What Edward Snowden Can Expect in Russia

The lovely refugee center in the Ural Mountains awaits
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A model Russian refugee center

Now that NSA leaker Edward Snowden has been granted asylum in Russia, the Kremlin’s official news source, Russia Today, tells us what he can expect in his new life.

Invasive medical tests, a placement in a refugee center, and round-the-clock security observation are just some of the things whistleblower Edward Snowden could face in the coming weeks, if he finally steps out from the confines of a Moscow airport.

Russia’s Federal Migration Service (FMS) can take up to three months to consider an application - which Snowden submitted last week - although it is unlikely that the 30-year-old American’s papers have been lodged at the bottom of a pile on an immigration official’s table.

Prominent lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, who has served as the go-between for Snowden, told RT on Monday that he is “impatiently awaiting news that could come any time,” though declined to provide specifics. FMS officials have stated that an answer could be given within one working week, but say they first have to identify whether Edward Snowden is who he says he is, as his passport has been annulled, and they currently know his name “only from his own statements.”

If the application is accepted and Snowden is given the 12-month temporary asylum that enables him to leave the transit area of Sheremetyevo airport, he will have to undergo a daunting medical assessment designed especially for immigrants. Along with a standard screening for HIV and tuberculosis, he will also be checked for leprosy and the rare sexually-transmitted disease chancroid. Russian Health Ministry officials have said that they are ready to administer the tests at a moment’s notice, but so far have not been asked to do so by Snowden.

After Snowden registers his whereabouts with the police - to avoid risking a $150 fine - he will be free to apply for placement in a processing facility for asylum seekers. There are no such facilities in Moscow, and ones in the vicinity have been flooded with refugees escaping the Syrian conflict. Elena Ryabinina, a human rights lawyer who works with asylum seekers, told gazeta.ru newspaper that most of her clients get offered a bed in a center near Perm - a city by the Ural mountains, more than 1,000 km east of Moscow.

Glenn Greenwald, meanwhile, has a new book deal.

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118 comments
1 NJDhockeyfan  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:27:59am
2 Kragar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:28:23am

Russia, last bastion for freedom and liberty.

3 Kragar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:29:14am

re: #1 NJDhockeyfan

[Embedded content]

“Hey, I know those Olympics were kind of a big deal for you guys, but we’re not going to be able to make it.”

4 NJDhockeyfan  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:31:17am
5 Gus  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:31:31am

re: #2 Kragar

Russia, last bastion for freedom and liberty.

Like Somalia.

6 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:32:16am

This model refugee camp Potemkin village that Mr. Snowden will be going to is little more than a glorified prison; he will have to register with the police, and he will be monitored.

Ah, Russia; the land of freedom.

LOLOLOLOL

7 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:32:43am

I hope the only way he can make a living is in a shoe factory.

8 Dr. Matt  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:33:06am

Snowden and Greenwald are undeniable proof that libertarianism should be classified as a mental disorder.

9 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:33:45am

re: #7 Justanotherhuman

I hope the only way he can make a living is in a shoe factory.

You’re feeling generous today! I was thinking along the lines of ‘uranium mine’.

10 darthstar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:33:48am

Come for the vodka, stay for the penile probing.

11 NJDhockeyfan  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:33:48am

Now that he’s out, how is he going to pay for an apartment, food, clothing, transportation, etc? Does he expect Wikileaks to fund his living expenses?

12 b.d.  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:33:54am

re: #1 NJDhockeyfan

[Embedded content]

How about just not going to the G20 summit?

And how about threatening to boycott the Olympics because of potential jailing of US citizens due to their sexual preferences?

13 GeneJockey  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:34:41am
Invasive medical tests, a placement in a refugee center, and round-the-clock security observation are just some of the things whistleblower Edward Snowden could face in the coming weeks, if he finally steps out from the confines of a Moscow airport.

…but in Soviet Capitalist Russia, asshole probes YOU!

