Vienna Report, part IV: KZ Mauthausen (Concentration Camp)

These pictures tell more than thousand words, so I comment on (some of) wthem only briefly. Please see the official pages of Gusen /Mauthausen, too. These are quite informative pages, too.

We took a train from Vienna to a small village of St. Valentin, in the district of Amstetten in Lower Austria. We had lunch in a beautiful little beergarten of a hotel near the railwaystation, and took a taxi from there to Mauthausen. The distance being too long for a stroll.

The weather was hot (for us Finns, especially): +32 C, in sunshine almost unbearable. Mr HP and I kept giving Miss Funnybunny water, but we did not complain. For the prisoners it was unbearable constantly.

The camp is on the hill in the middle of a beautiful landscape and Autsian villages. Only 20 km from Linz, and near Vienna as well. The Donau valley begins from around here.


In these barracks there are now museums and exhibitions.


"Steinbruch and Todestiege". The rocks used by Speer for the Congress Hall in Nuremberg (Nürnberg) came from here. (See IStori post of Oct 2007.)






Between the memorial monument and the farmhouse in distance there lies the quarry, and behind it, the river Donau is flowing towards Vienna. The "Todestige", "Steps Of Death" lied up from the quarry. Many prisoners died on the steps carrying the rocks.






These look scary, don't they? But people have right to live next to a concentration camp.


Linz. Hitler's favourite town. Very industrialised nowadays. In the middle of it there was a spectacular cathedral, and we heard there is an Old Town, too, but we did not have time to visit it.

In Vienna!

Dear Friends

IStori is now visiting Vienna. If you'd like to spot me on TV, bear in mind that I'll be in the audience of the Hrvatska (Croatia) – Turkey game on Friday the 20th.

On Sat we will celebrate several birthday anniversaries! The "we" equals 10 people from Finland in two flats of quite handsome sizes with several bedrooms. Rented them year ago. Needless to say, Miss Funnybunny and Mr HP are here, too.

Updates coming up, but in the meantime: if you wish to see very good photos on Midnight Sun Film Festival (the best film festival on earth), please see the recent posts of Sedis!!!!!

Talk to you soon!

IStori


The Prater amusement park can be very exciting.

"It was not at all like we were told by the officials."

As my memory card reader does not work, I had to put some photos taken with my telephone. Not good, but that'll do for now.

Ella Kesayeva and Oleg Kozlovsky. Kesayeva's stories on what really happened in Beslan were mind-blowing. I have wondered how these women who were there, who lost a child or children there, how do they cope? And I still do wonder that. (In 2004, in the Beslan school attack 365 people died, half of them children.)


Svetlana Gavrilina and Valentin Gefter. Soldiers' Mothers Committee and Memorial. Among other posts.


Hard talk is hard to listen to. But so so very interesting.


Andrey Babitsky´s (2nd from the right) team getting ready.

From Beslan to Helsinki, Groznyi to Paris. Finrosforum 2008

Bob Amsterdam. Again.

Andrei Babitsky.

Anzor Maskhadov, son of the late President of Itchkeria, Aslan Maskhadov.

Ella Kesayeva, from Mothers of Beslan.

Yuri Schmidt, the lawyer of Nikitin and Pasko. (Who were here last year, by the way.)

Whoa –– what a team!

They are here now.

* * * * *

FINROSFORUM 2008 | Speaker Bios

ROBERT AMSTERDAM (Роберт Амстердам) is Partner at Amsterdam & Peroff, a law firm based in Toronto and London, representing the jailed businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky, former major shareholder of the YUKOS oil company. Mr Amsterdam is a vocal critic of the policies of the present Russian government, and comments regularly on events in Russia on his blog at www.robertamsterdam.com.

VALENTINA ANUFRIEVA (Валентина Ануфриева) is Vice-Chair of Izvatas, an inter-regional association of the indigenous people of the northern part of Russia's Komi Republic. She has been an active campaigner for the rights of the local people to determine their own future amid growing pressure from the oil and gas industry and the local administration. More information at www.izvatas.ru.

ANDREY BABITSKY (Андрей Бабицкий) is a long-time correspondent for Radio Liberty's Russian service, Radio Svoboda, now based in Prague. He has extensive experience in reporting on the ongoing crisis in the North Caucasus, especially Chechnya, both during and after major combat operations. More on Mr Babitsky's kidnapping and subsequent release in 2000 at www.rferl.org/specials/russia/babitsky.

RUSLAN BADALOV (Руслан Бадалов) is Chair of the Chechen Committee of National Salvation (CCNS), based in the capital of the neighbouring Republic of Ingushetiya, Nazran. Mr Badalov and his organisation has been targeted by the authorities under the draconian legislation against "extremist" activities, and there have been several attempts to close down the organisation. More information at CCNS's website at www.savechechny.narod.ru.

