Housekeeping note: tonight’s update will be briefer. I’m fried and have just enough energy to get this done. Once I hit publish I’m getting horizontal and watching the final two of today’s first round (pool round) Rugby World Cup games. Or fall asleep while trying to do so.
Gin & Tonic forwarded this to me this morning:
Nowadays, the West has a huge problem with admitting that a non-kinetic war (that is a war by non-military means) is being waged on the liberal order and that we are already in a state of Cold War 2.0.
Against this background, Soviet-trained regimes have upper hand in use of…— Velina Tchakarova (@vtchakarova) September 9, 2023
Who could have every possibly imagined such a thing? Eez a puzzlement!
Here’s President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
Partnership of Ukraine and Japan will become a global example of protecting life and creating new opportunities for nations – address of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
9 September 2023 – 15:33
Dear Ukrainians, I wish you good health!
We do not miss a single day for Ukraine.
Just had a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan and representatives of Japanese business. Devoted to our resilience. Recovery, and development. Energy, transport, demining, social sphere, the creation of new jobs in Ukraine – I presented specific areas where we can do more together. Telecom, information security, protection of our infrastructure, green energy, engineering, the agricultural sector are crucial. I am confident that our partnership – between Ukraine and Japan – will become a global example. An example of how to protect life and create new opportunities for nations. For free nations.
A very important security result today – we agreed to start preparing a bilateral document with Japan on security guarantees. We are already working with the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Now – with Japan.
In recent days, the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, visited Japan, for a summit of the G7 parliamentary heads. The summit resulted in a strong declaration. Important meetings took place. A clear support for Ukraine and strong signals that the entire Ukrainian territory must be cleared of Russian troops, and only this opens the way to achieve a just and reliable peace. I also want to mention the audience with His Majesty the Emperor of Japan – attended by speakers of the G7 parliaments, the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, the President of the European Parliament. Very symbolic. And it speaks volumes about what we have achieved. All together. Everyone who fights for Ukraine, who works for Ukraine.
I also held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff today. Resilience is the key issue. First of all, our energy resilience. What needs to be done before winter, and what has already been done. Detailed reports from government officials, managers of energy companies. Of course, there was a military component. Our intelligence. We are fully aware that the Russian evil is also preparing for winter – preparing to inflict suffering. And now everyone in the public sector and in local authorities must do everything possible, and when necessary, even the impossible, to help Ukraine withstand the winter and maintain full functionality. Air defense, preparation of the energy sector, social system, appropriate support packages from partners – all officials and commanders have clear tasks. T Regional administration heads will report daily on preparedness, every evening – a report for the government, and the Office. The Minister of Internal Affairs has been instructed to maximize the preparation of the State Emergency Service sector – not only for the Emergency Service’s immediate work but also for clearly informing people about how protection will be provided.
And I want to thank our partners – we have another agreement, Ukraine will receive more “cheetahs” to protect our energy network. But we are mobilizing all our forces. To increase the supply of various air defense systems and physical protection of objects even further.
One more thing.
For many years, in our country, two professional communities have been celebrating their day simultaneously on the second Saturday of September. This is the Day of Physical Culture and Sports and the Day of Ukrainian Cinema. And there are too many such coincidences in our calendar. The Day of the Lawyer and the Day of the Artist. The Day of the Builder and the Day of Veterinary Medicine Workers. There are coincidences of professional days and days of remembrance. For example, next year, in May, the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People coincides with the Day of Science. Obviously, there are many unacceptable confusions in meaning. Some professional communities celebrate their day according to Soviet templates. Some incredibly important days of remembrance and days of Ukrainian achievements are not reflected in our official calendar at all. Some professional communities, whose work deserves both respect and attention, do not yet have their professional day – for example, the community of Ukrainian historians. In fact, I have instructed the government of Ukraine, relevant public institutions to review this entire system of state attention and update it fairly and logically.
And today I thank everyone who brings sports victories to Ukraine, who trains our athletes, who teaches children the correct sports strength and now – this is extremely important – adds Ukrainian sports infrastructure, relevant experience of our sports, experience of physical culture to the new system of rehabilitation, to the system recovery of Ukrainian men and women after injuries.
And today, on the Day of Ukrainian Cinema, I thank all the employees of our film industry for every combination of emotions that our people, adults and children, are now feeling while watching Ukrainian movies, Ukrainian TV series, and Ukrainian documentaries. A nation with its own strong and emotional cinema will also have its own confident destiny in this world, its own dreams and its own vision of life.
Glory to all who strengthen Ukraine! Thank you to everyone who fights for our country and who achieves the results Ukraine needs!
Glory to Ukraine!
