Putin and Obama at UNGA 2015

    The political climate was turbulent this year and the forecast isn't going to be sunny. Judging the two speeches wasn't a very complicated task, these are more like statements and in some degrees I felt both leaders tried to gather support, allies maybe. I began with Putin but in this article I will leave him after Obama for reasons you will see.

Barack Hussein Obama II

    The American president's performance (indeed it was somewhat of a show) was something a typical American could relate to. Simplicity enriched with idealism and a hefty does of shallowness. The idea of USA's exceptional role in the world is still strong as a mindset. In order "to prevent a third world war" the United States, after the Second World War "worked with many nations". Presumably also with the United Kingdom that under Churchill created plans to invade the Soviet Union. The US itself had plans to nuke Moskow. Furthermore "they supported the steady emergence of strong democracies accountable to their people instead of any foreign power", wonderful phrase but coming from the mouthpiece of the US is deeply puzzling. This country has a long history of interventions in other countries in order to place political or military leaderships favorable to their interests. In Afghanistan they armed the Taliban, remember? Not to mention South America, Panama maybe?

    The speech goes on with interesting points but then you get to parts like "we see greater polarization (...) movements on the far right (...) calling for the building of walls to keep out immigrants" targeting Hungary but also, funny enough, the US itself, remember Mexico? Another example of dissonance between American speech and actions. Obama recognized Iran as "revolutionary", the third in order after "rising China" and "resurgent Russia". Rising implies evolution, resurgency implies regeneration, reviving after a bad period. Obama makes clear the fact that these three "old enemies, perceived adversaries" are getting stronger while America "cannot by itself impose stability on a foreign land", speeking of Iraq. The general idea is not that Obama says that the US is weak but that the US is searching for allies.

    He mentions "revolutionary" Iran's violation of the NPT while omitting that Israel, despite the fact that it has nukes, is not a member of the NPT and does not allow international inspectors. "America has few economic interests in Ukraine", if it had, we would of known by now however it has many interests in making life hard for Russia. "For 50 years, the United States pursued a Cuba policy that failed to improve the lives of the Cuban people. We changed that." We will see what the Cuban president has to say about that but at least in western media it seems that something changed especially after Ukraine. The US tried to invade Cuba once and to assassinate Castro hundreds of times.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin

    Putin's speech had the following main themes: to strengthen the UN by building on the principles on which it was created (disdain from scheming and trickery and a spirit of cooperation) ; state sovereignty ; the Islamic State did not come from nowhere ; he addressed the Muslim spiritual leaders to intervene and counteract Islamic State propaganda; the WTO should be respected and states should refrain from imposing unilateral sanctions; economic selfishness ; climate change.

    Climate change is almost unilaterally acknowledged as a problem. The Russians tried to adopt a different strategy from their American counterparts, they situate themselves somewhere above and don't want to interfere in other countries and they want these countries to know that. They don't care about corruption or human rights, these are internal issues to be addressed by the sovereign country in question, not by a foreign power. Russia doesn't propose to civilize the universe, at least not yet. The Islamic State issue is an almost open attack on the United States of America. This is indeed common sense because in truth ISIS was armed either directly or through third parties by the US to bring down Assad. Similar in concept to how the CIA used Ukrainian far right groups to bring down Yanukovych.

You can read the full transcripts here: Putin ; Obama

Russian and American symbolism

Most countries are built on myths, almost unanimously accepted as culturally and socially binding. Symbols, apart from myths, play an important role in shaping the perception one has in relation to authority, at least on a theoretical level. In practice not many people pay attention to the symbols around them and the degree in which we process them on the unconscious level can be debated. Symbols are codes and in order to decode these you need the key and depending on your own development and cultural background you may unlock different meanings although rarely contradictory.

Olga Matsaeva

Olga Matsaeva, photographer, Russia, artistic nude

What does the mirror reflect? The truth, one's heart and conscience. It's also a symbol of the manifestation that reflects the Creative Intelligence (of the Universe) also known as God. Angelus Silesius said something that can also be observed in Islamic teachings: "the human heart, a mirror reflecting God". The mirror's main interpretation is thus related to the superior aspects of life, the spiritual and the divine. The fish is obviously associated with the element water but by itself it's a symbol of life and fertility. Indo-european iconography also links the fish with wisdom.

