tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61499415408926322932024-03-07T07:40:11.972+03:00Darkness at NoonReflections on the Former Soviet UnionUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-35033181985349047682008-09-17T22:33:00.002+04:002008-09-18T01:25:35.992+04:00Kvas: Magic in a bottleThe clock is ticking and my time in Ukraine is quickly drawing to a close: in two weeks, almost to the hour, I'll set foot on my native soil once again. This will also mark the completion of my field research for my dissertation and as such, the last time I'll spend an extended period of time in the former Soviet Union, at least for the next few years. Because I don't have anything interesting Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-18324978443023741932008-09-01T00:35:00.003+04:002008-09-01T01:31:17.902+04:00Lost and FoundOne of my most loyal readers declared yesterday (over email), "Your blog is strangely silent - are you too busy to write about all the things you see and do?" A fair enough question, and one that deserves an answer...The fact of the matter is that yes, I've been quite busy, much more so than during my time in Russia last year. Not only did being forced to relocate to Ukraine swallow up a fair Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-35996235604773380762008-08-13T20:11:00.002+04:002008-08-13T20:23:37.683+04:00Thought on GeorgiaHaving just returned from a lovely vacation in Crimea where I had only sporadic news on the conflict in South Ossetia, I have come to the following conclusion:Regardless of whether you're right or wrong, and no matter how many friends you think you have, it is rarely a good idea to poke a hungry bear with a stick. He's got the teeth and you have a stick. You do the math...It's a lesson that I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-18588528304558363332008-07-10T00:31:00.003+04:002008-07-10T00:42:53.608+04:00Chernobyl: Photos and VideoIn addition to the written impressions of my visit to Chernobyl, I am posting my visual impressions of the place, as captured in some photos and video I took. I hope you enjoy them...Click here for photosVideo:Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-58657879614528443332008-07-09T22:56:00.005+04:002008-07-10T00:19:14.710+04:00Chernobyl: life after death, or somewhere in betweenWhere do I even begin? I've been avoiding this for almost a week now because the task seems too great for my abilities, the weight too overwhelming, the gravity too humbling. I know that even if I had the ability, I don't have the right. I am an outsider, a visitor who will be there one day and gone the next, probably forever. I haven't shed the tears with my own eyes or felt the suffering inUnknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-53682059771515375912008-06-30T17:36:00.001+04:002008-06-30T17:36:57.353+04:00Change we can't believe inAnother one from the “my (short) life in Belarus” series…Anybody who has known me for more than a couple weeks knows that I don’t like change. There’s nothing wrong with a little order, stability, and tradition. And so, whether it’s a question of doing away with the allegedly tacky tinsel on the Christmas tree (S, just you wait, it’s coming back next year!) to the latest hair color of my Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-47755725363200462692008-06-24T00:09:00.008+04:002008-06-27T10:50:38.977+04:00Belarus' Bountiful TableFrequent readers of this blog (all three of them) know that food was a favorite topic for consideration last year in Moscow (previous discussions of Russian cuisine can be found here, here, and here.) Since most outsiders are not familiar with the diverse culinary delights that make up traditional Belarusian cuisine, I thought that I would offer readers a brief photographic introduction to these Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-64923229546600529492008-06-18T21:43:00.003+04:002008-06-25T09:32:25.369+04:00Impressions of MinskStarted in Minsk, continued in Moscow, and finished in Kiev...*********************My first three weeks in Minsk – my last three weeks in Minsk, my only three weeks in Minsk – have been one of those surreal time-warps where time simultaneously stands still, the seconds grinding painfully along, and yet in the blink of an eye the days fly by with the speed and determination of an unreformed Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-21317765943856595202008-06-18T10:45:00.003+04:002008-06-19T18:04:43.726+04:00Let it BeGetting yanked from Belarus by the U.S. government for no good reason: freeTrain ticket to relocate to Kiev: $170.14Paul McCartney live in Maidan: Free but wet (pouring rain)Seeing 350,000 Ukrainians rocking out in the streets to "Back in the USSR": PRICELESS!In the words of Sir Paul that night, "I've been waiting a long time for this one..."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-87371226032430985832008-06-03T20:38:00.002+04:002008-06-03T20:42:02.244+04:00Victory Day: May 9, 2008 - MoscowHere's some video I took (with a little editing and music added) of the military parade and fireworks in Moscow on Victory Day 2008. As you may know, this was the first year since the collapse of the Soviet Union that Russia included heavy military technology (tanks, trucks, and missiles) in the parade. Needless to say, it didn't disappoint. Photographs to follow eventually, but in the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-78942501528861589752008-06-03T19:59:00.002+04:002008-06-03T20:06:22.792+04:00Return of the DarknessI'm pleased to announce the return of (hopefully) regular content on "Darkness at Noon." I'm back in the region, which means a fresh set of stories, impressions, and commentary on what's going on around me. I would imagine that a decent dose of Slavic absurdity will be thrown into the mix as well.In fact, I've been in the area for almost a month now. I arrived in Moscow shortly before Victory Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-19009127796204628662007-11-27T06:18:00.000+03:002007-11-28T17:59:48.085+03:00StalinkaWhile no cult of personality is quite as much fun as the cult of Lenin, I'll admit that the later (but shorter-lived) cult of Stalin is pretty interesting too. And so, an email caught my attention announcing the launch of Stalinka, the University of Pittsburg's "digital library of Staliniana." Pretty interesting stuff, including a searchable database of over 500 photographs, paintings, and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-18980577647044257682007-10-02T22:15:00.000+04:002007-10-02T23:35:21.761+04:00Putin's PlanOk, I'm breaking my usual rules twice in as many weeks. But when you