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But again, let me – let me say final – (inaudible) – that the general public attitude toward the United States, toward America, toward American films, American cars, all other tokens of American civilization is overwhelmingly positive in Russia.
MR. CARVER: OK. I know there’s a number of people on the call. Do you want to – I want to give people a chance to ask Matt and Dmitri questions directly. Does anyone have a question for them?
Q: (Inaudible) – totally true on the – (inaudible).
MR. ROJANSKY: I can’t – I can’t understand anything.
MR. CARVER: Could you just repeat that? (Pause.) OK. I think that was a question, but we couldn’t understand it – at this end, anyway. Maybe, Matt and Dmitri, just talk a little about the opposition. I mean, is there anyone in the opposition worth kind of, you know, flagging up to people, do you think? I mean, is there...
MR. ROJANSKY: Well, you know, there had been a moment where Putin had essentially tried to position Mikhail Prokhorov, who’s one of the major oligarchs. He’s famously bought a number of interests internationally – including a basketball team, the New Jersey Nets, here in the United States – as kind of a in-house opposi...
The reality is that, you know, Putin remains head and shoulders the most popular political figure in the country. Most of the opposition, such as it is – and it’s all sort of officially if not endorsed, at least officially engaged. They have a dialogue. They know what their place is, and they do play a role. But the pl...
The reality in the Russian system also is that, you know, power is not distributed through the Duma. Power is distributed through the executive branch and to – frankly, to a larger degree, through various private-sector or quasi-private-sector enterprises, even than through politics.
MR. TRENIN: Well, I would say this. The opposition in terms of the Duma is certainly part of the opposition and certainly represented by the Communist Party. There is a fairly large number of Russians who believe that the Communist Party is the only organized force that can stand up for the ordinary man against the oli...
There is, of course, opposition outside of parliament. And this is the opposition that is mostly of a liberal or democratic direction. And the – perhaps the oldest political force in Russia, the Yabloko, which calls itself Russia’s democratic party, is part of that opposition. Yabloko’s historical leader, Grigory Yavli...
I think the idea is to have at least him in parliament. There’s a law that says that even if a different party fails to get 7 percent of the popular vote in order to have representation in the Duma, to have a share of the Duma seats, if the party polls above 5 percent but less than 7 percent, it can have one or two rep...
There’s also a far more radical liberal and democratic opposition in Russia that has failed to register, a party of – (inaudible) – and they’re very critical of Mr. Putin personally, and the – of the government. But they have, according to the public opinion polls, a very small support among the population. They also h...
But I think more importantly is that – more important is the fact that in Russia, opposition still means something akin to enemy within. It’s not that you have a government and the opposition and those two trade places every so many years. You have a government that wants to stay in power, and both Medvedev and Putin h...
So the opposition is seen as something, as I said, of an enemy within, highly suspicious. Mr. Putin has been talking of the opposition as people who have the support of – have the support of outside interests, of outside powers – first of all, of course, the United States. And this has been a recurring theme in Russia’...
MR. ROJANSKY: Could I – if I could just add – I think Dmitri is exactly right, but that’s not to say that there isn’t a way for people to vote, in effect, for opposition. And that the way that people express that is twofold. There isn’t always an against-all option in post-Soviet countries. So I would – I would just no...
Last time, in 2007, it was over 60 percent turnout. You know, these elections will not be considered particularly legitimate, and they may not in fact be deemed as having been free and fair by the OSCE if the turnout tumbles much lower than that. And that would be, I think, the primary way that Russians who – as Dmitri...
MR. CARVER: OK. We’re coming up on the – on the half-hour. I just want to see one more time if there’s anyone that wants to ask questions, because it’s the purpose of this, is for the media who’ve called in. Does anyone want to ask Matt or Dmitri?
Q: Hi, I have a question.
MR. CARVER: OK. Please go ahead.
Q: My question is, do you expect falsifications or violations or any initiation of unfair competitions during the parliamentary election?
MR. ROJANSKY: Well, I’ll just thank you, Lyudmila, for the question. You know, I think it’s difficult to predict in specific cases. What I would say is that, you know, when you do an election observer mission, and I’ve taken part in a number of these, you know, election observation isn’t just on election day or even th...
