Dear friends,
I have plenty of things to report to you today, and a few things I would ask you to help me with.
Blog news:
For the next few days, the blog will go into “minimal” mode and barring some kind of major development, I don’t intend to post much. For Orthodox Christians this week is Passion Week, Sunday will be Holy Paskha (“Easter” in western parlance) and next week Bright Week. This is *by far* the biggest religious celebration of the year, far outshining all the others and over the next few days I will spend a lot of time in church and making preparations for this event. God willing, I will resume normal bogging on Tuesday of next week.
In the meantime, please feel free to use this post as an “Open Thread” to chat about whatever you like.
Some blog news: the three new volunteer research assistants I have hired are making very fast progress and next week I hope to begin letting them post Ukraine SITREPs directly on the blog. Working with them has been great, as they are all very sharp and I am sure that you will appreciate their great work. They are also very nice and fun people, and I have encouraged them to join into the conversations in comments sections and I am sure that you will get to know and appreciate them as much as I do.
I have asked my webmaster to add a new section to the blog entitled “The Saker Sandbox” which will be like my own little “open thread” where I can post thoughts and rants about all sorts of topics which would have no place in a “proper” blog. I just feel like sharing more personal stuff with you all in the hope that some of you will reciprocate and we can get to know each other better. But, buyer beware, this will not be a “serious” section at all, rather just a place to babble and chatter :-)
The Saker blog and community will now have an active presence of Facebook and VKontakte thanks to the efforts of one of my research assistants (I am still personally “allergic” to the social media, but I am delighted that somebody will do that for me!).
I can announce to you that I am working on two *major* projects related to Serbia and Serbian history. The first one will provide the blog with a regular Serbian “presence” combining SITREPs and historical analyses. the second one will be my participation in a major event this summer and early fall. I am in contact with some very good Serbian friends who will play a key role in making it all happen. The main goal of both of these projects it to restore the historical truth about grossly mis-represented events and work towards an Orthodox-Muslim “truth and reconciliation” initiative. We will begin with Serbia, but we will hopefully soon extend that effort into Russia too. I know I am being vague, but at this point all I want to share with you is that there is a *lot* of behind the scenes stuff happening and that you can look forward to some very interesting and timely events.
The International Observatory of the Ukrainian Conflict has invited me to participate in a conference which will take place in the Donbass this summer. Since I do not have the means to travel that far, I will probably participate via a video address. This seems to be a very interesting project and I will report in much more details about that here in the near future.
Finally, the representative of our community has made it to Moscow and has left for Novorussia (via Rostov). I have had no news from her yet, but I hope to be able to update you on her progress very soon.
Where I need help:
Community member in need:
First, the lady who has worked on all the transcripts of my podcasts is going through some financial difficulties. She is retired, lives on a minimal income and has a very hard time making ends meet. She has spent countless hours transcribing my podcasts, as a moderator for the blog, and she now also transcribes other materials such as my Q&A with Sheikh Imran Hosein.
Since I cannot help her myself, I thought I would use this blog to do two things:
1) Ask for collection of funds to help her out in the short: please send me donation and please indicate “for AC” (please remember that, this is very important)
2) Advertise to you all her services: if you can hire her (for real pay, not like me) to do any kind of work which she could do from home over her computer, please email me and I will put you in contact. I can highly recommend her as an very effective, kind, honest, hard working and dedicated person.
I am sorry to pester you with money issues, but since you have specifically asked me to do so (see the Saker Blog survey) I will do so even if I hate it and feel self-conscious every time: not only do I personally depend on your donations to make ends meet and not sink further into debt, but there are also volunteers who are also in a precarious financial situation, sometimes even much worse than mine (some volunteers are doing very well, this is why I don’t have a “volunteer” fund, something I considered initially: some need help, some don’t need – or want – it at all. Hence the case by case appeals I make here). Maybe this is immodest, but I do sincerely believe that our community offers a unique a top quality service to everybody totally free of charge, and I therefore think that it is not unreasonable for me to remind you all that every single person who worked on this and the other blogs of our community has bills to pay every month. So please help us if you can. If not – then just say a prayer for us :-)
We need more moderators:
In the survey you have given very high levels of appreciation for the work of the moderators. They are, indeed, doing a great job. Alas, there are still too few of them. If you can spare a few hours a day or even week, but on a regular basis, please email my webmaster at saker-webmaster@yandex.com (he also moderates and is in contact with the person in charge of the moderator team).
Russian Saker Team and Russian Translation Team crisis:
The person in charge of the Russian Saker Team has suffered a serious health problem and cannot work right now. In fact, I have only received one single email from that person. To make things worse, this person was also in charge of the Russian Translation Translation Team. God willing, this person will fully recover, but right now I have three urgent problems:
a) I need to get in touch with the Russian Saker Team
b) I need to get in touch with the Russian Saker Translation Team
c) I need to find new Russian to English translators
If you are a member of the Russian Saker Team, the Russian Saker Translation Team or if you can help us by translating Russian texts into English – please email me ASAP at either vineyardsaker@gmail.com or thesaker@unseen.is (or, better, both).
Since I don’t know if I will post anything more before Sunday’s Feast of the Holy Paskha, I want to leave you all with the words of Saint John Chrysostome which are traditionally read during the Paskhal Matins because they convey the spiritual meaning of that day for Orthodox Christians.
