Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

They want us to be overwhelmed and exhausted. Focus. Resist. Oppose.

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Day 370: Just the Basics Tonight. And Rye Bread!

War for Ukraine Day 370: Just the Basics Tonight. And Rye Bread!

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(Image by NEIVANMADE)

I have had a very busy, very draining couple of days. Nothing bad, but I’m worn out. So we’re just going to run through the basics so I can go eat and rack out.

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

We are preparing the return of our warriors to actions for the liberation of our land – address by the President of Ukraine

28 February 2023 – 22:48

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

Today is the day when, in various formats, we worked for justice for Ukraine and Ukrainians in one way or another.

Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan is on a visit to Ukraine. These are an institution and a person who undoubtedly play a historic role in bringing Russian criminals to justice.

Russia’s genocidal policy against our people will definitely have inevitable legal consequences for all those who conceived, approved and implement such a policy. And I want to emphasize: this isn’t only about the executors, but also about the top political and military leadership of the terrorist state. Today we discussed this with Karim Khan during a meeting in Kyiv.

Of course, this is not an easy job. But responding to Russian crimes in the face of this aggression exactly in terms of the rule of law and exactly with the power of an international court is what will serve as one of the guarantees of the long-term future security of both Ukrainians and other nations. We will ensure this.

We are approaching the opening of the Ukrainian office of the International Criminal Court. There is already effective cooperation in Ukraine between the International Criminal Court and the Office of the Prosecutor General. We pay special attention to such Russian crimes as the deportation of our people and the deportation of Ukrainian children. We will dismantle this entire Russian genocidal system, from the cogs to the architects, and bring them to legal verdicts.

Today, I held a regular meeting of the Staff. Again in an expanded format. The Main Intelligence Directorate, the Ministry of Defense, the Commander-in-Chief, and the commanders of directions delivered reports. We are dealing in detail with the situation on each of the frontline directions.

The most difficult situation is still Bakhmut and the battles that are important for the defense of the city.

I’ll give you just one example. Nowadays, the meetings of the Staff are held quite often – at least twice a week. The last meeting was on Thursday. And today, General Syrskyi reported that since the last meeting, about 800 enemies have been killed in his direction alone.

Russia does not count people at all, sending them to constantly storm our positions. The intensity of fighting is only increasing.

I thank all Ukrainian warriors who, despite this insane pressure from the occupier, are defending our positions and destroying the Russian army! I thank each and every one who supports our warriors!

Of course, we also considered other areas in Donbas, as well as the areas of responsibility of the Tavria and Odesa groups. General Moskalyov reported on the situation around Kherson and the region. This day there were more than 30 Russian shelling occasions in the Kherson region! They were shelling just streets, just people. My condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones. Today we have already lost four people. We will do everything to suppress the terrorists.

General Nayev reported on the situation in the north and along the border – our forces are in control of the situation.

As always, we reviewed in detail the logistics for the frontline and the coverage of deficits.

We are preparing for the return of our warriors to actions for the liberation of our land. We keep in mind this just goal of ours, and every day we are getting closer to its fulfillment. Ukraine will be free. All of Ukraine.

Today I met with the Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. This is one of the most powerful global organizations that brings together the world’s leading countries. Those countries where people really want to live.

Our goal is for Ukraine to fully join the organization and to use the OECD experience to modernize our country. Tomorrow we are opening the OECD Office in Kyiv.

Today we talked, in particular, about a fair tax system for Ukrainians – transparent, simple, and one that will strike a balance between stimulating business and economic growth and ensuring social justice.

I also offered the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to join the work on directing Russia’s assets to compensate for the damage caused by Russian aggression.

If someone thinks that this is an unrealistic task, today, on February 28, we have very concrete evidence that there are no unrealistic tasks for Ukraine.

A year ago, on the fifth day of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine applied to join the European Union. This was the first step in obtaining the candidacy. We have done a tremendous and tremendously fast job and have secured candidate status for Ukraine. This year, we should reach a decision on membership negotiations for Ukraine.

Another example. Today, there was no shortage in our energy system. There were no power outages across the country. Thousands of people have been working every day to achieve this result. They restored what could be restored after the Russian strikes. They protected the energy system. They helped cities, communities, and people.

