World is becoming more virtual with every passing day. I'm starting to wonder where the border between "the real world" and "the virtual one" lies.
Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are no longer just a means of passing the news. Quite frequently, they ARE the news. In 2009 alone so many funny or frankly weird events which had something to do with social networking took place.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5BS17B20091229
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Police reforms
Law enforcement agencies constantly give food for thought or discussion. There are so many issues on the agenda of police forces in every country. However, the problems bothering citizens of different countries concerned with their police forces are different.
According to the statistics, British police is considered to be the best in Europe and one of the best in the world. But there is still room for improvement for any police force. It was interesting for me to compare the changes the British police need to those that ideally the Russian police would have to undergo. Remarkably, improvements due to be implemented next year for British Bobbies include reduction of helicopters, upbranding of software used by police forces etc.
According to the statistics, British police is considered to be the best in Europe and one of the best in the world. But there is still room for improvement for any police force. It was interesting for me to compare the changes the British police need to those that ideally the Russian police would have to undergo. Remarkably, improvements due to be implemented next year for British Bobbies include reduction of helicopters, upbranding of software used by police forces etc.
However, a new ethical code for the Russian "grey-uniformed men" is targeted primarily at fighting brutality, corruption and general inefficiency of the Russian police forces. Enforcing this new code, Oleg Yelnikov, an Interior Ministry spokesman, thinks that “it is very helpful to draw this ideal picture as a way of showing the officer what he should strive for in his conduct". The difference between the two systems is palpable.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article5983401.eceAlan Alda - "Never have your dog stuffed"
Today I've finished reading Alan Alda's biography "Never have your dog stuffed" and felt sorry about it. Michael Parkinson characterised it "a fascinated read about a fascinated life". And I can't but agree with him.
Usually biographies are interesting in themselves just because of the scale of personality or the events described in the book. This is not an exception. Alan Alda is a perfect person for a biography. Actor in numerous plays and movies, among them the superpopular TV-series M*A*S*H*, playwright, director, writer, the host of the TV programme on science, and all this judging by the book he did with vivid interest, ingenuity and passion for the job - it's enough for the most fascinating life.
Add to this the style in which the book is written. Wry humour, colourful descriptions that help the reader create in his imagination any picture Mr. Alda draws, merciless scrutiny of his own thoughts, opinions, actions - in an amazing way Mr. Alda's autobiography is so subjective as in sharing the innate emotions of the writer, revealing so much of himself in this razor-sharp, smart, very emotional writing of his but at the same time as objective as humanly possible because every idea is thoroughly analysed before acknowledging its right to exist, every mistake is harshly criticised, every dellusion mocked.
As I read on, Alan Alda's biography gradually stopped just being a biography for me and melted into a philosophical novel based on real events. It's the kind of writing that forces you to forget daily trifles and relish the pleasure of pure thinking or pure feeling. It's the kind of writing that connects you with the writer, makes you feel everything he writes about is relevant to you and to an awful lot of other people. It's fascinating, profound and inspirational, in other words, a must read.
Usually biographies are interesting in themselves just because of the scale of personality or the events described in the book. This is not an exception. Alan Alda is a perfect person for a biography. Actor in numerous plays and movies, among them the superpopular TV-series M*A*S*H*, playwright, director, writer, the host of the TV programme on science, and all this judging by the book he did with vivid interest, ingenuity and passion for the job - it's enough for the most fascinating life.
Add to this the style in which the book is written. Wry humour, colourful descriptions that help the reader create in his imagination any picture Mr. Alda draws, merciless scrutiny of his own thoughts, opinions, actions - in an amazing way Mr. Alda's autobiography is so subjective as in sharing the innate emotions of the writer, revealing so much of himself in this razor-sharp, smart, very emotional writing of his but at the same time as objective as humanly possible because every idea is thoroughly analysed before acknowledging its right to exist, every mistake is harshly criticised, every dellusion mocked.
As I read on, Alan Alda's biography gradually stopped just being a biography for me and melted into a philosophical novel based on real events. It's the kind of writing that forces you to forget daily trifles and relish the pleasure of pure thinking or pure feeling. It's the kind of writing that connects you with the writer, makes you feel everything he writes about is relevant to you and to an awful lot of other people. It's fascinating, profound and inspirational, in other words, a must read.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
From prime minister to vampire
Recently I watched New Moon in cinema. Frankly speaking I didn’t like this saga at all, and the only reason I went there was Michael Sheen, who played vampire Aro in this film.
I think that Sheen is a wonderful actor and I enjoy all his works. First time I saw him in the film “Wilde”. I was so impressed by his acting that I decided to find out more about this gifted actor. I watched “Queen”, “Underworld” and “Music within” and got addicted to his acting.
The thing I like about this actor most is that he can play absolutely different characters from vampire and werewolf to prime minister and man with cerebral palsy. There are billions of actors who became famous for some role and can’t move from it. They always portray similar characters and even if they try to play someone else you can clearly see where they are from. I’ll never underestimate such actors, but I think that those who can play different roles are definitely geniuses.
For example, when I watched New Moon with my friend, it took me half an hour to assure her that Tony Blaire in Queen and Aro are the same actor. She didn’t believe me and kept saying that they are absolutely different.
As to his role in Music within I don’t have enough vocabulary to express my emotions. He portrayed a person with cerebral palsy. I was amazed by his performance. I didn’t see an actor, who portrayed a person with such a disease, I saw a man with cerebral palsy living his life. At some moments I forgot that Sheen didn’t have cerebral palsy.
So I told myself, don’t relax! There are many films with Michael Sheen that you haven’t seen yet: Unthinkable, Frost/Nixon, Bright young things, Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa and many others.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Cafew
This Monday I arranged to meet my friends before leaving for Moscow. We thought a nice dinner in a cosy cafe would do just fine. However, the evening turned out to be more adventurous than we had expected it to be.
We chose a cafe in Harrow-on-the-Hill where we could have different kinds of food at reasonable prices. Having placed ourselves comfortably at the corner table, we headed to the cashier's to make an order. The cashier greeted us with enthusiasm and with a pleasant smile asked us... to show her our IDs.
My friend at first didn't even understand what we were required to do since we were not ordering an ounce of alcohol, and had to ask her to repeat her words. "You should show me your IDs otherwise you will have to leave this place", she said in an unconcerned voice. We asked for an explanation. She said that according to the rules if anyone stays at their cafe after 8 p.m. they have to show their IDs.
We were persistent and decided to try all the means to stay there. We insisted that we were Master course students and had our student cards on us. No result. OK, we were not having any alcohol, just a bowl of soup or chicken or anything else equally innocent. No way. The cashier was polite, understanding but she rejected our pleas to let us stay.
We left the cafe boiling just like the soup that we didn't have. It was only upon coming home and giving a second thought to this irritating situation I realised that it's silly to blame the staff at the cafe. They were just doing their job and doing it well. It's just the system designed, as I understand, to prevent adolescents from alcohol abuse by forbidding them to buy it at all. Which would be a great idea if it worked.
Unfortunately, the statistics of the increasing alcohol consumption among the young in the UK say the opposite. The number of teenagers and young people suffering from alcohol abuse is not diminishing drastically, as it would be expected, but is still disturbingly high. So unfortunately, age constraints and ID control work only to a certain degree. Most frequently, it results in chasing away potential mature and self-controlled customers (just like us *smiling self-complacently*) who just come to have a meal and even if they do have alcohol drinks it's mostly social drinking, for the sake of company, and not binge drinking, for the sake of drinking.
This is a complicated problem that can't be solved by simple measures. Probably, more
education on alcohol consumption at schools and first of all in families would be a good initiative, although of course it's difficult if not impossible to control the implementation of these ideas. But I still do believe that by forbidding alone no earth-shattering results would be achieved. People can be very ingenuous when they really crave for something, and therefore teenagers can find ways to get alcohol without actually buying it themselves.
Probably, a better idea of fighting this vice of heavy drinking would be promoting a healthier lifestyle, making it fashionable to look and feel healthy. Until dead-drunk celebrities rolling out of bars and doing crazy things remain role models for adolescents, unhealthy alcohol-consuming culture will blossom. And no strict regulations are likely to change this.
We chose a cafe in Harrow-on-the-Hill where we could have different kinds of food at reasonable prices. Having placed ourselves comfortably at the corner table, we headed to the cashier's to make an order. The cashier greeted us with enthusiasm and with a pleasant smile asked us... to show her our IDs.
My friend at first didn't even understand what we were required to do since we were not ordering an ounce of alcohol, and had to ask her to repeat her words. "You should show me your IDs otherwise you will have to leave this place", she said in an unconcerned voice. We asked for an explanation. She said that according to the rules if anyone stays at their cafe after 8 p.m. they have to show their IDs.
We were persistent and decided to try all the means to stay there. We insisted that we were Master course students and had our student cards on us. No result. OK, we were not having any alcohol, just a bowl of soup or chicken or anything else equally innocent. No way. The cashier was polite, understanding but she rejected our pleas to let us stay.
We left the cafe boiling just like the soup that we didn't have. It was only upon coming home and giving a second thought to this irritating situation I realised that it's silly to blame the staff at the cafe. They were just doing their job and doing it well. It's just the system designed, as I understand, to prevent adolescents from alcohol abuse by forbidding them to buy it at all. Which would be a great idea if it worked.
