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Sometimes I am to tired to share, to overwhelmed to convey my thoughts, sometimes I could careless about what and how to say, day by day is there really anything to say, for if a thought was a star space would be filled, darkness would be abolished, light would fill eternity, if only a thought held the value to be, what value are these absurd thoughts of mine, for eyes don't see, ears wont hear, no pondering convention of these random thoughts of mine, I have no clue why I share at all, internal conversations that would confound and deafen all, to speak my mind seems like a silly rhyme, yet at times I have nothing to do but share my thoughts with all;
You can encourage my continued useless #poetry, creativity and expression of self, #commentary, random thoughts, #philosophy and ideas, and by doing so your helping to feed, house and clothe a #disabled man living in #poverty, $5-10-15 It All Helps, via #cashapp at $woctxphotog or via #paypal at paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=…
ロシア大統領府（クレムリン）は１４日、北大西洋条約機構（ＮＡＴＯ）のルッテ事務総長がロシアとの戦争を準備すべきと発言したことを無責任だと非難し、第二次世界大戦がもたらした惨禍を真に理解していないことを示していると述べた。WACOCA News Editor (WACOCA NEWS)
Darby Creek, PA
Took my family for a walk along a local creek ❄️
-5 °C (23 °F), feels like -15 °C (5 °F) according to the forecast, though it felt better 🤔 They enjoyed the scenery 😉
#GetOutside #FlyFishing #Fishing #Nature #Hiking #Walking #Creek #Snow #Photography
Hillary Clinton Says Young People Oppose Gaza Genocide Due to “Totally Made Up” Videos
ECOWAS has declared a state of emergency in West Africa, citing rising coups, expanding security threats and worsening political instability.Business Insider Africa
WhatsApp’s biggest market is becoming its toughest test
https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/14/whatsapps-biggest-market-is-becoming-its-toughest-test/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into Latest TechCrunch Stories @latest-techcrunch-stories-Techcrunch
Meta has three months to comply with Indian government directions that could affect how WhatsApp operates in the country.Jagmeet Singh (TechCrunch)
China Home-Price Slump Persists as Authorities Vow to Stabilize
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-15/china-home-price-slump-persists-as-authorities-vow-to-stabilize?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
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First snow in #NYC.
Moves to appropriate properties now effectively defunct and relaunch the bird
'startup calling itself “Operation Bluebird” announced this week that it has filed a formal petition...to cancel X Corporation’s trademarks of the words “Twitter” and “tweet” since X has allegedly abandoned them'
#twitter #socialMedia #technology
arstechnica.com/information-te…
“Abandonment” offers rare chance to reclaim one of tech’s most recognized brands.Ars Contributors (Ars Technica)
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Außergewöhnliche Videoaufnahmen vom Terroranschlag am Bondi Beach in Sydney zeigen einen Mann, der sich unbewaffnet an einen der Täter heranschleicht und ihm erfolgreich das Gewehr entreißt.Marius Marx (Apollo News)
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Moore Threads Plans to Use Most IPO Proceeds to Buy Bank Products
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-15/moore-threads-plans-to-use-most-ipo-proceeds-to-buy-bank-products?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
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Padri sempre più tardi: uno spermatozoo su 20 è potenzialmente patogeno. Lo studio che cambia la scala del rischio
https://www.open.online/2025/12/14/padri-tardi-mutazioni-genetiche-trasmissione-figli-studio-nature/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Pubblicato su SALUTE @salute-OpenGiornale
La nuova tecnica di sequenziamento mostra che alcuni geni mutati nelle cellule che producono spermatozoi proliferano più del normale, diventando sempre più comuni con l’avanzare dell’età.Gemma Argento (Open)
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The fun but also scary part of left-twitch. Conspiracy theory communities, cults, extremism, and some bay area local news. Great local music during the breaks of every show.Twitch
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Describe the Bug I am reporting this to confirm that a critical vulnerability in Next.js (CVE-2025-66478) led to a root-level compromise on my server, where Umami was running. I understand Umami ha...ehtishamsajjad (GitHub)
Thanks.
For severe incidents like this, please post the most appropriate link, in this case github.com/umami-software/umam…
Admins in self hosted usually don't have that much experience with real, active compromise and may panic, let's help them as much as possible.
I will add that Umami itself is not compromised, but vulnerable. That
is a somewhat misleading title.
What was the vector? Did you have umami exposed publicly?
Describe the Bug I am reporting this to confirm that a critical vulnerability in Next.js (CVE-2025-66478) led to a root-level compromise on my server, where Umami was running. I understand Umami ha...ehtishamsajjad (GitHub)
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All umami instances have been infected with a persisting crypto miner.
Source for that claim? Because vulnerable does not mean infected.
Also, I'm kinda glad my instance has been offline for a while now because of database trouble. That was lucky.
Look insideReact2Shell
Just another day on the job
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reaffimed his firm refusal to cede any territory, resisting U.S. pressure for a painful compromise with Russia as he continued to rally European support for Ukraine.
“Undoubtedly, Russia insists for us to give up territories. We, clearly, don’t want to give up anything. That’s what we are fighting for,” Zelenskyy said in a WhatsApp chat late Monday in which he answered reporters’ questions.
“Do we consider ceding any territories? According to the law we don’t have such right. According to Ukraine’s law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don’t have a moral right either.”
