"We were very lucky. They hardly ever sold us against our will!"

  Not so many Western people know that serfdom (which is basically slavery) existed in Russia up to 1861 when serfs (most of them peasants) were all freed thanks to Tsar Alexander II reform.

  Just for the sake of comparison: serfdom stopped existing in Britain in the XVth century.

  Slavery was abolished in the USA by 1865.

  So in terms of time there isn't considerable difference between Russia and the USA.

  When it comes to serfs' and slaves' rights I have to say both categories (in America as well as in Russia) were absolutely dependent on their owners' will. Russian serfs couldn't move against their owners' will, couldn't marry whoever they wanted, were seriously abused by their owners', had to rely completely on their owners' good will. 

  They were easily traded and their desire was never taken into account.

  It was a common thing among nobility to sell several serfs - or 'souls' as they were used to be called - for a couple of good hunting dogs (Russian nobility in the XIXth century were passionate hunters).

  My ancestors on my Mother's side were serfs. Slaves. Without any rights whatsoever - they could be sold, whipped to death, robbed or raped by their owners.

  However, our family history says the nobility owning us were quite liberal. As my great-grandmother used to say, "They were kind and merciful and never sold us against our will!"

  Serfdom (slavery) didn't stop people from being talented artists, composers, poets and actors.

  One of the most famous and most romantic love stories is the one of Parasha Kovaleva-Zhemchugova, a serf actress, who secretly got married to her owner, Count Sheremetyev - marriage almost impossible in the early XIXth century. 

  

'First they came for....'

  I have just been pointed out that one very famous quote could be applied to the current situation in Russia.
  It's the one by Martin Niemoeller:

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the socialists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Catholic.

Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.

Anybody who is different. Anybody who stands out. 

Notorious Russian blogger's answer to Stephen Fry's letter

I have translated this post for my English-speaking readers.

I have put some of the bits of it in bold just to stress them - they are not in bold in the original.

One can easily see how much twisting with the words and meanings is involved here, how hypocritical these statements are, how eloquent the blogger is to support her ideas.

Dear Mr. President! Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Dear Mr. Rogge, Mr. Alexander Zhukov and all the other Members of the International Olympic Committee!

I am not Stephen Fry, I'm just a modest scriptwriter, a novel writer and a fitness loving girl, so I guess my letter might never reach you. But I'm writing in hope to be heard, while probably not by you, but at least by all the sensible people, who consider the traditional sexual orientation and love for sports to be their solid and unquestionable values.

I hate all forms and kinds of fascism, I hate wars, including the Second World War, which the Nazi Germany started against the whole world thanks to criminal condonation and even instigation of Great Britain. My best friend is Jewish and her family's tragic story as well as millions of other families' stories has made me believe that you can't grade people dividing them into classes and treating them as either the first or the second class and that you can't just use people as 'cannon fodder' in wars for your own criminal interests.

Unfortunately some British citizens longing for the past imperial ambitions (sic!) are itching for those gone ambitions now. They seem to believe that in our country homosexual people should be graded higher and treated better than heterosexual people. They can't understand why gay people in Russia are not favoured over straight people and why the latter's rights and freedom are not being limited or violated.

It's fascism, in my humble opinion. Great Britain has already made a costly mistake in the past by acknowledging and accepting Nazi Germany on the international level and by arranging the Olympics in Berlin in 1936. At first they allowed Hitler to get armed turning their blind eye to Jewish massacres and concentration camps for Jews and then they stopped isolation of the criminal Nazi regime by sending British sportsmen to the Olympics in Berlin.

Now we are all under similar threat. Unhappy with their rights which are equal to the rights of heterosexual people gays are campaigning their government and the IOC for staging the Olympiad not in Russia but somewhere else, in a country where their 'sort' of people are favoured over straight people.

'All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing', so wrote Edmund Burke. Are you going to be those who allow evil to triumph?

Dear Mr. President! Dear Members of the IOC!

I'm begging you to ban countries that create hostility, evil and mutual hatred from taking part in the Olympics. I'm begging you to ban countries that grade people favouring and praising one 'sort' and humiliating the others. We all remember too well what this kind of 'grading' could lead to. We can't just keep quiet, we have to and must stress the equal rights of all the people regardless of their skin colour, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Who else if not us? When if not now?

In pursuit for peace and equal rights, with passion for sports,

Lena Miro.

I would also like to make something very clear - although I support Stephen Fry's ideas I have to say that in my opinion it's not just homosexual people who are under threat in modern Russian. It more or less concerns every minority or simply everybody who is different - in one way or another. 

Putin's supporters reaction to the open letter by Steven Fry

  Stephen Fry's famous letter concerning banning on the Russian Winter Olympics in 2014 because of severe violation of LGBT people's rights in Russia is one of the 'hottest' points for discussion in Russian blogs and media now. Here is the link http://www.stephenfry.com/2013/08/07/an-open-letter-to-david-cameron-and-the-ioc/

  While lots of Russians agree with the letter and share thoughts expressed in it, Putin's supporters are expressing the opposite view on the subject. 

