Društvo| Politika

Severe Putin Watch

Chris Farmer RSS / 23.03.2011. u 09:18

The weather in Belgrade today: sunny skies, highs in the mid to upper teens, and a high chance of Vladimir Putin, clearing by evening or overnight.

Back in Iowa, on winter mornings, we would listen to the radio to see if school was cancelled because of heavy snow. Later, in Saudi Arabia, we would wait to hear if school was cancelled because of unbearable heat or sandstorms. In Belgrade, however, we have another phenomenon which should cause the schools to close, stop all traffic in the city, and disrupt life in isolated incidents and pockets of local disturbances.

We get Foreign Dignitaries.

World leaders and heads of state whiz in and out of London nearly unnoticed. They land in Paris and depart before anyone knows it. In New York it is just another day when they are in town. But in Belgrade, the arrival of a world leader places us in suspended animation for the hours of his or her visits. The police close down streets all over the city - just in case the Leader wants to use them for the motorcade. It is likely that the police are not even fully informed about the Leader's itinerary, so they close a few extra boulevards and highway sections just in case.

Traian Băsescu, Joe Biden, Dimitry Medvedev, Hillary Clinton, among others. And today, Putin.

We know they are coming. We change all of our plans for that day. We cancel and postpone appointments. We park our cars for the day (or we should). And we get ready for their visits like a severe weather warning. Those of us who insist on trying to drive around town may be blocked for hours, waiting for the diplomatic high pressure front to subside. Sometimes we are not even allowed to WALK in certain places.

It must be a satisfaction for a world leader to visit the White City on the Danube.

Atačmenti



Komentari (33)

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Aleksandar Vasović Aleksandar Vasović 09:24 23.03.2011

it sucks

world leaders, i mean
jinks jinks 09:55 23.03.2011

...

It seems that the White City is destined to play the role of symbol in various contexts.
doda.draskovic doda.draskovic 10:13 23.03.2011

it could be worse

The police close down streets all over the city - just in case the Leader wants to use them for the motorcade. It is likely that the police are not even fully informed about the Leader's itinerary, so they close a few extra boulevards and highway sections just in case.


Cute..try living in Krusevac, no ariving Leader, no streets, boulevards nor higway secrions to close..deadly comfortable ..
mrdax mrdax 10:19 23.03.2011

Politics

In Belgrade, however, we have another phenomenon which should cause the schools to close, stop all traffic in the city, and disrupt life in isolated incidents and pockets of local disturbances.


This is so true. One would think that there is more danger to Vladimir in pro West or western countries. But in Serbia, he is almost st home. Serbian government gave the NIS (Petroleum Industry Of Serbia) almost as a present to Russians so why bother with such formalities as country's name, internal politics or public affairs.
It is just enough to mention the pan-slavic nonsense and so called brotherhood demonstrated throughout decades and even centuries and every reasonable opinion or advice with regard to economical patronage becomes discarded.



srdjan.pajic srdjan.pajic 15:14 23.03.2011

Re: Politics

But in Serbia, he is almost st home


We are pro-western country, based on income and life quality, well, expectations. For everything else, Putin was almost at home. But even at his real home things are getting blown up, so I don't mind security measures when his royal highness comes to visit us. Do they have to paralyze the entire downtown, I doubt. But having in mind that we still have to report foreign visitors to local police stations, even if they didn't illegally cross the border by sneaking under police boots on the Belgrade airport, it is not surprising to see such diligence of our police and udba when dignitaries are arriving.

Also, we should not forget, he is bringing money in his pockets, so, line-up and pants down!

Boris Drenca Boris Drenca 10:42 23.03.2011

province beyond borders



We have new haircuts, clothes, we are ready for Tzar.
Traian Băsescu, Joe Biden, Dimitry Medvedev, Hillary Clinton, among others. And today, Putin.
whatever
Chris Farmer Chris Farmer 10:51 23.03.2011

Re: province beyond borders

Boris Drenca
We have new haircuts, clothes, we are ready for Tzar.

I hope they take him to the Ruski Car to see his portrait on the wall...
Boris Drenca Boris Drenca 11:35 23.03.2011

Re: province beyond borders

29. novembra st. is full of his portraits on the wall with "Putin is watching you"
dragan7557 dragan7557 11:52 23.03.2011

Re: province beyond borders

Chris Farmer
Boris Drenca
We have new haircuts, clothes, we are ready for Tzar.

I hope they take him to the Ruski Car to see his portrait on the wall...

