The "News" thread.

[Buster's Uncle]

And they're not going to overcome the whole distastefulness issue with remote-control warfare any time soon, either.

Wasn't Sikorsky Russian?

[JarlWolf]

Yes- but he immigrated to America during the reign of the provisionals; before the Bolshevik revolutionary front took power.

Even so, helicopter gunships have always been a fairly focused part of the technological development here. The Hip, Hind, Hokum/Kamov, and for troop transports you always have the Kasatka...

Helicopters are fairly important in Russian military doctrine as we need mobile forces that can deliver firepower to respond to threats, and stay to pacify/support area's. While America uses it's airforce more for quick strikes and bombardment.

[Buster's Uncle]

John Boehner: "It's Boner. Boner."

John Boehner gets in on the joke about his name
"It's Boner."
Chris Moody, Yahoo News
By Chris Moody, Yahoo News  1 hour ago



John Boehner (ABC News)


Childhood surely wasn't easy for young John Boehner, who one images faced a tornado of teasing from kids who willfully mispronounced his name. His family pronounces it "Bayner."

But shed no tears for the gentleman from Ohio, because these days, as the most powerful member of the House of Representatives, he's clearly taking it in stride. When a reporter accidentally referred to him as "Mr. Camp" during a press conference on Thursday, Boehner played along.

"It's 'Boner,'" he replied before the reporter could correct himself. "Boner."

Even in adulthood, as this 1991 video shows, his own colleagues mispronounced his name.


John Boehner Name Fail


And so have members of the media.


Joy Behar: Presumptive Speaker Of The House "John Boner"


http://news.yahoo.com/john-boehner-pronunciation-194225620.html

John Boehner Confirms, "It's Boner. Boner."

[Geo]

Over here, the 'oe' sound is more pronounced like a long 'u'. "Buhner" is what I'd say.

[Buster's Uncle]

You do get the joke, though?

[JarlWolf]

It has penetrated my humour, yes.

[Buster's Uncle]

Hah!

...

I'd be interested in a Russian's perspective about what's going on in the Ukraine...

[JarlWolf]

I find the situation there is fairly chaotic. Yanukovych in my eyes is a relative coward and a man who has not been doing his job properly. HOWEVER; Ukraine is a nation that is mixed in it's views when it comes to being close to my country and that of the EU. And to be honest I think that the EU is not going to support Ukraine and the socio-economic issues properly as it would with a Russian partnership, and here is why;

The European Union is run by relatively aristocratic intellectuals. Men and women who have issues with averaging the economy and the fact is the EU is being plagued by problems of nations who did not have good controls over their economy, like Greece and Spain, joining their union and causing the rest to pour resources into these nations, who have been sinking into debt. Likewise nations who do have good systems setup, like semi-Socialist nations of Sweden, Norway and others have had their social controls removed from many fronts on their economy, including pharmaceuticals and healthcare and its lead to suffering in their respective nations ever since the EU has forced liberalization on them.

The EU is bound to fail and already crumbling. And while I cannot say my own nation has its own problems of corruption, my country and its allies/cooperators have a fair bit of economic growth; and the fact is MOST Ukrainians are fairly hospitable and have a bond with their Russian neighbours. Most Ukrainians speak Russian either as a first or a fluent second language. The European Union on the other hand is known to have not treated other Eastern European nationals with respect and there has been ethnic tensions both due to immigrants from outside Europe (Moroccans and Turks) as well as Eastern Europeans who come for work.

Ukrainians are right to evict a coward who has not been doing his job right. I applaud them for standing up to an oligarch who has been using his country like a parasite.

But I fear Ukraine could be shifted into a calamitous joke such as the EU because of economic bribes within their gov't. Sure, you could say Putin tried to bribe Yanukovych earlier to stay within Russian sphere of influence, which led to that tension; but the thing is people voted him in because they do not want to join the EU. The feeling is as strong as much as they wanted a truly democratic gov't. Its just a shame he was a coward and incompotent as a democratic leader.

In my eyes, Ukraine needs to focus on stabilizing its gov't first and not side with either the EU or Russia. It should keep a healthy neutral policy to both -for now. But on the flip side, Ukraine is also a strong ally, and will be for the foreseeable future, to my country. The EU is not to be trusted and their economic crumbling and tensions is evidence of that, they are evidence of what neo-liberalization does to nations, if we hadn't had enough evidence with African nations alone...

[Buster's Uncle]

Would you agree that tanks getting involved in politics is unfortunate?

[JarlWolf]

You mean by that of my country getting involved militarily?

It would be unfortunate but for the reason of its an issue which could've been easily avoided.

I don't think Ukraine is going to need us to move in to support her. I can tell you right now that our gov't is not very friendly with Yanukovych; the gov't might see him as the current legitimate ruler but that does not mean they see him as a competent leader or administrator of Ukraine. Russia will intervene if the chaos in Ukraine becomes too much and it becomes both a security threat to both the safety of Ukraine and that of my country.

