Kuraev Meets Pussy Riot

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Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev, an outspoken Russian Orthodox cleric, said that there’d be no more controversial protest performances inside another Russian Orthodox church by the all-female band Pussy Riot, after holding a meeting with two of the band’s recently released members. He met with freed members of the Pussy Riot band, Mariya Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. After the meeting, he said that he was confident that they’d never stage another protest inside a church. Pictures published after the meeting showed Kuraev having a cup of tea with Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova. Kuraev posted on his Facebook page after the meeting that he was glad that the women would seek to open churches in prisons and to help inmates. According to him, Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova recognize that the church world had both diversity and change. Immediately after Pussy Riot’s controversial stunt at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and during their subsequent trial, Kuraev’s reaction was more lenient than the official Church position. He condemned the Pussy Riot performance as “ugly and unacceptable from a moral standpoint”, but urged mercy and forgiveness on the part of the church. Snob magazine organised Kuraev’s meeting with Pussy Riot.

Kuraev himself was in the spotlight recently. Late last year, the MDA sacked him from his teaching position. He responded by saying that he had fallen victim to “the gay lobby”. Kuraev was referring to his blog post about the Kazan Theological Seminary, where students allegedly complained of sexual harassment from some teachers. Kuraev believes that he lost his post because he made the controversy at the seminary public. Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, an official Church spokesman, insisted that the Church wasn’t persecuting Kuraev for ideological reasons. However, Chaplin pointed up that Kuraev often missed his lectures and violated internal regulations, which may have prompted his dismissal.

13 January 2014

Marina Obrazkova

Russia Behind the Headlines

http://rbth.ru/society/2014/01/13/russian_orthodox_priest_meets_pussy_riot_33225.html

Editor’s Note:

Usually, those with oddbod theological views try to justify them by quoting a fictitious “gay lobby”. Now isn’t the time to go into detail, but we all know how the konvertsy caterwaul about gays and how they’re so “expert” in ferreting them out. Hmm… a lot of ‘em were ordained by Feodosy Lazor and those like him… a lot of ‘em hung out with the nutty crew in Platina (even after Podmo got le sabot from the ROCOR… such as Paffso, Freddie M-G, Reardon, and Eliel, just to name a few)… need I go on? In short, the ranting about false gays (whilst accepting ordination from the hands of gay clerics!) and persecuting relatively harmless sorts such as Lazar Puhalo leads me to a conclusion. Those who rant the most about gays are the ones most likely to be led astray by a gay guru.

They all revere Podmo… they all think that the toll houses are an “important doctrine of the Church” (it had NO real push until Rose brought it up in the 70s)… that says it all, doesn’t it? They’re all Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future and nothing else. Beam me up, Scotty…

BMD 

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Ireland Pulled a Collective Cringe Muscle Watching Pussy Riot on the Saturday Night Show

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Last night’s Saturday Night Show was…something. Guests included Marty Whelan, a debate on homophobia, and the first European interview with Pussy Riot members. Whoa. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Mariya Alyokhina from the Russian feminist punk group {it’s no such thing… punk DIED twenty years ago: editor} spent time in prison following a protest against Putin in a Russian Orthodox church in 2012. Now, free and campaigning for change, surely it would be gripping television? Well, not exactly. Nadezhda’s husband Peter had the laborious task of translating questions stretching to what prison was like and what they thought about Madonna. Twitter couldn’t cope with the tension. The physios will be jammers today with all the sore cringe muscles across Ireland.

