Into the Wilderness

For the last week, I've been getting a completely different taste of today's Russia on a long road trip. First, let me say a thing or two about the conduits of our journey: the major highway connecting Moscow with St. Petersburg is essentially a two-lane road with periodic passing lanes. Add to this the fact that the majority of the vehicles on the road are commercial trucks and you begin to understand both the slow-going frustration and the white-knuckle moments of near collisions that a road like this routinely produces. Get off the main highway and into the tiny villages filled with crumbling (but gorgeous) old wooden houses and the roads become a mass of muddy potholes. It's a good thing Katya drives a Honda SUV because it felt like we were off-roading even while driving through towns. This is a sharp distinction from the beautiful, wide - albeit choked with traffic - road system of Moscow. There is a popular proverb that Russia has two main problems today - its roads and its fools, and I can certainly vouch for the first of these.

The first stop on our trek north was the tiny village of Lohovo, about four hours northwest of the capital in a region dense with thick, primeval forests and freckled with a network of lakes. Once my stomach and I got used to the roads and I could sit back and soak in the journey, the quietude and beauty of the place was really overwhelming. Villages are entirely agricultural, with a row or two of old and highly-decorated wooden houses overlooking garden plots. And of course, it seemed like each village, regardless of size, had its own soaring Orthodox church, complete with onion domes and spires. The woods that encircle these tiny rural communities are a mixture of firs and aspen unlike any sort of forest I've explored before.


Katya's family owes a very large plot of land just outside one of these villages that overlooks the headwaters of the Volga. To get there, you must take a bad road off the main "highway" to a small town, then travel another 20 slow kilos on a dirt road. The village itself consists of about ten houses and gardens with no stores or services of any kind (although there is a bus stop that takes villagers on the long journey into town), and the family has a few small but very modern log cabins overlooking the humble infant waters of Europe's biggest river. At night, the silence is absolute and the darkness impenetrable.

The weather had been really unpredictable since I arrived - the first few days were a comfortable and clear 70 degrees, only to be followed by gray skies, rain, and 40 degrees. But on the first morning in Lohovo, we awoke to a dazzlingly beautiful day. We started off the morning by canoing down to the village to walk around and chat with the locals (more on this later); we then jumped back into the canoe and paddled up to a sprawling and totally isolated network of lakes, peat bogs, and old-growth forests.


After getting back from our watery adventure, we enjoyed a big Russian meal. Russian cuisine is delicious, if not the lightest and most health-conscious fare. During my stay in Lohovo, I tried many new and interesting foods and drinks, including salo (pork lard) on toast; aspen juice (just bore a small hole in a tree and you get a tangy juice that is supposedly very good for you and has a lively fizz); kvas (a Russian "soft-drink" made from bread); and plenty of raw milk and yogurt, right from the cow. It's amazing how full of chemicals foods are in the states - I don't think I'd ever tasted raw milk before, and it is completely different from the stuff you buy in supermarkets. Much gamier, like the animal didn't quite leave the liquid. It's a totally unique flavor. As for the other stuff: despite the initial gag reflex, I found myself to be quite a big fan of the pork lard. (Amazingly, there are far fewer overweight people in Russia than the states, in spite of the rich diet. Maybe that salo comes in handy during the harsh winters...)

Katya's father Alexander ("Sasha") is a successful businessman by day and a fanatical blues fan and fisherman in his off-time. My second evening out at the cabin, he took me out to introduce me to the art of fishing on the Volga. After casting, we settled back for what I've always assumed is the main draw of fishing: beer (and kvas) and conversation. But an hour or so in, I felt a slight snag on my line and Sasha rushed over to help me reel in my very first fish (a bream). Katya's bubbly and vivacious mother Olga fried it up that evening and we all sat around the cabin drinking beer, eating fresh fish, and telling stories. A very good day indeed.


(Much more to come...)

As if you couldn't see it coming

But honestly, I didn't think it would come from Hollywood.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7423089.stm

I was ready for some moron Southern Baptist preacher to start ranting about the will of God and punishment for all them pinko-commies. Either way, this really upsets me.

