It appears as though Annie was more perturbed by possible association with DI, who have the gall to be "pushing intelligent design and bus rapid transit", would you believe it! And she couldn't give a flying continental *&$% about Russia or anything having to do with it.

Unbeknown to herself, this Annie exhibits the same atheistic anti-religious spirit as ol' Nikita had. So Ms. Wagner deserves the shoe on many accounts.

Great choice, guys.

Sorry Nick, but you're a bit wrong.

First of all, Khrushchev was a Soviet as opposed to a Russian leader.

Unless of course you recognize all Soviet territory as being part of the same country (Russia)?

Moreover, I'm a real person analyst unlike the person you link me with. A seeming attempt on your part to belittle my earnest efforts which receive high praise from those eatrnest individuals in the know.

Ask David Johnson why he shamefully promotes LR while politically censoring http://www.rusjournal.com and http://tiraspoltimes.com as well as yours truly.

Why don't you incorporate a neo-Stalinist award for people who play Machiavellian games with the media coverage of Russia? Specifically, promoting some over others in a way that's not always based on quality input.

Sadly, I missed the movie. However, I recognize that the emails sent from Nick Slepko seem to be more intelligent and well written than the actual review it generated from Annie.

Media certainly is interesting. I have gotten calls from around the country, and emails sent with reports of out of control violence here in my home town, in response to deployment of Stryker vehicles to Iraq. It was a fully orchestrated protest on both sides of the issue, and was a total non-event in terms of passionate protest or unscripted civil disobedience. No riots, tear gas or rubber bullets here.

Media does love to promote its own agenda, whichever perspective it represents.

I celebrate your enlightened awareness to recognize and award such "journalism".

It is a good movie wih decent acting and cinematography similar to "Apocolypse Now" having had the same kind of cultural impact on Russia as the aforementioned American film had on its American audience. There is a lot of pain associated with Russia's Vietnam type experience. They like us won the battles but lost the war, and shortly thereafter lost a country literally that many valued for its conservative stability and strength.

Most of the younger Russian mothers I know who watched the film expressed great relief if they only have girl children and others with boys expressed dread that their sons may have to serve in the Army (Chechnya). It reinforces feelings of futility... fighting for nothing... sacrificing sons for useless causes. The propaganda impact on military age Russian males appears to be the opposite of Apocalypse Now and First Blood genres, which increased young US males propensity to serve in the military. Russian enlistment rates remain low.

Young Russian males are more street smart and less prone to propaganda. The point that the journalist missed and that most US journalists miss is the importance of the film in illuminating a painful period in Russian history and its cathartic effect on the Russian psyche. Trauma initially presents with denial, followed by grieving. This film represents the grieving phase of the Russian recovery from Afghanistan and the subsequent collapse of the SU. They, like us, tell themselve that they won the battles, but lost the war because of political ineptitude. Blame assigned, denial phase over, grieving completed, renewal begins.

Mr. Hamilton,
Thanks for your thoughtful comment.

Charles

Stranger Than Fiction
A Ramble by Nick Slepko in Response to Annie Wagner and the Sloggers

“…What I am trying to say Ms. Wagner is that: I hear your truth and that’s okay in a Free Hugs kind of way.”

First of all, as the reigning film editrix at the greatest weekly Seattle has ever known, I want you to know that you didn’t offend me. In fact, my feelings (because those are important here in Seattle) gravitate somewhere between tickled pink and delightfully dandy. I chose to respond in the same style that I thought The Stranger appreciated (I know, dear Stranger readers, that’s so gender neutral inclusive language Proverbs 26:4 of me--or maybe 26:11…) Plus, who doesn’t love a gift bag!? (Helpful reminder: Ms. Wagner, you are responsible for reporting your windfall to the IRS and while our director is a tax lawyer, his expertise is limited mostly to tax agencies in Russia that keep getting abolished.)

As for your disappointment with the replica, the Khrushchev family threw the original shoe away (having not been educated on fundamental Western concepts by a misspent USAID grant, no doubt they did not understand the eBay value of such a prize). Even the pair that now travels the world is only for display purposes.

As for our insidious intelligent designs on Russia, I would be happy if Discovery’s Cascadia Center would enlighten Seattle on how to build transportation improvements like tunnels as quickly and inexpensively as Saint Petersburg and Moscow have in recent years (they even film American movies in them now--maybe if Nickels schleps hard enough we can snag a Bon Jovi video shoot). In fact, I’d be happy if Seattle was capable of building anything at all.

Regarding spreading weird conspiracy theories, I think the best one I heard while living in Ukraine was the one in heavy circulation in Western Ukraine (the good, Orange, coincidently Western-ish part) where many believed with great conviction that the Good Viktor (now president, not to be confused with the Bad Viktor, now prime minister) had poisoned himself to get votes and sympathy. If you hail from that part of the country (as my family does), you would understand why this made him even more popular with his base. Talk about Coalition of the Willing and taking one for the team! He could be my ultimate frisbee captain any day.

