Nigel Farage: Stop playing wargames with Putin

europarl

Published on Sep 16, 2014

Descriptionhttp://www.ukipmeps.org | @Nigel_Farage
• European Parliament, Strasbourg, 16 September 2014

• Speaker: Nigel Farage MEP, Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), Co-President of the ‘Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy’ (EFDD) Group in the European Parliament – http://www.nigelfaragemep.co.uk

– ‘Bluecard question’: Ioan Mircea PAŞCU MEP (Romania) – Socialist Group (P&D)

• Debate: Situation in Ukraine and state of play of EU-Russia relations
– Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
[2014/2841(RSP)]

Transcript:

Amongst the long list of foreign policy failures and contradictions in the last few years including, of course, the bombing of Libya, the desire to arm the rebels in Syria, has been the unnecessary provocation of Vladimir Putin.

This EU empire, ever seeking to expand, stated its territorial claim on the Ukraine some years ago. Just to make that worse, of course, some NATO members said they too would like the Ukraine to join NATO. We directly encouraged the uprising in the Ukraine that led to the toppling of the president, Yanukovych, and that led of course in turn to Vladimir Putin reacting. And the moral of the story is if you poke the Russian bear with a stick, don’t be surprised when he reacts.

Just to continue with that, today we are rushing through an Association Agreement at undue speed with the Ukraine and as we speak there are NATO soldiers engaged in military exercises in the Ukraine. Have we taken leave of our senses? Do we actually want to have a war with Putin? Because if we do, we are certainly going about it the right way.

Perhaps we ought to recognise that the West now faces the biggest threat and crisis to our way of life that we have seen for over 70 years. The recent beheadings of the British and American hostages graphically illustrates the problem. And of course we have our own citizens from our own countries engaged in that struggle, too.

In the war against Islamic extremism, Vladimir Putin, whatever we may think of him as a human being, is actually on our side.

I suggest we grow up. I suggest recognise the real threat facing all of our countries, communities and societies. We stop playing war games in the Ukraine and we start to prepare a plan to help countries like Syria, like Iraq, like Kenya, like indeed Nigeria, to try and help them to deal with the real threat that faces us. Let’s not go on provoking Putin whether we like him or not.

Question to Farage: Sir, in your considered opinion, what is better, to have Russian soldiers fighting a war on the territory of Ukraine, or NATO troops exercising as a response to that on the territory of Ukraine?

Reply from Farage: The point that I was making was that there should be a huge degree of guilt in this house about what provoked all this in the first place, and we saw Western Ukrainians, waving European flags, rioting, setting fire to things, and effectively staging a coup d’état, which brought down the Ukrainian president, which has led to this instability. Yes, yes, you are the guilty people and you refuse to accept it.

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Video source: EbS (European Parliament)
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this pressed: Les luminessences d’Avignon | Palais des Papes – Avignon

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via Les luminessences d’Avignon | Palais des Papes – Avignon.

Sergentul, de Vasile Alecsandri

Sergentul
poezie

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
de Vasile Alecsandri [Vasile_Alecsandri ]

2002-08-08  |     |  Înscris în bibliotecă de aleksandar stoicovici

Sergentul Pe drumul de costise ce duce la Vaslui
Venea un om, cu jale zicind în gindul lui:
“Mai lunga-mi pare calea acum la-ntors acasa…
As vrea să zbor, si rana din pulpa nu mă lasa!”
Si bietul om, slab, palid, avind sumanul rupt
Si o camesa rupta bucati pe dedesupt,
Pasea tragind piciorul încet, dar pe-a lui fata
Zbura ca o lumina de glorie mareata,
Si-n ochii lui de vulturi adinci, vioi si mari
Trecea lucioase umbre de eroi legendari.

Opinca-i era sparta, căciula desfundata,
Dar fruntea lui de raze parea incoronata.
Calica-i era haina, dar straluceau pe ea
Si crucea “Sfintul Gheorghe” si a “Romaniei Stea”.
Romanul venea singur pe drumul plin de soare,
Când iata ca aude fanfare sunatoare
Si vede nu departre în fata lui venind
Un corp de oaste mindra în aur stralucind.
Erau trei batalione de garda-mparateasca
Mergând voiios la Plevna cu dor s-o cucereasca.

In frunte-i colonelul semet, pe calu-i pag,
La bravii sai tovarasi privea ades cu drag,
Si inima în pieptu-i batea cu foc, desteapta,
Căci el visa, privindu-i, la lupta ce-i asteapta.
Deodat’ el da cu ochii de sarbedul roman
Ce stase-n loc la umbra, sub un stejar batrân,
Si mult se minuneaza, si nici ca-i vine-a crede
Când crucea “Sfintul Gheorghe” pe sinul lui o vede.
S-opreste regimentul, iar bravul colonel
Se-nchina la drumetul, s-apropie de el.

Si-i zice cu blindeta: “De unde vii straine?”
“Vin tocmai de la Plevna.” “Cum e acolo?” “Bine.”
“Dar aste decoratii cum, cine ti le-au dat?”
“Chiar domninorul nostru s-al vostru imparat.”
“Dar pentru care fapte?” “Stiu eu?… Cica drept plata
Ca am luat eu steagul redutei… si pe data
Cu el, strapunsi de glonturi, ne-am prabusit în sant…”
“Dar ce rang ai voinice?” “Am rang… de dorobant!”
Atunci colonelul, dând mâna cu sergentul,
Se-ntoarce, da un ordin… Pe loc, tot regimentul
Se-nsira, poarta arma, saluta cu onor
Romanul care pleaca tragind a lui picior.

 

Siege of Pleven (Plevna): The fight to disrupt the expansion of the ottoman empire costed many precios lives but for the most noble of causes: the right to self determination, Liberty and Independence from an evil empire

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Siege of Pleven
Part of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)
Date 20 July – 10 December 1877 Location Plevne, Ottoman Empire (now Pleven, Bulgaria) 43°25′N 24°37′ECoordinates: 43°25′N 24°37′E Result Russian/Romanian victory[1]
Belligerents
Russian Empire Romania Bulgarian volunteers	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Tsar Alexander II[2] Grand Duke Nicholas Eduard Totleben Prince Carol I of Romania	Osman Nuri Pasha
Strength
150,000	40,000
Casualties and losses
40,000 killed or wounded	10,000 killed or wounded 30,000 surrendered

[show]  Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78

 Map

The Siege of Plevna, or Siege of Pleven, was a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), fought by the joint army of Russia and Romania against the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman defense held up the main Russian advance southwards into Bulgaria, encouraging other great powers of the time to actively support the Ottoman cause. Eventually, superior Russian and Romanian numbers forced the garrison to capitulate.

Background

In July 1877 the Russian Army, under the command of Grand Duke Nicholas, moved toward the Danube River virtually unopposed, as the Ottomans had no sizable force in the area. The Ottoman high command sent an army under the command of Osman Nuri Pasha to reinforce Nikopol, but the city fell to the Russian vanguard in the Battle of Nikopol (16 July 1877) before Osman reached it. He settled on Plevna, a town among vineyards in a deep rocky valley some twenty miles to the south of Nikopol, as a defensive position. The Ottomans quickly created a strong fortress, raising earthworks with redoubts, digging trenches, and quarrying out gun emplacements. From Plevne (Plevna) Osman’s army dominated the main strategic routes into the heart of Bulgaria. As the Turks hurried to complete their defenses, Russian forces began to arrive.

The Siege

First Battle

Gen. Schilder-Schuldner, commanding the Russian 5th Division, IX Corps, received orders to occupy Plevna. Schilder-Schuldner arrived outside the town on 19 July and began bombarding the Ottoman defenses. The next day his troops attacked and succeeded in driving Ottoman forces from some of the outer defenses; however, Osman Pasha brought up reinforcements and launched a series of counterattacks, which drove the Russians from the captured trenches, inflicting 4,000 casualties at a cost of 1,000 of his own men.

Second Battle

Osman Pasha strengthened his defences and built more redoubts, his force growing to 20,000 men, while the Russians obtained reinforcements from the army of Prince Carol of Romania (later king Carol I of Romania), who made the stipulation that he be given command of the joint besieging force. Gen. Nikolai Kridener also arrived with the Russian IX Corps. On 31 July Russian headquarters ordered Kridener to assault the town, attacking from three sides, with every expectation of a Russo-Romanian triumph. General Schakofsky’s cavalry attacked the eastern redoubts, while an infantry division under General Mikhail Skobelev assailed the Grivitsa redoubt to the north. Schakofsky managed to take two redoubts, but by the end of the day the Ottoman forces succeeded in repulsing all the attacks and retaking lost ground. Russian losses amounted to 7,300, and the Ottomans’ to 2,000.

Third Battle

 King Carol I salutes the Romanian army crossing the Danube

After repulsing the Russian attacks, Osman failed to press his advantage and possibly drive off the besiegers; he did, however, make a cavalry sortie on 31 August that cost the Russian 1,300 casualties, and the Ottomans 1,000. The Russians continued to send reinforcements to Plevna, and their army swelled to 100,000 men, now personally led by the Grand Duke. On 3 September Skobelev reduced the Turkish garrison at Lovech, guarding the Ottoman supply lines, before Osman could move out to relieve it (see main article: Battle of Lovcha). The Ottoman army organized the survivors of Lovech into 3 battalions for the Plevna defenses. Osman also received a reinforcement of 13 battalions, bringing his total strength to 30,000—the highest it would reach during the siege.

In August, Romanian troops led by General Alexandru Cernat crossed the Danube and entered the battle with 43,414 men.^[3]

On 11 September the Russians and Romanians made a large-scale assault on Plevna. The Ottoman forces were dug in and equipped with German Krupp-manufactured steel breech-loading artillery and American-manufactured Winchester repeaters^[4] and Peabody-Martini rifles. For three hours they poured murderous fire into the waves of advancing Russians.^[5] Czar Alexander II and his brother Grand Duke Nicolas watched from a pavilion built on a hillside out of the line of fire.^[6] Skobelev took two southern redoubts. The Romanian 4th division lead by General George Manu took the Grivitsa redoubt after 4 bloody assaults, personally assisted by Prince Carol. The next day, the Turks retook the southern redoubts, but could not dislodge the Romanians, who repelled three counterattacks. From the beginning of September, Russian losses had amounted to roughly 20,000, while the Ottomans lost only 5,000.

 The Plevna Chapel on St Elijah’s Square in Moscow, opened in 1882, commemorates the Russian soldiers who died in the Battle of Plevna.