The Saker
+++++++
Sermon of Saint John Chrysostome, Archbishop of Constantinople
Saint John Chrysostome
If any man be devout and love God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast. If any man be a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord. If any have labored long in fasting, let him now receive his recompense. If any have wrought from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If any have come at the third hour, let him with thankfulness keep the feast. If any have arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; because he shall in nowise be deprived thereof. If any have delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near, fearing nothing. If any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness; for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor, will accept the last even as the first; he gives rest unto him who comes at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who has wrought from the first hour.
And he shows mercy upon the last, and cares for the first; and to the one he gives, and upon the other he bestows gifts. And he both accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering. Wherefore, enter you all into the joy of your Lord; and receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second. You rich and poor together, hold high festival. You sober and you heedless, honor the day. Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.
Enjoy ye all the feast of faith: Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness. let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shown forth from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Savior’s death has set us free. He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it. By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive. He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry: Hell, said he, was embittered, when it encountered Thee in the lower regions. It was embittered, for it was abolished. It was embittered, for it was mocked. It was embittered, for it was slain. It was embittered, for it was overthrown. It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains. It took a body, and met God face to face. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.
O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns. Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.
your proposals and arrangements, future projects sound just fine and dandy-my very best wishes also for Easter-my personal feelings are that Jesus must be weeping so much for the state of the world, the lives uselessly lost, the suffering of so many innocents, the struggle that truth and justice have against such an onslaught.from those only concerned with their ego.
His compassion knows no bounds, if only so many of our human race could have and use even a miniscule percentage of such that He has.
JJ,
if you were omniscient (and good) would you cry about things or try to do something about it (especially if you were also omnipotent)?
Please see further details at http://www.churchcouncil.org/iccp_org/Document_Articles_Eugene_Clingman/Topic_05_Omniscience_by_Eugene_Clingman.htm
Dear The Saker,
Wishing you all the very best for Holy Paskha. Rest, pray, prepare and be with your family.
The Saker sandbox sounds good. Noted on all your other raised points, where I can help I will try to do so.
Christ is risen indeed.
Rgds,
Veritas
Q: The lady in financial difficulties -” Advertise to you all her services” -Maybe I missed it, but what are those services? Does she do translations? E.g. Russian and English?
Also:
An interesting update on Ukrainian Valentina Lisitsa:
“Despite being at the centre of a controversy that has triggered a flurry of online commentary, Valentina Lisitsa will perform with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra as scheduled, the group said Wednesday.
“Whether or not one agrees with Ms. Lisitsa’s political views, at this time at the CPO, our agreement with her is as a guest artist, to perform Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto with our orchestra in June,” Heather Slater, the orchestra’s director of artistic planning told The Canadian Press.”
http://www.680news.com/2015/04/08/tso-cancels-rachmaninoff-concerto-after-pianist-let-go-over-offensive-tweets/
Calgary is in Alberta, Canada and Alberta is home to many Ukrainians and those of Ukrainian descent.e.g. Vegreville and the giant egg. it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
It’s playing out on reddit because PUTLER!!!!
Is that satire or grammatically deficient ignorance? Shouting with exclamation marks tends to indicate the latter, so I suggest you qualify your comment with some explanation.
Here’s RT’s interview with Valentina Lisitsa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6ZiFErxRMg
Glad to hear this. And the Toronto Community is supposed to be oh so hip and free speech and gay rights and politically correct….This is in the heart of Ukrainian country- Canada feel GOOD! Never mind the spin doctors.s I said it would happen. Once you start banning artists especially one’s as accomplished as Lisitsta’s people start speaking out.
RR
RockyRacoon
And the Toronto Community is supposed to be oh so hip and free speech and gay rights and politically correct
That’s the problem. Usually all that means in the modern, 21st century zionised west, is they are the rachel maddow set, IE: “liberal” zionazis. :D
transcribing
In defense of Ukrainain Canadians. I am not Ukrainian to make this clear from the start.
Ive lived & worked in Alberta and met some of the nicest people you could imagine. By chance they were Ukrainian.
They were the best employers and most caring of any employers I ever had.
I want to caution anyone to demonize all Ukrainian Canadians just as demonizing all Russians makes me want to vomit.
This could be a dangerous knee Jerk reaction. Dont forget that the media in canada is controlled by the same Anglo Zionist Lobby. Example
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izzy_Asper Canada’s Media Mogul. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-1-55468-089-4.
Source http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/08/business/israel-h-asper-71-creator-of-media-giant-in-canada.html
” On one hand, Mr. Asper won wide respect by parlaying a single television station he acquired with partners in 1975 into CanWest Global Communications, which owns Canada’s Global television network and more than 60 newspapers, including The National Post and the main English-language papers in Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver. CanWest also controls broadcast operations in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. …
But Mr. Asper’s critics accused him of undermining Canadian culture by flooding this nation’s living rooms with American sitcoms. Mr. Asper, a strong supporter of Israel and of the Liberal Party in Canada, was also accused by critics of imposing his political views on CanWest’s media outlets. ” “CanWest Global expanded in 2001 by buying several stations in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. A few months later it acquired the Southam newspaper chain from the Hollinger Group of Conrad Black for $2.2 billion, including a half-interest in The National Post, a paper Mr. Black started in 1998 to challenge The Globe and Mail, which is based in Toronto. CanWest took full control of The National Post”
Therefore the news as it is twisted in Canada is served with an extreme anti and unfair Russian slant, created to boil anyone’s blood, but especially to P off Ukrainian Canadians and manipulate them as a voting block into supporting US Anglo-Zionist sanctions against Russia.
