The latest narrative about DPRK soldiers fighting on the front lines in Ukraine is bullshit
  • multitotal multitotal 14h ago 100%

    The videos could also be from joint exercises, training exchanges, etc. It's funny how libs think "Koreans in Russia" is the same as "Koreans fighting for Russia in Ukraine".

    9
  • GSAAuctions advice
  • multitotal multitotal 15h ago 100%

    If I were to successfully bid on something, what is the process on “getting it”? They issue you a certificate and you pay the final bid and go and grab it? Or is there something else I’m missing?

    There's an email/phone number at the bottom of the webpage. I'd email/call them, you'll get the most reliable info. In fact, just copy/paste your post into an email to them.

    4
  • "Initials" by "Florian Körner", licensed under "CC0 1.0". / Remix of the original. - Created with dicebear.comInitialsFlorian Körnerhttps://github.com/dicebear/dicebearGA
    Games 17h ago
    Jump
    They used a communist cat girl in the mod...
  • multitotal multitotal 16h ago 100%

    The character's name is Alunya, as in Catalunya (Catalonia) if I'm not mistaken.

    13
  • Barriers to entry; or, There's Too Many Damn Questions
  • multitotal multitotal 17h ago 100%

    Note that anon edits log your IP address, unfortunately we can’t change that so I recommend a VPN or similar if you want.

    Good point. Thanks.

    1
  • cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/6007978 > I'm surprised there haven't been posts about it (or at least I haven't seen them on all the usual suspect communities). My guess is that people are hesitant to call it out in case the story turns out to be true, but I have no such qualms. > > **How it started** > > It started when Kyiv Independent quoted a "Western source" that [the DPRK has sent 10.000 troops to Russia,](https://kyivindependent.com/north-korea-has-sent-10-000-soldiers-to-russia-western-source-says/). The Western media then ran with the story and said [Ukrainian intelligence believes DPRK soldiers are sent to Russia.](https://www.npr.org/2024/10/16/nx-s1-5153533/ukraine-russia-north-korea-soldiers) Once [Zelenskyy](https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2024/10/14/zelensky-accuses-north-korea-of-sending-troops-to-support-russian-army-in-ukraine-en-news) [started](https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-zelenskyy-europe-victory-plan-summit-863bd5c70816449e3c92b7c1f767a2ff) [talking about it](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-says-some-nkorean-officers-already-deployed-alongside-russians-ukraine-2024-10-17/) that was good enough for Western media to [accept it as fact](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3vkqwe9wwdo). I can't find the article now, but I distinctly remember a headline saying "Zelenskyy confirms North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia", they must have changed the headline because of how it sounds. I need to remember to take more screenshots. > > At the same time as this story was "breaking", the Western media ran a parallel story about how the DPRK soldiers have already [fled their positions](https://www.newsweek.com/north-korean-troops-deserting-ukraine-frontline-hours-after-arrival-report-1969726). Of course, no videos or pictures of these "deserting soldiers" were ever posted or shared. The Western audience believes these things because they want to believe them to be true. > > **Racist undertones** > > Ukraine+Western media are saying that Russia is going to use the DPRK troops to [form](https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/10/15/7479792/) a [Buryat battalion](https://www.newsweek.com/russia-north-korean-battalion-ukraine-1969429). Buryat people are a distinct ethnicities within the Russian Federation. Ukrainian intelligence services have no doubt chosen the name "Buryat battalion" because in low quality videos and photos Western audiences are not expected to know the difference between a Buryat soldier and a Korean soldier. They are also claiming the Koreans are receiving Russian passports, documents, etc. so if they ever come across the bodies of dead Buryat soldiers they can just claim those are actually DPRK soldiers. > > **How it's going** > > The latest "evidence" posted of these supposed DPRK soldiers "fighting for" Russia is two videos without a date or location, but purportedly from Russia's far east. In both videos you can hear Korean being spoken. In one video they are outside training, and in the other [they are receiving Russian uniforms.](https://kyivindependent.com/north-korean-soldiers-reportedly-equipped-at-russian-military-camp-video-shows/) > > The Western media can't even get their story straight though. First they reported that South Korea's intelligence has said [12000 DPRK soldiers are fighting for Ukraine](https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2024/10/18/south-korean-intelligence-confirms-north-to-send-12000-troops-to-fight-alongside-russia-in-ukraine-en-news) but then they revised their story to say [1500 DPRK troops are fighting for Russia](https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/18/asia/ukraine-north-korea-12000-troops-intl/index.html). If you look at the CNN url, you will see that it still says "12000 troops", although the title and the body of the article have changed. > > **Why are they saying this?** > > It is obvious that Zelenskyy & Co. are trying to present this as an escalation and evidence that [this is becoming a "world war"](https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/10/17/north-koreas-support-to-russia-is-first-step-to-world-war-zelenskyy-alleges). The fact that Ukraine has been supported by countries from around the world is irrelevant. They claim 1500 DPRK citizens getting Russian uniforms is a big problem, yet when some 20.000+ mercenaries from the West received Ukrainian uniforms that was actually wholesome big chungus move. > > Regardless of the reality, most people in the West now think that DPRK soldiers are actually fighting Ukraine on the ground, despite the fact that ["NATO has not confirmed that thousands of North Korean troops are preparing to join the war, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Thursday."](https://www.axios.com/2024/10/17/zelensky-north-korea-troops-russia-ukraine) > > **But what if the Western media turns out to be right, and there are DPRK soldiers fighting in Ukraine?** > > I'm happy to say that this story is bullshit because what are 1500 soldiers going to do for Russia? Russia supposedly has some 400k soldiers in Ukraine right now. According to Ukraine+Western media, Russia suffers 1000-1200 casualties *a day*, so DPRK just sent them a day's worth of fighting force. > > But *even if* that were true (and it isn't), it's not a big deal. Where was the outrage six months ago when Macron said he is [considering sending French troops to Ukraine](https://www.france24.com/en/france/20240502-macron-doesn-t-rule-out-troops-for-ukraine-if-russia-breaks-front-lines)? People don't seem to understand that nobody is stopping individual countries like Poland, Estonia, Latvia, etc. to send troops to Ukraine. It won't trigger Article 5 and it won't drag NATO into war. But no country wants to do it, and no country will do it in response to 1500 supposed DPRK troops being sent there. > > If DPRK troops are indeed in Russia and Ukraine, then they are there probably for training, education or to oversee the transfer and use of the artillery ammunition they had sent to Russia earlier. NATO has thousands of its own personnel working in Ukraine, in addition to all the spooks and spies. > > The media loves this story because now it's Ukraine "alone" versus Russia, Iran, China and North Korea. It feeds into their underdog story, which only works if they completely ignore all the assistance Ukraine received from the West from the start of this war.

