Dear friends,
With almost 20’000 readers literally spread all over the world, I have decided to follow a very good suggestion posted by ‘anonymous’ and switch this blog’s timestamps to universal time aka Zulu time aka GMT. Sticking to the one I previously used (EST) is really inadequate and parochial. Also, since most of the world does not use the stupid AM/PM convention, I will be using the so-called “military time” in which 10AM is 10:00 and 10PM becomes 22:00. This is much more logical.
I hope you don’t mind and take the time to adapt to this small change.
Kind regards,
The Saker
Saker Message:
Confused. Google tells me that right now it’s 18:17GMT but this blog was posted at 18:59 (in the future)
While you are at it make everything metric including getting rid of Fahrenheit.
Albertde
The blog stamp seems to be imposing a DST correction to UTC, which is a no-no. UTC (zulu) is supposed to be immutable.
@Anonymous: The blog stamp seems to be imposing a DST correction to UTC, which is a no-no. UTC (zulu) is supposed to be immutable.
It’s even worse then that. It does not offer Zulu/UTC time. I had to pick a city and since I did not want to pick London, I picked the Canary Islands. But still, this is better than EST, no?
Cheers,
The Saker
Well, that solves one little mystery for me. I have been wondering for some time what time zone was being used.
Presently,the time of the original post is being displayed to me as:
“posted by VINEYARDSAKER: at 6:59 PM on Apr 16, 2014”
and the last comment, below which I am composing this, as:
“16 April, 2014 20:05”
I presume it’s the same for everyone, but it doesn’t hurt to check.
Bic in Thailand
I am not sure it is better because now, for half the year, it is off by an hour. The only solution would be for you to put it on Canary Islands time during winter and some other time one hour west of them in the summer (I hope I got that right?) Might as well just keep it on EST where you are. As long as this is made clear to readers, it should be no problem, and it would be, after all, the time at the center of the Empire.
@EVERYBODY: I think that I found the solution: I am using Dakar (Senegal) time since it is GMT+0 and Senegal never uses DST :-)
Hope that this works for everybody now!
The Saker
I don’t mind which timezone you use, I’m just interested in the content :)
But there is another option for some blogs – you can allow the blog to display the time in a person’s local timezone.
I’m in the process of developing a new blog with Drupal and deciding whether or not to do that. Just a friendly FYI.
Hi Saker. A bit off topic. Some very interesting info here.
Could you comment please?
NEW RUSSIAN WEAPONS CONTROL RADAR MAKES A HELPLESS FLEET USA AND NATO
According to the leading news agencies in the world, last Saturday, April 12, 2014 onwards, the plane of Russian air force Su-24 (option is not specified),
Flew over the American destroyer Donald Cook, “equipped with the latest American ship’s multifunctional combat information and control system of the aegis, as well as armed, including Tomahawk cruise missiles. On Monday, 14 April, the Pentagon made a surprisingly emotional commentary about the event that occurred.
Indeed: what is so that an unarmed front-line bomber, not the latest generation has passed, let, 12 times, near new, armed to the teeth, that focused on air defense destroyers of the U.S.? After all, for example, during the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, such overflights by aircraft ships both powers were practically at every meeting of potential opponents. So what happened this time? that hurt Americans? Moreover, according to the semi-official appeared on secondary resources Runet information after the incident, “Donald Cook extra entered the port of Romania and there’s 27-man crew have written resignation and left or namerilis′ to abandon ship. indirectly, this is confirmed by the words of the Pentagon’s statements. It argues that this action demoralized the crew. I was absolutely confused. the fact is that this long-suffering destroyer, uss donald cook (ddg-75) type “arlee Burke class destroyers, UB, multi-purpose combat speedboats maneuvering ships designed to combat submarines, aircraft (including missiles) and enemy ships, as well as for the protection and defence of the convoy ships or ships clocks at sea. armed with this ship, including two 6-barrel zu “phalanx and 74 rockets rim-66 sm-2 standard-2”. in other words, the specialization of this ship, it is a struggle not only with such slow small maneuverable targets, as the Su-24, but with much more complicated-with antiship missiles, and have higher movement speed and agility are not limited by the crew and overloads invisibility they many times superior to the Su-24. It would seem that here demoralization – stay, includes air defense, aegis, work off in close to real conditions, reflected attack aircraft likely opponent! But no, the crew was demoralized by, 27 people have written applications with the wording “are not going to risk their lives.” So what happened in international waters? I believe the answer lies in the mysterious title, as “the khibiny mountains. According to Wikipedia, the khibiny mountains is a mountain range on the Kola peninsula, in Murmansk oblast, Russia, located on the 150 km north of the Arctic Circle:) but, of course, not those hibinami was intimidated by the crew of the destroyer. The Khibiny mountains “- this is the newest Russian electronic warfare complex, which will be installed on all promising Russian planes. Data about it, how much did not look for, not found, but here it is written that the Su-24 is used for exercises in Buryatia. So, nothing could demoralize the military man as their own powerlessness! The situation in the light of the foregoing, see as follows.
