Things are getting crazy in Kiev

The references I've seen in the past don't make such a distinction and don't describe them as Asian; they just talk about the number of "Chinese" or "ethnic Chinese" in Russia. There is actually a Wikipedia entry on the issue (which I didn't know existed until I looked it up in response to your comment), which says the number of ethnic Chinese in Russia has been estimated as high as 2-3 million, but apparently Russian demographers think it's more like 200-400k: Ethnic Chinese in Russia. Either way that's a pretty good sized number.

It says 400k estimate by demographers, not millions. The 2 mil count was just a report from a newspaper that hasn't got much credibility imo. 200-400k is a small number compared to Russia's 150+ mil population.

 

The total ethnic Chinese population in Russia is a somewhat controversial topic. In the 2002 Census, merely 34,500 residents of Russia (both Russian and foreign citizens) self-identified as ethnic Chinese, about half of them in Western Russia (mostly Moscow). In the opinion of many Russian demographers, the census number may be an undercount; Russian demographers consider the estimate of 200,000 to 400,000, or at the very most 500,000, as the most reliable.[2] For example, Zhanna Zayonchkovskaya, the chief of the Population Migration Laboratory of the National Economic Forecasting Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, estimated in 2004 the total number of Chinese present in Russia at any given point (as resident or visitors) at about 400,000 persons, much smaller than ill-educated guess of 2 million that had been given by Izvestiya

 

Anyway whatever the true numbers may be, China isn't going to bully Russia, but might use the same justification to further advance its interests in SE Asia.

You guys must be familiar with the phrase "No romance without finance !"

 

NOBODY does anything for nothing, foreign aid, donations, charity, protection, etc.etc.etc.

 

You don't get out of bed in the morning thinking, ok today I will go to work all day for free at this stranger's place because it looks like his front yard is untidy and I will bring nothing home for my kids to eat tonight, that reaction is never present in our nature, we are wired differently our instincts tell us otherwise.

 

Therefore I believe there is never Romance without Finance!

 

There are naive brain washed people all over the world, romantics who think the team they are supporting is the best and can do no wrong, very funny, it's almost never like that, your team is dirty just as dirty as my team as dirty as everybody else's team, lose the naivety and wake up to face the truth/harsh reality, unfortunately most of this evil is necessary, we've proven to ourselves that us as a human race are dumb enough that we will NEVER be able to live without it, as long as stupidity and dumbassery exist we will never be able to live conflict free, because of it someone has to police this crap, another pure fact of human nature, at the core the policeman always becomes the "aggressor" the one which stands to gain the most, the one who majority of the time has access to unquestionable powers, the policemen ALWAYS acts in its best interest first.

 

There is nothing we can do, I accept it for what it is because there is no alternative THE POLICEMAN IS NEEDED!

 

 

 

 

You guys must be familiar with the phrase "No romance without finance !"

 

NOBODY does anything for nothing, foreign aid, donations, charity, protection, etc.etc.etc.

 

You don't get out of bed in the morning thinking, ok today I will go to work all day for free at this stranger's place because it looks like his front yard is untidy and I will bring nothing home for my kids to eat tonight, that reaction is never present in our nature, we are wired differently our instincts tell us otherwise.

 

Therefore I believe there is never Romance without Finance!

 

There are naive brain washed people all over the world, romantics who think the team they are supporting is the best and can do no wrong, very funny, it's almost never like that, your team is dirty just as dirty as my team as dirty as everybody else's team, lose the naivety and wake up to face the truth/harsh reality, unfortunately most of this evil is necessary, we've proven to ourselves that us as a human race are dumb enough that we will NEVER be able to live without it, as long as stupidity and dumbassery exist we will never be able to live conflict free, because of it someone has to police this crap, another pure fact of human nature, at the core the policeman always becomes the "aggressor" the one which stands to gain the most, the one who majority of the time has access to unquestionable powers, the policemen ALWAYS acts in its best interest first.

 

There is nothing we can do, I accept it for what it is because there is no alternative THE POLICEMAN IS NEEDED!

Boo hoo. Crimea river.

 

 

 

"NOBODY does anything for nothing, foreign aid, donations, charity, protection, etc.etc.etc."

 

Well said...unfortunately many Americans are incapable of understanding this and think our country always does something for nothing and for pure goodness.

 

Boo hoo. Crimea river.

 

I am not the one crying, I really don't care, I can face truth and reality it's part of my daily routine

I like to call a spade a spade, so I'd rather call it "buying a seat at the table" so some nutbag doesn't get influence. SO in light of that, yes, some foreign aid is needed, but still, all in moderation.