14 jaunte  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:35:38am
15 b.d.  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:36:13am

re: #7 Justanotherhuman

I hope the only way he can make a living is in a shoe factory.

Too many good glues for him to get high off of. How about being the English speaking tour guide at one of the Siberian gulag museums ?

16 jaunte  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:36:28am

Thanks, Wikileaks!

17 Dr. Matt  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:36:55am

From the article:

But the Head of the Public Chamber of FMS Vladimir Volokh said on Friday that it’s a “bad idea” for Snowden to leave the airport at all, as his personal security cannot be guaranteed beyond its gates.

“I don’t think it is good for Snowden to travel freely in Russia, as he is a wanted man,” said Volokh.

Ah, I bet he’s loving his newfound FREEEEDOM!!!!!

18 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:37:05am

re: #14 jaunte

[Embedded content]

And yet Snowald would approve of leaving them open because no metadata—hell, no NSA.

19 Kragar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:37:17am

Remember back in the day when people kept screaming this guy was a Muslim Terrorist who hated America?

Youtube Video

20 GeneJockey  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:38:21am

re: #7 Justanotherhuman

I hope the only way he can make a living is in a shoe factory.

I worked in a shoe factory. You had to toe the line, and stay instep or they’d bring you to heel. I wasn’t sure I could last. It ate away at your sole

21 Gus  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:38:48am

Does this mean he’ll get a Lada with a dashcam or a BMW with a dashcam?

22 wrenchwench  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:38:58am

I like the use of the singular in this sentence:

Incidentally, the other Cambridge Four member, Anthony Blunt, decided to co-operate with the MI5, rather than flee to Russia, an option that will always be on Snowdon’s [sic] mind, as he remains separated from his family and friend (though Blunt, of course, was never imprisoned).

Must be referring to Greenwald.

23 b.d.  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:38:58am

re: #20 Mateo Scrounge

I worked in a shoe factory. You had to toe the line, and stay instep or they’d bring you to heel. I wasn’t sure I could last. It ate away at your sole

So it was a straight laced organization?

24 Kragar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:39:02am

re: #20 Mateo Scrounge

I worked in a shoe factory. You had to toe the line, and stay instep or they’d bring you to heel. I wasn’t sure I could last. It ate away at your sole

When did they give you the boot?

25 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:39:13am

re: #20 Mateo Scrounge

I worked in a shoe factory. You had to toe the line, and stay instep or they’d bring you to heel. I wasn’t sure I could last. It ate away at your sole

I worked in a TV factory. It could be shocking work.

26 NJDhockeyfan  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:39:35am
27 jaunte  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:39:48am

re: #20 Mateo Scrounge

I worked in a shoe factory. You had to toe the line, and stay instep or they’d bring you to heel. I wasn’t sure I could last. It ate away at your sole

All your co-workers were Zapatistas?

28 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:40:14am

Russia? I still don’t understand.

Why Russia?

29 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:40:32am

re: #20 Mateo Scrounge

I worked in a shoe factory. You had to toe the line, and stay instep or they’d bring you to heel. I wasn’t sure I could last. It ate away at your sole

*groan*

30 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:40:47am

re: #21 Gus

Does this mean he’ll get a Lada with a dashcam or a BMW with a dashcam?

A used Yugo.

31 Charles Johnson  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:41:09am

re: #19 Kragar

Remember back in the day when people kept screaming this guy was a Muslim Terrorist who hated America?

[Embedded content]

You never know. There could be a bomb in that guitar.

32 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:41:14am

At least the puns stay on point.

33 GeneJockey  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:41:14am

re: #27 jaunte

All your co-workers were Zapatistas?

No, but we did have some saboteurs.

34 GeneJockey  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:41:41am

re: #30 Justanotherhuman

A used Yugo.

Do they last long enough to be resold?

35 Kragar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:42:47am

re: #31 Charles Johnson

You never know. There could be a bomb in that guitar.

It would be irresponsible not to speculate.

