Jewish * must be a new species. Until then, I had believed that they were mutually exclusive.

Many American companies are pulling out of Russia... but stock companies are not. 

I would like to opt out right now.  I have been selling a lot of photos right now that I suspect might be being used, if they are sold in Russia/China, to creating false news to blame Ukraine for things RUssia has done/might do.

Generally I have accepted that I cannot control the use of my images if I sell on stock.  But given the fact that most US companies ARE pulling out of Russia AND that I can see some of my images being misused to accuse Ukraine of war crimes, I am not happy.

I don't want to minimize the fact that the Russian regime may also be using stock photos to misrepresent facts.

But I think we all need to be aware that all our images serve advertising purposes. Advertising generally works in such a way that images are manipulated - in both a positive and negative sense.

I don't want to know how much fraud has already taken place with stock images and how many billions of dollars have ended up in the wrong hands through our images.

If you want to exclude this, you have to give up the stock business in general and look for another field of activity.

I just sent an e-mail to 123rf support asking if this is possibly a bug. 10 days in a row without a single download - that is completely impossible from my point of view!

If it stays like this, I will have a test purchase made.

Yes, that is really strange. I had exactly 2 downloads on March 1 - nothing since then. I never had that before!

https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2022/03/04/adobe-stops-all-new-sales-in-russia

Great move by Adobe, since their products are very likely to be heavily used by Putin's state controlled media (i.e. all russian media), propaganda and fake news machine.

This is a good and consistent decision.

Whatever happened in history: We live in the here and now. It is legitimate to refer to crimes - including those committed by the West - in the past. But there is no justification for what is currently happening in Ukraine. That's why I think this step by Adobe is very good.

Quote from: everest on March 06, 2022, 12:08

Bombarding civil population . War crimes committed by him and his generals are already being recognized by Europe and US. He will be soon on the list of war criminals, like Milosevic was. His corner is everyday smaller. It is already too late for him to back out of this mess. He is a miserable dictator that will pay sooner than later for his crimes.

Quote from: komikmiha on March 06, 2022, 11:45

Except only in Ukraine they are killing civilians. 13.000 of them. Your evidence of the genocide? Let's say he is guilty of: Native Americans genocide, Aborigines genocide, Colonialism, WW1, WW2, atomic bombs, Vietnam, slavery. Are you good now?

Putin enjoys since his plan is working. Nobody will beat Russia. Never.

I wasn't alive then, but I'm very very sure that's exactly what the Germans believed when they attacked Poland in 1939, starting World War II.

You know how that turned out. You also know how the Romans, Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte and countless others fared.

But there is a striking difference. Back then, there was one losing nation. Today, because of nuclear weapons, it can hit all of humanity and wipe it out. You and me included.

I do not see a reason to celebrate!

Quote from: Wilm on March 06, 2022, 06:28

Quote from: Lizard on March 06, 2022, 05:27

Quote from: Firn on March 06, 2022, 05:07

Lizard, I am not sure I am understanding what you are trying to say? That, in a democracy, whenever the elected government is making a decision for the country, the whole country was "forced" into that decision whenever there was no referendum? You don't seem to understand that referendums, while they are part of democracy, are extrenmely rare and just because there was no referendum about an issue (so in 99,99% cases) it doesn't mean a whole country was  "forced" into anything when a government that was rightfully elected by the people and given the authorities to make decisions for the people, actually makes a decision without asking every single person for their agreement.

Do you also understand what constitution of a country is ? If constitution says referendum has to be held when entering international unions and +50% turnover is needed something to be valid, than 43% is a referendum that did not pass. Changing rules after to fix the result is a criminal act.

This is not correct. The turnout for the referendum was only 43% (= only 43% of eligible voters took part in the referendum - for whatever reason). This 43% of the participating population voted 67% in favor of joining the EU.

TRUE!!!

Exactly what I said, and for a referendum to be valid more than 50% of voters should take part.

Article 6 or Clanak 6 in Croatian:

Na dr�avnom referendumu odlučuje se većinom birača koji su glasovali, uz uvjet da je referendumu pristupila većina od ukupnog broja birača upisanih u popis birača Republike Hrvatske.

 or...

