MBW - 2/23/2022
Hi friends! I hope you are having a good week. Let’s get to it:
The international response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has been quite uniform in the condemnation of changing international borders unilaterally. There was a meeting of UN Security Council which ironically is headed by Russia that tried to end it prematurely without success.
Albanian U.N. Ambassador Ferit Hoxha (minute 14 above) called what Russia did Monday a repetition of what Moscow did in Georgia in 2008 when it illegally occupied two regions and in Crimea in 2014, “meaning an aggression by fabrication of phantom republics.” “Who is next?,” he asked, saying “every U.N. member state should be alarmed."
Furthermore, Russia recognized the territorial claims of the two breakaway republics for the whole Donbas region. This puts it on a confrontational path with the Ukrainian army that controls this area. See below:
Here’s an interaction of Putin with his close staff. This video is so telling. Think about it. If you are a dictator, your biggest problem is that no one around you dares speak his mind and give an honest opinion on any matter. Everyone tries to read your thoughts and figure out how not to say anything that you might not like. Sergei here seems to overdo it it a bit.
"Speak plainly, Sergei" Vladimir Putin presses Russia's spy chief during meeting with officials bbc.in/3BL9C9wMoving on, here’s a short video from Tim Ferriss again on how to react when you get attacked by a lion. Who knows, might be handy one day.
Let’s speak a bit about evolution now. I personally believe that everyone should be taught evolution as it is this all encompassing framework that explains such a huge portion of human nature and why our societies are the way they are. Coincidentally, a series of eight studies from across the world is out and they show that not believing in human evolution is associated with higher levels of prejudice, racist attitudes, and support for discriminatory behaviors. More reasons to like evolution I guess.
And lastly, the usual pics and memes from around the web:
Damn temperature. Ruined a perfect photo.
And here’s a pic of yellow pear that I liked.
Have a great rest of the day guys. Peace.