Author Topic: Guess who's next. (Read 1339 times)

funkedup · « **Reply #30 on:** March 27, 2003, 06:26:42 PM »

"NOUN:
Inflected forms: pl. tau·tol·o·gies
1a. Needless repetition of the same sense in different words; redundancy. b. An instance of such repetition. 2. Logic An empty or vacuous statement composed of simpler statements in a fashion that makes it logically true whether the simpler statements are factually true or false; for example, the statement Either it will rain tomorrow or it will not rain tomorrow."

You said it was destabilized and that the US destabilized it. Obviously if they destabilized it then it is destabilized it. I guess I didn't see why that made item 15 humorous. I should have just asked "Explain the joke Pongo" but that doesn't sound as snooty.

funkedup · « **Reply #31 on:** March 27, 2003, 06:33:53 PM »

I like my map better anyways.

udet · « **Reply #32 on:** March 27, 2003, 06:36:47 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Boroda
Hang, Russian "mafia" is another fine myth.

Funny to see how intelligent people repeat all that crap.

instead of making silly accusations - why not just go and try to buy a Sovremenniy so you can go fishing with comfort?

in Russia, and throughout Eastern Europe, the Government IS the Mafia.

Hangtime · « **Reply #33 on:** March 27, 2003, 07:00:33 PM »

just a couple of months ago, i was out at gabreski airport moving snow to free a hanger access ramp. in the big suffolk county police hanger was a Colt AN-2 bipe in the process of being assembled. huge airplane btw.. seemed almost as big as a DC-3.

4 russians working on it.. foreman had a little english. we had lunch together, they really liked the whoppers i brought them.

anyway, the owner showed up, he gave me a tour of the plane.. seems he'd been trying to buy an AN-2 for 3 years, negotiating with a russian government approved source inside russia. endless red tape. he finally got a new 'agent'.. who located him a diffrent AN-2, in better shape, half the price; delivered and assembled here no extra charge. the new 'agent' was russian mafia connected.

so much for 'size' and dealing with the 'russian government'.

Arlo · « **Reply #34 on:** March 27, 2003, 07:34:24 PM »

I'm still baffled at the omission of the "Dutchy of Grand Fenwick". They have the football bomb and payback's a sweety after they defeated us during the cold war.

JB73 · « **Reply #35 on:** March 27, 2003, 09:21:43 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by funkedup
I like my map better anyways.

ROFLMAOPMPASTC !

(yes i love that "word") but that map is DMN funny!!!

Ripsnort · « **Reply #36 on:** March 27, 2003, 09:38:31 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Boroda
Hang, Russian "mafia" is another fine myth.

Quote

Redfellas

The growing power of Russia's mob

New Republic
By Claire Sterling

There are fifty ways of saying "to steal" in Russian, and the Russian mafia uses them all. It is the world's largest, busiest and possibly meanest collection of organized hoods, consisting of 5,000 gangs and 3 million people who work for or with them. Its reach extends into all fifteen of the former Soviet republics, across eleven time zones and one- sixth of the earth's land mass. It intrudes into every field of Western concern: the nascent free market, privatization, disarmament, military conversion, foreign humanitarian relief and financial aid, even state reserves of currency and gold. And it has begun to creep toward the restof Europe and the United States--"looking at the West as a wolf looks at sheep," a Russian crime specialist told me.

The Russian mafia is a union of racketeers without equal. Unlike the mafia in Sicily, which it admires and copies as a standard of excellence, it has no home seat or central command. There are no ancestral memories or common bloodlines. Nevertheless, its proliferating clans are invading every sphere of life, usurping political power, taking over state enterprises and fleecing natural resources. They are engaged in extortion, theft, forgery, armed assault, contract killing, swindling, drug running, arms smuggling, prostitution, gambling, loan sharking, embezzling, money laundering and black marketing--all on a monumental and increasingly international scale.

Rising from the ruins of the Soviet empire, the new mafia has far outclassed the one that flourished under Leonid Brezhnev. The mafia was Brezhnev's solution for a stifling centralized economy; it provided illicit goods and services by stealing from the state, buying protection, smuggling, cheating, bullying and bribing its way into the Kremlin. It was korruptsiya Communist-style, a shared monopoly of power between politicians and crooks. Liberated Russia deserved better. But the old politicians are still largely in place, yesterday's crooks are today's free entrepreneurs and korruptsiya, spreading uncontrollably as things fall apart, has become the curse of a stricken nation. "Corruption," Boris Yeltsin exclaimed last year, "is devouring the state from top to bottom."

