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Rocky’s Ivan Drago has nothing of this guy :)
Mixed martial arts champion and ultranationalist Vyacheslav Datsik was sentenced to eight months in jail for illegal firearms possession by an Oslo court Thursday, the judicial news agency RAPSI reported.
Datsik, nicknamed “Red Tarzan,” escaped a psychiatric hospital in St. Petersburg in August and fled to Norway to request political asylum, turning himself in to local police with a shotgun, a pistol and four revolvers in his possession.
Datsik was arrested in Russia for robbery in 2007 and placed in a hospital after being diagnosed with schizophrenia. He claimed during the trial in Norway to be a Federal Security Service agent hired to kill Chechen insurgent emissary Akhmed Zakayev in London.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/8-months-for-red-tarzan/427811.html
“He tore a hole in a chain-link fence with his bare hands and fled. We immediately informed police about his escape,” the hospital’s shocked chief doctor, Leonid Yefremov, told the fontanka.ru news website.
Datsik’s former cagefighting career was dogged by accusations that he endangered his opponents by being too brutal in the ring.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/cage-fighter-escapes-from-russian-psychiatric-ward/story-e6frf7jx-1225909716628
Clement Clarke Moore (July 15, 1779 – July 10, 1863) was a professor of Oriental and Greek literature at Columbia College, now Columbia University.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
(A Visit from St. Nicholas)
by Clement Clarke Moore
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
“Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.
His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a Good-Night!”
public domain
December 26, 2010
His Excellency Mr Vladimir Morozov
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Embassy of the Russian Federation
78 Canberra Avenue
Griffith ACT 2603
Your Excellency
The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) writes to you as the representative of the Russian Federation in Australia to protest in the strongest terms the current violation of national rights of Ukrainians in Russia by your Government.
Australia’s Ukrainian community is shocked at the treatment of Ukrainians as a minority in Russia. In recent times this agitation and stripping of national rights has heightened.
Amongst many others, two specific issues have surfaced which have disturbed Ukrainians internationally but will also disturb all who respect and foster human and national rights
The Ministry of Justice of Russia, as well as various levels of the court system including the Supreme Court, has initiated action to eliminate and ban the Federal National Cultural Autonomy of Ukrainians in Russia (FNCAUR) the peak body for Ukrainians in Russia. We protest this totally unacceptable pressure on an NGO.
Secondly this week the Library of Ukrainian Literature in Moscow, has been instructed to remove from its shelves a wide series of Ukrainian language books, newspapers and magazines. We protest this abuse and denial of the norms of freedom of press, literature and speech. A series of publications provided to the Library by the Embassy of Ukraine in Russia have also been banned. As this letter was being completed we have just been informed the Library has now been forcibly closed down by Russian police.
It is absurd for example that a newspaper such as Shliakh Peremohy which has been in existence for over 60 years, read widely throughout the world in over 30 countries is now banned. This publication together with others expresses opinions which in effect highlight the undemocratic processes in Russia. For this reason it is now along with others being banned. The writings of the well known and internationally respected head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi are classified as extreme and being removed from shelves.
We have no illusions about Russia’s undemocratic process or lack of respect for human and national rights, and therefore we will continue our work, through the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) and seek the support of the Australian Government to highlight these and other violations.
We call on you to officially relay our strongest protest to the President of Russia to stop these violations immediately.
The UWC has now presented a case to representatives of the European Parliament defending the rights of the FNCAUR.
The AFUO has written to the Prime Minister of Australia on previous occasions. We will now strongly urge the Australian Government again through is posts in Moscow and Vienna to investigate the current situation relating to these issues and provide the Australian Government with advice.
In the new year the AFUO will be seeking to provide Federal Members of Parliament with a briefing on the current situation relating to the violation of rights of Ukrainians and other ethnic minorities in Russia.
The Russian Federation would be well advised to embrace the multicultural policies of Australia, where all ethnic monitories are encouraged to maintain their heritage, culture language and identity for the betterment of Australia. The Ukrainian community in Russia should be afforded the same rights.
Freedom of the press and free speech are the basis of a fair and democratic society. The current attacks on the Ukrainian community and others in the Russian Federation by your Government steer totally away from these principles. We believe it is time the international community applied the necessary pressure to ensure that these principles were not eroded but allowed to flourish.
The AFUO is willing to meet with you as soon as possible to express our concerns.
Stefan Romaniw OAM
CHAIRMAN
cc Prime Minister of Australia The Hon Julia Gillard
Minister for Foreign affairs The Hon Kevin Rudd
Ambassador of Australia in Moscow
Ambassador of Australia in Vienna
Ambassador of Ukraine in Australia His Excellency Valentyn Adomaytis
Ukrainian World Congress
Federal National Cultural Autonomy of Ukrainians in Russia
Library of Ukrainian Literature in Moscow
Russian tycoon Khodorkovsky again found guilty
Today at 17:29 | Associated Press
Mikhail Khodorkovsky was convicted Monday of stealing oil from his own company and laundering the proceeds, a verdict likely to keep the oil tycoon who once challenged the power of Vladimir Putin behind bars for several more years.
Read more:
http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/93641/#ixzz19KKqZqFp
Russian leaders argue about Soviet model
Today at 18:44 | Associated Press
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pointed at the Soviet model as an example of how various ethnic groups can have friendly ties, drawing a quick retort Monday from the president in a rare sign of friction between the two leaders.
Putin suggested Monday that the authorities might restore harsh Soviet era-restrictions on movement into big cities like Moscow or St. Petersburg. Such a move would target dark-complexioned people from the Caucasus, who flee their impoverished regions for big cities.
“We went for liberal rules of registration too early,” Putin said.
During his eight-year presidency, Putin steadily rolled back Russia’s post-Soviet freedoms, abolishing direct elections of provincial governors and pushing other electoral changes that strengthened the Kremlin’s control over Russia’s political life. The former KGB officer once described the Soviet collapse as the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.”
Read more:
http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/93648/#ixzz19M2AoYUk