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[Starver]

Chekov's accent in TOS doesn't really sound very much like a real Russian accent.

I know (hence the pun contrasting Pavel to Anton Chekhov). And the L/R thing for that part of the world has been quite the uncompromising (and often deliberately insulting) stereotype, too[1], but I was mixing it up a bit. An amazing number of 'ex-Eastern Bloc' people tend to actually have American accents greater than their residual native one, probably due to being (re)educated by, or in, the US/its media.

(Oh, and James Doohan was also 'kilting it up', as a Canadian, but then neither an extreme such as Rab C Nesbitt nor a subtlety like DI Jimmy Pérez would have worked as well in a US television series of the time.)

Sorry, more foolish commentary by me, I'm sure. Definitely off-topic. Impressions (or historic ones) and not reflecting so much current realities, esp. of Ukraine's situation.





[1] I believe that, as a child, I grew up thinking that all Chinese said all Rs as Ls, and all Japanese said all Ls as Rs. And comedy stereotype generic oriental would "genellary lender evely lhetolic retter longry" (generally render every rhetoric letter wrongly), or at least in the way that created the most opportunity for puns. A different age, even if it was based upon some small truth.

[Random_Dragon]

This tangent just reminds me of Deus Ex also making the same mistake of attributing L/R confusion to Chinese as well, and now I want to start another playthrough pf Deus Ex again (can't fall into the "time to reinstall it" meme when it's still installed, ha).

[Telgin]

"Mr. J.C. Denton, in the fresh!"

One of the few lines I vividly remember from Maggie Chow for some reason.  Before I goomba stomped her to death later.

I don't remember all of the Chinese characters talking like that though, and I think she only messed up some of the time.

Wish I had something on topic to say.  Just waiting for the counteroffensive to start.

[martinuzz]

Another war crime committed by Russia. The storage facility of the International Red Cross in Odesa has been struck by a rocket, and burned down to the ground. The Red Cross has ceased their operations in Odesa, because they have no medical and humanitarian supplies left, those were all destroyed.

[Maximum Spin]

The idea that Chinese say "l" instead of "r" comes from Cantonese.
Cantonese doesn't have a retroflex "r" sound, only a lateral "l" sound. Many Cantonese speakers do pronounce "r"s as "l"s, and Cantonese, for a long time, was the more important Chinese language in the context of Western contact, especially because of Hong Kong. The vast majority of Western experience with Chinese languages has traditionally been Cantonese until very recently, and still is in many places, so, naturally, the understanding of "what Chinese sounds like" developed from that. To give the example just about everyone knows, Jackie Chan is from Hong Kong and a native Cantonese speaker.

So, in other words, it's a real thing, it's just historically contingent.

[Magmacube_tr]

But this is obviously very secret information, that I'm only letting you all know in order to win an Internet argument I'm currently having in PMs with Toady, who doesn't even think I have Zelenskyy's wife's phone-number (and second best handbag, but that is another story). I don't think even the US three-letter-agencies know of this, yet, as it hasn't been leaked on Instagram (which I read all of). And clearly you shouldn't let anyone in the Kremlin know, Max, so keep it schtum!

Sigg'ed.

[jipehog]

Just waiting for the counteroffensive to start.

Unless you define the counteroffensive as the moment challengers and leopards start to roll, it could be already underway and so far Russia was really good at catching Ukrainian drones with its fuel storage tanks.

Edit: Btw with Russia effectively going on the defensive is counteroffensive is still the right term ?

[Strongpoint]

Strictly speaking, Russia is still on the offensive on the Donbas front. It is just sloooooow.


We are in the preparation stage of the Ukrainian offensive, HIMARSes and drones work hard striking fuel and ammo whenever they can. Small-scale probing attacks are also more common than usual.

When, If and where the actual push will begin is impossible to tell. This night would be... poetic. Just to add another meaning to the May 9 but it is such an obvious idea that Russians will be ready.

[Lord Shonus]

Edit: Btw with Russia effectively going on the defensive is counteroffensive is still the right term ?

Yes, because any Ukrainian offensive this year is going to be direct reaction to the Russian offensive. The only scenarios where Ukraine wouldn't be doing a counteroffensive is if they launched an invasion of Crimea or Russia proper -those would be offensive actions taken by choice (a decision that winning this defensive war means taking this territory away) rather than retaking ground the Russians just took.


The distinction is mostly about "why are you attacking here - if you're attacking because this is where the enemy's been pushing and he's shot his bolt, it is a counter offensive. If you're attacking because you think the enemy has left himself open in a quiet area, it is simply an offensive.

[Strongpoint]

No, Counteroffensive is a method of defense against an offensive exploring their lack of entrenchment, weak flanks, supply issues, etc. It can also be used to plug holes that the enemy has managed to create.

Attacking an entrenched enemy stationary army is just an offensive. It doesn't matter who is the legal owner of the territory. 

[jipehog]

Exactly, there seem to be a dissonance between the technical term and the media friendly term.

We are in the preparation stage of the Ukrainian offensive, HIMARSes and drones work hard striking fuel and ammo whenever they can. Small-scale probing attacks are also more common than usual.

When, If and where the actual push will begin is impossible to tell. This night would be... poetic. Just to add another meaning to the May 9 but it is such an obvious idea that Russians will be ready.

Indeed, I just hope that people realize that it wont be like the last time. People shouldn't expect magic and glorious ever victorious push. Pushing against mine fields and prepared fortified position would be tough. It's going to take a while and there will be setbacks. The key is to set the conditions for victory before hand try our best to exploit them.

[Lord Shonus]

No, Counteroffensive is a method of defense against an offensive exploring their lack of entrenchment, weak flanks, supply issues, etc. It can also be used to plug holes that the enemy has managed to create.

Attacking an entrenched enemy stationary army is just an offensive. It doesn't matter who is the legal owner of the territory.

It isn't about legal ownership, but about why you're attacking. The Battle Of The Bulge was a counteroffensive, because the Germans were launching it in direct response to the US offensive. The fact that the rightful owner of the territory was part of the US offensive is irrelevant. Meanwhile Normandy was a regular offensive because they decided it was time to reopen the Western Front, picked a spot where the Germans were weak, and punched into it.

[Strongpoint]

It isn't about legal ownership, but about why you're attacking. The Battle Of The Bulge was a counteroffensive, because the Germans were launching it in direct response to the US offensive. The fact that the rightful owner of the territory was part of the US offensive is irrelevant. Meanwhile Normandy was a regular offensive because they decided it was time to reopen the Western Front, picked a spot where the Germans were weak, and punched into it.

In "direct response" is not the same as "after". Allies were on the offensive, Germans launched a counteroffensive to disrupt the enemy's attack.

Russians are not on the offensive anywhere but on a thin part of the Donbass front. The fact that they had offensives there recently and that Ukrainian offensive will be an attempt to undo it is irrelevant if we speak about the actual meaning of the word as the military uses it.

Kharkiv counteroffensive was an actual counteroffensive because it was a strike into a light area at the flank of a large force pushing South. Kherson counteroffensive can be seen as a counteroffensive in a broader strategic sense as it weakened the Russian offensive on the Donbass front as they were forced to pull forces from there and move them to Kherson.

[Strongpoint]

Putin's depressed face, marching cadets, no tanks, no IFVs, no artillery... I loved this Victory Day parade.

[King Zultan]

Putin's depressed face, marching cadets, no tanks, no IFVs, no artillery... I loved this Victory Day parade.

I find this whole thing incredibly funny, and just imagine how depressed looking he will be at next years parade, if he's still alive...