Fourth Battle

Growing Russian and Romanian casualties put a halt to frontal assaults. Gen. Eduard Ivanovich Todleben arrived to oversee the conduct of the siege as the army chief of staff. Todleben had proven command experience in siege warfare, having gained renown for his defense of Sevastopol (1854–1855) during the Crimean War. He decided on a complete encirclement of the city and its defenders. Osman requested permission from his superiors to abandon Plevna and retreat, but the Ottoman high command would not allow him to do so. By 24 October the Russians and Romanians had closed the ring. Supplies began to run low in the city, and Osman finally made an attempt to break the Russian siege in the direction of Opanets. On 9 December the Ottoman forces silently emerged at dead of night, threw bridges over and crossed the Vit River, attacked on a two-mile front, and broke through the first line of Russian trenches. Here they fought hand to hand and bayonet to bayonet, with, at first, little advantage to either side; however, outnumbering the Ottoman forces almost 5 to 1, the Russians eventually drove them back across the Vit, wounding Osman in the process (he was hit in the leg by a stray bullet, which killed his horse beneath him). Rumours of his death created panic. After making a brief stand, the Ottoman forces found themselves driven back into the city, losing 5,000 men to the Russians’ 2,000. The next day Osman surrendered the city, the garrison and his sword to Romanian Col. Mihail Cerchez. He was treated honorably, but his troops perished in the snows by the thousands as they straggled off into captivity.

Results

 Sword surrendered by Edhem Pasha after the defeat at Plevna.

 The monument 2008

“Plevna is one of the few engagements which changed the course of history” A. J. P. Taylor, The Struggle for Mastery in Europe 1848-1918, (Oxford 1954) p. 245. The Siege of Plevna seriously delayed the main Russian advance into Bulgaria, but its end freed up Russian reinforcements, which were sent to Gen. Joseph Vladimirovich Gourko, who then decisively defeated the Ottoman forces in the fourth battle of Shipka Pass. The siege was widely reported on and followed by the public in Europe and beyond. Although the declining Ottoman Empire was by this time often regarded as “the sick man of Europe”, the Ottoman Army’s five-month-long resistance in the face of overwhelming odds earned a degree of admiration, which may have contributed to the unsympathetic treatment of the Russian Empire at the Congress of Berlin. The siege of Plevna also signalled the introduction of the repeating rifle into European warfare.^[5] Russian troops at Plevna were largely armed with the M1869 Krnka, a single shot lifting breech block conversion of the muzzle loading M1857 rifled musket even though some units had been reequipped with the more modern, but still single shot, Berdan rifle.^[5] The old Krnka was soundly outperformed by the more modern single shot Turkish Peabody-Martini rifles and it became clear that the new Berdan rifle had also been rendered obsolete even as it was being introduced into service, outclassed by the Turkish Winchester repeaters. Reports of the heavy losses suffered by the Russian army at the hands of the Turks at Plevna forced armies across Europe to begin the process of either reequipping with repeating rifles or finding a way to convert their existing single shot rifles into magazine fed weapons.

Legacy

• A large new factory building, completed in 1877, of the Finlayson & Co cotton mill in Tampere, Finland was named Plevna commemorating the battle and the Guard of Finland that took part.^[7]
• The city of Plevna, Montana in the United States was given its name by Bulgarian immigrants building the railroad there in honor of the battle of Plevna.
• In other countries, there are five cities and towns named after Plevna, and there are eighteen Plevna streets in Britain alone.
• At least one main Street in Bucharest Romania has received the name the  PLevna’s Way (Calea Plevnei)  to comemmorate the marching regiments of Dorobants (Romanian Army),  of which many have never returned home!

In popular culture

• The best-selling Russian detective novel The Turkish Gambit, the second book in the Erast Fandorin series, is set at the Siege of Plevna.
• A famous Mehteran (Ottoman military band) piece “Osman Paşa Marşı” (Osman Pasha March) honors the courageous defense of the Plevna; and is one of the most well-known marches in Turkey.
• Under the Red Crescent by Charles Snodgrass Ryan, Australian Surgeon at the Siege of Plevna, who later operated in the Gallipoli campaign and negotiated with his old friends for burial armistices.

Mihai Eminescu: Scrisoarea III (‘…cum venira se facura toti o apa si-un pamant…”)

