nice, I recently discovered her so still got a lot to listen to

there might be some post-worthy theatrics/filibustering/scuffles going on in Polish parliament on the 25th, we’ll see, 2 of the largest parties (PIS and PO) have been engaging in lawfare each other on a number of fronts since the election and waging a media war against each other as well, one of the battles is a case of 2 convicted (for forging evidence for a sting operation against a political enemy a long time ago) PIS MPs that got recently pardoned by the president, they might show up at the parliament as if they’re still MPs, which I don’t think is legally correct, anyway their access is apparently revoked but they might try to make a show of it, bit of forced martyr-making politics there

what’s also funny is these 2 MPs were visiting (or hiding out) at the president’s office the day they got captured and the president was at a meeting with ‘Belarusian Juan Guaido’ Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya at the time and then a city bus just happened to break down by the exit from that meeting delaying the president’s return, presumably giving the police more time to extract the 2 MPs and put them in jail for like 2 weeks, until they were pardoned

not ‘we’ but ‘me’

some amusing cope in the video’s comments as well

the power struggle since the elections between the two largest parties has been quality slop

was looking at natopedia a bit about it…

Several thousand Norwegians and foreign citizens were tried and convicted for crimes committed in Scandinavia during the Second World War.

A total of 40 people—including Vidkun Quisling, the self-proclaimed and Nazi-supported Prime Minister of Norway during the occupation—were executed after capital punishment was reinstated in Norway. Thirty-seven of those executed were executed under Norwegian law, while the other three were executed under Allied military law.

but lol no suprise here, they also added a paragraph that the nazi collaborators were judged too harshly:

A great deal of sensitivity continues to surround this subject in Norwegian society.[7] In later years, studies and inquiries have shown that justice was administered unevenly and—by today’s standards—harshly.[citation needed]

For example, the volunteers who joined the Waffen-SS and served on the Eastern Front were tried only for treason, never for war crimes.[8] Some[who?] believe that those who sided with Nasjonal Samling were often publicly shamed and ostracised well beyond the punishment their crimes merited, such as fines or a prison sentence. The prosecution of individuals who served with the German Red Cross has also been questioned[who?]. Among those convicted was Hanna Kvanmo, who later rose to prominence as a socialist politician.

it’s always funny how tech bros will be very opinionated about geopolitics (or anything really), used to being pampered I guess so they think their are like some rare nectar to be poured into their community with delight

if can convince them AI driven paperclip production is mankind’s biggest threat then pushing atlanticist imperialism apologia shouldn’t be hard either

Trevell’s posts in this comm made me aware of the genre and listen from time to time

Continuing with the single player story content of ESO in chronological order. Finished Summerset and about half way into Murkmire, which is a smaller Argonian themed zone. The writing quality was solid around this time in the game, apparently it took a dip later on. I’ve made Mirri (one of the companions) into a super-fast ninja by wearing a set on my character that decreases companion skill cooldowns by half and also giving her all quickened type gear to reduce it even further. Missing 4 purple pieces from having the max reduce % possible. I can just sit back and throw psjic heals at Mirri as she deals with the overland enemies, which is a fun gaming loop. Also freezing time (psjic skill) on enemies for a few seconds is fun.

After finishing Murkmire I’m planning to go back to BG3, picking up at the beginning of Act 3. I saw the last big patch added access to companion inventories without asking them to join you so that will be really useful for inventory management. I’ve been away from the game for long enough that it will feel like coming back to a new expansion.

A few other games I want to play eventually, but I’m not in a hurry: Midnight Suns (stopped around 25% into the story last year, it’s all right for a Marvel game, actually has some RPG-like vibes), Stray Gods, System Shock remake, MK 10/11/1 story modes, those Vampire the Masquerade visual novels, and eventually a second BG3 playthrough. Most likely a good tiefling bard for next time with Karlach, Wyll, Gale, current char is a mostly good drow arcane trickster with Shadowheart, Lae’zel, Minthara, and a bit of Astarion mixed in from time to time.

blast from the past, was one of my fav games, and that theme is quite memorable

I’m on break from playing after finishing Act 2 but pretty much always had Lae’zel and Shadowheart in the party, lots of character development for both, got used to them. For the third character I had Astarion in the beginning and then Minthara later. I didn’t go the ‘full evil’ route to get Minthara but it still cut off some quests early as a result.

