Russia Invades Ukraine 2022

[Ken]

On the lighter side after all the reports of death and atrocities:

https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/2/23053 ... john-deere

Remote lockouts reportedly stop Russian troops from using stolen Ukrainian farm equipment

Troops hauled the inoperable equipment as far as 700 miles away

Russian troops stole almost $5 million worth of farm equipment from a John Deere dealer in the occupied city of Melitopol, Ukraine, only to discover that the machines have been shut down remotely, making them inoperable, according to a report from CNN. Some of the equipment, which comes with a remote locking feature and a built-in GPS, was tracked over 700 miles away in the Zakhan Yurt village of Chechnya.

A source close to the situation told CNN that Russian troops gradually began taking machinery away from the dealer following their occupation of Melitopol in March. It reportedly started with two combine harvesters worth $300,000 each, a tractor, and a seeder, until troops hauled away all 27 pieces of equipment. Some of the equipment went to Chechnya, while others reportedly landed in a nearby village.

“When the invaders drove the stolen harvesters to Chechnya, they realized that they could not even turn them on, because the harvesters were locked remotely,” CNN’s source told the outlet.

Although the pieces of equipment were remotely disabled, CNN’s source says that Russian troops may be trying to find a way around the block, as they’re in contact with “consultants in Russia who are trying to bypass the protection.” In addition to farm equipment, Russian troops have also reportedly been stealing grain in the area, one of Ukraine’s biggest exports.

Farming equipment has become surprisingly high-tech, for better or for worse. John Deere in particular has been the center of a right-to-repair debate, as its software bars farmers from fixing their equipment themselves. As the company demonstrated in this case of stolen farm equipment, John Deere is free to shut down its machines whenever it pleases, although it told Bloomberg in 2020 that it “never activated this capacity, except in construction equipment in China, where financing terms require it to.” Some farmers have even gone so far as to download pirated John Deere firmware to evade the company’s clutches.

[Soloist]

As funny as it is, the locking remotely of equipment is a cause for concern for a number of reasons. Also Russia is the location to get hacks to bypass these farm tool restrictions so I doubt its a serious issue to steal it for the Russians.

[Ken]

As funny as it is, the locking remotely of equipment is a cause for concern for a number of reasons. Also Russia is the location to get hacks to bypass these farm tool restrictions so I doubt its a serious issue to steal it for the Russians.

Oh, I know. I have relatives in trucking and farming who hate it and deal in hacks to defeat that sort of thing. I just found it amusing that Russian looters are running afoul of the same issue that vexes farmers and truckers in the the US.

[temporal1]

It looks like the US Supreme Court is poised to do away with Roe vs. Wade.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/0 ... n-00029473

98 pages. Fascinating, and heart-stopping.
But, “here we go again?” with OPINION pieces??

i suspect this will be fought by politicians+media with more vigor than Ukraine. and Zelensky will be certain to notice. ..

.. i wonder ..
will Zelensky+Ukraine find themselves abandoned by the ultimately fickle, short attention-span legacy politicians+media?

it’s an industry wherein you’re only as good as your next story. (“story” being the operative word.)

[Josh]

.. i wonder ..
will Zelensky+Ukraine find themselves abandoned by the ultimately fickle, short attention-span legacy politicians+media?

it’s an industry wherein you’re only as good as your next story. (“story” being the operative word.)

The left is in a full-blown panic about a possible Supreme Court decision, so just like the left has entirely forgotten about COVID, they may forget about Ukraine too.

[temporal1]

.. i wonder ..
will Zelensky+Ukraine find themselves abandoned by the ultimately fickle, short attention-span legacy politicians+media?

it’s an industry wherein you’re only as good as your next story. (“story” being the operative word.)

The left is in a full-blown panic about a possible Supreme Court decision, so just like the left has entirely forgotten about COVID, they may forget about Ukraine too.

That’s the pattern.

i was deeply impressed with the wisdom of the Nickel Mines elders for refusing media/political exploitation.
they land, cameras+mics blazing - then leave just as abruptly, never looking back.

it’s a cut-throat for-profit industry. complete sentence.

[JimFoxvog]

The left is in a full-blown panic about a possible Supreme Court decision, so just like the left has entirely forgotten about COVID, they may forget about Ukraine too.

My brother could honestly be described as "left". I was just with him for the memorial service for his wife who died last month. Among other things, we talked about COVID. It hadn't been forgotten.

Some people describe the Washington Post as "left". The front page of their webpage has headlines about Ukraine and COVID.

Just like the right proclaims false "facts" about the 2020 election, they proclaim falsities about people forgetting about COVID or Ukraine.

[Josh]

The left is in a full-blown panic about a possible Supreme Court decision, so just like the left has entirely forgotten about COVID, they may forget about Ukraine too.

My brother could honestly be described as "left". I was just with him for the memorial service for his wife who died last month. Among other things, we talked about COVID. It hadn't been forgotten.

Some people describe the Washington Post as "left". The front page of their webpage has headlines about Ukraine and COVID.

Just like the right proclaims false "facts" about the 2020 election, they proclaim falsities about people forgetting about COVID or Ukraine.

It has very little focus in mainstream media or places where the mainstream left gathers for political discussion. Sorry, Jim, but if you go look at what’s trending on Twitter or what gets lots of page views in WaPo, it’s all about Roe v Wade with a bit of Ukraine talk.

Sure, some liberals never forget and move on from an old talking point - I know liberals who still are complaining about how terrible Ronald Reagan is and why everything wrong today is his fault.

[Grace]

It has very little focus in mainstream media or places where the mainstream left gathers for political discussion. Sorry, Jim, but if you go look at what’s trending on Twitter or what gets lots of page views in WaPo, it’s all about Roe v Wade with a bit of Ukraine talk.

Sure, some liberals never forget and move on from an old talking point - I know liberals who still are complaining about how terrible Ronald Reagan is and why everything wrong today is his fault.

And here I thought everything that is wrong today is Donald Trump's fault.

[nett]

The left is in a full-blown panic about a possible Supreme Court decision, so just like the left has entirely forgotten about COVID, they may forget about Ukraine too.

My brother could honestly be described as "left". I was just with him for the memorial service for his wife who died last month. Among other things, we talked about COVID. It hadn't been forgotten.

Some people describe the Washington Post as "left". The front page of their webpage has headlines about Ukraine and COVID.

Just like the right proclaims false "facts" about the 2020 election, they proclaim falsities about people forgetting about COVID or Ukraine.

I just checked wapo, there are no headlines regarding COVID.