get interesting news like this, it's hard to resist. By now everyone is aware that "Putin's Plan" has been (at least partially) revealed: Putin will head up the United Russia party list in the December 2007 Duma Elections and will likely be appointed Prime Minister by his successor, who is assumed to be the current Prime Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-47276631548495630552007-09-24T21:52:00.000+04:002007-09-24T23:02:04.443+04:00The Sound of Marching Boots...It takes a lot to bring me out of semi-retirement. Especially considering that I have far more important things to do, like writing a dissertation. (OK, in the big picture I realize that my dissertation isn't all that important). It takes even more to get me to write about current Russian events, but when this story passed across my desk this morning it sent chills so far down my spine that I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-39547996108554427472007-09-05T00:29:00.000+04:002007-09-05T00:41:39.299+04:00Comrade Lenin is Always With UsLest anyone think that I have disappeared from the face of the earth completely since returning to the United States, I am pleased to present what I hope is evidence to the contrary. Unfortunately, this evidence also proves that I've done very little productive work since my repatriation. However, I hope those of you still reading enjoy the fruits of my labor: Behold, the online gallery of the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-22287407174075399222007-07-25T07:52:00.000+04:002007-07-25T08:33:32.781+04:00New HorizonsWell, that day is finally here. I'm going home today. Or at least I think I'm going home today. When leaving Russia I have a policy of never making definitive declarations until the plane has lifted off. But to be on the safe side, I never celebrate until the plane touches down on American soil. After all, it's better not to get your hopes up in case Russia decides to have one of her "Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-79000956806837988412007-07-12T18:09:00.000+04:002007-07-12T18:11:09.173+04:00Some Lenins I've KnownI thought it would be a good idea to sift through 7 years-worth of photos I've taken in Russia and her neighbors and put up an album of some of the best Lenin statues I've photographed. Some of the photos pre-date digital cameras and are a little old/grainy looking, but you get the picture (pun intended?) So here they are...Finland Station, St. Petersburg:From this angle, Lenin gives you a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-75814468684299086542007-07-07T22:12:00.001+04:002007-07-07T22:12:24.971+04:00Petersburg White NightsHere's a few more pictures from my recent trip to St. Petersburg. These were taken between 11:00 pm and 1:00 am. For someone who grew up in a place where 9:00 is the latest the sun ever sets in the summer, seeing it still light out at midnight is a bizarre experience.The event I photographed was a concert and outdoor party thrown for the city's high school graduates, who had graduated that day.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-79805651534061639442007-07-03T22:38:00.000+04:002007-07-03T23:03:48.255+04:00Soviet JokesIn looking for the Lenin triple-wide joke, I came across the following site that is loaded with tons of classic Soviet-era jokes (translated into English), organized by theme. This should keep you all busy (and laughing) for at least a few days...Laughing Under the CoversEnjoy!(PS - the above cartoon is the Pulizer-prize winning work of Jim Borgman...)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-55252505374606021252007-07-03T22:06:00.000+04:002007-07-03T22:36:35.594+04:00Moscow Through Her EyesThe Mrs. arrives in Moscow tomorrow. After not having seen her for several months now, I'm nearly going insane with anticipation, but luckily I have some pickles and beet salad to comfort me for the next few hours.Though this is my fifth stint in Russia, this will be her first time over here. I'll confess, while Russia has always been a major part of my life, it's been a surprisingly small partUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-38317007505689726362007-07-02T18:22:00.000+04:002007-07-02T19:20:20.077+04:00Something has happened to me...Yesterday I moved out of my lodgings with Host Family and into a fabulous and enormous apartment for my remaining month in Moscow.This has been coming for some time. Host family had informed me upon my arrival in January that their beloved son (who lives in America and is clearly their favorite child based on the way they talk about him) would be visiting for an unspecified amount of time in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-86178109542723883692007-06-28T00:12:00.000+04:002007-06-28T00:18:01.657+04:00Defenders of LeningradNow that I'm home in Moscow, I thought I'd post some photos of my recent trip to St. Petersburg. While the "White Nights" photos will be coming shortly, I'll start with some shots of the Monument to the Defenders of Leningrad, one of the most moving war memorials I've found in the former USSR.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-91896905385127132772007-06-22T17:43:00.000+04:002007-06-22T17:44:58.638+04:00Where I've been...In case anyone was wondering about the reduced frequency of the blog lately, I've been playing tour guide to visitors for the last week. We're heading to St. Petersburg for a few days, which should hopefully produce some beautiful pictures and some good stories.До скорого,RUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-73627894485611925032007-06-16T11:16:00.000+04:002007-06-16T21:54:15.753+04:00Russian Banking CrisisNo, don't worry, they haven't devalued the ruble again. This one is about my own personal banking crisis of the last week.It's been a good three months since my last major crisis - the visa debacle of March/April (part 1, part 2, part 3) . And as anyone who has spent time in Russia knows, three months is far too great an interval between personal crises. Thus, I was overdue for something. ButUnknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149941540892632293.post-48920459537583685672007-06-12T15:34:00.000+04:002007-06-12T21:36:51.619+04:00Knock it off!Returning once again to the theme of Moscow fashion, I've been particularly amused lately by the name-brand knockoffs that still appear on the streets. The most commonly seen knockoffs remain pirated athletic wear - adidas, puma, and the like - that can be found comfortably draped on every track-suited thick-necked man in town. But wait, you say! This is the New Moscow! Isn't it possible thatUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1