Unfortunately, the statistics of the increasing alcohol consumption among the young in the UK say the opposite. The number of teenagers and young people suffering from alcohol abuse is not diminishing drastically, as it would be expected, but is still disturbingly high. So unfortunately, age constraints and ID control work only to a certain degree. Most frequently, it results in chasing away potential mature and self-controlled customers (just like us *smiling self-complacently*) who just come to have a meal and even if they do have alcohol drinks it's mostly social drinking, for the sake of company, and not binge drinking, for the sake of drinking.
This is a complicated problem that can't be solved by simple measures. Probably, more
education on alcohol consumption at schools and first of all in families would be a good initiative, although of course it's difficult if not impossible to control the implementation of these ideas. But I still do believe that by forbidding alone no earth-shattering results would be achieved. People can be very ingenuous when they really crave for something, and therefore teenagers can find ways to get alcohol without actually buying it themselves.
Probably, a better idea of fighting this vice of heavy drinking would be promoting a healthier lifestyle, making it fashionable to look and feel healthy. Until dead-drunk celebrities rolling out of bars and doing crazy things remain role models for adolescents, unhealthy alcohol-consuming culture will blossom. And no strict regulations are likely to change this.
So who is the president?
I decided to take a good look at the Berlusconi’s scandal, when some mad man broke his nose. I looked through different papers, when the Daily Mail attracted my attention.
Strangely enough, it wasn’t about Silvio Berlusconi’s trauma.
It was about journalistic accuracy. In the middle of the article I read that French and Russian presidents support Berlusconi and I was shocked to find out that Russian president was Putin.
Wait a minute, I wasn’t in Russia only three months but somehow the president became Putin?The responsible Daily Mail editor even didn’t want to google the name of Russia’s president…
It’s clear that some people think that the real Russian president is Putin. Believe me, as a Russian living in the UK I’m tired to hear this question: “So who is the real president of Russia?”
However, it’s not an excuse for a journalist and editor to make such a mistake. As a Russian I feel bad, when I read such things. It looks as though we live in Stone Age and it’s impossible to check the information you write!
Frankly speaking, I don’t understand what this situation actually means. The Daily Mail is a middle market newspaper, but I can’t believe that unqualified people can work there. Somehow I think that maybe they just want to show their attitude to Russia? I feel some kind of disrespect in this action.
I really hope that it was due to some technical problem and they will edit this article as soon as possible.
Chaos at airports
Living in the UK I got used to speaking weather to people. As a rule, everybody is of the same opinion: they keep complaining about it. 20 minutes at the platform waiting for a train under never-ending drizzle, and strangers become friends.
Yesterday, passengers at Heathrow, Gatwick and other airports had even more reasons to be unhappy about the weather. Unexpectedly large amount of snow had caused delays and cancellations of flights. Because of the unpredictability of the weather passengers were informed about cancellation of their flights at an extremely short notice, often after they had already completed the registration process, sometimes even after they had boarded their planes.
During an hour that we spent queuing at the registration (yes, I was lucky enough to spend only one hour in the queue!), an Italian lady standing next to me shared with me her sad story. "This is my fifth attempt to fly to Milan", she said with a sigh. "I've been trying since Sunday. On one of the flights we had even boarded the plane and had waited there for four hours when they announced that we're not flying anywhere". A young guy standing ahead of us turned and nodded sympathetically. "I undestand you so well! I've only spent 20 hours at the airport trying to leave this country. I hate planes, airports, snow. Hell, I hate everything by now!" he exclaims. A German girl joined in the heated discussion on such a (seemingly!) neutral subject as weather. "My flight wasn't cancelled but I still wasn't able to board the plane", she said in a resigned way. Quizzical expressions on our faces prompt her to elaborate. "Well, the registration queue took so long that I actually was late for my own plane although I was on time - precisely two hours before the flight. Just as they recommend us", she explained.
After hearing all this, I experienced a slight panic attack. I looked around. The queue ahead of me seemed endless, passengers from all the cancelled flights accumulated, and it took a long time to deal with each passenger's query since most of them had already rebooked at least once. People were understandably nervous and angry, the airport staff did their best to help but there was little they could do. I felt that the British weather that we so often complain of had decided to take its cruel revenge on us, and, just as the BA strikers, had chosen the least appropriate moment for its display of character. Right before Christmas when so many people can't wait to join their loved ones - what could be worse?
