tassojunior

main stream media should probably never go live:

Putin was the democratic supporter the US helped make sure won in Russia. We gave a ton of money to help him and Yeltsin win the democratic election against the communists and had the CIA etc all working to get him in. He expected Russia would be a US ally. Instead because of middle east politics we changed to a policy of destroying Russia. There's consensus that was a stupid US move. In similiar irony, Zelensky was the pro-Russian candidate who won overwhelmingly in Ukraine's election. He promised elimination of corruption and alliance with Russia. Corruption has gotten much worse under him and Russian friendship is dead. He came under control of one huge oligarch. Zelensky as pro- Russian comedian and candidate:

pain in the ass

perfect example today of the absence of journalism. the Under Sectretary of State in Congressional testimony yesterday said Ukraine has bio weapons labs they are scared will fall to Russians. Biden's press secretary today says that information was put out by Russia and China so we should be on alert for a bio-weapons attack from Russia. Our pro-war media won't touch the odd story. wtf? Sadaam's bio weapons of mass destruction argument? update: our government has finally published the official spin that every media outlet is to run. Not true obviously from what the Asst Sec of State testified yesterday but only spin matters: https://news.yahoo.com/white-house-warns-russia-may-231621400.html

Britian overextended itself in the 1800's spending all it's resources on war until by 1914 (the last time Europe was in war lust like the present) it was a lesser power. The USSR overextended itself in the later 1900's trying to control too many countries, especially in Europe. Now it's a lesser power (except for those missiles). The US for a while has been spending half it's discretionary budget on our military to control the world. But as a capitalist country most of that money is wasted. We pay $1000 for toilet seats and $800 for hammers and one of our biggest national expenditures is the F-35 which would be worthless against China. After massive spending our military corporations still cannot figure out a working supersonic missile. Our corporate military budget means Americans have to have less income security and healthcare than other similar countries for less effect. We've borrowed to overextend ourselves for many years and we're rapidly diminishing as a power just as Britian and Russia did. It's China's century and our wars in the middle east and now wars between western countries just hastens China's hegemony. And don't think "our" corporations or banks still rule the world. Those corporations are increasingly multinational by the day. (If anything Google and Microsoft are more Indian and many corporations are minority American-owned -and-run now.) The effort we've been making to de-couple from Chinese technology has also been expensive and disrupting the past few years and is showing mixed results at best. However awful the coming Chinese domination may be, the US domination of the world is ending very quickly. I hope the crazy news leaks today that the US has biochemical labs in Ukraine and that it has hired 500 ISIS/al Queda fighters to help fight in Ukraine are not true. If either is true this war is really spiraling out of control (as they usually do).

UnionPay

Anyplace I go I carry emergency large bills or $100 ones folded in the bottom of my sock. Been "robbed" 3 times in a decade but no one ever checked sock bottoms. Wallets can be picked without taking them out and are the worst place to keep much money. Money exchange is a PITA everywhere. Many times I find the hassle of getting good rates and the loss on leftover cash makes it easier to just always pay in US $ for escorts at least. If they'd just take credit cards !

I suspect as much as Russians like to vacation, MasterCard and Visa may have shot themselves in the foot in this war and Russians (and probably others) will be dumping them for the Chinese card or even better some politically-neutral card. I'm wondering how all those world's best gay Russians on Chaterbate, F4F and OnlyFans are getting paid. Also about that visa-free ferry from Helsinki to St Pete this summer. And most of the routes I'm taking US to central Europe this summer seem a lot cheaper and faster on Turkish with a stop in Instanbul. Weird that Turkish seems like a "safer" bet than other airlines right now.

When the Clintons helped Putin win the election against the communists in Russia and he finished dismantling the USSR, Russia expected to be part of of the EU and NATO and a western democracy. Instead Russia was spat on by the west and NATO was moved onto it's border with missiles pointed at Russia. Not being able to shake the Cold War goal of destroying Russia out of our minds was the dumbest mistake the US has ever made. Now China is the strongest country in the world and we've lost any hope of the US-Europe/Russia being an alliance to equal China because of our Cold War obsession to defeat Russia.

Get a "hooch light". Lighting is important. ( a cellphone fashlight makes a good one).

a month after I waited 2 months for my US passport renewal on expedite they now have it online and people are getting theirs in a week. 😍 Remember- your US passport must be good for at least 3-6 months past your expected stay to enter most countries https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/new-us-online-passport-renewal-system-incredible-already-new-passport-just-week-renewal/

Let me be radical and say I agree Russia should not drop a nuclear bomb on Kiev to shorten the war and neither should any country drop one "to save lives". That is a contradiction. I drive little and have a Prius but yesterday I had to go to northeast DC to a body shop and I noticed gas at two stations out there was $4.58/gallon. I last got gas two weeks ago and it was $3.50. Today they say the US is stopping Russian oil so by the time summer driving starts gas could double. Does the government really think $9 gas is not going to cause a revolt? (few of them or other rich have any idea what gas costs). Most Americans who are lower middle class have to drive everywhere from neccessity. That's a high price for Zelinsky not having to recognize Donbas's independence. Remember, Americans started a revolution over high tea prices.

