DormantAccount

@Melon Blitz

Well, it depends on the day. When it is sunny, I like taking aerial photographs.

On rainy days I will usually read or occasionally visit the school to give them safety lessons. Some days I just like watching the rain out the window.

@Melon Blitz

My maximum weight capacity is probably one average full grown stallion.

If I've been called in on a big rescue away from my home area, I'm a search specialist. My job is to slowly scan for signs from the air. When I locate somepony I raise a balloon that lights over my position. This lets our spotter back at base know that I need someone for extraction. These are much stronger flyers than I but don't have quite the endurance of the seeker types I belong to. I also have a signal if I need some of our stronger Earth pony types to clear an obstruction for us. While I wait for the extraction team I do my best to render first aid and stabilize them for transport. Once the transport has begun, I take off for the continued search.

If it is a local issue that doesn't warrant a full search team deployment, I might bring along some of the community to help me get them back if need be.

Full search teams usually aren't deployed unless regular search efforts have failed by the local search team or there are a lot of ponies in trouble at once.

@Melon Blitz

O.o

What an odd pony.

*fluffs feathers a bit*

@Melon Blitz

Question 1

I don't really fly fast enough to create a streak. I'm an endurance flyer, not a speedster.

Question 2

I'm not a touchy feely kinda pony.

Dex is currently circling the grounds in the air, so if you need a conversation partner let me know and we can arrange a meeting.

@AmberDust

"Of course" Dex chuckled.

"See you around," he waved his hoof as she walked off.

"I think I'll stretch my wings a bit." 

Dex checked to make sure he had enough room and then took off into the air. Slowly he rose in a spiral around the fundraiser. There were all sorts of ponies gathered around for the event.

Reaching his preferred cruising altitude, Dex leveled off and set himself into a circular route around the area, flapping his wings only intermittently. 

"Maybe I'll find something I'd like to do next from up here." He thought to himself.

It didn't matter much either way. He was content with just soaring through the sky on such a lovely day. 

I'm thinking Lavender.

Simple and nice.

I think it is a fruitless and wasteful endeavor.

There really are no benefits to it. How many people does it actually bother? From what I can tell, the overwhelming majority in this thread are fine with things as they are or think it is better as it is.

The cons are many.

It costs money they could be spending on future shows and acquiring big talent in writing and acting. Not only paying the actresses, but also editors to splice in the audio. Not to mention relaying the new disc data to the production facility. It is just a big waste for such an insignificant issue that most are either happy with or indifferent to.

I think that is a question wrongly asked. Will Celestia share the cake with you?

I would certainly expect that cake would be shared.

@AmberDust

"Oh, not yet. I'm not in a rush and the pony running the fundraiser seems a bit harried by all the excitement. I can wait until things calm down or just come another day." Dex fluffed his feathers down a bit and assumed a more thoughtful stance.

"A pet is a big commitment and I don't want to regret it." he smiled a little.

Dex was never one to rush things when they could be done more slowly and carefully. Speed is good, but haste can cause severe problems in his line of work.

@AmberDust

Dex looked back over at Amber.

"Yeah, I hope it isn't this exciting all the time." He chuckled to himself.

"You on your way home? I'm thinking of flying around for a bit and then come back to the fundraiser. I could use the wing stretch."

Dex carefully stretched his wings so as not to hit anything. Folding them back in, he decided to stand up and scratched at the ground a little. It might be nice to see the fundraiser from the air.

The cart with all the apple treats had become quite the nexus of events. Dex sat down on the grass off to the side in a bit of shock at how many famous ponies just crossed near him in a cavalcade of Equestrian celebrity. He didn't really care about celebrity much, but when you find yourself at the same event as at least three princesses, it was something of note. He didn't have much to say, so he sat and listened. He thought to himself how much he'd enjoy catching some thermals after all this was over. The clear blue sky beckoned like an old friend. They would have to reunite when the event was over.

It's 7:22 AM

It's 82 degrees F (27.8 C)

Forecast high is 105 degrees F (40.6 C)

Hurry up October

Whoever is rightful owner of Crimea is ambiguous. However, it's far more certain that Crimea is strategically important for Russia in terms of controlling the Black Sea.

There's a reason for why Russia is behaving as it is and it's not correct if you simply say "power greed" or "Soviet nostalgia" or something of the sort. Why would the West want to invade Russia? I can think of two reasons: extracting Russia's rich natural resources (perhaps most importantly oil) and removing the biggest rival of the West. I will go as far as to say that if there were ever a time Russia is in a weakened state, the West would ensure that Russia would have no chance of ever re-emerging as a great superpower again.

