia and ends in Germany, is located.

If this isn't an overt Russian attack on EU member states, I don't know what is. Sabotage? Let's call it what it is.

You have to admire Putin's brilliance. He's pushing all the right western nation's buttons. Denmark, Sewden and Finland, all recent candidates for NATO membership but not yet a members, have shorelines on the Baltic The plausible deniablity for Russia in this act makes Nordstream a perfect target to attack.

It will be interesting to watch the west's reaction. Putin continues to needle his way to a NATO military response. It seems to me doing nothing than arm waving is counter productive.

[froot loops]

You are confusing brilliance with weakness.

[THE_WIZARD_]

STFU

[Jeff Buchanan]

You are confusing brilliance with weakness.

Putin isn't weak. He has the ability to secure his position inside Russia through repression of his critics and assigning the dubious title of traitor to citizens that protest.

IMO, that he is seen as vulnerable inside his own country by the MSM or by propagandist Zelinski statements for public consumption wrt his weakness in Ukraine are both wishful thinking.

Are Maduro or kim jung il weak? Not IMO, any more than Putin - they are all three of the same ilk. Brutal, sham elected l.eaders

[froot loops]

Again, they believed they were going to be marching in Kyiv in a week, he has had to resort to things you call brilliant because he stupidly played a weak hand. Throwing untrained conscripts with old equipment is stupid. Using the Wagner group to round up prisoners to fight is a great premise for a movie, but weak if you have to resort to it 6 months after you started the invasion.

Like I said before when you crush dissent to consolidate power you surround yourself with yes men. You need people around you to speak up and say the plan is hogwash and to tell him the military is not up to standard.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I get what you're saying. Characterizing an event or events as stupid requires an endpoint that has not yet been conclusively reached. History will judge Putin's plan based on it's outcome. If he prevails and survives, "brilliant" may not be the best way to characterize him. Brutally persistent where ends can be seen by the victorious as justifying the means.

I hope it doesn't come to that. I'd rather see him fail spectacularly in the end game but I tend to see the probability for that outcome as low because he is a conniving survivor. Some might sarcastically describe that as brilliance.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Ian just 50 miles off the coast and looking like eye landfall will be in the Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte area. Coming in earlier and stronger than it was projected yesterday morning. It's almost a Cat 5 as of the 8AM update

[Dr. Strangelove]

This is kinda nuts. LIV Golf is so desperate to get its tournaments on tv that they are PAYING Fox Sports to buy airtime. Also sounds like Jared Kushner is virtually a lobbyist for the Saudi govt at this point.

LIV Golf set to pay to get tournaments on Fox Sports (usatoday.com)

[Da Geezer]

The article says:

“Any advertiser who touches this will get blasted,” a longtime sports TV executive said. “It’s a weak product but it’s a tainted product on top of that.”

LIV has been widely criticized as a sportswashing effort by the Saudi regime to distract attention from its poor human rights record. A LIV tournament staged this summer at Trump Bedminster in New Jersey drew protests from the families of September 11 victims, who point to Saudi involvement in the terrorist attacks.
___________

I believe it is relevant that the same Saudi fund that backs LIV is also a prime sponsor of the Women's PGA. I wonder if the September 11 victims also protested that.

Not many people watch golf, but those of us who do are eager to watch LIV. This past week was the Presidents Cup, a USA v The World Except Europe, team event. The USA team won, as usual, but some of the best American golfers in the world were not permitted on the team. The # 2 golfer in the world, Cam Smith, (an Aussie) was also not allowed to play for the World team. The PGA is a monopoly and they are using their monopoly to prevent the LIV golfers from being ranked in the World Golf Rankings which, unlike rankings in college football, for example, is a mathematical formula. It determines who can be in tournaments.

Anyway, the TV ratings of LIV golf events will determine whether this move by LIV, if true, is smart or not. Just keep in mind that the full force of the controlled media in this country is arrayed against LIV. For that reason alone it is worth taking a look at LIV's product.

[Dr. Strangelove]

The UK may be entering a world of hurt

IMF openly criticises UK government tax plans - BBC News

[Dr. Strangelove]

US urges all US citizens to leave Russia immediately if they haven't already. Primary concern is rumored to be dual-nationals. Putin may choose to not respect their dual citizenship and consider them eligible for the draft.

EDIT: Also Russia-related but Germany says they think the Nordstream pipelines are probably unrepairable. Shut down for good, whoever did it.

[Dr. Strangelove]

[Dr. Strangelove]