OKSANA CHELYSHEVA (Оксана Челышева) is Deputy Executive Director of the Nizhny Novgorod-based Russian-Chechen Friendship Society, which was refused registration in Russia. The society has since been registered in Helsinki. The organisation is active in protecting the rights of Russia's Chechen minority and promoting interethnic dialogue. Ms Chelysheva's activities span across the wide spectrum of human rights work in today's Russia.

ANDREY DMITRIEV (Андрей Дмитриев) is the Co-coordinator of the opposition's Other Russia coalition (www.theotherrussia.ru) in St Petersburg. He is the former leader of the now banned National Bolshevik Party (NBP) in St Petersburg. Mr Dmitriev has been active in organising the Marches of Dissent in St Petersburg. He is Editor-in-Chief of the St Petersburg-based news agency, APN Severo-Zapad (www.apn-spb.ru).

NIKOLAY DONSKOV (Николай Донсков) is head of the North-West Russian bureau of the independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, in St Petersburg. Prior to this, he served as Editor-in-Chief of Novaya Gazeta's St Petersburg edition. The newspaper has written extensively on government corruption, the war in Chechnya, the curtailment of civic freedoms, and other major issues facing Russia today. More information at www.novayagazeta.spb.ru.

VALENTIN FERAPOSHKIN (Валентин Ферапошкин) is a journalist working for the newspaper, The Caucasian Knot ("Кавказский узел"), and a member of the Committee of Anti-War Action (www.voinenet.ru) and the Memorial Foundation (www.memo.ru) in Moscow. Mr Feraposhkin is one of the founders of a new organisation, Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners. More information at www.kavkaz-uzel.ru.

SVETLANA GAVRILINA (Светлана Гаврилина) is Press Secretary of the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers (www.ucsmr.ru) in St Petersburg. She is an active member of the St Petersburg-based regionalist movement, Ingria (www.ingria.info), which campaigns for regional autonomy and promotes interethnic dialogue. Ms Gavrilina is a former journalist at the local newspaper, Nevskoe Vremya, apparently ousted for her reporting on the Orange Revolution in Kiev.

VALENTIN GEFTER (Валентин Гефтер) is Director General of the Institute of Human Rights in Moscow. The institute's President is Sergey Kovalev, veteran anti-war and human rights activist. In addition, Mr Gefter is a member of the supervisory council of the human rights centre, Memorial. More information at www.hrights.ru.

YELENA GRISHINA (Елена Гришина) is Director of the human rights information centre, Centre of Public Information (CPI), and Editor of the monthly Chronicle of the Moscow Helsinki Group (www.mhg.ru). She is now head of a joint project of the CPI and the Russian Union of Journalists (www.ruj.ru) to promote cooperation between journalists and NGOs.

ARTO HALONEN (Арто Халонен) is a documentary film director based in Helsinki. His latest works include "Shadow of the Holy Book", a harsh look at the collusion of corporate capitalism with the government of Turkmenistan, one of the most oppressive regimes in the world. The film sparked an important debate about the relationship between business and democracy. More information at www.artfilmsproduction.com.

HEIDI HAUTALA (Хейди Хаутала) is Chair of the Finnish-Russian Civic Forum. She is a Member of the Finnish Parliament, representing the Greens, and a former Member of the European Parliament. Ms Hautala is Chair of the Committee of Legal Affairs of the Finnish Parliament. She was the Greens' candidate in the Finnish presidential elections in 2000 and 2006. More information at www.heidihautala.net.

ANDRES HEINAPUU (Андрес Хейнапуу) is Coordinator for Estonia of the Consultative Committee of Finno-Ugric Peoples. He was founder and director of the Informationi Centre of Finno-Ugric Peoples, based in Tallinn, Estonia. He is an expert on the situation of the Finno-Ugric minorities in the Russian Federation. More information at www.fennougria.ee.

YURI IGNATYEV (Юрий Игнатьев) is Vice-Chair and Board Member of the Mari national organisation, Mari Ushem, based in Yoshkar-Ola, capital of Russia's Republic of Mari El. Mari Ushem, the largest NGO of ethnic Maris, was established in 1917. The organisation has faced severe harassment by the local authorities since the election of Leonid Markelov as the republic's President.

TARJA KANTOLA (Тарья Кантола) is head of international affairs at the Finnish service sector union, Service Union United (www.pam.fi), Chair of the International Solidarity Foundation (www.solidaarisuus.fi), and Chair of the Finnish Refugee Council (www.pakolaisapu.fi). In addition, Ms Kantola serves as a deputy of the Helsinki Cty Council. More information at www.tarjakantola.fi.

