#highsec

[deorexploreseve]

Relocating to Myyhera

pictured above: Sinq Liaison, where I used to be located

I recently relocated from Audaerne (Sinq Liaison) to Myyhera (Bleak Lands), and it has been going well. I got most of my ships transferred over, my BPOs, my stockpile of minerals, my necessary ship items, etc, and now I am exploring my new neck of the woods. It's fun. This area is interesting.

Pictured above: The skybox in Myyhera, where I moved to.

The mining fleets in this area mean that the population of the systems is deceptive. Unlike in Audaerne, where a population spike above 10 means you have to start watching your back, when there are 30 people in system in Myyhera it is likely that 25 of them will be flying Mackinaws or Orcas and just plugging away on the Veldspar or Moongoo in the system. That also means that the Signature spawn mechanics are convinced the system is busy, and so populate it with a bunch of combat sites and cosmic signatures. That is good for business and for me, since that is more to work with. I feel a bit bad for the others who might be farming some of this content though so I try not to take all of it. Be a good neighbor, and all that.

Adjacent to Myyhera are Netsalakka and Sasiekko. The former of the two is a Triglavian system, and the latter is an EDENCOM system. That means that I have relatively easy access to Triglavian space, through the Wormholes and lowsec access to Nullsec. All three of those systems - once I get my mining ships up and running - spawn border rare anomalies at least once a day or so, and the mining fleets seem to mostly ignore them.

The downside is that the systems bordering them are Faction Warfare systems, meaning that at some point I will probably have to deal with an Insurgency. The way I dealt with that in Audaerne was to treat the whole area like Low/Nullsec and fly with combat pings and as though I was going to be ganked everywhere I went, but I found that wore on me as time passed. I don't like playing the game when everything makes me anxious I might lose my ship; I like to choose to put myself in danger, not have it thrust upon me without my consent. So, I played the game a whole lot less when the insurgency was active in Audaerne, and the fact a bunch of pirate/lowsec corps moved into the system to capitalize on its nearness to Zarzakh was one of the reasons I moved out of it. I understand that exploration involves risk, but I like structured risk, so living every moment in fear of losing everything is not an enjoyable play experience for me.

Anyway, enough grousing about that.

There is a run of systems starting with Iesa, Uusanen, then Erikinen and Komaa, and culminating on Ayeroilen. That is a typical exploration run for me. It includes a lot of interesting content, and by the end of it I generally have a bunch of interesting sites as well as a bunch of wormholes, and maybe an escalation or two. Scanning the whole run generally takes me about 30 minutes, then I take another 30-60 minutes crossing the t's and dotting the i's (as well as running the data/relic sites) heading back to Myyhera, and doing the combat run takes me substantially longer depending upon the mix of sites and number of sites present. But, all told, it is far more productive and worthwhile than trying for the same scraps of content in Sinq Liaison was. This is still highsec, but there are far fewer people farming the content it seems like.

[imperiumallaboveall]

Watch "EVE Online - Efficient highsec exploration fits in practise" on YouTube

H w h i t e program for Imperium All Above All Kevin Kim management system AI

Felony Imperium Emperor art Kevin Kim ID

[jirihazekk]

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Was Neues zum Jahresende. Something new at the end of the year. #happynewyear #happy2022 #happynewyear2022 #internetspaceships #roids #roidsuckers #mining #empire #empiremining #tweetfleet #eveonline #pve #mmo #mmorpg #highsec #highsecurity https://www.instagram.com/p/CYKPYZjIj_P/?utm_medium=tumblr

[akaluan]

Because of how EVE Online works these days, I still get emails about major updates to the game system despite not having played for... damn... half a decade or more at this point.

The recent update changed how War Decs (war declarations, basically “Guild” level Official Notices Of PVP Imminent Even In Declared Safe Zones) work which is... interesting from an in-universe perspective.

Originally, WarDecs could be made against ANY corporation (EVE Guilds), doesn’t matter where they call home or how many players they have. From an in-universe perspective, using a WarDec like this is a lot less like a real “war” and more just “we want a way to beat you up in HighSec” (High Sec = “safe”-ish zones where NPC reactionary fleets come to trounce the aggressors in (x) time based on the Security Level of the zone)

Now, granted, WarDecs cost money to upkeep, if I’m remembering correctly, so it wasn’t REALLY a free-for-all sort of system. Still, I experienced a couple instances of WarDecs being called for Dick Move Reasons. They usually didn’t last long, but it was still annoying.