36 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:42:48am

re: #34 Mateo Scrounge

Do they last long enough to be resold?

Wire and duct tape do a hell of a repair job.

37 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:43:48am

Speaking of SHOES!!!!

These are scrumptious!

38 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:44:57am

re: #37 FemNaziBitch

Speaking of SHOES!!!!

These are scrumptious!

Foot cripplers. : )

39 NJDhockeyfan  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:44:59am
40 GeneJockey  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:45:05am

re: #31 Charles Johnson

You never know. There could be a bomb in that guitar.

Guitars can be dangerous

41 Kragar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:46:25am

re: #37 FemNaziBitch

Speaking of SHOES!!!!

These are scrumptious!

Youtube Video

42 wrenchwench  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:46:36am

I was going to join in on the shoe puns, but I got tongue-tied.

43 Jack Burton  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:47:23am

re: #40 Mateo Scrounge

Guitars can be dangerous

“This machine kills fascists.”

44 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:47:56am

re: #30 Justanotherhuman

A used Yugo.

He’ll get this fine example of automotive engineering.

Image: yambol+daily+picture+13+4+09+racing+stripes+or+repairs.jpg

45 Kragar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:48:36am

re: #42 wrenchwench

I was going to join in on the shoe puns, but I got tongue-tied.

Tongue Tied?

Youtube Video

46 GeneJockey  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:49:04am

re: #28 FemNaziBitch

Russia? I still don’t understand.

Why Russia?

Because that was the only place he could get a ticket to, I guess, on his way to the libertarian paradise of Venezuela?

47 Carlos Danger  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:49:22am

re: #43 Jack Burton

“This machine kills fascists.”

Gotta say, I always preferred that slogan to Seeger’s gentler version.

48 NJDhockeyfan  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:49:55am
49 darthstar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:49:59am
50 Jack Burton  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:50:03am

re: #28 FemNaziBitch

Russia? I still don’t understand.

Why Russia?

In Putin’s Russia, whistle blows you…


I don’t know, I’m reaching.

51 GeneJockey  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:50:29am

re: #43 Jack Burton

“This machine kills fascists.”

If that were on Nugent’s guitar, it would keep trying to kill him.

52 Shiplord Kirel  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:50:31am

Wow! The refugee center looks just like what I had in mind for the Special Administrative Region I want to create for liberty-loving glibertarians and sovereign citizens.

53 Jack Burton  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:51:10am

re: #52 Shiplord Kirel

Wow! The refugee center looks just like what I had in mind for the Special Administrative Region I want to create for liberty-loving glibertarians and sovereign citizens.

Rapture? Columbia?

54 wrenchwench  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:53:25am

re: #45 Kragar

Tongue Tied?

[Embedded content]

I appreciated the dedication, nay, the obsessiveness required to curate and maintain a collection of videos such that the most wtf selection is right at hand for any occasion.

55 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:53:31am
56 Kragar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 11:56:04am

re: #54 wrenchwench

I appreciated the dedication, nay, the obsessiveness required to curate and maintain a collection of videos such that the most wtf selection is right at hand for any occasion.

And I do it all in my head.

57 Gus  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:00:24pm

Another article at RT said:

An “exhausted” Edward Snowden will have his own choice of accommodation, has no current plans to leave Russia, and still misses his girlfriend, according to his Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena.

Snowden can live in a hotel or rent a flat in Russia,” said Kucherena, who has repeatedly spoken on behalf of Snowden, while his client was trapped in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo airport for over a month. “But the personal safety issue is a very serious one for him.”

58 NJDhockeyfan  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:02:33pm

Hey, he’s got someone interested in taking a look at his résumé.

59 Shiplord Kirel  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:05:08pm

re: #44 Dr Lizardo, Drooling Jingoist

He’ll get this fine example of automotive engineering.

