I remember very vaguely an incident probably from 30 years or so ago where ( Indonesian ? maybe ) captain refused to rescue some shipwreck victims because he was afraid of losing some speedy cargo delivery bonus and as a result he lost his captains license and was even sentenced in court.
I only remember it because couple of my older relatives who have now passed, were career sailors, another of them retired as first mate, and they were beside themselves about it. No doubt Norwegian ship's captain was in the wrong here. But probably nothing will come out of it, what a disgrace.
The Norwegian vessel claims that the Spanish rescue authority told them not to pick up the men. This really doesn't wash, as the Spanish outfit could have easily removed the Russians from the Norwegian ship afterwards. Also, some are claiming that the attack on the Russian oil ship was an MI6 operation. Wouldn't surprise me.
Interesting piece on language. The Guardian ran a story yesterday about the difficulties faced by Scots attending Anglicised Scottish universities like Edinburgh. I suspect the Ukrainian argument will be the same. That the indigenous language has been suppressed in favour of the language of the colonial master ie Russia and they are simply righting a wrong. In addition, much like Scotland many of the non native speakers in Ukraine and the Baltic states will be viewed as part of a settler populace. The same issue arises in N Ireland with Gaelic, Scots Irish and English. The issue is that Ukraine and the Baltic states have is that they are deliberately targeting those of a Russian hue. The difference between Ukraine and Scotland is that by-an-large Scottish identity is not formulated on an imagined ethnic self but rather the common weal whilst Ukraine is a revisionist ethno nationalism that is attempting to subjugate ethnic groups they determine are not part of their imagined community.
I think the conversation with the women from Odessa was revealing because they considered themselves to be Russian rather than an 'imagined ethnic self', the existence of which was even questioned by one of the women.
I was last in Odessa in 2011 with my wife and our 3 children (my wife is Russian: I have lived in Russia for 30 years). Street signs everywhere were in Ukrainian, yet I heard nobody speaking that language. I asked a taxi driver if anybody actually spoke Ukrainian in Odessa. "Nah", he said, "only Russian". And then, as an afterthought, he said: "And Odessan!"
Seven years earlier, I was in the Crimea. My wife and children had gone there ahead of me. I had to join them later because of work commitments. My wife had sent a taxi to pick me up on my arrival at the railway station in Yevpatoria. In the taxi, I said to the driver: "This is the first time that I've been to the Ukraine". He immediately pulled up at the side of the road, turned to face me, and went into a rant. saying in Russian: "This is Russia! This is Russia! We are Russians here! Crimea is Russia!"
My wife and children holidayed in the Crimea three times before "The Revolution of Dignity" in 2014. I never once heard Ukrainian being spoken there, apart from on TV. And everybody ignored the Ukrainian TV channels.
My son, who is now 25 years old, regularly communicates with Ukrainians on Telegram. I asked him if the Ukrainians with whom he speaks are from the Donbass. He told me that they are all from Kiev. I said to him: "Don't you get any shit off them because you are Russian and speaking with them in Russian?" "Never", he said. (This was about 6 months ago when I asked him about this.) And then he said that the young men in Kiev with whom he speaks are doing their damndest to get out of Banderastan, which they say is finished. Of course, they dare not utter these opinions in Kiev.
Lavrov makes Blinken look like an incompetent amateur. He recently described US invasions/aggression as "muddying the waters, then going fishing" - fishing for gold, oil and other natural resources, and influence.
And the antithesis of Lavrov’s diplomacy are Medvedev's acerbic comments, which always hit the Bullseye. He recently described Zelensky as: "the vile Bandera scumbag”, "the lousy defunct druggie”, "this sleazebag”, "The little runt”, "this unbridled mongrel”, and declared, "He will very soon be relegated to the cesspool of history, where the sewage will absorb this nonentity in the suffocating miasma of oblivion”. Tell us what you really think Dmitry! LOL
I missed many of those tit bits by Medvedev but he plays the 'bad cop' so well. Yet there is much truth in what he says: history will not be kind to Zelensky, especially of it is not written by Westerners.
Lavrov presents always as grave thoughtful and understated . Blinken as a slick public relations man on behalf of his Israeli alternative nationality .
There are lots of contradictions within Western morality at the moment. 'Tolerance' now includes tolerance of Nazis in Ukraine, support for terrorist states such as Ukraine and Israel, turning a blind eye to the atrocities they commit. Even a long standing terrorist organisation has been allowed to govern a country, maybe in the interests of diversity? But as I've said before, moral codes can work only if they are consistently applied to all. If the code excludes some countries or ethnic groups - such as Russian speakers - it begins to resemble the racist codes applied in Nazi Germany, Apartheid South Africa or the Slave owning Southern states of America. Disgracefully, we now have to include 21st Century Western civilisation to this list.