E, pa onda bi trebalo otvoriti restoran sa imenom "Američki Imperator" i naravno staviti sliku nekog od inih.

Svakako nije na odmet ni ekskluzivni restoran " Britanske Krune" naravno francuski klub treba pretvoriti u "Petit Napolen" a nedostaje nam i "Keiser Willhelm" žderaonica ili možda "Pruski Car." Na Kalemegdanu (tradicionalno tuđuj teritoriji, ne bi falilo jedan restoran "Sulejman Veličanstveni" dok na Dedinju pored buduće ambasade treba da se nameste restorani:
Vatikan
City (londonski)
District Columbia

kao ekskluzivne carske Kuće za žderanje.

Yours Sincerely

cerski
dragan7557 dragan7557 12:12 23.03.2011

Re: province beyond borders

We have new haircuts, clothes, we are ready for Tzar.

Hillary Clinton,

Valjda Tzarina?

cerski
culnocudo culnocudo 10:51 23.03.2011

Putin

There is another phenomenon when a world leader is coming to Belgrade! Before we close our streets for him to come, we close our streets at night before or early morning to wash our streets! We, as a state, act as most individuals here: we clean our homes just before our guest comes, we bath ourselves before another Monday comes...
So, I would like to thank all the world leaders yet to come as all of the upcoming Mondays.
dragan7557 dragan7557 12:10 23.03.2011

Re: Putin

There is another phenomenon when a world leader is coming to Belgrade!

Pošto sam svojevremeno video DOLAZAK Klintona u Den Haag (za vreme Njegove imperatorske legislature), koji je bio mnogo veličanstveniji od ovog Putinovog u Beograd sa angažovanih više od 15.000 policajaca, Hag pretvoren u konc lager, čini mi se da beogradska pompa u vezi sa silazkom Bogova sa Olimpa ima na sveckoj sceni ništavan značaj, uzimajući u obzir restrikcije kretanja i broj angažovanih bogo-čuvara.

Treba da stoji: Svecki Lideri(?), "Such is the will of Emperor and people of the World/s."

cerski
mrdax mrdax 11:00 23.03.2011

You know the saying...

here is another phenomenon when a world leader is coming to Belgrade! Before we close our streets for him to come, we close our streets at night before or early morning to wash our streets!


Cleanliness is next to godliness.
blogov_kolac blogov_kolac 16:30 23.03.2011

talking about REAL phenomenon

Sorry, but today's Vladimir Putin's visit can't be compared with anything that we've seen before in Belgrade...

Putin visited Serbia
is almost equal to
Pope visited some country in Latin America.

Unfortunately he hasn't visited Serbia during 2004-2008 at the peak of his popularity here. That will be real mass hysteria... and also in that time for PM Vojislav Kostunica Russia is promised land and for top opposition leader Tomislav Nikolic even more: he claimed couple times (he's 2004-2008 version) that best case scenario for Serbia is something like "Russian guberniya" scenario. So he's meeting with Serbian establishment in that time will probably more looks like scenes from Gogol's The Government Inspector (Revizor) than regular meeting between top officials from the two countries.

It's hard to explain reasons for such strong (and bizarre) connection between Serbs and Vladimir Putin, especially because we are not even neighbors with Russia. In past 15 years You can't found any other similar example between people from one European nation and leader from other, except maybe Albanians-Clinton case (which is actually less irrational and easy to explain).
sybil sybil 16:52 23.03.2011

Re: talking about REAL phenomenon

It's hard to explain reasons for such strong (and bizarre) connection between Serbs and Vladimir Putin, especially because we are not even neighbors with Russia. In past 15 years You can't found any other similar example between people from one European nation and leader from other, except maybe Albanians-Clinton case (which is actually less irrational and easy to explain).

I have 2 questions:
1. Does so called "strategic partnership" mean Russian military bases in Serbia?
2. Are EU contries allowed to be "strategical partners" with Russia? So, we have given up our ambition to join EU? If this is the case, the government should resign immediatelly.
Jelena Pavlović Jelena Pavlović 17:59 23.03.2011

Re: talking about REAL phenomenon

"strategic partnership" mean Russian military bases in Serbia


Yes, it does.
blogov_kolac blogov_kolac 20:02 23.03.2011

Re: talking about REAL phenomenon

Jelena Pavlović
"strategic partnership" mean Russian military bases in Serbia


Yes, it does.
No. It was never the subject of discussion. At least not since 1948 . From our populist leaders you can hear a lot about Russian military bases in Serbia during several election campaigns here in the past, but in reality Russians are simple not interested to have troops in country which all neighbors is (now or in near future) members of NATO.

But if this "strategic partnership" mean Serbian promise to never join NATO in future - it's degrading for our country even if we don't want to join there anyway! Why did they not ask the same from Montenegro for example, or from any other country in this region? We are not theirs neighbors like Ukraine and Georgia where Russians also have their troops in Crimea and Ossetia, so it's simple not their business.
sybil sybil 20:25 23.03.2011

Re: talking about REAL phenomenon

Two cheers for geography !!
mikimedic mikimedic 22:04 23.03.2011

Re: talking about REAL phenomenon

That will be real mass hysteria


that will have been, ili u najboljem slucaju that would have been (zavisi sta je skolarac hteo da kaze)

nd also in that time for PM Vojislav Kostunica Russia is promised land



was promised land...

he claimed couple times (he's 2004-2008 version) that best case scenario for Serbia is something like "Russian guberniya" scenario.


he has claimed a couple of times... the best case
was something like...


So he's meeting with Serbian establishment in that time will probably more looks like scenes from Gogol's The Government Inspector (Revizor) than regular meeting between top officials from the two countries.


his meeting...will probably look like a scene... (nema 's' na look, i tesko da ces upotrebiti mnozinu... a sto se tice the government inspector... jel to bese auditor?

izvini, nista licno, malo popravljah kontrolne nekim osnovcima ovih dana pa po inerciji...
mikimedic mikimedic 22:10 23.03.2011

Re: talking about REAL phenomenon

2. Are EU contries allowed to be "strategical partners" with Russia?


nisi cula za eu-russia strategic partnership agreement

mrdax mrdax 23:26 23.03.2011

Re: talking about REAL phenomenon

mikimedic
That will be real mass hysteria


that will have been, ili u najboljem slucaju that would have been (zavisi sta je skolarac hteo da kaze)

nd also in that time for PM Vojislav Kostunica Russia is promised land



was promised land...

he claimed couple times (he's 2004-2008 version) that best case scenario for Serbia is something like "Russian guberniya" scenario.


he has claimed a couple of times... the best case
was something like...


So he's meeting with Serbian establishment in that time will probably more looks like scenes from Gogol's The Government Inspector (Revizor) than regular meeting between top officials from the two countries.


his meeting...will probably look like a scene... (nema 's' na look, i tesko da ces upotrebiti mnozinu... a sto se tice the government inspector... jel to bese auditor?

izvini, nista licno, malo popravljah kontrolne nekim osnovcima ovih dana pa po inerciji...


Oddly enough , there is no a grammar rule which would effectively change your pro-Russian /anti-Western sentiment.
kukusigameni kukusigameni 08:22 24.03.2011

Re: talking about REAL phenomenon

sybil sybil 08:41 24.03.2011

Re: talking about REAL phenomenon

Have you heard a joke about Putin's visit, it is spreading accross Belgrade.
Gubernator is in inspection. Major questions to gubernees, e.g. Beasts of Serbia, Honour, etc:

-How many forigners have you beaten/killed?
-How many homosexuals have you beaten/killed?
-How many Embassies have you burnt?
-Have you threatened to those who are willing to testify against hooligans?

I found it very funny. Please do not delete, this is just a joke, we all know that it is impossible, Vladimir Putin is a Man of Honour.
veronika_kojen veronika_kojen 09:37 24.03.2011

Re: talking about REAL phenomenon

I found it very funny.


Well, i dont. i find it extremely and irritably stupid. I think I got a rash on my brain just by hearing it. All that comes to my mind is a thought of DNA wasted on some people.

People killed and embassies burnt-thats not funny, sibče.
blogov_kolac blogov_kolac 11:03 24.03.2011

Re: talking about REAL phenomenon

blogov_kolac
Sorry, but today's Vladimir Putin's visit can't be compared with anything that we've seen before in Belgrade...

Putin visited Serbia
is almost equal to
Pope visited some country in Latin America.
...