I am not the one crying, I really don't care, I can face truth and reality it's part of my daily routine

I know. I was just waiting for a place to throw that line in. I fully agree with you.

 

 

I like to call a spade a spade, so I'd rather call it "buying a seat at the table" so some nutbag doesn't get influence. SO in light of that, yes, some foreign aid is needed, but still, all in moderation.

 

Don't have any concerns it's apportioned as required not much goes to waste, the caveat being that the government is in control of finance and we all know how that generally works, so the apportionment is accurate as far as the government is concerned

I think people do do things out of the good of their hearts. For example, look at people who have sacrificed themselves to save random strangers, for example people who fall on railroad tracks. I think charitable giving is also something people do out of the goodness of their hearts. Regarding the United States, of course it does things in its own interest, but it also does things out of goodness as well. For example, sending help to countries hit by natural disaster where the U.S. gets no benefit in return.

 

But GENERALLY SPEAKING, Fortis is correct, few do anything for free in this world. To a good degree, that is forced as well, as even if you'd be wiling to work for free, working for free does not pay the bills.

Obama vacation plan in doubt because of Ukraine

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2014-03-06/...ause-of-ukraine

I think people do do things out of the good of their hearts. For example, look at people who have sacrificed themselves to save random strangers, for example people who fall on railroad tracks. I think charitable giving is also something people do out of the goodness of their hearts. Regarding the United States, of course it does things in its own interest, but it also does things out of goodness as well. For example, sending help to countries hit by natural disaster where the U.S. gets no benefit in return.

 

But GENERALLY SPEAKING, Fortis is correct, few do anything for free in this world. To a good degree, that is forced as well, as even if you'd be wiling to work for free, working for free does not pay the bills.

 

 

You are correct, people do things out of the goodness of their heart, it happens everyday but here we are discussing much more complex issues, forget natural disasters etc. everyone who can lends a hand when that happens, donating on continuous basis has to have some sort of purpose, gain, return, advertising, tax deductions, you owe me one, kind of deal!

 

 

How many times did you take out a girl you liked, spoiled her, did things for her you never thought you'd ever do etc. without wanting anything in return?? How many times did you take out the fat chick because you wanted to get to her better looking friend??

 

Putin has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. They say it was likely due to when he contributed to supposedly helping rid Syria of its chemical weapons.

 

 

You are correct, people do things out of the goodness of their heart, it happens everyday but here we are discussing much more complex issues, forget natural disasters etc. everyone who can lends a hand when that happens, donating on continuous basis has to have some sort of purpose, gain, return, advertising, tax deductions, you owe me one, kind of deal!

 

 

How many times did you take out a girl you liked, spoiled her, did things for her you never thought you'd ever do etc. without wanting anything in return?? How many times did you take out the fat chick because you wanted to get to her better looking friend??

 

I think that even on a continuous basis, people will do things for purely good reasons. But people will have to have some other means of income in order to do said things.

Ukrainian Feminist Group Goes Topless in NYC

https://news.vice.com/articles/ukrainian-fe...age-in-the-news

I think that even on a continuous basis, people will do things for purely good reasons. But people will have to have some other means of income in order to do said things.

 

Cool.

Ukraine crisis: Crimea now part of Russia, local parliament declares

Referendum on union with Russia on 16 March will 'only ratify decision', as Duma works on bill to make it easier for territories to join Russia

 

 

The de facto authorities in Crimea have announced that they consider the territory to be part of Russia after a swift vote in the local parliament.

 

The MPs said on Thursday morning that a referendum planned for 30 March – which was due to ask voters if they wanted more autonomy from Kiev – would now take place on 16 March, ask whether they wanted to join Russia, and only be a ratification of a decision that had already been taken.

 

The parliament also appealed to Moscow to assist its decision to seek union with Russia.

 

The bombshell announcement coincided with an emergency EU summit in Brussels devoted to Ukraine. Senior EU officials denounced the idea as "completely illegal" while British officials said they would take their cue from the interim Ukrainian government, which deems the referendum anti-constitutional.

 

The acting Ukrainian prime minister, Arseniy Yatseniuk, roundly dismissed the referendum idea.

 

More here: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/...iament-declares

 

 

 

http://news.yahoo.com/big-power-talks-ukra...--business.html

STAKES RAISED

 

The Crimean parliament voted overwhelmingly on Thursday "to enter into the Russian Federation with the rights of a subject of the Russian Federation".

 

The decision, which diplomats said could not have been made without Putin's approval, raised the stakes in the most serious east-west confrontation since the end of the Cold War.

