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ThatFanficGuy's comments
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user-inactivated  ·  2087 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Alex Jones rants as an indie folk song

oh brother

user-inactivated  ·  2099 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: June 27, 2018

I'm a little surprised you haven't heard of Zhukov. He's the Soviet General-to-beat-all-Generals. Many of the Soviet generals did a great job during WWII, but Zhukov seem to have stood above the rest.

I don't know much myself, but I'll tell you what I know. I reckon you can about the men on Wikipedia if you want facts, so I'll condense my miniscule expertise to make it interesting.

Kutuzov was one of the great Empire Generals during the Russian portion of Napoleonic Wars, dubbed here the Patriotic War. Some contend that he was the best. He was granted the title of Duke of Smolensk, which is a little funny 'cause Smolensk was on the way to Moscow for both Napoleon Bonapart and Adolf Hitler and was destroyed during both wars. He effectively lost an eye in one of the battles at Crimea: the bullet broke through his right temple and scarred the eye.

Kutuzov was also considered a great diplomat and took part in many of the era's important negotiations. He made the Crimean khan submit to Russia and effectively give away the peninsula. There's still a large population of Crimean tatars there, and they're slowly growing resentful of the country running the place because they aren't recognized, as well as treated with little respect as a people. Kutuzov had also done a lot of negotiations with Prussia, which was an important relationship with Russia at the time.

Kutuzov served under three of the Russian emperors - Catherine II, Paul I and Alexander I. If memory serves, he was loved by Catherine, who gave him the Duke's title. His military career started early, and he showed his commanding prowess quickly, rising to an officer position in three years.

He took part in three of the Russian-Turkish wars before taking part in the Patriotic War. He led the famous Battle at Borodino, near Moscow, in what's described as the biggest battle to its date. He also made the decision to let Napoleon into Moscow, but also burn it to the ground, so the French emperor would have nothing to celebrate at (most buildings in Moscow were made of wood at the time). Starved for supplies and suffering attrition in the inhospitable Russian lands, the French forces were then driven back and crushed by the Russian army led by Kutuzov.

His victory title at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, granted by Alexander I, was His Serene Highness Knyaz Golenischev-Kutuzov-Smolensky (Golenischev-Kutuzov is his born surname, while Smolensky is the addition due to the title of the Duke of the city; knyaz is a Russian royal title that, I believe, is roughly equivalent to the European title of Duke).

Zhukov was a Soviet General that is most known for his cotribution to the Allies' victory over the Nazi Germany. He was the Soviet Minister of Defence for two years, before being ousted behind Zhukov's back in a political power play.

At the start of the Soviet portion of the WWII, dubbed the Great Patriotic War, Zhukov oversaw the defence of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). His front then joined with a different one and he, along with Kliment Voroshilov - another great Soviet General of the WWII era - oversaw the defence of Moscow, as well as planned the Stalingrad (now Volgograd, where this great statue now stands) counteroffensive.

One of his major WWII achievements was coordinating the Battle of Kursk, a great battle in that in forced Germans, relying before on the Blitzkrieg (German for swift war) doctrine, to halt their advance as well as launch a counteroffensive that would tip the strategic favor in the Soviets' favor on the Eastern front. There are claims - by Konstantin Rokossovsky, the other of the two Marshals of the Soviet Army, no less (the first one being Zhukov) - that Zhukov had actually arrived just before the battle and made no decisions on the matter.

Zhukov basically won Ukraine and Belarussia over from Germans with his command of the local respective armies. From there, he and the Red Army marched onto Berlin in a decisive manner. His soldiers' advance was marked by the same atrocities towards civilians that the Nazi army perpetrated on their way to Russia: pillaging, murder and rape.

Zhukov was personally chosen to oversee the German surrender. He was at the table where the German Instrument for Surrender - the legal document for capitulation of Germany - was signed. Photo I (Zhukov is the one signing the document, with the brighter uniform; to his right shoulder is Soviet Foreign Minister Andrey Vyshinksiy, to his left shoulder - General Vasily Sokolovskiy). Photo II (Zhukov et al. - same people around him - await the Germans signing the document). Photo III (Zhukov reads the capitulation act aloud).

Other cool photos:

Dwight Eisenhower, Georgy Zhukov and the Royal Air Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder at Royal Army Field Marshal Bertrand Montgomery's reception of the Soviet Order of Victory.

Field Marshal Bertrand Montgomery, General Dwight Eisenhower, General Georgy Zhukov and Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, a French military commander, posthumously a Marshal.