Olga Matsaeva was born on 7 September 1983 in Moscow. She is interested in different ways of portraying the human body and to be more exact, the interplay between body and spirit. Mirrors play an important role in her artistic vision as she herself declares, they add an aura of mysticism and represent her strong interest of depicting the inner self not only the exterior body.

I urge the young artist to pursue art in this key, the rewards will overcome any obstacle. Another interesting subject would be an interpretation of the maze.

2015 May 9th parade

In 2010 the remarkable parade held to commemorate the sacrifices of those who fought to push back Nazi Germany and ultimately to be victorious in the war, encompassing both the joy of the victory and the sorrow of the losses, reunited soldiers from the United States, France, Britain and Poland.

(photo of soldiers marching in WW2 uniforms) 

The 65th anniversary was indeed held in a different kind of political climate, this year many of the former friends have decided to skip this one in an action that resembles a child's behavior. Obama openly restricted the access of world leaders to the parade and the outcome was as expected by US diplomacy, out of 68 heads of state invited only 26 accepted to come.

Lermontov & Balakirev

Portrait of the poet done in 1837,
the year he went on exile
and when Balakirev was born.
by Pyotr Zabolotsky

Moscow, October. A cold wind was blowing thousands of yellow dried leaves, sometimes circling in high tornado like swirls but usually ending under the feet of the few that ventured on the streets that night. A few drops of rain began to fall when at the door of a white two story house a man was knocking, nervously shouting "open, it's me, Yuri". Mikhail Lermontov was born in this house on 15 October 1814 to captain Yuri Petrovich Lermontov, who prided himself with a Scottish descent, and Maria Mikhaylovna Lermontova. Their marriage was a total failure ending with Maria's death at the age of 21, as a result of finding about her husband's infidelity (and her tuberculosis). Mikhail grew up in the village of Tarkany being raised by his maternal grandmother in luxurious comfort and enjoying an excellent education. He became fluent in French and German and learned to play some musical instruments. Eventually, because of bad health, he was sent to the Caucasus, a place that greatly influenced him and where he will eventually return to.

Our world: Zinaida Serebriakova and Vladimir Kuzmin

This Duo is again dedicated to the wonderful art that emerged from the Russian space, let it bring us together, breaking the barriers some want to create.

Vladimir Kuzmin (Russian: Влади́мир Борисович Кузьмин) is a Russian rock artist born on May 31, 1955. After gaining a degree in a musical college he became lead guitarist in various VIA bands. In 1981 he became a member of Carnival releasing one album. From 1982 till the present he plays with Dynamic. Apparently in 2011 he was awarded by President Medvedev. The song's title is Семь морей and means Seven Seas.

Zinaida Yevgenyevna Serebriakova (Russian: Зинаи́да Евге́ньевна Серебряко́ва) was a Russian painter born on 12 December 1884. She grew up in Kharkov (which is now situated in Ukraine) into a refined family, descendants of the Benois family. Her grandfather (Nicholas Benois) was the chairman of the Society of Architects and a member of the Russian Academy of Science, her uncle (Alexandre Benois), a famous painter himself and founder of the Mir iskusstva art group and her father, Yevgeny Nikolayevich Lanceray, was a well known sculptor. These are just a few highlights.

After graduating the gymnasium she went to an art school founded by Princess M. K. Tenisheva. In 1901 she studied under Repin, followed by Osip Braz from 1903 to 1905. Like all aspiring artists she went for a year to Italy in 1902. After completing her education in Russia she continued to study in Paris. Life was pleasant and fruitful up till the Bolshevik revolution. In 1919 her husband died of typhus contracted in jail and so was faced without any income, with four children and her sick mother. Things however began to improve after long moments of hunger and poverty. Even in the most difficult of periods she was lucky, her grandfather's apartment in Petrograd (in which she moved in December 1920) was shared with artists from the Moscow Art Theater. This sharing of private apartments was forced upon their owners who never had a say on who will be assigned to them.