Its the old Anglo Zionist divide, conquer & play different parties against each-other for political manipulation purposes.
many Canadian Ukrainians, however not all.. are being manipulated into Russia hatred.
I therefore caution to judge the entire Ukrainian Canadian community based on some misguided , misinformed & manipulated members of their community. Many “Ukies” as we called them in High-school, are very nice people who remember terrible stories of Stalins atrocities during Soviet times. That & the multiple famines is why many fled the Ukraine for Canada.
“An Orthodox-Muslim “truth and reconciliation” initiative that will begin with Serbia.” Interesting!
And rather unlikely, thanks to all those foreign-controlled “muslim” Nazis there, incuding foreign mercenaries, “instructors” etc. See Kosovo, see Bosnia which is still a UN protectorate.
Of course “we the people” actually always came along well, it was always just the fifth-column and corrupt politicians that produced all the troubles. I grew up almost without any awareness of religion, we were a communist country. Although the family usually had its traditions, the younger generations saw it as mere nuisance. It was a different mindset in the majority, nationalism would have been in its very last generation if the war wasn’t pushed onto us. “Just in time” for the occupiers, it was their last chance and they took it.
T2015…are you Serbian ? And Flor are you too ?
No, but I have family there and of course have been there often too.
We had no real separation in the old communist Yugo, it was a federation and noone cared about individual states back then.
I wish you all the best and to your dear family to celebrate the Holy Paskha and all of the events connected to the Orthodox Easter holiday
I’m looking forward to your Serbian “projects”. Something terrible is happening with our Serbian brothers. Recently Serbian government appointed Tony Blair – a war criminal who bombed Serbia – as an adviser. Then they made an agreement with NATO to allow their equipment and troops to be transferred through Serbian territory.
All this is like a spit in face of Russia. Not only Serbia now making agreements with NATO criminals who bombed Yugoslavia, this also means that in case of war, Serbian territory of course will also be used to attack Russia. And to add insult to injury US ambassador to Serbia called Serbian people “schizophrenic” on TV because “their heart is in the East”. And shockingly there is no protest, nor revolt, nor anything like that in Serbia.
P.S. Saker, make an interview with Dragoslav Bokan. He reads and supports you.
Why do any serbian not have wisdom to take out that dog of a war criminal tony liar Blair?
The world woukd rejoice when that Blair face is smashed into pieces.
Why is he allowed to live?
That is the cause enough for international community to attack him and the country which gives him shelter.
For this very reason, our media kept it almost in a complete silence. Up to the point the visit was over. He also didn’t make any public appearances. And after the visit there was protests in the center of Belgrade.
See here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba-8aLxC98Y
[ message deleted about Blair ]
FarAwayObserver: Moderators shouldn’t have to remind you of this: do not threaten anyone via this blog, whether in jest or not.
That’s quite a stupid question. First, who should do it in your opinion? Which private person would risk his/her life for such a lowly worm?
Would you go out and kill the traitors in your country? How many have you killed so far?
All that stupidity aside, Blair himself only comes by from time to time for a short visit, he himself is of course neither there nor actually working anything. There are some two dozens of “advisors” from his gang, err, team there from what I read in the serbian press.
You must posess telepathy?!
These are exactly my thoughts as well.
1) Ask for collection of funds to help her out in the short: please send me donation and please indicate “for AC” (please remember that, this is very important)
Done
Hello everybody!
We are now in Facebook, enjoy our page.
Here is the link.
https://www.facebook.com/thevineyardsaker
Lovely prayer…thank you for sharing. The resurrection is the more important to Christianity than the birth it should be celebrated even more.
RR
” The main goal of both of these projects it to restore the historical truth about grossly mis-represented events and work towards an Orthodox-Muslim “truth and reconciliation” initiative. ”
God knows we need help on both of these fronts and i am glad that you will be involved. I must admit that you have more than piqued my interest. But patience is a virtue and i will exercise it ’till fall.
Beware of the regime bot army in Serbia.
Happy holy festival to you Saker and your Family.
May God keep you all well and hearty.
With best wishes.
I hope for a peaceful festivity without false flag ussa aggression.Remain watchful at all times however.
Many Blessings,
XbNB
Great to hear you will shed some light on Serbia on this blog.
History of Serbia is long and turbulent, but sadly, it’s almost non existent in history schoolbooks around the world. Even in the topics that are thought in every school (like WW1 and WW2) there is no mention of Serbia.
There is, however, information on more recent history (90s) about Serbia in the western media/books, but most of it can be named a “textbook example on how to demonize a country and her people”.
The topic of Orthodox VS Muslims in Serbia and in surrounding countries is also very important. Especially cases like Srebrenica, with it’s ever-growing number of victims. At this tempo it will reach 100 000 in a decade. Like reporting on Russian army in Ukraine – first it started with hundreds of troops fighting covertly and grew with every report up to 12 000 at this point. (Will probably be around 25k after next Ukie defeat.)
I expect a major storm of attacks in comments if you try to ‘touch’ the numbers that were thrown out by CNN and BBC and the such. That became ‘sacred’ to Albanians and Bosnians and they defend it religiously everywhere it is mentioned. When they saw a trend in western media to demonize the Serbs to no end, everyone created their own story of Serb berserkers that will kill everything and everyone on sight.
