Unit 6

UPDATE 1-Ukraine says has paid January bill for Russian gas



* Energy firm Naftogaz says Russian gas bill paid
Stocks Global Markets
* Energy minister earlier put bill at $780 million
(Adds background, Prodan)
KIEV, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Ukraine has paid on time and in full for its January imports of Russian natural gas, the Ukrainian state oil and gas company Naftogaz said on Thursday.
Ukraine's late payments in previous years have caused rows with Moscow and in January 2009 Russia cut off gas supplies for almost three weeks, affecting millions in the European Union.
"We have paid in full for 2.55 billion cubic metres," Naftogaz spokesman Valentyn Zemlyansky told Reuters.
Earlier this week, Fuel and Energy Minister Yuri Prodan put the January bill at $780 million.
According to a 10-year contract between Naftogaz and Russian state energy giant, Gazprom (GAZP.MM), the former Soviet republic must pay for its gas imports not later than the 7th of the month following gas deliveries.
At the end of 2009, Naftogaz and Gazprom agreed that Kiev would import 33.75 bcm of gas in 2010 compared with 33.51 in 2009. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Writing by Richard Balmforth; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Unit 6 - Icons, The Virgin of Vladimir

I was in my Russian History class and we started talking about icons and how they play such a big role in the Russian Orthodox religion. One of the most renowned icons is the Virgin of Vladimir or Владимирская Богоматерь. It was originally a gift from the Byzantine empire and was rumored to have been painted by Saint Luke. It was kept in Kiev until Andrei I Bogolyubsky stole it to bring it to Suzdal. The Russian Chronicles say that the horses stopped at a river near Suzdal and that Andrei camped there that night. He received a vision where the Virgin Mary said she was pleased with him for taking her to Suzdal. Andrei then built the Church of the Intervention (Church of the Assumption is an incorrect name as the Assumption is a Catholic belief, not an Orthodox belief). Later, when Tamerlane moved to attack Moscow, the Muscovites sent for the icon so that the Virgin would protect them. Then, when Tamerlane's forces mysteriously disappeared, it was attributed to the icon's power. The Muscovites then refused to return the icon, thinking the Virgin Mary wanted them to have it seeing as she protected them.

Russian Tea Cookies UNIT 6

I found a recipe online of Russian Tea cookies and decided to make them! And there will be a special treat in class tomorrow!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar. I also like to roll mine in the sugar a second time.

Russian students 100 years ago

English Russia never lets me down. I found some pages from a book published in 1900 about Russian students. It has drawings of students in different disciplines and of various nationalities, all male of course. I kind of want to see the rest of this book; it starts out normally enough, with pictures of a physics student, medical student, law student and a student from "the Academy," who looks like a soldier to me. Then it just delves into ethnic/nationality stereotypes. There is a "Ukranian student," a "Polish student," a "student from the South/Armenia/Azerbaijan," and the obligatory Jew. I'd like to know what the target audience was for this particular work of, um, art.

There are all kinds of things I could say about these drawings but none of them would really do justice to the pictures themselves, so here is a link. Click!

Soviet Toys

Back in the days of the USSR toys were certainly not on the Bolshevik's list of important concerns. In the entirety of the country there were only about a dozen toy factories and all toy designs had to be approved by the Communist Party. Because toys weren't considered a topic worthy of much attention, very few designs were ever approved and most children at the time only had a very small selection to choose from. People who grew up during that era often find years later that they all had the exact same toys, with very little variation from city to city or even year to year. Most of the toys followed an military theme, and plastic appears to have been relatively uncommon.