to be continued
continued
April 10, 2014 onwards, the destroyer arrived in the neutral waters of the Black Sea for the campaign of intimidation and force to the intransigent position of Russia in Ukraine and the Crimea. Prior to this, in the Black Sea was, in violation of the Montreux Convention, the other an American guided-missile destroyer TRUXTUN. That is, there was a typical, my beloved by Americans, the rat race and international boorishness. The Russian reaction was calm but deadly: 12 April, in a great day of cosmonautics, our ordered to fly in neutral waters, unarmed Sukhoi Su-24, but with “Khibini” under the wing. Next, all developed about this scenario: “cook” even issued a “drying” caught, played battle anxiety and metering of combat positions. Everything went normally, radar believed convergence to aegis, properly managed the targeting systems. And suddenly – clap! All died down. Aegis is not working, the screens show the dregs, even “Falanks” can’t get pinpointing! The Su-24, meanwhile, went over the deck, “cook”, made the battle a u-turn and simulated missile attack on goal. Of course, the successful -because there is no counter! Then turned around and simulated another. And so on-still 10 times! All attempts to revive aegis technicians and provide target acquisition for air defense, have failed, and only when the silhouette of the “drying” melted away in the mists above the Russian coast, the screens come to life, and guidance systems in good faith have shown clear, shining emptiness of the April sky.
Bottom line. Most likely, after the Su-24 has included in the immediate vicinity of the “cook”, “all air” Khibiny destroyers. Our checking system performance EW, 12 (!) times a mock attack on an American ship. In all this time, the crew was unable to revive disabled CMSs. She earned only when a Su-24 left the course at the base. Then, realizing his own powerlessness against the complex radio-electronic warfare conventional bomber, 27 people and filed reports.
Who are you?
Apparently you have raised some ‘eye brows (see below)!! keep up the good work
http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2014/04/who-is-saker.html
@Rd:Who are you?
Ouch! Exactly the kind of talk I don’t want. I do not matter, what matters are the issues we discuss, hence my silly nickname and my desire to keep a “thin anonymity”. I wish people did not focus on personalities, especially on an Internet where anybody can claim to be anything. Let us judge each other by what we say, not whom we claim to be, no?
(sigh, rolleyes)
Cheers anyway,
The Saker
Hi Saker:
That’s great, but would you consider registering your own domain name?
A short and easy to pronounce domain name will be easier to remember and easy to spread the word when talking to friends.
“vineyardsaker dot blogspot dot com” is abit too long to pronounce over the dinner table.
-ffc
Greetings from Singapore:
Good news! The ‘Godspeed President Putin’ has now 522 signatures. We need more!
That wasn’t me over at turcopolier, btw.
Just sayin’. Weird coincidence of timing though, I admit.
Anyway, cheers.
Hi Saker,
A new blog follower here, valuing your Russian povs; which leads me to ask, if I may, your opinion iro this;
http://alexanderboot.com/content/letter-friend
Is is complete un-historical garbage, or is it a agenda driven slant on the true historical record, or does it even have one or two reasonable povs ?
Would be very grateful for even the briefest of replies.
Thanks & regards,
Mack
@Mack: As always, I fist glanced superficially at this article when suddenly I saw this sentence: I’m not going to go deep into Russian Christianity here. Suffice it to say that it was always tinged with paganism, Eastern Gnostic mysticism and anti-clericalism.
LOL! Whoever wrote that knows less about Russia Bart Simpson or, alternatively, is a crazed russophobe with not an ounce of honesty left in him. You can safely disregard anything this character has to say about Russia. Besides, if the guy knew anything at all he would not have to pepper an article about Putin with Tsars, Rasputin, Holy Russia or this pearl “old imperial chauvinism underpinned by the Third Rome effluvia”.
