talkpolitics | Entries tagged with story

Finally making time to write up my notes from an Iceland bike tour in 2021.

( This bit of pondering matches the month's theme, I think... )

airiefairie

A lot has been said about 9-11. I mean, really a lot. But let's leave all the political talk, all the propaganda, the geopolitics, Realpolitik, the war on terror, the social, economic, diplomatic and military consequences of this event, and just talk about the human side.

And I mean just this. I'm sure you still remember that day as if it was yesterday. I'm sure you still vividly remember where you were when the news found you, how you reacted, and what came next. What your first actions were, and how you spent the next few days. I'm even more sure you all remember what effects, direct and indirect, this event had on your life and on those of your close ones.

I know it because it's true for me too. So, care to share your story?

airiefairie

Which is the quaintest, coziest, cutest place you've been to? A place that makes you feel warm inside, where you've caught yourself sighing with relief and purring with joy? A place as if taken from a post-card, or from the fairy tales of yore? Perhaps it is a place that you relate to a personal story that still makes you smile? Or one where you just feel at home like nowhere else. Come on, name such a place in the world! And maybe post a picture or two?

( Mine... )

dancesofthelight

Because I have the luxury and the privilege to evacuate for a minimum of a week.

According to this map, my hometown stands on the brink of a Biblical disaster, if it's right and the storm doesn't get a magic shrinking down to Category 3, parts of my hometown are on the edge of literally being swept off the map by a Noachian disaster. Other parts are 'merely' going to be getting very high water.

My house and my street are not on this map, but the furthest east that surge goes is two miles from my house. Everything red is going to drown, if it's lucky, literally be obliterated if it's not.

To call me a nervous wreck right now would be to insult nervous wrecks.

Lake Charles had the devil's luck in 2005. We may be poised to see that luck run out and things go very horribly wrong in a way that I don't think the former restaurant owner turned mayor is remotely adept to deal with.

We survived Rita with a turbine knocked off the house, a cracked pane of glass, and the loss of everything in the fridge and the freezer and that was about it. I highly, highly doubt we'll be as fortunate this time and am simply as resigned to it as I was to my ex-roommates kicking me out into the Ohio snows when my abilities to pay their bills for them ran out.

And with President Biff Tannen in the White House? We're doubly and triply fucked.

https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2020-08-26-hurricane-laura-forecast-rapid-intensification-texas-louisiana

( Cut for size )

asthfghl

Greetings, ~~comrades~~ folks! The other day marked 3 decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall. As for yesterday, no doubt November 10 is a very symbolic day for my society. On this very day, exactly 30 years ago, democracy "exploded" here in Bulgaria. Well, maybe not exactly. But it felt like that at the time, at least for a while. One thing is for sure, though. Things haven't been the same ever since. Even if only prompted by events abroad, we did do our best attempt to erase and forget the past, sometimes with more success, sometimes with less. But the idea was there. However, one'd think that some things can't go away just like that. You'd think it would take several generations for a society to completely shake off the legacy of the past, especially if that system had been ingrained into people's brains for decades, ultimately distorting the very culture of said society, and the mentality of its people. No, good things don't just happen overnight.

Really, we've gone through all sorts of hardships for the last three decades, all sorts of transformations, and we've experienced what it's like to learn the lessons of history within a very compressed period, and catch up with what the rest have achieved in many decades, but learn it all the hard way. We saw the ugly face of "wild capitalism", while we were kicking out the memory of communism. We saw the Al Capone era being played out right in front of our eyes. We saw what hyper-inflation means, what queueing for bread with food coupons means, what "baseball-bat business" is, what Thug-o-Baroque architecture, lifestyle and mentality looks like - we've seen it all. But, at the end of the day it was all worth it. Hell, it really was!