For example, Bosnians accuse us of 11 or 12 genocides (I am not joking) and this is what they are teaching. Croats accuse us of one and Albanians of at least one, too.
Anyways, there was so much lies about all that that only a campaign to demonize Russia and Putin have the potential to surpass this.
I second a proposal to do an interview with Dragoslav Bokan. He is definitely one of the greatest intellectuals in Serbia.
My other proposal is dr Dragan Petrovic.
Greetings and best wishes to you!
And thank you for unselfishly giving from yourself and investing time and effort to fight the lying western corporate media on Ukraine and all other topics.
This doesn’t seem to work towards the reconciliation part….
How so?
I don’t think you understood what I have said.
This conflict in the Balkans is often used to show that orthodox christians mercilessly killed muslims. As arguments some people like to name events that are more myths than reality. Killings were on both sides but not NEARLY the way it is presented in “official truth”.
Like this: Serb forces attacked muslim civilians on a marketplace with mortar fire and killed many (this was on Markale). Even today I see many muslims presenting this as a “proof” of aggression towards them.
What have happened there was a false flag using planted explosives. The attack was carried out by muslim forces against their own. It was used to derail peace negotiations that were taking place. There were few like these. All carried under the patronage of the USA. Alija Izetbegovic (muslim leader at that time) answered exclusively to USA.
Another example: Srebrenica. I suggest anyone interested to do a research on their own.
The Geneva convention was breached, but there were no genocide.
Then another example: everything about Kosovo. Which was totally turned upside-down to justify NATO involvement and setting up a biggest NATO base in the region.
All this was used by the propaganda machine to further induce hatred and division between two religions and to set foundation for war that will last forever, while USA moves peaces around the chessboard. And they largely succeeded in this, as there can’t be no reconciliation as long as lies like this keep living.
Ordinary people on both sides would like to live in peace and bury the war axes. But provocateurs keep feeding on this. The wahhabis gained enormous support by just propagating these lies. Few decades ago they were almost non-existant in this area. Now they have several training camps on Kosovo and in Bosnia. Again, of course, under the patronage of USA.
You are right. The guy read a lot of nonsense and the other version of fake history. Also he gives legitimacy to Srebrenica as a real event to begin with, obviously lacking knowledge there too. Let alone that the city not in Serbia to begin with.
Srebrenica was just the ending of a longer fight and something entirely else then the context in which it’s being sold. The actual flow of events was rather, the jihadist extremist troops burned down 28 serbian villages in the Srebrenica area, killing over 1500 people, mostly civilians. The bosnian serb army organized a counter-offensive and fought the jihadists and mercenaries to the point where that reported “massacre”, actually a battle, happened. The rest is (manufactured) history.
This would be an important pointer to the Saker – please avoid all and anything affiliated with the Seselj party and their latest media joker Phoenix and their ilk. Those are the “right sector” kind of the western fifth column there. Same goes for this newly created “nationalist” and unfortunately croatian-named “Dvori”, who are the local version of the “Ron Paul” fake saviour cool-aid.
Oh and avoid everyone and anyone from our former country who claims to know anything about our history, it is a clear lie. None of them/us has much real knowledge of the real version. The only exception may be the hidden archive of some old orthodox priests, but finding that is very unlikely nowadays, since the communists destroyed literally everything.
Avoid all western sources written after at least 1900.
Good sources about Yugoslav history are old turkish and arab libraries and archives for example, which are both richer and more truthful than anything left anywhere in Yugoslavia. It’s sad but true.
T2015 You’re so funny. I mean just the first couple of sentences. you don’t quibble with words
No idea how greece can get out from under their debtberg, unless just default, because here we see they are so desperate for short-term cash funding that their banks are just creating credit (bonds, once spent) out of thin air.
This is the bankster world realization of “just make up sh!t as you go”.
What news of Tsipras meeting today 8th in Moscow?
IMF 448MM Euro loan repayment by greece due tomorrow APR 9
These short-term bonds, which have been issued by the country’s largest banks and carry the guarantee of the Greek government, are not being sold to foreign investors. They are being issued to the only entity that would dare buy them: themselves.
In the last four months, some of Greece’s largest banks, including Piraeus, Alpha and Eurobank — have self-issued more than 13 billion euros’ worth, or $14.3 billion, of these government-guaranteed bonds.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/08/business/dealbook/as-greece-battles-a-debt-crisis-its-banks-issue-more-short-term-debt.html?_r=0
I consider my country, Serbia, to be under occupation, so nothing surprises me anymore- even the arrival of Blair.
Serbia had NATO on its back and had to fight against the Croatian Ustase Fascists, the Wahabis in Bosnia, and the KLA gangsters in Kosovo. We had no friends or allies. Think twice before you judge us.
if you serbs are so saintlike who leveled those catholic churches in petrinja, hrastovica and cuntic?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hs4CgStg0Q
also who fired cluster ammunition via mlrs on zagreb in 1995?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagreb_rocket_attacks
First all, where does it say serbs are “saintlike”?
I agree that the youtube films are certainly terrifying, but why don’t you mention “Operation Storm” in which the Croats ethnically cleansed 250,000 serbs civilians, which was by the way the single biggest displacement of civilians in the former Yugoslavia) ?
