RUSSIA.RU

Russia.ru is one of the major propaganda sites in Russia. Putin speeches, interviews with pro-Kremlin stars and films like War 08.08.08. They interviewed me too, strangely enough after what i said at the press conference after the War 08.08.08 film, but later cut all the important bits out (of course) The beauty of editing!

Crisis hitting Russia

These are some of my personal observations of the economic crisis hitting Russia. Prices are going up. As you shop for groceries you can see staff replacing price tags. Salaries are being cut. Even among my friends, some were laid off and others had their salaries go down by 50 %. There are a lot of beggars around and people selling various things on the streets, from dry mushrooms to fluffy sleepers, in freezing cold temperatures.

ANNA POLITKOVSKAYA's gravesite

I wish there was a way to spread the heavy load of tough questions to the government about events of N.O and others from 1,2,3 people, who are dealing with it right now, to millions of citizens, all potentially affected by this issue. The level of danger for the lives of those people will go from very high for those 3, to zero for the millions.

AFTER SERVICE

My friend's room at a Moscow hotel ($120/night) after service.

MIND THE GAP AND...LIVE RIGHT. (WTF?!)

In Moscow metro as you slowly drift up or down a long escalator along with a recorded announcement that tells you to report all the drunks and beggars, you hear messages of moral contents. A deep male voice tells you to be kind and tolerant to people, respectful to elders and the environment. He even tells you that love for your country begins with love for your family.

Just as the ‘Metro God’ tells me how to live my life as not to be ashamed of myself, what is happening around is the very opposite of it, rudeness, nationalistic swearing, disregard for those around you and spit on the floor, making it all look like a joke. And perhaps in this theatre of absurd we are someone’s merry entertainment.

Take a polite little bow

Just came back from Tchaikovsky concert hall, (tickets were $100 a piece, a friend paid), where a tastefully dressed, well-spoken and well-mannered intelligentzia crowd expressed their loyalty to Gergiev, the famous conductor. I have no doubt he is a great musician, it is his political ethics that I find inappropriate. 'Crowd of intelligenzia'-how bad is that? I am not suggesting he must be Rostropovich, but to be a loyalist to those in power, because...well, just because, I can't respect that. He and his audience had much mutual respect to be shared, however, and behind this politeness perhaps the passiveness of intelligent elite will not be so obvious.

On the other hand, it is possible that many of those in the theatre are genuine Gergiev fans. But there was also a lot of yawning.

It's frustrating that it takes so long for the documentary about Nashi youth movement to get out on air, as the time is now. I will have more tome now to work on my book. I am very behind on it. Research, more a lot more research; it's nonfiction so accuracy is all.