Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev.

Headline of the Day at Kommersant

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2635037

Walked down from the Talgar Pass to the mid-station at Chimbulak. Shaking snow out of my boots, drinking mulled wine at Chalet. Missed the sunshine, should have come earlier. Overcast 😦

Time to get back to work

My phone number in Kazakhstan for this week is +77089124587

Here’s such a politically correct vending machine located in Vnukovo, selling t-shirts for 1500 rubles. “The most polite of people”, “CRIMEA”, “Everything is fine” (aka “Sailor in a cap” and “Sailor in flowers”). And other inscriptions.

Found an interesting comment:

“I can’t understand.

Today I bought bananas. 38 rubles. Just like a year ago, like 5, like 10 (!) years ago, they cost between 30 and 40 rubles depending on the season and the point of sale.

Bananas do not grow here; logically, they are purchased with foreign currency, and as a perishable good, their price should fluctuate along with the dollar. But that is not observed.

Theories:

1. Bananas are not bought with dollars, but are bartered for oil (weapons)

2. Bananas are supplied for free, as payment for the debts of banana republics

3. The ruble exchange rate is strictly tied to the banana.”

A folk omen: the country where Yanukovych resides will face …

I won’t make it to San Diego in time to see the last northern white rhino in the world, because it suddenly died.

On its 44th year, December 14th. #RIP

Poachers, who hunted them for their horns due to their mythical healing properties, exterminated them in the wild.

There are still six females left, but what are they without… Anyway, biologists are trying to come up with something.

By the way, it was the second largest land animal, being the biggest on land after the elephant.

https://twitter.com/sdzsafaripark/status/544284479171592192

Today at the figure skating competition, Masha climbed onto the podium for the first time, third place! 🙂 well done!

I wonder how viable such a business model is: you download an encrypted magazine, music, or video onto your mobile via the internet or publicly accessible high-speed access points (without the internet, but available at every metro station, for example), you pay for a code to decrypt it later – and you can pay right there where these access points are located, or in many other places. Like at Soyuzpechat, for example. The advantage is the guaranteed receipt of content (you pay after downloading) and you can sell virtually any digital content.

Watched “Whiplash” (2014), about a drummer, the struggles of his career, and jazz. The director turns the rehearsal of a jazz brass band into a thrilling adventure: paralyzing fear, fateful stakes, blood, sweat, and spit. The conductor here resembles more a demonic army sergeant — and therefore hits the nail on the head with the realities of orchestral work. Throughout the film, the analogy with sports movies or boxing films persisted – like a coach yelling “come on, come on, you idiot! you’re nothing!” and other “motivational” encouragements towards victory. The script is predictable from the first minute, but the film is definitely worth watching. “Main villain” J.K. Simmons performs just excellently.

P.S. 60th place in IMDB TOP 250.

P.P.S. The film was shot in 19 days.

P.P.P.S. Fletcher’s excellent quote: “There are no two words in the English language more harmful than good job.”

http://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/725190/