My Nuclear Heritage

A great deal of talk about Japan and nuclear threat have suddenly reminded me where I had been living since I was born. Near a nuclear reactor!


This is The high-Beam Reactor PIK, situated in Gatchina town, 40 km from Saint-Petersbourg.
My grandmather and grandfather and many grandparent and parents of my friends are working there.
The city itself began developing since the reactor was build in 1978.
PIC is Russia's only really advanced neutron source of constant actionin. It is research reactor (the maximum neutron flux with the flow "n/sm2Chs 1015, the number of positions on the beams).

It is sad that experimental possibilities PIK reactor are unique, and in coming years anywhere in the world such reactors would not be created.
The reactor is still working these days descpite it had exceeded its limits years ago. The second ractor was built and officially was opened 2 years ago.
Only officially though.

Japan. No comments.

It is hell

Who are they, Russian Billionaires?

Forbes magazine today introduced its fresh rating Forbes 400, which seems to be the most respected rating of the richest people of the planet. According to Forbes, this year's list broke records in size (1,210 billionaires) and total net worth ($4.5 trillion). The number of Chinese billionaires on the 
Forbes list doubled to 115; the number of Russians grew to 101, Indians to 55 and Brazilians to 30. USA is still the first with its 413 billionaires.
So Russia is now 3rd among other countries. Though Moscow now has more billionaires than any other city – 75 people (only 58 in New York). In other words, now every 12th billionaire in the world has Russian passport.

The richest Russian billionaire is Vladimir Lisin, Chairman of the board of directors Novolipetsk Steel. Lisin owns $24 billion wich puts him at 14 place in common rating. He is the only one Russian in the TOP-20 Forbes rating.
Lisin is a proletarian success story, Forbes says. First job was as a mechanic in a coal mine. Then from steelworker in Siberia he moved towards dominating Russia's aluminium and steel exports along with group of traders called Trans-World Group. That was in early 90-s. Lisin managed the factories, and when the partners went their separate ways in 2000, Lisin got majority stake in Russia's giant Novolipetsk steel mill as his share.

Will Russia betray Gaddafi?

The developments in Libya continue the chain of bloody revolutions in Africa and Middle East of last months.  Libyan and other nations’ refugees are trying to escape, more than 140 000 people already left the country. The majority gathered at Tunisia’s border (it’s still open). Egypt border is closed.  Meanwhile today UN have suspended Libya's membership of the UN Human Rights Council.

According to BBC reports, witnesses said pro-Gaddafi forces tried to retake the western cities of Zawiya, Misrata and Nalut on Monday but were repulsed by rebels helped by defecting army units. Earlier France said there would be no international military action against Libya without a 'clear mandate' from the United Nations but US and Britain seem to be ready to  storm into the country.
While watching so-called king of kings, Mr Gaddafi’s interview to BBC,  one can only lift his hands. Either he is crazy or else world media is making him so, along with the whole situation around poor Libya.
Well, “poor’ in which sense? Millions of poor people, who have no job, education and social care, as it happens in most of African countries? Or maybe we should feel sorry for poor Gaddafi, as U.S. Treasury Department official said on Monday that about $30 billion of Libyan assets in the United States had been blocked from access by Libyan leader and his family.
Libya is a serious oil exporter. According to BP Statistical Review of World Energy June 2010, oil production of Libya reaches around 75-77 million tons a year, and only 7-8 million Libya consumes itself, the rest goes for export to Europe and USA.
Sound good for such countries as Russia, for example. Analysts are waiting for new petrodollars maximums. If the civil war in Libya will last for more than 2 month (it has started about three weeks ago), the question of changing the supplier will soon arise. And not only Libya is involved, as all Middle East is boiling up.
On 1 March, Brent crude rose above $116 a barrel as supply disruptions persist and political violence spreads in the Middle East and North Africa. Meanwhile, at the same day an expert of Russian Finance ministry announced that the price of Russian crude Urals reached the level of $81 and this price will be considered in budget plans (earlier the price of $75 had been built into the state budget).
It should be noted that before today Russia was gentle, evaluating the developments in Libya. That’s not a secret that Russia signed several contracts with Libya, including $2 billion contract for arms supplement and a contract for rail road construction. Nevertheless, today evening the source of Interfax agency in Kremlin told that “Gaddafi is a live political dead body which has no room for him in the civilized world”.

