This shows how having one man at the top with all the power is the wrong political system. If all countries were governed by a committee, perhaps there would be more negotiating and less conflict.
Countdown to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Thread starter Irwin
- Start date
Murrmurr
SF VIP
- Location
- Sacramento, California
An independent news video said there are about 10,000 Chinese living in Ukraine, mostly students and small business owners. Weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine, the US, UK, India and other countries urged their citizens to leave, and made arrangements for evacuation. China did not. When Russia actually invaded, Chinese social media lit up with posts cheering for Russia, and jokes circulated about "taking in" Ukrainian women, "only beautiful ones, with very white skin". The Chinese Embassy in Ukraine urged Chinese citizens there to display the Chinese flag, saying it would keep them safe, but after those social media posts were circulated all over Ukrainian, the Chinese people there started being yelled at and threatened, no Ukrainians shopped at their stores and they were chased out of Ukrainian people's stores.
So Chinese people in Ukraine went on Chinese social media and begged everyone to stop cheering for Russia and making raunchy jokes about Ukrainian women. They begged the Chinese embassy to get them the hell out of Ukraine and back home to China, but the embassy did nothing; gave them the run-around and told them NOT to display the flag.
After 4 Chinese students were killed by Russian bombs that hit a university, flights to China were finally arranged, but the evacuating Chinese had to pay nearly $3,000 (US equivalent) for a ticket. Most students didn't have the money, others couldn't access their money. As of that report, only 400 Chinese have been evacuated from Ukraine. Hearing about all this, some Ukrainians started feeling sorry for the Chinese people stuck in their country, and helped them get food and supplies. One Chinese guy even said that, when he broke down crying in public, an elderly Ukrainian woman went over and hugged him. "It was a long hug," he said, "and now I'm not afraid. I feel safe and warm, like that woman's hug."
So Chinese people in Ukraine went on Chinese social media and begged everyone to stop cheering for Russia and making raunchy jokes about Ukrainian women. They begged the Chinese embassy to get them the hell out of Ukraine and back home to China, but the embassy did nothing; gave them the run-around and told them NOT to display the flag.
After 4 Chinese students were killed by Russian bombs that hit a university, flights to China were finally arranged, but the evacuating Chinese had to pay nearly $3,000 (US equivalent) for a ticket. Most students didn't have the money, others couldn't access their money. As of that report, only 400 Chinese have been evacuated from Ukraine. Hearing about all this, some Ukrainians started feeling sorry for the Chinese people stuck in their country, and helped them get food and supplies. One Chinese guy even said that, when he broke down crying in public, an elderly Ukrainian woman went over and hugged him. "It was a long hug," he said, "and now I'm not afraid. I feel safe and warm, like that woman's hug."
Warrigal
SF VIP
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
People of Chinese descent are everywhere and are often made scapegoats for social anger.
Quite often it is their businesses that are looted and burnt whenever there is a riot or violent protest.
Chinese have lived in Australia since and before the gold rushes. They have been badly treated in the past but are now protected by law from discrimination.
This is a photo of my favourite Chinese expat, Senator Penny Wong, of Chinese descent, born in Malaysia, raised and educated in Australia and now a long serving Senator for South Australia.
She is Christian, a married lesbian with a child born to her wife and has held many responsible positions in government and in opposition
She is calm for the most part but when she is on her feet in the Senate she can be quite the virago as she tears into some nonsense from the other side of the floor.
Her resume is impressive and if she, or someone like her were to be expelled or locked up in time of war for being Chinese (she is an Australian citizen) then Australia would lose a very valuable human asset. Yes, I am a bit of a fan girl where Penny is concerned.
Quite often it is their businesses that are looted and burnt whenever there is a riot or violent protest.
Chinese have lived in Australia since and before the gold rushes. They have been badly treated in the past but are now protected by law from discrimination.
This is a photo of my favourite Chinese expat, Senator Penny Wong, of Chinese descent, born in Malaysia, raised and educated in Australia and now a long serving Senator for South Australia.
She is Christian, a married lesbian with a child born to her wife and has held many responsible positions in government and in opposition
She is calm for the most part but when she is on her feet in the Senate she can be quite the virago as she tears into some nonsense from the other side of the floor.
Her resume is impressive and if she, or someone like her were to be expelled or locked up in time of war for being Chinese (she is an Australian citizen) then Australia would lose a very valuable human asset. Yes, I am a bit of a fan girl where Penny is concerned.
Her Biography
Parliamentary service- Elected to the Senate for South Australia 2001. Re-elected 2007, 2013 and 2016.