    41
    3

    I'm surprised there haven't been posts about it (or at least I haven't seen them on all the usual suspect communities). My guess is that people are hesitant to call it out in case the story turns out to be true, but I have no such qualms. **How it started** It started when Kyiv Independent quoted a "Western source" that [the DPRK has sent 10.000 troops to Russia,](https://kyivindependent.com/north-korea-has-sent-10-000-soldiers-to-russia-western-source-says/). The Western media then ran with the story and said [Ukrainian intelligence believes DPRK soldiers are sent to Russia.](https://www.npr.org/2024/10/16/nx-s1-5153533/ukraine-russia-north-korea-soldiers) Once [Zelenskyy](https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2024/10/14/zelensky-accuses-north-korea-of-sending-troops-to-support-russian-army-in-ukraine-en-news) [started](https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-zelenskyy-europe-victory-plan-summit-863bd5c70816449e3c92b7c1f767a2ff) [talking about it](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-says-some-nkorean-officers-already-deployed-alongside-russians-ukraine-2024-10-17/) that was good enough for Western media to [accept it as fact](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3vkqwe9wwdo). I can't find the article now, but I distinctly remember a headline saying "Zelenskyy confirms North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia", they must have changed the headline because of how it sounds. I need to remember to take more screenshots. At the same time as this story was "breaking", the Western media ran a parallel story about how the DPRK soldiers have already [fled their positions](https://www.newsweek.com/north-korean-troops-deserting-ukraine-frontline-hours-after-arrival-report-1969726). Of course, no videos or pictures of these "deserting soldiers" were ever posted or shared. The Western audience believes these things because they want to believe them to be true. **Racist undertones** Ukraine+Western media are saying that Russia is going to use the DPRK troops to [form](https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/10/15/7479792/) a [Buryat battalion](https://www.newsweek.com/russia-north-korean-battalion-ukraine-1969429). Buryat people are a distinct ethnicities within the Russian Federation. Ukrainian intelligence services have no doubt chosen the name "Buryat battalion" because in low quality videos and photos Western audiences are not expected to know the difference between a Buryat soldier and a Korean soldier. They are also claiming the Koreans are receiving Russian passports, documents, etc. so if they ever come across the bodies of dead Buryat soldiers they can just claim those are actually DPRK soldiers. **How it's going** The latest "evidence" posted of these supposed DPRK soldiers "fighting for" Russia is two videos without a date or location, but purportedly from Russia's far east. In both videos you can hear Korean being spoken. In one video they are outside training, and in the other [they are receiving Russian uniforms.](https://kyivindependent.com/north-korean-soldiers-reportedly-equipped-at-russian-military-camp-video-shows/) The Western media can't even get their story straight though. First they reported that South Korea's intelligence has said [12000 DPRK soldiers are fighting for Russia in Ukraine](https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2024/10/18/south-korean-intelligence-confirms-north-to-send-12000-troops-to-fight-alongside-russia-in-ukraine-en-news) but then they revised their story to say [1500 DPRK troops are fighting for Russia](https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/18/asia/ukraine-north-korea-12000-troops-intl/index.html). If you look at the CNN url, you will see that it still says "12000 troops", although the title and the body of the article have changed. **Why are they saying this?