What I am more curious about is how the current generation feels about western culture. How do current affairs we won't mention in detail affect the way young people look at western movies, music and other arts?
Well, my only solid relation with the current generation is my teenage daughter (and her friends she told us of), so the "sample size" is quite narrow. But i can say for sure - in general they are totally OK with the western culture. In the comparison to my generation they are more picky and spoiled by the instant access to a media on demand.
Even the reactions to the movies is quite the same here and there!
The movie theatres in Russia very soon would release the pirated digital copy of the "Barbie", it even was in the news!
So there is not so much difference - the Western culture still prevails, the Asian culture (mostly the anime) is more popular than before, and the local movies and TV shows... they are there, but in the bottom of the imaginable "popularity rating". The local music is feeling much better, though (as it was before too).
Foreign movies are mostly from the USA, TV shows is mostly from the USA, but the presence of European and Asian shows are strong, the music is from all around the world (and ex-USSR is included).
I had a quick glance through my personal selected music library: there is a 19 bands from the USA vs 24 bands from the Europe.
The only thing is very different - the amateur media production is quite strong nowadays. In my school days in the 90's it can't be done at such scale: can't imagine such quality and popularity of amateur production without modern PCs, VDSLRs, affordable sound equipment and the internet video services!
Excellent video I saw not to long ago, it shows those house bunkers mentioned in the article.
It's funny, when i watched this video, my thoughts was always a little ahead: "But those bunkers are irrelevant against the modern warf... oh, there it goes" or "But the Switzerland is not neutral anymo... oh, there it goes"
That station in your pictures has nice lighting in the dark btw, but it doesn't look like the masonry is in good condition ( or quality.. looks like a quick paintjob while it would have looked wonderful with a limestone charade ).
Yep, the masonry was never that good in the first place and the Russian Railroads did the paint job "as our regulations said!", hence the result. If this old station was the property of the city, the outcome would be much better.
Picture 37, when at that train station looking at those four smoke stacks, wth is that a nuclear power plant that cooling tower on the left looks massive,
No, it is one of the many Moscow "TETs" - the thermal power station powered by fossil fuel which produces surplus heat to the city central heating system. It was powered by the coal when build and in the 80's converted to the natural gas. It was a tremendous improvement in the everyday life of Moscow - no more smoke, ash, vast ash ponds and the enormous coal trains! So the electricity, heat, steam, CO2 and the distinctive low humming - is the only things the Moscow power stations produced nowadays.
Cooling towers of the nuclear power stations is much, much bigger. But even the "small ones" are looking enormous, when you looking at them in the close distance!
a train to try to get out of Soviet area during an "end of the world" scenario
They would be probably got stopped anyway when the Soviet 1520 mm railway gauge ends and the 1435 mm European gauge starts! I wonder if the author of the book was aware of this predicament.
have lighting that reminds me of Norman Rockwell painting.s
That was a flattering comparison, thanks! Now i see that looks on the faces of the "wild ones" is quite picturesque too
