Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Russian Word of the Day Blog
I found a great blog site which was unknown to me but I believe Dr. Denner has seen it before. Like the title states it is a "Russian Word of the Day" blog, however form what I can see a nice summary of what the word means as well as some charts showing the various forms seems to be an indispensable tool.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
To Russia in 2018!
So, I'm sure a lot of you have heard about the results of the location decisions for the FIFA World Cup in футбол. Here's some more info on it and its other sporty activities :)
Taken form the BBC News Website:
The impact of winning the bid was illustrated in the headline "Russia, live with the World" which appeared in one of the main Russian newspapers.
And analysts suggest that the World Cup will improve the institutions of civil society and the well-being of the nation.
Government support was a key factor in securing the tournament for Russia and the country will be a focus for major sporting events in the next eight years.
Apart from the Winter Olympics and Kazan Universiade, there will be a first Formula One grand prix in Russia in 2014, the World Athletics Championships in 2013 and, more than likely, the ice hockey World Championship in 2016.
Also, my recordings are with David Kincaid's post.
Modern Russian Music Unit: 5
When people think of Russian music the first thing to come to their head is classical music written by famous Russian composers in the 19th and 20th centuries. They think of violins, brass instruments, and winds. However, the music scene in Russia has changed drastically in the 21st century. Russian music culture actually closely mirrors Western cultures like the US.
A very popular movement in Russia is pop music. This modern phenomenon has exploded across the country. There are entire T.V shows dedicated to it like MTV Russia or Muz TV. There has even been a Russian pop group, t.A.T.u, to break through the charts of Russia and gain Western recognition. Due to the group's success, many other groups have popped up around the country and are gaining recognition. However, in the pop industry, there are a handful of producers that control most of the market. This system hasn't changed much since the Soviet Union.
Rock is also a popular movement in Russia. Like Western cultures, Russian rock ranges from punk and alternative to heavy metal and grunge. The progressive message that heavy metal bands convey in Russia has gained considerable popularity and has gathered a significant following. The youth mostly listen to pop and alternative much like many Western cultures. There is actually a music festival in Russia that brings in a crowd of roughly 100,000 each year. It is dubbed the Russian Woodstock because of the rock culture and the massive attendance.
Russia also has other, less dominant genres of music such as folk rock, trip rock, and even reggie and hip hop. However, they have one movement that is foreign to Western culture. This movement is labeled Russian chanson. It consists of the underground crime community and it mixes criminal songs, bard, and romance stories. The main constituency of this genre is lower-class adult males.
Although Russia may not be as up with the times as most Western pop cultures, they are breaking the stigma of stoic classical music. Russia has a huge and rapidly growing modern music culture and I believe that they will be competitive with the rest of the world within the next few years. I find it interesting that even with the new music movement, Russia still has their historic culture of ballet and classical, romantic culture. Their ability to have these two cultures coexist is a rarity in the world today. If they keep this up they could very well be a powerhouse of musical entertainment
Come and See the Horrors of War
The 1985 film Come and See is a Soviet era film about the Belorussian resistance against the Germans during World War II. The Russian language film is shot from the perspective of a young Belorussian boy who joins the partisans at the height of the German occupation of the Western Soviet Union. After finding a Soviet rifle in the remains of a battlefield, the boy, Florya, leaves his rural village fight for the partisans.
With his rifle and what little belongings Florya has, the young Belorussian enters the partisan camp in a forest. Shortly after joining the camp, the partisans leave to fight the Germans, but Florya is considered too young by the camp’s commander and is left behind. He soon meets a girl near his age as German bombers start to strike the camp. German paratroopers then begin to land outside of the camp and Florya and his new friend face a surprise attack. The film continues into a violent and disheartening tale of pain and despair as the young partisan faces death at every corner.
Come and See is a shocking portrait of the brutality that the Soviet citizens faced at the hands of the Germans. The film does not shy away from the violence and horrors of war, which provides as close as possible an accurate visual of World War II. For most of the film, Florya is not fighting, but rather trying to survive and cope with the horrific scene of death surrounding him. Come and See is not a propaganda film, but instead a film about the struggle of the Soviet Union through the eyes of rural peasants trying to avoid slaughter at the hands of the Germans and perhaps being able to exact their revenge.
Recording with Patrick Bailey: http://www.box.net/shared/2v8hz8cluf
Unit 5 recording
This is Tito and David's recording for the Unit 5 porfolio.
http://soundcloud.com/d_k217/russiandialgue5
Unit 5
Russian yetis start a war with bears
| Andrei Smirnov | 11.10.2010, 17:15 |
 | An expedition that was looking for the mysterious yeti in Mountain Shoria – a faraway region in the Siberian taiga - has recently returned home. The expedition’s members claim that the forest fires of this extremely hot summer made Altai yetis move to the Kuzbass region, where they have started a “war” with local bears.Searches for this mysterious creature, also known as “bigfoot” or “snowman”, started several decades ago. People look for yetis – or, at least, their traces – elsewhere: in Canada, Europe, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Russia. Several times, yetis’ traces have been found – footsteps that resemble that of humans but are too big for a man, flocks of hair or gigantic branch shelters in forests. In 1967, a certain Roger Patterson even filmed a yeti in northern California, but experts still argue whether this shooting is real or fake. Source: Voice of Russia. |
Why the Wikileaks about Russia are hot air.
The recent revelations released by Wikileaks about diplomatic wisecracks and a contigency plan to defend the Baltic states shouldn't surprise anyone.
What is interesting is a study that was done on Russian organized crime and the higher echelons of government, showing a relationship far greater than one may have previously believed. Bribes to upper level officials are believed to exceed 10% of the entire country's economy. What was believed to a loose and undisciplined mob in Russia is apparently strongly connected to the government on all levels, and is protected against prosecution.
What is interesting is a study that was done on Russian organized crime and the higher echelons of government, showing a relationship far greater than one may have previously believed. Bribes to upper level officials are believed to exceed 10% of the entire country's economy. What was believed to a loose and undisciplined mob in Russia is apparently strongly connected to the government on all levels, and is protected against prosecution.
Monday, December 6, 2010
YROK 5 post Russian Mafia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05DcRJ3NTuk
Although the Russian Mafia has been known to be one of the worst sources for underground smuggling, outsourcing, fraud, and criminal acts, the Russian government is now taking control back from the mafia. They are providing protection to those feeling threatened and are making it impossible for the mafia to remain in control.
Although the Russian Mafia has been known to be one of the worst sources for underground smuggling, outsourcing, fraud, and criminal acts, the Russian government is now taking control back from the mafia. They are providing protection to those feeling threatened and are making it impossible for the mafia to remain in control.
Grand Princess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia
Grand Princess Anastasia Nikolaevna was born on June 18, 1901 in Petergof, Russian Empire. She had three older sisters and one younger brother. A few of her nicknames as a child were: "Malenkaya" meaning little one, and "shvibzik" meaning imp in Russian. The title Grand Princess meant "Imperial Highness" so she was of higher rank than other Princesses in Europe who were "Royal Highness".
She and her siblings were raised as simply as possible. They slept on hard camp cots with no pillows (except when they were sick), took cold morning baths, tidied up their rooms, and did needlework that would be sold at various charity events.
When Nicholas II abdicated the throne, he and his family were taken captive, "placed under house arrest", in February of 1917. While in captivity, Anastasia continued to enjoy her life and make life enjoyable for her family as well. The soldiers surrounding their imprisonment (which was a house, cottage), thought her friendly, fun, and full of wit to match her sharp tongue.
On July 17, 1918, Anastasia and her family were executed by firing squad inside the house. The children fought back the most.
P.S:
here are Veronica and I's dialogue recording
Watch Out, Wal-Mart!
Russia won't stand idly by as American corporations enter their market. Two major Russian grocery chains announced intentions to merge in order to better compete with Wal-Mart, which has had offices in Moscow for years, but is now looking to open a store in Russia.
To read the full article from the New York Times, click here.
This one amused me. It seems that, in the years to come, nowhere will be safe from the craziness of super stores. Godspeed to you, Russia.
On the other hand, there might be good news: Wal-Mart heads to Russia as unemployment soars.
Dialogue: Laura Foster and Keri Dillet, p. 151, #1
To read the full article from the New York Times, click here.
This one amused me. It seems that, in the years to come, nowhere will be safe from the craziness of super stores. Godspeed to you, Russia.
On the other hand, there might be good news: Wal-Mart heads to Russia as unemployment soars.
Dialogue: Laura Foster and Keri Dillet, p. 151, #1
Russian OS?
I was cruising teh Interwebz, as I am known to do, and my eye fell upon this. Apparently, there are some plans for the Russian government to design their own operating system that would replace Windows. This site says it'll be based on Linux (of which I approve, I love Ubuntu) but it might not be the most stable or secure software for the nation... Click here for the (brief) article.
~Эzra
~Эzra
The only emperor is the emperor of ice cream
I apologize to anyone else who suffered through studying Wallace Stevens in high school. But I found this post on EnglishRussia, sort of a history of ice cream in a nutshell, with a focus on Soviet ice cream. Ice cream appeared in the USSR in 1937, and was actually made on American equipment. "Quite exciting, this frozen-dairy magic," thought the USSR equivalent of the FDA at the time, and demanded ice cream be mass-produced and sold at reasonable prices to the citizenry. A state standard for ice cream was created in 1941--one of the strictest in the world, even compared to today's standards--and Soviet ice cream became popular both inside and outside of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, by 1980, they had changed to the trade standard, producing a lower-quality product. They started importing ice cream in 1990, and this was of an even lower quality. The article also mentions that some regions had some...special ice cream flavors. Tomato ice cream in the Urals, and Muscovites enjoyed themselves some wine ice cream.
The article, as per usual for EnglishRussia, is full of neat pictures from the early 20th century--snapshots and posters advertising ice cream. I can't tell if they're advertising specific brands or just the concept of ice cream; both of them seem equally likely for the USSR. My favorite snapshot is this one, though. Never too cold for ice cream!
Link to full article for moar pictures.
The article, as per usual for EnglishRussia, is full of neat pictures from the early 20th century--snapshots and posters advertising ice cream. I can't tell if they're advertising specific brands or just the concept of ice cream; both of them seem equally likely for the USSR. My favorite snapshot is this one, though. Never too cold for ice cream!
Link to full article for moar pictures.
Eugene Onegin: The Tatyana Debacle
In honor of the great composer Tchaikovsky I am choosing to write this blog entry on one of my personal favorite operas (sung in the beautiful Russian Language) Eugene Onegin!
The Plot:
The opera opens on the Larin Country Estate and focuses on the two daughters of the house, Olga and Tatyana. Tatyana, the elder daughter, is engrossed with a romantic novel but when she speaks of it she is chided by her mother and sister who tell her that real life is nothing like the book. Soon after, Olga's love sick fiancé Lensky (tenor), a young poet, and his friend Eugene Onegin (baritone), a world-weary St Petersburg 'drawing-room automaton arrive and Lensky promptly begins to serenade his undying love for Olga... too bad the feelings do not seem to be completely mutual. Onegin, on the contrary, seemingly falls smitten with the introverted and dreamy Tatyana and thus the drama begins.
Later Tatyana is with her personal nurse when she professes that she has fallen irreversibly in love with the dashing Onegin. She has decided that she must marry him or she will simply die of longing. Despite the nurse's warnings (because since when does a crazy teenager listen to the voice of reason) Tatyana chooses to write a long and thoroughly damning confession to Onegin and demands that the nurse take her letter to the church the following Sunday to give it to the object of her affection. Not surprisingly, Onegin receives the letter and rather gently rejects her claiming that he is unsuitable for marriage. Obviously Tatyana is embarrassed and unable to respond.
In the next act, a party is thrown for Tatyana's name day and all the villagers are in attendance. Onegin and Lensky are also present although Onegin becomes increasingly irritated by the party goers who all seem to be trading rumors over his behavior towards Tatyana. In retribution to Lensky, who he quite unfairly blames for dragging him to this mockery, Onegin dances with Olga who flirtatiously obliges him. Lensky absolutely loses it and challenges Onegin to a duel. The long in short of it: Neither actually wants to go through with the match but since both men are too stubborn to back out Onegin ends up killing Lensky. He flees to escape the guilt.
A little while later Onegin finds himself at a nobleman's house. At this point he his racked by remorse and ruined by his past. It therefore comes as quite a shock to him when the Prince walks in with his bride who happens to be none other than the ravishingly attractive Tatyana. In a desperate attempt to regain her affections, Onegin writes her a letter and eventually finds himself in a room with her alone. Tatyana suspects that he only loves her for her social status but Onegin vehemently claims that his love for her is sincere. In tears, Tatyana admits that she still has feelings for him but that he is too late. She is married and she will not be unfaithful to her husband. Talk about Karma!
The letter scene is one of the most famous moments of the opera. Below is a recording of Tatyana's aria. Enjoy!
The Plot:
The opera opens on the Larin Country Estate and focuses on the two daughters of the house, Olga and Tatyana. Tatyana, the elder daughter, is engrossed with a romantic novel but when she speaks of it she is chided by her mother and sister who tell her that real life is nothing like the book. Soon after, Olga's love sick fiancé Lensky (tenor), a young poet, and his friend Eugene Onegin (baritone), a world-weary St Petersburg 'drawing-room automaton arrive and Lensky promptly begins to serenade his undying love for Olga... too bad the feelings do not seem to be completely mutual. Onegin, on the contrary, seemingly falls smitten with the introverted and dreamy Tatyana and thus the drama begins.
Later Tatyana is with her personal nurse when she professes that she has fallen irreversibly in love with the dashing Onegin. She has decided that she must marry him or she will simply die of longing. Despite the nurse's warnings (because since when does a crazy teenager listen to the voice of reason) Tatyana chooses to write a long and thoroughly damning confession to Onegin and demands that the nurse take her letter to the church the following Sunday to give it to the object of her affection. Not surprisingly, Onegin receives the letter and rather gently rejects her claiming that he is unsuitable for marriage. Obviously Tatyana is embarrassed and unable to respond.
In the next act, a party is thrown for Tatyana's name day and all the villagers are in attendance. Onegin and Lensky are also present although Onegin becomes increasingly irritated by the party goers who all seem to be trading rumors over his behavior towards Tatyana. In retribution to Lensky, who he quite unfairly blames for dragging him to this mockery, Onegin dances with Olga who flirtatiously obliges him. Lensky absolutely loses it and challenges Onegin to a duel. The long in short of it: Neither actually wants to go through with the match but since both men are too stubborn to back out Onegin ends up killing Lensky. He flees to escape the guilt.
A little while later Onegin finds himself at a nobleman's house. At this point he his racked by remorse and ruined by his past. It therefore comes as quite a shock to him when the Prince walks in with his bride who happens to be none other than the ravishingly attractive Tatyana. In a desperate attempt to regain her affections, Onegin writes her a letter and eventually finds himself in a room with her alone. Tatyana suspects that he only loves her for her social status but Onegin vehemently claims that his love for her is sincere. In tears, Tatyana admits that she still has feelings for him but that he is too late. She is married and she will not be unfaithful to her husband. Talk about Karma!
The letter scene is one of the most famous moments of the opera. Below is a recording of Tatyana's aria. Enjoy!
Russian soccer: better than us, but not by much
For my last blog entry (sob) and in honor of Russian being chosen for the 2018 World Cup, I thought it would be fun to explore the history of the Russian national soccer team. Since they are hosting the tournament they automatically qualify to play. They hold the ninth spot in the FIFA rankings, beating out England, Portugal, Ukraine, and the United States. The team played their first international game in 1912 where they lost to Finland 2-0 and a devastating loss to the Germans, 16-0 (no doubt forshadowing the bloodshed to come). After the rise of Communism, Russia continued to play soccer even erecting pitches in Red Square for May Day. The Soviet Union joined FIFA (the world organization for soccer) in 1946. During the Soviet era the team consistantly made the quarter finals and regular appearences in European championships. Thier greatest triumph came in 1972 when they made it to the finals, but lost to East Germany 2-0 (those damn Germans!). After the breakdown of the Soviet Union Russia entered on its own. They were good, but they suffered a humilitating defeat in 2002 against Japan.
Today Russia remains a powerful force in European soccer. They are currently first in their division in qualifying for the 2012 European Cup. Their best offensive threats are Alexander Kerzhakov and Pavel Pogrebniak. Overall, Russia has a very good team, and they should be worth watching when 2018 rolls around.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
2018
Russia is going to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Igor Shuvalov, the deputy prime minister, accepted the World cup trophy on behalf of the Russian administration. Shuvalov celebrated Russias win by saying "You have entrusted us with fifa world cup 2018 and I just can promise, we can all promise you will never regret. Let us make history!"
UNIT 5 Portfolio
Sergey Larenkov
Taking old World War II photos, Russian photographer, Sergey Larenkov carefully photoshops them over more recent pictures to make the past come alive. There are pictures of places like Berlin, Prague, and Vienna that are captured in ways we could have never imagined. It gives a new appreciation to history.
Taking old World War II photos, Russian photographer, Sergey Larenkov carefully photoshops them over more recent pictures to make the past come alive. There are pictures of places like Berlin, Prague, and Vienna that are captured in ways we could have never imagined. It gives a new appreciation to history.
Russian Spy in British Parliament
The 
BBC is reporting that a Russian staff person working in the office of Member of Parliament Mike Hancock (pictured) has been deported after claims purported that she was a spy. MI5, Britain's counter-intelligence agency, arrested катя затуливетер, claiming her "presence" was "not conducive to national security". According to the Sunday Times, this is the first accusation of Russian spying in Parliament since the fall of the Soviet Union. MP Hancock defended his aide, saying she did nothing wrong and would appeal the deportation order. The article can be found here.
BBC is reporting that a Russian staff person working in the office of Member of Parliament Mike Hancock (pictured) has been deported after claims purported that she was a spy. MI5, Britain's counter-intelligence agency, arrested катя затуливетер, claiming her "presence" was "not conducive to national security". According to the Sunday Times, this is the first accusation of Russian spying in Parliament since the fall of the Soviet Union. MP Hancock defended his aide, saying she did nothing wrong and would appeal the deportation order. The article can be found here.
Russian Army (Being Manly)
The Russian Army is notorious for being crazy manly and killing tons of dudes all the time every day. But sometimes they dance. Here's a video of that second thing.
Personally this reminds me of the scene from Pinocchio with the dancers.
Original Dialogue with Josh : http://www.box.net/shared/16q1738i86
Book Dialogue : http://www.box.net/shared/omf2ni048i
Personally this reminds me of the scene from Pinocchio with the dancers.
Original Dialogue with Josh : http://www.box.net/shared/16q1738i86
Book Dialogue : http://www.box.net/shared/omf2ni048i
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Traditions and Customs Made Easy
This is for Rachel, because I feel like you would appreciate quite a few of these little traditions.
1. If you invited a girl or a woman somewhere be prepared to pay for her everywhere. If you invited a man, he’ll pay for himself, and there's a good chance he'll pay for you as well without telling you about it.
2. When you are invited to the party bring something with you - beer is usually accepted with pleasure.
3. Men should be strong and assertive and women should be smart and beautiful. That's just one of our stereotypes.
4. We believe in magnetism. The thing is, that every so often the sun sends some electro-magnetic signals and this affects the whole course of events on the earth, including our mood and feelings. So, if you see two housewives discussing how bad their day went because of the electro-magnetic storm that happened in the afternoon - don't think they are adepts of some sort of new age philosophy, it's completely normal here.
5. We like all things fancy. But our understanding of it is very original. You will often see men in suits or tucked-in shirts and office trousers (even in clubs on Friday night), while women prefer noticeable and sexy outfits. The colors for men are usually dark or grey, while women like light and white colors. This is a generalization and of course you'll see a lot of different people and outfits.
All of this information (and more!) was found at : http://www.waytorussia.net/Practicalities/Traditions.html
1. If you invited a girl or a woman somewhere be prepared to pay for her everywhere. If you invited a man, he’ll pay for himself, and there's a good chance he'll pay for you as well without telling you about it.
2. When you are invited to the party bring something with you - beer is usually accepted with pleasure.
3. Men should be strong and assertive and women should be smart and beautiful. That's just one of our stereotypes.
4. We believe in magnetism. The thing is, that every so often the sun sends some electro-magnetic signals and this affects the whole course of events on the earth, including our mood and feelings. So, if you see two housewives discussing how bad their day went because of the electro-magnetic storm that happened in the afternoon - don't think they are adepts of some sort of new age philosophy, it's completely normal here.
5. We like all things fancy. But our understanding of it is very original. You will often see men in suits or tucked-in shirts and office trousers (even in clubs on Friday night), while women prefer noticeable and sexy outfits. The colors for men are usually dark or grey, while women like light and white colors. This is a generalization and of course you'll see a lot of different people and outfits.
All of this information (and more!) was found at : http://www.waytorussia.net/Practicalities/Traditions.html
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
the KHL: less Canadians, more uncertainty.
The Kontinental Hockey League (Континентальная Хоккейная Лига), or KHL, is the strongest organized hockey league in Europe. It's 23 teams come from Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Latvia, though most reside in Russia. Due to money problems within the league and teams, the fate of the league (like it's multiple predecessors) is constantly on the forefront.
Started in 2008 after the collapse of the Russian Super League (Чемпионат России Суперлига) that controlled European hockey from 1999-2008, the KHL is the second largest league in the world. The National Hockey League in North America is the only competition.
Though playing professional ice hockey (on any level) is impressive, even KHL players aspire to play in the NHL. High level players get a hefty salary and tend to receive benefits such as homes and cars paid for by the league, but would gladly give them up for the NHL. Playing for certain KHL teams also counted towards young men's required military service.
At the end of regular season play, a 16-team playoff occurs. The winners receive the Gagarian Cup (yes, named after the cosmonaut) and are referred to as the 'Champions of Russia.'
Some of the most recognized teams include Dynamo Moscow, AK Bars Kazan, and SKA St. Petersburg. Some of the biggest names in the NHL, including Ilya Bryzgalov, Pavel Bure, Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuck, and Valeri Kharlamov.
A rather entertaining website, called Hot Ice, is run about the league.
RECORDING [[With Leigha]]