The problem with enshrined victimhood is that it prevents you from seeing your own people’s crimes.
Dear The Saker,
Looks like the Saudi oil price war is now back firing on them:
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150409/1020641609.html
With all those reserves why take out loans/debt?
Rgds,
Veritas
A blessed Great Week and Pascha to you and your family, Saker. I will light a candle or two for you, and I hope you will for me also.
XB
Rdr. James
Strongest language & hint seen so far on this Turk Stream talks topic:
Turkish Stream project to make Greece Europe’s major gas distributing center — Putin
Economy
April 08, 18:56 UTC+3
If Greece decides to join the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project, it will raise the country’s geopolitical status
http://tass.ru/en/economy/788102
CAIRO, April 8. /TASS/. Arabian media have reported Wednesday about ties between Islamic State (IS) extremist group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and the US. The reports appeared in response to US Senator John McCain’s attempts to deny his communication with al-Baghdadi.
http://tass.ru/en/world/788063
A french patriotic political party called UPR,asked the french gov what they think about Yarosh as Military adviser now of the official ukie army with french EU taxpayers money?
All 577 deputies answers will be published on FB and their website+ press com.
http://www.upr.fr/communiques-de-presse/upr-appelle-les-deputes-a-deposer-une-motion-de-censure-contre-le-gouvernement-au-sujet-de-son-aide-a-ukraine
Where are advertisements? You could improve your financial situation by selling space to the advertisers like nearly 100% of other websites do.
No advertisements.
As for DISQUS what is the point?
Just because you see that somewhere else?
I have had lots of problems with it.
Hate DISQUS.
I guarantee, introduction of DISQUS will mean major reduction of participation in this blog, except from DIS-bots of some kind who will suddenly show up here.
Katherine
And how about Disqus for comments section?
Many commentators are concerned about security issues. Some are in countries where that is a serious issue, not just words. Disqus is a third-party comment system provider, which people have to join to be able to use.
All comments are fed through their system, and users can be traced across sites. They are based in California, subject to USA laws on releasing user data to authorities.
The Saker sites are based in Iceland, which has the most secure anti-snooping laws. By not using an outside comment system, user data is staying inside that security fence.
I agre. I would hate to see ads on this blog
The person in charge of the Russian Saker Team has suffered a serious health problem and cannot work right now.
I hope they will be OK.
This really grim piece from Fort Russ is worth reading. It’s a description of the degree of legal repression of civliians in the Ukraine, rationing of basic foods for some, etc..Summary, Ukraine is terrifying and getting worse.
It is the time to remind ourselves what it means to be Christian:
“Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (1 Corinthians, 15, 12-19)
“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” (1 John, 18-25).
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” (1 John, 4, 1-8).
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” (1 John, 4, 11-16).
“For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” (2 John, 1, 7-11).
There cannot be reconciliation but in Truth:
Hristos Anesti!
Hristos Voskrese!
Hristos a înviat!
Christ is risen!
A inviat la catolici. La voi abia saptamana viitoare.
It is a real pity. It coincided this year with the Jewish Passover, which the canons of the Church expressly forbid. It does actually coincide in many years, the papist reformed calendar being devised in order to permit such an occurrence. Another step towards the judaization of the papist congregation, like the use of matzos instead of artos for the Eucharist.
Emphasis on form.
What is it called, now… the letter of the law, I believe…
As opposed to the spirit.
Saker I’m so glad you’re having your personal sandbox column…that’s what we’ve all missed….it’ll be so good to have you back among us !!
Saker did you mean video ??? so we’ll see your face ? Or did you mean audio ? By the way, if you ran a request you might be able to go there in person even maybe take you wife !!! Try it if you want to !!!
Saker, I’m so glad you’re going to try to give us regular updates on Serbia as well as your own projec on the area.
Best wishes.
A must read, I think:
4/8/15 http://fortruss.blogspot.com/2015/04/russian-foreign-intelligence-chief.html excerpt:
[re: US] ” Easier to say what they don’t need: don’t need a federated Ukraine, it would be a poorly controlled territory. It would be impossible to open military bases, install new air defense systems. And such plans exist. From Lugansk or Kharkov the tactical cruise missiles reach beyond the Urals, where our main forces of nuclear deterrence are located. And with 100% probability they could strike silo-based and mobile-based ballistic missiles on the take-off trajectory. This area is now unreachable to them neither from Poland, nor from Turkey, nor from South-East Asia. This is the main goal. Therefore the USA will fight for Donbass to the last Ukrainian.”
You are correct, I think — this is ‘must read’.
This puts together much information that otherwise has to be gleaned from a variety of sources, with deep analysis. A major enemy of Russia is still the ‘enemy withing’ — the fifth column and ‘ideological traitors’ — but of course many in that camp are interested in lining their pockets too, through either corruption or just selling out to the empire (Upton Sinclair — ‘It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.’)
It is important that a great many people come to understand the forces at work here, and discard the lesser and misleading narratives.
What’s wrong in/with the picture accompanying the following article;
Is This the Real Reason Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard Named Their Son Israel?.
Who the devil are Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard ? I never heard of either of them before. I did a quick search on Google and what I found is that they had a baby and they are, apparently, ‘TV personalities’. Why do they matter to anything? Is the blog now Fox or ABC or CNN news or something now?
You missed the Israel Defense Forces on the Tee-shirt?