Puteţi asculta înregistrări audio pe situl: http://www.lecturaaudio.ro

translate, as you wish,  HERE

Mihai Eminescu Scrisoarea III Un sultan dintre aceia ce domnesc peste vro limbă, Ce cu-a turmelor păşune, a ei patrie ş-o schimbă, La pământ dormea ţinându-şi căpătâi mâna cea dreaptă; Dară ochiu-nchis afară, înlăuntru se deşteaptă. Vede cum din ceruri luna lunecă şi se coboară Şi s-apropie de dânsul preschimbată în fecioară. Înflorea cărarea ca de pasul blândei primăveri; Ochii ei sunt plini de umbra tăinuitelor dureri; Codrii se înfiorează de atâta frumuseţe, Apele-ncreţesc în tremur străveziile lor feţe, Pulbere de diamante cade fină ca o bură, Scânteind plutea prin aer şi pe toate din natură Şi prin mândra fermecare sun-o muzică de şoapte, Iar pe ceruri se înalţă curcubeele de noapte… Ea, şezând cu el alături, mâna fină i-o întinde, Părul ei cel negru-n valuri de mătasă se desprinde: – Las’ să leg a mea viaţă de a ta… În braţu-mi vino, Şi durerea mea cea dulce cu durerea ta alin-o… Scris în cartea vieţii este şi de veacuri şi de stele Eu să fiu a ta stăpână, tu stăpân vieţii mele. Şi cum o privea sultanul, ea se-ntunecă… dispare; Iar din inima lui simte un copac cum că răsare, Care creşte într-o clipă ca în veacuri, mereu creşte, Cu-a lui ramuri peste lume, peste mare se lăţeşte; Umbra lui cea uriaşă orizontul îl cuprinde Şi sub dânsul universul într-o umbră se întinde; Iar în patru părţi a lumii vede şiruri munţii mari, Atlasul, Caucazul, Taurul şi Balcanii seculari; Vede Eufratul şi Tigris, Nilul, Dunărea bătrână – Umbra arborelui falnic peste toate e stăpână. Astfel, Asia, Europa, Africa cu-a ei pustiuri Şi corăbiile negre legănându-se pe râuri, Valurile verzi de grâie legănându-se pe lanuri, Mările ţărmuitoare şi cetăţi lângă limanuri, Toate se întind nainte-i… ca pe-un uriaş covor, Vede ţară lângă ţară şi popor lângă popor – Ca prin neguri alburie se strevăd şi se prefac În întinsă-mpărăţie sub o umbră de copac. Vulturii porniţi la ceruri pân’ la ramuri nu ajung; Dar un vânt de biruinţă se porneşte îndelung Şi loveşte rânduri, rânduri în frunzişul sunător, Strigăte de-Allah! Allahu! se aud pe sus prin nori, Zgomotul creştea ca marea turburată şi înaltă, Urlete de bătălie s-alungau dupăolaltă, Însă frunzele-ascuţite se îndoaie după vânt Şi deasupra Romei nouă se înclină la pământ. Se cutremură sultanul… se deşteaptă… şi pe cer Vede luna cum pluteşte peste plaiul Eschişer. Şi priveşte trist la casa şeihului Edebali; După gratii de fereastră o copilă el zări Ce-i zâmbeşte, mlădioasă ca o creangă de alun; E a şeihului copilă, e frumoasa Malcatun. Atunci el pricepe visul că-i trimis de la profet, Că pe-o clipă se-nălţase chiar în rai la Mohamet, Că din dragostea-i lumească un imperiu se va naşte, Ai căruia ani şi margini numai cerul le cunoaşte. Visul său se-nfiripează şi se-ntinde vultureşte, An cu an împărăţia tot mai largă se sporeşte, Iară flamura cea verde se înalţă an cu an, Neam cu neam urmându-i zborul şi sultan după sultan. Astfel ţară după ţară drum de glorie-i deschid… Pân-în Dunăre ajunge furtunosul Baiazid… La un semn, un ţărm de altul, legând vas de vas, se leagă Şi în sunet de fanfare trece oastea lui întreagă; Ieniceri, copii de suflet ai lui Allah şi spahii Vin de-ntunecă pământul la Rovine în câmpii; Răspândindu-se în roiuri, întind corturile mari… Numa-n zarea depărtată sună codrul de stejari. Iată vine-un sol de pace c-o năframă-n vârf de băţ. Baiazid, privind la dânsul, îl întreabă cu dispreţ: – Ce vrei tu? – Noi? Bună pace! Şi de n-o fi cu bănat, Domnul nostru-ar vrea să vază pe măritul împărat. La un semn deschisă-i calea şi s-apropie de cort Un bătrân atât de simplu, după vorbă, după port. – Tu eşti Mircea? – Da-mpărate! – Am venit să mi te-nchini, De nu, schimb a ta coroană într-o ramură de spini. – Orice gând ai, împărate, şi oricum vei fi sosit, Cât suntem încă pe pace, eu îţi zic: Bine-ai venit! Despre partea închinării însă, Doamne, să ne ierţi; Dar acu vei vrea cu oaste şi război ca să ne cerţi, Ori vei vrea să faci întoarsă de pe-acuma a ta cale, Să ne dai un semn şi nouă de mila Măriei tale… De-o fi una, de-o fi alta… Ce e scris şi pentru noi, Bucuroşi le-om duce toate, de e pace, de-i război. – Cum? Când lumea mi-e deschisă, a privi gândeşti că pot Ca întreg Aliotmanul să se-mpiedice de-un ciot? O, tu nici visezi, bătrâne, câţi în cale mi s-au pus! Toată floarea cea vestită a întregului Apus, Tot ce stă în umbra crucii, împăraţi şi regi s-adună Să dea piept cu uraganul ridicat de semilună. S-a-mbrăcat în zale lucii cavalerii de la Malta, Papa cu-a lui trei coroane, puse una peste alta, Fulgerele adunat-au contra fulgerului care În turbarea-i furtunoasă a cuprins pământ şi mare. N-au avut decât cu ochiul ori cu mâna semn a face, Şi Apusul îşi împinse toate neamurile-ncoace; Pentru-a crucii biruinţă se mişcară râuri-râuri, Ori din codri răscolite, ori stârnite din pustiuri; Zguduind din pace-adâncă ale lumii începuturi, Înnegrind tot orizontul cu-a lor zeci de mii de scuturi, Se mişcau îngrozitoare ca păduri de lănci şi săbii, Tremura înspăimântată marea de-ale lor corăbii!… La Nicopole văzut-ai câte tabere s-au strâns Ca să steie înainte-mi ca şi zidul neînvins. Când văzui a lor mulţime, câtă frunză, câtă iarbă, Cu o ură ne’mpăcată mi-am şoptit atunci în barbă, Am jurat ca peste dânşii să trec falnic, fără păs, Din pristolul de la Roma să dau calului ovăs… Şi de crunta-mi vijelie tu te aperi c-un toiag? Şi, purtat de biruinţă, să mă-mpiedec de-un moşneag? – De-un moşneag, da, împărate, căci moşneagul ce priveşti Nu e om de rând, el este domnul Ţării Româneşti. Eu nu ţi-aş dori vrodată să ajungi să ne cunoşti, Nici ca Dunărea să-nece spumegând a tale oşti. După vremuri mulţi veniră, începând cu acel oaspe, Ce din vechi se pomeneşte, cu Dariu a lui Istaspe; Mulţi durară, după vremuri, peste Dunăre vrun pod, De-au trecut cu spaima lumii şi mulţime de norod; Împăraţi pe care lumea nu putea să-i mai încapă Au venit şi-n ţara noastră de-au cerut pământ şi apă – Şi nu voi ca să mă laud, nici că voi să te-nspăimânt, Cum veniră, se făcură toţi o apă ş-un pământ. Te făleşti că înainte-ţi răsturnat-ai valvârtej Oştile leite-n zale de-mpăraţi şi de viteji? Tu te lauzi că Apusul înainte ţi s-a pus?… Ce-i mâna pe ei în luptă, ce-au voit acel Apus? Laurii voiau să-i smulgă de pe funtea ta de fier, A credinţei biruinţă căta orice cavaler. Eu? Îmi apăr sărăcia şi nevoile şi neamul… Şi de-aceea tot ce mişcă-n ţara asta, râul, ramul, Mi-e prieten numai mie, iară ţie duşman este, Duşmănit vei fi de toate, făr-a prinde chiar de veste; N-avem oşti, dară iubirea de moşie e un zid Care nu se-nfiorează de-a ta faimă, Baiazid! Şi abia plecă bătrânul… Ce mai freamăt, ce mai zbucium! Codrul clocoti de zgomot şi de arme şi de bucium, Iar la poala lui cea verde mii de capete pletoase, Mii de coifuri lucitoare ies din umbra-ntunecoasă; Călăreţii umplu câmpul şi roiesc după un semn Şi în caii lor sălbatici bat cu scările de lemn, Pe copite iau în fugă faţa negrului pământ, Lănci scânteie lungi în soare, arcuri se întind în vânt, Şi ca nouri de aramă şi ca ropotul de grindeni, Orizontu-ntunecându-l, vin săgeţi de pretutindeni, Vâjâind ca vijelia şi ca plesnetul de ploaie… Urlă câmpul şi de tropot şi de strigăt de bătaie. În zadar striga-mpăratul ca şi leul în turbare, Umbra morţii se întinde tot mai mare şi mai mare; În zadar flamura verde o ridică înspre oaste, Căci cuprinsă-i de pieire şi în faţă şi în coaste, Căci se clatină rărite şiruri lungi de bătălie; Cad asabii ca şi pâlcuri risipite pe câmpie, În genunchi cădeau pedestri, colo caii se răstoarnă, Când săgeţile în valuri, care şuieră, se toarnă Şi, lovind în faţă,-n spate, ca şi crivăţul şi gerul, Pe pământ lor li se pare că se năruie tot cerul… Mircea însuşi mână-n luptă vijelia-ngrozitoare, Care vine, vine, vine, calcă totul în picioare; Durduind soseau călării ca un zid înalt de suliţi, Printre cetele păgâne trec rupându-şi large uliţi; Risipite se-mprăştie a duşmanilor şiraguri, Şi gonind biruitoare tot veneau a ţării steaguri, Ca potop ce prăpădeşte, ca o mare turburată – Peste-un ceas păgânătatea e ca pleava vânturată. Acea grindin-oţelită înspre Dunăre o mână, Iar în urma lor se-ntinde falnic armia română. Pe când oastea se aşează, iată soarele apune, Voind creştetele nalte ale ţării să-ncunune Cu un nimb de biruinţă; fulger lung încremenit Mărgineşte munţii negri în întregul asfinţit, Pân’ ce izvorăsc din veacuri stele una câte una Şi din neguri, dintre codri, tremurând s-arată luna: Doamna mărilor ş-a nopţii varsă linişte şi somn. Lângă cortu-i, unul dintre fiii falnicului domn Sta zâmbind de-o amintire, pe genunchi scriind o carte, S-o trimiţă dragei sale, de la Argeş mai departe: “De din vale de Rovine Grăim, Doamnă, către Tine, Nu din gură, ci din carte, Că ne eşti aşa departe. Te-am ruga, mări, ruga Să-mi trimiţi prin cineva Ce-i mai mândru-n valea Ta: Codrul cu poienele, Ochii cu sprâncenele; Că şi eu trimite-voi Ce-i mai mândru pe la noi: Oastea mea cu flamurile, Codrul şi cu ramurile, Coiful nalt cu penele, Ochii cu sprâncenele. Şi să ştii că-s sănătos, Că, mulţămind lui Cristos, Te sărut, Doamnă, frumos.” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . De-aşa vremi se-nvredniciră cronicarii şi rapsozii; Veacul nostru ni-l umplură saltimbancii şi irozii… În izvoadele bătrâne pe eroi mai pot să caut; Au cu lira visătoare ori cu sunete de flaut Poţi să-ntâmpini patrioţii ce-au venit de-atunci încolo? Înaintea acestora tu ascunde-te, Apollo! O, eroi! care-n trecutul de măriri vă adumbriseţi, Aţi ajuns acum de modă de vă scot din letopiseţ, Şi cu voi drapându-şi nula, vă citează toţi nerozii, Mestecând veacul de aur în noroiul greu al prozii. Rămâneţi în umbră sfântă, Basarabi şi voi Muşatini, Descălecători de ţară, dătători de legi şi datini, Ce cu plugul şi cu spada aţi întins moşia voastră De la munte pân’ la mare şi la Dunărea albastră. Au prezentul nu ni-i mare? N-o să-mi dea ce o să cer? N-o să aflu într-ai noştri vre un falnic juvaer? Au la Sybaris nu suntem lângă capiştea spoielii? Nu se nasc glorii pe stradă şi la uşa cafenelii, N-avem oameni ce se luptă cu retoricele suliţi În aplauzele grele a canaliei de uliţi, Panglicari în ale ţării, care joacă ca pe funii, Măşti cu toate de renume din comedia minciunii? Au de patrie, virtute, nu vorbeşte liberalul, De ai crede că viaţa-i e curată ca cristalul? Nici visezi că înainte-ţi stă un stâlp de cafenele, Ce îşi râde de-aste vorbe îngânându-le pe ele. Vezi colo pe uriciunea fără suflet, fără cuget, Cu privirea-mpăroşată şi la fălci umflat şi buget, Negru, cocoşat şi lacom, un izvor de şiretlicuri, La tovarăşii săi spune veninoasele-i nimicuri; Toţi pe buze-având virtute, iar în ei monedă calpă, Chintesenţă de mizerii de la creştet până-n talpă. Şi deasupra tuturora, oastea să şi-o recunoască, Îşi aruncă pocitura bulbucaţii ochi de broască… Dintr-aceştia ţara noastră îşi alege astăzi solii! Oameni vrednici ca să şază în zidirea sfintei Golii, În cămeşi cu mâneci lunge şi pe capete scufie, Ne fac legi şi ne pun biruri, ne vorbesc filosofie. Patrioţii! Virtuoşii, ctitori de aşezăminte, Unde spumegă desfrâul în mişcări şi în cuvinte, Cu evlavie de vulpe, ca în strane, şed pe locuri Şi aplaudă frenetic schime, cântece şi jocuri… Şi apoi în sfatul ţării se adun să se admire Bulgăroi cu ceafa groasă, grecotei cu nas subţire; Toate mutrele acestea sunt pretinse de roman, Toată greco-bulgărimea e nepoata lui Traian! Spuma asta-nveninată, astă plebe, ăst gunoi Să ajung-a fi stăpână şi pe ţară şi pe noi! Tot ce-n ţările vecine e smintit şi stârpitură, Tot ce-i însemnat cu pata putrejunii de natură, Tot ce e perfid şi lacom, tot Fanarul, toţi iloţii, Toţi se scurseră aicea şi formează patrioţii, Încât fonfii şi flecarii, găgăuţii şi guşaţii, Bâlbâiţi cu gura strâmbă sunt stăpânii astei naţii! Voi sunteţi urmaşii Romei? Nişte răi şi nişte fameni! I-e ruşine omenirii să vă zică vouă oameni! Şi această ciumă-n lume şi aceste creaturi Nici ruşine n-au să ieie în smintitele lor guri Gloria neamului nostru spre-a o face de ocară, Îndrăznesc ca să rostească pân’ şi numele tău… ţară! La Paris, în lupanare de cinismu şi de lene, Cu femeile-i pierdute şi-n orgiile-i obscene, Acolo v-aţi pus averea, tinereţele la stos… Ce a scos din voi Apusul, când nimic nu e de scos? Ne-aţi venit apoi, drept minte o sticluţă de pomadă, Cu monoclu-n ochi, drept armă beţişor de promenadă, Vestejiţi fără de vreme, dar cu creieri de copil, Drept ştiinţ-având în minte vre un vals de Bal-Mabil, Iar în schimb cu-averea toată vrun papuc de curtezană… O, te-admir, progenitură de origine romană! Şi acum priviţi cu spaimă faţa noastră sceptic-rece, Vă miraţi cum de minciuna astăzi nu vi se mai trece? Când vedem că toţi aceia care vorbe mari aruncă Numai banul îl vânează şi câştigul fără muncă, Azi, când fraza lustruită nu ne poate înşela, Astăzi alţii sunt de vină, domnii mei, nu este-aşa? Prea v-aţi atătat arama sfâşiind această ţară, Prea făcurăţi neamul nostru de ruşine şi ocară, Prea v-aţi bătut joc de limbă, de străbuni şi obicei, Ca să nu s-arate-odată ce sunteţi – nişte mişei! Da, câştigul fără muncă, iată singura pornire; Virtutea? e-o nerozie; Geniul? o nefericire. Dar lăsaţi măcar strămoşii ca să doarmă-n colb de cronici; Din trecutul de mărire v-ar privi cel mult ironici. Cum nu vii tu, Ţepeş doamne, ca punând mâna pe ei, Să-i împarţi în două cete: în smintiţi şi în mişei, Şi în două temniţi large cu de-a sila să-i aduni, Să dai foc la puşcărie şi la casa de nebuni!