- Minister for Climate Change and Water from 3.12.2007 to 8.3.2010.
- Cabinet Minister from 3.12.2007 to 18.9.2013.
- Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water from 8.3.2010 to 14.9.2010.
- Minister for Finance and Deregulation from 14.9.2010 to 18.9.2013.
- Senate Standing: Parliamentary Library from 1.7.2002 to 15.11.2004; Senators' Interests from 1.7.2002 to 15.11.2004; Appropriations and Staffing from 26.6.2013 to 9.5.2016; Procedure from 26.6.2013 to 9.5.2016; Procedure from 1.9.2016; Appropriations, Staffing and Security from 1.9.2016.
- Senate Select: Superannuation from 10.12.2002 to 10.9.2003; Ministerial Discretion in Migration Matters from 23.6.2003 to 31.3.2004.
- Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing: Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts: References from 1.7.2002 to 15.11.2004; Finance and Public Administration: References from 1.7.2002 to 1.3.2004; Economics: References from 1.3.2004 to 15.11.2004; Education, Employment and Workplace Relations: Legislation from 18.11.2004 to 1.7.2005.
- Joint Statutory: Corporations and Financial Services from 1.7.2002 to 17.10.2007; Intelligence and Security from 16.7.2014 to 25.11.2014; Intelligence and Security from 25.6.2015 to 9.5.2016; Intelligence and Security from 13.9.2016.
- Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate from 4.2.2013 to 26.6.2013.
- Leader of the Government in the Senate from 26.6.2013 to 18.9.2013.
- Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility from 26.10.2004 to 3.12.2007.
- Shadow Minister for Employment and Workforce Participation from 26.10.2004 to 10.12.2006.
- Shadow Minister for Public Administration and Accountability from 10.12.2006 to 3.12.2007.
- Shadow Minister for Workforce Participation from 10.12.2006 to 3.12.2007.
- Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from 18.9.2013.
- Shadow Minister for Trade and Investment from 18.10.2013 to 23.7.2016.
- Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs from 23.7.2016.
- Member of the South Australian Law Society Human Rights Committee from 1998 to 2002.
- Chair of the UNIFEM Adelaide Breakfast Committee from 1999 to 2001.
- Born 5.11.1968, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
- BA(Juris) (University of Adelaide).
- LLB(Hons) (University of Adelaide).
- GradDipLegPrac (University of South Australia).
- Industrial officer from 1990 to 1994.
- Senior Policy Adviser to the Minister for Land and Conservation (NSW), the Hon. K Yeadon from 1995 to 1996.
- Barrister and solicitor from 1996 to 1999.
- Legal officer from 1999 to 2002.
hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
Sergei Lavrov has made the extraordinary claim that Russia 'did not attack Ukraine' and dismissed the Mariupol hospital bombing as a 'pathetic outcry' as peace talks broke down in Turkey today.
Vladimir Putin's attack dog met with Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, who vowed his country 'will not surrender' to Russia as the negotiations made no progress towards a ceasefire. Speaking after the failed talks, Lavrov said: 'We are not planning to attack other countries.
Speaking after the failed talks, Lavrov said: 'We are not planning to attack other countries. We didn't attack Ukraine, either.'
Lavrov said in reference to the hospital attack: 'It is not the first time we see pathetic outcries concerning the so-called atrocities perpetrated by the Russian military.'
Despite his bizarre claim that Russia is not attacking Ukraine, he then admitted the hospital was deliberately targeted, saying it had been taken over by Ukrainian radicals and all the 'mothers and nurses were chased out of there'.
Images from the senseless shelling, which saw three people killed including one child and dozens injured, show pregnant mothers and nurses being rushed from the building on stretchers among the rubble.
But Lavrov said: 'A few days ago, at a meeting of the UN Security Council, the Russian delegation presented the facts that this maternity hospital had long been captured by the Azov battalion and other radicals, all women in labor, all nurses, and in general, all the staff were expelled from there. It was the base of the ultra-radical Azov battalion.'
The Kremlin lackey again accused the West of stoking up tensions and insisted that Russia was carrying out 'special operations' in Ukraine.
He said Ukrainians are being used as human shields by 'so-called territorial defence forces' and claimed Russia was operating humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians, despite repeated shelling of the escape routes.
The foreign minister also accused the West of providing Ukraine with weapons.
He said: 'We see how dangerously our Western colleagues, including in the European Union, are acting now, which, in violation of all its so-called principles and values, encourages the supply of deadly weapons to Ukraine.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...raine-dismisses-pathetic-outcry-hospital.html
Vladimir Putin's attack dog met with Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, who vowed his country 'will not surrender' to Russia as the negotiations made no progress towards a ceasefire. Speaking after the failed talks, Lavrov said: 'We are not planning to attack other countries.