Allies at the Branderburg Gate, very soon after German capitulation, with Zhukov and the other two Soviet Generals decorated by the Allies).

Zhukov on the cover of LIFE magazine, 1944.

Post-war, Zhukov served in the military and in the political apparatus for a while. In 1946, his apartment was searched, and many German valuables, taken as war trophies illegally, were found. This included gold, furs, gems and even furniture. Zhukov apologized for looting the German lands in a public letter. A highly popular commander and a war hero revered by the public, he was seen as a threat to power in the Stalinist USSR. Beria, a right hand to Stalin, sought to topple Zhukov - unsuccessfully. Stalin was in awe of Zhukov, which also made the paranoid Stalin afraid of the Marshal. Still, somehow, he was saved from the Purge that affected other great Soviet military commanders, including Mikhail Tukhachevsky, after whom there are now streets named in many cities. After Stalin died, Zhukov, demanded political rehabilitation of many of the people suffered from the Purge, including Tukhachevsky.

Ten years after the war, due to the scheming and plotting of the post-Stalin political apparatus, prone to conformism, Zhukov was retired behind his back, while he himself was on a trip to Albania. He was 63.

This next bit from Wikipedia I love:

    In September 1959, while visiting the United States, Khrushchev told US President Eisenhower that the retired Marshal Zhukov "liked fishing" (Zhukov was actually a keen aquarist). Eisenhower, in response, sent Zhukov a set of fishing tackle. Zhukov respected this gift so much that he is said to have exclusively used Eisenhower's fishing tackle for the remainder of his life.

From Wikipedia:

    Fishing tackle is the equipment used by anglers when fishing. Almost any equipment or gear used for fishing can be called fishing tackle. Some examples are hooks, lines, sinkers, floats, rods, reels, baits, lures, spears, nets, gaffs, traps, waders and tackle boxes.

Eisenhower was always a fan of Zhukov's, ever since the two meeting after the victory. He supported his "comrade-in-arms" after Zhukov had "troubles" (see: the looting incident). Zhukov presents the Order of Victory to Eisenhower. Zhukov and Eisenhower at the Moscow Airport, August 11th, 1945. Eisenhower, Zhukov and Montgomery (unseen) toasting the Allied victory.

After suffering a stroke, Zhukov started working hard at his memoir, Reminiscences and Reflections (link to the Russian-language Wikipedia page). He reportedly worked hard at it, which, combined with his heart disease, caused him to suffer a serious stroke. He later died from a second stroke, in 1974, aged 77.

user-inactivated  ·  2439 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: By fetishising mathematical models, economists turned economics into a highly paid pseudoscience

You lay out quite a lot of experience. Did you read about all of this? I seem to remember your official education being something in design and/or construction and/or engineering.

user-inactivated  ·  2444 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: July 19, 2017

Interesting times.

A few days ago, a woman messaged me on the social network. Said she liked my comments under the Harry Potter fan group posts, so she wanted to get to know me. Said she never tried it, but there we were, chatting. I suspect her breaking her leg the day prior and spending all her time at home may have had something to do with it.

Getting quite popular in the same fan group by doing my best to speak the truth, despite not being a member. One of my curator friends is a member, though, and because of that I get occasionally recommended the group's posts by the system. Sometimes, I comment - and likes come running. It helps that the group is predominantly occupied by girls and young women.

I used to be preoccupied by others' attention and appreciation. As notifications for likes and replies pop up, I notice that I enjoy it, but it no longer holds sway over me. I'm learning to speak the truth - the kind of truth I know with my heart to be true, which includes expressing my own thoughts. Some things I say sound harsh to the echo of my soul from a few months ago, but unlike the pretense I used to put up not to harm others, it no longer makes me feel guilty. The tension is still there when I speak the truth, but my heart no longer races, as if it justify the intense guilt I do my best to suppress.

With the truth, comes calm that I've been yearning for for so long.

I'd like for more people to come to me to get to know me. It's not because I'm too timid to reach out on my own, though there's nothing to not admitting some tension remaining about rejection. It's because I've put so much effort into reaching out to others - to no avail, because they were the wrong people - that for once, I want to be desire, not to desire myself.

Soon, I'm going to embark upon the journey to find me an apartment in a city that has rent market as a good deal of its tax profit. It's going to take some running around and a lot of calling. Most of the number will belong to a rent agent saying they're "not exactly an agency" but also "not the owner". I'm okay with that: that's the reality of things around there. Got my eye on a particular apartment on a pretty cool street. If the number's still on the board by tomorrow, I'm setting up the appointment. Any tips on living in a private house? Anything I should be looking out for?

user-inactivated  ·  2452 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: We’re losing a whole generation of young men to video games

Is your coffee shop running successfully? 'cause if so, you don't get to have to worry about having no financial future in front of you - unlike most of the people talked about in the... khm, "article".

You must be working hard to keep the shop going. It must take not just effort and time but conviction that what you're going to do is going to bring profit - monetary, emotional or both. Most of the men in question have no luxury of conviction of their efforts reaping benefits.

Speaking as a man who has as recently as a year ago felt completely powerless over his financial fate, I can understand exactly what many, if not all, of those men going through. You don't sit in front of the screen with a controller in your hand because games are such overwhelming and fulfilling fun. In abscence of the real thing, a simulation would have to do - and this is exactly what's happening to the mentioned players: lacking the real incentive to work on yourself.

Why are they lacking it? Because they were never taught to have it. Their parents have probably supported them all the way, giving them everything they'd want or need. They never had to work for their own benefit - never forced, never needed to and, therefore, never wanted to. You might cite the education system as at least a partial effect on their consciousness' development - not the case when all you have to do to "do good" there is produce correct answers according to the guidelines (still more handling). How on Earth do you expect these kids (and the adults they wound up being) to know that there's more to life than being supported and guided by others?

I want to say "screw you" for comparing the situation to the Red Pill, but you're at least partially right. Both stem from lacking essential education in some of the most basic social and personal notions: respect (for oneself and others, respectively), challenging oneself, communication about one's pains and troubles to the right people.

You're asking a lot from people who don't know that they're even supposed to know it. Hell, I'm still a lazy bum despite profound self-development, and the only reason I went there in the first place because I'm a rebel by nature. I see things around me I don't like, and I fight to make them proper - and most of the time, I still don't have the drive that many advertise to be the key to success. It's growing, but it takes time and effort - but more importantly, a shit-ton of education that I had to gather all on my own, 'cause no one would just give it to me. How could you expect others to have it better?

Enjoy your work ethics. Enjoy the drive and the inner strength it takes to run your life the way you want to. But don't act so damn smug about those who have it less than you. It's not laziness: most of the time, it's learned helplessness - and the best thing you could do is teach someone that things could be better.

user-inactivated  ·  2456 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: White House Warns CNN That Critical Coverage Could Cost Time Warner Its Merger

Christ. Press is the enemy of the White House.

As if they haven't done enough to destabilize their public support.

user-inactivated  ·  2465 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: A man helped a lost toddler find her parents, police say. He was smeared online as a predator and fled town.

The stories from you and francopoli are absolutely, utterly fucked.

I don't even know what else to say. It's fucked. As a man aiming to be a teacher, I find the situation appalling and incredibly stupid.

This begs the question, though: why haven't we banned kitchen knives yet? They kill people, don't they? Sharp melee weapons at an arm's length in every house. So easy to just reach out and slash someone you don't like: your neighbour, their dog, their car... Why haven't we banned them? WHY?!

Because it's fucking stupid, that's why. The risks are abysmal compared to proper, appropriate use of sharp tools - or even compared to no use at all. I care about human life and safety as much as the next guy, but at some point, your cost-benefit analysis yields extremely poor results and you have to consider that maybe, the shit you're gonna do for safety's sake will drive people insane for that 0.32% increase that has no real effect on the situation but looks oh so comforting.

user-inactivated  ·  2472 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: June 21, 2017

Fucked up my Grammar test. The teacher pushed the resitting onto Monday - meaning that on top of the Friday Philosophy exam (which, at this rate, I'm bound to fucking fail), I'm also going to have to be studying the same shit again and I'm not leaving Tomsk until three days or more after I was planning to.

I am going to study, but I'm fucking burned out. Tell me how to make proper energy boosters, 'cause coffee and energy drink are not helping anymore.

EDIT: Upon further inspection... Things are not so bad.

I freaked out about the prospects I have regarding my exams. That was me going apocalyptic - fairly usual. Sure, I'd like to finish my exams this summer, but if I don't, all that's going to be left is me having to sit them in the autumn. I haven't planned for this, and it's going to take some work, and I wouldn't like to work on that additionally, but... this is what I get. Doesn't matter why: all that matters is how I deal with it.

It's going to take a couple more long days with caffeine as my friend. I'm pretty sure the mix of strong coffee and energy drinks should do something good to my working condition.

It's a tough season for me. I've missed a whole lot due to depression and my own misconceptions about stuff - including my own limits - and now I have to work to make up for it. I came here to get educated, and this is my education. I learn as much about subjects as I do from my mistakes.