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Farage: Should British taxpayers be paying for child benefit in Warsaw, Mr Tusk?

europarl

Published on Jan 13, 2015

http://www.ukipmeps.org | http://www.ukip.org
• European Parliament, Strasbourg, 13 January 2015

• Nigel Farage MEP, Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), Co-President of the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD) Group in the European Parliament – http://www.nigelfaragemep.co.uk @Nigel_Farage
– Response: Donald Tusk (Poland), President of the European Council

• Debate: Conclusions of the European Council meeting (18 December 2014)
European Council and Commission statements
[2014/2854(RSP)]

………………..
• Video: EbS (European Parliament)
…………………………….

• EU Member States:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom

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UKIP Nigel Farage on Fox News – Responding to the Paris attack?

ukipmedia

Published on Jan 8, 2015

UKIP Nigel Farage on the Paris attack/25,437 views

 

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Pope tells diplomats to work for peace amid a world rife with conflict :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Pope Francis addresses the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Nov. 25, 2014. Credit: Alan Holdre/CNA.

amid a world rife with conflict

by Elise Harris

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Vatican City, Jan 12, 2015 / 07:54 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis told Vatican diplomats that peace – which is a communal responsibility – is the only solution to global issues like war, terrorism and social problems such as unemployment and slavery.

“Today I wish to repeat a word quite dear to us: peace!” the Pope told the diplomats on Jan. 12.

He said that peace is a common theme we think about during Christmas, but cautioned that the holiday also makes us think of “another tragic reality: that of rejection,” which is visible in Herod’s killing of the infants in Bethlehem as well as in Jesus’ ultimate death on the cross.

via Pope tells diplomats to work for peace amid a world rife with conflict :: Catholic News Agency (CNA).

Large families are schools of solidarity and sharing, Francis affirms

Pope Francis greets pilgrims during the General Audience held Jan. 8, 2014. Credit: Kyle Burkhart/CNA

Credit for this message of Hope and Peace >>  here <<

Vatican City, Dec 29, 2014 / 01:27 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In an address on Sunday to Italy’s National Numerous Family Association, Pope Francis thanked the members of large families for their cultivation of virtues that benefit society at large, as well as themselves.

“The fact of having brothers and sisters is good for you,” he said Dec. 28 to the children among the some 7,000 members of large families from across Italy at the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.

“The sons and daughters of large families are more inclined to fraternal communion from early childhood. In a world that is frequently marred by selfishness, a large family is a school of solidarity and sharing; and these attitudes are of benefit to all society.”

The audience was on the occasion of the association’s tenth anniversary, and marked the feast of the Holy Family.

“You have come here with the most beautiful fruits of your love,” he said to the parents of the families. “Maternity and paternity are gifts from God, but your task is to receive this gift, to be amazed by its beauty and to let it shine in society. Each of your children is a unique creation that will never be repeated in the history of humanity. When we understand this, that each person is willed by God, we are astonished by the great miracle that is a child! A child changes your life!”

We have all seen, he reminded them, men and women who have profoundly changed “when a child arrives,” adding that a child is “the unique fruit of love,” coming from and growing in love.

“You, children and young people, are the fruit of the tree that is the family: you are good fruit when the tree has good roots – grandparents – and a good trunk – the parents,” Pope Francis said. “The great human family is like a forest, in which the trees bear solidarity, communion, fidelity, support, security, happy moderation, friendship. The presence of large families is a hope for society.”

This, he said, “is why the presence of grandparents is very important: a valuable presence both in terms of practical assistance, but above all for their contribution to education. Grandparents conserve the values of a people, of a family, and they help parents transmit them to their children. Throughout the last century, in many countries in Europe, it was the grandparents who transmitted the faith.”

“Dear parents, thank you for your example of love for life that you protect from conception to its natural end, in spite of all the difficulties and burdens of life, that unfortunately public institutions do not always help you to bear.”

He lamented that while the Italian constitution calls for particular regard for large families, this is only “words” and is “not adequately reflected in the facts.”

Considering Italy’s low birth rate, he voiced hope that it’s politicians and public administrators would give large families “all due support.”

“Every family is a cell of society, but the large family is a richer, more vital cell, and the state has much to gain by investing in it.”

In light of this, he affirmed the National Numerous Family Association, and groups like it, for advocating for large families in the European nations, and for being “present and visible in society and in politics.”

He concluded by praying in particular “for those families most affected by the economic crisis, those in which the mother or father have lost their jobs and in which the young are unable to find work, and those families in which the closest relationships are marked by suffering and who are tempted to give in to loneliness and separation.”

this day in the yesteryear: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Formed (1922)

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Formed (1922)

Traditionally considered the successor state of the Russian Empire, the USSR was established in 1922 and unified the Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian, and Transcaucasian Soviet republics under one government. The largest country in the world, the USSR occupied a seventh of the land surface on Earth. It became a superpower that rivaled the US in domination of global affairs until its collapse and dissolution in 1991. In what year were diplomatic relations between the US and USSR first established? More… Discuss

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Europe’s Noise Problem

One in four people in Europe are impacted by dangerously loud traffic noise that contributes to insomnia, heart disease, distraction, and general malaise, according to a new study by the European Environmental Agency. Such noise also has a detrimental effect on the environment, as it drowns out the mating songs of birds. Researchers attribute most of the noise to road traffic, although airplanes and railroads factor in as well. They found that cities in Luxembourg, Bulgaria, and Belgium had the largest percentages of people exposed to high road noise. More… Discuss

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December 21, 1118 – Saint Thomas of Canterbury who was venerated as a saint and martyr is born in London— OnThisDay & Facts |

December 21, 1118 – Saint Thomas of Canterbury who was venerated as a saint and martyr is born in London. pic.twitter.com/rubsNbmdXH

— OnThisDay & Facts (@NotableHistory) December 21, 2014

EU court orders France to pay thousands to Somali pirates

http://f24.my/1zVm2Uz

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Eastern Christianity From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eastern Christianity

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

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Eastern Christianity comprises the Christian traditions and churches that developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Africa, India, and parts of the Far East over several centuries of religious antiquity.

The term is generally used in Western Christianity to describe all Christian traditions that did not develop in Western Europe. As such, the term does not describe any single communion or common religious tradition, and in fact some “Eastern” Churches have more in common historically and theologically with “Western” Christianity than with one another. The various “Eastern” Churches do not normally refer to themselves as “Eastern,” with the exception of the Assyrian Church of the East and its offshoots.

The terms “Eastern” and “Western” in this regard originated with divisions in the Church mirroring the cultural divide between the Hellenistic east and Latinate west and the political divide between the weak Western and strong Eastern Roman empires. Because the most powerful Church in the East was what has become known as the Eastern Orthodox Church, the term “Orthodox” is often used in a similarly loose fashion as “Eastern”, although strictly speaking most Churches consider themselves part of an Orthodox and Catholic communion.

Families of churches

 

Countries by number of Orthodox Christians in 2010

  More than 100 million

  More than 20 million

  More than 10 million

  More than 5 million

  More than 1 million

Eastern Christians do not share the same religious traditions, but do share many cultural traditions. Christianity divided itself in the East during its early centuries both within and outside of the Roman Empire in disputes about Christology and fundamental theology, as well as national divisions (Roman, Persian, etc.). It would be many centuries later that Western Christianity fully split from these traditions as its own communion. Today there are four main branches or families of Eastern Christianity, each of which has distinct theology and dogma.

• Orthodox Christianity
  • the Eastern Orthodox Church
  • the Oriental Orthodox Churches
• the Assyrian Church of the East
• the Eastern Catholic Churches

In many Eastern churches, some parish priests administer the sacrament of chrismation to infants after baptism, and priests are allowed to marry before ordination. While all the Eastern Catholic Churches recognize the authority of the Pope, some of them who having originally been part of the Orthodox Church or Oriental Orthodox Church closely follow the traditions of Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy, including the tradition of allowing married men to become priests.

The Eastern churches’ differences from Western Christianity have as much, if not more, to do with culture, language, and politics, as theology. For the non-Catholic Eastern churches, a definitive date for the commencement of schism cannot usually be given (see East-West Schism). The Church of the East declared independence from the churches of the Roman Empire at its general council in 424, which was before the Council of Ephesus in 431, and so had nothing to do with the theology declared at that Council. Oriental Orthodoxy separated after the Council of Chalcedon in 451.

Since the time of the historian Edward Gibbon, the split between the Church of Rome and the Orthodox Church has been conveniently dated to 1054,though the reality is more complex. This split is sometimes referred to as the Great Schism, but now more usually referred to as the East-West Schism. This final schism reflected a larger cultural and political division which had developed in Europe and southwest Asia during the Middle Ages and coincided with Western Europe’s re-emergence from the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.

Eastern Orthodox Church

 

Christ Pantocrator, detail of the Deesis mosaic in Hagia Sophia – Constantinople (Istanbul) 12th century

Main article: History of the Eastern Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church is a Christian body whose adherents are largely based in the Middle East (particularly Syria and Iraq), Russia, Greece, Eastern Europe and The Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia, Ossetia etc), with a growing presence in the western world. Orthodox Christians accept the decisions of the First seven Ecumenical Councils.

Orthodox Christianity identifies itself as the original Christian church (see early centers of Christianity) founded by Christ and the Apostles, and traces its lineage back to the early church through the process of Apostolic Succession and unchanged theology and practice. Distinguishing characteristics of the Orthodox Church (shared with some of the Eastern Catholic Churches) include the Divine Liturgy, the Mysteries or Sacraments, and an emphasis on the preservation of Tradition, which it holds to be Apostolic in nature.

The Orthodox Church is organized into self-governing jurisdictions along geographical, national, ethnic, and/or linguistic lines. Orthodoxy is thus made up of 15 or 16 autocephalous bodies. Smaller churches are autonomous and each have a mother church that is autocephalous.

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The Orthodox Church includes the following jurisdictions:

• Autocephalous Churches
  • The Church of Constantinople
  • The Greek Church of Alexandria
  • The Church of Antioch
  • The Church of Jerusalem
  • Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)
  • The Church of Greece
  • The Church of Georgia
  • The Church of Serbia
  • The Church of Romania
  • The Church of Bulgaria
  • The Church of Cyprus
  • The Church of Albania
  • The Church of Poland
  • The Church of Slovakia and the Czech Lands
  • The Orthodox Church in America
• Autonomous Churches
  • The Church of Sinai (Jerusalem Patriarchate)
  • The Church of Crete (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • The Orthodox Church of Finland (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • The Church of Estonia (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • The Church of Japan (Moscow Patriarchate)
  • The Church of Ukraine (Moscow Patriarchate)
  • Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia – Formerly claimed autocephaly, but unification with Russian Orthodox Church achieved on May 17, 2007
• Exceptional churches generally considered to be orthodox in beliefs but otherwise not in communion with all of the above churches.
  • The Church of Ukraine (Kyiv Patriarchate)
  • The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
  • Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric
  • Orthodox Church in Italy

All Orthodox are united in doctrinal agreement with each other, though a few are not in communion at present, for non-doctrinal reasons. This is in contrast to the Roman Catholic Church and its various rites. Members of the latter are all in communion with each other, parts of a top-down hierarchy (see primus inter pares).

The majority of Catholics accept both the Filioque clause and, since 1950, the Assumption of Mary. This puts them in sharp contrast with the Orthodox. Yet some Catholics who are not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church side with the Orthodox here and reject these teachings, putting them in theological disagreement with the others.

It may also be noted that the Church of Rome was once in communion with the Orthodox Church, but the two were split after the East-West Schism and thus it is no longer in communion with the Orthodox Church.

It is estimated that there are approximately 240 million Orthodox Christians in the world.^[1] Today, many adherents shun the term “Eastern” as denying the church’s universal character. They refer to Eastern Orthodoxy simply as the Orthodox Church.

Oriental Orthodox Churches

Oriental Orthodoxy refers to the churches of Eastern Christian tradition that keep the faith of the first three Ecumenical Councils of the undivided Church: the First Council of Nicaea (AD 325), the First Council of Constantinople (381) and the Council of Ephesus (431), while rejecting the dogmatic definitions of the Council of Chalcedon (451). Hence, these churches are also called Old Oriental Churches.

Oriental Orthodoxy developed in reaction to Chalcedon on the eastern limit of the Byzantine Empire and in Egypt and Syria and Mesopotamia. In those locations, there are also Eastern Orthodox Patriarchs, but the rivalry between the two has largely vanished in the centuries since the schism.

The following Oriental Orthodox churches are autocephalous and in full communion:

• Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
• Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church
• Syriac Orthodox Church
  • Jacobite Syrian Church
• Indian Orthodox Church
• Coptic Orthodox Church
  • British Orthodox Church
  • French Coptic Orthodox Church
• Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church

The Oriental Orthodox churches which are autocephalous but not in communion with other Oriental Orthodox churches are :

• Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church
• Malabar Independent Syrian Church

Read more: HERE    HERE

 

Netanyahu lashes out at moves to recognize an independent Palestine – CSMonitor.com

World Security Watch Terrorism & Security

Netanyahu lashes out at moves to recognize an independent Palestine

csmonitor

Editors’ Picks

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called the European initiatives a ‘big mistake for peace.’ Meanwhile, a bill to codify Israel’s identity as a ‘Jewish state’ is drawing fire.

By Dan Murphy, Staff writer November 26, 2014

Jim Hollander/AP

A daily roundup of terrorism and security issues.

For years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has paid lip service to the idea of two states for two peoples in the Holy Land. But recently, he and members of his government have been lashing out at recognition of independent Palestine, with one senior diplomat saying that a Palestinian state would be a “terror-ocracy.”

In October, Sweden recognized an independent Palestine, and the European Union postponed a vote on the question yesterday. MPs in the UK, Ireland, and Spain have also voted for recognition of Palestine in the past six weeks, and it appears that the rest of Western Europe is not far behind.

via Netanyahu lashes out at moves to recognize an independent Palestine – CSMonitor.com.

this presses: for your right to know (publicat pentru dreptul de a stii: Ukraine Being Watched by Moldova

The former Soviet Union State of Moldova is holding an election next weekend and will vote to make a decision about if it will continue down the road to European integration, opposing Russia and risking war like Ukraine is. Moldova is being watchful of the happenings between Russia and Ukraine since their former Soviet sibling may show them what to expect by defying the Russian wishes.

Moldova is one of the smallest countries in eastern Europe and one of the poorest. The country, located on the western edge of what use to be the Soviet Union, has made large strides towards integration into the West and separating themselves from the Russian way more than any other ex-Soviet states.

The parliamentary election will take place on November 30 and as it gets closer, polls showing the opinion of Moldova’s citizens appear divided on if they should remain loyal to Russia or continue moving towards inclusion with the European Union (EU) nations. The decision is not a simple one, and one that has already hurt the country and its people.

Moving towards inclusion in the EU, the three-party group that comprises the Alliance for European Integration that formed in 2009 has earned the landlocked country a ban on imports of wines, meats and vegetables from Russia. This has affected the 3.5 million people living in Moldova, which is bordered by Romania, a member of the EU, and Ukraine.

via Ukraine Being Watched by Moldova

Google translator (Romanian)

Fostul stat sovietic a Moldovei organizează alegeri viitor week-end și va vota pentru a face o decizie cu privire la cazul în care va continua pe drumul spre integrarea europeană, opunându-Rusia și riscul de război ca Ucraina este. Moldova fiind atentă a ce se intampla dintre Rusia și Ucraina de la fostul lor frate sovietic putea arăta ce să se aștepte de sfidarea dorințele rusești.

Moldova este una dintre cele mai mici țări din Europa de Est și unul dintre cele mai sărace. Țara, situat la marginea de vest a ceea ce folosesc pentru a fi Uniunea Sovietică, a făcut pași mari către integrarea în Occident și se separă de modul rus mai mult decât orice alte state ex-sovietice.

Alegerile parlamentare vor avea loc la 30 noiembrie și cum se apropie, sondajele arată opinia cetățenilor Republicii Moldova par împărțite asupra în cazul în care ar trebui să rămână loiali Rusia sau de a continua deplasarea spre includere cu Uniunea Europeană (UE) națiuni. Decizia nu este una simplă, și una care a rănit deja țara și oamenii ei.

Mutarea spre includere în UE, grupul trei partide care cuprinde Alianța pentru Integrare Europeană, care a format în 2009, a câștigat țara fără ieșire la mare o interdicție asupra importurilor de vinuri, carne și legume din Rusia. Acest lucru a afectat 3,5 milioane de oameni care trăiesc în Republica Moldova, care este marginita de România, membră a Uniunii Europene, și Ucraina.
prin Ucraina Fiind urmarit de Republica Moldova.

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this pressed: MORE TIME? 7-month extension on the table for US, Iran nuclear talks

MORE TIME? 7-month extension on the table for US, Iran nuclear talks.

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Russia says Ukraine monitors biased

Russia says Ukraine monitors biased http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30056604

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this pressed-for your right to information: Flash – EU anti-trust chief slams ‘irrational’ views towards Google – France 24

AFP

Google is the most widely used search engine with a market share of over 90% in most European countries, according to preliminary findings by the European Commission

Google is the most widely used search engine with a market share of over 90% in most European countries, according to preliminary findings by the European Commission

The EU’s top anti-trust official sharply criticized the “irrational” response by European politicians to the Brussels investigation of search engine giant Google, a report said on Thursday.

“Google has provoked a lot of emotions and in some cases … some kind of irrational emotions,” EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told the Wall Street Journal.

Critics of Google see “this leviathan that will eliminate all our freedoms, all our privacy, all our rights and I think it isn’t logical,” he said.

Google is being investigated by the European Commission in response to complaints that its search engine, the world’s biggest, was squeezing out competitors in Europe.

Google and Almunia have made three attempts to resolve the dispute, but in each case intense pressure by national governments, Internet rivals and privacy advocates scuppered the effort.

Almunia, who steps down at the end of the month, told the newspaper he regretted the investigation had been muddied by politics.

via Flash – EU anti-trust chief slams ‘irrational’ views towards Google – France 24.

euzicasa: Is Google the ultimate “STEP ASIDE I’M COMMING THROUGH” AMBITIOUS CORPORATION?

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From EUROPARL: Nigel Farage: Stop playing wargames with Putin – Video source: EbS (European Parliament)

Nigel Farage: Stop playing wargames with Putin

   europarl

Descriptionhttp://www.ukipmeps.org | @Nigel_Farage
• European Parliament, Strasbourg, 16 September 2014

• Speaker: Nigel Farage MEP, Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), Co-President of the ‘Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy’ (EFDD) Group in the European Parliament – http://www.nigelfaragemep.co.uk

– ‘Bluecard question’: Ioan Mircea PAŞCU MEP (Romania) – Socialist Group (P&D)

• Debate: Situation in Ukraine and state of play of EU-Russia relations
– Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
[2014/2841(RSP)]

Transcript:

Amongst the long list of foreign policy failures and contradictions in the last few years including, of course, the bombing of Libya, the desire to arm the rebels in Syria, has been the unnecessary provocation of  Vladimir Putin.

This EU empire, ever seeking to expand, stated its territorial claim on the Ukraine some years ago. Just to make that worse, of course, some NATO members said they too would like the Ukraine to join NATO. We directly encouraged the uprising in the Ukraine that led to the toppling of the president, Yanukovych, and that led of course in turn to Vladimir Putin reacting. And the moral of the story is if you poke the Russian bear with a stick, don’t be surprised when he reacts.

Just to continue with that, today we are rushing through an Association Agreement at undue speed with the Ukraine and as we speak there are NATO soldiers engaged in military exercises in the Ukraine. Have we taken leave of our senses? Do we actually want to have a war with Putin? Because if we do, we are certainly going about it the right way.

Perhaps we ought to recognise that the West now faces the biggest threat and crisis to our way of life that we have seen for over 70 years. The recent beheadings of the British and American hostages graphically illustrates the problem. And of course we have our own citizens from our own countries engaged in that struggle, too.

In the war against Islamic extremism, Vladimir Putin, whatever we may think of him as a human being, is actually on our side.

I suggest we grow up. I suggest recognise the real threat facing all of our countries, communities and societies. We stop playing war games in the Ukraine and we start to prepare a plan to help countries like Syria, like Iraq, like Kenya, like indeed Nigeria, to try and help them to deal with the real threat that faces us. Let’s not go on provoking Putin whether we like him or not.

