The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

The primary goal of this site is to provide mature, meaningful discussion about the Vancouver Canucks. However, we all need a break some time so this forum is basically for anything off-topic, off the wall, or to just get something off your chest! This forum is named after poster Creeper, who passed away in July of 2011 and was a long time member of the Canucks message board community.

Moderator: Referees

Post Reply
User avatar
Per
MVP
MVP
Posts: 9345
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:45 am
Location: Sweden

The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Per »

Russia has decided to ban transgender people from driving cars, because... uhm... well, just because.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 67132.html

On the upside, this means street walking trannies now have a perfectly legit reason for approaching cars and negotiating with the driver...

Image
Whatever you do, always give 100 %!
Except when donating blood.
User avatar
Per
MVP
MVP
Posts: 9345
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:45 am
Location: Sweden

Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Puti

Post by Per »

An expert analyst from a think tank with ties to Putin has stated on Russian TV that the terrorist attack against Charlie Hebdo in France was planned by the CIA. :o

http://www.vox.com/2015/1/8/7514439/cha ... russia-cia

I mean, yeah, sure.... :|

Image
Whatever you do, always give 100 %!
Except when donating blood.
User avatar
Per
MVP
MVP
Posts: 9345
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:45 am
Location: Sweden

Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Puti

Post by Per »

And for all his gay-bashing, isn't there something weird about the photos he keeps posing for? :eh:

Image Image Image
Whatever you do, always give 100 %!
Except when donating blood.
User avatar
Per
MVP
MVP
Posts: 9345
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:45 am
Location: Sweden

Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Puti

Post by Per »

Thought it might be time to revive the old Putin thread.

Crimea. Brexit. Trump.
Things are really going his way..... :|
From the Mediterranean to the Pacific, Mr Putin is hailed as an example by nationalists, populists and dictators. “My favourite hero is Putin,” said Rodrigo Duterte, the brutal president of the Philippines. Mr Trump called Mr Putin “a leader far more than our president.” In Italy Beppe Grillo’s Five Star Movement took Mr Putin’s side against the West, and the anti-immigrant Northern League, led by Matteo Salvini, has enthused about his Russia. “No clandestine immigrants, no squeegee merchants and no Roma encampments [in Moscow],” tweeted Mr Salvini during a visit in 2014.

In France Marine Le Pen, whose National Front received a loan from a Russian bank, attacks the European Union and America for being too aggressive towards Russia. In the words of Dimitar Bechev, the author of a forthcoming book on Russia in the Balkans, “Putin enjoys a cult status with all holding a grudge against the West.” Nowhere is that status greater than with the nationalists of America’s “alt-right”. Matthew Heimbach, the founder of the Traditionalist Worker Party and a crusader against “anti-Christian degeneracy”, told the New York Times he sees Mr Putin as “the leader of the free world.”
http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21 ... propaganda
Whatever you do, always give 100 %!
Except when donating blood.
User avatar
Strangelove
Moderator & MVP
Moderator & MVP
Posts: 42928
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:13 pm
Location: Lake Vostok

Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Puti

Post by Strangelove »

Per wrote:

“Putin enjoys a cult status with all holding a grudge against the West.” Nowhere is that status greater than with the nationalists of America’s “alt-right”.
The so-called “alt-right” is a fictitious entity invented by the evil alt-left…
____
Try to focus on someday.
User avatar
Per
MVP
MVP
Posts: 9345
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:45 am
Location: Sweden

Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Puti

Post by Per »

Strangelove wrote:
Per wrote:

“Putin enjoys a cult status with all holding a grudge against the West.” Nowhere is that status greater than with the nationalists of America’s “alt-right”.
The so-called “alt-right” is a fictitious entity invented by the evil alt-left…
More like "The so-called “alt-right” is a fictitious entity invented by Putin" :drink:

But they still had an impact on the US election. :hmmm:
Whatever you do, always give 100 %!
Except when donating blood.
User avatar
Strangelove
Moderator & MVP
Moderator & MVP
Posts: 42928
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:13 pm
Location: Lake Vostok

Post by Strangelove »

Hey if it's ever proven that Putin played a significant role in destroying the wicked witch

... well I'll give credit where credit is due. :drink:

Now talk to me about this renewed Swedish conscription... anything to do with Putin?
____
Try to focus on someday.
User avatar
Per
MVP
MVP
Posts: 9345
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:45 am
Location: Sweden

Re:

Post by Per »

Strangelove wrote:
Now talk to me about this renewed Swedish conscription... anything to do with Putin?
Absolutely.