When he was defining genocide Lemkin marked two stages. The second stage is to supplant the subject indigenous group with a settler group once stage 1 is complete. Israel is now entering stage 2. The German model for the Slavs to the west of the Urals is in point but as i said last time the US Indian Removal Act 1830 is the template for the German policy much like the US eugenic policies inspired the Nazis. It shouldn't come as a surprise that leading Nazis were obsessed with the Wild West and Cowboys.
I wonder whether Israel will try to repeat the narrative of heroic settlers 'going West'? Hitler in particular, loved Hollywood cowboy movies - almost obsessively. Btw - I think the Nazis were also influenced by Gobineau, who has a connection with Wagner and Nietzsche. Even though Nietzsche came under the spell of Wagner, it didn't last long. Some say he was besotted with Wagner's wife Cosima. He also abandoned Schopenhauer after a short time but for very different reasons. My Master's Thesis was based on Nietzsche's 'first book' - The Birth of Tragedy - where Wagner's and Schopenhauer's influence was very evident. Anyone who has read Nietzsche will know that he was neither nationalistic (he was certainly anti-German according to his rhetoric) nor anti-Semitic.
"The EU has threatened Qatar with a carbon tax if it does not reduce emissions." Wow, their delusional arrogance knows no bounds does it? The EU seems intent on the total destruction of its own energy sector. What would you do differently if all you wanted to do was destroy European economies?
Ian Welsh [Canadian] [https://www.ianwelsh.net/] had a very similar comment to yours on Europe today "The Fall Of Europe" and has written similar comments about the fall of Europe many times.
If we had a choice to opt out but remained part of it, I would be ashamed. But I have been fighting against aspects of this 'civilisation' for 35 years - so I won't be too hard on myself.
It is important what you say. If people gradually feel less and less self identification with their state governments, it is an important development. I am worried about the cultural vacuum that appears to be forming. Where I live in Canada I am concerned about the self-weakening policies we've followed but I refuse to blame myself for what has happened.
I don't think I have ever identified with a government. When I knew nothing about politics, governments were not relevant to me and when I learned about politics they were even less relevant. The notion of a cultural vacuum is interesting. But there is a difference between 'on line' culture and local culture (see my Preface to philosophising in a phony world). The former is very divisive and maybe vacuous but the latter is less so. In this connection, I can't help thinking about Nietzsche's' 'death of God' - i.e. the decline of Christianity as a culturally unifying/moral force. Looking at current cultural divisions it is hard to see where effective future unity will come from. I had a sister who lived in Canada - London Ontario. She died a few years ago.
I celebrated my 21st in Canada in the mid 90s. I was sailing on the St Lawrence in the 1000 Islands area. It was great. My friend's uncle was a Scottish guy who joined the British Navy and met a Canadian and settled there. I always wanted to emigrate to Canada. Glad I didn't looking at the politics. Although i still miss the poutine. When i was there they were holding a referendum on the French speaking part seceding. We got interviewed by a local TV station for our opinion. We must have been the most pro Parti Quebecois English speakers in the country at that time! The English speakers then hated (disliked) the French speakers. The police and other public servants etc all had to be bilingual- i don't know if that is still the case. I still remember we travelled all the way to Ottawa City because i wanted to see Rommel's kubelwagen from 1944 it was in the imperial war museum... got there and the museum was closed for the day!
Social media is increasingly becoming a place where people converse in English. It is ironic that as the hegemon declines, the BRICS and would-be BRICS nations' peoples are increasingly communicating in English. Go to Russia and find that lots of people there like to practice their English on you!
Is Norway now not in breach of maritime law (SOLAS) for refusing to rescue the Russian sailors?
Thanks Harry, you could be correct - but Westerners obey international law only when it suits them.
This confirms that Norway is breaking International Law: https://t.me/IntelRepublic/45056
I remember very vaguely an incident probably from 30 years or so ago where ( Indonesian ? maybe ) captain refused to rescue some shipwreck victims because he was afraid of losing some speedy cargo delivery bonus and as a result he lost his captains license and was even sentenced in court.
I only remember it because couple of my older relatives who have now passed, were career sailors, another of them retired as first mate, and they were beside themselves about it. No doubt Norwegian ship's captain was in the wrong here. But probably nothing will come out of it, what a disgrace.
They already breached them by blowing up Nord Stream II.
I thought that was Brandon / Pedo Pete / Robert L Peters henchmen, or the agents of perfidious Albion ( MI6)
The Norwegian vessel claims that the Spanish rescue authority told them not to pick up the men. This really doesn't wash, as the Spanish outfit could have easily removed the Russians from the Norwegian ship afterwards. Also, some are claiming that the attack on the Russian oil ship was an MI6 operation. Wouldn't surprise me.