Question to Farage: Sir, in your considered opinion, what is better, to have Russian soldiers fighting a war on the territory of Ukraine, or NATO troops exercising as a response to that on the territory of Ukraine?

Reply from Farage: The point that I was making was that there should be a huge degree of guilt in this house about what provoked all this in the first place, and we saw Western Ukrainians, waving European flags, rioting, setting fire to things, and effectively staging a coup d’état, which brought down the Ukrainian president, which has led to this instability. Yes, yes, you are the guilty people and you refuse to accept it.

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Video source: EbS (European Parliament)
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• EU Member States:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom

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this day in the yesteryear: Anna Lindh, Swedish Politician, Stabbed (2003)

Anna Lindh, Swedish Politician, Stabbed (2003)

Lindh was a Swedish Social Democrat and an important proponent of the European Union. At the time of her murder, she was a prime candidate to become the next leader of the Social Democrats and prime minister of Sweden. On September 10, 2003, she was brutally attacked while shopping in a department store. The assault came just before a Swedish referendum on the Euro, while Lindh was intensely involved in a public campaign for the approval of the currency. When was her murderer caught? More… Discuss

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Share a tweet: The library in Cafe Pushkin, Moscow….a restaurant in an old mansion. pic.twitter.com/96gQnZuSJa — Bibliophilia

The library in Cafe Pushkin; Moscow….a restaurant in an old mansion. pic.twitter.com/96gQnZuSJa

— ✍ Bibliophilia (@Libroantiguo) September 9, 2014

Pushkin MuseumP1060645 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

this pressed: Ukraine: Nato hält Niederlage für Kiew für sicher – SPIEGEL ONLINE (Analysis of the military situation: NATO sees Ukraine as already loser)

Ukraine: Nato hält Niederlage für Kiew für sicher – SPIEGEL ONLINE.

(Analysis of the military situation: NATO sees Ukraine as already loser)

Excerpts from article:  “Kiev / Moscow – NATO has changed its military assessment of the situation in eastern Ukraine fundamentally. A week ago, the strategists of the Alliance assumed that Russia has strengthened the separatists with covert troops only because the pro-Russian rebels had to retreat under pressure of the Ukrainian army.

When the generals of the alliance but then late last week to a crisis meeting on the situation of the army of the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko came together, they painted a grim picture. “Militarily, the conflict for Kiev is already lost,” stated a senior NATO general. Poroshenko, the judgment, were “really only talks to withdraw his men alive from the pliers of the Russians“.

The location descriptions behind closed doors were far more dramatic than the few images that NATO published mid-week. On large maps were marked with thick arrows Russian units, which now from the north, the west and the south on the border of eastern Ukraine are at least 20 Battalions  with a minimum of 500 men and heavy guns are the scouts of NATO.”
(translation from German to English with the aid of Google Translate online service)

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today’s holiday: Croatia Statehood Day

Croatia Statehood Day

Croatians mark this national holiday to commemorate the country‘s declaration of independence from Yugoslavia on June 25, 1991. This holiday is distinct from the country’s Independence Day on October 8, when the implementation of the declaration went into effect. Offices, businesses, and schools are closed in Croatia on Statehood Day. Wreaths are laid and candles lit at sites of fallen soldiers, including the graves of national heroes. Past celebrations have included a ceremonial line-up of military troops in the central square of the country’s capital, Zagreb, and speeches by the country’s leaders. More… Discuss

word: admonitory

admonitory 

Definition:	(adjective) Serving to warn.
Synonyms:	cautionary, exemplary
Usage:	Bella, entering with a raised admonitory finger, kissed Lizzie softly, but said not a word. Discuss.

new at EuZicAsa: Widget – Constitution of the United States – access here

Widget: Constitution of the United States – access here

NEWS: European Court Upholds “Right to be Forgotten”

European Court Upholds “Right to be Forgotten”

It is said that “time heals all wounds.” Not so in the age of the Internet. Nowadays, one’s missteps are forever just a click away for all the world to see, but perhaps not for long. The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled in favor of a man who sued Google for continuing to include news about the 1998 repossession of his home in searches for his name despite the fact that he has long since overcome his financial troubles. The ruling sets an important precedent regarding the “right to be forgotten” and could mean that Internet companies will now have to remove inadequate, irrelevant, outdated, or excessive personal information from search engine results. More… Discuss

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EU court backs ‘right to be forgotten’: Google must amend results on request | Technology | theguardian.com

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Farage: The whole European project is based on a dangerous falsehood

[youtube.com/watch?v=PE65BoJLwos&feature=em-uploademail]
Farage: The whole European project is based on a dangerous falsehood
http://www.ukipmeps.org | http://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage
• European Parliament, Strasbourg, 16 April 2014

• Speaker: Nigel Farage MEP, Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), Co-President of the ‘Europe of Freedom and Democracy’ (EFD) Group in the European Parliament –http://www.nigelfaragemep.co.uk

• Debate: 100 years on from the First World War: lessons to learn and future of Europe
Council and Commission statements
[2014/2670(RSP)]
1 round of political group speakers

Transcript:

In you introduction you said that the First World War was an industrial war. And indeed, you’ve only got to drive two hours up the A4 from here and visit the battlefield at Verdun to see exactly what you were talking about. For those who haven’t visited I think it’s probably the grimmest battlefield I’ve certainly visited on the Western Front or indeed anywhere in the world.

And it was something that had such a huge psychological effect on France that it very much dominated the thinking of Monnet and Schumann post-1945, that this awful think must not happen again. And those of us in politics will all remember the rather famous photograph of quite a large German Chancellor Kohl and a rather small French president Mitterrand, holding hands, standing in front of that ossiary at Douaumont.

And so the whole European project comes from the disaster that was sparked by the First World War and it is entirely understandable that people should have sought ways to prevent such awfulness.

The difficulty is that they chose the wrong target. Monnet and Schumann decided – and it’s shared today by Mr Barroso and the Cohn-Bendits and others – they decided that it was the existence of Nation State that led to war and therefore we have to abolish Nation State.

Actually, what we should have focussed on post-1945, isn’t the abolition of states, it’s to make sure that the European states were democratic, because democratic nation states do not go to war with eachother.

So I have to say that I believe the whole European project is based on a falsehood – and it’s potentially a dangerous falsehood, because if you try to impose a new flag, a new anthem, a new president, a new army, police force, foreign policy, whatever else – if you try to impose that without first seeking the consent of the people, you’re in danger actually of creating the very nationalisms and resentment that you sought to snuff out in the first place. 

We’ve done this all before. We did it after the First World War in the Balkans. We said we can’t have all these little Balkan states go around fighting with eachother – let’s bring them together, let’s give them one flag, one anthem, one president and let’s call it Yugoslavia. And it led to horrific wars since 1990, the deaths of tens of thousands of people, as people have fought to get out of a false state.

The European Union is making a very similar mistake because there is no consent for this project. I’ve heard people this morning, talking about the need for a United States of Europe on a federal model. You can only have that if people give consent for it, and nobody has. 

And when you put the Constitution [Lisbon treaty prototype] to the peoples of Europe – the first time you really come clean with the electors – they rejected it.

I’m not against Europe, but I’m against this Europe. I want a Europe of independent, sovereign nation states that trade together, that work together, that cooperate together, and I believe the European Elections this year will mark a turning point. The tide is turning. You’re backing an outdated model that seeks to get rid of a problem that actually hasn’t existed since 1945.

Thank you.
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Video source: EbS (European Parliament)
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• EU Member States:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom

THIS DAY IN THE YESTERYEAR: FAEROE ISLANDS GAIN HOME RULE (1948)

Faeroe Islands Gain Home Rule (1948)

The Faeroe Islands are a group of volcanic islands first settled by Irish monks circa 700 CE and colonized by Vikings about a century later. Since 1380, the islands have been under Danish rule. After World War II, the Faeroese sought independence, but the Danish king blocked any chance of this by dissolving the Faeroese parliament following a 1946 referendum in which residents voted for independence. Two years later, they were granted self-government. Where in the world are the Faeroe Islands? More… Discuss

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NEWS: CONTROVERSIAL CRIMEA REFERENDUM DRAWS SANCTIONS

Controversial Crimea Referendum Draws Sanctions

Despite opposition from Kiev and the West, Crimeamoved forward with a referendum in which voters overwhelmingly backed seceding from Ukraine and joining Russia. Given the buildup of Russian troops in the region and the hurried nature of the referendum, many question the legitimacy of the vote. Nevertheless, Crimean officials—whose authority is also contested—lost little time in formally applying to join Russia. The US and EU responses were swift, though not as far-reaching as some had hoped; sanctions were imposed on a number of individuals in Russia and Crimea who pushed for or helped carry out the referendum. More… Discuss

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NEWS: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN WIDESPREAD IN EU

Violence against Women Widespread in EU

A report out of the EU contains some disturbing statistics relating to violence against women, finding that about a third of women in the EU—some 62 million women—have been subjected to physical or sexual violence since the age of 15. As incidents of this nature are widely underreported, the rate of victimization could actually be even higher than this survey reveals. Surprisingly, Denmark, found in a UN study last year to be the happiest country in the world and a nation noted for its progressive attitudes toward women, has the highest rate of reported violence against women in the EU, with 52 percent of the women interviewed reporting abuse. More… Discuss

 

Romanian Spring Traditions – Martisor – MARCH 1(PRON. MARTZISHOR)

Romanian Spring Traditions – Martisor.

 

Leaked U.S. phone call about Ukraine draws anger from Russia, EU | The Rundown | PBS NewsHour | PBS

Victoria Nuland’s alleged explicit comments about the EU’s involvement in Ukraine has caused controversy. Photo by Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Flickr
A taped and leaked telephone conversation between two U.S. politicians about the future of Ukrainian politics — which included an explicit comment about the European Union — has caused a diplomatic flap, exacerbating tensions between the United States and Russia.

