wemaysurvivethis

[wemaysurvivethis]

Show: It Could Happen Here

Episode: Lessons On Combat and Discourse from Ukraine

Summary: We discuss Urban Combat tactics brought to you by Twitter dot com, and how conflict presents windows of possibility.

Date: 2022. April 7.

#ukraine #it could happen here #robert evans #garrison davis #christopher wong

[wemaysurvivethis]

Show: It Could Happen Here

Episode: An Update on Ukraine

Summary: Robert sits down with researcher Aram Shabanian to ask the important question, 'Hey, what's going on in that giant bloody land war in Europe?'

Date: 2022. April 5.

#it could happen here #robert evans #ukraine #russian agression #aram shabanian

[wemaysurvivethis]

Show: Ukraine without hype

Episode: How many acts of Genocide does it take to make Genocide?

Summary:

Russian soldiers have retreated from northern Ukraine and will try to re-focus on Donbas, but what they left behind is a path of destruction that must be called a genocide. There have been multiple statements from the Russian government showing genocidal intent, and that intent was followed with action. Evidence of mass murder and other crimes is found in nearly every location that Russia occupied.

To sort through some of the issues regarding genocide and denial, we speak with scholar Joey Ayoub of the Fire These Times podcast. Ukraine Without Hype is also partnering with Fire These Times to produce a Ukraine series on their channel.

Twitter

Anthony: @Bartaway

Romeo: @VagrantJourno

Joey Ayoub: @joeyayoub

Fire These Times: @FireTheseTimes

Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype

Date: 2022. April 7.

#ukraine #ukraine without hype #russian agression

[wemaysurvivethis]

Highly, highly recommend this new video from Kurzegesagt.

Their videos are very well researched and they have done a great job here of laying out the progress we have made so far (it’s more than a lot of people think!) and where we need to go now.

There is lots to be hopeful for and, crucially, believing in a better future is necessary to creating that future.

Thanks to @beyond-a-name for sending this in!

#climate change

[wemaysurvivethis]

Show: Ukraine without hype

Episode: One Month Of War, Eight Years in the Making

Summary:

Anthony Bartaway and Romeo Kokriatski talk about the current situation in the Russo-Ukraine War. Russian advances around Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv have been stopped by Ukrainian defenders, but have been replaced with artillery fire and rocket strikes. Along the Black Sea coast, the Russian army has been turned away from Mykolaiv, but is committing horrible war crimes to try and break Mariupol.

In the second segment, they sit down with Kiril, an open-source intelligence analyst with the Conflict Intelligence Team. We ask him about the state of the Russian army and why it seems to be underperforming so severely compared to their strength on paper.

Twitter Accounts:

Anthony: @bartaway

Romeo: @vagrantjourno

Kiril: @Mortis_banned

Conflict Intelligence Team: @CITeam_en

Support us at Patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype

Closing song: Bella Ciao, Ukrainian translation by Alex Tkachuk, performed by Vitalii Vointenko, Creative Commons

Date: 2022. March 24.

#ukraine #ukraine without hype #russian agression

[wemaysurvivethis]

Show: Ukraine without hype

Episode: 16: March 5th War Dispatch

Summary:

The state of the Russo-Ukraine War as it stood on March 5th. Russia is making gains in the South, but stalling out in the North, leading to their increased reliance on indiscriminate bombardments of civilian areas. While the Russian army is suffering from low morale and poor logistics, the Ukrainian people rally to defend their homes. We go into some of the important topics that come up so far, such as the Russian use of saboteurs and the threat posed to critical infrastructure such as the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Apologies for some audio problems, Ukraine Without Hype Studios in Exile has faced some difficulties.

Date: 2022. March 6.

Links:

#ukraine #ukraine without hype

[wemaysurvivethis]

Tweet from Giancarlo Fiorella (@gianfiorella)

Giancarlo Fiorella (@gianfiorella) Tweeted:

It's been very encouraging to see so many concerned people coming to the @bellingcat Discord server over the past week, offering their time and knowledge to help geolocate images and analyze the news coming out of Ukraine.

