I don't know the true reasons why Russia takes this stance against Ukraine, but I feel truly sorry for the people living in Ukraine and are victim to the testosteron games being played.
Basically, Russia, or shall we say, partially private company Gazprom, increased the price to the market level, removing the subsidies, that Ukraine benefited from over the years, and additionally demand payment for the previously unpaid deliveries, as well as enforcing penalties for missed payments. It's business as usual. Market economy. For a parallel think that you have a friendly grocer, who's been selling you bread for $1 instead of the market price of $1.5 over a few year's time, but you always really paid only $0.8 saying that you'd pay the rest later. As the grocer sees you as a friend, he says, "sure, no problem". Then one day you have a terrible row and call him a dick. The grocer is offended and demands that from this day on you pay $1.5 as everybody else, and on top of it return everything that you owe him from the previous purchases. You flip completely and threaten to go to court demanding that the grocer still supplies your bread for $1 because "it's always been like that". Oh, and you can buy bread from other grocers, but you'd have to drive a few miles for that and end up paying $2 to them. Yes, Ukraine has a choice of buying gas from Europe and US at market price, plus the mark-up that Europeans might take for re-selling that gas. And to complete the analogy, one of the reasons for the row was that the grocer found out that you bought so much bread was not to "feed the pigeons", as you always stated, but to sell it on to your neighbours for $1.1, undercutting the grocer's business. |
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From another site just going to reuse this comment
Wow…we have reached a sad point in this country. A man makes a donation due to his personal beliefs and is ruined for it …The new America.
Choose your donations wisely  I strongly believe in conservation of species, endangered by human activity, and regularly donate to Durrell Wildlife conservation Trust (urging the others to do so as well - see my signature). That should be a politically safe donation too, unless, of course, there will come a political movement that advocates that only the strongest have the right to survive and that there is no place for species, who lose their fight against humans. Then conservationists might start being prosecuted as well... |
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Recent Nobel Peace Prize winners include Obama and Putin.
What does that really say about the Nobel Peace Prize?
After world war III there would be long lasting peace. How many people will be alive to enjoy the peace? That's the whole point. There won't be humans left to make war. Ergo: long-lasting peace. |
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Yep, the brilliant joke: Timoshenko: We shall return Crimea! Putin: You've already returned Crimea. Now return the South-East. |
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Eich resignation as Mozilla CEO as messy as his appointment
Brendan Eich stepping down as CEO solves Mozilla's immediate publicity problem, but many are torn about consequences of losing him as a leader and free-speech implications.
The resignation of Brendan Eich as Mozilla's CEO is proving to be just about as thorny to handle as his position against gay marriage rights....
Why did anyone care? Did he implement rules at the company somehow anti gay or is this just more Nazi brownshirt stuff? I can honestly say "I don't support gay marriage", because, well, I've just never cared one way or the other in the least about it. But I'd hate to be bullied into some kind of position... Yep. Stupidity reigns again. Ironically 60 years ago another techie suffered, but for being gay: Alan Turing. And now Brendan Eich for not supporting gay übermovement. Both are brilliant individuals and credit to humanity. Can't people let personal views and personal preferences be just that - personal? I am now considering switching from Mozilla for their intolerance. Might be a good time to go back to Opera. |
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Putin is not eligible. He hasn't killed and bombed.  Then again, Norwegians gave Obama the prize in the hopes that it would prevent (morally bind) him from killing and bombing. But it was a lost cause from day one, seeing how he dropped by for a second to receive the prize, all but saying that he has no time for such nonsense. |
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Interesting that you posted that article. I read similar arguments in the Russian press a few years back, where it was outlined how, despite human rights being downtrodden in USSR, the idolised vision of USSR among the Western worker class created a strong movement, which eventually lead to advances in human rights awareness in the West.
