The Challenge in Europe

Social vulnerability of alcoholics in Russia
After the economic reforms in Russia, excessive alcohol consumption has become less noticeable. One of the reasons is the more responsible way of life under the conditions of market economy. There has been also another mechanism: different kinds of crime against the alcoholics aimed at expropriation of their apartments, houses or other property. Criminals often act in the interests of commercial structures acquiring immobile property. As a result, many alcoholics have become homeless. Such things happened also earlier; there follows an example from the 1970s. It is understandable that a 19-year-old boy would like to have his own apartment; and that his mother, divorcing her alcoholic husband, would like to secure an apartment for her son. So, a large apartment was exchanged for 2 smaller ones, one for the mother and grandmother, and another for the father and son. The father, uncle Nicolay, was a war veteran, but in the period 1941-44 he had been in German captivity, so he had no support from the veterans organizations. He was a good engineer but suffered of alcoholism, and the symptoms of a progressive dementia had become apparent during the last 3-4 years. Now and then Ivan told to me that he continuously talks with his father, during drinking binges and after them, about hopelessness of his condition, that dementia will only worsen; and that they have together come to the conclusion that a suicide would be the best solution. Then Ivan invited me to participate: uncle Nicolay agreed to commit suicide, and we will just help if necessary. We came in the evening, drank some vodka, and another bottle was left for the next morning. We consumed it in the morning with black coffee; uncle Nicolay told us that he had learned from Germans to do it this way. The bottle was finished; and Ivan said that it is time now, there was some confusion, but the sling was pas put on nonetheless. There was a hook in the wall in the corridor. I left the apartment first but saw through the door how Ivan pushed a stool from under his feet. Authorities treated the case as a suicide, and there wasn???t any trouble. Retrospectively, the case should be classified as an assisted suicide. This is just a run-on sentence of anecdotal information, but the topic is of great importance for Russia even today. The concluding point is that the state should take more care about chronic alcoholics including those suffering from alcohol-related dementia, because they are vulnerable members of society and can be abused in their families or expropriated by criminals. It should be also recommended to Russian authorities to investigate the cases, when chronic alcoholics were illegally deprived of their apartments, having thus become homeless, and to help these people to obtain lodging again.

The new Huns: a view from Russia
Relationships of China with the neighbours, based on the sinocentric concept, remained essentially unchanged through centuries. One of the mechanisms was suppression of the cultural identity of potential rivals. For this purpose, China pushed the nomads to the West: the Huns, the Mongols, who swept away entire civilizations. This is the light, in which the today's patriotic campaign in Russia should be seen. Some accompanying phenomena become clear: distortion by Russians of their own historic heritage, barbaric reconstruction of Moscow, falsification of history. All that is aimed at pushing our country farther to the East, into the Asian steppes. The movement in the same direction has been continued until today, contributing to Russia's transformation to a Chinese satellite, and Russians - into the new Huns devoid of cultural individuality, with aggressiveness directed to the West. China equipped the Huns and the Mongols with a totalitarian state apparatus and corresponding ideology, negating all kinds of liberalism and human rights, but did not share with them its ancient culture. A glance at a map shows that Russia is between the West and the East, between China and Europe. From the East we have indifference to personal freedom and human rights, intolerance of non-conformism, superiority of executive power over the law (so-called executive tyranny) and intimidation of a major part of the population. From the West - fundamental sciences and ideas of liberalism, that are persisting in the thin layer of intelligentsia. Today we are losing it. Our science does not reject falsification and plagiarism; and even medicine ceased rejecting charlatanism. Moscow is losing its European appearance: pseudo-traditional kitsch, second-rate high-tech and post-modernism, like in middle-sized Chinese cities. The skyline of the newly built business centre Moskva-City is borrowed from Kuala Lumpur. Some building materials of Chinese origin, used in the course of Moscow reconstruction, have low strength and provoke allergic reactions. Low quality of products on sale, most of them originating from China, becomes more and more remarkable. A perfect illustration of these tendencies is the Russian custom-house: unparalleled bureaucratic procedures, bribes and other obstacles to the importation of medical and other products. Another example is the Russian postal service remaining notoriously slow and unreliable. So far, aggressiveness of the new Huns is manifested only in rhetoric or as violation of the copyright. Intellectual property, professional literature, computer programs are often misappropriated. Remarkably, proprietors of intellectual values have no tools of defending their rights. Accustoming a neighbour to violation of his rights means subordinating him. Why not, somebody must be the leader.

English ??? one language for everybody: a view from Russia
English is the obvious candidate for the role of a single international language, it is an international language already, most elaborate and best adapted to all modern purposes, to the use with computers etc. The drawback of the single-language concept is that non-native English speakers would be disadvantaged. Besides, some small and also great languages create advantages for the bearers because of incomprehensibility for others. Obviously, it is disruptive and contradictory to the interests of the whole mankind. Introduction of English as a sole international language will face an opposition, whereas those, who are most persistent in opposing, will be most disadvantaged in a long run. Theoretically, all problems can be solved under the conditions of égalité and fraternité, if peoples will help each other, and will take no advantages from their numerical growth, from the fact that they are native speakers, that they have oil under earth or grain in the fields etc. If all humans will be brothers, nobody should be deceived any more, and the obvious truth must be clearly said: the concept known today as civilization is largely European civilization, which has presented the rest of the world with modern science and medicine, with democracy and human rights, with sanitation and canalization, extermination of slavery and cannibalism. European civilization evolved, explored and created; only she was able to free her citizens from fears??? and only those who are free from fears can be creative. All other great civilizations tended to stagnate for some reasons. The concluding point is that the first step away from global linguistic nuisance should be introduction of English as a first or second official language in all countries. Russia, welcoming today more and more foreigners as a result of economic growth, must be among the pioneers on this noble way??? otherwise the foreign fellow-citizens, temporary or permanent, will lose themselves in our administrative and legal corridors. S. Jargin (Moscow) http://www.freewebs.com/overpopulation1/

English ??? one language for everybody: a view from Russia

English is the obvious candidate for the role of a single international language, it is an international language already, most elaborate and best adapted to all modern purposes, to the use with computers etc. The drawback of the single-language concept is that non-native English speakers would be disadvantaged. Besides, some small and also great languages create advantages for the bearers because of incomprehensibility for others. Obviously, it is disruptive and contradictory to the interests of the whole mankind. Introduction of English as a sole international language will face an opposition, whereas those, who are most persistent in opposing, will be most disadvantaged in a long run. Theoretically, all problems can be solved under the conditions of égalité and fraternité, if peoples will help each other, and will take no advantages from their numerical growth, from the fact that they are native speakers, that they have oil under earth or grain in the fields etc. If all humans will be brothers, nobody should be deceived any more, and the obvious truth must be clearly said: the concept known today as civilization is largely European civilization, which has presented the rest of the world with modern science and medicine, with democracy and human rights, with sanitation and canalization, extermination of slavery and cannibalism. European civilization evolved, explored and created; only she was able to free her citizens from fears??? and only those who are free from fears can be creative. All other great civilizations tended to stagnate for some reasons. The concluding point is that the first step away from global linguistic nuisance should be introduction of English as a first or second official language in all countries. Russia, welcoming today more and more foreigners as a result of economic growth, must be among the pioneers on this noble way??? otherwise the foreign fellow-citizens, temporary or permanent, will lose themselves in our administrative and legal corridors. S. Jargin (Moscow) http://www.freewebs.com/overpopulation1/