Iran is constantly in the news with images of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons and so forth. The country is situated in the crossroads of the Middle East and has become supposedly one of the most threatening countries to the world. But most of the blogs I found state that Iran is a danger mostly to its own citizens.
One blog I found is contributed by three people: one from Iran, one from Germany and one from Israel. The blog is titled Rotten Gods and focuses on mostly human rights and religious issues in Iran. Some interesting ones I found were about censorship of the media, people being killed for converting from Islam to Christianity or atheism and women removing their scarves and long clothing when leaving Iranian airspace.
Another blog I found was from Chris Gelken, a self-proclaimed “nomad journalist.” He spent a year working in Tehran before returning with his wife to Beijing. Gelken wrote about a memoir he was reading that was written by a female professor living her life in and around the Iranian Revolution of 1979. The book is not easily found in Iran, according to Gelken, because of the apparently negative interpretation of the revolution and its after effects. I like blogs that can point me to other blogs or sources of information, so I am looking into tracking down the memoir he was reading and writing about.
The final blog I viewed was about the Iranian Film Festival. I found this post particularly interesting because the movies were mostly about women. Yet women are treated very poorly in Iran. I cannot believe women would even be allowed to star in, write or direct movies because of the oppression that takes place in Iran.
Blogger Dmitri Minaev is trying to help the world understand the rich history of Russia. In that regard, he is able to help simple graduate students like me understand the current atmosphere of Russia and what is in store for its future. Articles range from a short daily history lesson to more in depth pieces about significant moments in Russian history. Minaev works as the moderator for an online history forum and resides in Samara, Russia. Below is a list of questions I emailed him with and his responses.
What is the biggest misconception Americans have about Russia?
There's a trap here. My answer will tell more about my
misconceptions about Americans than the other way round :). So, I
will proceed from my own prejudices. Besides, my views on modern
Russia may be not shared by many other Russians, who may have other
opinions on what is a misconception. So, one of my Russian friends,
who lives in the USA, to whom I referred the same question, really
went mad and said: "Let them [the Americans] keep away from Russia!
None of their business!". Anyway, he doesn't plan to return to his
home country, which renders his warlike intolerance somehow
untrustworthy :)
I know few Americans in person, and most of them came to Russia
because they were interested in learning more about the country, so
they are hardly average Americans (if we assume such average people
exist at all). I have many more online acquaintances in USA, but
most of them are history fans who visit my favorite history forum,
Sima Qian Studio (www.simaqianstudio.com). So, they are just another
group with very distinct opinion formed by historical studies rather
than mass media and they are much more open to alternative points of
view.
If I make my conclusions from what I know about these people, I have
to say that our views on the current situation in Russia rarely
disagree. One example of such disagreements is their underestimation
of Russian/Soviet science. My ultimate argument in such discussions
is that Russia (or, rather, the ghost of the Soviet Union) is still
the only country able to keep the ISS running on its orbit. I don't
know for how much longer, but the argument is still valid.
More often we argue about Russia's past. Some of my correspondents
seem to think that the 19th century Russia was 90% serfs terrorized
by 10% of nobles, that Ivan the Terrible was a terrible mass
murderer, that the Brezhnev's Soviet Union was more or less the same
as the Soviet Union of Stalin and Lenin, and so on. These
stereotypes finally made me start blogging. In my blog I don't
question these opinions directly, but try to find some scattered
facts that would give a better insight into the life of old Russia
and Soviet Union. Some of them are really frightening, some are
emotionally touching and inspiring and some are just dry basic
facts.
The worldview of other Americans is more influenced by mass media
than by history books, so I assume that the news presented by CNN,
NY Times and other major news sources reflect the view and bias of
an average American. If so, one thing is obvious: in all dubious
situations Americans tend to think that the role of the bad guy
belongs to Russia. Take the recent events in Georgia. It took more
than six weeks for the Western countries to recognize the role of
Georgia who initiated the conflict. During these six weeks the media
accused Russia of invading a small but brave democracy, not even
mentioning the international obligations of Russia in Georgian
break-away republics, the treaties signed by Georgia and giving
Russia the right and duty to interfere, the roots of these ethnic
conflicts, where Georgia played an active role, etc.
This bias, in my opinion, originates from too much trust the
Americans put into their media. I have to admit, though, that this
non-critical approach is also typical for Russians and other
countries. Of course, nobody is going to run a little personal
investigation on every bit of news reported on TV, but a little
healthy skepticism is always necessary.
The only way to solve the problem is to know more about each
other. That's what I try to do in my blog. Oh, and a little bit more
respect to the choices of each other. There are nine and sixty ways
of constructing tribal lays. And every single one of them is right.
* What do you see as the biggest public affairs issues in Russia?