Image: yambol+daily+picture+13+4+09+racing+stripes+or+repairs.jpg

The Yugo (Zastava cars) factory was bombed by NATO forces during the 1999 Kosovo war. Unfortunately, the strike was actually aimed at the adjacent Zastava arms complex and little damage was done to the car plant.

61 Kragar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:07:12pm

re: #60 FemNaziBitch

Congressman Scolds Catholic Nun For Asking Government To Help The Poor

Instead of focusing on how the government can assist the millions of Americans who struggle to put food on the table, Rep. Reid Ribble (R-WI) indicted Campbell and the Catholic Church for not doing enough to fix poverty on their own, asking, “What is the church doing wrong that they have to come to the government to get so much help?”

62 Eclectic Cyborg  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:07:48pm

One question I’ve been curious about: Where is Snowden getting the money to clothe/feed/house himself? Surely he couldn’t have saved up that much.

63 Eclectic Cyborg  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:08:43pm

re: #61 Kragar


Congressman Scolds Catholic Nun For Asking Government To Help The Poor

Because all churches have the funding and resources the government does. Good grief.

Kragar, recommend you page that one if you haven’t already.

64 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:08:49pm

re: #62 Eclectic Cyborg

One question I’ve been curious about: Where is Snowden getting the money to clothe/feed/house himself? Surely he couldn’t have saved up that much.

Most likely from Wikileaks.

65 b.d.  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:09:08pm

TheAtlanticWire

Update 1:45 p.m.: In a conversation with The Atlantic Wire, FBI spokesperson Peter Donald confirmed The Guardian’s report that the FBI was not involved in the visit itself. Asked if the FBI was involved in providing information that led to the visit, Donald replied that he could not answer the question at this point, as he didn’t know.

We asked if the Suffolk and Nassau police, which The Guardian reported were the authorities that effected the raid, are part of the government’s regional Joint Terrorism Task Force. They are, he replied, representing two of the 52 agencies that participate. He said that local police are often deputized federal marshals for that purpose — but that the JTTF “did not visit the residence.” He later clarified: “Any officers, agents, or other representatives of the JTTF did not visit that location.”

66 Kragar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:09:11pm

re: #62 Eclectic Cyborg

One question I’ve been curious about: Where is Snowden getting the money to clothe/feed/house himself? Surely he couldn’t have saved up that much.

Breakdancing for change.

67 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:10:36pm

re: #61 Kragar


Congressman Scolds Catholic Nun For Asking Government To Help The Poor

“We don’t suffer from a scarcity of resources, but a scarcity of political will”
(paraphrased) from the video I posted.

68 jaunte  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:12:35pm

re: #62 Eclectic Cyborg

One ruble per document.

69 NJDhockeyfan  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:12:46pm

RT:

…Kucherena said that Snowden, who had his luggage pre-packed before he was told he could leave the airport, was “exhausted” and will need “rehabilitation.”

I bet rehabilitation will be a most enjoyable experience.
Heh.

70 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:14:45pm

re: #60 FemNaziBitch

“68% of children living in poverty are living in families with working parents”

Is it such a stretch that Reproductive Choice is an Economic Issue? Why can’t the “fiscally concerned” in this country see the obvious.

It’s so obvious I can’t even begin to think how one would write the argument to explain it in a step-by-step manner people seem to need.

71 steve_davis  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:14:59pm

I’m kind of hoping he gets offered a spot in a uranium mine. Life expectancy—about a year, before you start coughing up cancerous pieces of lung.

72 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:15:30pm

re: #71 steve_davis

I’m kind of hoping he gets offered a spot in a uranium mine. Life expectancy—about a year, before you start coughing up cancerous pieces of lung.

That might be a nice sentence for Ariel Castro.

73 Kragar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:15:55pm

re: #71 steve_davis

I’m kind of hoping he gets offered a spot in a uranium mine. Life expectancy—about a year, before you start coughing up cancerous pieces of lung.

Youtube Video

74 steve_davis  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:16:23pm

re: #9 Dr Lizardo, Drooling Jingoist

You’re feeling generous today! I was thinking along the lines of ‘uranium mine’.