I was really fortunate to be able to make it on time: with lots of running and rushing, and sweating, and being dangerously close to a nervous break-down. But I finally got on my plane and arrived in the cold snowy Moscow. And for the first time I thought just how lucky we Russians are to have our snowstorms and snowdrifts as an everyday phenomenon in winter. Being used to this kind of weather, Moscow airports worked in their usual regime, and I even didn't mind gloomy faces of the airport staff and was almost happy to see too insistent cabbies outside the Domodedovo airport.
Yesterday, passengers at Heathrow, Gatwick and other airports had even more reasons to be unhappy about the weather. Unexpectedly large amount of snow had caused delays and cancellations of flights. Because of the unpredictability of the weather passengers were informed about cancellation of their flights at an extremely short notice, often after they had already completed the registration process, sometimes even after they had boarded their planes.
During an hour that we spent queuing at the registration (yes, I was lucky enough to spend only one hour in the queue!), an Italian lady standing next to me shared with me her sad story. "This is my fifth attempt to fly to Milan", she said with a sigh. "I've been trying since Sunday. On one of the flights we had even boarded the plane and had waited there for four hours when they announced that we're not flying anywhere". A young guy standing ahead of us turned and nodded sympathetically. "I undestand you so well! I've only spent 20 hours at the airport trying to leave this country. I hate planes, airports, snow. Hell, I hate everything by now!" he exclaims. A German girl joined in the heated discussion on such a (seemingly!) neutral subject as weather. "My flight wasn't cancelled but I still wasn't able to board the plane", she said in a resigned way. Quizzical expressions on our faces prompt her to elaborate. "Well, the registration queue took so long that I actually was late for my own plane although I was on time - precisely two hours before the flight. Just as they recommend us", she explained.
After hearing all this, I experienced a slight panic attack. I looked around. The queue ahead of me seemed endless, passengers from all the cancelled flights accumulated, and it took a long time to deal with each passenger's query since most of them had already rebooked at least once. People were understandably nervous and angry, the airport staff did their best to help but there was little they could do. I felt that the British weather that we so often complain of had decided to take its cruel revenge on us, and, just as the BA strikers, had chosen the least appropriate moment for its display of character. Right before Christmas when so many people can't wait to join their loved ones - what could be worse?
I was really fortunate to be able to make it on time: with lots of running and rushing, and sweating, and being dangerously close to a nervous break-down. But I finally got on my plane and arrived in the cold snowy Moscow. And for the first time I thought just how lucky we Russians are to have our snowstorms and snowdrifts as an everyday phenomenon in winter. Being used to this kind of weather, Moscow airports worked in their usual regime, and I even didn't mind gloomy faces of the airport staff and was almost happy to see too insistent cabbies outside the Domodedovo airport.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Teaching
I have always felt that teaching is more of a vocation than a job. It may sound funny but I believe it is an in-born quality, a gift.
Yet so many people who are not in the profession and unfortunately some who are in it stick to the view that teaching is all about forcing into the heads of lazy, dumb individuals things they do not care about, using stick-and-carrot method. Good marks are carrots and a possible failure in the exams can be used as sticks. It's amazing how some people don't accept the very idea that their pupils may actually be intelligent, have their own way of learning and may think in the patterns slightly different from the teachers'.
I love this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson on teaching: "Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee". For what indeed is a teacher who does not open doors for his pupils? I would like to add not only open the doors but hold them open long enough for them to enter.
For there will always be some who will walk in smoothly and confidently, whereas for others every step takes an effort, still others may stop hesitantly at the porch and get pushed away by a hurrying crowd of their more decisive peers. And a good teacher is the one who manages this crowd, the one who is able to listen through the cacophony of voices, discern each and every one of them and tune in to it.
Yet so many people who are not in the profession and unfortunately some who are in it stick to the view that teaching is all about forcing into the heads of lazy, dumb individuals things they do not care about, using stick-and-carrot method. Good marks are carrots and a possible failure in the exams can be used as sticks. It's amazing how some people don't accept the very idea that their pupils may actually be intelligent, have their own way of learning and may think in the patterns slightly different from the teachers'.
I love this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson on teaching: "Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee". For what indeed is a teacher who does not open doors for his pupils? I would like to add not only open the doors but hold them open long enough for them to enter.
For there will always be some who will walk in smoothly and confidently, whereas for others every step takes an effort, still others may stop hesitantly at the porch and get pushed away by a hurrying crowd of their more decisive peers. And a good teacher is the one who manages this crowd, the one who is able to listen through the cacophony of voices, discern each and every one of them and tune in to it.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Street racing a la russe
Russia has been long known to foreigners as a land of cold and communism.
