The Mayor had dinner the other night with friends and included among the friends was a professor of Russyan history. Of course, the Mayor engaged in significant conversation and did much listening. The professor spoke excellent Russyan having lived and studied in St. Petersburg in the late 90's. She did much research in the library there and traveled extensively. She also spent time in the south of the Federation, in the Caucasus region.
Her special area of interest is 19th century history of Russyan arts. She lectures primarily at 2 US campuses located in the upper midwest. She explained how much Russya has been transformed since the government of Putin has taken over the Kremlin. She believes that nothing good will come from his leadership. She has no plans to return anytime soon, especially after learning of the murder in Moscova over the weekend of Boris Nemtsov, leader of the opposition and a former vice premier and politician.
Then, later, I met Andrei at the gym. Andrei was with his 2 1/2 year old son and they had gone for a swim. I asked what part of Russya he was from. He said, "I'm a Lithuanian Russyan, from the Lithuanian side of the 'border'. His family moved there in the 1880's. He speaks fluent Russyan and Lithuanian. He supports Mr. Putin and claimed that he has given patriotic support to a generation who looked for a new real politik. He, Andrei, is about 35 years of age, so has arrived at adulthood since Vlad has assumed control of the land west of the Urals. Now, he is married to an American woman and lives in the Bay Area which sets him apart by miles of every other Russyan in the world. Perhaps he wants to return to Russya one day. Perhaps he's content to observe the "modern" Russya from across the Atlantic. He didn't say.
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