Sorry to have been derelict in my posting duties, but it has been a bit sad around here since Sunday. As you have probably heard by now, a cruise ship on the Volga sank on Sunday and around 120 people were lost because of it. Reportedly at least 50 of those people were children. The adults were on the upper deck and the children had all gone down to the play area and were trapped there when the boat went down. From what I've read here, the ship entered some choppy waters because of a storm and a large wave washed over the bow causing the entire ship to capsize and sink. But apparently it wasn't just the storm as one engine was already malfunctioning when they left the port, the ship was overloaded, and some of the portholes on the lower decks were leaking. The flags here on Monday and Tuesday were all at half-mast, including the American flag at the U.S. Embassy. But it wasn't just the flags at half-mast, the newspapers, or the reports on television - you could see it in everyone's face. You could also see and feel anger, as people questioned why this had to happen and why the people operating the ship hadn't taken more care.
Because of this tragedy the Kremlin has announced that it will investigate all modes of public transportation, but people here do not seem to think that will do any good because of the corruption of public officials and the overall concern to make a profit. I asked my hostess about the rights that Russians citizens have in negligence cases like this and she said that sure you could take people to court here, but that nothing ever came of it. According to what she told me the courts might rule in your favor, but even if they do that is no guarantee that they will take action against the negligent party. Personally, I think that in American culture we have become to willing to sue each other and companies, corporations, and other entities (oh wait, I forgot that the Supreme Court extended first amendment rights to companies and corporations so I don't really need to list them separately), but it does provide us with a measure of redress and a way to ensure our rights are not violated. Our courts can act as a check on a potentially unbridled capitalism that would seek profits at any cost. For the Russians that does not appear to be an option yet.
I did successfully receive my copies and they are on a CD, which leaves more room for souvenirs in my suitcase! They also had the rest of the files that I requested, so I spent the entire afternoon looking at documents concerning the 1955-1956 Soviet tour of the American Everyman Opera Company's version of Porgy & Bess. Again, there were things that I did not expect to find, such as a contract that stipulated that the Soviet government would provide a variety of things to the opera company, including but not limited to one domesticated she-goat! I remember reading Truman Capote's account of the tour in the Soviet Union and he also commented on the contract and the she-goat. I thought it was odd, but then remembered that in the play Porgy is pulled on his cart by a goat. The stipulation was not nearly as comical once I remembered why they would need a goat. I did find a letter from a man in Atlanta looking for chess sets though. What is it about people from the South writing Soviet officials in the 1950s?
I was going to spend the rest of the week in the music library, but alas another international conference has thwarted my plans. This time there is an international conference on cartography and because of the conference, the library will not be open again until next Monday! On the bright side, this leaves me a bit of time to process what I have already found in the archives and the library, and possibly some time to work on my two upcoming classes. On the other hand, it could just give me more time to wander around Moscow taking pictures that will be useful for those upcoming classes.
The pictures below are just some random shots - I thought everyone needed to see the Harry Potter picture in Russian since my friend Rachel has posted the German version. The building is just one of the many interesting things that you can spot whenever you turn a corner in Moscow. As a friend described the city last night, it is eclectic and you never know what you might see.
I have begun most, if not all, of my posts with song titles and this one is no different. Dante's Prayer is Loreena Mckennitt song that she was inspired to write after a trip on the Trans-Siberian railway through the steppes. On the liner notes for the album she wondered about what we as human beings are doing to each other and whether or not we are helping or hurting one another. Given what happened on the Volga over the weekend, it seemed an appropriate beginning.
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