The logo for the 2014 Winter Olympics, to be held in Sochi, Russia, has been unveiled today, becoming the first Olympic emblem to feature a web address – Sochi2014.ru – as organisers target the digital generation.

2014 wird die Winterolympiade in Sochi statt finden. Die Stadt am Schwarzen Meer muss noch viel bauen, bis sie die Sportler aus aller Welt empfangen kann. Vor kurzem traf ich im Zug einen jungen Mann, der mir erzählte, er würde immer wieder für einige Monate nach Sochi fahren und dort auf Baustellen arbeiten und recht viel Geld verdienen. Um solche Baustellen geht es jetzt in einer rassistischen Äußerung des Bürgermeisters von Sochi, Anatoli Pakhomow.

Er sagte, Roma und Obdachlose in Sochi sollten wie zu Zeiten der Sowjetunion gezwungen werden, auf den Baustellen zu arbeiten. Dann, so der Vertreter der Putin-Partei, einiges Russland, Pakhomow, würden Roma und Obdachlose gar nicht mehr nach Sochi kommen.

Antiziganismus und Rassismus sind in Russland tief verwurzelt. Dass jedoch ein Bürgermeister eine wichtigen Stadt und dann dazu noch der Olympiastadt Sochi eine solche Äußerung tätigt, ist doch ein Skandal. Dementsprechend protestierte die Internationale Roma Union in Prag gegen die Beleidigung. Die GfbV wird sich ein weiteres Mal mit VW in Verbindung setzen, das -wie im Falle der Sommerspiele in China- eine Generalpartnerschaft für die Olympiade in Sochi übernommen hat.

Quotidiano: Jyllands-Posten / Danimarca

Di Niels Jurgensen, corrispondente da Mosca per JP
Pubblicato il 19/10/09 – 16:10

Le organizzazioni UFO della zona raccontano di attività spaziali sempre più intense intorno alla città russa di Sochi che ospiterà i Giochi Olimpici invernali del 2014.
C’è una buona notizia per tutti gli appassionati di UFO. Gli stranieri sembrano pronti ad invadere Sochi nel 2014.

Alcune organizzazioni russe UFO sono convinte che la ben nota località di vacanza, dove i leader sovietici hanno la loro residenza estiva, sia un “centro galattico” per i visitatori provenienti da pianeti lontani.
Ci sarebbero stati centinaia di avvistamenti UFO nella zona.
“Se si punta la propria macchina fotografica sul cielo di Sochi, si può facilmente riprendere qualche astronave aliena”, dice un osservatore UFO locale, Vladislav Karabanov, che fa parte dell’agenzia RIA Novosti.

Dalla terrazza della sua casa, ha scattato diverse centinaia di foto di Oggetti Volanti Non Identificati. Purtroppo gli “oggetti volanti” scompaiono molto rapidamente verso l’orizzonte o il mare.

“Pensiamo che questi avvistamenti faranno si che si parlerà ancora molto di questi cottati di secondo tipo”, dice Karabanov che spera di ottenere un feedback da altri osservatori UFO della zona. E’ abbastanza fiducioso che l’area intorno alla sua casa e le colline circostanti Bytkha sia utilizzato dagli alieni come una sorta di “porta” tra due mondi. Egli sottolinea che la zona, in particolare Bytkha-Ridge, nel corso dei secoli è stata considerata sacra tra le tribù locali. “E ‘come una forma di energia che non si sente altrove”, dice.
Il fotografo professionista e produttore di documentari Alexander Semenjuk era molto scettico fino a che non visionò le registrazioni di Karabanov. “Sono chiaramente tridimensionale, a giudicare dalla luce del sole da un lato e il mare dagli altri”, dice.

Il direttore della rivista “Hardware”, Andrey Mikhajluk, è piuttosto sorpreso e scettico. “Sembra che vi sia stato fatto un ritocco o un montaggio di riprese”, dice. “Per alcuni potrebbe anche esserre solo una frisbee?”
E’ comunque da escludere che l’attività UFO di esseri alieni sia legata ad un particolare interesse per le prossime Olimpiadi invernali. Per il momento non vi sono conferme.