And probably all that remains now to remind us of that "Time Long, Long Ago", is the various memorabilia remaining from the commie times, which are gathering more dust as the time passes, only to fuel the feeling of nostalgia among the fading older generations. And of course the awesome anecdotes from the time of the "Sotz" (as we used to call socialism), which were being whispered with half a mouth; the sharply humorous and penetrating caricatures of the Sotz leaders that were being spread around like apocrypha; and the stinging lyrics of Vysotsky, the genius "Bard of Freedom".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkojGf_u2uI
You know the drill. In order to proceed reading, first you'll have to play that song in the background. ;-)

( Ah, memories..... )

airiefairie

Participating in the half-pipe discipline at the Winter Olympics requires exceptional skills in skiing, and being able to do all sorts of acrobatic tricks. Right? Or maybe not? If you ask US skier Elizabeth Swaney, she would say you rather need to have some basic skiing skills (maybe those of your regular amateur), lots of cunning, and tons of desire to be at the Olympics!

Her intriguing story caused a lot of reactions, from admiration to condemnation, and she was dubbed both the "best" and "worst" Olympic athlete. Because she was smart enough to use a loophole in the rules that allowed her to earn a quota for the Olympic games, even though she was clearly not at the level of the other competitors. How? Well, she decided to compete for Hungary, which has no competition in this discipline. Here are details:

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/21/olympic-skier-elizabeth-swaney-i-did-not-scam-my-way-into-the-games.html

She attempted no tricks in the half-pipe. All she had to do to qualify was to finish down the slope - which she of course did. And she violated no rule. Here is her run: VIDEO

garote

Kerry and I watched a live broadcast of it from some reporters standing in the midst of the protesters. It was a legit news channel though I forget which one. We heard the helicopters circling overhead, as our little house is only about a mile away from the Berkeley campus.

( We were both more amused than anything... )

Ugh. I tried to stop watching internet news. I've already abandoned Facebook. Every time I lift the lid, nothing but hate comes screaming out. Is this the future of information warfare? Dump toxic waste in the community pool, so the effort of cleaning it out serves as a distraction, and you can move funds and pass laws while backs are turned?

luvdovz.livejournal.com

During one of my more recent visits to Finland, I joined a friend of mine who teaches at a boarding school in central Finland, in the small town of Aitoo. It's one of the few boarding schools for 7-9-graders. It's private, but the funding for the students comes from the state. My friend had spent long years of training, studying and exams before she could become a teacher - but now she says it's all been totally worth it. Because teachers in Finland are among the highest paid professions, they're raised on a pedestal, almost worshiped. And for a good reason.

Finland has turned education into a cult. And here I'm not talking of standard, conventional theoretical education, but just on the contrary - they're focused on preparing the kids for real life in the real world. So it's no surprise that Finland now ranks 1st in the world in literacy (according to PISA data), 2nd in the EU in the natural sciences, and 3rd in maths. There's a good reason for their tremendous progress in the last few years, and I was fortunate to witness their teaching process with my own eyes and see how they've methodically worked for this achievement.

( Finland is the prime example that sane, open education policy, produces top performers )

htpcl.livejournal.com

Communal apartments, or Kommunalky. You can see most major Russian cities being encircled by those mastodons of Socialist-realist architecture. They look grand, imposing, intimidating even. But what's life like in those? And I do mean *is*, not *was*. Because a huge chunk of the Russian people still live there. I've been to Moscow over a dozen times through the years, but I must admit this is the first time that I've come to know Russians so intimately.

So, about the kommunalka. Visitor's first impression: the staircase stinks! It literally reeks. I've thought Russians bake and boil and fry stuff at home only when they're on holidays at the apartment complexes that they've bought along the sea coast of my country, but no. That's just the tip of the iceberg. When you enter an actual Russian kommunalka, you get instantly hit by a thick wall of odors. All sorts of meals can be felt from a hundred yards. They mix with each other into some sort of omnipresent, omnipotent, all-enveloping, invisible (and often visible) mist of smells, among which, after taking the second breath, you can no longer distinguish the separate meals.

If you somehow manage to survive this initial shock and make it to the, let's say 3rd floor of this shabby juggernaut of a building, you'd go through another shock. You'll end up in Heaven! Or rather, a haven for voices and moods, and all sorts of opinions, and meals, and rumors, and stuff.