I’ll bet a lot of people have such T-shirts, or are in the IDF, or are maniacal zionists, etc. — but what makes these people significant and why should anyone care? Are the billionaires? Do they hold high office? Like, so what??
ouch
@ blue,
Q; Like, so what??
R; Oh, you’re the man in charge as to what news and links are allowed on this web site? My apologies, I must have missed that particular memo.
That picture is a classic case of ‘PSYOPS‘ Apartheid State’s style and meant for the masses, who do know who these people are.
The message itself, simple…
This is what people were talking about back when (I forget exactly when) as product placement — could be soda pop, or a car, or an ideology or national myth (which goes back even further, like Disney’s ‘Davy Crockett’, or Donald Duck fighting in WW2 — and Lucky Strike Green goes to war.).
The American culture has most always been filled with this stuff. There are two counters to it on a personal level: one is to be aware of it, and the other is to stop paying attention to or watching/reading the mass media and trash press designed for propaganda — it’s like tossing out the spam and junk ail one gets without reading it, and not disseminating it further. On a social or political level we should work to stop the funding for it, and acceptability of the practice, of course —
but if people turned the stuff off (and cancelled their subscriptions to NY Times and Der Spiegel) they would be forced to stop doing it.
http://russia-insider.com/en/german_media_inspired_rt/5121
Germany’s Top News Magazine Scrambles to Restore Lost Traffic from Anti-Russian Bias (Spiegel)
I’m not in charge of anything, although I don’t like to waste time reading things or looking stuff up which are not important, seemingly not at all important. I have to find out why these people or what they do are in any way significant — or if they disappeared tomorrow what difference it would make to the world.
It seems to me, so far, that this is part of that trend where some people are ‘celebrities’ on the sole basis of their being ‘celebrities’ (to likely a minor extent’ and for nothing else, and serves as a distraction to people so they won’t pay attention to what is going on in the country or world, and is part of the general propaganda to keep people dumbed down or ill informed. Bread and circus stuff, without the bread.
Not quite disinformation, but generally in keeping with
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics-bullshit-and-ukraine/5439
Politics, BS, and Ukraine
A lengthy examination of how BS is used in the covering of political events
[…]
Recently, Harry C. Frankfurt’s little pamphlet, with its beguilingly simple title, On Bullshit (Princeton University Press, 2005), has pushed Orwell’s insights into a higher degree of conceptualization. While written in Orwellian vein and addressing the abuse and manipulation of language, Frankfurt’s analysis offers a new way of looking at the old problem.
The book opens with the following, by now well-known, observation: “One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit. Everyone knows it. Each of us contributes his share. But we tend to take the situation for granted.
[…]
http://www.stoa.org.uk/topics/bullshit/pdf/on-bullshit.pdf
As Frankfurt says
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1RO93OS0Sk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp_c8-CfZtg
it doesn’t matter if what is said is true or not, but that truth does not enter into the equation. The truth, in this context, includes what is significant and what is so trivial and diverting as to be deceptive — like one of those tricky word problems: Jane has 15 cookies and gives 3 oatmeal cookies to Ted, so how many cookies does she have left?
This is the common state of MSM ‘news’ where what happens in Ukraine, etc., is passed by while the color of someone’s clothes at some event takes the front page, to suck people in to not paying attention to the US starting a war with Russia by increasing the noise to signal ratio.
This is not a big deal if it is occasional, but the way it’s done by the fascist machine it becomes overwhelming if one lets it, or is not aware of it.
@ Blue,
My original comment was in the form of a question. Thank you for answering it.
Hi everybody, can anybody do a translation into English as to what Motorola is alleged to have said about killing prisoners, and how would that newspaper get his phone number, and why would he even have spoken to them?
What are you talking about? do you have any more detail about it? maybe some sort of link, if there’s a newspaper involved?
http://www.06242.com.ua/article/790547 can be translated into English using google translate or yandex. N.B. Although this website is about Gorlovka, it is NOT pro DNR, it is actually very much in favour of poroshenko. Nevertheless, how can it be refuted if we don’t know what was said?
Source is Kiev Post??
A very interesting must read article was in Fortruss yesterday :
“Russian Foreign Intelligence chief: Russia is a target because it’s a cradle of a new world paradigm”.
It makes me have some hope for the future that at least Russia realises what they are up against and fully have their eyes open. The article can be read in full here :
http://fortruss.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/russian-foreign-intelligence-chief.html
Penelope & Know the truth
Thanks for this link at Fortruss. Chilling!!!
I am curious about the Serbia related projects and a bit fearful. When you speak of Orthodox-Muslim reconciliation, we seem like an awfully hard place to start from. You have whole epic cycles and The Mountain Wreath of Njegos as a crown to this (as our Iliad and our Homer). The topic of battling ”the Turks” is ingrained in the heroic narrative that bears the types and archetypes of sacrifice for Truth, Good, thy neighbors, freedom. Than you have the history involving “Poturice” (the Serbs that had given up their faith and became Muslim so as to get in ranks of the Power, the core of today’s Bosnia Muslim corpus). They are seen as traitors and at the time of the conversions were despised more then the actual Turks. To top that off, in the modern history the Muslims in Bosnia had the new Empire on their side. Don’t get me wrong, I do not think that the mentioned epic breeds hate to Muslims (although they are some who take it so, they include some extremely simpleminded and rigid people as well as the NGO-proamerican intelligentsia), nor should it. It celebrates standing up to oppressor. I trust you already know that one should tread lightly through this topic, especially so since many NGOs were given big media and academia space to pursue such reconciliation through process of “cultural decontamination” of Serbs (one of them is actually called A Center for Cultural Decontamination). The point of the process was to reinterpret our history in order to explain that all of the troubles and wars here, past and present, came from the fact that we are bloodthirsty and inherently mean to others. The intelligentsia, the one that drinks water from all sorts of “democratic foundations” springs, was keen on vehemently debunking school literature and patriotic “myths” to prove the set thesis. I grew up in Krajina, my father was a solder in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and I do not think that war troubles of ours stem from religion. On both sides, just small percentage of us is actually religious and knows the teachings. We are all pones in a bigger game, not once was here war because pones wanted to fight. The identity issues come into play when the mess on the board starts and you choose a side to die for.