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-zelenskyy-trump-putin-cf17d925e21e6d6329fadff7e3efbb90
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frustrated_phagocytosis, aramis87, SuiXi3D, Lasslinthar, Atelopus-zeteki, bacon_saber, felixthecat e dandi8 like this.
I'm rallied.
We all are.
It's up to the rich cunts.
And they act in their self interest, so it's basically a dice roll. Oh, also, Russia controls USA, and USA controls the world, so I'm kind of hunkering down and trying to find an AK at this point.
We all are.
Far from it. A lot of people in Europe are brainwashed by Russian propaganda, even more people are not doing that great and will not sacrifice anything to help Ukraine. In many countries the right is either in power or very close to getting it. Each government is very carefully calculating how to keep the war going without losing the next elections. I think European troops should have been providing air defense to western Ukraine from the very beginning of the war but half or most of the people (depending on the country) don't support sending any troops there.
I know.
I meant us, us who are. I don't even know what I mean anymore. It's like fighting an avalanche of stupidity. How can people be so blind?
The European people really shouldn't want to use their own military anyway. Much better to just continue being America's bitch (as America, and everyone else, slides into fascism.)
I don't see any danger here at all.
Well, shit.
So much for the Cold War.
Ukrainian Support for War Effort Collapses
More than three years into the war, Ukrainians’ support for continuing to fight until victory has hit a new low. In Gallup’s most recent poll of Ukraine — conducted in early July — 69% say they favor a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible, compared with 24% who support continuing to fight until victory.This marks a nearly complete reversal from public opinion in 2022, when 73% favored Ukraine fighting until victory and 22% preferred that Ukraine seek a negotiated end as soon as possible.
What is Ukrainian leadership doing to understand the hopes of average Ukrainians - regarding an end to this war?
New data from Ukraine show the public favors ending the war with Russia through negotiations, as support for fighting until victory has plummeted.Benedict Vigers (Gallup)
A negotiation typically ends when both parties get what they want. Maybe they don't get everything they want, but they are happy enough with the results to accept the terms.
Capitulation is not negotiating, it's literally giving up many concessions for nothing in return.
Keep in mind that Ukraine was tricked once already with the Crimean war peace deal that saw them give up territory. Russia invaded again and the U.S. turned a blind eye to their aggression for a second time despite repeated promises of security.
You would have to be an idiot to take any deal that gives up territory at this point. That's not a negotiation, it's just surrender. It's kicking the can down the road to give Russia time to recoup their losses and invade again in a few more years.
The United States has proven to be an unreliable ally in the best of times, so why would they accept a peace deal brokered by a pedophile conman?
A negotiation typically ends when both parties get what they want.
This is unlike any negotiation I've ever been in. Id say a negotiation ends when both parties agree on what they wont get. Your negotiation with the used car salesman doesn't end when you get half off sticker price and the salesman gets sticker price. That's just a contradiction.
Regardless... call it what you want: surrender, capitulation, conceding territory, etc... it's just semantics.
Suppose the Ukrainian people wish to surrender. Would you still stand with them?
Your negotiation with the used car salesman doesn’t end when you get half off sticker price and the salesman gets sticker price. That’s just a contradiction.
What kind of idiotic analogy is this? I can't even wrap my head around it.
Regardless… called it what you want: surrender, capitulation, conceding territory, etc… it’s just semantics.
No, it's really not just "semantics". Words have specific meaning.
I completely believe that the majority of Ukrainians want a negotiated end to the war. War sucks and everybody who has had to live trough one will tell you so. But if the "negotiation" is Russia saying "Give us all the territory we have occupied/seized so far, plus some additional territory that we have not yet occupied, and we will withdraw our troops." that's not a negotiation. That's conditional surrender. I really doubt that the people are clamoring to surrender their land and homes to Russian occupiers.
Suppose the Ukrainian people wish to surrender. Would you still stand with them?
I suspect that no matter what I think the Ukrainian people should do, if they decide that they are ready to give up the fight, then that's none of my business. I'm not in the trenches with a rifle, after all.
But if they Ukrainian people want to continue to fight, and negotiate for a favorable peace agreement, I'm all for supporting them so that they can win and make all the bloodshed so far worth it.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that Zelenskyy has a better grasp of the pulse of his own citizens than any of us do.
if they decide that they are ready to give up the fight, then that's none of my businessBut if they Ukrainian people want to continue to fight, [...] I'm all for supporting them
Thats some precise and deliberate language you're using. Yet you've still avoided answering the simple question.
Sending tens of thousands of Ukrainians into the grinder?
"Hell yeah! Slava Ukraini! To the last man!
Ukrainians use their agency to negotiate an end to the war
"Meh, not my business"
It's pretty clear that when this war most likely ends via negotiation and a land concession, all the gung ho support we see in threads like this one is going to evaporate.
lmao, bro, I can't force them to fight. I'm just a guy on the other end of the computer. I think you don't understand what the word "support" means.
I support Ukraine's right to independence and freedom.
I support the cessation of hostilities in the region.
I do not support surrender to Russia. Why would I? Choosing to fight and choosing not to fight are two diametrically opposed concepts. Therefore, I do not support a resolution in which Ukraine gives up land to Russia, period.