LOL!! I should have read a little further down the page.

75 EPR-radar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:18:12pm

re: #70 FemNaziBitch

Is it such a stretch that Reproductive Choice is an Economic Issue? Why can’t the “fiscally concerned” in this country see the obvious.

It’s so obvious I can’t even begin to think how one would write the argument to explain it in a step-by-step manner people seem to need.

Very few of the “fiscally concerned” actually care about the financial issues.

Instead, budgets etc. are used as tools to implement the real agenda, which is basically a malignant elitism having racism, misogyny, homophobia, and grinding working people and the poor into dust as essential ingredients.

76 Shiplord Kirel  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:19:15pm

There are apparently a few diehards who still like the Yugo, though Cthulhu alone knows why.
An oddly reassuring aspect of auto culture: No matter how disastrous, disreputable, or famously failed a vehicle might be, every mass produced car seems to have at least a small contingent of devoted; indeed, fanatical fans. There is, for example, a Vega car club, a very active AMC Pacer subculture, and even, so help me, a Pinto car club. Nothing goes to waste, not even misguided enthusiasm.

(As a big fan of the Citroen 2CV, I might be accused of a double standard, since it is even uglier than the above named products, but nobody could call it a failure.)

77 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:19:53pm

re: #75 EPR-radar

Very few of the “fiscally concerned” actually care about the financial issues.

Instead, budgets etc. are used as tools to implement the real agenda, which is basically a malignant elitism having racism, misogyny, homophobia, and grinding working people and the poor into dust as essential ingredients.

True, very True.

78 GeneJockey  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:20:25pm

re: #70 FemNaziBitch

Is it such a stretch that Reproductive Choice is an Economic Issue? Why can’t the “fiscally concerned” in this country see the obvious.

It’s so obvious I can’t even begin to think how one would write the argument to explain it in a step-by-step manner people seem to need.

oh, they see it that way, but primarily they see it as “Don’t have sex unless you can afford to raise a child!”, but that can be boiled down to “Don’t have sex!”

It’s really not fiscal concern that motivates them, or the obvious economy of cheap or free contraception combined with easily available, honest, informative sex education would appeal to them.

79 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:21:49pm

re: #76 Shiplord Kirel

There are apparently a few diehards who still like the Yugo, though Cthulhu alone knows why.
An oddly reassuring aspect of auto culture: No matter how disastrous, disreputable, or famously failed a vehicle might be, every mass produced car seems to have at least a small contingent of devoted; indeed, fanatical fans. There is, for example, a Vega car club, a very active AMC Pacer subculture, and even, so help me, a Pinto car club. Nothing goes to waste, not even misguided enthusiasm.

(As a big fan of the Citroen 2CV, I might be accused of a double standard, since it is even uglier than the above named products, but nobody could call it a failure.)

I learned to drive in a ‘76 Pinto station wagon.

80 Lidane  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:22:47pm

Note to self: Three hours of sleep, caffeine, and two 5 Hour Energy shots still equals being tired as all hell.

Finished and sent off my draft proposal two hours ago. Drove across town to a client meeting where I was pleased to note that it was basically a foregone conclusion that I’d be one of their vendors, which is a nice ego boost. Now I’m back in my office waiting for final approval of my proposal so it can be sent in once and for all.

I’m taking tomorrow off, dammit. After today, I’m going to sleep for at least 18 hours.

81 ProTARDISLiberal  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:23:00pm

re: #76 Shiplord Kirel

The Citroen 2CV is a cute looking car though. Not ugly at all.

82 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:23:15pm

re: #76 Shiplord Kirel

My dream car: Image: Tatra_603.jpg

Tatra 603.

83 First As Tragedy, Then As Farce  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:23:20pm

re: #71 steve_davis

I’m kind of hoping he gets offered a spot in a uranium mine. Life expectancy—about a year, before you start coughing up cancerous pieces of lung.