This is more like it, a guy with some real history lessons, also some hard reality from his father.
The real Turks also viewed “poturice” as lowly traitors, that should be mentioned too. Turks are clever people and know that old saying – once a traitor, always a traitor.
Ziv i zdrav bio i ti i otac, dobro je da ne pada iver daleko od klade :)
The evening services during Orthodox Holy Week, which is called on my calendar “Great, Good, and Holy Week” (Easter Week being “Bright Week”) contain the most beautiful readings, chants, melodies, some of which can be found on line. But it is a different experience to stand in a church congregation surrounded by icons and the light of candles as the words of the services are sung and chanted. These services are lived, as Saker will be doing, and indeed my prayers are with him and his family and friends during this holy time.
Tonight, Thursday night, will be the great service of the twelve readings from the Gospel – back and forth segments of each of the four gospels narrating the path of our Lord from the Last Supper to Gethsemane and on to Golgotha. After each reading the bell is rung, first a single tone, finally twelve tones, very slowly. And in between, the sonorus irmoi (verses) that have been sung beginning Monday evening continue to sound, ending thus:
‘Lament me not, O Mother
On seeing now within the tomb
The One unsown yet enwombed,
The Son thou didst carry;
For I shall rise and be glorified
And as God eternal raise in glory
Those who in faith and longing
Do magnify thee.’
We always leave the church to a quiet sky full of stars crowned by the milky way. On Good Friday there are two main services – the afternoon one, and an evening processional. The church is full of flowers for these services, and very slowly we sing of the noble Joseph of Arimathea who takes down the body of Christ from the cross, a most tender, beautiful hymn that is only sung on this one day of the year.
‘The noble Joseph
Taking down your most pure body
From the wood
And wrapping it in a clean shroud,
With aromatic spices
Carefully laid it in a new tomb. . .’
I hope everyone can feel the beauty of these days, even if you cannot be in church. In a time of great darkness it is a good thing to anticipate, welcome and celebrate the coming of light.
In continuation, this being Orthodox Good Friday morning, here is a quotation from the writings of Maria Skobtsova of Paris:
“. . . When our journalists say ‘cross and sword’, they presuppose under the cross a passive endurance of suffering, and the sword appears to them a symbol of activity. But in the Gospel it is not so. In it, the cross is something voluntary – and that means actively – that it is lifted up by the Son of Man. The sword, however, delivers the blow, it cuts within the soul, which passively accepts it . . . the double-edged sword transfixing the soul of his Mother, not because she voluntarily chooses it, but because she cannot not suffer the sufferings of her Son. . .
. . .The cross of one’s neighbor ought to be for the soul a sword piercing it. It ought to co-share in the fate of the neighbor, to co-feel, to co-suffer. . . in the likeness of its archetype, the Mother of God, the human soul is drawn to Golgotha, in the footsteps of its Son, and it cannot not be drawn there; it cannot not bleed.
It seems to me that herein lies the authentic mystical grounds of human communality.”
Mother Maria went into the gas chamber at Ravensbrück, having aided Jews in Paris during WWII.
re your Serbian project…this place might/ be useful?
http://www.cdrsee.org/aboutus/our_history
“Our projects range from the vast “Joint History Project” which has changed history teaching across the region with innovative methods and multi-perspective materials”
60 historians wrote 4 volumes to cover before 1990’s Yugoslavia.
recommend this book too
http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Balkans-Misha-Glenny/dp/0670853380/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1428606854&sr=8-3&keywords=history+of+Balkans
http://russia-insider.com/en/one-pager-latest-developments-russia-rf-sitrep-20150409/5466
as it says
LMAO, are you for real? Noone can be THAT naive, really. But you are trying at least.
http://www.cdrsee.org/donors
Need I say more?