In 1924 she went to Paris after receiving a commission. It is not entirely clear if she wanted or not to return to the Soviet Union, what is known is that out of her four children she managed to bring to Paris only two in 1926 and 1928. She went on to explore Africa arriving in Morocco for a limited period. In 1947 she became a French citizen. Only after Khrushchev came to power she was allowed to come back to the Union.

Her work was exhibited in the Soviet Union in 1966 in cities like Moscow, Leningrad and Kiev. She enjoyed a complete success with millions of albums sold. Zinaida died a year later in Paris and is buried at the Russian cemetery.

Gallery

1909 - Self portrait

ꗇ History in Images ꔀ Soviet Posters ꗇ

Through propaganda and educative posters, Soviet iconography permeated into Russian society with relative ease. Lenin is the one who takes the responsibility of creating the first truly propaganda machine, the fate of Communism depended on keeping people close to the party and with a high enough morale to face all the shortcomings that came with building socialism. Artists from all-over the land participated in this field, giving many excellent examples of posters that transcended the boundaries of political tools and became works of art in their own right. The basic philosophy was to make various subjects appealing to the mases, they didn't necessarily have to be simple, but universal. They needed to make war seem heroic and working the fields as relaxing as a stroll in the park, with young and blond Russian women happily waiting for their working men while they take care of the kids or, even better, working beside them.

Six main eras have been identified in the development in the field of propaganda posters:
1. the Bolshevik Era (1917-1921) - key features are the revolutionary fervor with a strong emphasis on symbolism, more than 3500 poster designs were created.
2. the New Economic Policy (1921-1927) - key features are the Avant-garde Constructivism Style and a feeling of slightly more freedom even if faced with famine and discontent.
3. the first two "five year plans" - key features: Stalin wanted to industrialize Russia as fast as possible with an emphasis on heavy industry; in the first part of the period, photo-montage was used.
4. the Great Patriotic War, or World War 2 (1939-1945) - key features of the period are the revival of the Bolshevik style.
5. the Cold War (1946-1984) - key features are the use of Social Realism and posters promoting peace.
6. Perestroika (1984-1991)

Posters began to cover all areas of social and private life, from culture to work, from politics to war, they were the "bibles" of common soviet people, or at least this was the idea. Some of the more well known artists and designers are Alexander Apsit, who created the famous hammer and sickle symbol and the red star, Irakili Toridze knwon for his "Motherland is calling", Victor Karetsky, Victor Ivanov, N. Treschenko, Victor Govorkov, M. Heifitz, etc.

Two possible directions from which we will continue in future articles are the similarities with political posters from National Socialist Germany and the other being advertising posters mainly from the United States and consumerist society.

For now however let's look at some examples.

1917 - "The Loan of Freedom" by Kustodiev B. M. This poster refers to the bonds issued by the provisional government in order to stabilize the economy, the measure however did not manage to garner much support from the people.

???? - "Stop" by Karetsky V. B.

1919 - "May Day, workers have nothing to lose but their chains" by A. P. Apsit

"1940" - "Moscow is the capital of the USSR" by L. M. Lisitsky

1942 - "Red Army Soldier, save!" by V. B. Koretsky

Брат (Brother) [Russia / 1997]

Sergey Bodrov Jr. (1971–2002) plays the role of a young man named Danila Bagrov with a predisposition for lawlessness but nonetheless possessing a degree of morality somewhat superior to most of the people he comes in contact with. He sets out to find his brother in Leningrad, a man which according to his mother is "her only hope" but in truth is a local gangster and killer. Apparently, their father was a thief who eventually died in prison. Not the kind of movie that will stir many laughs or philosophical discussions but it will make you addicted to the atmosphere (aided by a wonderful soundtrack by Nautilus Pompilius) if you have an interest for this kind of cinema. The director is Aleksey Balabanov.

You can see the full movie below (with English subtitles) brought to you by TheMakiNau through Youtube.

Movie

Music

As a bonus for my readers I have posted bellow a song from the soundtrack by Nautilus Pompilius. Zver (Beast):


Lyrics:

я смотpю в темноту я вижу огни это где-то в степи полыхает пожаp я вижу огни вижу пламя костpов это значит где-то здесь скpывается звеpь я гнался за ним столько лет столько зим я нашел его здесь в этой степи слышу вой под собой вижу слезы в глазах это значит что звеpь почувствовал стpах я смотpю в темноту я вижу огни это значит что звеpь почувствовал стpах он я знаю не спит слишком сильная боль все гоpит все кипит пылает огонь я даже знаю как болит у звеpя в гpуди он pевет он хpипит мне знаком этот кpик я кpужу в темноте там где слышиться смех это значит что тепеpь звеpю конец я не буду ждать утpа чтоб не видеть как он пpобудившись ото снастанет дpугим я не буду ждать утpа чтоб не тpатить больше сил смотpи на звезду - она тепеpь твоя искpы тают в ночи звезды светят в пути я лечу и мне гpустно в этой степи он уже кpепко спит слишком сладкая боль не гоpит не гоpит утихает огонь когда утpо взойдет он с последней звездой поднимется в путь полетит вслед за мной когда утpо взошло успокоилась ночь не гpозила ничем лишь отпpавилась пpочь он еще кpепко спал когда слабая дpожь мелькнула в гpуди с неба вылился дождь

I look into the darkness, I see lights. It is a fire blazing somewhere in the steppe. I see lights, I see flames of bonfires. This means that here hides a beast. I chased him for so many years. I have found him here, in this steppe. I hear him howl, I see tears in his eyes. This means that the beast feels fear. I look into the darkness, I see lights, This means that somewhere here hides the beast. I know he is not sleeping, the pain is too strong, Everything is burning and boiling inside, the fire is burning. I even know how it hurts in the beast's chest, He roars, he croaks, I know this cry. I'm circling in the darkness, where laughter is heard, This means that it's all over for the beast now. I will not wait for the morning, not to see how he, Waking from sleep, becomes different. I will not wait for the morning, not to waste energy, Look at the star - it is now yours. Sparks are melting into the night, the stars are shining on the way, I'm flying, and I feel sad in this steppe. He is fast asleep already - the pain is too sweet, The fire is not burning anymore, it is dying down. When the morning comes, with the last star He will rise to go, will fly following me. When the morning came, the night calmed down, It did not threaten with anything, just went away. He was still fast asleep, when a slight shiver Flashed across his chest, the sky poured rain. Translation: kovideo.net

Stalin and Wells at a cup of tea

A couple of months ago I read an interview between Soviet leader Stalin and the British writer H. G. Wells. As you can see this blog has been silent for some time mainly because of some health problems I had and because I concentrated on studying. Now, with new powers, I decided to start with an article in the "Utopian Dystopia" series about "1984" by George Orwell but as a prelude to that I found this interview quite useful so read it with great attention even if I will publish some highlights in this post. The interview was held in 23 July 1934. To keep things in perspective I recommend you read "The Gulag Archipelago" by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, although not a strict historical-scientific work. I also would like to avoid labeling Orwell as pro-Stalin so I will publish the following quote (Wells however actually admired him in a way):

"One could not have a better example of the moral and emotional shallowness of our time, than the fact that we are now all more or less pro-Stalin. This disgusting murderer is temporarily on our side, and so the purges, etc., are suddenly forgotten." (from 3 July 1941).

Fragments from the interview: [Download the entire interview]

Wells: (...)You and Roosevelt begin from two different starting points. But is there not a relation in ideas, a kinship of ideas, between Moscow and Washington? In Washington I was struck by the same thing I see going on here; they are building offices, they are creating a number of state re- gulation bodies, they are organising a long-needed Civil Service. Their need, like yours, is directive ability.

Stalin: The United States is pursuing a different aim from that which we are pursuing in the U.S.S.R. The aim which the Americans are pursuing, arose out of the economic troubles, out of the economic crisis. The Americans want to rid themselves of the crisis on the basis of private capitalist activity, without changing the economic basis. They are trying to reduce to a minimum the ruin, the losses caused by the existing economic system. Here, however, as you know, in place of the old, destroyed economic basis, an entirely different, a new economic basis has been created (...) .

