Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, who almost succeeded in killing close to 300 people on the Amsterdam-Detroit flight, was seen by his peers as a man of high moral standards."He was the guy that never broke the rules," Brako, his friend from school, recalled. "We all looked to him as our moral compass." And to him killing hundreds of people was part of his moral duty, dictated by religion. Very sad, tragic. What a waste of life, potentially that of those on the flight, and now-his.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! 2009 has been a tough year globally, and certainly very challenging for me personally.

According to Chinese calendar 2010 is a year of a white tiger. You have to admit, white tigers are pretty cool, so lets hope for the best.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" The Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776

Brilliant

We spend money we don't have on things we don't need to impress people we don't like.

Deepak Chopra

NYC, Bryant Park

2010

From next year i will use the blog to post the materials on the Moscow theatre siege, complete with photographs, audio and video footage and English language translations.

Every day is different and today is tough. Painful. Knowing i must face what is to come but not knowing what it is. What will it be like... How will it feel...

After the verdict we wanted to get people together, actors, politicians, regular people, to oppose it, but very soon it became clear that no one will want to risk taking the hit, since it’s so obviously a ‘pre-ordered case’. On the day of the verdict the Judge told Andrei she was very sorry. How about that, Ladies and Gentlemen.

My Prison news

My fiance will soon be moved to a prison camp, which means i will finally be able to see him. When exactly it will happen is hard to say because this trip takes a while. As i was told 200 miles might take over a month to travel. I will also be working on the next stage of the appeal.

SNOW...LOVELY

We are snowed in here in New York. The piles of the white flakes bring such tranquility. Makes me think that countries such as Russia are saved by the snow. Without it the chaos and the manic depression of the country would have been even worse.

Russian government - a government that hates its own people, destroys them in their hundreds and deprives millions of any chance for a decent life, life with dignity. Human life there is worthless. And as a natural extension of that-human rights are non-existent even as a concept.

Horror...

ANOTHER DAY - ANOTHER TRAGEDY

More than 115 people have died so far as a result of a blast in a Russian nightclub.

I listen to this song today and sob. It feels like all that i still loved about Russia is leaving, disappearing. Everything and everyone with soul....leaving the place dead.

Legendary actor Vycheslav Tyhkonov died this morning.

He starred in one of the best Russian films 'Seventeen Moments of spring' about a spy in Nazi Germany during WW2.

US - Russia

The huge difference between American politics and, say, Russian, is that American president does not have a group of 100% devout supporters even in his own party. A whole number of Democratic congressmen and senators have out saying they will not support Obama's decision on Afghanistan. Some have also stated, in an ultimatum form, that the current administration has to create jobs soon, or else. The financing for the Afghanistan will probably go through because of the republican support but overall the decision might backfire for the president.

In US people's representatives actually care about their constituents.

Russian president or currently de facto man in control Putin enjoys absolute support of everyone in mainstream politics and as far as they are concerned he can do nothing wrong. To say that country is sick is an underestimation. And people's opinion means nothing.

Former military academy student is the main suspect in Russian train bombing.

When an explosive device detonated underneath one of the carriages of the Nevsky Express, that was travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg, three of the last carriages derailed, killing at least 26 and leaving over 100 people hurt. As 20 people remain unaccounted for and many of those hospitalised are still in critical condition, the investigation committee is offering first clues. Currently the main suspect is a former military academy student, Pavel Kosolapov, who allegedly joined underground militants in the North Caucasus in the late 90s and had since carried out a number of attacks that involve explosives.

Pavel Kosolapov was expelled from a military academy and, still holding grudges, had soon started dating a Chechen girl. The girl, in turn, introduced him to her family and friends and soon aspiring army man was talking to Shamil Basayev, Russia’s Osama Bin Laden. Since then the FSB (Federal Security Bureau) claimed that he has converted to Islam, while other sources say that he never has and is still called by his Russian name. It has also been said that he moved to Chechnya, where he was trained in training camps run by Arabs. Allegedly, Basayev soon decided to start using Kosolapov for preparing and carrying out terrorist attacks in central Russia as his Slavic looks meant he wouldn’t stand out. At least two attacks in 2004 are believed to be his doing: an explosion on the Moscow subway in February that killed 42 people and another one in march at a marketplace in Samara which took lives of 11 people. The same year Kosolapov was placed on Russia’s most wanted list but the hunt for him to this day resulted in nothing. The reason his name is being discussed now is the bombing of the train on exactly the same route carried out on the 13^th of August 2007. Only by miracle no one was hurt that time. Kosolapov has a signature style evident in last Friday’s bombing.

Shocking but must be seen-funeral for a young pregnant woman, killed in a train bombing