For one, the policies of a government are not necessarily indicative of the moral fortitude of its people. I can believe that the Chinese government stirs bad blood, but I refuse to believe that the 50,000+ deceased and the 5,000,000+ left homeless did something so wrong as to invoke this supposed wrath of God.

The other thing is that this is just another helping of the same poor image individual Americans are projecting to the world. I'm not too optimistic about your average American, but every now and then it creeps up on you. You see some person in their struggles and you can't help but feel a wave of empathy. This battle we're fighting, it's against a faceless enemy. Individuals aren't necessarily bad, despite their actions. When it comes down to it people hurt and they don't want to. I can't say it enough and this won't be the last time you'll hear me say it, but I'm sure the American salt-of-the-Earth are perfectly capable of getting along with Russian, Iranian, Chinese, or Korean salt-of-the-Earth folks as well.

Regardless, if your logic is reciprocal, Sharon Stone, then your faulty judgment, the exploits of American snipers, our beloved president, and all the evangelists you can fit into a tin can are going to land a meteor right in the center of Oklahoma. That would be karmic.

New Cold War

On the plane over, I was reading The Economist, which ran a number of articles on Russia last week. Here are a couple of the tag lines: "How bad is Russia's oil industry?" and "Enter, pursued by a new bear." I didn't notice or take issue with the reportage at all - this is, after all, the general tone of most articles on Russia in the Western press. Quasi-totalitarianistic government, corrupt business, hostility towards the west, and bear metaphors: this is about the extent of the nuance afforded to 95% of Russia reporting.

When we were sitting around the apartment a couple days ago, Katya starting reading the magazine and looked over at me: "Why do you guys hate us so much?" Her question made me sit up and take notice to the general journalistic approach taken in regard to Russia in much of the press I read every day. Despite communism being buried close to 20 years now, there is still a lot of fear in the media about this newly-revived global power. Whether it's shady assassinations, government control of media, unrest in Chechnya, problematic political friendships in Georgia, Ukraine, Serbia, or other post-bloc regions, the average American media consumer would be led to believe that Russia is a really scary, threatening place that is out to thwart good old Euro-North American liberalism. Even though the official line is that the leaders of Russia have "good souls" (Bush's often-mocked comment after meeting Putin), they are probably our most feared and reviled "friend" (although lately China might win this distinction). Journalists have never quite gotten over their old Cold War habits, it seems, complete with the same frosty metaphorical language.

I don't want to take too long discussing this, but a few things need to be said. I don't claim to support Putin's policies; I certainly don't want to justify the murders of Anna Politkovskaya and Alexander Litvinenko, which indeed appear to be politically inspired. However, we need to acknowledge that an accepted Western media coverage that is knee-jerk and fear-filled is not just influencing the positions and emotions of Western readers - Russians notice it too, and feel like the West is trying to keep them out of the rich-and-powerful club of nations. From my understanding of the situation, Russia is poised at a critical juncture right now: they supply much of Europe with its energy, their wealth is increasing at a brisk pace, and they have emerged fully formed from the fits, starts, and chaos that defined the era immediately following the collapse of the USSR. But this success is precarious. The oil profits that are fueling this blitzkrieg of growth may start to taper off soon (see current Economist issue); relations with the West are turning chilly. On top of this, a new president just took over, even if he is a puppet of Putin (which is itself a fact that has yet to be seen, despite bellicose proclamations from the Western press).

If people here perceive that the West welcomes them in to the prosperous modern world with open arms, warts and all, I imagine that people will want in all the more; if the media keeps taunting with fear-mongering assessments about interminable problems with the mighty bear, we will have a different geopolitical reality on our hands, or at least a huge PR problem. All of this is to say that Western powers run the distinct risk of alienating an important, fledging nation right during the time of transition to a more Western-friendly system of doing things. This would be a bear-sized pity, indeed.

Riddle me this...