Most of the many guys I see in Prague live far out. Brno, Olomouc, even Ostrava. 2 hrs by train or car. They're pretty used to it. Liberec is closer.

i wish people would quit reassuring everyone that the guy deep down in a bunker at the Kremlin with his finger on the hypersonic nuclear weapon button is just desperate and crazy. That is the furthest thing from reassuring. That's my argument for not cornering and making enemies desperate anyway. Not that I think Putin is or JFK was. Disrepected and overcompensating maybe.

he must keep his socks in his briefs when he wears sandals.

When I was very young I remember the Cuba missile crisis and how certain we were that nuclear war would start in a day or two tops. I remember all the hundreds of tanks on railroard cars headed past our house to Florida. I remember talking my father into helping me bury a jar of personal items in the back yard as a time capsule for future people long after the nuclear war to find. We were that certain. Over all these many years I've become complacent about nuclear war like everyone else. It could never happen ! (Mutually-assured destruction, etc). For the first time since I was that young boy I have in back of my mind sitting here in the middle of DC that any minute I could be vaporized without much warning. People have finally gotten that crazy again.

if I were in Prague tonight..... There's a 19 yr old hottie who just got on Hunqz the past week and seems legit. Only advertises "massage" but only 100E. https://www.romeo.com/hunq/Davidekkk

Sounds like the US in our last few dozen embargos & invasions. It's terrible Russia is being that bullyish...too. Everyone and every country has to make a decision how much to compromise vs. consequences of escalating any dispute. Those who fight every single issue to the extreme are fools. People or countries.

A lot of people have noticed that the US does not invade countries that have nuclear weapons. Everyone else is fair game. Only China and Russia have undetectable supersonic nuclear weapons. Everyone else's can be shot down like the US's. Our $750 Billion military budget obviously isn't enough lol. And China has few warheads compared to the US and Russia.

"Well this was certainly better than compromising on autonomy for Donbas"

I didn't realize so few had been killed in Donbas the past couple years but my point is still that giving Donbas autonomy or even independence is much preferable to having thousands now killed and risking a nuclear war. And one of the reasons I doubt a low number is that the famously Nazi Azov Battalion is centered on the lines in Donbas for the express purpose of killing seperatists there. The Washington Post had a front page story 2 days ago on a "volunteer" group of Ukrainian snipers who live in a large house on the Donbas front lines and how much fun they have watching seperatists heads blow up through the sight when their bullet strikes the seperatists' heads. I always thought it was just childrens' heads that exploded when sniper bullets struck them. (I doubt it matters to snipers). The story certainly doesn't sound as if this wonderful group had only killed a couple people in the past years. On a high note at least we know Ukrainians don't just enjoy killing Jews, Blacks and Arabs anymore. I don't see Ukraine coming out of this as well as the Minsk treaties and in fact that's what they're wanting now. Ukrianian sniper group in Donbas. Not killing Russians but Ukrainian seperatists. :

gotcha. Even if it causes a million deaths or a nuclear war and a billion deaths don't give an inch on anything. Death with honor is preferable to giving any compromise at all.

14,000 people in Donbas were killed by Ukraine. That killing had to stop. I don't understand war so don't understand why Russia attacked all of Ukraine. But the fact is the official demand from Russia in the peace talks appears to be the same today (which shocks me) and Ukraine still refuses (which shocks me more). No NATO and Minsk Treaty adherence. Ukraine is going to end up refusing easy peace settlements and more people are going to die and we're going to spiral into a bigger war. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday revealed Russia's harsh demands: Ukraine halt its military activity, change its Constitution to include neutrality so it can't join the EU or NATO, recognize Crimea as Russian territory and recognize independence for the separatist regions of Donetsk and Lugansk. I'd like for Ukraine to be in the EU and would rather Dombas be autonmous than independent but again, I'd jump at this chance to save so many lives and keep Ukraine a country. Ukraine refused the Minsk provision of just autonomy for Donbas and has lost that bet. It's just going to keep getting less favorable terms and more people are going to die. And after a certain point total surrender will be the terms and many more will be dead. Thousands of lives matter more than pride in a glorious war.

Wanting to see as few people killed as possible and avoiding wars is not being an apologist. That's a tired accusation of jingoists in the leadup to every glorious war. 14,000 people have been killed in 8 years, mostly Ukranians by Ukraine because Ukraine refused to honor the Minsk treaties after signing them eight years ago. That simply is a fact surpressed as "misinformation" in our new censorship society. Why is it before every major war Americans are so eager for it to start and turn on it after the bodies and costs pile up. We are so gullible to the pro-war press everytime. Look at our interventions just since WW2:

There's also the likihood that with a Russian victory, Putin becomes a national hero like Hitler after extremely harsh sanctions on Germany. Today in Doha at the world gymnastics championships: