Mother Nature is pissed?

Has it occurred to anyone else that maybe all of the epidemics we are facing are mother nature's way of population control? In the past, these epidemics would run rampant killing thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands. It kept the population of the planet pretty low. With the way we live today, we are sucking everything out of the earth because there are too many people. We are draining aquifers for irrigation, turning farmland into desert due to over production and poor farming practices, polluting rivers and water sources that we drink from due to farming and industry. I have heard it said that some scientists think that the earth is already over populated, that 3 billion was about all that would be sustainable on the earth. Well, we are approaching 7 billion, so what does this mean? It seems that mother nature is fighting back, trying to get us under control again. Why else would these viruses and diseases be jumping from animals to humans? We had avian flu, now swine flu, plus there was SARS, and I am sure others as well. Just something to think about.

Embarrassing American Diplomacy

http://www.politico.com/singletitlevideo.html?bcpid=1155201977&bctid=14985653001

The above link is to the video of Hillary Clinton giving the symbolic "reset button" to the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Clinton says that they tried to get the right Russian word for "reset," but they did not. This is embarrassing in itself. There are many Russians living in the United States, as well as Russian language scholars and students. With those resources available, how did they get it wrong? Granted, Russian is quite difficult as a language, as I am well aware, but how can you get a word wrong when you have an embassy and a consulate in Russia? Seriously, they could have sent someone to one of the Russian Universities, or even just onto the street to ask what the word for reset is. If that was not embarrassing enough, when Clinton is told that the word they put on the button was "overcharge," she makes a comment to the effect of "We won't let you do that to us, I promise." How arrogant is that? The whole idea was to thaw relations, not prove that Americans are arrogant. This whole incident is just embarrassing, and leads me to conclude that it is not surprising that people think that Americans are stupid. When we have leaders that can't get one word correct, and then make arrogant comments when they find out its wrong, it is no wonder there are negetive feelings towards the US. All I am saying is that if we are choosing as a country to repair the damage of the Bush administration, then we need to take a less arrogant approach, and more importantly, get the details right!

More to think about...

Maybe the ranter had a point. I have been thinking about the top 1% that holds the wealth of the world. Since I am studying Russian history/ politics, why wouldn't I make a parallel to it? Anyway, if you look at the Oligarch class in Russia, they are the wealthiest class, BY FAR!! (Please pardon my propaganda here) They can be equated to the robber-barons in the United States, stealing resources/infrastructure to make themselves filthy rich. The Russian Oligarchs have done just this. In an article from Foreign Affairs in 2000, Lee Wolosky claims that “the tycoon's predation has sucked up the country's wealth and impoverished broad swaths of Russian society.” This is exactly what the ranter was talking about. He made claims that by the top 1% controlling 50% of the world's wealth, it impoverishes much of the rest of the world. The Russian oligarchs constitute the top 1% in Russia. Ironically, while the West was trying to make a demon out of Putin and are still trying to do so with Russia in general, Putin when about systematically redistributing wealth to the poor. He managed to raise the average income from under $100 per month to around $600 per month. He did this by re-nationalizing the oil industry, and taking the oligarchs out of the picture. While this is totally undemocratic, the results are obvious. Yes, this is somewhat socialist, and smacks of the Soviet system, but again, the results for the average person are visible. The other question is, why has the West sought to make enemies of Russia again? Did the West forget that Russia is a massive nuclear power? Did they also forget that Russia gives Europe most of its natural gas, and when the OPEC nations decide to raise the price of oil, Russia picks up the slack so that the West does not have the lines for gas that is did in the 70's? This year should prove to be a very interesting one, as the START I treaty expires in December of 2009. That means that there is going to have to be a new treaty created and signed by both sides. This should make for an interesting political year between Russia and the USA.

!!! = Propaganda

His comment was “Leave your propaganda out of it!” My modern Russian History Prof made this comment when talking about me using exclamation points in an academic paper. I suppose I should know better but it was funny to me. I have never sat down with a prof before to go over a paper, except for that time when I failed a paper because I did not follow the directions. At least I got the chance to fix my mistakes so I did not fail. That was nice. With the current paper, however, we talked about content, and where, in the Russian mind, I just didn't really understand what I was talking about. To Russians, Stalinism is the prisons, gulags, killings, fear, and general terror of that era. While, yes, all of this went on, to me Stalinism was the system of government that he created, and used the above things to form it. For me, they were not as important as the government system, whereas the Russians (in general) feel that Stalinism is only about the repressions and killings. Its interesting how you can have lived in a culture for a long time, but still know so little about it. The other comment made about the paper by my prof was that it is a touchy subject anyway, even among Russian Stalin scholars. That made me feel better. I suppose it would be like talking about Hitler in Germany, or Che in South America. It was also quite interesting to find out that Russian students are vicious cheaters, and with the introduction of the Internet to Russia, this has only gotten worse. This discussion came about because I used the American system, where everything, everything, everything has to be cited. One of my poli sci profs at USM said once “When in doubt, cite.” The thing is, it is so ingrained in me now, that if I write something, I think about everything I have said and wonder, “Is that really my idea, or is it someone else's?” Oh well. Better to do that than get kicked out for plagiarizing something unintentionally. So, things to remember: !!!= Propaganda (although sometimes propaganda is a good thing), and cite cite cite! When did I turn into a nerd?

To the person's comment

I never thought that I would get a comment that was more than about 3 lines long. On my previous post, I recieved a comment that I think was someone's entire blog about how the world is coming to an end because of Oprah, Dr. Phil, and the richest 1% of the nation. To me, it just looks like a rant. The same things are said over and over again, and call me a nerd, but where is the source of this information? I mean, really. If you want me to believe that Oprah, Dr. Phil and Ellen Degeneres are all conspiring with the 1% of richest people in the USA, show me the sources. I want concrete evidence! I've been taught to be skeptical of information sources, and I am skeptical of people, but its because I know that there can be hidden adgendas. Trust me, I would love it if Dr. Phil was really the root of all evil! It would be AMAZING! Well, mostly its because I can't stand Dr. Phil, but thats besides the point. If you want to read what that person wrote, check the comments on the previous post, then be prepared to be there a while. Its a long post.

My chalenge is this: whoever posted the comment, show me the sources, and I mean legitimate, scholarly, REAL sources where this conspiracy theory came from. If you can show me the sources, and they do indeed show what you are ranting about, then I might believe you. Maybe.

I thought that we were done with fear...

I thought that with the end of the Bush administration, we would be done with fear, as in, done with constant threats of terror, SARS type threats, etc. This new "swine epidemic" seems like its just another SARS thing, where not that many people die, but yet its made out to be the worst thing ever. Sounds like the Killer Bees that were supposed to invade the US from, guess where? Mexico! Gee, how about that? Also, since the World Bank is lending Mexico $205 million, I wonder what measures they are attaching to it. Peso devaluation? Like Mexico wasn't already poor enough. Obviously its speculation, but banks like the IMF and the World Bank usually dont just lend money. They do so with interest, plus other stipulations, such as what the money can be used for, and currency devaluation is one of many other things that it stipulates. Were you aware that about 100 years ago, $1 would buy what $100 will buy? This is because of bank's insistance on monetary devaluation. I know this sounds all conspiracy theoryish, but think about it. I recently got a picture from my sister with a guy dressed in colonial cloths, with a poster saying "Remember Descent: the highest form of patriotic." It is true. If you just turn into sheep, or even lemmings, and justt follow the butt infront of you off the cliff, whats the point? It seems that its in human nature, but with so much information avilable, just take the time to look around, and stop just following. Following is easy. Take the path less traveled, and look at things from many sides.

Back to the point at hand though. Just over 8000 people suffered simptoms of SARS, and of those, 774 actually died. How was this such a huge deal? It just got politicized because the Chinese lied about it. It also made great scare TV. Driving a car is more dangerous than the SARS outbreak. According to a figure from 1994 from the NHTSA, there were 41,507 deaths from car crashes. Granted, its an old figure, but the point remains, you are more likely to die in a car crash than from SARS. As far as I am aware, its more likely you'll die in a plane crash than from SARS. Not by much, but it is a higher likelihood. Here is my point: Why do we insist on allowing ourselves to be told that every little incident is an end-all-be-all crisis? They rarely are. When are we going to stop allowing the media to rule us through fear? All I am asking is that you think. That's all! You have a brain, so USE IT!!

Today's Crisis...

So, I am finding all kinds of things that are quite similar to today's situation in the 1998 economic crisis in Russia. Ironic that one of the banks that when under this time (a few months ago, I think), was one that helped the Russian Oligarch banks use insider info to save their own hides and their fortunes, while letting the rest of the people suffer. Which bank is that? None other than Goldman Sachs. I think that the only thing that could have made it more Ironic would have been if Russian banks had bought them out when they crashed. The other bank that gave money was the IMF (International Monetary Fund). The more I read about the IMF, the more I really see them as an organization that is bad for the people. They money they loaned to Russia immediately prior to the loan default of 1998 also ended up in the Oligarch's pockets. Controversial, to say the least, and also some food for thought...

Thoughts after England

So, as I was riding the plane back, the train, then the metro, I have realized that I am way more comfortable in Russia than I was in England. I would say thats a really good sign. The other really good sign is that while I was in England, I kept thinking in Russia, and on the flight back, was getting excited to be back and speaking Russian again. Never thought I would hear myself say that. haha. I guess I really did just need a break from Russian to realize that I like it, love Moscow, and actually missed it when I was in England.

Also, whoever said that the London Underground is pretty/ nice looking is a damn lair. haha. All I could think of when I was in the London Underground was, "Wow, this is really dirty, and its all tiled like its someone bathroom from the 70's." I have to say that the Underground was absolutely nothing special for me, and that if you want to see a beautiful metro, and I mean beautiful, come to Moscow! You will not be disappointed!!!

Isn't it sad...

Isn't it sad when someone is afraid being from their own country?

My Russian friend and I were walking today near the Kremlin. We were speaking a mixture of Russian and English. As we went to go through a gate way, my friend turned to me to say something, and it was in English. I then saw a police officer step out and pull us aside. It wasn't until he heard my friend speak in English that he turned to pull us aside. He then requested to see our passports, which we, of course, gave to him. He then started questioning my friend on her documents, where she was living, why she lived in a flat rather than in the dorm, etc. While doing this, he opened my passport, looked at it, then promptly handed it back. He didnt care about me. I was a foreigner, and my papers were in order, so it was not a problem, not to mention that I would have probably requested to go to the Embassy rather than be taken to the police station (although he didnt know that). Anyway, he continued to pepper my friend with questions, and she was becoming visibly upset by the whole process. At some point, he told her that he was going to have to take her to the station to make sure her papers were real, since apparently there were a lot of fake papers circulating. At this point she began to cry, partly because she was in shock at being interrogated on the street in her own country, but also because she was incredibly offended that this could happen. We were eventually let go. We talked about it later over lunch, and she made a comment that went something like this. "In Russia, if you're foreign, thats ok, but its not okay to be Russian in Russia." Granted, she was still upset by this event, but it really got me thinking. I have been thinking about Stalinism and the Russian system that always seems to revert to authoritarianism. There are still visual cues that Stalism is still around, but not as strong and not as obvious. This, to me, was one of them. During the Stalinist (Communist) period, it was typical for the police to stop Russian citizens and question them. It was also typical for the people to be afraid of the state, because they could seemingly do whatever they wanted, and the more I study modern Russia, the more I think that as things change, the more they stay the same. I am not necessarily saying that it is a bad thing, as a strong Russia is good for everyone. What I am saying is that while a lot has changed here, there is a lot in the back ground that has been overshadowed by other events. While, yes, they have a market economy now, the leaders from Yeltsin on have been reconsolidating power into a one man, or few men, show. Thats exactly what Stalin did in the 20's and 30's. I can't make any solid conclusions right now, but it is something that I am going to be thinking about a lot in the next month and a half.

English Lock Trees

So I got the opportunity to go to the "love bridge" yesterday with a few friends. Its a bridge next to a park in central Moscow. On the bridge are metal "trees" with loops in them for hanging "things." So what is traditional for newlyweds to do is to come to the bridge with a lock (a padlock, combination lock, etc.) with their names engraved on the lock. They then lock the lock to the tree to signify a long "locked" marriage. Its a cool tradition. I like it. If I get married in Moscow, Im going to do that! haha.

Nice April Fools Joke!

Yep, I got suckered into believing that spring was coming. Mother Nature gave me bait, and I took it hook, line and sinker. On April 1st, the weather wasn't great, but it was somewhat warm (maybe +5 C), and it was raining. This made me think, "oh, its the first time its raining since I got here, Spring must be on the way. " What a foolish thought. Yesterday it snowed all day. Today, its mostly clear, but its back to -2 C. So much for spring coming in Moscow.

Happy 200th Birthday!

Happy birthday to you
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday dear Gogol
Happy birthday to you!

Okay, so for those of you who are unaware, this is the 200th Birthday of Gogol, the 2nd greatest Russian writer (after Pushkin, of course). I happened to walk to the end of Gogol Boulevard today before I went to my class, and when I was about half way to the statue of Gogol, I noticed that there were probably 50-75 people just hanging out there, playing music, (drums in particular) and just enjoying being in the shadow of a great writer. This was, of course, before I knew what day it was. Just another cultural tidbit for you!

Rebuilding Russia's Military

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you know that I have been following current events in Russia, particularly keying in on politics and military actions. Earlier this month, President Medvedev mad a statement that his administration was going to move forward with the modernization and privatization of the military. This comes after half a dozen or so flyovers of US war ships and territory by Russian Bear aircraft (old Cold War Bombers that pose no threat to American warships). While originally the thought about this statement of privatization and modernization was just a statement of promise, in essence, telling the Russian people that the government was not in trouble in the Financial Crisis, and that they could afford these upgrades. Yesterday there was an article about the building of 6 new nuclear submarines for the Russian navy, which was right on the heels of an article about how Russia has offered help in Afghanistan. This is basically what I have found thus far.

Obviously, a strong Russia is good for everyone, since they hold thousands of nukes. What these actions are implying is that the Russian government, under Putin and Medvedev, is seeking to strengthen its position in the world and reistablish the military might that it had achieved during the Soviet Era. I see a major problem with this. In their current system, soldiers are conscripted for a year (it used to be 2) and they are supposedly trained for combat. The reality of it is that the conscripts are usually beaten and basically enslaved by their older, more senior fellow soldiers. This has lead to dissertions and high rates of suicide in Russia among the 20-something age group. Not only is this going to be detrimental to the military should they need to call up trained soldiers, but this is also detrimental to the economy and the number of available workers. This is not something that I just made up. I have read about it in Kremlin Rising and also Culture Smart! Russia. While these are only 2 books, I have also talked with some Russians about this as well, and they have also confirmed this to me. With their population shrinking, or projected to shrink in the near future, I find it hard to believe that they can pull together a professional private military, and be able to protect the largest country in the world at the same time (1.8 times the size of the USA).
This is, however, a real effort, I believe, to get the Russian military moving again. During this summer's conflict in South Ossetia, it was demonstrated that the Russian military was lacking in the former power and strengh that it had once commanded. What should have taken only a few days to accomplish took them two or more weeks. I think that this illistrated to the Russian government that they need to revamp the military and make it a strong force again. By going into Afghanistan and helping the US there, I think that they might be interested in seeing US hardware in action, and maybe also tactics so that they can be adopted for their own military. It will also give them (Russia) a foothold in Afghanistan, like American wants as well. Just some thoughts that I had on the whole issue.

How to Navigate Moscow/Russia

So if you are ever in Moscow, and have to go in a certain direction (N, S, E, W), use the churches to navigate! Their alters always face east. You can also tell the difference between North and South because the Russian Orthodox cross has 3 cross pieces, rather than just one. The bottom one is slanted, since when Christ was crusified, he was crusified with 2 other men. One went to heaven, the other to hell. The slanted cross at the bottom shows this, the one pointing up for the man who went to heaven, the other side for the man who went to hell. What does this haave to do with navigation and telling the difference between North and South? When you look at the cross on the top of the church, the upside of the cross always faces North, therefore the other side faces south. So there you go, you can figured out NSEW by the churches in Russia, and therefore always be able to orient yourself to which direction you need to go.

This must be the explorer in me/ boy scout in me/ sailor in me, that I always need to know how to navigate wherever I am. I'm sure the rest of the world doesn't care so much, but hey, I think its important!

High Class Homeless?

On Tuesday night, I had the chance to go to a concert at the Moscow State Conservatory. It was absolutely fantastic, and I think it has made me fall in love with classical music again, but more specifically with cello and bass music. I was sitting with a few of my friends from Uni, and a homeless guy sat down next to one of us. It was obvious he was homeless by his smell, his 3-4 bags of things, and the unkempt nature of his hair/beard. The funny thing about this was that even though he was obviously homeless, he still managed to find a suit jacket that looked pretty new. I suppose it helping that the concert was free, but in any case, it seems quite interesting that a homeless person would take the time to find out when a classical concert was going to be, and attend. I suppose that Russian homeless people have high class tastes when it comes to music!

On the other side of the coin, I recently saw a man rummaging through a briefcase in a corner on the street. At first I thought that he might have dropped it, and broken it, but then it was apparent that he was searching through it and taking things that he liked and putting them in his own bag. That made it so obvious that he had stolen the briefcase, and was looting it. If it had been in the States, I might have tried to rescue the belongings of whoever's briefcase it was, but since my command of Russian language is mediocre at best, and I was carrying about $300 in recording equipment that did not belong to me, I figured it was better if I just passed it by. Also, there was no one around to help me, should it have turned out badly. Maybe next time...

Reformers Burn Like Candles...

In my Modern Russian History class yesterday, I got the opportunity to talk to my prof about the economy (economic crisis) and what he thought about it, and about Obama. It was really quite interesting. He gave me an answer in global terms of history. Here is the gist of what he told me.

"Reformers burn like candles..." What he means by this, is that in 4 or so years, Obama may lose all of the wave of hope that he rode in on. Its pretty typical of people that challenge the system. They make changes, and some are good, some are bad. FDR, an epic American president almost lost the election in 1944 because his reforms were not popular any more, and even though he was a war president, people were ready for change. The main reason that he won the 1944 election was because of the passing of the G.I. Bill of Rights (known more commonly as just the G.I. Bill). This gave soldiers who served in conflict, or for a certain number of years in times of non-conflict the funds to go to college and get a degree, among other benifits. Once the spouses of those fighting all over the globe heard of these benifits that their significant others would get, they voted for FDR. Pretty straight forward. Winston Churchill, the great British war-time Prime Minister was also a reformer, but as soon as WWII was over, Churchill was ousted from power. The Brits were tired of him, and wanted someone new. Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union and USSR Communist Party, was an incredible reformer. He instituted Glastnost and Perestroika in the USSR, and made efforts to make the market into a free market, rather than a state controlled apparatus. While part of it is that he got out shined by Yeltsin, the first president of the Russian Federation who was in power at the same time as Gorbachev. Today, both are seen as traitors to the Russian Federation, because they broke up the USSR and put the country on a path towards democratization (in a very messy way, I might add). The point is, these two leaders, both great reformers, are now hated by their own people for getting them out of an incredibly repressive system of government. Yeltsin, in the 3 years after Gorbachev's resignation, burned though all of the good will that he had built up from taking over for Gorbachev. He was a reckless leader, reforming at a breakneck speed, and without much care for what those reforms might do in the end. The only reason that he won the election after those 3 years was because he literally bought the election. The ironic thing being, he de-centralized the media prior to this, and so they caught him doing it, and basically it has discredited the democratic system in Russia. This is the direct lead in to the Putin Presidency, but thats a story for another day...

While I am not saying the Obama is like Gorbachev, or Yeltsin, or even Churchill and FDR, what I am saying is that while I think that Obama is going everything possible to fix the US economy and standing in the world, I can see the dissent rising already. While that is a key part of our political system, and, arguably, the most important, I think that it is also important that we allow the changes to take place, no matter how long they take. They may hurt right now, and they may continue to hurt for years to come, but the fact is, there are a lot of changes that need to be done and I think that Obama is the man for the job. I only hope that his reforming doesn't burn out before he gets re-elected!!!

Note of clarification!

I have to make note of the previous post, the quote from Marx, when you get the whole thing, doesnt really make sense at all in the context of the end of Communism and the change beginning. He was talking about philosophers, not changing governments.

"Philosophers have only interpreted the world in different ways. The point is, however, to change it." - Karl Marx

As you can see, he wasn't talking in the revolutionary way about governments, as the quote leads you to believe. Anyway, I thought that it was a necessary note.

Yugoslavia and Russia?

For those of you who do not know, I lived in Croatia for a year as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student for the year between high school and college. For the record, it was the best thing I could have done, and probably one of the best to date. Now, while I was there, I took a keen interest in Croatian history and talked with many locals (especially my 2 host fathers) about the 1991-95 conflict there. Obviously, I am a little biased towards the Croatian side of the conflict, although I am fully aware of issues with both sides (aka- War Crimes). In this last week, I have been given a number of articles from US magazines form the early 90's. The purpose of them was to learn about the end of Gorbachev's political career in the USSR, and Yeltsin's rise to power. As an added bonus, on some of the articles, there are bits about the 1991-95 Yugoslavia break up, and some even refrence the two conflicts. Here is some brief background on the 1991-95 conflict, and I apoligise in advance, as I may not remember everything correctly. If you want to make sure I am correct, look it up yourself!

Yugoslavia breakup: Yugoslavia was under the cult of personality rule of Tito. He ruled Yugoslavia with an iron fist, as was common in Communist countries at the time. However, Tito was not that well connected with the Kremlin, so he allowed Yugoslavia to be quite liberal (as Communist Countries go), by doing things like allowing tourists to come to Croatia for the beaches and sun. Interesting, eh? The thing was, the republics within Yugoslavia, and more importantly, the different ethnicities were tired of living with each other. They wanted self determination, self rule. So during the power struggle, the republics started declaring their independence, which sparked a conflict/ civil war/ big mess. Thats the jist of it.

What I find interesting: "Yugoslavia is a mini version of the Soviet Union, once held together by Marx and machine-guns, now splintering apart as different provinces want to quit and tribe turns on tribe. Multiply the population by 12 and the land area by 100, throw in 30,000 nuclear warheads and an equally tangled history: welcome to the Soviet Union, and stand by for big trouble."

I just think it is very interesting that this August 31, 1991 article puts it in terms of something else that was happening at exactly the same time. Plus, whenever I hear Yugoslavia or any other Balkan State, it sparks my interest (I left part of my heart there when I left in the summer of 2006).

This is not about Yugoslavia, but is from the same article, and I think is equally interesting, and worth sharing. Everyone knows (or now you will) that Communism is based off of the ideas of Karl Marx and the Proletarian revolution. Obviously its not exactly like Marx had envisioned it, but it is what it is. What I find interesting about the following quote is that it is talking about the ending of Communism in Russia/Soviet Union, and its democratization, but with Marx words.

"The Soviet Union was a disastrous muddle; it cannot be sorted out neatly, to suit western sensibilities; 'the point,' as Karl Marx once said about the world, 'is to change it,' and the change is begun."

I suppose its fitting to begin and end something with its original ideas, so I guess this is a fitting quote to show the end of the Soviet Union and Communism on a grand scale, when it all started from that same man. To you, Karl Marx, I raise my vodka shot glass, and toast your great ideas that ended so badly!


Photo: Karl Marx "Proletarians of All States, Unite!"

Economic Food For Thought!

Okay, so I am going to put up a few quotes about the economy. Read them, think about them, then I will share with you where I got them from!

"'The economy is showing signs of caving in, almost falling off a cliff, as so often is the case once a full-fledged recessions begins.' If the conditions seem particularly bleak, [Allen Sinai, chief economist for the Boston Co. Economic Advisers] noted 'that it because we are in the heart of the slide.'"

"Chief among them is the threat of a drawn-out war in the Persian Gulf. That could push the price of oil...well past the...peak it hit in October. Another serious threat is the possibility of a crisis in the US banking system, which is awash in bad loans and increasingly reluctant to lend more money."

"She warned that companies could trigger 'a very serious recession' if they cut payrolls too much in their zeal to keep overhead and inventories lean."

"A cash squeeze could help tip much of the world into a recession. Britain, Canada, and Australia are already in a slump, while the economies outside Germany appear to be faltering, according to the TIME group. 'I see the international economy slowing down,' Fosler said, 'which is going to be an added burden over the next two years.' Such a slide could erode US exports, one of the economy's few remaining sources of strength."

"'We simply cannot go on doing business as usual in so intensely competitive a world,' said Sinai. 'This downturn may be a catalyst that will wake up the nation.' If the recession does help inspire the US to face its long term economic problems, hard times could help achieve what eight years of debt-fueled prosperity could not."


Do these things sound like today? Yea, I thought so too. These are from a December 1990 TIME International magazine. Our current situation was over 10 years in the making. The 90's recession was just the warning shot across the bow, but it got ignored. It should have been the catalyst, but it was not, and has put the US economy in the condition it is in now. Its also interesting to note that there are a lot of comments in the article about how this recession (1990) has the potential to be the worst yet. It makes me wonder if, when talking about recessions, the current one is always the worst. Is that just because its happening now? Or is it because the last one was forgotten? I realize that the current recession is very bad, but what I am getting at here, is that it could have been worked on starting 10+ years ago! Maybe this time, we will learn from our mistakes!

Apparently Russian Culture is Hard to Find...

Okay, so today I went to the Pushkin Gallery, and I assumed that, because it had the name of a famous writer that it would be Russian art. Man was I wrong. First off, let me state that the exibits were quite strange, in the there was little cohesion between them. We started off in Rome and the time of Caesar, then went to Greece and their mythology, then Egypt and the Pharaohs, followed by European Renaissance art. Not only this, however, but the majority of the sculptures were plaster casts of the originals. There was David (from Florence), a sculpture that I saw in the Louvre of an angel with wings but no head, and others. (this is a picture from the Louvre that I took of the original) I suppose its a way for Muscovites/Russians to see other places' arts. It was not that great for me though, because I had been able to see the originals in their own countries. In any case, I have been here trying to explore Russian culture, and all I seem to be encountering, or at least more often than not, is European/American culture. Sorry, but screw you guys, I came to explore Russia, not my own culture, and cultures that I have explored before! NOt that I dont appreciate the art, but I WANT RUSSIAN ART!!!
I went to a concert that was, I thought, going to be all Russian folk/choir music. Nope. It was world music, from Africa, the south of the USA, Europe, etc. Yea, so much for that one. I also went to an opera. Was it Russian? Nope. It was Italian, Motzart to be specific. It was really good, and I enjoyed it, but WHERE IS THE RUSSIAN CLTURE I CAME HERE FOR????? I mean, seriously! I want Russian opera, Russian ballets, Russian art, Russian music!!! Oh yea, and I think that I am not going to be able to go to a show at the Bolshoy. Why? THE THEATER GROUP IS IN AMERICA! Grrr, oh well. I guess I am just going to have to dig deeper to find Russian culture. I guess I just supposed that it would be obvious, and not at all hard to find. I guess I was wrong. Wouldnt be the first time, and definitely will not be the last!

