awesome,, cheers for the link,,, girls aye.
you got your Aussie rules players vid to? what a team they would all make yeah!
dont worry about sending that link tho
i know what you mean by the church stuff, i just find the whole thing a bit rich(their bleating of righteousness but are far from this themselves) and to political for my liking.
i remember this place in Crimea, of nothing really, nothing to do with this but maybe everything.
as soon as people people came to check out these old derelict Orthodox church ruins in these sandstone cliffs, the money leaching priest appeared faster then diarrhea comes about in Thailand from washing ya teeth in tap water,,,, one cannot leave the other alone, have more respect for beggars myself..
Ive always preferred Ukrainian to Russian. Russians are too pragmatic and many I have met might have dreams but never the desire
to actually achieve them. With the exception of middle aged people(25-45), most old folks and teen aged Russians either worship the legacy of Stalin or wish he would return like Jesus to save and restore the old USSR. The young over the past 12 years have been getting very warped history and sociological lessons.
Russian girls lately are more risk than reward.
I read a local newspaper article about age and optimism around the world. In the survey they asked people from different regions - North America, Asia, Western and Eastern Europe. For the North America, Asia, and Western Europe, the age when optimism was lowest was around the middle age period (40s to 60s). Early in life and after reaching retirement, people tended to be happier. For Eastern Europe, the optimism was lowest right at the end of life (the optimism kept dropping as one ages). So the decline did not finally end until the "end" actually arrived.
i look at it a little different,, when people loose faith options dignity and all that shit, what do they have left in been instrumental for change
often such involves the typical line of force and arms in some way,, and we know what a waste of time that would be..
if these girls were doing such for fun sort of speak then i would agree with you.
i got the feeling they had lost there dignity and warmth for their state a long time ago.
myself i think i would use a nice Aussie telescopic sight then fuck a chicken, but thats me..
but things would have to be seriously bad to even contemplate such.
maybe woman are a little more dramatic then practical:)
i guess Rick russia has to much history of the same thing to even contemplate a practical changing need. what they have is except-able, its what they know,,, even with the fall of the soviet union and communism whats really changed, they have actually fallen back into this fish boil it once was.
pragmatic is a good definition..
Most of the men on this forum probably became involved in the former Soviet region because of looking for love "in all the wrong places". And at least a few of the men have gone to live in the region, operated businesses there, or the like.
My story is somewhere in between. I fell in love with Russia and Ukraine a little more than ten years ago, starting from a personal connection with people living in my country who were born in the Soviet Union. When I say "fell in love," it really has had the character of a romance for me. Sankt Peterburg became my favorite place in the world; every time I left, I would be thinking about how long it might be before I could manage to visit again. It will seem strange to many, but I felt "at home" in Russia in ways that I never have in my home country.
The former Soviet Union was a big part of my life for several years, before I thought seriously about searching for a life partner there or joined a dating website.
I almost came to Russia in 2014. I was planning to be there at the end of March and beginning of April. I was just 3 or 4 days away from booking my travel, when Russia's military -- cowardly without insignia! -- invaded Ukraine.
For the first days, weeks, and months, I clung to hope that something would change -- if Putin were not the tin-pot tyrant he is, he could bring Russia back within the system of international law at any time, in a matter of days. But of course, he never will. As long as Putin lives (he will not surrender his dictatorship as long as he is alive!), Russia will be an international criminal.
I have mostly avoided communicating with my contacts in Russia this year, because it is all so painful.
But today, I wrote a letter to a friend living in the cold northwest of Russia, in which I told her that I can hardly imagine coming back. By sending this letter, I accepted and made concrete the cold reality of ending.
I don't absolutely rule out that I would travel to Russia again for a Sufficiently Good Purpose, though at present I feel a bit physically ill whenever I think of setting foot on Russian soil. The delight I long took in exploring a few small corners of that vast country, is only a memory now.
Proshai, Rossiya! Ti krasiva i uzhasna. Tvoi narod zasluzhivaet luchshevo, no prinemaet gryaz'.