 

But even if the West has no plans to actually invade Russia (which especially with nuclear weapons would be mad), the West has already went against Russian interests for about two decades by allowing NATO to expand to the point where it borders Russia in the Baltics. It doesn't matter that these countries chose to join NATO, the end result is that such expansion is already perceived as aggressive to Russia and its western border (which is the most vulnerable) used to be in central Europe but now is only a few hundred kilometers in length; Russia today is geopolitically in the most vulnerable position it has been in centuries. The possibility of Ukraine aligning with the West was pretty much the last straw for Russia and it had to do what it could to made best of the situation. Russia appears aggressive but is ultimately being defensive. If the West can't trust Russia, why should Russia trust the West from further going against Russian interests?

 

The US would behave the same way as Russia if it felt it were in geopolitical danger... in fact it already has (though situation somewhat different). USSR was to send nuclear weapons to Cuba as a response to US nukes stationed in Turkey. However, this move struck an extremely sensitive spot to the US. You could say that the US was being aggressive by being involved in something that had nothing to do with them; Cuba wasn't a part of the US, it wasn't an ally of the US, and USSR most likely was never actually intending to preemptively strike the US. However you can obviously say that the potential danger from Cuba increased significantly. For Russia, there's far too much potential danger for comfort. And even with that comparison, USA is in a very geopolitically secure location being surrounded by two oceans and having no other potential threat in North America. Russia doesn't have the same level of security.

But it was in Ukranian borders. Russia crossed the borders and violated Ukraine's sovereignty.

NATO is primarily a defensive organization developed to prevent Russian aggression during the Cold War and maintaining peace. I don't think I know anyone in the US who wants to invade Russia. I doubt a president declaring an unprovoked war on Russia would be very successful getting support in Congress. I think you're a little paranoid about Russia being attacked. There are cheaper ways of acquiring resources than by warfare. Frankly, no sane leader in Europe would attack Russia without another Superpower for support. It just doesn't make feasible military sense.

There wouldn't be all the animosity  and anxiety towards Russia if she wasn't so "defensive" as you call it. 

The Cuban missile crisis was different. We didn't annex Cuba.

I assumed these tests have already been happening for a long time.

It's all ultimately a defensive strategy; West expanded far too close for Russia's comfort so it's simply reacting as it should to make do of the situation protect itself from any potential Western threat before it becomes more severe.

Well, I can't see annexing a part of your neighbor as a defensive strategy. As for the "Western threat" idea, do you really believe that the west has any interest in invading Russia? The only invasion I see is the invasion of ideas, which must be terrifying to him. As rebuttal to his critics he promptly has people put in prison because they express dissent. He has quite the propaganda machine (and I'm not talking about a goose with a neck tie) to keep his message out there mostly unopposed. 

The West don't want to invade Russia or Ukraine. We just want Russia to calm down and stop invading its neighbors. Accept international borders and the sovereignty of other nations. Use its leverage in the region to pull for equality, acceptance of differing ideas and most of all for peace.

Does that mean Russia will have to deal with change in ideas and a shift away from the old soviet paradigm? Yes, but Russians (especially the Russian youth) will be the ones driving change with picket signs and ballot boxes, not foreign tanks.

Threeve

Oh, I'm satisfied as a pegasus. How else could I ride the thermals and enjoy the freedom of the clear blue sky?

The others have their upsides, but I like what I am.

Peace through strength, strength through superior firepower

It's a big show for the Russians. Putin has his bombers skirt our airspace to put us off, so we practice nuclear bombing tech

It's just a showy version of M.A.D. from the Cold War. Something (former KGB agent) Putin seems to be eternally stuck in.

Ukraine turned from him because the West was nicer and that scared him senseless at the loss of an old soviet bloc member as an ally. He wants to keep up the front of a strong Russia by invading his neighbors while plummeting oil prices gut their budget and the Ruble.

We were on the roundup last night.

How did I know this would be you? lol

cute drawings though

Well, good names can include some alliteration. I just hope the poor dear doesn't stutter.

Favorite is probably Jim Sterling. Thank God for Jim.

 

I also like TotalBiscuit and Trump.

I haven't watched much of Sterling, but I like the complete halibut and the Mayor of Value Town

How about Blend or Mirage

You can find my demo reel in my signature. My Skype is linked on my profile page.

Caught up on my audio blog.I now have a review for every episode this season. It isn't great, but it's a thing.

@@AmberDust, @@Red Cedar

"Me too" he replied to Applejack, looking up at the cerulean sky pensively.

"Would be nice to set down roots, at least for a little while." He chuckled slightly.

"You might be right Amber. I'm not one for remembering faces, but I recall he might have been there. Never talked to him though I don't think." Dex remembered the party fondly, but he spent most of the party talking to somepony else. His face did seem vaguely familiar though.