RUSSIA: WWII hero awarded on Fatherland Day

Published 23 February, 2010, 09:23

After waiting for almost a lifetime, Nikolay Novikov, a Russian WWII hero, has received official recognition of his services to the military. He received his award as Russia celebrates Defenders of the Fatherland Day.

Fatherland Day, also known as Men’s Day, traditionally is an opportunity for Russia's leaders to pay tribute to those who have served their country.

It was only last week that Nikolay Novikov found out that, back in 1943, he had been awarded an Order of the Red Star for his heroic fighting on the front line – holding off Hitler's forces during the Siege of Leningrad.

Stepping forward to proudly receive a medal from the President, he did not mind that it took a little longer than usual to attach. He had already waited more than six decades for this day.

“As our president was fastening the order to my chest, I said to him, ‘You are fastening it for so long.’ To which he replied, ‘For eternity’,” Novikov says.

Over the course of the 900-day resistance, over 600,000 people are thought to have died in the city from cold, famine and the constant and devastating air raids.

“After occupying the enemy’s battery we went ahead along the road and heard mortar fighting. We stopped and tried to guess whether they were targeting us or not… I gave a command ‘hit the deck!’ and we all threw our bodies on the ground, but I only managed to squat down. A mine exploded just a meter away and my whole body was riddled with its fragments”, Novikov remembers.

It was as he lay wounded in hospital that he was awarded the order, but the news never reached him – and he had no idea that he was to be honored as a hero. This is a similar scenario for many war veterans.

“During the war it was often the case that a person earned an award, but then a couple of days later they were wounded and sent to the medical battalion. But they were often assigned to a different military unit after the injury and never received their awards”, historian Yuri Nikifirov explains.

There are still over half a million veterans who have not received their awards, and for the soldiers and their families it is an important recognition of the bravery of the men who fought so hard for their country.

A state commission searches for the unawarded veterans using the help of volunteers, whose aim is to revive more success stories like Nikolay’s.

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CHINA & US: Why Americans love the Dalai Lama

February 22, 2010 9:31 a.m. EST

By Jessica Ravitz, CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, has broad base of fans in America
• His sense of peace inspires; 56 percent of Americans view him favorably, poll shows
• He fills symbolic placeholder left by Gandhi and MLK, Tibet House executive says
• Buddhism helps him avoid trappings of fame, by not allowing ego to take over

(CNN) -- He's been decorated with awards and called one of the world's most influential people. He's addressed packed auditoriums and waved to crowds who line streets just to catch a passing glimpse of him. He's shaken the hands of countless global dignitaries and earned a fan base following on Facebook that might rival that of Hollywood stars.

He is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the 74-year-old spiritual leader of Tibet and the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, based in Dharamsala, India. And though he describes himself, according to his Web site, as "a simple Buddhist monk," the love so many Americans and others have for him has, no doubt, bestowed on him iconic status -- whether he sees it that way or not.

"I'd love to be in his presence. I'd love to be in an audience where he speaks," said Jerilee Auclair, 55, of Vancouver, Washington, who has yet to have that pleasure. "I yearn for it. I watch his schedule to see if/when he'll be in my area. ... I love what he stands for. His inner peace inspires me to find mine, daily."

She's far from alone in her admiration.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday, the same day the Dalai Lama visited the White House, showed that 56 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of him, putting him "in the same neighborhood as other major religious figures," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Favorable ratings for the pope, at 59 percent, and Billy Graham, at 57 percent, are virtually identical."

Not bad for a guy who lives on the opposite side of the globe, is entrenched in a decades-old political and cultural struggle many don't understand, and lives according to a tradition few Americans follow. Less than 1 percent of Americans identify themselves as Buddhist, with less than 0.3 percent of those being Tibetan Buddhist, according to The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

But what he represents resonates with Americans who may need a figure like the Dalai Lama to look to, said Ganden Thurman, executive director of New York City's Tibet House, an organization dedicated to preserving Tibetan culture and civilization.

"He stands for achieving peace by way of peace, and since Gandhi and Martin Luther King aren't around, he's a placeholder for that kind of position," he said. "He says he's a 'simple monk,' but that's wishful thinking. He's a monk that's been saddled with the responsibility of shouldering the hopes and dreams of millions of Tibetan people. ... He's doing the best he can with that, and frankly, these are the kind of people we admire."

Not that Thurman, 42, always treated the Dalai Lama with this kind of reverence. His father, Robert Thurman, co-founded the Tibet House, is an Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies professor at Columbia University and holds the first endowed chair in Buddhist studies in the West, according to the university's online biography. The older Thurman, who also happens to be the father of actress Uma Thurman, was a personal student of the Dalai Lama, and it was through this relationship that his son first met the spiritual leader.

"My earliest memory of meeting him, I was around 4. I was a pretty rambunctious 4-year-old," he said with a laugh, guessing that he probably jumped on His Holiness and grabbed at the man's glasses. "Diplomatic protocol wasn't high on my list of priorities."

Tenzin Tethong has known the Dalai Lama since he was a child. He worked in the exile government and served as the spiritual leader's representative in New York and Washington during the 1970s and 1980s. Now the president of The Dalai Lama Foundation, a Redwood City, California, organization that promotes peace, Tethong said he organized the Tibetan leader's first visit to the United States in 1979, 20 years after he had gone into exile

He recalled not being sure they'd be able to pull off the visit because by the early 1970s, the U.S. had normalized its relations with China, which has long viewed the Dalai Lama as a threat to its national unity on the issue of Tibetan autonomy. But they came at the invitation of various colleges and religious groups, and the American fascination with the Dalai Lama -- the curiosity about his exotic past, his beliefs and his teachings -- spoke volumes then, Tethong said.

In the decades since, the Dalai Lama's star power has only risen as Americans have learned more about his commitment to nonviolence, interfaith outreach and more. For starters, there was that Nobel Peace Prize he won in 1989.

High-profile supporters, like actor Richard Gere, helped give him and his people's struggles pop culture prominence, as did several mainstream films including "Seven Years in Tibet," starring Brad Pitt, and "Kundun," directed by Martin Scorsese.

With the increased exposure, there has also been a growing prevalence of "Free Tibet" bumper stickers, the appearance of Tibetan prayer flags in suburbia and Facebook fans who shower the Dalai Lama with praise.

"Have a nice and easy day with Obama! Namaste," one woman wrote Thursday. "thank you for all your love, guidance and wisdom ... u changed my life," a man added. And then this from a college-student fan: "HH Dalai Lama!! You kick metaphorical ass!!!"

How has all this attention not gone to his head?

RELATED TOPICS

• Dalai Lama
• Tibet
• Buddhism

"When fame happens, people get carried away, right? The Dalai Lama, despite tremendous adoration as well as adulation ... is very conscious of that," Tethong said. "One of the Buddhist practices is to always be very aware of one's self and how one looks at one's self and not to be carried away with one's ego."

Not standing on formalities -- he playfully threw snow at reporters outside the White House on Thursday -- staying grounded and his constant ability to exude warmth and joy have made him easy to love, people who admire him say.

"He really is the real deal -- a truly loveable guy. He lives his values," said Jamie Metzl, executive vice president of the Asia Society, a global organization that seeks to increase understanding and relationships between the U.S. and Asia. "Recognizing someone who lives their life according to such positive principles helps us all grow."

And Metzl, who said he's met the Dalai Lama three times, suggested the Chinese government, through its denunciation of the spiritual leader, has bolstered his recognition. He said that by saying the Dalai Lama is "a wolf in sheep's clothing," a claim Metzl said doesn't match what people read and see, "the Chinese are doing a great deal to turn him into a rock star."

But nothing does more to make people appreciate the Dalai Lama than being with him, said Charles Raison, a psychiatrist with Emory University Medical School.

Raison, who's been involved in a program where Western doctors work with and exchange teachings with Buddhist monks, recounted a time when he, his wife and several others met with the Dalai Lama about four years ago.

"Many people, myself included, have a powerful experience in his presence. I nearly erupted in tears," he said. And his wife, whom he said "does not have a religious bone in her body" was "just beaming."

He said studies have long shown that people have a physiological response to the behaviors, feelings and even smells put forth by others.

"Buddhists," he added, "say that sweet smells come from a saint -- a mark of spiritual advancement."

View CNN Article

RUSSIA: Putin Signals New Tolerance For Protest In Russia

Russian retiree Leokadya Maximova, 72, of Kaliningrad says she is struggling to get by on her $265-a-month pension. She says the situation will prompt her to take to the streets with other anti-government protesters.  David Greene/NPR

February 23, 2010

In Russia, public protests are generally small and often shut down by police. But over the past few weeks, police have not cracked down on a handful of anti-government demonstrations.

And Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently told members of his party that getting feedback from citizens is a good thing.

"We can't just make promises to people and then throw dust in their eyes," Putin said, in the wake of the largest protest so far.

The protest that caught the Kremlin's attention took place Jan. 30.