I just took a quick look at his site and there is no way he is just an ignorant Bart Simpson, which leaves option 2: he is the kind of folks who emigrated from the USSR in the 1970 and who made their entire career of the russophobia. It’s the kind of people I try to stay away from and if I mean that, I always try to flush my mental toilet afterwards.
How is this title (of one of his articles): “Putin: KGB Gang$ta for Life”? Putin was in the foreign intelligence service, just like Papa Bush, but I doubt that folks like this Boot (probably a made-ip name), would write that about him,
Forget this steaming pile of shit is my best advice!
Cheers,
The Saker
Off topic Thomas Friedman in NYT about US Jews falling out of love with Israel
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article38250.htm
As to military time, that’s a relief.
Good historical background.
http://www.bvoltaire.fr/pierrehillard/lincendie-ukrainien,56615
< Dans les rivalités entre Moscou et Washington, l’Ukraine est âprement disputée. Les hostilités ont été officiellement lancées par les États-Unis, en 2002, quand le secrétaire d’État Colin Powell a rédigé un document appelant aux préparatifs d’intégration de l’Ukraine dans l’OTAN à partir de 2004, de la Serbie en 2005, de l’Albanie et de la Croatie en 2007, complété par l’entrée de la Turquie dans l’Union européenne en 2007. Le tout devrait être intégré dans les institutions euro-atlantiques pour 2010, comme l’a rapporté le Financial Times Deutschland, le 24 octobre 2002. [PDF]
Cependant, l’échec de la « révolution orange » en 2004 a déréglé et retardé ce plan de bataille. La relance d’intégration de l’Ukraine dans l’UE par la voie d’un accord de libre-échange – et en arrière-fond dans le marché transatlantique – qui devait être signé les 28 et 29 novembre 2013 à Vilnius a tourné court. Kiev ayant un besoin urgent de liquidités a refusé de signer l’accord car l’UE ne promettait que 600 millions d’euros alors que Poutine, conscient qu’une Ukraine intégrée au bloc euro-atlantique constituait un tournant fatal pour son pays, mettait le paquet en proposant 15 milliards de dollars. Face à une telle offre, le président ukrainien se jeta dans les bras de Poutine.
La situation était déjà tendue car Vladimir Poutine avait proposé à la chancelière Merkel, en novembre 2010, l’instauration d’une vaste zone de libre-échange entre l’UE et la Russie (« de Lisbonne à Vladivostok »), principe renforcé par le projet de création d’une union eurasienne, en octobre 2011, comprenant la Russie, la Biélorussie et le Kazakhstan (« une puissante union supranationale »), « servant de pont entre l’Europe et la région Asie-Pacifique », construction s’inspirant de « l’UE et non de l’URSS », comme s’est plu à l’affirmer le Premier vice-Premier ministre Igor Chouvalov. Pour les Anglo-Saxons, c’était une véritable déclaration de guerre, d’autant plus que Washington met la pression pour imposer un marché transatlantique sous son égide. Le casus belli fut officialisé lors du sommet UE-Russie à Bruxelles, le 28 janvier 2014, quand le dirigeant russe réitéra sa demande en insistant sur la nécessité de « la création d’un espace économique et humanitaire commun de Lisbonne à l’océan Pacifique ».
Le coup d’État renversant le Premier ministre ukrainien Ianoukovitch, en février 2014, fut une « réussite ». Il a permis de créer une hostilité complète entre l’UE et la Russie, cassant l’idée d’une vaste zone de libre-échange unifiée russo-européenne pour le plus grand profit de Londres et de Washington qui, désormais, savent que cette tentative d’unification continentale est passée à la trappe pour longtemps.
Il est vrai que les Anglo-Saxons, mais aussi les Allemands, ont mis le paquet en soutenant les partis pro-européens sur la place de Maïdan à Kiev. Il suffit de rappeler que le site Internet du parti UDAR pro-européen, dirigé par Vitali Klitschko, affiche sans complexe ses soutiens : l’« International Republican Institute » dirigé par le sénateur John McCain, le « National Democratic Institute » dirigé par l’ancienne secrétaire d’État Madeleine Albright et le parti de la chancelière Merkel, la CDU. Avec de tels représentants, l’affaire ukrainienne risque d’allumer un vaste incendie.>
Looks like in the absence of a coherent Ukrainian Army offensive against the rebels BBC has been reduced to fabricating military movements using CGI or staged photographs and old pictures of Ukrainian Army ‘peacekeepers’ deployed alongside the Poles in Iraq a decade ago:
http://johnhelmer.net/?p=10570
In other words, pathetic shambolic propaganda of the kind the Daily Beast, Forbes or Business Insider loves to mock if a single Russian website gets caught doing such things, but pretends never happens at a highly respected Western news organization like the BBC.
