MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Millionaire comedian elected president in Ukraine, defeats establishment candidate
Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky has been elected president of Ukraine twice - first as a character in the popular TV show “Servant of the People”, now for real. The 41-year-old performer's bid started out as a long shot but, on the back of popular discontent with the political class, he sent establishment candidates tumbling. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesUkrainians have literally elected a guy who plays a president on TV...
Apr 22nd, 2019 - 06:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Do they even understand he is not his character?
DT
Apr 23rd, 2019 - 10:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Continuing “Brazil's lower house speaker...”
No, never got to visit Angola and Moçambique. Too dangerous. The civil wars (Angola, 1975 / Moçambique, 1977) started soon after independence from Portugal (1975), and were basically the continuation of the wars for independence, and which pitted former freedom groups against each other.
The civil wars were secondary ones within a larger context of the cold war, with the USSR ‘n Cuba, vs the USA.
In the 70s I met quite a few Portuguese businessmen who fled from Angola and Moçambique…they could see the civil unrest getting worse, with the deterioration of the rule of law, and most had prepared themselves for a quick getaway, knowing well that if they stayed on, they'd probably be killed.
They didn't have much choice, so they lost all their property, businesses, and some lost family members ‘n friends…their stories were nasty, pretty horrible.
But since discontent was already boiling over before independence, I can imagine it only got worse after they got it.
Mowing/swimming : - a sore body, but a satisfied mind.
Just one more reply, to catch up.
Wow, I didn't know the civil wars had gone on so long. 27 years in Angola! It must be pretty awful having to leave behind your whole life, and a business you've put a lot of effort into and spent a long time building, and start again. And horrible in a different way for the people who had to stay in the country and live (or not) through the wars. Brazil had a war for independence, but nothing as bad as those two countries, thankfully.
Apr 24th, 2019 - 03:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“a sore body, but a satisfied mind”
Yes, it's a good feeling having accomplished something, and the garden looks a lot better now. I did the edging and trimming on Monday and made a good start on the giant weeds. Here's part of the lawn, it's not just that it's steep, it's really uneven and the Flymo catches on all the lumps:
https://i.imgur.com/Ds3MbGH.jpg
Here's one of the alarming cracks, the blades on those choppers are about as long as the handles:
i.imgur.com/Ij7HNjx.jpg
DT
Apr 24th, 2019 - 05:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0One of the Portuguese guys I met, lost his business - a Mercedes Benz dealership in Luanda, some real-estate, and a farm. His getaway was pretty dramatic....in the middle of a riot, he rounded up his family and his closest friends (those he could find), and they all drove like madmen out to the farm, where he had a landing strip and a small aircraft ready for emergencies....about 10 people piled on, taking only their most personal belongings, such as documents, money and other small valuables (nothing heavy), and flew south for a few hours, into Namibia. From there they went to S.Africa and eventually came to Brazil. In a couple of years he was back on top, as CEO of a fine jewelry chain.
Brazil's war of independence (1820s), must have been a picnic compared the 20th C civil wars in Africa.
Cutting the lawn can be a monumental job, especially when the terrain is inclined and full of irregularities....at the land we have, theres roughly 15 -20,000 sq mts of lawn to be cut......half is relatively flat, the rest inclined.....my father first had the traditional lawn mower ('push reel mower' ?), then flymos, (if I remember correctly, a 'hovercraft' principle ?), later he invested in a motorized one with a seat and handlebars, but it was vey heavy, and at times, on a slope, you'd lose control....once I drove it into the stream....luckily, very shallow.....and last of all, we bought the portable ones, with a shoulder strap and a fuel tank on your back, which had interchangeable (rotating) blades, for grass and /or underbrush/twigs...had to wear shin protectors and safety-glasses, as when you hit a stone it could cause damage if it hit you.
Added https to the 2nd link but couldn't open it..
I can't even imagine cutting that much area with a flymo, that's like 4 or 5 acres! But I guess you don't have the cheap model with power cord and crappy plastic blades that fall off every five minutes and disappear into the undergrowth. I swear I have to mow over each patch about 5 times before it's cut. Couldn't you at least use the ride-on mower for the flat bit? And what is the thing with a tank on your back? I never heard of that, and not sure I'd want to be that close to the fuel.
