Fall “Cleaning” in Russia

Sean – excellent post and congrats on the new gig. This blogging thing could turn out to be more fruitful than academia…

Congrats. as well Sean.

No matter how seemingly “loyal” a “made” person is, that individual will often develop different policies once at the top.

It’s still enough of a ways off to not fully ensure that the recently promoted is Russia’s next prez.

Congrats, Sean.

BTW, Zubkov is Serdyukov’s father-in-law.

Sean, FYI re: blogging and academic jobs: http://www.roughtheory.org/content/the-relationship-of-blogging-to-academic-work/

I’m not sure that it applies as much to your more-polished, refined blogging (compared to, say, mine), but it’s certainly led me to follow the BitchPhD semi-anonymous route.

RFE/RL has two fresh articles on the PM appointment as well:

http://www.rferl.org/

I had an email from somebody at Pajamas Media a few weeks back asking if I’d be their Sakhalin correspondent. I haven’t replied yet, as I seem to recall Nathan Hamm and at least one other blogger saying it was far more trouble than it was worth, at least in the early stages of PM. I guess I should contact them and find out what their beef was.

Isn’t it also interesting that Boris Gryzlov is one of Zubkov’s closest allies? Gryzlov was his campaign manager for his failed gubernatorial bid, and then today, as speaker of the Duma, Gryzlov had the privilege of announcing his appointment. It just seems wild to me that Putin catches a flight to the Volga and leaves the speaker to announce his new government. Almost as though Putin just said, “Hey Boris, I’m off to the airport, just pick whomever you want – it really doesn’t matter.”

Interestingly, I have just had this email this morning:

The news is that Putin dissolved the Russian government. Could you send in an article to Pajamas Media on what it means?

I wouldn’t have a clue. I’m 8,000 miles away from the events, and even if I were not I still wouldn’t have a clue what it means. Anyone else fancy a bash at this?

Congrats, Sean! Now more than ever before you are a staple of a certain so-called “Eng. lang. media.”

Or whatever. Seriously: congrats!

That’s “Eng. lang. mass media” or “mASS media” when it really gets bad.

Whatever my disagreements, I don’t envisage him as succumbing to those negatives.

I agree. This spells the end. Within a week the picture at the top of Sean’s blog will be changed to a cartoon of him smoking a cigar and grinning, driving a Hummer decorated with Stars and Stripes paintwork crushing a Russian flag held one Vladimir Putin.

The non-discussed hypothetical (by Eng. lang. mass media) crushing of independent thought.

As for crushing, England took care of Russia 3-0.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A Serb friend just reminded me of the old/old calender moment.

Is she anti-Semitic for doing so?

Jus kiddin.

Have some apples and honey.

Check this Slate overview of blogs on Zubkov:

http://www.slate.com/id/2173871/fr/rss/

Pozdravlyayu!

(“Strongman Putin”?)

Komsomol is much more reliable topic than Putin’s next move, Sean )

KGB general proved to be fool about simple podpolkovnik. Don’t make same mistake… )
Putin is not that simple.
In fact – he is the strongest political leader these days.

Congrats Sean. I got to the pajamas link from another blog and was pleasantly surprised to find the article written by you.

I have to say it made me giggle a bit to see your piece on the same page with pictures of Victor Davis Hanson, Micheal Ledeen, etc., given that you are an evil markist and all.

Though you refer to yourself as “Pajamas Media’s Russia correspondent” this is misleading to the extent it applies you are the only one. You aren’t. I’m one too.

I might add that I share Jason’s view that it’s more than a little ironic to see you writing for a bunch of neo-cons, and clear proof that we are far more open-minded that you crazed, pathological, American-hating left-wing maniacs.

It’s also a bit odd that the basic conclusion of your essay is that the events you are writing about don’t matter. One has to ask then: Why write about them?

“I’m one too.”

You’re also an imbecile.

Perhaps La Russophobe is the Lovecraftian cosmic horror that Mike encountered, blasting his sanity into spaces better left unknown? Is it perhaps an avatar of Nyarlathotep?

It’s also a bit odd that the basic conclusion of your essay is that the events you are writing about don’t matter. One has to ask then: Why write about them?
This has to be one of the silliest questions I’ve ever seen posed.