You can join here: https://t.co/KkW0bJlYJT https://twitter.com/gianfiorella/status/1498961319860617216?s=20&t=X-A2Iylm_o47mH9pqlhDLg

#bellingcat

[wemaysurvivethis]

Show: It Could Happen Here

Episode: Escaping Ukraine

Summary: A new refugee trail has been created in the wake of a Russian invasion. Reporter James Stout talks with someone who escaped on foot.

Date: 2022. March 1.

#it could happen here #robert evans #james stout #ukraine

[wemaysurvivethis]

Robert Evans is an investigative journalist who reported from warzones before (incl. Ukraine a few years ago) and the host of "It could happen here" podcast (among many others). He has contact with people on the ground in Ukraine, so he is a trusted source on current events. His twitter can be a good starting point for other sources to follow as well:

#robert evans #ukraine

[wemaysurvivethis]

Ukraine, 26th Feb, 2022

A friend of mine told me yesterday that he didn’t realise how much Ukraine meant to him until now. I posted yesterday about the time we spent there, and we’re all getting super pre-occupied about the invasion. As I said in that post, I can’t get our waitress out of my head. I can sort of remember what she looked like now. She had an undercut. I think maybe her hair might have been blue? But - I will never know if she lives through this, and it’s driving me very slightly mad.

So naturally, my husband spent all day yesterday obsessively researching everything he could about it with the help of his journalist friends, as a way to help me process it.

This post is me putting it all in order, as a way to try and process my own emotional response as much as anything else (I freely admit there is an element of self-indulgence here). Please don’t take me as the spokesperson for Ukraine right now, nor as a solid reliable news source. But, I haven’t seen this stuff except in bits and pieces on Tumblr, so here we go.

(This is also not about why the invasion has happened. This post is solely about what has happened, and how the invasion is going.)

So, Putin and the rest of the world believed that this invasion would take 1-4 days. The plan was to push through fast, take Kyiv, and force Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, to surrender. Given Russia’s military might, it really looked likely.

Here is the conclusion of all that’s happened so far:

Ukraine is absolutely nailing this??? Actually???

They managed to defend every single city overnight, including Kyiv. They started rolling out and using these WW2-style anti-tank thingies that look a bit like angry gabbions, look, here’s a picture of one being delivered:

A bunch of spare iron girders turned into a hefty octopus of Russian misery, basically.

But it’s not just tanks they’re taking down, oh no. Ukraine successfully shot down a transport plane 20km from Kyiv. That is, I shit you not, the single biggest hit to the Russian military since the Second Chechen War. Volunteers from Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Azerbaijan and Israel are all entering Ukraine to help fight and bolster the anti-Russian forces, which is probably illustrative of how Eurovision voting is going to run for the next decade. Most countries have banned Russian planes from their air space. To help stop the Russian advance, Ukraine has made and installed new road signs, like this one:

I can only say a handful of sentences in Ukrainian, Tumblrs, but as I understand it, from top to bottom, it says:

“Fuck off”

“Fuck off again”

“Fuck off Russia”

Meanwhile, it turns out the Russian military might we feared is… possibly not quite as advertised?

They’re underfunded and badly trained. Ukraine captured 200 soldiers in one go, and most of them were confused 19 year olds with no training. The equipment is shite. The tanks keep running out of fuel. Russian soldiers keep abandoning their tanks and handing them over to the Ukrainian army. Putin’s plan was to take Kyiv fast and move on, and he didn’t have a plan B - hence these kids, playing soldier. Here is an image of a Russian tank receiving roadside assistance from Russia’s finest, an old Lada.  

No one expected Zelenskyy to survive the night; but he did. America offered him asylum in the White House.

But he said no. 

Zelenskyy remains in Kyiv, with his people.

And Putin, in his desperation to be adored, has turned Zelenskyy into a global icon and hero.

Here is something you may not know about Volodymyr Zelenskyy - he used to be a standup comedian. Was he any good? No idea - but what he IS good at is producing funny short videos he can put on Twitter and that, which are absolutely fantastic for Ukrainian morale. And morale is vital in an invasion like this, and Ukraine are smashing it out of the park there.