 

The vice premier of Crimea, home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, said a referendum on the status would take place on March 16. All state property would be "nationalized", the Russian ruble adopted and Ukrainian troops treated as occupiers and forced to surrender or leave, he said.

 

Lavrov said attempts by Western countries to take action over the Ukraine crisis via democracy watchdog OSCE and the NATO military alliance were not helpful.

 

He stuck to Putin's line - ridiculed by the West - that Moscow does not command the troops without national insignia which have taken control of Crimea, besieging Ukrainian forces, and hence cannot order them back to barracks.

 

I'm curious if the referendum takes place, if international observers would be allowed to monitor it. I have a feeling they won't.

 

And as they did in 2008 in Georgia: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-citizenship-e...6--finance.html

 

Russia to make citizenship easier for native Russian speakers

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is making it easier for native Russian speakers who have lived in Russia or the former Soviet Union to get citizenship, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday, a signal to the West that Moscow is not backing down over Ukraine.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/world/europe/ukraine.html

 

U.S. Effort to Broker Russia-Ukraine Diplomacy Fails

 

Putin isn't interested in solving this crisis through diplomacy at all.

 

This crisis has created a very dangerous precedent imo.

The problem with the "US World police" is that they are very specific about whom they are helping and whom not.

There are alot of Saddams and Gaddaffid left in the world and genocide is happening in some country around the world almost at a daily basis. It seems strange(to put it VERY politely) that the US choses to overthrow very specific dictators yet lets others go unpunished....

And btw, most of the problems the US is trying the protect the rest of the world from(again, a very specific part of the world) are direct consequences of western policts in the past.

 

Of course there is no comparison between Putin and the russian and the American inner policies. The US ist compared to most parts of the world still the land of the free and of all possibilities.

And wheels, yes a single human will act out of kindness but that goes out the window as soon as polical parties are involved and alot of money and influence is at the stake.

The problem with the "US World police" is that they are very specific about whom they are helping and whom not.

There are alot of Saddams and Gaddaffid left in the world and genocide is happening in some country around the world almost at a daily basis. It seems strange(to put it VERY politely) that the US choses to overthrow very specific dictators yet lets others go unpunished....

And btw, most of the problems the US is trying the protect the rest of the world from(again, a very specific part of the world) are direct consequences of western policts in the past.

 

Of course there is no comparison between Putin and the russian and the American inner policies. The US ist compared to most parts of the world still the land of the free and of all possibilities.

 

Well the U.S. can't go and overthrow every single regime there is. Generally speaking, what the U.S. polices is the attempts of such regimes to bully the already free countries of the world. The U.S. can't do anything about North Korea's treatment of its own citizens, but it can keep North Korea at bay regarding South Korea. It can't do anything about Russia's treatment of its own citizens, but it can keep Russia at bay (to a degree anyway) regarding bullying of Europe. And so forth.

Poll:

1. How many would be willing to save Ukraine with a considerable loss of political nature (aka going back to cold war theme)?

2. How many would be willing to save Ukraine with a considerable loss of economical nature (declining currency and export)?

3. How many would be willing to save Ukraine with a considerable loss of humane nature (going to war and having men killed on the field)?

 

I think nobody wants third, not many is willing to sacrifice either of the two else either.

 

Except Putin:

 

1. World dominance. He definitely fantasizes about lost times when he was KGB-guy and rising Russia under his name to world power is his dream. Cold War would be inevitable minimum.

2. Russian economical disaster. This is only thing that hopefully keeps him out of the deep end of the pool.

3. Human rights or human sacrifices? It's their history and heritage to do the latter without thinking a bit.

 

I think he is not as mad as some media is saying, but he's totally mad enough still and lust of power is the failure of all men.

 

Poll:

1. How many would be willing to save Ukraine with a considerable loss of political nature (aka going back to cold war theme)?

 

IMO, bring it. Russia can ill-afford any arms race against the United States. Everyone talks about how we must act to avoid re-igniting the Cold War with Russia...how about Russia second-guessing itself to avoid re-uniting a Cold War with the United States. Russia already is behaving in a Cold War manner. It is headed by people who are holdovers from the old Soviet days. In some ways, it really is the Soviet Union still, just having lost much of its empire and military strength.

 

2. How many would be willing to save Ukraine with a considerable loss of economical nature (declining currency and export)?

 

Russia is a weak country economically, primarily dependent on natural resources. They cannot implement any kind of serious economic harm on the United States in the way China perhaps could (we do not trade with Russia like we do with China). They could perhaps try via cutting energy to Europe, but then that would cost them money also. I can understand European nations being more hesitant economics-wise in this sense.

