Ksenia Sobchak

Ksenia Sobchak is a prominent celebrity in Russia; she is well known television presenter for the Russian channel TNT. She is the second daughter of Antoly Sobchak, the first Mayor of St.Petersberg to be elected democratically after the fall of the Soviet Union.
She is known as the ‘It girl ‘or Russia’s answer to ‘Paris Hilton’. Tabloids and fashion magazines love writing about her as her name is always associated with some scandal or the other. Ksenia Sobchak roams in her Porsche and her driver always carries a pistol. She began her career in showbiz through her ultra sexy photoshoots in FHM Magazine and Playboy. In 2004 she made her film debut in Thieves and Prostitutes. She continued appearing in other films but never ended up being a full fledged mainstream actress.
Ksenia rose to fame when she hosted Dom 2 on TNT. It is apparently known to be the most scandalous reality show in Russia. The show is watched by millions of viewers, it follows a group of single young men and women as they build a house in the countryside. The contestants have no contact with the outside world and have to live together in the new house till they are voted out. The House goes to the couple who remain till the end. In order to survive in the show they are supposed to create an image of themselves and do everything possible to garner votes. In the process there have also been instances where contestants have stripped and indulged in sexual acts. In other words ‘Big Boss’ in colours is based out of ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Dom 2’. The show did invite a lot of trouble with conservatives asking for a ban. Ksenia was also held criminally liable in 2005 for hosting the show. But all of this only increased the ratings and popularity of the show. Ksenia became a household name in Russia. Ever since Dom 2 happened Ksenia has hosted a couple of other shows as well. ‘Who doesn’t want to be a Millionaire’, ‘The Last Hero’ and ‘The Blonde in Chocolate’? The blonde in Chocolate was her personal reality show on Russian MTV; it was prey for a lot controversy for her constant use of swears words and changing her clothes in front of the camera.
Ksenia manages to be in the limelight by surprising the audience by doing something wild all the time. She had an exhibition of her worn clothes where she put 450 pairs of clothes and everyone
had a chance to buy them. Her having sex with Russian rapper Timati is still talked about in a lot of Russian tabloids (In other words she is the sophisticated version of a Rakhi Sawant or Veena Malik may be)
Apart from being in the showbiz, she has also authored two books, ‘How to marry a millionaire’ and ’Philosophy in Boudoir’. She also has a column in the Russian GQ magazine.
After belonging to a political family she has Vladmir Putin in her list of friends. This is because
Ksenia’s father Antoly Sobchak had helped Putin enter Politics after he resigned from Kremlin. Thus it comes as a surprise that these days Ksenia Sobchak has been attending anti-Putin protests and recently was even caught having a meeting with a few Putin critics. When she saw two reporters filming her secretly talking to them she snatched their cameras, removed their memory cards and fired them. In fact last week she even hosted protest leaders in her new talk show which was removed by MTV and is now broadcast on a website. She has been attending a lot of anti-government demonstrations inviting a lot of media attention and criticism.

All you need is love

(g!festival in the village of Gøta )The Faroe Islands preach values of peace, happiness and universal love.And it is their music that helps them preach these values.

Music has always been a way to bridge the gap between cultures.Like I mentioned before it is a universal language that transgresses all boundaries.

The Faroese are on to this and that is why they give music so much importance.

A Faroese will find any excuse to sing and dance and that is why

There are a variety of music festivals that happen all across the islands.

The music ranges from international artists to Faroese musicians and trance.

During the summer the ultimate festival to be at is the Summartónar.

This classic and modern music festival that held in churches, museums and other public venues across the islands.

They also offer free live shows.

Another festival held here, which was actually one of the first music festivals to ever be held in the islands is the G!

They sold a 1000 tickets and the number has been increasing ever since.

The Faroese have a tradition of unaccompanied singing with a chain dance that dates back to the middle ages.

It is still prominent in their lives today.