Q: Why are the Dutch smarter than the Americans?
A: Because where we can piss off droves of Muslims with an expensive sniper rifle, the Dutch can do it with cartoons alone.

Okay, joking aside, the aim of the Western World is not to offend the Islamic population, at least I hope not. If it is, and I somehow didn't get the memo, I'm moving to Pluto. That *might* be far enough away.

Anyway, reading the news will only cause injuries. I myself sport a concussion from the number of times I've slapped my head in disgust. If you've traveled abroad you've no doubt witnessed the exploits of some Americans perpetuating stereotypes against our... culture. Example, flying back from England to Italy sat me next to a drove of frat boys, one of them running around with a beer bong strapped to his pack. This is the type of person that would try to fondle the Venus de Milo. There's nothing more refreshing than trying to live within and learn about a culture only to have others from your own culture make you look guilty by association. Well, congratulations unnamed Staff Sergeant. Disrespect to cultures of that form does no good whatsoever. The fact is you are ignorant. If you are really that frustrated that you're in the middle of a desert right now you can start shooting at American artifacts. Your government left you there, blame them. Your inability to find any tin cans or cats to shoot at has basically left most intelligent Americans red in the face. A good deal many Muslims too.

That having been said, the Muslims can get over it.

Me personally, not a fan of religion. I think religion is a disgusting social tool that frightens children into becoming model citizens. I think it distracts people from the quintessence of living, generates complacency among global consumers (thus we can destroy the planet, our treasure is in Heaven), and enforces a groupthink mentality (note: I said nothing of spirituality). I have read sections of the Qur'an and I find some of it quite wise. A lot of it is, again, a bunch of domineering judiciary schlock. Shocking how similar it is to the bible and Christianity. The one characteristic that is most prevalent throughout the parts of the Qur'an I have read is the consistent intent and willingness for Allah to dole out punishment. Now, everyone in Middle Eastern countries being good model Muslims obviously have faith in Allah and his willingness to enforce justice. If that's the case why do you need to enact bloody riots over what some heathen American soldier did out of ignorant spite? Is it not enough for you to have faith in your god who has promised many times that this soldier will get his due? Getting offended at the slightest hint of sacrilege anywhere only serves to demonstrate your lack of faith. So please, if you are going to be so devoutly fascist in your beliefs, would you please believe them with enough conviction as to not kill people over what was otherwise an insulting act committed towards an inanimate object?

Sights from Central Moscow

Despite the immense scale of the city, the center of Moscow is quite compact and walkable, corresponding to the inner-most of the rings that encircled the settlement in ancient times. Parts of the core have a cosmopolitan, European feel to them, with classical architecture, hip boutiques and eateries; other areas, however, are distinctly Russian. In many ways, the history of Russia is a near-constant vacillation between Europeanization and Russification, sometimes pushing towards and sometimes pulling away from the capitals of the West, and this is seen plainly in the designs of the city. Moscow is not quite European: it comes close, but it is something different altogether.

But more than just the two paradigms of Europe and Russia, I'm learning that the idea of "Russianness" is something altogether complex. The first layer to this world is the Tsarist age, with its luxuriant orthodox churches and walled fortresses. This, of course, is the Russia most Westerners think of - the nation of St.Vassily's Church (above) and the stately Kremlin. But all around there are living relics of the Soviet days, from Cold War-era emblems to massive monuments to the working man to huge apartment blocks. There was no attempt to erase this legacy from Russia's cultural memory - although the Soviet days are over, the 80-some years of communist rule have been sublimated into the modern cityscape and the modern Russian society. Unlike the Tsarist age - which was effectively erased from the map by a group of rabble-rousers led by one Vladimir Lenin (see bottom picture of the Lenin mausoleum) in the wake of the world's first communist revolution - the old USSR has never really died. It fell apart, decayed, and disintegrated - but it didn't die.