ELLA KESAEVA (Элла Кесаева) is Co-Chair of the Voice of Beslan, which represents the relatives of the victims of the school hostage crisis in Beslan, North Ossetia, in 2004. The organisation has criticised the authorities for their failure to properly investigate the facts surrounding the events in Beslan. Ms Kesaeva and her colleagues have faced continuous intimidation and several court cases have been brought against them. More information at www.golosbeslana.ru.

PÄIVI KESKITALO (Пэйви Кескитало) is lawyer at the Refugee Advice Centre in Helsinki. The Centre is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1988 by other Finnish NGOs. The Centre provides legal aid and advice to asylum seekers, refugees, and other foreigners in Finland. More information at www.pakolaisneuvonta.fi.

TIMO KIRAVUO (Тимо Киравуо) teaches Information Security and Data Communication at the Helsinki University of Technology. He has experience in building data security systems, including those used to block free access to information. More information at www.tml.tkk.fi/~kiravuo.

ANDREY KOLOMOISKY (Андрей Коломойский) is a journalist at the Vyborg-based daily, Vyborgskie Vedomosti (www.vyborg-press.ru), specialising in political and cultural affairs, civic rights, and freedom of speech. In 2005, Mr Kolomoisky received the Danish Cultural Institute's prize, "Free Press in Russia". In Soviet times, he took an active part in St Petersburg's underground press ("samizdat").

OLGA KONSKAYA (Ольга Конская) is a film actress, producer, and playwright at Dreamscanner Productions in St Petersburg. Together with Andrey Nekrasov, she authored the prize-winning documentary, "Rebellion: The Litvinenko Case", which recounts the fate of the former KGB officer, Alexander Litvinenko, who was murdered in London in 2006. More information at www.dreamscanner.com.

ALEXEY KOZLOV (Алексей Козлов), PhD, is Co-Chair of GROZA (Green Alternative) and member of the Expert Council to the Ombudsman of the Russian Federation. His expertees covers problems related to racism and xenophobia, freedom of assembly and association. Mr Kozlov is co-editor of Resist.ru. His blog: http://global-evil.livejournal.com/.

OLEG KOZLOVSKY (Олег Козловский) is the Moscow Coordinator of the opposition youth movement, Oborona (www.oborona.org), in Moscow. Oborona is an active participant and organiser of the united opposition's Marches of Dissent. In late 2007, Mr Kozlovsky was illegally drafted into the Russian Army. Following an international campaign in his support, he was finally released after 75 days in captivity. More information at www.kozlovsky.ru.

HENRIK LAX (Генрик Лакс) is a Finnish Member of the European Parliament, representing the Swedish People's Party (www.sfp.fi). He is a member of the European Parliament's delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee and the Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice, and Home Affairs. More information at www.henriklax.nu.

JUKKA MALLINEN (Юкка Маллинен) is Chair of the Finnish PEN society (www.pen.kaapeli.fi) and Deputy Chair of the Finnish-Russian Civic Forum. He was Chair of the Finnish Institute in St Petersburg in the 1990s. Mr Mallinen studied literature at Moscow State University. He has translated several works of Russian prose and poetry. His most recent work is "Varastettua ilmaa - Vapaamuotoisia ja -mielisiä esseitä Venäjästä" ("Stolen Air - Essays on Russia Free in Form and Mind").

ANZOR MASKHADOV (Анзор Масхадов) is Chair of the Chechen Diaspora in Norway. He is the son of the late President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Aslan Maskhadov. Anzor Maskhadov enjoys the respect and reverence of the entire Chechen diaspora, and has first-hand knowledge of the plight of Chechen refugees forced to leave their homeland. More information at www.chechnya.no.

ANDREY NEKRASOV (Андрей Некрасов) is a Russian film-maker and playwright from St Petersburg, most famous for his two films, "Disbelief" and "Rebellion: The Litvinenko Case". The latter, on the fate of the former KGB officer, Alexander Litvinenko, was screened at the 60th Film Festival in Cannes in May 2007. More information at www.dreamscanner.com.

PEKKA NISKANEN (Пекка Нисканен) is a contemporary artist who has worked many years in visual arts, producing various works with texts, film, and video. At present, Mr Niskanen is directing a documentary, "Virtual War", which sets out to describe the way wars and conflicts spill into the internet. The film documents the establishment of a "Virtual Chechnya" within the Second Life community. More information at www.illume.fi.

BURAK ÖZTAŞ (Бурак Озташ) is a member of the sizable Chechen minority in Turkey. His interest in the Chechen culture and the plight of his people has led him to work as a volunteer at the refugee centre in Bialystok, Eastern Poland, temporary residence to several hundred Chechen refugees. Mr Öztaş studies International Law at Istanbul University. More information at www.jedenswiat.org.pl.