Between 6,000 and 10,000 people streamed into the streets of Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave squeezed between two members of the European Union — Poland and Lithuania.

Next time, 72-year-old Leokadya Maximova says she'll be on the streets demonstrating, too. She's a retired train conductor who wants the government to do better for her than her $265-a-month pension.

Russians should not be afraid to protest and speak their mind, she says.

Mikhail Chesalin helped organize the January rally, and on a recent day in his office, he played video from the rally, where the crowd shouted for Putin to resign.

Calling for the prime minister's ouster is nothing new for Chesalin, who is a local leader of the small leftist party, Patriots of Russia, which often organizes demonstrations. But this crowd swelled like none before, Chesalin said. Everyone seemed to be there: members of the larger Communist Party, even Putin's own United Russia party.

And that's the trend. Protests in Russia are attracting a mainstream audience. That's one reason the Kremlin quickly dispatched envoys to Kaliningrad, to understand how last month's protest came about.

They could get a pretty good idea if they talked to someone like Sergei Ivanchin, a father of two who owns a motorcycle shop in Kaliningrad, and is a member of Putin's United Russia party.

For years, Ivanchin said, he was sold on Putin's promise that discipline and order would eventually bring prosperity. Over time, though, Ivanchin said he grew disappointed. High taxes and bureaucratic hurdles were hurting his business. Everything got worse in these current tough economic times. And finally, Ivanchin's frustration reached the brink.

"They always promise a bright future for us. First it was the communists. Now, it's the United Russia party. Any leaders who come to power, their message is always: 'You just wait. Keep suffering. And maybe in your next life you will be rewarded,'" he said.

But Putin's representatives in Kaliningrad say they're trying to take a different approach.

Aleksandra Smirnova, 31, arrived in Kaliningrad in April 2008 and has been its economic minister since the beginning of 2009. She has seen the recent protests as a window into Russia's politician transition.

People who lived through Soviet times, she said, still don't understand there's only so much the government can do.

"On the one hand, people want to protest. People want to express their opinion. [On] the other hand, there is lack of understanding the budget is fixed," she said.

But another holdover from Soviet times, she said, is that the government in Russia doesn't always listen to the people and act on their needs.

"This is our fault that we don't inform people much, that we don't make social dialogues," she said.

Smirnova made sure to say she wasn't criticizing her boss, the prime minister. But Putin did limit preferences in 2005, when he began appointing regional governments, instead of letting them be elected. Many of the protesters in Kaliningrad and elsewhere have said getting those democratic rights back would be a good first step.

View NPR Article

HIMEJI, JAPAN: Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle is widely considered Japan's most spectacular castle. Unlike many other Japanese castles, Himeji Castle was never destroyed in wars, earthquakes or fires and survives in its original form. It is both a national treasure and a UNESCO world heritage site.

Construction Notice: Major renovation works will be carried out on the main keep of Himeji Castle from April 2010 until March 2014. The main keep will be covered by scaffolding, starting from April 12, 2010. Access to the interior of the main keep will be impossible from April 12, 2010 until early 2011 and partially restricted thereafter until 2014.

Inside Himeji Castle

In the 14th century, a fort was first built on the current castle site. Over the centuries, the various clans, who ruled over the region, gradually enlarged it. The castle complex, as it survives today, was completed in 1609. The well defended castle and its wooden interior are fascinating, and the castle's sight is spectacular, especially during the short and crowded cherry blossom season, that usually takes place in the first half of April.

It typically takes one to three hours to explore Himeji Castle. Many travelers visit it on an easy day or half day trip from Kyoto or during a 3-6 hour stop over on a journey along the Sanyo coast, for example, from Kyoto to Hiroshima or Kyushu.

How to get there

From Himeji Station, the castle can be reached in a 15-20 minute walk or 5 minute bus or taxi ride along the broad Otemae-dori Street, which leads straight from the station to the castle.

How to get to and around Himeji

Hours and Fees

• Hours:  9:00 to 17:00 (until 18:00 from late April through August)  Admission into the inner castle grounds ends one hour before closing time.  Admission into the castle keep ends 30 minutes before closing time.
• Closed:  December 29 and 30
• Admission:  600 yen

View Article on japan-guide.com

FUKUOKA, JAPAN: A Side Trip to Dazaifu

 

FROMMER’S:

If you have 4 or more hours to spare, I heartily recommend taking a side trip to Dazaifu, a pleasant village that is home to a shrine that is immensely popular with Japanese and the Kyushu National Museum. Dazaifu has a festive atmosphere, and one of the main reasons to visit, in my opinion, is to see everyone else.