NYT story, dateline 16th (obviously a wrap-up after yestdys events): “…They faced not only the civilians, but behind them a force of well-armed men in unmarked green uniforms, who Western governments have said are either Russian soldiers or Russian-equipped militants. These soldiers were well armed. They carried radios and ammunition pouches. Some had RPG launchers slung over their shoulders…” Should we have any technical issues with these claims? Radios? RPGs?
Saker:
While still had dial up in Brazil, I found this link Helena, one Ukraniana riding his bike (I’m also biker).
Swear to you, the only person I worry that region it is.
The link is here:
http://www.consumedland.com/elena/serpentswall/port/index_port.html
Have there go more than fifteen years that this link is on my “favorites”.
Sorry for the off topic.
Alexandre.
mjm said…
Greetings from Singapore:
Good news! The ‘Godspeed President Putin’ has now 522 signatures. We need more!
16 April, 2014 21:06
————–
I do not understand this?
please, could you explain this?
Anonimous at 17 April, 2014 05:11
See the link below
https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/president-vladimir-putin-foreign-minister-sergey-lavrov-godspeed-president-putin-and-foreign-minister-lavrov
Anonimous @ 17 April 2014 05:11
See the link below:
https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/president-vladimir-putin-foreign-minister-sergey-lavrov-godspeed-president-putin-and-foreign-minister-lavrov
Greetings from Singapore:
Berliner Zeitung:
http://www.berliner-zeitung.de/kultur/russland-und-deutschland-es-geht-nicht-um-die-krim,10809150,26844042.html
Seems the truth is sometimes published in Germany.
Saker
Путин: За спиной сил самообороны Крыма встали наши военные
http://lifenews.ru/news/131452
“Владимир Путин прокомментировал появление так называемых вежливых людей в Крыму незадолго до мартовского референдума.
– Нашей задачей было обеспечение условий для свободного волеизъявления крымчан. За спиной сил самообороны встали наши военные, они действовали корректно. По-другому помочь людям выразить свое мнение было невозможно, – объяснил Путин. – Россия создала только условия для свободного волеизъявления людей, откликнулась на этот призыв и приняла Крым и Севастополь в свою семью, по-другому и быть не могло.”
вот так
Hi Anon, mjm is referring to this post.
Here’s a nice analysis of some staged photos that are going round, supposedly showing super-equipped Kiev expeditionary force:
http://johnhelmer.net/?p=10570
Bounty $10,000 for every ‘green man’ “captured”.
La Repubblica.
< Il governatore della regione di Dnipropetrovsk (nell’Ucraina orientale), l’oligarca Igor Kolomoiski, ha messo una ‘taglia’ da 10.000 dollari per ogni “omino verde” (sono chiamati così i filorussi armati di kalashnikov e in mimetica senza distintivi) “catturato”. Lo fa sapere l’agenzia ufficiale ucraina Ukrinform, citando il vice di Kolomoiski, Boris Filatov. Il governatore sarebbe anche disposto a pagare 200.000 dollari per ogni edificio in mano ai filorussi riportato sotto il controllo di Kiev.>
Bounty $10,000 for every ‘green man’ “captured”.
La Repubblica.
< Il governatore della regione di Dnipropetrovsk (nell’Ucraina orientale), l’oligarca Igor Kolomoiski, ha messo una ‘taglia’ da 10.000 dollari per ogni “omino verde” (sono chiamati così i filorussi armati di kalashnikov e in mimetica senza distintivi) “catturato”. Lo fa sapere l’agenzia ufficiale ucraina Ukrinform, citando il vice di Kolomoiski, Boris Filatov. Il governatore sarebbe anche disposto a pagare 200.000 dollari per ogni edificio in mano ai filorussi riportato sotto il controllo di Kiev.>
All right enough of this what time is it talk what’s going on today 4/17/2014;)
Well, well. Poland must be getting as tired of the Appelbaum-Sikorsky family as they are of Warsaw: “Polish media outlet Nie has published a bombshell account about direct Polish involvement in Ukraine’s destabilization. Its source alleges that the Polish Foreign Ministry had invited Ukrainian militants into the country and trained them outside of Warsaw in September 2013.” Now this is no real news — a first person account was online just after the putsch, I believe — but having it this widely disseminated, while NATO planes are starting to “protect” Poland, now THAT is news indeed!