The post above is about the COUNTRY, and makes only one reference to Russian people.
I have spent some time in Russia, and have observed a number of fine qualities among Russian people which I deeply respect and admire -- and which are too rare in my own country. I have also observed superstition, parochialism, bigotry, and childlike swallowing of propaganda and conspiracy theories. These are all big problems in my country -- but I think that on average, we are doing substantially better than Russians in these ways.
Most inexcusable, I never yet discovered a Russian living in Russia who was not pig-ignorant about today's Ukraine. Russians arrogantly think they know something about Ukraine, because it is their "little cousin," or because they read history books. I am sure that many, many Russians do understand the country, because of their experience or curiosity, but most Russians understand modern-day Ukraine little better than the average American understands China, as proved by their acceptance of outrageous lies from the Kremlin.
I don't believe that 150 million Russians are "all" anything -- except Russian! Thank God, must Russians are not LIKE Putin. Many millions of them despise him. Most of them (in 2014, at least) regard Putin as some sort of hero.
Unlike Ukrainians, who have demonstrated their willingness to suffer and die in the quest for real liberty and better government, the majority of Russian people have accepted the methodical destruction of Russian democracy like a herd of lemmings, as Germans did in the 1930s. "I am comfortable in my little home -- who needs political rights?"
Like those citizens of Germany past, the majority of Russian citizens (either by collaboration, or failure to resist) must share in the moral responsibility for what their government is doing.
Well I have a number of Russian friends and none of them has said a single thing about admiring Putin or saying he is doing the right thing. They have not condemned him either.
You seem to forget the substantial number of Russians with ties with Ukraine: relatives, friends and business. Do you think those people believe that screwing up Ukraine is the right thing to do? Would you think that Mexican-Americans and Mexicans would support a war against each other?
In case you have missed them, go and look in the Internet the large demonstrations, in support of Ukraine, there have been in Moscow. And pro-Ukrainian Russians do have something to fear unlike the Western supporters of Ukraine.
The Russians need to be convinced that they have to get of Putin, in their own interest. But they are overwhelmed by the Russian propaganda. Of course there are a lot people who are easily influenced by propaganda.
The way you generalise about Russians is like the way they generalise about Ukrainians in the Russian propaganda.
I wrote (just above your post!), "I am sure that many, many Russians do understand the country [Ukraine], because of their experience or curiosity".
I am very well aware of the demonstrations against Russia's war. I personally know Russians living in Russia who f*cking hate Putin, and I know that in total millions of Russians are anti-Putin.
I try to be really careful with my words. When I write a phrase like "the majority of" I DO NOT MEAN EVERY LAST ONE. For example: (A) the majority of Americans are female, and at(B) more than 150 million Americans are male, are both factual statements.
People in the west take for granted their right to talk shit about their leaders, even thought the Bolshevist want to be Obama has in fact used the government's might to try and shut people up. That and his complete incompetence is pissing of more and more people, even his suck-ass and blind constituency , but I digress........... Russia is becoming a dark and suspicious place again and the budding enlightenment is being crushed further every time the "oldies" play on the loudspeakers. But the west wants hear the all clear on the same loud speakers from the meetings that the descendants of Neville Chamberlain. It is a stalling attempt, a complete waste of time and carbon foot print points. Until Crimea has been vacated by the Russians it is just the camel coming further into the tent, until the time that Omar is laying out in the sand and wind.
Keep sanctions on Russia until they are gone from Crimea..........
What do you mean your post is 'about the country and makes only one reference to Russian people'? As far as I am concerned, a country is made by its people unless you are counting cows, rivers and trees.
The problem is you confuse me with your mixed statements:
"Russians arrogantly think they know something about Ukraine, because it is their "little cousin," or because they read history books. I am sure that many, many Russians do understand the country..."
So here it says Russians (like all of them) but then not all of them.