In 1991, the year the Communists fell, the All-Union Research Institute of the Soviet Interior Ministry estimated that half the income of an average government functionary was coming from bribes, compared with only 30 percent before 1985. During the late 1980s the Soviet prosecutor- general's office indicted 225,000 state officials for embezzlement, including eighteen who worked for the government's Department to Combat Embezzlement. By 1991, 20,000 police officers were being fired yearly for collusion with the mafia--double the rate under Brezhnev. That same year, Alexander Gurov, head of the Soviet Interior Ministry's Sixth Department to Combat Organized Crime, estimated that four out of five agents in the ministry's militia were on the take.

These were merely symptoms of a malignant growth pervading the economy, the banking system and the body politic. It is common knowledge that millions of ordinary citizens steal state property, trade on the black market, swindle each other and buy or sell protection. Obviously they aren't all tied to the mob: Russia is so chaotic and broke that few people can stay honest and survive. Yet if not all lawbreakers are mafiosi, the mafia swims among them like a great predatory shark, recruiting some, exacting payoffs from others, frightening away rivals. Insatiable and seemingly invulnerable, it swallows factories, co-ops, private enterprises, real estate, raw materials, currency and gold: one- quarter of Russia's economy in 1991, between one-third and one-half by 1992.

Between 1989 and 1991, communism's twilight years, the mafia's take shot up from less than 1 billion rubles to 130 billion--the size of the Soviet national deficit. "In the next few years, its [gross] will reach 200 billion rubles," Gurov said in 1991. "Organized crime will then control 30 to 40 percent of the country's GNP."

Meanwhile, the mafia's kill rate has climbed to a world record. Once, Soviet leaders taunted America for its sixty-odd murders per day--a mark of capitalist depravity. By 1993 murders in the Russian republic alone ran to more than eighty per day. Many of the dead were victims of drunken brawls, armed robbery and gang warfare, but contract killings were increasingly popular: there were 1,500 in 1992. In 1993 ten directors of the country's largest commercial banks were murdered, presumably for failing to extend still more outrageous loans than those they had granted already. And a disturbing number of victims were policemen: nearly 1,000 between 1989 and 1992, according to Interpol Moscow.

By the start of 1992, soon after the Soviet Union's borders opened up, all of its institutions were gone, including those for law enforcement. The Soviet-wide Sixth Department, created by Mikhail Gorbachev three years earlier to fight organized crime, was dismantled along with all other nationwide bodies. No central authority remained to coordinate police intelligence, order arrests, control 36,000 miles of border or oversee the movement of people, money and goods. The only organization fully operational in the new Commonwealth of Independent States was the mafia.

The Russian mafia is richer by far than the forces of the law and much better equipped in weapons, communications systems and transport. Members are admitted only with a sponsor, and only after proving their valor by killing somebody on order, preferably a friend or relative-- exactly like their Sicilian counterparts. Once in, they risk its death penalties, communicate in a private jargon and flout the tattoos marking their eternal membership: a spider web for drug traffickers, an eight- point star for robbers, a broken heart for district bosses.

Ahh, but I'm sure this is just more investigative reporting by our Minister of propaganda

Glasses · « **Reply #37 on:** March 27, 2003, 09:59:58 PM »

Jappies and nukes I don't think so Mechs and Jappies yes! Look at Honda's Asimo that's what the Jappies will invest their economical might on building I kid you not! if they do we're all in Jappie trouble Hiyaaa!

AdmRose · « **Reply #38 on:** March 27, 2003, 10:28:42 PM »

Would you really want a position called "Mufti?"

Boroda · « **Reply #39 on:** March 28, 2003, 07:13:56 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by MrLars
I dunno. I spent 15 days in Moscow in '96 and we HAD to pay the local mafia for protection to keep our flat safe. The word was that if you didn't pay the flat would be burgled or have an invasion type of robery weekly until you did.

It wasn't a bad thing though, with the protection money they'd pay a guy to hang on your street corner with an automatic weapon to keep an eye on his block....and some old babushka to sweep the sidewalk with what looked like a witches broom.

Unlike Moscow the Kome Republic and specificaly Usinsk < sp >, where my job was there weren't any outward signs of the mafia.

But hey, maybe it wasn't a real mafia, they had the crooked noses and all but none that I saw drove Mercedes or had their own show on HBO.

Nice and funny

Who made you rent exactly that flat? Nice business

based on beliefs that are built up by Western fiction writers

Guys with crooked noses are Caucasians, probably selling flowers at the bazaar. They are usually very smart in leeching money, but most of them absolutely not dangerous and usually too scared of our beloved Militia ("Militia" is a Russian word for "police" reflects their real meaning: armed mob, or better maybe "legal armed bandit groups").

Guy with an AKSU is our beloved Militia officer, probably the most dangerous specie at the street.

Old woman sweeping sidewalk is a yardkeeper, who usually get free rooms in Moscow for such jobs. 3-4 years ago they got nice fancy uniforms instead of traditional rags they wore.