You explain the relative lack of importance of something, to counter those who give far too much weight to the same events. We are, after all, talking about opinions.

Perhaps La Russophobe is the Lovecraftian cosmic horror that Mike encountered.
Comparing LR to Cthulhu gives the former far too much credit. Cthulhu, after all, is a monstrous alien being, almost horror incarnate. Meanwhile, LR is simply a floater in the toilet of life.

I’m one too.
Perhaps you should be using the past tense.

“Chrisius Maximus on September 14, 2007 10:31 pm Perhaps La Russophobe is the Lovecraftian cosmic horror that Mike encountered, blasting his sanity into spaces better left unknown? Is it perhaps an avatar of Nyarlathotep?”

***

Actually Chris LR has a good deal in common with PL and yourself. The three of you often go off on tangents away from the substantive.

**** JRL and PJ for promoting that entity over more substantive others.

“Comparing LR to Cthulhu gives the former far too much credit. Cthulhu, after all, is a monstrous alien being, almost horror incarnate”

Hey, check this out. This is great: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFSbpq1xALM

CORRECTION

“**** JRL and PJ for promoting that entity over more substantive others.”

PJ should be PM for Pajamas Media. PM gets credit for adding SG. This doesn’t excuse its propping of LR.

David Johnson is propping Cthulhu and the Great Old Ones? Oh crap, Russia commentary is in worse shape than even I feared. *Brrr*

I can see it now:

Johnson’s Russia List
2007-#194
12 September 2007
davidjohnson@erols.com and
davidjohnson@starpower.net

[Contents:
1. RIA Novosti: Putin nominates sleeping Old One Great Cthulhu for PM post.
2. Reuters: Putin springs surprise choice for PM’s job — new PM says he will rise and spread madness and destruction over Earth.
3. Interfax: Duma to hold open vote on prime minister candidate Cthulhu on Friday.
4. RIA Novosti: President Putin accepts PM Fradkov’s request to dismiss Cabinet.
5. AFP: Russian government quits, opening way for Putin successor, Mighty Cthulhu.
6. Interfax: Putin orders ministers to remain in office until new PM eats them.
7. Interfax: New premier Cthulhu to become candidate for president – Pavlovsky says.
8. Reuters: Investors “shouldn’t fear Russia power change — return of the Old Ones good for business”
9. Financial Times Online: Catherine Belton, Fradkov steps downs as Russian PM, is devoured by successor.
10. Stratfor.com: Russia’s Step toward a New President.
11. Regnum.ru: Opinion: New government will be populist, while preserving the monetary component and offering souls to feed the slavering hunger of new PM.
12. BBC Monitoring: Russian pundits look at origins of leak about rumoured cabinet reshuffle.
13. Kommersant: Boris Makarenko, The World without 9/11.
14. http://www.mercatornet.com: Russia at the crossroads.(interview with Abdul Alhazred)
15. AFP: Patriot babies: Russian province holds ‘Conception Day’ — “we need more babies to sacrifice”
16. BBC: James Rodgers, Moscow Diary: Grandeur and gripes. (re metro)
17. ITAR-TASS: Driver Versus Traffic Rules Giving Priority To Special Car Signals.
18. The Economist Intelligence Unit: Maintaining momentum. The sunken city of R’lyeh’s rosy economy will see at least 7% growth this year.

As IS (you figure the initials) feverishly writes a terse op-ed piece for The Moscow Times in rumored anger over his not making a certain wonk panel.

BTW, what happened to DC of MN (snicker)? RB has turned into another blowhard propped hack.

Now, now, others in that field get lambasted.

“All is fair in war.”

**** you all to ****.

This must be the only blog with a comments section which needs a glossary for normal people to read.

“This must be the only blog with a comments section which needs a glossary for normal people to read.”

Agree with Tim.
And let’s start from word “normal”

This must be the only blog with a comments section which needs a glossary for normal people to read.

Of course, that is what fnord makes it enjoyable for regular fnord commentators to read. After all, fnord if we wanted the ordinary fnord and mundane, we could fnord find that in any number of other fnord forums.

I’ve noticed fnord that recently Putin stated that fnord at least 5 candidates might become fnord the President of the Russian fnord Federation. Of course, this must be true.

kallisti

The Goddess Prevails.

So much for open minded discourse.

Then there’s the go with the flow route.

