Eastern Europe: Olivier's sphere of influence

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BattleMaster: Aug 14, 2000

A Pale Horse posted:

Even robots can't stand to be in Russia

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/artificially-intelligent-russian-robot-makes-run-again-135153288.html

I hope it's not like a Twilight Zone/Outer Limits type of thing where the "computer" is actually a human brain taken from a person who went missing.

# ? Jun 26, 2016 03:48

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# ? May 9, 2024 22:45

AceRimmer: Mar 18, 2009

BattleMaster posted:

I hope it's not like a Twilight Zone/Outer Limits type of thing where the "computer" is actually a human brain taken from a person who went missing.

They probably dug Trotsky's brain out of some Stalin-era bunker. Poor little robot is just trying to spread the revolution/look for Frida Kahlo. :smith:

# ? Jun 26, 2016 07:40

crabcakes66: May 24, 2012; by exmarx

A Pale Horse posted:

Even robots can't stand to be in Russia

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/artificially-intelligent-russian-robot-makes-run-again-135153288.html

Short Circuit remake looking good.

# ? Jun 26, 2016 11:01

uber_stoat: Jan 21, 2001; Pillbug

crabcakes66 posted:

Short Circuit remake looking good.

"Disassemble? Сука Блять!"

# ? Jun 26, 2016 19:52

woodenchicken: Aug 19, 2007; Nap Ghost

# ? Jun 27, 2016 10:41

3peat: May 6, 2010

Hungarians put up posters in Holland

# ? Jun 27, 2016 11:16

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

That looks like they're blaming Dracula.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 11:20

A Buttery Pastry: Sep 4, 2011; Delicious and Informative!

anilEhilated posted:

That looks like they're blaming Dracula.

If Dracula was still around, Europe would be safe from the Muslim menace.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 11:26

A Pale Horse: Jul 29, 2007

3peat posted:

Hungarians put up posters in Holland

As if Hungary has room to talk. But that's the way isn't it, poo poo on the person below you on the totem pole to try to show how not poo poo you are. Pathetic.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 14:29

Martin BadClixx: Jul 14, 2012; ^{dada stijl}

Oh god. I passed there this morning during a run.

That is my story, thank you.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 15:06

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

A Buttery Pastry posted:

If Dracula was still around, Europe would be safe from the Muslim menace.

And we wouldn't have the whole mess with Turkey trying to join. Seriously, why Romania?

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 15:28 on Jun 27, 2016

# ? Jun 27, 2016 15:26

steinrokkan: Apr 2, 2011; Can't post for 42 minutes!; Soiled Meat

anilEhilated posted:

And we wouldn't have the whole mess with Turkey trying to join. Seriously, why Romania?

Which country stole the most Hungarian clay? It may be just me, but the Romanian flag over "Cluj Napoca" seems to be intended to be painted over the rightful Hungarian name Kolozsv�r.

E: Apparently Cluj is famous for being a hotspot of Hungarian-Romanian ethnic tensions.

steinrokkan fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Jun 27, 2016

# ? Jun 27, 2016 15:38

Martin BadClixx: Jul 14, 2012; ^{dada stijl}

3peat posted:

Hungarians put up posters in Holland

Now that I think about it. What is the point of it actually? And why is it posted in the netherlands of all places? As far as I can tell the average Joe here has no strong opinion about either romania or hungaria

# ? Jun 27, 2016 15:58

Palpek: Dec 27, 2008; Do you feel it, Zach?
My coffee warned me about it.

Thatim posted:

Now that I think about it. What is the point of it actually? And why is it posted in the netherlands of all places? As far as I can tell the average Joe here has no strong opinion about either romania or hungaria

Because it was not Hungaria as the glorious country that made these posters but some crazy organisation: http://brexit.language-rights.eu/

# ? Jun 27, 2016 16:09

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Thatim posted:

Now that I think about it. What is the point of it actually? And why is it posted in the netherlands of all places? As far as I can tell the average Joe here has no strong opinion about either romania or hungaria

Because Hungarians and Romanians really don't like each other, so whoever put it in the Netherlands was using that as a reason.