I think he’d be most miserable if he ended up in a place where nobody knew who he is (other than generically as “that soft American”), nobody cares what he’s done, and if/when he tells them, they have zero fucks in stock to give.

As it is now, he’s probably imagining that in a few years he’ll return to the US to great awe and adulation, like Bruce Wayne surfacing after years spent in in the ass-end of nowhere training with the League of Shadows.

84 GeneJockey  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:23:46pm

re: #76 Shiplord Kirel

There are apparently a few diehards who still like the Yugo, though Cthulhu alone knows why.
An oddly reassuring aspect of auto culture: No matter how disastrous, disreputable, or famously failed a vehicle might be, every mass produced car seems to have at least a small contingent of devoted; indeed, fanatical fans. There is, for example, a Vega car club, a very active AMC Pacer subculture, and even, so help me, a Pinto car club. Nothing goes to waste, not even misguided enthusiasm.

(As a big fan of the Citroen 2CV, I might be accused of a double standard, since it is even uglier than the above named products, but nobody could call it a failure.)

To be fair, the Pinto, despite it’s reputation as a rolling firebomb, doesn’t have the Chevy Vega’s penchant for destroying its own engine. IIRC, the Pinto had a cast iron block, not as high tech as the Vega’s sleeveless aluminum, but also much more reliable. I learned how to drive stick in my sister’s Pinto.

And the Pacer was just ugly.

85 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:23:55pm

re: #80 Lidane

Note to self: Three hours of sleep, caffeine, and two 5 Hour Energy shots still equals being tired as all hell.

Finished and sent off my draft proposal two hours ago. Drove across town to a client meeting where I was pleased to note that it was basically a foregone conclusion that I’d be one of their vendors, which is a nice ego boost. Now I’m back in my office waiting for final approval of my proposal so it can be sent in once and for all.

I’m taking tomorrow off, dammit. After today, I’m going to sleep for at least 18 hours.

Have I told you how much I love my Aeropress?

86 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:24:52pm

I had a friend in college who swore her Pinto could get thru any snow/ice storm.

87 GeneJockey  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:27:41pm

re: #86 FemNaziBitch

I had a friend in college who swore her Pinto could get thru any snow/ice storm.

Oddly enough, it was a snowstorm that allowed me to learn how to drive stick in my sister’s Pinto. Because the wheels would slip just a little, it didn’t do that JERK-a-JERK-a-JERK-a that you get when you’re doing it wrong. So I learned how to slip the clutch just a bit when starting off.

88 Kaessa  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:28:03pm

re: #85 FemNaziBitch

Have I told you how much I love my Aeropress?

Yes! I have one on my Amazon wishlist now.

89 OhNoZombies!  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:28:18pm

re: #38 Justanotherhuman

Foot cripplers. : )

“It’s better to look good, than to feel good!”
-some dude Billy Crystal played on SNL

90 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:28:21pm

re: #87 Mateo Scrounge

Oddly enough, it was a snowstorm that allowed me to learn how to drive stick in my sister’s Pinto. Because the wheels would slip just a little, it didn’t do that JERK-a-JERK-a-JERK-a that you get when you’re doing it wrong. So I learned how to slip the clutch just a bit when starting off.

I miss a manual transmission.

91 abolitionist  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:28:24pm

re: #86 FemNaziBitch

I had a friend in college who swore her Pinto could get thru any snow/ice storm.

Did your friend’s Pinto have four legs, by chance?

92 darthstar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:28:28pm
93 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:28:54pm

re: #91 abolitionist

Did your friend’s Pinto have four legs, by chance?

No, I guess it was a workhorse.

94 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:30:13pm

re: #92 darthstar

[Embedded content]

Yes, it took Greenland being Green for me to actually BELIEVE we had a environmental issue going on. I admit it, I was a bit slow to get it. I’m a visual person, I had to see it.

Greenland isn’t supposed to be Green. Iceland is.