Interesting piece on language. The Guardian ran a story yesterday about the difficulties faced by Scots attending Anglicised Scottish universities like Edinburgh. I suspect the Ukrainian argument will be the same. That the indigenous language has been suppressed in favour of the language of the colonial master ie Russia and they are simply righting a wrong. In addition, much like Scotland many of the non native speakers in Ukraine and the Baltic states will be viewed as part of a settler populace. The same issue arises in N Ireland with Gaelic, Scots Irish and English. The issue is that Ukraine and the Baltic states have is that they are deliberately targeting those of a Russian hue. The difference between Ukraine and Scotland is that by-an-large Scottish identity is not formulated on an imagined ethnic self but rather the common weal whilst Ukraine is a revisionist ethno nationalism that is attempting to subjugate ethnic groups they determine are not part of their imagined community.
I think the conversation with the women from Odessa was revealing because they considered themselves to be Russian rather than an 'imagined ethnic self', the existence of which was even questioned by one of the women.
I was last in Odessa in 2011 with my wife and our 3 children (my wife is Russian: I have lived in Russia for 30 years). Street signs everywhere were in Ukrainian, yet I heard nobody speaking that language. I asked a taxi driver if anybody actually spoke Ukrainian in Odessa. "Nah", he said, "only Russian". And then, as an afterthought, he said: "And Odessan!"
Seven years earlier, I was in the Crimea. My wife and children had gone there ahead of me. I had to join them later because of work commitments. My wife had sent a taxi to pick me up on my arrival at the railway station in Yevpatoria. In the taxi, I said to the driver: "This is the first time that I've been to the Ukraine". He immediately pulled up at the side of the road, turned to face me, and went into a rant. saying in Russian: "This is Russia! This is Russia! We are Russians here! Crimea is Russia!"
My wife and children holidayed in the Crimea three times before "The Revolution of Dignity" in 2014. I never once heard Ukrainian being spoken there, apart from on TV. And everybody ignored the Ukrainian TV channels.
My son, who is now 25 years old, regularly communicates with Ukrainians on Telegram. I asked him if the Ukrainians with whom he speaks are from the Donbass. He told me that they are all from Kiev. I said to him: "Don't you get any shit off them because you are Russian and speaking with them in Russian?" "Never", he said. (This was about 6 months ago when I asked him about this.) And then he said that the young men in Kiev with whom he speaks are doing their damndest to get out of Banderastan, which they say is finished. Of course, they dare not utter these opinions in Kiev.
Amazing story - many thanks for that. It seems that those elderly Odessan ladies are not alone.
Yes Rob,
I believe Odessa is one of the most Russian parts of (their version of a country) for lack of another word.
What is going on overall is blatant ethnic cleansing to de-russify the whole region.
It is criminal for the gullible West to be involved in this-led by ziocon/ MIC mafia.
I don't blame soldiers for resigning from the British army when it unquestioningly follows the disastrous orders from its leadership.
Interestingly, as usual the nazi lovers are celebrating Banderas birthday on January the 1st.
I read that bizarrely they have posters all over the Donetsk towns and villages that they still control near to the frontline.
I wonder how many will be taken down and face repercussions? like this one in 2022.
https://www.britishpoles.uk/a-ukrainian-town-got-rid-of-its-bandera-street/
Once again, thanks for the update and lets see what happens next week.
True Michael, and anyone who plays along with or ignores their Bandera ideology and ethnic cleansing is as guilty as they are and should know better.
Ironically, Zelensky was brought up speaking Russian.
When he was seeking power he presented himself as the protector of the Russian language and culture. The lying toe rag.
Putin has such good people around him.
Lavrov makes Blinken look like an incompetent amateur. He recently described US invasions/aggression as "muddying the waters, then going fishing" - fishing for gold, oil and other natural resources, and influence.
And the antithesis of Lavrov’s diplomacy are Medvedev's acerbic comments, which always hit the Bullseye. He recently described Zelensky as: "the vile Bandera scumbag”, "the lousy defunct druggie”, "this sleazebag”, "The little runt”, "this unbridled mongrel”, and declared, "He will very soon be relegated to the cesspool of history, where the sewage will absorb this nonentity in the suffocating miasma of oblivion”. Tell us what you really think Dmitry! LOL
I missed many of those tit bits by Medvedev but he plays the 'bad cop' so well. Yet there is much truth in what he says: history will not be kind to Zelensky, especially of it is not written by Westerners.
Lavrov presents always as grave thoughtful and understated . Blinken as a slick public relations man on behalf of his Israeli alternative nationality .
Blinken's Ukrainian grandfather was a major player in the US Zionist movement. Hatred of the Russians and Palestinians is in his DNA.
Doesn't surprise me.
Thanks for the update Rob. Interesting report on the Russian language removal by the Eastern Europeans etc.