Click on the link below for some hilarious Tweets on it all…

2 February 2014

Nicola Byrnes

TheJournal.ie

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/ireland-pulled-collective-cringe-muscle-watching-pussy-riot-113556646.html#qvPCmQV

Pyro in Kiev Sez That Oppos “Hired” Him to Torch Cars… Yanukovich Ends Sick-Out… Authorities in Simferopol Call for Druzhinniki to Aid Cops

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A statement posted on the MVDU website reported that police arrested a Georgian on suspicion of torching cars in Kiev. When the cops grilled him, the perp said that oppositionists occupying the House of Trade Unions “hired” him for the job. The MVDU stated, “According to the detainee, whilst searching for work in the capital, he met with a man who offered him cash to burn cars, promising him 600 gryvnia (2,540 Roubles. 72 USD. 80 CAD. 82 AUD. 54 Euros. 44 UK Pounds). To seal the deal, they went to the House of Trade Unions on the fifth floor, where masked men met them. They gave the detainee a list of cars to torch, money, and petrol”. Earlier reports noted that arsonists torched more than 20 cars over the past few days in Kiev. Saturday night, cops arrested the 26-year-old Georgian in a Kiev neighbourhood when he and another guy tried to set fire to a car. The cops discovered that one of the cars torched belonged to a relative of a judge who ordered the arrest of rioters.

2 February 2014

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A statement posted online by the Presidential Administration said that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich would return to work on Monday after a stay at the hospital due to acute respiratory illness. Aleksandr Ordа, Deputy Head of the State Administration of Medical Affairs, said, “After going through the necessary treatment, the Ukrainian President feels good, his health is satisfactory. On Monday, Yanukovich plans to return to work”. Earlier, the Presidential Administration website reported that Yanukovich went on sick leave due to acute respiratory illness accompanied by high fever.

2 February 2014

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On Friday, citing Mayor Viktor Ageyev, UNN reported that the Simferopol Municipal Soviet is forming a people’s druzhina to help the law enforcement organs. Mayor Ageyev said, “A people’s druzhina might be useful to aid the police in keeping order in Simferopol”. He added that any druzhinniki raised would be volunteers.

31 January 2014

RIA-Novosti

http://ria.ru/world/20140202/992636535.html

http://ria.ru/world/20140202/992634783.html

http://ria.ru/world/20140131/992394803.html

Moscow Parks Beef Up Patrols to Deter Squirreljacking

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Editor’s Note:

I don’t know how righteous this story is, but its “squirrelly” enough to be real. We all need a smile… pass me the jug… it’s thirsty work…

BMD

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On Friday, Aleksei Gorelov, the head of the Ecological Control Department of the Eastern and Northeastern Administrative Okrugs, told RIA-Novosti that his department is watching all parks and squares in Moscow with extra care amidst reports of a spate of alleged squirrelnappings in public areas. Gorelov said that his department received intel that people were apparently jacking squirrels to sell them, in particular, in Khlebnikov Forest Park (and here) {most of Khlebnikov is in Moscow Oblast, not Moscow proper: editor} and Ostankino Park. He said, “Beginning today, we’ve implemented strict control over natural territories (parks) in Moscow to stop incidents of hunting wild animals”. Gorelov noted that capturing animals in Moscow is on the same par in legal terms as hunting, which is illegal within city limits. Squirrels aren’t in the Red Book of Endangered Species, so authorities can only impose a fine of only 20,000 roubles (569 USD. 633 CAD. 650 AUD. 422 Euros. 346 UK Pounds) for each offence. Yelena Viktorovna told Komsomolskaya Pravda about an attempted squirrel-snatching in 50th Anniversary of the Great October Park (and here), “Right before my eyes, three men were running around a tree that a squirrel was in. They had a pole with a noose [attached to it] and were obviously attempting to catch the animal”. KP stated that prices on the internet for squirrels start from 5,000 roubles (143 USD. 159 CAD. 163 AUD. 106 Euros. 86 UK Pounds) apiece, and squirrel salesmen are ready to buy them for 1,500 roubles (43 USD. 48 CAD. 49 AUD. 32 Euros. 26 UK Pounds) per head. Gorelov said that they’d beef up patrols in parks and that they’d involve the cops in cornering squirreljackers.

1 February 2014

RIA-Novosti

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140201/187088598/Squirrel-Kidnappings-Prompt-Boost-in-Moscow-Park-Patrols.html