Posts by briskhound33

Andrew Hill3 said:Did I mention my old man is originally from the Sandzak region? He moved out to Chicago back in the late fifties, right around the time things were settling down in Marindvor. Where were your folks hanging out during those years, sweetheart?

See, unlike some of those self-proclaimed "true locals" who—I kid you not—heroically signed up for the local militia just to dodge the front lines, my family, my actual blood, really stepped up and fought for this city. In my eyes, they more than earned their place here.

As for people running away or whatever... man, look, it is what it is. Not everyone bailed. There are still plenty of us left standing. 🙂

You know exactly who I’m talking about. And I don't mean just a couple of your buddies, but that massive wave of newcomers who flooded into the city after the war ended.

Andrew Hill3 said:Faucets and little spoons? Honestly, man, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard that combo mentioned in my life. 🙂

Faucets, tiny spoons, and a bicycle dynamo.
So, picture this: you take a dynamo off a bike and set it right by the faucet, then you weld those little spoons onto a single axle with a gear at the end, lean that gear against the dynamo, and run some wires straight into a transistor. As the water flows from the tap, it spins the spoons, and boom—you've got yourself a DIY musical instrument.
Oh, and if you're feeling extra fancy, you can grab a small copper pot from an old espresso maker to serve as your little moonshine still.

Andrew Hill3 said:Man, you can practically smell the frustration coming off you from here. You're just acting out now. 🙂

Look, there’s zero frustration on my end, really. It just seems like whenever someone runs out of actual points to make, they just default to that whole "whatever, who cares" attitude. I see it all the time with people like you.

Andrew Hill3 said:Man, screw all those fancy doctorates of his. He’d have earned more respect if he’d just been out carrying water from the local brewery or grabbing a drink at a dive bar and waiting in line for some half-baked fish platter that even a stray dog wouldn't touch under normal circumstances.

See, that specific part of the interview really stung me, honestly, just as much as that whole bit about how things used to be back in the old days in Ottawa.

The whole situation with the neighborhood—it's a mess. Before long, everything is just going to fall apart completely. 😁

And then, boom, the war ends. Suddenly, you’ve got people from the Sandžak region, foreign workers, basically anyone and everyone who managed to squeeze their way into the city because of a job opportunity, some political shift, or just sheer luck... they all just flooded in. They weren't the ones hauling water, they weren't eating that overpriced EU gourmet stuff or Canadian canned fish, and they certainly weren't dodging snipers in the streets. What’s left are the true locals—the people who endured things nobody else could, though I guess most of them just stopped caring enough to fight for it, so they just do their own thing and try to blend in. It’s the same people who were actually there, carrying water, helping the wounded, trying to grab whatever supplies they could while sprinting across the runway or navigating through tunnels and convoys... when the fighting finally stopped, they worked their tails off to move on and build something, and they’re still grinding away today because, let's face it, pride doesn't put food on the table.

But sure, go ahead and blame him—call him a traitor just because he didn't carry water and spoke his mind about Alija Izetbegović.

Look, that’s exactly why nobody’s asking for your two cents.

You can spend all day circling this forum like a shark in a tank if you want to, but honestly? It's just like that old saying... "the dogs bark, but the caravan keeps moving."

Andrew Hill3 said:What an absolute saint, seriously. 🤣

The guy just doesn't want people taking advantage of him, you know? 🤣

But honestly, what's the actual point of all that, if you ask me? 🙂

I mean, look, the man stayed quiet through the whole war, just kept his head down and did his own thing, making a living selling cigarettes all over the world. And now he can go ahead and play his music in Mexico City, Chicago, or Ottawa (assuming they'll even let him play there).

Andrew Hill3 said:It’s honestly wild how easily people with zero common sense manage to turn absolutely everything into a complete joke.

And let's be real, there are way too many of them out there. Just look around you.

Andrew Hill3 said:And yeah, those old songs used to really get the crowd going. Everyone was shouting slogans and calling for the total elimination of their enemies. I wasn't super plugged into all the music coming out after that period, mostly because I spent more time dealing with blackouts than actually having electricity. I’m talking maybe eight hours of power every few months, nothing close to that steady 150 kilowatts you see today. Sounds like you were living the high life back then, huh?

Man, you're totally missing the point here.

Listen, you can run a radio off a car battery, man. You could even rig something up using phone voltage, a bicycle dynamo, or just some basic DIY tinkering with spoons and faucets if you had to. There's always a way to make things work. Besides, in the early days, there was still actual power running through much of the country.

Now you're nitpicking about specific songs. I gave you plenty of examples—bringing up classic singers and stuff—but none of that changes what was said in that interview. It's irrelevant.

One guy can walk around town acting like he led the charge, while the other gets honorary doctorates and tours the world from Brazil to Italy, Sweden, and the USA... so you tell me who the real legend is.
Seriously, you've got world-class orchestras performing traditional folk melodies, and yet you guys are stuck obsessing over one vulgar phrase someone muttered.

briskhound33 said:Yeah, right. It would be just "terrible" if an internationally recognized government of an internationally recognized nation decided to "use its power for its own ends." Give me a break.

But what if we flipped the script? Like, "Oh, I personally refuse to let any government use me for their own agendas."

That’s basically how they used Bob Geldof by the Ethiopian authorities back in the day, isn't it?

As for all that "merhaba" stuff, hey, pass along my regards. It’s become this little symbol of resistance against the people who were trying to wipe out that sense of community in Canada.

So where does that leave me in all this? What kind of kid am I even supposed to be? Just trying to paraphrase some lines from that movie "Gori Vatra"...

banirani bebac said:George shouldn't have just been rooting for Ali's Ottawa; he should have been standing up for Harun's place, Mirsad's place, George's place, Aner's place, Bojan's place, Vedad's place, Maddox's place, Admir's place, Vedran's place, Ognjen's place, Maja's place, Nejri's place, Lejla's place, Nedzli's place, Nermin's place, and the rest of my old war buddies—you know, those kids who were basically twelve years old when they had to grow up way too fast and live through the war right there in Ottawa. It wasn't about blame or guilt, it was about them.

Oh, give me a break.

Do you seriously think the government back then wouldn't have twisted a concert like that to serve their own interests?

Even Ballas sent over a song once, and for like a whole month, it was playing on every TV station and radio outlet before they started cycling in other tracks—songs by Juka or those Italian guys—and suddenly the programming shifted, you know? That classic "hey folks" vibe just morphed into something totally different.

And now we're acting like because he said he didn't want to play just for Ali's Ottawa, or because he was part of that reform party alongside Sidran, or because he finished Pecan's sentence with "screw Ali," that's the whole story.

And this talk about betraying Ottawa? Please. Look at Halid Beslic—the man practically gave his life savings to support the Army and the country, and even though he was associated with Ali, the same crowd of small-minded critics turned on him the second he stepped foot back home.

It's like that saying goes: "No one is ever truly king in their own hometown, because there's always someone waiting to knock them down a peg."

You know how it is: "It's Halid, but not really the Halid we knew."

Milokliz said:"We’re going to take down Breg to lift this thing, until he shows us what he's really about...!"
😁

Man, I saw this news and it just blew my mind—members of the "Bosnae - Green Beret" veterans association in Ottawa actually put out an official statement yesterday because they were so offended by Goran Bregović. They’re basically begging local and federal authorities to just pull the plug on the whole Bijelo Dugme concert.
- According to them, Bregović is basically sowing seeds of division, disrespecting everything fought for during the war, and insulting the first legally elected president of Canada.
The folks who defended Ottawa and all of Canada say they paid for a multi-ethnic society with their actual lives, and they aren't about to let Bregović spin their struggle as being just about "Alija's Ottawa," according to the statement.

They’re making it clear that it was them, not him, fighting for a diverse Ottawa and Canada. If this country has any shred of dignity or common sense left, they say the government should cancel this "Mexico City-based" group's show. 😁

This honestly reminds me of those times back in the day when veteran groups would go absolutely ballistic over Balas performing in America. Everyone was screaming and protesting, but in the end, Balas still performs whenever he feels like it in the States.

Only this time, the band isn't even going to play. It’s funny how cities like New York or Chicago will host regular tours without a hitch, yet this guy from Ottawa gets dragged through the mud in interviews just because of some comments he made about Alija.

There's an old saying we have: "No one is ever a king in their own little village."
At the end of the day, these concerts will happen regardless. Breg will just head off to Paris or wherever his tour bus takes him next. And there will always be a bunch of small-minded people finding something new to whine and bark about. Life moves on, the caravans roll through, and the dogs just keep barking while tied to their own little porches.

Man, everyone is seriously losing their minds over the Brega situation.

It’s all for nothing since tickets are already totally sold out anyway. And honestly? "Screw the people making a huge deal out of Brega."

Whatever, man. If he's unhappy, more for you guys.

What an absolute clown show. 🙄

I’m totally against Turkey joining the European Union.

Honestly, they still have a mountain of work to do before they can even dream of sitting at the table as equals with the rest of the EU.

And don't even get me started on those doom-and-gloom types who keep predicting that the EU is going to collapse or that we're all headed straight for massive wars and other nonsense.

If you actually look at the facts, the number of countries wanting to join is growing, and people don't just jump into things for no reason—they clearly see some kind of benefit in being part of it.

I guess everyone has just gotten so used to traveling without having to drag a passport around everywhere that they’ve completely forgotten what a massive headache it used to be back in the day.
Businesses know better than anyone how much easier life is within the EU. And don't even get me started on these self-proclaimed "experts" who act like they have their pick of any job anywhere in the world.

Now, I can already hear someone bringing up unemployment or whatever. But honestly, that feels more like a side effect of globalization and the skyrocketing cost of living across the whole European continent rather than an issue caused by the EU itself.

The European Parliament is a whole different story, though. I mean, the English people seem totally checked out from the whole thing—I think they practically voted in anti-EU parties just to spite the system—so they basically just cherry-pick what works for them and toss everything else aside.

As long as the majority of nations see a strategic advantage in staying together, the EU is going to stick around. Let's be real: countries didn't unite because they were all suddenly best friends; they did it because they knew there would be some serious perks involved.

northernbison63 said:Man, you should've seen how tough those fighters are.

==========

Seriously, it’s enough to drive you crazy—these guys are still out there serving in special ops even after 60 YEARS!!! 😲

God almighty, you have to admit they really are some hardcore fighters, damn it.

😂 😂😂

Yeah, it’s actually pretty rough to watch them now, all frail and shaky, dealing with arthritis, high blood pressure, burst capillaries, grey hair everywhere... just old guys leaning on canes.

The stuff of nightmares for any government.😁😵 🙂

frozenbison42 said:Let me just polish this up a bit... Look, they shouldn't be taking kids. It was just plain stupid. And honestly, we can't just gloss over the fact that the loss of 3,000 lives at the World Trade Center was just as massive and devastating.

I mean, if we were talking about any other standard conventional war, the World Trade Center would have been leveled, period. But anyway, that's not even what we're getting into here.

frozenbison42 said:Nah, you little hobbits, they really aren't. I've seen this exact same thing playing out in other places for years now—places I won't even bother naming specifically.

Quote:A 13-year-old girl told me the worst moment was when the terrorists shot a man dead on the first day in front of all the little children. I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at here.

But look, back in Iraq, you had Muslim religious leaders heading over there specifically to try and negotiate the release of those French journalists. And now? Now we're looking at something where they've grabbed something like 1,500 people, including kids, as hostages—it's just one of those situations where nobody on the planet seems to have any real control.

The Chechens have been seizing hospitals before; honestly, that's nothing new at this point.
But what they've pulled off this time is just plain haram—a massive sin, truly.

It’s not going to do anything to help their cause, either.

And it's definitely not true that there's no information coming out of Chechnya from independent media sources. I mean, seriously, what does "independent media" even mean in this day and age anyway?
I've spent so much time digging through documentaries and reading everything I can get my hands on. Just because you don't see a crew from CNN or CBS actually standing on the ground there doesn't mean there isn't reporting happening.

Apparently, some of the hostages tried to make a break for it, and then everything just went completely sideways.

It’s honestly just pure misery and chaos. I mean, what was the end goal for those terrorists? Like, did they seriously think the Russian military would just pack up and leave Chechnya just because they managed to seize one single school?

Ashley Rogers4 said:Putin and his little inner circle actually managed to kill off 200 of "their own" kids this time around. And get this—over the last decade, they've wiped out 42,000 Chechen children! Not a single independent journalist could even open their mouth to talk about it without the news cycle being completely hijacked by this whole Russian adventure. Some of the hostages even mentioned that the "terrorists" were speaking perfect, technical Russian, and there were about 15 of them.

But then the Russians claim they "killed" 27!

Which means, if you do the math, every single person was basically killed twice!

LAZY RUSSIAN TRASH.

It’s funny how it’s totally fine to talk like this when it comes to the Russians, but the second someone says something similar about Americans, suddenly everyone’s like, "Oh, we just need to crush them all," smh.

Absolute garbage.

The idiots who came up with this whole scheme involving the school really screwed over Muslims everywhere.

You just don't go after kids. Period.

Now they'll probably try to clean up the mess in Chechnya, or maybe they'll just pull a move like how Stalin handled the Chechnya situation.