Wasn't that Orwell's prophecy?
This is going to get a little wild, so....
"For some in Ukraine, Russia’s pull runs deep" by David Filipov | Globe Staff March 18, 2014
ON THE UKRAINE-RUSSIA BORDER — In this Cold War-style standoff, Andrei Mikhailev leans toward Russia. The way he looks at it, Western Europe does not have anything to offer that will make his life any better.
Except austerity in service of bankers, and who would want that? World has had enough of it.
“What do I want with the European Union?” Mikhailev said repeatedly Monday as his wife chopped and salted yellow peppers and pickles to go with a shot of vodka to celebrate their American guests. “Why do I want to live by rules someone makes in Germany? I like where I am here.”
Yeah, yeah, he must be drunk.
But where is here? That’s the question at the heart of the conflict over Ukraine, increasingly divided after the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea voted Sunday to secede in a referendum backed by thousands of Russian troops, and as pro-Russian protesters in eastern Ukraine called to hold their own secessionist votes.
Some of them tried to seize control Monday of a government building in Donetsk, about 60 miles west of Mikhailev’s farm, but were held back by some 200 Ukrainian police in riot gear.
In his pig pen, Mikhailev explained why he wishes that the Russian line in the mud outside his gate extended a few more feet in his direction.
For one thing, “I speak Russian, we all speak Russian, I don’t want to speak someone else’s language.”
His conclusion: No one in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, is looking out for the interests of Russian-speaking people.
Also, like many in eastern Ukraine, he uses the Kremlin’s word for all Ukrainian nationalists: Banderovtsy, a reference to Stepan Bandera, a Ukrainian partisan who sometimes collaborated with the Nazis in World War II. Bandera is a hero to some of the forces that came to power in Kiev last month, but Russia’s state-controlled media have tarred the whole new government as a fascist mob, and that’s more or less how Mikhailev sees it, too.
I hope you can see why I'm so sour on Filipov and the rest of the hypocritical, agenda-pushing, propaganda pre$$ of AmeriKa.
I suppose they ought to know all about tarring people as they now defend former Nazis and fascists behind the Holocaust™.
“I worry about skinheads coming here,” he said....
And then there was this: “We live badly, but we live the way we live,” he said. “Like Americans. You wouldn’t want to live in the European Union just because someone said you had to, would you?”
It's around 80%, and about the same ratio of 20% regarding party membership in the Soviet and Nazi regimes that benefited. The AmeriKan parallels are astounding.
To better understand his stance, it helps to realize that many of the people who make up the pro-Russia protesters — pensioners, unemployed, coal-miners, factory workers — think of “Western Europe” as a foreign place that looks down on Russians.
Mikhailev descends from a line of farmers, but he only decided to become one four years ago, when the cement factory where he was pulling down $300 a month let him go as part of general cutbacks.
He bought the farm with money he’d saved up — “the interest rate on loans is 40 percent, I’d be out of my mind to borrow” — and purchased four pigs, three of which are now pregnant.
The business plan is simple: The pigs have more pigs, he sells the pigs.
Only two things, he said, can get in the way of success. One, he said, the US government is trying to destroy the Ukrainian economy by deliberately devaluing the national currency, the hryvnia.
And two, “the European Union is trying to . . . ” He let loose his jolly laugh. “Well, it’s trying to ruin everything.”
At the end of the day, Mikhailev couldn’t put his finger on what about the EU bothered him, other than the idea that someone in Europe would be making rules.
Like an unfocused Occupy kid, huh?
“Those people in the streets in Donetsk, they aren’t just for Russia,” he said. “They are against the European Union. They want to be free.”
He laughed.
“Russians who want to be free,” he said. “That may sound strange to you.”
Being free of international bankers probably would to the propagandist posing as reporter.