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A short summary: People in Crimea cover up the Ukrainian flag on their licence plates with Russian flag stickers, while waiting for the new official licence plates. As one interviewee says, "We've been under Ukraine for 20 years. Enough's enough." The sales in kiosks of Russian attributes goes on high gear. One kiosk owner says she sells 20-30 stickers a day only in her kiosk, and there are hundreds of such kiosks around town. And miniature Russian flags are completely sold out on the peninsula. |
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Looks like the revolution continues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9dkS-qVz3cVerbatim transcript: Headquarters of self-defence of South-East addressed citizens of our regions. This night arrests of our activists were conducted. Cleansing and searches continue. Militia betrays us. I, Bulatov Valeij Dmitrievich, am heading public organisation "Union of veterans of airborn troops of Lugansk region". Was personally involved in collecting and delivering funds to the wounded fighters of Berkut and ABN soldiers. I hope that Ministry of Inernal Affairs still has people of honour, who will truly go with the people. I rally the people of South-East to go with open opposition. Everything that was planend for the 6th of Aprisl must be realised. We must not back off. This is our land. This is pretty much open to interpretation. Any internet video should be taken with a healthy dose of scepticism. What is known, however, is that people in South-East are fed up with the American rule over Ukraine through a proxy government. How that state of mind is used or abused, well, history will show. The whole situation in Ukraine is bordering on absurd now. In the meantime, the coup government in Kiev is screaming that they don't like the new non-discounted price for gas and threaten to go to the international court in Stockholm over it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/russian/rolling_news/2014/04/140405_rn_ukraine_russia_gas.shtmlhttp://itar-tass.com/ekonomika/1099474?utm_medium=rss20 |
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True enough although it just extends into the larger argument about China fighting for a lot of islands and stuff think they fight with Taiwan Russia and South Korea as well
China has fought with almost all of its neighbors over land. That includes Philippines, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Vietnam.etc. You forgot Soviet Union in that list. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Soviet_border_conflictIt does not mean that you can't have trade and alliance with them later on. (What most populists forget to bring to the public nowadays, is that alliances shifted many many times even throughout the last 200 years.) |
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Just read this little gem (translated from Russian): When the West complains about insubordinate behaviour of Russia, I am always reminded of a letter from a German soldier's wife, found on the dead body of a German soldier in 1942: "We are all here in Hamburg deeply angered by stubbornness and unscrupulousness of Russians who still don't agree to stop their stupid and pointless resistance." And an aphorism: "Western democracy: An absolute power of an absolute minority over an absolute majority. Absolutely." - Timoshenoko: We intend to return Crimea! - Putin: You've already returned Crimea. Now return the South-East. White House. Early morning. Minister of defence enters the Oval Office. - Mister President, there are two news items. One good and one bad. Which do you want to hear first? - Let's start with the bad. - Alaska joined Russia. - And the good? - We successfully managed to ban Medvedev in Twitter... |
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Russia appraises losses from the sanctions, losses sustained by EU, that is  http://ria.ru/world/20140404/1002584828.htmlShort summary: EU can loose up to 1 trillion Euro because of the sanctions. Germany can lose up to 200 billion €, while the countries hit hardest will be the Baltic countries, where loses will be almost equal to their GBPs. Ironically, Ukraine, whose best interests US seemingly has at heart will also suffer the hardest of the non-EU countries. |
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This is one powerful article: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/03/31/obamas-sleepwalk-toward-war/Author: Paul Craig Roberts is a former Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury and Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal. Roberts’ How the Economy Was Lost is now available from CounterPunch in electronic format. His latest book is How America Was Lost. In other news: http://rt.com/politics/ukrainian-military-russian-citizenship-381/At the beginning of 2014, the strength of the Ukrainian military contingent in Crimea was estimated at between 14,000 and 15,000 personnel. After the Crimean Autonomous Republic initiated its succession from Ukraine, most of these servicemen, including chief commander of the Ukrainian Naval Forces Rear Admiral Denis Berezovsky, announced that they preferred to remain on the peninsula. |
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Yes, completely agree that it's a sure sign of stupidity reigning the world when science gets used a bargaining tool for politics. An interesting analysis by security analyst Charles Shoebridge on NATO's escalation of military power: http://rt.com/op-edge/nato-crimea-speculation-on-threat-093/... And even yesterday announcing that there would be some form of NATO presence now in countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan and Moldova, all of which, of course, if Russia was doing the same would be called in the Western media ‘escalation’ and ‘provocation’. Oi, another interesting read, regarding the supposed 1M "loan" from US. As analysed by geopolitical analyst William Engdahl: http://rt.com/op-edge/us-ukraine-loan-ngo-945/RT: Washington is offering Ukraine a one billion dollar loan. Is it a good deal for Ukraine?
William Engdahl: If you look at the details of what they’re offering, they’re not offering a loan of even one billion dollars. They are offering a loan guarantee and the cost of that loan guarantee is that Ukraine submits to IMF austerity like Greece did, and that will simply open up their economy to the final rape and plunder from the West.