( The kommunalka is a whole separate universe on its own )

tcpip.livejournal.com

An interview I conducted a couple of days ago and have just posted.

Za'atri Refugee Camp, Jordan

Breaking news has been released that the world powers have declared a "cessation of hostilities", reports of some 11.5% of population have been killed or injured, with over six million displaced persons and refugees.

There are over two and half million refugees in Turkey. Many have become 'stateless persons'. They are unable to renew their Syrian passports which expire as they are seeking asylum.

One such person is Qassem Al Salamat, in Istanbul. This is his story.

( Read more... )

dreamville-bg.livejournal.com

I came across this short story around our local blogosphere here, and though it isn't my creation, I've taken the task of translating it into English, and I would be grateful if the mods allow my version to be posted here, as I think it helps illustrate a point - even if it sounds a bit silly and hyperbolical. So here it is.

( The short story )

icecharcoals.livejournal.com

As I am entering into my last semester of what has been a rollercoaster of a college career, I feel that I have plenty of experience as to how the business and politics of higher education “works” in America, the ridiculous nature of the student climate, and more. Therefore, I do not believe that the conclusions I am about to draw are anywhere near blasphemous- but you tell me.

( Read more... ).

dreamville-bg.livejournal.com

If you thought the Middle Eastern refugee hordes are the modern re-embodiment of the Great Migration period of the early Medieval epoch (as the more xenophobic ones among us tend to present it - and I assure you, those abound around these latitudes), then I suggest you think again. Because there's another type of barbarian, a more subtle, and definitely wealthier one.

I'm speaking of the Russian tourist, of course. First of all, contrary to all expectations and most suggestions from the statisticians (we use a wordplay to denote those, basically meaning "making-shit-up-ists"), I personally haven't witnessed a significant decline in the numbers of Russian tourists at our Black Sea resorts. Just on the contrary: they seem to have tripled for the last year. It could be that many are fleeing the wonderful utopia that they've been living under their beloved Dear Leader, I dunno. Or they could be just fed up with the horrible climate in their country. Or it's just that they prefer the more laid-back atmosphere, gorgeous food and the cheap booze over here. Or ultimately, their number might have remained the same actually, only their insolence and obnoxiousness has tripled, which creates that weird impression that they're everywhere now.

( Ranty rant is ranty... Or take this as a parable on international relations if you like. )

htpcl.livejournal.com

Damn, it's good to have an attic! It's amazing what little treasures one could dig up from old cardboard boxes.... :-)

( SAMPLE )
Care to share a sample of some old pic archive of yours? ;-)

abomvubuso.livejournal.com

Drones have become very fashionable these days. You almost can't attend a wedding without hearing the buzz overhead and getting photographed by those winged motherfuckers. Now apparently, Boeing has developed a very precise laser that can track and down a flying object. Reminds me of a friend who recently posted some pics he had made with a drone, and later reported that a flock of seagulls had mistaken his drone for an enemy bird, attacked it, and brought it down. The pic of the wreckage wasn't pretty at all. There had been quite a lot of feathers floating around after the skirmish, I expect. Now imagine that those nasty birds had been armed with lasers!!!1!1

Aaanyway; here's some footage of this laser in action:

[Error: unknown template video]

oportet.livejournal.com

I've only been to one political rally in my life - but it wasn't for political reasons. Some guy running for governor of my state had the support of some members of a band I liked, and they came out of retirement and played a free show.

Tonight, I have a chance to attend my 2nd political rally - and if I go, I suppose I am going for the purpose of being entertained again. Only this time, there is no band. Just Donald Trump.

The circus is in town, but for one night only - and I don't mean that as an insult or a compliment, but some sort of combination of the two.

If I go through with it, I could claim it is for research, for all of you - but I have my selfish reasons.

I want to hear what he's going to say next, hear the crazy lines the news shows will obsess over until he one-ups himself. I want to see who comes out - are they passionate supporters, undecided voters, thrill seekers.