Going through some eastern EU mainstream news from December and it’s getting a bit long already so I’ll post what I have so far and probably do a part two later this week

France24 - Tusk back as Polish PM, vows Ukraine support 13/12/2023

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Wednesday stressed that supporting Ukraine would be a “priority” for the new administration.

Earlier this week, Tusk slammed Western leaders for voicing “fatigue” with the situation in Ukraine, as aid packages for the war-torn country were being held up in the United States and the EU.

BBC - US anti-missile base in Poland to start operations - Polish PM 11/12/2023

The Redzikowo base was intended to begin operating in 2018 but its opening has been repeatedly delayed.

The Redzikowo base is located around 150km (93 miles) from Kaliningrad

The bases in Romania and Poland are part of a missile defence system which also comprises a radar facility in Turkey, a command centre in Germany and US Navy ships.

The alliance says the system will protect members against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles launched from Iran. The system does not work against cruise missiles, however.

The Aegis system is also deployed on American, Japanese and South Korean ships in east Asia.

Euronews - EU should prepare for war by end of decade, German Defence Minister warns 18/12/2023

As the U.S. shifts its focus towards the Indo-Pacific region, Pistorius highlighted the need for Europe to enhance its security and defence capabilities independently.

In a bid to strengthen European defence collaboration, Pistorius advocated for adding a military component to the Weimar Triangle, an informal forum comprising Germany, Poland, and France.

He expressed keen interest in this collaboration and extended an invitation to the newly-appointed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, saying, “We are very interested in [adding a military component to the Weimar Triangle].”

Yahoo Finance - Ukraine Issues Plea Over Budget as Funds Dwindle in New Year 28/12/2023

Ukraine’s budget may be hit by shortfalls as early as the first two months of next year, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said earlier this month.

Ukraine’s options for generating funds on its own — including raising tax revenue, devaluing the hryvnia or tapping the central bank — are limited and viewed as risky by the Finance Ministry. But the premier said they’ll be deployed as a stopgap until international funds arrive.

Reuters - Ukraine probes listening device found in office used by top general 17/12/2023

Ukraine has launched a criminal probe after a listening device was found in an office that was set to be used by armed forces Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, officials said.

The security service added that the device - initially characterized as a bug by local media - was considered under preliminary information to be “in a non-operational state”, and no means of information storage or remote transmission of audio recordings were found.

BBC - Ukraine military seeks extra 500,000 soldiers - President Zelensky 19/12/2023

At a news conference in Kyiv, he said his commanders were seeking “450,000-500,000 individuals”, admitting this was a “sensitive” and costly issue.

dagens.com - From gender changes to fake disabilities: More than 6,000 Ukrainian men are leaving Ukraine daily

Matviychuk recounted an incident where a man, initially named Anton, changed his legal identity to Tonya, not through an actual gender transition, but solely on paper.

Additionally, there has been an uptick in the number of men marrying mothers with multiple children, a strategy used to gain exemption from border restrictions. Moreover, men with disabilities or those accompanying them have been leaving the country in large numbers.

AP - Bulgaria dismantles a Soviet army monument that has dominated the Sofia skyline since 1954 13/12/2023

The monument was erected in 1954 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Soviet forces entering Bulgaria, which had been allied with Nazi Germany in World War II.

On Wednesday, following years of heated debate, workers began to dismantle the 45-meter-high (147-foot) installation, removing the figures at the top, which showed a Soviet soldier holding an automatic rifle, a woman with her child, and a worker.

BBC - Paris 2024 Olympics: IOC boss defends move to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete as neutrals 14/12/2023

This was, he said, “one war among 28 wars and conflicts going on this world and all the other athletes are competing peacefully with each other”.

Ukraine itself suggested it might boycott the games

so I randomly checked the album this comes from and that led to re-discovering a track I’ve had stuck in my head for years but could never find the name, it’s ‘Garde Le Pour Toi’ btw, feels like a personal quest was fulfilled here, thanks !

really nice interpretation of it, didn’t know about that, thanks

great mood setter

then maybe they are as well but they just don’t know it yet, I know Aaron Good did like 20+ long videos about US history with Ben Norton not long ago