Strange how their systems preach tolerance. diversity and equality but not, it seems, for Russian speaking people.
There are lots of contradictions within Western morality at the moment. 'Tolerance' now includes tolerance of Nazis in Ukraine, support for terrorist states such as Ukraine and Israel, turning a blind eye to the atrocities they commit. Even a long standing terrorist organisation has been allowed to govern a country, maybe in the interests of diversity? But as I've said before, moral codes can work only if they are consistently applied to all. If the code excludes some countries or ethnic groups - such as Russian speakers - it begins to resemble the racist codes applied in Nazi Germany, Apartheid South Africa or the Slave owning Southern states of America. Disgracefully, we now have to include 21st Century Western civilisation to this list.
I don't think Fico was offered '500,000 million' Euros from the Russian cash (You probably meant it to say 'half a billion')
Thanks for that - I'll alter it.
When he was defining genocide Lemkin marked two stages. The second stage is to supplant the subject indigenous group with a settler group once stage 1 is complete. Israel is now entering stage 2. The German model for the Slavs to the west of the Urals is in point but as i said last time the US Indian Removal Act 1830 is the template for the German policy much like the US eugenic policies inspired the Nazis. It shouldn't come as a surprise that leading Nazis were obsessed with the Wild West and Cowboys.
I wonder whether Israel will try to repeat the narrative of heroic settlers 'going West'? Hitler in particular, loved Hollywood cowboy movies - almost obsessively. Btw - I think the Nazis were also influenced by Gobineau, who has a connection with Wagner and Nietzsche. Even though Nietzsche came under the spell of Wagner, it didn't last long. Some say he was besotted with Wagner's wife Cosima. He also abandoned Schopenhauer after a short time but for very different reasons. My Master's Thesis was based on Nietzsche's 'first book' - The Birth of Tragedy - where Wagner's and Schopenhauer's influence was very evident. Anyone who has read Nietzsche will know that he was neither nationalistic (he was certainly anti-German according to his rhetoric) nor anti-Semitic.
"The EU has threatened Qatar with a carbon tax if it does not reduce emissions." Wow, their delusional arrogance knows no bounds does it? The EU seems intent on the total destruction of its own energy sector. What would you do differently if all you wanted to do was destroy European economies?
I think countries such as Qatar know that the Empire is running out of teeth - so they are saying FU.
Thank you,
I wish you a very happy and peaceful New Year.
Ian Welsh [Canadian] [https://www.ianwelsh.net/] had a very similar comment to yours on Europe today "The Fall Of Europe" and has written similar comments about the fall of Europe many times.
Thank you Bill. I wish you a happy and peaceful New Year also.
I am so ashamed to be part of a so-called Western civilization.
If we had a choice to opt out but remained part of it, I would be ashamed. But I have been fighting against aspects of this 'civilisation' for 35 years - so I won't be too hard on myself.
It is important what you say. If people gradually feel less and less self identification with their state governments, it is an important development. I am worried about the cultural vacuum that appears to be forming. Where I live in Canada I am concerned about the self-weakening policies we've followed but I refuse to blame myself for what has happened.
I don't think I have ever identified with a government. When I knew nothing about politics, governments were not relevant to me and when I learned about politics they were even less relevant. The notion of a cultural vacuum is interesting. But there is a difference between 'on line' culture and local culture (see my Preface to philosophising in a phony world). The former is very divisive and maybe vacuous but the latter is less so. In this connection, I can't help thinking about Nietzsche's' 'death of God' - i.e. the decline of Christianity as a culturally unifying/moral force. Looking at current cultural divisions it is hard to see where effective future unity will come from. I had a sister who lived in Canada - London Ontario. She died a few years ago.
I celebrated my 21st in Canada in the mid 90s. I was sailing on the St Lawrence in the 1000 Islands area. It was great. My friend's uncle was a Scottish guy who joined the British Navy and met a Canadian and settled there. I always wanted to emigrate to Canada. Glad I didn't looking at the politics. Although i still miss the poutine. When i was there they were holding a referendum on the French speaking part seceding. We got interviewed by a local TV station for our opinion. We must have been the most pro Parti Quebecois English speakers in the country at that time! The English speakers then hated (disliked) the French speakers. The police and other public servants etc all had to be bilingual- i don't know if that is still the case. I still remember we travelled all the way to Ottawa City because i wanted to see Rommel's kubelwagen from 1944 it was in the imperial war museum... got there and the museum was closed for the day!
Interesting stuff Michael. I always wanted to visit my sister in Canada but it never happened.
Social media is increasingly becoming a place where people converse in English. It is ironic that as the hegemon declines, the BRICS and would-be BRICS nations' peoples are increasingly communicating in English. Go to Russia and find that lots of people there like to practice their English on you!
Jew lies and Nazi propaganda!