Speaking after the failed talks, Lavrov said: 'We are not planning to attack other countries. We didn't attack Ukraine, either.'
Lavrov said in reference to the hospital attack: 'It is not the first time we see pathetic outcries concerning the so-called atrocities perpetrated by the Russian military.'
Despite his bizarre claim that Russia is not attacking Ukraine, he then admitted the hospital was deliberately targeted, saying it had been taken over by Ukrainian radicals and all the 'mothers and nurses were chased out of there'.
Images from the senseless shelling, which saw three people killed including one child and dozens injured, show pregnant mothers and nurses being rushed from the building on stretchers among the rubble.
But Lavrov said: 'A few days ago, at a meeting of the UN Security Council, the Russian delegation presented the facts that this maternity hospital had long been captured by the Azov battalion and other radicals, all women in labor, all nurses, and in general, all the staff were expelled from there. It was the base of the ultra-radical Azov battalion.'
The Kremlin lackey again accused the West of stoking up tensions and insisted that Russia was carrying out 'special operations' in Ukraine.
He said Ukrainians are being used as human shields by 'so-called territorial defence forces' and claimed Russia was operating humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians, despite repeated shelling of the escape routes.
The foreign minister also accused the West of providing Ukraine with weapons.
He said: 'We see how dangerously our Western colleagues, including in the European Union, are acting now, which, in violation of all its so-called principles and values, encourages the supply of deadly weapons to Ukraine.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...raine-dismisses-pathetic-outcry-hospital.html
hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
Britains' Defence minister James Heappey today insisted the bombing of a maternity hospital in Ukraine was a war crime and called for Vladimir Putin and Russian generals to be held to account.
Mr Heappey stressed that the West is gathering evidence that can be used in a future prosecution, but said in a round of interviews: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.'
The comments came as it was confirmed three people, including a child, died when warplanes bombed the hospital in beseiged Mariupol as pregnant women gave birth in the basement.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the attack as an 'atrocity' and 'the ultimate proof of genocide against Ukrainians'.
The hospital, in the besieged city of Mariupol, was hit 'several times' by high-explosive Russian bombs - one of which missed the building by yards and left a crater two-stories deep, officials said. Other bombs scored 'direct hits', President Zelensky said, wounding at least 17 people.
Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's deputy Prime Minister, said there can be 'no doubt' the hospital was deliberately 'targeted' by Russia in a chilling echo tactics used during the bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo while Putin's men were fighting alongside dictator Basahr al-Assad's troops. Moscow denies targeting civilian facilities.
And Mr Heappey told Sky News this morning: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.
'Clearly there is evidence to be gathered in which to prove it is a war crime, and Western countries are working together to make sure that evidence is gathered in the best way so people can be held to account.
'What Putin is doing is not a war waged between two militaries. Right now he has besieged a number of Ukrainian cities and he has waged a war against Ukrainian civilians.'
He added on BBC Breakfast: 'We ask ourselves the question how did this happen? Was it an indiscriminate use of artillery or missiles into a built-up area, or was a hospital explicitly targeted?
'Both are equally despicable, both, as the Ukrainians have pointed out, would amount to a war crime.
'So, what matters beyond the outrage of the fact that this has happened in the first place is to make sure all this is catalogued so when – and they surely will be – President Putin and everybody in the military chain of command beneath him – because war crimes are committed at every level not just the ultimate decision maker – people will be held to account for what they are doing in. It's utterly despicable.'
A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...demns-Ukraine-hospital-bombing-war-crime.html
Mr Heappey stressed that the West is gathering evidence that can be used in a future prosecution, but said in a round of interviews: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.'
The comments came as it was confirmed three people, including a child, died when warplanes bombed the hospital in beseiged Mariupol as pregnant women gave birth in the basement.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the attack as an 'atrocity' and 'the ultimate proof of genocide against Ukrainians'.
The hospital, in the besieged city of Mariupol, was hit 'several times' by high-explosive Russian bombs - one of which missed the building by yards and left a crater two-stories deep, officials said. Other bombs scored 'direct hits', President Zelensky said, wounding at least 17 people.
Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's deputy Prime Minister, said there can be 'no doubt' the hospital was deliberately 'targeted' by Russia in a chilling echo tactics used during the bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo while Putin's men were fighting alongside dictator Basahr al-Assad's troops. Moscow denies targeting civilian facilities.
