Kazan — summer 2012

Marina and her family had a long day with the Osipovs at Raifski Monastery and other places. They came home. The kids played peacefully, then fought like cats and dogs, then played peacefully, then fought like cats and dogs, then played peacefully, then fought like cats and dogs, and then fell asleep.

Our students had a lecture today on human rights and indigenous people's rights in Russia. It's the third time I have heard the lecture over the years, and I'm still interested. It's actually a great introduction to the bases of human rights in international law. Alas, Russia still has a long way to go in actually implementing them.

Our students today visited the Museum of Socialist Life, a place that shows what life was like during the Soviet years. I was stuck at the institute responding to e-mail and didn't get to go. Y'know, I'm going to have to visit that place.

In the past when a Russian student has received a test, they have received a grade on it on a scale of 1-5. Five is an A. Four is a B. Three is a C. Two, theoretically, is a D, but it's actually a failure. They didn't assign ones all that often.

Over the last few years that has started changing in Kazan. Now they are giving percentage scores. 85-100 is an A. 75-84 is a B. 65-74 is a C.

Today was Paratroopers Day, which means the city was filled with paratroopers in telnyashki, which are blue-white striped undershirts. In a spasm of testosterone, alcohol and tribal thinking, they wave their "Nobody but us" flags around, break bottles on their heads, occasionally turn a car or two over. Fun for them.

The police are out in droves for the situation. Of course, there are more paratroopers out than police, and the paratroopers are in better shape. The cops don't stand a chance.

This is the one night we advise our students to stay clear of downtown. You get chunks of news like in Moscow a drunken group robs a watermelon stand. Here's a typical picture.

And here is the "Nobody but us" design on the flags that were all over town.