Author Archives: RomanInUkraine

I Love Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Contrary to what you might glean from the unfortunate acronym “BJJ.” It’s a real sport with real competition.

You can train more/less safely at full intensity. Unlike in running or lifting weights, you can’t tell yourself little white lies about exhaustion and ease up — not without consequences. So we go hard. The mirrors get steamed up by end of every training session. It’s insane. Another consequence of real competition is that unlike in many martial arts, the space between theory and practice is tight. Bullshit gets exposed.

I love that some of our guys train with us because they fight in mixed martial arts (further testimony to the efficacy of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu). I love that I’m knowledgeable enough to make them better fighters, even the strong ones whom I can no longer submit on the mat. I love being able to take Curt to back-ally cage fights, point and say, that’s my guy right there. And then watch him win. When we went a couple weeks ago, 3 out of 4 of my guys won all their fights. All of them grappled.

I like that it keeps you humble too. Everyone says this about BJJ guys. Because we get tapped out, we get choked, inevitably by people whom we consider not as good as us. You can only proceed in the sport with big chunks of your ego left behind.

I think there’s also something about complicated muscle movements which makes parts of the brain flourish. I usually leave training feeling high on life — of course, once in a while, I leave depressed, thinking I haven’t learned a single goddamn thing — zero, zilch, nada — in my 6+ years of practice.

Here’s my favorite article on BJJ: http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/the-pleasures-of-drowning

My Reaction to the Central Bank of Ukraine’s statement on Bitcoin:

I don’t yet know how legally binding this is. It may only be the opinion of Ukraine’s central bank, but nevertheless, it’s bad. It represents exactly the type of corrupt Soviet bureaucratic thinking that Ukrainians rebelled against last winter. Worse, this statement is aimed at the tech industry — the one place talented Ukrainians consistently find refuge from corporate raiders and rent seeking bureaucrats. It’s a very, very discouraging blow at a time when so many Ukrainians have sacrificed so much in a fight that was largely about greater economic freedom. I expect a reaction from the recently formed Bitcoin Foundation of Ukraine.

The Useless, Corrupt, Goddamn Idiots in Ukraine’s Gov’t declare #bitcoin illegal

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10/11/2014

In connection with citizens about the legality of use in Ukraine “virtual currency / Cryptocurrency” Bitcoin inform that.

According to the Constitution of Ukraine (Article 99), the Civil Code of Ukraine (Article 192), the Law of Ukraine “On Payment Systems and Money Transfer in Ukraine” (Article 3) and the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from 19.02.93 № 15-93 “On Currency regulation and Currency control “(Article 3) hryvnia currency of Ukraine as the only legal tender in Ukraine, adopted by all natural and legal persons without any restriction on all territory of Ukraine for the transfer and settlement.

One of the functions of the National Bank of Ukraine is the monopoly of Issuance national currency of Ukraine and the organization of cash circulation (Article 7 of the Law of Ukraine “On the National Bank of Ukraine”).

Volume and turnover in Ukraine other currencies and use of substitutes as a payment prohibited (Article 32 of the Law of Ukraine “On the National Bank of Ukraine”).

Given the above, the National Bank of Ukraine considers “virtual currency / Cryptocurrency” Bitcoin as a money substitute that is not providing real value and can not be used by individuals and entities on the territory of Ukraine as a means of payment, because it is contrary to the norms of Ukrainian legislation.

In addition, when using “virtual currency / Cryptocurrency” Bitcoin is a factor of increased risk associated with this service, operations or supply channels, including anonymous transactions (which may include cash), decentralization operation.

However, the international distribution of such payments for this category of services attractive to illegal activities, including money laundering, proceeds from crime and terrorist financing.

We emphasize that the risks for use in the calculation of “virtual currency / Cryptocurrency” Bitsoin responsible party payments for them. National Bank of Ukraine as a regulator is not liable for risks and losses associated with the use of “virtual currency / Cryptocurrency” Bitsoin.

In order to protect consumers’ rights, safety, money transfer National Bank of Ukraine encourages citizens to use the services of only those payment systems, settlement systems, which included the National Bank of Ukraine in the Register of payment systems, settlement systems, participants in these systems and service providers payment infrastructure.

http://bank.gov.ua/control/uk/publish/article?art_id=11879608

Report: Terrorist Bezler eliminated by Russian security services

You can never be sure if this is Russian disinformation or not. Nevertheless, Bezler might have been the man who knew too much. He was known for extra-judicial killings as a means of disciplining Russia’s mercenaries. He’s also the guy who most likely ordered the attack on MH17.

He was in this conflict since the first seizures of government buildings in Horlivka. See: I’m a colonel of the Russian Army.”

Russian Actor, Putin Critic found dead

Outspoken actor who fought Putin’s hatred and corruption found dead… In 2010 he urged fellow actors, artists and musicians to boycott “ultra-patriotic, propagandistic, chauvinistic, anti-Semitic, or pro-Stalinist feature films and television projects” and “agitprop documentaries”.

http://www.news.com.au/world/russian-actor-and-putin-critic-alexei-devotchenko-found-dead-in-moscow-apartment/story-fndir2ev-1227114337706

New ‘macho’ law in Russia planned to give state handouts to men who have children with more than one woman

Heh.

Men who have children by different women should be paid a special allowance by the state for increasing the population, a Russian MP claimed.

A new ‘Macho Law’ was proposed by Valery Seleznev, who believes that marriage for life is outdated.

Mr Seleznev said: ‘Let’s stimulate productive men so they can receive paternity capital and use it, for example, for alimony payments.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2803586/New-macho-law-planned-state-handouts-men-children-one-woman.html

Ugh. Very typical Russian thinking regarding China

“Khramchikhin argues that a Chinese invasion of Russia is almost inevitable because “objectively” China cannot survive “in its current borders. It must become much bigger if it does not want to become much smaller” and it needs resources Russia and Kazakhstan…” [emphasis added]

It is no surprise that Russia is reviled by all its neighbors like no other country in the world.

http://euromaidanpress.com/2014/11/05/russian-analyst-china-the-real-military-danger-to-russia/

Interview with one of Putin’s Professional Trolls

The paid trolls who recently used to huddle in Olgino at the outskirts of St. Petersburg, have moved to a new 4-storey office on the bank of the river Neva.

Around 250 people work 12-hour shifts, writing in blogs 24/7, working mostly in the Russian blogging platform Livejournal and a Facebook-esque social network Vkontakte. This is a full-cycle production: some write the posts, others comment on them. Most often they comment each other in order to boost the ratings. The refrain is always the same: the good Putin, the bad Poroshenko and the ugly Obama.

http://euromaidanpress.com/2014/11/02/the-sad-life-of-putins-troll-army/