duminică, 16 martie 2014

Hoti din toate tarile uniti-va

Fac un apel la toti cetatenii romani,moldoveni si ucrainieni care fura prin Europa, sa zica ca-s rusi.
Vom strica astfel imaginea rusilor, in tarile care le sunt prietene: Franta si Marea Britanie, si ii vom obisnui pe cetatenii vestici, cu armata ruseasca care nu le va mai cere "Davai ceas" ci "Давай смартфон"

sâmbătă, 15 martie 2014

Power of the people

The anti Vietnam protests forced US to withdraw from Vietnam war.
Can anti-war movements from Moscow force Putin to step back?

It should be, because lifes of Russian's youth will pay Putin's imperial pride, and their  elders will carry the burden of the sanctions.
It will be sanctions because not even China doesn't want an armed bully in its backyard. Maybe China will support Russia to make trouble in Europe, to draw US in a conflict and to ease the pressure in the Pacific area, but not more.The ambiguous stance of China, allows it to negotiate with Russians and US a better deal.Russia can offer cheaper gas,US a step back from Pacific or maybe some trade deal.
Anyway the miracle of stoping Putin, and stopping World War 3 comes from russian people.
They avoided once the start a civil war when Soviet Union dismantled, now they can stop World War 3, by overthrowing Putin.

PS. An interesting dispatch from Crimea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Dk2emDU0o

PS. It is interesting the generation gap between the protestors. The pro-Ukranian protestors generally they are young in their '20 while the pro-Russian are middle aged.

miercuri, 12 martie 2014

Offensive propaganda

The Ukrainean crisis showed that Russia uses the same rethoric as Soviet Union.
During communist times, it complained that it was attacked by fascists, payed by the west.
When Soviet Union, was accused about sending people in Gulag and in prison, Kremlin pinpointed to the oppressed Afro-Americans from ghetto's and their lack of rights.
Soviets were accused of having a police state, they pinpointed that the streets in West are filled with drug addicts.
(I wonder what is their excuse fot invasion of Latvia,Lithuania and Estonia, the 3 small Baltic countries who were never a threat to Soviet Union/Russia, and they were eager to cooperate with them, but they were invaded, and as bonus half of population sent to Siberia, in 1939.)

Now if Kremlin is accused of supporting with military separatism movements in Ukraine, it shouts that the West supports the Maidan fascists protestors.

When you speak with them about Crimean separatism, they tell you that Kosovo separation was supported by USA.

When Liz Wahl the RT anchor resigned live because she cannot whitewash the acts of Putin, she was accused that she works for US government, and/or she acted in her self interest.
Are you accusing RT as TV station funded by Russian government to spread lies? The corporate America also spread lies using it's TV stations.


Russia propaganda tries to minimize  it's actions comparing it with the one of US, saying something like: "If big powers like US are allowed to invade countries, why Russia is not allowed?"


USA used force to impose their puppet government, and defend their interests, but they don't try to add new territories to USA, or to change the ethnic fabric of the nations how the Russians are still doing it.
USA wants economical exploitation, Russia wants economical exploitation, land annexation,language change and possible deportation.
Because of that you cannot compare Irak with Ukraine. US invaded Irak because they had some interest there. But they didn't tried to annex it, to change the language from arabc to english or to convert to Christianity the Muslims.
Meanwhile in Transnistria, Russian enclave within Moldavia republic, Russian language and cyirillic alfabet is used despite the fact that most people from Moldova speak Romanian and use Latin language.The romanian teachers are harassed.
Also Kremlin used the Russian Orthodox priests as foot soldier in gaining influence. If West pays NGO in Russia, Russia pays Russian orthodox priests to promote their ideas.

Putting aside the justification of big powers for their actions, the small countries will be always poker chips for big powers. Their only chance is to be united against big powers.Romania,Slovakia and Hungary should put aside ethnic conflicts, and cooperate with other nations to defend against Russian influence.


The salvation from Russia doesn't come from distant America, but from an united Europe.
Europe has the interest to keep Putin away, what is need it is the strength, and resolution to do it.

What is the difference between investment and gambling?

Few days ago I discussed with a colleague, if buying lottery tickets is an investment.
Both investment and gambling are influenced by hazard after all.
The gain from gambling is calculated as follows: the prize of the lottery * probability of your ticket to be drawn. For example if there are 1 million tickets your probability to gain is P=1/1000000. If the prize is 1000000$, your average gain is 1$=1000000$*P.
So the lottery ticket price must be <=1$ in order to have a fair game.