And here is some of my proof:




mikimedic
izvini, nista licno, malo popravljah kontrolne nekim osnovcima ovih dana pa po inerciji...
Znaci dok ostali ucitelji strajkuju ti radis prekovremeno !? Inace, posto mislim da ce to izgleda bas tebe da impresionira, reci cu ti samo da postoji jedan strani jezik koji tecno govorim i kojim se sluzim mnogo bolje nego engleskim, i to je, verovao ti ili ne, upravo ruski! A sto se engleskog tice dovoljno ga poznajem da razumem manje-vise sve sto procitam (tako i ovaj blog) ili cujem, dok bi u direktnoj i brzoj pisanoj korespondenciji sigurno bio daleko bolji da imam nekakve vece potrebe za njom, a kada pisem obicne komentare u ovakvim diskusijama takoreci ne trosim uopste vreme na provere i dorade, pa nekada i na srpskom bude skoro komicnih posledica takve navike, a kamoli na ovom americkom. Ali sve i da sam juce bio mnogo pazljiviji po tom pitanju, tesko da bih u jezickom smislu impresionirao autora ovog bloga kojem je engleski jezik maternji a kojem sam najavio da ce ova Putinova poseta u fenomenoloskom smislu prevazici ono sto je video ovde ranije prilikom posete nekih drugih drzavnika a sto ga je vec dovoljno zaprepastilo (visesatna "blokada" prestonice), ili sybil kojoj sam odgovorio na njeno pitanje oko ruskih baza, a koja (ako sam dobro razumeo iz jednog njenog bloga) trenutno zivi i radi u USA. Ali ono u sta sam siguran je da su oboje razumeli moje poruke i obrazlozenja, a nadam se da i ti kada pregledas toj decici sastave obracas malo paznju i sta ona pisu, a ne samo kako, jer bas tu nasa prosveta jako podbacuje vec decenijama unazad.
moderator05 moderator05 11:16 24.03.2011

Re: talking about REAL phenomenon

mikimedic

&
blogov_kolac

Molim vas da diskusiju na ovu temu - znanje stranih jezika - nastavite privatnim porukama.

Hvala

Dodatak: ljubazno sam zamoljena da obavestim blogojavnost, pa evo ispunjavam: 'mikimedic ne radi u prosveti'.
sybil sybil 13:35 24.03.2011

Re: talking about REAL phenomenon

veronika_kojen
I found it very funny.Well, i dont. i find it extremely and irritably stupid. I think I got a rash on my brain just by hearing it. All that comes to my mind is a thought of DNA wasted on some people.People killed and embassies burnt-thats not funny, sibče.

tebi nije ok, meni jeste. so? Ja nisam ti. I please prodji me se sa tim tepanjima, nisam ja sa tobom ovce cuvala. nevaspitanost mi ide na zivce.
blogovatelj blogovatelj 07:46 24.03.2011

Know your rights



Know your rights (all three of them)

Number 1
You have the right not to be killed
Murder is a crime.
Unless it was done by a
Policeman or aristocrat...

And so on...

These are your rights in Russia, these are your rights in Serbia, these are your rights in USA, these are your rights in England. Anywhere you want, dear Chris.
I'm wondering why you are complaining now, why didn't you complain when other guests came to visit Belgrade. US vicepresident was there a year ago or so, I don't remember that you complained then?!
Probably the reason is you didn't get the point earier, isn't it? It's so sad...
But now you were poignantly enloghten by the Putin's visit...
Chris Farmer Chris Farmer 09:06 24.03.2011

Re: Know your rights

blogovatelj
I'm wondering why you are complaining now, why didn't you complain when other guests came to visit Belgrade. US vicepresident was there a year ago or so, I don't remember that you complained then?!Probably the reason is you didn't get the point earier, isn't it? It's so sad...But now you were poignantly enloghten by the Putin's visit...


Memory is a funny thing...

http://blog.b92.net/text/9861/Along%20the%20Human%20Walkway/
srdjan.pajic srdjan.pajic 14:40 24.03.2011

Re: Know your rights

Chris Farmer
blogovatelj
I'm wondering why you are complaining now, why didn't you complain when other guests came to visit Belgrade. US vicepresident was there a year ago or so, I don't remember that you complained then?!Probably the reason is you didn't get the point earier, isn't it? It's so sad...But now you were poignantly enloghten by the Putin's visit...


Memory is a funny thing...

http://blog.b92.net/text/9861/Along%20the%20Human%20Walkway/


Forgive him, Chris, he is Canadian, sort of. .
blogovatelj blogovatelj 05:09 25.03.2011

Re: Know your rights

Memory is a funny thing...


Sorry, I didn't know that.
Also, I don't check blogger's earlier posts when I write my comments.
My bad, I hope I'll be better next time
blogovatelj blogovatelj 05:23 25.03.2011

Re: Know your rights

Forgive him, Chris, he is Canadian, sort of. .


Your way of thinking is becoming so American
fantomatsicna fantomatsicna 11:02 24.03.2011

My present

For Mr Tadic

Arhiva

   

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