Changing of the Guard

I don't know if every country has a memorial to the unknown soldier, but Russia does, like the United States. I had the opportunity to see the changing of the guard one evening when walking around with my friend Natalie. We were in the area, and since it was about the top of the hour, we decided to wait around to see if they were going to change. Luckily for us, they did. It was incredibly precise, in true military fashion. I was very impressed by it, and it was interesting to see that Russian soldiers formally march in a much different way than American soldiers. Anyway, here are some pictures from the guard changing. I have to apologise for the poor quality, but my flash was not good enough in the light, so I didn't use it.

A little time travel for you...

I have been given a December 1990 TIME (International) magazine talking about Gorbachev and Russia. That was the original intent, but it has turned into a little bit of time travel and looking back on what was going on when I was about 4 years old. I have found a similarity between the 2 Bush administrations, and their form of foreign policy. Here is what I have found:

During the late 1980's and early 1990's, there was a recession, and the pundits/news agencies were predicting that it would get worse. At this same time, George H W Bush was gearing up the country for the first Gulf War. Sound familiar? This is similar to what happened with George W Bush's administration. They came off the economic recovery of the Clinton years, and after September 11th, the economy started to slip back again. Then W decided to go to war in Afghanistan and then in Iraq. This history lesson really makes the Gulf Wars look more like a family political policy rather than a war of necessity. That is, of course, unless you look at the philosophy of "states, when given the choice to decline or to fight, they usually choose to fight." The other interesting thing that the "experts" in TIME have to say is that they were worried about a war in Iraq to bring about an economic downturn, even worse than they were experiencing at the time. Hmmm...Looks like they were about 15 years early on that prediction, but it still is quite interesting that even though the 1st Gulf War had the same possible consequences as we are now seeing from the 2nd Gulf War. Just something to ponder...

R-Rated movies for kids?

Okay, so first off, I went to see Watchmen for my birthday on Saturday. It was awesome, even though I did not understand a lot of it. I think I got the basic jist of the movie, and could surmise the rest by the actions of the characters and the few words I did know. Once I stopped trying to translate every word I heard that I thought I should know, I felt like I started to understand more, and maybe thats just because I wasn't thinking "Wait, what did that word mean again...shit, there was another word I should know... damn what did he say again?" As you can see, its quite a distracting train of thought! haha. In any case, I am planning to see the movie again some time, whether in English or Russian, I dont know, we will see (but probably in Enlgish when it comes out on DVD state-side).
Now on to my point in writing this entry! My cousin asked me about censorship in Russia. Obviously, they have no problem showing movies with gory, bloody, graphic violence and sex scenes that leave little to imagine. There also, as far as I can tell, are no age limits to who can get into movies. The kids that were sitting next to me were no older than about 12. I think one of them was about 8. This was NOT a movie for kids. I was even a good bit uncomfortable with the graphicness of the movie. I kinda though that i was going to have gross, scary dreams that night, but I was spared. Im sure those kids had nightmares though! I remember going to see Jurrasic Park for my sister's birthday, and while I was about 8 for that movie, it wasn't that bad, and I was there with my family, parents included. These kids seemed to be accompanied by only one adult, and I think that they really didnt know what to expect from the film. I think that the kids were not really into it either, sice they left half way through. I was happy they left, partly because I thought that they were much too young to be watching the movie in the first place, but secondly because they started talking after about a quarter of the movie, and I was having trouble hearing what was being said in the movie vs. what was being said beside me. It is really difficult for me to listen to a Russian language movie with people blathering on in Russian in my ear. Hopefully though, this is not a regular occurance, as kids should not see this movie. Its an adult movie, obviously R-rated in the states. Apparently censorship of movies is not done, but news/tv/journalism is censored. Go figure, right?

Fullet? WTF??

Okay, apparently the mullet is back. While I thought that it was a bad idea the first time around, I think its even more ridiculous on people who are very fashionably dressed. I had always figured the mullet to be for red-necks, not city people wearing designer jeans and $200 shoes. Oh well. Now to the mullet that got me the most. Not only was it a mullet, but the front was a fo-hawk. I would have to call that a fullet. Seriously though, why would you do that to yourself? While I am not a fan of the fo-hawk, but at least its okay by itself. When you combine both, it just breaks all the rules, and looks ridiculous!!! I wish I could have gotten a picture of the guy with the fullet, because I think that you would agree with the absurdity of it, but I figured it would be weird, if not "stalker-esk." Oh well, maybe next time!

Spring is on the way!!!!

While that daily high temperature is still hovering around freezing (0 or 32 depending), spring is obviously on its way. The sun is out more, and for longer periods off time. When I walk from the apartment to the metro in the mornings, I hear birds singing/chirping. Yes, there are pigeons and crows here year round, but the bird songs I hear do not belong to either of these types of birds. I also see a lot of street vendors selling flowers, which was not that uncommon a month ago, but the number of people selling flowers on the street has increased dramatically. It is quite refreshing, after the sea of dark colors that I have seen for the past month! What I mean is this: just about everyone in Russia wears dark/black clothing. I know I have stated it before, but I have to reiterate my statement because it is so different from the States. To see all of these flowers on the street in bright reds, blues, yellows, pinks, etc. is really a nice sight after a month of darkness. I really am my mother's son. hahahaha. The other thing is, it smells like spring. The air is different. Its not dry, sterile smelling. I dont know how to explain it. I'm sure you know what I mean. Hurray for spring!!!!