Hey All,

Some of you may know this and others don’t but i work at Saraya and I wanted to share our corporate video done a while back, it gives you a taste of the type of business we are in… which is global Luxury Travel and Tourism meant to suit your lifestyle for nothing but the finer things in life. We are going to have global presence with various luxurious tourist destinations, spanning the middle east from Jordan, Oman, UAE to Europe like in Russia all while providing world class services (Private Jets, Luxury Yachts, Travel Agency) to complete your travel experience…

Our main goal is to make your life just a little easier… in essence we offer an effortless escape every time you choose Saraya! Check out the video… let me know what you think… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YozZVCHU3zU

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Some glimpses of the campaign… for more images go to http://www.escapewithsaraya.com

UFO,Conspiracy, & Beyond

More Videos

Join SOCHI this Thursday for our weekly Show-and-Tell. This week we will be sharing sketchnotes from danah boyd’s presentation.

What is Show-and-Tell? Show-and-Tell is an informal gathering of HCI students. This fall, we will be opening up the Design Lab every Thursday evening for SOCHIers to gather together, share ideas, and give peer feedback. Think of it as a study hall where you are allowed (and encouraged) to talk!

When: Thursday, Oct. 15, 7-9 p.m.
Where: Design Lab 1, Duderstadt Center

If you had five minutes “on stage” in front of your fellow HCI students, what would you say? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds? Around the world, Ignite events have been held for people to show their answers. And this Tuesday, SOCHI will be holding our own Ignite-style event!

Twelve HCI students will be rising to the challenge and answering questions like:

What’s it like to be a part of a start up? What are leaders in the user experience and interaction design industry buzzing about these days? How can you customize your experience at SI and leverage opportunities to create an amazing internship?

Apple cider, donuts, and other refreshments will be provided. Come and find out what HCI students have been up to, ask questions and network with your peers!

When: Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 7-9 p.m.
Where: Ehrlicher Room, 411 West Hall
Please RSVP on Facebook

Speakers include:

Katie McCurdy: “Most Important Things I Learned at the 2009 Design Research Conference”

Ami Arnault: “Lessons Learned from Working for an Early-stage Startup”

Noah Liebman: “The Death of Touch: Tactile Affordances in an Age of Multitouch”

Jeremy Canfield: “Phonagle, the Untold (short) Story”

Jo Pu: “100 Days of Summer at Pitney Bowes”

Debra Lauterbach: “Choose Your Own Adventure: Taking Your Learning Outside the Classroom”

Maurini Strub: “Finding Your Passion”

Laura Rodrian: “Professional for Hire: Making the Most of Your Job Search”

Eunice Shin: TBA

Wentao Wang: “HCI in Startups”

Lee Gingras: “Usability for Small Businesses”

John Lewandowski: TBA

«Сочи 2014» доложил о прогрессе на Сессии МОК в Копенгагене

Rio wins the Olympic bid!

Just moments ago, the IOC announced Rio as the as the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

As the first Olympiad ever to take place in South America, Rio 2016 promises to be a tremendous marketing opportunity for all IOC and USOC sponsors. Will you be ready?

Marketing success in 2016 begins now, and research is a vital part of that process. With the Vancouver Games starting in just a few short months, and London 2012 right around the corner, there is no better time to measure your existing programs as well as investigate new ways to leverage your sponsorship affiliation. Don’t miss this unique opportunity in time.

Whether it is quantitative research with casual TV viewers, focus groups with avid fans, or on-site interviews with visitors to the Games, Performance Research has studied every Olympiad since 1992, accumulating more data and insight into Olympic sponsorship than any other research company in existence.

As the world-wide leaders in sponsorship measurement, we are uniquely qualified to help you determine how well you are breaking through the clutter of Olympic marketing, and if your efforts are truly strengthening an emotional bond with target consumers and building the health of your brand.

Olympic partnerships are a long-term investment. I encourage you to contact us so that we can help you measure and maximize the value of that investment to the fullest.

We look forward to seeing you in Vancouver in 2010, London 2012, Sochi 2014, and now Rio in 2016!

What country’s individual tax rate tops out at 13%?

