Russian leaders could not be happier. Indeed, the Russian President was downright buoyant, even giddy, in response to President Obama's announcement. So, what made the Russians so happy? President Barack Obama announced his decision to abandon the U.S. missile defense shield formulated to protect eastern Europe.
In response, Russia's President promptly said, "we appreciate the responsible approach of the U.S. President."
Before President Obama's public retreat, the U.S. plan for the protection of Europe included a shield over Europe with a radar site in the Czech Republic and ten missile interceptors in Poland. Needless to say, for both the Czechs and the Poles, the symbolism of protection was as important as the defenses themselves.
With one announcement, President Obama made clear that everything is negotiable and the single missile defense shield would be replaced with regional defense systems.
On the world stage, no one needs special reading glasses to read these international tea leaves. It is the Russians, with tough talk and tougher action, that appear to now dominate the international agenda. President Barack Obama came eye to eye with Russian leader Vladmir Putin. As the world watched, the former junior Senator from Illinois stared into the eyes of the Russian bear, and he has now blinked.
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Russian culture: Dachas - The perfect holiday hideaway
At summer’s peak, many Russians don’t venture far. The reason is dachas, their country houses. August brings the harvest for their small garden plots, but a dacha is much more than just an economic benefit: it embodies a culture dating back to Communist times.
The dacha is a unique phenomenon in the life of anyone who lives in the boundless expanses of the Russian Federation. A small plot – 0.15 acres – with a few currant bushes, apple trees and a vegetable patch, a little wooden house with no telephone or running water and a discreetly located outhouse.
In the last decade, of course, Russia has seen its share of over-the-top country palaces with columns, balustrades and similar excesses, but these fruits of wild imagination have nothing to do with real dachas.
In the old days, to have a dacha was a privilege. They were given only to society’s elite: senior officials, writers and scientists. In the 1960s, however, Soviet authorities let every family have a dacha. Ordinary Russian citizens could apply for a small plot of land and would receive it for free. All development, including construction of a home, was left to the owner.
Now, the Soviet man, raised on a negation of private property, could own his own piece of earth. Perhaps this was even the beginning of the Soviet Union’s eventual collapse.
Be that as it may, going to the dacha in the days before mobile phones was like visiting an uninhabited island. A person received the legal right to temporarily escape the total control of society. “I was at the dacha,” was the excuse used to explain any long absence: a sort of internal emigration.
During the Obamas’ visit to Moscow, Michelle won respect from the Russian press for “working the White House like a dacha” with her kitchen garden. As their visit demonstrated, a great way to earn Russians’ esteem is to till your own soil.
Practical aspects aside, the dacha has another purpose, and that is spiritual. Russians, who tend to think globally and worry about the fate of the world, are sometimes powerless to organise their own free time. As a result, all their agonies end on the couch in front of the television.
The dacha solves this problem once and for all. No one has to think about how to entertain themselves at weekends or waste time arguing with family members. “We’re going to the dacha” says it all. At the dacha, everyone finds an occupation after his or her own heart.
The husband bangs a nail into the wall, the wife weeds the vegetable patch, the children and dogs are left to their own devices. The dacha brings families together. And, in the end, “I was at the dacha this weekend” sounds a lot better than “I sat at home watching TV”.
The dacha is a unique phenomenon in the life of anyone who lives in the boundless expanses of the Russian Federation. A small plot – 0.15 acres – with a few currant bushes, apple trees and a vegetable patch, a little wooden house with no telephone or running water and a discreetly located outhouse.
In the last decade, of course, Russia has seen its share of over-the-top country palaces with columns, balustrades and similar excesses, but these fruits of wild imagination have nothing to do with real dachas.
In the old days, to have a dacha was a privilege. They were given only to society’s elite: senior officials, writers and scientists. In the 1960s, however, Soviet authorities let every family have a dacha. Ordinary Russian citizens could apply for a small plot of land and would receive it for free. All development, including construction of a home, was left to the owner.
Now, the Soviet man, raised on a negation of private property, could own his own piece of earth. Perhaps this was even the beginning of the Soviet Union’s eventual collapse.