The best way to reach Dazaifu is from Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station in Tenjin (located in the Mitsukoshi department store building). Take a limited express (tokkyu) of the Nishitetsu Tenjin Omuta Line (there are departures every 30 min.) 12 minutes to Futsukaichi (the second stop); transfer there (across the platform) for the 8-minute train ride on the Nishitetsu Dazaifu Line (two stops) to Dazaifu Station, the last stop (though there are a few trains that go directly from Fukuoka Station to Dazaifu). If you don't catch a limited express, the trip to Dazaifu can take about 50 minutes. In any case, the fare is ¥390 ($3.25/£1.65) one-way. The Dazaifu City Tourist Information Desk (tel. 092/925-1880; daily 9am-5:30pm), located inside Dazaifu Station, has an English-language pamphlet.

GATEWAY TO JAPAN:

0:20-0:30 h by private Nishitetsu train from Nishitetsu-Fukuoka station; some direct trains, otherwise change at Futsukaichi, served by both local and express trains.

Dazaifu was the southern outpost of the Yamato government.  It was from here that the Japanese launched armies in the 6th century to defend their Korean colony, Mimana, and their ally, the Paekche Kingdom (Kudara in Japanese) against a rival Korean kingdom, Silla, and Tang China.  Later, the Nara court appointed governors to Dazaifu to administer all of Kyushu and to host foreign envoys.  Dazaifu becames a splended, smaller version of Nara, and an appointment to the governorship carried power and prestige.  But in the Heian period, as the court became less concerned with provincial and foreign affairs, the Dazaifu post offered an excuse to remove political foes from Kyoto.  The most famous exile was Sugawara no Michizane, who “governed” from Dazaifu for two years before succumbing to grief.  The Dazaifu Tenman-gu was later built to console his deified spirit.  The shrine has since taken on a life of its own so that today the town of Dazaifu thrives around the approach to the shrine, while the ruins of the ancient government headquarters lie amid fields and groves. 

The Dazaifu Tenman-gu is a short walk from Nishitetsu-Dazaifu station, and the Kannon-ji/Tofuro area is about 0:25 h on foot from the station.  We recommend renting a bicycle at the Tourist Center across from the station ticket window.

CHINA: 15 places worth visiting in China: Daocheng county

Daocheng county is located in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous prefecture, 
Sichuan Province. There is green grassland, colorful flowers, high 
mountains, bright sky and fresh air. The area has the largest remains
of an ancient glacier in the Tibetan plateau.

2009-12-01 17:02 BJT

Editor: Jin Lin | Source: China.org.cn

View Article on CCTV

RUSSIA: On this day: 23 February

On February 23, 1958, the memorial complex dedicated to the USSR’s victory in the Second World War was founded on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow.

Poklonnaya Hill, first mentioned in 16th century documents, played a noticeable part in Russian history. In 1812, Napoleon stood there waiting for the keys to Moscow, but his expectations were in vain. The name “Poklonnaya” literally means “a place to bow”. Possibly, the hill got such a name because travelers and ambassadors on their way in or out of Moscow bowed to the city from its top to show their respect.

The memorial complex project was developed in 1945, but then there was no opportunity to build it. The Second World War, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War, had just ended, and the USSR had no resources for such an enormous construction project.

On February 23, 1958, a memorial sign with an inscription saying “Here, the monument for the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War 1941 – 1945 will be constructed” was placed on Poklonnaya Hill, and Victory Park was laid out around the sign.

The actual construction of the site began only in 1983, and it took a decade to finish it. The complex opened only on May 9, 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the victory over the Nazi Germany.

The oldest building of the complex is the Great Patriotic War Museum. The architect Anatoly Polyansky built it in 1986. The museum’s collection of items relating to the war – weapons, orders, and medals, along with soldiers’ personal belongings such as letters – numbers around 50,000. The red banner planted by two Soviet soldiers on the roof of the Reichstag in Berlin on May 1, 1945, is among them.

One of the strongest impressions, however, is produced by The Books of Memory – a collection of 385 volumes with all the names of the fallen listed in them. In the park around the exhibition hall there is an open-air exhibition of war-time tanks, armored vehicles and cannons open all year round and free of charge.

The centerpiece of the entire ensemble is a 141.8 meters (about 462.2 feet) high obelisk created by Zurab Tsereteli. The height is symbolic – the Soviet Union was fighting fascism for 1,418 days. Among other notable structures on the hill are an Orthodox church, a Mosque and a Synagogue which is also the biggest museum of Jewish history in Russia.

