As Poland Grieves

Dear Friends, Greetings from Warsaw. A quick blog post to share with you sights and sounds on the streets here as Poland weeps. These photos were taken Sunday evening. I have lots more! This is for starters. More later. . .




Flags everywhere. The Polish flag is so simple - red and white - now with black ribbon added.



On New World Street, pockets of interviews.


Photographer found a unique perch - shooting from a portable toilet.


Now that's clever - not much can beat the view from a crane.


Near the Presidential Palace where the president's body is lying in state.


Photographer daddy capturing important day in little boy's life.


Polish flags for sale. I barely resisted buying. . .


From Copernicus and me, a solemn hello from Warsaw.

Fire Safety: Philosophies Differ

Several years back, I frequented this neighborhood school here in the center of Rostov-on-Don. Interestingly, the school saw use as a German hospital in the early 1940's when the city was occupied by Nazi troops.

Nowadays, seven hundred-plus students attend this school, children from early elementary school up through high school.


On Sept 1st, children and families gather for the back-to-school ceremony, called the first bell.


The grand finale of first bell is a first grader's being carried around the area on the shoulders of a strong senior guy.


The young child gets to ring the first bell of the school year.


So, back then I went regularly to the school and helped out in English classes. I delighted in seeing the similarities and differences between schools in the U.S. and Russian schools. Eventually, I began noticing subtleties. For one thing of four big doors leading into the building, only one narrow door was unlocked during school hours. And in the back of the school, there was a single door and it was low and narrow. Students lined up to use either the front or back door.



Eventually I noticed stairwells and exits on the wings of the H-shaped building. But those stairwells were kept padlocked shut. What would you do in case of an emergency, like a fire? I asked an administrator one day.

We have keys for that very purpose. Someone would just unlock the doors, she said confidently.

It made me wonder, is there a fire marshal who makes unplanned visits? Are there regular fire drills? Chances are, nyet.

With last week's tragedy in Perm, reports say that the owner has been fined several times lately for not meeting fire code. But nothing had changed. Chances are that he paid the fine and slipped a few thousand rubles to the fire inspector and that was the end of it.

Interestingly, fire inspections can go the other direction too so that a building is shut down for reasons unrelated to safety. I've seen this first-hand. A certain facility located a block west of the school, had met Rostov fire code 9-plus years with nary a problem. Then a dispute arose in which the city wanted to purchase the building and property for a fraction of its value, and a conflict arose. Within days, the fire inspector arrived at the building for an unannounced inspection and announced that the flooring, for starters, was not up to code and he padlocked the whole 2nd level of the building.

The thing is, significantly more people die each year from fire-related deaths in Russia than in the U.S. or other western countries. Seems that there's a different outlook on fire safety: on the laws and on enforcing them. Beyond that, the bigger picture is a different outlook on the value of human life. Today is a day of mourning across Russia for the 120-some victims of the night club fire in Perm. Can't help but wonder if the fire inspector or the owner lost loved ones in the blaze.

Mrs Clinton Chooses Tatarstan for Second Stop

Hillary Clinton visited Kazan, capital of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan today. She noted that Orthodoxy and Muslim religions co-exist peacefully there and the republic serves as a good example of religious tolerance.

Earlier, after official meetings with high ranking officials including President Medvedev, Mrs Clinton addressed students at Moscow State University and participated in the unveiling of a statue of American poet, Walt Whitman.

Seems to me that Hillary Clinton is well equipped personally and professionally for her work as Secretary of State. I'd say she's a great choice for that job.

The Day Khrushchev Bared his Sole: October 12, 1960

On this day in 1960, Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev pounded his shoe on the podium during a dispute at a U.N. General Assembly. Or so goes the legend.

There's a bit of a question about that. Witnesses noted that Khrushchev arrived at the meeting armed with a house shoe, as above. The footwear that he's shown brandishing in the photo above does look like a typical slipper. Whatever it was, apparently this podium pounding incident was premeditated. Unless, of course, he was in the habit of attending high-level meetings with a slipper in his pocket ;)


That Khrushchev was quite a fellow. I was surprised to learn that - for whatever reason - he is not buried behind Lenin's Mausoleum in Red Square as are dozens of Communist Party leaders.