In investments, you don't know the prize, you don't know all the rules, neither other competitors, and sometimes you have to split the prize with your competitors.
While in gambling the probability of winning is fixed, in investment it is dependent of information.
The prize depends, how well informed other competitors are.
For example you are on an island with a surface of 1000m^2 and you  know that under the soil it is hidden a treasure chest with 1000 gold coins.
For this case the following graphic will show the evolution in time of your gain depending on information and competitors:


Without any information your investment is a gamble with probability P=1/1000.The average gain is in this case 1000 coins*P=1coin. The gamble pays of if cost of digging is bellow 1 gold coin/m^2

In time you will have more information about the treasure chest location (you find treasure map for example) so now you have a bigger probability P to gain  (1/1000
The gamble transforms into an investment because probability P of gaining is bigger than random probability 1/1000.
The ideal investment is done when probability of gaining is 1, in our case when have a treasure map and we go directly to the gold.
In time information slips to the competitors, who will arrive on island to compete with you for gold.The gain will be split betwee competitors so  your average gain shrinks 100 coins, if you have 9 competitors.

Some competitors invested too much in this enterprise, because they couldn't estimate how many competitors will be, so they will leave the island, and the gain will be split to a lower number of people, and your average gain will increase.

Conclusion:
1.Don't invest when all the people invest in the same thing. If everybody buys real estate, don't buy. If everybody buys gold or bitcoin, don't buy.
2.Exit from a market when everybody rushes in.
Joseph Kennedy said once that he started to sell his stock before the crash from 1929, when the door man started to give him advices about Stock Exchange.
3. If you information is superior to your competitors, you increase your gain probability and gain so keep your mouth shut.

duminică, 9 martie 2014

The Europe is my oyster, says the Russian stork

Russia threat to cut the natural gas supply to Europe.
Natural gas is used 92% as fuel and 8% as chemical feedstock according US Department of Energy.
So if the Russians cut the gas supply, mostly the energy sector will be hit.
But how dependent is Europe of Russian gas?
According to Eurostat European Office for Statistic: 62% of natural gas comes from outside EU and Russia's gas accounts for 31%. So Russian gas accounts for 19% of the EU gas (0.62*0.31), but the main customer for Russian gas is Europe 81% and Turkey 19%.
A halt on the gas trade, will hit mostly Russia.
Russia produced in 2012 more than 199.9*10^8 m^3 of gas,  so Europe imported 161.919*10^8 m^3, If Europe doesn't buy, where Russia will sell this gas?
To the East Asia through Liquified Natural Gas ships? They can sell only 7*10^8 m^3 through Sahalin terminal.



The EU gas consumption in 2012 was 4568972.433 GWh but the import in 2013 was of 1740.62*10^8 GWh (161.919*10^8 m^3*38.7 MJ/m^3/3.6). 38096 times greater.What they have done with all this extra gas? Where they store it?
It seems that Europe took measures to protect against a dependency of Russian gas and it has huge reserves. Also EU is reconsidering coal and nuclear as power sources.
The wind,solar and biomass energy counts for 20%  of Europe production and it seems it will the main energy source in future.The scarcity of resources in Europe will determine bigger investment in reasearch..

On the other side Russia has immense resources of  oil,coal and gas, any mineral resource in the world, it has enough water,population is not dense and it doesn't import much wheat (only 500 metric tonnes last year). What could be done to force it to leave Crimeea?
Only Kremlin incompetence stops Russia to be self-reliant.

The situation between Russia and Europe, it is similar with the one from the following Chinese story:
A stork, catched an  oyster, the oyster closed its shell locking the stork's beak. The stork asked the oyster to open the shell otherwise they will both die, the oyster asked that the stork open first, because it believed that the stork once free will try to eat it.Finally they both died, because no one gave up.
The Europe is oyster because it can only react to the Russian acts, while Russia is a stork that tries to pray on seemingly inoffensive oyster.




sâmbătă, 8 martie 2014

Book review: Moscoviada de Iuri Andruhovici o carte premonitorie

Cu o saptamana inainte de criza din Crimeea am cumparat "Moscoviada" de Iuri Andrihovici, fiind atras de scriitura lui.
"Moscoviada" a fost scrisa in 1992 si descrie peregrinarile unui poet din Ucraina de vest in capitala Imperiului: Moscova. Un talmes balmes de natii, de nebuni,alcoolici si curve, cu subterane adinci si pline de secrete, in care bantuie, trupe speciale, sobolani mutanti,KGB-isti si nomenclaturisti.
Poetul urmarind un hot de buzunare care se refugiase in subteranele Moscovei, ajunge asemenea lui Tezeu in acest labirint. Este prins de trupele speciale, si interogat de KGB.Dar este salvat  de iubita sa Galea,o crescatoare de serpi care lucreaza pentru KGB la dezvoltarea otravurilor.

