totallynotaspy

That sucks that happened to you, but thanks for the chuckle at the absurdity of the situation!

That wasn't the point I was making.

This, I've known people who got knocks on their door by the FBI and SS for posting dumb shit they weren't serious about as a "joke." They take that shit seriously I guess only when its lone wolves that can't do as much damage and not people rich enough to fund a small army.

I boosted because for the most part I agree, however the 40k style commissar executions by the Soviets was wildly overblown by Hollywood and the joys of the First Cold War (imo, it either never ended or began anew in the past 20 years).

I dug around to find some relevant info:

These barrier troops operated by apprehending retreating troops and sending them back to the frontline. When this was not possible, retreating troops were detained to await trial. Although they had orders which allowed them to shoot deserters and “cowards” on the spot, and while this most certainly did happen, it was not the norm. Of those detained and found guilty (around 900,000), roughly 422,000 were sent to penal battalions where they would continue the fight against the Germans by performing the most dangerous jobs. This number accounted for around 1.5% of those who would serve in the Red Army during World War II. Another 436,000 were imprisoned

An example of these ratios can be found in an internal list from the NKVD regarding the Battle of Stalingrad from 1 August 1942 to 15 October 1942. According to the list, 15,649 soldiers were picked up by barrier troops. Of these, 244 were imprisoned, 278 were shot, 218 were sent to penal units, and 14,833 soldiers were returned to their units.

So these blocking units were technically being operated by NVKD orders and officers, and according to their data, the vast majority of retreating/deserting troops were sent back alive (to die on the front line). Also for context for any readers unaware, the NKVD was the predecessor to the KGB, much like how the US had their OSS more or less turn into the CIA.

Couple quick sources since I'm too lazy to dig through my Russian history textbooks: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/11/05/the-soviet-army-once-shot-its-own-troops-for-retreating--the-russian-army-could-do-the-same/ https://www.thecollector.com/soviets-in-world-war-ii-myths-and-misconceptions/

Because doing crap like this is how the rich avoid paying their fair share of taxes.

And yes running it a loss is a legitimate thing:

1. Open up subsidiary company that you know/think will operate at a loss or near loss
2. Use the negative profit to offset positive profit from another subsidiary (main operations for example)
3. Parent company now has lower NET Profit!! Thus paying less in taxes since your "income" is now much lower than it was before.
4. Laugh at the taxman because you just got away with stealing from your countrymen

That's just an off the cuff example, obviously it can be a little more complicated depending on the jurisdiction

The cautionary note against "feminist propaganda" is a reminder that Game Science have yet to respond to allegations of pervasive sexist behaviour from November last year. In a lengthy report for IGN, Rebekah Valentine and Khee Hoon Chan described "a studio plagued by claims of sexism", linking this to misogyny elsewhere in the Chinese games industry and on the government-firewalled Chinese internet. The developers have raised the drawbridge in response: when Edders attended a preview event earlier this year, they refused to say anything on the subject in advance.

JFC, fuck this company.

I think they're asking people to find their games on the high seas and stream while crossdressing and just speaking in quotes/ about their forbidden list. 🤔

Yes, it was an animated show:

[(https://duckduckgo.com/?t=h_&q=starwars+rebels&ia=web)]

Surprised it hasn't been mentioned, but Electric Vehicles in general. I remember wishing for them to be a thing when I used to drive my family's gas-guzzling vehicles. If you look outside of Tesla, there are plenty of options even affordable ones, it might Leaf you in disbelief.

Yes! I grew up with Warhammer, and I can't tell you how many times as a teen I wished I could just make my own minis, or print something specific to add on while kitbashing.

Fast forward to today and I have a resin printer, unfortunately my free time is a bit less than it was 20 years ago so it doesn't see as much use as I'd like. God I feel old.