It’s pretty clear that when this war most likely ends via negotiation and a land concession,
Don't hold your breath on this one, Chief.
all the gung ho support we see in threads like this one is going to evaporate.
Wow, what a stunning prediction. Next are you going to predict that the sun will come back up again after it goes down?
Regardless of how the war ends, the support generally ends with it. That's how thing things tend to work. it's pretty hard to care about a think when the thing is no longer happening. If Ukraine achieved victory through martial victory alone and ended the war purely on their terms, my support would also evaporate because the war would be over.
I do not support a resolution in which Ukraine gives up land to Russia, period.
Well thank you for finally giving up on the evasiveness. Ukrainian agency means nothing to you.
To stand with Ukraine means to affirm the average Ukrainian's agency. To affirm their agency to dictate the terms of the end of the war - even if it means they wish to surrender. You will not affirm Ukrainians if they decide to surrender, so you dont stand with Ukraine. You stand with Zelensky, at best. You stand with Ukraine *so long as they promise to sacrifice the last able-bodied soldier, at worst.
So let's just all be clear and understand that you dont stand with Ukraine. You tentatively condone them, so long as...
I don't think anyone is questioning whether Ukrainians want the war to end. Of course the majority want the war to end as soon as possible. However, when asked specifically about territorial concessions the majority of Ukrainians are not willing to accept concessions. Source.
Maybe the Ukrainian leadership knows more about what the average Ukrainian wants than you do?
However, when asked specifically about territorial concessions the majority of Ukrainians are not willing to accept concessions.
And never did I argue the opposite. The question was: supposing Ukrainians wish to concede territory, would you still support them?
Maybe the Ukrainian leadership knows more about what the average Ukrainian wants than you do?
Potentially, but given your own source, a solid portion of Ukrainians dont share those warm and fuzzies.
As of December 2024, 52% of Ukrainians trusted President V. Zelenskyi, 39% did not trust him. The remaining 9% responded that they could not decide on their attitude. Although trust indicators have worsened over the year, the balance of trust-distrust remains positive – +13%.
And never did I argue the opposite. The question was: supposing Ukrainians wish to concede territory, would you still support them?
If you never argued the opposite what's the point of you question? Or do you just like to ask about unfounded hypotheticals?
Potentially, but given your own source, a solid portion of Ukrainians dont share those warm and fuzzies.
Am I supposed to believe you purely coincidentally happened upon the lowest trust poll? How about we look at the latest data of the same poll. Turns out a big majority of Ukrainians do trust Zelenskyy.
Neat, a study that doesn't poll what Ukrainians are willing to give up in exchange for the end to the war.
So basically worthless for this conversation
I fully agree on the ethics and morals of it, but I also believe that Zelenskyy isn't unaware of the larger situation here and has good reason to put down his foot.
In the end this is also going to be a litmus test for Russia's Hybrid Warfare. Let it not succeed.
I hope the powers that be act accordingly before Ukrainians had enough of being pummeled. Well, I think they already had enough, but before it gets so bad that nothing will keep them fighting anymore.
Tags are designed for clarity in general but also for neurodivergents specifically. While I can tell that you were being sarcastic, it's possible that others may have been unable to tell.
I'm not saying that you should have put a tag on your comment, but insulting those for whom it would have been helpful is uncalled for.
Are you speaking as someone that struggles with this or are you speaking on behalf of a hypothetical neurodivergent person?
I would have thought it was implied that my comment was directed at neurotypical people (insulting neurodivergent people for social interaction issues? Is that what you assume of me?).
I am autistic and sometimes struggle to understand indirect statements (especially when not in-person, since there's no tone or expressions to read). I did understand your original comment, but even now I don't see why the second comment should be understood to exclude neurodivergent people. I'm speaking both for myself and for anyone similar to past-me who would have genuinely felt insulted but not said anything.
This doesn't say anything about you, but yes I did assume that a stranger on the internet would insult ND people for social interaction issues. I did just join Lemmy though, so maybe that's an old habit that doesn't apply here. I am glad that I was wrong.
I think certain Russians were afraid to tell Putin that the military wasn't ready. They also didn't seem to anticipate Javelin missiles or unified Western support. The US learned a few times that invading a country with the goal of taking over the government isn't always so easy.
Didn't seem like the Russians were adequately trained. Unsupported tanks rolling down urban streets with hundreds of windows overheard from which should-fired missiles could rain down. Putin has sent hundreds of thousands of his own people to the slaughter. Dude fucked up.
Everyone in any position of authority in Russia is on the take. This means that the capabilities of the Russian military is purely theoretical, on paper Russia is a formidable force, on paper.
They sent troops in without equipment, without ammunition, and without supplies. Not because they didn't think they would need ammunition and food but because someone nicked them all back in 08 and everyone in the military is too scared of Putin to tell him this. Probably because they were the ones that took some of it.
Good.
Meanwhile, I'm eagerly waiting for the local Tankie to, once again, explain how so much death is justified by the dire threat Ukraine poses to a 17 million square kilometer country with 5,459 nuclear warheads. And, apparently, to their own people. I'm sure NATO is still making them do it, yep.
It's a bit narrow to just write off opposing views as "Tankies."