Apr 24th, 2019 - 09:05 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Don't know why the second link didn't work, seems fine to me. Here it is again:
https://i.imgur.com/Ij7HNjx.jpg
All the clay is subsiding and slipping down the hill, the lawn is so bumpy at the top you can easily twist your ankle walking on it. Don't know whether we should try and fix it or just leave it for whoever buys the house.
I wish we could buy a bunch of land with a forest and a stream, and just build a house on it. You're lucky living in a big country without such strict laws.
DT
Apr 26th, 2019 - 08:27 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The problem with the flymo was the power cord, not long enough, even with extensions, to mow more than 25/30 metres from the power source. The ride-on mower (run on gasoline) was ok for the flat part, and for the slightly inclined, provided (while riding the slope in more or less concentric circles) you moved your weight to the higher side of the slope (in relation to yourself) to avoid toppling with the mower. The tendency was it always wanted to turn 'down' the slope, which took a toll on your arms, trying to keep the handlebars straight.
The shoulder strap mower, fueled by gasoline, was shaped like a 5 foot cross, the top of the vertical shaft strapped to your shoulder (with a harness), and the horizontal shaft (adjustable) to about 3 feet (or 4 ft) from the ground, was like a pair of handlebars. The fuel tank (about 5 litres) on your back was connected to a small motor which in turn connected to the main vertical shaft, taking the power down to the blade. it had a gear system whereby you could disconnect the power from the blade, and it cut underbrush and grass like a hot knife through butter. One tank would keep it going for at least a couple of hours.
I remember that after using these fuel powered cutters, we changed to electrically powered ones, and we had 300 metre extension cords to allow us to cover the whole area. One had to be careful to not slice the cord....but we did, a few times, so the cord was full of mends.
The link opened....what is it ?....just saw a couple of bars sticking out of the ground....
As a matter of fact, we do have a stream going through the land, and a bit downstream from the small houses, there is a 5-metre waterfall, and where the water comes over on one side, there is a natural rock pool 2 metres from the top, about 6 ft in diametre, 2-3 ft deep, with a sandy bottom.... great to sit in and cool off after a hard day's work.
Heh, I can't believe you tried to mow such a large area with an electric mower. We have a long extension lead and it's already very unwieldy and only just long enough to reach the point furthest from the socket. When I get a big garden I'm going to buy a petrol mower, maybe a ride-on one depending on size. But talking about it has made me wonder if we could get a better mower right now. It needs to be light because of the slope, but surely there must be something that cuts better and doesn't need grass scraping out of the bottom every five minutes?
Apr 26th, 2019 - 10:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The shoulder strap one sounds efficient, especially if you were trying to clear a garden overrun with long grass and weeds, but heavy to carry since it's all attached to you. Can you find a picture somewhere?
In the picture I linked, I stuck my garden shears in one of the cracks in the lawn to see how deep it is. They look something like this, and the entire blade part disappeared into the hole when I dropped them in so all you can see is the handles:
https://www.diy.com/departments/verve-hedge-shears/1580824_BQ.prd
How steep is your slope, anyway? Can you walk up and down it?
As for the waterfall, sounds amazing. That's the kind of thing we like to see and do on holidays and you have it right there. You're lucky. At least tell me the water's freezing cold. ;)
Re “Macron vows to rebuild”
“I am 100% sure that had FHC not taken care of it, Lula would never have, either.”
Probably not. Lula's no economist, and plenty of governments around the world have tried and failed to control inflation. Looks like successful schemes are the exception, so I doubt Lula would have much chance of hitting on a solution.
DT
Apr 27th, 2019 - 06:51 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Our ride-on mower had the possibility of attaching a big cloth sack (on the left side) to collect the cut grass, but it was an unwieldy contraption that got in the way, more than helped....so we had to rake up the grass after cutting.
When you get your ride-on mover, be sure to install a cupholder near the steering wheel, for your beer.
I found the following propaganda video of the type of (petrol-fueled) cutters we used ...obviously, the one pictured is 'slightly' more modern than what we used 40 years ago.
https://youtu.be/XaRsOjPng0M
Ok, now I can recognize the shear handle...
