Why Is Accounting Firm KPMG Funding Putin’s Version of Hitler Youth?
Putin’s party has recently been caught Photoshopping false images of its cadres helping fight wildfires that are now devouring European Russia (Putin’s top doctor says that the smoke enveloping Russia poses no health risks of any kind, even though much of it may be radioactive). He is stonewalling the Polish investigation of the crash of a flight that killed half the Polish government. He has sought to block the publication of a new scholarly criticism of his government’s performance by Nemtsov — first by simply confiscating hundreds of thousands of pages and then by preemptively arresting the former first deputy prime minister before he could speak at a rally.
When the group of spies arrested in the United States were returned to Russia, Putin proudly joined them in singing Soviet-era patriotic hymns and praising their work. His government is, of course, buzzing the U.S. coastline with nuclear bombers on a routine basis.
Like a small handful of other Western firms — and the president of the United States — KPMG is apparently looking the other way so long as it gets what it wants from Vladimir Putin. President Obama wanted a sham nuclear treaty he could use as an electoral wedge, he got it, and then he happily turned a blind eye to Putin’s human rights atrocities. KPMG has a connection to the halls of power in the Kremlin, and is happily in receipt of that welcome.
KPMG is lucky enough that, so far, the Kremlin has not turned against it the way it has turned against IKEA, and against numerous energy firms who have had their assets stolen outright. William Browder’s investment bank suffered the more draconian response of having its lawyer arrested, and then tortured to death in prison.
Sooner or later, everyone’s day will come when they choose to put some level of trust in Putin.
KPMG is only following Obama’s example, but just as Americans are reconsidering whom they elected, people of conscience should reconsider their investments in and through KPMG.
I have to admit that I was more than a little concerned to see the article claim that the smoke in parts of Russia might be radioactive. Naturally, I clicked on the “radioactive” link – http://www.kyivpost.com/news/opinion/op_ed/detail/77653/#ixzz0wEZbkdW6 – to find out more. Imagine my surprise when there was NOT ONE WORD suggesting that the smoke, which was from forest fires, was radioactive. The cited article compares the handling of the smoke with the handling of the Chernobyll incident in 1986 – which surely did produce radioactive emissions – but it nowhere states that the current forest fires are radioactive.
The author apparently misread the article – very badly. I can’t help but wonder if that was deliberate, given that the author describes herself as a Russophobe in the little blurb at the end of the article.
Does Pyjamas Media do any editing or fact-checking of its contributors’ articles to prevent this kind of error? If not, why not? Or do you follow the same policies as the mainstream media in this respect, i.e. don’t check anything and take the word of your contributor, even if it isn’t even internally consistent?
did you honestly think there would be?
Well, it’s the same forest that the radioactive cloud from Chernobyl flew over 24 years ago. Can you make your own conclusion or do you need to read it somewhere first?
Gee, maybe they’ll be the inspiration for Obama’s private army, well funded and just as large as the military.
Worst article ever on PJM – this kind of unsubstantiated crap belongs on Yahoo, not PJM.
Nashi acts as “youth police” trying to keep other young Russians “in line” (i.e. preventing public drinking and drug use, stealing, and promoting military enlistment).
I did not personally respect these types of goals and viewed them as narcs and rather nerdy, but the Russain youth may perhaps benefit from some structure – even if it is imposed by these narc nerds. This is the first time I have read anything implying that they were violent racists.
I normally find PJM to be reliable, but I know some honest Russians (university students here in U.S.) and from what I have read independently I do not believe this article.
I happen to have several Russian channels at home and believe me what is really going on in Russia is even worse than any article can describe. Unfortunately, Russians completely turned their brains off.
The Russians you know may be great people but remember that it’s a part of the Russian culture to make Russian affairs look much better than reality when talking to a foreigner.
Sorry to have confused you, Henry. It has been widely reported that the smoke is or may be radioactive, and in fact it’s common knowledge to those who are following the issue. Here’s the Times report:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/11/world/europe/11russia.html
I must say that your confrontational attitude is unfortunate and misplaced since the facts are very, very clear and are in no way inaccurately stated in this article. It seems you’re a bit too eager to jump to conclusions, and your attitude is hardly consistent with your call for accuracy. Again, though, sorry if the link confused you.
It seems I own you an apology. While this story may be heavily reported at other websites, newspapers, etc. this is the first I’ve heard of it. I didn’t see anything in the cited article that said anything about radioactivity so I assumed you’d misread it.
It sounds as if OTHER articles have made it clear that the smoke is radiocactive so that you were being accurate after all.
I did not mean to appear belligerent but all I saw in your article and the linked ones was talk about smoke from forest fires and your allegation that the smoke was radioactive without anything to substantiate it. After all, forest firest don’t NORMALLY cause radioactive smoke!