Photo from: http://archive.kremlin.ru/eng/events/details/2008/04/16_164138.shtml

Same old story

“La fortresse” by Fernand Melgar is a Swiss documentary about those refugees, seeking for asylum in calm and prosperous Switzerland. The movie is about a camp or “registration center”, it’s residents – social workers who teach, treat, interview the refugees. And,  of course,  about hundreds of people from different continents.  People whose motherland became incompatible with what we call “life”.  Or people who just pretend to had been insulted, offended,  hurt  by their motherlands?

I’m not going to write about the movie, one can get the better idea clicking the movie official webpage

This movie, shown on central Russian TV, was discussed then by “specialists” and “critics” (the name of the program is “watch and discuss” – weekly TV show where they show different non-mainstream movies and then discuss it).

I was amazed by the naïve and, on the other hand, fierce criticism. On the whole,  people from TV screen estimated the movie as “how the rich Europe humbles those poor people from third world”.

Crap!  The film director, Mr. Melgar 9a fragment of interview with him was also shown in TV program) said himself that he wanted to show how social workers try to help people, how difficult it is to understand these people, who sometimes don’t speak French or English, to educate them, to help them to overcome the pain which they feel. Because many of them saw violence, killing. How difficult it is for every social worker to hear dozens of such terrible stories in a day, and to be calm and gather himself up to find some encouraging words for all these people. 

Moreover,  it is an open secret that many people just cheat to get European passport.

Anyway, that’s also out of topic today.  I must say that 4 month of staying in Russia, my motherland, gave me the strange inspiration. Inspiration to open my eyes to the delusions and fears of my country, my nation and my nearest and dearest.

Russia is at war. Sunday, 27th February, the anti-terror operation regime was announced in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria region. Several killings of innocent people, tourists, and other attacks were happening there for last one week.  A month had not yet passed since explosion of a bomb in largest international airport.

Nalchik

But nobody says this word “WAR”. Neither Mr President nor Mr Premier, neither my mother or any friend of mine. The Chechnya war was successfully terminated by Mr Putin, wasn’t it? And those explosions in Moscow metro and airport, those killings of journalists and fights of “Russians” and “blacks” in the capital of Russia – it’s just a bad sign of the whole world’s enemy - terror. Right, Barack?

Nobody thinks about war. But everybody is scared. The Middle East and north Africa developments scare Russian people when they watch TV. Why? Because they see “those wild black  Muslims” from the screen. And our “wild black Muslims” are very near, not only in Nalchik but in every multistory.

All I’m going to highlight in this blog - and I already started doing it in previous posts - is devoted to this fear, raised by media manipulation, historical experience and society development in whole. 

p.s.   jokes and inoffensive post are promised as well =) Peace!

p.p.s  photo of Nalchik is taken from http://www.elbrusoid.org/phorum/index.php?action=vthread&forum=7&topic=12178

Bangladesh Victory Day

Today, 16 December, Bangladesh celebrates national Victory Day.

It is the 39th anniversary of the victory of Bengalis over Pakistan aggression and massacre which lasted from March to December, 1971. On 16 December the allied forces of the Indian army and Bengalis’ Mukti Bahini (freedom fitters) crushed the West Pakistani forces deployed in the East.

That victory gave people of former East Pakistan (after 1947, when British India was partitioned into the states of India and Pakistan, modern-day Bangladesh was a part of Pakistan and was called East Pakistan) not only freedom but a new state Bangladesh. Declaration of Independence was announces by Bengal political leaders (declaration was signed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Father of the Nation) in March, 1971. Officially 26 March is considered the Independence Day of Bangladesh, when the name Bangladesh was in effect henceforth. Though, unofficially there is controversy on who and when did the first announcement of the declaration of independence over the radio (which is a question of political manipulations actually).

