Environmental Issues in Russia, and What Isn't Happening

Taken from Blackboard (Thanks Dr. Fowler!)

One thing that interests me about modern Russian policy is their reaction to the environmental crisis. Above is a map which describes the current environmental state of Russia, and if you can pull up the image properly... Well, Russia is basically a mess environmentally.

Issues such as deforestation (and illegal logging), illegal poaching,  water and air pollution, and energy problems all contribute to this atmosphere. Also, when it comes to nuclear testing, oftentimes the waste was just dumped in the ocean (like in the Sea of Japan until 1993), causing many of the rivers and lakes to be contaminated. Also, these issues obviously have an impact on the people. There was an outbreak of cholera in 1995 off of the Мосва-река, and air pollution causes 41% of respiratory diseases in Russia today.

However, Putin's government is not taking measures to combat these issues; instead, they are making it more difficult for nongovernmental organizations (NGO's) to take strides. One group especially, Даурия, has worked to help the environment for over 20 years, and is now being labeled a foreign agent by the government -- a title synonymous to 'spy'. This is happening to many other groups and environmental centers as well under the reasoning that they are promoting 'political activity'. This reasoning makes a person wonder whether the impediments to environmental groups are being made to specifically block environmental strides.

Either way, the amount of environmental problems Russia is currently facing require attention, and with Putin's government restricting action, there does not seem to be a solution in sight.

Это Петя

Anyone with a Facebook account has seen these "Be like Bill" passive aggressive stick figure images complaining about peoples' social media habits but a recent article on Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty explains that Eastern Europe has taken it a step farther. Twitter and Facebook are now seeing «Будь как Петя» memes criticizing Russia's rejection of Europe, and «Будь как Паша» complaining about corruption in journalism and the dangers of being a journalist in Belarus. This is a great way to raise awareness about issues but the real question is whether social media angst will lead to any real changes or just provide an opportunity for people to vent their frustrations. It is the revival of slacktivism in the technological era where silly Western culture like these memes can spread thousands of miles and represent a political message. http://www.rferl.org/content/be-like-bill-russia-ukraine-belarus/27519662.html

Модест Петрович Мусоргский

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky

Модест Петрович Мусоргский

March 21, 1839- March 28, 1881

Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as “The Five.” Also known as the mighty handful, The Five refers to a group of prominent 19th century composers active in Saint Petersburg, Russia who strived to produce a specifically Russian kinds of classical music, rather than one that imitated older European music. Mussorgsky was an innovator of Russian music during the romantic period. He strove to achieve a uniquely Russian musical identity, often in deliberate defiance of the established conventions of Western music. Many of his works were inspired by Russian history, Russian folklore, and other nationalist themes.

Some well known works include:

Boris Godunov (opera)

Night on Bald Mountain (orchestral tone poem)

Pictures at an Exhibition (piano suite)

Mussorgsky's most imaginative and frequently performed work is the cycle of piano pieces describing paintings in sound called Pictures at an Exhibition. It is a musical presentation of what Mussorgsky saw at a Saint Petersburg art exhibition. This art exhibition was for the Russian painter and architect, Viktor Hartmann. Mussorgsky takes his listener around the presentation of Hartmann’s paintings and allows the listener to see in music what he saw at the exhibition. This composition is best known through an orchestral arrangement by Maurice Ravel.

There are four movements which contain different groups of Hartmann’s paintings. The four movements are musically separated by what Mussorgsky calls promenades. The promenades represent traveling from one room of paintings to the next. The entire suite was composed and written in the first three weeks of June, 1873.

Pictures at an Exhibition

Promenade

I. “The Gnome”

Interlude, Promenade theme

II. “The Old Castle”

Interlude, Promenade theme

III. “Tuileries”

IV. “Cattle”

Interlude, Promenade theme

V. “The Ballet of Unhatched Chicks in their Shells”

VI. “Samuel Goldenberg and Schuÿle”

Promenade

VII. “The Market at Limoges (The Great News)

VIII. “Catacombs”

IX. “The Hut on Fowl’s Legs

X. “The Great Gate of Kiev” (27:10)

Orchestral Arrangement:

https://youtu.be/DXy50exHjes

Learning Russian on Vacation

My family and I are always skiing over winterbreak. We are in the same small town in Austria called Mayrhofen every single winter since 13 years. There have always been Russians skiing in the same resort, but the number of Russians visiting Mayrhofen is increasing. Many shops added their name or their description on the front sign in Russian. Some shops even changed their goods to more expensive clothing, jewelry or shoes, to meet the demand of the Russians.

But this year was different! I was actually able to read the Russian signs and to understand some words when Russians were in my ski-lift. I also always tried to learn knew words when we were in restaurants. Most of the restaurants have their menu in three languages: German, English and Russian. I enjoyed to read the menu in the three languages I know and to compare the different names for ingredients.

спецназ

спецназ 

The Russian special service, "спецназ," is one of the best undercover organizations. According to Evgeny Illyin, head of staff at the National Anti-Terror Committee (NAC), спецназ managed to kill more than 40 leaders of national and international terrorist groups in 2015. Around half of the killed terrorist were allies to the Islamic State. The Russian secret service also prevented more than 100 citizens from traveling to the war zones in Syria and Iraq to ally with the terrorists and fight along their side. 

