In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day 2015, ATG is exploring “All Things Irish” for the next couple weeks. We begin with the below feature on Irish American culture. Stay tuned for more!
“It’s amateur hour”, Mr. Bryan O’Connor* says of St. Patrick’s Day. “I mean, I don’t have to display the fact that I’m Irish – leave that for the Italians”; and then added, “See, it’s the Irish sense of humor…we have our issues, but at least we have a sense of humor.”
And humor Mr. O’Connor certainly displayed during our interview, where I sought to debunk his “Irishness” and examine what it means for him to be an “Irish American.” Read more
If you’ve been following our blog, then you’re likely aware that we spent the month of February, in celebration of Valentine’s Day, dedicated to exploring “All Things Russia.”
While we had originally wrapped “things” up last week, the news of Boris Nemtsov’s murder and Putin’s prominence in the international media has inspired us to continue “exploring” Russia just a bit longer.
Photo Courtesy of Meghan Houser
Naturally, questions have arisen as to the motives behind 55-year-old Nemtsov’s death. As a Russian democracy activist, he was an outspoken critic of the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin, and served as a co-chair of the Republican Party of Russia-People’s Freedom Party. (He rose to national prominence in the 1990s during his six-year governship of the Nizhny Novgorod region and was once seen as a possible successor to former President Boris Yeltsin after being named first deputy prime minister in 1997-98).
Interestingly, Nemtsov didn’t receive much favor from the general Russian public and never built a substantial following; a 2013 poll found that only 6 percent of Russians approved his actions, while 48 percent disapproved and 46 percent claimed to know nothing about him.
The below essay may provide some insight into why the Russians didn’t approve of Nemtsov – and why Nemtsov’s “Western-style liberalism” failed to attract the support of the Russian populace.Read more
As we wrap up our month of featuring “All Things Russia,”* we note with due attention, and perhaps a bit foreboding, a recent article in the Wall Street Journal entitled: “Putin the Improviser” (Feb. 20, 2015).
Boldly declaring that “the Ukraine crisis is even scarier than you think”, WSJ reporter Andrew Weiss reports that Western leaders are struggling to “get inside the head of” Mr. Putin in an attempt to understand a man who seems set on “dragging much of the West into a new Cold War.” Read more
Social commentator Will Rogers once said, “Nobody in the world knows what vodka is made out of, and the reason I tell you this is that the story of vodka is the story of Russia. Nobody knows what Russia is made of, or what it is liable to cause its inhabitants to do next.”
Indeed, the origin of vodka – which comes from the Russian word “voda”, meaning “water” – is highly disputed. While some believe that it was first mass-produced by the Muscovite monks in the 14th or 15th centuries, others claim it originated in Poland around the 8th century. Still others say it comes from Sweden. Read more
It should come as no surprise that President Obama’s “Buzzfeed” video has become a highly politicized issue, used by Republicans and Democrats alike to tout his “charismatic personality” or lambast his seemingly “indifferent attitude” to the world’s problems, depending on which side of the isle you sit on.
That President Obama’s every move is subject to intense scrutiny and debate is not unique to the office of the presidency. Indeed, there is a reason that John Adams once wrote: “No man who ever held the office of president would congratulate a friend on obtaining it.”
The unrelenting stress, heightened pressure and merciless criticism a President faces is nearly unimaginable – and certainly takes a toll on the mental and physical state of such men (a quick look at “before” and “after” shots of previous Presidents is a perfect case in point).
Perhaps this is why the office of the presidency is held in such high regard. Having sworn to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”, it is a position of immense responsibility that warrants a great amount of respect, admiration and reverence from the public. Read more
As part of our celebration of “all things Russia” for Valentine’s Day, be sure to read our post in Rose’s Ridge, “From Russia With Love,” and try our recipes for Russian dishes from Around The Table.
“I am Russian. Russian by heart and soul, profoundly devoted to my land.” – Fyodor Tyutchev (Russian poet 1803-1873)
Quick, interesting facts on Russia*:
The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world, covering more than one ninth of the earth’s land area
Russia spans nine time zones
Russia contains one fourth of the world’s fresh water
Russia is one of the top producers of natural gas and oil in the world
Russia borders with more countries than any other country in the world; 14 countries and 2 with maritime boundaries (USA and Japan)
Russia and America are less than 4km apart at the nearest point (near Sarah Palin’s Alaska)
There are 9 million more women than men in Russia (Happy Valentine’s Day!)
70 percent of Russia is made up of Siberia, defined as a region of centralandeasternRussiastretchingfromtheUralMountains to thePacificOcean
Lake Baikal in Siberia is the deepest and oldest lake in the world (it would take all the rivers of the world – Volga, Don, Dnepr and Yenisei, Ural and Ob, Ganges and Orinoko, Amazon and Thames, Seine and Oder – nearly one year to fill lake Baikal’s basin)
Russia is the only country in the world washed by 12 seas
The word “vodka” comes from the Russian word “voda” which means “water.”
As part of our celebration of “all things Russia” for Valentine’s Day, be sure to read our post in Rose’s Ridge: “From Russia With Love.”
Enjoy a Russian meal with recipes below for Cabbage Soup, Chicken Kiev, and Russian Tea Cookies.
“Shchi” (Cabbage Soup)
“In Russia, cabbage soup…is made from cabbage, carrots, meat, onions, celery, and garlic, with a sour flavoring from apples, sour cream, or sauerkraut juice. A favorite for at least a thousand years, it can be found in Russian poems and prose, on the table of both rich and poor, and in the fond memory of every exile.” –Taken from Life is Meals by James and Kay Salter Read more
“It’s amateur hour”, Mr. Bryan O’Connor* says of St. Patrick’s Day. “I mean, I don’t have to display the fact that I’m Irish – leave that for the Italians”; and then added, “See, it’s the Irish sense of humor…we have our issues, but at least we have a sense of humor.”
