romunov’s blog et al

28 February, 2006

[rant]

Filed under: romunov's rants

During our Human biology class, two quite good looking senior female students came to our class to invite us to a party that is held tomorrow at a local pub. They were selling tickets, of course. I don’t mind that. They need to raise money for some events to be - like the greeting of “fresh meat”. I don’t know what they need to expand so much money, but hey, it’s their money.

What ticked me off was the argument that we should attend so that we can dance and meet each other. The same chick was few hours earlier on the bus next to me. Didn’t look like she wanted to meet me, or dance. Granted, it was the bus, and space for dance floor was a bit limiting.
Which takes me to my next point. Why do people need excuses to meet new people? Why do you need to go somewhere, pay money to get intoxicated in order to meet new people? Take off your iPod and talk to the person next to you. Plenty of people on the bus, and most people are usualyl silent, unless traveling together. In my opinion, that’s really sad - just shows how close and anti-social we really are.

Another bus observation. I can barely retain myself not speaking out. When I board the bus in the morning, it’s almost end of the line - about 15km to go, so the bus is usually pretty crowded. There are always a few seats left, though. So people start boarding, me included, and some will move to the window side (while some are already there), and a lot of people keep their bags on the seat facing the hall. And what’s interesting, they rarely move it. They just play dumb and hope that you’ll pass them. You need to explicitly ask them - hey, can you take your motherfucking bags into your lap… please?
I never asked them if the seat is free (the mother fucking bags, lady, move them) - I just stand and mind my own business.
And we’re suppose to go to the army, carry guns and die for these people? Fat chance, amigos.

I have been contemplating of bringing some comedy to the bus - by taking a megaphone and asking the person with the bags to please move them so I can sit. I would also have my pepper spray handy. :D

DU in every home!

mparent7777 has a series of articles on DU and related issues. I don’t think I need to tell you what happens if you inhale some of that radioactive dust…

Depleted Uranium Hazard Awareness
UK radiation jump blamed on Iraq
Death in the air
Today’s newswire

Polychaeta (Polychaete) identification key

>ou can grab a .pdf or .doc file for polychaete identification here.

There’s also an interactive key. On the same page, you can browse by families and some genera.

For all those who don’t know what polychaetes are. They’re “worms”, that live very different lives. They’re related to nightcrawlers and leeches - in the same group called Annelida, which means segmented worms. Most are benthic, some are planctonic, though. Vast majority inhabits marine and brackish waters. Their feeding habits differ - from predators, to conveyer-belt feeders to filtrators.
I won’t go into details about their anatomy, because it can be pretty boring to a non-enthusiast. :D

Funniest spam ever

Filed under: Unsorted

Please do not be surpprise the way i got your e-mail address because i got it
through our local chamber of commerce during my ealier search to whom i
could entrust to handle this transaction with fear of God.

Ah, the ph33red wrath of God!

27 February, 2006

W.House cautious on Iran-Russia deal

Filed under: Politics and stuff

He said Iran needed to suspend all enrichment activities as required by the IAEA, noting that he had seen comments from an Iranian official suggesting Iran will continue to conduct some enrichment activities in Iran.

Bullshit, they have the right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.

If the deal goes through, the west has just been stripped of reasons to bomb Iran.

link

26 February, 2006

Random pictures of the day

Filed under: romunov's rants

bus travel
my dust hand

Jin’s political blogroll

Filed under: romunov's rants

Jin is rolling up Slovenian blogs, that dedicate about 1/3 of its contents to politics. If you’re such a blog, drop him a line.

Iran Proposal for Shoah Probe Rebuffed by Europeans

Filed under: Politics and stuff

Jewish groups are calling for international action to punish the Iranian regime for its recent spate of Holocaust denial allegations.

Well, I didn’t expect the Spanish inquisition!