They are utilising the internet to its fullest extent. In addition to Zelenskyy’s videos, they’ve made sure that the final words of the Ukrainian defenders of Snake Island are known and now echoed around the world: “Russian warship, go fuck yourselves.” A video has gone viral of Ukrainians mocking a group of Russian soldiers whose tank had broken down and who didn’t know the way to Kyiv anyway, presumably because of all the new road signs. They have created a website that lists every single Russian death they can identify, partly so Russian mothers can have closure (thus also painting themselves as the defenders of decency and humanity), and partly for the enormous morale boost of the world knowing, categorically, that they’ve already killed 3700 Russian soldiers (over 100 of which were from that transport plane.)  Not one word has leaked of Ukrainian casualties. I’m sure they’re devastating, but for morale purposes, they’re being kept quiet until the dust settles. Ukrainians have started setting up fake Tindr profiles to catfish Russian soldiers for intel, and they’re all 19 and lost, so it’s working. Plus, they’re using Grindr to actually track where the soldiers are, because it turns out Putin was not entirely correct about there being no gays in Russia.

So, Russia wants to cut their internet access. Can the Ukrainian Minister for Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, shame a billionaire into providing aid?

This is crucial, remember. Atrocities happen best in the dark, and the world is watching - because of the internet. Morale is vital to maintain. Can they convince Elon Musk to help?

Yep.

Ukraine now has the fastest internet service in the world. The fastest, most stable internet service in human history, in fact. Russia cannot now disable it. The world watches.

Which is just as well, because then Anonymous decided to get involved, and have leaked the website database of the Russian Ministry of Defence. Lol. Also this happens:

And then the Russian propaganda channels started broadcasting the truth of what is happening in Ukraine. Double lol.

So what is the political response?

Well, in addition to closing airspace to Russian planes, loads of countries are sending weapons to Ukraine. Those that can’t are offering asylum. They’re also offering asylum to any Russian soldiers who surrender or defect, which is startlingly good tactics, and there are rumours of around 5000 Russian soldiers who have done just that. Germany, of course, has long had a block on lethal weapons transfer; but Germany recognise this shit for what it is. They’ve lifted the block, thus allowing the Netherlands to send weapons. Efforts are now underway to fast-track Ukraine into the EU. I presume they will consider the lack of pint glasses with crowns on to be a worthwhile price to pay.

So what about Russia’s supporters?

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenka helped Russia with this invasion. Now, this has happened:

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was actually elected president, but some wild nonsense kept her out of power. She’s now running a government in exile. I have literally no idea what this means or will mean! But my god. She has a spine of steel, and this is not a good time to be happening for Putin. 

And it’s really, really not, because then intel on a meeting of Putin and assembled Oligarchs LEAKS (hello Anonymous, probably). The highlights:

This war is costing Russia $15bn a day

He expected it to take ONE TO FOUR DAYS TO WIN

It’s been two days and he is losing very badly, currently

They will run out of rockets by day 4, maybe sooner

After that they will be down to rifles and ammo

It will take 3-4 months to make more significant weapons, except they need raw materials, and the countries that can provide them… have cut supply lines

If the war lasts 10 days, Russia will have completely run out of money and weapons

It’s only day 2, and Russian soldiers are knocking the doors of random Ukrainian homes begging for food and water because they’ve already run out

So, out of desperation, Putin turns to his greatest, closest and most trusted ally for help: Kazakhstan. 

And Kazakhstan

SAYS NO

And then Ukraine shoots down a second Russian plane.

Anyway, I’m going to finish off with a final point. Morale is vital in this situation, so here is the message from the Ukrainian government at the minute, to everyone watching around the world:

Be VERY SUSPICIOUS of any negative news about Ukraine. Russia uses misinformation and propaganda. They will want to damage Ukrainian morale.

Use your social media to spread news of Ukrainian victories. 

Don’t give oxygen to negative stories. Especially since they might not be true.

That’s genuinely something we can do to help. Every victory of Ukraine, blast it far and wide. So on that note, I’ll leave you with this:

Congrats to Natalia Antonova’s cousin’s son.

