Every year an ever-expanding group of morons gathers to celebrate Stalin’s birthday and reminisce about the greatness of the Stalin’s years in the Russian history. Considering that a person born in 1953 when Stalin died is quickly approaching the age of 60, not too many people in the crowd actually remember the life under Stalin but that doesn’t stop them from marching around, dreaming about going back in time. The irony is in the fact that during Stalin’s times marching around or expressing disregard for the current regime would be a sure-fire way to get shot or be sent to labor camps.
Russian communists stand in line in Red square to attend a wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin marking the 130th anniversary of his birthday at the Kremlin wall in Moscow, December 21, 2009.
And here we see a group kids whose parents could use a few months of labor camps themselves.
Members of the youth wing of the Russian Communist party march along Red Square to lay flowers at Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's grave to mark the 130th anniversary of his birth in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Dec. 21, 2009.Russian Communists hold red flags as they queue to lay flowers at the grave of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin to mark the 130th anniversary of his birth, as they walk along the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Dec. 21, 2009. St Basil's Cathedral is seen at left and Lenin's mausoleum is at right.Russian communists attend a wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, marking the 130th anniversary of his birthday, at the Kremlin wall in Moscow December 21, 2009.A Russian communist walks along Red Square after attending a wreath laying ceremony at the grave of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin marking the 130th anniversary of his birthday at the Kremlin wall in Moscow, December 21, 2009.Russian Communists leader Gennady Zyuganov, 2nd left, smiles as others hold portraits of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin after laying flowers at his grave to mark the 130th anniversary of Stalin's birth Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Dec. 21, 2009.Russian communists laugh in front of a McDonald's restaurant after attending a wreath laying ceremony at the grave of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, marking the 130th anniversary of his birthday, at the Kremlin wall in Moscow December 21, 2009.
With a statue, background, and portrait, foreground, of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, Georgians attend a rally marking his 130th birthday anniversary in Stalin's home town of Gori, 80 km (50 miles) west of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, Monday, Dec. 21, 2009.Georgians carry portraits of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin during a rally marking his 130th birthday anniversary in Stalin's home town of Gori, 80 km (50 miles) west of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, Monday, Dec. 21, 2009.Continue reading →
April 12th is the Cosmonautics Day celebrating the first manned space flight accomplished on that day in 1961 by the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. I mentioned it last year so today I will just post some pictures and a video clip.
Space theme in the Soviet Greeting Cards. Notice that the Soviet postcards didn’t include any text so a person had to actually write something, not just sign their name under some sappy Hallmark verse.
Lastly, this song “Do you know what a guy he was” about Gagarin became the Song of The Year in 1971. Gagarin would have been 75 this year.
Recently Shane wrote about his ride to work and how it makes him wish for the public transit system. I’ve been driving my everyday 20.5 miles (one way) for close to ten years now and while it’s not my favorite pastime I think a lot depends on the soundtrack you use for your drive. Since my hectic schedule and refusal to tolerate people other than me farting in my vehicle prevent me from sharing the ride, I grabbed my new camera so I can invite you for a few minutes of virtual carpooling on my morning drive to work. See for yourself how easy and fun it is.
(I placed the camera slightly lower than I should have, I will try better next time)
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwLV-smsXZ4
See Also: Adding the Benny Hill Theme to Anything Makes it Funny.
Recently through the magic of Facebook an article came to my attention. Bruised Kansas by Jeffrey Ann Goudie laments the transformation of the State of Kansas from a state on the forefront of racial equality and “proud history of women in politics” to a state where Governor Brownback autocratically imposes his “boilerplate political agenda”.
The only thing missing was one of those before and after photos that get passed around on the internet.
When I read the article, I kept thinking that the author must not be living in the same Kansas I live in; one can argue that Johnson County, KS is not representative of the entire state, but I am fairly familiar with a large part of it, having driven thousands of miles on my semi-frequent road trips to familiarize myself with the state where I made my home for the past 20 years. During that time I have met many Kansans, had candid conversations with countless acquaintances and coworkers not necessarily constrained by Codes of Business Conduct and unnecessary politeness, so I have a pretty good idea about the people I am surrounded with in my daily life, and, boy, is this state RED.
I’d be the first one to defend Kansas for being unfairly maligned, but not because the criticism and stereotyping is misplaced, but because, in most cases, it’s coming from places that are no better and not much further along on the scale of progress. I will never stop saying that people of Kansas are some of the most kind, helpful, compassionate people I’ve ever met. But boy, is this state RED.
Kansas City With the Russian Accent, at kcmeesha.com, is the Web journal of a Russian Jewish expatriate who came to Kansas City in 1992. Meesha V. outwrites half the local native-English-speaking bloggers and outcharms most of the others with an original voice and smart, funny asides and observations that could occur only to a cultural latecomer. It doesn’t hurt that the anonymous author kicked off the first entry with jokes about the Iron Curtain and a repudiation of deeply unfunny Russian comic Yakov Smirnoff. Documenting life in Kansas City, Meesha also tells some pretty harrowing stories about growing up during the Soviet era, including the anxiety and fear he confronted during his mandatory induction into the Russian army at age 18, waiting to find out if he’d be stationed near his home or sent to Afghanistan. With one foot in the metro and one in Rossiyskaya Federatsiya, Kcmeesha.com is Kansas City’s best blog this year.
Wow! I am at a loss of words (it’s not that hard for me). I didn’t know that I was even being considered. I am not going to deny that this was a pleasant surprise. I don’t really think I am the best; it’s just that while much better bloggers switched to twittering one-liners I am still here typing away, mostly because I am too cheap to pay for the internet for my phone. I would like to thank many people who read this blog and especially the ones who collectively left over 1,700 comments over the past year. I know it’s not that many and The Readers’ Choice Best Blogger TKC (Congratulations, Tony!) gets that many in a day, but I appreciate every one of you who took the time to comment, participate in a poll or a caption contest, thanks for not being anonymous. I would like especially to thank XO because this site is more or less an extension of my comments on his blog almost a year ago. Many other bloggers who are linked here and even more in my Reader serve as the daily inspiration and also as my imaginary friends. Meeting and corresponding with many of you over the past year made worthwhile all the time that I spend in front of my laptop, 10 lbs of gained weight and no personal life.
This honor just goes to prove that the American Dream is still there for anyone who wants it, it just changed a little. Yes, I got here dreaming about owning a mansion, nice cars, maybe a yacht with a beach house and a small private plane; I got none of these things, and yet I can’t complain: having all this would have made me just another one of many rich people with awesome, care-free, amazing lives full of leisure, travel and entertainment. Instead, I am one of a few, but few of the best.
