Economic and Culture Observer

Alternative history nowadays is a mixed “thing”. You may find serious works together with a “fruit” of crazy uneducated maniacs. One will analyze the world without Hitler, another person will write a whole novel about chances of General Lee during Civil War, but…

Hey! Alternative is coming soon right now!!! Obama, Clinton, McCain and other persons – can you understand that the problem isn’t in withdrawal from Iraq or whatever they discuss? The problem is that alternative history is just looking at us from its darkness. Should we realize finally that we are empire – and do imperial things? Or we have to abandon our expansionist plans and take a rest inside of our hemisphere? I think neither first nor second variant is positive.

Only Future and Space Exploration can save us and entire humanity!

So, we live inside of alternative history. The point of bifurcation is clear – to disappear in the new Dark Ages or to open new level for us and for US!

I will not get tired of discussing it.

1.       Politics.

As I’ve already written – nothing actually new is going on! Whatever they decide.

2.       Currency

Euro is declining and dollar is increasing. But... I don’t believe in it.

3.       Something from life

Today I looked at the trees and grass, looked around and… suddenly realized how green is everything! It’s great. Nature is alive and full of harmony. However green grass keeps silence and does not have advices for my problemsL

4.       Films

Two days ago I watched one of those numerous films about asteroid impact. I think such films are not random. Something like this will happen and these films are like psychological preparations for future.  

What a person needs when he/she thinks about credit card, especially about Instant Approval Credit Card?

Right. This person thinks about the most suitable offers and other sweet additional options. Where is it possible to find it? See the link above. You may ask me: hey, man, you have already written many posts about various sites. And all of them have the best offers etc. Well, progress is on its way. My Google page works perfectly!

1.       Have recently made some comments at amazing post of Pitbrown. Look at the photo! This is one of the greatest examples of Euro-Dollar fight. Obvious apocalypsis…

2.       So, today Medvedev became third president of PostSoviet Russia. The first was former Communist Party hierarch, the second was former KGB-agent. And now the third… They say they will continue the same policy…. Looking at our own elections debate and general situation – I think everything will be the same also.

1. Who is mister Medvedev? - A Man Who Is the Same…

2. Who will be our president? - New But the Same…  

Sorry that I haven’t made screenshots. I have forgotten to do itL

Well, the system is installed through the options of Wubi. This is a special installer that (as far as I got it) prevents computer from fatal mistakes during installation, allows to begin installation within Windows-session and in fact is like a virtual machine for Ubuntu. So, I was free to select gigabytes of space, language, password etc.

After restart the OS installation (within Ubuntu session) goes completely with no additional choices.

However those who have ATI Radeon (as me) will have to dance with repositories and drivers. Finally I’ve got it. But it’s hard to say that video-effects are greater than Vista ones. Anyway video-card works as it has to work.

Still have no idea about the efficiency of WiFI, cause I have nobody to try with.

Also processor’s cooler works in a very active way, even when there is a long period of inactivity.

Firefox now saves tabs from previous sessions!

And many other problems and smiles.

Do you know a tool that allows to launch MS-Windows-based soft?

Little drama. Two actors. Newbie (he has big eyes) and Veteran (he has long moustache).

Newbie: Hey, I’ve just come to this site! There are box—parachutes flying over the top of the page!

Veteran: Right lad. These are the cool flyers, some of them can transform to various offers and discounts if you have a wish to get them.

N: The site is called Credit-Land. And its symbol has a strange looking guy, like Spartan warrior with a fork-spear and something like a credit card on the teeth of this fork!!! What does it mean in case of its content?

V: Ahahaha. This is a good question! I guess as soon as you recognize designer’s idea you are free to think that you are Vetaran, like me…

N. I have understood nothing, but… Ok. What about the content of this page? What can I do there?

V: As usual, man. You can return the joy to your budget. Get new credit, apply for new credit card. The content of the site reflects it very well, yeah?

N: I see… But what exactly?

V: Get it; get the info about credit card transfers, ha…

N: Now I feel it. But… you know what…

V: I have no idea about the chaos of your brain and its ideas…

N: Hey, stop it! I just wish to tell that I’ld to apply for the card, I want to make this transfer, I want to save my rates from recession, FRS and credit crisis. What should I do?

V: The site is still opened, yeah? Just play with buttons and services, man. And you will get your financial happiness.

After numerous comments in my blog (and some other blogs) I decided to make a little research about this word. Google brought me 67 results and Yahoo even more – 183. Everywhere it’s quite clear that the word is used as a substitution for the “Ukraine” and is met only within Anglosphere.  However in most cases Ukieland isn’t used by native English Speakers (or only in their dialogues with those who used it initially). Yet those who use this word are often fluent English speakers.  

What does it mean? It means that Ukieland is a language phenomenon created by Ukrainian emigrants.