[Stalin:] What is planned economy? What are some of its attributes? Planned economy tries to abolish unemployment. Let us suppose it is possible, while preserving the capitalist system, to reduce unemployment to a certain mini- mum. But surely, no capitalist would ever agree to the complete abolition of unemployment, to the abolition of the reserve army of unemployed, the purpose of which is to bring pressure on the labour market, to ensure a supply of cheap labour.

[Stalin:](...) as soon as Roosevelt, or any other captain in the contemporary bourgeois world, proceeds to undertake something serious against the foundation of capital- ism, he will inevitably suffer utter defeat. The banks, the industries, the large enterprises, the large farms are not in Roosevelt's hands. (...) Perhaps, in the course of several generations it will be possible to approach this goal somewhat; but I personally think that even this is not very probable.

[Stalin:] But I have some experience in fighting for socialism, and this experience tells me that if Roosevelt makes a real attempt to sat- isfy the interests of the proletarian class at the expense of the capitalist class, the latter will put another president in his place. The capitalists will say : Presidents come and presidents go, but we go on forever; if this or that president does not protect our interests, we shall find another. What can the president oppose to the will of the capitalist class?

[Stalin:] To bring about a revolution a leading revolutionary minority is required; but the most talented, devoted and energetic minority would be helpless if it did not rely upon the at least passive support of millions.

Around the World in 7 Notes: Kino - Peaceful Night

I listen to much Russian (and Soviet) music even though I just now started to learn the language. There is something about Russian music that fascinates me... my life, in a way, gravitates around music and in the same time it's also surrounded by music. People stop at the surface and are quick to judge, to label, to feel they are themselves superior (through this) because... well... they can't be "superior" in other ways. This is why I listen to music, and why I consider it to be like the air I breathe, like the blood that flows through my veins, it doesn't judge and never lies.

Russian music from the 70s and 80s, first underground and then starting to rise to the surface due to the reforms of Gorbachev opened the way for an astonishing series of bands and songs. 80s USSR was going though profound changes  and bands from the second half of that decade show us perfectly how life was like. Music was a way for the youth to shout their frustrations and expose their dreams.

Kino - Peaceful Night (English translation)

Rooftops are shaking under the pressure of days
A shepherd in heaven hereds the clouds
A city shoots its lights into the night
But strong is the night, great is her might

Those who got to bed, good night, good dreams
I've been waiting for this time and here it is
This time has come
Those who ere silent started to talk
Those who've got nothing to wait, mount their horses
You won't catch up with them, no, not now

Neighbors come, they complain they hear hooves clicking
They can't fall asleep, it disturbs their dreams
Those who've got nothing to wait for take off
And those who were saved-they are safe

The leader of Kino was Viktor Tsoi (21 June 1962 – 15 August 1990), remember this name cause it's the name of a hero.

Крыши домов дрожат под тяжестью дней,
Небесный пастух пасет облака,
Город стреляет в ночь дробью огней,
Но ночь сильней, ее власть велика.

Тем, кто ложится спать -
Спокойного сна.
Спокойная ночь.
Тем, кто ложится спать -
Спокойного сна.
Спокойная ночь.

Я ждал это время, и вот это время пришло,
Те, кто молчал, перестали молчать.
Те, кому нечего ждать, садятся в седло,
Их не догнать, уже не догнать.

Соседи приходят, им слышится стук копыт,
Мешают уснуть, тревожат их сон.
Те, кому нечего ждать, отправляются в путь
Те, кто спасен, те, кто спасен.

- Original Russian lyrics, Кино - Спокойная ночь

The song is the fourth from the 1988 album entitled "Gruppa krovi".

Gallery

Album cover - Gruppa Krovi

Thoughts on Pussy Riot

Some years ago I too had a band and it so happens that I also thought about a thing not very different from what Pussy Riot did although in my case I also wanted to have marijuana instead of incense and some rather provoking nuns dancing around. This may come as a shock to most of my readers, I know, but the idea is that I never went through with the plan, something stopped me and I am glad it did. Why Pussy Riot went on to defile sacred ground is the question. First of all you want to do such a thing mostly because you are a teenage moron that thinks the world is his/her and nothing is sacred, you can also be motivated by a need to promote yourself.

