[youtube/watch?v=1PvBc2TOpE4]Ukraine latest: Russias 3am deadline passes without incident as President Putin tells troops on border to return to bases.(No reported attempts of any military assault as Ukrainian forces in the region remain defiant)::[Venture Capital: Ukraine on brink of bankruptcy, downgraded to junk (E30)/youtube/watch?v=DzdXlosRGBo] The reported 3am deadline, by which Russia had reportedly told Ukrainian forces to leave Crimea by or face a military attack, has passed without incident, and Russian troops on exercise near the border have been told to return to their bases::theburninghell.bandcamp/track/you-can-never-escape-from-your-history _____________________________________________________ Well I never really wanted to teach history I had a degree in migration and ethnic studies But somehow that was enough to qualify me To teach the past to the future bourgeoisie I was a bit nervous so I asked for advice From a retired professor who I always thought was nice He smiled and stroked his beard and rolled his 8-sided dice And said there’s only one thing to remember and I’ll tell you twice He said Thailand was never a colony And an island is surrounded by a lake or a sea These are things we can say with some certainty And you will never escape from your history No you will never escape from your history I told him I understand what you’re saying, logically But I’m not sure how to apply it pedagogically He just sat there and repeated, one day you will see That you can never escape from your history So before I started teaching I decided to test his theory I had a couple months’ vacation and my time was free I thought what better destination than Germany Which was once a nasty place for people like me I saw a German hairstylist in a German hair salon Her eyes were blue and her hair was blonde I fell in love in a second and I put her in this song I thought despite our antagonistic histories we could probably get along So I asked her for a date and to my surprise she said yes We went out for some bratwurst and I had to confess I was looking for the truth of what my professor professed She just smiled and said “that’s romantic, I guess. And I understand the question but I think the point is moot Yes I am a German atheist, you’re a Canadian Jew But the past only hurts the present if you want it to Remember it but don’t let it dictate terms to you Remember it but don’t let it dictate terms to you.” _____________________________________________________ Two Ukrainian warships remained anchored in the Crimean port of Sevastopol early this morning, a day after Ukrainian authorities claimed that Russian forces had issued an ultimatum for the ships to surrender or be seized. Russia had earlier rejected reports of the surrender ultimatum as total nonsense. According to a deputy commander at one of Ukraines units in Crimea there were no attempts to storm the base. The commander, named only as Major Lisovoy, told local TV station ATR: Were all in high spirits, ready to defend our base. There was no official ultimatum, it was done indirectly via mobile phones. I want peace and stability and for Ukraine to be a united country. Russian troops said to be 16,000 strong tightened their grip on Ukraines Crimean Peninsula yesterday. Russian soldiers controlled all Crimean border posts, as well as military facilities in the territory and a ferry terminal in the city of Kerch, just 20 kilometers (12 miles) across the water from Russia. Russian news agencies reported this morning that President Putin had ordered his troops on military exercises near the border between western Russia and Ukraine to return to bases::youtube/watch?v=2tFsAkpBFRc A statement by Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that manoeuvres had been a success. The US Secretary of State John Kerry will today be reinforcing Washingtons support for the new government in Kiev, as America and its top allies grapple with whether to slap Moscow with sanctions for its military takeover of Crimea. Kerry left yesterday for the Ukrainian capital. The European Unions foreign ministers, meanwhile, issued a Thursday deadline for Vladimir Putin to pull back his troops or face a rejection of visa liberalisation and economic cooperation negotiations long in the works. Western leaders point to the huge hits that Russias natural gas, uranium and coal industries would take if sanctions cut off exports to the EU, its largest customer. Still, Western governments acknowledge that few options exist beyond economic and diplomatic penalties, and critics said efforts by the Obama administration are too little, and too late, after years of trying to foster friendlier relations with Russia. President Barack Obama yesterday described the Russian advance as a violation of international law. He called on Congress to approve an aid package for the new Ukrainian government and repeated earlier threats that the US will take steps to hobble Russias economy and isolate it diplomatically if Putin does not back down. The strong condemnation that has proceeded from countries around the world indicates the degree to which Russia is on the wrong side of history, Obama said. The White House said Obama met for more than two hours last night with the National Security Council, including Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, to discuss what steps the United States can take with international partners to further isolate Russia and persuade it to de-escalate the situation. The Pentagon announced late on Monday it was suspending military-to-military engagements with Russia, including exercises, bilateral meetings, port visits and conferences. A senior US official said the US also would not move forward with meetings designed to deepen the trade relationship with Russia. Lacking authorisation to speak publicly about the trade meetings, the official requested anonymity. Some Republicans in Congress were considering a possible package of debilitating economic sanctions to get Putins attention. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce said the US and Europe should act collectively to threaten the Russian stock market, economy and ruble if Russia doesnt withdraw from Crimea. We cant just keep talking, Royce said. We need to do something. Speaking at a UN session in Geneva, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attempted to deflect blame back on the West. He defended the deployment of Russian troops in Ukraine as a necessary protection for his countrys citizens living there. Those who are trying to interpret the situation as a sort of aggression and threatening us with sanctions and boycotts, these are the same partners who have been consistently and vigorously encouraging the political powers close to them to declare ultimatums and renounce dialogue, Lavrov said. This is a question of defending our citizens and compatriots, ensuring human rights, especially the right to life, he said. Lavrov said Ukraine should return to a 21 February agreement that sought to end months of unrest in Kiev by addressing an array of issues at the heart of the dispute between protesters and the government of then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. However, the agreement did not address the grievances that caused the protests in the first place, and the pro-Russian Yanukovych fled Kiev for protective sanctuary near Moscow within days of signing it. US officials say the 21 February agreement could form the basis for a political resolution to the crisis, but not in its present form. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said it would have to be significantly altered in order to be useful, given major changes since it was signed.[independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-latest-russias-3am-deadline-passes-without-incident-as-president-putin-tells-troops-on-border-to-return-to-bases-9167387.html]
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 09:33:42 +0000