Fenris Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 I was pointed to this little bit of news yesterday. Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia ditches referendum on joining Russia https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220530-georgia-s-breakaway-region-of-south-ossetia-ditches-referendum-on-joining-russia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonS Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 13 minutes ago, G.I. Joe said: I will say for the record that I am all for renewables, but they have their own hurdles. One of the biggest being that no one source is going to work everywhere This ... doesnt make a lot of sense. I mean, it's true, but only in a trivial sense. Why is a single source important at all, let alone being the /first/ thing you bring up? Given the plethora of proven, safe, and economical renewable generation sources available ... I'm truly at a loss as to what point you think you're making. So you can't use solar in BC. Fine - use wind or tidal or geothermal or hydro. You cant use solar or hydro in Samoa - that's fine, use wind or tidal. Etc. The "lack" of a single solution is a strength, not a weakness. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danfrodo Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 6 minutes ago, JonS said: This ... doesnt make a lot of sense. I mean, it's true, but only in a trivial sense. Why is a single source important at all, let alone being the /first/ thing you bring up? Given the plethora of proven, safe, and economical renewable generation sources available ... I'm truly at a loss as to what point you think you're making. So you can't use solar in BC. Fine - use wind or tidal or geothermal or hydro. You cant use solar or hydro in Samoa - that's fine, use wind or tidal. Etc. The "lack" of a single solution is a strength, not a weakness. well said, JonS. Multi solution approach is the way to go. Actually here in Oregon solar works really well for ~1/2 the year, pumping surplus current back into the grid. Of course, the SW US is flipping insane not requiring solar on all new construction. The load on the grid is enormous and would be zero w solar on the rooftops. I'm currently putting together the info to officially get on my local solar installer's wait list (~6 months). And best of all it pays for itself, literally, even here. I think folks get caught into an all or nothing thing on energy. First is was "renewables don't work". Then its "renewables can't do everything". As if it's some kind of all or nothing game. If renewables cut fossil fuels by 50 or 60% that would be insanely good -- ask all the folks breathing coal exhaust in china whether that would be good. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.I. Joe Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 7 minutes ago, JonS said: This ... doesnt make a lot of sense. I mean, it's true, but only in a trivial sense. Why is a single source important at all, let alone being the /first/ thing you bring up? Given the plethora of proven, safe, and economical renewable generation sources available ... I'm truly at a loss as to what point you think you're making. So you can't use solar in BC. Fine - use wind or tidal or geothermal or hydro. You cant use solar or hydro in Samoa - that's fine, use wind or tidal. Etc. The "lack" of a single solution is a strength, not a weakness. I agree that there is no need to find a single option, so yes...good point. I was typing fast while trying to do two things at once and probably worded things poorly. What I was getting at is that renewables in general are often intermittent and can have a very large land use footprint and some of them are more economically competitive than others. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenris Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbindc Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLeftFlank Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 42 minutes ago, dan/california said: And let's face it, I think anything short of selling Ukraine cruise missiles as they cross the Polish/Ukrainian border, in the air, for a dollar each is a half measure. I mean they have the right to blow up specified coordinates of their own country, don't they? Evil genius! I like it!!!!!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmon Rabb Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 I was wondering what it was like to work at the U.S. embassy in Moscow right now for a while. Here is a little taste. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.I. Joe Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 15 minutes ago, danfrodo said: well said, JonS. Multi solution approach is the way to go. Actually here in Oregon solar works really well for ~1/2 the year, pumping surplus current back into the grid. Of course, the SW US is flipping insane not requiring solar on all new construction. The load on the grid is enormous and would be zero w solar on the rooftops. I'm currently putting together the info to officially get on my local solar installer's wait list (~6 months). And best of all it pays for itself, literally, even here. I think folks get caught into an all or nothing thing on energy. First is was "renewables don't work". Then its "renewables can't do everything". As if it's some kind of all or nothing game. If renewables cut fossil fuels by 50 or 60% that would be insanely good -- ask all the folks breathing coal exhaust in china whether that would be good. Exactly. Even here in BC solar can certainly play a big role on a small scale in summer, it's just not a large-scale, year-round option here. Any improvement is, by definition, better than the status quo. LNG is definitely not a sustainable long-term endpoint, but I think there's a good case to be made that it's been a short term net positive in places where it replaced coal. Like you, I use to be opposed to (or at least highly apprehensive about) nuclear power, but am now convinced that some of the newer technologies are at least worth considering (and have trouble considering replacing existing plants with LNG a net positive). No one option is going to meet everyone's needs all of the time. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 1 hour ago, G.I. Joe said: I was typing fast while trying to do two things at once are you crazy?! Stop that at once! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 2 hours ago, billbindc said: "Russia isn't magic" is my new mantra. What tha WHA? I guess the "Russia's just been toying with Ukraine so far, but now it's going to show its true fury!" crowd just won't cease embarrassing itself. The only "grim fact" about this is that some information sources don't vet their contributors very well. I'd read the (probable) drivel on the frenchpress.thedispatch.com, but I'm not signing up. If I want a laugh there's no subscription required over at YouTube. The people that keep insisting that Russia can fight a long war like the Soviets could are akin to people thinking that if someone takes a picture of them they'll be able to see it in a couple of days when they are back with the prints from the photo processor. Because that's the way it has always been! Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 1 hour ago, Fenris said: Good. I think it probably got approved significantly earlier than today, but kept hush-hush until the details were worked out. Biden Admin still has a bit of dried yoke on its face since the earlier aircraft unforced error. Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 article in NY times on state of the war had this excerpt. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia appointed a new commander, Gen. Aleksandr V. Dvornikov, in April in what was widely viewed as an acknowledgment that the initial Russian war plan was failing. Soon after his arrival, General Dvornikov tried to get disjointed air and land units to coordinate their attacks, American officials said. But he has not been seen in the past two weeks, leading some officials to speculate as to whether he remains in charge of the war effort. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 13 minutes ago, sburke said: article in NY times on state of the war had this excerpt. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia appointed a new commander, Gen. Aleksandr V. Dvornikov, in April in what was widely viewed as an acknowledgment that the initial Russian war plan was failing. Soon after his arrival, General Dvornikov tried to get disjointed air and land units to coordinate their attacks, American officials said. But he has not been seen in the past two weeks, leading some officials to speculate as to whether he remains in charge of the war effort. Someone Tweeted about this the other day and even put forward the possible replacement. It was speculation based on something verifiable which got that person thinking that Dvornikov was out of the picture. No chance of me finding the Tweet again. Damn, now I wish I had gone through and posted it here (I thought it was too RUMINT at the time). Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 2 hours ago, Fenris said: I was pointed to this little bit of news yesterday. Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia ditches referendum on joining Russia https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220530-georgia-s-breakaway-region-of-south-ossetia-ditches-referendum-on-joining-russia Interesting, though I don't know what to make of it. It's not unheard of that Russia's chosen "republic" leaders hold out as some part of negotiations, but this sounds like it's more complex than that. One to watch, for sure. Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 3 minutes ago, Battlefront.com said: Interesting, though I don't know what to make of it. It's not unheard of that Russia's chosen "republic" leaders hold out as some part of negotiations, but this sounds like it's more complex than that. One to watch, for sure. Steve maybe the conscription in Luhansk and Donetsk made them reconsider. Hey let's join and become cannon fodder! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danfrodo Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 2 hours ago, Fenris said: Hear that hissing sound? It's the sound of 1000 RU artillerymen pissing their pants. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 This article is from a few weeks ago but is still a good read. It's from one of the US special forces guys in Ukraine trying to help with basic training needs of the TD soldiers. Nothing really new, though still worth reading: https://www.businessinsider.com/us-special-ops-vet-training-ukrainians-explains-success-against-russia-2022-5 Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akd Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 15 minutes ago, sburke said: maybe the conscription in Luhansk and Donetsk made them reconsider. Hey let's join and become cannon fodder! Works quite the opposite. Officially being part of Russia would provide protection against the sort of mobilization experienced in L/DPR. This move appears to have been more particular to the politics of S. Ossetia: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan/california Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 (edited) 20 minutes ago, sburke said: maybe the conscription in Luhansk and Donetsk made them reconsider. Hey let's join and become cannon fodder! We talked quite a bit ~300 pages ago about various parts of the Russian periphery remembering how much they don't like being Russian as the Russian Army just destroys itself in Ukraine. This might, emphasize might, be an early warning of that breaking out. Edit, AKD typed faster, and with better info too. And yes the LPR/DPR have something worse than the worst of both worlds. Edited June 1, 2022 by dan/california 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 Couple anecdotal tidbits showing the sort of "gimmicks" Russia is using to stay in the fight. This sort of behavior is not likely to produce good quality replacements or the numbers of cannon fodder Russian tactics require, but it is likely to get the general population's ire up to some extent. 1. Kadyrov helping his bud Putin out by "press ganging" his people into fighting in Ukraine: https://www.thedailybeast.com/russia-accused-of-kidnapping-chechens-to-fight-war-in-ukraine?via=rss&source=articles_fancylink 2. Rosgvardiya from Krasnodar refuse to return to Ukraine: https://news.yahoo.com/national-guard-russia-soldiers-krasnodar-130303068.html 3. Not directly related, but Russian courts ruled that 115 cases of Rosgvardiya were correctly terminated from service for refusing to fight in Ukraine. This means they don't : https://news.yahoo.com/more-100-members-putins-private-074238068.html 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 This is an example of why I am so enamored with the ISW updates. This top summary from May 31 very nicely summarizes and characterizes things we've been talking about here for months: https://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment%2C May 31.pdf Boiled down even more... Russia is focusing on securing propaganda victories while Ukraine is looking at what makes military sense to take/hold. Fighting a conventional war for propaganda goals is not very smart, but taking advantage of an enemy that makes such mistakes is. This just makes the Chicken Little Tweets in the previous page look all the more silly. It's akin to two chess players where the black side says "ah-ha! I took all your pawns and some rooks!" and a commentator saying "well, it looks like the white player is done for", then two turns later the white player says "check mate". Doesn't matter how many pieces one side takes if the other side takes the important ones first. Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamine Waffles Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 12 minutes ago, Battlefront.com said: This is an example of why I am so enamored with the ISW updates. This top summary from May 31 very nicely summarizes and characterizes things we've been talking about here for months: https://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment%2C May 31.pdf Boiled down even more... Russia is focusing on securing propaganda victories while Ukraine is looking at what makes military sense to take/hold. Fighting a conventional war for propaganda goals is not very smart, but taking advantage of an enemy that makes such mistakes is. This just makes the Chicken Little Tweets in the previous page look all the more silly. It's akin to two chess players where the black side says "ah-ha! I took all your pawns and some rooks!" and a commentator saying "well, it looks like the white player is done for", then two turns later the white player says "check mate". Doesn't matter how many pieces one side takes if the other side takes the important ones first. Steve This is a nice chess puzzle that illustrates it.https://www.chess.com/daily-chess-puzzle/2022-05-29 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canada Guy Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 Even one of the larger oil producing provinces in Canada (Saskatchewan) is discussing modular nuclear reactors. I need to understand the differences between these and old style reactors but am really hoping that the recent announcements in fusion will be viable in 20 years. Now that would be a game changer. Not to become too political but the last US administration had me seriously thinking 'if only China was democratic, I would way sooner have them for a neighbour and ally'. I don't think Americans realized just how much good will they lost in the last administration. If this was a reaction by one of America's strongest allies, I do not see how the last govt could have pulled off such a strong coalition supporting Ukraine (assuming they even wanted to) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinophile Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 Quote Russian forces failed to advance across the Siverskyi Donets River from Bilohorivka and are likely eager to avoid another costly river crossing. Lol yup 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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