The cost:
Vladyslav and Anna had planned for their wedding to take place at the end of February 2022. But when russia’s full-scale invasion began, Vladyslav went to the front lines. They moved their wedding date to August 7, 2023. However, Vladyslav was severely injured just a few days… pic.twitter.com/xUMytq2Lpa
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 9, 2023
Vladyslav and Anna had planned for their wedding to take place at the end of February 2022. But when russia’s full-scale invasion began, Vladyslav went to the front lines. They moved their wedding date to August 7, 2023. However, Vladyslav was severely injured just a few days before that. The doctors weren’t sure that he would survive. Miraculously Vladyslav regained consciousness just in time for their wedding – on the day before. Vladyslav and Anna decided not to gamble with fate a second time, and took their vows in a military hospital as soon as Vladyslav’s condition permitted.
Don’t postpone your happiness until some “perfect” future date. In war or in peace, the perfect moment is always now.Story, photo @Liberov
Zaporizhzhia:
It's likely that soon, russian command will move more troops to Zaporizhia area due to defense difficulties. This doesn't indicate a russian forces collapse, but hints at command insecurity in their troops and recent reserves' ability to prevent Ukrainian army from progressing.
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) September 9, 2023
You're right. Although it's vital to avoid jingoistic emotions, as either side can eventually encounter a problem of dwindling reserves. To help Ukraine, you can check my guide, which I've put together for supporters of Ukraine abroad:https://t.co/4PYpfHiSWw
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) September 9, 2023
That would also require significant number of people and resources from Ukraine to allocate from somewhere else. Given that it's more or less mined and fortified from Kherson all way to Belhorod, they can relocate units in response and prevent sudden breach
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) September 9, 2023
Commenter Prescott Cactus sent this along to me this morning regarding Zaporizhzhia. From the AP via The Los Angeles Times:
KYIV, Ukraine — The United Nations atomic watchdog warned of a potential threat to nuclear safety from a spike in fighting near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine, whose forces continued pressing their counteroffensive Saturday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said its experts deployed at the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant reported hearing numerous explosions over the last week, in a possible indication of increased military activity in the region. There was no damage to the plant.“I remain deeply concerned about the possible dangers facing the plant at this time of heightened military tension in the region,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned in a statement issued late Friday.
He noted that the IAEA team was informed that staff at the nuclear power plant had been reduced temporarily to minimum levels because of concerns of more military activity in the area.
“Whatever happens in a conflict zone, wherever it may be, everybody would stand to lose from a nuclear accident, and I urge that all necessary precautions must be taken to avoid it happening,” Grossi said.
As Ukrainian forces pressed to expand their gains after recently capturing the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region, the U.K. Defense Ministry noted in its latest report that Russia has brought in reinforcements to stymie the Ukrainian advances.
“It is highly likely that Russia has redeployed forces from other areas of the frontline to replace degraded units around Robotyne,” it said. “These redeployments are likely limiting Russia’s ability to carry out offensive operations of its own along other areas of the front line.”
More at the link!
Touch not the cat, but a glove!
Footage of a tank battle between a Leopard of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and two Russian tanks. Two Russian tanks retreated after one of them was hit. As said, during the start of operations on the Zaporizhzhia front. https://t.co/BMRCvSUKf4
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) September 9, 2023
Robotyne:
ROBOTYNE /2230 UTC 9 SEPT/ UKR forces in contact three kilometers south of Robotyne on T-04-08 HWY axis. Russian fire missions indicate UKR units maneuvering south and west of Novoprokopivka. [Note: plots of RU defensive lines approximate.] pic.twitter.com/WO02goi4nR
— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) September 9, 2023
Bakhmut:
Russian 2S5 Giatsint-S 152 mm self-propelled gun destroyed on Bakhmut direction. https://t.co/KGGLrRsCsv pic.twitter.com/r4IxChfS0S
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) September 9, 2023
Simferopol, Russian Occupied Crimea:
It is reported that warehouses are on fire in the military base territory in Simferopol, Crimea.
Russian sources claim that the fire at the military base isl "an ordinary household fire." pic.twitter.com/q1Lb2lrGO0— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) September 9, 2023
The G20:
Ukraine has some suggestions for improving the G20 statement.
“Ukraine is grateful to the partners who tried to include strong wording in the text… This is how the main elements of the text could look to be closer to reality.”
via @OlegNikolenko_ @MFA_Ukraine https://t.co/C29BTIMUbA pic.twitter.com/f9ZM0yPfAw— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) September 9, 2023
Indian foreign minister says that the declaration language is a fair assessment of the "spectrum of views" inside the G20 on the war.