Found this in the chat thread.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...5275_story.html

quote:

Russia is harassing U.S. diplomats all over Europe

Russian intelligence and security services have been waging a campaign of harassment and intimidation against U.S. diplomats, embassy staff and their families in Moscow and several other European capitals that has rattled ambassadors and prompted Secretary of State John F. Kerry to ask Vladimir Putin to put a stop to it.

At a recent meeting of U.S. ambassadors from Russia and Europe in Washington, U.S. ambassadors to several European countries complained that Russian intelligence officials were constantly perpetrating acts of harassment against their diplomatic staff that ranged from the weird to the downright scary. Some of the intimidation has been routine: following diplomats or their family members, showing up at their social events uninvited or paying reporters to write negative stories about them.

But many of the recent acts of intimidation by Russian security services have crossed the line into apparent criminality. In a series of secret memos sent back to Washington, described to me by several current and former U.S. officials who have written or read them, diplomats reported that Russian intruders had broken into their homes late at night, only to rearrange the furniture or turn on all the lights and televisions, and then leave. One diplomat reported that an intruder had defecated on his living room carpet.

In Moscow, where the harassment is most pervasive, diplomats reported slashed tires and regular harassment by traffic police. Former ambassador Michael McFaul was hounded by government-paid protesters, and intelligence personnel followed his children to school. The harassment is not new; in the first term of the Obama administration, Russian intelligence personnel broke into the house of the U.S. defense attache in Moscow and killed his dog, according to multiple former officials who read the intelligence reports.

But since the 2014 Russian intervention in Ukraine, which prompted a wide range of U.S. sanctions against Russian officials and businesses close to Putin, harassment and surveillance of U.S. diplomatic staff in Moscow by security personnel and traffic police have increased significantly, State Department press secretary John Kirby confirmed to me.

�Since the return of Putin, Russia has been engaged in an increasingly aggressive gray war across Europe. Now it�s in retaliation for Western sanctions because of Ukraine. The widely reported harassment is another front in the gray war,� said Norm Eisen, U.S. ambassador the Czech Republic from 2011 to 2014. �They are hitting American diplomats literally where they live.�

The State Department has taken several measures in response to the increased level of nefarious activity by the Russian government. All U.S. diplomats headed for Europe now receive increased training on how to handle Russian harassment, and the European affairs bureau run by Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland has set up regular interagency meetings on tracking and responding to the incidents.

McFaul told me he and his family were regularly followed and the Russian intelligence services wanted his family to know they were being watched. Other embassy officials also suffered routine harassment that increased significantly after the Ukraine-related sanctions. Those diplomats who were trying to report on Russian activities faced the worst of it.

�It was part of a way to put pressure on government officials who were trying to do their reporting jobs. It definitely escalated when I was there. After the invasion of Ukraine, it got much, much worse,� McFaul said. �We were feeling embattled out there in the embassy.�

There was a debate inside the Obama administration about how to respond, and ultimately President Obama made the decision not to respond with similar measures against Russian diplomats, McFaul said.

A spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington sent me a long statement both tacitly admitting to the harassment and defending it as a response to what he called U.S. provocations and mistreatment of Russian diplomats in the United States.

�The deterioration of U.S.-Russia relations, which was not caused by us, but rather by the current Administrations� policy of sanctions and attempts to isolate Russian, had a negative affect on the functioning of diplomatic missions, both in U.S. and Russia,� the spokesman said. �In diplomatic practice there is always the principle of reciprocity and, indeed, for the last couple of years our diplomatic staff in the United States has been facing certain problems. The Russian side has never acted proactively to negatively affect U.S. diplomats in any way.�

Evelyn Farkas, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia until last year, said that there is no equivalence between whatever restrictions Russian diplomats are subjected to in the United States and the harassment and intimation that U.S. diplomats suffer at the hands of the Russian security services. The fact that the Russian government stands accused of murdering prominent diplomats and defectors in European countries adds a level of fear for Russia�s targets.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 18:53

icantfindaname: Jul 1, 2008

3peat posted:

Hungarians put up posters in Holland

reminds me of turkey's armenian genocide denial PR campaigns

# ? Jun 27, 2016 18:57

A Buttery Pastry: Sep 4, 2011; Delicious and Informative!

