November 1, 2021

Tbilisi's Soviet Underworld (8 photos)

https://www.rferl.org/a/underworld-tbilisi-soviet-secrets-photographer/31530050.html

Beneath the streets of Tbilisi lies a network of tunnels, bomb shelters and Soviet-era chambers that many locals know nothing about. Over the past several months, photographer David Tabagari has been exploring this silent underworld with extraordinary results.


Decaying wagon tracks in a tunnel beneath Tbilisi.


Massive blast doors leading to a bomb shelter beneath Tbilisi.


bottle of vodka named after the infamous Georgian ruler of the Soviet Union in an underground bomb shelter.




Doors of an apparent underground prison discovered by Tabagari.


A barred window in the underground prison


Graffiti apparently dating to the Stalin era inside one of the cells in the underground prison.


A GP-5 gas mask. The masks were distributed in most nuclear fallout shelters in the Soviet Union.

November 1, 2021

Soviet-Era Television Presenter Igor Kirillov Dies

Russian television presenter Igor Kirillov, who was the chief news anchor for state television during the Soviet era, has died aged 89.

For decades, Kirillov was the presenter who informed U.S.S.R. audiences of major news events, including the launch of the Sputnik satellite, communiques issued by the Communist Party, military parades on Moscow's Red Square, and the burials of Soviet leaders at the Kremlin wall.

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The cause of death was not given, but sources quoted by Izvestia and Ren-TV said Kirillov's health began to deteriorate in September. The reports indicated he had suffered a thrombosis -- a blood clot. Interfax reported that he had been hospitalized in October.

Kirillov hosted the daily news program Vremya (Time) for more than 20 years.

https://www.rferl.org/a/soviet-tv-presenter-kirillov-dies/31537959.html

November 1, 2021

Five Stories from Europe You May Have Missed

1. Seaweed-eating sheep could hold the key to reducing methane emissions

Sheep on the remote Scottish island of North Ronaldsay have a unique diet consisting mainly of seaweed and it has climate scientists excited.

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Farm animals belch and fart methane gas which is about 30 times more powerful than carbon dioxide when it comes to trapping heat in the atmosphere. With the world facing a deepening climate emergency, the issue has become a major focus for climate scientists.

The seaweed diet of the Orkney sheep may hold some answers. Scientists say it appears to have an effect on their digestive system resulting in reduced amounts of methane being produced.

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Researchers at the University of California, Davis also published results in March showing that a "bit of seaweed in cattle feed could reduce methane emissions from beef cattle as much as 82 per cent".

https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/10/31/seaweed-eating-sheep-could-hold-the-key-to-reducing-methane-emissions


2. North Macedonia's PM Zaev Announces Resignation Following Election Defeat

North Macedonia's prime minister, Zoran Zaev, announced his resignation after opposition wins in runoff elections on October 31.

snip

"I have brought freedom and democracy, and democracy means taking responsibility," he said.

Zaev's governing coalition endorsed liberal-democratic principles as well as integration into the European Union and NATO. North Macedonia joined NATO in March 2020, but talks for its entry into the EU hit a dispute with Bulgaria that has stalled progress toward accession.

The main battleground in the elections on October 31 was the capital, Skopje, where incumbent Mayor Petre Shilegov, from the ruling Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) lost to Danela Arsovska of the opposition Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian Unity (VMRO-DPMNE).

https://www.rferl.org/a/north-maceconia-zaev-elections-sdsm-vmro-dpmne/31538521.html


3. Man dies after being gored at bull-running festival in Spain

A man has died after he was gored at a bull-running festival in eastern Spain, the first such fatality in the country since events resumed after Covid-19 curbs were relaxed during the summer.

The 55-year-old, who has not been named, was repeatedly attacked by a bull at a festival in Onda, the town’s council said on Saturday. Other participants tried to entice the animal away but their efforts failed.