Very funny to see how distorted things are in the eyes of a scared foreigner

If you'll happen to be in Moscow again - drop me a line, I'll help you to avoid such stupid things. Leeching money from foreigners is a very old business here. For example, when me and Leonid (Grisha) went to the souvenir market at Arbat this summer, traders usually dropped their prices 3-4 times when they understood that I am Russian.

Boroda · « **Reply #40 on:** March 28, 2003, 07:22:52 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Hangtime
just a couple of months ago, i was out at gabreski airport moving snow to free a hanger access ramp. in the big suffolk county police hanger was a Colt AN-2 bipe in the process of being assembled. huge airplane btw.. seemed almost as big as a DC-3.

4 russians working on it.. foreman had a little english. we had lunch together, they really liked the whoppers i brought them. anyway, the owner showed up, he gave me a tour of the plane.. seems he'd been trying to buy an AN-2 for 3 years, negotiating with a russian government approved source inside russia. endless red tape. he finally got a new 'agent'.. who located him a diffrent AN-2, in better shape, half the price; delivered and assembled here no extra charge. the new 'agent' was russian mafia connected.

so much for 'size' and dealing with the 'russian government'.

Our government is our biggest enemy.

Hang, a friend of mine bought Yak-18T in Arseniev (Fer East) for a very small sum of money, maybe $2-3K. And he bought an An-2 for maybe the same amount of money, he only had to find a working engine (ASh-82IR, same model that was on I-16) almost for free at another airfield. He let personell at that ROSTO field to use An-2, and they arranged a pilot lisence training for free.

Things are much more based on personal relations here then in the West.

To Rip: your "report" is a very one-sided Western view on situation that results in sad "adventures" like MrLars had. We are just too much different.

fffreeze220 · « **Reply #41 on:** March 28, 2003, 07:24:53 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by devious
OMG look where the balkan states are !

Reminds me of a nice dialogue a buddy of mine had in the US:

"Where are you from ?"

"Germany."

"So, you got a car ?"

"Sure I got a car."

"How long did it take you to get here ?"

"Well, about 10 hours."

"That must have been one hell of a drive."

ROTFL

lol

A friend of mine was a host student after 10th degree.
He stood in the states for a year. When he arrived from germany, a friend of the family, he stood with, asked him if he took the ferry or the bridge from germany.

Little bit later the family gave hima tour around her house and explained him the dryer and laundry and mircowave. ROFL

A friend of the family greets him with the Hitler greeting pose. And asked if Hitler has still the power. ( That was meant serious) He told me that the friend was pretty shocked when he heare Hitler is dead since 60 years. MUHAHAAA

And the guys from the highshool asked him serious if we got cars and if we have laundrys and all that ROFL

My GF got asked by a Walmart cassier, after she showed her german ID card, what part of US Germany is. That was the best i could hardly hold my laughing and had to leave the shop as fast as i can.

I could go on and on with these storys.
At the preperation conferences from these companys who organise Host family's in the state. These storys made round after round.

MrLars · « **Reply #42 on:** March 28, 2003, 10:21:54 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Boroda
Nice and funny

Who made you rent exactly that flat? Nice business based on beliefs that are built up by Western fiction writers

The company I worked under contract with had people living in that flat for 14 months before I got there, the guys who collected the payoffs always came to their office for payment. I saw it first hand.[/B][/QUOTE]

Quote

Guys with crooked noses are Caucasians, probably selling flowers at the bazaar. They are usually very smart in leeching money, but most of them absolutely not dangerous and usually too scared of our beloved Militia ("Militia" is a Russian word for "police" reflects their real meaning: armed mob, or better maybe "legal armed bandit groups").

I had a run in w/ what I think was the militia once. I was filming in Red Square at about 11pm when 4 guys in trenchcoats showed up indicating they had assult weapons underneath. They explained to us that they didn't want us filming the street sweeper trucks working in the square.

The guy on my flats corner couldn't be recognised as a militiaman from his dress and my co-habitants had been incountry for 14 months, all the while paying off the 'Mafia' or 'Militiamen' or what ever you waht to call them.

Quote

Guy with an AKSU is our beloved Militia officer, probably the most dangerous specie at the street.

Old woman sweeping sidewalk is a yardkeeper, who usually get free rooms in Moscow for such jobs. 3-4 years ago they got nice fancy uniforms instead of traditional rags they wore.

Very funny to see how distorted things are in the eyes of a scared foreigner

That trip being my one and only trip to Russia I can see how my observations can be considered distorted in your eyes.

Quote

If you'll happen to be in Moscow again - drop me a line, I'll help you to avoid such stupid things. Leeching money from foreigners is a very old business here. For example, when me and Leonid (Grisha) went to the souvenir market at Arbat this summer, traders usually dropped their prices 3-4 times when they understood that I am Russian.

