Month: January 2025

Diverse Memories of WWII: National Narratives and Perceived Contributions | January 25 2025, 14:20

Who won the Second World War? Interestingly, notice that nobody paid attention to Trump’s words about the Second World War in his recent tweet-ultimatum. He writes “Russia helped us win the Second World War” — “Russia helped the USA to win the Second World War.” Everyone focused on the incorrect casualty figure of 60 million, but not on this.

I found an interesting study from 2017. It’s a study on how people (survey, 1338 participants) from 11 countries remember the war, including 8 Allied nations and 3 Axis countries.

It showed significant differences in how the former Soviet Union and 10 other countries recall the war.

The events highlighted by representatives of the Soviet Union almost completely differed from those mentioned in other countries. Moreover, Russians declared a greater responsibility for victory in the war (75% of military efforts) than representatives of any other nation (although the USA and UK also rated their contributions at over 50%).

However, when people from each country evaluated the contributions of other nations to the war, they attributed a greater contribution to the USA than to the former Soviet Union.

Another interesting finding is that when asked why the USA dropped atomic bombs on Japan, most residents of the ten countries said it was to win the war, except for the Russians.

Additionally, the older the respondents in 7 of these countries, the more often they agreed with the statement that the USA dropped the bombs to end the war.

Russia (USSR) in the survey results demonstrates a unique narrative, focused on the Eastern Front, unlike Western countries.

Most countries (including former Axis countries) focus on events related to the USA and UK, such as Pearl Harbor, the Normandy landings, the atomic bombings of Japan, and the Holocaust.

The USSR holds a central place in the Russian narrative (75% contribution to victory). The USA and UK also inflate their estimates, stating that their contribution exceeds 50%, focusing on the Western Front and the Pacific campaign. The total contribution assessments of the eight Allied nations amount to 309%, which demonstrates the effect of “national narcissism.” Most countries prioritize the USA (27%), while the USSR is at 20%.

Four events achieved “key” status (mentioned by more than 50% of respondents): the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the Atomic bombings of Japan, the Normandy landings, the Holocaust. The Russian narrative concentrates on events that are called the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) in Soviet and contemporary Russian historiography. Russians highlighted unique events: the battles of Stalingrad, Kursk, Moscow, Berlin, and the Leningrad blockade. Thus, despite the fact that the USA and Russia fought together as allies, studies show that there is virtually no overlap in the events remembered as most significant. Members of each group primarily remembered those events that were associated with their own country. However, this is not surprising.

About the atomic bombings, most respondents believe that the bombing aim was to end the war. Russians view this event as an act of intimidation against the USSR. Opinions within countries vary by age: older generations more often support the official version of ending the war.

In France, in 1945, 57% of the population considered the USSR the main victor. By 2004, this figure had dropped to 20%, while the share of the USA increased to 58%.

The reasons are clear: history textbooks and popular culture reinforce national emphasis. In the USA and UK, films and books that praise their role in the war predominate. The USSR and the USA fought on different fronts and represent different ideological systems, which defined narratives. And of course, all countries exaggerate their role in historical events.

Family Soup Night: A Tale of Lamb, Beans, and Sausages | January 24 2025, 22:35

Alright, cooking up a soup. Business as usual. Because the first thing they do in our diet-conscious family is scarf down the lamb chunks and broth from the soup. And when you dig into the fridge, at the bottom of the pot, there’s potato and beans winking at me. Now, just need to fry up some sausages, and dinner’s set.

Trump Declassifies Assassination Files: UFOs and Martian Conspiracies Unveiled | January 24 2025, 20:24

Trump got JFK, RFK, and MLK’s assassinations declassified. Imagine they’ll dig up the archives and it turns out UFOs are to blame.

Well, I wouldn’t be surprised, really. Kennedy did send people to the Moon. Well, here’s the payback. Musk has been in touch with Martians for a while, it’s probably all set up there. But the ark isn’t ready yet.