A wound to the man’s left thigh perforated an artery and he died in hospital in the nearby town of Villarreal. He also had a head wound.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/31/bull-running-festival-onda-spain-gored-man-dies


4. 'He Had Plans, A Girlfriend': Family Doubts Official Claim Russian Soldier Committed Suicide

MURMANSK, Russia -- Two months after 20-year-old conscript Yegor Voronkin arrived at his post in the Murmansk region settlement of Pechenga, he was rushed to a hospital in the city of Severomorsk. For a month, he lay in a coma, fighting for his life. On October 5, he died, never having regained consciousness.

The military’s preliminary finding states that Voronkin died of ethylene glycol poisoning after drinking hydraulic fluid in a suicide attempt.

It is an explanation that Voronkin’s family flatly rejects. They say he had plans to complete his military service and then move to Moscow with his girlfriend.

“He called her almost every day,” the girlfriend’s mother, who asked to be identified only as Alina, told RFE/RL. “Lately they had been trying to persuade him to sign a military contract. He said he had no desire to do so – the salary was only 40,000 rubles ($570) and ‘everyone drinks.’”

https://www.rferl.org/a/murmansk-conscript-death-voronkin-army/31538198.html


5. Greece lets boat packed with Afghan refugees dock after four days at sea

After roaming the high seas for four days as Greece and Turkey haggled over its fate, a cargo ship packed with hundreds of Afghan refugees has been allowed to dock at an Aegean island, with passengers disembarking to apply for asylum.

In what Greece’s migration ministry called “an unusual and special case”, the Turkish-flagged vessel was towed into the port of Kos on Sunday. About 375 passengers, the biggest single influx of asylum seekers in years, were taken to a reception centre on the island. Six others were detained for questioning and one woman was admitted to hospital on the island of Karpathos.

Greek coastguard officials said those onboard were mostly young Afghan males. Many were reported to be hungry and dehydrated after an ordeal that began on Thursday when the freighter, initially bound for Italy, developed engine trouble and sent out a distress signal off the island of Crete, shortly after setting sail from Turkey.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/31/greece-lets-boat-packed-with-afghan-refugees-dock-after-four-days-at-sea

October 30, 2021

Somebody asked me if I thought the Pope would enjoy meeting Biden more than trumpolini

Told him that's a low bar to step over
The Pope would enjoy being in a room with Gilbert Gottfried, Bobcat Goldthwait, John Lovitz, and Pee-Wee Herman all talking loudly at the exact same time more than meeting il douche

October 22, 2021

If we still did elections like we did n 1796 what would be the 5 most toxic Pres-VP

Talking with friends and we were pondering, if we still did Presidential elections like we did in 1796 (Adams/Jefferson) where the 1st place vote-getter is President and 2nd place in Veep, what do we think would be the Five Most Toxic Pres-VP.
Essentially the rules are which 5 do you think would have the most problems in working together (one is undermining the other, won't speak to one another, loathe one another, etc). Also, you can't change the combinations; i.e. you cannot say, "Well, person A wouldn't have run in Year-X." It's the two people who finished first and second that ran in that election.

My five in chronological order:
1. 1828(and 1832): John Q. Adams and Andrew Jackson. Jackson would still have been fuming even with being Vice-President. 1832 would have been bad because Jackson was such a jerk, I am guessing he'd still be mad about 28.

2. 1864 Abraham Lincoln and George McClellan. I had 4 others to choose from (Roosevelt-Hoover, Johnson-Goldwater, Clinton-Bush, Trump-Clinton), but went with this. McClellan would have made a most difficult VP; he was angry and bitter he had been fired by Lincoln, that Grant had done a much better job as General, and so on. Lincoln would have likely had to keep him as far away from DC as possible, and have him watched every minute.

3. Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt. Teddy is one of my favorite presidents. But, at the time, he was a larger-than-life persona who had been President and had an opinion on everything. Imagine trying to be President with Roosevelt's stature constantly looming over you as your V.P.

4. George Bush and Al Gore. I see this as a very messy co-existence. Everything that happened in Florida made for a very acrimonious relationship if this were the combination. I just see this being a mess between the two.

5. Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Unlike Jackson, Trump ran against two different people so he couldn't be lumped into one, like John Quincy and Jackson. Trump and Clinton would likely have been an ugly relationship, but look at how Trump acts now. He's created the Office of the Former President because he can't let it go that he lost. Imagine him as Vice-President with all the goodies available to him. It would likely be a million times worse than Jerry Brown and Mike Curb were in California. I could see, every time Biden left D.C. (even to go to Delaware) Trump proclaiming himself Acting President and issuing thousands of new directives -- most of which proclaimed that he really won the election. His fan club would be just as bad. Each day we'd hear how tomorrow was the day Trump would be president again. Oh... and he'd likely still be on twitter with the media presenting every tweet as if it were akin to Moses with tablets from God.

October 19, 2021

Nick Rolovich out as Washington State football coach after refusing state-mandated COVID-19 vaccine,

Source: ESPN

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Nick Rolovich is out as the Washington State football coach after refusing to become vaccinated for COVID-19, a requirement for all state employees, a source confirmed to ESPN.

Monday was the deadline for state employees to become fully vaccinated or receive an approved medical or religious exemption as part of a state mandate that was announced in August. Rolovich was seeking a religious exemption, but it is not yet clear how the university committee assigned to evaluate religious exemptions ruled.

Read more: https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32426315/nick-rolovich-washington-state-football-coach-refusing-state-mandated-covid-19-vaccine-source-says

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Last summer he said he'd get vaccinated if told to, and then filed near the end of the cut-off for a religious exemption
I went to WSU and am not sorry he is gone

October 19, 2021

Nick Rolovich out as Washington State football coach after refusing state-mandated COVID-19 vaccine,

Nick Rolovich out as Washington State football coach after refusing state-mandated COVID-19 vaccine, source says

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Nick Rolovich is out as the Washington State football coach after refusing to become vaccinated for COVID-19, a requirement for all state employees, a source confirmed to ESPN.

Monday was the deadline for state employees to become fully vaccinated or receive an approved medical or religious exemption as part of a state mandate that was announced in August. Rolovich was seeking a religious exemption, but it is not yet clear how the university committee assigned to evaluate religious exemptions ruled.

Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert is expected to be named the team's interim coach, the source said.

Rolovich was hired in January 2020 after a four-year stint as the head coach at Hawaii, where he compiled a 28-27 record.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32426315/nick-rolovich-washington-state-football-coach-refusing-state-mandated-covid-19-vaccine-source-says

I went to Washington State. Not sorry to see him gone. Last summer he said he'd comply with the mandate and then didn't trying for a religious exemption.
He expects others to follow his rules, but won't follow others
I have read there are several assistants on his staff that are unvaccinated

October 18, 2021

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on HOW TO answer the press on Covid issues

Visiting players, however, are exempt from the law, meaning that Irving is the only one who is unable to play as a result. Silver said he has heard nothing about the possibility of the vaccine mandate in New York being eased at any point this season.

When asked if it is "fair" that Irving is unable to play while other unvaccinated players -- including Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal -- are able to play without issue, Silver said that the framing of the question was off.

"I'm not sure if fair is the right way to approach it because there's nothing fair about this virus," Silver said. "It's indiscriminate in terms of who it impacts, and I think it's perfectly appropriate that New York and other cities have passed laws that require people who both work and visit arenas to be vaccinated. That seems to be a responsible public health decision made by those locales, and those are the circumstances in which the Nets find themselves operating.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32425851/nba-commissioner-adam-silver-wanted-vaccine-mandate-says-kyrie-irving-status-issue-new-york-city

October 16, 2021

It's Mid-October and 22 Percent of Republicans STILL Think Trump Will Be Reinstated as President Thi

Nearly a quarter of Republicans believe that former President Donald Trump will be “reinstated” to the presidency this year, even as the fantastical August 13 “deadline” for that event has long passed, and the end of the year is just weeks away.

It has been more than four months since the political media world was set abuzz after The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman first reported that Trump was telling confidants that he believed he’d be reinstated to the presidency in August, reporting that was later confirmed by other outlets — and fed by delusions floated by Trump allies like MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and attorney Sidney Powell.