The vast majority of the world sees the Ukraine war as a conflict between white people. Their big objection has nothing to do with Ukrain vs Russia, it's about the attention paid to a European conflict vs all the others around the world. Many nations notice that while Western nations have never been willing to harm their own economies to end conflicts around the world, those same nations are now asking a bunch of 3rd world countries to support our economic sanctions.
Then there's a whole contingent of people who believe that "supporting Ukraine" is a meaningless platitude without a realistic plan for how to do it. Every sober analysis of the war concludes that it's essentially a war of attrition. There are very few experts who believe that there is any chance that any sort of breakthrough tactic or technology will easily get Ukraine's territory back.
We know the math behind that; the rate of movement of the front is primarily determined by the number of people and ordinance you throw at the fight. Russia does significantly more of both. That's been the case for the entire war so far and all signs suggest that it will continue to be the case.
You can go look up the movement of the front over the course of the war. To even out the numbers, we'd have to roughly triple the number of shells we send to the front (ignoring troops for now). That would likely bring the war to a stand still. To start reversing the movement at the same rate we'd likely have to triple it again. So cocktail napkin math says that if we actually want to revert back to pre-invasion borders, we'd have to increase expenditures by around 10x and sustain that for the next 3 years.
Not going to get into logistical analysis (I am behind on that). Nor will I dispute the hypocrisy of focusing only on a "white war." That's fair.
But I'm fervent that the justification for Russia's action is total baloney. I can, and absolutely will, write it off.
To put it another way: even if Mexico was provably 100% Nazi, and they worshipped China and drug cartels and whatever boogeyman we have like gods, I would still be ashamed if my country, the US, invaded them as Russia invaded Ukraine. It’s beyond preposterous to think they pose a military threat to the US, or that it’s our job to purify them, much less to breathlessly excuse such an invasion as (say) Russia’s fault.
That's what I mean by "Tankies."
If "Tankie" means someone who thinks Russia's invasion was justified, it's the wrong word for many people.
There are many people who agree that Russia's invasion was unjustified and also don't believe that a simple "stand with Ukraine" strategy has a snowball's chance in hell of working. If you look back into US history you'll find a number of conflicts that we thought we could win by just offering advice, logistics, and support; they tend to be costly for the US and catastrophic for the country in question.
Justice doesn't win wars and we know what happens when you keep throwing lives and resources at a war without a solid victory plan.
There are many people who agree that Russia’s invasion was unjustified and also don’t believe that a simple “stand with Ukraine” strategy has a snowball’s chance in hell of working.
Based on what? Putin was clearly losing this war until Trump saved him. Russian losses have been catastrophic and no one can possibly consider Putiin's invasion a success or a smart move. It seems to me like it IS working. And it's preferable to IGNORING the Ukrainians and giving Russia an easy out.
Even before Trump Russia was slowly grinding its way west.
You could look at the various strategic objectives and see the Russians slowly and steadily surrounding them and cutting them off. You could watch the Ukrainian counteroffensives crash against defense in depth. You could see the occasional victories slip away. The HIMARS systems that were supposed to turn the tide are twisted piles of metal.
Ignoring Ukraine would also be dumb. A much better idea would be to come up with an actual feasible plan. One would have been to follow US military advice with the above mentioned HIMARS and execute a concentrated attack to the south to cut off almost half the Russian military. An other would be to accept a ceasefire on the current front, heavily entrench the border to create defense in depth, and use that time to develop an actual counteroffensive strategy.
You can go look up the movement of the front over the course of the war. To even out the numbers, we'd have to roughly triple the number of shells we send to the front (ignoring troops for now). That would likely bring the war to a stand still. To start reversing the movement at the same rate we'd likely have to triple it again. So cocktail napkin math says that if we actually want to revert back to pre-invasion borders, we'd have to increase expenditures by around 10x and sustain that for the next 3 years.
I disagree here with this for two reasons.
First Ukraine's artillery shell production and transition into nato calibers of 105mm and 155mm is increasing, and the strategic relation of power balance between Russian and Ukrainian artillery is actively changing. This isn't static, Ukraine is quickly developing an advantage here especially when you consider efficiency of resources applied to the front.
Second, Russian air defenses are collapsing, Ukraine is hammering them day in day out and there is no way Russia can replace these air defense radars and missile launchers along with sufficiently trained crew at a high enough rate to sustain this current situation. Russia is HUGE there is an incredible amount of territory that must be covered with air defense. I would not call the current situation a simple battle of attrition right now, Russia is facing an existential collapse of their war machine if their air defenses decisively collapse in too many areas. I am not suggesting the likelihood is high at the moment but the probability of it happening is meaningfully increasing every day.
I am not trying to reject all of your points, but I think the aspects I have brought up have to be taken into consideration. Ukraine will have the capacity to domestically produce and maintain L119 105mm howitzers, 155mm bohdana production has finally begun to hit stride as well, these are strategic leaps forward in terms of practical infantry fighting power and I find conversations tend to ignore these non-flashy but quite meaningful transformations that have happened over the past year or two for the Ukrainian military. They make this moment of Russia's faltering general offensive a far more fragile position than people generally recognize. This isn't to say Ukraine isn't in a fragile position itself of course. What I am saying is I wouldn't expect the status quo to necessarily continue indefinitely here, it will for some time and then all of a sudden it abruptly won't.