But the other point about this is that the debt of Ukraine that comes due this year is a staggering amount. I believe it is some 25 billion dollars that has to be rolled over. And a one billion dollar loan guarantee… it’s hard to know who is more stupid in this piece of legislation: the United States congressmen, who voted for this, or the non-elected government of Ukraine, if they accept this – because it is simply a no brainer on all sides.  http://rt.com/news/nato-anniversary-bombings-death-125/Some food for thought in this blog post: http://earthli.com/news/view_article.php?id=2981 |
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Nope, current salaries and social payment indexation plan is 25% per month.
So it'll be only a gradual rise, and may take up to 2 years time. Medvedev mentioned that pension indexation should be complete within the next three months. Salaries will take longer. |
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Just noticed that RT conducts polls. The current results to their question are a bit worrying. People are insecure of the future development: How will the US and Russia proceed amid the Ukraine crisis?
24% - A compromise will be finally worked out, as happened with Syria and Iran
26% - Political bluster will continue, as neither country will be ready for compromise
18% - As Ukraine achieves greater stability, both powers will de-escalate the standoff
32% - Tensions will worsen, with a Cuban-style nuclear standoff between NATO and Russia
I lean more towards the third option, as the most probable, given previous history. |
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Navalny's Lawyers recognized him as insanehttp://www.ridus.ru/news/157336Blogger lawyers argue that after reading an article from the famous news portal their client has got a mind damage, becoming insane. I knew there was something off with that guy To wrap up the gay topic with a cartoon:  Lithuanian schools diaries replace ‘mother, father’ with ‘Parent 1, Parent 2’ |
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 My $.02.  ^ that is exactly how my grandpa fought against nazis, protecting the motherland.
I can relate to that as well in that context.
This is starting to get ridiculous. Some comments from RT: Who is in charge in U.S politics, a 8 year old? Because this is way childish. Pick someone else who is a real man, not a boy.
So people that visit RT needs to open their eyes and see things the way they Are.. Obama and its allies are provoking Russia into a world war to do the first attack.Trying to Isolate Russia (or any other country) is an act of War. Even if they could not fully achieve because Russia have many strong economy allies ,still is an act of war. And it will be a matter of time ,a provocation will be too much and Missiles will start flying from both sides. Only raising awareness and pressuring the western Governments to stop their Economy sabotage to other nations can help avoid a major conflict.
The west is pathetic, NO Cooperation, but keep sending our astronauts to ISS, and allow us to use your airspace to transport equipment to Afghanistan, and even though we sanctioned the head of your Anti-Narcotics force, do continue cooperation - this is all in YOUR best interest....really? Sounds like normal Americans (i.e. not politicians) are starting to get pissed with their government's handling of foreign affairs. And another rather potent comment: US government will not permit bilateral meetings, email, and teleconferences or videoconferences? Communication between people ??
This is really shocking for the country that claims that is so democratic.
Will they put US citizens in the jail if they exchange emails ?
Is it slow way of imposing dictatorship inside US ?
Newsflash: Looks like North-Atlantic Terrorist Organisation is gearing up for invasion:http://rt.com/news/lavrov-ukraine-nato-convention-069/Oh, and the oft-forgotten fact: According to Lavrov, it is necessary to remind the Ukrainian authorities that constitutional reform was written in the February-21 agreement on the crisis settlement, which was signed by ousted president Yanukovich and opposition leaders, including Arseny Yatsenyuk and Vladimir Klitschko, on ending the political crisis in the country. The agreement was witnessed by EU foreign ministers from Germany and Poland. |
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In my mind - the world is overpopulated. Only people were to benefit from new births are the governments, which need to pay their debts, so they can keep their huge salaries.
I wonder.
If UK was so tough to gays, Turing and all, Germany sent homos to death, France..., etc etc. How did europe turn to be so gay friendly on such short notice? Where did that shit start? What rich homo could achieve such an amazing feat? Suddenly every dude is proud of taking it in the ass from another dude? Is there a secret ultra gay society with devoted "Rothschilds", parttime government workers all over the world?
Hmm... I wonder... The second gives a solution to the first. Same-gender couples, who adopt children, who in term are imprinted with the same-gender attraction as being the norm, and cannot adopt, and then you have a larger population which cannot reproduce. The suppression field in practise. Overpopulation problem solved. This can also be applied to an enemy state, where there is a need to silently dispose of the endemic population. The only problem would be that children from from hetero couples would mercilessly tease children from homo couples, negating the "positive" homo imprint. That can be solved by mass media targeting child audience with positive reinforcement regarding same-gender relations. This latter bit is what got prohibited by law in Russia. |
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