Unraveling the Identity of Chinese Artist Yao Zhi and His Charcoal Artistry | January 23 2025, 18:27

An intriguing artist, Yao Zhi (姚治), also known under the pseudonym Huihuabiji, has captured my attention. It seems this alias is a sort of nickname. I had to do a bit of investigative work since the internet is full of misinformation. In Facebook groups, these works are often credited to Yao Yi Zhi, a partially Belgian artist, who is a real person but not the same individual, leading to confusion about their biography.

On the gallery website of this other Yao Yi Zhi, it’s clear that their style is entirely different—none of the charcoal sketches are present there. Additionally, Yao Zhi’s Instagram lacks the works shown on that gallery site, making it evident that this is a mix-up. Such things often happen with Chinese names.

Occasionally, the name Huihua Biji pops up, but that appears to be a creative misinterpretation by an audience unfamiliar with the nuances of Chinese naming conventions.

Yao Zhi primarily works with the dry charcoal technique (using charcoal pencils). On YouTube, searching for Huihuabiji or 姚治 reveals videos showing the creation process of some of these artworks. While they’re essentially sketches, they exude a unique atmosphere and are fascinating in their own right.

Thanks to Lana Denis for the lead.

Similar posts can be found under the hashtag #artrauflikes, and the Being in America website features all 140 works in the “Art Rauf Likes section—unlike Facebook, which tends to overlook nearly half of them.

Trump’s Bold Presidential Strategy Unveiled | January 20 2025, 17:47

Trump announced his presidential strategy:

1. “We’re taking the Panama Canal back”.

2. “We’re changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the American Gulf, effective immediately”.

3. “We will build the strongest military the world has ever seen”.

4. “Our troops will be free to focus on their sole mission—defeating America’s enemies.”

5. “Effective today, the official policy of the United States states: there are only two genders – MALE and FEMALE”.

6. “We will end all governmental censorship and bring back FREEDOM of speech to America”.

7. On oil: “We will lower prices and fill up all our national reserves. National energy emergency: drill, drill, drill!”

8. “I will end the catch and release practice.”

9. “I hereby declare a state of emergency on our southern border. All illegal border crossings will be immediately stopped.”

10. “I am creating an External Tax Service for taxing and tariffs on foreign nations to protect American workers and enrich American families.”

Under the practice of “catch and release” in the context of U.S. immigration policy, it refers to the procedure where detained illegal immigrants, instead of remaining in immigration detention until their case is heard in court, are released under certain conditions (for example, the obligation to appear at a court hearing in the future).

This policy was primarily used due to limitations in the capacity of immigration detention centers, a lack of space in prisons, and the length of the deportation process. However, critics, including Donald Trump, argue that it leads to abuses — some released migrants fail to appear in court and remain in the country illegally.

About Panama — this statement indicates his desire to revisit the agreement on the transfer of the Panama Canal to Panama, which was completed in 1999. Practically, this is unlikely without serious international conflicts, as the canal belongs to Panama under international law. We’ll see.

The gulf can be renamed as desired, but the question is whether it will be renamed in Mexico itself. I don’t think so. After all, there are many geographical names with different names for different countries. Just look at Germany (Allemagne, Germany, Niemcy, Tyskland, Saksa, and of course Deutschland). The Falkland Islands in the UK, in Argentina they are the Malvinas. Even Florence is called Firenze in Florence itself, while the rest of the world calls it Florence. The Baltic Sea in Germany is Ostsee (eastern sea). And so on.

Unraveling the Mysteries of a Missing Aria in Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte | January 20 2025, 03:23

I am listening to the opera Cosi fan tutte, half-watching the libretto in another window. Suddenly, I notice a whole section isn’t translated. And they completely skip it in the opera. That is, after “O ciel”, it jumps straight to “Ei parte”. I go to Google to figure out what’s going on. Seems there were many cuts, but in the entire libretto, only this aria is untranslated. Everything else is translated. I find another version of the libretto with a side-by-side translation, and there, Aria No. 24 by Ferrando “Ah, lo veggio, quell’anima bella” is missing altogether. That’s precisely why it is also missing from the parallel translation—because the translation is from the booklets of various productions, and in them, the aria is omitted.