A green Russia

I have a great interest in sustainability, and so I have been cataloging things that I see that are good ideas, and are green. While the imported, gas guzzling cars are the most obvious sign that people are not so interested in saving the environment in that way ($2.16 a gallon for premium might be the reason), I see plenty of other ways in which they work towards that goal. Lets start right here in the room that I am living in. While the building is built from concrete, it is incredibly warm. This is in part to the insulation (Styrofoam or fiberglass) between an inner and outer wall. This makes the building very unlikely to leak heat, which is a great start. In my room, although I think it is not that common, my windows are triple paned. This makes them much more efficient than single or even double paned windows.
Usually what I see are two separate windows with all of the seams taped to prevent the drafts from entering the room. I saw how benificial this was in my own home before leaving the USA. Maine is a cold state in the winter, and living in an old house, it was drafty. By blocking the draft from the windows, it made a significant difference in the temperature of the room. This was without really adding anything to boost the insulation of te room, just eliminating the leaks around the windows. Its the same idea with the tape around the windows here. It eliminates the leaks, making the heating systems not have to work as hard.
Another thing that I noticed in my apartment building is the instant hot water. You turn on the hot water, wait maybe 5-10 seconds, and its scorching hot. This saves water because there is no need to run the water endlessly to get it hot. Its really nice in the morning for a shower, as I can just climb in, its hot, and away we go.
The most obvious way that Russian in Moscow are helping to save the environment is by taking public transportation. While, yes, sometimes there are smelly, scary bums on the metro, for the most part, it is an incredibly efficient way to jet around the city. I have a feeling that it would be faster than car at just about any time. The also ride buses that run on electricity rather than gas, and if they were powered by clean power (unlikely) it would also be a great way to keep the air clean. I think that as the standard of living goes up in Moscow, the populace will demand more and more clean transportation, cleaner power generation, and cleaner air to breathe. Maybe I am just too much a product of American democracy where the people are allowed, and take every chance possible, to tell the government what they want, and that they are going to get it, or make life hell for whatever politician they have in their sights. Sadly, in Russia, the people do not have their voice yet. It does not help that there is not independent TV in Russia, as Putin has made all independent stations State-run TV. I think that change is on the way, however! These green ideas are just the start!!

AMERICAN CULTURE DOMINATION!!!!

I just have to say, I think that it is sad that there could be so many things to see here, and yet I see Red Bull, McDonalds, Levi jeans, Dodge cars and SUV's, and even Hummer and Escalade limos. I thought that there was no Russian market for these things and therefore were not going to exist here. I was hoping to see Russia for what it is, not its reflection of American Culture. I had a discussion with a prof about globalization and how it is more than likely to lead to more conflict because people are going to want to preserve their nationality from the influx of other cultures. This influx comes from the Internet, breaking down of tarriffs and laws preventing international business, and the ability of people to travel half way around the world in a matter of hours, rather than in days/months. My prof also made a comment that there is a view that globalization is the domination of American culture on the rest of the world. While this hurts, since I am American, I really can see the truth in it. I mean, the USA is a world's largest economy, and it does business all over the world, spreading the idea that fast food, cheap jeans, and stuff in a can thats going to kill you is all good for you, and the rest of the world to boot. I suppose, thats what you get when the borders for businesses are broken down, and it is mixed with good ol' American capitalism. I'm not saying that our system is the best, and I am certainly not saying it is the worst, but sometimes I am ashamed of the things that are brought overseas to represent America, American people, and the "American dream".

Ego boost!!!

Well, so today was a great ego boost. I was talking to a Russian girl who worked at the summer camp that I work at in the summers, and she was asking me how my Russian was, so I spoke with her some in Russian, and she was very amused, I think because of my American accent. She did say, though, that my Russian was pretty good, and I was really easy to understand, so it was a nice ego boost. Those are always good when you are trying to learn a foreign language. We are also planning on getting together, and we are going to talk in Russian so that I can improve my Russian, and also in English so that she can improve her language skills.

I also got to get together with the Director of the summer camp where I work. He is in Moscow on business, hiring staff for the summer. It was really nice to get together with a person I know, and even though it was a few hours, it was still nice. Plus, I love hanging out with Roger. He's such a riot to hang out with. Definitely a really cool person, and I am so glad that I am going back to camp this summer. We talked about a lot of the changes he was hoping to make, and now I am really looking forward to summer, even more than I already was. I've had a countdown going since about November for the return to camp. Yea, thats how much I love camp!!

Now I get it.... well, ok, maybe not...

Yea, so, first for what I understand! I now know why Russians really have so few cloths, or at least one reason for it. I went to the mall (yes, they have those here now!) to look for an overcoat, something black, or dark, at least. I want to have something that is not RED!! haha, while it is not a fire engine red, it is still not typical, although, the longer I have been here, the more I spot other pretty radical jackets. Anyway, what I am getting it is that everything is incredibly expensive. I went into a store, and the jacket I tried on was on sale, 30% off, but after I did the conversion, it was still $350. Yea, not getting that jacket any time soon. I blame all the millionaires and billionaires in Moscow. Seriously. There are 72, give or take a few, billionaires in Moscow, and something rediculous like 113,000 millionaires. Yea, theres a lot of them. They are the reason that there are huge malls that cater to people with money. Well, thats what I think at least. Im not even going to get started on Capitalism...

Ok, so now on to what I dont get. What I dont get is why Moscow women wear stilettos in the middle of the winter, and why, since the end of Butter week, they think its spring, so they are wearing skirts and shorts. I think that they are all wearing tights, but even still, I cannot understand how they can possibly be staying warm when walking around on the streets of Moscow. Seriously, its freezing man! Well, actually, usually well below freezing. Plus, there is usually a serious layer of ice packed onto the sidewalks. I walked by a place where they were breaking up the ice that had been packed in place for weeks on end, and there were pieces that were over 6 inches thick. How is it possible to possibly walk in stilettos on ice? Really. Please, tell me how they all manage to do it, and not break their ankles! I would love to know!! Oh well.

