CitizenVectron

Morocco choose sides, supplies T-72B tanks to Ukraine WWW.MILITARY.AFRICA Morocco is jettisoning it's neutral stance in the Russian-Ukraine conflict, to supply arms to Kiev. Rabat had earlier chosen to Morocco giving 120 T-72B modernized tanks to Ukraine (just/currently being modernized in Czech Republic). The United States and Netherlands are paying for them.

Damn, the members of Congress shouting Slava Ukraini and Zelenskyy responding with Heroyam Slava got me teared up.

I haven't watched it yet, but one of the compliments I've heard is that he targeted it perfectly to the American audience, in terms of Nazi references, Russia as the enemy, America's past victories, etc.

Very interesting. But I can't imagine Putin ever accepting anything at all, and I can't imagine Ukraine accepting the loss of Luhansk/Donetsk. Maaaaaaaaybe Crimea, but I don't think the Ukrainian public would like that.

I've seen theories that this is part of the plan: lure as many missiles towards the Patriot system as possible since Russia can't help but going after it, thereby diverting strikes from power and gas plants.

Ukraine appears to be making advances in the east today, as well, getting closer to Kreminna. The Russian soldiers there are described as closer to "homeless people" than soldiers.

Tesla (TSLA) to implement hiring freeze and new round of layoffs | Electrek ELECTREK.CO Tesla (TSLA) has told employees that it is implementing a hiring freeze and confirmed that another wave of layoffs is coming next quarter. Tesla has lost a bunch of value in the past few weeks, as well.

Details on $2 billion+ package: BREAKING: U.S. announces $1.85B in new aide for Ukraine through PDA, plus $850M under USAI. Includes first-ever transfer to Ukraine of the Patriot missile defense system and Joint Direct Attack Munitions guidance kits Big capabilities in this PDA: -One Patriot battery and munitions; -HIMARS ammo -500 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds; -10 120mm mortar systems and 10,000 120mm mortar rounds; -10 82mm mortar systems; -10 60mm mortar systems; -37 Cougar MRAPs -120 HMMWVs -6 armored utility trucks; -HARM missiles -Precision aerial munitions; -Over 2,700 grenade launchers and small arms; -Claymore anti-personnel munitions; -Demolition munitions -Night vision devices and optics; -Tactical secure communications systems; -Body armor In USAI package: -45,000 152mm artillery rounds; -20,000 122mm artillery rounds; -50,000 122mm GRAD rockets; -100,000 rounds of 125mm tank ammunition; -SATCOM terminals and services; -Funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment.

Waiting for translation, but it sounds like Putin just announced: Increase of military forces to 1.5 million (increase of 350,000, so likely new conscription wave) Deployment of Satan II ICBMs for combat use NATO is currently using its full capacity against Russia in Ukraine (lol)

Leaks of a huge $1.8 billion military package to be announced tomorrow, including patriot system and those 100km+ smart bombs that can be launched from HIMARS or planes.

Rumours that Zelenskyy is en route to the US right now (first time leaving Ukraine since the war started) for a joint address of Congress tomorrow.

NYT responds: The New York Times speaks out on claims its crossword resembles swastika WWW.NEWSWEEK.COM "This is a common crossword design," a spokesperson for the newspaper said in a statement. It may be a common design...(or not), but come on, think about the optics.

Two big (and intertwined) pieces of news: Ukraine appears to have driven Russian forces out of the outskirts of Bakhmut, retaking the entire city (pre-war pop of 70,000). Russia is sacrificing upwards of 500 soldiers (conscripts) per day to take this city, and is failing Zelenskyy visited Bakhmut today to meet the troops and hand out awards to the defenders... on the front-line city, most intense warzone on the planet: Ukraine war: Zelensky visits frontline city of Bakhmut WWW.BBC.COM The Ukrainian president meets troops in a city badly damaged after months of fierce fighting.

I feel sympathy for conscripts, but I also feel that them dying is better than Ukrainians dying in a war of Russian aggression. The unfortunate reality is that the Russian population basically agreed to let Putin and the oligarchy do whatever they want as long as taxes were low and people could do what they wanted. Putin has violated that agreement, but the population that is now suffering for it (at least, the western Russian, white population) was perfectly fine with the system when it was only the eaternn ethnic-minority Russians who were bearing the brunt of Russian imperialism. Now that the meat grinder demands white Russians there is some outrage in Russia, but they should have seen it coming. Even still, many believe Russia's cause is just, and just don't personally want to have to fight for it. So, I feel sympathy for Russians being conscripted as I would in any similar situation...but as I said, if it's a choice of a conscript invader vs volunteer defender, I will choose the death of the invader every time.

Thanks! I'm also going to reach out to the union the other IT department joined to see if they can provide me more info.

Twitter trying to make it harder for people to tell others where to find them in the exodus, are banning any posts that link to other social media platforms (also banning official accounts owned by those platforms):

Does anyone have good resources on tips for how to form/join a union? I realize most users are in the US so specific laws won't apply to where I live, but any advice is appreciated. My city has two school divisions, and the other one just had their IT department join a national union. I'd like the same for our department. @TUFKAK, I know you are a big union guy, any good resources out there on general tips for navigating response/tactics from management, best ways to get people to sign up, etc? It's a small department (18 people, 15 who would be in-scope), so it would mostly be convincing/talking with people I know directly.

This info was taken in 2021 when vaccines did a good job of preventing infection, keep in mind (and when that was one of the publicly-toutes benefits). I guarantee that people who refuse vaccination care less about others compared to people who were vaccinated.

Oh great—first we had GPU shortages because of mining, now we're going to have battery shortages because morons are going to buy these to store power off-peak and sell it back on-peak and make money.

I still haven't seen the first film!

Effectively, even with a story like Eisenhorn where the POV character is arguably a good guy, it's like setting a detective story in Nazi Germany with a sympathetic cop. Can it be done? Yes. Can it be done easily? No. Unless you really focus on the fact that humanity is corrupt and evil, and that the POV character knows this and does what they can do help people. Unfortunately, the same chuds that hated Rings of Power would also likely hate any 40k story that wasn't explicitly about the mass murder of mutants and agents of chaos.

How do we think they are going to do this, in terms of starting the universe? Obviously the stories take place over thousands of years, so I think they will pull a Rings of Power and condense things to happen all at once. Adapt Horus Heresy first? It's probably the most well-known series. I think that would be a mistake, though. Personally, I'd prefer they adapt the Eisenhorn novels, as it's a good intro into the universe. You see the world from the perspective of an Inquisitor visiting different worlds to investigate crimes against humankind (such as just being born a mutant). You get psychic powers, plasma swords, bolt guns, etc. You can do pretty much anything you want with Eisenhorn.