Not likely to happen unless there's another large land based oil spill...hope it never happens for lots of reasons. Having to spend 6 days in the Novatel near the airport while customs was trying to figure out what to do with me and my video equipment wasn't fun. Three weeks of negotiations got me nowhere, then my new interpreter went to the airport with me and two boxes of chocolate a bottle of champaign and 5 minutes later I was on my way with my equipment. Turned out that my interpreter was from the same small town and went to school with the lady behind the cage. Best $50 I ever spent

I have a few stories about our crew and their, ummmm, interaction with the locals in Usinsk bars....for another time maybe.

Boroda · « **Reply #43 on:** March 28, 2003, 12:09:35 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by MrLars
The company I worked under contract with had people living in that flat for 14 months before I got there, the guys who collected the payoffs always came to their office for payment. I saw it first hand.

Someone probably joked. People who have apartment for rent never collect fee for "security". Maybe if you lived in a fancy "Council of Ministers" of "commercial" apartment house they took extra fee for a security guard at the entrance. This has nothing to do with mafia - it's just another prestigious sign of wealth.

Quote

Originally posted by MrLars

I had a run in w/ what I think was the militia once. I was filming in Red Square at about 11pm when 4 guys in trenchcoats showed up indicating they had assult weapons underneath. They explained to us that they didn't want us filming the street sweeper trucks working in the square.

I didn't know such things happened in 1995. In late-80s such things were common. I don't know, I made enough pictures at Red Square when I moved from Leningrad in 1982

Quote

Originally posted by MrLars

The guy on my flats corner couldn't be recognised as a militiaman from his dress and my co-habitants had been incountry for 14 months, all the while paying off the 'Mafia' or 'Militiamen' or what ever you waht to call them.

He was probably just an armed guard from some security agency. As I said - a sign of wealth. We call them "somosovets" (Somoza's men) because their uniforms are similiar to the ones Somoza's guerillas wore, shown on TV in the 80s.

The only thing that's strange is that he hat an automat - usually they have shotguns, and only several times I saw bank guards with Kedr 9mm SMGs.

Quote

Originally posted by MrLars

That trip being my one and only trip to Russia I can see how my observations can be considered distorted in your eyes.

Well, the whole life here has a serious scent of absurdity

But it's fun

And it's interesting how the things you usually don't pay attention to look from foreigner's POV.

Quote

Originally posted by MrLars

Not likely to happen unless there's another large land based oil spill...hope it never happens for lots of reasons. Having to spend 6 days in the Novatel near the airport while customs was trying to figure out what to do with me and my video equipment wasn't fun. Three weeks of negotiations got me nowhere, then my new interpreter went to the airport with me and two boxes of chocolate a bottle of champaign and 5 minutes later I was on my way with my equipment. Turned out that my interpreter was from the same small town and went to school with the lady behind the cage. Best $50 I ever spent

Our Customs are the worst prettythangholes, sharing the first place with Militia. I can tell you some stories about Sheremetyevo cargo customs. They are leeches. Any customs officer must be sent to jail after 2 years of work - it's enough to earn 10 years in labour camp.

Quote

Originally posted by MrLars

I have a few stories about our crew and their, ummmm, interaction with the locals in Usinsk bars....for another time maybe.

Well, maybe it's because I always lived in big cities, but I'll be afraid to go boothing to an unknown bar in province. You are foreigners, so in 99% you'll just draw attention from some drunken guys who'll want to teach you how to drink vodka and try to ask some silly questions (if they still can talk). Only maybe 1% can be dangerous if you'll meet someone who's fixed on "bloody yankees killing poor /*insert nation here*/. But more likely they'll just ask you if you think Bush is a bastart, and if you'll not agree they'll pour one more and try to persuade you using gesture language

MrLars · « **Reply #44 on:** March 28, 2003, 12:24:20 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Boroda
Well, maybe it's because I always lived in big cities, but I'll be afraid to go boothing to an unknown bar in province. You are foreigners, so in 99% you'll just draw attention from some drunken guys who'll want to teach you how to drink vodka and try to ask some silly questions (if they still can talk). Only maybe 1% can be dangerous if you'll meet someone who's fixed on "bloody yankees killing poor /*insert nation here*/. But more likely they'll just ask you if you think Bush is a bastart, and if you'll not agree they'll pour one more and try to persuade you using gesture language

The grief we got from the locals was mostly because their young women were paying so much attention to us. I, being from Santa Barbara, Ca., became somewhat of a celebrity because of the popularity of the soap opera "Santa Barbara'. Anytime I went out to a bar I made sure I wore a Santa Barbara tee shirt or polo. I found myself in a booth with some of the most beautiful well dressed women I've ever seen in any country more than once;)

I had fun while I was there...going off road in a URAL was among my most memorable experiences.