I'm sorry to say it, but neither of them is in acceptable state. It
depends, though, on what we compare them with. So, the medical
equipment the doctors use is significantly better than what they had
in the USSR, but it seems that they care more about getting rid of
difficult patients and selling useless, but expensive drugs to the
others. In the Soviet times the health system provided
all-encompassing and consistent ways to monitor the health of
individuals and prevent possible problems. Now, it's gone. And yet,
my Russian friends who moved to other countries of Europe or to the
USA, still prefer to come to Russia when they have problems with
their health.
The education system is degrading. Modern students really scare
me. The young people who come to work don't know the most basic
things. But then I recall the words of Olin Shivers, a teacher in an
American college: "I couldn't get through the day as it is without
the Prozac and Jack Daniels I keep on the shelf, behind my Tops-20
JSYS manuals. I start getting the shakes real bad around 10am, right
before my advisor meetings. A 10 oz. Jack 'n Zac helps me get
through the meetings without one of my students winding up with his
severed head in a bowling-ball bag. They look at me funny; they
think I twitch a lot. I'm not twitching. I'm controlling my impulse
to snag my 9mm Sig-Sauer out from my day-pack and make a few strong
points about the quality of undergraduate education in Amerika."
Government? Those of them who are literate enough to perform their
duties, care more about their bank accounts, so we just pay them to
leave us alone. Fortunately, as a Russian saying goes, the
strictness of our laws is compensated by their non-obligatory
nature. So, even our FSB doesn't try to compete with DHS or NSA and
doesn't spy on average citizens, preferring the most influential and
rich persons and organizations.
Another dangerous thing is the growth of the religion. It's not
nearly half as bad as in many other countries, but the trend is
worrying.
* What do you see in the future for relations between the U.S. and Russia?
Both countries need each other. The most important international
issues, like the nuclear program of Iran, unrest in Afghanistan,
North Korean nuclear rockets can only be solved by joint
efforts. At the same time, in the course of this cooperation both
countries will compete for the influence in international
affairs. Europe will participate in this competition, too,
like France is doing now. USA have a lead in this race, but Russia
is catching up. In spite of this, the necessity to work together
will cool down the temper of the two.
* How do you feel about President Dmitri Medvedev joining the blogging
community?
Indifferent. That is, absolutely. He's just a president, so he
hardly has anything interesting to say. Moreover, it won't be his
blog, it's his speechwriters' blog.
I've heard about his blog before, but didn't see it till you asked
this question. I've checked it right now and there's just one video
clip. It doesn't seem that the blog will last long.
Russian History blog
Kyle Keeton's Russia blog
Sean's Russia blog
Varia the Ballerina
Russian Cultural Differences
Most of the blogs I found on Russia were from every day people writing about their experiences. While not always the most well written blogs, I like looking into the lives of those people because I feel like I can relate to them more than a politically run blog.
One of the best blogs I found was actually written by a history student at UCLA, Sean Guillory. His blog was the most political of the ones I found. He is writing is dissertation on the Young Communist League in NEP Russia, although he follows many forms of Marxism. The most interesting entry I found was about Russian President Dmitri Medvedev taking to the video blogosphere himself. In the video on Sean's blog, President Medvedev discussed what he would be taking to the World Policy Conference in Evian, France. The conference took place on October 8. Medvedev stressed the need for updated security measures, citing the old system does not work and gave examples of the conflicts in Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan of the failure of the old system. I found it very interesting that the president of a country would be willing to get on video and make promises like that, especially since Russia has been in minor conflict with Georgia recently.
Medvedev also said the “world financial crisis requires urgent joint action” between the world's powers.
Another blog I found interesting was that of Kolin Zeinikov, a Moscow blogger who uses photos from his cell phone to show the world his life. I like the idea of a young person taking the time to show the world around him with an emphasis through Russia's music scene. The top of the blog is a disclaimer saying the blog is not a typical one and I do not think it is.
The blog on Russian cultural differences called The Russian Way was another eye opening look into life over there. One thing I found interesting was the abundance of homeless dogs that supposedly exists in Russia. Another thing was the lack of attention to maintaining infrastructure in terms of paint, etc. The blog states that most infrastructure was inherited from the former Soviet Union and a “lack of private ownership on city property” leads to no one being willing to take responsibility for maintenance.
Another blog is written in protest to the Sochi 2014 winter Olympics. I found this interesting because I have not seen a lot of support for the Chicago 2016 summer Olympics outside of those pushing for it, like Mayor Richard M. Daley and Chicago Olympic Committee members.
Two other U.S. blogs about Russia caught me eye. One is from a jazz musician originally from Russia. Alexei nows lives in the U.S. and discusses those who voted for President George W. Bush twice and the resurgence of jazz music in Russia after Joseph Stalin's death in 1953.
The last blog is a dual blog written by an American man and his Russian wife. It is interesting to see the different ways they view things because of their cultural differences. They also sponsor Russian students who are seeking to improve their English
I always like reading blogs about people who live abroad and how they go about their day to day business. This week I choose to look up what is going on in the Central American country of Belize. The first blog I found was from a Canadian woman living in Ambergis Caye. It talked about weddings, a friend who recently passed away and rain. Sounds like everyday worries halfway across the world...