Be that as it may, going to the dacha in the days before mobile phones was like visiting an uninhabited island. A person received the legal right to temporarily escape the total control of society. “I was at the dacha,” was the excuse used to explain any long absence: a sort of internal emigration.
During the Obamas’ visit to Moscow, Michelle won respect from the Russian press for “working the White House like a dacha” with her kitchen garden. As their visit demonstrated, a great way to earn Russians’ esteem is to till your own soil.
Practical aspects aside, the dacha has another purpose, and that is spiritual. Russians, who tend to think globally and worry about the fate of the world, are sometimes powerless to organise their own free time. As a result, all their agonies end on the couch in front of the television.
The dacha solves this problem once and for all. No one has to think about how to entertain themselves at weekends or waste time arguing with family members. “We’re going to the dacha” says it all. At the dacha, everyone finds an occupation after his or her own heart.
The husband bangs a nail into the wall, the wife weeds the vegetable patch, the children and dogs are left to their own devices. The dacha brings families together. And, in the end, “I was at the dacha this weekend” sounds a lot better than “I sat at home watching TV”.
Thursday, 10 September 2009
Russian dolls on display at Bernardsville Library
Award-winning doll artist, Stacia McDonough, will be exhibiting her exclusive collection of luxurious Russian 'Neva Dolls' at the Bernardsville Library from October 1 through October 30.
Stacia is the founder and chief designer of Neva Dolls, her 11-year old doll company which specializes in Russian porcelain dolls which are famously modeled after heroines of Russian history and culture. The dolls are painstakingly handcrafted in Saint Petersburg, Russia by master artisans, committed to preserving old world splendor through fine detail and sophisticated style. Each Neva Doll uniquely captures Russia’s history and grandeur with authentic costumes made from authentic fabrics, furs and materials.
A graduate of Monmouth University with a degree in literature, Stacia has always been fascinated by historical characters, real and fictional. It was her appreciation of the beauty of Russian culture and her keen interest with that country’s history that led to the design and creation of these museum quality dolls. 'Neva Dolls' pays homage to all Russian women through the centuries, from the peasant bride in the rural village to the courtly czarinas,” says Stacia.
In addition to winning numerous awards and ribbons for her exquisite handcrafted dolls, she most recently received the coveted “Featured Artist Award” from the prestigious Toy Museum of New York. “One of the most important characteristics we look for is how the artist gives back to the community, and Ms. McDonough is very generous with her help to our museum and to other charities. We want to see more doll artists follow her lead by doing more for others,” says Marlene Hochman, the museum’s director.
In the past, Stacia’s porcelain beauties have graced the halls of the New York City Public Library, the Donnell Library of NYC, the Brooklyn Public Library, the Clarence Dillon Library, the Monmouth County Library and the Toy Museum of New York.
"By bringing this exhibit to the Bernardsville Library, we hope to give the public a vivid insight into the remarkable culture and history of St. Petersburg, Russia and its unparalleled contributions to the art world".
Stacia is the founder and chief designer of Neva Dolls, her 11-year old doll company which specializes in Russian porcelain dolls which are famously modeled after heroines of Russian history and culture. The dolls are painstakingly handcrafted in Saint Petersburg, Russia by master artisans, committed to preserving old world splendor through fine detail and sophisticated style. Each Neva Doll uniquely captures Russia’s history and grandeur with authentic costumes made from authentic fabrics, furs and materials.
A graduate of Monmouth University with a degree in literature, Stacia has always been fascinated by historical characters, real and fictional. It was her appreciation of the beauty of Russian culture and her keen interest with that country’s history that led to the design and creation of these museum quality dolls. 'Neva Dolls' pays homage to all Russian women through the centuries, from the peasant bride in the rural village to the courtly czarinas,” says Stacia.
In addition to winning numerous awards and ribbons for her exquisite handcrafted dolls, she most recently received the coveted “Featured Artist Award” from the prestigious Toy Museum of New York. “One of the most important characteristics we look for is how the artist gives back to the community, and Ms. McDonough is very generous with her help to our museum and to other charities. We want to see more doll artists follow her lead by doing more for others,” says Marlene Hochman, the museum’s director.