And Mr Heappey told Sky News this morning: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.
'Clearly there is evidence to be gathered in which to prove it is a war crime, and Western countries are working together to make sure that evidence is gathered in the best way so people can be held to account.
'What Putin is doing is not a war waged between two militaries. Right now he has besieged a number of Ukrainian cities and he has waged a war against Ukrainian civilians.'
He added on BBC Breakfast: 'We ask ourselves the question how did this happen? Was it an indiscriminate use of artillery or missiles into a built-up area, or was a hospital explicitly targeted?
'Both are equally despicable, both, as the Ukrainians have pointed out, would amount to a war crime.
'So, what matters beyond the outrage of the fact that this has happened in the first place is to make sure all this is catalogued so when – and they surely will be – President Putin and everybody in the military chain of command beneath him – because war crimes are committed at every level not just the ultimate decision maker – people will be held to account for what they are doing in. It's utterly despicable.'
A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...demns-Ukraine-hospital-bombing-war-crime.html
Furryanimal
Y gath o Gymru
- Location
- Wales
Shalimar
SF VIP
- Location
- Vancouver Island Canada
In his civilian life, he was a computer scientist.
hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
Bodies are piling up on the streets of Mariupol where starving Ukrainians have resorted to fighting each other for food in the desperate conditions in the besieged port city.
Residents have been sheltering for days without food, water and power in below freezing weather amid constant bombardment from Putin's forces, which saw a maternity hospital shelled yesterday, killing three people including a six-year-old girl.
This is despite Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov claiming that all women and nurses were evacuated from the hospital and it was deliberately targeted because it had been taken over by Ukrainian radicals, dismissing the Western reaction as a 'pathetic outcry'.
The Red Cross said the situation in Mariupol is so harrowing that people are 'attacking each other for food' on a day in which not a single person was evacuated to safety from the under-fire city.
Supplies are so low that residents are melting snow for water and children are not being fed, with an estimated 1,207 people killed and bodies lying among the rubble.
Sasha Volkov, the delegation head of the Red Cross in the city, told the BBC there is 'some sort of a black market with vegetables' but other food is not available.
Medical supplies are running low and pharmacies 'were looted four to five days ago' amid the freezing conditions which drop to -9C at night with people huddling together for warmth in underground shelters.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-food-besieged-Mariupol-Red-Cross-reveal.html
Residents have been sheltering for days without food, water and power in below freezing weather amid constant bombardment from Putin's forces, which saw a maternity hospital shelled yesterday, killing three people including a six-year-old girl.
This is despite Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov claiming that all women and nurses were evacuated from the hospital and it was deliberately targeted because it had been taken over by Ukrainian radicals, dismissing the Western reaction as a 'pathetic outcry'.
The Red Cross said the situation in Mariupol is so harrowing that people are 'attacking each other for food' on a day in which not a single person was evacuated to safety from the under-fire city.
Supplies are so low that residents are melting snow for water and children are not being fed, with an estimated 1,207 people killed and bodies lying among the rubble.
Sasha Volkov, the delegation head of the Red Cross in the city, told the BBC there is 'some sort of a black market with vegetables' but other food is not available.
Medical supplies are running low and pharmacies 'were looted four to five days ago' amid the freezing conditions which drop to -9C at night with people huddling together for warmth in underground shelters.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-food-besieged-Mariupol-Red-Cross-reveal.html
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Murrmurr
SF VIP
- Location
- Sacramento, California
But negotiating will result in Ukraine becoming a puppet of Putin. He would impose martial law and install a new president, one that will do whatever Putin says. The Ukrainians don't want to live like that.I wish the Ukraine would negotiate for peace because if they choose war they will lose.
If no one steps in, Russia will eventually get control of Ukraine, probably within a few weeks. That's why Ukrainian citizens are leaving in droves. In the end, Putin will have control over an under-populated country in complete shambles; buildings, roads, bridges and train tracks destroyed. He can't afford to repair and rebuild, and the EU will be no further away than before, really.
Peace at any price? I thought you were into Freedom, chic. A mask & a vaccination are worth fighting about, worrying you are losing Freedom? I'm sure you know the NH motto: Live Free or Die. Hint: It's not about masks........it's about what Freedom truly means. It's the Real Thing.I wish the Ukraine would negotiate for peace because if they choose war they will lose.
Murrmurr
SF VIP
- Location
- Sacramento, California
"I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees." ― Euripides
Murrmurr
SF VIP
- Location
- Sacramento, California
Have a Coke and a Smile, Pepper.
hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
Negotiate for peace yes...surrender to the Dictator..NEVER!!I wish the Ukraine would negotiate for peace because if they choose war they will lose.