Commenting on the achievements of the country after winning the Liberation war, President Zillur Rahman in his statement said, "We could not yet attain that objective after four decades of independence. The anti-liberation force as well as the vested quarters created obstacle in the way of democracy and development by killing Father of the Nation. Or democratic advancement has been jeopardized afterwards in absence of a people's government. As a result, we lag far behind in anticipated development", bdnews24.com reports. This speech was supported by the words of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Thirty nine years have passed since independence but the desired dreams and aspirations of independence are yet to be achieved," she said in her statement, according to news agency.

In one voice with ruling party sounds the opposition this day. As bdnews24.com quoted the opposition leader Khaleda Zia speech, "Even though our motherland was freed from enemies in 1971, their sharp eyes are still on us. An imperialist force is working to turn us into a subjugated race. We will have to unite nationally to fight it."

As for harp imperialists’ eyes, needless to say that in 1971 USSR helped Indian army as main ally of Bengalis’ Mukhti Bahini. The Soviet Union was interested in strong India. So independence of Bangladesh which could make India’s rival Pakistan weaker, played into USSR hands. Soviet authorities gave assurances to India that if a confrontation with the United States or China (which supported Pakistan) developed, it would take counter-measures. Officially this  was enshrined in the Indo-Soviet friendship treaty signed in August 1971.
USSR recognized Bangladesh as new state in January, 1972, and after 2 month, in March, 1972, father of nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made his first diplomatic visit to Moscow.
Almost forty years later, this fact of assistance during the war is the only fact which Bangladeshis can recall about Russia or former Soviet Union. Still it’s amazing how strong the memory is.
Today many families in Bangladesh and abroad think of other memories, though. Dead brothers and fathers, raped women, killed babies, the millions of refugees, millions of destroyed lives. This song, the greatest Bangla songs of all times, is for them.

Ek shagor rokter binimoye Banglar shadhinota anle jara amra tomader bhulbo na amra tomader bhulbo na...
(We will not forget the ones who liberated Bangladesh by spilling a sea of blood, we will not forget you... – I’m sorry for the incorrect translation, if it is so)

And some personal memories of last year V-day (2009) in Dhaka (full set is here)

CNN presented riots in Moscow as "protests over time zones"

CNN FAKE REPORT

On 12 December CNN showed video of the riots in Moscow with following comments: “Russian protests targeting time zones”. According to CNN, 3 000 people protested against changing time zones in some eastern city of Russia...

In reality the riots caused by the death of football fan happened in Moscow on December, 11. The video shown by CNN had been taken at well recognized central square of Moscow city.

A piece of newscaster’s text accompanied the video of clashes in Moscow:
<….> Chanting "give us our time back," thousands of people in eastern Russia Saturday protested proposed changes to the country's time zones, state media reported.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has proposed time zone reforms that would further cut the time difference between the region and Moscow, the state-run RIA-Novosti news agency reported.
Already, similar reforms implemented earlier this year have led to dark winter skies in the middle of the day in the region, the news agency said.
More than 3,000 protesters flocked to the central square in the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, RIA-Novosti said.
<….>
Is that just a human’s foolishness or black PR of very bad quality, I wonder?

Riots in Moscow: Football fans and nationalists against Caucasian diaspora (Part II)

(continued )

Russia for Russians

Moscow, Manezh Square, Dec, 11, Ilya Varlamov

Young people, faces covered with scarves, one hand is lifted to the sky (the famous Roman salute, a gesture in which the arm is held out forward straight, it was made compulsory within the Nazi party since 1926,  and was also adopted by other fascist movements), shouting nationalistic slogans “Russia for Russians”.
Discussing the clashes in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, government authorities, football clubs’ leaders and different Caucasus diaspora representatives altogether named current events a provocation of ultra radical, nationalistic movements forces.