————————————–
Government, Governmental Organizations
The European Commission
DG Enlargement (Instrument for Pre-Accession)
The United States Agency for International Development
Austrian Development Agency (ADA)
National Endowment for Democracy
UNDP in Cyprus
The Austrian Government, Ministry for Education and Cultural Affairs
CARDS Destabilization and Stabilization Programme
The European Initiative for Democratic and Human Rights
AENAS Programme
European Agency for Reconstruction
The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Stability Pact for Southeast Europe
Dimos Thessaloniki
The Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen
KulturKontakt Austria
The Principality of Liechtenstein
The Norwegian Government, Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Swedish Government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
IrishAid
The United States Government, Department of State
The United Kingdom, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Norwegian People’s Aid Regional Office Southeast Europe
Foundations, Organizations and Institutions
European Fund for the Balkans
Regional Cooperation Council
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
Balkan Trust for Democracy
Central European Initiative
United States Institute of Peace
Institute for Sustainable Communities
A.G. Leventis Foundation
Dr. Mahringer Peter Fonds
Foundation Open Society Institute Macedonia
The Cyprus Federation of America
The Greek-Turkish Business Council, Mr.Osman Kavala
IREX
The Winston Foundation for World Peace
Central European University
Sabanci University
University of Bucharest
Individuals
Mr. Stathis Potamitis
Mr. Pekin Baran
Mr. John Brademas
Mr. Nikos Efthymiadis
Mr. Matthew Nimetz
Mr. Stacey A. Polites
Mr. A.G. Spanos
Mr. Rigas Tzelepoglou
Mr. Spiros Voyadzis
USA anonymous donor since 1998
Greek anonymous donor since 2003
Private Sector
Erste Stiftung
Coca Cola HBC
National Bank of Greece
Titan
Samaras & Associates – Consultants Engineers
ING
Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki
Alpha Bank
—————————–
Yes I do need to say more, this entry above is a in-your-face insulting kind of joke:
“CARDS Destabilization and Stabilization Programme”
LOL. I mean, really? REALLY? C’mon man…
Needless to say, the mentioned book is a nice novel, but not much more. Star Trek is about as valuable considering real historical information.
JJ is a jolly joker.
that’s why I put a question mark in the comment, it is up to Saker to evaluate the quality information…………I don’t make jokes here, yes I knew the list of funders, and yes i am trying at least, and certainly not trying to be condescending and patronising to others-got any contributions yourself?
Yes I actually got one to contribute right here: disregard such “info” completely. Coming from dubious foreigners to boot. It’s like me writing about history of Zimbabwe. But there’s no need to emphasize it, since anyone with more than two working brain cells and a minimum of interest will find it out on his own within minutes.
P.S. you didn’t get the “trying” part at all ;) But at least you admit that you knew the list of donors, that’s a progress.
and a couple of years ago i did download the workbook and start it too
not sure you got the bit about the condescending and patronising ……….
Would it be a good idea to ask the president for ideas regarding how non-Russians can best attempt to create good will between Russia and USA?
Direct Line with Vladimir Putin will be held at 12 pm on April 16
my LiveJournal
I just donated $100. I wrote in the paypal note $75 for Saker and $25 for AC. Thanks for all you do. :)
I had just done Shahada in Cambridge Mass. USA to be accepted into Islam after having read Frazer’s “Golden Bough” 30 years before and read his high praise of Islam because of it’s Sharia Law. Queen Victoria knighted Frazer for the tome, rightly so. One month later the 9/11 False Flag went down. I knew without talking to anyone is was a set up, a federal one. Living in a residential YWCA in downtown Boston when a new friend asked me to come to her Greek Orthodox church, I went and accepted her invitation to become one too. I was sure that the Feds would come after me if they knew I am a Muslim. J.Edgar Hoover had opened a top secret file on me the year, 1960, my first son was born. I did know yet why. So for two years I went to the Greek church, the first year with my sponser, the second on my own. I began writing on politics, posting it. A document was sent to me from a group of scientists who had formed their group in order to analyse clumps of the 9/11 ‘dust and debris’. The document was their conclusion about 9/11. My instinct was right. They proved why the set of buildings came down in minutes and why the hijacked passenger planes were allowed to run into the World Trade Center. The plan was known one year before the carnage and fully allowed to happen. Many are still in power who helped this happen. CNN was one and the US intelligence services. The high up coup planners. The sunny Manhattan skies were free of any US surveillance planes. Wall Street stock market moves reflected prior knowledge too. The Christian Orthodox is as powerful a religion as is Islam or as was Judaism before the US allowed them to run amok in a ring of ancient Muslim states..I love it and how the people who are devout are affected by it, so deeply. Why the Russians won WW11 all alone. The best of the best, an equal to the real Islam.
But aint it just amazing that there are still people who will mock you if you say this was an inside job? I have no idea what all they did but I do know they had prior knowledge and prepared for it. In fact they allowed it to happen with the VP ordering stand downs, an exercise taking place that morning. The head of the Pakistani ISI who wired 100K having breakfast with 2 US senators in Washington that morning. How anyone can deny there was a lot of iffy in the official narrative but there are a lot. This event had made me a skeptic even on the moon landing even though we can clearly see the tracks and foot prints as well as the experiments they did when they used the landers to hit the surface to measure density. I never knew I could be become such a person that even solid evidence and logic now are not enough to convince me of reality If there are certain actors involved in it. I suppose that is the same boat a lot of people on the planet are in. On either side of the unreality fence. We are so jaded with the actors that we can only believe in the good or bad of such people and nothing in between.
It is unknown who hired warcriminal Mr. Blair in Serbia?
They actually should fire the people responsible for hiring him.
First he bombs Yugoslavia and now they hire the man as their advisor.
You wonder, advisor of maybe :
– How to enter EU ASAP?;
– How to enter NATO ASAP?;
– How to destroy your economy so you have to borrow from ECB,IMF?;
– How to behave towards Israel, UK, US ASAP? and
– How to destroy the good and brotherly relations between Serbia and Russia ASAP?.
Shortly, advising the Serbs how to become a good and loyal vassal of the global elite?.