Murrmurr
SF VIP
- Location
- Sacramento, California
And it's looking like Putin won't negotiate for anything short of surrender.
imo, he's digging himself into one deep hole...looking a lot like a grave.
hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
It's sad and sobering to just even think looking at the above pictures.. these people just 2 weeks ago... as we do now.. had all there things in their comfortable homes.. .. they had a home, they had computers, and tv's , and their furnishings they've garnered over years, and their belongings and their money and keepsakes, their much needed medications, their loved ones, and pets.. just 2 weeks ago... just as we do right now...and in an instant all these things are gone, and they've barely got clean clothes and are feeding out of a communal pot somewhere possibly underground
These men were going to their jobs..their jobs which probably don't exist now.. the women, going to their jobs too, or home-making, or caring for an elderly parent. Going to and from the stores as we do.. going to the nail salon .. to the hairdresser... ok, overall they might not have had as much as we do.. Ukraine is a poor country and the average family are very poor, but they would have had all these things in various ways..just as we do now.
Look around you, just imagine right now.. these things and people which surround you.. most of us we take it all for granted don't we ? I certainly do.. ..here it is.. here we are talking to each other on opposite sides of the world.. in a blink of an eye we may lose all of that, and everything we have and not even a coat to shelter from sleeping outside... just as they have....
These men were going to their jobs..their jobs which probably don't exist now.. the women, going to their jobs too, or home-making, or caring for an elderly parent. Going to and from the stores as we do.. going to the nail salon .. to the hairdresser... ok, overall they might not have had as much as we do.. Ukraine is a poor country and the average family are very poor, but they would have had all these things in various ways..just as we do now.
Look around you, just imagine right now.. these things and people which surround you.. most of us we take it all for granted don't we ? I certainly do.. ..here it is.. here we are talking to each other on opposite sides of the world.. in a blink of an eye we may lose all of that, and everything we have and not even a coat to shelter from sleeping outside... just as they have....
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
Didn't Carlson walk back that statement after criticism?
I respectfully disagree. He's been preparing for years to cope with economic sanctions from the West through alliances with China, India and Afghanistan. It's those imposing the sanctions who will suffer. Putin doesn't want a NATO ally perched on his border. This all started back in 2014. I don't want to get into political details since it's forbidden, but hope Ukraine comes to a peaceful agreement.
All good points.
mellowyellow
Well-known Member
Russia threatens to abandon American astronaut in space
The plan is for astronaut Mark Vande He to land in Kazakhstan with two Russian cosmonauts on a Russian spacecraft.
HOUSTON -- For the past 24 years, the U.S. and Russia have worked together to construct and maintain the International Space Station, where research has led to some of the most important discoveries of the 21st century. Russia has waged a war in Ukraine that's pitted the country against the U.S. and its allies -- leaving the future of the ISS in question…….
https://abc7ny.com/russia-international-space-station-mark-vande-hei-iss-american-astronaut/11639556
spectratg
Senior Member
- Location
- Adamstown, MD
I certainly hope that there is an agreed upon Red Line between the Russians and NATO (but mostly U.S.). Specifically, the line from the bottom of the sea or the land that extends well upward. Their troops or ships or aircraft don't cross it, and we don't either. If that happens, it could be catastrophic. As I said on another thread, I remember the Cuban missile crisis. I think that we are dangerously close to that situation because of a madman.
Warrigal
SF VIP
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
Negotiations for peace begin with negotiations for ceasefire and humanitarian corridors.I wish the Ukraine would negotiate for peace because if they choose war they will lose.
In spite of such negotiations the Russians have demonstrated that their assurances mean nothing.
The Ukrainians could have more to lose from trusting their bellicose neighbour than they will lose by fighting for their independence and freedom.
In the end, history might reveal that Ukraine was Putin's bridge too far that cost him and the Russian people much more than they hoped to gain.
dseag2
Dallas, TX
- Location
- Dallas, TX
I have no idea. I would rather gouge my eardrums out than listen to anything that sycophant has to say. He always has the same expression, like he just learned why his mother abandoned him.
Well said.
Murrmurr
SF VIP
- Location
- Sacramento, California
Probably just bluster.
The US is home to a number of Russian rocket scientists who work alongside some very astute natural-born American ones. Also, Putin might take into account that the US military and allies can and may yet intervene in his Ukraine "operation" because technically this invasion was illegal and technically Putin has committed war crimes.
That said, there are some things a president should keep close to the chest.