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Time for me to start rationing and sanctioning these stories:
"US, EU impose sanctions on Russian officials" by Nedra Pickler | Associated Press March 18, 2014
WASHINGTON — In the most comprehensive sanctions against Russia since the end of the Cold War, President Obama on Monday froze the US assets of seven Russian officials, including top advisers to President Vladimir Putin, for their support of Crimea’s vote to secede from Ukraine.
Obama said he was moving to ‘‘increase the cost’’ to Russia, and he warned that more people could face financial punishment unless there is a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
The Treasury Department also is imposing sanctions on four Ukrainians — including former President Viktor Yanukovych and others who have supported Crimea’s separation — using existing authority under a previous Obama order.
Those Obama targeted in his sanctions order Monday are key political players in Russia and also responsible for tightening of human rights and civil liberties in the country....
Same order over here if one disagree with U.S. policy.
Those targeted will have all US assets frozen and no one in the United States can do business with them.
The European Union announced sanctions and travel restrictions targeting 21 people, but avoided going after figures in the Russian elite because they were concerned about poking too directly at the Russian president in a way that would make it harder for him to back down later.
Orwellian spin!
Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, back from a weekend trip to Kiev, said Obama was not going far enough.
‘‘I think Vladimir Putin must be encouraged by the absolute timidity,’’ McCain said on MSNBC.
He said of Obama’s response, ‘‘I don’t know how it could have been weaker, besides doing nothing — seven people being sanctioned after naked aggression has taken place.’’
Why didn't you just stay in the Ukraine, asshole?
White House spokesman Jay Carney did not rule out sanctions against Putin himself.
‘‘We have the authorities to more broadly identify individuals and entities in the future, and we will do that as necessary if the costs to Russia need to be increased,’’ Carney said.
The sanctions were expected after residents in Crimea voted overwhelmingly Sunday in favor of the split. Crimea’s Parliament on Monday declared the region an independent state.
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Yeah, about that vote for freedom:
"Defying sanctions, Putin declares Crimea independent" by Steven Lee Myers and Peter Baker | New York Times March 18, 2014
MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin of Russia signed a decree Monday formally recognizing Ukraine’s Crimea region as a “sovereign and independent state,” laying the groundwork for possible annexation and defying the United States and Europe....
Look at the charged language!
Putin’s decree came after the breakaway republic formally declared its independence and asked Russia to annex it in keeping with the results of a referendum conducted Sunday under the watch of Russian troops.
The Kremlin announced that Putin would address both houses of the Russian Parliament on Tuesday, when many expect him to endorse annexation.
Okay, that's three times I've seen that word so far.
The moves showed that Moscow had no intention of backing down in the face of Western sanctions over a dispute that has created a profound rift in East-West relations and threatens the security of borders created after the Soviet Union’s breakup in the early 1990s....
Like all the U.S. invasions and drone strikes?
Even the last Soviet leader, Mikhail S. Gorbachev, whose role in the dissolution of the Soviet Union is deeply reviled in Russia, endorsed Crimea’s move, telling Interfax that its independence “should be welcomed and not met with the announcement of sanctions.”
Related: Gorbachev a Western Agent?
I guess not anymore -- as if anyone cares what he says now.
*************
The criticism was directed at Obummer:
“We’re making it clear there are consequences for these actions,” President Obama said in a televised statement in the White House briefing room Monday. “The international community will continue to stand together to oppose any violations of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
He repeated that Russia can still defuse the conflict.
“Going forward, we can calibrate our response based on whether Russia chooses to escalate or deescalate the situation,” he said. “Now, I believe there is still a path to resolve this situation diplomatically.”
Vice President Joe Biden headed to Eastern Europe later Monday to meet with leaders of Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia — NATO allies that feel especially nervous about Russian assertiveness. The president leaves for Europe next week on a previously scheduled trip that may be consumed with the Ukraine crisis.
So this will not be out of the news anytime soon.
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said the EU sanctions decision was not made lightly. “We wanted talks and a diplomatic solution, but the clear violation of international law yesterday with the so-called referendum meant we had to take this step and I am glad that Europe showed such unity,” she told reporters.