Of course, the threat still remains. Of course, we will fight and defend ourselves. We will definitely endure, no matter what the enemy does.

I thank each and every one who contributed to this task!

One more thing.

Today is the Day of Air Navigation Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is the day of those specialists of our defense forces on whom the effectiveness of Ukrainian combat aviation directly depends. Thousands of successful sorties and successful air strikes on enemy positions are their merit, the merit of our navigators.

I congratulate you, warriors, on your holiday, and wish you complete dominance of the Ukrainian Air Force in the Ukrainian sky! Absolutely fair dominance.

Glory to each and every one who is now fighting for Ukraine!

Thank you to everyone who helps!

Glory to Ukraine!

I meant to post this yesterday and got side tracked:

Here is former NAVDEVGRU Squadron Leader Chuck Pfarrer’s most recent assessment of the situations in Kreminna, Vuhledar, and Bakhmut:

Bakhmut:

 

Kadiivka:

Kherson:

Mariupol:

I hope he likes kachipuri!

Just so everyone is aware, that’s Yakuza ink.

Tuapse, Krosnador, Russia:

Krasnodar:

Courtesy of erstwhile commenter and current lurker Yarrow, here’s a thread on Ukrainian rye bread:

There’s too many tweets with too many video embeds for me to include them all and not crash the site, so click across and enjoy some refined carbs for me (they are verboten on my eating plan…).

That’s enough for today.

Your daily Patron!

The new video at Patron’s official TikTok is a teaser for the new video:

@patron__dsns

Друуузі! 3 серія мультсеріалу вже на моєму YouTube каналі! Лінк, як завжди, у шапці профілю👅🤗

♬ оригінальний звук – Patron_official

The caption machine translates as:

Druuuzi! Episode 3 of the animated series is already on my YouTube channel! The link, as always, is in the profile header 👅🤗

And here’s the video:

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

69Comments

  1. 1.

    HypersphericalCow

    I don’t have personal experience, but television has taught me that stealing a loaf of marbled rye bread doesn’t end well.

  2. 2.

    Alison Rose

    Oh man. I’d only seen one bit of Zelenskyy’s answer about his family before. I got a little teary watching the full video. Just another exhibit of what a good man he is, and proof that one can be strong while also allowing yourself to be open and vulnerable.

    Also too:

    we have very concrete evidence that there are no unrealistic tasks for Ukraine

    Fuck yeah.

    And more fuck yeah:

    This man is an aboslute legend! 73-year-old Norwegian Kjetil Krane blasts the sound of an air-raid siren outside the home of diplomats in Oslo.

    Krane says he wants to wake up Russians both metaphorically & physically to the horrors of the war. His shirt reads: “Wake up, Russian!”

    (Make sure your sound isn’t cranked up when you start the video!)

    Thank you as always, Adam.

  3. 3.

    The Moar You Know

    Just so everyone is aware, that’s Yakuza ink.

    Couldn’t be anything else.  Amazing work, just try not to think too hard about how the guy earned his right to wear it.

  4. 4.

    Sister Golden Bear

    OT: Adam, I recall you once did a thread on armed home defense. Hoping you might remember where to find it.

    While having a weapon in the house, is not something I want,* it’s something I’m being forced to consider given how bad the anti-trans bigotry is getting. (See the prior thread for examples of how openly the right is now using eliminationist rhetoric.) I should note that I fly the Progressive Pride flag at my house, and I’ll be damned if I’ll take it down, even if it makes me a target, because the Christofascists want us to be erased.

    *My reservations, aside from having a gun in the house and the documented issues with that, is the time and expense of regular practice in order to have the proper skills. To the question that you posed in that post, yes, if bigots attack my home, I’m prepared to use lethal force if necessary.

  5. 5.

    YY_Sima Qian

    More interesting would be the story of how the (former?) Yakuza member obtained leave from his organization to fight in Ukraine…

  6. 6.

    Joe Falco

    @Alison Rose: If only there was a way to blast this noise into the homes of every Russian government official, especially Putin’s, every night. No more peaceful nights as long as there is no peace in Ukraine.

  8. 8.

    Jay

    As in the West, tattoo’s have become popular amongst the youth in Japan, was always popular with certain professions, (firemen for example) or those “cosplaying” Edo era samurai. A full suit, if traditionally done, is very expensive, takes 5 years and involves a lot of pain. Even if done with modern techniques, it is still expensive, involves a lot of pain, but might only take a year of repeat visits.