 

3. How many would be willing to save Ukraine with a considerable loss of humane nature (going to war and having men killed on the field)?

 

Don't think anyone is really calling for this.

Russia is a weak country economically, primarily dependent on natural resources. They cannot implement any kind of serious economic harm on the United States in the way China perhaps could (we do not trade with Russia like we do with China). They could perhaps try via cutting energy to Europe, but then that would cost them money also. I can understand European nations being more hesitant economics-wise in this sense.

 

Yep, half of Finland's tourists are Russian.

Half of our export is to Russia.

5% of our energy is from Russia, though it's not life and death on that department.

Not good to lose those.

 

But, there are greater things that weight in the cup.

Longish war doc about WWII Finns vs Russian

IMO, bring it. Russia can ill-afford any arms race against the United States. Everyone talks about how we must act to avoid re-igniting the Cold War with Russia...how about Russia second-guessing itself to avoid re-uniting a Cold War with the United States. Russia already is behaving in a Cold War manner. It is headed by people who are holdovers from the old Soviet days. In some ways, it really is the Soviet Union still, just having lost much of its empire and military strength.

 

 

 

Russia is a weak country economically, primarily dependent on natural resources. They cannot implement any kind of serious economic harm on the United States in the way China perhaps could (we do not trade with Russia like we do with China). They could perhaps try via cutting energy to Europe, but then that would cost them money also. I can understand European nations being more hesitant economics-wise in this sense.

 

 

 

Don't think anyone is really calling for this.

 

Russia's future isn't too bright imo. For the past years the USA has made immense progress towards energy independence, and is well on its way to becoming a major exporter. This will have a major effect on world markets, if the USA disappears from them as a buyer. Although Europe still depends on Russian gas, things are changing here as well. Once the large scale exploitation of shale gas picks up steam (and there is plenty of it in France, Poland, Italy Romania), Russia is going to get the big fat finger. According to estimates there is enough shale gas in Europe to cover a few hundred years. Also a giant offshore gas field in the Mediterranean shared between Cyprus and Israel is about to start production.

 

No more buying the hugely overpriced Russian gas. They are in for a really rough ride. Once energy dependance on Russia becomes a thing of the past, EU policy on Russia will change as well, i.e. the Germans will grow a pair. I can't wait to see them cut off from their main money supply. Their energy supplies are their main diplomatic tools. If they hadn't abused their power over Europe by threatening to cut off gas and hadn't arbitrarily increased prices every year Europe would not have had a problem buying energy from them(a few years ago they actually did cut off gas supplies in the middle of winter). They are going to reap what the sew all these years. They are far more dependent on the EU than the EU is on them.

 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/03...fracking-debate

 

Seeking Energy Independence, Europe Faces Heated Fracking Debate

 

 

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2...in-ever-weaker/

How America’s shale gas revolution makes Putin ever weaker

 

American drilling companies which are at the forefront of technology regarding shale oil&gas are setting up shop in Europe and currently exploring in many countries. Europeans although skeptical of fracking, are slowly changing their minds about it and this Ukraine crisis, might help many realize the importance of energy independence. Gas in the USA is 1/4 of the price it is in Europe, if getting rid of Russia wasn't enough incentive. Industry in Europe badly needs a break as it is becoming increasingly uncompetitive against American companies.

ameer, it's not as simple as it sounds.

 

The world is becoming a smaller place, every year the world economy is being linked into the Russian economy while it's GDP is growing.

 

In 2002 Russian GDP was $345 billion USD and it grew to $2 billion within 10 years, that's a growth of almost 6 times within 10 years and for the past ten years the news media has been telling the world that Russian economy is going to collapse.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_count...n_2000_and_2009

 

Every year the economy grows in Russia the less it depends on natural resources for growth, oil is not important for Russia as important it is for UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and so on, oil is important for Russia but not as much as important as those middle eastern countries since they do have smaller populations. Every year the Russian economy becomes diversified.

 

By the time shale oil becomes a big player in the world market, the Russian economy will even be more linked into the European economy and Russia will have it's own large internal economy also. European retailers are doing billions in business in Russia, Americans have auto manufacturers and many other businesses there, Russians buying real estate in New York, Miami, London and so on. It won't be easy to walk away from Russia.

 

41.1 million tourists traveled from Russia in 2013. Of these, 31.6 million (77.0%) traveled within Europe, while only 9.4 million traveled to destinations outside Europe.

http://skift.com/2013/11/28/forget-the-chi...nvading-europe/