  Like this, for instance, http://miss-tramell.livejournal.com/394926.html. An open letter to President Putin written by an infamous blogger Lena Miro, a member of the ruling party in Russia and the author of a few homophobic posts. Translation of the letter will be available in my blog in 10 minutes.

Lavender fields forever!

Amazing lavender fields not far from Broadway

  Lots of butterflies, bumble bees and other insects not paying any attention to tourists

  

  Some people are having a photo session

  Beautiful lavender fields, pleasing all your senses
   

  If you want to see them, hurry up - they started harvesting on the 1st of August and are about to finish by 15th. Lavender farms near Broadway, photos by Tim Colville ©, www.timcolville.co.uk

Look, what I have come across - a blog for Russians who try to learn English Language Etiquette

  Here is the link http://elerussians.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/whats-difference-between-english.html#comment-form


Oh, I hate the word 'etiquette' - its confusing spelling compliments the very tricky nature of the thing!

  Ian Mitchell writes for Russian-speaking people and seems to be sort of Professor Higgins with a touch of 'Scottishness' (yeah, it's a made-up word).

  Very interesting, sometimes slightly patronizing though when he tells Russians off for failing to get something right in English

Being polite...

...in the UK is quite a tricky thing for me.
Honestly, in Russia I was considered to be polite and tactful enough (sometimes too polite!) but here lots of things come across as rude.
  Being direct and straightforward - if it's only about your own thoughts and feelings! - is often seen as being rude and angry. And this is something that I so far have failed to understand.
  When shopping I tell a shop assistant that I don't want this dress because I don't like it, she gets such a face as if I have just made a nasty comment about her weird looking tattoo.
  When I don't smile back at a lame joke, a person who has made it, looks at me expectantly.
  When being asked something about Russia I give an answer that doesn't fit into my listener's ideas about what Russia is like, he or she looks at me as if I have just mentioned their mother in an unacceptable way.

  Not very long ago I read a post by the bloke who is the anchorman of the programme called Top Gear (yeah, it's an old one).
  He was sharing his unpleasant experience of travelling to Russia, where people - as he thinks - are all very rude, because they don't use all those apologetic phrases but go straight to the point. How rude! Russians apparently don't do famous small talk as well - barbaric country!
  So Mr. Jeremy Clarkson was happy to be back to the UK where he was finally able to do some small talking thing to a milkman!

  I am not even going to mention a simple fact of which Mr. Top Gear might not be aware of, which is - they don't speak English in Russia, sadly the state language in Russia is Russian and that nasty Russian girl at the hotel reception who told you, sir, "Passport!" instead of "I am really very sorry for bothering you, sir, but would you, sir, please be so kind and show me your passport, please? Sorry for causing that much trouble!" This barbaric Russian - and I am 100 percent certain of that - didn't mean to be rude in any way, her English might be very basic, but if you could speak or understand a little Russian you might probably be surprised to get all those apologetic phrases you needed that much.

  But that is just plain nonsense of course - everywhere they should speak English well enough to provide Mr. Top Gear with the sense of complete satisfaction. Language satisfaction.

  There is one thing I totally agree on with Mr. Not-liking-rude-Russians - Russian people don't do small talk.

  I am sorry but that's true. Life is short - go straight to the point!
 So when I go 'dress hunting' - that's the only type of hunting I am more or less good at! - instead of saying,
"That's a lovely gown, I like the embroidered skirt, and the fabric is so luxurious and the cut is divine, but I don't think I am good enough for this dress!" Instead of this I am - being a nasty rude Russian - likely to say, 'It's too loose and what's the point of having a nice waist and buying a bulky looking dress that makes you look as if you are trying to sneak a couple of foot balls into the party under your gown?"

  I am lying actually. I won't be saying that. I will say, 'It's ugly and I don't like it'.

However, you won't believe but on lots of occasions I was shocked at how rude British people are! At least they came across as being rude.

And here are some revealing examples:
1. I still can't get used to waiters in pubs and cafes who interrupt your conversations at table by asking, 'Was it OK? Was your food all right?' We are talking! Say 'Excuse me' at least! Instead they start shouting straightaway and grabbing the plates as if their buttocks are on fire. Very rude and unwelcoming.
2. British people starting talking to you in a weird voice when they find out you are a foreigner. I am Russian, not deaf! There is a difference :)
3. People emptying their noses loudly in public places like pubs and cafes. That's just gross, guys!
4. British people stare! No, it's like this - they S-T-A-R-E! Sometimes I feel as if some random person tries to X-ray me with his eyes.
5. British shop assistants at women's underwear department - I don't want any assistance with my bras, thank you very much! To be honest I just see it as invasion into my personal private space and having a look at my breasts.

These are just a few examples that came to mind :).