In incercarea sa de a scapa, poetul ajunge intr-o sala de festivitati unde s-a adunat toata clasa politica din URSS la o petrecere.
Intrand intr-o sala de conferinte gaseste la prezidiu 7 personaje reprezentative pentru istoria Rusiei:
Ivan cel Groaznic,Felix Dzerjinski,Lenin,Minin si Pozharsky,Suvorov,Ecaterina a II-a a Rusiei,Anatoly Ivanovich Lukyanov, care asculta un bandit mascat cu un ciorap negru tras pe fata, rostind la tribuna urmatorul discurs:

"-Sa nu uitam: in momentele critice, chirurgia ne-a fost de un ajutor nepretuit. Marii maestri ai ARTEI DE STAT, nu se dau in laturi, speriati , nici macar de la interventii asupra portiunilor de carne celor mai bine irigate sangvin.Sa fi costat cat ar fi costat, dar era vorba de viitor, asa ca trebuia operat. Istoria noastra reprezinta o istorie a chirurgiei nemiloase.Ati vazut cum au pierit sub baionetele zbirilor, in pivnita casei Ipatiev, tarul Nicolae al II-lea si familia lui? A fost ca un scos de amigdale nu altceva.Caci STATUL trebuia sa mearga mai departe.Tarul cel hemofil, nici vorba sa tina pasul.Iar azi ne confruntam cu o situatie asemanatoare.Trebuie sa extirpam corpul bolnav dinauntru! Sa-i trimitem pe toti acasa si sa coboram cortina.
Va daruim de voi nadajduita, iertati-ne cuvantul, independenta. Si va invatam cum sa castigati referendumuri. Caci un referendum este un mod ideal de a manipula oamenii, de a le oferi iluzia ca ar urma sa hotarasca simguri asupra propriei sorti. Va invatam despre iubirea de STAT.Iar asta inseamna iubirea de: violenta, inselatorie si coruptie. Va asiguram libertatea deplina de a va prabusi in hau. Asa ca dati-le republicilor deplina,iertare, independenta.In toata povestea asta pastram ceva si noi.

-Ce-o sa se intample cu Alaska? intreaba generalissimul Suvorov,alunecand de pe scaun, cu dosul lui numai piele si os.
-Suntem gata sa sarim de in data in ajutorul vorbitorilor de limba rusa din partea locului.

Ciorap negru raspunde limpede si deslusit,fara sa clipeasca (lucru pe care l-ar putea face totusi)

-Sa nu cutezati sa uitati de Alaska! fornaie Suvorov.
-Stai linistit! Cacanar cacacios ce esti! tuna catre generalisim Ecaterina a II-a vorbitoarea de limba germana.
Lenin chicoteste rautacios in timp ce Anatoly Ivanovich incearca sa aduca la ordine prezidiul.

-Alaska in sus,Alaska in jos, se baga in vorba siretul Dzerjinski, dar ati spus niste vorbe interesante: pastram ceva si pentru noi. Ce intelegeti prin asa ceva?