95 GeneJockey  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:30:40pm

re: #90 FemNaziBitch

I miss a manual transmission.

You can have mine. It sucks in traffic, especially on hills in stop-and-go. I wish I’d bought an automatic.

96 GeneJockey  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:31:15pm

re: #92 darthstar

[Embedded content]

But it was cold somewhere, and besides, Al Gore is fat.

97 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:32:20pm

re: #95 Mateo Scrounge

You can have mine. It sucks in traffic, especially on hills in stop-and-go. I wish I’d bought an automatic.

I’m probably too old for one now. I can hear my ankles and knees begging me not to get one.

I always felt like I had so much more control of the car—especially in winter weather.

98 Kragar  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:32:56pm

re: #82 Dr Lizardo, Drooling Jingoist

My dream car: Image: Tatra_603.jpg

Tatra 603.

I still want this:

Image: 1987_amc_eagle-pic-3850912702700917812.jpeg

99 OhNoZombies!  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:33:46pm

re: #91 abolitionist

Did your friend’s Pinto have four legs, by chance?

Well, we had a Pinto when I was very little.
The floor rusted out, but it was still drivable.
So, a Pinto with four legs sounds reasonable.
Hell, maybe even six legs…

100 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:34:12pm

Good luck finding a cheap apt in Moscow: evans.ru

The average price of a 3 room furnished pad is $4,400 USD in Moscow, but you can get a 350 sq ft one for $3K if you don’t mind the Stalin era bldg.

Housing blocks: Image: article-2097140-119BFC9A000005DC-999_964x642.jpg

101 makeitstop  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:34:52pm

Even though I still believe Snowden should be extradited and prosecuted for his crimes, I do have to say I feel sorry for the chump.

Greenwald used him.

Maybe Glenn wasn’t lying when he kept saying it wasn’t about Snowden - it was about Glenn advancing his career.

New book deal = mission accomplished. Snowden, you poor gullible bastard. Enjoy your bed in the Urals.

102 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:35:03pm

re: #98 Kragar

I still want this:

Image: 1987_amc_eagle-pic-3850912702700917812.jpeg

My dream car used to be a Jaguar.

Now it’s anything with a chauffeur and heated seats.

103 William Barnett-Lewis  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:35:54pm

re: #76 Shiplord Kirel

There are apparently a few diehards who still like the Yugo, though Cthulhu alone knows why.
An oddly reassuring aspect of auto culture: No matter how disastrous, disreputable, or famously failed a vehicle might be, every mass produced car seems to have at least a small contingent of devoted; indeed, fanatical fans. There is, for example, a Vega car club, a very active AMC Pacer subculture, and even, so help me, a Pinto car club. Nothing goes to waste, not even misguided enthusiasm.

(As a big fan of the Citroen 2CV, I might be accused of a double standard, since it is even uglier than the above named products, but nobody could call it a failure.)

Hey, I like the Pacer. And I have a soft spot for old Ramblers.

That said, if I ever got a collectable car it’d be a Triumph Spitfire or a TR6.

104 AntonSirius  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:36:03pm

re: #82 Dr Lizardo, Drooling Jingoist

My dream car: Image: Tatra_603.jpg

Tatra 603.

Citroen DS for me, in that dark burgundy color too.

105 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:36:06pm

re: #97 FemNaziBitch

I still drive at stick at age 72.

106 Spocomptonite  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:36:37pm

The irony of the amount of surveillance he will be under while asylum’d in Russia is delicious.

107 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:37:58pm

re: #100 Justanotherhuman

Good luck finding a cheap apt in Moscow: evans.ru

The average price of a 3 room furnished pad is $4,400 USD in Moscow, but you can get a 350 sq ft one for $3K if you don’t mind the Stalin era bldg.

Housing blocks: Image: article-2097140-119BFC9A000005DC-999_964x642.jpg

Ah, home sweet home, Comrade. The late Czech President Havel used to call them “rabbit hutches, unfit for human habitation”.