The change to the system now means that a Corporation has to actually own structures in space in order for you to WarDec them now. Which... is interesting. I’d be interested to know how that changes the more peaceful Corps’ strategies, because iirc a lot of the ways for Corps to make money is to have structures (seeing as “structures” includes things like factories and mining platforms and refineries, etc)

IDK, I’m not really going anywhere with this. I just... like to muse about how such an interesting change to a core mechanic will change gameplay and also about how that now looks from an in-universe perspective. WarDecs become a thing of territory and acquisitions (on top of just Dick Move Reasons) and Corporations become considered more like the Empires that they’re operating around and alongside.

It’s interesting.

[fapangel]

>Wtf is happening in EvE Online? | Update on situation: Drifters are massacring fleets of players in nullsec (forcing smaller corps to align themselves to the Big Powerblocs or be annihilated, and the Drifter AIs are starting to actually follow up on structure timers too, meaning keepstars are in danger of being wrecked); Trigs are waging war in highsec and setting up footholds there too (which debuff player-owned ships for three systems out from the foothold system). Invasion, indeed.

Ah, so EVE is finally doing something interesting with all that lore, and the first thing they do is to undo any of the good things that came from FozzieSov. 

I just don’t even anymore

[miralme]

Rats in querious space

RATS IN QUERIOUS SPACE WINDOWS

Players also commonly use the terms Null, Null-sec, Null-Sec, and 0.0 (pronounced "zero zero", "zero dot zero", or "oh dot oh"). Null Security systems are those with a security level of -1.0 to 0.0. In these systems, stargates and stations will have sentry guns (although fewer than in Highsec), but CONCORD will not react to hostile actions between pilots, although any nearby sentry guns will still open fire on the attacking player(s) and unprovoked attacks will cause losses of security status. Players also commonly use the terms Low, Low-sec, Lo-sec, Lowsec, and Losec. Low Security systems are those with a security level of 0.1 to 0.4. Aggression resulting in the destruction of another player's ship and/or pod will result in a loss of security status. committing a Criminal-level offense) will provoke a response from CONCORD and any nearby sentry guns. In these systems, stargates may be patrolled by NPC CONCORD, customs, and/or faction navy ships, and stargates and stations will have sentry guns. Players also commonly use the terms High, High-sec, Highsec, Hi-sec, and Hisec. CONCORD will react to hostile actions between pilots, with the response time ranging from almost instant in 1.0 space to up to 19 seconds in 0.5 space. High Security systems are those with a security level of 0.5 to 1.0. In Empire space, whether high or low security, stealth bombers can't use bombs and players cannot deploy bubbles. There are three general classifications of systems based upon system security: High Security, Low Security, and Null Security.Įmpire space is the name given to the regions which the four main NPC factions hold sovereignty (High Security and Low Security). 4 Game Mechanics affected by System Security.Security level should not be confused with security status, which is an attribute attached to a player character. The security level of a player's current system is always displayed in the System Information display on the upper left of the screen, both in space and while docked. True sec doesn't only determine the security class but also things such as mission payouts or average PI quality. Therefore it's common to refer to the number itself as true sec. When players refer to the security of a system, they usually rather only refer to those classes. Wormhole space and Pochven have the security level of -1.Null security space (also nullsec, null-sec, null) refers to -1 to 0.Low security space (also lowsec, low-sec, low) refers to 0.1 to 0.4.High security space (also highsec, high-sec, high) refers to space with a security level between 0.5 and 1.Star systems are also grouped into security classes which define several game mechanics most importantly of player versus player engagements: In the game, it's displayed as rounded to the first decimal point. The team at Critter Control is ready to help with any type of pest removal.A star system's Security Level refers to the presence of NPC security forces such as faction police and CONCORD. Residents who find rats in a crawl space should contact a professional. However, these methods are often unsafe or ineffective. Traps and poisons are available for homeowners. The pests gnaw through walls, wires, and plastic pipes to forage for meals. However, rats in crawl spaces rarely stay in one place. Crawl spaces are quiet, close to food sources, and provide shelter from predators. These remote areas offer an ideal habitat for a nest.