The state referendum is decided by a majority of the voters who voted, under the term that the referendum was attended by a majority of the total number of voters registered in the voter list of the Republic of Croatia.

43% turnaround is not majority of registered voters.

 

And here is the full law on official government site.

 

https://www.zakon.hr/z/359/Zakon-o-referendumu-i-drugim-oblicima-osobnog-sudjelovanja-u-obavljanju-dr%C5%BEavne-vlasti-i-lokalne-i-podru%C4%8Dne-%28regionalne%29-samouprave


So what I stated is absolutely true, and by Croatian law that referendum was not valid.

If we wanted to exit EU and we had a new referendum with 49% turnaround with 100% of votes for the exit , the referendum would not be valid and we would have to stay in EU.

I can't find that. The only thing I can find is this from the Croatian Constitution - Article 6:


Članak 6. Osnivanje političkih stranaka je slobodno.
Unutarnje ustrojstvo političkih stranaka mora biti sukladno temeljnim ustavnim demokratskim načelima.

Stranke moraju javno polagati račun o porijeklu svojih sredstava i imovine.
Protuustavne su političke stranke koje svojim programom ili nasilnim djelovanjem smjeraju podrivanju slobodnoga demokrat�skog poretka ili ugro�avaju opstojnost Republike Hrvatske. O protu-ustavnosti odlučuje Ustavni sud Republike Hrvatske.

Zakonom se uređuje polo�aj i financiranje političkih stranaka."

Perhaps it is time to reflect on the following:

In 1939, Germany launched the attack on Poland, thus triggering the Second World War. Hitler felt invulnerable, thought Germany was infinitely strong. And Poland - for whatever reason - for a country that was a thorn in his side.

We all know how it all turned out from the history books. The way Germany justified this attack on Poland is extremely reminiscent of what Putin is doing now in Ukraine and how he justifies it. It's not only reminiscent - it's almost identical.

Likewise, we all know from the history books how this ended for Germany and Hitler.

It is a pity that quite obviously nothing was learned from the history book and the darkest period of the history of mankind - so far.

And it is foreseeable how also this chapter will end. If all of us on this planet are lucky enough that no one presses the red button - and I think we all hope that this won�t happen - it is absolutely clear how this "project" will end for Putin in the medium to long term. In a catastrophe. Pride comes before a fall. Hitler learned that and did not survive - Putin will also learn that and ...

And it cannot be suppressed by switching off the information channels. The plurality of information was also suppressed by the *. But they could not suppress the end of the Nazi terror dictatorship.

Putin will eventually annex Ukraine, maybe even more - but he will never create peace and a unified Russian feeling. There has never been such a thing in the history of mankind, and there never will be. There will never be peace in the empire he wants. The bigger it becomes, the more ethnic groups, cultures, religions and customs are included in it, the less peace is possible. This is how it was with the former Ottoman Empire, with the former Yugoslavia, with the former USSR and countless other examples.

If Flemings and Walloons, if Spaniards and Catalans, if Irish and Northern Irish cannot manage to get along with each other without reservations, how does Putin envision Ukraine? A short, big victory from the Russian point of view? Perhaps. A great empire for Tsar Putin? In the medium and long term? Never ever!

Quote from: BelieveInStock on March 02, 2022, 11:13

Dear Russian friends, I know there is a significant stock photographers community, so I have an appeal to you.

Please do not believe in your Russian media propaganda saying that terrible war is some kind of "special action". It is regular war against Ukrainian civils. Putin is cannon firing kindergartens, hospitals and civilian areas. Your Russian dictator is not better that Hitler or Kim Jong-un. He started the worst kind of war in the middle of Europe so no one can feel safe now.

I am asking you to inform and spread the true information wherever you can in your country. Putin already cut you off from most foreign media, so all ways to reach you are good.

Thanks!

BTW, I am not Ukrainian, but I have so much sympathy to their people that I had to post it, hope it won't be removed. If is reaches even one unaware Russian, my message makes sense. The only way to bring peace back to Europe is to make Russian aware and ready to avert from their ruler.

Dear users, do not believe this person and the lies he is spreading on this forum. He makes no sense, he has no proof, he is biased. The West is spreading lies, the same lies when they showing us pictures of dead bodies when coronavirus strike. Nobody is innocent in war. It's always two sides. But in this case, we can all see that West has gone too far.