These "chain -dance" ballads are rhythmic tales that originate from heroes and legends.

The best time to catch these performances is during the St Olav's Day celebrations at the end of July in Tórshavn.

If you are someone who loves exploring new music then The Faroe Islands would be light at the end of the tunnel,

A beautiful landscape coupled with beautiful music.

Go back in time to a place filled the positivity of people connecting on the pure love for music.

The Faroese culture just continues to fascinate me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE-SwehwyXk

All you need is love

An Island of Time Travel, A new discovery of happiness

Step into a magical world of Norse fairytales.

In case you’re wondering what Norse fairytales are ill give you an example- trolls, ogres, golem well they all originated from Norse fairytales and like the Faroese language are of Germanic descent.

The Faroe Islands bring to you turf roofs, log houses and a language of Viking descent coupled with a population who delight in dressing up in traditional wear and singing Norse ballads.

The Faroe islands are a place that radiates a kind of beauty that no other place resonates.

It appeals to the youth and their laid back attitude and their preservation of culture have given them a life of magic and a different kind of freedom.

According to the national geographic traveller the Faroe Islands are one of the most unspoilt islands of the world.

The ponies like their magical descendants are the purest and oldest equine breed on planet earth with no influences of outside blood.

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone reported seeing a unicorn amongst its lush valleys.

Feel like enacting the lord of the rings? Well then the Faroe Islands are the perfect place.

The people are reportedly so at peace with their lives here that there have been only about 3 reported murders in the past two years.

THE FAROE ISLANDS

Enter a mystical world where time stand still and reality seems like a million miles away. Walk into the world of the Faroese.

The universal religion of peace and love resonates off the shores of the Faroe Islands.

The people are happy and music is everywhere.

With a small population of around 46-50, 000, tourism is encouraged with open arms as they welcome music lovers from all over the world and anyone else looking for an escape into a different world.

The Faroese are ancient Viking settlers called the Norse-gaels from the 9^th century,who built little villages along the coastline.they made a life out of fishing and animal rearing.

It wasn’t until the 14^th century that they came under Denmark politically.

hey are still a part of Danish territory but they are largely self governed.Denmark only handles justice, defense and foreign affairs.

They predominantly speak Faroese,which is a Germanic language descended from old norse.

Yes enter a country surrounded by mystical folklore and norse legends.

Welcome to the Faroe Islands a place that seems like the ultimate fairytale.

a little sneak peak of what to look out for...:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k8WD1gx8mg

Russian Vodka

The origins of Vodka have always been debatable. Some historians claim that the mention of vodka dates back to late 9th century in Russia whereas there are records which say it was used in the 8th century in Poland. Vodka is the speciality of Russians considering the weather. It is highly consumed in the European belt. Russians are known to be ardent Vodka drinkers. Vodka is an integral part of Russian culture and lifestyle; there are many jokes and stories associated to vodka consumption. It always tops the priority list when it comes to alcohol consumption.
Vodka is made using a complicated process which involves distillation. Water and pure grain alcohol is used for this. It is said that the difficulty of growing grapes in such cold climate resulted in the use of fermented grain for producing vodka. Russians usually have Vodka along with zakuski (snacks) after each shot or black bread is sniffed in order to soak up the alcohol. Zakuski or snacks usually consists of pickles or something sour. Drinking is very much a part of every meal and it becomes very difficult to say no to a host who has invited you for lunch or dinner.
Apart from being alcoholic beverage vodka is used in a variety of other things. It is used as a medicine, cosmetic, antiseptic, cleaning substance, in food etc. During World War 2 vodka used to save lives. In case of poison a shot of Vodka with salt actually prevents the poison from spreading. The mixture is also cures diarrhoea. It is a well-known remedy for reducing body temperature. Applying some vodka on a sponge and wiping the body with it makes the body cold and brings down body temperature. It is also used to cure frostbites, toothaches and joint aches and is known to be a great antiseptic.
Vodka is also used as cleaning substance. One can used a few drops of Vodka to clean their glasses. The presence of alcohol in Vodka helps dissolve oil and fat. Thus it is used to clean collars and cuffs of woollen jackets. This is done using a tissue dipped in vodka after it is cleaned the cloth has to be ironed with a plain tissue on the top till the area concerned dries. Hair breakage and hair fall can be cured using 200gms of Vodka with one hot chilly pepper, keep the concoction for a week. Before washing the hair this mixture is applied to the roots. This is then washed off after an hour. This works as an excellent cure for hair damage. It also works well for acne and other skin problems. Vodka is also used in a variety of dishes. A lot of recipes made of fish have vodka as their main flavour. It adds that extra edge to the flavour making the whole dish exotic. It is added in yeast based dough to make it puffier. Cocktails like Bloody Mary, White Russian, Otvertka, cosmopolitan and Vodka Martini use Vodka as their main ingredient.
A lot of places in Russia produce adulterated Vodka which is known to be very fatal. People end up loosing their lives after consuming this kind of vodka which is made by distilling all the wrong ingredients. Manufacturers do this in order to cut expenses and increase production.Thus it is advised to purchase only well-known brands in order to ensure authenticity. Smirnoff is the most widely known brand of Vodka not only in Russia but all over the world. Its popularity comes from
the fact that the house of Smirnoff was the purveyor to the Romanov Tzars.