RATS IN QUERIOUS SPACE WINDOWS

Loose bricks, foundation cracks, or damaged basement windows allow rats into crawl spaces. Rats often burrow along the foundation of a home, especially when it borders a garden or flowerbed. Droppings, gnaw marks, and greasy smudges from their fur are signs of an infestation. Rats nesting in crawl spaces are a common problem. One of the most prevalent nuisance pests in the country, rats damage property, contaminate food, and spread disease. When Should You Be Concerned About Zoonotic Diseases From Nuisance Wildlife? Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items. Enter and space open menus and escape closes them as well. Up and Down arrows will open main level menus and toggle through sub tier links. Left and right arrows move across top level links and expand / close menus in sub levels. The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands.

[qqpiner]

Querious fight club

#Querious fight club full

In The Imperium, we’re lucky to have probably the best stocked markets outside of highsec and after a week in forward staging this normally clones over to wherever our people are wanting to buy. In the Imperium, most of the staging market and contract stocking is done by individuals. The simple math off the top of my head would be something along the lines of (Projected Losses over X days + 20%) with X being the number of days it takes to restock the reserve. HP: How do you calculate how much materiel is needed at staging?Ĭ: Having the right amount of resources in staging is less about how much you have and more about how fast you can replenish your reserve. If you’re going to NPC Nullsec or somewhere hostile you don’t really care about the hostiles feelings, right? If you’re going somewhere in sov null you’re usually going to fight someone hostile to your friends, in that case they’re happy to see you and offer up any assistance they can. You don’t really need to pick a staging system based on political alignment. HP: How do you pick staging systems? Is it more of a political or military decision?Ĭ: Staging systems are exclusively picked for their strategic value. The coordination team works collaboratively these days, a lot of discussion about tactics and strategy goes on in the coord channel followed by more of a primary coordinator supported by the other coordinators structure for the actual engagement. HP: As a follow-up, how do you work with them? Is there some sort of joint committee, or is it more ad-hoc than that?Ĭ: Depending on what we’re doing and who we’re doing it with we’ll be using text chats like Jabber and Discord combined with voice comms as required. The next day we could simply have recon watching a blue Fortizar online with FCs ready to respond if required. We basically work with any entity that can be a strategic asset in whatever campaign we are working with, when QFC is under siege we work closely with them to not only provide support fleets where requested but also supply them with a bit of mentoring and intelligence. Coordination works closely with Recon, Scouts and GSOL to pre-stage assets and resources in a way that will improve the likelihood of a successful operation. These tasks can be as simple as destroying a hostile Raitaru anchoring in NPC Delve or as complex as taking a whole region. The coordination team receives directives from the Skyteam or Imperium directors and enacts them. Hopeful Turtle: What other groups do coordinators work with when planning campaigns?Ĭhiimera: Coordinators are the second level of what I would call The Imperiums’ strategic division with the ‘Top Men’ being the Skyteam followed by coordinators. To shed some light on this subject, Crossing Zebras caught up with Chiimera, a member of The Imperium’s Coordination Team, analogues to a real life general staff, and asked him a few questions. However, once this decision is made, there is still preparation to complete before embarking on the process of a major conflict.

#Querious fight club full

In the previous piece, we examined the decision process which led to war, seeing how alliance leaders used the full powers of their bureaucracies to generate effective information and make clear decisions (at least, in theory – we cannot dismiss the possibility of wars starting with less rigorous examination). Grand Strategy in the Heavens: How EVE Wars Are Planned – Part 2 Hopeful Turtle on Share Tweet

[guardian-demon]

watch me wear a belt into highsec to feel something

[babyawacs]

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[highsectravelcredo]

The High-Sec Travel Credo

If I have been sent to this page I acknowledge that I have engaged in behavior that can be considered bot-like and have potentially broken EULA regulations and am now prepared to better educate myself and adjust my negative behaviors in order to properly travel throughout empire space.

1. I will no longer autopilot throughout my time in EVE Online. This method of playing a game that does not require more than a mere destination and an additional button click is bot-like. It does not require my physically being at the keyboard, enabling a program to play a video game for me, something I should be personally enjoying in my free time.

2. I will not engage in any content that renders me afk from the game, this includes but is not limited to; auto-piloting, ratting, mining, hauling etc.