Votes for secession and independence are okay for Kosovo and Sudan, but not Kashmir, Crimea, and Palestine.
The sanctions came a day after a Moscow-supported referendum in Crimea in which local authorities claimed a 97 percent vote in favor of breaking off from Ukraine and rejoining Russia. The new Crimean government on Monday declared itself independent as it seeks annexation from Russia, which sent troops into the Ukrainian province after Yanukovych’s ouster.
There is that word again!
Before the sanctions were announced, the referendum in Crimea was greeted as a triumph, as senior lawmakers promised to move quickly to provide the legal basis for the peninsula to join Russia.
Reacting to Monday’s sanctions, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said they were ‘‘a reflection of a pathological unwillingness to acknowledge reality and a desire to impose on everyone one-sided and unbalanced approaches that absolutely ignore reality.’’
‘‘I think the decree of the president of the United States was written by some joker,’’ Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, one of the individuals hit by the sanctions, said on his Twitter account.
Or a psychopathic clown.
In Kiev, acting President Oleksandr Turchynov vowed that Ukraine will not give up Crimea.
‘‘We are ready for negotiations, but we will never resign ourselves to the annexation of our land,’’ a somber Turchynov said in a televised address to the nation.
What is that, the fifth time I've seen that word?
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Related:
New York Times Nostalgic For Cold War
It shows!
The Washington Post Wants War With Russia
So does the Globe!
Mainstream US Media Is Lost in Ukraine
Look what I found:
"Obama presses Abbas on accord" by Jim Kuhnhenn | Associated Press March 18, 2014
WASHINGTON — President Obama pressed visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Monday to help break the logjam to elusive Mideast peace talks....
The White House meeting marked a renewed foray into a diplomatic minefield that the president has mostly left up to his secretary of state, John Kerry.
With a US-imposed April deadline for completing a framework for peace talks approaching, Obama is hoping presidential pressure might overcome a growing sense of pessimism on both sides.
Two weeks ago, Obama held a similar meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he urged Israel to make ‘‘tough decisions.’’
Obama said everyone understands what the contours of a Mideast peace deal would look like — a Palestinian state based on territory captured by Israel in 1967 with ‘‘mutually agreed upon swaps’’ that ensure the security of Israel.
Sort of like an annexation retroactively approved?
He praised Abbas as a leader who ‘‘has consistently renounced violence, has consistently sought a diplomatic and peaceful solution that allows for two states, side by side in peace and security — a state that allows for the dignity and sovereignty of the Palestinian people and a state that allows for Israelis to feel secure and at peace with their neighbors.’’
I wish Obummer would stop warming up the atmosphere with his greenhouse gas spew. Just shut it.
For his part, Abbas stressed the Palestinian position....
One that won't be in my jew$paper.
Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip 47 years ago. Netanyahu rejects a return to those borders, and dividing the territory is complicated by Jewish settlements in areas Palestinians claim.
The CHUTZPAH of the HYPOCRISY!
Speaking with reporters Monday afternoon, lead Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat signaled waning interest in continuing negotiations if no progress is made.
Oh, like me, whose interest has waned on the puppet-show theater of the propaganda pre$$ and mouthpiece media (oh, that video no longer available, huh? How very interesting).
Israelis have built more than 10,000 settlement homes since the negotiations began last July, he said, resulting in the razing of over 200 Palestinian houses.
And not a PEEP from the ZOG of the U.S.
‘‘Is this progress?’’ Erekat said after meeting Kerry. ‘‘We can do it, but I hope and pray that the Israeli government will make the choice: settlements or peace. They can’t have both.’’
He said the possibility of continuing the talks past the deadline didn’t come up in meetings with Obama and Kerry.
‘‘The negotiations are up on April 29,’’ Erekat said. ‘‘You don’t need negotiations any more. You need decisions.’’