The reality is, you have to observe the political process as it’s unfolded for years in Russia. You know, political parties have been either registered or denied the right to register over the past year. You know, that, I think, is a way of shaping what the outcome is going to be. So I think, you know, there will be ab...
Specifically, on election day, I think there will be abuses, of course. But I suspect by and large more of these will take place in a kind of entrepreneurial way by people at lower levels throughout the system kind of taking it upon themselves, getting the message that they would like to produce a good result to send t...
MR. CARVER: Dmitri, do you want to add anything?
MR. TRENIN: Not much, but I would say that historically there have been tacit allegations of the election campaign of not being fair, the election – the elections themselves not having – being totally free. So I would expect these allegations, and particularly on the election night and the day after.
But I would also say that – you see, the government faces a pretty difficult situation in which they certainly want the best result they can get. On the other hand, (then ?), they use what’s been known here as administrative resource, so you flip that. But on the other hand, they clearly know that doctoring the results...
MR. CARVER: OK. Thank you. Any other questions? Did that answer your question?
MR. CARVER: OK. Well, we’re on the half hour. And these normally run for half hour. So I think we’ll wrap it up if there’s no other questions. As I said, there’s – a transcript will be available in, what, three or four hours? Well, certainly by the end of today, we hope – up on the website. And obviously it is all on t...
Thank you very much to everyone for calling in. Thank you, Dmitri, as well, for calling in, and to Matt here.
MR. TRENIN: (Inaudible) – thank you, Tom. Thank you, Matt.
MR. CARVER: That’s the end. Thanks. Goodbye.
The first look of the much-awaited biopic 'Saand Ki Aankh' is out it features actresses Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar as the 87-year-old sharpshooter Chandro Tomar and her octogenarian sister-in-law Prakashi Tomar.
The two actresses, in the poster that Tapsee shared on Instagram, can be seen trotting guns with a smile on their faces and wearing ghagra, kurta in a Haryanvi style. "They may be old, but their aim is sure-shot gold! Here's the first look poster," she wrote.
The film revolves around the lives of India's oldest sharpshooters, who began sharpshooting in their fifties. Directed by Tushar Hiranandani, Saand Ki Aankh is being produced by Anurag Kashyap and Nidhi Parmar.
The tagline of the film on its poster reads, "Tann Buddha hota hai, mann nahi hota."
The 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' actor had earlier shared the video of the two women, in which the sharsphooters could be seen performing daily chores like cutting grass and cooking.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton celebrates eight-year sentence against woman who accidentally voted illegally.
Earlier this month, the Texas 2nd Court of Appeals affirmed Rosa Maria Ortega’s eight-year prison sentence for illegal voting. Attorney General Ken Paxton celebrated the decision in a triumphant press release boasting of Ortega’s draconian punishment. But there is nothing just about the fact that Ortega may spend the n...
Although Paxton has presented Ortega’s conduct as evidence that voter fraud is a genuine problem in Texas, her case bears no resemblance to the paranoid myth of immigrants covertly swinging elections. Ortega is a lawful permanent resident who was brought to the United States as a baby. She has a sixth-grade education a...
The office was fully aware of the discrepancies between her two applications. It still registered her to vote.
By any measure, this punishment is extraordinarily harsh.
Investigators then interrogated Ortega at her house. She stated that she was not a citizen but had checked “Yes” on the citizenship box in Tarrant County because Dallas County had previously allowed her to vote. Three months later, prosecutors obtained an arrest warrant, charging Ortega with illegal voting. Ortega insi...
By any measure, this punishment is extraordinarily harsh. Eight years imprisonment for a nonviolent crime—committed by an individual who did not realize she was breaking the law—is grossly disproportionate. The jury could have instead sentenced her to two years community supervision and no prison. Why did it choose to ...
And I just want to throw out one thought to you. You came back with the right verdict, that if you hadn’t, if you’d come back with a not guilty, can you imagine the floodgates that would be open to illegal voting in this county?
But the trial court overruled the objection. So Ortega asked the appeals court to overturn the sentence, alleging, quite sensibly, that it was impermissibly tainted by this “improper and inflammatory jury argument.” The court declined—not because it found the prosecutor’s statement to be permissible but because, it ins...
Here, then, is the upshot of the 2nd Court of Appeals’ ruling: Prosecutors may well have unlawfully biased the jury, resulting in an unduly severe sentence, but there is nothing she can do about it because her lawyer failed to use three magic words—outside the record—when he objected. Ortega’s case will now go to the s...