    Yakuza tattoo’s have fallen out of “fashion”, as they started as a public means of permanently “marking” convicted criminals, became a form of resume convicted or not, then led to social and police targetting.

  10. 10.

    Alison Rose

    MUSIC!

    I am fizzing with excitement about the new Depeche Mode album coming out in a month. The first single, Ghosts Again, is terrific. (The graveyard scenes in the video are bittersweet, after the death of Andy Fletcher last year.) God damn, do I ever wish I was not homebound and could go see them when they’re on tour. I saw them once many years ago and it was fan-fucking-tastic. My fave band.

    A few more current faves:

    Florence + the Machine’s cover of Addicted to Love is delicious.

    Chills by Ladyhawke is a freaking bop

    If you’re amenable to Kpop, Cherry from ITZY is a fun one

  12. 12.

    J R in WV

    Shotgun is indeed among the best for home defense. I am fortunate to have been taught about firearms from a young age by my grandmother, who learned as a youth in a riverboat town in Kentucky how to shoot and how to be safe.

    She was a storekeeper from 1932-1955 in rural WV, and had aprons with two pockets, one for the receipts (money) and one for her pistol, which my cousin still has, a 1902 Colt .32 automatic hammerless pistol. It still shoots, not that accurate at its age, but to shoot at all is a wonder. I assume she learned from her father and older brothers. My cousins and I learned in her backyard.

    Best of luck, I’m glad you are in a liberal enclave of the west coast. Take care!!

  13. 13.

    Jay

    @Gin & Tonic:

    lot’s of people become “tattoo addicts”. They start with one, then keep adding on. SWMBO has none, I have one large on on my back, SWIMBO’s sister started with a rose to mark the birth of her daughter, now has almost 2 dozen.

    The trident would be a fairly recent add, is in one of the most painful places to get tattoo’d, and is outside the “suit”, ( so called because all the tattoo’s are in places covered by a full suit and tie).

  14. 14.

    Alison Rose

    @Alison Rose: Oh good fucking Lord. I commented on the wrong thread. I’m sorry!! I’ll copy it over, but Adam or someone, can you please delete comment #10 or at least replace it with “Alison is a dumbass” or something? Ugh.

  15. 15.

    Argiope

    Wild yeasted rye reminds me of Alain. I still have some his starter that I got from Auntie Beak in the mail in early 2020; it’s going strong in the fridge and I bake with it regularly. Thanks, Adam, for compiling such a cornucopia of information, and for keeping up this nightly community vigil/support group/learning circle as we head into year 2. May Ukraine see victory this year.

  20. 20.

    Another Scott

    @Jay:

    – 12 man-portable flamethrowers

    I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by seeing that, but I was.

    ICRC.org (from 2018):

    […]

    The use of flamethrowers in war, in particular man-portable ones, is nothing new. However, the recent announcement by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk of the upcoming sale of a flamethrower renewed the debate over the legality of a weapon whose use on the battlefield was largely abandoned. Interestingly, arguments on the legal restrictions revolve mostly around the norms on the protection of civilians. The recent publication of a piece making The Tactical Case for The Flamethrower and merely referring to a U.S. 2003 Army Field Manual, largely overlooks the relevance of another fundamental norm of international humanitarian law (IHL) on the regulation of weapons: the prohibition of superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering. Highlighting the various military uses and advantages of flamethrowers actually requires us to primarily consider the question of the legality of this weapon through this rule. The prohibition of superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering governs the use of means and methods of warfare and protects combatants while recognizing that a certain extent of harm caused them is allowed.

    […]

    There are pages of Google links telling us that flamethrowers are legal in the USA!!!1ONE So I guess everyone should have one. I don’t think Melon’s version took over the market.

    I assume any minute now Fox News will be screaming about the impending Flamethrower Gap!!1

    [ sigh ]

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  22. 22.

