Holy criminal code

TASS June 5, 2018

Lost in translation: Russian family mistook Soviet Criminal Code for Quran for generations

The senior citizen told reporters that her family had passed the book from generation to generation

UFA, June 5. /TASS/. A family from Russia’s Bashkortostan Region has presented the local museum of the Interior Ministry with a 1926 Arabic language edition of the Soviet Criminal Code, which they misidentified as the Quran for many years, the ministry’s press service said on Tuesday.

“The museum was presented with the 1926 edition of the criminal Code in the Arabic language. The book’s elderly owner said she had mistaken it for the Quran and put under her child’s head,” the press service said, adding that the woman’s son later served in the police.

The senior citizen told reporters that her family had passed the book from generation to generation.

“My mother said that this was a holy book, which should be wrapped in cloth and placed under a pillow so that children would keep calm and not misbehave,” the elderly lady explained. “Many years later we found out that this is the 1926 edition of the Soviet Criminal Code.”

The museum of the Interior Ministry was opened in Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan, in 1982.

I am still laughing this news, haha!

Longing for the Soviet Union

New research: The longing for the Soviet Union in the former Soviet countries is rising

According to a new research, unhappiness in former socialist countries and longing for the Soviet Union are rising.

According to a new study by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), while the dissatisfaction of people in their lives in the former Soviet countries is rising, the longing for the Soviet Union is also growing rapidly. The research from Estonia to Mongolia in 51 countries in 34 countries reveals striking results.

More than 50% of those surveyed think that their lives will improve if they return to a communist system. Only 15% of the Russians think that their lives improved after the Soviet Union’s dissolution. This ratio was around 30% in 2010. Only 9% of participants say that their financial situation has been positive in the last four years.

Another feature part of the study is the way the EBRD interprets of the datas.

EBRD interprets people’s longing for the Soviet Union as a desire to return to “an authoritarian system” or “the control economy” by reading the results of the research from the angle of “democracy or authoritarian system”. According to the EBRD, people are still hesitant about “open system, democracy and free market economy” despite the time spent there.

EBRD chief economist Sergey Guriyev says that “people could not see the benefits of passing to the free market from the control economy”. Guriyev says that the most important factor in this issue is the people lose their jobs or the risk of losing their jobs and he continues:

“If the society does not see the benefits of reforms, then ultimately these reforms will fail. At the moment, the vast majority of people in our countries prefer authoritarian rule instead of democracy. In Germany, 80% is in favor of democracy… This leads to huge, very big questions: What was the wrong and what should be done?”

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Anyway, majority doesn’t care already who lives in poverty  circumstances and who are exploited by capitalism. The majority of the human beings, hey, never mind! Hymn is beatiful, isn’t it? Already my opinion, the Hymn of the USSR,  1977 version is the best hymn ever. 🙂

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The news was quoted and translated in English from:

http://haber.sol.org.tr/dunya/yeni-arastirma-eski-sovyet-ulkelerinde-sovyetler-birligine-olan-ozlem-artiyor-179085

 

If Lenin comes to town

In 1991, with the collapse of Soviet Union, some Lenin and Stalin monuments and statues or busts were removed from their places and some of them were sent to trash. One Lenin bust(wooden) had come to Bolu city, Akcakoca town, Turkey, so come ashore. Obviously, his bust had similar features with Lenin. Becuase it is not easy to pass over Black Sea! Normally a good swimmer cannot swim over Black Sea along.

Possible routes of Lenin bust over Black Sea:)

According to the newspaper archives on the net, those days in 1991, this event had been news at world public. Even diplomatic traffic experienced between Turkey and Russia, on what will be the future of this bust. And they decided Lenin bust could stay in it’s new home, Bolu, Akcakoca.

During these passing years, Lenin bust stayed in municipal storehouse of Akcakoca. In 2009, the mayor of that period had said that they will exhibit the bust. But it stay in the storehouse still.

Yesterday about this subject, there was a new news. Turkish writer Baris Bicakci and director Tufan Tastan announced that they have written a screenplay about Lenin bust story (kind of black humor) and shooting movie will start for the coming days. The name of movie: “You, me, Lenin”.

According to story of movie, when the Lenin statue is put at the town square, the lives of villagers are changing. I cannot imagine how conservative people can live with Lenin bust. This movie is probably satire story 🙂 In fact maybe with this way, the unfinished story of the Lenin bust would be completed.

The other side, when I heard this news in first time, I remembered the Underwater Museum at Cape Tarkhankut, Crimea. (While I was saying “remembered”, I didn’t see the museum, I remember its pictures:)) There is a valley at the underwater museum, “leaders valley”. Another Lenin statue also is at there.

I am wondering, if Lenin wooden bust at Turkey passed near by the Lenin statue at underwater museum, while it was coming to Turkey. What did they say to each other? I don’t know, sad story, maybe they said with each other “goodbye Lenin”; I don’t know.

1939: First christmas card with “Crimson Star”

In Dec. 1938, publishing house«Правда» has issued this “Happy New Year” postcard. Almost all christmas cards after this time were represented by the Kremlin stars, emphasizing that the USSR’s new year is not the ringing of church bells and chiming clock.