Hint.  It isn’t the USA where federal and local taxes in New York are projected to reach a 57% bite.  If you are rich? Move to Florida or Nevada to avoid State Income Tax.  If you wanna be rich?  Move to this new “land of opportunity.”

What country’s higher education fosters a curiosity and practical involvement for its student body in free enterprise?

Hint.  It isn’t the USA where ironically the very corporations who fund university endowments are seen as the enemy by professors and students alike.  They are viewed as polluters and exploiters of a beleaguered laboring class.  But in this country, this new “land of opportunity,” the professors, themselves, own real estate businesses, factories and sit on the boards of directors of major corporations.

Meanwhile, state corporate taxes in the USA have reached scandalous proportions and all but kill the chances for a new, emerging, small business.  For example, all fifty states have higher corporate taxes than the nation of France, which has the fifth highest corporate taxes in the world and is frequently held out as the poster child of anti-small business and entrepreneurs.  But in this new “land of opportunity,” the maximum federal and regional corporate tax is 20%.

What country has sensible consumers who pay their bills on time and save their money?  Only one in 100 even carries a credit card?  Where capital investment potential abounds?

Hint.  It is surely not the USA where Americans carry 450 million Visa cards alone and where their credit card debt approaches $2 trillion.

What country is a true metling pot of religion, culture and race, where Moslem, Jew and Christian live and work side by side and their values are openly appreciated?

Hint. Not here in the good old USA, where government and big business restrict language and clothing in schools and the public marketplace. (I have a friend who writes screenplays for television movies.  He tells me that “Jesus” cannot be mentioned on one of the networks except as a curse word.)

What country boasts an airline where the stewardesses are still tall, trim, bright and attractive?  They still smile at their passengers, and wear elegant white gloves as part of their smart uniforms.

Hint. It isn’t the USA where a $15,000, first class, round trip international ticket on a US airline will get you a bitter, grouchy stewardess, who hates her job, her passengers but has union guarantees that virtually prevent her from ever being fired.

Answer to all the above?

Russia.

Welcome to the new land of opportunity.

Yes, there are still problems galore in Russia.  The roads outside of the major cities are still in disrepair. Grade schools are awful.  Airline equipment is dated, even for the clever, well run, Rossiya Airline. The government still struggles to deal with endemic corruption. (If security personnel at the airport will steal your coins going through the x ray machine, which happened to me, it kinda makes you wonder how vulnerable they would be to a terrorist bribe.)

The biggest problem of all?  Excessive regulation.  Perhaps, a hangover from the Soviet years or needed to combat corruption or maybe just part of the Russian DNA.  A new restaurant, for example, faces endless government regulations not only regarding hiring, but even regarding the choice of entrees on a menu.  And such rules not only limit the imagination of their people, they are cleverly exploited by competitors to block the emergence of any newcomers.

In complex industries, like “Direct Sales” the DUMA is vulnerable to manipulation by big companies who seek monopolies by regulating competitors out of the market.  Members of the DUMA must be generalists and can’t be experts on everything so some will be innocently led by foreign companies seeking to “clean up” their industry.  The result? Expect new regulations that will confine and harass their own Russian work force and limit their income opportunities, all to the advantage of big foreign corporations.

Nevertheless, Russia under Putin brought law and order to the streets, began an aggressive campaign against corruption and released an entrepreneurial spirit that is quickly producing a growing middle class and a Russian nouveau riche.  When the “dreamers” and “doers” outnumber the “takers” Russia will truly explode.  The atmosphere is right.  Immigrants, the bane of fortress America, are welcome in Russia where they are needed and wanted.

And the Russian Miracle is not just a Moscow – St. Petersburg phenomenon. There are business and cultural zones now popping up all over the Russian landscape.  For example, Putin helped the city of Kazan win the 2013 Universiade.  The city is being transformed in preparation. Yekaterinburg is a showcase city.  Distant Khabarovsk has it all.  Booming Black Sea resort Sochi will host the 2014 Winter Olympics and anyone who has visited this exotic city can tell you that it will forever after become one of the world’s glamour spots. 