I started digging deeper, it turns out that Aria No. 24 is feared and not included in most productions and even studio recordings because it is very difficult to perform. “Ah, lo veggio, quell’anima bella”. However, of course, if you wish, you can find a few performances from different theaters on YouTube.

UPDATE: Suddenly, ChatGPT has developed a sense of humor. It replies to me, “Although Mozart can no longer participate in the staging 😄, his music is sometimes subject to adaptation”. It even added a smiley face! And this was a reply to the third question with no Personalization message, and all the questions were serious.

Character Resemblances in Royal Opera House’s Cosi Fan Tutte | January 19 2025, 19:53

In the Mozart opera “All Women Are the Same” or Cosi Fan Tutte by the Royal Opera House production, the one on the right (Dorabella) resembles Mizulina, while the one on the left (Fiordiligi) resembles Skabeeva.

Choosing Between TV and Laptop for Personal Viewing | January 19 2025, 18:04

No matter how hard I try, I can’t convince myself that watching on a 60″ TV is better than on a laptop on my knees. The photo even makes it obvious that the TV has a smaller diagonal in terms of angular dimensions. Plus, ideally, you need to wear glasses for the TV. Additionally, despite some soundbar with a subwoofer at the TV, the sound from a latest macbook pro feels better.

I have another TV of the same size sitting idle. I don’t remember where I picked it up, thought to adapt it for something useful.

Probably, a TV is only necessary for gaming and for watching together. But for one person, or even two, the laptop wins.

Well, for family movie nights, there’s a 110″ projector in the bedroom.

Navigating the Nexus: Harari on Information Networks and AI | January 19 2025, 16:42

Well, I finally finished reading Yuval Harari’s “Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI.” Quite interesting, although I was expecting more controversy, especially from a historian who likely doesn’t quite understand what’s under AI’s hood. But it turned out to be quite good. The theses extracted from the book without context sound quite odd. For example, Harari writes that it would be more accurate to call AI Alien Intelligence—not because it possesses consciousness, but because its methods of thinking and problem-solving are completely alien to our human experience.

It’s particularly fascinating how he views political systems as information structures: democracy with its decentralized flow of information and autocracy with its drive for control. An attempt to understand how information governs us, our choices, and our societies.

Overall, the parallels drawn between the AI revolution and past historical events are quite intriguing. Harari cites examples of how social network algorithms aimed at increasing engagement have contributed (and continue to contribute) to the spread of misinformation and the fomenting of hatred. He references real cases, such as the tragic events in Myanmar, where Facebook was used to spread falsehoods that led to violence. Because falsehoods positively affected engagement—they simply got more clicks—and this function was optimized by Facebook for better advertising metrics. Ultimately, a relatively simple AI behind the newsfeed led to bloodshed.

I liked Harari’s example from Nick Bostrom’s book “Superintelligence,” which is a thought experiment. Bostrom suggests imagining a paperclip factory acquiring a superintelligent AI, and the factory manager assigns the AI, seemingly simple, the task of producing as many paperclips as possible. In pursuit of this goal, the computer takes over the Earth, destroys all humans, sends expeditions to capture additional planets, and uses vast resources to fill the entire galaxy with paperclip factories. The essence of the thought experiment is that the computer did exactly what it was instructed to do.

Of course, it’s hard not to notice that Harari sometimes succumbs too much to alarmism. For example, he describes AI as something already spiraling out of control, though there are many technical constraints that inhibit its development. Nevertheless, his book is not a prediction, but an invitation to a discussion. A discussion about how technologies change our understanding of truth, freedom, and even reality.

P.S. I also liked this fragment:

“…It’s no wonder that politicians around the world spend a lot of time and effort recounting historical narratives. The aforementioned example with Vladimir Putin is hardly an exception. In 2005, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan first met with General Than Shwe, the then-dictator of Myanmar. Annan was advised to start the conversation first to prevent the general from monopolizing the talk, as the meeting was supposed to last only twenty minutes. But Than Shwe spoke first and almost for an hour about the history of Myanmar, leaving almost no opportunity for the UN Secretary-General to speak.”

Surprisingly, Harari did not include interviews with Tucker Carlson 🙂