KERKKO PAANANEN (Керкко Паананен) is Board Member and Secretary of the Finnish-Russian Civic Forum. He works as an Information Analyst at Esmerk Oy (www.esmerk.fi), where he is the trade union representative of the Finnish Media Union (www.viestintaliitto.fi). In addition, Mr Paananen is a personnel representative at Finnish media group Sanoma's European Works Council. His blog: http://kerkko.paananen.fi/.

OLEG PANFILOV (Олег Панфилов) is Director of the Centre of Journalism in Extreme Situations (CJES) in Moscow. He has worked as a journalist since 1974. Until 2004, Mr Panfilov presented the weekly radio programme, "Power and the Press", on Radio Liberty's Russian service. More information at www.cjes.ru. Oleg Panfilov's blog: http://oleg-panfilov.livejournal.com/.

ILYA PERESEDOV (Илья Переседов) is a teacher, journalist, internet commentator. Mr Peresedov graduated from the St Petersburg Institute of Theology and Philosophy in 2003. At present, he is writing his Ph.D dissertation on the social-philosophical analysis of the internet at the Russian State University for the Humanities (www.rsuh.ru). Ilya Peresedov's blog: http://peresedov.livejournal.com/.

ARVI PERTTU (Арви Пертту) is a writer and translator born in Petrozavodsk, capital of Russia's Republic of Karelia. For the past five years, he has lived and worked in Lappeenranta, Finland. Mr Perttu has worked in several periodicals in Karelia and translated various works of literature to and from Russian. Arvi Perttu's blog: http://arviperttu.vuodatus.net/.

ANDYU PETRYAN (Андю Петрянь) is a St Petersburg-based activist working to preserve the language and culture of the Erzya people in Russia's Republic of Mordovia. He has administered several internet sites dedicated to the Erzyan culture, including Erzyan Zhurnal (www.erzia.org). He is member of the Russian Association of Finno-Ugric Journalists (RAFUZh) and the Russian Union of Journalists. Mr Petryan's blog: http://erzianj-jurnal.livejournal.com/.

ANDREY PIVOVAROV (Андрей Пивоваров) is Chair of the St Petersburg branch of the Popular Democratic Union of Russia (www.nardemsoyuz.ru), led by former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov. Mr Pivovarov characterises himself as a conservative democrat. His party has some 2,200 members in St Petersburg.

IGOR SAZHIN (Игорь Сажин) is Chair of the human rights commission, Memorial, in Russia's Komi Republic and member of the international human rights organisation, Memorial. The mission of Komi Memorial is to protect human rights and promote the establishment of institutions capable of supervising the actions of the state. More information at www.memorial-komi.org.

YURI SHMIDT (Юрий Шмидт) is Founder and Chair of the Russian Lawyers Committee for Human Rights in St Petersburg. He is one of Russia's most eminent lawyers and a long-time advocate of human rights. At present, he is member of the legal team defending Mikhail Khodorkovsky, jailed former shareholder of the YUKOS oil company. Mr Shmidt's biography at Lentapedia: www.lenta.ru/lib/14161540.

ALEXEY SOCHNEV (Алексей Сочнев) is Editor of Kasparov.ru, the website of Garry Kasparov, leader of the United Civic Front. In addition, he is a moderator of the LiveJournal community of the March of Dissent, one of the main channels of information on opposition activities. Many opposition websites in Russia have come under increasing pressure in recent years. Mr Sochnev has witnessed first-hand many of these attacks. His blog: http://alex-dars.livejournal.com/.

MIKAEL STORSJÖ (Мкиаэль Стуршё) is a Finnish entrepreneur, journalist, and civic activist. He is Board Member of the Finnish-Russian Civic Forum and Electronic Frontier Finland (www.effi.org). Mr Storsjö is a vocal advocate of the right of the Chechen people to decide their own fate and an ardent critic of the ruling regime in Russia.

TAUNO TIUSANEN (Тауно Тиусанен) is Professor of International Operations and Transition Economies at Lappeenranta University of Technology (www.lut.fi). His research areas include foreign direct investments in transitional economies, investment climate in transitional economies, and the eastern enlargement of the European Union. Prof. Tiusanen is one of the foremost experts on the Russian economy in Finland.

MAYRBEK VACHAGAEV (Майрбек Вачагаев) is former chief of staff and press secretary of Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov and former general representative of Chechnya in Russia. He is now working for a doctorate at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris, France. Mr Vachagaev is author of the book, “Chechnya in the 19th Century Caucasian Wars.”

MAGOMED YEVLOEV (Магомед Евлоев) is owner of the main opposition website in the North Caucasian republic of Ingushetia, Ingushetiya.ru. The site has come under constant attack by the republican authorities. In the latest move, a court in Moscow ordered the closure of the website under legislation intended to counter "extremism". Mr Yevloev has vowed to keep the website running. The security situation in Ingushetia has severely deteriorated during the presidency of Kremlin appointee Murat Zyazikov.