In the past, Stacia’s porcelain beauties have graced the halls of the New York City Public Library, the Donnell Library of NYC, the Brooklyn Public Library, the Clarence Dillon Library, the Monmouth County Library and the Toy Museum of New York.
"By bringing this exhibit to the Bernardsville Library, we hope to give the public a vivid insight into the remarkable culture and history of St. Petersburg, Russia and its unparalleled contributions to the art world".
Thursday, 3 September 2009
Yanukovich vows to make Russian official language
Party of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovich said he would make Russian an official language in Ukraine if elected president.
He promised to “do everything possible to make Russian a second official language” in the country.
Speaking in a live broadcast of the Odessa regional television company on Wednesday, Yanukovich responded to Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko’s recent statement in Lvov where she said that Russian should not be a second official language in Ukraine.
Given the audience at the world congress of Ukrainian in Lvov and the coming elections, Timoshenko said, “As long as our team is in power and as long as truly patriotic Ukrainians are in power, and I think this will not change, we will never allow anyone even to raise the question of another official language” other than Ukrainian.
“I will do everything I can to make Russian a second official language,” Yanukovich said.
He stressed that it would take 226 votes for a law making Russian an official language to be adopted. The next presidential election is scheduled for January 17, 2010. As the presidential election nears, the preservation of the Russian language and its status as a second official language become increasingly relevant political issue in Ukraine.
Regional mass media have been constantly complaining that the Russian language is being more and more forced out of the information environment in Ukraine.
The National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting has obligated the Sevastopol television and radio company to increase its broadcasts in Ukraine to at least 75 percent of airtime form January 1, 2009, even though 93 percent of people living in the city speak Russian.
However, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vasily Kirilich believes that the problem of the Russian language in the country is far-fetched.
"I do not see any problems with the Russian language in Ukraine," he said.
In Ukraine "every citizen speaks the language which he considers native or which he more comfortable for communication", Kirilich said.
"Where else in the world is there a parliament where deputies speak a foreign [Russian] language, except for the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada?" he said.
He stressed the need "to speak about what Ukraine and Russia have in common rather then focus on what they have in difference".
"Our countries have very many common and generally positive things," Kirilich said.
Ukraine does not have to account to anyone for its language policy, Culture and Tourism Minister Vasily Vovkun said.
He promised to “do everything possible to make Russian a second official language” in the country.
Speaking in a live broadcast of the Odessa regional television company on Wednesday, Yanukovich responded to Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko’s recent statement in Lvov where she said that Russian should not be a second official language in Ukraine.
Given the audience at the world congress of Ukrainian in Lvov and the coming elections, Timoshenko said, “As long as our team is in power and as long as truly patriotic Ukrainians are in power, and I think this will not change, we will never allow anyone even to raise the question of another official language” other than Ukrainian.
“I will do everything I can to make Russian a second official language,” Yanukovich said.
He stressed that it would take 226 votes for a law making Russian an official language to be adopted. The next presidential election is scheduled for January 17, 2010. As the presidential election nears, the preservation of the Russian language and its status as a second official language become increasingly relevant political issue in Ukraine.
Regional mass media have been constantly complaining that the Russian language is being more and more forced out of the information environment in Ukraine.
The National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting has obligated the Sevastopol television and radio company to increase its broadcasts in Ukraine to at least 75 percent of airtime form January 1, 2009, even though 93 percent of people living in the city speak Russian.
However, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vasily Kirilich believes that the problem of the Russian language in the country is far-fetched.
"I do not see any problems with the Russian language in Ukraine," he said.
In Ukraine "every citizen speaks the language which he considers native or which he more comfortable for communication", Kirilich said.
"Where else in the world is there a parliament where deputies speak a foreign [Russian] language, except for the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada?" he said.
He stressed the need "to speak about what Ukraine and Russia have in common rather then focus on what they have in difference".
"Our countries have very many common and generally positive things," Kirilich said.
Ukraine does not have to account to anyone for its language policy, Culture and Tourism Minister Vasily Vovkun said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)