We're also increasing defence spending and looking into military cooperation with the other Nordic countries.

But on a totally different note, this is truly kind of cute:
http://freebeacon.com/issues/congress-r ... dissident/
Whatever you do, always give 100 %!
Except when donating blood.
User avatar
Per
MVP
MVP
Posts: 9345
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:45 am
Location: Sweden

Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Puti

Post by Per »

Businessman Paints Terrifying And Complex Picture Of Putin's Russia

Good read:

http://www.npr.org/2017/07/28/539802914 ... ins-russia
Whatever you do, always give 100 %!
Except when donating blood.
User avatar
Strangelove
Moderator & MVP
Moderator & MVP
Posts: 42928
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:13 pm
Location: Lake Vostok

Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Strangelove »

Image

http://www.euronews.com/2018/06/06/swed ... since-1975
Sweden has called up all of its army volunteers for the first time in more than four decades in a bid to bolster its military strength.

The country, which has a reputation for neutrality, last went to war more than two centuries ago.

It comes after the Swedish government dispatched brochures to its 4.8 million households on how to prepare for an attack.

The pamphlet, entitled If Crisis or War Comes, is meant to get residents ready for a range of scenarios, including military conflict.

Sweden, which last went to war in 1814 with Norway, has not sent such instructions to its citizens since the days of the Cold War
.
Image
____
Try to focus on someday.
User avatar
Per
MVP
MVP
Posts: 9345
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:45 am
Location: Sweden

Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Per »

That's just the tip of it though.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Sweden cut its military spending drastically, as there were no immediate military threats in the region. The military was also repurposed from mainly national defense to more be a pool for sending troops on UN peace keeping missions.

Image
Military spending as % of GDP

In 2009 the parliament voted overwhelmingly to put the general draft on the shelf. Up till then we had mandatory military service, albeit during the 90's and 00's less than half of the young men eligible actually served, since with all the cuts, the armed forces had a hard time figuring out what to do with all of them.

This was a period of time when it seemed Russia wanted to become part of western civilisation. Just one of the guys, hanging out.
Then clouds started to gather at the horizon....

First there was Georgia... http://nordic.businessinsider.com/russi ... ?r=US&IR=T

... then Crimea... https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/vol ... 5cb420e9d9

... then the Donetsk region... https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/28/worl ... rimea.html

And make no mistake about it; the Russians are not, as they themselves would like to propose, trying to mediate between conflicting groups in their neighbouring nations. They are invading.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderi ... 8e30b7ddb2

You may wonder why Russia does all this despite the anger from the international community, the sanctions, etc, but this is a key factor:

Countries seeking to join NATO cannot have any outstanding territorial disputes.

Putin considers both NATO and EU threats to Russia and he does his best to weaken them. As both Georgia and the Ukraine had started to lean westward, by launching these mini-invasions, tearing off parcels of land, he effectively prevents them from joining NATO, while also making them less attractive as EU members.

Never mind the war crimes.

So, this is why all political parties in Sweden now favour increased military spending.
This is why the general draft takes effect again in 2018 and this is why we have placed a new regiment on th eisland of Gotland, instead of the one we dismantled about a decade ago.

The Russians are no longer to be trusted.
Whatever you do, always give 100 %!
Except when donating blood.
User avatar
Strangelove
Moderator & MVP
Moderator & MVP
Posts: 42928
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:13 pm
Location: Lake Vostok

Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Strangelove »

Per wrote: Tue Jun 12, 2018 4:59 am That's just the tip of it though.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Sweden cut its military spending drastically, as there were no immediate military threats in the region. The military was also repurposed from mainly national defense to more be a pool for sending troops on UN peace keeping missions.