However, at the moment a new stereotype is forming in the minds of Western observers.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hKyc15w4ECE/SzIwqv98csI/AAAAAAAAAAc/Vu_WcX69fVA/s1600-h/800px-Lamborghini_Murci%C3%A9lago_Roadster_2005%5B1%5D.jpg
Money, money, money
"Russians are so rich!", exclaims my English friend emphatically. My raised eyebrows vividly witness my disagreement. With one-fifth of the population according to the official statistics (and one-third as per independent sources) living below the poverty line, my friend's point of view is nothing short of ludicrous. Although he probably has his reasons to think so.
Oligarchs make their generous contribution to the image of a Russian person in the eyes of a foreigner. There are quite a few things they are notorious for to the Western public - buying famous football clubs, enjoying luxurious villas on the Cote d'Azure, having fun in Courchevel
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/europe/article1292023.ece
Oddly enough, no charity activities or environment protection concerns are on top of their list of priorities.
But tycoons apparently feel it's important to give a good education to their children. "Golden" kids are often sent to study to obscure but posh sounding places where they appear when they are free from buying posh cars or breaking 1,000 dollar champagne bottles (believed to be a good omen in Russia although one would normally break just a couple of glasses at a marriage or a similar event). Obviously, such intense studies take their toll and kids have to unwind, no doubt about that. Street racing along the banks of Lake Geneva seems to have been one of those activities.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20091123/156951219.html
Once in Geneva
Quiet Swiss roads apparently are not used to youngsters speeding by in their Lamborghinis.
The funny thing was that after a bit of contemplating the court ruled that the 22-year-old student who had violated the speed limitations (there were repair works on this part of the road) and who had alcohol detected in his blood was not guilty. The German was obviously in the wrong because he had followed the traffic regulations. It happens.
To be continued...
If this story is not nauseating enough there is a development to it. Journalists who covered the situation were faced with the strict censorship. The interviewees became edgy and nervous and insisted on taking away their most expressive quotes, most likely after the conversation with the protective Dads of the naughty kids. Editors pressured by "the omnipotent" of the Russian society had their writers soften the tone of their articles to avoid the risk of hurting feelings of the sensitive tycoons.
I had a chance to read the draft versions of some articles and to compare them with what readers saw in the papers soon afterwards, and didn't know how to react. Using Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov's quote, "all of this would have been funny had it not been so sad".
We're all in the same train
More than a week has passed since the Nevsky Express wreckage claiming thirty
people dead and over a hundred injured. Not to mention an immeasurable number
losing the scarce remains of their trust in the government's ability to provide safety
for its people.
What exactly has happened? Who is to blame for it? And most importantly, how to ensure that
nothing of the kind will ever happen again?
Media coverage
Journalists presented completely different versions of the crash. If one compares an angle, tone
and even wording of various articles and news bulletins on the subject, one probably wouldn't
believe that they all cover the same event. The government TV channel "Vesti" for instance
hailed the accident as terrorist attack based on the evidence by the train driver who claimed to
have heard the sound of explosion exactly before the accident. The opposition radio station
"Svoboda" sticks to the version of an accident caused by the lamentable condition of the Russian
railway.
Opinions of experts
The evidence found at the place of the crash is contradictory. On the one hand, seven
kilogrammes of trotyl and a two-metre-deep funnel make a terrorist attack a likely version.
Vladimir Yakunin, the head of the Russian Railways Company (RZD), compared this Nevsky
Express accident to the one that had taken place in August 2007 and immediately declared it a
terrorist attack. However, Evgeny Kulikov, the leader of the Trade Union of Russian Railway
workers, doesn't agree. According to him, the wreckage of the 60-tonne-train would inevitably
cause a deep funnel in the ground near the railway. He is also wondering why it should be three
rear carriages that derailed if according to the driver explosion occurred at the front of the train.
People's reactions
But the most heated discussions take place in the Russian blogosphere. Relatively free from the
government control or censorship, users express a multitude of opinions. You can come across
any point of view here. From a passionate attack on restless Islamist terrorists to a bitter critique
of the Russian Railways management to heart-felt condolences to the families of the victims to
hateful comments about the government's involvement in organising the explosion to scare
people and to force them into supporting the "stable and secure" current regime.
Whatever happened to the Nevsky Express, we can only guess and pray. Accidents as well as
terrorist attacks occur in many countries, it is no longer a flat-earth news. But what is sad and
frightening is the fact that in a similar situation citizens of other states would pounce upon
Al-Qaeda or another terrorist organisation and Russians wouldn't even know who to blame. An
increasing number of people would turn an accusing finger to their own government.
But hush! They would do it very-very cautiously. Who knows how many fast trains will never
reach their destination...
people dead and over a hundred injured. Not to mention an immeasurable number
losing the scarce remains of their trust in the government's ability to provide safety
for its people.
What exactly has happened? Who is to blame for it? And most importantly, how to ensure that
nothing of the kind will ever happen again?
Media coverage
Journalists presented completely different versions of the crash. If one compares an angle, tone
and even wording of various articles and news bulletins on the subject, one probably wouldn't
believe that they all cover the same event. The government TV channel "Vesti" for instance
hailed the accident as terrorist attack based on the evidence by the train driver who claimed to
have heard the sound of explosion exactly before the accident. The opposition radio station
"Svoboda" sticks to the version of an accident caused by the lamentable condition of the Russian
railway.
Opinions of experts
The evidence found at the place of the crash is contradictory. On the one hand, seven
kilogrammes of trotyl and a two-metre-deep funnel make a terrorist attack a likely version.
Vladimir Yakunin, the head of the Russian Railways Company (RZD), compared this Nevsky
Express accident to the one that had taken place in August 2007 and immediately declared it a
terrorist attack. However, Evgeny Kulikov, the leader of the Trade Union of Russian Railway
workers, doesn't agree. According to him, the wreckage of the 60-tonne-train would inevitably
cause a deep funnel in the ground near the railway. He is also wondering why it should be three
rear carriages that derailed if according to the driver explosion occurred at the front of the train.
People's reactions
But the most heated discussions take place in the Russian blogosphere. Relatively free from the
government control or censorship, users express a multitude of opinions. You can come across
any point of view here. From a passionate attack on restless Islamist terrorists to a bitter critique
of the Russian Railways management to heart-felt condolences to the families of the victims to
hateful comments about the government's involvement in organising the explosion to scare
people and to force them into supporting the "stable and secure" current regime.
Whatever happened to the Nevsky Express, we can only guess and pray. Accidents as well as
terrorist attacks occur in many countries, it is no longer a flat-earth news. But what is sad and
frightening is the fact that in a similar situation citizens of other states would pounce upon
Al-Qaeda or another terrorist organisation and Russians wouldn't even know who to blame. An
increasing number of people would turn an accusing finger to their own government.
But hush! They would do it very-very cautiously. Who knows how many fast trains will never
reach their destination...
Monday, November 30, 2009
Hi Mister Melody!
One of the things you’d first notice about Luis Dominguez Pecero is that he is inseparable from his head phones. One can argue that lots of young people enjoy listening to music but not for everybody music is a lifeline. “Music is my passion, the air I breathe. And without air we suffocate”, Luis says in this lilting melodic accent of his.
Luis is interested in working in musical journalism. According to him, there is a tune for every mood, a piece of music can often say more than a hundred words. For him the tune for happy days is “Counting down the days” by Sunfreakz and the sad days music is “Fountain” by Clint Mansell.
When asked if a person feeling depressed perhaps should listen to upbeat tunes to feel better, he just smiles and shakes his head: “If you catch the mood you should keep it”. From his point of view, sadness and other so called negative emotions can prove to be beneficial as they give food for thought and help to discover new things about oneself.
“Here in Great Britain I often listen to traditional Mexican music when I feel nostalgic”, Luis admits. He especially likes cumbia, it is energetic dance music, which uses timbales, guitars, trumpets and percussions, or bolero which is more of romantic music”.
In relationships with people Luis thinks that “everything starts with a smile”. The qualities that appeal to him in people are friendliness, positive approach and goals in life. He dislikes narrow-minded and materialistic people.
Even his handwriting gives away his optimism and creative streak as he writes the names of his favourite songs in his neat, well-rounded but slightly childlike manner, with letters barely connected to each other. Luis confirms this with a smile: “Yes, I am still in the process of creative development, still searching for things that will fulfil me and make me happy”.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Internet communication - field of battle or platform for discussion?
The Guardian article on Stephen Fry, "technofile and twillionaire", who has recently been considering "committing Twittercide", in other words leaving Twitter, gives food for thought. An avid twitter having quite a renommee for his sharp wit and smart retorts, Stephen Fry appears to be immune to Twitter challenges - comments of users which are quite often unpleasant or even gross. But even Mr. Fry admitted to feeling frustrated with the low level of culture of internet communication.
Lots of people seem to feel protected by a solid shield of cyberspace separating them from their interlocutors, and that makes them behave in a much bolder way on Facebook, Twitter, Livejournal and all kinds of other social networks and forums than they would do in a real life conversation. It looks as if hidden behind their usernames and avatars people have no longer to face "flesh and blood" opponents but rather some kind of a "virtual character" who has no name, no face and no voice. The whole personality is squeezed into an obscure username and avatar picture that may not reveal anything about the user at all.