3. I will no longer fly a ship who’s fittings and/or cargo out values the hull of the ship by a factor of 50% or more. To fit a ship in such a way is not economical, it is comparable to putting gold plated rims on a car from the 50’s. It may look nice but is ultimately worthless and I would deserve any harm that came to me for being the type of individual who would be so gaudy.

4. I will actively scout systems out in advance with an alt or with a friend to ensure that I am not moving into a hostile environment where I may be killed.

5. I will not utilize a ship fitting that does not provide ample protection, I understand that by making myself an easy target I am asking to be ganked and that it is entirely my fault for being on the receiving end of any in-game violence directed at me.

6. I will not curse, swear, threaten or take any negative actions to those who pointed out my past sins to me and took the time out of their day to provide me access to this page. I acknowledge they have taken the time to ensure that I become a more responsible pilot in EVE Online in order to mitigate any future losses I receive.

6a. I understand there are example losses provided for my own education on this website that I may view by selecting the the button on the top right of the header image. I am responsible for properly educating myself further.

7. I will not attempt to interfere in the actions of those aiming to provide education through ganking, I acknowledge that doing so will result in my being punished for said infractions.

8. I will subscribe to an annual protection plan consisting of once a year payment of 10 Million ISK to “The Highsec Goddess” as proof of my having read and accepted the terms and conditions

9. I will place in my in-game bio “I follow the Highsec Travel Credo” in order to purchase a permit that provides year a off of any potential ganks for while I travel and/or mine.

10. I understand and accept that failure to send said ISK payment within 24 hours of receiving this notification will result in my being declared a red contact and I may find myself increasingly targeted throughout my New Eden experience until I provide said payment.

11. I accept that failure to adhere to any of these rules will result in a termination of my permit and that not only will I become eligible to be ganked but that any future permit purchase will increase in price from 10 Million ISK to 100 Million ISK.

[kuanyida]

I don’t agree fully but in general to all that follows, from Jim Halscott

Hi everyone o/ I expect many of you know me, and know who I am and the things that I've done. To those who don't, and to anyone in the group that's new or to any newer players of the game, please take the time to read this. I'm writing this post today to help some of our newer members understand EVE as a game. This is due to so many recent posts about people complaining that Highsec and 'constant harrassment' should not be part of the game, and to quell any idea that the game should be changed to suit their gameplay options. So... Welcome to EVE. 

You've joined a community of gamers that enjoy HARD games. The large majority of us were brought up with games on the Super Nintendo, Megadrive or even older games consoles where there was no 'save' function. We only started with 3 lives, and sometimes you could gain an extra life, but if all your lives were lost, the game ended and you had to restart all over again. Alas.... gone are the days of video games that are actually challenging, without a 'reset button'. EVE is a game which is more of a simulation than a videogame. The developers have made a 'sandbox' environment, with very limited rules, and allowed us (the players) to make the rules up ourselves. Some of you know of these rules very well, and the 'rules' vary depending on where you are in the game. For example, some rules players have made surround highsec ganking, such as 'CODE.', but there are other player run organisations that demand other players follow rules. Many players new to the game simply don't understand this, because they EXPECT the game developers (as like in other games) to have ALL the rules written down and given to each new player in a tutorial format. And whilst yes, the new EVE experience have improved DRASTICALLY since myself and other other vets have been playing, the EVE tutorial does not and never will exactly explain and describe 'emergent gameplay', and how that effects the world of the game. As soon as you press the 'undock' button, you are basically agreeing to non-consensual PVP. People say that killing people in the game who cannot defend themselves is wrong and should be abolished, although if that were to happen, the game would lose a fundamental part of itself that sets it aside from other online MMO's. In EVE, those with the power and the will to do so, will always prey on the weak and innocent for whatever gains they wish. Some gains are political (You and your corp are, or potentially are, alts of another group that is at war with X. And that is why you are a target) Some are economical (You and friends are engaging in an activity that lowers someone elses profit margins and that is why you are a target) Some are simply for fun (Maybe you get pissed off and scream in local when you die... And that is why you are a target) There are many other reasons why you could become a target to someone in EVE... But please, please understand that EVE is a PVP oriented game, which does have mining and industry within it, which is also there to help facility PVP. If you are mining.. you are technically PVPing also, because your minerals may be used to build ships that will attack another group... and that's why you're a target. Killing supplylines is a fantastic way to win a war. The best advice I can give to anyone if this: If you undock your ship -- you are consenting to PVP, whether you like it or not, and whether your ship is a PVP ship or not... someone will likely wish to kill you no matter what you fly. There is no such thing as a 'fair fight' in EVE. There is simply a fight (Y) Also..... Understand that no one means you any ill will when they kill you ingame. It's a game, not real life, don't take it so seriously. And if you can't do any of the above because you want a safe space... seriously man, this game isn't for you I don't mean that in a negative way, I'm just being truthful and honest about the situation Fly safe And Fly Dangerously o/