It's tricky to find current numbers on artillery production. The most reliable numbers I could find are about a year old and all cite a 3:1 advantage for the Russians.
Do you have sources on what the ratio is more recently?
We like to believe that Russian air defenses are collapsing but do we even know this? We know that some facilities have been destroyed but how many did they have in the first place? What can Ukraine do to exploit a gap in air defenses? Traditionally, air defenses are there to stop enemy bombers but that only matters if the enemy has bombers.
War is difficult. It takes much more than a bunch of people standing around saying, "I support XYZ." It takes a huge amount of resources and involves a lot of dead people.
What can Ukraine do to exploit a gap in air defenses?
...Have you not been paying attention to the Ukraine's campaign of long range strikes utilizing missiles and drones?
In terms of shell ratios, I am less interested in trying to find precise numbers on that since it is an incredibly difficult process to accurately do for one army much less two, but also I am not sure it is necessarily relevant in any absolute sense since Ukraine and Russia utilize their artillery so differently.
In terms of hard facts that have changed well here you go:
defence-blog.com/ukraine-uk-ag…
defence-blog.com/ukraine-ramps…
These two changes alone significantly change the strategic power balance between Ukraine's military and Russia's military as the L119 is unquestionably the best mass production battle tested towed light infantry support howitzer ever made and the bohdana in towed and self propelled forms is a world class 155mm howitzer that is easily compatible with a global constellation of militaries who may increase military aid at any point.
I have been paying attention to Ukraines missile and drone programs.
Missiles and drones are both very effective but neither of them is a replacement for heavy bombing and Russia still makes more missiles than Ukraine does.
Unfortunately shell ratios are an important detail. That's why the serious policy publications (like FP) spend so much time trying to advocate for increased production.
Don’t look at the front lines. Look at the Russian economy. It’s more likely that the Russian economy collapses or Putin is overthrown due to some internal power struggles or uprising than it is for Ukraine to militarily defeat Russia.
That is as long as the West continues to support Ukraine with the bare minimum to bleed both sides continuously.
How would you look at the Russian economy?
The best measure I can think of is GDP growth. It can be hard to estimate but it shows the change in an economy over time. The most accurate data I know of for that is the World Bank.
data.worldbank.org/indicator/N…
You'll notice that for most of that period, which includes the entire Ukraine war, Russia's economy has been solidly on par with the other 9 largest economies in the world. They still have active trading relations with most of the world volza.com/global-trade-data/ru…
At the current rates, Ukraine will bleed out before Russia does.
Western propaganda machine constantly pumps out information on Russia's economy being on the verge of collapse. I recall buying into it years ago and, well, we're still waiting.
I think it's a bit of old world thinking at work. In the post WW2 period the West controlled the vast majority of global capital so being blocked out of trade by us meant guaranteed economic despair (if you weren't big enough). The world is very different today but many Westerners (even in leadership) still perceive the world as if we're still in that era.
Do you have a better measure of the economy?
Both Russia and Ukraine are destroying each other's infrastructure do you have some data that shows Russia is suffering more from it than Ukraine is?
Real private consumption or net national product
I never claimed Ukraine was suffering less, don't twist my words. Russia invaded Ukraine, twice.
Financially it's a lucrative one and makes them more resilient to Western sanctions. China is on a trajectory to surpass the US economy in 10 years. Wealth, power and influence are gradually drifting East and South so it's important for Western leaders to adapt now instead of disregarding reality and becoming more entrenched. Being forced to align economically with China will likely be to Russia's long term benefit.
The West (particularly US) is currently doubling down on AGI and fossil fuels (US and Canada). The AGI bet can definitely blow up in its face in the short term. Emerging markets are already pivoting hard to renewables so fossil fuels may not be as good a long term bet as they're hoping. The EU is a stagnant market and the UK is still limping after shooting itself in the foot with Brexit. Many of these countries are now tied up by infighting over immigration, impacting their ability to project power.
The only absolute advantage is the massive defense spending but even the majority of that is by the US so if they decide to leave the rest of the West to fend for themselves then all bets are off.
The vast majority of the world sees the Ukraine war as a conflict between white people.
Wow, way to infantilize the vast majority of the world. Believe it or not, they're as smart as you are and as capable of leaning about a particular conflict.
It's a bit oversimplified but essentially accurate. You can easily find a number of sources that will show you that people is Africa, South America, India, and Asia aren't nearly as concerned about the Ukraine war as Americans and Europeans are.
I know they're every bit as smart as I am because I've had many conversations with them. I find they tend to know more about the Ukraine war, and many other international topics, than most Americans seem to.
So cocktail napkin math says that if we actually want to revert back to pre-invasion borders, we’d have to increase expenditures by around 10x and sustain that for the next 3 years.
Ok, let's do that
This is an oversimplification. When the Berlin wall fell and Germany was unified there were assurances made that NATO would not expand eastward which obviously did not pan out.
The West has pushed forward with NATO inclusion of several eastern European nations including Ukraine since that time. During the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, George W. Bush insisted on raising the topic of Ukraine's potential NATO membership, despite opposition from Angela Merkel, who was concerned about the implications for relations with Russia.
The concern from a Russian standpoint was an expanding Western sphere of influence, not fear of Ukrainian military action specifically.
So what?