#russian agression #solidarity with ukraine #update #it seems most of this is true

[wemaysurvivethis]

Show: It Could Happen Here

Episode: A Dispatch from Ukraine

Summary: Robert talks with a Ukrainian journalist (@VagrantJourno) about the escalating conflict with Russia.

Date: 2022. February 23.

#it could happen here #Ukraine Without Hype #thanks for the info

[wemaysurvivethis]

Show: It Could Happen Here

Episode: A Dispatch from Ukraine

Summary: Robert talks with a Ukrainian journalist (@VagrantJourno) about the escalating conflict with Russia.

Date: 2022. February 23.

#it could happen here #robert evans #ukraine #russian agression

[wemaysurvivethis]

decided i wanted the r/collapse AMA video from last year on my blog

https://youtu.be/Nxonm_rZFJ0

robert ♥️

#robert evans

[wemaysurvivethis]

Would you be able to recommend any how-to books on going zero waste? I'm really upset at all the plastic I have to throw out in everyday life (mostly from food packaging, whether restaurant or grocery store) but I'm not sure where to begin in changing it. If there's a book that describes steps to take, that would be very helpful for me. Thank you!

Going zero waste

Realistic goals:

First of all, good on you for wanting to lessen your waste output!

Second of all, while going zero waste is a really noble goal, it's not always feasible, especially in our current economy. That's nothing you should feel guilty over. That's just a fact.

Those pictures of people who can fit a year's worth of trash in one mason jar look great, but it's okay if you can't do that. For example, while I personally try to avoid having to throw out plastic, I'm also very grateful for the fact that plastic allows me to have an emergency asthma inhaler on hand at all times. Another example could be how bulk shopping can help cut back on waste, but might not be feasible due to financial or physical constraints.

That being said, replacing some single-use items is still better than doing nothing at all. Don't let perfectionism stop you!

It's important to set realistic goals. For example: you mentioned you'd like to try and avoid waste from food packaging. If you often eat on the go, you could keeping a set of reusable cutlery in your bag so you don't have to use single-use utensils every time you buy food. You could check if apps like Too Good To Go or imperfect produce boxes are available in your area. Maybe you've got a local farmer's market or a bulk shop or a community garden around. Maybe your supermarket allows you to bring your own produce bags while shopping. You could try looking for brands that use less or recycled packaging if your financial situation allows for that. If you enjoy cooking, you could look into bringing your own food on the go more often, or learn how to freeze or preserve food.

You don't have to do all of these: pick out ideas that seem like a good match for your personal situation. Start with small changes and turn them into habits, rather than going all-out from the start.

Resources:

The one book I often see referred to when it comes to zero waste is "Zero waste home: the ultimate guide to simplifying your life by reducing your waste" by Bea Johnson. I haven't read the entire thing yet, but I've read parts and it's a handy place to start. If your local library doesn't have a copy available, you can borrow a digital version for free on Archive.org.

While not necessarily focused on zero waste, I quite like Marie Kondo's philosophy too. The manga version of her book is an easy read if you want something quick to get started with.

Not books, but Shelbizleee and Sustainably Vegan on YouTube also run interesting zero waste channels.

Take what you personally find useful from resources like these, but don't feel obligated to follow them to the letter. Eco-anxiety can sometimes push us to try things we're not comfortable with or which aren't safe for us, so it's important to remain mindful of your personal boundaries.

I'm sure others can add more book recommendations to this post. :)

The five R's:

One way to get started is to take a look at the five basic zero waste principles.

There are different versions of the zero waste "R" list, but the one cited the most is the five R's of zero waste: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot.

(Image source) [ID: an inverted pyramid with five steps, reading from the top to the bottom: "Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, rot".]

Refuse: a lot of waste comes from things we don't really need. Will you actually wear that t-shirt that's on sale right now? Do you need another free pen even though you still have ten unused ones lying around at home? What about your junk mail, do you actually enjoy receiving all those flyers? The idea is to re-evaluate the objects that come into your possession, and to refuse the ones you won't use.

Note: the "refuse" and "reduce" principles can be stressful when you've grown up in an environment that was lacking certain material needs, or when you still find yourself in this situation. Take small steps, stick to your personal boundaries, and be mindful of your (mental) health.