It is a blow to western countries that have spent much of the past year trying to convince major developing countries to condemn Moscow
— Henry Foy (@HenryJFoy) September 9, 2023
Some industrial-strength PR going on tonight from western G20 delegates:
“The option that we had is text or no text. And I think the right answer is text,” said one, referring to the compromise. “You keep the [G20] platform and the organisation alive.”https://t.co/AJ78hLK4Di
— Henry Foy (@HenryJFoy) September 9, 2023
So the Starlink Snowflake and his stenographer attempted to get their stories straight today. They didn’t exactly make things better.
And:
They’ve had three days and they still can’t get their story straight! Make an effort!
Someone in comments last night asked if the Starlink Snowflake might have accessed Ukraine’s Starlink traffic and, if he had, did he give it to Putin. From Ronan Farrow’s expose:
On the phone, Musk said that he was looking at his laptop and could see “the entire war unfolding” through a map of Starlink activity. “This was, like, three minutes before he said, ‘Well, I had this great conversation with Putin,’ ” the senior defense official told me. “And we were, like, ‘Oh, dear, this is not good.’ ”
We can definitely answer the first part of the question: Musk has admitted that he accessed Ukraine’s Starlink traffic, was watching it in real time, and knew where all of the Ukrainian elements were based on it. What we can’t answer is whether he gave Putin this information. I wouldn’t put it past the Starlink Snowflake. I also wouldn’t put it past the Russian GRU to have managed to hack into Starlink and accessed this data and/or managed to get a not for cover hired at the firm.
One last Musk item before we move on. This long, detailed thread with screengrabs from the Capitol Hunters has all the details from discovery filings in various court cases Musk has been involved in that make it clear he’s a complete fraud. About everything.
Someone has to say it: Elon Musk has lied for 27 years about his credentials. He does not have a BS in Physics, or any technical field. Did not get into a PhD program. Dropped out in 1995 & was illegal. Later, investors quietly arranged a diploma – but not in science. 🧵1/ pic.twitter.com/ziuOMblwLJ
— capitolhunters (@capitolhunters) November 17, 2022
For those who prefer, here’s the link to the thread at the Thread Reader App.
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
There’s a new slideshow at Patron’s official TikTok. Those don’t embed here, so click through to give it a watch.
Open thread!
Gin & Tonic
Bullshit.
Cameron
Both Trump and Musk have degrees from Penn? Damn – I have some buddies who went there and I lived in the neighborhood for a number of years, but all of us were just run-of- the-mill assholes, not superstars of assholedom.
Villago Delenda Est
Sorry, Walter, but you’re coming across as a genocide friendly tankie here.
sab
Usual dumb question about whether that muskrat boy still
hascan keep his citizenship. Doesn’t he have some duty to behave?tomtofa
The responses to Velina Tchakarova’s post are mostly depressing – they validate or serve as examples of what she says.
Alison Rose
“A spectrum of views” yes, a spectrum which begins and ends inside putin’s colon. FOH.
I admit, I let out a bit of an “evil villain chuckle” over this:
Re: Muskrat — Okay, here’s the plan: Someone famous invites him to their villa in the Swiss Alps or something, then when he gets there, chloroform him, tie him up, toss him on a train to Lviv, then load him into a fighter plane and dump his ass out over Crimea.
Thank you as always, Adam, and sleep well.
sab
@Cameron: I thought Muskrat dropped out and moved to California, invalidating his student visa. He went to Penn but got no degree. Then he went west and got a job as an undocumented worker.
Villago Delenda Est
BA in Physics? WTeverlovingF?
Adam L Silverman
@Cameron: Actually, Musk does NOT have a degree from Penn. He never actually graduated. Several years later someone arranged for Penn to issue him a really hinky diploma for a bachelors degree. All the details are in the thread.
Adam L Silverman
@Villago Delenda Est: He does not have a BA in physics. He doesn’t actually have a bachelors in anything:
Adam L Silverman
@Villago Delenda Est:
Adam L Silverman
@Villago Delenda Est:
Villago Delenda Est
My point is that someone asserting that someone has a BA in Physics doesn’t know what the fuck they’re talking about. BS or nothing. BA in Economics is much more plausible, although it seems that the “context” is total horseshit, which is par for the course for the Elno cult.
Sebastian
Just catching up with all that happened today but wanted to thank you for digging out the @capitolhunters thread about Elno’s
sciencearts degree the day before yesterday. I had completely forgotten about it and it came in really handy on Threads where I am following and being followed by a lot of Blue Wavers.I also sound very smart by talking like you, after reading what you wrote. Thank you for that, Adam
Edit: and obviously for posting it today, too. that’s what I get from commenting before reading everything
Adam L Silverman
@Sebastian: No worries. You’re most welcome.