    NutmegAgain

    @YY_Sima Qian:

     

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    I was wonder also–well, after I learned it was Yakuza.  I also wondered if fighting in Ukraine might appeal to some Japanese folk because their own army basically doesn’t engage in stuff like trench warfare, live or die. More like UN peacekeeping missions etc.  (Ditto for the most part for the Germans. The one I knew, friend of kiddo, had been educated at one of the Bundeswehr universities–basically polytechnics. They turned out a lot of engineers and physicists and etc.) Any of youze military folk please correct what I have (probably) misstated… thank you!   Also, not for nothing, I might have to go buy some rye bread. Heh. I live near a lot of really fantastic Polish & Ukrainian food emporiums. Yum nom nom.

  25. 25.

    Chetan Murthy

    If there are any bakers in this comment thread: reading the tweet-thread, I wondered to myself: could adding gluten (Anthony’s Premium Wheat Gluten) make the rye loaf be more … fluffy?  I’ve made sourdough bread with varying proportions of rye, and it always gets flatter and flatter, the more rye you add.  So just wondering if adding straight gluten might help ….

  28. 28.

    Anoniminous

    Interesting thread from the Institute for the Study of War.

    A key takeaway from this 🧵:

    The specter of limitless Russian manpower is a myth. Putin has already been forced to make difficult and suboptimal choices to offset the terrible losses his war has inflicted on the Russian military.

    They predict Putin will run out of combat ready forces by May of this year.

  29. 29.

    oldster

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    If I’m following this thread correctly, then the consensus recommendation for home defense is:

    buy a flamethrower.

    Maybe also a fire extinguisher, so you can put out the fires in your house after you torch the guy?

  30. 30.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Another Scott: @J R in WV: Yeah, shotgun is my preferred choice. Among other things, less precision aiming is needed, and the sound of a shotgun racking creates an almost primordial fear reaction.

    I remember Cole had looked at the Mossberg Nightstick, which is a gooseneck short-barreled shotgun. Better maneuverability in-doors and other tight spaces, like my 3-foot wide side yards. Since any confrontation would be at the tens of feet, I’m leaning towards a 20-gauge. From reviews it sounds like it still has sufficient stopping power at that distance, and it’s less likely to cause unintentional damage (houses in my neighborhood are cheek by jowl).

  31. 31.

    Jay

    @Chetan Murthy:

    he’s recreating a medieval rye bread, not really what we think of in modern terms of bread. More like a grain puck. There are no shortage of modern rye breads, ranging from Winnipeg Rye (light) to Pumpernickle, (not really a bread).

  32. 32.

    Sister Golden Bear

    FWIW, I already have a pretty robust security system, plus solar-powered security lights that only come on when there’s movement, so there’s plenty of charge even in shadier areas. Also have other hard-wired and solar-powered yard lighting, but those aren’t on all night. (Both were helpful during the recent power outage, I was the only house on my street that had yard lighting.)

    And yes, I’m in a deep blue part of CA, but we’ve haters come out for Pride and attack people leaving it, as well as Trumpists coming over here and holding caravans back in the day, as well as more than a few Trump/Blue Line flags in my neighborhood pre-Biden. So that probability of problems are low, but definitely not zero. Especially with the Christofascists stoking stochastic terrorism against trans people. Only takes one LibOfTikTok post to bring the Proud Boys and other nazi out.

  33. 33.

    oldster

    About Ukraine:

    I love the sound of ruzzian ammo dumps cooking off. After seeing Prigozhin whine about not having enough artillery shells, I hope he is in tears over having tens of thousands of rounds go pop-pop there in the depot. Every round burned up I’m that fire is a round that won’t kill a Ukrainian or knock down a Ukrainian house.

    I’m also pretty pleased with ruzzian oil refineries catching on fire. Ukraine is proving its drone game!

  35. 35.

    Anoniminous

    @Another Scott: ​
     
    There’s very few tactical uses for a flamethrower. Most of the time manpads are more dangerous to the user and the people around him than the enemy and vehicle mounted ones are a nice big fat juicy target for ATGM. The US replaced it’s WW 2 era M1 and M2 inventory with the M202 FLASH firing rockets. My guess is they are still in inventory because nobody has summoned the energy to throw the damn things away. There are other, modern, weapon systems, e.g., Carl Gustav, that can fulfill the mission.

  36. 36.

    Jay

    @NutmegAgain:

    technically, not Yakuza. Yakuza tattoo’s are mostly forearm sleeve’s, with coded symbolism as to form a resume of your crimes, gang affiliations and rank.  Sometimes they are hand tattoo’s for public display and intimidation, but that’s for a lifetime soldier, not a boss.