Jumping over the post-collapse, Yeltsin years, the third Moscow is really only about 8 years old, ever since the economy started booming. Moscow now has more billionaires than any other city in the world, and crossing the streets one is confronted with a wall of BMWs, Mercedes, and Jaguars; there are more chic sushi bars here than in any other area I've been to save Japan. Intruding upon both the Soviet and the Tsarist cultural legacy is the sleek world of moneyed European modernism - these days, the balance seems to be tilting back towards Peter the Great, although this might not be clear from the Western media's coverage of Russia. (more on this in another post)

More to come.. Also, to include more of our readership, we've prepared a brief summary in Russian and Japanese.


Красная площадь. Собор Василия Блаженного. И - самое важное - мавзолей Ленина. А еше толпы народа, жара и супер-обворожительная, сверх-замечательная Катерина. И борщ, конечно.

クラースナヤ　スクアーヤとソボルバシリヤブラズエノボ。でも一番面白い所がレニンの墓だです。この所が本当に込んでいたけど、天気が暖かかったしすばらしかった　ー　でも一番すごいことがカタヤという友達です。後ボルシーというスープもすごいです。

Genuinely Progressive President

This article struck a chord with me today. Granted, it is a relatively minor piece of campaign news. It is notable because for this is the first time in a long while in which I actually thought the trend of media consolidation might actually be reversed.

The trend towards greater and greater media consolidation has been going on basically my entire life. It is one of those things I sometimes think about, which bothers me sometimes, but which I basically take as an inevitable fact of life. Clearly there are other battles to be fought, and most people don't really care about media consolidation.

More generally, when I read this article it hit me that issues of media consolidation are beside the point. What struck me was that in my entire lifetime we have never had a genuinely progressive president. Hell, we have only had two terms of a democrat in the office, as compared to five repulican terms. Obama (or Clinton) might not just get their way on media consolidation. They might get their way on the entire progressive agenda.

Now Clinton was a good president, but he was no progressive. Even as a moderate most of his more progressive agenda was blocked by a republican controlled congress. If Obama (or Clinton) is elected this November, we'll have a progressive president with a democratic congress for the first time in 28 years. That is pretty damn exciting, if you ask me.

Now, I'm a firm believer in political moderation. Too much power in one party's hands is bound to produce abuses. I think that the back and forth between political forces, rather than being destructive, is actually a good thing. Generally speaking we get nice gradual change as the country's mood oscillates between liberal and conservative. The trouble, though, is that the pendulum has been on the far right for a long time now. One party rule has produced abuses. So perhaps a little one party rule on the other side might be a good thing. Maybe we'll shift the political spectrum back towards the middle, instead of having as our options right and far-right policies.

This time around, it looks like it could happen, too.

From Russia with Love

Flying into Moscow's Sheremetovo Airport, I could see why the country is referred to by its denizens as "Mother Russia." In the vast, hilly expanse, all you can see is lush forest dotted with lakes - the city of Moscow itself (Europe's biggest) looks like just a human lake in the middle of an endless forest. My first impression was one of overwhelming fecundity, although I concede that a December landing would have yielded an entirely different impression.

Like the land around it, Moscow is a city of mammoth proportions. The avenues can be 10 lanes wide, the parks the size of Liechtenstein, the palaces and churches monumental. The only place I've personally experienced with the same degree of space and overwhelming vastness is Beijing. But unlike New York, which pushes upwards towards the clouds, Moscow is a relatively earth-bound city, with a few towers but most buildings not exceeding 15 stories or so. Also unlike New York, you get the distinct impression that the primeval forests circling the city seep into the cracks at every available opportunity: Moscow is a surprising green city, with huge old trees lining every street and avenue. Each apartment block, therefore, is transformed into a kind of park, ringed with woods and approached by a network of trails through the trees.