Palpek posted:

Because it was not Hungaria as the glorious country that made these posters but some crazy organisation: http://brexit.language-rights.eu/

In the spirit of this thread, I'm going to say that Russia is behind it.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 19:13

Lord_Adonis: Mar 2, 2015; by Smythe

This may be a little off topic, but could someone outline whether having deceased Polish Paternal Grandparents would be an advantage in emigrating to Poland from the UK? What kind of immigration system does Poland have? Is it points based for people outside the EU? Would a Qualified Electrician from England (with some other associated qualifications- HND being my highest) be able to apply and be accepted as a citizen? I know that some people will advise me to 'just move there now', but I would need at least a year to quit my job and make the move over there.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 19:57

Pussy Cartel: Jun 26, 2011; Lipstick Apathy

Lord_Adonis posted:

This may be a little off topic, but could someone outline whether having deceased Polish Paternal Grandparents would be an advantage in emigrating to Poland from the UK? What kind of immigration system does Poland have? Is it points based for people outside the EU? Would a Qualified Electrician from England (with some other associated qualifications- HND being my highest) be able to apply and be accepted as a citizen? I know that some people will advise me to 'just move there now', but I would need at least a year to quit my job and make the move over there.

I would've thought just reading this thread for the last few months would've cured anyone of wanting to move to Poland if they could help it.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 20:16

Lord_Adonis: Mar 2, 2015; by Smythe

At least the prospect of mass unemployment and hyper inflation aren't looming over Poland. At least they are still forward thinking enough to remain in a community of European nations! I want out of the UK.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 20:22

A Pale Horse: Jul 29, 2007

Lord_Adonis posted:

This may be a little off topic, but could someone outline whether having deceased Polish Paternal Grandparents would be an advantage in emigrating to Poland from the UK? What kind of immigration system does Poland have? Is it points based for people outside the EU? Would a Qualified Electrician from England (with some other associated qualifications- HND being my highest) be able to apply and be accepted as a citizen? I know that some people will advise me to 'just move there now', but I would need at least a year to quit my job and make the move over there.

First of all, don't move to Poland. No matter how disgusted and angry you are about Brexit, Poland is much, much worse in every respect than the United Kingdom. The pay is worse, the social services meager, the racism intense, the language almost unlearnable as a second language and we're ruled by Catholic Nationalists. That doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue citizenship however if you have that right, and by your description it seems you do. Your best bet would be to contact the Polish Consulate in the UK and find out the exact requirements to claim Polish citizenship as I don't want to lead you wrong. Once you claim your Polish citizenship you can apply for and receive a Polish passport and as long as the UK allows dual citizenship you've got the best of both worlds. You can live in one of the most prosperous and comfortable countries in the world and still have free and open access to Europe (using your Polish passport).

# ? Jun 27, 2016 20:23

Crowsbeak: Oct 9, 2012; by Azathoth; Lipstick Apathy

A Pale Horse posted:

Even robots can't stand to be in Russia

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/artificially-intelligent-russian-robot-makes-run-again-135153288.html

Woah so Short Circuit is actually happening, Now he needs to find a weird chick to hide him from the military.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 20:25

Crowsbeak: Oct 9, 2012; by Azathoth; Lipstick Apathy

A Pale Horse posted:

As if Hungary has room to talk. But that's the way isn't it, poo poo on the person below you on the totem pole to try to show how not poo poo you are. Pathetic.