Can it be so that thanks to the anonymity of internet communication some users perceive people they interact with in the web as "unidentified objects" having no feelings to take into consideration while posting another nasty comment? The topics of discussion can be different ranging from political issues to climate change to this autumn's fashion trends or favourite football clubs. But judging by what I've witnessed, there would always be a number of people humiliating their opponents' views or ridiculing them. They can argue that they are only expressing their opinions. But I firmly believe that "freedom of self-expression of one person shouldn't be an insult for another". I bet that most of those people, well, at least a certain percentage of them, wouldn't dream of phrasing their points of view in the same harsh and sometimes even obscene way in a face-to-face or even a phone chat. Why?
Can it be so that some people follow moral and ethical norms of behaviour in their everyday social life only fearing a severe verbal reaction (and maybe not only verbal) if they fail to do so? And once in internet they enjoy total impunity and permit themselves wicked lash-outs on those who dare to disagree with them or in some other way arouse their negative feelings? If this is the case we could probably consider this as one of the side-effects of web interaction. Which is sad if you come to think of it.
The internet offers so many opportunities to socialise shortening distances and ignoring time zones between people, and it would be a shame to turn it into a field of battle instead of using it as a platform for discussion. Probably enforcing more rigid restrictions on the acceptable ways of self-expression in the internet would be a good initiative and would be one more step towards tolerance and open-mindedness.
Lots of people seem to feel protected by a solid shield of cyberspace separating them from their interlocutors, and that makes them behave in a much bolder way on Facebook, Twitter, Livejournal and all kinds of other social networks and forums than they would do in a real life conversation. It looks as if hidden behind their usernames and avatars people have no longer to face "flesh and blood" opponents but rather some kind of a "virtual character" who has no name, no face and no voice. The whole personality is squeezed into an obscure username and avatar picture that may not reveal anything about the user at all.
Can it be so that thanks to the anonymity of internet communication some users perceive people they interact with in the web as "unidentified objects" having no feelings to take into consideration while posting another nasty comment? The topics of discussion can be different ranging from political issues to climate change to this autumn's fashion trends or favourite football clubs. But judging by what I've witnessed, there would always be a number of people humiliating their opponents' views or ridiculing them. They can argue that they are only expressing their opinions. But I firmly believe that "freedom of self-expression of one person shouldn't be an insult for another". I bet that most of those people, well, at least a certain percentage of them, wouldn't dream of phrasing their points of view in the same harsh and sometimes even obscene way in a face-to-face or even a phone chat. Why?
Can it be so that some people follow moral and ethical norms of behaviour in their everyday social life only fearing a severe verbal reaction (and maybe not only verbal) if they fail to do so? And once in internet they enjoy total impunity and permit themselves wicked lash-outs on those who dare to disagree with them or in some other way arouse their negative feelings? If this is the case we could probably consider this as one of the side-effects of web interaction. Which is sad if you come to think of it.
The internet offers so many opportunities to socialise shortening distances and ignoring time zones between people, and it would be a shame to turn it into a field of battle instead of using it as a platform for discussion. Probably enforcing more rigid restrictions on the acceptable ways of self-expression in the internet would be a good initiative and would be one more step towards tolerance and open-mindedness.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Kenyan Safari - ambitious tourism destination
World Travel Market is an annual event organised by the Reeds Exhibitions. WTM is a widely recognised event attended by a large number of tourism companies representatives, journalists but also open for students who are interested in travelling and environment protection. This year WTM took place 9-12 November.
World Travel Market not only presents to its visitors a wide variety of places to visit, it also organises a series of presentations, discussions and seminars preaching responsible tourism, with international tourism experts participating in the sessions http://www.wtmlondon.com/
But above all, World Travel Market is a festive occasion where travelling amateurs and connoisseurs would revel in the fabulous display of places to visit. Among the countries presented at WTM every inquisitive visitor's eye would find something to appreciate: Malaysia with its amazing rainforests, Uzbekistan with its famous historical Silk Road, Brazil with its colourful festivals.
One of the things that's hard to miss is Kenyan Safari http://www.go2africa.com/kenya
Kenyan treasures
It is a very important tourism attraction enjoying immense popularity among visitors from the USA, Germany, Scandinavian countries, France, Italy and other countries. However, the significance of the Kenyan Safari lies not only in its tourism value but also in its serving the purposes of environment protection. There are challenges facing wildlife and the conservation of biodiversity of Kenya such as climate change, deterioration of habitats and human wildlife conflict caused by the growth of population and irresponsible usage of land and resources. That's why it's essential to protect the wildlife of the country and provide appropriate conditions for life and reproduction of animals, especially rare species.
