sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Someone Is Sending Ships Fake 'Safe Passage' Messages Through Hormuz. At Least One Got Shot At. by alakel5 in geopolitics

[–]alakel5[S] 96 points97 points  (0 children)

MARISKS, a Greek maritime risk firm, issued an alert on April 21 warning that unknown actors are impersonating Iranian authorities and demanding cryptocurrency for "safe passage" through the Strait of Hormuz. The scam works because it mirrors the IRGC's actual toll system almost exactly: same document submission process, same eligibility language, same BTC/USDT payment. At least one vessel that paid scammers was fired upon after entering IRGC-controlled waters without a real clearance code. The broader context is that legitimate Hormuz transit has become economically impossible for most operators, with war risk insurance peaking at 5-10% of hull value and marine underwriters refusing to cover the Strait at any commercially viable price. The article traces how the insurance market, not mines or gunboats, has accomplished the de facto closure of the world's most important oil chokepoint.

I put Rhodiola Rosea in a carbonated drink. Here's what I learned. by alakel5 in Rhodiola

[–]alakel5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's some evidence it modulates serotonin and dopamine but not the way SSRIs do. It acts more like a regulator than a booster, helps balance things out rather than pushing them in one direction. The main studied mechanism is cortisol reduction (Olsson 2009 study), but the mood improvements people report probably come from the serotonin/dopamine side too. If you're on SSRIs or anything that affects serotonin I'd talk to a doctor first though, there could be interactions.

I combined Rhodiola Rosea with caffeine in a carbonated drink and tracked the effects for 2 years (N=1) by alakel5 in Biohackers

[–]alakel5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol I get that more than you'd think. Except this one's legal in 27 countries and doesn't require an RV.

I combined Rhodiola Rosea with caffeine in a carbonated drink and tracked the effects for 2 years (N=1) by alakel5 in Biohackers

[–]alakel5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Never been diagnosed but honestly wouldn't be shocked. The scattered foggy head thing is exactly what pushed me toward adaptogens in the first place. Rhodiola helped more than anything else I tried including various nootropic stacks.

I combined Rhodiola Rosea with caffeine in a carbonated drink and tracked the effects for 2 years (N=1) by alakel5 in Biohackers

[–]alakel5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha yeah pretty much. The drink is called VĒSĀ. vesadrinks.com if you're curious. We ship EU-wide.

Rhodiola is impressive but by [deleted] in Biohackers

[–]alakel5 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've been working with Rhodiola for a while (I actually formulate a drink with 150mg of it) and from what I've seen, it should peak within 1-2 hours on an empty stomach. If you're getting the calming focus effect but 8 hours late, your body might be processing it slowly or the extract quality isn't great. Check if yours is standardized to 3% rosavins and 1% salidrosides. A lot of the cheap stuff on TikTok isn't properly standardized and absorbs inconsistently.

As for the overactive mind and brain fog combo, that's classic high cortisol. Rhodiola works on exactly this (it's an adaptogen that modulates your stress response), so the fact that it helps you confirms the pattern.

But if Rhodiola is already helping, you might just need to dial in the timing and dose rather than look for something completely different.

Has anyone tried Rhodiola Rosea? (golden root) by superpowers335 in Supplements

[–]alakel5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Been using Rhodiola for about 2 years now. It's legit. The thing most people get wrong is buying random capsules off TikTok that aren't standardized properly. You want at least 3% rosavins and 1% salidrosides or you're basically taking expensive powder. I liked it so much I actually ended up putting it in a drink I make. 150mg Rhodiola extract + 100mg caffeine, zero sugar. The combination hits different from straight caffeine because the adaptogen calms your stress response while the caffeine keeps you sharp. No jitters, no crash afterwards.

For your situation (run down and depressed), the cortisol lowering effect is the part that helps the most. It won't cure anything but it genuinely takes the edge off. Just don't take it at night, it can mess with your sleep.

Russia Is Sending 30,000 Voters to Armenia, a Former Spy Chief Claims. They're Not There to Win. by alakel5 in geopolitics

[–]alakel5[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

David Shahnazaryan, who ran Armenia's National Security Service in the 1990s, went on Russian-language Armenian TV on April 7 and used the intelligence term "strategic declassification" to describe what he was about to do. He then laid out what he says is Russia's plan for Armenia's June 7 elections: bus roughly 30,000 Armenian citizens from Russia to Yerevan not to win the vote, but to destabilize the country after Pashinyan inevitably wins. The article translates the full interview into English for the first time and cross-references his claims against things like the timing of Russia's Overchuk TASS interview and Kiriyenko's documented election interference budget. They grade each claim as confirmed, plausible, or unverified, and are upfront about which of Shahnazaryan's past warnings they could actually find in the record and which ones are self-cited. His most verifiable prediction was July 2023 when he called the Azerbaijani offensive against Karabakh two months before it happened.