The fires are burning not only in the Chernobyl area, but in areas where nuclear bombs were test detonated and nuclear research facilities are located. It seems reasonable to assume radiation could be present in the smoke. Radiation adheres to soil/dust particles, which would be part of any smoke plume. Personally, I don’t think I’d like to take the risk. Better to err on the side of caution when potentially lethal radiation is involved. How about you?
Zwolf, thanks for your comment, but don’t you think it’s just a little bit hypocritical for you to complain about “unsubstantiated crap” while offering absolutely no source material of your own about Nashi for our consideration? Perhaps, by your own standards, your comment is the worst ever published on PJM?
Here’s an example of the sort of threat being created in Russia today:
http://www.theotherrussia.org/2009/07/27/attacks-on-russian-rights-leaders-continue/
The article clearly states that Russia’s own human rights officials have condemned Nashi’s actions and been censored for doing so. One really doesn’t need any more proof than that. At least, no reasonable person does.
Nope, not at all – I’m not writing in a journalistic capacity. But now that you mention it,
I can not find a single source of reliable primary source of information that shows this nashi nerd narc group to be as extreme as you would like your reader to believe. The link you provide here in the comments does not even imply that nashi had anything to do with these sad things in this tragic article. I don’t appreciate you leading me on that kind of goose-chase leading me to such a graphic article about gruesome murders that have virtually nothing to do with this group of youth nerds.
I am not writing as a journalist, I am just a dude who was looking for real news and instead I must have stumbled on somebody’s blog.
And I really don’t care about nashi, in fact I think they are a bunch of losers, but this article is unsubstantiated crap. And for the record, I don’t think I will be contributing financially in the future to a sight that posts this sad excuse for journalism (contributed in past but a tiny amount).
If you can look at those pictures of Russian human rights activists with their heads on pikes and Nazi caps on top, pictures that include an 80-year-old woman and a former first deputy prime minister, realize this camp is paid for by the Russian government, and not see how horrific this organization is, then no other facts I could show you would mean anything to you. You’d need to see them up close and in person, as I have, to feel the terror they inspire.
The fact that you don’t care about them, and don’t care about the threat to American values rising in Putin’s neo-Soviet Russia, probably explains why you don’t find this article compelling. A similar attitude was shown to towards the USSR in its infancy, and decades of totalitarian nightmare resulted.
“You’d need to see them up close and in person, as I have, to feel the terror they inspire.”
Sure you have Kim, sure you have. Maybe you’d care to let us know who you actually are so someone could verify these claims? Otherwise, I call bull.
“The fact that you don’t care about them, and don’t care about the threat to American values rising in Putin’s neo-Soviet Russia, probably explains why you don’t find this article compelling. A similar attitude was shown to towards the USSR in its infancy, and decades of totalitarian nightmare resulted.”
Hilarious! You spew nonsense every day saying Russia is on the verge of collapse then spew more nonsense about the world being threatened by a new USSR threat. So which is it Kim? Is Russia going to collapse like you say all the time or are we facing a new Soviet Union that will challenge democracy across the world, which is something you also say all the time? Maybe you can square the circle and tell us how it will be both at the same time?
Perhaps, Mongo, it’s because a wounded and failing nation, like a wounded and dying animal, is highly dangerous and prone to lash out. Even if the writing is on the wall for Russia in its current form, it is capable of extraordinary mischief against its citizens, its neighbors, and in international relations. Doesn’t seem like a particularly difficult circle to square.
Thanks Mongo. Kim, you are pulling a straw man argument, diverting the conversation away from the fact that you can not back any of your claims on nashi extremism by trying to make me out as apathetic or sympathetic to brutal violence.
I thought you were just an irresponsible journalist at first, then I got the impression that you were a poor journalist, and now think that you are a jerk.
Why would ZAO KPMG (aka KPMG Russia) care to promote “American values”?
The same reason KPMG LLP (aka KPMG USA) doesn’t promote Russian values.
KPMG isn’t an “American” firm, or an American brand. Each country’s member firm operates independently, and does as they see fit to best serve their own market.
True enough. Explains GE in Iran, Halliburton, Ford, GM and IBM ‘work’ in WWII. You’re right. Capitalism with absolutely no nat’l restraints on int’l activity does often lead to some pretty lousy things.
Except that GE, Halliburton, Ford, GM and IBM are public companies.
KPMG is not. It doesn’t have “shareholders”. It is accountable to its own Partners, its clients, and the regulators in whichever country it is operating.
Good luck getting them to care.
Agreed. They don’t care. John Chambers pledged three or four hundred million to rebuild Hizbollahstan in order to curry favor with the Arab world. Now he and Michael Dell want into Syria. Microsoft too, I think. It is as though we are supposed to believe that Gates doesn’t really understand the world view of his Saudi partner, the guy who owns parts of Citigroup and Fox. He chooses not to understand.
Peter,let’s say it would help McDonalds in Russia to serve happy meals showing Russian soldiers killing Americans (say, at the time the US was attacking Yugoslavia) and with little Uncle Sam toys being hung in effigy. Do you really think the parent company would allow this? Of course not.
