Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[WingsFan]

Detroit air quality ranks second worst in world due to Canadian wildfires


This is no joke, I had to cut the dog walks and he doesn't like it.

The dense smoke according to IQAir’s Air Quality Index. Detroit closely followed with 171 and then Beijing, and Baghdad, Iraq, fell in third and fourth. Residents are advised to "keep windows closed overnight to prevent smoke from getting indoors and, if possible, run central air conditioning with MERV-13 or higher rated filters."

[Dr. Strangelove]

AQI is 185 in Columbus this morning. Was very low as recently as Sunday.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Geez just looked and it's well over 200 up around Cleveland

[THE_WIZARD_]

My advice to you is...breathe in deep and slow and often...

[AlabamAlum]

FlexSeal OceanGate:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ct0GIANA5ML/?igshid=MTI1ZDU5ODQ3Yw==

[Mike]

A bargain at any price!

[Dr. Strangelove]

FlexSeal OceanGate:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ct0GI...I1ZDU5ODQ3Yw==

Heh

[AlabamAlum]

Love the Tomb. Hate the twatwaffles whose phone rings, the chatting, and the guys who won’t remove their caps.

[Mike]

Always a must visit for me. The people who treat it as just some casual tourist attraction piss me right the fuck off.

[Mike]

Geez just looked and it's well over 200 up around Cleveland

It's 218 where I live. Fucking hosers.... rake your forests!

[AlabamAlum]

Always a must visit for me. The people who treat it as just some casual tourist attraction piss me right the fuck off.

Yeah. I say something to anyone near me, but it’s a losing effort. They comply, but I get the sense they think of me as a crazy flag-waving jingoistic boomer.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Tell them to get the fuck off your lawn...

[AlabamAlum]

I usually say something like, “Take your hat off and shut up, or I’ll punch you in your throat.”

[THE_WIZARD_]

I like the subtle approach...you obviously have been in sales...

[Jeff Buchanan]

The Putin appointed head of the Russian Security Council and outspoken saber rattler, Demetri Medvedev, is no where to be seen, the Russian commander of all forces in Ukraine, supposed ally of Prigozhen, General Surovkin has also disappeared, Lukashenko, president of Belarus "welcomes" exiled Russian mercenary Prigozhen and his PMC members who followed their boss, Putin tries to control the narrative surrounding the Wagner crisis are all curious circumstances causing head-scratching among Russia watchers.

Wagner PMC's and it's boss heading to Belarus begs the question is this an effort by Putin to place battle tested Russian forces in Belarus for future operations directed against Ukraine? Tactical events in Ukraine associated with Russia's invasion remain unchanged - Ukraine claims marginal advances into occupied Ukrainian territory; Russian military authorities claim their forces repel all Ukrainian counter-offenses. There are no indicators that Wagner PMC forces forming up in Belarus are going to used by Putin to create and axis of attack from Belarus towards Kiev. It is remotely possible but reportedly Lukashenko has resisted Russian efforts to make that happen as he walks a fine line between courting pro-democracy political activists in his country and the kind of repression he uses to silence them.

Western intel sources say Surovkin knew about Prigozhen's plans a week before they happened and was allegedly involved in planning them. This suggests that there may have been some support with the Russian military elites of Prigozhen's attempt to oust Defense Chief Shoigu and his overall forces commander Garissimov. Maybe. Ukrainian intel suggests that the mutiny didn't last long enough to have an impact on the morale of Russian troops fighting in Ukraine and that 48h more would have made a difference relating to Russian troop morale. All of this talk is consistent with Russia's historical internecine, behind the scenes events among Russian generals, elite political figures (Sloviki) and oligarchs, all of them jockeying for proximity to and favor of Putin.

Is Putin's fall from the Russian presidency imminent? No serous Russian observers with the chops to do meaningful analysis believe Putin's power is imperiled, caveat from this crowd, "shit happens." The Wagner crisis and it's apparent resolution has definitely harmed Putin's image and it is this realization that is driving Putin to control the narrative. Multiple sources claim it has little impact on Russian military operations in Ukraine. So far, looking at just the tactical picture there, I'd tend to agree with those sources. On the political side and from a strategic perspective, it's going to be while before all of that sorts itself out. There will be lots of speculation about Russia's political intrigue inside the Kremlin but as the news cycle burns out on all of that, the news regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine will slip to the back page......and it's pretty clear Zelenski and his propaganda apparatus does not want that to happen.