Believe it or not, there’s a magazine dedicated to those of us who live in the ‘rabbit hutches’. panelplus.cz

It’s all in Czech, but if you run it through a browser with autotranslate, you’ll get a rough idea of what it’s about.

108 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:38:44pm

re: #102 FemNaziBitch

My dream car used to be a Jaguar.

Now it’s anything with a chauffeur and heated seats.

I owned a 1987 Jaguar XJ6. Bought it, and sold it after six months.

Worst.
Car.
Ever.

109 Hercules Grytpype-Thynneghazi  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:40:36pm

re: #20 Mateo Scrounge

I worked in a shoe factory. You had to toe the line, and stay instep or they’d bring you to heel. I wasn’t sure I could last. It ate away at your sole

Can I ask whether the same rules applied to upper management?

110 FemNaziBitch  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:43:09pm

re: #108 Dr Lizardo, Drooling Jingoist

I owned a 1987 Jaguar XJ6. Bought it, and sold it after six months.

Worst.
Car.
Ever.

I know, I still wanted one. XJS Convertible.

111 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:44:44pm

Raise your hand if you want to contribute to Snowjob’s support in Moscow, which is “hip” according to ex-pat hipsters. Youtube Video

112 GeneJockey  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:46:28pm

re: #104 AntonSirius

Citroen DS for me, in that dark burgundy color too.

Great cars to ride in, fun to drive, a nightmare to own.

Credit the French for the ingenuity to come up with a high pressure hydraulic system running the suspension and brakes (and with Citromatic, the clutch and changing the gears) that self-levelled and allowed on-the-fly ride height adjustments. Too bad they let the French engineer it!

My Dad bought one in 1971, drove it till it rusted out - which was surprisingly quick, in Southern PA - and bought a used 1972 from the Sun Belt. Luckily, there was a Cit mechanic only 35 miles away, so when the hydraulic system got a leak, Dad was able to drive there, adding fluid only twice, while my Mom followed him, periodically using the wipers to clean the hydraulic fluid off her windshield.

Ah, good times!

My brother had two of them, a brand new 1972 D Special, on which a new piece of the hydraulic system would fail every few months, like the time he started it up, heard an odd hiss, and watched as 4L of expensive LHM hydraulic fluid sprayed out onto the ground. He replaced it after a year or two with a USED 1970 D Special, which ran somewhat more reliably, without ever reaching the level of ‘reliable’.

Then he and his wife went through a series of Renaults.

Still, the prize for Worst Car has to go to my other brother, who bought a Simca 1000.

113 GeneJockey  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:50:11pm

All that time, typing on a dead thread.

114 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:50:13pm

re: #107 Dr Lizardo, Drooling Jingoist

Well, it’s not the amount of space so much, it’s the freaking prices. : )

After all, my apt is about 800 sq ft and that would be a “rabbit hutch” to some people. : )

115 Romantic Heretic  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:56:00pm

re: #104 AntonSirius

I want a Morgan Roadster. Yes, that is a modern car.

116 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 12:58:14pm

re: #114 Justanotherhuman

Well, it’s not the amount of space so much, it’s the freaking prices. : )

After all, my apt is about 800 sq ft and that would be a “rabbit hutch” to some people. : )

The prices for Moscow real estate are insane. Prague was pretty crazy for awhile in the early 2000s, but it seems to have gone down and stabilized. Prague was the place to be for a few years there.

117 Ming  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 1:44:56pm

I’m not happy that Snowden has caused some damage to my beloved USA, and I’m not happy that Russia is giving him asylum. I would note, however, that I think it would be a shame if this undermines USA / Russia “relations”, such as they are. Snowden, and Greenwald, have done enough damage already.

118 jonhendry  Thu, Aug 1, 2013 7:43:51pm

re: #117 Ming

Putin’s vile anti-gay brownshirts ought to undermine US/Russia relations, preferably with the US boycotting the winter Olympics.


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