It's pathetic that a country with such vast natural wealth and such an enormous reserve of brainpower is a complete and total basketcase.
From the Treaty of Vienna until today Russia has had every opportunity imaginable to become a fabulously wealthy, vibrantly successful nation.
It has squandered each and every opportunity.
I agree.
I wonder if most of their best and brightest are all over here now. I've worked with a lot of Russians and to a person they've been smart, hard working, and tough. Stubborn as rocks, too, which can cause some problems at work sometimes but their tenacity is more often an asset.
I don't know why their former country is such a mess unless all the sharp and innovative ones have left, or if the system is just so completely hosed up that they can't make a dent if they stay.
LQ
All due to that left turn that Russia took in November 1917.
Russia is a strange and complex culture which is not much focused on material success as the Western countries are. It is a synthesis of disparate elements - remote Slavic, Germanic and Siberian tribes, Greek Byzantine spirituality, Mongol/Chinese statecraft, the science and technology of Protestant Enlightenment, the extreme radicalism of Western Europe and Orthodox Christian revival. The synthesis was and is being done in the center of Eurasian chaotic landmass.
Von Metternich said: "Russia is never as strong as she appears, and never as weak as she appears."
That is why the great conquerors like Napoleon and Hitler lost their lost everything in attempt to conquer weak Russia, at the same small and weak nations nations like Finland managed to defeat the overwhelming Russian power.
Russia is a strange and complex culture which is not much focused on material success as the Western countries are. It is a synthesis of disparate elements - remote Slavic, Germanic and Siberian tribes, Greek Byzantine spirituality, Mongol/Chinese statecraft, the science and technology of Protestant Enlightenment, the extreme radicalism of Western Europe and Orthodox Christian revival. The synthesis was and is being done in the center of Eurasian chaotic landmass. This being done with centralized government and wild anarchy and freedom outside of the center. Russia absorbed countless tribes and nationalities while preserving their languages and virtual autonomy.
Von Metternich said: "Russia is never as strong as she appears, and never as weak as she appears."
That is why the great conquerors like Napoleon and Hitler lost their lost everything in attempt to conquer weak Russia, at the same small and weak nations nations like Finland managed to defeat the overwhelming Russian power.
It is and this kanook is off his rocker. I just got back from a trip there 1 month ago. New Moscow is now under construction, with 3 sky scrapers up, another on the way and about 20 more planned....this is the new IT/Business park.
Euro-land is a cool mall....4 stories high, has a full soccer stadium and is about 4 blocks long in size. And guess what, the middle class are the main shoppers. This is one of many malls. Furniture World is a 4 story store 1.5 blocks long. The Ikea store is the width of a super k-mart and 3 stories tall and the list goes on and on.
I don't understand why Russia doesn't simply outlaw abortions as a matter of national survival. Are their politics as hopelessly feminist-soaked as our own?