Timill
@Villago Delenda Est: If you want a BA in Physics, you need to pick your institution carefully. My degree is in Mathematics: a BA from Cambridge Uni (in the UK). They don’t (or hadn’t, back in the day) caught up with this modern fad for BScs…
tobie
Last night I wondered whether the leaked letter from UN Sec General Guterres may have been a fake. I did some research and it looks like the UN did shift to proposing that all financial sanctions be relaxed, and not just sanctions on Russia’s main agricultural bank, to restart the grain deal. This was Russia’s demand and the UN complied.
I mention this because it’s of a piece with the G20’s inability to issue a statement acknowledging Russia’s war “against” Ukraine, and the Modi regime’s slimy justification that the language had to be modified to represent “a spectrum of views” in the G20. We’ve had visitors from India on all sides of the political spectrum over the past two months, and one thing they all have in common is an indifference to Ukraine, resentment that the west cares so much about Ukraine, and a desire for the end of sanctions either because they consider Russia a friend of India or because they think India has suffered enough economically. I’ve been bewildered if not distraught to hear this.
sab
@Villago Delenda Est: Good point. I was a history major, and what with the sociological studies (reading UK parish records and tombstones) historiography got different. My graduating year of college my college decided to declare us a Social Science and not a Humanity study. Utterly shocked us all in my department, but saved my bacon. I was heavy on humanities but a bit short on science. Suddenly my humanities major was a science, and I could graduate without another science course!
Omnes Omnibus
@Villago Delenda Est: My undergrad did not offer BS degrees. Physics, math, English, history, etc. Everyone got a BA. Except the people at the Conservatory, they got a BMus. And the trade school on the Hudson only offers BS degree no matter the subject.
Omnes Omnibus
Adam, did you see the Ireland vs Romania game? No spoilers in case you haven’t.
Villago Delenda Est
@Omnes Omnibus: My undergrad school offered both BAs and BSs, I could have gone BS in History, told my adviser no, BA, and my adviser heartily approved. The trade school on the Hudson has its roots in Engineering, so this is not surprising. As if Elno could ever matriculate there. In this case we’ve got assertions of a BA in Physics and a BS in Econ. Now, if those are both options…well, Physics should be heavy on STEM and Econ can go either way, or be characterized as Theology.
Alison Rose
@Omnes Omnibus: BMU being a BMW you ordered from Wish.
dmsilev
@Villago Delenda Est: Eh. Some schools give BAs to all majors, even the ones in the sciences. Of all the issues with Musk, that doesn’t even rate in the top 1000.
sab
@Omnes Omnibus: ETA my comment below was incredibly insensitive and thus inappropriate in a Ukraine thread.:
I really want to get legal custody of the tv remote. Spouse keeps “punishing” the team in any sport, so we never watch any one game through. Always channel surfing for another game where his team is winning.
I actually am relieved by the Spectrum v Disney ESPN etc standoff. Husband cannot switch to another team or contest because if they are on Spectrum then Disney won’t let us watch anyway.
tobie
@dmsilev: At my university, a major in pure math still earns you a BA. Applied math is a BS. And physics now offers a BA and a BS track. I like that math still considers itself a part of the liberal arts.
Ruckus
Money corrupts.
A hell of a lot of money corrupts absolutely.
It doesn’t have to but that takes someone with the actual desire to be human.
If the only desire that individual has is to be wealthy, they do not give a damn about being human.
And while biologically they are human it’s only on the surface, every thing else will be about money.
All the lying, all the BS, all the work to be rich, will be at other’s expense.
Their money could be useful, them not so much.
tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)
Thank you, Adam. I hope you get the rest you need.
The visit of Japan’s foreign minister to Ukraine was front page news on the English sites. I was glad to see that, If there is one thing Japan does well, it is throw money overseas for development. It has a lot of expertise and knowhow in infrastructure development. I don’t know when Ukraine will be able to rebuild, but I hope it is soon.
The security agreement is interesting. Japan is feeling the heat with China making noises towards Taiwan and about territorial waters. This is followed by Russia to the north with the unresolved island issue. Then, of course, there is North Korea and it’s missile-happy leader. Japan is definitely searching for allies.
Last, and what is really eating at me, is the Musk incident. How is it possible that he can interfere with National Security issues and the FBI or whatever alphabet agency is in charge is not at his door hauling him into a box for interrogation? It’s barely a news story from what I can see. I want to believe that there are powers out of the spotlight that are on this and figure out a way to take the keys from this racist, misogynistic, and mercurial lump of a human. I don’t see how the current relationship between SpaceX and any government continues given what happened.
Adam L Silverman
@Omnes Omnibus: I did. There’s a reason Ireland is the #1 team in the world. That said, they were playing Romania. And the Romanians didn’t play bad, but they’re just not in Ireland’s league. I’m just about down with Australia V Georgia. Watched France v NZ last night. Started today with Italy V Namibia. Next up is England V Argentina. I’m looking forward to the Fiji game tomorrow.
