Such a Shame

I have obtained this article from out excellent publiation Pravda. It was originally publised on 7/4/05.

The tombstones of the Russian soldiers killed in WWII were desecrated across the country

Controversies over the matters relating to the situation of Russian-speaking minorities in the Baltic States give rise to a great deal of comments. Those comments are normally charged with emotion. There have been more infringements on the rights of minorities in Estonia and Latvia as opposed to neighboring Lithuania. The authorities and some of the public of Estonia and Latvia often say that the problem is far-fetched and the Russians are deliberately putting special emphasis on it to smear the reputation of those two states.

They say Russia had better mind its own business and tackle its own problems such as skinheads, neo-Nazis etc. Well, the argument looks just amazing in its simplicity. Russia has, without doubt, a lot of ethnic problems to deal with. Russia is a multiethnic country therefore problems and conflicts are likely to occur. It is the duty of the authorities to take effective steps in curbing the conflicts if they fail to prevent them from breaking out. We have to admit that the Russian authorities sometimes fail to take measures in a speedy and effective manner. Yet the Russian authorities take measures. And what about the authorities in the Baltic States? Do they really take any steps to combat nationalism and neo-Nazism?

Allow me to remind you of the shameful events that took place in Estonia last year. The tombstones of the Russian soldiers killed in WWII were desecrated across the country. The abhorrent acts were apparently well-planned and committed soon after the dismantling of a monument to the Estonian SS-men. The police did not make any arrests. No perpetrators were brought to justice. Was it a kind of “compensation” paid by the authorities for the dismantling of the monument? Another incident happened not so long ago when some morons sprayed abusive graffiti over the walls of a building populated by ethnic Russians. The “mildest” writings included “Russians, respect Estonian traditions or go home!” and “Why didn't Germany win the war?”

Sure thing, Estonian neo-Nazis used four-letter words and swastikas (displayed in the wrong way, by the bye). Looks like it never occurred to those Estonian neo-Nazis that they would have never put any graffito in Estonian on the walls if Germany had won the war. Because no Estonian would have been left alive. But this remark seems irrelevant to the case. The reporters of Molodezh Estonii (Estonian Youth) asked Helin Taala, a spokeswoman for the local police station, if the painting of swastikas could result in criminal proceedings. She answered that everything depended on the context. “If there were only writings meant to incite ethnic hatred, it would be sufficient for taking legal action,” said she. According to her, it is unlikely that perpetrators were not trying to specifically stir up animosity because they sprayed a lot of obscenities on the wall. I wonder if an Estonian policewoman will be able to stay so cool should her own dwelling get sprayed with offensive anti-Estonian graffiti.

The results of an opinion poll published by Molodezh Estoniii show that the Estonians and Latvians take a highly negative stance on the issue of multicultural society and equal rights to minorities. 51% of the Estonians believe that it is bad for society when society is composed of different ethnic groups. 59% of the Estonians believe that immigrants should absorb the local laws and traditions regardless of their social and cultural differences.

Do NOT go to Estonia !!!!!

Attention viewers,

Our government advises us not to go to Estonia. We must support Mother Russia and her heros of the Great Patriotic War and not go to Estonia. Go to Kaliningrad instead. It is quite a nice port city.

This is from the British Pravda, also known as the BBC.


Russians advised to shun Estonia

Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov has urged Russians not to take holidays in Estonia.

Russia has criticised Estonian plans to remove a Soviet-era monument to the Red Army in the Baltic state's capital.

Mr Ivanov said Russians should also consider alternatives to Estonian dairy produce, although he said he was not calling for a boycott.

The Bronze Soldier monument in Tallinn commemorates the Red Army's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

"I'm not calling for a boycott," Mr Ivanov told armed forces veterans in Moscow. "It's not a question of state sanctions. I'm talking about the individual citizen's stance. Don't buy Estonian food, don't go on holiday in Estonia, go to our Kaliningrad instead for a holiday."

Most ethnic Estonians regard the monument as a symbol of Soviet oppression.

In February, Estonia's President Toomas Hendrik Ilves vetoed a parliamentary bill calling for its removal within a month, but Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said the authorities could still have it removed under a law on war graves.

Correspondents say that nothing is likely to happen until a new coalition is formed after last month's elections.

Mr Ivanov also said Russia should complete construction of the Ust-Luga port on the Baltic as soon as possible, "so as not to fatten the budget of Estonia, in whose ports 85% of the cargo is Russian".

Aliens

There are many aliens in Russia. They often land there because Russia is the greatest civilization in the world. It has the greatest history and the brightest future.

I got this story from Pravda.

Russian fishermen catch squeaking alien and eat it

Village residents from the Rostov region of Russia caught a weird creature two weeks ago after a strong storm in the Sea of Azov. The shark-looking creature was producing strange squeaky sounds. The fishermen originally believed that they had caught an alien and decided to film the monster with the help of a cell phone camera. The footage clearly shows the creatures’ head, body and long tail. The bizarre catch was weighing almost 100 kilograms, the Komsomolskaya Pravda reports.



However, ufologists and scientists were greatly disappointed when they found out that the fishermen had eaten the monster. They said that they were not scared of the creature so they decided to use it as food. One of the men said that it was the most delicious dish he had ever eaten.


Chairman of the Anomalous Phenomena Service, Andrei Gorodovoi, stated that the creature, which he could see on the short video, was an anomalous being. However, it could hardly be described as an extraterrestrial form of life, he added. Gorodovoi rejected the version about mermaids too. “There are many legends about mermaids living in the Sea of Azov. Nevertheless, specialists of the Service for Anomalous Phenomena have never confirmed those fairytales. On the other hand, we do not deny the possibility of other forms of life in the Sea of Azov,” the ufologist sad.

A spokesman for the Rostov-based zoo, Alexander Lipkovich, contacted local ichthyologists and asked their opinion about the Azov alien. “They said that the fish bears resemblance to a sturgeon. It was an extremely interesting individual. I have never seen anything like this before in my whole life,” the specialist said.

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov
Pravda.ru

Fire at Nightclub.

A Moscow night club caught fire. It is unfortunate. I enjoyed disco dancing at this particular club.


Night Club Fire

Again, I found this article from Pravda. Pravda is the greatest newspaper in the world.