Frankly Romania is higher on the totem pole. Hungary is a shithole that probably is going to have American peacekeeping soldiers in it by the end of the 2020s.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 20:28

A Pale Horse: Jul 29, 2007

Lord_Adonis posted:

At least the prospect of mass unemployment and hyper inflation aren't looming over Poland. At least they are still forward thinking enough to remain in a community of European nations! I want out of the UK.

We're in the midst of a catastrophic demographic collapse and a pension system that is already so meager as to be laughable, unemployment is 9% nationally and reaching 20% in some regions. Granted, big cities have virtually no unemployment but the average monthly pay is what you probably make in 3-4 days in the UK. Seriously dude, its fine to be angry about Brexit, and I certainly am, but don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 20:30

Crowsbeak: Oct 9, 2012; by Azathoth; Lipstick Apathy

HUGE PUBES A PLUS posted:

Because Hungarians and Romanians really don't like each other, so whoever put it in the Netherlands was using that as a reason.

Found this in the chat thread.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...5275_story.html

Yeah we really should start moving to eliminate these Russian security service types.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 20:32

OddObserver: Apr 3, 2009

A Pale Horse posted:

We're in the midst of a catastrophic demographic collapse and a pension system that is already so meager as to be laughable, unemployment is 9% nationally and reaching 20% in some regions. Granted, big cities have virtually no unemployment but the average monthly pay is what you probably make in 3-4 days in the UK. Seriously dude, its fine to be angry about Brexit, and I certainly am, but don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

Also if the brexit crazies really do kick all the Poles working there out, that may make the economy even tougher.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 20:33

icantfindaname: Jul 1, 2008

A Pale Horse posted:

We're in the midst of a catastrophic demographic collapse and a pension system that is already so meager as to be laughable, unemployment is 9% nationally and reaching 20% in some regions. Granted, big cities have virtually no unemployment but the average monthly pay is what you probably make in 3-4 days in the UK. Seriously dude, its fine to be angry about Brexit, and I certainly am, but don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

but, Poland is the shining example of what austerity can do when the profligate leftists and lazy ethnics don't get in the way!

# ? Jun 27, 2016 20:39

A Pale Horse: Jul 29, 2007

OddObserver posted:

Also if the brexit crazies really do kick all the Poles working there out, that may make the economy even tougher.

I'm starting to think that's a remote possibility. Much to the Brexit racist's chagrin I'm pretty sure they won't remove any EU citizens already living in the UK. They may try to restrict future migration but even that seems to have very meager prospects if they want access to the common market. But who knows and if they do then you're absolutely right. We have no jobs for these folks and I doubt they're willing to go work at an Amazon warehouse for 2300 PLN Brutto.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 20:40

Lovely Joe Stalin: Jun 12, 2007; Our Lovely Wang

They already admitted that curbing immigration and paying the EU fees (�350m per week that wasn't a real figure anyway) to the NHS were both lies. They literally admitted it within 24 hours. Everything they stood on was lies. The Leave campaign won by loving accident. It's internal Tory party leadership fighting gone wronger than anything since someone decided that something called "The Great War" would be a laugh.

# ? Jun 27, 2016 22:42

Tevery Best: Oct 11, 2013; Hewlo Furriend

Lovely Joe Stalin posted:

They already admitted that curbing immigration and paying the EU fees (�350m per week that wasn't a real figure anyway) to the NHS were both lies. They literally admitted it within 24 hours. Everything they stood on was lies. The Leave campaign won by loving accident. It's internal Tory party leadership fighting gone wronger than anything since someone decided that something called "The Great War" would be a laugh.

Source?

# ? Jun 28, 2016 08:04

awesome-express: Dec 30, 2008

Tevery Best posted:

Source?

Every British newspaper.

No one expected leave to win, no one planned for it. Then bam

# ? Jun 28, 2016 08:10

A Pale Horse: Jul 29, 2007

Tevery Best posted:

Source?