Image
Military spending as % of GDP

In 2009 the parliament voted overwhelmingly to put the general draft on the shelf. Up till then we had mandatory military service, albeit during the 90's and 00's less than half of the young men eligible actually served, since with all the cuts, the armed forces had a hard time figuring out what to do with all of them.

This was a period of time when it seemed Russia wanted to become part of western civilisation. Just one of the guys, hanging out.
Then clouds started to gather at the horizon....

First there was Georgia... http://nordic.businessinsider.com/russi ... ?r=US&IR=T

... then Crimea... https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/vol ... 5cb420e9d9

... then the Donetsk region... https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/28/worl ... rimea.html

And make no mistake about it; the Russians are not, as they themselves would like to propose, trying to mediate between conflicting groups in their neighbouring nations. They are invading.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderi ... 8e30b7ddb2

You may wonder why Russia does all this despite the anger from the international community, the sanctions, etc, but this is a key factor:

Countries seeking to join NATO cannot have any outstanding territorial disputes.

Putin considers both NATO and EU threats to Russia and he does his best to weaken them. As both Georgia and the Ukraine had started to lean westward, by launching these mini-invasions, tearing off parcels of land, he effectively prevents them from joining NATO, while also making them less attractive as EU members.

Never mind the war crimes.

So, this is why all political parties in Sweden now favour increased military spending.
This is why the general draft takes effect again in 2018 and this is why we have placed a new regiment on th eisland of Gotland, instead of the one we dismantled about a decade ago.

The Russians are no longer to be trusted.
Image
____
Try to focus on someday.
User avatar
Per
MVP
MVP
Posts: 9345
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:45 am
Location: Sweden

Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Per »

Food for thought.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/worl ... r=msft_msn
SAKKILUOTO, Finland — Retired to a tiny island in an archipelago between Finland and Sweden, Leo Gastgivar awoke early one morning to visit the outhouse in his bathrobe, only to notice two black speedboats packed with Finnish commandos in camouflage fatigues waiting in the bay near his front door.

After an exchange of awkward greetings, Mr. Gastgivar went inside, collected a pair of binoculars and watched aghast as the commandos raced off toward the island of his nearest neighbor, a mysterious Russian businessman he had never met or even seen.

“I thought: ‘Wow! That is certainly unusual,’” Mr. Gastgivar recalled of the encounter. “Nobody ever visits that place.”

The island, Sakkiluoto, belongs to Pavel Melnikov, a 54-year-old Russian from St. Petersburg, who has dotted the property with security cameras, motion detectors and no-trespassing signs emblazoned with the picture of a fearsome-looking guard in a black balaclava. The island also has nine piers, a helipad, a swimming pool draped in camouflage netting and enough housing — all of it equipped with satellite dishes — to accommodate a small army.

...
Whatever you do, always give 100 %!
Except when donating blood.
User avatar
Per
MVP
MVP
Posts: 9345
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:45 am
Location: Sweden

Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Per »

Now shooting at, boarding and seizing Ukrainian ships. :shock:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46340283

Image

The ships were on route from Odessa to Mariupol (two Ukranian harbour cities) and therefor had to pass through the Kerch sound, which is international water. There is also a treaty from 2003 recognising that both Russian and Ukrainian ships must have free access to the Kerch sound. Of course, that treaty was signed before Russia's invasion and seizure of Crimea, but neither party has revoked it, so it must still be considered valid.

Furthermore, eventhough Russia now claims that Crimea is part of Russia, it is only they themselves and a handful of vassal states that recognise this. The rest of the world, including the UN, the US, the EU, Nato, Canada, China, etc, still recognise Crimea as an integral part of the Ukraine, albeit at present under occupation by foreign troops.
Whatever you do, always give 100 %!
Except when donating blood.
User avatar
Strangelove
Moderator & MVP
Moderator & MVP
Posts: 42928
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:13 pm
Location: Lake Vostok

Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Strangelove »

Per wrote: Mon Nov 26, 2018 1:29 pm Now shooting at, boarding and seizing Ukrainian ships. :shock:
Sweden is next. :twisted:
____
Try to focus on someday.
Post Reply