Well here is our hero, Nikita Khrushchev some 15-plus years before the footwear banging incident, visiting with friends in Ukraine during World War II. (Click to enlarge. Photo from the Ukrainian National Museum in Kiev, Ukraine.)


Back during Khrushchev's rule, during the height of the Cold War, there was the Red Scare. Standing up to the Communists was was a key issue between Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater in the U.S. presidential election of 1964. Goldwater was seen by some as more extreme, having once threatened to lob a nuclear bomb into the men's room of the Kremlin.


Goldwater was prepared to protect US children from Communism.


Say, had Khrushchev visited Rostov-on-Don, here's betting that he would stop by this fading sports bar. The big letters say USSR and the heading says (something like) THE PROLETARIATES - that is, the industrial workers - OF ALL COUNTRIES ARE UNITED!

President Reagan's Cold War Gaffe

Twenty-five years ago this week, during a sound check for his microphone, President Ronald Reagan came up with an absolutely idiotic off-the-cuff joke that put the Kremlin on full alert. I'm still not believing that a leader of his stature would have said this into an open mic. . .

Apparently no hard feelings though. Looking at the time line on this, I see those remarks were in 1984, three years before Reagan's famous challenge in front of Berlin's Brandenberg Gate to Russian leader Michael Gorbochev to tear down this wall! And that had a happy ending.





Speaking of President Reagan and Russia, apparently he enjoyed collecting jokes told in Russia. Here's a collection of some favorites. This gives me an idea. Think I'll check around over here for any jokes here about U.S. Presidents.

Welcome to Russia, Mr President!

So President Obama and family have arrived in Moscow for a three-day visit. As you can imagine, it's a major news story when leaders of super powers meet. According to this video just released from RussiaToday, an unprecedented level of security is in place for the president's visit with 10,000 people employed to provide for his safety and security.



As the video notes, this is not the president's first visit to Russia. Mr Obama's first came in 2005 and things hit a snag when his plane was detained for three hours in the city of Perm. Hopefully this visit will go quite a bit more smoothly and may the results exceed expectations.


My new little pin of my two favorite flags.

President Obama's Upcoming Visit to Russia

Our president's July 4th weekend will be 110% pure Americana, it's most likely, but come Monday the 6th, President Obama is scheduled for three days in Russia. Several delicate topics are on the table and in preparation for the visit, Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff has been in Moscow conferring with his Russian counterpart, General Nikolai Makarov, Chief of Staff.




Top concerns are the missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic and S.T.A.R.T, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Other topics include improving military relations and global security issues.

In the video above, you can catch John Beyrle, US Ambassador to Russia, in several clips. Now there's an interesting fellow. History buffs will be interested to know about Ambassador Beyrle's unique connection with Russia.

His late father, Jumpin' Joe Beyrle, is the only World War II veteran to have served in both the U.S. and Russian armies. Joe was a paratroooper and captured by the Nazis shortly after D-Day. He escaped a German war camp after several attempts and that figured his chances of survival would better if he were to head east toward the advancing Russian army. A fascinating story - here's my post about it, written last summer, shortly after son John Beyrle was appointed US Ambassador to Russia. This will be the ambassador's first time to host a US president in Russia, if I'm not mistaken.

Another recent guest is Representative Howard Berman, in Moscow to lay groundwork for the president's visit. Mr Berman is chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.




For insight into current relations between Russia and the United States, may I recommend Windows to Russia, a fine blog written by an Kyle and Sveta Keeton - a ex-pat married to a national.

Superpower Presidents Meet in London

Presidents Obama and Medvedev met for the first time in London at the G20 summit. Highlights of their conversations in this report from Russia Today.



Note to self: Barak Obama plans to visit Russia in July.

