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#749217 - 03/02/12 10:32 PM
Re: Another side to Vladimir Putin?
[Re: Phyllis at Folk/Myth]
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BellaOnline Editor
Parakeet
Registered: 09/02/08
Posts: 1166
Loc: Germany/France
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Yes I did see it Anna, and it was absolutely fascinating. He came across as a human being, almost a 'Mensch', which might seem to be a strange thing to say but this is not the way one tends to think of someone who has power and, it would seem, tends to misuse it. Both in the past and now.
It will be interesting to see what the elections turn up this weekend.......he will win of course, but by how much. Certainly it will not be the easy ride it seemed just a few months ago.
Know you would enjoy the interview Phyllis, it is in German basically, Putin speaks very good German, otherwise I would try to get a copy for you. In photos he always seems to have 'cold' eyes, not in this film. Obviously it has been edited, documentaries always are, but nevertheless he did not come across as the 'ogre' one imagines. Good acting? Could be, who knows.
The Botox theme was much discussed in Europe before Christmas, so I sent Anna the link, here it is BEFORE and AFTER.................no wonder he 'never seems to age'. Enjoy Phyllis!
Botox trends on Twitter amid Vladimir Putin surgery rumours
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Francine McKenna-Klein - German Culture Editor German Culture Site - German Culture Facebook Avatar: HOHENZOLLERNBRUECKE Cologne, the CATHEDRAL and LUDWIG MUSEUM. Photo "Der Wolf im Wald". The EU won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Peace and "The European Dove of Peace 2012" by Plantu is added. Western Europe has enjoyed the longest period of peace in its history.
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#749275 - 03/03/12 04:24 PM
Re: Another side to Vladimir Putin?
[Re: Phyllis at Folk/Myth]
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BellaOnline Editor
Parakeet
Registered: 09/02/08
Posts: 1166
Loc: Germany/France
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Well Phyllis, when Putin announced he was going to stand again as President last September it looked as if it would be easy for him and simply �take place�. Given his history am not sure why he came across as so much more relaxed in the documentary, but it could just be because he desperately needs a change of image......as well as the Botox of course.
He had been President for eight years, having initially come in as a �reformer�, two terms are all that are allowed and at the time the length was four years. He has now increased this to six years.
When his time was up he moved sideways to become Prime Minister, installing what was assumed at the time to be a �puppet� President for the four years it would take before he could openly become the leader again.
As your US ambassador John Beyrle described the situation, �Medvedev (the current president) continues to play Robin to Putin's Batman.�
In the last months it has changed. Putin will still become Russian president, unless something earth shattering happens, but he has been weakened by the massive anti-government demonstrations and protests which have taken place.
These are amazing in themselves. It is as if the Russians have suddenly become fed up with what is happening in their country.
Under communism everyone was �sort of� equal, not really but in theory. Now there are the hideously wealthy, who have usually made their fortune from one form or another of the wide spread corruption, and there are �the rest�, which includes a great deal of real poverty. Corruption has been everywhere, even in the media where public opinion was manipulated for years.
There are four people standing against Putin, although they have little chance of winning, but it is the communist candidate, Gennady Zyuganov, who is his closest rival.
The present leader of the Russian opposition, who is not standing for election himself, is an author specializing in crime fiction and uses the pen name Boris Akunin, and is well known in Russia under all his names.
Sometimes he writes from a woman�s point of view and then he becomes �Anna Borisova, while as leader of the opposition he is Anatoly Brusnikin.
However, although everyone still talks about him as Akunin, his real name is Grigory Shalvovich Chkhartishvili.
Yes it all sounds bizarre, but he is serious about his role in the opposition, a part of which is trying to ensure the March 4 presidential elections are free and fair.
It is obvious there was vote rigging in the state Duma, the equivalent of the US House of Representatives., elections in December, and now 20,000 volunteers have been trained by the opposition in an attempt to stop what is generally seen as the inevitable attempts of fraud during this election.
Akunin is pro-democracy, and says authoritarian systems have always failed when the separation between the rulers and those they rule becomes too large, which is what he believes has happened in Russia.
The open opposition and the political groups involved in it, nationalists, communists, liberals, will have an effect on the results of the election and how the country is run afterwards, in fact it could change Russia, but it is doubtful that anything will stop Vladimir Putin winning the election.
Sorry it has taken so many words to describe Phyllis. 
_________________________
Francine McKenna-Klein - German Culture Editor German Culture Site - German Culture Facebook Avatar: HOHENZOLLERNBRUECKE Cologne, the CATHEDRAL and LUDWIG MUSEUM. Photo "Der Wolf im Wald". The EU won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Peace and "The European Dove of Peace 2012" by Plantu is added. Western Europe has enjoyed the longest period of peace in its history.
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