Tag Archives: Soviet Union

Random Thoughts (12)

Posted on 2017-04-27 by

If you have doubts about humanity, listen to this podcast about a hospital in Israel treating wounded and sick Syrians. I wouldn’t have thought that many people read articles as long as the one about my decision to return to … Continue reading →

Posted in Albania, Cold War, Education, Films, Health, History, Israel, Military, Syria, USA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Random Thoughts (9)

Posted on 2017-03-26 by

In Bolivia, I spoke with a lawyer about feminicidios, the killing of women by their partners, which carries a higher sentence than a “regular” homicide. Out of curiosity, I looked up the figure for Germany – and was shocked: 331 … Continue reading →

Posted in Bolivia, Economics, Germany, Health, History, Human Rights, Immigration Law, Law, Mexico, Military, Music, Poland, Politics, Romania, Russia, Statistics, Travel, US election 2016, USA, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pardon me!

Posted on 2017-02-19 by

When laws change, people who were once convicted as criminals are (sometimes) pardoned. We often find that just and necessary, like in the case of those convicted of homosexual acts when this was still a crime (which isn’t all that … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Cold War, History, Law, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Random Thoughts (7)

Posted on 2017-01-31 by

Don’t blame me for looking at your ( . )( . ) when you wear sunglasses and I can’t look at your eyes. In Venezuela, the richest country in South America between the 1950s and the 1980s, and still the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Economics, Education, Facebook, Films, Germany, Media, Politics, Religion, Technology, Terrorism, Travel, US election 2016, USA, Venezuela | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The allure of chess

Posted on 2015-10-11 by

In a civil registry office in the Soviet Union, some time in the 1960s: The men are immersed in a game of chess. The brides are bored, most of them have already fallen asleep. So, the long waits in government offices … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Marriage, Sports | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Why I don’t play the Lottery

Posted on 2015-02-22 by

Because it’s a Soviet scam, a Communist charade: In the novel Twelve Chairs, Ilja Ilf and Evgeny Petrov describe how the Soviet Union organized steamship tours, accompanied by orchestras and dance groups, whose goal it was to get people to sign … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Economics, History, Lithuania, Photography, Travel | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Grutas Park – a Museum of Falsification of History

Posted on 2013-02-21 by

Last weekend I was in Druskininkai, in the South of Lithuania, and of course I wanted to visit nearby Grūtas Park (Grūto parkas in Lithuanian), a sculpture park of Soviet monuments and a museum about the Soviet occupation of Lithuania. … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Holocaust, Lithuania, Military, Photography, Politics, Travel, World War II | Tagged , , | 38 Comments