Our steepest slope that we have grass on, is about 30°....easy enough to walk on, but difficult to control a heavy ride-on mower.
Yeah, the water is pretty cold, but after 30 secs you get used to it....for the most part, at least while going through our land, the stream is covered by tree canopies.
FHC's Plano Real was simple but ingenious : he created the URV (Unit of Real Value) on 1st march '94, worth Cr$ 647,50. It was an index calculated by the Central Bk, which fluctuated on a daily basis, according to the US$. It was used to readjust ('n stabilize) prices 'n salaries, so that both would move at the same rate.
At the time, inflation was running at a yearly rate of over 5,000% (the govt used to just print money to cover its expenses /overspending).
The intention was that after a while the URV would be seen 'n used as a reference for prices, until it would become the actual currency, which happened on 1st July 94, when Cr$ 2,750 was divided by 2,750 and became R$ 1,00....equal to - on at least on that day - US$ 1,00.
All bank accounts, investments etc, were converted automatically to R$. Basically the URV was just another name for 'dollarization'.
To back up his plan, during the 90 day transition before 1st July, FHC bought as much US$ as he could, in order to link the R$ to a strong currency and generate confidence. It worked.
I nearly always mow with the basket thingy on, because it looks a lot neater afterwards, but I have to empty it at least 20 times if I'm doing the whole garden, and it's not a big one. I'm starting to think you should just have got a few goats to eat the grass. ;)
Apr 27th, 2019 - 11:44 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Apparently your device is called a brushcutter in English. Seems a bit like a *really* souped up strimmer. The next video showed a man cutting grass as tall as he was, which looked kind of fun. Everything's bigger in Brazil, heh.
Our slopes aren't big, but they *are* difficult to walk up and down. I'm sure the steepest bits are over 45°, no way could a ride-on mower do it.
“Yeah, the water is pretty cold, but after 30 secs you get used to it”
It's so nice to swim after working in the heat, that's why I still went to the pool after doing the mowing even though I was tired and didn't get in as many lengths as usual. I remember one year we went cycling in Yorkshire during a heatwave. It was so hot the tarmac had melted and run down the road and some of the rivers were dry. On the map we found a waterfall, and it had a nice pool under it, so we went swimming with our clothes on. Very refreshing, and half an hour later we were dry again.
Maybe that all seems normal to you, living in a hot country!
According to Wikipedia, Brazil has been through 9 currencies since the 40s, and due to that, 1 modern real corresponds to 2,750,000,000,000,000,000 reais in the original currency. Pretty horrifying, and that's why I said it's not an easy problem to solve. The Plano Real was clever, and better than dollarisation because Brazil still has an independent currency. Did you think it would work when the URV first appeared? The whole thing sounds pretty crazy, and all the previous plans had failed, after all.
DT
Apr 29th, 2019 - 04:20 pm - Link - Report abuse 0My father bought a few sheep to eat the grass, one of them a ram...he used to attack anyone that came close, so in the end we got rid of them.
OK, a 'brushcutter'....tks for increasing my vocabulary. The part of the land we developed is very nice, as are the immediate surroundings....but with the small village only 3,5 kms away, and with the constant security problem, it has become less safe....we've had thieves come in several times....once they took the washing machine, LPG bottles and some tools left out....so for me, it's losing its attraction. Once two guys just wandered in (coming down the 200 metre internal road), claiming they were lost....they were told to stop, but kept on coming closer....when they saw I was carrying a gun, they mumbled some sh*t between themselves and left. It was then I realized that sh*t could happen
I remember 5 Brazilian currencies....the first (futile) attempts to increase the value of our currency - not necessariy curb inflation - was to chop 3 zeroes of it....obviously, that measure, alone, did not work.
After I understood the Plano Real and it's mechanism - which was mainly to make prices and salaries move together, instead of adjusting salaries to catch up with inflation (which it never did, because the moment salaries were adjusted - usually below inflation - prices would take off again), I had hopes because it sounded logic....and after the first few months of the Real, I saw no reason for it to not succeed, provided government did not resort to printing money. The obvious benefit was that prices stabilized, and salaries would last longer...
“he used to attack anyone that came close”
Apr 29th, 2019 - 05:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Lol. But I guess that could be dangerous. Couldn't you just have borrowed one for the breeding season?