** It is obvious that Zelenskyy & Co. are trying to present this as an escalation and evidence that [this is becoming a "world war"](https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/10/17/north-koreas-support-to-russia-is-first-step-to-world-war-zelenskyy-alleges). The fact that Ukraine has been supported by countries from around the world is irrelevant. They claim 1500 DPRK citizens getting Russian uniforms is a big problem, yet when some 20.000+ mercenaries from the West received Ukrainian uniforms that was actually wholesome big chungus move. Regardless of the reality, most people in the West now think that DPRK soldiers are actually fighting Ukraine on the ground, despite the fact that ["NATO has not confirmed that thousands of North Korean troops are preparing to join the war, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Thursday."](https://www.axios.com/2024/10/17/zelensky-north-korea-troops-russia-ukraine) **But what if the Western media turns out to be right, and there are DPRK soldiers fighting in Ukraine?** I'm happy to say that this story is bullshit because what are 1500 soldiers going to do for Russia? Russia supposedly has some 400k soldiers in Ukraine right now. According to Ukraine+Western media, Russia suffers 1000-1200 casualties *a day*, so DPRK just sent them a day's worth of fighting force. But *even if* that were true (and it isn't), it's not a big deal. Where was the outrage six months ago when Macron said he is [considering sending French troops to Ukraine](https://www.france24.com/en/france/20240502-macron-doesn-t-rule-out-troops-for-ukraine-if-russia-breaks-front-lines)? People don't seem to understand that nobody is stopping individual countries like Poland, Estonia, Latvia, etc. to send troops to Ukraine. It won't trigger Article 5 and it won't drag NATO into war. But no country wants to do it, and no country will do it in response to 1500 supposed DPRK troops being sent there. If DPRK troops are indeed in Russia and Ukraine, then they are there probably for training, education or to oversee the transfer and use of the artillery ammunition they had sent to Russia earlier. NATO has thousands of its own personnel working in Ukraine, in addition to all the spooks and spies. The media loves this story because now it's Ukraine "alone" versus Russia, Iran, China and North Korea. It feeds into their underdog story, which only works if they completely ignore all the assistance Ukraine received from the West from the start of this war.

    48
    11
    Azov lobby goes to Brussels
  • multitotal multitotal 22h ago 100%

    “Jedi” is one of the leaders of the NGU Azov brigade’s medical service.

    There's no Nazis in the UAF, only medics.

    2
  • Barriers to entry; or, There's Too Many Damn Questions
  • multitotal multitotal 23h ago 0%

    Yeah, anons can edit main wiki pages and the edits go into a moderation queue

    I wanted an account so I could edit/expand an existing page in particular, I'll do that first.

    or spend time and effort patrolling all their edits and discussing if it’s factual or not and if we should remove or not

    Yes, that is true. In that way it makes sense.

    0
  • electronicintifada.net

    British counterterrorism police on Thursday raided the home and seized several electronic devices belonging to The Electronic Intifada’s associate editor Asa Winstanley. Approximately 10 officers arrived at Winstanley’s North London home before 6 am and served the journalist with warrants and other papers authorizing them to search his house and vehicle for devices and documents. A letter addressed to Winstanley from the “Counter Terrorism Command” of the Metropolitan Police Service indicates that the authorities are “aware of your profession” as a journalist but that “notwithstanding, police are investigating possible offenses” under sections 1 and 2 of the Terrorism Act (2006). These provisions set out the purported offense of “encouragement of terrorism.” An officer conducting Thursday’s raid informed Winstanley that the investigation was connected with the journalist’s social media posts. Attempts to reach the Metropolitan Police Service for comment for this story have been unsuccessful. Although his devices were seized, Winstanley was not arrested and has not been charged with any offense.