    That’s a full “suit”, rarely, but sometimes, used to conceal Yakuza tattoo’s, at great expense. One would have to comb through all the entwined tattoo patterns in great detail to find any Yakuza tats.

    Most people with a full suit and those patterns are copying Edo era Samurai illustrations from the 17th century.

  37. 37.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Sister Golden Bear: I completely understand your feeling.  I live over the hill from The Castro in SF, and I’ve mentioned a few times to people I’ve run across (usually people in bakeries/etc) that I feel really safe here.  And several times, people have told me about violence targeted at LGBTQ folks … *in the Castro*.  My mind boggles.  It seems that bigots will actually *travel* to the Castro to find people to attack.  Insane, but then, they’re bigots, so what can we expect ?

    You’re right to take personal security seriously.  Back when  TFG’s reinstallation seemed likely, I often thought about finding the right sort of gun club, or finding an antifa branch, to get some training.  B/c like most folks, I’m a civilized, peaceful person, who hasn’t thrown a fist in anger since …. 7th grade.  It would take serious training to be of any use.

    It’s wrong that in California, in the Bay Area, you have to think about these things.

  40. 40.

    Jay

    @Chetan Murthy:

    99.9% of the “gay bashing” incidents in Vancouver, going back to the 1970’s, involved dickwads from “the Valley”, “commuting” all the way in, (up to 100km), to commit their crimes.

    The odds of identifying a gay person just from the visuals in Chilliwack, is “hard”, much easier in neighborhoods in Vancouver where people can be out and proud, and sadly, have gathered for safety and acceptance.

  41. 41.

    Dagaetch

    @Chetan Murthy: ​ The problem, as I understand it (and I am no expert), is that the rye germ in the flour is very sharp and strong, and basically slices through the bonds that the gluten is trying to form. So a higher proportion rye bread will never rise quite as well.​

  42. 42.

    Jay

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    12 gauge, no choke, buckshot or flechette. Full stock or folding stock. Medium barrel, (greater range if needed).

    To be safe, it needs to be unloaded, under lock and key. Not really useful for a lone psycho, okay for a mob slowly gathering on the front lawn, but so are molotov cocktails.

    for home defence against intruders I prefer a Bokken, (hardwood Martial arts samurai training sword), better than a baseball bat, easy to learn to use, (along with other skills). I prefer Aikido, as it is gentle.

  45. 45.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Sister Golden Bear: Cole looked at it because it was one of the ones I recommended when he asked me. Let me find the other post I’m thinking of in addition to the one Bill Arnold found. And send me an email.

  46. 46.

    NutmegAgain

    @Jay: Good to know– I was picking up on earlier comments that it was Yakuza. Knowing from nothing regarding Japanese gang tattoos, well… I was still very impressed with his ink.

  48. 48.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Jay: I do/teach aiki(do) sword and staff. The katas that Saotome Sensei teaches as part of his aikido instruction.

  49. 49.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @Anoniminous: I believe the “flamethrowers” in Russian documents refer to the disposal RPO-M Shmel rocket assisted flamethrower, & not the old fashioned kind. The latter may still be useful in certain situations such as mountainous (cave systems) or urban terrain, or trench warfare, but very hazardous to the operator. The Chinese PLA still employs them in some units, while also inducting domestic versions of the Shmel.

  50. 50.

    Jay

    @NutmegAgain:

    yup, sweet ink. That’s a year under the needle if modern, and $30k, 5 years if traditional, and $50k.

    When I got my tat, I spent about a month researching artists, and found “Sailor” in Milwaukee. It occupies 1/4 of my back, upper right, the first sutra of the Diamond sutra in hard black, a pencil sketch of lotus flowers in a pond, in grey.

    It was to mark a place and time in my life and a major life change that I had not just survived, but wound up finding more of myself, through.

  53. 53.

    NutmegAgain

    @Jay: I think lots of us get a first tattoo, or major work to recognize turning points. I have one of the cat Mehitabel from Archy & Mehitabel. I got her after my divorce, because in the song of Mehitabel she sings,

    “wotthehell wotthehell; there s a dance in the old dame yet”  Link

    The whole book is fab, social commentary in the ’20s-30s from a typing cockroach and his alley cat pal.