To say the truth, it is quite difficult to determine any exact political force in Russia, especially speaking about the political minorities. Whatever you call them, democrats, liberals, communists, radicals or other, the faces will be the same. It’s very easy in Russia. One can be with the majority, ruling party “Edinaya Rossia” (United Russia) or with the “rest”. More over, even those who attach themselves with majority can often be seen participating in the actions of the “rest”. As it probably happened this time (LJ user palmoliveprotiv http://palmoliveprotiv.livejournal.com/130086.html noticed a known provocateur, attached with ruling powers, being arrested be police at Manezh Square).

Media mess
Holding a speech at Ceremony formalizing promotion of officers to higher command positions, on December, 13, President Dmitry Medvedev commented on the recent events: “The recent riots and assaults in Moscow should be qualified as crimes, and the people who committed them must pay the penalty. I say this not just to the Interior Minister, but also to the Prosecutor General and Chairman of the Investigative Committee”.
 “Acts that seek to incite hatred and enmity on ethnic or religious grounds are especially dangerous and threaten the country’s stability. The police can and must use all lawful and necessary means and powers at its disposal – and I stress this point – to counter such acts. We cannot allow anarchy on our streets and public places”, - President added.

As opposed to official statements and reports of Russian TV channels, which can only reflect the official views of Kremlin, the bloggers community looks like anthill of conflicting opinions. People ask whether what is going on is the sign of democracy? Whether for these Nazi slogans, advanced by youth at Manezh Square our grandfathers fought with fascists during the World War II? Whether the powers and police are able to protect the citizens? Whether justice and law procedures become pointless in the face of corruption?
The internet community is filled with calls for new riots, from both sides – Russian nationalists forces and the Caucasian diaspora.

http://niova.livejournal.com/62919.html
“Salam, brothers and sisters.
I want to appeal to all who consider themselves Caucasians, dzhigits, abreks, and so on, or has some kind of positive attitude towards our great nation. Perhaps it is not a secret to you that in Moscow there was a case of riot with our brother, a native of Kabardino-Balkaria - Aslan Cherkesov, namely a fight with the Russian on one of the stations in the city where a Russian boy Egor Sviridov was killed. Perhaps someone feels sorry, personally I feel sorry for this Russian guy. But as always, we are exposed in the wrong way. I personally, on the site of Aslan, may have done exactly the same. And what else to do when the jackals attack from the back, and you have a gun for self-defense - of course you will defend our honour and dignity and our lives and health. When you are being attacked by a group of drunken, frostbitten <…> fans,  there is nothing left but to defend from them. <…..>
It is also not a secret for you that fans (nationalists and fascists) are gathering in huge crowds to have a large "peace" campaign in Moscow. Of course, we will be <…> the object of these action.
I call upon all our fraternal peoples of Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, Ossetia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia to resist this actions <…> I call to you to arm yourselves AS POSSIBLE  * ... without collapsing and being afraid and sitting snug at home. I just want to say to our girls - our dear beauties, in the time interval from 10.12.2010 to 30.12.2010 please do not go out to the streets of Moscow without need, it is not difficult to understand the reason I think.
On this occasion, I suggest to gather on 15th  (15/12/2010) near Mall "European" at 18:00. WE will decide on further actions at place..
<…>
This post was named as “one more provocation”, though, as we mentioned above, the police kept a closer watch over the center of Moscow.

The next post appeared a bit earlier in one of the nationalists (or pretending to be such) blogs.
 “Ruling party today let the Caucasians go to the Manezh Square where they tried to dance a “lezghinka” while the funeral ceremony was holding by football fans in memory of E.Sviridov. FUNERAL. RF ruling authorities showed their attitude towards the problem….Its obvious that it’s a cheap provocation. Try to bring a pig’s head into the mosque – the reaction will be unequivocal  <…>  More over, ruling regime finally decided on priorities, took the side of Caucasian mobs. This is the official declare of war on Russian nation <….>”.