So when President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin sit down together in the coming days to discuss their relationship and their future, they hold the hopes and dreams of millions in their hands.  And they are on the verge of history.  What has happened in Russia, its diversification, its wise use of the oil boom, its new freedoms for the marketplace now make it a “land of opportunity.”  And just in time for a world in global crisis.

Новая страна возможностей

В какой стране мира индивидуальная налоговая ставка, ниже 13%?

Намек.  Это – не США, где федеральные и местные налоги в Нью-Йорке  достигают 57%.  Если вы богаты? Переезжайте во Флориду или Неваду, чтобы избегать налога на прибыль.  Если вы хотите быть богатым?  Переезжайте в эту новую “землю возможностей.”

В каких странах высшее образование поощряет любознательность и личное участие студентов в свободном предпринимательстве?

Намек.  Это – не США, где по иронии судьбы сами корпорации, оказывающие материальную поддержку университетам,  рассматриваются профессорами и студентами, в качестве врагов. Они рассматриваются как угнетатели и эксплуататоры рабочего класса.  Но в этой стране, этой новой “земле возможностей,” профессора сами владеют фирмами по продаже недвижимости, фабриками и сидят в советах директоров этих корпораций.

Тем временем, налог на прибыль компаний в США достиг скандальных размеров и тем самым убивает возможность развития появляющихся новых фирм малого бизнеса. К примеру, все 50 штатов имеют более высокий налог на прибыль компаний, чем  население Франции, чей налог на прибыль компаний пятый по величине в мире  и часто воспринимается как враждебный малому бизнесу и предпринимательству. И в этой стране максимальный федеральный и региональный налог на прибыль компаний – 20%.

В какой стране есть здравомыслящие потребители, которые платят по счетам вовремя и копят  деньги? Где только один из ста человек имеет кредитную карточку? Где огромный потенциал капитальных инвестиций?

Намек.  Это – несомненно, не США, где американцы имеют только 450 миллионов карточек Visa, и где долг по кредитным карточкам доходит до 2 триллионов.

Какая страна является местом, где реально переплетаются религии, культуры и расы, где вместе живут и работают  мусульмане, христиане, евреи  и их ценности принимаются?

Намек. Не здесь в старых добрых США, где правительство и крупный капитал ограничивают язык и одежду в школах, и общественный рынок. (У меня есть друг, который пишет сценарии для телевизионных фильмов. Он говорит , что имя “Иисус” нельзя упоминать на одном из каналов, т.к. как там оно звучит как проклятие).                                                                                                                Какая страна может похвастаться авиалиниями,                                                                                               , где все бортпроводницы высокого роста, аккуратны, умны и привлекательны?  Они все еще улыбаются пассажирам и надевают изящные белые перчатки как часть  своей элегантной униформы.

Намек. Это – не США, где заплатив $15,000 за билет первого класса на международном рейсе американских авиалиний, вы  получите обслуживание, которое вам предоставит вредная, ворчливая бортпроводница, которая ненавидит свою работу, и своих пассажиров, но имеет гарантии профсоюза, которые фактически делают невозможным ее увольнение.

Ответ на все эти вопросы?

Россия.

Добро пожаловать в новую землю возможностей

Да, все еще есть проблемы в изобилии в России.  Дороги за пределами главных городов находятся все еще в ветхости. Образование в школах ужасное. Авиаоборудование устарело, даже в такой умной компании с хорошим управлением как Российские авиалинии. Государство до сих пор борется с эпидемией коррупции. (если служащие охраны аэропорта украдут ваши монеты проходящие осмотр, как это произошло со мной, то это заставляет задуматься на сколько их легко их подкупить террористам.)

Наибольшая проблема всего?  Чрезмерное регулирование. Возможно, пережиток  Советских времён, либо нужно было бороться с коррупцией либо возможно только часть Русской ДНК.  Новый ресторан, к примеру, сталкивается с бесконечными государственными ограничениями, не только по вопросу найма, но  даже выбору блюд в меню. И такие правила не только ограничивают воображение их людей, их умно эксплуатируют конкуренты, чтобы блокировать появление любых новичков.