Work cited

"News Line." RT International., 29 Jan. 2016. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.

First McDonald's Opened In Russia 26 Years Ago

Today marks the 26th anniversary of McDonald's coming to Russia.  The first Russian McDonald's was opened on January 31, 1990 in Moscow when the Soviet Union was still in tact.  The appearance of McDonald's in the Soviet Union at the time indicated the changing of the times.  People received this sign of capitalism with great enthusiasm and would line up outside the restaurant to buy its fries, shakes, and Big Macs (which would equate to a few days' wages for them).  According to a few journalists, the Soviets were amazed at the politeness of the restaurant workers and encouraged by the "expression of American rationalism and pragmatism toward food."  Today more than 500 McDonald's exist in Russia.

ОНУФРАК

One morning over Winter break, my father walked into my room and showed me the origin of our last name, along with the accompanying immigration collection. The original name was ОНУФРАК, before being adjusted to Newfrock, the Americanized equivalent. Apparently, my last name is Slovakian/Ukrainian of origin.

Diving deeper, I found records and settler information for my ancestors, dating back 200 years ago. Most of the settler information is fairly accurate as well, considering most of them settled around the New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. If you haven't checked out your own name, I would give it a try!

http://www.americanlastnames.us/O/ONUFRAK.html
http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=onufrak

Сегодня в лингафонном кабинете... Русский язык (второй год) (Урок 6 Неделя 3)... Мемрайс, перевод, устный тест!!!

Chill. Расслабьтесь, ребята! Запишитесь! (Sign up!)

День светлый, лёгкий! It's an easy day...

Сначала... Take your quiz! Напишите тест! А потом...

1) TAKE YOUR MEMRISE PILL! Выпейте таблетки «Мемрайс»!
2) Прослушайте Ахматову... Поняли? Блеск, ребята! КРАСОТА! What a beautiful poem.
3) За столами... At the tables: Work with the tutors on your устный тест. And work on the translation assignment.

Что-то || что-нибудь, Кто-то || кто-нибудь, Где-то || где-нбудь

Both particles in translation could mean "-thing" and "any-"...

Someone/Anyone, Something/Anything, Someone/Anyone, etc. 

English is really inconsistent and colloquial in its use of these indefinite pronouns.

Do you know anyone? Do you know someone? Did you go somewhere? I went somewhere. But I didn't know anyone. I didn't know someone. 

But Russian isn't. Remember the rule: -то in statements (present and past); -нибудь everywhere else. And don't confuse these pronouns/particles with negative sentences. No student never does nothing!

4) Practice with the tutors for your quiz!

Old Peter's Russian Tales: "Little Master Misery"

         Little Master Misery is a Russian folktale from "Old Peter's Russian Tales." The story concerns two brothers, one cunning and constantly gaining wealth and one kind and constantly losing wealth. After the cunning brother invites the poor brother over for his "Name-day" and does not give him anything to eat, the poor brother encounters a being called "Misery" on his way home. Misery takes advantage of the poor brother's generosity by causing him to spend all of what little wealth he has going to the tavern every night. When the poor brother finally has nothing left to sell, misery directs him to a boulder in the middle of a field, revealing a large stash of gold, silver and gems. The generous brother, having had enough of misery forcing him to drink away his money and possessions, tricks the being into entering the hole under the boulder and sealing him underneath. When the cunning brother is invited to his previously poor brother's name-day feast, he becomes jealous of his wealth and asks him how he acquired it. The generous brother tells him the truth and the cunning brother intends to release misery in the hopes that he will kill his brother for sealing him away. However, when the cunning brother releases misery, the being mistakes him for the generous brother and latches onto him, eventually forcing him to drink away his money as well. The cunning brother eventually tricks misery into trapping himself in a cart wheel, which he then throws in the river. The cunning brother intends to work his way back to his former wealthy status while the narrator informs us that misery has been released and his whereabouts are unknown.

Сегодня в лингафонном кабинете... Русский язык (второй год) (Урок 6 Неделя 1)

Привет, ребята! С возвращением!!! Welcome back!

Make sure you get a lab handout!


 С каждым днём все радостнее жить! Every day we live more joyfully! (A Soviet poster from the 1930s...)

Сначала, на пару минут... Take a second, and read/listen to эти стихи Ахматовой... «Но я предупреждаю вас...». The recording is of the author herself reading the poems.

Вам нужно будет выучить эти стихи! You'll need to memorize this poem for the oral quiz at the end of the unit. (Notice here the use of нужно будет! The future form. You learned нужно было, the past form, yesterday...)

OK, now spend a couple minutes with Диалог 1 и 2. First, just listen to the dialogue recordings...
Диалог 1    Диалог 2

Тhen read the dialogue (it's on the lab handout) while listening to the recordings...
Диалог 1    Диалог 2

Finally, listen once more and answer the questions on your lab handout...
Диалог 1    Диалог 2

Поняли? Did you understand?

Now, come to the table. We're going to discuss naming verbs in Russian: Her name is Viktoria! This book is called Brothers Karamazov.