-Viitorul,raspunde Ciorap negru, pentru ca nu punem de o parte fragmente fracturate.ci organe individuale, viabile. Asa ca pastram anumite, cabinete,comitete si organisme.Pastram o anumita verticalitate in ceea ce le priveste.Ca si marea si naturala tendinta de a se inmulti, de a se reproduce.Cel mai amuzant este faptul ca aceste organe (capete,maini,picioare,testicule) se-apuca deoadata sa actioneze in interesul republicilor independente.
-Chiar asa? intreba Lenin interesat.
-Bineinteles ca nu, tocmai asta-i gluma, confirma gura vorbitorului indoiala lui.In realitate nu fac altceva decat sa ne pregateasca viitorul.Caci la conducerea guvernelor proaspat coapte,pardon, independente, se instaleaza reprezentati legali numai de noi aprobati si chiar numiti de noi.Haosul naste haos.Iar acolo unde nu merge asa ceva ajung la putere niste bastarzi.Sau prostituati politic,Vladimir Ilici. Sau, si mai simplu niste nemernici. Totul inecat in cenusiu.In plictis. In marsavie.Valul entropiei care a sfasiat MARELE IMPERIU va nimici si statele,iertati-ma, independente.Caci vor arata ca niste caricaturi, cu presedinti numiti de noi, si parlamente cumparate tot de noi. Dupa cum si conflictele de granita ale sunitiilor si siitilor,catolicilor si adeptilor lui Krishna,ale ortodoxilor si budistilor zen.Incercarile eroice ale bancherilor occidentali de a le baga in cap smintitilor libertatea.Vrajbe starnite de foame,razvratiri si greve din interior.Treaba cu biserica si bordelul. Surplus de ucazuri,constitutii si declaratii inutilizabile.O halda de gunoi totala, ba nu mai multe halde de gunoi independente in frunte cu niste marionete imbecile.Acesta ne e planul.Popoarele vor privi mai des in urma.Si cu priviri tulburi, vor avea viziuni asupra MARII PUTERI-cosmica,inflacarata,larga,milenara.Prin comparatie propria independenta li se va parea tot mai bicisnica.Numai ideea si pare cu totul...
-...perversa,arunca vorba Ivan cel Groaznic.
-Multumesc, cam asa ceva as fi vrut si eu sa spun, se arata de acorde vorbitorul stapan pe sine. Pentru ca dupa aceea sa pretinda-popoarelea, vreau sa spun-sa-si redobandeasca PUTEREA. Caci totul li se risipeste printre degete. Se descompune. De jur imprejurul lor , nimic altceva decat o imensa gradina zoologica. Fara alternativa! Intelegand prin asa ceva mai degraba altenativa politica sau economica,decat cea morala.
  Izbunesc aplauze.
-Si ce se va intampla cu Polonia si Finlanda? se baga in vorba si Suvorov, de indata ce se sting aplauzele.
-Linisteste-te magar batran! se burzuluieste Ecaterina a II-a.
 Suvorov ii saruta mana, daca tot sade landa ea. Mana stralucitoarei tarine,nadusita,pistruiata si acoperita cu pudra.
-Totul o sa fie bine, da asigurari vorbitorul. Pe Polonia o s-o transformam de la o mare la alta, intr-un camp de aplicatii pentru trupe, in timp ce pe Finlanda o s-o inundam cu votca.Si-o sa mai ridicam si interdictia ei in privinta consumului de alcool, caci asa ceva incalca drepturile omului.
-Din nou aplauze generale [...]
-Si o sa urmeze ultima si definitiva noastra inviere,isi incepe din nou discursul Ciorap negru,acoperind valul de aplauze si entuziasm.Bratele si picioarele amputate cresc la loc,alcatuind laolalta un intreg.Ideea,ptiu, independentei sufera o infrangere globala,urmand sa fie plasata in constiinta oamenilor pe acelasi plan cu national-socialismul sau chiar cu perversiunile sexuale. Toti ravnesc la fructul interzis al imperiului.Milioane de oameni asta asteapta,sa fie facuti sclavi. Sa fie pusi la edificat piramide,canale,ziduri zvelte si poduri intinse. Individul ce isi afla sensul numai in imperiu.Caci imperiul nu inseamna decat un tel urias milenar. Tot el mai inseamna supunerea lumii intregi,comunism si mumiii nemuritoare in mausolee.Soare stralucitor si dinastii. Un turn, a carui constructie ar uma sa dureze zece mii de ani.Puterea armatei, arderi pe rug de vrajitoare si o miscare a popoarelor permanenta si tintind unirea. Mari copulatii ale popoarelor, pe parcursul carora cele mari le inghit pe cele mici, cele puternice pe cele slabe. Monumente si mituri,fluvii,ale caror cursuri vor fi intoarse,triumf al psihiatrilor,patologilor si al pasararilor ...
- Si cu Franta cum ramane? se vara din nou in vorba Suvorov.
-Nataraule! se stropseste Ecaterina a II-a.
Greoi si plin de incredere, Suvorov isi aseaza bratul in jurul taliei tarinei, lucru care se poate vedea pana si din ultimul rand.
-Acolo, in Franta o sa locuim, da asigurari vorbitorul. Reprezentantii celei mai sus paturi, cu deosebire participantii la simpozionul de astazi, urmeaza sa detina apartamente cu cinci sau sase camere, plus loggia, la Paris,Marsilia si Nisa.
-Si ce se va intampla cu francezii? se face auzit in amfitreatru un glas,printre aplauze.
-Aia vor fi deportati in desrtul Gobi,se arata Ciorap negru, ca de obicei, cu raspunsul parca gata pregatit. De altfel,chiar as dori sa fac unele precizari in legatura cu problema deportarii,caci aceasta va reprezenta cel mai important vector al politicii noastre extern... aaa...interne.
-Intelepte ganduri! rosteste Lenin, scotand la iveala, din buzunarul de la vesta, o ditamai ridichea alba, din care musca zgomotos.
-Carevasazica,deportarea reprezinta,dupa cum stiti din marea si din pacate,hulita...
-Ticaloasa,corecteaza Ivan cel Groaznic.
-Multumesc,dar nu se potriveste catusi de putin, rosteste ploconindu-se vorbitorul...dupa cum stiti din eroica noastra istorie, deportarea reprezinta un mijloc minunat de contracarare a oricerei probleme nationale.Important sa-i stramuti pe ciukotki in Valea Ararat, pe moldoveni in Arhipelagul Franz Joseph, cu toate ca pe-acolo le-ar sedea cu mult mai bine austriecilor. In afara de asta,se propune ca unii sa schimbe pur si simplu intre ei tinuturile in care au vietuit: lituanienii cu vietnamezii,elvetienii cu chinezii si ungurii cu uigurii. Sustinand astfel ideea marilor migratii ale popoarelor, vom contribui la aparitia de natiuni si populatii himerice, nou-noute,cu nume dintre cele mai sucita, de care s-a rusina pana si ele insele: rusiaci,ucraliti,karelo-mingrelit, cehosboslovati, romangoli, olandazeri, elevegreci, greedezi, francezuzbeci, kurziancezi,iudosvabi si carpatoruteni.
[...]
-MAREA PRABUSIRE va fi oprita! MARELE HAOS va fi infrant ! MAREA SIMFONIE conduce omenirea catre o migratie milenara. Ne pazim sanctuarele printr-un hatis de nepatruns,de plante agatatoare si armament. O unica orchestra a dependentei totale si ...
 Pentru o clipa vorbitorul face o pauza.Suficient insa pentru Minin si Pojarki, care pana atunci se aratasera de parca nu ar fi avut viata in ei, sa lanseze o intregare asa, in duet:
-Dar cine o sa fie seful?
-Poporul! o tranteste Ciorap negru, plin de el,facandu-i pe toti sa izbucneasca in hohote de ras."

