nxdefiant

I am very confused by your comment. Are you saying Putin never said that, or are you saying he was lying?

From Putin's actual mouth:

ON DECISION TO LAUNCH 'SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION'

"We saw military infrastructure being ramped up, hundreds of military advisers working and regular deliveries of modern weapons from NATO. (The level of) danger was increasing every day. Russia preventively rebuffed the aggressor. It was necessary, timely and ... right. The decision of a sovereign, strong, independent country."

Just to be clear, he definitely said that, but he was definitely lying.

(source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-speaks-victory-day-parade-moscows-red-square-2022-05-09/)

The opposite. In the face of humiliation, the world worries about Putin launching nukes. A no-name lackey that lucks into the spot after Putin gets defenestrated would double down, not pull back. They would redouble their efforts to appear strong because they feel vulnerable.

They can all do that because all their torque is available practically at standstill, but they also all come with "chill mode" that makes the car accelerate like a regular-torque-curve economy car.

I was worried, at the top of this thread, that I was going to have to post this. Thank you.

not blonde, just old

...and I hope not, bleh.

absolutely.

(I agree completely with your sentiment, but Hitler's rise to power was helped greatly by reparations placed on Germany after WW1, Nazi propaganda loved to remind people about it)

Fission is probably the second most permanent solution we have behind geothermal, and maybe third behind hydro or solar depending where you live. Yes it still mines stuff from the ground, but it's like 25 tons of uranium a year vs 3 million tons of coal a year.

Nuclear as a base power load supply is an excellent idea. Fusion would be better if it ever starts working.

I would say it's pretty accurate across the grid, but I'd swap HDD and ram. HDD is chaotic neutral, because it can turn into a maraca at any moment.

They definitely have nukes, so it's on the table.

Now a MAGA themed payday loan business, that's got legs. Hmm...

I'm interested in examples. The West loved Gorbachev, is that why he was deposed? Were all the satellite countries that all split off during the collapse of the USSR being manipulated by the West to do so? I agree that Putin is essentially a backlash reaction by the Russian powers that be, and they've been pretty open about getting the band back together, but why. I see them looking back to the glory days and wanting them back, but for a while there Russia was looking pretty good on the global stage. They had oil money, business, influence but it wasn't enough. That's the part I don't get: what is enough for Russia, and is it cultural, historical, foreign influence, or something else that drives them. They seem to love shooting themselves in the foot and I don't understand why.