Here: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/great-brexit-betrayal-vote-leave-8288667

# ? Jun 28, 2016 08:12

Young Freud: Nov 26, 2006

A Pale Horse posted:

Here: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/great-brexit-betrayal-vote-leave-8288667

That's a pretty good breakdown because most of the renegging on Leave promises is happening on TV, like the Nigel Farage talking about no guarantees of the dues going to NHS happening on Good Morning Britain the day after the vote, and the Tory MP and Leave proponent rolling back from immigration happening on Newsnight last night. It's not getting buried in the newspapers, it's happening in front of a broadcast audience.

# ? Jun 28, 2016 08:40

Palpek: Dec 27, 2008; Do you feel it, Zach?
My coffee warned me about it.

A Pale Horse posted:

I'm starting to think that's a remote possibility. Much to the Brexit racist's chagrin I'm pretty sure they won't remove any EU citizens already living in the UK.

Yeah, Boris Johnson already stated that all EU citizens will be able to stay in the UK. However the vote let racists come out of the woodwork in the UK as they feel like they have public support or at least silent accpetance now (much like it happened in Poland when PiS won). I wonder if this whole situation will get the Poles in the UK somewhat more organised in defending and fighting for their interests more in the future. Lol, just kidding, nothing will change.

# ? Jun 28, 2016 08:51

ass struggle: Dec 25, 2012; by Athanatos

Ukrainian forces are claiming to have captured a bunch of Russians in a battle on the outskirts of Mariupol. We might know more soon, might not. Only Euromaidan PR and UA Today have picked it up.
https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPR/status/747509575532822528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

RPG round allegedly captured that is of a model never exported.

ass struggle fucked around with this message at 11:34 on Jun 28, 2016

# ? Jun 28, 2016 11:31

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

According to dnr-news.com, the eight soldiers were sappers, not Russian.

http://dnr-news.com/dnr/33680-vsu-plenili-8-saperov-dnr-razminirovavshih-rayon-shirokino-po-soglasovaniyu-s-obse-basurin.html

quote:

"In Shirokino area, 27 June, a separate engineering unit detachment DNR conduct routine clearance of the territory in coordination with the OSCE mission. Under the cover of artillery, combat engineers to capture, in the specified area has popped 54 reconnaissance brigade and division APU volunteer Ukrainian army. As a result of artillery fire killed two soldiers of the DNI, and eight were seriously wounded, because of which, unable to resist, had been taken prisoner "

LiveUA map labels this propaganda.

# ? Jun 28, 2016 13:31

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

slavatuvs posted:

RPG round allegedly captured that is of a model never exported.

Is that a hole in the rocket? Normally that means it was deactivated.

# ? Jun 28, 2016 13:46

Wistful of Dollars: Aug 25, 2009

Is Russia still battling one of the highest AIDs rates outside Africa?

# ? Jun 28, 2016 23:14

Somaen: Nov 19, 2007; by vyelkin

El Scotch posted:

Is Russia still battling one of the highest AIDs rates outside Africa?

Replace "battling" with "suffering from", because the government's strategy is to ignore it. There's government approved HIV denialism slowly spreading around, methadone has been rejected as western folly and sex education is non-existent lol

# ? Jun 28, 2016 23:17

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# ? May 9, 2024 22:45

Young Freud: Nov 26, 2006

chitoryu12 posted:

Is that a hole in the rocket? Normally that means it was deactivated.

I was looking at photos of the OG-7V on GIS, and I don't think that's a hole, I believe that's like a screw connecting the warhead to the booster motor.

If you look on this Czech poster for the PG-7V, it's listed as parts 8/Connecting Screw and 9/Washer

I do think it's presumptuous to say that it hasn't been exported, since I've seen these things in photos from Iraq. But we do know that the Donetsk and Lugansk received large shipments of these from the Russians, some that have been captured by Ukrainian authorities

http://lugansk-news.com/tag/og-7v-fragmentation-grenade/

# ? Jun 29, 2016 04:00

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