KONSTANTIN ZAMYATIN (Константин Замятин), originally from the Republic of Udmurtia, is a long-time expert on the situation of the Finno-Ugric minorities of the Russian Federation. He has served as Coordinator of the Youth Association of Finno-Ugric Peoples (www.mafun.org) in Estonia and has worked at the Fenno-Ugria Foundation in Tallinn. Mr Zamyatin has studied extensively linguistic and minority rights. His paper on state nationality policy and human rights: http://www.suri.ee/papers/lund.html.

Oslo Report. Part II

Rosie Whitehouse (left) had a successful career at the BBC World Service until she became a mum. She then spent five years as a housewife in the war-torn Balkans married to the correspondent of The Economist. Back in London she continued developing her ironing skills as she built a new career as a freelance journalist. Rosie has written on parenting and family issues for a wide range of newspapers and magazines and is the author of Are We There Yet? Travels With My Frontline Family. Rosie lives in England with her husband the frontline reporter Tim Judah and their five children.


Firstly, I'm sorry my friends, for the delay, as I have not been able to update my blog. Secondly, I'm even more sorry for the fact that I have not been able to include the photo report II, since I have been too busy to replace my broken memory card reader. So I do not have new photos here.

The meeting I participated in Oslo was all in all the best happening in the field of non-fiction literature I have ever experienced. I came home full of ideas, thanks to both the excellent program with many encouraging speakers, and the wonderful international team of guests.

Dear Oslo guys, I will send you lots of photos! And let's have those reunions we discussed, the first one taking place in Frankfurt, and the second in Calcutta, India. And to New York, right after that.

Iris from Munich, Germany, with the brochure of the Nobel museum.

Oslo Report. Part I

Approaching. The Turku Archipelago and the most polluted sea in the World, the Baltic.


A Must-See. Not because you must, meaning should, but because all (my) routes seem to circulate this: The Royal Castle. (Don't ask me who live in this. I always fail to remember names of the Royals – except Diana.)


One of the main streets and blooming trees.


That's the guy we can thank for annual excitement (and the surprise of giving the main prize for Al Gore!): Alfred Nobel.


Aschehoug Villa. Nice. If I will have a second life after this one, I would very much like to become a Norwegian publisher.


...and part of the Villa from the inside.


Interesting crossroads. There is a fountain in the middle of tram tracks! (Thanks, Iris, for pointing that out.)


Look, It's Winston! Norwegians wanted to build a statue of Churchill after the war. Interesting.


Tram and part of the harbour. Right outside the Nobel Peace Center. I will go there soon.


Travel book store Nomaden. Very impressive. They do not sell only travel guides and books, but also various kinds of gear: clothes, backbags, ooth bris covers, disposable urinals for men, women and kids...


...and sleeping bags, made of silk. Ever seen these, anyone?

On Ignorance

A scandal in Finland: The Parliamentarians (especially representing the Center Party and Coalition) are not interested in who has financed their campaigns (before the last elections).

Needless to say, they have not published the sources of the money flow. According to the Finnish legislation, they should give public the name of the briber, sorry, the name of the benevolent person or company, if the sum exceeds 1 700 euros, but according to the same law, since there is no punishment for an MP for not making it public, "what's the point?", they seem to be thinking.

"Not interested", not even when that have received thousands of euros from the "private sector", who of course, "have a right" to spend their money "however they wish.

That's crap. Not the right to spend, but the lack of eagerness for knowing. Of course they are both interested and very eager to know. (What if they received money from porn industry or drug trade?)

And later on these bought politicians will enthusiastically support the wishes of the certain "private sector".

Among these ignorant servants of the public is our Prime minister Vanhanen.

* * * * *

Another thing, this one being from Helsingin Sanomat, too:

"Citizens of Finland, Sweden, and Estonia are very worried about the state of the Baltic Sea. According to a poll commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat and conducted by Suomen Gallup, 94% of Finns, 91% of Estonians, and 83% of Swedes see pollution of the sea as a problem that urgently needs to be addressed.

In Finland and Sweden about 40% of respondents feel that the problem is extremely serious, and are calling for immediate action on the matter. More than a third of Estonians feel the same way."

But when some Moscovites were interviewed – well, they do live far from the sea, but nonetheless – they seemed to be most worried of the fact that the Baltic is so cold.

Having a life. Fake monks.

I have now finished with a huge writing task. (Let's see how that will do...) I will start having a life again.

Now here comes a short list of things occupying my mind, and what we have been discussing with Mr HP. (Sorting these out would perhaps put things in some kind of an order in my mind.)

1) Mothers' Day. The best day during the year, besides my birthday, which is looooong ahead... We rode 15 kilometres by bike to the recreational area of Pirkkola in the Central Park of Helsinki, and back, and swam in the Pirkkola pools. Lovelylovelylovely.