Wish me to stay strong.

user-inactivated  ·  2485 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Ask Hubski: What are you working on?

Currently finishing up the uni year.

Today - an essay on Shakespeare's The Tempest for English Literary History.

Tomorrow - a 3 km run for PE, and a reciting quite a bit over at Language Practice.

On the 10th - Philosophy, for which I only have one day to prepare.

Monday is Grammar, and I'm going to study the whole semester's worth of data because I was too depressed to attend classes through the half-year.

By Wednesday, I have to prepare a 15-page paper and a presentation on constructed languages, as part of the Theory of Language class, presenting in front of the former dean and a commission of teachers.

Still two exams are, thankfully, postponed to September. Gonna take the summer to prepare in a radically superb manner. Right now is... tough.

Outside of the uni, I'm getting the plan for the literary RPG done. It's part-design document and part-advertisement: here's what I can give, here's what I require, and if you want to join - you're welcome to. I'm especially proud of its presentation, given that it's hosted on a web page. Sometimes it's the only thing keeping me from curling up in a corner: the prospect of actually hosting the game one day. Soon enough I'm gonna have the server space and the domain name rented for the thing.

Getting slowly prepared, physically and mentally, to go back to Kemerovo. Overall, making sure I finish this year in one piece.

My sister wants to travel, and she invited me to come along. Being in the police force, she isn't allowed to travel outside the country, so Europe is out of the picture for her (not for me: I'm already hungry for the journey; we'll see). Current choice of destination involve: Sochi, Abkhazia and on-foot to Lake Baikal, 1300+ km away. I'm leaning towards the latter.

user-inactivated  ·  2493 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: May 31, 2017

I like your header styling.

user-inactivated  ·  2497 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: I have a friend that just joined Hubski. What should they know?

Welcome, froggyflow!

People have said enough already to kickstart you into being a Hubski citizen. I'll just say this:

If you're interested in hearing about Russia's daily life from the inside, feel free to follow #russiabynatives. I used to post there with some frequency, but life's gotten in the way - and, frankly, I can't find a good topic for another post right now.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have about the country or suggest post topics: I'd welcome the first and appreciate the latter.

Hope your time with Hubski would be good.

user-inactivated  ·  2498 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What are your weekend plans?

Going back home to celebrate my godmother's 60th birthday. Shashlik is a traditional Russian dish when it comes to dachas, as far as I'm concerned. Hope it's gonna be cold so I won't have to see the pests.

Also, P.E. test tomorrow. 100m run, stretching/bending, pull-ups and something else I forget. I'm going to suck at one half of those and be decent at the other. Next year's gonna be a lot different.

user-inactivated  ·  2500 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: May 24, 2017

If you know me well enough, you know well enough that I know about those things.

This was me making a joke about it.

I'll see myself out.

user-inactivated  ·  2500 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: May 24, 2017

    A ridiculous amount of crypto talk.

As in - "I know who killed Kennedy"?

user-inactivated  ·  2503 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: DIYski! Lasercutting my own desk

Wasn't talking the quality of projection.

Imagine putting a map onto a surface - say, the top of the laptop. When it's closed and facing you (as in, South America at the bottom), it looks fine. When it's open, to the outside observer it's inverted vertically. Not good. Reverse the positioning, and you get the reverse reactions.

In other words, a design concern rather than cartography's.

user-inactivated  ·  2508 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Trump Revealed Highly Classified Information to Russian Foreign Minister and Ambassador

Congratulations: you've just passed the exam on Living in Russia!

user-inactivated  ·  2528 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: April 26, 2017

    People are fucking assholes

Some people are assholes.

I like to remind that to people because it's easy to get lost in such a thought. I'm sure you checked yourself somewhere in the background. I'm sure you've noted that it's the particular kind of people you see often enough that unsettle you. But - what we tell ourselves, or about ourselves, is how we come to feel unless we moderate it. Call yourself an idiot for not solving a stupid problem enough, and you'd come to believe in it.

user-inactivated  ·  2537 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What can be learned?

Despite the profoundness of the message, it would be considered vandalism if you stick it to a wall there, right?

user-inactivated  ·  2543 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Typing the Technical Interview

    Asskell

This reminds me: I did something recently.

Context:

user-inactivated  ·  2552 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Look what came in the mail --

Once a purview of social outcasts, the geek symbology arises into the commonsphere. What a time to be alive.

user-inactivated  ·  2557 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: #GOPDND

They say comedy is a way for people to battle real problems by making those seem not as grand and untackleable.