Well darn, I was so excited I forgot the URL: http://www.globalresearch.ca/polands-role-in-destabilizing-ukraine-polish-military-trained-neo-nazi-militants-for-euromaidan-protests/5378129
Globe in Ukraine: Pro-Russian victory gives separatists momentum – The Globe and Mail
N.b. “Nie” is about as credible a source as the “National Enquirer” (for those in the US).
There is an apparent snuff video with all details in russian or ukrainian for which I shall borrow a response from the gullible: “Oh my god, Donetzk chief of police, TORTURED TO DEATH and his wife RAPED! WTF is going on!?” Since each comment beneath the video on youtube has a little translate button, I can tell that the majority regard it as fake. After all, it only makes sense as a provocation the original cause of which, ie this video, can be brushed under the carpet, the idea being to provoke the rebels into inordinate reprisal attempts which could then in turn be capitalised upon by Kiev.
So anyway, the damn thing is here> and I for one am not going to watch it. In due course, a suitably contemptuous little news item will appear pointing out that the police chief and his wife are still alive (at least, I damn well hope so). Unless it is an utter and contemptible piece of obscene video manipulation (either using a real snuff movie or just sfx), then this chief of police would be reported dead by violence, and although the report would not give the gory details, it would be top and front at RT.com and VoR and ITAR-TASS and Pravda.ru and RIA Novosti, just to list the eng-lang russian sites that every one of us could get to in 10 seconds.
I’m not even going to bother to check, because (a) it’s an obvious case of what I said already, and (b) anybody who fails to treat it with appropriate contempt but instead tries to run with it, should be suspect… but the consensus of the comments there, for whatever they’re worth, is that it is not even a genuine snuff movie but a piece of “pomegranate juice dripping from his throat” etcetera.
@ Anonymous 16 April, 2014 19:44
— Indeed: what is so that an unarmed front-line bomber, not the latest generation has passed, let, 12 times, near new, armed to the teeth, that focused on air defense destroyers of the U.S.?…
So what happened this time? that hurt Americans?
That’s a long story^
In 1987, one of the US ships, “Stark” (equipped with the same anti-missile system “Aegis”), was attacked in the Persian Gulf by Iraqi “Mirage”.
The jet spent two minutes in the vicinity of the ship, fired two missiles, and flew away :)
The “Aegis” has to be switched off in an area with many planes (including civilian)overflying it.
Otherwise many ot the planes will be shot down, since the “Aegis” in the “Ready mode” is acting automatically.
The crew of the ship know about the problem :)
shed
Su-24 overflew an aircraft carrier during an exercise a year, or two back. Wasn’t noticed till it went over the carrier upside down. Pilot, “Flipping the bird” like Maverick in top gun did to a Russian fighter pilot. The photos showed a series of small antenna, and a pod as I recall under the wing. The reverberations for the US Military were never covered in mainstream media.
Russia has a different idea of life from the reprobate west mind set. do we have super weapon’s?
does Russia have super weapon’s?
is Russia in the gulf of Mexico? is the USSA in the black sea?
its Nicola Tesla an alien? questions that must be considered before we push the red button.
I believe the USSA is in a judgment state I believe we will see a civil war in this nation do to its state sponsored sin and the rise of the Sodomites control of the cult church
Government offices, and CEO officer. its my opinion that satan has them in a spell with Jesus’s approval !!!
only one solution repent ask for Lord Jesus Yeshua to help you when the monsters come pray God put his mark in your four head now!
no nation with the sin in its closets like the USSa cant go on it must be judged by a rightest God.
the day is far spent!
short of a Nivea national repentance its time to cash them it get out of the banks get out of the fixed stocks get down on your knees and pray to you God!
Thanks Saker for your comments iro that Boot character,they confirm my instinctive first impressions; anyhow I wanted to ask you about his comments that;
“One way or the other, it took Russia’s ‘holy’ peasants, in round numbers, about five minutes after the bolshevik coup to start looting and destroying churches, and murdering priests en masse. About 40,000 were murdered in all sorts of imaginative ways (I’ll spare you the details) on Lenin’s watch”
+
“Just as 70 years earlier millions of yesterday’s Christians instantly began to murder priests”
Is there any basis for these assertions ?
Thanks,
Macky