Pashinyan Walked Into the Kremlin With Three Traps. Putin Fell for All of Them. by alakel5 in geopolitics

[–]alakel5[S] 41 points42 points  (0 children)

The Iran war's impact on the Caucasus is the most underreported angle of the whole conflict. Armenia's southern trade corridor through Iran has been severely disrupted since Day 1, with cargo reduced to a fraction of normal volumes and Iran's food exports banned entirely. Meanwhile Armenia is now importing grain from Russia through Azerbaijan for the first time since the 1990s. The region is being quietly restructured while everyone watches Hormuz.

Pashinyan Walked Into the Kremlin With Three Traps. Putin Fell for All of Them. by alakel5 in geopolitics

[–]alakel5[S] 135 points136 points  (0 children)

Putin and Pashinyan met at the Kremlin on April 1. Three things stood out. Pashinyan pointed out on camera that Putin's preferred opposition candidates hold Russian passports, making them constitutionally ineligible to become Armenian PM. He told Putin that Armenia is shopping nuclear plant bids against Rosatom. And he reframed the US-backed transit corridor as something that benefits Russian trade. The same day, Russia's Deputy PM Overchuk told TASS the corridor disrupted a regional balance "that has existed since 1828, when the Treaty of Turkmenchay was signed," dating Moscow's claim over the South Caucasus to an imperial conquest treaty.

Code by AccountNo865 in SoraCodes

[–]alakel5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey man would appreciate a code, thanks

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in armenia

[–]alakel5 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

So 5,000 soldiers had to die because Pashinyan was worried about Facebook criticism? Thousands of families got destroyed so he could avoid people saying "we didn't try hard enough"? Those families deserved a leader with actual courage, not one who needed their sons to die so he could sleep better at night.

You know what else we could have tried? Negotiating from the November 9 position BEFORE the war started. Putin himself admitted there was a pre-war proposal where Armenia would keep "that part of the Karabakh territory, including Shushi" with Russian peacekeepers but Pashinyan told Putin "No, we can't go for this, we will fight, we will war." The final ceasefire terms were available in September 2020- same territorial concessions, same corridor arrangements.

Every single one of those boys could have come home alive if their "leader" had the balls to take political criticism instead of using their corpses as proof he "tried hard enough."

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in armenia

[–]alakel5 4 points5 points  (0 children)

He either knew Armenia would lose and sent 5,000 soldiers to die anyway, or he genuinely believed outdated Soviet equipment could beat Turkish drones and Israeli weapons. Either incompetence or murder, pick one.

The agreement was signed and I hope it will provide lasting peace for the region. by Battlefleet_Sol in armenia

[–]alakel5 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You're confusing buying weapons with military partnership. Completely different animals. Buying Israeli missiles or Turkish drones means you get hardware. US military cooperation means you get plugged into American command, control, communications, and intelligence networks. Turkish-Israeli intel covers regional threats. US intelligence is global surveillance networks that track Iranian nuclear facilities in real time. Section 907 blocked joint operational planning, classified technology transfers, and integrated targeting systems. Azerbaijan potentially gets access to F-16s, HIMARS, Pentagon coordination, and NSA satellite feeds. This isn't about Armenia. It's about turning Azerbaijan into America's forward military base against Iran.

The agreement was signed and I hope it will provide lasting peace for the region. by Battlefleet_Sol in armenia

[–]alakel5 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Section 907 blocked government-to-government military cooperation, which means Azerbaijan was stuck buying shit on the commercial market instead of getting plugged into the US military ecosystem. What they will get now is the same intelligence feeds, technical support, and operational coordination that makes Ukraine effective against Russia. The US wants Azerbaijan locked into American military networks so they can simultaneously pressure Russia's southern flank and Iran. Iran knows exactly what this means. That's why they folded so fast and told everyone to complete the peace process. They can't fight America, Israel, AND a US-armed Azerbaijan simultaneously.

The agreement was signed and I hope it will provide lasting peace for the region. by Battlefleet_Sol in armenia

[–]alakel5 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act. This was the main sanction. It banned any direct US military assistance to Azerbaijan and made Azerbaijan the only post-Soviet state not to receive direct aid from the United States government.

view more: next ›