Credits  

[fapangel]

Since you're the only anti-Assad guy I seem to be following, what exactly is the case for removing him? I've looked at the issue multiple times and I can't seem to find any sort of benefit to removing Assad that would outweigh the significant cost of doing so, with the added downside that it only shores up more power for Saudi Arabia. I really don't see what we stand to gain.

Well, lemme spell it out: Assad is playing for the other team - to wit, Iran has troops in the country backing up Assad right now, and we all know about Russia’s direct support and troops in-country, as well. This whole Qatar conflict? Kicked off days after Trump told the Saudis to stop fucking about and start self-policing. The Qataris are tight with the Iranians who are tight with the Russians. See how this works? Syria has simply become the latest battleground in a very long, very old proxy war between the United States and Russia for global influence. 

Now whether or not you believe the claims of the Russians that they’re just “defending themselves” and that tiny Baltic states would be existential threats to a nation with ten times their population, land mass and budget if they join NATO is up to you, but I think we can both agree that Putin has decisively committed Russia to a new conflict with the West. We are in a new Cold War as we speak, and as a new generation is learning, the Cold War was anything but - it was simply fought by proxy. 

Egypt is a good example, here. Mubarak was a bastard, and the military junta he represented are still oppressive bastards, who’ve successfully stifled any hope of free democracy in Egypt from the Arab Spring. But they’re our oppressive bastards. And that’s pretty much as good as you can hope for in the Middle East... that is, unless you’re willing to commit your nation to a very expensive, bloody ten year war to invade one of those states and shield and nurture a nascent democratic government against a decade of upheaval, war, and attempts to kill it until it can stand on its own. *Cough cough.* And that’s the price you have to pay. That is, by Donald Rumsfeld’s own admission, why Bush Sr. didn’t remove Saddam - it would’ve created a power vacuum which would’ve been filled by a new SOB. It’s the clearest example of “the devil you know versus the devil you don’t” you could ask for. And that’s from the guy who’d preside over the invasion of Iraq under Bush Jr! 

If it wasn’t for ISIS and the Russians/Iranians, we’d be doing right now what we’ve done for decades - not give a shit about Syria. ISIS is the real problem. I’ve heard some people opining that ISIS would never have been a problem if not for “our meddling.” Those people are fucking retarded. The Arab Spring, in case they missed it, was (and is) a big fucking thing - decades upon decades of oppression, suffering and rage finally boiled over, and it hit the Middle East like a goddamn brick. If you really think that half-assed “bombing campaign” of Obama’s and Hillary’s was the deciding factor in Gaddafi finally leaving Libya by riding a bullet to hell, you’re delusional. Fuck, even Saddam was almost ousted by the Kurds after the Gulf War - a short bombing campaign could’ve taken out Saddam and replaced him with allies of ours (allies during the Gulf War,) and saved us all the later bloodshed, but apparently Bush Sr. didn’t want to take that big roll of the dice. Hindsight, 20/20, etc. But don’t think that they only managed it because we’d trashed their military: the Kurds have been rebelling since the 30s, and they’ve taken their chances at other times Iraq was vulnerable, like during the Iran-Iraq war. Note that the Iraqi regime was desperate enough against this uprising to employ chemical weapons against what was nominally their own people. And remember that we’re not the only ones that “meddle” in other nations - the Turks, who fucking hate the Kurds, were balls-deep in that shit as well to restrain and hamper Kurdish efforts to form an independent state. 

