Comments on: “It was the best school for managers!” http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/10/29/it-was-the-best-school-for-managers/ Russia Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Chris Von Doom http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/10/29/it-was-the-best-school-for-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-117660 Chris Von Doom Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:53:41 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=832#comment-117660 Meh, this happens to everyone. Plato's real name wasn't Plato. Plato wasn't even his real pseudonym. :) Meh, this happens to everyone. Plato’s real name wasn’t Plato. Plato wasn’t even his real pseudonym. :)

]]> By: Kolya http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/10/29/it-was-the-best-school-for-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-117658 Kolya Sat, 01 Nov 2008 08:59:19 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=832#comment-117658 Cyrill, I love the name Кирилл. And "Кирилл" sounds so much better than "Cyrill". Sort of like Nikolai, to my ears, sounds much better than Nicholas. I know it's all subjective... In my view translated names are different names. Now this is not done as often, but names were often automatically translated. I'm sorry, but Karl is not Carlos (I have seen books of a certain author called Carlos Marx). Лев is not Leo or Leon. Paul is not Pablo. I guess it's all a matter of usage. I still find it strange, though, that we talk of Tsar Nicholas II (instead of Nikolai II), or in Spain and Latin America they write of Príncipe Carlos when referring to Prince Charles and when writing about his mother they write Reina Isabel instead of Reina Elizabeth (and in Russia, of course, they say Королева Елизавета). Cyrill, I love the name Кирилл. And “Кирилл” sounds so much better than “Cyrill”. Sort of like Nikolai, to my ears, sounds much better than Nicholas. I know it’s all subjective…

In my view translated names are different names. Now this is not done as often, but names were often automatically translated. I’m sorry, but Karl is not Carlos (I have seen books of a certain author called Carlos Marx). Лев is not Leo or Leon. Paul is not Pablo.

I guess it’s all a matter of usage. I still find it strange, though, that we talk of Tsar Nicholas II (instead of Nikolai II), or in Spain and Latin America they write of Príncipe Carlos when referring to Prince Charles and when writing about his mother they write Reina Isabel instead of Reina Elizabeth (and in Russia, of course, they say Королева Елизавета).

]]> By: Cyrill http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/10/29/it-was-the-best-school-for-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-116862 Cyrill Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:51:07 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=832#comment-116862 <i>Смекалка темной головы. No need to get racial!</i> Only in America! Смекалка темной головы.

No need to get racial!

Only in America!

]]> By: Buster http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/10/29/it-was-the-best-school-for-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-116858 Buster Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:13:04 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=832#comment-116858 <i>Смекалка темной головы.</i> No need to get racial! And to Ven'ka: point taken. Смекалка темной головы.

No need to get racial!

And to Ven’ka: point taken.

]]> By: W. Shedd http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/10/29/it-was-the-best-school-for-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-116857 W. Shedd Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:47:19 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=832#comment-116857 <i>My grandmother-in-law Russifies my name to Vanya. However, I am given little choice in the matter.</i> Actually, I got this slightly wrong, she calls me Venya, which somewhat makes sense considering my given name is Wendell (which is what my wife and her family call me). My grandmother-in-law Russifies my name to Vanya. However, I am given little choice in the matter.

Actually, I got this slightly wrong, she calls me Venya, which somewhat makes sense considering my given name is Wendell (which is what my wife and her family call me).

]]> By: Cyrill http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/10/29/it-was-the-best-school-for-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-116856 Cyrill Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:34:00 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=832#comment-116856 Heh... time and time again I fail to foresee how грядущий хам would react and step on the proverbial rake. Смекалка темной головы. Heh… time and time again I fail to foresee how грядущий хам would react and step on the proverbial rake. Смекалка темной головы.

]]> By: W. Shedd http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/10/29/it-was-the-best-school-for-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-116854 W. Shedd Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:17:11 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=832#comment-116854 <i>A question on internet etiquette and vocabulary: is there a word akin to troll for someone who says something that seems specifically designed to turn the entire thread into an off-color joke. Something like: but the toungue arching up following uraniscus.</i> Yes, there is a word for that. Perv. A question on internet etiquette and vocabulary: is there a word akin to troll for someone who says something that seems specifically designed to turn the entire thread into an off-color joke. Something like:

but the toungue arching up following uraniscus.