The Lira (Hurdy-Gurdy)

Following a trend of Russian instruments, I decided to investigate the lira, or 'hurdy-gurdy.' I suppose it is not originally Russian, per se, but it does seem to have left its mark on Russian and Ukrainian folk music. According to http://www.barynya.com/sale.stm:



Ukrainian Lira (hurdy-gurdy) - a wheel made to rotate by a crank acts as a bow. The old examples are diatonic and provided with nine to eleven keys. They have one melody string and two drone strings (tenor and bayork). These instruments are not held obliquely but laid horizontally on the lap. Their keys are provided with a device (often a simple rubber band) to make them return to their starting position. Contrary to most European hurdy-gurdy forms, the Ukrainian lira has never had a trompette (drone string with rhythmical function). Supposedly the instrument was imported from France by the Ukrainian Cossacks of colonel Ivan Sirko, who took part in The Thirty Years War (1618-1648).



It then proceeds to give several Russian variations, including the Kolyosnaya Lira and the Donsloy Ryley.







-Эзра-

Funny commercials.

I decided to do my blog post on a commercial from Russia; however, many of the ones I found had half naked women in them so for that kind of thing youtube "Russian Commercials". Instead, I found this funny beer commercial.

String Quartet No. 8 an insight into the genius that was Shostakovich

Written in only three days, Shostakovich's Eigth String Quartet is a testament to the compositional genius Shostakovich possesed. The brevity in which the piece was written already belies a sense of wonder, yet what he produced in those three days is a journey that takes the listener and player through the depths of deprivation and lostness, to the ravages of opression and desolation. Yet even so this piece takes one to the inevitable end, a closure that is neither happy nor sad. There is a contemplation that comes at the end of piece which truly makes for a truly unique experience.

The Quartet is dedicated to the victims of fascisim and war.

The quartet is in five movements I will produce here the first and allow you to choose to listen to the other four

Year 2 Unit 6 Blog

Question: Who inspired writers such as Dostoevsky and Kafka, wrote short stories that mixed fantasy and realism, spent most of his life in Italy, was seen as a radical, and died before he turned forty?

Answer: One of the most unusually writers in the Russian tradition - Ukrainian born Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol.



A CAREER IN BRIEF


Gogol was part of the minor nobility in Greater Sorochintsy, Mirigorod, Ukraine.


Very little information is available about his childhood except for anecdotes about Gogol being artistically inclined and mimicking the behaviors of others for amusement.


His father introduced Gogol to play writing at an early age in their home village; unfortunately, when Gogol was fourteen, his father passed away while Gogol is at the Nezhin Lycum.


While still a student, one of his first works is finished, "Hans Kuchelgarten,".


1829 found twenty-four year old Gogol publishing a five stanza poem "Italy" in a magazine and "Hans Kuchelgarten" published at his own expense.

Many critics harshly mocked the latter and Gogol in shame bought up every copy to burn it.


However, later that same year he began working on a collection of short stories, "Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka" based on experiences and village life in his hometown which would become his first major success.


After various failed jobs as a scribe, assistant history teacher, and actor, he met one of his literary idols, Alexander Sergeivch Pushkin.


Pushkin saw the talent and started publishing parts of "Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka" in Literary Gazette which he was co-founder of.

This early support helped Gogol continue writing as various civil service jobs at the time had failed and he had made himself a laughingstock as an history professor as his lectures were mumbled or never even occurred.


The next several years were filled with producing the last of his lighter pieces: the sequel to "Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka"and "The Story of how Ivan Ivanovich Quarrelled with Ivan Nikovich".

His year long job as a history instructor ended - to the relief of the faculty, his students, and Gogol himself - and a change in his writing style appeared.

Gogol had found early fame with his witty pieces set in his homeland, but as he began to support himself with his own writings more, a more cynical and more Russian aspect to his writing emerged.

"Notes of a Madman" was published and work began on his play "The Inspector General" which would be one of his more cynical works.

Locals have heard that an inspector has been sent by the government to root out corruption; when a lowly governmental worker arrives they mistake him for the inspector that has been sent to end their under the table deals and illegal activities.

In the play appears at first to be a play about mistaken identity and the hi jinx that ensue, but through out the story runs the idea of corruption and bribery of officials.

What made it so unique was the lack of love interests or deep spiritual meaning; Gogol had written a play about human avarice that was at first glance a comedy of errors.