Long story short, there’s no guarantee that ISIS wouldn’t have toppled many if not most of these states all on their own, aided by the internal fragility of many of these regimes and the many other groups seeking to topple them - including all the moderate, anti-Islamist rebels. Yes, they exist. The only people who deny it are the fucking Russians who’re making a point of bombing them. The best proof of this is Syria itself - a nation with one of the largest and best-equipped armies in the Middle East (short of Egypt) has been fighting a civil war for five years and is still struggling - and to be blunt, if the Russians and Iranians hadn’t came to their aid in 2015, Assad would be swinging from a rope right now. And even with their support - well, just look at the fucking livemap. They’ve got American-backed Kurds kicking the shit out of ISIS in most of the important areas to the north, ISIS has lost almost all of its major support bases in Iraq, like Mosul, and they still are struggling to make headway. (The US is now actively backing the moderate rebels, true, but considering that ISIS was always more competent and dangerous than most of the moderates, the fact that the moderates are fighting ISIS too, and that the most potent local anti-ISIS forces, the US-baked YPG Kurds, didn’t get involved in force until recently, with American backing, I’d say that’s a wash at best.) You can scroll back through the months (and years) on that map - do so, and note how much the colors on the map change, and for whom. Northern Homs is a pocket of resistance that seemingly refuses to die, and those major urban areas in the North are decisively stubborn - the government managed to take Aleppo (with intensive Russian airstrike support) but it cost them dearly and they’re still struggling to expand those gains. And apparently, the Russians are maintaining order in Aleppo with their own military police, so the Syrian government can spare forces for offensives. 

If anyone tells you that the Syrians are on the “verge of winning,” they’re worse than stupid - they’re either a fucking Russian shill, or they’re a mistake of evolution. There was - and is - every reason to fear that Assad might eventually lose, Russian/Iranian support be damned. The Russians remember very, very well how thoroughly they were fucked in Afghanistan. I chatted with a Russian man who fought in Afghanistan one night (in a highsec corp I was awoxing at the time, incidentally,) and the stories he told were fucking hair-raising - about how when the AK-74s ran out, they issued AK-47s, and when those ran out, they issued SKSs and when those ran out they started handing out fucking Nagants. Trust me, the Russians have no fucking interest in a quagmire - they’re constantly watching their Return on Investment, and nothing beats an actual war for polishing up your personnel, practical experience and organizational structures, especially when you’re trying to recover from two decades of under-investment and decay. Just look at how fucking hard ISIS is still fighting, and how bloody the advances are even for the YPG backed by US/coalition airpower - with the Kurds, the Russians (nominally,) the Syrians, the moderates and the Americans all allied against them, and after most of their infrastructure has been blown, blasted or bayoneted out from under them. 

What am I getting at, here? Simple - America’s not the only one in the world that can effect a regime change. Sometimes you don’t get to choose whether or not to knock someone out of the game - because plenty of other forces are willing to do it for you. In that case your best bet is to hope to have enough influence to see that the next group in power is the least terrible one you can manage - because if you don’t, the Russians sure as fucking hell will. 

Of course, that’s all assuming that we want to remove Assad. Frankly, I believe the Trump administration - and the defense department - when they say they don’t want to remove Assad. I am anti-Assad, and so is Trump, and the Defense Department, and anyone else who doesn’t like mass-murdering cunts. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t serve our purposes better alive than dead, however, because it’s likely that Assad will end up permanently ruling a lot less of Syria than he used to. 

To wit, even after Iranian and Russian support flowed in to prop up the regime, Syria was - and still is, outside of US-backed offensives - a bloody stalemate. Gaining ground in one area meant losing it in another. For a long time now, neither “side” in this conflict (regime alliance versus everyone fucking else) have had the power to really overwhelm and defeat the other conclusively. The relatively static frontlines in many places really illustrate that. Many places that changed hands have done so multiple times and likely will again. Neither Russia nor Iran wish (or can afford) the resource investment to change that, and the Turks only care because REEE KURDS. There’s an excellent chance that Syria might end up as East Syria and West Syria, with the modern-day frontlines defining much of the eventual states they will become, much like North and South Korea.  (Which was another war were Russia and America were dicking with each other by proxy.) What do you think the Kurdish interest in taking ground in northern Syria is? Why do you think the Turks (who’ve been fighting Kurdish rebels in their own country for decades,) are screeching so hard about Kurds taking vast swathes of territory just south of their border? The Kurds finally have what they’ve always wanted, in Northern Iraq - an ethnic Kurdish state - but there’s Kurds in Syria, Turkey and even Iran. And for obvious reasons (say, many decades of murder, oppression, marginalization, having their people gassed, etc.,) they’re quite eager to take as much ground as they can to form a contiguous Kurdish state. 

So why the hell would we eliminate or depose Assad - and have to jump through the many, many hoops that follow as we try to influence, second-guess and react to whatever successor state we get out of the throw (because even loaded dice can come up snake eyes,) when we can neuter Assad, and leave him mostly powerless to fuck with us, or give the Russians more influence in the region? Someone fighting all-out just to hang on to half of what he used to have is someone too busy to fuck with you and yours much, you know? 

And we’re accomplishing this all for far less investment in troops, weapons, aircraft, etc. as we used in Iraq and Afghanistan when we were doing most or all the fighting with our own soldiers, too. We’re playing the same ROI game that Russia is, and we’re doing pretty well. 

So, yeah. The “case for removing Assad” is that he’s hostile to us, our allies, and our interests, he’s a tool and boon to our dedicated global rivals and enemies the Russians, he’s in bed with other problematic and constant threats like Iran, and last, but not least, he’s a mass-murdering cunt who’s on the ropes and is fighting for the existential survival of his state and himself, which is literally what WMD exists to guarantee. But like most hostile mass-murdering cunts who are hostile to us and are in bed with our enemies, that just means we should remove him IF, and ONLY IF, a good opportunity presents itself. Usually the math is against it - it’s been against taking out the Norks for five goddamn decades, and it took the Norks developing the bomb - and a delivery system for the bomb - and vast upheavals in the Cold War geopolitical order - to even begin to nudge that needle. And considering that we’ve got many better options to neutralize the threat Assad poses - and that they’re going well - its quite unlikely that we’re going to move against Assad himself. Why would we take the Syrian regime out of the fight when that’d just free up more ISIS fighters to inhibit our own forces and goals, which apparently include helping the YPG to grab vast swathes of territory? 

tl;dr That’s what ACTUAL realpolitik considerations look like. Half the fuckwits on /pol/ make vague noise about unpragmatic regime change before sucking Assad off like some kind of fucking hero. 

When someone’s sucking a dictator’s cock, be wary about how they characterize the position of their detractors. 

[riskequalsisk-blog]

The Story So Far...

Hello and welcome to my blog. It occurs to me that no one may ever read this, that there’s a very high chance that no one will ever care. But this isn’t really for you. This is for me. The posts in this blog are for me. To document my thoughts, my ideas, and the trials and tribulations I will go though as I figure out how to PVP in Eve Online. 

What is Eve Online you ask? The answer you will get from that question varies depending on who you ask. Some will say its “Spreadsheets in space!” or you might get “Internet Spaceships!” or “A peaceful way to relax.”. For me though, as one player put it. “It’s the greatest strategy game ever made that features spaceships.” I agree with that wholeheartedly. 

I’ve played this game for awhile. I’ve done the Highsec thing. The “safe” place. Where NPC police will save you if your following the rules and bad guy warps in shoots you for no reason. Well most of the time. If you happen to fit for tank and live long enough. I’ve done the J-Space thing. Where you live in a wormhole and have to scan down wormhole chains to find content or a way to highsec to go to the store. It was nice. I enjoyed it but felt as if I was keeping my fellow corp mates back. A corp is like a guild in other games. I’m currently doing the Nullsec thing, where there are no rule and large groups of players own huge chunks of space. It’s the wild wild west in null. I enjoy it but still I need more....I need to learn to PVP.

This is where Leilah comes in. I’ve had this toon and trained up pretty good for a free account. She has most of the fitting skills down and he can hit pretty hard. So the basics are there. Now comes the hard part. I have to go out and find other players and shoot them. So from my main account I transferred half a billion isk and set myself on a mission. Learn how to PVP and have that fund my space violence or go broke trying. So I sold everything I had and come to a nice 501.2 million. I will be actively keeping track of my wallet as this progresses. 

Now all I have left to do is go out there and pew pew. Fly safe my loves.

- Leilah. 

[huskerseve]

Never not log off your 3.6 billion Proteus on a gate while at war. Read the full story here.