The second blog I found was a photo blog from a woman named Fiona living in Placencia, Belize. She takes pictures of everyday activities and I cannot believe how beautiful it is! It makes me so jealous to know people live in these tropical places and seem to have no cares in the world. I know that is not true but just living in a warm climate all year makes me mighty envious.
The final blog I found was called Living in the Jungle and shows how people can live like they would in a city. There are tips on construction, water supply and how to set up a solar energy system. I also found there are several Mennonite communities in Belize; again this is something I never would have thought of on my own. It also is interesting because when people think of visiting a tropical country with a jungle, they do not think of solar energy panels and Internet connections. So I wonder is this good for the jungle country or not?
This week I found several blogs about immigration in Canada. Apparently our neighbors to the north are having just as difficult a time interpreting their immigrations laws as we are.
The first blog is written by Gianpaolo Panusa, a Canadian immigration lawyer and founder of the PanCanadian Immigration Law Group. He covers a broad range of topics from where to apply for immigration in Canada and other related questions. One topic Panusa covered was Computer Assisted Immigration Processing System, or CAIPS. It is a system that allows individuals to log on and follow the process of their immigration applications, catch problems and review the status of their visa. Now if only the U.S. could get their act together in that manner.
David Cohen is another immigration lawyer in Canada who blogs about the current issues and changes in legislation. In the about me section, Cohen tells of his grandfather's fight with Canadian immigration officials. He had a sister who was trying to flee Poland from the Nazis during WWII, but Canada had already closed off immigration to Jews. The woman got as far as England and was then sent back to Poland, never to be heard from again. I know in this country people speak about deporting immigrants back to their native countries, but I wonder what our country would do in a situation such as that.
The final blog tells of all too familiar issue of immigration backlogs. As here in the U.S., individuals applying for Canadian citizenship can wait 6 to 10 years for their applications to be processed. According to the blog, Citizenship and Immigration Canada said the backlog of applications will reach 1.2 million by 2012. I covered immigration last semester and found the same is true with U.S. immigration applications. Some applying in U.S. could wait up to 25 years depending on certain situations.
This week I found several blogs about immigration in Canada. Apparently our neighbors to the north are having just as difficult a time interpreting their immigrations laws as we are.
The first blog is written by Gianpaolo Panusa, a Canadian immigration lawyer and founder of the PanCanadian Immigration Law Group. He covers a broad range of topics from where to apply for immigration in Canada and other related questions. One topic Panusa covered was Computer Assisted Immigration Processing System, or CAIPS. It is a system that allows individuals to log on and follow the process of their immigration applications, catch problems and review the status of their visa. Now if only the U.S. could get their act together in that manner.
David Cohen is another immigration lawyer in Canada who blogs about the current issues and changes in legislation. In the about me section, Cohen tells of his grandfather's fight with Canadian immigration officials. He had a sister who was trying to flee Poland from the Nazis during WWII, but Canada had already closed off immigration to Jews. The woman got as far as England and was then sent back to Poland, never to be heard from again. I know in this country people speak about deporting immigrants back to their native countries, but I wonder what our country would do in a situation such as that.
The final blog tells of all too familiar issue of immigration backlogs. As here in the U.S., individuals applying for Canadian citizenship can wait 6 to 10 years for their applications to be processed. According to the blog, Citizenship and Immigration Canada said the backlog of applications will reach 1.2 million by 2012. I covered immigration last semester and found the same is true with U.S. immigration applications. Some applying in U.S. could wait up to 25 years depending on certain situations.
This week I found several blogs about immigration in Canada. Apparently our neighbors to the north are having just as difficult a time interpreting their immigrations laws as we are.
The first blog is written by Gianpaolo Panusa, a Canadian immigration lawyer and founder of the PanCanadian Immigration Law Group. He covers a broad range of topics from where to apply for immigration in Canada and other related questions. One topic Panusa covered was Computer Assisted Immigration Processing System, or CAIPS. It is a system that allows individuals to log on and follow the process of their immigration applications, catch problems and review the status of their visa. Now if only the U.S. could get their act together in that manner.
David Cohen is another immigration lawyer in Canada who blogs about the current issues and changes in legislation. In the about me section, Cohen tells of his grandfather's fight with Canadian immigration officials. He had a sister who was trying to flee Poland from the Nazis during WWII, but Canada had already closed off immigration to Jews. The woman got as far as England and was then sent back to Poland, never to be heard from again. I know in this country people speak about deporting immigrants back to their native countries, but I wonder what our country would do in a situation such as that.
The final blog tells of all too familiar issue of immigration backlogs. As here in the U.S., individuals applying for Canadian citizenship can wait 6 to 10 years for their applications to be processed. According to the blog, Citizenship and Immigration Canada said the backlog of applications will reach 1.2 million by 2012. I covered immigration last semester and found the same is true with U.S. immigration applications. Some applying in U.S. could wait up to 25 years depending on certain situations.