Some of his opponents may have hated it, but the play was a great success.

Gogol spent more time abroad as his dissatisfaction with Russian life continued and he began searching for outside influence.

1842 Gogol published "The Overcoat" which was one of his more cynical and fantasy style pieces.

A lowly government worker saves up for a new coat and is killed for it the first day he wears it, the spirit of the governmental worker kills the thief.

Gogol returned to a more light heart style with another work published that same year "The Nose" where another governmental employee loses his nose and the nose becomes even more powerful than his owner, even being elected mayor.

It was during this time that Gogol began work on "Dead Souls" which is now synonymous with Gogol.

Inspired by the "Inferno" by Dante, Gogol was convinced another trilogy of human vices was needed.

"Dead Souls" was the first leg of the journey for the corrupt characters; originally Gogol had planned to make it a trilogy, but his health and outside influences prevented that.

Intestinal problems - he believed it was caused by an upside down stomach and many doctors were convinced stomach acid was the culprit - from childhood grew steadily worse and slowly he fell under the influence of a corrupt monk much like a minor Rasputin.

Convinced he was a sinner headed straight for hell, Gogol began an extreme fast in 1851; he refused all nourishment and starved himself to the point where doctors could feel his spine when they went to check his heart rate.

On March 4th 1852, Gogol was dead and the second part of "Dead Souls" had been burn in his fireplace ten days before.

WHY IS GOGOL IMPORTANT?

Gogol did not write deep pieces concerned with how to improve society; he wanted to write stories that made people laugh at their own foibles and vices.

Gogol was convinced that Russia needed to fix itself, but left others to do it.

His works blended fantasy with drama to hold up a mirror to Russia and Ukraine to show what he saw and knew about.

"We all came out of Gogol's Overcoat" -- attributed to Dostoevsky or Turgenev. this quote reveals why Gogol matters - he touched something in the soul of Russian art no one else had.

He may have vengeful ghosts and noses running around Russia, but he walked the fine line between absurdity and realism perfectly and became one of the most beloved Russian authors ever.

GOGOL ELSEWHERE

Many of his stories have become or inspired films; throughout Russian cinematography Gogol has enjoyed enduring popularity as a long awaited animated version of "The Nose" is in the works and a new release of one of his most controversial works "Taras Bulba" has been made into a film last April, shortly after the two hundredth anniversary of his birth.

Unfortunately, his homeland has almost abandoned him.

Gogol has been been "kicked out" of Ukrainian schools for being a foreigner, accused of turning to Italian and Russian culture instead of his Ukrainian upbringing.

While this is unfortunate, Gogol himself would smirk and laugh as he has survived two hundred years and an unfortunate early death; he will endure and win.

Don't slander Russian beer

Russian beer companies, domestic and imported attempted to sue an official from the Health and Social Development Ministry after he demonized beer as a "chemical weapon". The row has its roots in Russia's ongoing problems with alcoholism and alcohol related illnesses and death, and the government's attempts to curb the trend.

Original Story:

MOSCOW, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- A claim by Russian brewers that the country's top drug and alcohol control officer had slandered beer has been thrown out of court, officials said.

The Union of Russian Brewers had sued Yevgeny Bryun for "demonizing" beer by claiming brewers added pure alcohol to increase its strength, RIA Novosti reported Wednesday.

"Taking advantage of his position, Bryun indulged in statements that add to the demonization of beer, making brewers responsible for social woes and distracting from the true causes of alcohol abuse

-- low living standards, corruption and widespread illegal alcohol sales," the Union said.

The dispute comes at a time when alcohol consumption is increasing after the breakup of the Soviet Union, with serious impact on Russians' health, causing high mortality levels especially among working-age men, RIA Novosti said.

"A lot of beer is produced in Russia, but you cannot drink it," Bryun said in December on a Moscow radio station. "Beer and other tinned low-alcohol beverages are a real chemical weapon."

The brewers had demanded a retraction, but the Moscow court threw out their case, the news agency said.

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