  56. 56.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Jay:

    lot’s of people become “tattoo addicts”.

    I have several friends who’ve been steadily adding tats over the years, including some full arm and/or full back tats. It’s beautiful, but not for me. Though I’d love to get some large-scale temporary body art.

  58. 58.

    Jay

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    lot’s of peel and stick temp body art out there. Less painful than waxing, lasts about as long.

    there are fake sleeves as well, basically a slip on nylon stocking.

    Pretty much “movie” make up for when you are a biker in TV series 1 and a gym trainer in movie series 2 next week.

  60. 60.

    Kent

    @Anoniminous: There’s very few tactical uses for a flamethrower. Most of the time manpads are more dangerous to the user and the people around him than the enemy and vehicle mounted ones are a nice big fat juicy target for ATGM. The US replaced it’s WW 2 era M1 and M2 inventory with the M202 FLASH firing rockets. My guess is they are still in inventory because nobody has summoned the energy to throw the damn things away. There are other, modern, weapon systems, e.g., Carl Gustav, that can fulfill the mission.

    From what little I know of WW2 tactics, I understand they were mostly used to burn out Japanese who were hiding in bunkers.  Like this footage of flamethrowers being used on Iwo Jima:  https://youtu.be/tdPE4vgy4cU

  62. 62.

    Jay

    @Kent:

    WWI and WWII tactics. In the European theatre, it was more a terror weapon, than actually killing people. The Canadians found that having a WASP show up and do a spray, caused even the SS to abandon fortified positions and surrender.

    Modern thermobaric’s “flash”, burn up all the O2 in a space, in a mere second, even in the occupants lungs, then add in the blast effect.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermobaric_weapon

  64. 64.

    patrick II

    @Kent: My father was on Iwo Jima and knew a guy who carried two flame-throwers, shooting one from each hand. The Japanese were hidden in caves and the flame-throwers were very effective. The idea worked fine until a Japanese sniper hit one of his tanks and he disappeared in an instant.

  65. 65.

    Chetan Murthy

    Crrrikey.  I was not expecting this.  Bravo, Serbia!

    #Ukraine: Recently information resurfaced that Serbia sold “3500 Grad rockets” to Ukraine via a third party- we can confirm that 🇷🇸 Grad rockets were indeed delivered to Ukraine.

    More interestingly they are not standard, but ER Grad 2000- with a max range of 40km instead of ~20. pic.twitter.com/dYSidAoeoY
    — 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) February 28, 2023

  66. 66.

    Carlo Graziani

    @Sister Golden Bear: For a slightly contrarian view: Perhaps consider a few cans of pepper spray, in handy-yet-inconspicuous kid-inaccessible niches around the house.

    The advantages would be (a) nonlethal; (b) less likely to be stolen is a burglary; (c) probably far more surprising to an intruder, giving more time to you and less to him if use is required; (d) no need for loading in an emergency (I feel that having to do anything complicated that one doesn’t train for constantly in an emergency is a recipe for disaster); (e) really effective (in Alaska, joggers use them to deter grizzlies, which are very hard to stop with firearms).

    It might be a good idea to test-fire one in an open-air area, wearing safety glasses and full skin protection, to get an idea of action and range, and maybe refresh-train every few months. And, of course, storage inaccessible to children.

  67. 67.

    oldster

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Saotome Sensei? Mitsugi Saotome?

    Now that’s a name that I have not heard in a long time.

    I trained at his dojo in DC back in 1978 or ’79 or so. I was a mere pup, and Sensei never deigned to speak to me, but he led some classes and his students led others. I certainly remember Patty throwing me all over the mat. Katie Hultgren, Glen Bluestone, they were some of the senior students at the time. Impressive people.

    Life took me on to other things. I had not realized that Sensei was still alive. I am glad his teaching lives on.

  68. 68.

    Chris T.

    “We’re all out of pumpernickel,” the baker said wryly.

    (dead thread but couldn’t resist the Tom Swiftie)

  69. 69.

    jak

    A masterful presentation of drawings and artwork depicting all combat vehicles in use or heading to Ukraine is in the 28 February edition of The Seattle Times.

Comments are closed.