Reward

In Germany the official reward when you find and return something is 3%. In Russia it is 25%. Let's think about this...

We all have an intrinsic motivation to do the right thing, e.g. to return something that does not belong to us. A reward adds external incentive to the internal motivation to ensures the right thing is really done --> reward substitutes moral.

Obviously the German lawmakers consider 3% a reasonable incentive. In Russia 25% is needed. Very interesting, especially considering that this 25% were already used in sovjet (pre-capitalistic) times.

Personally I think the 25% are ridiculous high. But then, it explains why people were so surprised when I found in RU their wallets/cells and returned it.

Anybody knows, how much rewards are usual in other countries?

roads and rain

The budget for their 0,9 million kilometer of roads in Russia is higher than the U.S. budget for their 6.5 million kilometer of roads.

Ok, from something the Oligarch have to life and the to send their kids to the private school in Europe. I do understand that all this billionaires and state officials need their share.

But can they not even take care for that the streets in the center of their capital are a bit better. Just e.g. african standard? (I was not long ago in Tanzania and the streets are much better).

Airport Security Check

7 people operating 1 security gate...

... as slow as possible :o

Freezing Rain

unpolite ATM

The ATM gave me this ... "Your operation was absolutly wrong. Please turn to your bank by use of an offical letter."

Beauty & Deadly - 101 ways to die in SPB

all shots done during one drive from the center to the airport out of the cap...

Botox to go

Also Germany can be a strange place... seen in Berlin

History repeating

Out of a textbook about the history of Russia:

'... by the end of the 19th century, a cult of modernization had arisen that justified any action...'
(the harvest of sorrow, Robert Conquest, 1986, Oxford University Press, p 17)

Sounds somehow familiar, doesn't it?!

Fail - caged car

This morning they installed posts so cars can't block the sidewalk anymore.

Big fail, that they caged one car behind the posts ;)

a unique moment...

heavy turbulence, people fasten their seat belts, food is flying through the air.
next to me the stewardesses take their seats, pick up the security introductions and start to read it very carefully...

... comforting

reading does help in fact :)

understanding Estonian or Russian can be an asset...

Tanks in Moscow

this(!) is the airport (to plane) shuttle in Arkhangels

...oh s**t....

ATM expired

Why I see this kind of stuff all the time in Russia?! :)

discipline

I was quite surprised to see in a parking lot special lots for handicaped persons.

I wasn't surprised to see that people gave a s**t and anyway parked.

Still the lady parking her new car accross two lots for disabled persons
As a Russian parlamentarian put it not long ago in an interview. 'Our society is not disciplined enough, as that we introduced laws as sophisticated as in Europe/USA'.

I am pretty sure that is true :)

Luxus and Germans:)

See in the picture an advertisment for a luxuary brand in Germany in a very liberal city (Freiburg). As you can see the they didn't evern bother to use German in it...

Instead the target group for 'luxus' are Russians and Arabic tourists.

Potemkin villages

so, President Medvedev was next to my place a few days ago. In a result they re-painted the bridge close by.
Of course, why to do things proper, when you can do it quick and dirty?! After all Mr. Medvedev will not leave his car to check the construction work, right.

So they just went with black color over the balustrade, not removing all the dirt, dust and old layers of similar procedures in the past.

The term "Potemkin villages" (odd enough, exists in a lot of languages) goes back to an incident that happend in the 19th century in Russia.

So I assume we can conclude this is no bungling. The workers just uphold a beloved tradition :o)

back to normal chaos

so, this was Moscow city (around the red square) beween 9 pm and 10 pm.
holiday are over, traffic jams are back on...

Imagine you leave the office at 9 pm, have to go 05 km to you family and face this. This and worse is bitter reality for most of the people.

Hammer....

The good old Hammer SUV if for me the classic symbol for an odd mix out of decadency and freud'sche desire to compensate something.

Thus I love-hate in the Hammer stretch limousines driving around in Moscow.

Recently I had a classic. At the red traffic light suddenly such a stretch Hammer appeared on my left and right lane. When they overtook me on both side I had the strange feeling of beeing overtaken by a tunnel :)

borders of Russia / Demographics

Last question in the Radio to a leader of the opposition:
(which said overall a lot of smart and democratic stuff in the interview.)

Moderator: 'In what borders do you see Russia'

Opposition leader: 'UDSSR minus the Baltics States'

Puh, and this is the liberal, democratic opposition…..
Together with some recent Russian legislation and statements I have a gut feeling that there will be more conflicts like the Georgian - Russian one (2008) in the next decade.

It’s not a question of the Russia government. It’s a question how the Russian people understand themselves and how they see their neighbors and other countries. I face myself all the time (as German) a Russian legislation that is horribly xenophobic. It is much harder to get a proper legal status in Russia as a German then it is the other way around. (Honestly, at least 10 times harder and 30 times more expensive.). Then consider that the Germans in Moscow gain and behave different than some(!) of the Russians in Germany (social wellfare, mafia, …)

Great perspective for a country that is supposed to loose 30% of the population till 2050. And this is not not a speculation, it is a fact. It’s just a simple counting as that who lives in 2050 is already born today.

here some facts...