Brother, my precious friend! all is settled! I am sentenced to four years hard labor in the fortress (I believe, of Orenburg) and after that to serve as a private. To-day, the 22nd of December, we were taken to the Semionov Drill Ground. There the sentence of death was read to all of us, we […]
Dostoevsky to His Brother after a Mock Execution Read More »
The babushka is the one constant iconic figure in Russian culture. The first thing you need to know about them is how to properly pronounce their title as westerners often mispronounce it. The emphasis is on the first syllable: BAH-boosh-ka. This title can mean elderly woman, grandmother or granny, but in general it gets treated
The Babushka: A Fulcrum of Russian Life Read More »
The flipping of Michael Flynn from Trump insider to FBI informant is the John Dean moment for Donald Trump. It is a seminal event that I believe signals the beginning of the end of the Trump administration. I am not alone in this belief or in comparing the current administration to the Nixon White House.
Either Trump is Toast or We Are Read More »
The air raid siren sent a shiver down my spine as I scrambled to get under my desk. I got on my knees, put my forehead on the floor, and clasped my hands together over the back of my head. Then I waited. What if it was for real, I asked myself? What if it
Mr. Trump! Where is My Country? Read More »
Last week my colleague Jerome Parent wrote a column called “Donald Trump as Tricky Dick Reincarnated.” In it, he argues that the two presidents share uncanny similarities. Parent predicts that Trump will “meet a similar fate” as the president brought down by the Watergate scandal. On a positive note, I am encouraged that the
Trump as Tricky Dick? Steady On! Read More »
The Future? How do you defeat an enemy who looks into the barrel of your gun and sees his paradise? –Anonymous The Chechnya situation encompasses a centuries-old compilation of vastly intertwined conflicts, further perpetuated by extreme biased and outdated grudges. Conflicts steeped in a clash of ideals so old and compounding that realistically, finding an
Troubleshooting Chechnya, Chapter V Read More »