What if Canada joined CSTO and signed some pact with China. Does that give the US justification to invade and annex them? Because it violates some handshake from 36 years ago?
If Russia doesn’t like all this NATO expansion, they can drag someone controversial into an alliance or do some other controversial thing. Have at it. A war is not a rational response, unless you’re a tankie.
It's interesting to invoke the US as it typically has a low threshold for military action.
I don't think it justifies war but I would understand if the US perceived that as a national security threat (though it appears everything is a national security threat in the US today). It would be naive to assume a great power would sit by idly and watch that occur.
I definitely understand that many percieve this through a cultural 'us vs them' lens but I would advise against oversimplified conceptualizations. Global geopolitics is complex and a positive outcome in this war is dependent on deeper understanding of historical contexts and how they play into motivation and strategy today.
Fair bit of speculation on Russia's behalf.
The most important point to keep in mine is that most of the world (ie countries outside of NATO) do not see NATO as a defensive alliance.
We can argue back and forth about whether Russia was justified to start a war over perceived expansion (I don't believe so) but historical context is important and I don't think it's hard to see how they perceived a threat from their geopolitical perspective, especially if even Merkel recognized that.
It would be more accurate to compare it to BRICS being adversarial to the US because China has more than 2x the economy of all the other BRICS nations combined and wants to use it as a counterbalance to the G7.
That would be perfectly accurate and the US is actively trying to inhibit the growth of BRICS as an organization.
NATO has not started a war but that is not mutually exclusive from it being perceived as an arm of American imperialism. The general perception is that due to its astronomical defense spending the US has disproportionate influence within the group. There is precedent for NATO countries joining America in unjustified wars previously. This contributes to the perception that, if the US conjures up a reason to go to war with your country, there is a whole club of countries which America may have coercive leverage over (due to defense investment) that may join in seeking to anhilate you.
NATO countries are (or perhaps were) America's sphere of influence.
We can argue back and forth about whether Russia was justified to start a war over perceived expansion
Well, not really. Russia was not justified in the full-scale unprovoked invasion of a sovereign country.
Putin pretends there's a threat to expand Russia territory/influence. Russia isn't existentially threatened, they want to control neighboring regions.
Meanwhile, I'm eagerly waiting for the local Tankie to, once again, explain how so much death is justified by the dire threat Ukraine
Great, now they've turned up.
And you think all that have died or been wounded would be happy to have over that territory?
I seem to recall another time where they handed over territory to a despot and believed that would be enough. Sure worked out well for them.
And you think all that have died or been wounded would be happy to have over that territory?
Why don't you go on the front lines to defend the land if you care so much about it?
The majority of Ukrainians do not support ceding territory.
And what a stupid fucking thought process you have going. Russia invaded Ukraine, they should be fucking leaving not having tankie shits suggesting that Ukrainians should just give up.
Answer the question yourself, if you care so much about ukraine land and are afraid about russia why don't you go on the front lines?
A stupid though process is to believe that something is good only because you are not getting your hands dirty and others are doing it for you. Ukrainians should be allowed to do what the fuck they want, if case you aren't aware people are being drafted by force and many haven't been able to left the country for years.
Recently men beetween 18-22 were allowed to leave the border (after two years of not being able to) and many left the country.
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Answer the question yourself, if you care so much about ukraine land and are afraid about russia why don't you go on the front lines?
Because my donations are worth more than my body. Answer the question, why aren't you being paid to be a mouth piece for russian propaganda? Or seeing how you spell... guessing you're sitting in russia trying to convince me and others that we should abandon Ukrainians in their fight against the ruzzians.
A stupid though process is to believe that something is good only because you are not getting your hands dirty and others are doing it for you. Ukrainians should be allowed to do what the fuck they want, if case you aren't aware people are being drafted by force and many haven't been able to left the country for years.
Yea it's called a war for your survival, they're being drafted because it's needed. Again, the majority want the war to end but the majority don't want to ceded territory. This isn't rocket science.
Recently men beetween 18-22 were allowed to leave the border (after two years of not being able to) and many left the country.
Ok and? People don't like war, people don't like dying...why don't you ask the questions why ruzzia is attacking Ukraine and killing civs?
It's up to ukrainian people to decide what they want to do, not to the martial law or any ruler.
Fueling this war and empowering authoritarian governments is how we all end up under a boot. There are plenty of countries that are still in business with russia including USA (both current and previous administration). Fighting over inches of land benefits governments not the people that are long gone from that burned land.
Europeans who stand with Ukraine are about to learn a lesson called "Guns or Butter"
Social democracy won't survive militarism.
What a mess of a situation. When the soviet union collapsed assurances were made that NATO would not expand eastward beyond Germany. That promise obviously wasn't kept and Russia has perceived that as a provocation in the case of Ukraine being right on their border. But there's more than enough blame to go round and Russia is obviously not helping themselves.
The big questions are if NATO carries any significant impact with a disengaged US and what will be the consequences of Russia now strengthening its relationship with China and India in a world where it already seems like power, wealth and the epicenter of innovation are slowly drifting from the US to China.
It seems to me that the US has come to a realization that it can't project power over the world like it used to and would instead like to focus on its geographical 'sphere' (the Western hemisphere including Canada and South America) instead. Trumps recently released national security strategy document seems to suggest as much.