Abbas, speaking in Arabic that was translated, made special note of an agreement brokered by Kerry for Israel to release a fourth round of prisoners. He said the release by March 29 would make a ‘‘solid impression’’ that Israel is serious about peace.
The Obama administration is seeking a framework to guide negotiations on a permanent solution to the conflict. The core issues in the dispute include borders, the fate of Palestinian refugees, and the status of Jerusalem.
In recent days, the question of Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state has emerged as a particular flashpoint, despite initial pledges by all sides to keep the negotiations private.
Israel will do anything to avoid peace and everything to make piece!
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Yeah, I guess some annexations are unremarkable -- especially when espoused by the United States in the name of peace!
Other things in the Boston Globe barnyard (watch where you step):
"USDA to spend millions to bolster Midwest honeybees" by M.L. Johnson | Associated Press, February 26, 2014
MILWAUKEE — The US Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that it will spend millions of dollars to help farmers and ranchers improve pastures in five Midwestern states to provide food for the nation’s struggling honeybees.
Commercial honeybees pollinate an estimated $15 billion worth of produce each year. Many beekeepers bring hives to the Upper Midwest in the summer for bees to gather nectar and pollen for food, then truck them in the spring to California and other states to pollinate everything from almonds to apples to avocadoes.
But agricultural production has been threatened by a more than decade-long decline in commercial honeybees and their wild cousins due to habitat loss and pesticide use.
Is that all?
Colony collapse disorder, in which honeybees suddenly disappear or die, has made the problem worse, boosting losses over the winter to as much as 30 percent per year.
Like a Malaysian airliner?
The USDA hopes to stem those losses by providing more areas for bees to build up food stores and strength for winter. The new program will be ‘‘a real shot in the arm’’ for improving bees’ habitat and food supply, said Jason Weller, chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
If not we can all eat pizza for breakfast.
Dairy farmers and ranchers in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas can qualify for about $3 million to reseed pastures with alfalfa, clover, and other plants appealing to both bees and livestock. Farmers also can get help building fences, installing water tanks, and making other changes that better enable them to move their animals from pasture to pasture so the vegetation doesn’t become worn down. The goal is to provide higher quality food for insects and animals.
‘‘It’s a win for the livestock guys, and it’s a win for the managed honeybee population,’’ Weller said. ‘‘And it’s a win then for orchardists and other specialty crop producers across the nation because then you’re going to have a healthier, more robust bee population that then goes out and helps pollinate important crops.’’
*****************
The program is just the latest in a series of USDA efforts to reduce honeybee deaths. The agency has partnered with universities to study bee diseases, nutrition, and other factors threatening colonies. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also recently created a working group on bees to coordinate efforts across the department.
The work is paying off with changes to once-common beekeeping practices, such as supplementing bees’ diet with high-fructose corn syrup, said David Epstein, a senior entomologist with the USDA. He said the quality of bees’ food is as important as the quantity.
Then the bees are overweight and suffering heart attacks?
‘‘You can think of it in terms of yourself,’’ Epstein said. ‘‘If you are studying for exams in college, and you’re not eating properly and you’re existing on coffee, then you make yourself more susceptible to disease and you get sick.’’
Or blog.
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What is omitted as a possible cause are the GMOs, and that is no longer surprising from my propaganda pre$$. Bees pollinate them also, right?
Related: Cleaning out the spelling bees
Wrong kind of bee.
Also see:
Dog OK after 9 days buried in rubble
Officer, an Iraq veteran, coaxes dog from rail tracks
Attitudes, laws softening toward oft-feared pit bulls
Support grows for dog in mauling
Copter rescues dog from Calif. cliff
This blog really is going to the dogs these days. Rats.
Zoo officials hope hippo love is in the air
They found it over at the Aquarium, although they might have trouble hearing the love call.
Plans announced for new Franklin Park Zoo project
Related: A Day at the Boston Zoo
Time to pivot to another post.