Also, speaking of deception, I’m unclear how calling gay women “lesbians” is homophobic (are you also one of those crazed Canada-sensitive semanticists who are profoundly vexed when people refer to citizens of the United States of America as Americans?) Maybe you can enlighten me on the proper term you crazy kids are using these days. Possibly it was its use in conjunction with the word “cavorting”? Yet, that also mystifies me as that is how I have described the uber-masculine groom at a wedding I recently attended. But, as subtlety is lost on some, the point of the lesbians and liberals piece I did for Russia Blog was: If your goal is to gain political power, maybe using a message like, “Stop the draft!” would be more likely to win over a middling electorate, rather than not-so-cheap stunts that pander to an out of touch creative elite who already vote for you anyway. Moral of the story: Take their money, don’t take their advice.

You are right however that I used the term “nominated” not “submitted”. Though, the fact checking error ultimately lies with me, I could try to explain how the Russian who shared this factoid with me speakied-the-English-not-so-good and therefore did not understand the implications of this confusion and chose to use a standard phrase that he had heard repeatedly on his “I Love ESL” cassette tapes. But I won’t, instead I have had him shot in the crotch and defenestrated. My deepest apologies.

Regarding the concerns expressed in the comments section:

*Not to worry, we don’t send polonium with our award, it is too expensive (and it takes weeks to get Amazon to deliver it for free besides).

*I am not Russian (thank Allah). My father’s side of the family is Ukrainian. Ukrainians are like Russians, only with better food and they also tend to die a lot more quickly--often because of Russians. Still, my mother’s side of the family is Mexican, but my aversion to hyphenating my last name (so everyone can understand how federally special and multicultural I am) is the victim of the subtle prejudice against diversity that is the Scantron application phenomenon. (Slepko-Gonzalez was giving me Carpal Tunnel.)

*Yes, we here at Russia Blog do know how to spell in Cyrillic, though what is truly amazing is that I can even read English as I am a product of Washington State’s public education system.

*Interrobang!?

*To clarify, Ms. Wagner wins in the category of “irrational fanaticism on a Russian scale”.

*Why does Discovery have an interest in foreign policy? More importantly, why do foreigners have an interest in Discovery? Because, fellow honkies, Seattle is home to quite a few immigrant and refugee communities that are trying to make a difference back in their homelands. Maybe the vegetarian-potluck-Kum Ba Yah-Ya Sisterhood-let’s-chant-and-drum-for-peace-while-evil-happens Internationale here in Ecotopia has not had the impact hoped for by the new Americans. To be sure, King County’s attempt at a sister county relationship with Cuba or solidarity movements among self-loathing white trust fund college-types have their place, but perhaps, we at the Real Russia Project, the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, and others are impressed at how Discovery can take unpopular, obscure issues and get results.

*No, the Real Russia Project has no financial or other for-profit interest in the success of 9th Company. Sometimes we just like to watch good movies. However, while I was living in Rwanda, I did work on a movie (recently released here in the States) called Beyond the Gates (aka Shooting Dogs). Please, Ms. Wagner, do let me know if you would like me and my Discovery affiliation to furnish you with a soapbox to denounce the genocide survivors I worked with on that film. Conveniently for you, most of the local crew were actual Creationists (unlike the folks at the Center for Science and Culture), so you could really stick it to them good then. It would jibe well with your propensity to do things like assert that 9th Company is a propaganda film for war (which makes you as oblivious as those who deride Trainspotting for glorifying heroin--but at least they aren't professional film reviewers).

In any case, Ms. Wagner, a few little journalism tips, while you can actually call and physically locate the Real Russia Project, you should be hesitant about getting your speculations about Russia and Russia Blog from blatantly dissembling bloggers who lack even basic contact and background info. Also, you didn’t even have to attend the screening of 9th Company to get a “sweet opportunity to get a peek inside the DI’s downtown HQ,” a Russian news agency has already done that for you. You see, many in the Russian media go to events, watch movies, and then report on them--and they have figured this process out without benefit of a Reformation or Enlightenment.

Finally, “this guy” is more grateful than you will ever know for your time and labored pains. I also think that our exchanges have been conducted in good faith (and we have both presented our interactions quite openly to the people reading this who are procrastinating on their lunch break). I don’t claim you “behaved badly,” I just think you behaved predictably and stereotypically. What I am trying to say Ms. Wagner is that: I hear your truth and that’s okay in a Free Hugs kind of way.

Your Fan,

The Lying Kook with a Yahoo! E-mail Address

The Stranger's uncontrollable ranting is amusing, but I don't get it. Why do you guys take the time respond to a rag which denigrates women by containing and promoting pornography?

Nick,

You mean you're still reading that rag?!

Hey...you've been missed in a big way. Are you in Seattle again? Drop me a line.