Stories about Russia from December, 2007
Russia: Holiday Charity (via Egoism)
Russia is embarking on a 10-day national vacation: from Dec. 30 to Jan. 8, the country will be celebrating the New Year's and Orthodox Christmas - and should also have enough time to rest, relax and sober up in between. Charity isn't among the most popular subjects in the Russian blogosphere during the festive season, although some bloggers do discuss ways of helping the poor and needy this year. Below is one blogger's musings on charity and selfishness, as well as a perfectly explicit call to action.
Russia: Duma Cossacks
Window on Eurasia writes about the Russian Duma's Cossacks.
Russia: Messina Earthquake and Russian Sailors
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis writes about Russian sailors’ participation in the rescue operations following the 1908 earthquake in Messina, Sicily.
Russia: Ded Moroz Ad Banned; Yolki in Moscow
James of Robert Amsterdam's blog writes about the government's ad on “a TV ad from an electronics retailer which poked fun at the existence of this mythical gift giver on...
Belarus, Russia: $1.5-Billion Loan
TOL's Belarus writes about the possible reasons behind Russia's $1.5-billion loan to Belarus.
Russia: “(Chimerical) Stability”
Streetwise Professor criticizes Time Magazine's coverage of Putin's Russia: “The touting of the (chimerical) stability of Russia under Putin is another example of the superficiality that passes for incisive journalism.”
Russia: Frozen Gas, No Diesel on Sakhalin
White Sun of the Desert discovers that no gas station in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is selling gas “before lunchtime” – because it is frozen until then.
Russia: Putinism; Putin's Fortune
Sean's Russia Blog writes about “Putinism” and Putin's alleged personal wealth.
Russia: Dostoyevsky's Mock Execution Anniversary
ExecutedToday.com writes about Fyodor Dostoyevsky's mock execution of 1849.
Russia: Christmas Tree Decorations
Here is a holiday season story that's got very little of the traditional holiday spirit in it. Posted by LJ user souffrante and accompanied by Valeriy Leushev's photos, it's as much about Russian bloggers' childhood memories as it is about globalization, consumer nationalism, bad management, labor rights and the power of blogging.
Russia: Kozlovsky's Forced Conscription
Robert Amsterdam's blog follows the story of a Russian youth movement leader's forced conscription to army – here, here and here.
Russia: “Espionage Obsessed State”
James of Robert Amsterdam's blog posts a translation of a Russian article on “the social reality of an espionage obsessed state.” The article's last line is: “Having lost vigilance, Russia...
Russia: More on Putin the Person of the Year
Further discussion of Time Magazine's Person of the Year pick – at Sean's Russia Blog (27 comments) and Scraps of Moscow (22 comments).
Russia: Robert Amsterdam's Alternative Person of the Year
Robert Amsterdam insists that “TIME’s choice is a great thing for Russia and her people, as we can all take a much closer look now at what is going on...
Russia: Time Magazine's “Successful Ploy”
Perspectives on the New Russia writes that Time Magazine's decision to name Vladimir Putin its Person of the Year is “a successful ploy serving the interests of both political and...
Ukraine, Russia: On Tymoshenko, Yanukovych and Putin
Foreign Notes writes about Yulia Tymoshenko's TV address and Viktor Yanukovych's “shadow opposition government” – as well as Vladimir Putin's misrepresentation of Ukraine's Russophone population in his Time Magazine interview...
Russia: “Nashi” and Feminism
Natalia Antonova writes about Nashi pro-Putin youth movement – and about feminism in the former Soviet Union: “So is there feminism in Russia today? Yes. Only in many instances, it...
Soviet History: The Red Terror
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis writes about the history of Cheka and the Red Terror.
Russia, Moldova: Interview With Natalia Morar
An interview with journalist Natalia Morar by Grigory Pasko – at Robert Amsterdam's blog.
Russia: Lyudmila Ulitskaya
Russian Blog writes about Lyudmila Ulitskaya's latest – and, possibly, her last – novel, “Daniel Stein, translator”: “After being such a prolific writer for many years, and after the huge...
Russia: Putin's Year
Vladimir Putin has been in the news a lot lately. If it's not the overwhelmingly overwhelming majority of Russians voting for his party, then it's Time Magazine naming him as its Person of the Year. Below are some initial reactions to today's piece of Putin news from Anglophone Russia bloggers.