How can a significant propotion of Russians not know enough about Ukraine? Even at schools they must teach them enough about Ukraine; no other country is closer to Russia geographically, culturally, racially, etc. Then consider that a great deal of Russians go to University. How can people of University education not know enough about Ukraine? I find that statement of yours rather condescending.
There is no way that the average Russian understands Ukraine little more than the average American understands China. A great deal of Americans cannot even place their own country in the map, let alone China. Russians and Ukrainians speak the same language! How many Americans speak a Chinese language?
The fact that many Russians support Putin does not make them ignorant about Ukraine. I also think that the support for Putin is rather against the West rather than Ukraine. Look at that art exhibition about Putin. It is very telling. He is depicted as Hercules fighting the West, NOT Ukraine. This country is mainly seen as the battling ground between Russia and the West as they are being told that the West is arming Ukraine and that its government is a puppet of the West, etc.
Maybe it is better if you tell me what proportion (or number) of ignorant or pro-Puting Russians made you decide to say Goodbye to Russia.
I won't engage in debate or defense concerning my personal stand. My decision is for me, and nobody else.
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You asked a very relevant question about Russia:
"How can a significant proportion of Russians not know enough about Ukraine?"
Well ... HOW CAN THEY? As you properly suggest, it seems that they SHOULD know better.
However, I have both public opinion polling and anecdotal* evidence that most Russians believe impossible things about Ukraine. I mean impossible like "in Ukraine, water flows uphill."
In particular, the Putin propaganda that (1) ethnic/linguistic/citizenship "Russians" in Ukraine are an oppressed class (like blacks in the Jim Crow south of the US, if not worse); (2) Ukraine has been controlled by Nazis since late February; and (3) therefore people in Ukraine are in danger of beatings, imprisonment, killing or similar outrages SIMPLY BECAUSE OF RUSSIAN IDENTITY.
Even a really dense person, after a few days visiting a few Ukrainian cities, could see that not only are none of these "facts" true, but also that they could not possibly be true in modern Ukraine. For such things to happen, Ukraine would have to become a country fundamentally different from what is has been since the end of the Soviet Union.
Therefore, believing Kremlin bullshit is proof of not understanding Ukraine: QED. Most Russians are deeply ignorant concerning Ukraine. How this ignorance came to be, might be a worthy subject for investigation.
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* Of my personal contacts in Russia, every one with whom I've discussed the matter has drunk the kool-aid. The only Russian I know who understands Ukraine, because he now lives there, had the same experience: every one of his friends and relatives in Russia drank the kool-aid. My oldest Ukrainian friend (now an American citizen) has frequent contact with FSU folks; all of Russians have drunk Putin's kool-aid. A very nice lady I met when I visited Ukraine in summer (whose family is at least half ethnic Russian) told me that her Russian relatives believe the Putin lies. A pen-pal I met on this forum told me that one of her Russian friends wrote to her, "what's happening [in Ukraine] -- they're killing Jews and babies!"
I absolutely accept that anecdotes are NOT scientific sampling of data. However, the network I'm talking about includes quite a lot of people, at least some of whom really despise Putin. As far as I know, NOT ONE OF THEM has failed to swallow Putin's "facts" about Ukraine -- lies cannot possibly be accepted by anybody who understands Ukraine.
Well, it is funny, we must have completely different Russian acquaintances as none of the Russians I know has ever repeated what the Russian propaganda is telling them.
And if there is one thing that Russians and Ukrainians are is vociferous, especially in Facebook and other social media.
I am quoting my own statement from above:
"A year ago all Russian and Ukranian women were the same. Now Russian women are the villians and Ukrainian women are the victims. Yeah right."
You are not going to accet that the Kremlin bulldrivel is mainly directed to the West. Let us say that Ukraine is the Belgium of WW1.
In fact, the support for Putin seems to have increased when the sanctions came and it gave the propaganda machine the chance to demonise the West.
However, I guess there are Russians who do believe that 'their brothers' the Russian speakers in Ukraine are being oppresses, like they cared before.