If anything we'd go in as a peacekeeping force so things don't erupt in civil war, which may happen.

And I really hope Ukraine does not end up in civil war; that's the last thing it needs...

Edit: You also have to realize that while the population is discontented with Yanukovych, its also not very pleased with the gov't as a whole. Your media may have painted the Ukrainian gov't as an agreeing force with her people, but the reality is far different. The Ukrainian gov't has been steadily accepting EU bribes and economic nudges towards the EU, but people feel threatened by the EU. When Yanukovych accepted the 15 billion from our Gov't however, there was a huge ripple affect on the bought out gov't, and im not saying he was noble, far from it, but he did his action openly unlike the others. And combine his poor leadership and bad response to the protestors things got out of hand. The Ukrainian people do not want to shift towards an EU dominated economy; the only thing they want of the EU is more stable relations so they can work in some of the nation's that need the labour, not to be in their unstable union. When it comes to actual economic relations and trading partnerships, most Ukrainians feel much more familiar and comfortable with Russia and other Eastern European bloc.

[Buster's Uncle]

You know, I'm worried that it'll end up being Georgia all over again.

Would you say yours is a fairly typical Russian POV?

I'm asking a lot of questions 'cause, as everyone knows, my country is terrible at world news.  I'm interested in understanding other perspectives.  I'd love to hear from citizens of other countries, too - I'm looking at you, Geo.

[JarlWolf]

You know, I'm worried that it'll end up being Georgia all over again.

Would you say yours is a fairly typical Russian POV?

I'm asking a lot of questions 'cause, as everyone knows, my country is terrible at world news.  I'm interested in understanding other perspectives.  I'd love to hear from citizens of other countries, too - I'm looking at you, Geo.

My point of view is of a man who knows how things work. I know my country is no saint; and I do not defend her when she does a crime. I've been done with being a tool to be used and discarded like that...

No, my point of view is of what big oligarchies and corrupt powers that run the EU and my own gov't are like. I know the situation in Ukraine as I know Ukrainians.

I do not think it'll become like "another Georgia." Georgia had direct threats to my country's security and we invaded and occupied them. They beckoned us with a threat and we responded. Ukraine on the other hand is in an unstable situation and she needs to stabilize and not be preyed upon by vultures. Vultures that are both Russian oligarchs or European neo-liberalists.

What I fear Ukraine may end up into, worst scenario is it might be a civil war where we'll be forced to draw our hand to stabilize a region. It'll pain a lot of Russians and Ukrainians and be a miserable affair to see such a close friend be in such a horrid state, just because of corruption within a gov't.

I hope Ukraine can stabilize their gov't and settle down the violence, otherwise I fear escalation is going to occur...

Edit: I misunderstood you question I think; A typical Russian point of view is similar to mine, but more on just ending the violence so things can stabilize. I'm along the lines that not only that, but Ukraine should be neutral to both parties in the meantime.

[Buster's Uncle]

Well, I was sorta asking how similar your views are to what they're saying in the news.  I don't know if you're getting out enough to have a feel for what the neighbors think, but what how they're reporting it on TV tends to reflect how the establishment is thinking...

[JarlWolf]

Ah, you are wondering how my news is broadcasting....

Well in that case:

EU is bad and deplorable and should not be trusted by Ukrainians (especially due to uncovered government agreements), Yanukovych is a sketchy [progeny of unmarried parents], Ukraine should stick to their friends (Russia) and there is huge concern over the violence. That is how the Russian media with its bias is telling it.

In yours I am guessing its painting my country as a big brute waiting to roll in with the tanks so we subjugate Ukraine.

[Buster's Uncle]

Yes.  That's about the size of it.  -Also, Putin is the Devil, or at least the second coming of the tsars.  Mind you, they're still just as interested in Chris Christy causing traffic jams, this being the insular US press.  Foreign news just doesn't tend to rate unless the body count gets really high and the bodies are white.  And anything to do with Russia is going to tend to be tainted by memories of the cold war, especially the disappointment in --- Putin as perceived to be an incarnation of the bad old days after we'd hoped that was all over.

I dunno, though; it's not the same as if some crazy chaotic crap was going on in Mexico (which in Mexico is known as Lunes, alas) and Bakrama sent in the peacekeeping troops; Mexico was never part of the US (except for the half we stole in the 1840s, and kept to this day) just twenty-some years ago, and it's not the same sort of relationship at all.

I still wish soldiers weren't involved.  I daresay that the intervention in progress looks at least a little precipitous, and makes you guys look bad.  On a 9reasonably international) forum I browse, one fellow is asserting that it's literally the same deal as Hitler occupying the Sutenland.  So there's that.  It's better to discuss calmly and actually try to get at the truth, which wanting to win the argument tends to interfere with.