In his press release, Paxton said that his office would “hold those accountable who falsely claim eligibility and purposely subvert the election process in Texas.” But as he should recognize that Ortega did not intend to “subvert” anything, and her galling sentence will do nothing to boost public trust in the integrity...
SANDY HOOK -- The National Park Service finally has a taker for one of its historic buildings at Sandy Hook's Fort Hancock.
A pair of investors has agreed to lease a 77-year-old brick building that once housed Army families and turn it into a year-round vacation rental overlooking Sandy Hook Bay.
After weathering one failed attempt to save nearly three dozen of the buildings at the former waterfront Army base, the park service hopes this first lease will jumpstart other investors' and developers' interest in repurposing the buildings while salvaging history.
With 35 buildings identified for redevelopment, the plan designates seven for bed & breakfasts or other types of lodging, four for community or commercial purposes, 10 for educational or commercial uses, 10 for residential and four for residential or office space.
"We are looking forward to working with our lessees for years to come," said Gateway Superintendent Jennifer T. Nersesian. "This is a great start for our end goal to lease all of the buildings in Fort Hancock and create a viable, vital community that enhances this national park."
She called the investors, Brian Samuelson and Joseph Dorsey, "pioneers" for being the first to lease one of the 33 structures - most of which date back to 1898 and 1899.
In his proposal, Samuelson, of Atlantic Highlands, suggested turning the 5,715-square-foot building on Officers' Row into a family residence in the off-season and a weekly, monthly or seasonal rental to the public during the summer.
"We hope to pave the way to save all of these magnificent structures out on Sandy Hook and further enhance the work of the National Park Service," Samuelson and Dorsey said in a joint statement.
They've set up the website Sandyhookrentals.com to handle inquiries and provide updates.
The terms of the 60-year lease were not immediately disclosed.
The park service first tried in 2001 to lease the buildings en masse, but the deal fell through when the redeveloper failed to secure the funding. The park service eventually cancelled the contract in 2009.
In this newest attempt to save the deteriorating buildings, the park service set up a committee, the Fort Hancock 21st Century Federal Advisory Committee, which decided to lease the buildings separately to avoid a repeat of the previous failed attempt.
Two years ago the park service started putting the buildings up for lease in phases.
A U.S. Army fort since Colonial times, the base at the northern tip of Sandy Hook was known as the Sandy Hook Proving Ground before it was renamed Fort Hancock in 1895. It was deactivated in 1974.
Comedian Michelle Wolf’s burn-laced performance at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner certainly had its critics.
But one fan? Fellow comedian Kathy Griffin, who was attending the dinner as a guest, not a performer. We caught up with her just after Wolf left the stage, and Griffin was all thumbs up, simultaneously praising the “Daily Show” comic’s set and addressing its critics.
“I loved it. She did what she needed to do — and as a female, look, you gotta work harder, you gotta jump higher, and she did that — she went there, fearlessly,” Griffin said.
“Black Lives Matter” movement activists marched and rallied Feb. 1 in Harlem, N.Y., to usher in Black Liberation Month by honoring the memory of Malcolm X. Their goal is to launch a campaign to create a day that notes Malcolm’s important role in the Civil Rights/Black Liberation movements.
A rally near the statue of Adam Clayton Powell outside the State Office Building on 125th Street was followed by a march two miles up Broadway to the Audubon Ballroom on 165th Street, where Malcolm X was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965, a half-century ago.
Nicholas Heyward, father of Nicholas Heyward Jr., spoke at the rally. The younger Heyward — he was only 13 years old — was gunned down by a New York City police officer. Heyward and others called for the removal of Police Commissioner William Bratton from his post.
Spooky science Scientists have used the spooky properties of quantum physics to create light out of empty space.
Researchers including Professor Tim Duty from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, used a strange phenomenon called the dynamical Casimir effect to force a mirror to make its own light rather than simply reflecting the light around it.
The study reported in the journal Nature uses the weird science of quantum fluctuations in which virtual sub-atomic elementary particle pairs continuously pop in and out of existence in a vacuum.
"Understanding vacuum fluctuations will help scientists researching physics raging from gravity waves to the evaporation of black holes," says Duty.
