Guys, don't forget May 9

[mox 298]

Victory Day, it's one of the big ones.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Yes, also Mother's Day!

Has anyone else heard the rumors? My mother in law told me the other day they are very concerned about a "civil war" in Ukraine. Seems the new government has invited the Russian and Belarussian military to join in the May 9 Parade in Kiev! After all they WERE one country at the time. On the surface it would appear no more offensive than having a British or Canadian military unit in one of our Memorial Day Parades...but in Ukraine it is not that simple. Her mom is afraid if the people from western Ukraine "go crazy" and shoot at the Russians the Russians will shoot back and the parade will turn into a battle. Seems a bit over the top, and my MIL, bless her soul, can be a bit over the top.

Alla is due to leave for a visit next Saturday and her mom is warning her to be careful.

Anyone else heard of this?

[Cixelsyd 1]

Victory Day, it's one of the big ones.

I like that it conveniently falls on Mother's day, which makes it easy on my lack of memory. I wish more holidays would do this. Instead of having to remember 20 different holidays, just stack them all into one day.

[LvivLovers 39]

I like that it conveniently falls on Mother's day, which makes it easy on my lack of memory. I wish more holidays would do this. Instead of having to remember 20 different holidays, just stack them all into one day.

We got engaged on New Years and married almost exactly on Valentine's Day! Coincedence or strategic genius? You decide!

[Cixelsyd 1]

We got engaged on New Years and married almost exactly on Valentine's Day! Coincedence or strategic genius? You decide!

Much too late I realize the error of my ways. I obviously didn't plan this out well enough.

Now I've got to start counting 9 months ahead to see if I can't time when to have kids just right.

[visaveteran 1]

Victory Day, it's one of the big ones.

Maybe if your wife is 80 years old this is a big day.

[TheBears 9]

Much too late I realize the error of my ways. I obviously didn't plan this out well enough.

Now I've got to start counting 9 months ahead to see if I can't time when to have kids just right.

Careful now; kids are crafty. They might surprise you and pop out unexpectedly early or late.

My cousin was supposed to be a New Year's baby. She's closer to Thanksgiving.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Careful now; kids are crafty. They might surprise you and pop out unexpectedly early or late.

My cousin was supposed to be a New Year's baby. She's closer to Thanksgiving.

That's because the gestation period for the first baby can vary. Sometimes they are born just 2-3 months after marriage, but the 2nd one always takes 9 months.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Maybe if your wife is 80 years old this is a big day.

I KNEW it was coming...so here we go!!!!!!!!!! Moxie, you were baiting VV and you KNOW IT!

I suppose that as an American I have to be 250 years old for July 4th to be of any importance? I have to be 95 years old for Veterans Day to mean anything? 2010 years old to celebrate Easter?

I went to the Victory Day parades in Ukraine and there was a lot of younger people enjoying the day just as we enjoy Memorial Day or Labor Day...what is the problem VV? You think human sacrifice loses importance because it was (at the time) Soviet citizens? You think the Red Army guys were less scared and wanted to be with their families less than American boys? You think Ukrainian women grieved for their men less than our women? You won't find a Ukrainian today that wasn;t directly affected by that war.

I mean what do YOU celebrate, VV? You NEVER defended "your" country. You never ejected an invader from YOUR country. YOUR country, in your lifetime, never endured any hardship, war, seige what right do you have to celebrate anything? I WISH our country gave the honor to OUR veterans of WW2 that Ukraine and the FSU gives to theirs.

[visaveteran 1]

Great work! And record breaking! We went from celebrating Victory Day, to figuring out how to be cheapskate husbands, to illegitimate kids...all within the first handful of posts.

[mox 298]

Nope, I wasn't baiting. I did what I should have done months ago, and have him on ignore now. My enjoyment of the forum has gone up by magnitudes. I would highly encourage everyone else to do the same. Eventually he will get tired of talking to himself and wander away for greener pastures.

[Cixelsyd 1]

Careful now; kids are crafty. They might surprise you and pop out unexpectedly early or late.

My cousin was supposed to be a New Year's baby. She's closer to Thanksgiving.

Wives who want kids really bad can be crafty too. I always joke with my wife about when we'll have kids, but in the end, the ovaries will win the war.