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    electronicintifada.net

    (I still don't know how to cross-post, although it was explained once to me) British counterterrorism police on Thursday raided the home and seized several electronic devices belonging to The Electronic Intifada’s associate editor Asa Winstanley. Approximately 10 officers arrived at Winstanley’s North London home before 6 am and served the journalist with warrants and other papers authorizing them to search his house and vehicle for devices and documents. A letter addressed to Winstanley from the “Counter Terrorism Command” of the Metropolitan Police Service indicates that the authorities are “aware of your profession” as a journalist but that “notwithstanding, police are investigating possible offenses” under sections 1 and 2 of the Terrorism Act (2006). These provisions set out the purported offense of “encouragement of terrorism.” An officer conducting Thursday’s raid informed Winstanley that the investigation was connected with the journalist’s social media posts. Attempts to reach the Metropolitan Police Service for comment for this story have been unsuccessful. Although his devices were seized, Winstanley was not arrested and has not been charged with any offense.

    31
    1
    Barriers to entry; or, There's Too Many Damn Questions
  • multitotal multitotal 4d ago 100%

    I could see it getting annoying if I was trying to join a lot of places in a short space of time

    I don't know what a short space of time is, but my account is 9 months old, so... three times in 9 months. To me that's a lot, especially cause my opinion on the things asked about hasn't changed since the first or second time I answered. Maybe I should have messaged the admins privately and requested an account. You live and you learn.

    1
  • The Telegraph - Russia retakes half of lost Kursk territory
  • multitotal multitotal 4d ago 100%

    Kursk was a PR offensive. There was also an order given that troops can't retreat from Ugledar while Zelenskyy was in the US presenting his "victory plan", cause it would look terrible in the headlines. Reportedly the Ukrainian soldiers left Ugledar without receiving the order, albeit after Zelenskyy had left the US.

    8
  • Barriers to entry; or, There's Too Many Damn Questions
  • multitotal multitotal 4d ago 100%

    Even for signing up for a bilibili account, you have to answer a lot of questions to demonstrate that you understand certain things about the site.

    True. It's more about how it's pretty much the same set of questions for lemmygrad, matrix and prolewiki, that they all have to be answered separately. It's a lot of unnecessary bureaucracy. Not just for the users requesting accounts, but also for the people who have to read the same answers three times from the same person.

    3
  • Barriers to entry; or, There's Too Many Damn Questions
  • multitotal multitotal 4d ago 100%

    I do think perhaps the admins could offer an abbreviated vetting for those with an account here to get on prole wiki and perhaps vice versa.

    Something like this would be nice.

    4
  • Barriers to entry; or, There's Too Many Damn Questions
  • multitotal multitotal 4d ago 100%

    I think the questions are the same ones you had to answer back when you made your account

    That's my point. Why should I (or anyone else for that matter) have to answer them again? Maybe there should be a way for people with lemmygrad accounts to skip the questions?

    We start from the premise that if you are going to be writing long articles on an encyclopedia, then you would be more likely to answer a longer vetting form. The questions are designed to tell us a lot about the prospective editor, i.e. that they are marxists.

    Then the application form should be to write a wiki article for something that doesn't have one yet, you could have a list of them and people just pick one. It'd be taking down two brids with one stone, you'd see how well they write + how they write, it's easy to tell whether someone has a marxist outlook or not.

    It’s a lengthy process but by our estimations it takes around 45 minutes on average to go through. you should be able to copy the questions to Word, answer them at your pace there, and paste back into the PW form when you’re done. That way you don’t have to answer them all in one sitting.

    Yeah, that's how I normally do it.

    anon edits feature

    I didn't know about that. I guess the changes have to be approved first?

    1
  • The Telegraph - Russia retakes half of lost Kursk territory
  • multitotal multitotal 5d ago 100%

    Surprising no one... The media loves to whip itself up in a frenzy "Is this it?! Is this what takes Russia down?" But it never is. Media was saying Ukraine is about to take Mariupol and reach the Azov Sea once they broke through to Robotino.