Unfortunately it's hard to imagine how this war is won for Ukraine without US engagement or a change in the mindset and strategy of the EU.
Trump is a russian asset. The majority of the USA and it's corporate overlords are not happy that trump has given away a fuck ton of our soft power.
Also russia promised not to invade Ukraine when they gave up their nukes...this has nothing to do with NATO, and everything to do with putin being an imperialistic fuck.
No doubt imperialism is involved but I think we need to be realistic in recognizing that non-NATO countries do not see NATO as a defense alliance. They see it as an extension of the American empire/imperialism. With the Trump administration it seems like even America has come to see it that way.
In 2019, the US pulled out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty claiming that Russia had violated the treaty by developing, testing and fielding a ground‑launched cruise missile (GLCM) designated SSC‑8.
Independent analysts noted that the evidence for the Russian violation was contested, with some questioning the reliability of the U.S. claims and pointing out that the United States itself operated missile‑defense systems (e.g., Aegis Ashore) that could be interpreted as infringing the INF’s ban on land‑based intermediate‑range missiles.
This fed into their perception that if Ukraine joined NATO such weapons would pointed in their direction from Ukrainian territory.
On August 4, 2025, the Russian Federation announced the termination of its unilateral moratorium on deploying ground-launched intermediate-range (1,000–5,500 km) and shorter-range (500–1,000 km) missiles, six years after the US pulled out
Not good if you're a fan of denuclearization.
The tough thing about soft power is its built on trust so its unlikely America will be getting it back.
Well they started the war so there's no question they're the aggressor. But to mount a legitimate defense it is important to understand the factors that contributed to their choice and judge their legitimacy. Certain actions taken by the US are noteworthy.
If we assume we are good faith actors and whoever it is we are against are acting in bad faith then we fail to see the whole picture.
The reality is the US has started numerous wars on shaky grounds / manufactured consent and we at least try to reflect on their rationale and judge whether there's any way for empire to be held accountable for war on false pretenses. In the US' case it essentially never is.
This is clearly a very Western leaning audience that is entrenched in their perspective which is totally fine. As long as it's understood that they are also perceiving reality through propaganda disemminated by their elites.
I don't support imperialism in general, regardless of where it comes from. I'm more interested in how empire justifies imperialistic behaviour and how its subjects align themselves to that behavior. This thread has been illuminating in that regard. I imagine there will be quite a few American supporters for war in Venezuela, for example.
I agree with you. Nothing the USA or any other party has done justifies Russia's war in Ukraine. But how the state justifies imperialism and how the subjects buy into and hold dearly their state's mistruths is a fascinating sight to behold.
realized they could go on without America.
Can they tho? Looking at the spineless European leadership I would not be so sure
If you believe that the trump administration's first priority is america, maybe yes.
If their priority is making the USA irrelevant, they will succeed.
If anyone in the Trump administration had any brains at all, this would have been obvious from the outset.
The only people who can see advantage to Ukraine seeding territory to Russia, is Russia. Everyone else involved can see what a monumental tactical error that would be. Especially since everybody knows the only reason Russia is even at the negotiating table is because they are desperate, given that is the case, there is zero reason to capitulate.
China’s CMOC Agrees to Buy Brazilian Gold Mines for $1 Billion
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-15/china-s-cmoc-agrees-to-buy-brazilian-gold-mines-for-1-billion?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into Economics @economics-bloomberg
Hello everyone,
Before we talk about today’s announcement, let's take a moment to appreciate what this community has built together. What started as a project to preserve webpages and articles has quietly grown into Linkwarden, a tool used by researchers, journalists, and knowledge collectors all over the world.
As we’ve grown, the Linkwarden community has helped us reach:
None of this would've happened without you. Thank you! 🚀
Today, we’re excited to launch something you’ve been asking for since the very beginning: the official Linkwarden mobile app, now available on iOS and Android.
Here are the highlights so far:
🧩 Create, organize, and browse your links: A native, mobile-first experience with collections, tags, and powerful search.
📤 Save links directly from the share sheet: Send interesting articles from the browser or any other app straight into Linkwarden, no copy-paste required.
📚 Cached data for offline reading: Catch up on long reads, articles, or saved blog posts when you’re away from Wi-Fi.
☁️ Works with Linkwarden Cloud and self-hosted: Use the same app whether you’re on Linkwarden Cloud or your own self-hosted instance, just point it at your server and sign in.
📱 Built for different screen sizes: Supports iOS / iPadOS, and Android (phones and tablets).
🔜 And more coming soon: This first release is just the foundation, expect many improvements and new features soon.
To use the app you’ll first need a Linkwarden account (version v2.13+ recommended).
You can choose between:
After creating an account, download the app from your preferred store:
Linkwarden exists because of people like you. Other than using our official Cloud offering and dontations, here are the other ways to help us grow and stay sustainable:
Thank you for being part of this community. 💫
Linkwarden helps you collect, read, annotate, and fully preserve what matters, all in one place.linkwarden.app
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We're working on it 😀
Edit: Will post the link to the APK on Mastodon/Bluesky/Twitter as soon as it’s is ready.
excited for Fdroid! currently can't run this without google play, even fetching the app via Aurora
fairly common experience and not necessarily y'alls fault, thanks for the hard work and updating us
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LinkDroid and LinkGuardian are android apps for LinkWarden available on F-Droid, FYI.