Gin & Tonic
@Omnes Omnibus:
I’m missing some reference here. USMA, perhaps?
Cameron
@Adam L Silverman: I didn’t mean to imply that he earned a degree. Sorry!
Adam L Silverman
@Timill: You wanted a Bronze Swimming Certificate in Mathematics?
Villago Delenda Est
@Gin & Tonic: Yes. AKA Hudson High, Uncle Sam’s School for Wayward Boys.
Adam L Silverman
@tobie: I do actually check this stuff before I include it. And when I can’t verify it, but think it’s legit I tell everyone to treat it as RUMINT until verification is provided. If I can’t verify it and don’t think it’s legit, I don’t include it.
m.j.
From what I can see very few people have noted that Putin doesn’t have any qualms about assassinating people.
I think this is something Musk understands.
He isn’t a brave man.
Bill Arnold
@Gin & Tonic:
Yes. I didn’t know that description either (despite living close enough to hear their artillery practice), but it was the best guess from context, confirmed with a google search.
Omnes Omnibus
@Adam L Silverman:
England vs Argentina was an interesting game. Enjoy.
Timill
@Adam L Silverman: You go swimming in the Cam, you get admitted to Addenbrookes :-)
[I did fall in off a punt once, but didn’t even lose my glasses]
Princess
@Villago Delenda Est: if you major in physics at the University of Chicago, you get a BA. I doubt it’s unique in that respect.
Musk is still a wanker though. And I’m embarrassed to admit that one of the schools where he failed to get a degree (but found his first wife) is my own alma mater.
Adam L Silverman
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): Thank you for the kind words. You are most welcome.
As for Musk, we’re basically in an equivalent situation to: if you owe the bank 3,000 the bank owns you, if you owe the bank 3 billion dollars, you own the bank.
Given the amount of money the US government is giving him in subsidies for SpaceX, the contract for Starlink for Ukraine, and whatever they promised him to get all the new battery electric vehicles access to his/Tesla’s charging stations, the only choice at this point is treat him like he is a head of government and state or invoke laws that are only used in war time to seize his companies as a matter of national security while also pulling his clearance and access and caging his clearance forever. The Biden administration is not going to do any of these things.
Alison Rose
@Cameron: The only think Musk has earned is a kick to the junk, and I hope he gets it one day.
Ksmiami
@Villago Delenda Est: RIT?
Adam L Silverman
@Omnes Omnibus: Just starting it now.
Adam L Silverman
@Gin & Tonic: Correct.
Adam L Silverman
@Cameron: No worries. Academic fraud gets on my last nerve.
Cameron
@Alison Rose: I think we can agree on that.
Villago Delenda Est
@Bill Arnold: Omnes and I both served with ring knockers (USMA graduates), so both of us were exposed to the lingo of the USMA.
Bill Arnold
So today’s Musk version of the narrative about Starlink coverage around Crimea is consistent with Ukraine being led to believe that Starlink covered all of Ukraine, and Musk/Starlink keeping from them the fact that it only covered the parts of Ukraine that weren’t occupied by Russia.
If Musk/Starlink are asserting that they deceived Ukraine, then there is a large amount of additional blood on their hands.
That would be/would have been extremely consequential deception.
Villago Delenda Est
@Ksmiami: RIT? Wazzat? Rochester Institute of Technology?
sab
@m.j.: He is allegedly one of the richest men in the world and has been a notorious asshole his whole life. He just laid off tens of thousands of people. He can’t afford adequate security?
tobie
@Adam L Silverman: I didn’t mean to imply you weren’t working to verify what you post. I was just so taken aback by Guterres’s concessions that I was curious to see the evolution from his position from July till now.
Cameron
@Adam L Silverman: It is unfortunate that money talks and bullshit walks. If Musk didn’t have some heavy connections, I doubt that Penn would have given him that piece of paper (I guess it is a diploma, since Penn has the right to call it that).
I understand why you get pissed at academic fraud. I got kicked out of Fancy Liberal Arts College and wound up getting a degree from Close-Cover-Before-Striking University. I’ve had people tell me that I should just mention that I went to FLAC and leave out the part about getting bounced, but that really didn’t sit well.
Villago Delenda Est
OK, I’ve been edjamacated here on BAs and BSs. What happens at Duck U stays at Duck U, aka Nike U.
Adam L Silverman
@tobie: No worries. Was just trying to clarify, not insinuate that’s what you were doing
Villago Delenda Est
@Cameron: Sufficient amounts of money can buy round trip 1st class tickets.
tobie
@Adam L Silverman: Thanks.