    17
  • https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/ukraines-steelmakers-fret-russians-advance-towards-key-coal-mine-2024-10-16/

    >Russian troops have moved to within around 12 km of Pokrovsk, overwhelming Ukraine's stretched defences with vastly superior numbers and equipment. Thousands of residents have fled and key road and rail links to other cities risk being severed. ... >Oleksandr Kalenkov, head of Ukraine's steelmakers' association, said the loss of the Pokrovsk mine, the only domestic source of coking coal, could cause steel production to slump. "We could make up to 7.5 million metric tons of steel by the end of the year and, for next year, we saw an increase in production to over 10 million," Kalenkov told Reuters. Yikes! Since they *fret* now, I wonder if they will be spinning or humiliated once Pokrovsk is liberated.

    21
    1
    Barriers to entry; or, There's Too Many Damn Questions
  • multitotal multitotal 5d ago 100%

    But surely you don't need all of those questions to weed out those dumb ass ones? Maybe the user can get random 2-3 questions from the pool of already existing ones.

    6
  • Daily stretches - where to start?
  • multitotal multitotal 5d ago 100%

    As soon as I get out of bed. It also wakes me up and gets rid of that sleepy feeling.

    2
  • This may be unpopular, but I am getting tired of all the questions to enter a space or create an account, not just in the lemmygrad-sphere, but basically every leftist space on the internet. I wanted to create an account on ProleWiki, but to do so I need to pass an exam. >FIRST SET (please answer all 8 questions) >SECOND SET (choose 5 questions to answer) I have already answered pretty much the same questions to get on lemmygrad and matrix. If I knew I'd be asked the same things over and over, I would have saved them from the first (or second) time I typed them all out. Mind you, lemmygrad isn't the first place I visited/joined, so I have answered a similar set of questions probably 6-7 times in the past few years. The biggest problem with the questions is that they don't work. As in, they're not going to filter out any bad actors, because people intent on joining for destructive purposes aren't going to be deterred by a few questions they can answer with a quick google search. Bad actors will also know what answers you expect to see and write those. It's a bit like when the US border control gives you the green form with the question "Are you a terrorist?" But the questions will turn away people like me who are simply tired of writing an exam just to create an account on a webpage. I have always had problems with tests/exams as in I have a problem they exist and I literally have traumas from them lmao. The pressure, the uncertainty, the doubt... I mean there's a reason people still have anxiety dreams about missing a test or not studying long after they have left school. By all means, have questions in the signup forms, but: **Fewer questions** Two to three questions max. You don't need theory questions, they can be googled. You don't need LGBTQ questions, that should just be a statement "Here we respect LGBTQ people and their right to exist, use pronouns people ask, don't discriminate, etc. violation of this rule will result in a ban, possibly permanent." Done. **Right kinds of questions** If you want a **theory/reading question** ask something like: *What was the book/article/work that got you into Marxism/communism and why?* or *What's the most recent work of communist literature (book, article, novel, pamphlet, zine, etc.) that had an impact on you and why?* People will tell you more about themselves by actually talking about themselves rather than answering questions about theory. Not to mention it's harder to fake being a communist when you have to give your own personal understanding of something that's not a big issue. Asking about Palestine, DEI, culture war topics doesn't make sense because again they can look up what you want to hear. But if someone says the most recent work they read is the Capital or Manifesto and they think everyone should be equal then that should raise a red flag (not for being wrong, but for not being genuine). **No wrong kinds of questions** There are some questions you simply shouldn't ask as a matter of principle. For example, you have this is number 3 of the mandatory questions for ProleWiki: "3. Have you read our principles? Comment your agreements or objections to their points." Since a person filling this out is only *requesting* an account, asking for comments on the principles may come across as you simply rejecting anyone who doesn't agree or will want changes. This shouldn't be a question, but a statement: "These are our principles, joining means you agree to them." I don't know how ProleWiki is run if there are meetings where principles are modified/added/removed or if they are set in stone. If set in stone, then it definitely makes no sense to ask. **Questions that are questions, not several questions hidden as one** Asking things is easy, but whoever wrote the questions has no respect for people's time. This is just way too much work, people have things to do. The time spent answering questions could be spent writing an article for the wiki. *There's an idea!* Instead of answering all those questions, just have a list of topics people can write a wiki article on. That wiki article is the entry form. Simple, elegant, dare I say... beautiful? What's there now though: >Where did you find ProleWiki from?(1) How familiar are you with it?(2) Comment what made you want to join ProleWiki(3) and what areas you are interested in contributing to.(4) That is *4* questions. >What current of Marxist thought do you uphold? Describe as thoroughly as needed your path towards your current political perspective. That is *2* questions, one of them an "essay question". >Have you read our principles? Comment your agreements or objections to their **points**. There are ten subheadings in the principles, with more sub-subheadings. That's a question and an essay question. Q: 6 E: 2 >What is your understanding of gender? Should Marxists support the LGBT community? *2* questions. >What is your position on Joseph Stalin(1) and Mao Zedong?(2) How would you describe their historical role?(3,4) Share any comments or critiques you have regarding them.(5) *5* questions. >What are your thoughts on China,(1) Vietnam,(2) Cuba,(3) DPRK(4) and Laos?(5) Do you believe any of these countries is socialist?(6) Why or why not?(7) *7* questions. >What is settler-colonialism,(1) are there any countries that still fit that description(2) and what should be done regarding them?(3) Further, what is to be done about the decolonization and liberation of indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, and immigrant groups in your country?(4) *4* questions. >What is your analysis of the situation in Palestine?(1) What do you think of the 2023 October 7 events(2) and the groups involved from both sides of the conflict?(3) *3* questions. I count 23 regular questions and 2 essay questions. And that's only the "8" mandatory questions. **TL;DR** too many questions to get an account (like ProleWiki, lemmygrad, matrix, but other leftist spaces too). ask fewer (2-3) but more poignant questions. rules about LGBTQ and other rules that aren't up for discussion shouldn't be a question but a statement to be accepted or not. answering so many questions is mentally taxing/exhausting.

