Ant #330. Offshore.

The #panamgate provoked a huge discussion about the offshore. But many people don't really understand what's that. I found a perfect explanation of it that even a kid would understand...


When you get a quarter you put it in the piggy bank. The piggy bank is on a shelf in your closet. Your mom knows this and she checks on it every once in a while, so she knows when you put more money in or spend it.
Now one day, you might decide "I don't want mom to look at my money." So you go over to Johnny's house with an extra piggy bank that you're going to keep in his room. You write your name on it and put it in his closet. Johnny's mom is always very busy, so she never has time to check on his piggy bank. So you can keep yours there and it will stay a secret.
Now all the kids in the neighborhood think this is a good idea, and everyone goes to Johnny's house with extra piggy banks. Now Johnny's closet is full of piggy banks from everyone in the neighborhood.
One day, Johnny's mom comes home and sees all the piggy banks. She gets very mad and calls everyone's parents to let them know.
Now not everyone did this for a bad reason. Eric's older brother always steals from his piggy bank, so he just wanted a better hiding spot. Timmy wanted to save up to buy his mom a birthday present without her knowing. Sammy just did it because he thought it was fun. But many kids did do it for a bad reason. Jacob was stealing people's lunch money and didn't want his parents to figure it out. Michael was stealing money from his mom's purse. Fat Bobby's parents put him on a diet, and didn't want them to figure out when he was buying candy.
Now in real life, many very important people were just caught hiding their piggy banks at Johnny's house in Panama. Today their moms all found out. Pretty soon, we'll know more about which of these important people were doing it for bad reasons and which were doing it for good reasons. But almost everyone is in trouble regardless, because it's against the rules to keep secrets no matter what.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4d8rta/eli5_the_panama_papers/d1owxn5

Ant #329. US elections.

To much "Trump" drama on my social networks...
Everybody is pissed off but he's still leading the primaries. Isn't it ironic?

Even though I support republicans I'd vote anybody but Trump... BUT... I do understand people who vote for him, and I'll try to explain you why...

Unfortunately (or luckily) there is two-party-system in US which means they only have two options when it comes to elections: they can vote only one or another. Of course the politicians argue even inside the same parties but in the end you'll only have 2 options. It's not like in Europe when there are lots of different parties, and if you always voted for right-wing parties but now you feel like your country is rich and could give something more to the poorest people you don't have to vote for socialists, you can just vote for a center-right-wing party and it will perfectly represent you.

What do we see in US?
Democrats say: Amnesty to all the illegals.
Republicans say: No f*cking way!

You have to choose between black and white. There's no grey.

But what's about people who are basically agree with receiving immigrants but with some reasonable limits? For example, like in Canada (they are open for immigrants from all over the world but you must be graduated, speak languages, have skills and experience). Who represents them? The answer is: nobody!

So what those people do? They open newspapers, read about disaster in Cologne... and vote for Trump because there are no other options: just "all the immigrants" or "none of them".

And this is sad...

Ant #328. Target audience.

I have many politically and socially active friends and I really respect them.
They post on social networks, talk to people, organize conferences etc and I respect it too.

The problem is... It's all pointless because the target audience is being chosen wrong.

Let me explain.
If you're a gay rights fighter, all your facebook friends are probably gays or gay friendly people. Homophobes don't go to LGBT conferences so you'll never be able to change their opinions.

The same with racism. Do you have any neo-nazi friends? I don't. All my friends are pretty tolerant and respecting other people.

Or my lovely socialistic friends. All the people who read you are already your "comrades", they don't need to be convinced in anything.

Identify your target audience or don't waste your time.

Ant #327. Russia: Europe or not?

It's an interesting fact!

When people talk about Russia, they call it a european country.
When you talk to russians, most of them don't like to associate themselves to Europe (thanx to Putin's propaganda).

The thing is... Russian culture is definitely European culture. Russian music, literature, art are all based on European ones. Russian language is in European group of languages. Russians are Christians. We live in the same media space, we share the same past and future. Russian etiquette is European etiquette. First Russian universities were opened by the tsar Peter the 1st who brought the education from Europe. Russian science exists thanks to European science. After all, Russia is by far the largest European country by both area and population, taking up to 40% of the continent.

But many Russians still think they have nothing to do with Europe because Europeans support gays.
Doh.

Ant #322. Standing for Kelly Osbourne.

Once she said this...

she got this...

OMG! Such a drama with what Kelly Osbourne said...

Some people are sooo obsessed with being politically correct that they don't even wanna face the truth.