Nope, I wasn't baiting. I did what I should have done months ago, and have him on ignore now. My enjoyment of the forum has gone up by magnitudes. I would highly encourage everyone else to do the same. Eventually he will get tired of talking to himself and wander away for greener pastures.

Just posting in the RUB forum seems to be baiting someone.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand:

I used to wonder why WWII (or the great patriotic war) was such a big deal to them until I looked up statistics on the number of people that died. The figure is somewhere close to 24 million people. Half of those were military personnel and the other half were civilians.

WWII is important to us, but our some hundred thousand military personnel is just a drop in the bucket compared to their losses.

On another note however, I was pretty surprised to see the number of Chinese that were killed in the war as well. I think it was somewhere between 1/2 - 3/4 of the Russians (and almost all were civilians). I wonder if they celebrate the victory like the Russians do.

[visaveteran 1]

I KNEW it was coming...so here we go!!!!!!!!!! Moxie, you were baiting VV and you KNOW IT!

I suppose that as an American I have to be 250 years old for July 4th to be of any importance? I have to be 95 years old for Veterans Day to mean anything? 2010 years old to celebrate Easter?

I went to the Victory Day parades in Ukraine and there was a lot of younger people enjoying the day just as we enjoy Memorial Day or Labor Day...what is the problem VV? You think human sacrifice loses importance because it was (at the time) Soviet citizens? You think the Red Army guys were less scared and wanted to be with their families less than American boys? You think Ukrainian women grieved for their men less than our women? You won't find a Ukrainian today that wasn;t directly affected by that war.

I mean what do YOU celebrate, VV? You NEVER defended "your" country. You never ejected an invader from YOUR country. YOUR country, in your lifetime, never endured any hardship, war, seige what right do you have to celebrate anything? I WISH our country gave the honor to OUR veterans of WW2 that Ukraine and the FSU gives to theirs.

I usually don't take my wife out for "VJ Day" or on "D-Day." I think the US is pretty much over cheering about beating Hitler.

Many people, Medevdev included, blame Stalin for getting caught by surprise by the German invasion after kissing up to Hitler with the "treaty" Stalin supposedly had with him. Things would not have gone so badly had Stalin been a better military leader and prepared for war.

On a different slant, if I celebrate "Victory Day" by default I have to celebrate Stalin...I think I'll pass. I don't think dinner and drinks go well with the thought of a homicidal dictator's successes.

On a practical note, I don't think younger Russia women get all excited over watching Russian tanks and nuclear missiles roll by, and watching 85 year old vets hobbling through Red Square.

Rather then give some hollow "honoring," how about Russia and the Ukraine give their war vets some benefit money? Some free medical care? Some housing? Jobs? Their wives and children some death benefits? Russians don't even bury their vets with honor.

The US takes care of her vets above all others. Now there's something to celebrate.

[visaveteran 1]

Wives who want kids really bad can be crafty too. I always joke with my wife about when we'll have kids, but in the end, the ovaries will win the war.

Just posting in the RUB forum seems to be baiting someone.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand:

I used to wonder why WWII (or the great patriotic war) was such a big deal to them until I looked up statistics on the number of people that died. The figure is somewhere close to 24 million people. Half of those were military personnel and the other half were civilians.

WWII is important to us, but our some hundred thousand military personnel is just a drop in the bucket compared to their losses.

On another note however, I was pretty surprised to see the number of Chinese that were killed in the war as well. I think it was somewhere between 1/2 - 3/4 of the Russians (and almost all were civilians). I wonder if they celebrate the victory like the Russians do.

China was occupied by the Japanese and were slaughtered like sheep. To save face, they would never celebrate the US defeat of Japan. The Asian Theater lasted longer than the European one so victory celebrations are at different times.

[mox 298]

I used to wonder why WWII (or the great patriotic war) was such a big deal to them until I looked up...

You may already know this, but Russians make a distinction between the Great Patriotic War and WW2. The GPW was the Soviet Union's war with Germany, while WW2 is the all-inclusive war.

But yeah. If anyone's got cause to make a big deal of this war, it's Russia and the former Soviet countries. The Nazis decimated not only their population, but destroyed and hauled off as war trophies so much of their cultural heritage. My wife has stories from her grandparents that just raise the hair on the back of my neck.

Here's some pretty cool photos of a previous celebration in Moscow, and some pics from rehearsals for the upcoming parade.