The huge scale of the city was brought home on my first full day, when Katya (Mirth and Matter's "Zorro") and I took a walk to Moscow State University (see picture). The main building of the university was constructed right after WWII as a monument to victory in the new, triumphalist Soviet style. Interestingly to a Westerner, all the old accoutrement of the Soviet area were left on the building's facade, from a large red star dotting the spire to the "CCCP" and hammer and sickle emblem. Katya tells me that when the Soviet Union collapses, these symbols were simply transformed from representations of a living political system into an important part of Russian history - there was no attempt at all to erase this legacy, and statues of Lenin still dot the city. Aside from the political aspects of the structure, however, I was amazed by its vastness - in America, the only structures of similar awe found on a university campus are the sports arenas. In Russia, academic learning is elevated to the same level of cultural importance accorded to football in the states. This orientation may be a clue as to why a nation with a relatively low GDP has been such a major player on the global stage for so long.

When we returned from our 3-hour, probably close to 6-mile walk, Katya inquired whether I enjoyed our "short walk." It is a testament to the scale of this place that what I consider to be a hike is in fact a "short walk" to a Muscovite.

More to come...

Who's the human rights criminal now?

It should be noted that, while China's recent disaster has a ground zero nearly the size of our country, that their president has done infinitely more to help his people then George W. Bush did amidst hurricane Katrina. Instead of taking an extended vacation President Hu Jintao flew to the epicenter of China's recent 7.8 earthquake in the Sichuan province. Instead of delaying the mobilization of relief and aid, he dispatched forces immediately, deploying more and more troops as necessary. Of course, it should be noted that China has the troops, they're not off fighting a bloody oil war.

A lot of you know my views by now. People don't need a government. One day people will start to realize that. However, if one exists, it is absolutely mandatory that said government serve its people. That is the ONLY goal of government. At least in this circumstance they're fulfilling their promise.

Speculation

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7401899.stm

Hmm... the possibility of an Obama/Edwards ticket for November?

First of all, how likely is an Obama/Clinton ticket? Some people call it the dream ticket, but I'm not sure I buy it. I read awhile back that it's a risky venture amidst an uncertainty that a democratic gambit is necessary to defeat McCain. Yes, there's the dual impact of electing our first black and female White House, however there's also the inherited stigma from people who don't believe an African American should hold office and that a female doesn't have the "chutzpah" to do so either. Another consideration is how long we've drawn out Clinton vs. Obama. In my personal and non-biased opinion there have been a lot fewer blatant digs against Hillary by Obama, where in retrospect Hillary's campaign has been quite hateful and bitter, adorned now and then with silly pledges to enforce party solidarity and to support whoever wins. I think that yes, there is the prospect of some people who say "I like this about Obama, I like that about Clinton, together they're unstoppable!" There is also the prospect of "I DIDN'T like this about Obama and I DIDN'T like this about Hillary, what does this McCain feller have to offer?" That and it's a radical idea. Two political minorities in one presidential bid? Yes, it's the 21st century, but there are a lot of undereducated hick wackos out there that just won't buy it.

Now, it is still feasible, although not very likely, that Hillary can secure the nomination. The one thing that the media outlets have been very proper in doing is demonstrating the pure MATHEMATICS of the equation. Meaning that numbers dictate an incredible unlikelihood that Hillary has a chance of winning. These are the same statistical prognosticators who call the race after 15% of the votes have been tallied, and usually they're not wrong. A Hillary nomination would likely mean and most certainly suggest foul play (unless for some odd reason Barack starts walking around with a sandwich board reading "Kill Whitey"). That scenario all but assures John McCain the White House.

So, what it comes down to is that if or when Obama secures the nomination how will he choose a running mate? I saw a CNN analysis last night suggesting the impact a running mate will have on swing states. John Edwards will likely bring with him a large demographic of the state of North Carolina. This, however, is a state that Obama did very well in just a few weeks ago. What other assets would he bring to the table? It was suggested on this same broadcast that an Obama/Richardson ticket will greatly influence voters in southwestern states close to John McCain's home turf. I'm sure there are a lot of statistical analysts who are crunching numbers and figuring scenarios right now in an attempt to find the most likely person to be the vice presidential nominee. Me personally? I think Edwards is a fine idea. Like other Mirth and Matter writers have said, Edwards was their choice due to his willingness to engage in crucial issues during the debates, issues that were not otherwise contest points until he stepped up to debate them. Edwards also has the benefit of having been on a lot of ballots due to his quasi-successful campaigning during the first few months (success judged in context of the other democratic drop-outs and not in context of the Hillary/Obama touring act). That indicates that his name is in the minds of a lot of voters yet is not soaked in the bad blood that Hillary's been bathing in her entire campaign. Then again, Edwards has already been a running mate on an unsuccessful ticket. Can that really be blamed on him though? Conspiracy theorists love to point out the ties between the Kerry and Bush families, but that aside, Kerry just flat out handed it over. He did a poor job of campaigning and still managed to come up with nearly half of the votes. As was proven in 2006, America wasn't voting for John Kerry, they were voting against the Republicans. In that regard it's still entirely possible, given the complete failure of our economy and military campaigns that anti-Republican voting will continue, in which case you could put Michael J. Fox and Elmo on the ticket and still have an assured November victory.

A few postscripts:
1. It may sound like political catchphrase, but Obama's right, a McCain presidency really is as bad as a 3rd Bush term.
2. CNN, you greatly overestimate John McCain's chances in Oregon. Oregon has voted blue every year for the last 24. If we vote red I'm leaving. I will not breathe air amongst people who vote for McCain.

Avenue Q Review

Several weeks ago I went to the musical “Avenue Q” with some friends. I had heard it was a musical with puppets, kind of like Sesame Street. These really weren’t big selling points for me. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have even gone and seen it had I not gotten discounted tickets through my university. Anyway, I did go and see it, and I was very pleasantly surprised.

First of all, despite the rough homage paid to Sesame Street, the musical couldn’t have been more adult oriented, unless it had been pornography. Which part of it was, by the way, -(at least of the puppet variety). But it actually addressed some really serious societal issues, and was by far the most modern, youthful musical I’ve ever seen. Parts of it actually blew me away a little bit merely through their sheer unabashed honesty. Parts of it were almost like the message of Barack Obama’s recent speech about race and politics performed by a bunch of bawdy, singing puppets. With songs such as “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist”, “Schadenfreude”, “The Internet is for Porn”, and “The More You Love Someone, the More You Want to Kill Them”, it was easy to be a bit surprised. However, “Avenue Q” was incredibly funny and entertaining the whole way through.

I won’t bore you with the details of the plot and all the characters, as there are a lot of both. But basically, it’s about young, just-graduated-from-college puppets who move to Avenue Q seeking jobs and cheap rent. The main character is a young guy (puppet) moving in as a wide-eyed recent graduate who learns a lot about life, love, and bills along the course of the musical. The puppets are carried and animated by real people walking around the stage, but surprisingly, they do such a good job giving life to the puppets that you can forget they’re there most of the time. At least in the production I saw in Boston, the voices and choreography were wonderfully done, particularly since there was a remarkable amount of interplay between the characters popping out of windows, running around, and so forth. Some of the puppets were even controlled by two people at once, and several times the person singing/playing the part of a particular puppet was not the person moving it.

All of the characters were funny and well played. Two of the most memorable characters were the Bad Idea Bears, who looked ultra cute and cuddly, like a puppet Anime version of the Snuggle Fabric Softener bear in the old advertisements, but they would happily recommend buying way too much beer before a job interview or providing things like a noose when a character said he was feeling depressed. There were also a few fully human characters that balanced out the puppets, such as a Gary Coleman impersonator playing the landlord.

It may all sound a bit over the top, and it is, but it was a thoroughly entertaining and even insightful look at the personal hang-ups and challenges facing young adults in modern times. Unfortunately, the music isn’t anything particularly daring or ground breaking; the songs are perfectly fine to listen to, but I wouldn’t recommend this musical to someone who really wants to experience well-crafted songs adapted for theater. However, if you live in an area where Avenue Q is or will be playing, I definitely recommend checking it out. The songs are available on iTunes for those who can’t see the play or who would prefer smaller doses of bawdiness.