Does it really surprise anyone that in any country the most of immigrants (I'm not talking about british expats signing a 3 years long contract in a 3rd world country) do the dirties unprestigious less paying jobs? Seriously, does anybody know a common mexican that moved to U.S. and immediately became a top manager?

Kelly said what we all know but have no balls to say!
Besides, she's really pro-immigrants coz instead of claiming them to go away (like all conservatives do) she knows that any modern country needs them.

Open up your eyes! Who's cleaning your street? An immigrant. Who's cleaning your home? An immigrant. Who's sitting with your children? An immigrant.

I don't give a fuck about being politically correct, but I DO give a fuck about saying the truth.
So take the sand out of your vaginas and finally start using your brains.
Doh.

Ant #319. Disconnection.

I talked to one refugee from Russia today. She was like "OMG! There happens this, there happens that", and I found myself thinking that I don't actually care. Then I tried to remember when I read russian news the last time, and I couldn't.

It feels so strange to me. To be honest, I don't know if it's good or not. It's just a fact: I've disconnected.

Ant #313. Left - Right.

It's not about socks or driver license exam.
This time I wanna talk about serious and very important things to me...

A small pretty girl gave me a flyer. I took it. There was a logo of pro-government party. I gave it back. "No fucking way I vote for left-wing politicians."
I kept walking... and thinking that sometimes it's hard to stand people with opposite political views. Almost all of my friends in Russia (those who I chose, not those who I had in my school or university) are liberal, respect freedom and self-responsibility, believe in a power of market and think that everyone gets what he/she deserves. So do I! These views are usually called right-wing.

The problem is that since I moved to Argentina, which is absolutely socialistic country, I'm in minority. A very few people share my views. All the rest think that right-wing politicians equal to corrupted politicians. They call a fascist everyone who says he doesn't care of lazy people who never worked in their lives and have always lived for the money that the government gives them (taxpayers actually, not the government).

It's like a gulf between us. We'll never agree.

Oh, and I'd never date a socialist )))))

Ant #310. Mentality.

I talked to one of my argentinian friends about the current situation here.

My point was that there are lots of things to change and the first one is the government.

He said that the new one won't help coz they will be as corrupted as previous one and added "it's in our mentality".

I don't believe in mentalities...

North Korea <-> South Korea

East Germany <-> West Germany (till 1990)

South Italy <-> North Italy

And many more example of absolutely the same people choosing different ways.

There's no mentality. There is an ignorance.

Ant #284. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.

I've just finished reading George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (or 1984) and I must say that this is the best book I've read in this year.

I heard about it before, but always found something else to read. I wasn't expecting anything good from it. Luckily I forced myself to start reading it... and I drowned it it!

It's a type of literature that doesn't bore you even for a moment. It's catchy from the very first till the very last page.

I'm not gonna describe the story, I just STRONGLY recommend you to read it!

Ant #272. The greatest.

Can anybody explain me why all the crazy patriots say the same crap? I'm mostly talking about russian ones.
They say:
- We're getting up from knees!
- We'll fuck America!
- We'll show them all that we're the greatest and they must respect us!
- We rule the world!

And then I ask them... What for? For being the greatest? But it cannot be the aim itself. Like having a lot of money. Money is just a tool. You want money, for example, for buying something and living a rich life. The same here. You wanna be the greatest for... What for?

Why don't you concentrate on economy and social problems instead of looking for enemies?

Ant #270. Israel vs. Palestine.

I'm sorry, but I'm tired of this shit.
Last few days I was watching many people reposting pictures of killed people in Palestine. You can say that you cannot stand it when people die, and I totally agree. But before blaming Israel you must learn at least something about this conflict.

I have a niece and a few relatives who live there. I also have many friends there. Moreover, I've been there a few times. So may I say something? Thank you!

Have you ever heard about HAMAS organization and that they are not calm until Israel is destroyed?
Did you know that all the countries around Israel support Palestine in this war giving them weapons, food and other humanitarian assistance?
Did you know that meanwhile Palestine is making plans about destroying Israel, israeli government is giving them electricity, water, food, medicines etc FOR FREE?

Now about the war itself...
Past few days Palestine sent to Israel at least 250 bombs and rockets. And only because israeli army is one of the best armies in the world they could avoid victims. Anybody of you posted something about this? Or about people having 15 seconds to find a shelter? You don't know how it feels when your niece messages you that she's all right, she found a good shelter and sitting there along with other people and it seems like explosions are really close to the place she lives.