And Trump himself appeared to confirm this in June when he told a crowd in North Carolina that “we’re gonna take back the White House, and sooner than you think.”

snip

But according to a new poll from YouGov, a not-insignificant chunk of Republicans still think it is “likely” that Trump will be reinstated this year.

https://www.mediaite.com/news/wtf-poll-its-mid-october-and-22-percent-of-republicans-still-think-trump-will-be-reinstated-as-president-this-year/

No matter what any of us think of YouGov polls; that one person thinks that il douche will be reinstated shows that there are seriously deluded people in this country

October 16, 2021

Five Stories from Europe You May Have Missed

1. Relative Calm Reported At Prison In Southern Russia After Riot By Hundreds Of Inmates

Relative calm is being reported at a prison in the south of Russia on October 16, a day after a riot there by hundreds of prisoners.

The unrest was reported at the Correctional Colony No. 1 in Vladikavkaz, the regional capital of North Ossetia.

No one was injured in the riot, the human rights ombudsman in the Republic of South Ossetia, Tamerlan Tsgoyev, was quoted as saying by TASS on October 16. He added that prison authorities would meet with some of the prisoners to discuss their grievances.

snip

It’s still unclear what triggered the unrest.

https://www.rferl.org/a/31512310.html


2. Four Russians found dead at Albanian resort

Four Russian tourists have been found dead at a beach resort in western Albania, police have said.

Albanian police issued a statement on Saturday saying the tourists were found asphyxiated in a hotel sauna in the village of Qerret late on Friday.

snip

The Russian tourists, aged between 31 and 60 years old, were part of a group that had been staying for a week at the five-star resort.

Investigators think the people who died may be members of the same family because of their surnames.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/16/four-russian-tourists-found-dead-albanian-beach-resort


3. France pays tribute to beheaded teacher Samuel Paty one year on

France paid tribute on Saturday to slain history teacher Samuel Paty on the one year anniversary of his death.

Prime Minister Jean Castex said Paty was a "servant of the Republic" at a Saturday tribute to the teacher at the Ministry of Education in Paris.

The 47-year-old history and geography teacher was beheaded last year by an 18-year-old Chechen refugee who said the attack was revenge because the teacher had shown his class cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

Paty taught at a school in the Paris suburb of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine.

https://www.euronews.com/2021/10/16/france-pays-tribute-to-beheaded-teacher-samuel-paty-one-year-on


4. Source Of Russian Prison-Abuse Videos Flees To France To Seek Asylum

The source of a massive leak of information, including videos, of alleged torture and sexual assaults in Russia's penitentiary system has fled to France, where he plans to seek political asylum.

The news was confirmed on October 16 by Vladimir Osechkin, a prominent Russian human rights defender, who runs the anti-torture project Gulagu.net, which has released much of the video.

Osechkin had described his source for the massive leak only as a Belarusian IT engineer who had been incarcerated in a prison in Saratov where he faced abuse, calling him only "Syarhey."

According to Gulagu.net, Syarhey arrived at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris on October 16 on a flight from an unspecified country in northern Africa. It said he had immediately turned to police at the airport in the French capital for help on seeking asylum.

https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-prison-torture-asylum/31513103.html


5. ‘Sensational’: skeleton buried in Vesuvius eruption found at Herculaneum

The partially mutilated remains of a man buried by the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius at Herculaneum, the ancient Roman town close to Pompeii, have been discovered in what Italy’s culture minister described as a “sensational” find.

Archaeologists said the man, believed to have been aged between 40 and 45, was killed just steps away from the sea as he tried to flee the eruption.

His skeleton was found on what would have been the ancient town’s beach with the head pointing back in the direction of the sea, and surrounded by carbonised wood, including a roof beam, that might have crushed his skull, the Italian news agency, Ansa, reported.

“The last moments here were instantaneous, but terrible,” Francesco Sirano, the director of Herculaneum archaeological park, told Ansa.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/oct/15/sensational-skeleton-buried-in-vesuvius-eruption-found-at-herculaneum