These two entries can only give the brief idea of the public mood here in Russia. There are more than 30, 000 posts of thousands of users. Every one has his own beliefs and his own truth.
That goes without saying, what happened at Manezh Square was not the single example of ethnic confrontation. The killing of a football fan was not at all the first killing. The major violence over Caucasians and Central Asians in Underground is just an echo of savage reprisal continued for many years.
An ethic conflict is one of the weakest points of the world’s largest country, which, by the way, won a rally for hosting the next FIFA World Cup just a week back. Seems like football is still the first to be in the news here in Russia. No matter, what colors the news, the blood, the petrodollars or both.

Riots in Moscow: Football fans and nationalists against Caucasian diaspora (Part I)

Moscow, Manezh Square, Dec, 11. Photo be Ilya Varlamov

Last Saturday, 11 December 2010, a riot broke out in Russia’s capital. More than 5 000 people gathered at central Moscow’s Manezh Square, not far from the Kremlin and nearby Okhotny Ryad metro station. There were football fans and activists of nationalistic organizations who gathered to commemorate the death of Spartak (Moscow football club) football fan Egor Sviridov, who was killed a week ago.
Sviridov died in the drunken brawl, crushed out on December, 6, between Spartak football fans and some men born in Russia’s North Caucasus. Later on, five detained Caucasians were released with recognizance not to leave. The fact gave rise to the mass riot in the city this weekend.

Funeral fires
Another action was held in the second capital of Russia, St-Petersburg, on Saturday morning. Around 2 000 people, football fans and other youth pour out into the central streets in sympathy with football fans in Moscow. The action was unauthorized, however the police could hold back the crowd.
The scenario in Moscow was different. Police seemed not to be ready for such clashes, though the actions in memory of killed Egor Sviridov were announced before by Spartak fans.  In the morning several thousand of football fans came to the place where Sviridov was killed, then moved to Manezh Square. Soon the movement went out of control and came to clashes with OMON (Special Purpose Police Unit in Russia).

Some eyewitnesses blamed police to be rude and brutal while neutralizing the riot, from another point of view, one can clearly see in photo and video reports how OMON soldiers protected several Caucasians from infuriated crowd. After getting the reinforcements special units started attacking the crowd.

Moscow, Manezh Square, Dec, 11. Photo be Ilya Varlamov

According to official statistic, 32 people were injured in the riots. Later several people of  different nationalities (Russian, Caucasians, Central Asians) were injured and several killed in Moscow’s Underground. One more football fan, Sergey Kazakov, 19, was killed on December, 10, near Volzhskaya Underground station. Though, his death was overshadowed by the latest developments.
On Monday afternoon, December, 13 police closed Manezhnaya Square and a nearest shopping mall. The measures were prompted by reports received by police about new possible gathering of football fans and members of the North Caucasian diaspora, Interfax news agency reports. However, nothing abnormal happened in the center of Moscow that night.


Photo reports here
http://novayagazeta.livejournal.com/282234.html#cutid1           Vadim Sidorov, “Novaya Gazeta”
http://www.facebook.com/novgaz#!/album.php?aid=30256&id=132740460101983  Vadim Sidorov, “Novaya Gazeta”
http://zyalt.livejournal.com/330396.html                                        Ilya Varlamov (user zyalt)
http://yellow-reporter.livejournal.com/                                           Sergey Kazakov (user yellow_reporter)
http://aleshru.livejournal.com/                                                         Mitya Aleshkovsky (user alershru)
http://taek.livejournal.com/16390.html#cutid1                                LJ user TaEk
http://community.livejournal.com/live_report/795557.html#cutid1   LJ user martin_sqare

From russia with love. And from heart, my dear friends

Football is the main news-maker in Russia nowadays, since our motherland won the race to host  FIFA World Cup in 2018.

International media just fired with discussions about racism (russian racists will attack "black" football players), corruption and "football" mafia, and of course spending millions of petrodollars for construction of whole infrastructure to host the world's main football event.

Meanwhile russian media and bloggers community discuss mostly the shame of out great mother country. I'm talking about official speech of Vitaly Mutko, Russian Minister of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy in Zurich, FIFA headquarters...

Wanted to hear the pure Russian English? Get a chance! 
Vitaly Mutko from his heart: