Post: #1

"One-on-One With Vladimir Putin - In a rare and exclusive interview, Russia's Prime Minister speaks out on fishing, hunting and why he loves the outdoors"

http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/hunt...imir-putin

Good excerpt:

Quote:VP: It seems to me that we have a slightly different understanding of the outdoors concept. For me, it is primarily about sports, and health, and breaking bad habits. For you, it has to do with fishing, hunting and traveling. And the best proof of this is the writers you enjoy reading. Illustrious Jim Corbett, who shot man-eating tigers in India; or Peter Hathaway Capstick, a professional hunter and, I suppose, the most famous hunter biographer; or Robert Ruark, who focused most of his stories on African safaris. I would not be wrong, I believe, if I were to say that we have rather different views even on Hemingway. It seems to me that the book you enjoy most is Green Hills of Africa. As for me, it is A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea.

However, I could recommend to you one of the best Russian classic writers, Ivan Turgenev, with his books translated into dozens of foreign languages—including, certainly, English.

His well-known A Sportsman’s Sketches has been a favorite book of Russian hunting fans for more than a century, which reflects in general the philosophy of hunting in Russia, where the mere process, the fact that you are close to nature and communicate with people, matters—not the outcome.

And

Quote:VP: Despite all the achievements of civilization, the human being is still one of the most vulnerable creatures on earth. None of us is protected from crimes, epidemic outbreaks, natural and technogenic disasters. What I am saying is not a fatalistic view of the world, it is a realistic one.

However, this is not the reason to hide away from life. There is a major Russian writer, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin. In 1883, he wrote a very accurate piece, “Overwise Gudgeon.” As one can guess from the title, it tells about a gudgeon who, expecting danger, was continuously sheltering under a stone, and finally reached his deep senility, but never actually experienced his life. Of course, careless, unjustified risk-taking can only lead to harm. But one can truly enjoy his or her life only while experiencing it, and it is inevitably related to a certain level of risk.

Post: #2

Every day I fall more and more in love with Russia - and I haven't even been there yet

Post: #3

Putin is spouting truths left and right. By stressing that you can never be safe, he is pointing out that the average US citizen is deluded in their acceptance of anti-terrorist legislation, which serve no other purpose than to increase government control. And he stresses the importance of the process more so than the end result - the classical notion that heroism stems from following principles, not the exact outcome, and that fortune must be separated from virtue. Western culture, like any naive young girl, loves a winner just for being a winner - not caring one iota why the person is in the position he is. Reality TV fame is perhaps the most poignant example.

I am conflicted. One one side he wanted to join the KGB as a youngster, the organ for the suppression of the masses. On the other he talks sense. But he also seems to put the interest of the russian federation above all else, to the point of forging a new russian empire, which would mean the conquest of small neighboring countries for resources.

Post: #4

It's interesting to see Russia on upswing. Their financial crisis in 1998 may have actually put them in a good position because it prevented them from being able to participate in the MASSIVE government bond issuances that have been keeping the Western economies on life support. And they have a ton of oil and gas.

low public debt + abundant natural resources = strong potential for economic growth

low public debt + abundant natural resources + Russian girls = POOSY PARADISE???