Timill
@sab: Adequate is measured against the threat. Against Putin, I suspect you need deterrence not security.
As an aside, I wouldn’t be surprised if personal security isn’t the root of some of Musk’s problems – as a super-rich, he must have his own personal security, who don’t let him associate with any but other super-rich assholes. Plus Grimes leaving for Chelsea Manning won’t have helped.
Tom Levenson
@Omnes Omnibus: By contrast, my employer, MIT, does not offer arts degrees. So you can graduate with a BS in Writing (or History, or Literature).
The Graduate Program in Science Writing where I make much of my home here awards MS degrees in science writing.
Heh.
Another Scott
@Villago Delenda Est: My physics undergrad degree is a BA (Chicago calls it an “AB”). It’s not that unusual.
FWIW.
Cheers,
Scott.
Lyrebird
@Villago Delenda Est: @Omnes Omnibus:
Thanks for clarifying. I didn’t think RPI had a big enough reputation to have a clever nickname in Wisconsin. West Point has a better view, and the Hudson is a fair bit wider by that point.
Thanks Adam for posting Tatarigami’s list of ways to help.
I am going to try joining one of the groups tutoring English, which seems to be a very useful language economically even in E. Europe.
Shalimar
@Adam L Silverman: My sister finished with enough credits for a degree in political science but missing one requirement: she never passed a statistics class required for her minor. Maybe 5 years later she applied for a waiver from that one class and got the degree. Whether that was something that happened regularly or she got special treatment because mom worked for the guy who founded the university, I’m not sure.
zhena gogolia
@Lyrebird: Yeah, I was guessing RPI too.
sab
6@Adam L Silverman: I was so happy when my respectable college gave me a BA in History, because no way that was a science degree.
My dad did have a some science degrees: BS in Biology and then a medical degree.
His daughter my older sister had Art History degrees: AB, MA and PhD.
He always said his medical doctorate was just an inflated professional degree. I believe the same about my law degree.
My sister had to learn a lot about Chinese art and culture, and also become reading and speaking functional in Mandarin Chinese to get her PhD. Plus the art.
I just had to get a three year academic degree with a rough understanding of some parts of American law to get my JD.
We all say only the Art Historian had to write both Masters Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation, both defended in front of knowledgeable academics, to get her degree.
Dad and I had technical diplomas.
Sister has degrees.
Adam L Silverman
@Omnes Omnibus: I see the worst referee in the world is officiating,
tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)
@Adam L Silverman: Thank you for the reply.
I’m all for nationalizing in this case. Leaving so much power in the hands of one private individual has implications for world order. I also recognize the truth to your words and it makes my rage meter go off the charts. I do not know how you sift through all this information every day, but I appreciate it.
Sebastian
@m.j.:
He should be more afraid of Budanov than of Putin.
wjca
Lots of variations in degrees. But a BA in Physics and a BS in Economics? Seems like a wildly improbable mix.
Adam L Silverman
@Shalimar: What you’re describing is routine and is not what allegedly occurred at Penn to give Musk degrees he didn’t earn because he dropped out of Penn and moved to California as an undocumented overstay.
Adam L Silverman
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): You’re most welcome.
HumboldtBlue
OI, but I think we all agree with the sentiment being expressed in this picture.
Andrya
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo wrote that we have reached a point where rich people are taking on the powers of a state. At that point, are we still a democracy?
@Adam L Silverman: I think we SHOULD do all the things you mention, but isn’t there a realistic way to pressure the Muskrat: “Stop undercutting/sabotaging US foreign policy, and stop it NOW, or we will start funding alternatives to your companies!”
Personally, I think we should do all the things that you list, and also prosecute him under the Logan Act, and if convicted- and he should be convicted- revoke his US citizenship and deport him to South Africa.
Bill Arnold
@Sebastian:
That Budanov birthday cake video (that Adam linked a few days ago) made me laugh out loud. (Headphones, full volume.)
But Ukraine needs Starlink, at least while the war continues. Another alternative would be helpful.
Sebastian
@Bill Arnold:
Budanov would never jeopardize the current operations but I bet you any kind of money he is keeping a list for after the war. And that’s what Elon should be afraid. The thought ought to freeze his blood.
Sebastian
@Bill Arnold:
Oh btw that video was already “improved”. I’ll try to find a link
Lyrebird
This video (nitter link, thank you Jay for explaining how) features an older couple who were under occupation near Kharkiv I think, they hid their vyshyvanka shirts in jars… They survived to wear them again at their 50th anniversary party!
ETA: h/t quaoar of DKos’ More Russian Stuff Blowing Up diaries
wjca
So, if Ukraine wins, Elon is in trouble. (Assuming, for the sake of discussion, Russia doesn’t totally implode.)
