Ramzan Kadyrov is the hereditary warlord appointed puppet ruler of Chechnya by Vladimir Putin.
He has a famous Instagram account where he posts pictures of himself punching out failing ministers, inspecting monster trucks with Gerard Depardieu, showing off his golden gun, sending his body double to work in his place, and the like.
He's living the dream of eight-year-old Chechen boys everywhere. He's the Checheniest Chechen of them all.
Kadyrov was in the news recently asserting that his crack security forces had disposed of some top terrorist bandit threatening the Sochi Olympics.
But with the Olympics coming to the Caucasus, Kadyrov appears to have been put on his best behavior, Instagram-wise.
Now it's mostly Ramzan as an ecumenical Father Christmas, or piously making another pilgrimage to Mecca. Apparently, they didn't let him sweep out the Kabaa like last time.
We get an occasional picture of the old Ramzan, but mostly he seems to be trying to maintain a low Instagram profile until this Olympic thing is over. It must be killing him to know that all the cameras in the world are going to be only 400 miles away and they won't be pointing at him.
something of interest:
ReplyDeletehttp://gazette.com/clashing-portrayals-in-colorado-springs-trial-for-iraqi-immigrant-accused-in-brutal-rape/article/1512257
http://instagram.com/p/jdLjhMiRnz/
ReplyDeletewhat the hell?
Our host said: He's living the dream of eight-year-old Chechen boys everywhere. He's the Checheniest Chechen of them all.
ReplyDeleteHunsdon said: I hate the whole "fixed that for you" thing, but how does this sound?
He's living the dream of eight-year-old boys everywhere. He's the boyiest boy of them all.
Hanging out with action movie stars. Playing with fancy guns. Monster trucks! Playing Ded Moroz (Russian Santa, aka "Grandfather Frost"). Falcons! Being the baddest kid on the block! Having a doppleganger so you can cut class!
Maybe I'm just displaying my chechenist inclinations, but dang . . . .
Sally Jenkins is not GLAAD that the Olympics are in Russia according to her latest article in the Washington Bleep (in deference to Gordon Liddy). Seems that Vlad is running a "thugocracy" - who knew?
ReplyDeleteAt the risk of sounding like a total ph@g, that picture of him on the horse with the falcom is pretty dadgum awesome.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, as they say over at The Chateau -
Mongol General: Hao! Dai ye! We won again! This is good, but what is best in life?
Mongol: The open steppe, fleet horse, falcons at your wrist, and the wind in your hair.
Mongol General: Wrong! Conan! What is best in life?
Conan: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.
Mongol General: That is good! That is good.
Is he dressed up like Father Frost in the first picture?
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ded_Moroz#Ded_Moroz_in_modern_Russia
Slate writer says use unemployed Phds to teach college student-athletes how to read:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.slate.com/articles/life/education/2014/01/mary_willingham_north_carolina_scandal_use_unemployed_ph_d_s_to_teach_athletes.html
"How about this: If you find out a young man at your college doesn’t know how to read, you don’t punish the bearer of this information—you teach him the eff to read. It’s not that hard. Withstanding the tackle of a 300-pound man is difficult. Providing remedial instruction and readiness training to college athletes—or admitting that they are in need of special attention—should not be.
It seems to me that what big-time athletics programs need are scores of dedicated literacy specialists at the ready—if only there were a trained, enthusiastic labor force of them desperate for work. Oh wait, there is.
So here’s my modest proposal: Why not create entire new academic departments, dedicated to tutoring and teaching student-athletes, funded by the athletics programs—but, obviously, not run by them (hello, fake classes). Call the program, I dunno, Postdocs for Jocks."
Putin's mini-me. Someone should photoshop an image to that effect.
ReplyDelete"falcom" = falcon
ReplyDeleteSlate writer says use unemployed Phds to teach college student-athletes how to read:
ReplyDeleteHmmm....
1) Take PhD in English and earn $50,000 per year as technical writer for high tech corporation, in competition with H1B labor fresh off the boat from Bangladore,
-VERSUS-
2) Take PhD in English and earn $125,000 per year as superstar tutor for affletic department, engaged in Pavlovian conditioning of IQ-85 affletes with the goal of getting those affletes to be very briefly capable of ace-ing a standardized test meant for fifth graders?
Decisions, decisions, decisions...
1) Which is better for me?
-VERSUS-
2) Which is better for society at large?
"How about this: If you find out a young man at your college doesn’t know how to read, you don’t punish the bearer of this information—you teach him the eff to read. It’s not that hard. Withstanding the tackle of a 300-pound man is difficult. Providing remedial instruction and readiness training to college athletes—or admitting that they are in need of special attention—should not be." -- a Slate writer
ReplyDeleteSpoken like someone who's never tried.
Of course, I'm sure this writer knows that IQ is a myth and we're all born with the same mental potential, so a 20-year-old football player who can't read was simply disadvantaged as a youth and will blossom into a scholar just as soon as someone introduces him to the magic of reading.
Imagine any of these pictures with him wearing a Stetson and you have the next governor of Texas.
ReplyDeleteThis means the Chechens are only about 1000 years behind. It's the ideal job for the Russians.
ReplyDeleteFirst photo. Ramzan as Sorcerer's Apprentice?
ReplyDeleteSteve, you'll love Politico piece on the "best" states ... and you'll notice a Moynihanesque pattern quickly.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/01/states-of-our-union-are-not-all-strong-102547.html#.UuKiAvuIbGi
He's a manlet, isn't he?
ReplyDeleteSomeone else reads the COS Gazette in this forum?
ReplyDeleteKS
Steve, come clean. You just made up this guy and photoshopped the pictures. Too weird for my world.
ReplyDeleteAlbertosaurus
He looks like many of the Bubbas I played football with down South except for his Caucasus physique.
ReplyDeleteHe looks like many of the Bubbas I played football with down South except for his Caucasus physique.
ReplyDeleteIt's the Neolithic manlet genes.
C'mon, Albertosauras, you don't have a story about the time you and Rammy hitchhiked to Poland for sausages? I was counting on one.
ReplyDelete(And no, I'm not poking fun at all; I love your anecdotes.)
C'mon, Albertosauras, you don't have a story about the time you and Rammy hitchhiked to Poland for sausages? I was counting on one.
ReplyDeleteWith tall, dark, high-cheek-boned, large-breasted Eastern European dominatrixes.
Who snarl at you in deep, sultry contralto voices.
Don't forget them.
>He looks like many of the Bubbas I played football with down South<
ReplyDeleteThere are tons of exact clones of him running around Tennessee (but in slightly worse shape). Their names are usually Ronnie or Donnie.
ReplyDeleteHunsdon opined: He's living the dream of eight-year-old boys everywhere. He's the boyiest boy of them all.
TBG fretted: Uh oh. I'm 48.Must be suffering from about 40 years of arrested development...
He's living the dream of eight-year-old boys everywhere. He's the boyiest boy of them all.
ReplyDeleteI see a lot of one of my HS friends who was a discus and shot thrower in Rammy. Thinking of the "Checheniest Chechen of them all", methinks that would make a great song set to AC/DCs Big Balls. Rammy would love it.
ReplyDelete