Hitting the Restart Button - Not So Fast

The heading above links to the blog of Peter Lavelle of Russia Today TV. He notes, From Moscow to Washington, politicians and diplomats appear to be in a bidding war over who can best hit the ‘restart button’ to put life back into the troubled Russia-US bilateral relationship. There is good reason to believe that both sides at the highest political level have the will to make this happen. Unfortunately, recasting the Russia-US relations must also involve a change of mindset in Western media and those who make a living off of Russia bashing. . .

The Day I Represented Russia in Crawford, Texas

Vladimir Putin, former president of Russia, was the first foreign leader to visit Crawford, Texas, home of former President George Bush and his wife Laura. The Putins visited November, 2001 and their visit was covered extensively on Russian television. And so I parked myself in front of the TV for a day or two. I found it gratifying, somehow, that my US and Russian presidents were getting together, a connection of my two worlds.


The Putin's plane landed in Waco and President Putin descended the steps with a long-stemmed yellow rose that he handed to Mrs Bush. This might come as a surprise to Texans, but The Yellow Rose of Texas, the state's unofficial song has meaning mostly to Texans and I can assure you that it is of no particular significance to Russian folk. So somebody in the Putin camp had done careful research on the perfect gift for the First Lady. Brilliant.


Another special touch was the handful of welcome signs written in Russian. The highway from the Waco airport to Crawford was lined with well-wishers, many holding placards and 98% of them in English. But a handful said Добрго Пожаловать! (DOB-ro po-DJAL-ovat!), Welcome!- in Russian. Another brilliant stroke.

The Former Presidents Putin and Bush. The gentleman in the background is a translator. (Photographer Unknown)

Later Crawford High School hosted a joint press conference, dubbed The Crawford Summit. Interestingly, only students were permitted to ask questions of the presidents. I wondered if those young people had any idea that the eyes of the world were upon them. That at least in Russia, they were being watched and their words broadcast across 11 time zones.

Stage and podium at Crawford High School during The Crawford Summit. November, 2001. (Photographer: Unknown)

I wondered what the students knew about Russia. I wondered if they had any idea of the cultural richness, the complex history, the diverse peoples of Russia. I wondered if, per chance, any of the Crawford students had passports or had ever traveled overseas.

Lydmila Putina, then first lady of Russia with Laura Bush during The Crawford Summit, November 2001. (Photographer: Unknown)

Where is Crawford, anyway, I wondered? I had lived in Texas quite a few years but had no idea. My trusty atlas showed to be an easy drive from Dallas. And because I'm based out of Dallas and planned to be there the following spring, I had an idea. . .




I could put together a great slide show of things Russian. I could collect lots and lots of souvenirs. I could introduce the students to the Cyrillic alphabet, write their names in Russian, and teach them a song or two. . .




And that's precisely what happened. April of 2002, at the end of a long week of standardized testing, students were ready for a change of pace. Perfect!



So I did a slide show especially from them, From Russia with Love. . .to Crawford. We sang I've Got Peace Like a River in Russian with all the motions. I introduced them to the Cyrillic alphabet and did their names in Russian.



Later that afternoon, Principal Harris showed me the school's collection of memorabilia the summit. I noticed there were no matroshka dolls in the display, you know, the wooden nesting dolls of Russia. So I solved that problem immediately. There's nothing worse than a display of things Russian with no matroshka dolls!





President and Mrs Putin had given this magnificent vase to the school. It is traditional porcelain, called Gzhel ware, and although smaller pieces are available in stores here, this is by far the largest piece I've seen. Looks like the Kremlin wall, depicted there on the vase.





The day had been so exciting that when it was time to leave the school, I was not ready to leave Crawford. First, I went driving out in the direction of the Bushes' ranch, dubbed The Western White House even though my vehicle was low on gas. I drove. . . and drove. . . and eventually turned back around before I got there. Or maybe I passed it and just didn't know. But I didn't want to gamble on Crawford's lone gas station and getting stranded in that town, nice as it was.