I really feel it in my thighs – yesterday I rode Icelandic horses again, at Mintzun tallit. We were nine people, and went to a two hour ride in the woods, sort of. (Very industrial woods, but for me, living in the centre of Southern Helsinki, it'll do.) With saddle, this time. (Tomorrow I will add here a photo of the horse I rode, Aira.)

2) Burma. How will the suffering get the aid? Who are to blame of the ongoing humanitarian crimes of not letting the aid be recieved or distributed further: The junta of Myanmar, or China, or both?

3) Tibet and China. There are rumours the Chinese military orchestrated the monks' protests themselves. Not surprising. But is it really so?

If it is, I will have no more Olympic spirit left. And I usually love watching the games, no matter how dirty the biggest sports business is..! Nothing can bet the pleasure of watching top boxing or weigh lifting or canoeing or gymnastics or almost whaver there is on, between 3 and 5 am, you know. (You do know, do you...)

The picture below is spreading over the net, so here's my contribution:

The Chinese military police being disguised, changing into the fake gowns of the Tibetan monks before the so-called riots.



* * * * *

His Holiness Dalai Lama, on political pursuits for freedom:

For thousands of years people have been led to believe that only an authoritarian organization employing rigid disciplinary methods could govern human society. However, because people have an innate desire for freedom, the forces of liberty and oppression have been in continuous conflict throughout history. Today, it is clear which is winning. The emergence of peoples' power movements, overthrowing dictatorships of left and right, has shown indisputably that the human race can neither tolerate nor function properly under tyranny.

Please read the rest of Buddhism and Democracy on his website.

Night and Day

I just decided to tell you two things you could not live without knowing:

1) There are HUGE bunnies in Germany. Someone has suggested them to be sent to North Korea. I found this story when I googled "North Korea" today looking for a picture for the piece I put together, concerning May day politics. (I did not choose the monster rabbits pictured there, but for IStori, on the other hand, they are most suitable.)



2) The most expensive gadget in the world is a watch that does not tell the time. (Thanks for the hint, M.U.!)

Luxury watch that doesn't tell the time sells out
By Nick Pisa in Rome

A £150,000 watch that doesn’t even tell the time has sold out within hours of going on sale. The crocodile skin strap accessory, called “Day & Night”, is encrusted with sapphires and made from steel salvaged from the wreck of the Titanic. ISTORI: And you Swiss think that's supposed to be lucky material?

Its face is divided into two sections - a dark half to signify night and a lighter half to signify the day.

A limited number were made by Swiss manufacturers Romain Jerome and they sold out within 48 hours after being presented at a watch exhibition. The Brazilian footballer, Ronaldo, was given the first one. ISTORI: From whom did you get it – some fan of Inter Milan? (Ronaldo is playing with AC Milan.) --

They describe the timepiece as a “world unique - a watch that does not tell the time”.

“With no display for the hours, minutes or seconds the Day & Night offers a new way of measuring time, splitting the universe of time into two fundamentally opposing sections: day versus night.

“A new interpretation of time, an avant-garde approach that is different and even disturbing.”

Chief executive Yvan Arpa, said: “Anyone can buy a watch that shows time, but only a discerning customer can buy one that doesn’t.”

Postman always rings. And sings.

This is a tribute the British culture and a present for Funnybunny. I have just had my two morning cups of coffee, read the paper and now checking out the news on web. We are still lazily in bed, Miss Funnybunny happily leaning on my shoulder, singing along the Postman Pat theme song.

A day could not begin in a more enjoyable way!

Ladies and gentlemen:
Postman Pat with Jess the Cat. *** Postimies Pate ja Jessi-kissa.

EDIT: How many times does a postman ring? See yourselves, the answer being most visible in the Finnish version.

...and this is a treasure. The same in Norwegian: "Postmann Pat med sin svarte-vite katt..." It works in a Scandinavian language, too, I must say. Edit: But the pictures lack all the other characters but Pat and Jess. Whysdat? Not in DDR...

London Book Fair 2008. Photo report.

So, here is the report I promised. Knowing there is a number of colleagues waiting for this, it's about time.

Should you like to see a bigger photo, please doubleclick the pic. (Or that's what you shoud do with Mac; I'm not sure if it works likewise with PC.)

But, before looking at these, you should read the short written report, which is just before this post under the title "Signs of an acceleration".

Landing soon. On an early morning flight from Helsinki.


Queensway tube station, the entrance just on my left hand side. Bayswater Road on the right, Queensway crossing. Kensington Park on the right on the other side of the Bayswater Road. Our hotel was a block away from this meeting point. Good neighbourhood with silent streets full of little hotels and some lively main streets, like Queensway, with shops, cafes, pubs, and reasonably cheap ethnic restaurants. My favourites: Lebanese, Persian and Thai kitchen. All those can be experiensed on Queensway. I am usually staying in Bayswater and have never regretted. (Two years before we were in Bloomsbury, a bit north from the Russell Square, and that was not a nice area late in the evening. Or at night, really.)


