My experiences of trying to have a relationship in my own country left me highly disillusioned. I am quite an old-fashioned person and I wanted to find someone who was sweet, graceful and ladylike. I wanted to find someone who didn’t make rude and crude jokes and I wanted to find someone that spoke sweetly and had the smile of an angel. In England, I did fall in love twice. In the first instance, the girl I liked seemed to be what I wanted, but it turned out to be something of an illusion...
Approximately 8-15% of us are naturally left-handed, but it is only recently that this has become acceptable within our societies. It was not so long ago that left-handed children were forced to write with their “correct” hand and were socially stigmatised as backward or abnormal. If we examine our languages, they hold valuable keys to unlocking our hidden attitudes toward right and left...
Western political science classifies the Russian system as an electoral autocracy or “managed democracy”. Many here believe Russia should be following in the footsteps of countries like the UK and America, but in reality “democracy” in the West is far from ideal and our political systems are in transition. Brits and Americans are often vocal in their criticism of Russian politics and freedom of speech, but they would be well advised to take a hard look in the mirror at what is happening back home...
Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that. – Bill Shankly
Our languages are a window on our mentality and hold keys to understanding what is culturally and morally important to us as a people. One striking difference between Russian and English is how we view the essence or life force of a human being. Where the English can’t stop talking about the heart, Russians go on and on about the soul! This might indicate that the English are more focused on the material world, where Russians are more interested in the spiritual...
Tom Barton is a British journalist and correspondent for the international news channel RT television. He’s travelled around Russia, the former Soviet Union and Europe a lot, reporting and relaxing. He’s had plenty of adventures and gained some unique insights into Russian life. Tom once interviewed me for RT while I was in Omsk and today he's my guest on Englishinrussia...
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alex_j's journal
