Russian airliner crashes in central Sinai - Egyptian PM

[Razgovory]

Just form the top of my head

Would you prefer ovoid or rectangular?

Look, I'm just giving my impression.  I wasn't looking for a thesis defense.  I don't even remember some of the things you mentioned.

I think DG is saying you have a false impression.  Beslan happened during his second term in office.  There was a similar incident a few years earlier at an opera house.  Both the Opera thing and Beslan were pretty badly bungled.  At least from the a Western impression.  From a Russian impression it may have gone great.  They have a bad habit of dealing with hostage situations by killing the hostages.  I suppose that is an effective deterrent.

[Admiral Yi]

I think DG is saying you have a false impression.

No shit Sherlock.

[Agelastus]

Oh yeah, they are known for being super clever.

If they are, they aren't living up to it.  It's one thing to make a tasteless joke.  It's another to make a tasteless joke that isn't actually funny.

So you didn't notice the poke at both sides of "be careful of the consequences of your actions", then? It's obvious for the Islamic side from the posture of the militant but that it's aimed at both sides is clear from the wording of the caption.

It's not the only subtlety in that cartoon that you seem to have missed. I'd expect that from Raz, but not from you Garbon.

[garbon]

Well I can't say I'm surprised that you would like trash.

[Razgovory]

Oh yeah, they are known for being super clever.

If they are, they aren't living up to it.  It's one thing to make a tasteless joke.  It's another to make a tasteless joke that isn't actually funny.

So you didn't notice the poke at both sides of "be careful of the consequences of your actions", then? It's obvious for the Islamic side from the posture of the militant but that it's aimed at both sides is clear from the wording of the caption.

It's not the only subtlety in that cartoon that you seem to have missed. I'd expect that from Raz, but not from you Garbon.

That's not exactly subtle.  There no shame in liking childish, stupid comics, but you can't expect the rest of us to be amused by such dreck.

[LaCroix]

I don't remember that, either at the time or mentioned later, not that it didn't happen.  There is no doubt that he was using Beslan as a pretext for further entrenching his rule, just like he was using prior terrorist acts, but only the apartment building bombings directly raised his popularity, in my recollection.

is there evidence putin had a master plan to get in power and stay in power? seems more like a human response rather than a cleverly masterminded ploy. i don't know enough about early putin, though, so it's possible.

[DGuller]

I don't remember that, either at the time or mentioned later, not that it didn't happen.  There is no doubt that he was using Beslan as a pretext for further entrenching his rule, just like he was using prior terrorist acts, but only the apartment building bombings directly raised his popularity, in my recollection.

is there evidence putin had a master plan to get in power and stay in power? seems more like a human response rather than a cleverly masterminded ploy. i don't know enough about early putin, though, so it's possible.

You can never answer for certain in Russia.  Nothing is ever transparent there, so you have to read the tea leaves, and always leave yourself open to falling for a conspiracy theory.  From my vantage point, it sure seems like Putin had a master plan from the very beginning to firmly reinstall autocracy in Russia under his rule, and was waiting for events to happen to be used as pretexts for some of the more potentially alarming power plays.

[The Brain]

Is Putin a planet or not?

[Duque de Bragança]

Putin is actually a star for better or worse, since he has groupies, both in the left and right now.

[jimmy olsen]

Looks like the French will have company

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/russian-plane-crashes-in-the-sinai/metrojet-crash-traces-explosives-found-wreckage-kremlin-says-n464676

MOSCOW — Traces of explosives have been found in the debris of the passenger jet that crashed in Egypt last month, the Kremlin announced on Tuesday as it unveiled a $50 million reward in the case.

Alexander Bortnikov, the chief of the country's FSB domestic security agency, said that a bomb equivalent to 2.2 pounds of TNT exploded on board the aircraft, according to the Kremlin.

"You can definitely say that this is a terrorist act," Bortnikov told a meeting of Russia's Security Council on Monday.

The FSB, which is the successor to the KGB, also offered the $50 million reward for information on who brought down the jet.

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to hunt the perpetrators, saying that "we will find them anywhere on the globe, and punish them."

He added: "We won't be wiping tears from our souls and hearts. It will stay with us forever. But that won't stop us from finding and punishing the criminals."

Putin also used the announcement to reaffirm Russia's commitment to airstrikes in Syria, where Moscow says it is bombing ISIS, the group that claimed responsibility for downing the plane.

"Our air operation in Syria will not just continue — it must be strengthened so the criminals understand retribution is imminent," Putin said, according to the Kremlin's statement.

The Metrojet crash left 224 people dead, most of them Russian tourists.

The Airbus A321 broke up in midair some 20 minutes into its journey from resort town Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg on Oct. 31.

U.S. officials have told NBC News earlier this month that intelligence intercepts picked up chatter between ISIS operatives boasting about taking down an airliner after the passenger plane crashed in the Sinai.

[Liep]

Russia says it will double the amount of airstrikes on IS now.

[Tamas]

Russia says it will double the amount of airstrikes on IS now.

2 times zero is still zero

[Valmy]

Can ISIS somehow get China involved? I feel like they are missing here.

[Tamas]

Can ISIS somehow get China involved? I feel like they are missing here.

This is actually pretty scary. All kinds of great- and regional powers are involved, technically almost-allies but with decidely different agendas, embroiling in an insanely complex factional civil war itself part of a complex regional power struggle. World Wars have started from 10% of such clusterfuck.

[Ed Anger]

Can ISIS somehow get China involved? I feel like they are missing here.

They can drop lead contaminated pet food on ISIS.