Earls Court. The fever pitch of book industry for these three days.


PEN Cafe. Take a look at the walls with important quotes. (Doubleclick, doubleclick, doubleclick.) I was so proud to be a PEN active.


... and I was not the only one interested in Freedom Of Speech.


* * * * *

Stinkies? How funny. I like the window decoration of this children's toy shop.


Apples being on their way – or cherries? Having spring around, aren't we.


A nice street in South Kensington, or "Ken". That's what I learned from a London-based Rankin novel.


Residence of the Finnish Ambassador. One of the most expensive addresses in the world, Kensington Palace Gardens. (After the collapse of the West European banking we predicted with M.U. it might not be that high-priced any longer.)


Eros on Piccadilly Circus. Managed to get downtown, too!


* * * * *

Last year I was very angry with Boris Berezovsky. And as usual, took some photos of very warm London. Go though this link to the short update on LBF 2007.

"Signs of an acceleration"?

I mean quite simply that I have begun to crack all over like an old jug – that my poor body, singular, unlovely, buffeted by too much history, subjected to drainage above and drainage below, mutilated by doors, brained by spittoons, has started coming apart at the seams. In short, I am literally disintegrating, slowly for the moment, although there are signs of an acceleration.

No, I'm not that bad. This was written by Salman Rushdie in his 1980's Booker Prize-winning Midnight's Children.

* * * * *


After arriving in London we immediately left for the biggest store belonging to the Waterstone's chain, but didn't take the quickest route. Walked from the Oxford Circus tube station instead. That gave us both an excuse and opportunity for some window-shopping on Regent Street. (And not just "window", sorry.)

There we bought some books – we are not supposed to buy any. Especially not me. But I just did not have anything to read, like I often tell Mr HP.

And then we admired some stationery. Sounds strange? Oh, business is business is business.

Mr HP noticed soon there is another book shop we should visit. "Kind of a small one". Hatchard's.

Founded in 1797. An official supplier of the Royal Family. Yeah right.

How the books were piled in very central positions, and they were signed, this made a great impression. Big names like Donna Leon, Jeffrey Archer... Not necessarily my cup of tea, but hey: signed.

I saw there was someone signing in the back and told Mr HP we must go and see an author in action. Besides me, no other audience around, by the way. Absolutely no-one around besides an agent, a PR woman, the shopkeeper, or some rep of very high level, and seemingly, a grandchild of the author.


After taking two steps towards the author's direction I came back, took a book, ran back and kindly asked Mr Salman Rushdie to sign one for me as well. So he did. As a result of this encounter I bought his newest, The Enchantress of Florence.

* * * * *

Now I regret I left my camera at work, so I can't download the photos I took. But the rest in brief:

I had breakfast with Tony Wood who works at the New Left Review. Invited him to Helsinki. I hope he'll come.

At the fair I saw friends and/or business acquaintances from Nigeria, Norway, France, Sweden, England, Scotland, Estonia, Turkey, USA, Canada and – well, Finland. Including some Finns who live in the UK now.

EDIT: At the fair Mr HP and I did some real work. Involving book trade and industry. Arts and crafts. Rights and agreements. But I won't bore you with the details now.

In the evening we visited the Finnish embassy, or actually, the Ambassador's residence and attended the reception for the literary community from the Nordic countries. The Residence is in Kensington Palace gardens. Nice neighbourhood, I dare to admit.

Afterwards I needed to catch up with a friend who works for Söderstöm's, a Finnish company publishing in Swedish.

I managed to listen to some discussions organised by the English PEN. There was even a "PEN Literary Cafe" for discussions on Freedom of Speech. Always full but with some luck and patience there was room.

That's enough for a three-day visit.

* * * * *

... Calling To The Faraway Towns..."

I'm going here.

And here, as it was recommended by him.

And I am already thinking about visiting some sites worth seeing, belonging to this, too.

And will be meeting people in here, too, hopefully from other Nordic Countries as well – a Nordic Reception as it is.

In my iPod I have this, too. As usual.

An update en route, look forward to that.

"I am calling you, president Bush..."

The following has also been published in Herald Tribune, titled as "Confront to Kremlin".

Because this is so very important, and as I am very, very busy now with a lot of writing for my work, I just add this here.

I can't help thinking it is so sad to appeal to Bush, the great inventor and launcher of the stupidities like "the Axis Of Evil" and "War Against Terrorism", since he handed those total bullshit-like definements to Putin like gifts on a plate. Very useful for Putin's equally stupid rhetorics against Chechnya, they were.


* * * * *

(Oksana Chelysheva's text beginning from here.)