If Russia wins, Elon is in trouble.
So what he
wantsneeds is longterm stalemate, but without any armistice or other end to active hostilities. In short, no end to the war.Alison Rose
@Sebastian: I just read a (fantastic) sci-fi book in which a punishment dealt out by a ruling cadre is to put the person in essentially a glass coffin and launch them into space directly into a star. I think that would be a fitting end for Muskrat, considering he does love space and all.
Kent
I have a BA in Biology from Reed College. I think they only grant BA degrees since it is a liberal arts college with emphasis on the liberal arts.
My daughter is currently a Bio major at UW in Seattle. As I understand it she has a choice of graduating with either a BA or BS in Biology. I think the main difference is that the BA degree means you have slightly more course requirements from the liberal arts but the science requirements are basically the same. People get BS degrees when the just want to geek out in sciences and not be required to take as much liberal arts distribution classes.
Effectively they amount to the same thing I think. No one really parses that level of detail when it comes to bachelor’s degrees.
Kent
Nah, money forgives a lot.
Whoever comes out on top? All he needs to do is announce he is putting his next big Tesla assembly plant in that country and all will be instantly forgiven.
Sebastian
@Kent:
Not for Budanov and the other Ukrainians. All those innocent dead, there are so so many. What Elon did will never be forgotten.
Kent
Oh sure, but after wars end, people move on. Look how fast Japan and Germany turned into allies post WW2. American vets were butt hurt for decades, but the country quickly moved on.
When this war ends, and it will. Jobs, reconstruction, and redevelopment will quickly move to the top.
That is why the smart move for China at this point is to stay the fuck out. Because there are going to be absolutely MASSIVE reconstruction contracts in Ukraine funded by western dollars and loans. New highways, cities, subways, dams, bridges, etc. And if the Chinese know how to do anything it is build stuff. And they don’t just want to rebuild Ukraine, they want the next bullet train contract in Poland and contracts across central and eastern Europe. They won’t get those if they are too pro-Russian.
Better to let Russia crumble and snap up Siberia at fire sale prices (all the industry there). Then cash in on the rebuilding of Ukraine and the accompanying new development that will explode in the rest of that region. The Chinese are not stupid. They have to know that Putin is a dead end investment.
Carlo Graziani
I guess that the part of this story that is still mysterious to me is, why on Earth would anyone regard a B.X. in Physics, even if legitimate, as being a useful credential for an aspiring Captain of Industry? I mean, OK, so now you know a little classical mechanics, some electrodynamics and statistical mechanics, some rudiments of quantum mechanics. And this means what for your business aptitude, exactly? I mean, even a Ph.D. in physics would be a dubious credential for the leader of an automobile firm, or even a space launch firm. It’s basically not the right skill set. So why is he so attached to the bullshit story in which he earned that particular degree?
wjca
For the masses, sure. But not until after Numemberg and Tokyo trials. The folks who led our allies when they became our allies were definitely not the ones leading the battle against us.
So I wouldn’t be too sure that Elon will get a pass after the fact. Maybe not a formal trial, like some in Russia will face. But not forgiven/forgotten either.
Gwangung
@wjca: Having long memories after an existential battle is a survival trait
so is being pragmatic. The two are not contradictory. Ask any Black person.
Origuy
@Carlo Graziani: It’s part of the Silicon Valley mythos, a science geek coming up with the next great thing, getting venture capitol to make the thing, and getting filthy rich and proclaimed a genius.
Usually the genius doesn’t know how to run a company and the VC guys repossess it.
a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio)
@Carlo Graziani: Physics degree = Being really smart, as far as he’s concerned. It’s about reinforcing his ego, in my opinion. I admit I am not a certified Elon whisperer, but that’s my impression, given what we’ve seen from him when the PR machine isn’t intervening with his preferred BS.
Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom
A word of warning to any, like me, who spends time browsing for news about the War In Ukraine on YouTube. The Indian sources are completely unreliable. Even those that aren’t blatantly in Russia’s corner, are pro-Putin to some extent. The worst blatantly lie about all things Ukraine & are basically Russian propaganda. Oh, & they really don’t seem to like Zelenskyy. 🤔 He does seem to have that effect on Putin’s fan base. I wonder why.😌
opiejeanne
My husband saw a headline Friday claiming that Zelenskyy said they had killed 600 Russians in a raid. It was in The Independent, but he hasn’t found any other source of this story. Has anyone seen this report from a reliable source?
Shalimar
@Carlo Graziani: Apparently a degree in physics really is difficult to get from Penn, where he claims to have gotten it. Even then though, I doubt anyone who has the degree he prized when he was in school has been even remotely as successful as he has, so no clue why he sees it as more of a marker of genius than his actual achievements.