Nowadays celebrations of major Russian war-related anniversaries are held here. On May 9, WWII veterans gather there to celebrate Victory Day and to remember the war. People of the city greet them, handing them flowers to thank them for the victory. Victory Park is one of the most popular parks in Moscow. In summer, people enjoy picnicking and riding bicycles there, and in winter, many skiers appear. In addition, an exhibition of ice sculptures usually takes place in the park.

View RT Article

RUSSIA AT THE OLYMPICS: Biathlon: Russia's unbelieving Ustyugov wins mass start gold

Whistler (AFP) - An unbelieving Evgeny Ustyugov realised a long held dream on Sunday by winning Olympic gold for Russia in the men's 15km mass start biathlon. The 24-year-old's winning time of 35mins 35.7sec was enough to see him home ahead of France's Martin Fourcade and Slovakian Pavol Hurajt by more than 10 seconds, with a flawless display on the shooting range putting him in pole position. "It hasn't sunk in yet. I still don't understand that I've won the gold," said Ustyugov, ranked third in the world. "Honestly, after the last Olympics I wouldn't even have dreamt that I would be here. A gold was in my distant dreams, anything can happen at an Olympics and it happened today." This is the first time France have taken five medals in biathlon at a Winter Olympics and Fourcade was delighted to be the new owner of a silver. "I thought I was out of contention after the first visit (to the shooting range), but everyone seemed to be a little tired," said Fourcade. "I took the opportunity to work my way up, then I realised I was in contention for a medal and I fought as hard as I could. "It's a childhood dream to win a medal and when you realise it is going to happen to you, it feels amazing. I was going for bronze, but realised I had a chance for silver and hung in." Hurajt made a strong start and led after the last two visits to the range, but ended up with bronze at 16.6sec back having hit all 20 targets, only to be overtaken in the last few kilometres. "Of course I felt tired and Evgeny is a better skier than me. I was expecting a challenge from the Austrians and I was surprised that Martin (Fourcade) came through," said Hurajt. Ustyugov was ranked 13th on the first visit to the shooting range, but moved up the field with swift skiing and deadly rifle accuracy to take the lead in the race's closing stages. The Russian passed Hurajt and built himself a sizeable lead in the final kilometres after the fourth visit to the shooting range. Austria finished with three biathletes in the top ten, but there was disappointment for Germany's Michael Greis, who won three gold medals at Turin 2006, who ended 10th after three penalties. Norway's 36-year-old biathlon legend Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, who has won five Winter Olympic golds in his career, came a lowly 27th.

View AFP Article on NBC Olympics

VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA: S-56 Submarine

“S-51, S-54, S-55, S-56 submarines should make hidden passage from their bases to Polyarnoye through Panama Canal”. Executing the Naval People’s Commissar order, S-56 passed Haiti and Tortuga pirate islands and became the most efficient Soviet submarine participating in the World War II. The submarine was the first in Russia to go round the world. S-56 withstood explosions of more than 3,000 antisubmarine bombs. Nowadays the submarine is a showpiece of the Military Glory of the Pacific Fleet museum in Vladivostok. The original interior of a Soviet military submarine is restored in the fore body of the submarine. Exhibitions dedicated to Vladivostok defensive infrastructure are organized in the submarine stern part.

Source:  Google and Russian Railways

TOKYO, JAPAN: Tokyo video arcade robbed of 5 million yen

February 22, 3:53 AM

By Joshua Williams

A video arcade in Tokyo was robbed of over ¥5 million (~$55,000 USD) by a man with a knife in the early morning of February 22nd, metropolitan police told local reporters.

A robber wearing dark clothes, a black hat and sunglasses entered the Toho Leisure Plaza video arcade in northwestern Tokyo at around 5:15am, just after the arcade had closed for the night, Tokyo Broadcasting System News reported.

The robber thrust a sharp object, believed to be a knife, towards a 23-year old employee and demanded to be taken to the arcade’s office. There he threatened the 36-year old manager and demanded money. The manager opened the safe, and the robber made off with contents–over five million yen–in a bag he was carrying with him.

No one was reported injured in the incident.

Police believe the robber to be a man between 5’3” and 5’5” tall, and in his forties.

Video arcade are still quite popular and common in Japan. There are well over 300 arcades in Tokyo alone, and more than 3,000 nationwide, according to Navitime Japan. Some arcades will stay open through the middle of the night.

View Article in Japan Headlines Examiner