Germany got cheap gas from Russia, free security from the U.S., low cost imports from China, and Southern Europe as captive markets.
Sucks when the massive free ride ends doesn’t it? https://t.co/bMKFQho02X
— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) October 5, 2022
Matt’s right. Germany was being subsidized in many important ways. That’s over for now. Gonna be painful for them, even if they were receiving several unwarranted boons.
IT BEGINS: Moscow's TASS news reports that mobilized troops in the Omsk region are electing spokesmen to complain about conditions and lack of pay. These are literally acts of mutiny and insubordination– and don't bode well for the combat performance Putin’s newest troops. https://t.co/CrCQsqEiJa
— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) October 5, 2022
Ian Welsh: Glorious Russian VICTORY!
LOL.
The media keeps saying “energy prices are going up” when really it’s just “fossil fuel” prices. Renewables are getting cheaper every day.
— Jamie Henn (@jamieclimate) October 5, 2022
Indeed. Germany et al. really fucked themselves over by not keeping their nuclear plants open and not investing more heavily in renewables. Who thought depending on Russia for your entire civlization was a good idea? Total clowns, that’s who.
The fact is that if Putin is not defeated in Ukraine, the Baltics and Poland are next up.
Something I was wrong about is that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has fuck-all to do with NATO when his belligerence is truly based on revanchism and dreams of past empire now lost.
A mob of people trying to dunk on a conference full of ER doctors for not wearing masks, and basically failing and getting ignored, is another pretty good bookend for the end of the pandemic. https://t.co/I4uVdcOliX
— Noah Smith 🐇🇺🇦 (@Noahpinion) October 4, 2022
Indeed. The Covidians are pretty much defeated now. Still annoying, but vanquished. Big sigh of relief at that.
Remember when pro-Russian propagandists and useful idiots used to say, "the only place Ukraine is winning is on Twitter"?
You don't hear that anymore.
— Jimmy Rushton (@JimmySecUK) October 4, 2022
No. Now it’s, “Russia could win if they really wanted to. Like for really real.” Which, you know, there’s just nothing you can do with those people. Their brains departed long ago.
I don’t know if it’s working they do though. Mostly they like walking around and chatting and bothering other people while avoiding doing work. https://t.co/QO1ppBD1wa
— Milena Rodban (@MilenaRodban) October 4, 2022
Milena is correct. The vast majority of people who like working in the office are the extroverts who prevent everyone else from getting work done while doing very little themselves. That this isn’t obvious to more managers is a bit worrying.
Ukrainians Are Responding to the Threat of Nukes By Organising an Orgy.
Reality is turning into an 80s movie. In so many ways.
I'm poly, but naturally prefer mostly focusing on one partner at a time. I also like dating dudes with real high smv, and high smv dudes tend to be able to get laid a lot, and do *not* like focusing on one partner at a time. it's rough but I bring it upon myself
— Aella (@Aella_Girl) October 5, 2022
Funny that Aella is really unusual in a lot of ways, but here she’s just like 99% of other very attractive women. Some traps are hard to escape. She’s aware of the trap and still can’t get out of it. I think that says a lot about the human condition in general, not picking on her.