Then Israeli army looks for rocket installations on palestinian territory to destroy them. But the point is that Hamas terrorists make them on the roofs of hospitals or on the backyards of schools or inside living districts. Coz the only thing they want is that more their own people die so they can show them on TV and say how terrible Israel is.

But even though before israeli army starts shooting, they send a few planes which drop above Palestine information lists with time and places where Hamas will be attacked, so peaceful people could find a shelter. But they don't give a damn, they need pictures.

One man said... "If palestinians loved their children more than they hate israeli ones, this war would stop a long time ago."

There are lots of palestinian arabs living in Israel and not being killed, discriminated or whatever. They live a good life, they work, build families, go to the same places where jewish people go.

Hamas "protect" palestinians from "horrible" israeli army and palestinians die. But where no one protects them (in Israel), nobody dies. Isn't it strange?

Thanx for attention!

Ant #269. Get out, yankees!

Last night while I was walking across the city I saw probably the most disgusting and ignorant thing that I've ever seen here in Argentina. The whole wall with posters saying "Get out, yankees! Get out, vultures!"
For a moment I couldn't believe my eyes. I took a picture and continued walking.
The organization that released these posters is called "Movimiento Evita" and is pro-government and pro-Kirchner.

I came home and in my head there was the only one thought... Am I still in Russia or what? What the hell happened with a democratic and tolerant country built exclusively by foreigners that came here a few centuries ago?

And suddenly I remembered...
"Economic markets are collapsing, people all over the world are suffering and people are afraid and what happens when people are afraid? They become intolerant. They start pointing the finger at other people. They say "You are the reason! You are the problem! You are to blame! Get out!" The enemy is not out there... The enemy is within!"
The woman was damn right when she first said it almost 2 years ago. This is what I see now in the place where I live.

I don't know if those people who are responsible for posters are just covering themselves with the name of Eva Peron or they really follow her lessons, but I'm pretty sure Evita would never approve this act of discrimination and ignorance. She was teaching all argentinians how to love each other, how to show their compassion, she was fighting for equal right, wasn't she? I'm glad she cannot see how her name is being used nowadays.

I always say it to russians and I guess I'm gonna start saying it to argentinians. Stop blaming other people for the problems you have! We all make our own lives and we are the only ones who are responsible for what happens in our country. If you don't like the situation with human rights, start treating people better. If you don't like the economic situation, vote for another government.

The western society is the one who gave you all the technology to print your shitty posters.
Period.

Ant #267. Still small voice.

I have just read on newsfeed that today in Russian Parliament one deputy performed asking other deputies to cancel so-called "anti-gay" law.

It was a 10-minutes long speech about current situation with Human Rights in Russia.

I'm translating a few parts of it.

This law is just too much. It's not protecting, it's discriminating.  

Shortly, every word about existing of homosexuals with no negative context now claims as gay-propaganda.

If we don't understand that people can be different, can eat different food, can build their own families, we will always be a part of the most horrible war - war in our homes. Is it a life that we want for our children?

This intolerant atmosphere raised the number of suicides, especially between teenagers who discovered their homosexuality... The law doesn't let them speak about their feelings - you call it "propaganda". But the law still do let the persecutors bully those kids, insult them, turn their lives into the hell. 

All the talks about sexual orientation of another person in modern world are unacceptable. It's not the most important thing in a human being.

Do I understand that you will deny my suggestion [about canceling the anti-gay law]? Yes, I do. Do I think that in this case my performance was pointless? No, I don't... Thank you for attention.

The full speech you can listen to here (if you understand russian).

I also don't think that this speech was pointless, even though she was supported only by 12 deputies (out of 450), but I believe it's just the beginning. The more people wake up from this nightmare life, the more tolerant we become. It's really important for all the gay-community in Russia to know that they are not alone!

Ant #265. One week in Russia.

It's been one week since I came to Russia.
June 2nd-6th I was in Moscow, now I'm at my parents home in the small provincial city where I was born.

It is quite useful experience after one year outside the country.

When I was flying to Moscow, I was preparing to feel negativity, to see sad people, I thought that when I get into Domodedovo I will throw up. But when I saw inscriptions on Cyrillics, I started smiling as an idiot and greeting everybody, feeling some looks of disapproval on myself. But I didn't care! Even if I was dying to sleep, I was glad to come back to the hometown (I wasn't born in Moscow, but I consider it as my hometown coz I feel great there). At the airport I was met by a friend, got into his car, and once we left the airport we stuck in a traffic jam. He started screaming at people and showing his middle finger to everyone. I said: "Calm down or someone's gonna kick our asses! ", he took out a gun and said: "No one fucks with us!". I said: "When did you all become that nervous? ", he replied: "It's our life!"

