Stories about Russian from August, 2007
Ukraine: Crimea
On the last day of summer, here's a translation of LJ user drugoi's photo report on his trip to Crimea, one of the favorite summer tourism destinations in the Soviet times, now facing fierce competition from resorts in Turkey and Egypt.
Ukraine: Animal Shelter
On August 19, Ukrainian journalist Tanya Kremen paid a visit to an animal shelter located near a small town just outside Kyiv. Below are her impressions and thoughts, which she has posted on her blog at Korrespondent.net, as well as a couple of comments from her readers.
Russia: An “Oasis of Nonchalance”
August 19 marked sixteen years since the beginning of the Soviet Union's collapse. On this day, LJ user galerist (Marat Guelman, gallery owner from Moscow) happened to post a sketch on his visit to a rich client's estate - a sketch that, in a way, highlighted some of the changes that have - and have not - occurred since 1991.
Russia: “Mama, We're In Hell!”
A young Russian woman traveling from Helsinki to Moscow found herself in a railway traffic jam caused by the train derailment last week. She was so horrified by the sight of the Russian countryside that she called her mother on her cell phone and told her they were stuck "in hell." The blogger who posted this story has received 469 comments from his readers.
Russia: Blogger on Trial for Writing Fiction
Blogger Dmitry Shirinkin faces trial for having written on his blog that he had purchased a gun and was going to kill a few dozen people in one of the city’s colleges. According to Shirinkin, the text - posted on April 21, but made private on April 22 - was a work of fiction, "inspired" by the Virginia Tech shooting. According to the prosecutor's office, however, Shirinkin has violated Article 207 of the Russian Criminal Code by "distributing false information on a planned terrorist act." The trial is likely to take place in September; if convicted, the Russian blogger may receive a three-year prison sentence.
Russia: Neo-Nazi Execution Video
One of the most discussed topics in the Russian blogosphere last week was a graphic video of what appeared to be the execution of two ethnically non-Russian men by masked figures claiming to be members of a Russian neo-Nazi group. Anton Nossik, a representative of the company that oversees LiveJournal's Russian segment, blogs about the Russian authorities' irrational reaction to the video.
Kazakhstan: Crisis and Elections
The upcoming parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan are a foregone conclusion and the hitherto booming banking sector is on the verge of sliding into a deep crisis. This and more in this week's blogosphere update.
Russia: Bomb Derails Train
A passenger train on its way from Moscow to St. Petersburg was derailed Monday night by a homemade bomb set along railroad tracks. No one was killed, but some 60 passengers of the more than 230 on board were injured, at least three of them seriously. For a while, Russian bloggers were ahead of the Russian media on this story.
Russia: Views on Blogging
"Anyone who has a LiveJournal or any other blog is a person with an obvious psychological pathology," said one Russian writer in a recent newspaper interview. Gallery owner Marat Guelman responded to this harsh judgment on his blog, and his readers then shared their views on what blogging is and isn't.
Russia: New Beslan Footage & YouTube
Despite years of investigation, many questions about the 2004 Beslan school siege remain unanswered. Recently, a video has emerged that seems to contradict the official view on what caused two initial blasts on Sept. 3, the day the storming of the school began. Marina Litvinovich, founder of PravdaBeslana.ru/Truth of Beslan, uploaded the new footage on YouTube, only to discover that two clips - which, unsurprisingly, contained extremely graphic content - were promptly deleted.
Kyrgyzstan: SCO summit
The members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will send their heads of state to Kyrgyzstan next week. While the Kyrgyz bloggers are amazed by the beautification of their capital ahead of the summit, Western bloggers ponder the significance of the SCO's growth.
Kazakhstan: Election (and Cycling) Races
The two main issues in focus of the Kazakhstani blogosphere these weeks were the early parliamentary elections and a doping scandal involving a Kazakhstani cycling superstar: the leader of the promising "Team Astana" and a showcase member of the ruling "Nur-Otan" party, Alexander "Vino" Vinokurov.
Turkmenistan: Share your forecasts
Abdulgamid invites his readers to share their prognoses about what Turkmenistan will be like in 2021.