[youtube.com/watch?v=zKiXIaBSC9E]

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TODAY’S BIRTHDAY: ANDREAS PAPANDREOU (1919)

Andreas Papandreou (1919)

Andreas was the second of three generations of Papandreou men to serve as Greece’s head of state. While in exile after a 1967 military coup, he formed what would become the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Pasok). He returned to Greece after the fall of the junta and in 1981 became the country’s first socialist premier. He resigned in 1989 amid financial scandals and mounting budget deficits, but this did not keep him from becoming prime minister again in 1993. When did his son take the reins?More… Discuss

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SI EU IUBESC TARA FAGARASULUI

EU IUBESC TARA FAGARASULUI (CLICK TO ACCESS THE WEBSITE)

 

Godfrey Bloom: The State is an Institution of Theft (Murray N. Rothbard)

• European Parliament, Brussels, 21 November 2013

• Speaker: Godfrey Bloom MEP, Ind. (Yorkshire & Lincolnshire), Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group –http://www.godfreybloommep.co.uk

• Debate: Action programme for taxation in the European Union for the period 2014-2020

Report: Theodor Dumitru Stolojan (A7-0399/2012)
Amended proposal for a regulation of the European parliament and of the Council establishing an action programme for taxation in the European Union for the period 2014-2020 (Fiscalis 2020) and repealing Decision n°1482/2007/EC
[COM(2012)0465 – C7-0242/2012 – 2011/0341B(COD)]
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

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• Video: EbS (European Parliament)
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• EU Member States:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom

Read more about  Murray N. Rothbard  Here

 

Farage: You can stop these dark forces, Mr Van Rompuy

Published on Nov 5, 2013

http://www.ukipmeps.org | http://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage
Join UKIP: http://ukip.datawareonline.co.uk/Join…
• European Parliament, Brussels, 5 November 2013

• Speaker: Nigel Farage MEP, Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), Co-President of the ‘Europe of Freedom and Democracy‘ (EFD) Group in the European Parliament –http://www.nigelfaragemep.co.uk

• Conference of Presidents

Outcome of the European Council with the participation of Herman Van ROMPUY – President of the European Council – and Maroš ŠEFČOVIČ – Vice-President of the EC in charge of Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration

…………………………….
Video source: EbS (European Parliament)
…………………………….
Transcript

Mr Van Rompuy, it’s been a long time, lovely to see you.

Today is November the 5th, a big celebration, festival day in England. Just over 400 years ago there was an attempt to blow up the house of parliament with dynamite and to destroy our constitution.

That was a violent approach, you of course have taken the dull, technocratic approach to all of these things, and indeed what you and your colleagues say time and again. You talk about e-initiative and what yoiu are going to do about employment – but the reality is, nothing in this Union is getting any better.

Indeed the accounts – I thought it was 18 years in a row the accounts hadn’t been signed off for, I’m now told told that it’s 19 and you are doing your best to tone down any criticism whatever growth figure you may have, they are pretty anemic, and youth unemployment in the Mediterranean is 50% plus in several states.

And of course you’ll notice there is now a rise in opposition – real opposition – and much of it pretty ugly opposition, not stuff that I myself would want to lick hands with.

It was three and a half years ago that I got into some trouble by questioning who your tailor was. And they fined me 3,000 euros for doing so. Of course, I clearly was wrong. Look at you today, you are the smart, snappy young man around town.

But there’s no question that your legitimacy hasn’t grown in those three and a half years. In fact neither you, nor the Commission – even the Parliament – none of that connection with ordinary people has got greater. And that is why there is an electoral storm coming. There’s something very dramatic that’s going to happen in the third week of May next year [2014].

But you can stop it. You can stop these dark forces as you see them swarming into this Parliament, by actually admitting, openly, that the time has now come to legitimise, or otherwise, these institutions by holding free and fair referendums in the Member States as to whether your position should even exist.

Because the French and Dutch said, Mr Van Rompuy, you shouldn’t exist. They vetoed it and yet you continue regardless.

Are you prepared to sit there and wait for the electoral storm, or would you take the initiative and do your best to legitimise democratically this European Union, or not?

SECOND ROUND (following Mr Van Rompuy’s remarks)

Just for a moment there it got fun, you got angry with me,, it all became impassioned. That was brilliant, because prior to that it was the usual dirge, wasn’t it. It was Mr Van Rompuy talking about a ‘single supervisory mechanism’, a ‘resolution fund’.

What real people are talking about is the lack of jobs, the insanity – as in our case – opening the doors next year to the whole of Romania and Bulgaria. 

So maybe, Mr van Rompuy, the answer is to ignore my pleas for a referendum and just come out and start attacking me and the eurosceptics and maybe then we’ll make it a real European election.

But I warn you, the language that you and the rest of the European Commission use is not the way that ordinary people speak, it’s not how they feel, and honestly, you sit there in front of that flag behind you: That flag and your position were rejected by the French and Dutch in 2005, you’ve carried on regardless, you have no legitimacy.

Let’s fight it out on the battleground next May.
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• EU Member States:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom

 

Fabulous Compositions: Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 by George Enescu

The author of this beautiful video has chosen a ever so truthful account of  the country and the people of Romania, now and throughout the ages old history, for which am very thankful:

“Pentru mine, Enescu va rămâne una din veritabilele minuni ale lumii.
(…) Rădăcinile puternice şi nobleţea sufletului său sunt provenite din
propria lui ţară, o ţară de inegalată frumuseţe.” Yehudi Menuhin

Just a thought:  “Yehudi Menuhin’s quotation refers to the best known, and loved Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu:  Nevertheless, I believe that George Enescu achieved in his Romanian Rhapsodies a portrayal of the people of Romania that no one else ever was able to describe with so much humanity, in the language of music what Eminescu did by employing the romantic poetry of the  Romanian language.” George-B 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaspars/…

Rise of Eurosceptism an assertion of identity – Nigel Farage (v.4×3)

Published on Oct 23, 2013

 

http://www.ukipmeps.org | http://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage
Join UKIP: http://ukip.datawareonline.co.uk/Join…
• European Parliament, Strasbourg, 23 October 2013

• Speaker: Nigel Farage MEP, Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), Co-President of the ‘Europe of Freedom and Democracy‘ (EFD) Group in the European Parliament –http://www.nigelfaragemep.co.uk

• Debate: Preparations for the European Council meeting (24-25 October 2013)
Council and Commission statements
[2013/2625(RSP)]

Transcript

There is only one real debate going on here this week in Strasbourg, it is the fear stalking the corridors. The concern you’ve got about the rise of Euroscepticism.

Years ago, you were less worried, the few of us here who were eurosceptic were treated as being mentally ill and sort of patted on the head.

But now we are ‘evil’, ‘populists’, we are ‘dangerous’; we are going to bring down Western civilisation. And it is clear, you don’t get it. You don’t understand why this is happening – well let me help you.

In 2005, it was the pivotal moment of this project, the French and the Dutch had said No to the EU Constitution. Mr Barroso stood up and said they didn’t really vote no, they didn’t understand what they’d be 

They did! You see ever since 2005, the real European debate is about identity. What we are saying, large numbers of us from every single EU member state is: we don’t want that flag, we don’t want the anthem that you all stood so ram-rod straight for yesterday, we don’t want EU passports, we don’t want political union.

And if you think about it, there is nothing extreme about that position, there is nothing right wing about that position, there is nothing left wing indeed about that position. It is a normal sensible assertion of identity. Because what we are saying on our side of the argument… [shouting from MEPS] Well you see you can scream and shout all you like, which really rather proves to me why you are going to do so badly in the European elections next year. Because you are not listening.

We want to live and work and breathe in a Europe of nation state democracy. We want to trade together, we want to cooperate together. We are happy to agree sensible common minimum standards, and yes we want to control our own borders which is the rational logical and sensible thing for any nation state to do. We are not against immigration, we are not against immigrants, we believe there needs to be a degree of control.

And that is the message that is picking up support right across this continent and I genuinely think that there is an opportunity for an electoral earthquake to happen in the European elections next year with a large number of people from all sides of this House who will come with a nation state agenda. Who will come saying, let’s have a Europe, as De Gaulle might have said, of the patrie. Let’s not have a Europe of political union. And you can abuse us all you like, but what we stand for is fair, principled and democratic.

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Video source: EbS (European Parliament)
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• EU Member States:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom

Nigel Farage confronts Barroso on global warming scam (State of the Union 2013)

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Join UKIP: http://ukip.datawareonline.co.uk/Join…
Translations into Italian, French and Polish here:http://www.ukipmeps.org/articles_714_…

• European Parliament, Strasbourg, 11 September 2013

• Speaker: Nigel Farage MEP, Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), Co-President of the ‘Europe of Freedom and Democracy‘ (EFD) Group in the European Parliament – http://nigelfaragemep.co.uk

With a response from José Manuel Barroso, President of the EU Commission and a cameo appearance by Guy VERHOFSTADT MEP (Belgium), President of the Liberal group (ALDE)

• Debate: State of the Union
Statement by the President of the Commission
[2013/2623(RSP)]

Transcript

Round One

Well, Mr Barroso, not just you but the entire unelected government of Europe and a chance perhaps for our citizens to reflect on where the real power lies in this Union.

I’ve listened to you for nearly ten years – full marks for consistency – you are a man that likes fixed ideology, you probably picked it up when you were a communist or Maoist, or whatever you were, and for the last ten years you’ve pursued euro-federalism combined with an increasing green obsession.

And yes, it’s been good – for bureaucrats, for big businessmen, for landowners, it has not been a bad decade. But it has been a disaster for poor people, unemployed people and those on low wages.

The euro which you believed would give us monetary stability has done the very opposite, it was a misconstruction from the start, and it’s pretty clear that youth unemployment, at nearly 50% across the Mediterranean, is probably nearly double what it would have been as a direct result of the misconstruction that is the euro.

They’re in the wrong currency, but I know that you’ll never ever admit to that, and the euro I think will die a very slow and painful death. But you’re all in denial about that.

But it’s the green agenda that I find really more interesting. You keep telling us that climate change is an absolute top priority, and you’ve been greeted with almost hysteria in this place over the last ten years.

Well, those of us who have been sceptical about this have been mocked, derided, called ‘deniers’.

We’ve argued from the start that the science wasn’t settled, and we’ve argued very strongly that the measures we’re taking to combat what may or may not be a problem are damaging our citizens. 

And we’ve been proved to be right. Tens of millions forced into fuel poverty, manufacturing industry being driven away because of course our competitors in China and in America are going for cheap fossil alternatives and of course wind turbines blighting the landscapes and seascapes of Europe.

And still today you go on about green growth. Well, the consensus is breaking behind you – you know, [Industry] Commissioner Tajani the other day said that actually we face a systematic industrial massacre.

It is time to stop this stupidity and to help you [holds up colour pictures] there is the NASA photograph last August of the northern icecaps. And there is the NASA photograph this year of the icecaps. They increased by 60% in one year. Leading American scientists are now saying we are going into a period of between 15-30 years of global cooling.