Next 3 days I felt this public aggression even more.  I don't know if something really happened there or it's just me after a year in Argentina.

The city itself I loved a lot! I never noticed earlier what a beautiful city I lived in. Everything in it for me was kinda ordinary, and now when I looked at it with the eyes of a tourist, I was really impressed!

Then I met my friends. Finally we had a heart-to-heart talk. One of my friend who recently was arrested on a demonstration, now prepares documents and goes to Spain. Our mutual friend will join him this fall. Two more guys (gays that live together for many years) now actively looking for a possibility of moving to Germany. I don't know if they cam manage it or not, but I wish them a good luck! Another friend, a girl (one of my best friends) wants to try to enter the university in Stockholm, she says that if it won't happen, she will come to Buenos Aires to me.

To be honest, wouldn't say that people there have a despair, no, not at all, they are not deathly scared.  I would say that in their eyes I see a kind of hopelessness (though, probably, these feelings are close in fact).

In the city where my parents live the picture was absolutely different.
If in Moscow I mostly talk to the people who have seen the world, with those who went to anti-Putin demonstrations with me, with those who doesn't divide people on white and black, straights and gays, believers and atheists, here, in province, the situation is just horrible. I'm here the third day, but I already want to leave from here. I feel very uncomfortable. Every person told me that I am a traitor, "liberal" and the intellectual lousy, and we were friends with these people since my childhood. I try to stop all discussions about Ukraine and Conchita Wurst before they begin, but people just do not stop, and they don't want to listen to me (thanks to social networks they already know my position). I feel that they were waiting for me to say to my face how much they despise me. All together.

I don't know how to survive 10 more days here, it is very sad and uncomfortable, and the worst thing is that no person shares my views or simply stands up for me when the whole crowd is screaming at me. Wherever I go, whoever I meet, whatever we talk, everything comes to the same end: lynching the tolerant me.

I never thought that in my homeland I will feel myself a foreigner.

Ant #260. Fascism Anyone?

Fourteen Defining 

Characteristics Of Fascism

By Dr. Lawrence Britt

Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread
domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

Source: http://www.rense.com/general37/char.htm

Ant #249. Fathers and Sons

Today I've had a very bad conversation with my dad.

We were arguing about situation in Ukraine, all the aspects of a problem. He started telling me historical "facts" that USSR saved the half of Europe from Hitler and they must be grateful. I added that we also occupied them, so I doubt they should be grateful.

He watches russian TV and believes everything they say. He said that Bandera (historical ukrainian person) was pro-Hitler. I disagreed coz he was just anti-Stalin, that's it. I also said that Bandera was in a german prison (1941-1944) and couldn't participate the war, and this is a fact, everyone who read history knows it. He said it's a lie coz he saw on a TV a few videos where Bandera killed russians (whaaaaaat?).
I started laughing, I just couldn't keep arguing using facts against fiction and russian bullshit propaganda.
Then he started telling me the same crap that all russians tell to their kids, that evil America dreams to destroy us and turn us into slaves! (*facepalm*).
I said, "Yeah, that's why we have NATO military base in Ulianovsk (the city near Moscow)!"

He said I'm a traitor of my homeland and dropped the call.

O_o

Ant #245. Educational qualifications for voting.

Educational qualifications for voting.
Do you know what is it?

It's a restriction of the people's right to vote on elections according to their level of education.

At first I heard about this thing in university, and I thought it was really against the terms of democracy.
But nowadays I don't find this idea very bad.
Look...
Would you give the right to manage a nuclear weapon to someone who has no idea about it?
Would you give the right to drive a plane to someone who only can drive a bicycle?
Would you give the right to teach people in universities to someone who hasn't finished a primary school?

What I wanna say is that WE CANNOT have the same rights anyway. For using some tools we must first get a qualification.
So why doesn't this rule work for voting?

IDIOTS VOTE FOR ASSHOLES!

That's why we have/had Putin (Russia), Lukashenko (Belarus), Yanukovich (Ukraine), Maduro (Venezuela), Gaddafi (Libya), Morsi (Egypt) etc.

So why cannot we take away the right of people to vote until they get a good education, until they read all the programs, until they understand something in economics and politics?

I really think it's a good idea!