Is Russia just about to invade Ukraine?

[irie]

The native American Indians have a saying, they believe that there are two wolves fighting for your soul, one is resentment, bitterness and negativity, the other is love, hope, and positivity.

The wolf that wins is the one you feed.

Not like you to quote Billy Graham

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Wolves

[Potter]

The native American Indians have a saying, they believe that there are two wolves fighting for your soul, one is resentment, bitterness and negativity, the other is love, hope, and positivity.

The wolf that wins is the one you feed.

Not like you to quote Billy Graham

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Wolves

You have to sort the wheat from the chaff with Mr Graham.

[ZRX61]

What could they do miliarily? Vietnam was a lesson well learned and they haven't forgotten it yet.

If that were the case, they would never have got involved in Afghanistan for 20 years...

[Saga Lout]

What could they do miliarily? Vietnam was a lesson well learned and they haven't forgotten it yet.

If that were the case, they would never have got involved in Afghanistan for 20 years...

I can't understand why any country gets itself involved in Afghanistan. It's been a problem area of the world for centuries. It even gets a mention in Herman Melville's masterpiece:

And, doubtless, my going on this whaling voyage, formed part of the grand programme of Providence that was drawn up a long time ago. It came in as a sort of brief interlude and solo between more extensive performances. I take it that this part of the bill must have run something like this:
“Grand Contested Election for the Presidency of the United States.”
“Whaling voyage by one Ishmael.”
“Bloody battle in AFFGHANISTAN.”

Moby Dick, 1851

[JackyJoll]

the other is love, hope, and positivity.

Poofy fucking wolf that one!

[JackyJoll]

The native American Indians

Are there non-native ones?

[demographic]

Not like you to quote Billy Graham

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Wolves

Reading that it seems there are three wolves and the one Billy Graham feeds most is the one that makes up different jackanorys.

To be fair, reading that Wiki is the first I'd heard of him.

[cheb]

The native American Indians have a saying, they believe that there are two wolves fighting for your soul, one is resentment, bitterness and negativity, the other is love, hope, and positivity.

The wolf that wins is the one you feed.

That's brilliant. Can you do me ten A4 posters with that written under a moody photoshopped picture of a still lake. I'll get them framed myself.

[ZRX61]

I can't understand why any country gets itself involved in Afghanistan. It's been a problem area of the world for centuries.

The Brits got their ass handed to them over 150 years ago, then we ignored history & went back with the yanks... who hadn't learned a damn thing from the Russians when they went there.

[wheelnut]

If that were the case, they would never have got involved in Afghanistan for 20 years...

GBJ wanted a war after 9/11. Any war would do,

Plus they never committed themselves in Afghanistan the same way they did in Vietnam.

[wheelnut]

I can't understand why any country gets itself involved in Afghanistan. It's been a problem area of the world for centuries.

The Brits got their ass handed to them over 150 years ago, then we ignored history & went back with the yanks... who hadn't learned a damn thing from the Russians when they went there.

The taliban, or mujahadeen as they were in the 80s learned plenty from US/UK though when they were fighting Russia. They were still using the same tactics 20 years later.

[demographic]

Well if Radio 4s coverage is right the Russian troops have been ordered back to their bases and away from the Ukranian border.
So by the looks of it, just Putin doing some sabre rattling.

[irie]

Well if Radio 4s coverage is right the Russian troops have been ordered back to their bases and away from the Ukranian border.
So by the looks of it, just Putin doing some Biden rattling.

ftfy

[demographic]

Well if Radio 4s coverage is right the Russian troops have been ordered back to their bases and away from the Ukranian border.
So by the looks of it, just Putin doing some Biden rattling.

ftfy

Did it work then?

[irie]

Well if Radio 4s coverage is right the Russian troops have been ordered back to their bases and away from the Ukranian border.
So by the looks of it, just Putin doing some Biden rattling.

ftfy

Did it work then?

Seems that Biden rattled Putin's cage and called his bluff.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... phone-call

According to the White House, Biden pressed Putin on Russia’s military buildup, saying that he “emphasised the United States’ unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

So no, I don't think it worked.

[demographic]

Fair enough, I'd not seen that piece but also I'd not noticed Biden being pushed into anything by Putin.

Despite being a weak leader, etc, yada yada.

Lets face it, I only heard most of my info on Radio 4 on my way to work between 06:15 and 07:00 and news is a bit thin on the ground at that time of day.

[Potter]

Seems that Biden rattled Putin's cage and called his bluff.

What actually happened was that Putin rattled Biden's cage and made him pick up the phone.
But fair play, the response from the WH has been more than I expected.

There is history between those two and I think Putin is going to provoke him as much as he can.
Putin made his point, Biden bumped his gums. I think there might be more to see in the future between them.

[irie]

Seems that Biden rattled Putin's cage and called his bluff.

What actually happened was that Putin rattled Biden's cage and made him pick up the phone.
But fair play, the response from the WH has been more than I expected.

There is history between those two and I think Putin is going to provoke him as much as he can.
Putin made his point, Biden bumped his gums. I think there might be more to see in the future between them.

As it happens, cages have been rattled and bluffs called many times from long before this latest Biden/Putin episode, this is simply a continuation of the same.

[Yorick]

Copied from another site.

For those who ask: “Why does Ukraine matter? “
This is why Ukraine matters.
It is the second largest country by area in Europe by area and has a population
of over 40 million - more than Poland.
Ukraine ranks:
1st in Europe in proven recoverable reserves of uranium ores;
2nd place in Europe and 10th place in the world in terms of titanium ore reserves;
2nd place in the world in terms of explored reserves of manganese ores (2.3 billion tons, or 12% of the world's reserves);
2nd largest iron ore reserves in the world (30 billion tons);
2nd place in Europe in terms of mercury ore reserves;
3rd place in Europe (13th place in the world) in shale gas reserves (22 trillion cubic meters)
4th in the world by the total value of natural resources;
7th place in the world in coal reserves (33.9 billion tons)
Ukraine is an important agricultural country:
1st in Europe in terms of arable land area;
3rd place in the world by the area of black soil (25% of world's volume);
1st place in the world in exports of sunflower and sunflower oil;
2nd place in the world in barley production and 4th place in barley exports;
3rd largest producer and 4th largest exporter of corn in the world;
4th largest producer of potatoes in the world;
5th largest rye producer in the world;
5th place in the world in bee production (75,000 tons);
8th place in the world in wheat exports;
9th place in the world in the production of chicken eggs;
16th place in the world in cheese exports.
Ukraine can meet the food needs of 600 million people.
Ukraine is an important industrialised country:
1st in Europe in ammonia production;
Europe's 2nd’s and the world’s 4th largest natural gas pipeline system;
3rd largest in Europe and 8th largest in the world in terms of installed capacity of nuclear power plants;
3rd place in Europe and 11th in the world in terms of rail network length (21,700 km);
3rd place in the world (after the U.S. and France) in production of locators and locating equipment;
3rd largest iron exporter in the world
4th largest exporter of turbines for nuclear power plants in the world;
4th world's largest manufacturer of rocket launchers;
4th place in the world in clay exports
4th place in the world in titanium exports
8th place in the world in exports of ores and concentrates;
9th place in the world in exports of defence industry products;
10th largest steel producer in the world (32.4 million tons).
Ukraine matters. That is why its independence is important to the rest of the world.

[MrLongbeard]

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/why-d ... ne-matter/