    17
    24
    Chinese espionage activities overwhelm western governments
  • multitotal multitotal 5d ago 100%

    and Chinese civilians

    Holy shit this part made me physically uneasy. They're basically telling you to fear Chinese people cause they can be "spies". Red scare and Cold War propaganda vibes.

    47
  • Are there any good cartoons, anime or shows with Marxist tropes? I need fun stuff to watch to take breaks. My brain wasn’t made for theory watching all day 😅
  • multitotal multitotal 5d ago 75%

    I like DS9 and TNG equally, but TNG (and TOS) are more communist-ey that DS9.

    In DS9 we find that the Federation is not all that great, and in fact it's another imperialist power (arming the rebels in the Cardassian neutral zone, Section 13, etc.) DS9 often focuses on the individual, while in TOS and TNG it is always a team effort and practically nobody does anything alone. DS9 is great and I have seen it as many times as TNG if not more, their depiction of Ferengi is a great parody of modern libertarians/ancaps. There's also an episode that deals with unionising which is great.

    DS9, to me, is more about reconciling and learning to work with enemies. This is why there's a lot of focus on armed conflict/"terrorism". Cardassian-Bajoran situation is like Israel-Palestine. There's the neutral zone with Cardassian and Federation settlers living in a precarious peace with both sides secretly arming them, giving rise to the Maquis ("are they freedom fighters or terrorists?"). Then there's the interplay of religion and state. Federation is secular but with freedom of religion, Cardassia only has worship of the state as the only religion, Bajorans are very much led by their religion and spiritual leaders, Dominion worships the Founders who actually have "superpowers" and seem like "higher beings" (although mortal just the same, but harder to kill) so their gods are physical. DS9 deals with modern ethical issues: Jem'Hadar are genetically modified to worship the Founders and obey Dominion, cloning, forced drug dependency, taking sides in wars, etc.

    In TNG, on the other hand, Federation has solved all of its problems, it has cured pretty much all diseases, it has achieved post-scarcity when it comes to human necessities (materials to make ships, engine fuel, knowledge, these are still scarce) and now it's mission is basically to be the UN, but the ideal version of it. It finds a harsh, bitter and unwelcoming universe and it has to use diplomacy and cooperation, rational thinking and good will to make friends with these other civilisations, but it also has a powerful military just in case.

    The problems that TNG deals with are universal. In TNG the Federation has a stance that all cultures/civilisations are equal and have an equal right to existence. If a civilisation is violent now or can't be worked with that's ok, perhaps in 10, 20, 200, 500 years they will be, what they must have is self-determination and the opportunity to develop unobstructed. If they attack, the Federation will defend itself, but it will never seek total annihilation of the other side in that fight. Episode that is talked about a lot is I, Borg, when Picard gets a chance to kill all Borg. But because he has to use a changed Borg to do it, he sees that there is possiblity of change even within Borg, so who is he to decide to wipe out a race from existence?

