Putin's annual Q&A session. This is always great viewing.
quite so. i didn't get to follow it live. so maybe the video is for replay or maybe the transcripts...but i read just some transcript live short summaries...not all yet.
but of course they have many questions of ''practical'' concerns like jobs, economy, wages, pensions...normal things like for any of us anywhere, lol.
but what's admirable is that he really does have good mastery or at the least given thought to just about every concern their citizens have..and if he isn't sure or doesn' tknow -- readily acknowledges and asks the aides to either correct him or not or make the appropriate attention later.
if even half of that sense of responsibility for the job is shown by any world leaders or -- half of them -- the world would be in much better shape, i think.
i don't know what the politics or effectiveness was of KEVIN RUDD of australia -- but he seems to be a more regular participant as one of the main panelists in big conferences in russia - like the St petersburg economic forum. the recent months' big discussion group - something about the Eurasian Economic Union Plus ASEAN plus China meeting talking about big stuff...and it was a really interesting discussion among the panelists onstage among his peers from across the continental region and australia - as they debated (the famous author MEARSHIMER was among them, also seemingly a regularly invited participant)
and fielded questions from the public that of course consisted of international participants -- this was in SOCHI , i think 3 months ago.
when i was in st petersburg for 2 weeks this past june-july - i did observe in one of the most ''ritzy'' hotels , because someone treated me to lunch there which was her hotel -- LOTS and lots of really expensive cars with chauffeurs and out come these businessmen and diplomat type people - all the time..japanese, chinese, korean, arabs, persians, germans, british, indians..
and only realized in back in my hotel switching on the TV (not understanding russian of course, just somehow getting the 'feel" for what the news showed )
that while it was the summer swing and ''busy" time for the city - tourists and all that -
PUTIN was indeed in the city in the other 'island" for the st petersburg economic forum - or whatever they call that...u know,talking high tech, future trends, etc...with the international groups and public forums.
they have those areas of the city - more in the outskirts (as the city is really built on originally swamp land with all the rivers today and so is carved up into tightly packed islets , and so they have hundreds of bridges, big and small everywhere -- in a way , i can imagine London and the River THAMES and all similar types) -
and probably so as to preserve the character of st petersburg as it was built long ago - the outskirts are where the really modern 'city' is ..i didn't even realize it until the flight out (i arrived 2 weeks before on a VERY rainy, hard wind day) ...when everything was clear skies..that there were gleaming towers and buildings in the outer circles...really amazing.
incidentally -- in the sky -- you realize just how big that country must really be - we know it's big -- but man....green -- taiga as far as the horizon to any direction...and that's likely just what we can see from one angle before the horizon disappears to the ''east" .where it's even bigger..
u know one of the biggest shocks to me anyway? but also a confirmation that these are, as a former chiense dip;lomat general said :"a people of very, very tough fibre"...
when my plane flew in (finnair it was with a short stop and change of plane in helsinki with its GORGEOUS airport, oh my god!!) -
it was raining REALLY hard in st pete...cloudy and grey skies all over with hard, hard wind. whew!
but the thing is -- with the cab the hotel sent to get me - the guy could speak some english and was really funny andcommunicative - and seeing that we BOTH were smokers -- after exiting the airport and as the rain slowed down a bit -- said if i wanted we could smoke - to he stopped the car by the highway and we chatted away smoking and trading jokes, lol.
but then as later the rain hardened for real ..
i could see on the roadsides people walking, or standing waiting for the bus, or literally seating on park benches , chatting away...well-dressed business people, chic women in high fashion..laborers, students, children..families and NOT A SINGLE ONE was running away from the rain or wind...they just went about their business as if nothing was the matter at all...umbrella or no -- SOAKED all through walking calmly - like nothing was any different.
my mouth was agape in shock - coming from NYC where everyoen is so ''touchy" at the slightest ''disturbance" or perceived ''threat" or 'danger" ..
that the cab driver was laughing so loud..lol.
but the thing is -- when the days were HOT - even reminded me of the philippines..and naturally more sweaty - the russians behaved EXACTLY the same way -- always calm and well -- the proper word to describe in general is ''UNRUFFLED"...sweat drips down because of the heat is treated s if it is not there..just as rain isn't there or ice or snow..amazing composure, i thought.
they have one of these children's tales they say is quite popular among them...
about a young woman , girl , and ''MAN FROST"..
her mom died so her dad remarried a widow who also had a daughter somewhat older...and they were nasty to the girl and wanted all the riches of the father to themselves..but he couldn't oppose the wife too much..
and the wife ordered him to send his daughter away - nd he foolishly did - and left to live alone in the taiga (forest) - and winter to come so she will die of the cold as the wife hoped..
and when MAN FROST came he blew and blew and asked the girl "are you warm enough yet?"
and she pretending to be ok - said "yes, thank you very much old man frost i am quite warm".
he was so impressed that he stopped blowing a bit and instead left her a warm coat..
nd he came back the next day blew and blew and blew and asked "are you warm enough yet?"
and she says ?"yes old man frost thahnk you for the coat you are so thoughtful to ask about me".
he was even more impressed at how respectful and composed she was so he left her a house with fire and food...
and he came back again and blew harder and asked "are you warm yet?" and she says "oh very warm Old Man Frost because you are so thoughtful"..
and he gave her jewels and even all the food she wanted plus animals nd a garden...and he parted the clouds above her so the sun would shine on her garden in winter...
nd the wife wondered wht had happened meanwhile...ordered the husband to make sure if the girl had died by now so the wife will get the child's inheritance from her long-gone mother...
and the father found to his joy his daughter was alive, well, healthy, warm, rich adorned with jewels...
and he brought her home ..and the wife was so greedy she ordered the man to send HER own daughter to the forest in winter so old man frost will give her gifts too...
and this nasty girl was found by old man frost..who blew and blew and asked
|"are you warm yet , pretty girl?"
the girl said "what?!! are you insance/ dont' you see i'm cold witha ll that blowing you're doing -- why don't you give me the warm blanket and house and fire and food and rich jewels like you did to the other girl? hurry up!!">
and so Old MAn frost blew and blew and blew...
and when the wife told the father to check how her daughter must be so rich now...
he came back soon with the girl ice cold dead in his arms...
it is said to russians the lesson is not 'cleverness' of the first girl -- but in composure and what they like to say about nature and matters in the world>
"recognize, accept and respect".
recognize that you will die if you don't accept you are only nothing in nature's way and you don't respect it and act accordingly.
as PUTIN said when asked by some journalists -- foreign or russian"''WHO or WHAT is the russian? "
his answer was" i think teh russian is that which believes that to live means to live a life with conscience..such as in matters of material reality ...yes we all want comforts, riches, recognition, achievement, possessions, toys, -- but it is more than than -- it is about spirit something about which all material wealth and blessings are just a way to understand the spirituality of our existence..and this is taught to us by our land, its blessings as well as its terrors...
"i think that we are who we are because we are a reflection of the grandeur of our land".