Why do they tend to use such word, especially taking into account that many other emigrants from the same region together with those who still live there do not use this word. Moreover – they find such form of country name as something awful.

The answers and opinions are quite different.

My life experience gives me various answers. One of them is the fact that emigrants are usually people who decided to leave their national culture area and tombs of their forefathers. This is very…. strong “thing”. It creates controversy in the minds. On the one hand emigrant (voluntarily as a rule) does his or her possible to integrate in the culture of their new homeland. On the other hand they still have obvious and inevitable connections with their past life. Some of them, like all these Chinese or Latinos, just separate themselves from the new culture (by means of China-towns etc), having only economic integration. But – and especially – emigrants from “European-style” countries use another style. Despite some activists who write newspapers in their native languages, despite those who attend churches and various meetings with other culture-carriers – the bigger part (very often women who married American husbands) tries to make the fastest elimination of any such connections. When Jewish family comes to ancient Britain of Roman Empire times it means that there will be serious probability to find their Jewish-speaking descendants in the same area. However when this American-man-married Ukrainian (or Russian, or Polish, or Swedish) wife gives a birth to a child this means that this child uses English as a main language even if mother continues to use Ukrainian inside of a family. The child of the child will be Ukrainian only in general terms with no actual heritage.

The usage of Ukieland in this case is a tool which purpose is to confirm this absence of actual heritage. Of course Ukies are free to fly and travel to the Ukraine. And some of them do it very frequently (it depends on money, business etc). However these Ukies are Americans no matter where they were born.

Thus I think that Ukieland is a social and linguistical marker that separates English speaking Ukrainians from Ukrainian-sometimes-speaking Americans.

Is it bad? Is it good? I am not the judge in this case. However…. There were and are a lot of the same Ukies among American Indians. You can see such “ukie”-girl on the photo below.    

World Wonder: Evil Axis Headquarters

 

Cost: free in the countries with Oil resource

Need: Not to be America, not to be democratic state.

 

Does not have any building, its effect exists in all the cities of nation.

Allows free and one-turn draft of Skilled Terrorist wherever you want him to appear. Only one Skilled Terrorist can be recruited per one turn.

A Skilled Terrorist can be invisibly infiltrated to the cities of nations with democratic form. Being infiltrated he has nonzero probability to make a nuclear explosion.

I have just noticed that sheduled new version in active. I have studied various Internet resources and got quite controversial opinion. As you may remember I had a lot of shit with previous versions, particularly with Compiz Fusin effects.
So - what do you think about?
I have both notebook (Vista Home Premium) and desktop PC (Win XP). Is it worth of installing?

My question to you, dear readers.

What is the highest place above the sea which you have visited?

Maybe the title of the message isn’t very clear but I just want to tell that when we speak about Greece and Greeks as the descendants of the Byzantine state we have lack of understanding the situation.

Byzantine Empire was the state which key stronghold of Constantinople was the best place to control massive amount of trade traffic between Europe and Asia. Best places are usually very desirable for various conquerors. Together with the capital Byzantine Empire in her greatest days controlled wide areas of Balkan, Northern Africa, Middle Eastern coastline, entire Minor Asia and some territories of Caucasus and Black Sea coastline.

Juristically Byzantine Empire had been killed by Turkish invaders. However their territorial expansion in most cases touched the same territories (of course with even wider success in the initial period). Ottoman Empire wasn’t Byzantine in case of religious or cultural organization. But in the sense of geopolitics it was the Same Empire at the Same Place. With one additional point – Ottomans controlled much more of the Middle East than old Eastern Roman Empire.

After long period of victories and defeats Ottomans were expelled from the biggest part of their territories. They even changed political structure and the very name of the state.

But they still control Constantinople.

The Empire of the Great Crossroads is still at the same place.

One girl today asked me whether I have any idea what to do when a couple has quite warm relations but their sexual life doesn’t bring them full pleasure. I think that the answer quite clear: in most cases they will seek for outer sex.

Then I began to think about another problem. When sex is great and partners are glad to do it. But their other activity shows lack of compatibility. I even see this situation: in his free time he likes to play PC strategies and she likes write endless sms-es to an unknown number of buddies. She won’t be glad if he tells her good news from …mmm… the World of Rome: Total War and he won’t understand all her smiles when she sees something on her mobile phone screen. Or he likes to see her cooking food while she hates cooking alone. Et cetera.

But I think that the first problem, with lack of good sex leads to adultery while second problems leads to parting.

Though I’m not sure.

Psycho-advisors may tell that partners should try to respect each other and make attempts of changing something. It works in the beginning of relations, I guess, but when partners are together for some years and still have problems – a gap can only become wider.

Or not?