By then I was ravenous - similar to, but different from ravishing, you understand - and The Coffee Station sure sounded good. Plus I had read about the place and seen photos of the Bushes and their entourage eating there thanks to Yahoo! News and Photos. So I went on in. Oh, was that fun.



The Coffee Spot is the only eat-out place in town. And half of it is a gas station. Diane, above, is the manager of the place was a great source of information and trivia. I wanted to know what it was like in the kitchen, cooking the president's hamburger. Or what it was like to be there dining when the president and his group were en route and wanted the place secure. I wanted to know how Mrs Bush liked her hamburger and what she liked on the side - fries, onion rings or deep fried peppers. Fascinating stories, all.





They say that Crawford is getting back to normal these days. Now, when the Bushes are in town there are probably fewer network vans with satellite dishes lining the road through town. I'm so grateful to Crawford for their hospitality to former President and Mrs Putin. And it was my privilege to serve - even for just a day - as ambassador of Russia to the people of Crawford, Texas.

2 comments:

Tammy said...

YOU almost look like a cut out in that picture with Bush! Fun!
I was in Kiev all day with friends here adopting. Walked a ton! The day was so foggy that even tho we were drug to the "Rodina" statue by some other friends, there was just NO SEEING her! Soo funny! Dnipr... no view! :)
Off to Kiev Tues to get the visa, stay overnight at a seminary & to Petersburg early Wed. Ahhhh.... Am I ready for this??!

11:34 PM

Pat said...

Hello Eileen! A friend linked me to you blog. My husband and I are in the process of adopting 2 boys from Rostov and we live in Texas! Your blog has been wonderful to see pictures in Rostov as we anticipate are travels there!

Thanks for the view!

Pat

"From Russia with Loathing"

Cathy Young and her parents emigrated from Russia to the US when she was 17 and so her perspective on things Russian has particular merit. In her op-ed piece, From Russia with Loathing, in today's New York Times the author overviews Russian attitudes and offers advise to the new administration.

In the post-Soviet era, many Russians are angry because their country has neither the stature nor the living standards that they believe it deserves. . . most actually favor a Western way of life. . .(and find) it is easier to blame an external force than the country's own failings. . ."

Ms Young also notes that in recent years, propoganda on government-controlled television has cultivated public fears and thus many feel some level of paranoia toward the US. As a result, 43 percent of Russians believe that . . . One of the goals of the foreign policy of the United States is the total destruction of Russia.

As if the US has nothing better to do. 

She advises that president-elect Obama and his administration respond to Russia with both firmness and flexibility while not seeking opportunity for confrontation.

Cathy Young is author of "Growing Up in Moscow: Memories of a Soviet Girlhood." I've marked her blog, The Y Files, and plan to visit often.

Ukraine: Gotta Love It

Yesterday, August 24th, was Independance Day in Ukraine so lots of folks have today off work. You might wonder from whom Ukraine is celebrating its independance. From the USSR, of course, and that happened in 1991 when the USSR was dissolving.

A dear brother at church, Volera, was telling me about the relationship between Ukraine and Russia.

Russia sees Ukraine as its younger brother, he said. Except that now the younger brother is grown up and likes to think for itself.

That's an interesting perspective and a good analogy. Especially appropriate with Ukraine's bid to join NATO.

Politics aside, care to join me for a look at some of the patriotic promotions around town? These are posted in near our bus stop.

Ukraine and sunflowers. Have you ever driven through fields and fields of sunflowers? Well, I've been on trains that have gone through such fields here and it's quite a sight. Anyway, let's zoom up for a closer view.

This says, Love Ukraine! (The Ukrainian language is based on Russian with a number of differences, including some letters such as the double-dotted "i" as seen above. Plus a number of different words.)

Above is something about the city of Kiev. Let's zoom on in closer.

Oh ancient city of Kiev, You are young forever.

How about you, dear blog reader. Ever been to Ukraine or to Kiev? Please share what you enjoyed about the place.