As President George W. Bush prepares to meet with President Vladimir Putin and President-elect Dimitry Medvedev in Sochi on Sunday (6 April), I hope he will remember the pledge he made in his second inaugural address in 2005. In that memorable speech, he promised that the United States would not ignore oppression and that it would stand with those who stand for liberty.

Thousands of Russians like myself have been speaking out and standing up for liberty and paying a heavy price. Some of us, like Anna Politkovskaya, have paid the ultimate price. The rest of us have suffered threats, defamation in the media, physical assault, fabricated prosecution and interference or obstruction of our work.

We hope that Bush will not excuse our oppressors, who act in the name of Putin.

There used to be a time when reforms announced in Russia promised to empower citizens and take Russia on a democratic path. Many people inside Russia and abroad wanted to believe it.

What reality do we face now? Freedom of speech in Russia has been curtailed to the size of a poppy seed. The Kremlin has allowed the existence of a few independent media outlets as a cover for its systematic destruction of free journalism. Political prisoners are becoming a common reality: Mikhail Khodorkovsky and the Yukos prisoners; scientists accused of espionage; Muslims, many of whom have been accused of supporting extremism only because they practice their religion; people in Russian cities who dare to take to the streets in hope that their voices will be heard. They are being beaten up by baton-wielding police. They are being taken into custody. They are being charged with absurd accusations of assaulting the police force. They are being subjected to enforced psychiatric treatment.

The last two election campaigns in Russia, both parliamentary and presidential, were nothing but a mockery. The main purpose of our elections has been to secure the authoritarian regime that is being created in Russia.

The situation in my home town of Nizhny Novgorod, the third biggest city in Russia, located some 300 miles from Moscow, is a perfect example of the real face of the Kremlin. It started with persecution of our small human right group, the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society that was closed down in January 2007. It continued with breaking up peaceful protests during the Marches of Dissent in March. The authorities deployed 20,000 police and military troops against an expected 2,000 protesters.

In August 2007, the police raided the offices of our new Russian organization, the Foundation to Promote Tolerance, and the Nizhny Novgorod edition of the newspaper, Novaya Gazeta and confiscated all the computers. In October 2007, they disrupted our attempt to hold a meeting in memory of Anna Politkovskaya. They even detained foreign guests who dared to come to the city.

The repression continues. On March 20, the police carried out simultaneous searches in the homes of some 20 residents of Nizhny Novgorod and the region as well as in the office of the Nizhny Novgorod Foundation to Promote Tolerance. They have again confiscated all equipment, including cell phones and DVD players, claiming that they are combating extremism.

Dozens of grave crimes against the peaceful citizens of our country have remained anonymous and unaccounted for.

We are guilty of electing a president who, in the words of a group representing the victims of the 2004 Beslan tragedy, solves his problems by using tanks, flame-throwers and gas.

But it is not our fault that the political elite of the world gives uncritical support to our president. I hope that Bush will not join them.

A few weeks ago, I was in Prague meeting with Vaclav Havel and dissidents from around the world. Havel understands that those who stand up for liberty in Putin's Russia are engaged in the same struggle as dissidents in Cuba, Burma, Iran, or North Korea, countries that Bush has found easy to criticize in public for their violations of human rights. Will he do less for us when he visits Russia?

We are committed to human rights and non-violence. We stand for liberty, but we suffer oppression from our government. Unfortunately, the Russian authorities seem determined to make an example of us, presumably to intimidate others who share our views so that they think twice before speaking out.

I am calling on you, President Bush, not to avert your eyes from the many Russian citizens in Grozny, Nasran, Beslan, Volgodonsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow, Murmansk, and Saint Petersburg who feel neglected and ignored in both their protests and suffering. Please stand with us as you meet with our oppressor.

Oksana Chelysheva, a Russian journalist, is the director of the Nizhny Novgorod Foundation for the Promotion of Tolerance and a spokeswoman for the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society.

I'm waiting. Please hurry up now.

The building of Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland is the white one (actually, it's yellow), on the island of Katajanokka, Helsinki. The painter of this picture must be standing on Tervasaari.(Tjärholmen in Swedish, Tar island).

I proudly state I have not sent 200 sms to any stripper. (Unlike Mr Ilkka Kanerva, who is soon to resign as a Minister for Foreign Affairs, see here.)

So I am most willing to start as the newest Minister for Foreign Affairs.

I have travelled and know a fact or two about these businesses. (... not too many more, but hey, nobody's perfect.)

Like Mr Kanerva, I also love sports, especially football. I would boycott the Opening Ceremony of the next Olympics (unless Dalai Lama would tell me not to), but would enthusiatically attend the Football cups, both the European and the World Cup, and even African Cup and Copa Americana, should you so wish.

I'd also like to meet with Dalai Lama, my utmost political hero (alive).

Dear head of state Matti Vanhanen, please do ask me quickly, I am a very busy woman.