Linkguardian via IzzyOnDroid repo:
apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/a…
LinkDroid via F-Droid repo:
f-droid.org/packages/com.sbv.l…
Android client for Linkwarden built with Jetpack ComposeIzzyOnDroid Repo Browser
Thanks.
No US corporate crap on my devices, so please make sure it works without play services 😀
Here it is: github.com/linkwarden/linkward…
We're fully open-source 😀
⚡️⚡️⚡️ Self-hosted collaborative bookmark manager to collect, read, annotate, and fully preserve what matters, all in one place. - linkwarden/linkwardenGitHub
Axis to Hire 50 Private Bankers to Target Wealth Boom in India
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-15/axis-to-hire-50-private-bankers-to-target-wealth-boom-in-india?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into Bloomberg Wealth @bloomberg-wealth-bloomberg
China’s AI sector gains confidence with DeepSeek’s emergence, but tech ecosystem needs to improve, GSR United Capital’s Zhou Qi says.Themis Qi (South China Morning Post)
"As Australia began enforcing a world-first social media ban for children under 16 years old this week, Denmark is planning to follow its lead," reports the Associated Press, "and severely restrict social media access for young people.tech.slashdot.org
Evergreen Festival #Halifax #novascotia
cross-posted from: mander.xyz/post/43304972
Web archive link...
[Igor] Rogov, 29, was arrested in July 2024 after, prosecutors say, an explosives-filled parcel that had been addressed to him was found in a warehouse in central Poland. In their indictment, the prosecutors say that during their investigation into the package they established that Mr. Rogov had cooperated with the [Russian spy agency] F.S.B.
In addition to spying, he was accused of participating in a Russian plot to send incendiary packages on flights around Europe. Fires last year at shipping hubs in Britain and Germany were linked to the alleged plot, part of a broader Russian campaign of hybrid attacks against Europe that Western officials say have included drone incursions, cyberwarfare and acts of sabotage.
...
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/world/europe/russia-spy-poland.html
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Let's be carefull now with the NYT... is there another source?
Checks out, I found Moscow Times:
A Russian national charged in Poland with spying for Russian intelligence has admitted to passing information to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Polish media reported Monday, citing case files.
Investigators also allege that Rogov received a courier shipment containing components for a bomb, including liquid explosives, fuses and a power source.
A Russian national charged in Poland with spying for Russian intelligence has admitted to passing information to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Polish media reported Monday, citing case files.The Moscow Times
China Vanke Vows to Improve Bond Delay Plan After Failed Vote
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-15/china-vanke-vows-to-improve-bond-delay-plan-after-failed-vote?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into Real Estate @real-estate-bloomberg
Missing Spine: if found please return to Paul Ryan. Show that Paul Ryan is as spineless as a jellyfish with this funny political design.Our Mug features large handles for easy gripping and a wrap-around print.LookHUMAN
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Portrait of the Artist as an Old Man
A close-up, monochromatic image features a portion of a face, heavily shadowed with dramatic lighting. The primary focus is on one eye, which is a vibrant amber color with a distinct, vertical slit pupil reminiscent of a reptile or cat. The surrounding skin is textured and appears rough, with visible wrinkles and creases accentuated by the stark contrast between light and shadow. Dark eyelashes frame the upper eyelid, while the lower eyelid appears slightly wet or glossy. The image is predominantly black and white, with the eye being the most striking and colorful element, creating a sense of intensity and mystery.
Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Gemma3:27b
🌱 Energy used: 0.090 Wh
😑 Google is launching emergency live video support on Android in the US, Germany and Mexico 😑
alternativeto.net/news/2025/12…
#google #googlenews #android #androidnews #tech #technews #emergency #emergencycall #livevideo #newfeature #googlelaunch
People often call me a retro gamer.
The truth is I’m just old enough to remember most video games when they were new.
No, I wasn’t alive when Pong, Breakout, or Space Invaders were the centre of the universe. But I did own an Atari 2600 when it was new. And, more importantly, I was around when arcades were everywhere.
This is why I kind of hate retro gaming culture and its obsession with all things Nintendo. Because Nintendo was always just a tiny slice of the medium. Entire genres never made it there.
Case in point: Mysterious Stones. A dungeon crawler lifted straight out of the Indiana Jones zeitgeist. Built by a little studio called Technos.
Who would later make an obscure, utterly insignificant title called Double Dragon. I’m sure you haven’t heard of it. 😉
Mysterious Stones never landed on the NES. It never had a home release at all. If you wanted to play it, you hauled yourself to the local mall and fed it quarters.
youtube.com/watch?v=4syCpg4gjn…
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.www.youtube.com
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@rastilin Nope, not by a long shot.
And actually, a lot of international titles don’t have translations. Korean DOS games are pretty damn awesome, and few of them are in English. And they’re amazing.
Super excited that we're announcing the RevenueCat IntelliJ plugin, which is a tool that integrates RevenueCat's core functionality directly into your IDE! 🚀
revenuecat.com/blog/engineerin…
We're announcing the RevenueCat IntelliJ plugin, which is a tool that integrates RevenueCat's core functionality directly into your IDE.Jaewoong Eum (RevenueCat)
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