Reduce: a lot of us own more than we actually need. If you find you've got objects you barely use, e.g. shirts you haven't worn in years or unused craft materials bought on a whim, ask yourself if you really need them. Would you miss them if you got rid of them, or would you barely notice? Do they make you happy, or do they just take up space? Maybe it's time to find a new home for these items.

Note: there are certain things in life we just really need, even if some of those things might seem frivolous to others. Don't get rid of things you might regret later, or that you actually need even though all the zero waste sources say you could probably do without. Everyone's situation's different. When you do get rid of things, don't just throw them out even if you plan on replacing them with sustainable alternatives: this will just create more waste. Use what you have first, and consider selling, donating or gifting items you don't need any more.

Reuse: one way to avoid waste is to reuse an item until it falls apart, or to find new uses for something. Mend your clothes, repair your stuff, reuse packaging when shipping parcels, cook with food scraps, shop second-hand,... Once you've finished something, check if you can replace it with a reusable alternative instead of buying it again (e.g. water bottles, reusable cutlery, fabric tote bags,...).

Note: be mindful of your health. Sometimes, things just have to be replaced!

Recycle: recycling isn't perfect, but it's important. Look up your local recycling policies, and sort your trash accordingly.

Rot: when organic trash goes to landfill, it will likely decompose in a way that will make it release a lot of methane. When we compost it, it will turn into plant food. If you've got access to an outdoor space, start a compost heap. If you've got a balcony, you could try vermicomposting or bokashi. If you don't have access to outdoor spaces at all, you could try indoor composting (if you're comfortable with that) or find a neighbour who composts and who'll take your scraps.

Conclusion:

Reducing our waste output is a great way to add our proverbial drop to the bucket. You don't have to be a minimalist or stop your waste output entirely to help out: going a 100% waste-free is awesome if you're able to, but 10% is better than 0%, and 10% is nothing to sneeze at!

Don't let perfectionism stop you. Do what you can, and don't beat yourself up over what you can't.

#useful tips

[wemaysurvivethis]

Garden for CLIMATE RESISTENCE.

#useful tips #gardening

[wemaysurvivethis]

Hügelkultur

Hügelkultur is a form of gardening based around raised hill-like garden beds to maximize surface area for planting! It looks like this:

[ID: a diagram titled “BUILDING RAISED BEDS”. An yellow arrow arching over the length of the diagram with yellow circles along it is labelled “Sun throughout the day”. Blue arrows on the right-hand side, pointing left, are labelled “Wind direction”. On the left is a diagram of the construction of a raised bed. The base is a trench filled with plant waste, labelled “Different kinds of bulky organic material (tree trunks, branches, roots, shrubs, etc)”. Next is a layer of dirt labelled “Turf (with the grass face down)”. Finally is a layer of tan-coloured soil labelled “Humus layer”. Next to this bed is the raised bed with assorted garden plants planted across the surface. The bulky organics are decaying, and red lines are emanating off of the organics towards the surface. There is a stone path labelled “Stone path” along the length of the planted raised bed. On the right is a row of trees bearing yellow fruit with a crate of vegetables and a sack of potatoes sitting next to the trunk, labelled “Fruit trees act as an additional windbreak”. /end ID]

It can be grown in creative shapes (below) to add visual appeal to a garden while simultaneously increasing planting space.

[ID: A raised garden bed in a waving back-and forth shape, shaped like a slithering snake along the ground. The raised part closer to the camera is covered with roots (like the upside-down turf), while the part further from the camera is covered with a layer of dark brown soil. /end ID]

Once it’s fully planted, it may look something like this:

[ID: a photo of a small, straight, raised garden bed. Tall, vibrant leafy greens, including corn and lettuce, are growing from the bed. A lawn is visible in the background, then a garden, and a tree-line beyond that. /end ID]

Once I have the land, I plan on incorporating hügelkultur into my construction of a permaculture food forest to maximize growing space and help control rainwater flow.

#useful tips

[wemaysurvivethis]

Tips and teachings from James Prigioni on how to turn your lawn (or any dirt space) into a thriving food forest.

NOTE: Auto-captions are turned on and seem to do a good job!

#useful tips