We may have made one of the biggest stupidest collective mistakes in history by getting so worrying about global warming. You can reverse this in the next seven or eight months. You can bring down peoples’ taxes. If you don’t, they will vote on it in the European elections of next year.

Round TWO

“Well next year’s European elections will not be contested on the old division lines of left and right and several group leaders have agreed with that today. Frankly that is all irrelevant. 
It will be contested between those of us who believe in national democracy within the nation state; and those who believe that the 28 countries that are part of the EU are better governed by these institutions. That in a sense is what this comes down to.

But Mr Barroso, those of us who believe in national democracy do not want to take us back to the Western Front or 1914. Those of us who believe in national democracy will say to you that it is a healthy assertion of identity. 

But it also shows a deeper understanding of why the problems of Europe were caused in the past. It is democratic nation states in Europe that are stable and will not go to war with each other. 

I will remind people that without the vote in the House of Commons two weeks ago that we would now be at war in Syria. What better proof can there be that nation state democracy can be a force for good. 

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Video source: EbS (European Parliament)
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Nigel Farage lambasts “extreme militarists” during Syria debate (“Arm the rebels? What are you thinking of?”)

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• European Parliament, Strasbourg, 11 September 2013

• Speaker: Nigel Farage MEP, Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), Co-President of the ‘Europe of Freedom and Democracy‘ (EFD) Group in the European Parliament – http://nigelfaragemep.co.uk

Blue card questions:
– Charles TANNOCK MEP, Conservative Party, ECR Group
– Ioan Mircea PAŞCU MEP, Socialist Group (S&D)

• Debate: Situation in Syria
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
[2013/2819(RSP)]

Transcript

I represent a group that is against military action in Syria. We’re against it not because we’re pacifists. We’re against it not because we don’t care about the awful things going on there. 

We’re against because we think there’s some pretty poor thinking going on.

This idea that somehow the rebels are the good guys and Assad are the bad guys really is over-simplifying a situation where of course we know that Al-Qaida have significant representation amongst those rebel groups.

And of course we’ve seen it all before. An endless series of military adventures over the course of the last 10 to fifteen years, one of which of course – notably, in Afghanistan – is still going on and is not achieving any of its original aims.

And I was worried when I heard the Americans telling us to begin with, it was about punishing Assad, and then within a week it was about regime change, a position that I know the noble Baroness herself supports.

We think firing a thousand criuse missiles in is likely to make an unstable situation even worse than it is now.

But of course, Baroness Ashton, in a sense, you’re sitting pretty, because as the highest paid female politician in the world, luckily, you got a non-job. Because the EU, thank goodness, hasn’t yet got a foreign policy, and as a result of that what we saw two weeks ago in the House of Commons was a nation state democracy standing up and saying something. 

And as a direct result of that vote in the House of Commons we have not gone to war in Syria, we have entered a period of negotiations, and Assad has a chance to prove to all of us whether he is a good man or a bad man.

Ukip slams EU polling day plan

Nigel Farage, the leader of Ukip, says proposal to create a common European 
Union polling day will not make people feel more European but is likely to 
mean a drop in voter turnout.

Farage: How Dictatorships Begin: State of Emergency, Democracy is Suspended, The Unelected Rule

Follow Mr. Nigel Farage, on Twitter, Facebook and at http://www.nigelfaragemep.co.uk/.

Don’t wait until it is too late:  he is telling you  things the way are and  should NOT be.
Indeed all dictatorships started with someone acting (mind you) in the best interest of a country (nobody really wnowing who’s country there was).

A pearl of a parlamentary session of the EU and Mr. Farage at his best!

► European Parliament, Brussels – 24.02.2010

► Speaker: Nigel Farage MEP, UKIP, Co-President of the EFD group.

► Debate: European Council and Commission statements – EU 2020 – Follow-up of the informal European Council of 11 February 2010

President of the EU Council Herman Van Rompuy and Commisson President Jose Manuel Barroso participated in the debate.

‘US of Europe total disgrace, collapsing as we speak’: This Was Yesterday

The British Parliament has voted overwhelmingly against holding a referendum on leaving the European Union. A petition of over 100 thousand signatures from the public had called for the debate. The government earlier ordered its MPs to vote against the motion – or face penalties. Despite this, dozens of David Cameron’s party members defied the order, in what’s been the biggest internal challenge he’s faced as Prime Minister. But Jon Gaunt, from the ‘Vote UK out of the EU’ campaign, says Britain never signed up for what the EU turned out to be.
(Source of Commentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22zgJ0Iqunk&feature=related)

France 24 International: Sarkozy ‘sick’ of Cameron’s EU interference: reports

Sarkozy 'sick' of Cameron's EU interference_reports (click here to read the story at France 24 International)

AFP – French President Nicolas Sarkozy launched a scathing attack on British Prime Minister David Cameron at Sunday’s EU summit, saying he was “sick of him telling us what to do,” Britain’s press reported.

During talks in Brussels to resolve the eurozone debt crisis, the French leader accused Cameron of “interfering in our meetings”, British newspapers The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph reported, citing diplomatic sources.

“We’re sick of you criticising us and telling us what to do,” Sarkozy reportedly told Cameron.

“You say you hate the euro, you didn’t want to join and now you want to interfere in our meetings,” he added.

Another newspaper, The Times, also reported that a row had erupted, but did not give exact details.

Tempers frayed over Sarkozy’s insistence that only the 17 members of the eurozone attend a bank rescue summit meeting hastily arranged for Wednesday, according to the Telegraph.
(Source: http://www.france24.com/en/20111024-sarkozy-sick-camerons-eu-interference-reports?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter)

Preparing for Euro Breakup – conference with MEPs Farage, Bloom and Professors W. Hankel, P. Bagus

NOTE: To ensure audio clarity the parliament’s audio recording was superimposed and the original film audio was muted. But since this was fractionally slower than the film(s) it had to be re-adjusted every few minutes, hence you may note that at times audio-lip sync is out. Also, excuse the camera works. The parliament’s conference staff would not film it as we were told they cover only conferences, not ‘public hearings’… go figure…

• Conference held in the European Parliament, Brussels, on Wednesday, 12th October 2012, Room A1E2, from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.

Two German professors join UKIP Leader Nigel Farage MEP and UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom for a conference in the European Parliament in Brussels, 12 October 2011.

The conference was introduced by UKIP Leader Nigel Farage MEP, co-president of the Europe of Freedom and Democracy group (EFD), which sponsored the event, chaired by Godfrey Bloom MEP (UKIP).

Professor Wilhelm Hankel, who last year led the challenge to the euro bailouts in the German Constitutional Court, tackled the first topic: “Currency Union or Foreign Exchange Rate Union?” He was followed by Professor Philipp Bagus, who dealt with the “Practical steps to withdrawing from the Euro.” (See bios below.)

• Professor Dr. Wilhelm Hankel
Website: http://www.dr-hankel.de

Born 1929 in Gdansk, started his career in 1952 at the “Bank Deutscher Länder” (the predecessor of the German Bundesbank). This was followed by positions in the Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit (Ministry for Economic Cooperation) and the Foreign Office.

From 1959 to 1967 he was chief economist of the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (Bank for Reconstruction) – 1967 he became the head of the department of money and credit in the Ministry for Economic Affairs and one of the closest staff members to the German economy minister Karl Schiller.

From 1971 to 1978 he was chief executive of the public Bank of the Land Hesse. Since 1971 he has been a professor for currency and development policy at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe university in Frankfurt.

Hankel has also undertaken consulting assignments for the World Bank, European Union and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusanmmenarbeit GTZ (German Development Aid agency). Until 1995 – assigned by the European Union — he built up a training centre in West Siberia to educate bankers.

In 1998 – together with three colleagues – he made a complaint against the rushed introduction of the Euro at the German Federal Constitutional Court.

Guest professorships: 1974/75 in Harvard, 1975/76 Konrad Adenauer professor at the Georgetown University in Washington, 1978 to 1981 senior visiting professor at the Bologna Centre for advanced internationally Studies of the John Hopkins University, until 1983 guest professorship at the Center of Science, Berlin, 1990/91 guest professor to the Technical University Dresden, 1991/92 foundation chair of the German Federal Bank (Bundesbank) at the free University of Berlin.

Consulting assignments for the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusanmmenarbeit GTZ (German Development Aid agency) in United Arabian Emirates and Saudi Arabia (1977/79), Korea (1980), Egypt (1981), Latin America (Dom. Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, 1982), PR China (1988), Jordan (1989/91), Yemen (1992), Russia (1994/95) and Georgia (1998/99).

Professor Hankel led the challenge to the euro bailouts in the German Constitutional Court.

• Professor Dr. Philipp Bagus
Website: http://www.philippbagus.com

Philipp Bagus is a professor of economics at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid.

He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s at the University of Münster and his Ph.D. from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos with Jesús Huerta de Soto as his adviser on a thesis on deflation.

He is the author of The Tragedy of the Euro — How Political Interests Created a Self-destroying System and Deep Freeze: Global Credit Markets and the Icelandic Financial Crisis (forthcoming with co-author David Howden).

He has published articles mainly on monetary and business cycle theory in The Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics, Libertarian Papers, Journal of Libertarian Studies, The Review of Austrian Economics, Procesos de Mercado, Economic Affairs, New Perspectives on Political Economy and the Journal of Business Ethics among others.

Related articles

• German Euro Rescue Challenges Rejected by Nation’s Top Court (businessweek.com)
• A New Democratic Revolution Is Sweeping Northern Europe – Nigel Farage (newsworldwide.wordpress.com)
• German court to insist on bail-out reforms (telegraph.co.uk)
• EU crises talks critical, says George Osborne (independent.co.uk)
• Nigel Farage, MEP: A New Democratic Revolution is Sweeping Northern Europe (stevebeckow.com)

France denies 10-15 bn euro bailout for major banks

France denies 10-15 bn euro bailout for major banks (Click on picture to read the entire story ar France International 24/7)

From the article:

“French banks have a sufficient capital base compared to other European banks and they are making profits.”

Bisphenol A (BPA): Toxic!

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic compound with two phenol functional groups. It is used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, along with other applications.

Known to be estrogenic since the mid 1930s, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in the news media in 2008 after several governments issued reports questioning its safety, prompting some retailers to remove products containing it from their shelves. A 2010 report from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised further concerns regarding exposure of fetuses, infants and young children.^[1] In September 2010, Canada became the first country to declare BPA as a toxic substance.^[2][3] In the European Union and Canada, BPA use is banned in baby bottles.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A)