Re brushcutter, it's increased my knowledge more; I didn't even know such a thing existed. It's a shame the security problems in Brazil are stopping you enjoying the place as much, and that the countryside isn't safe either.
What kind of gun do you have? My friend in the police is currently doing firearms training; apparently qualifying was really gruelling but the actual training is okay and he's enjoying working normal hours for once. They just finished pistols and are moving on to rifles this week.
Five currencies is ridiculous, the various governments must have had plans to reduce inflation as well as just rescaling the money? I bet everyone was relieved when it finally stopped, though, and thankfully no government since then has gone back to printing money indiscriminately. I do think it's time some other countries got a new currency, though. I spent a few hundred pounds on Chilean pesos, and ended up with hundreds of thousands of them.
Went swimming again yesterday and did 75 lengths. Much better. It was you who inspired me to start going regularly again; when you talked about playing rugby for Brazil it made me feel like such a couch potato. We can't all be good at sports, but I can at least keep fit.
Also, I'm sure I owe you a reply, I was going to post when I saw you'd commented on another story, but can't find the thread anywhere. :(
DT
Apr 29th, 2019 - 07:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0His name was 'Quintus', because he had 5 wives, and his attacks were rather hilarious - he'd charge with his head down, and you'd sidestep at the last moment, like in a bullfight....but I reckon my parents weren't to keen, nor agile enough, to face him.
At the time I had a 44 caliber Remington repeater rifle (lever-action), and a 38 caliber revolver. I used to carry the revolver with me when I was there. The rifle was stolen later on by an ex-caretaker. Reported the theft to the Police, but never saw it again.
Most governments really didn't know what they were doing....that's what happens when political indications predominate.
Besides having had the opportunity to play rugby for Brazil on a couple of occasions, I also played field hockey for Brazil against the Argentine....there we were more evenly matched, as there were some Germans and Dutch guys on our team, who were horribly accurate and lethal when they got the ball near the Argentine goal...I'm pretty sure I've already mentioned that I was chosen to represent Brazil in the South American Athletics Championship in 1966, so I won't go over it again, but but I'm glad that I inspired you to get off your bum.
Can't remember what/if you didn't reply....but I have one for you regarding “B announces 13th salary...”...
That does sound funny, but like you say, probably less so when you're not young and agile. Did you carry the revolver for fear of people or wildlife? I remember Voice saying his neighbours in America all carried guns in case they encountered a rattlesnake, or something equally unlikely. Does Brazil even have much dangerous wildlife?
Apr 29th, 2019 - 11:39 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Most governments really didn't know what they were doing....that's what happens when political indications predominate.”
Probably not, and I'm not convinced ours know any better, they just have more leeway for mistakes in a richer, already developed country. I've long suspected governments have less influence on the economy than they - and we - would like to believe.
The military didn't manage to solve inflation either, at least one of the new currencies was brought in during their rule. On that subject, I was surprised to see the press describing Mourao and other ex-military ministers as being the sensible and pragmatic wing of the government. And Mourao getting called a traitor as a consequence, it's becoming par for course to see the far (and not so far) right call anyone who disagrees with them a traitor.
Re hockey, seems like cheating to me having Germans and Dutchmen on the team! And you weren't even Brazilian back than either... Who won the match in the end?
You did mention the athletics championship. Should have got citizenship earlier, or at least hidden your Argentine passport. ;) I wonder if you'd feel differently about Brazil if you'd been born there?
DT
Apr 30th, 2019 - 10:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I carried the guns whenever venturing into the forest, as there were wild pigs (which could be dangerous), and illegal hunters. After the various thefts, carrying the revolver became a habit.
There are medium sized jungle cats - jaguars, I think - in our area, but never came across any. Snakes were plentiful - 'jararacas, and coral snakes, especially in the rainy season.
If companies try to take on competent professionals, why should government employees, paid with our money, be any different ? just a rhetorical question, as we all know the answer...
Mourão, being a General, is far more cultured and imo, better prepared than Bolsonaro, despite the latter's 27 year stint in Congress.....I would have preferred Mourão as the presidential candidate, but he probably wouldn't have had the same appeal, being too close to the military establishment.