    The episode Measure of a Man, is not about whether AI/androids are or can be human, it is the univeral question of "what makes us human?" and the moral (at least to me) is not that androids are human cause they do human things but that personhood (i.e. agency and ability to decide your own destiny) is not something we can take away from those who demand it.

    And on the face of it, this may seem like an individualistic message, however in the context of TNG it is not. There's often talk about duty to your fellow crewmembers, Federation as a whole, the human race and finally all life in the Universe (last one exemplified in the Prime Directive). In the episode Lower Decks it was done a bit clumsily cause it seems like Picard and Worf kinda bully-shame Ensign Sito into volounteering for the dangerous mission, but overall the TNG message is that you have free will and choice as an individual, but then you also have the opportunity to choose to make yourself part of something bigger and do your part to see that something persevere, improve, advance, etc.

    Damn, long post, but I love Star Trek so much and I could talk about it for hours lol

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  • Should loli posting be allowed?
  • multitotal multitotal 5d ago 100%

    Call me a fascist, but the very words "loli" and "lolicon" should be filtered/banned.

    19
  • Daily stretches - where to start?
  • multitotal multitotal 5d ago 100%

    I like doing the Qi Gong stretches in the morning. You'll find videos on youtube about it, both complete 15-20min routines and an overview of all the stretches/moves.

    It makes me feel more awake and despite that it's not hard physical exercise, after a while you start feeling more fit/healthy.

    You should always stretch before and after exercise. First as warmup, then as cooldown.

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  • Kamala Harris Claims RUSSIA is Brainwashing BLACK PEOPLE!
  • multitotal multitotal 5d ago 100%

    they openly admit their crimes and write it down in their newspapers, books and webpages, and in this day and age video themselves doing the crime.

    Many such cases...

    "We came, we saw, he died."

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  • Kamala Harris Claims RUSSIA is Brainwashing BLACK PEOPLE!
  • multitotal multitotal 5d ago 100%

    A whole Wikipedia article just to call a phrase "whataboutism". lmao

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  • Looks like the mod of it hasn't logged in for a year. I'm not asking you to remove them, just make me a mod also. To make things more neat, you can remove the BSD-ML (/c/bsd) and Space News communities that I moderate. Please and thank you. :)

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    www.france24.com

    Apparently libs think saying what's happening is "startling by anyone’s standards". >“There will always be a radical segment of Ukrainian society that will call any negotiation capitulation,” he said. “The far right in Ukraine is growing. The right wing is a danger to democracy.” And then... >Another brigade commander, Maksym Zhorin, *accused Marezhko of having no idea what he was talking about*, saying in no uncertain terms that **yes, in fact, negotiations on Russia’s conditions would always be seen as capitulation.** It's hard to find media coverage of it, but I'm pretty sure every Ukrainian city (including Kiev) are policed by neo-nazis. When the war started there was chaos, because the Ukrainian government decided to give an AK to anyone who asked. In the cities neo-nazi groups started keeping "law and order", now they have uniforms. AZOV started as a "special task police force" in 2014. Nazis policing is not a new concept for Ukraine. The TCC is almost 100% all nazis. People wonder "who could do that to people, shove them in vans and kidnap them for the front?" Nazis, that's who. Those are the people with a vested interest in the war continuing and they need cannon fodder. It's sickening. Who controls the streets, controls the country. I have heard from several Ukrainian refugees that they left because they got sick of the open nazism in their city. The threat about taking down the government is not an idle threat. They have done it once before, in 2014. Neo-nazis are in control of Ukraine and they will be a problem for Europe down the line. Especially when the threat is ignored and downplayed: "Ukraine’s far-right fringe remains a sensitive topic in the war-torn country". Liberals: Nazi-enablers since 1933.

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    https://archive.md/mTiBH#selection-2425.0-2507.0

    >Whether the goal is outright victory or bringing Russia to the table, western allies need to strengthen Ukraine’s hand. The Kremlin can only be pushed into talks on a deal that might be satisfactory for Kyiv, and the west, if it feels the costs of fighting on are too high. And any resolution to the war that enables all or part of Ukraine to survive and prosper will need guarantees of its security. Now "bringing Russia to talks" is a victory in itself for them. How quickly they forgot that it was Russia who wanted to negotiate from the beginning and after being snubbed for two years they said fuck it we'll just take it. Two years ago Zelenskyy [signed a decree making talks with Putin impossible but possible with Russia.](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-decree-rules-out-ukraine-talks-with-putin-impossible-2022-10-04/) They really throught regime change could happen, by they I mean the US, Zelenskyy just did what he was told. The media celebrated every time Russia wasn't invited to one of the "peace summits" but now all of a sudden "Kremlin needs to be pushed to the negotiating table". I wonder if they will succeed. If they will make the pro-UA crowd accept ending the war as a victory. If Ukraine declares victory after negotiations and people believe it genuinely might go insane.