Yes, there is a word for that.

Perv.

]]> By: Buster http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/10/29/it-was-the-best-school-for-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-116816 Buster Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:49:47 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=832#comment-116816 A question on internet etiquette and vocabulary: is there a word akin to troll for someone who says something that seems specifically designed to turn the entire thread into an off-color joke. Something like: <i>but the toungue arching up following uraniscus.</i> or <i>the tongue shifts forward tip going straight down to the bottom, sides of the tongue firmly touch molars and alveoli and the actual sound is formed by creating a narrow round air passage</i>... I'm sorry. I know it's childish. But I'm actually curious about the internets vocabulary question. A question on internet etiquette and vocabulary: is there a word akin to troll for someone who says something that seems specifically designed to turn the entire thread into an off-color joke. Something like:

but the toungue arching up following uraniscus.

or

the tongue shifts forward tip going straight down to the bottom, sides of the tongue firmly touch molars and alveoli and the actual sound is formed by creating a narrow round air passage…

I’m sorry. I know it’s childish. But I’m actually curious about the internets vocabulary question.

]]> By: Lyndon http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/10/29/it-was-the-best-school-for-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-116771 Lyndon Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:47:30 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=832#comment-116771 So many tangents... We decided to name our boy Alexander, it had a bit of family significance and also is easily nickname-able in all of the languages in which our family operates. Having had an unusual name as a kid in Russia, I can bear witness to the fact that kids everywhere will make fun of any name that is punnable and/or not a name they've heard before. But back to VLKSM, I think it was not so much a great school for managers as a great place for enterprising elites to build networks. Business schools are like this, too, but they teach technical skills. My father-in-law told me some great stories about his three times in and out of Komsomol. Each time, he joined (or re-joined) for a particular reason (can't recall if I've related this anecdote in this space before; forgive me if I'm repeating myself). For instance, at one point, he was working as a truck driver and by re-joining VLKSM was able to get assigned a better truck. Keep in mind that this was in small-town Moldova in the first decade of Khrushchev's reign, so I am sure they were eager to increase membership numbers. So many tangents…

We decided to name our boy Alexander, it had a bit of family significance and also is easily nickname-able in all of the languages in which our family operates. Having had an unusual name as a kid in Russia, I can bear witness to the fact that kids everywhere will make fun of any name that is punnable and/or not a name they’ve heard before.

But back to VLKSM, I think it was not so much a great school for managers as a great place for enterprising elites to build networks. Business schools are like this, too, but they teach technical skills.

My father-in-law told me some great stories about his three times in and out of Komsomol. Each time, he joined (or re-joined) for a particular reason (can’t recall if I’ve related this anecdote in this space before; forgive me if I’m repeating myself). For instance, at one point, he was working as a truck driver and by re-joining VLKSM was able to get assigned a better truck. Keep in mind that this was in small-town Moldova in the first decade of Khrushchev’s reign, so I am sure they were eager to increase membership numbers.

]]> By: Kolya http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/10/29/it-was-the-best-school-for-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-116769 Kolya Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:19:11 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=832#comment-116769 On the Internet a lot of times people assume that I'm a woman because of "Kolya"--quite amusing. After all this years I'm still unable to pronounce "th" correctly. Usually I only remember about it when my daughter cracks a joke about it, perhaps once a year or so. My father, who died in 2,000, was impressed when he noticed that my wife, a Connecticut yankee with no no Russian blood, could pronounce "мыло" correctly. On the Internet a lot of times people assume that I’m a woman because of “Kolya”–quite amusing. After all this years I’m still unable to pronounce “th” correctly. Usually I only remember about it when my daughter cracks a joke about it, perhaps once a year or so. My father, who died in 2,000, was impressed when he noticed that my wife, a Connecticut yankee with no no Russian blood, could pronounce “мыло” correctly.

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