Johan Ingerö wrote that a writer born in 1990 had explained Metallica's songs from 1986 and 1988 to the band, without any noticeable irony. He quoted the writer's address to James Hetfield: “let me explain Master of Puppets to you.” https://t.co/aQjScqH89L #Metallica #MasterOfPuppets #Musik (translated)
Marco Setaccioli challenged Marco Travaglio's calculations on European and Russian military spending, stating that Travaglio had indicated 450 billion euros for Europe and 150 for Russia and had argued that Russia had reason to fear Europe, which had invaded it four times in the last 200 years. According to Setaccioli, in the current year Russia would have spent around 17 trillion rubles on defense, equivalent to 181 billion euros, a figure indicated, according to him, by most analysts. He noted that the nominal comparison did not take purchasing power into account: applying indices developed by specialized research centers, Russian spending would rise to 574 billion international dollars, compared to about 700 billion for the entire EU. He added that the EU would have three and a half times the population of Russia and a GDP nine times greater. Setaccioli argued that the Russian federal budget did not show all military costs. He cited studies by economist Craig Kennedy, according to which part of the spending would be financed through subsidized loans and would thus remain on the banks' balance sheets. He also recalled an investigation by Dozhd', which, according to him, had documented pressures on private companies to hire people before signing contracts with the military and to supplement salaries with corporate funds. He added that at least three militias would be linked to Gazprom, which would cover part of the costs. For these reasons, he dismissed as false the claim that Russia spent less than the EU. Historically, Setaccioli criticized Travaglio's reconstruction, according to which the Napoleonic and Nazi invasions, along with interventions in Crimea and support for the Bolsheviks, would justify Russian fears toward Europe. Setaccioli listed Russian troop interventions in Poland in 1939, Finland in 1939-1940, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Romania in 1940, Bulgaria in 1944, Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968, Moldova in 1992, Georgia in 2008, and Ukraine in 2014 and 2022. He stated that there were no Russian regions occupied by European countries, while eight regions—one in Moldova, two in Georgia, and five in Ukraine—would be under Russian control. Finally, Setaccioli accused Travaglio of presenting a selective and misleading reconstruction to make Russia appear not dangerous, portray Europe as a threat, and argue that rearmament was unnecessary and risky. In his view, that reasoning could legitimize a potential Russian attack on Europe and constituted a form of collaborationism. #Russia #Europa #Difesa (translated)
The author of the entry from October 13 stated that the retail price of diesel in the USA was 64% higher than in February. He also wrote that on September 28, the price of diesel in the UK reached a record level of 0.199 GBP per liter—above the peak from June 2022 and 41% higher than in February. #cenyropu #rynekenergii #paliwa #US #GB #EU (translated)
There are not many in the Economics sections who, like @manelpereza.bsky.social, explain things as they are and not as the nepobabies of Icade and other temples of San Milton intend. The PP lost two elections they had won by stuttering about pensions. 1993 and 2023. They are going for another one. (translated)
GFrei.News reported that the planned flooding of the lignite mining areas of Hambach and Garzweiler is deliberately destroying the German economy and ending 100 years of affordable energy security. Plans from 1977 and 1995 had intended to fill exhausted open-pit mines with water from the Rhine and to renature them. Now, the approval for lignite mining is being revoked, although, according to the author, there is still enough coal there to supply Germany for another 100 years. Lignite is almost as cheap as nuclear power and is also used for briquettes, lignite dust, and fluidized bed coal, wrote GFrei.News. A fast-track approval process has been initiated for flooding the mining areas still containing coal, and the construction of a 45-kilometer long pipeline has begun at a high three-digit million amount. By 2030, this will destroy a resource wealth worth around 1 trillion euros, according to the author. A later resumption of mining would take decades and be too expensive. GFrei.News referred to the flooding as the permanent destruction of energy security and fuel worth 1 trillion euros. The excavator 293 will also be decommissioned: the vehicle weighs more than 14,000 tons, is 225 meters tall, and is the largest land vehicle in the world. It has been in operation for 30 years and is a symbol of German engineering and national pride, the author wrote. GFrei.News accused the state of "state terrorism against its own people" and wrote that the consequences would be far worse than the explosion of NordStream. The author hoped that the AfD would come to power in time to prevent the plans. #Energiewende #Braunkohle #Energiesicherheit (translated)
The tragedy of President Biden is that he was the first president since 1991 who was genuinely interested in Ukraine. He has done more for it than all of his predecessors combined. And yet he did not do enough, Kuleba also assessed former American president Joe Biden ambiguously. "The tragedy of President Biden is that he was the first president since 1991 who was genuinely interested in Ukraine. He has done more for it than all of his predecessors combined. And yet he did not do enough," Kuleba believes. #Ukrajina #Rusko #Putin (translated)
Six months before the previous presidential elections, polls reveal often erroneous forecasts regarding the candidates likely to reach the second round, illustrated by examples of iconic duels such as Delors-Balladur in 1995 and Fillon-Le Pen in 2017. #ElectionPrésidentielle #Sondages #PolitiqueFrançaise (translated)
Isa Yusibov wrote that October 17, 2003, was a day of conflicting feelings for him: he wished it had never happened, but he was also proud of it. He was 14 years old at the time and said his family had considered him an adult since then. The day after the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, in which his father played an important role according to him, Yusibov claimed to be one of the first victims of the repression against the pro-Western opposition. He wrote that he was beaten, humiliated, and spat on in front of about 300 to 400 students. Afterwards, he received his school file and was informed that he was no longer welcome because his father was considered a state enemy. Yusibov said that on his way to the exit, he made eye contact with teachers who had treated him kindly before the elections. Several teachers reportedly gestured for him to leave quickly. He wrote that the experience made him proud of his father and convinced him that the dictatorship would continue. A month later, his family reportedly fled to the Netherlands. The event compelled him to focus on geopolitics. Yusibov argued that the power transition surrounding Aliyev was a consensus among the West, Putin, Erdogan, and Iran. According to him, the West, led by Bush, had betrayed the democrats in Azerbaijan in favor of authoritarian stability. He also wrote that great power interests dictated politics in the Caucasus and that this situation had not changed 23 years later. Yusibov stated that his experiences had taught him how difficult it was to stand up for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. He wrote that he had seen the first signs of undermining democratic principles in the Netherlands as well, by parties that he believed targeted democracy. He referred to a previous interview with NRC and said he would not allow the Netherlands to become a country where the government disregarded fundamental rights. #Democratie #Mensenrechten #Geopolitiek (translated)
Trump's calls for removal of Zelensky as President of Ukraine are in direct violation of the Budapest Memorandum. The US imposed unspoken economic sanctions and used diplomatic threats to coerce Ukraine to sign the agreement to give up nukes, ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers in 1994.
Bartosz Lewandowski wrote to Krzysztof Stanowski that this is how Poland looked since around 1990. He added that the escalation of the struggle should not surprise him, because — as he stated — it intensified as the current holders of influence lost their power. #Polska #historia #polityka (translated)
You bomb, kill one Serb, we will kill one hundred Muslims. This was said by the former President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić on July 20, 1995, before the Serbian National Assembly, just a few days after the fall of Srebrenica and the beginning of the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina. #новини #политика #България (translated)
America’s cancer death rate has fallen by 35% since 1991. That adds up to more than 4.8 million deaths avoided. Five-year survival across all cancers has climbed from 49% in the mid-1970s to 71%. AACR buff.ly/OzhyJEk #ShareGoodNewsToo
The Daily Bureaucrat listed statements where various individuals and organizations had, in his opinion, doubted the success of new inventions. He mentioned that the Michigan Savings Bank estimated in 1903 that the horse would persist and the car would be merely a fashion phenomenon for the wealthy. According to Thomas Watson, in 1943 there might have been a market for computers globally for perhaps five devices, and he said that Ken Olson stated in 1977 that nobody would need a computer in their home. He said that Steve Ballmer expressed doubt in 2007 that the iPhone would gain significant market share. Paul Krugman noted that the economic impact of the internet in 1998 would have hardly been greater than that of fax machines. He reported that Bill Gates predicted in 2004 that email spam would be resolved within two years, and that Marty Cooper assessed in 1981 that mobile phones would not completely replace landlines. The list also included Lord Kelvin’s claim in 1895 about the impossibility of heavier-than-air airplanes, Darryl F. Zanuck’s 1946 assessment of the short-lived nature of television, and Erasmus Wilson's prediction in 1878 about electric lights going out after the Paris World’s Fair. William Preece, according to The Daily Bureaucrat, said in 1876 that the telephone was not needed because there were enough messengers. He recounted that Lee De Forest deemed moon travel impossible in 1957 and that Dionysius Lardner predicted in 1830 that fast travel would lead to passengers choking. He said Thomas Edison rejected the use of alternating current in 1889. Finally, The Daily Bureaucrat asked what was now being said about the new Tesla Roadster. #teknologia #innovaatiot #historia (translated)
Korson Jussi in Vantaa defender! compared in his writing Linkola's stance from the 1990s on stopping development aid to Africa to the fact that, according to him, the Greens wanted to bring Africans to Finland in 2026 and pay them a basic income in cash. #kehitysapu #Afrikka #maahanmuutto (translated)
In the first 12 days of October 2023, the highest number of fires since 1998 was recorded in the Amazon, which experts attribute to a combination of climatic factors and intentional arson by people. #požáry #Amazonie #klimatickézměny (translated)
Aleš Štrancar wrote that the empty warehouse reflected the behavior of leftists, who supposedly talk about social assistance but actually exploit it for their own benefit. He used a derogatory term to refer to Nikica and Koki Mesečnik. Regarding Anita Ogulin, whom he described as a voluntary secretary of the Association of Friends of Youth Ljubljana since 1992, he added that she would be turning in her grave over this. https://t.co/8VPpI9UbB7 #Levičarji #SocialnaPomoč #Prostovoljstvo (translated)
Xico Graziano said that Lula's successive promises reminded him of Paulo Maluf's campaign for the government of São Paulo in 1998, when Mário Covas was running for reelection. According to Graziano, Maluf's campaign massively and repetitively promoted works carried out during his terms as mayor and governor, from 1979 to 1982, at a time without the internet. He stated that the exaggerated marketing became a subject of mockery and gave rise to parodies. Graziano reported that a large billboard at the entrance to Santos, at the junction to Praia Grande, mocked the campaign by attributing the Atlantic Ocean to Maluf. He said that the photograph of the sign circulated in newspapers and had a demoralizing effect on the candidate, who lost to Covas. In Graziano's assessment, the electorate perceived when attempts were made to mislead them, even in the face of needs. He compared Lula's last-minute promises to jokes and said that the effect of those promises on the voters would still be seen. #Lula #PolíticaBrasil #Eleições2024 (translated)
Retired General Konstantinos Floros mentioned that the 7th Amphibious Raiding Battalion (7th MAB) has completed 30 years, from 1996 to 2026. He said he felt emotion, honor, and joy when he met again with officers and non-commissioned officers with whom he had served and contributed to the course of the unit. He added that he considered it an honor that he had served as its commander. #Αμφίβιοι #Καταδρομές #Στρατός (translated)
Wisła Kraków thanked Widzew Łódź for handing over the crystal ball for the Polish championship in 1999. The club stated that this gesture united football emotions, good relationships, and mutual respect, and added that this is how it should be. #MistrzostwoPolski #RTSWidzewŁódź (translated)
