QueenZone discussion #1062462

At Polling Station No. 402, located in a school in the small town of Pestovo, in the Novgorod region, dozens of ballots were already marked with a check next to United Russia, a local voter said. "There were rumors that pensioners would get expensive plates if they accepted a prepared ballot before midday at a handful of schools," said Ella, a 42-year-old unemployed woman who asked that her last name not be used for fear of reprisal. "When we saw they were actually giving away the plates, we couldn't believe it," Ella said by telephone from Pestovo.

Among hundreds of other complaints, Golos observers reported that plainclothes officers in Moscow had offered voters 700 rubles (about $29) to vote for United Russia; United Russia promotional posters were visible near polling stations in Moscow and other cities; and United Russia calendars were hanging in women's restrooms at several polling stations.

More than a dozen gay-rights activists were detained Sunday after voting at the same polling station as Mayor Yury Luzhkov, who has called gay parades "satanic" and denied permission to hold them. Police detained gay parade organizer Nikolai Alexeyev and 15 other activists at around 10:30 a.m. in central Moscow, Gazeta.ru reported. Before they were detained, they wrote "No to Homophobia, No to Luzhkov" on their ballots instead of check marks, said Melkonyants, the Golos spokesman. A law enforcement source told Interfax that the activists had been taken to the Tverskoye precinct for a "prophylactic conversation."

Ksu wrote: while the west may want to attribute that to "propaganda" or "suppression of freedoms"

"The appreciation of the ruble against the U.S. dollar, combined with ever-increasing accommodation charges, has driven up costs for expatriates in Moscow," Mercer research manager Nathalie Constantin-Metral said in a statement. A luxury two-bedroom in Moscow now rents for $4,000 a month; a CD costs $24.83, and an international newspaper, $6.30, according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a burger is a steal at $4.80.

Micrówave wrote:

Ksu wrote: while the west may want to attribute that to "propaganda" or "suppression of freedoms"

Yes, but how can you believe ANY propaganda coming from a police state, such as Russia. Quality of life is better? I've never been there, but I'm pretty sure I couldn't afford to live in Moscow like I live here in the U.S.

"The appreciation of the ruble against the U.S. dollar, combined with ever-increasing accommodation charges, has driven up costs for expatriates in Moscow," Mercer research manager Nathalie Constantin-Metral said in a statement. A luxury two-bedroom in Moscow now rents for $4,000 a month; a CD costs $24.83, and an international newspaper, $6.30, according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a burger is a steal at $4.80.

<font color="lime">Raf840 wrote:

Micrówave wrote:

Ksu wrote: while the west may want to attribute that to "propaganda" or "suppression of freedoms"

Yes, but how can you believe ANY propaganda coming from a police state, such as Russia. Quality of life is better? I've never been there, but I'm pretty sure I couldn't afford to live in Moscow like I live here in the U.S.

"The appreciation of the ruble against the U.S. dollar, combined with ever-increasing accommodation charges, has driven up costs for expatriates in Moscow," Mercer research manager Nathalie Constantin-Metral said in a statement. A luxury two-bedroom in Moscow now rents for $4,000 a month; a CD costs $24.83, and an international newspaper, $6.30, according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a burger is a steal at $4.80.

Ksu has a point. I was reading a special article about people like Chavez and Putin, who use oil to make themselves more powerful, and it is a fact that quality of life has improved in Russia. Worse than in the United States and most European countries? Certainly. But it has been improving. I'm not defending Putin or anything. He basically needs people to feel happier so that there will be less people supporting the opposition. He is a cruel leader, he's probably behind the murder of that agent who was intoxicated with a radioactive chemical, he controls the press, and so on... But he was smart enough to make his own life easier by making Russian people feel their life's been improving.

YourValentine wrote: I wonder why you think he will start a new Cold War, History Girl. As you say yourself he is very intelligent. He is also very familiar with other countries and he surely knows that in a global world he needs his European partners if he wants his country to improve. While Gorbachev was a hero in the West he is not so much a hero in his own country because he gave up the super power status of the USSR in favour of peace and freedom - but the people in his country felt they lost. Putin gives them back their national pride when he takes a stand against the USA in many international issues. When you say the elections were manipulated and Putin is a ruthless power hungry man who cannot be trusted - well you can say that about a lot of other countries and leaders. I have been in my local election committee for a long time and I have seen more irregularities than I ever expected in my worst nightmares. Starting with party driving service of senior citizens manipulating them to vote for the party, committee members who do not know the counting procedure and count perfectly legal votes invalid and the other way round and many other cases. More than once I had to call in a supervisor to stop the most obvious irregularities. I think we should not act like our countries have a bunch of un-corrupt, democratic and honest political leaders because it's not true. We should not act like our leaders are only striving for the good because it's not true, either. Considering our democratic history our political leaders are not much better than Putin. But we still vote for them, don't we?