La final poetul ii impusca pe toti iar sobolanii uriasi navalesc in sala de converinta si sfasie totul.

Este interesant ca analiza sistemului sovietic si a tacticilor folosite de Rusia, nu si-a pierdut valabilitatea mai bine, de 20 de ani. Daca analistii pentru Rusia si Ucraina ar fi citit aceasta carte nu ar fi fost surprinsi de evenimentele din Crimeea. (Pacat ca autorul nu a investit la timp in imobiliare pe Coasta de Aur pentru a revinde casele oligarhiei ruse).

Un alt lucru intresant in carte este atitudinea ostila a ucrainienilor fata de moscoviti, ce se regaseste in cartea acestui autor moderat, care scrie si in ucraineana si in rusa.
Putin a declarat ca Ucraina si Rusia sunt 2 tari surori. Dar se pare ca diferentele merg dincolo de limba, deoarece nimeni nu avut curajul sa alipeasca Ucraina la Republica Socialista Rusa in timpul sovietelor, preferand fie sa extermine populatia ucrainieana prin foamete (Stalin) fie sa micsoreze procentul de ucrainieni prin adaugarea Crimeii (Hrusciov). Daca iubirea intre ucrainieni si rusi era asa puternica, de ce nu s-au unit aceste tari?
Republica Socialist Rusa, administra un teritoriu de la Don la Pacific, ce mai conta cateva mii de hectare in plus?
Vestul Ucrainei este plexul solar al Europei, o forta de invazie venita pe acolo, nu are nici un obstacol fizic major care sa o opreasca din cucerirea Europei Centrale. De aceea toate puterile din Europa centrala (Polonia,Austria) au incercat sa controleze aceasta regiune, iar populatia este mai degraba pro-occidentala decat pro-rusa,stapanirea rusa in vestul Ucrainei fiind recenta, unele regiuni fiind ocupate de rusi dupa al doilea razboi mondial, dupa o rezistenta incrancenata.
Oricum ucrainienii per total nu prea au ce regreta dupa vremea URSS.
Marturia incompetentei conducerii de atunci aflandu-se la 141km nord de Kiev la Cernobil.


sâmbătă, 1 martie 2014

Irony

During the cold war the world avoided the start of the third one and nuclear annihilation. Now it seems we are going back in the '50.