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    https://www.moonofalabama.org/2024/10/emmanuel-todd-on-europes-hopefully-fading-submission-to-the-us.html

    "If, as I believe, the United States is defeated, NATO will disintegrate and Europe will be left free." - Emmanuel Todd in an interview with *Corriere di Bologna* I don't think NATO will disintegrate if Russia wins, although it will be weakened and has already shown itself to be weak/ineffective, a paper tiger. EU has already made plans for an EU army with little interest at its inception, although now I think more countries will be for it. Emmanuel Todd thinks Russia has maximalist goals in Ukraine, I disagree with him there too, although eventual liberation of Odessa might be in the cards. If they cut off Ukraine from the Black Sea completely, that will just be grounds for another war once Ukraine recovers.

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    electronicintifada.net

    >We can conclude that during the Al-Aqsa Flood offensive: - Israel expanded the use of its murderous “Hannibal Directive” – designed to prevent soldiers from being taken alive as prisoners of war – by killing many of its own civilians. - The use of such “Hannibal” strikes are confirmed in a UN report published in June. - Fire from Israeli helicopters, drones, tanks and even ground troops was deliberately undertaken in order to prevent Palestinian fighters from taking live Israeli captives who could be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. - At the initiative of the local Gaza Division, “Hannibal” was carried out right away: less than an hour after the Palestinian offensive began. - By midday, an unambiguous order was given from the high command of the Israeli military (the so-called “Pit” headquarters, deep under Israel’s Hakirya building in downtown Tel Aviv) to invoke the Hannibal Directive throughout the entire region, “even if this means the endangerment or harming of the lives of civilians in the region, including the captives themselves.” - This bombing of Israeli captives by Israel continues in Gaza even today. - Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted in a December meeting with released captives and families of captives that they had been “under our bombardments” in Gaza. - Hundreds of Israelis were likely killed by Israel itself in “Hannibal” targeting incidents as well as unintentional crossfire. - Israel has been engaged in an aggressive cover-up of its crimes against its own people.

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    0
    https://archive.ph/skKLU#selection-4677.0-4677.171

    ![](https://lemm.ee/api/v3/image_proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Flemmygrad.ml%2Fpictrs%2Fimage%2F5db07d02-9e37-48c4-bf5c-4781e2b7cdea.png) "It’s far from clear if the Ukrainian strategy will succeed."

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    "Initials" by "Florian Körner", licensed under "CC0 1.0". / Remix of the original. - Created with dicebear.comInitialsFlorian Körnerhttps://github.com/dicebear/dicebearCR
    Creature Posting multitotal 3w ago 95%
    Zionist
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    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Battle_of_Vuhledar

    Just like with Bakhmut, the pro-UA wikipedia editors couldn't bring themselves to write Russian victory. There were a lot of proposals to close off the article "Battle of Vuhledar" as a Ukrainian victory, and then write a new article "Vuhledar Offensive" where Russia won. The cope is unreal, but it looks like there are veteran Wikipedia editors who are sticklers for correctness and completeness and are not taking any shit. If you don't know, it took *several months* after Bakhmut fell for Wikipedia to reflect that. The cope was that no reputable sources said "Ukraine lost Bakhmut" and therefore it didn't happen, despite Russians moving past Bakhmut and assaulting villages to the West of it. [Talk page](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Battle_of_Bakhmut) Lots of threads are missing, there were at least a dozen discussing the issue of "Russian victory" back and forth. Is there an archive?

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    www.oxfam.org

    I guess there's no hiding it any more... ::: spoiler spoiler Hamas has taken over Oxfam. :::

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    https://www.moonofalabama.org/2024/09/zelenskis-us-trip-ends-in-failure.html

    To justify its decision the Biden administration even 'leaked' an intelligence assessment which warned of allowing such: >**Intelligence agencies concluded that granting Ukraine’s request to use Western missiles against targets deep in Russia could prompt forceful retaliation while not fundamentally changing the course of the war.** Reality asserts itself like a brick to the face. lmao

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