Duty and colleagues were able to scatter half of the virtual particle pairs before the particles could reconnect and pop out of existence, forcing them to become real.
"That's where the dynamical Casimir effect comes in allowing scientists to generate a virtual photon particle," says Duty.
To achieve the effect, the mirror needs to be moving close to the speed of light, 300,000 kilometres per second in a vacuum.
"In practical terms that's impossible because it would take the output of a nuclear power plant to accelerate a mirror to such high velocities," says Duty.
"So instead, we used a tiny microcircuit called a superconducting quantum interference device, or SQUID".
"It acts as a tuneable electronic mirror for virtual microwave photons, causing some to be scattered in the real world before they can disappear again," he explains.
Duty and colleagues found the mirror then started radiating its own photons in microwaves.
"It's a bit like shaking a sealed black box really hard, opening it and suddenly a flash of light comes out".
"The real photons produced in the experiment collectively retain a peculiar quantum signature that ordinary light lacks."
"We measure strange correlations in the microwaves and found waves at one frequency correlate to waves at another frequency. And that doesn't normally happen for classical microwaves," says Duty.
Duty says the experiment builds on the static Casimir effect which describes a force generated when virtual particles are squeezed out as two light-impenetrable boundaries — such as mirrors or metal plates — are brought closer and closer together.
"Eventually this restricts the ability of some quantum fluctuation particles to pop into the space between the mirrors. However because there's no restriction on virtual particles popping in and out of existence beyond the mirror boundary, they generate force pushing the two mirrors together."
While the static Casimir effect does this in the three dimensions of space, the dynamical Casimir effect does it in the dimension of time.
Use these social-bookmarking links to share Physicists create light out of nothing.
When the Supreme Court fails to take up a case, it’s generally not front-page news, but this is a story that may carry significant consequences.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed North Dakota to implement a voter ID law for the November midterm election, turning down a petition arguing that the measure would harm Native Americans who are less likely to live at standardized addresses or possess the identification cards required by the statute.
Native Americans are a reliably Democratic constituency, making Tuesday’s order unfortunate news for Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat struggling to hold off a challenge from Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer in the deep red state.
In so sparsely populated a state, “it could be that a couple of hundred votes matter,” said Robert Wood, a political-science professor at the University of North Dakota.
Some background is in order. Six years ago, Heidi Heitkamp was widely expected to lose her Senate race in North Dakota. It’s generally a very red state – a Democratic presidential ticket hasn’t won in North Dakota in over four decades – and polls showed her trailing then-Rep. Rick Berg (R), the state’s sole U.S. House ...
But Heitkamp narrowly pulled off an upset, thanks in large part to support from Native American voters.
Soon after, the Republican-run state legislature decided it was time to overhaul the state’s incredibly easy system of voting. Under the newly imposed model, North Dakota would enforce a GOP-friendly voter-ID system, which would – you guessed it – make it harder for Native American voters to cast ballots.
Lower courts struck down the system as discriminatory, but just last month, the 8th Circuit, in a 2-1 ruling, rescued the Republican policy. The Supreme Court this week passed on taking up the case, which means the appeals court ruling will be binding and the state law – which wasn’t in place during North Dakota’s prim...
By practically every fair measure, the incumbent was already an underdog. This week’s court developments make matters just a little worse for the senator.
The appeals court allowed the state to implement the part of the law that compels voters to provide an ID that includes his or her current residential street address. This provision is controversial because it seems to directly target Native Americans. The U.S. Postal Service doesn’t provide residential delivery in rur...
For context, let’s not forget that Heitkamp won in 2012 by 2,936 votes.
In fairness, it’s important to emphasize that Native voters without a proper residential address can jump through some bureaucratic procedural hoops in order to try to cast a ballot. But to put it mildly, they’ll face an additional burden that most other voters won’t have to deal with.
What’s more, voters who participated in North Dakota’s recent primaries may not realize that a different system will be in place now. This week, Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan warned of “grand-scale voter confusion” in North Dakota.
For Republicans eager to take Heidi Heitkamp’s Senate seat – and solidify the GOP’s Senate majority – it’s apparently a small price to pay.
Postscript: At the 8th Circuit, the two judges who restored the voter-ID law were appointed by George W. Bush. The dissenter was appointed by Barack Obama.

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