Ukraine and the Russian invasion, 2022-24

[8ball]

'Surplus people' perhaps

Ah, the early days of urban.

 

[Pickman's model]

Are you conflating surplus value and surplus labour?

'surplus people' maybe

Spoiler

 

[frogwoman]

The invaders destroyed the National Gene Bank of Plants of Ukraine | odessa-journal.com

 

[8ball]

The invaders destroyed the National Gene Bank of Plants of Ukraine | odessa-journal.com

We really need to start keeping all the genes in one secure place under a massive mountain like in one of those films where nothing ever goes wrong.

 

[frogwoman]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-lysychansk-russia-offensive-1.6455045

report from CBC News on the frontline at Lysychansk.

 

[not-bono-ever]

There going to be a lethal iron harvest in Ukraine in the next few decades. Appalling

 

[frogwoman]

There going to be a lethal iron harvest in Ukraine in the next few decades. Appalling

I met a transnistrian guy in a bar once who had found unexploded shell as a kid and got some shrapnel stuck in his leg because of it and that was a very minor war with hardly any civilians dying.

 

[Ax^]

can we blame nato for that one

 

[frogwoman]

can we blame nato for that one

i think the mines in the transnistrian war was all old USSR stuff tbh

 

[NoXion]

We really need to start keeping all the genes in one secure place under a massive mountain like in one of those films where nothing ever goes wrong.

Not one place. Multiple places. One place would be too vulnerable to being damaged or destroyed in an incident.

 

[Ax^]

We really need to start keeping all the genes in one secure place under a massive mountain like in one of those films where nothing ever goes wrong.

if only we could relay on permafrost not to melt :/

 

[NoXion]

if only we could relay on permafrost not to melt :/

Not necessary if the vaults are properly designed. It's not like the melting of the permafrost is something completely unable to be predicted in this age of global warming.

 

[8ball]

Not one place. Multiple places. One place would be too vulnerable to being damaged or destroyed in an incident.

Not if it’s really deep, under a really big mountain, kept away from mad scientists and overseen by a highly trustworthy corporation with a name like OmniComm or something similar.

 

[NoXion]

Not if it’s really deep, under a really big mountain, kept away from mad scientists and overseen by a highly trustworthy corporation with a name like OmniComm or something similar.

That still wouldn't solve the "single point of failure" problem inherent in putting one's eggs all in one basket.

When it comes to seeds, you want to spread as many as possible over a wide area, so as to maximise your chances. Instead of relying on one single instance going perfectly, which is statistically unlikely.

 

[8ball]

That still wouldn't solve the "single point of failure" problem inherent in putting one's eggs all in one basket.

When it comes to seeds, you want to spread as many as possible over a wide area, so as to maximise your chances. Instead of relying on one single instance going perfectly, which is statistically unlikely.

You’re confusing hoarding with spreading.

 

[NoXion]

You’re confusing hoarding with spreading.

There's literally no point in hoarding seeds if you're not going to germinate them at any point. The success of germination increases with the number of instances.

 

[Artaxerxes]

There's a seed bank in Kew and one in Sweden somewhere, there's a number around the place.

More is obviously better but we're not short on them, just increasingly short on seed varieties as species go extinct.

 

[Cid]

There's a seed bank in Kew and one in Sweden somewhere, there's a number around the place.

More is obviously better but we're not short on them, just increasingly short on seed varieties as species go extinct.

The major one is on Svalbard.

 

[Cid]

Which is Norwegian but with fairly complex politics relating to Russian strategic interests (and has a Russian settlement on it). But there we go.

(Their website does say 1700 genebanks worldwide)

 

[A380]

Not if it’s really deep, under a really big mountain, kept away from mad scientists and overseen by a highly trustworthy corporation with a name like OmniComm or something similar.

And robot guards to make sure it’s perfectly safe.

 

[A380]

Interesting article making parallels with , but not predictions from, fascist Italy.

Ukraine – The end of Russian power?

Russia’s status as one of the world’s top three great military powers has effectively been shattered argues Rebecca Campbell.

ukdefencejournal.org.uk

 

[The39thStep]

Interesting article making parallels with , but not predictions from, fascist Italy.

Ukraine – The end of Russian power?

Russia’s status as one of the world’s top three great military powers has effectively been shattered argues Rebecca Campbell.

ukdefencejournal.org.uk

Aside from the fact that Russia isn’t a fascist state , that fascist Italy didn’t have an army in the top five in the world and the rest of Europe and the USA wasn’t supplying arms to any of those who they were at war with it’s a reasonable comparison .

 

[A380]

Aside from the fact that Russia isn’t a fascist state , that fascist Italy didn’t have an army in the top five in the world and the rest of Europe and the USA wasn’t supplying arms to any of those who they were at war with it’s a reasonable comparison .

I think she makes those very points.

 

[Indeliblelink]

There's a seed bank in Kew and one in Sweden somewhere, there's a number around the place.

More is obviously better but we're not short on them, just increasingly short on seed varieties as species go extinct.

Kew's seed bank is at Wakehurst Place.
Best seed bank story is about the staff at Vavilov's seed bank in Stalingrad and how they tried to protect it in WWII which ended with them starving to death while surrounded by edible seeds, shame the same country is now destroying others.

 

[Cid]

Kew's seed bank is at Wakehurst Place.
Best seed bank story is about the staff at Vavilov's seed bank in Stalingrad and how they tried to protect it in WWII which ended with them starving to death while surrounded by edible seeds, shame the same country is now destroying others.

Tbf it also destroyed Vavilov.

 

[frogwoman]

The EU Needs to Start Planning for ‘the Day After Putin’ in Russia

As Ukrainian society faced the shock of Russia’s seizure of Crimea in March 2014, separatist protests coordinated by Russian intelligence services in Donetsk and Luhansk generated mockery across much of Ukrainian social media. With every escalation of tensions around the Donbas region in the...

www.worldpoliticsreview.com

Interesting piece by Alexander Clarkson who's well worth a follow on twitter.

 

[frogwoman]

 

[8ball]

The EU Needs to Start Planning for ‘the Day After Putin’ in Russia

As Ukrainian society faced the shock of Russia’s seizure of Crimea in March 2014, separatist protests coordinated by Russian intelligence services in Donetsk and Luhansk generated mockery across much of Ukrainian social media. With every escalation of tensions around the Donbas region in the...

www.worldpoliticsreview.com

Interesting piece by Alexander Clarkson who's well worth a follow on twitter.

A lot of oil and gas to divvy up...

 

[Pickman's model]

A lot of oil and gas to divvy up...

And re/construction

 

[Pickman's model]

Aside from the fact that Russia isn’t a fascist state , that fascist Italy didn’t have an army in the top five in the world and the rest of Europe and the USA wasn’t supplying arms to any of those who they were at war with it’s a reasonable comparison .

Yeh but still