Mike from Comments (0)

Some random thoughts on Iran, Israel and other

It would seem Iran and Russia struck a deal on enriching uranium. It will be interesting to learn what the deal is.
Also, Israel rammed a Palestinian camp. No outcry from the mass media yet.

Israel is also saying that Iran’s nuclear facility could be bombed in one night, and the Iranians are not being idle. You do me and I do you. It’s a win win situation.

Did anyone notice how the entire world demands that Hamas recognizes Israel? Well, it turns out that I’m unable to find that Israel has recognized Palestine. Can anyone update me on this?
Because if that’s the case, it would be just another example of Israel’s double standard.

I also remembered a post made by crazy bobby about how is racism returning to Europe. I can only imagine he means a Hitleresque person taking over the entire continent and enforcing tyranny.
How about the fact that GWB is turning into a dictator of his own? He thinks the constitution is just a goddamn piece of paper, kicks whistleblowers in the nuts and plays a crony, which is pretty close to fascism (where corporate interest prevails over that of the people).

In other news, industry is stillhiding data on carcinogens. Not to worry, our health and lives are their FIRST UPMOST priority! I feel safer.

Disease increasing among marine organisms. They list a number of possible factors:

The study says a host of factors, including global warming, habitat destruction and human overfishing, could be contributing to the increasing sickness among the world’s marine life.

25 February, 2006

Iraqi Government warns of ‘endless civil war’

Filed under: Politics and stuff

Iraq’s Defence Minister warned yesterday of a “civil war” that “will never end” and said he was ready to put tanks on the streets as sectarian violence flared despite a second day of curfew in Baghdad.

Believe you me, it does end. It’s just that one side is “ecologically” or otherwise extinct. That is, the west provides enough firearm to arm every man, woman and child. Everything else is just a waste of time, bullets and TV coverage.

I don’t think this should come as a surprise. Hussein has been holding the sects in check by his rule. Same thing happened when Tito died. Eventually, states broke up, and what is left is Serbia and Monte Negro. That queue just set lose a thing that has been brewing for quite some time.

link

24 February, 2006

SS, brutality and law

Filed under: Politics and stuff

The Office of the Public Prosecutor conducted thorough investigations into each case of criminal arrest, and those found innocent were released; those found guilty, as well as those deportees convicted of major crimes within the camp, were sentenced by military courts and executed. In the Federal Archives of Koblenz there is a directive of January 1943 from Himmler regarding such executions, stressing that “no brutality. is to be allowed” (Manvell and Frankl), ibid, p. 312). Occasionally there was brutality, but such cases were immediately scrutinised by S.S. Judge Dr. Konrad Morgen of the Reich Criminal Police Office, whose job was to investigate irregularities at the various camps. Morgen himself prosecuted commander Koch of Buchenwald in 1943 for excesses at his camp, a trial to which the German public were invited. It is significant that Oswald Pohl, the administrator of the concentration camp system who was dealt with so harshly at Nuremberg, was in favour of the death penalty for Koch. In fact, the S.S. court did sentence Koch to death, but he was given the option of serving on the Russian front. Before he could do this, however, Prince Waldeck, the leader of the S.S. in the district, carried out his execution. This case is ample proof of the seriousness with which the S.S. regarded unnecessary brutality.

My grandmother who was deported to Germany as labour because her brothers were “terrorists” (partisans), told me a story of “Lagerführer” being arrested because he was filling his own pockets by selling interned people for labour to individuals. As said, the SS arrested him and my grandma even went to see him, along with other inmates, how they were forced to run around the prison yard, stopping from time to time yelling “Heil Hitler”.

link

Torture - then and now

Filed under: Politics and stuff

While reading this, I came across:
Sen. McCarthy told the press:

“I have heard evidence and read documentary proofs to the effect that the accused persons were beaten up, maltreated and physically tortured by methods which could only be conceived in sick brains. They were subjected to mock trials and pretended executions, they were told their families would be deprived of their ration cards. All these things were carried out with the approval of the Public Prosecutor in order to secure the psychological atmosphere necessary for the extortion of the required confessions. If the United States lets such acts committed by a few people go unpunished, then the whole world can rightly criticise us severely and forever doubt the correctness of our motives and our moral integrity.”

