Questions For Our Russian Friends

[Roubignol]

Originally Posted by bloke57

I think there have been similar practices here - what we call the "gig" economy. Only in recent times have there been challenges in court that have led the government to consider more protections for workers in these sectors.

Even before that, unrealistic claims were made about what you might earn in some jobs that rely on commissions etc. Only possible if you worked a zillion hours a week.

How long will it last until we, the common people, will tell: "That's enough. Life is not what you (the leaders of the economy) propose to us."

Take the time to watch this little cartoon

[Mosco Vito]

Originally Posted by xyzde69

How long will it last until we, the common people, will tell: "That's enough. Life is not what you (the leaders of the economy) propose to us."

Take the time to watch this little cartoon

Statements by Russian politicians and officials are either blatant impudence or absolute ignorance of the real situation in the country. The other day, the head of the Russian State Bank said that Russian pensioners are poor because they do not know how to save money and invest. The salary of this official is about 38,000 dollars per month. Moscow pensioner receives 400 - 500 dollars per month (in the province of pension even less). If you don't have bread, eat cake.

[Roubignol]

Originally Posted by rupertramjet

Nope that is true! But they put you in a freezer instead! Our gulags stopped in the 19th Century, Russia closed hers in the 1970;s!

In France in 1953.

Originally Posted by Estreeter

Were you ever belted at school

Originally Posted by palo5

No. Were you?

I was. In rural Switzerland, about 40 years ago, we (my friends and I) were slapped with a stick on the ass by old teachers borned in the beginning of the XXth century.
I'm not sure it was a good teaching system.
But educationally speaking, if it was done for good reasons and not too brutally, it was not that horrible.


Now I've got several questions.

Which foreign languages do you learn at school?
Are your schools programs national or departmental?

You get among the best mathematicians and physicists in the planet, is it because your school programs insist a lot on these branches or that has nothing to do?

Is it correct that during the USSR time, you had to play chess at school?

[Arturo2nd]

Originally Posted by Mosco Vito

Statements by Russian politicians and officials are either blatant impudence or absolute ignorance of the real situation in the country. The other day, the head of the Russian State Bank said that Russian pensioners are poor because they do not know how to save money and invest. The salary of this official is about 38,000 dollars per month. Moscow pensioner receives 400 - 500 dollars per month (in the province of pension even less). If you don't have bread, eat cake.

So it appears that the United States and Russia have quite a bit in common. Our politicians don't shop for their groceries either.

[Mosco Vito]

Originally Posted by Brian249x

So it appears that the United States and Russia have quite a bit in common. Our politicians don't shop for their groceries either.

It seems to me the policies of all countries are the same. They live in their world, they are a special caste. Their only function is to twaddle to the naive populace.

[Rogerbh]

I am kinda wondering why the Russian government is telling its people to prepare for nuclear war with the US. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...cid=spartandhp

This article is the first I have heard of this warning. I don't know anyone in the US who gives two shits about Syria or if Assad uses chemical weapons on his own people. I don't know anyone who gives a shit about what Trump says about it either. So he may order some missile strikes on Syrian bases launching chemical attacks. None of us think it will stop the chemical attacks or that anyone will do much about it either.

It seems much like a poker bluff.

I understand some Russians are upset about their mercenaries getting killed in Syria, but what did they expect? Hell, Trump has already said he wants to pull out of Syria, why would you cause us to stay there? N Vietnam waited for the US military to get out of S Vietnam before they overran it. You would think that Assad/Putin would similarly wait.

[bad_horse]

Originally Posted by Rogerbh

I am kinda wondering why the Russian government is telling its people to prepare for nuclear war with the US.

Because US threatens Russia.
In general, we always knew it and was always ready to it.

[bloke57]

Originally Posted by bad_horse

Because US threatens Russia.
In general, we always knew it and was always ready to it.

My question is why is Russia so keen to support Assad - even to the point of risking a greater conflict?

Is it just a matter of honour (i.e. Russia promised to support him and will therefore not break its word) or is there any big economic or ethnic consideration?

I genuinely don't understand.

[Roubignol]

Originally Posted by bloke57

My question is why is Russia so keen to support Assad - even to the point of risking a greater conflict?

Is it just a matter of honour (i.e. Russia promised to support him and will therefore not break its word) or is there any big economic or ethnic consideration?

I genuinely don't understand.

That's what I read on French wikipedia and google translated for you. (Palo5 or Mosco Vito will tell if these informations are wrong.)

Russia supports the Syrian regime for a number of reasons:

for strategic reasons (it wants to keep its only Mediterranean naval base at Tartous, which permanently hosts ships from the Russian military fleet);

for internal reasons (fears that the Arab Spring is spreading in Russia);

for reasons of principle (Russia is traditionally opposed to any right of interference, its line is to oppose any foreign military intervention aimed at overthrowing a regime in power, even for humanitarian reasons); or

for reasons of interest (Russia is Syria's largest arms supplier, 75% of Syrian arms come from Russia).
Russians are more worried about a loss of business opportunities in Syria, the country is in 2011 their fourth most lucrative market with $ 700 million in sales.
In 2012, however, Moscow claims to deliver only anti-aircraft weapons to Syria, saying it would no longer conclude new arms deals with Syria before stabilizing the situation.
Russia also has the largest Muslim minority in Europe and wants to counter the influence of jihadism. Marked by the wars in Chechnya and several attacks, it fears an Islamist rise linked to the formation of a pan-Islamic front that extends from the Caucasus to the eastern borders of the Commonwealth of Independent States and Central Asia, as well as weakening of Iran in the geopolitical balance of the Middle East.
She also seeks to portray herself as a protector of Eastern Orthodox Christians and as a reliable ally who does not let go of her partners. In addition, it designs its military operations in Syria as a good training for its aerospace troops and a way to test and value modern Russian weaponry in real combat conditions.

Would Syrian war be already over, if foreign actors had not put their fingers in a Civilian war?

[Mosco Vito]

There are two points of view on this problem (Russia in Syria). Some believe that Putin came to Syria to pressure Turkey on the construction of the gas pipeline. As proof of this opinion is that the Russian troops mostly fought not with ISIS but with Pro-Turkish militants. Thus, Putin seemed to be an expression of the interests of the Russian resourse oligarchy. Alternative opinion. An unstable society always needs an enemy-internal and external. That the population was distracted from real problems or believed that it lives badly because of intrigues of enemies. It's an old scheme. Internal enemy appointed opposition, which" rocking the boat", that is, opposes Putin. The external enemy is the West, first of all the USA. The war in Syria is a kind of show for the Russian citizen. This war seem to justify the hard life of Russian. The war continues, the Russian people believe TV, and Putin plays the role of a tough guy.