Police State

I have never realized how few police we have in the USA until I got here to Russia, and they are everywhere. I mean, you can't turn around without seeing another cop or someone in fatigues. I guess it wouldnt bother me so much if I had a much better command of the language, but the idea of being stopped by the police and questioned just does not appeal to me. It does not help that people tell me a lot that the Russian police are corrupt, and if you want to get out of something, you have to pay them money. I have not seen this yet, but even the Russians I know tell me this.

So you are probably wondering why this post occurred at this instance. Well, today is the last day of Butter Week, or "empty of meat" as the translation goes. This is a pagan celebration for the coming of spring, the lengthening of days, and under the Orthodox church, the week previous to the 7 weeks of Lent. It means, lots of celebrating, lots of drinking, and today is Forgiveness day, where you ask everyone for forgiveness. I think its a great idea! Anyway, after a tour of the Contemporary History Museum, I decided to go to Red Square to check everything out. There were police everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE! There were police cars, officers, mounted patrols, military squads (maybe Military Police). While none of them were obviously armed, there were police vans and trucks near by, so it is safe to assume that their weapons were not far from hand should the need arise. While it seems like an exorbident amount of police, I suppose I should think about it in terms of being on Pennsylvania Ave in DC for a huge festival. I suppose the level of police would be similar. Here is where it gets different, though.

It was about 2 weeks ago, and I was leaving the subway to go to my classes at RGGU, and as I came off the escalator, there were two cops standing off to the side. I had to take a second look, as one of the men had a small Kalashnikov rifle slung over his sholder and his arms crossed on top of it. That day, I noticed that most of the police that I saw were armed with more than their usual baton. I don't know if there was a terrorist threat warning or something, but it was a little unnerving, as I am not used to seeing assault rifles being shown in the open like that. Whatever the case, it just goes to show some of the differences that I have noticed while I have been here in Moscow.

****A note on the St. Basil's photo (top): we were not allowed to be any closer that I took the picture from, but if you look at the railing around the cathedral, those are all police near the cathedral!!

Well that was unexpected!

So, you know how when you are sick, your mom has that special treatment for whatever ails you, whether is should cure you or not? Yea, I had not figured on getting the flu while I was here in Russia, but it happened. While it was horrible, I think it turned out to be ok, and I learned something from it. I have to make a digression quickly, however, to make my point.

When you live in a foreign country with a host family, there are things that are going to be different. It is to be expected. There are things that happen at the time, and you think, 'what the hell is this?' but later realize it wasn't bad, it was just different. (Yea, its my Rotary training coming through! ha ha) I had one of these such experiences in the first few days of my stay here. I sat down for dinner with my host mother, and she was bustling around the tiny kitchen making me food. At one point, she pulled out some fish (it looked kind of like salmon) and asked me if I wanted it to eat. I agreed, because I love fish. She then pulled it out of the package and put it on a plate for me. If you are not following thus far, it was uncooked fish!! I had assumed that she was going to cook it for me. What I later found out was that in Russia, one of their typical ways to eat fish is by marinating it for hours/days, and then just eating it, without cooking it. At the time, all I could think was "Dude, I didn't sign up for raw fish!" Since then, I eat it like I have always eaten it.

Now back to my point. When I told my host father that I needed medicine for the flu in my broken Russian (and with the assistance of my dictionary), he called his wife, and she went to the pharmacy before coming home. What I got for a medicine was the real surprise. I was expecting theraflu (yes, they have that here), or something similar. No, what did I get? I got activated charcoal tablets. Yea, its the same stuff they use in fish tank filtering systems. The pills look pretty sinister too. They are jet black, no shine what-so-ever, and might as well be something out of a movie used as a poison. I was so sick, however, that I didnt care. I was told to take 5, and I obeyed, and then went back to sleep. I figured, whats the worst that could happen, I already felt like death? To my pleasant surprise, however, when I woke up, my upset stomach was no longer upset, and I was feeling better. Again, at the time, I couldnt believe that activated charcoal was the cure for the flu, but now that I have done it, I will have no issue doing it again should the need arise.

Bums and Cops

This is an excerpt from my cultural journal that I have been keeping, and I figured that it was a good observation to share with all of you.

On Bums

So, I have decided that bums in Russia are scary. I suppose that they are scary anywhere, but when you don't understand them, then I think it makes them more scary. Only in Russia, though, would you get a cop with a grill (gold, no less) throwing a smelly (by that I mean PUTRID), drunken, belligerent bum off the train! What my tour guide told me over the weekend, though, was that they are not to be treated badly, but you should inwardly thank them for showing you exactly how not to live! Interesting outlook, no doubt! He also said that there was a study done by a British doctor, and he concluded that after living for 6 months on the street, there is a chemical change in the brain, and it prevents people from returning to normal life. This is terrible, but the guide told me that they chose that life, so not to feel bad for them. Plus, they get food, cloths, and papers (documents) from the government, but within 2 DAYS they show up again without any of these things. I suppose that its sad, but it is also good that the government is attempting to help these people. I guess its more than I would have expected.

An Attempt into Blogging

So, I have never been one for blogging, but my sister has suggested that I start one so that I can share my experiences. Its not a bad idea, as cultural learning is good for everyone. I am going to give it a shot, and see how I do, how I like it, and if I feel it is worthwhile. As I have to go to class soon, more will come later, pictures included. I suppose that this will give me an excuse to take more pictures, not just of the fancy, intricate architecture, but also of every day things, like the shops and people. It will give a daily portrait of my Moscow life!