Legend Soviet icebreaker ship Georgy Sedov, which has drifted in Arctic during 812 days, and its story

This cover belongs to the most famous Russian children’s magazine Murzilka, issue No:11-12 , 1939. As it is seen, this issue is composed of Georgy Sedov’s story. Its journey started in 1937 and ended in 1940. This icebreaker’s name was given in commemoration of the famous Russian explorer Georgy Sedov Yakovlevich. The name of the other icebreaker, which salvaged to it in 1940, was the Stalin. Already, at the cover image, the writing of banner, which the people hold on the shore: “Hello, Comrade Stalin”

Murzilka has been still publishing from May, 1924 to the present.

Picture source- http://sovtime.com

If you can find the strength to challenge to the occupation which is made unjustly, you don’t need a name to be a hero

August 1967 and September 1967. So, there is one more year to finish United States air assault operation “Rolling Thunder” which has started in March 2, 1965. When the operation began, there were three main purposes.
-put pressure on the North Vietnamese leadership and force him to give up fighting in South Vietnam
-destroy North Vietnam’s transport system to obstruct the transfer of military materials in South Vietnam
-provide psychological support for the South Vietnamese government

However, when the operation was finished, in November 2 1968, it turned out that Operation «Rolling Thunder» was the longest bombing campaign after the World War II. As result, about 200,000 civilian Vietnamese died. United States casualties, not civilian, 1,084 died, captured, or missing and 938 aircraft lost, during in these 1930 days.

North-Vietnam pilot Nguyen Nhat Trieu in the first photo, was a child of a poor family. Even if his surname is Trieu, (Trieu is a name of a dynasty in Vietnam and it is very common) he was not rich. He completed his first education in difficulty, and then he enlisted in the army. He had received training to use Mig-21 at Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School, Soviet Union in 1966, with other colleagues selected for pilot training. He started to use MiG-21 as from 7 July 1966. Before this date, he was using MiG-17. And his first successful shot has been July 11, 1966. F-105D “Thunderchief” (Wi. No. 61-0121, 355th Tactical Fighter Squadron US Air Force) shot down by him. F-105D fell on the territory of Laos as a result of consuming the fuel. US pilot was saved.

The reason for the publication of this photo is the events, what happened at the day, August 23, 1967. That day, in August 23, 1967, he shot total of 6 aircraft down, including 4 Phantom, 2 Thunderchief.

Let’s see what is writing under the first photo; with English translations.

“Nguyen Nhat Trieu shot six US-Eng aircraft down. He won his victory on August 23, 1967 over the sea. Americana has considered that F-105D was hit by anti-aircraft missile, not K-13; Nguyen did was revealed with the MiG-21. Shortly after, comrade Trieu fired 20 mm gun of MiG-21 accidentally; Vietnamese Nguyen Nhat Trieu was knocked down.”

He’s dead…

His life was filled with true success. He struggled that one more civilian Vietnamese should not die. He fought for that the public doesn’t poison with Agent Orange or others in the air raids. Maybe one more Vietnamese child wasn’t lost with the reason of his fight. Perhaps, under favour of him and the brave Vietnamese heroes, the number about 200,000 death toll, which is pronounced like very few, hasn’t further increased…

Second hero at the second photo; she was just an unnamed girl.

Vietnamese people did not have the opportunity to make their advertising in dozens of daily newspapers. The number of people, who can see the photos where came from the battle front, was very few. Did you say psychological operations? Yes, maybe, if a little girl is seen to have taken hostage to one US officer, who was in US forces attack, this could affect them.

Let’s see again what is writing under the second photo; with English translations.

“17 September 1967. The reconnaissance plane RF-4C, wing-No:65-0894, of the 11th Intelligence Squadron 432nd Tactical Wing scouting the US Air Force, was shot down off 25 miles south west of Hanoi. The crew of Major John Edward Stavast and 1st Lt. Gerald S. Venanzi were ejected. The picture shows a girl escorting 1st Lieutenant Gerald S. Venanzi.”

It is unknown what happened to this little girl. Already she is unnamed. But it is clear that her looks fearless. In fact, to survive in the war in so many year, is related with this, isn’t it?

The captured person at the photo is John Edward Stavast, who was a pilot United States Air Force. After he was captured, he spent 5 and half years as prisoner in Hanoi. After he released in March 14, 1973, he returned to army, but not active. And two years later, war is over.

Those happened in Vietnam were not a heroism racing. Looking at three persons in two photos, this unnamed girl is one of real hero of public is understood. Because, after a while looking at these pictures, only she is sticking in the mankind’s minds. Two fighter pilots at one side; a little girl, who is holding gun fearlessly at the other side. It appears that if you can find the strength to challenge to the occupation which is made unjustly, you don’t need a name to be a hero.

To all unnamed heroes in Vietnam War, with respect…

These Photos were published in Russian Air warfare magazine No: 22
That issue subject: mig-21, Military Applications in Vietnam