I watched various respected artists trying to be on their side, an attitude which attracted a popular reaction from some of their fans and other people who want to promote themselves on behalf of the two years jail term of the three Russian "teenage rebels". I also want to mention that all these so-called artists which think it's normal to go and mock God (or Putin in the "house of God") have discredited themselves in the face of their religious fans and their atheist fans alike. I'm weird enough to admire their imagination yet we must condemn such acts because the only reason those three girls walked into a church and shouted (sung) anti-Putin phrases (songs?) was because by doing so they would end up on the front page of the newspaper. Well, they became famous, that's for sure... yet nothing in life comes for free and now it's time to pay.

However I would of supported a different kind of protest, like storming into the Israeli Embassy and demanding they stop the ethnic cleansing in Palestine. Now that takes guts because you won't see all those "artists" jumping in and being on your side then, nope, most probably you can end up as a terrorist suspect in Guantanamo for the end of your, soon to be, short life. 

In conclusion, my advice is to keep things in perspective, the three Pussy Riot members deserve some time to cool off in a Moscow cell, however the world will not stop here and we should try to create a united front (like that in favor of Pussy Riot) on more important issues.

PS. Now that I think about it... what stopped me from doing a similar mistake was my brain and a good dose of proper education.

Starting from 9th Company

The "9th Company" is a 2005 Russian-Ukrainian-Finnish movie about the Soviet-Afghan war and more exactly based on the battle of Hill 3234 in 1988. The main reason I recommend this movie is to promote Russian cinema with works that have what it takes to withstand the attacks of the Hollywood entertainment industry. Russia has to create high quality commercial films in order to compete. This type of art is a huge propaganda tool, American culture is so widespread in part because of commercial movies, not artistic ones, where the hero lights a Marlboro cigarette with the American flag waving in the background and the maiden just saved from the hands of evil is holding tight to the hero's sweaty, beefy hand. Such scenes, as idiotic as they are, repeated in various forms in various movies become hardwired in our brains.

9th Company is not this kind of a movie, it is simply an action/war production  intended to ride the wave of the American invasion of Afghanistan and make some cash. It is nonetheless a good thing to watch, for someone like me who lives in a country where movies are almost all the time of American origin, seeing something in another language is a treat by itself, especially when you are talking about movies with little to no artistic expectations. I am however disappointed of one thing, director Fyodor Bondarchuk could of made a better job in making the movie more Russian, if you change the language with English you won't feel any difference and in fact if it would of been in English I wouldn't have wasted ten minutes writing a review.

There are nonetheless many good Russian movies, but not good enough (to break this marketing wall that favors Hollywood) and not that many and just as I hate monopoly in politics and economy, so I hate monopoly in art and culture. Russia has a long history and enormous possibilities to create unique things, why recycle something made on the other side of the Atlantic, or Pacific... nobody would be interested. Is it enough to rely on the image of the Russian drunk that looks like he went to prison for arms or drug trafficking? I think not, at least not in the case of the largest country on Earth with an unbelievable spirituality.

Trailer:

Anastasia Zharkova (visual) and Zemfira (audio)

Zemfira (left) and Anastasia (right).

Russian art and spirituality are some very captivating and emblematic elements of the global culture, we, however, will not stop at the consecrated names now. Zemfira Ramazanova is a Russian rock artist of Bashkir descent. At the age of four she became interested in music and one year later she was sent to a music school. As time passed she started to become more and more interested in rock music. Apparently she has a powerful personality which often gets her in the news and on the first pages of the tabloids in Russia. This could also be explained by the fact that, as I was led to believe, she was the first female rocker in the country that actually challenged the male dominated podium.



The song 'Skazki' means 'fairy tale' and for lyrics click here, an English translation is to be found here. The album is '14 Nedel Tishini', meaning '14 weeks of silence', from 2002. For her official English site, click here.