I hope for the best…

Recently I was asked to write down my opinion on the social situation with Native Americans. So, here it is:

First of all I should say that situation is extremely controversial. On the one hand modern Indians are legal US citizens; they have all rights to do everything that is allowed to do. Their cultures do not have state protection but they are not prohibited with exception of some excessive practices. They have legal lands and some autonomy – I speak about reservations…

However, on the other hand there is quite obvious national policy (Bureau of Indian Affairs still exists) aimed to push Indians to abandon their traditional heritage and just become ordinary “consumers”. Reservations in fact aren’t good places for life. They are small and are located in badlands. The biggest one is Navajo Land yet even there Indians do not have normal possibilities for economical activity.

Moreover there is very strange Washington recognition policy. While there are many tribes that are federally recognized there still many others (like some Delaware communities right in the same state) which have no legal status.

So, generally it looks like you are free to buy all that musical cd-mp3 stuff of Indian bands, your are free to watch various celebrations like Pow-Wow, you can meet Indians in many places and cities. But try a deeper touching and you will see the greatest death rates in the US (due to fire water for example) , disappearing  cultures and languages  and many other negative trends.

And may be it sounds like a paradox but from the Indian point of view all the US now is like seceded Kosovo with no Serbia at all.

http://content.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/index.html

This picture shows obviously how Indians lose their culture heritage. 
Left picture part shows nice Cheyenne girl (Woxie Haury) in her beautiful costume, on the right one she is a happy bride of her husband (I haven't found any info about him). In her new Western style clothes she is just kind of Native American but not Cheyenne. I think that even her own children had problems with Cheyenne language. If they survived of course. If she had them...

P.S. More to say in her traditional clothes she has much more natural appearance than in White clothes. 

Sioux Girl. She is so beautiful. Hope she had happy days in her life.
 
Photo taken at http://www.old-picture.com

Mi gymeraff lw i'r Mawredd beth rydw i'n caru hi. Ond... dw i'n bwyta gwrthiselyddion... Pam?
Mae'r ateb gwirion i'r cwestiwn.
Neu... nac?

There are some calculations that show nonzero threat of great asteroid impact in 2036.

I think this is obvious message of Universe. We have to realize who we are now.

Historical human civilizations faced only regional threats. Like ices, wild animals, quickly growing tropical forests and deserts, constant earthquakes and so. Nomades moved from steppes to steppes, ploughmen cultivated new plants. And there were always new unknown territories to use.

Not like now.

Our planetarian society involuted itself. Great powers plan their wars for oil, experts write their stuff about ecology, Arabians fire Paris suburbs, peaceful monks fight with Chinese state machine. ..

But 2036 can easily kill everything this.

It’s a right time to think.

Space is our solution.

P.S. The world of 1940-s was almost the same as the world of 1900 with some additional technologies. But the world of 1960-s was full of orbital flights, Moon-landing and other great thing.

But what do we have now? We destroyed Concords, our cars have almost the same speeds as in 1960, we still use the threats of nuclear missiles, barbarians are numerous etc…

SPACE IS OUR SOLUTION. IT’S TIME TO CHANGE OURSELVES.

I’ve cut my hair. I don’t speak to people. I eat antidepressants. Well.. or not well… It’s only a part of me.

Another part, as always, glances at various girls with their beautiful legs and proud faces…

The third constantly thinks about the problems of the world. And provides solutions…

The fourth enjoys the sound of bike wheels when they cleave surrounding air.

The fifth insists on more frequent visits of parents and feels melancholy looking at old sms-s of disappeared girls.

The sixth is crazy about mountains and his hobby is to collect and read numerous trip-stories.

The seventh… He keeps silence… as always… He knows that time will come and…

In most cases all these numerous articles about fraud threats are full of generalizations giving no exact details. Of course it’s very good to let people know that credit cards in their wallets are vulnerable to fraud. But what is the exact algorithm of such crime? Let me describe one of such methods called Credit Card Shaving.

Fraudsters now do not need your personal account information or the data of your transactions. They just work with serial numbers of credit cards. All they need is to find correct combinations. And they are lucky with it, thanks to modern computing technologies. The key idea is that first twelve digits in credit card number can be found on many cards, because they just signify various bank series. The other four digits is the field where fraudsters look for your checksum. As soon as they find out the right number they are ready for final work. This means that correct number has to be used. In order to do it, for example, they collect numerous gift cards or any other plastic pieces that contain numbers and have the sizes of cards. “Shaving” here means that fraudsters cut out some digits and replace them physically (with the help of “simple” glue).

Neither FBI nor Police can protect every person from such threat. The best method to avoid such danger is to review your transactions on the permanent basis. Then if you see unknown activity, you can easily “finish” your credit card processing. Now it’s a right time to check up your MasterCard. Good luck!

Hi everybody. I have just tasted Ukrainian project STALKER and American Call of Duty: 4 and I became crazy about Zone (ZONA). After some surfing I’ve found this site with great collection of pictures, some of them look totally “in-game”:)

:

http://pripyat.com/ru/photo_gallery/pripyat/1/