This is beautifully nerdy and comedic.

user-inactivated  ·  2562 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: March 22, 2017

    I reckon it isn't exactly walkin' weather in Novosibersk

Tomsk*

Thank you for a good advice - and for reminding that there's a way out.

user-inactivated  ·  2568 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Hubski Update: You must be this thoughtful to post to Hubski

    I don't think that 'promote' is the best word. Definitely open to suggestions there. Circledot?

"Uplift".

user-inactivated  ·  2572 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: You must be logged in to view this post.

Surprising we don't have that yet.

If we add this - which sounds like a great idea - there should be a landing page for the newcomers saying something like this:

    Hey, look, nobody likes spammers, so we added a waiting period. You can still browse, just not post or comment for this long. After that, you're welcome to introduce yourself to the hubskifolk! Just use #newtohubski as one of your tags!
user-inactivated  ·  2576 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: March 8, 2017

Wow. You're getting places! Glad to hear things are turning out so well for you. Free media passes sounds like an awesome level of fame for someone not born into nobility or new money. Keep up the good work!

user-inactivated  ·  2577 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: March 8, 2017

You know, I keep reading some of the posts here, and it has occurred to me just how much people here know... and then I realized: I know some shit, too! Not this much, but I took my time accumulating all of the knowledge so that now I can shine in some topics and hold my own at many others.

And the older folks here - it's just amazing how much they know. I'm sure they did the same thing I did, being curious persons themselves, and I'm quite certain they don't have a lot of advantage when collecting the data.

Just saying that Hubski's full of great people. Hopefully, I'll be on par with that someday.

user-inactivated  ·  2577 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: March 8, 2017

    I have a few bugskis to settle.

Just letting people know that them bugskies have been indecently smacked in the face today by mk.

user-inactivated  ·  2584 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Are We Different People in Different Languages?

    Are We Different People in Different Languages?

Yes, to the extent of "different".

Native languages parse through the emotional center of our brains whille non-native ones parse through the reasoning part. This makes decision-making in different in non-native language; it's also the reason you read a speech in the listeners' native language if you want to have a higher chance of them agreeing with you.

Personally, I find myself more reasonable and critically thinking when speaking in English (which includes internal dialogue). I'm able to push through emotionally-stressful situations easier when conversing about them in English. It doesn't change my perception of what is emotionally stressful; I guess it parses the situation slightly differently.

user-inactivated  ·  2589 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Welcome to Hubski

Welcome to Hubski! It's a great place, indeed.

Either commenting or posting is welcome, as they both could promote thoughtful discussion. I saw people welcome you here already, and I don't know how much they've told you, so I'm going to reiterate what I think is important to know here:

Your name matters. Here, people are able to build genuine connection with each other due to the way conversations are ran. People will remember what you said, and you have time to think before posting. You seem like a reasonable person, but I'm going to say it anyway: take that time. The reason being...

People are genuine here. Often enough, it leads to serious clashes even between friends. Sometimes, people will say things that will incite anger in you. Take the time to sit back or take a walk and think about what you want to say, and whether you want to say anything at all right now. If this is something you're not used to - which, coming from Reddit, you might not yet be expecting of yourself - it will take some effort. I'm sure you'll be fine in this regard, but, again, worth saying.

If you need a place to start, there are a few tags you might want to participate in, commenting, posting or simply following.

#AskHubski and #TellHubski are self-explanatory, and your topic doesn't need to be special to apply. If you notice a bug in how Hubski works, feel free to post the description to #bugski; the search is currently broken, with the devs working tirelessly to fix it. Site-wide announcements are made with #hubski and #devski, so you might want to follow those.

I'm a Russian native, and this being a US-centric forum, people seemed to be interested in knowing what it's like to live in the mystical red land, so I post under #russiabynatives sometimes. If you're interested in the US politics and the shitstorm that's going on there, be sure to follow #sillyseason (about the silly part of it) and #seriousseason (about things not so funny). I'm sure you'll find a bunch of other tags to follow; just check the Tags tab.

You might also find it interesting to follow the Hubski IRC channel, which you can access with the link below. There are quite a few dwellers, including myself, and people who visit sometimes (usually with prior announcements).

Welcome to Hubski, and best wishes to your stay.

user-inactivated  ·  2598 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: If you had a band, what would you name it?

Wünschkonzert ("Wish Concert")

Dragonslayer

Tamara the Sculptor

Zvenit Yanvarskaya Vyuga ("The January Blizzard is Ringing")

Naturphilosophie