Iran: Coup of 1953

In the early years of the 19^th century a discovery was made in Iran, which changed its politics forever – the discovery of oil. The site where it was found still holds the sign “Well Number One” in the town of Masjid-e-Suleiman in South West Iran. The site pumped oil for 70 years. The British controlled the Iranian oil industry for nearly 50 years; they had paid only $75,000 to pump oil in Iran for 60 years. The business of oil was under the control of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) which was mainly controlled by the British government, at the time it was the most profitable British business in the world. The main grouse that the Iranians had was that the money that came out of their natural resources went back to the fat cats in England, the injustice of it was visible everywhere, the British workers lived in swanky clean colonies separated from the Iranians who lived in ghettos and slums, without proper water and sanitation, and only the Britishers could hope to reach higher positions in the company, it was a monopoly of the British, by the British, for the British. The British had their own gardens, theaters, golf courses that were completely inaccessible to the Iranians; they were for Brits only, sounds familiar?

In the year 1931, Mohammad Mossadegh came onto the political scene and soon enough became symbolic of the Iranian anger against the AIOC and the British. By 1951 he had been elected as the Prime Minister of Iran, and soon after coming to power he nationalised the oil company. The Iranians were celebrating while the British were outraged.

The British reaction was swift, first, they tried to sabotage the workings of the Abadan Refinery they did all they could to ensure that the machineries wouldn’t work after they left, second, an embargo was imposed on Iran, crippling its economy and its people, but in spite of it, they managed to ride through it and their support for Mossadegh continued. When that didn’t work British turned to only other thing they knew at the time – armed action. They approached the US who under the Presidency of Harry Truman refused to take part in any such action. For the Americans at that time this was nothing less than imperialism, and they refused to be a part of it.

After the US refusal only two options were left, either “leave Mossadegh alone or organise a coup.” The British kept working behind the scenes trying to influence US foreign policy in their favour.

For the British, things took a turn for the better when Dwight Eisenhower came to power. The Britishers had soon realised that they had to change tactics to win any ground, and at point in history fuelling the paranoia over Communism was the perfect card to play. The brothers – John Foster Dulles and Allan Dulles – who had become the Secretary of State and CIA director respectively, “considered the world an ideological battleground” and for them Iran and its communist nationalism had to be stopped. And so together they went about changing the minds of people and politicians in the US, that if they did not intervene, Iran will fall to communism.

This moment forth started the beginning of the psychological warfare that was to bring down a government in a country far, far, away. Operation Ajax had started.