“Posturing as priests to hear confessions and give absolution; torture with burning matches driven under the prisoners’ finger-nails; knocking out of teeth and breaking jaws; solitary confinement and near starvation rations.” Van Roden explained: “The statements which were admitted as evidence were obtained from men who had first been kept in solitary confinement for three, four and five months … The investigators would put a black hood over the accused’s head and then punch him in the face with brass knuckles, kick him and beat him with rubber hoses … All but two of the Germans, in the 139 cases we investigated, had been kicked in the testicles beyond repair. This was standard operating procedure with our American investigators.”

23 February, 2006

Iran leader faces Holocaust case

Filed under: Unsorted

An Israeli lawyer, Ervin Shahar, says he has asked Germany to charge Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with denying the Holocaust.

Whatreallyhappened.com points out:

Wait just a moment. Weren’t these the same people that insisted Ariel Sharon should be immune from prosecution for the Sabra and Shatilla massacres because he was a head of state?

link

T2 ad “violates” the unwritten rule

Filed under: romunov's rants

Notice how they mention Telekom and SiOL. They have been pretty much been holding the monopoly over most communication systems (ground, mobile, broadband internet). They’re struggling to retain that. And T2 is throwing some punches.

Botany pictures ahead

Chamaecyparis sp.
Chamaecyparis sp., pacipresa (slo)
You can see scales fused into epimatium (shields) of Cupressus so.
storž Cupressus sp. cipresa (slo)
Juniperus communis
Juniperus communis, brin (slo)
Juniperus (subg. Sabina) communis
Juniperus, subgenus Sabina
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata, parts of it are edible, tisa
A cone of Thuja sp. It’s about 1cm in diameter.
Thuja, klek (slo)

ThinkProgress should make up their mind

Filed under: Politics and stuff

ThinkProgress has some identity crisis, apparently.
On February 20th, they write:

There is bipartisan concern about the Bush administration’s decision to outsource the operation of six of the nation’s largest ports to a company controlled by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because of that nation’s troubling ties to international terrorism.

And today they go on with this post:

We have instead been largely engaged in a disingenuous debate. Following the lead of President Jimmy Carter, progressives can and should embrace the reality of globalization and accept that our more inter-connected world affords us an opportunity to build mutual respect and understanding. Some key points:

With various talking points. This one is interesting to me:

The UAE is not an official state sponsor of terror. It is not under U.S. sanctions. In fact, as James Dobbins documents, the record shows that the UAE has been a valuable ally in the war on terror since 9/11.

O’Reilly: U.S. should leave Iraq “as fast as humanly possible” because “there are so many nuts in the country”

Filed under: Politics and stuff

The shelly conservatives have started calling for a withdrawal from occupied Iraq. Well, 3 years late, dudes.

link

Scooter Libby is raising funds for defence

Filed under: Politics and stuff

One would think Cheney would just front him the money, since he ordered him to “leak”. Instead, there’s only his indorsement. Tsk tsk, Dick.

link

Israeli agents accused of creating fake al-Qaeda cell

Filed under: Politics and stuff

This is kind of stuff you won’t hear anywhere near a tv. This one is from 2002, though, more reports about this have come out since. Including the “al-Qaeda” database.

The head of preventive security in Gaza, Rashid Abu Shbak, said Israeli agents posing as operatives of al-Qaeda recruited Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“Over the past nine months we’ve been investigating eight [such] cases,” Mr Abu Shbak said.

His claims came after the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, said al-Qaeda militants were operating in the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon, raising fears of an intensification of Israeli military occupations.

DU scandal explodes

…the 21st century disease…

link

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