В комплексной промышленности, подобно «Прямые Продажи» Дума уязвима к манипулированию большими компаниями, которые ищут монополию путём ограничения конкурентов вне рынка. Члены Думы должны быть универсалами и не могут быть экспертами во всем, таким образом, некоторые будут невинно приводить зарубежные компании, ищущие «очистить» их индустрию. Результат? Ожидайте новые ограничения, которые ограничат и будут беспокоить их собственную русскую рабочую силу и ограничивать их возможности прибыли, все для удобства больших иностранных компаний. Однако, Россия с Путиным во главе, принесла закон и порядок на улицы, начал агрессивную кампанию против коррупции, выпустила предпринимательский дух, который быстро создаёт и развивает средний класс и русского nouveau riche. Когда “мечтатели” и “исполнители” перевесят количеством “потребителей” Россия по настоящему взорвется.  Атмосфера правильна.  Иммигранты, the bane of fortress America, желанны в России, где они нужны и где их ищут.

И Русское Чудо – не только феномен Москва – Санкт Петербург . Есть деловые и культурные зоны ,которые сейчас возникают по всей русской территории. К примеру, Путин помог городу Казан выиграть в конкурсе по проведению универсиады в 2013 году. Город преобразовывается во время подготовки. Екатеринбург – город витрин. Отдаленный Хабаровск так же имеет все. Быстро развивающийся Сочи, курорт на Черном Море примет в2014 году, зимние олимпийские игры и кто-либо, кто посетил этот экзотический город, сможет сказать вам, что после их,  это будет одно из самых эффектных мест в мире.

И так, когда Президент Медведев и Премьер-министр Путин садятся вместе, чтобы обсудить их взаимоотношения и их будущее, они держат надежды и грезы миллионов в их руках. И они на грани истории.  Что случилось в России, её диверсификации, её мудром использовании нефтяного бума, её новых свобод для рынка сейчас делают её “землёй возможностей.”  Как раз вовремя для мира в глобальном кризисе.

Enjoying some sangria in Dominick’s backyard

All School of Information students, alumni, faculty, and staff are invited to get the year started right this Friday, September 11 at Dominick’s! SOCHI has arranged an SI-only gathering at Ann Arbor’s favorite backyard patio from 6-9 p.m. We are looking forward to seeing many old friends and new faces. Stop by anytime! Just look for the section marked off for SI. If you’re new to Ann Arbor, Dominick’s is located just south of the Law Quad (or two blocks southwest of West Hall) on Monroe Street. See you there!

Thousands of Tropical Fish Die in Russian Airport

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

MOSCOW —  Thousands of tropical fish reportedly have died at a Russian airport after being held in customs for 15 hours in the summer heat.

The state RIA Novosti news agency says more that 4,000 fish worth $480,000 died in the Black Sea resort of Sochi after customs officials spent 15 hours clearing the cargo Saturday. The fish had been shipped from China and made a brief stop in India.

The fish were intended for Sochi Discovery World, Russia’s largest oceanarium, which is slated to open this month.

RIA Novosti’s report Tuesday quotes Oceanarium director Amin Azzam as saying the loss of the fish is an “atrocity unseen anywhere else in the world.”

The $25 million oceanarium is part of the development before the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Source

Fokuseringen på Georgien-konflikten med dess storpolitiska kopplingar, gör att vi lätt glömmer resten av Kaukasusregionen med alla de problem och risker som finns inbäddade i denna etniskt, politiskt och religiöst blandade region med en lång historia av konflikter av många olika slag.
Att Kreml haft och har problem med den självsvåldige och våldsamme president Ramzan Kadyrov i Tjetjenien är väl känt sedan länge, hans ambitioner utanför det egna territoriet kanske inte lika mycket.
Förutom Tjetjenien lider bl a Dagestan och Ingusjien av utbredd korruption, klanstrider, tilltagande militant islamism och allmän ohörsamhet mot varje form av centralmakt.

Moskva vill återta sin kontroll över regionen men utan att gå in med centralmaktens resurser. I ett försök att till varje pris undvika ett nytt Tjetjenienkrig har Kreml försökt lösa situationen genom lokala ledare och politiker. Där man prövat den mjuka handens lösning har resultatet blivit en än värre situation medan den hårda näven har producerat den alltmer svårkontrollerade envåldshärskaren Kadyrov i Grozny.