In the summer of 1953, the streets of Tehran were filled with CIA paid mullahs, politicians and channels with news commentators that denounced Mossadegh and his policies.  According to the CIA papers about the coup, the whole campaign cost nearly $20 million. Fazlollah Zahedi who succeeded Mossadegh as the PM was already paid more than $100,000 by the CIA. In the history of the coup by Donald Wilber who himself was part of organising it, he writes, “covert agents would manipulate public opinion and turn as many Iranians as possible against Mossadegh…staged attacks on religious leaders and make it appear that they were ordered by Mossadegh…On the morning of “coup day” thousands of paid demonstrators would stage a massive anti-government rally.”

August 19^th, 1953 was a turning point in Iranian history. It was the day that witnessed the end of the only democratic regime the country has ever had.

The campaign that had started months earlier came to revolve around two days – 19^th and 15^th of August – one turned out to be a failure while the other a success for the West.

On the night of 15^th August, men in army fatigues walked down the streets of Tehran towards the home of Mohammad Mossadegh carrying a Firmaan authorising his dismissal as the Prime Minister of Iran. The Firmaan signed by the then Shah – Mohammed Reza Pahlavi – was in itself of dubious legality as only the Parliament could dismiss the PM and not the Shah.  

Colonel Nasiri, who was a huge supporter of the Shah, led the men that night, and while they walked the streets confidently what they failed to notice were the signs of disquiet in the air, and as Nasiri reached Mossadeghs home, there was reversal in the possible outcome he imagined, instead of arresting Mossadegh, Nasiri himself was arrested by segments of the military that was still loyal to the government, he was stripped of his uniform and declared a traitor.

An hour after midnight the radios crackled to life as Mossadegh came on air announcing victory over a coup attempt organised by the Shah and ‘foreign elements’.

Kermit Roosevelt, a CIA officer, was sitting in a basement waiting for news that would have been just the opposite of what was being announced on the radio, and hence, the first failure. Soon after he got a call from back home (USA), ordering him to come back following the failure of the coup, which he had so carefully organised in the months before.  He stoutly refused; he would only leave after he finished the job he came for.

He still had a few cards up his sleeves, and he would reveal them all climaxing at the “coup day”. First and foremost, he asked agents to go out and bribe who they can, the large network of gangs, paid thugs and protestors that they had organised in the months leading up to the coup were all given a chance to come out and play. Roosevelt also had on his payroll General Zahedi, who held considerable sway in “officer corps and was willing to do whatever was necessary to reach power.” His other weapon was the Firmaan in his hand, he gave that out to his agents who distributed it on the streets, and made sure they appeared in the newspapers the next day. The importance of the Firmaan was such that it gave them traditional authority. The people of Iran still respected royal power. Every day was worse than the last, paid gangs and mobs plundered and caused friction across Tehran in the name of Mossadegh. During this time Mossadegh made his own mistakes, naively believing that the first coup was organised by the Shah (Roosevelt spent months trying to convince the Shah to their cause, the Shahs sister was quite helpful after she was gifted a mink coat) who had fled the country and that they would not try again so soon. He also made the mistake of banning all public demonstrations after he was deceived into believing by and American ambassador that Iranians were harassing the US citizens in the country. To put a stop to this he gave this fateful order of no demonstrations, and he asked General Daftary to deal with the rioters, unknown to Mossadegh, Daftary was a close friend of Zahedi. So instead of working against the conspirators he turned against the government and Mossadegh himself. Since, Mossadegh himself had banned people from coming to the streets his supporters stayed at home, while the paid mobs walked to the city center.

Everything was in place and all that they had needed was chaos.

As the American agents in Tehran waited the radios again crackled to life, but this time the person on the other end spoke a different message, “The government of Mossadegh has been defeated. It was a government of rebellion and it has fallen.” Roosevelt and his team got up and left the basement they were working in, it was time to go home.