Freemark
bjacques
If history is any guide, one of Musk’s kids will be sufficiently messed up to do him in.
The Thin Black Duke
@bjacques: It’s already happened.
The daughter who changed their name because they hated Musk so much.
Elon shouldn’t expect any visits from his children when he’s dying in a hospital bed except when it’s time to sign the “do not resuccitate” paperwork.
Baud
@The Thin Black Duke:
And the “no palliative care” form.
Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg
I’m entertaining a fantasy of Ukraine quietly issuing criminal charges and the DOJ facilitating a quick raid, arrest and extradition flight to Kiev.
”Oops, our bad. We forgot the niceties of an extradition hearing in Federal Court. We’ll do better next time.”
I’m guessing that his Starlink successor would think twice before activating a kill switch over Ukraine as he contemplates Captain Apartheid’s fate in Ukrainian gen pop jail.
It would likely wipe that stupid smile off his stupid face if he had to learn how to fight to live.
Betty Cracker
@Adam L Silverman:
I read somewhere the EU is developing its own satellite communications network so it doesn’t have to rely on this pro-authoritarian creep. It would be great if the US also stood up government-controlled assets with a plan to cut Musk out. At this point, it’s a matter of national security, so failure to do so would be irresponsible.
Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg
@Betty Cracker:
In the Ian Fleming universe, Bond would have killed him already.
Betty Cracker
@Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg: In the nonfiction world, our government agencies used to be notorious for eliminating troublemakers, sometimes via unfortunate accidents or the well-timed emergence of evidence of heinous crimes. I don’t condone that kind of thing, of course! But when one sees completely unaccountable malevolent actors putting their thumbs on the scale in a global democracy vs. autocracy struggle, one might become a tad less morally fastidious on that point. Just saying.
Geminid
@Betty Cracker: Perhaps the most notable post-conflict revenge campaign was Operation Nemesis, carried out a little over a century ago:
Tehleran shot down Talat Pasha on a Berlin street and waited to be arrested, as per his instructions. His trial was a sensation, and his attorneys were able to enter into evidence the horrific stories of the genocide Talat Pasha had engineered.
Tehleran said at trial that he had stalked Talat, but was only induced to carry out the assasination when his mother came to him in a dream and reproached him for letting her murderer walk free. The jury acqitted him, ostensibly on grounds of mental illness. He later emigrated to the US, and was working in San Francisco for the US Postal Service under an assumed name when he died in 1960, at age 64.
I don’t think Ukraine will send a hit squad after Musk, even if they were to mount their own version of Operation Nemesis. But Musk could be targeted by a “lone wolf,” as emotions about this war are so intense.
Here Musk’s own bragging could get him in trouble. I think he exaggerated the potential of another “Pearl Harbor” which would have dramatically altered the the basic course of this war. The sea drone attack might have been effective had the Musk not taken Starlink down, but it would not have been the war winning stroke some have made it out to be.
Uncle Cosmo
Unfortunately you’re the one who “doesn’t know what the fuck they’re talking about.” I hold a BA in Physics from Johns Hopkins University, awarded with “general and departmental honors” and good enough to get me admitted (with a research assistantship covering tuition and living expenses) to one of the half-dozen best PhD programs in astronomy in the entire country.
(ETA: Also Another Scott at #58 supra.)
AM in NC
@Betty Cracker: I figured this may be a dead thread by now, but that was my question/comment. PLEASE tell me our government (and NATO) is doing everything it can both to create its own satellite system and to write regulations that prevent OddJob there from continuing to pollute our skies while aiding and abetting Putin.
Betty Cracker
@Geminid: Never heard of Operation Nemesis before — that’s fascinating!
Another Scott
@AM in NC: There are several existing alternatives to Starlink, and more are planned. (They’re all slightly different, with different capabilities, of course.)
Iridium has offices in Ukraine.
It’s unlikely, IMO, that any national-defense-type satellite network would be directly open to other countries. (E.g. the DoD has lots and lots of satellites.)
Cheers,
Scott.
Villago Delenda Est
@Uncle Cosmo: I have confessed to not knowing what I’m talking about on this subject. Elno and his loathsome fanbois, OTOH, are still lying scum.
way2blue
@Villago Delenda Est:
Is that the physics degree where you don’t need calculus or differential equations?
Another Scott
@way2blue:
To continue beating this dead horse, a BA in Physics is not that uncommon. E.g. Chicago:
HTH!
Cheers,
Scott.
Another Scott
Meanwhile, … Whitehouse.gov:
Interesting. Stressing the importance of Starlink, but not talking about future options – leaving lots of room to maneuver as needed.
Cheers,
Scott.
Sebastian
@Geminid:
Neither was Pearl Harbor