Med den instabila situationen kring Georgien, Abshazien och Syd-Ossetienen fortfarande olöst och med en potentiellt allt mera explosiv och svårkontrollerad situation övriga delar av Kaukasus, funderar man förvisso i Kreml över vad de olympiska vinterspelen 2014 kan komma att innebära rent säkerhetsmässigt.
De ska hållas i Sochi, mitt i smeten, och torde, om man inte innan dess löst ut situationen, kräva just den sorts säkerhetsåtärder som man i Kreml till varje pris försöker undvika.
Fem år går fort….

Day 9, Sochi

As per the regulations of the Russian Federation, we were obliged to
take an organized tour if we wanted to get off the ship without visas.
So we followed our guide Elena on a walking tour of Sochi.  Sochi is
an easy city, a true resort – lazy and relaxed.  It is snuggled
against the backdrop of the Caucasian Mountains which, unfortunately,
were not snow-capped at this time.  A lot of the city was built in the
neo-classical style favored by Stalin, but because the vegetation here
is so abundant, the heavy Stalinist buildings are pushed into the
background.  I don’t think I have ever seen a greener city.  It looks
like one subtropical resort.  Oleanders, magnolias, cypresses, palms,
all kinds of flowering bushes and exotic conifers abound.  The streets
are paved with the mosaic of different stones and inlays.  A bunch of
whimsical metal sculptures by the same local artist surround the Art
Museum and greet you on the paths.  Our guide, who comes from the town
called Krasnaya Polyana where the Olympic village is going to be built
at the feet of the mountains, was supposed to guard and protect us
(either from defecting or from spying) and personally deliver us back
to the ship, but we tricked her, said good-bye, quietly turned around and went
back to the city.  We didn’t defect but spied a lot of shops,
restaurants, and vacationers in skimpy bathing suits when we saw two
policemen stopping a group of people and checking their passports, so
we rushed back to the ship and had lunch on the 10th floor,
overlooking the sea, the coastline, and the mountains.  Then a trivia
game, high tea – you know the drill.

Emil Gorovets was a popular Russian Pop singers in the 60´s and 70´s. Here he is singing on a souvenir record from the Russian resort city Sochi. The other tracks on this EP are lame and even this Twist has no Rock´n´Roll intrumentation. I don´t know Russian so I don´t even know what the real title of this song is. Maybe some Russian readers can fill us in on that one in the future.

Here´s a video of Emil Gorovets singing another song:

The song on this record is a nice little Russian summertime Twist. That´s enough to make me enjoy this…

EMIL GOROVETS, A Queen of Beauty, 1964

(Update 07/18/2009: DJ Vova from Russia just sent me a mail with a lot of corrections and even translated the lyrics. I had it all completely wrong, this Emil is from Russia. All the singers on this Ep were Soviet Estrada singers. From Vova´s translation:

There´s  a summer that wanders around the lanes / Sun flows straight from the roofs / In the stream of sunlight / You are standing near a kiosk / Magazines shine with their covers / You look at them delighted / You saw a queen of beauty there / And I feast my eyes only on you / And you don´t realize / That with your beauty / You can overshadow any queen of beauty / And I go forward to you / And I bear flowers for you / As for only one queen of beauty alive.

The song titles on the sleeve read like this:

1. Hello Sochi by Georg Ots

2. A Queen of Beauty by Emil Gorovets

3. My Black Sea by Georg Ots

4. That´s how steamboats are sent off by Eduard Khill

Thank you very much Vova!

DJ VOVA TOTAL BLAM BLAM is booking shows to take his Russian records to Western Europe this year . His first tour ended in complete desaster because he was arrested at the border, detained and sent back to Russia. We still seem to be far away from freedom, justice and equality in Europe. If you would like to help him bring his Dusty Soviet Rock LP´s-Tour to your city this time, please contact  DJ VOVA TOTAL BLAM BLAM. It´s also very interesting to read his full story of his first visit.