According to Race Musumba Tavasi, Head of Marketing and Business Development of Kenya Wildlife Service http://www.kws.org/ Kenyan Safari consists of 30 parks spread across the country that vary in species of animals they keep. There is the traditional "Big Five" of course: lions, elephants, buffalos, rhinos and leopards. But there are also rare species of animals such as Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope and Grevy's Zebra. Mrs Tavasi says that "people visiting the Safari have an authentic experience of seeing animals in their natural habitat which is much more exciting than going to the zoo". In her opinion, it is also important that the conditions in which animals are kept "do not interfere with environment" and therefore "the Safari is a means of conserving rare species".
Considering the fact that organisers of Safari Tours offer reasonable packages including tickets, accomodation and visiting the parks it proves to be a tempting opportunity for tourists to get acquainted with the wildlife of Africa without affecting the environmental balance of the country.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Diwali - Festival of Lights
Yesterday I was amazed at the scale of Diwali celebration in Harrow. I knew that Harrow was the region populated with residents of different backgrounds including Indians but I had no idea that the Indian community was so vast there. Or at least it seemed so judging by how easily Harrow transformed for a day from being a suburbian London region to a place filled to the brim with an atmosphere of one of the biggest Indian national holidays.
After that it was by no means possible to stay indoors any longer. So I grabbed my cell phone, ran out of the campus and headed to the main street. Fireworks seemed to move around the region like comets. Wherever I went I could see them, hear them and even smell them (in some side streets you could sense a cloud of smoke after the squad of fireworks was over). Also some houses were festively decorated with lanterns. Several Indian restaurants I had spotted before were filling with laughing and chatting people. A couple of households in one of the side streets seemed to be especially enjoying the party, with fireworks going off one after another, almost making up for daylight.
I heard my cell phone ringing and shrugged away my reverie. It was my family asking me how I was doing. I smiled into the phone and said it was OK, and started walking back home. And the strong positive vibe of the Harrow streets on that day, the persistent feeling of being a part of the holiday followed me all the way to the campus. The celebration went on till late at night and continued on the following day...
I was sulking in my room when the party literally came to me: from my dorm window I saw the sky explode in multi-coloured fans, then after some time one more blast, and then again and again until the canonade of fireworks started booming in short regular intervals painting the dark sky in bright Disney-like colours.
After that it was by no means possible to stay indoors any longer. So I grabbed my cell phone, ran out of the campus and headed to the main street. Fireworks seemed to move around the region like comets. Wherever I went I could see them, hear them and even smell them (in some side streets you could sense a cloud of smoke after the squad of fireworks was over). Also some houses were festively decorated with lanterns. Several Indian restaurants I had spotted before were filling with laughing and chatting people. A couple of households in one of the side streets seemed to be especially enjoying the party, with fireworks going off one after another, almost making up for daylight.
I stopped for a moment mesmerized with a view, feeling a bit nostalgic and philosophic. It was such a good concept, I thought, Festival of Lights... I don't know much about the holiday only that in a spiritual sense it stands for finding the Inner Light, victory of the good over the evil in an individual (please correct me if I get it wrong). And even if I am not able to understand profoundly the religious aspect of the holiday, I still don't feel an outsider to it.
To my mind, there are certain events of this kind that you can relate to even without being a part of the culture that created it, and being half-Indian I certainly felt a part of it to a certain extent. There are days like this during the year such as Christmas, Diwali. The warm cosy atmosphere of such holidays spreads all around the place, it's engaging and contagious.
The concept of the holiday
And I also love the very idea of fighting the Inner Darkness and finding a way to the Inner Light within one's soul. It's this fragile balance within a personality, this insecure position of the scale between righteousness and sinfulness that has troubled poets and philosophers' minds for so many years. Like Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky said in "The Brothers Karamazov", "The Devil struggles with God, and the field of battle is the hearts of men".
Sometimes one has to fight the Inner Darkness armed only with a torch of Hope. Sometimes one finds oneself in a dark and dreary tunnel of despair and loneliness, and as fatigue sweeps over one feels like stopping, unable and unwilling to go any further. But then there appears that ray of light at the very end of the tunnel, it's so faint and distant but one knows that one has to keep on walking because there is someone who's watching their every step, someone who doesn't want them to get lost in the dark. And sometimes, the light is too strong for aching eyes, it's blinding and unforgiving, and one is comfortable with squeezing one's eyes shut and hiding from reality but then one can't spend one's life with one's eyes closed, closed to the beauty around you and the pain around you...
I heard my cell phone ringing and shrugged away my reverie. It was my family asking me how I was doing. I smiled into the phone and said it was OK, and started walking back home. And the strong positive vibe of the Harrow streets on that day, the persistent feeling of being a part of the holiday followed me all the way to the campus. The celebration went on till late at night and continued on the following day...
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