Love him or hate him, he's entertaining. He's the monkey at the zoo, throwing his poop at the window. Jeb and Hillary are the iguanas, motionless - all day. You know which ones you'd rather watch, and you also know which ones you will choose for a pet to turn loose in your house, when that time comes.

My fellow Americans - enjoy the next fourteen and a half months. Enjoy the monkey. I am.

dreamville-bg.livejournal.com

I was reading through this and this the other day, as I was licking some wounds from having been pretty upset at the time with some really obnoxious customers that my colleagues and myself had been compelled to be dealing with for days. So I was thinking, I'm sure many of us who've directly worked face-to-face with customers at some point, must have wanted to just throw the tables at them, jump across the desk or whatever, and smack them right in the face. So... care to share a story? I mean, I understand going back to those recollections might be a bit traumatizing, and yet...

Maybe if you told me a truly terrible story about Teh Ebil Klient, I'd figure life is just equally terrible everywhere around the world, and I wouldn't be as willing to get myself drunk to death as I am now? (But then again, what's so bad about being drunk? At least you can forget things - for a while...)

So, ehm... stories?

airiefairie.livejournal.com

The other day I found a baboon inside my kitchen. She was browsing through the garbage bin, looking for food remains. Yep. Semi-wild monkeys are frequent guests in this part of the world (Cape Town). They are basically just another type of stray animal, like dogs and cats. Only smarter, and with hands. So they can do a lot of damage, and cause a lot of trouble. And they can be dangerous if you do not know how to deal with them.

For example: never look them in the eye. That is considered a sign of aggression. Do not smile or grin to them - showing your teeth is also a threat. Primates smile by making their lips into a funnel shape. Not that smiling to them in the monkey language would help you, but you could try. And most importantly, do not make sharp moves, and do not block their way out.

So I stood there at the door and waited for that baboon to grab whatever crumbs she had marked. She was probably going to bring it to her kids or something. Then my unwanted visitor snorted in appreciation, and took off with a huge watermelon peel.

Have you had similar encounters with scoundrel animals, wild and domestic? Do share a story or two!

airiefairie.livejournal.com

Was looking through this collection of absolutely terrifying Easter Bunnies, and I couldn't help ROFL'ing at the expression of the kiddos who were unfortunate to share the same room with those weird creatures... And I thought of asking you guys...

What has been the single most terrifying experience you've had as a kid? I mean, were those dogs in the neighbour's backyard like monsters to you? Or did you cower under the blankets in hiding from the poltergeist who must have surely inhabited the wardrobe in your bedroom? (Personally, I once used to believe there was a family of elves living under my bed - but then again, I'm Icelandic, so... you know... elves). Now that you are grown-ups, I suppose you wouldn't mind sharing a story or two?

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Talk Politics.

A place to discuss politics without egomaniacal mods

MONTHLY TOPIC:
The Scramble for Resources

DAILY QUOTE:

"Someone's selling Greenland now?" (asthfghl)

"Yes get your bids in quick!" (oportet)

"Let me get my Bid Coins and I'll be there in a minute." (asthfghl)

May 2025

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Talk politics.

A place to discuss politics without egomaniacal mods.

Entries tagged with story

Ecology and cultural myths

20 years later

Friday off-topic. Quaint places that you cherish

I'm safe in Mississippi:

The forgotten epoch

Friday LOL. Gaming the system =)

About the recent Berkeley protest:

Just another day at a Finnish school

Life in the kommunalky

A Syrian Refugee Story: Qassem Al Salamat, in Istanbul

Integrate this!

Groupthink- My Thoughts on Politics and American College Education

Caution! Russians at the seaside!

Friday off-topic. A stroll down memory lane (in pictures)?

Friday offtopic... So long, drones!

(no subject)

Friday quest for bad experience with clients

Friday offtopic. Troll animal encounters?

Friday offtopic... Scary childhood memory?

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May 2025

Summary