Anastasia Zharkova studied industrial design and is interested in photography with some experiments in painting and drawing. You will now meet her as a young and promising photographer, enjoy. The portraits ('Kseniya and Elen) are especially well done in my opinion, the first, slightly contemplative black and white with the model looking somewhere down with her face turned to the left and her eyes not meeting ours. She is neither smiling, nor is she sad, a type of ambiguity that gives an aura of mystery. The second is different and although Anastasia makes evident use of her qualities, the lights, colors, and the position of the model who is looking straight at us,with no inhibitions, slightly upwards with her head tilted to the left showing more of the right side of the face while covering the left with her hair and all this while being rather undressed... well... damn, classic flirting in my opinion (and let's not forget the bed). These two images are excellent together.

Kseniya

Elen

Air

Bathroom (not finished)

Last day of my summer

Moment on the backroad [another great photo]

Picture from the 'Ostuni' series

'Last day of my summer' and 'Moment on the backroad' go hand in hand due to their use of light and color. Also interesting to point out is the fact that one has antennas and the other has a book, it may be accidental but I see a message here. Overall, Anastasia has great talent and I'm looking forward to seeing more works from her. Check her flicker account here.

Till next time, all the best,
Florin

Vladimir Putin, Russia and the changing world

Two decades ago the world was like a cake, more or less divided in two. The standoff that was the Cold War turned into a victory for one of the players, the United States and the west, the winner takes it all, as the saying goes. We fast forward to the present and find a world in turmoil, economic storms endanger almost all the countries, tensions risk to ignite wars and changes in life style and society represent threats but also opportunities. This article written by Vladimir Putin is a clear statement of what Russia stands for and what Russia will never accept and to be honest it's the best geopolitical analysis that I read for some time.

Russia had a devastating 1990s, a decade that represented for America a form of renaissance by comparison. It lost industry, influence, economy, technology and practically everything else. The emergence of people like Putin made it possible to stop the decline and start an energetic climb to the top. Now Russia needs peace in her immediate vicinity, it needs commerce and trade in order to develop. That's why I now tend to like them, unlike the Americans, they don't want to stay on top by keeping others down and to be honest are far less hypocritical. Putin talks about mostly everything, Asia, North Korea, Iran, Europe, the relationship with the US, the economy, etc.

Download it here
Or read it online

Slava Gerovitch - InterNyet [the Soviet Quest for the Internet]

Slava Gerovitch does a very good job in presenting the history of Soviet Union's quest for the Internet, this little articles will provide readers the necessary information to efficiently compare American and Soviet developments in this field of technological development. The Internet we use today traces its roots to Arpanet which was basically a system of computers interconnected in order to share processing power. The Soviet Union also envisioned a 'web' of computers in order to control/monitor labor, production and retail, meaning the economy. Glushkov went so far as to propose the elimination of paper money and the implementation of a complete electronic payment system, and he did this in the early 60s. The proposal did not manage to make itself popular.

In October 1961, the Soviet Union made public its intention to 'computerize' their economy, this intention did not remain unnoticed. 'Rest assured', the CIA created a branch to study Soviet cybernetics. Two of the reasons the USSR did not achieve what it set out to achieve was that almost all the various agencies and ministries were in some kind of weird competition that did not leave much room for communication, that is why various computer 'webs' came into existence in the same time with no central system to link them, although, ironically, the plan was to have a centralized system. The second reason was that the military-industrial complex did not have much to talk about with the civilian world, military innovations almost never saw any use in any civilian industry, this certainly was/is not the case in the US.

Enjoy the reading, promote knowledge and free access to information.
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Anton Grigor'ev (visual) and Spitfire (audio)

Let's see what we have here comrades, a Russian ska band and an equally Russian photographer. Changed the country but remained in the same language family (Croatia was previously). Spitfire started doing concerts in St. Petersburg in the first half of 1993, in fact, for more details check out their very interesting website. I first heard the song Tanzen on a compilation but it seems that Thrills and Kills album from 2004 was the birthplace. Press play and enjoy the second part of the voyage.


It's enigmatic for me how I finally decide on what artists to present because the world is blessed with beautiful and creative people. Anton Grigor'ev is my pick for this duo. You can subscribe to his Facebook page here.

Red and Black

Glass 3

Spoon 3

Moscow City