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Do-It-Yourself Civilization
After almost two years of civil war, some Syrians have taken the law into their own hands—in a good way. The city of Aleppo has been ruined by the civil war. (Photo credit: FreedomHouse) According to...
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Fear and Loathing in the Gun Control Debate
On my “About” page, I ask these questions: “What do people expect from their leaders? Do they trust them and accept their authority? Do the people feel protected from threats?” When I wrote that,...
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Some People Make It Too Easy
The Guardians (Photo credit: oefe) Yesterday, the Guardian reported that the National Security Agency has been requiring Verizon to turn over certain information about its customers’ phone calls. The...
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Culture: A Shopping Cart With A Bad Wheel
Head In Hands. When will the political posturing end?(Photo credit: craigmdennis) I haven’t posted on this blog in a while. The aspects of US politics and political culture that have preoccupied me...
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Samethink, Otherthink, and the Russian Constitution
Statue of Lenin in Moscow. Photo by author A few days ago, a member of Russian Parliament announced that he and some colleagues are working on legislation that could change the country’s society and...
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Russian information campaign against Crimean Tatars?
Prince Ukhtomsky in the Battle with Tatars at Volga in 1469. 1904. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia This morning I was listening to Kommersant FM radio talk about today’s referendum in Crimea and...
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You’re Not The Boss Of Me
Russia’s prickly president, Vladimir Putin The expression “You’re not the boss of me!” has always bothered me from a grammatical point of view, but it’s been on my mind (on the mind of me?) since the...
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Hands Off Russia’s Sacred Cow
Soviet WWII propaganda posters. Photo by author This week the Russian Duma passed a law forbidding the expression of disrespect for “days of Russian war glory and memorial dates tied to the defense of...
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Russian Opposition to Kremlin’s Actions in Ukraine
This video of a March 16 protest in Moscow shows that some Russians strongly oppose what their government has done in Ukraine. The protest leaders say about 50,000 people came. Visitors to my blog who...
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Astronomy of the Bizarre in Eurasia
I discovered a little late during college that I really liked astronomy. Too bad, but at least I also loved what I did study. I remember learning how stars are believed to form and change and die, and...
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