To use some ice hockey terminology. Play the finesse game, or one combining finesse with clean hitting. If the opponent starts getty kooky, then reply in kind.

It sucks when there’s a crooked ref. and a hostile crowd working against you. Defeating that environment makes one stronger.

Pardon the philosophy. Was just chatting with a court appointed Russia friendly, who is starting to acknowledge what others downplay.

**** you all to ****.

Mike, am I correct in interpreting this no doubt friendly comment to mean “[I invite] you all to [my house for chips and dip]“?

Or is it “[I want] you all to [have a beer on my tab]“?

Please clarify – sorry to distract you from your philosophical breakthroughs with such a silly question.

Wiseguy!

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

The party just ended and all the chips, dip and tap are gone.

Maybe next time.

Great Cthulhu is not interested in chips and dip.

Well, I think the Cthulhu JRL is hillarious and possibly the best commentary I’ve read about media coverage of the new PM.

Great Cthulhu would like to express his gratitude to you Mab for your kind words. You get to be High Priestess of his new Russia-based Cult, second only to David Johnson himself (or, to use his new name, Mghthwapir Fthagn Johnson).

LOL.
BTW, has anyone actually figured out who LR is? Even gender?

Was Oliver Bronsen in a prior life. Among numerous other examples, JRL’s bias is shown by this idiotic post it accepted from LR (referenced with follow-up at this below link):

http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?14@811.ndmqdbDkObJ@.77480649/7311

He/she was Kim Betty before changing over to Kim Zigfeld. As per the LR site, there’s an acknowledgement that it’s a more than one person operation.

“Oliver Bronsen” sent a series of unsolicited emails which matched the views and prose of LR. The now downed http://english.intelligent/ru site posted a couple of them.

Regarding the Kim Betty to Kim Zigfeld change, LR briefly had Kim Betty on a email account.

Note what a certain Peter says in this discussion at bottom of link:

http://www.russiablog.org/2006/04/love_for_sale.php

But this is hillarious. So Oliver Bronson turned into Kim Betty and then Kim Zigfeld, with all those gender-confusing names? And do various people sign off as LR, or is it just one person who writes under the name with others who contribute to the site?

There’s one core person with others involved.

Jeremy Putley and Ethan Burger seem to approve of that venue. Burger’s stance on LR is extremely hypocritical given what he has said on record of me. A matter which relate to the prevailing Eng. lang. mass media/academia/body politic establishement biases which are decidedly anti-Russian.

The “hilarious” quote is of interest.

Forgive me for not finding it so hilarious.

That site is bigoted.

Anti-Russian bigotry gets rationalized unlike some other acts of intolerance.

Gosh – this is a fun discussion. I’m sorry I came late to the debate.

Anyway, congratulations Sean – a great gig, and it’s good to see your writing at a venue where it will get the (high) number of readers it deserves.

PS – for the record: LR’s a loony, Mike’s a moron, Tim’s a twit, Sean’s silly and Andy’s the greatest blogger of all time. The rest of you are too insignificant to merit comment

Thanks for setting the record straight Andy.

”LOL.
BTW, has anyone actually figured out who LR is? Even gender?”

I have. Well, at least I think I have. I took a good look a while back, in march maybe. It took just a little bit of thought and some searching. Its definitely a woman. I spoke to a very prominent blogger in this field at the time about it and he recommended I leave it go. I dont think it would actually be good for her safety to out her.

By the way – Mike(or anyone) can you give me a link to your piece on the BBC? I’d really like to hear it – seemingly you had a good game there.

LR is a Lovecraftian cosmic horror whose howls of insensate, gibbering madness have the power to blast men’s sanity. Lovecraftian cosmic horrors have no gender, even analogously speaking.

So Oliver Bronson et all are all pen names?
Weird weird weird….
from someone too insignificant to merit comment

They are not “pen names.” They are alternate names, different avatars if you will, of the same Dark Force of Gibbering Cosmic Madness. Nyarlathotep has 999 forms, one of which is La Russophobe, and Oliver Bronsen is one of the latter’s minor subavatars. Yet, like the Trinity, like the universe of Plotinus, they are multitude in plurality and plurality in multitude.

I wonder how long I can roll this ball…

There’s enough for all you Russophobes. No teeth, cyka

roll it your mouth slowly, russophobes.