That's one of the many reasons why I love my home country - even if not everything here always works out the way I think it should.

But at least here I have the opportunity to inform myself on a wide variety of channels and form my own opinion. In certain countries, that's no longer possible.

By the way: The pictures of dead people caused by the virus are not an invention of the West. Russia and China are also hellishly afraid of Corona. Especially Putin. And I assume that he is better informed about the threat of Corona than you are.

No the sale was 15000$ for me 3000$

I have never has a 75000 sale anywhere. For me the biggest sale of all time was 23000$ also in Getty when RM still existed and I got 40% of that.Ahhhh the good old days 

Quote from: Wilm on March 04, 2022, 02:50

$75000 is an enormous price for the exclusive use of a single image for only two years. 

Okay, sorry, I had misinterpreted that.

The day Ukraine was attacked, a group of people walked past our front door demonstrating against the government's Corona measures. From a loudspeaker a song sounded: "I don't want to conform anymore, I want to take my freedom back into my own hands...".

This was perhaps one of the saddest moments in my life. These people have only one thing in focus: themselves.

There was an entire nation under attack, the freedom of the citizens of this country was under attack, and people were walking by down there whose only problem is that they had to wear masks to protect themselves and others.

Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest because it's just unbearable. But I'll end this topic and I won't start it again.

I would like to express a few thoughts. In doing so, I would like to try to put myself in the minds of everyone involved.

NATO has made many mistakes. And I can understand to a certain extent that Russia feels backed into a corner. The West must work on itself! A policy that works on de-escalation would be very important.

But I'm not sure that the NATO issue is really what Putin is most concerned about. No one can see inside him.

As I said, NATO is not faultless. But Ukraine has given up all nuclear weapons in exchange for treaty assurances of state sovereignty and integrity.

Today Ukraine is a country without nuclear weapons - as agreed. But already in 2014 the integrity was violated by annexing Crimea. And after that, other territories.

What I can't understand - maybe because I lack some background knowledge and some emotional and cultural roots:

Russia has "only" 144 million inhabitants and gigantic amounts of mineral resources and raw materials. It is one of the most resource-rich countries on earth - with a rather small population compared to other resource-rich countries. Nevertheless, a large part of the Russian population does not exactly live in prosperity. Many are poor.

Why is it not possible to make 144 million people content and happy with these immense mineral resources? Why do people want to return to the "old greatness" and put world peace at risk? And risk that an endless number of states will turn against Russia? That precisely those that are not doing well economically will have even more problems? That there will be domestic unrest? Without economic necessity!

I do not understand it!

Quote from: Wilm on February 26, 2022, 16:45

Quote from: GrayMouse on February 26, 2022, 15:33

It's disgusting to support Russians. Yes, you are home, safe, while Ukrainian people are dying. A "collective responsibility" is unknown term?!

I believe that this is exactly what we should not think. Because a single Russian goes berserk does not mean that every Russian is a bad person.

The propaganda machinery in Russia doesn't seem to be informing the Russian people the way I would like it to.

I feel threatened by Putin to the most extreme degree. But I do not feel threatened by any Russian contributor. And I fervently wish that Putin would not succeed in dividing us contributors! And also not us as normal thinking people from different homelands. Please: All of you, help us not to be divided here. None of us creatives wanted this war - I am absolutely sure of that!

I do not feel safe at all!

I am German. I was never a Nazi. I have never discriminated against a foreigner. I will not discriminate against a Russian either. Or make negative comments about him because he is Russian. Because a Russian is no more a bad person than a Ukrainian or a German.

It is sad that Putin manages to conjure up exactly what is happening here right now. That is what he wants to happen. That we think badly of each other. That we are bad to each other.

We had a peaceful coexistence. Why he is destroying that, I don't know. He is sick. I hate him.

Bless you Wilm.  You couldn't be further from a 'Nazi'.  You are definitely one of the good guys in life.

A great post.  I also think that generally on this forum, people listen to others, and reply in a balanced way. 

With one or two exceptions, we are all learning from one another.

And well done 'Everest'.  I think that's the highest 'likes' I've ever seen on a post on the forum 

Thank you very much for your kind words, Debbie!