Dont' worry about what you perceive as the right calling those who disagree with them, a traitor.....the PT, PCdoB and PSOL are exactly the same.....even now, Gleisi Hoffman is defending Maduro's government, tooth and nail, and criticizing our government....if not ridiculous it would be hilarious.
Regarding the hockey, the two Germans were businessmen who had settled here, and the two Dutch were Brazilian born but educated in Holland.....as for me, I was still not naturalized ...our goalie was a Russian guy who had studied with me, and was an extremely good soccer goalie....he was a bit mad though, to the point of actually using his head to defend the goal.....we played two games, drew one (1 x 1), won one (1 x 0).
Regarding naturalization it never occurred to me at the time, but the Brazilian Athletics Federation sent my documents back to the club, saying that as an Argentine, I was not allowed to compete for Brazil...too bad.
Don't think that being born here would've changed anything...except for the S.A. Championship......I like Brazil, but I don't like the politics 'n what they've turned it into.
Jaguars sound cool, but probably for the best you never met one. And I think some people were planning to reintroduce wild boars to England, which seems risky in a country where there is no wild anymore. There is one poisonous snake here, but they're pretty shy. I bet in both the UK and Brazil humans are the most dangerous animal you can meet, by several orders of magnitude.
May 01st, 2019 - 01:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Re companies vs government employees, I was talking about elected politicians, who are more comparable to CEOs - and I think the latter suffer something of the same problem. Whether the company does well or badly, the top management just get richer and richer and somehow have no trouble finding another similar job.
If Mourão wouldn't have had the same appeal, I wonder who would have taken over if that guy had succeeded in his attempt to kill Bolsonaro? It's kinda ironic seeing a young politician accuse an ex-general of treason because the general opposes a civil war in a neighbouring country, but I'm not really worried about that, but about what's happening in the UK. The biggest circulation newspaper had a headline calling our top judges traitors because they didn't rule the way the then-editor wanted on Brexit. We're divided enough already without the press undermining our institutions in this way.
If your Russian goalie used his head to defend in hockey he really was crazy. Ouch. Congrats on winning, though.
I'm surprised you never had problems other than the athletics federation, I've heard some countries won't let you buy property if you're not a citizen, besides other inconveniences. Maybe Brazil is less bureaucratic about it due to its history.
Saw this on a forum today:
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/apr/27/kootenai-county-gop-urges-feds-to-let-austrian-nat/
Republicans want to ban people who just live in the same country as terrorists, but they'll campaign to let in a guy who inspired a terrorist who murdered 50 people.... shows their true priorities.
DT
May 01st, 2019 - 10:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Ok, as individuals, we can't control who's elected....'n usually, the most unscrupulous get in...being a common politician here, means high wages with little responsibility.
I was thinking more of a CEO who owns the company....if he's smart, he'll surround himself with those he trusts 'n who know what they're doing....it's only fair he should get rich, as besides probably one of his main goals, he is risking 'his' capital.
If Adelio Bispo had been successful, I think it's possible Mourão could've won and, with an even bigger margin.
I'm glad you are able to realize that the press does not always contribute positively to a situation....calling the UK's top judges, traitors, simply because the editor had a different opinion, is overstepping the mark.
The press should have its freedom, but should also use it wisely.
In Brazil, you could say some of our STF judges are traitors....seems the sole reason for their existence is to release WC criminals...their friends & political allies. All I can say, without inside information, is that some of their decisions have been extremely harmful, ‘n suspicious, 'n definitely warrant an investigation. They obviously believe they’re above the law, ‘n recently - you probably read about it - went to the extreme of trying to prohibit criticism, labelling it as threats, ‘n trying to prosecute those who have expressed their discontent.
It is clear they are being accusers and judges at the same time. But this absurdity is not yet over....I think they will eventually have to back down...and shut up.
Tks, the overall victory (hockey) was indeed gratifying.
The only problem we had was with the purchase of the land…because of the size....my father couldn’t transfer it to his name....friends suggested he naturalize...he did, ‘n problem solved....other than that, all ok
Yr link on the GOP in Kootenai county....hardly representative on a nat’l level. Doesn't mean much, you get extremists on both sides, everywhere.
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