The KPMG parent in the West has absolute control over how its name is used in Russia. The mere fact that some type of outrageous misconduct might help KPMG make money in Russia is not and should not be sufficient for KPMG, because it could suffer drastic impact on its worldwide business as a result. The Russian market is and always will be tiny and not worth sacrificing Western income for.
Suppose I call for a boycott of KPMG services in the United States because of this shocking action by the Russian offshoot, and supposed a few dozen Fortune 500 firms switch to PriceWaterhouseCoopers as result. Isn’t that something that would suddenly cause KPMG Russia to change its support for Selinger? I think so. I hope companies who support American values will reconsider their relationship with KPMG unless/until it changes its attitude towards Seliger.
If the only way KPMG can make money in Russia is by selling out core human rights values, it should not be trying to make money in Russia.
“The KPMG parent in the West has absolute control over how its name is used in Russia.”
That is simply not true. They can exert some influence. They cannot withdraw what is effectively their franchise.
The McDonalds analogy isn’t great either: last year, at the same time McDonalds in the US were withdrawing support from gay & lesbian groups, McDonalds in France were running commercials specifically aimed at the gay market.
Businesses behave as they are required to in the market where they operate. In the US, this means sponsoring inner-city baseball camps for disenfranchised youths and family literacy programs. In Russia, this means sponsoring Selinger. Horses for courses.
Congratulations, however, on your utopian vision of the world.
“Why Is Accounting Firm KPMG Funding Putin’s Version of Hitler Youth?”
I would guess they are doing it because (a) they were told to and (b) they are not at liberty to refuse for any number of reasons including threats to their business, their families and their personal health.
Identity politics, its not just for non white-Euros anymore. Unfortunately this is the inevitable outcome of the New Left promoted political zeitgeist.
Read all about it here…
White Nationalism: A Symposium
By: Jamie Glazov
FrontPageMagazine.com | Friday, January 10, 2003
http://97.74.65.51/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=20346
Carol M. Swain, a professor of law and political science at Vanderbilt University, has just published her latest book, The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration. She argues that white nationalism is on the rise and offers many suggestions for defusing its appeal. Among other things, she recommends that her fellow African-Americans desist from supporting affirmative action and slavery reparations.
Is the end of race-based affirmative action a constructive step toward creating a better racial climate in America? If so, what does this mean for the current national black leadership and what direction its activism needs to take?
To discuss these and other questions connected to The Rise of White Nationalism and How to Defuse its Appeal, Frontpage Symposium has invited Carol Swain, the author of the book in question, Peter Brimelow, the editor of VDARE.COM and author of Alien Nation: Common Sense About America’s Immigration Disaster; Ron Walters, a Distinguished Leadership Scholar and Professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, whose book White Nationalism, Black Interests. Conservative Public Policy and the Black Community will be published by Wayne State University Press in July 2003; and Jared Taylor, the editor of American Renaissance.
(1) How does white nationalism differ from old style white supremacy?
Swain: The new white nationalism is a reactionary movement led by well-educated, financially secure white intellectuals who have given up on integration. Its leaders have studied the mistakes of the Left and the far Right. To recruit more effectively among ordinary Americans some groups and individuals have dropped the offensive language and the regalia of the older racist right and instead they have updated and repackaged their messages of hate.
White nationalists are encouraging white Americans to adopt the interest group politics of racial and ethnic minorities. In making their case to ordinary white Americans, the leaders of the new white nationalism have appropriated the language of the left. Multiculturalism argues that all groups ought to be able to organize to celebrate their unique heritage, contributions to the world and genetic makeup. White nationalists argue that if identity politics is good for minorities, then it must also be good for whites. Civil rights rhetoric tells us that discrimination on account of race; gender or national origin is unconstitutional.
White nationalist leaders point out that white Americans are discriminated against by governmental policies, and that this is unfair and un-American. Whites should, therefore, band together to protect themselves from insensitive and illegal governmental policies. The old style white supremacy was kept in place by violence, intimidation, and the institutional mechanisms of the state. The primary goal of the new white nationalism is the preservation of white European culture and values. White nationalism, therefore, is a separatist movement, non-violent on its face, but retaining ties and linkages to more extremist groups that openly endorse ethnic cleansing.
(2) Given our national emphasis on multiculturalism and identity politics, isn’t it reasonable for white Americans to want to join the celebration of group pride and group self-determination?
Swain: White identity politics may well be the next logical stage for identity politics in America. As long as racial and ethnic minorities push separatist agendas, we can expect white Americans, especially as they decline as a percentage of the population, to begin to behave like self-interested minorities.
White nationalists push identity politics as a way for disorganized whites to fight public and private initiatives said to favor minorities at the expense of more deserving white Americans. I firmly believe we have carried identity politics too far in this country. We need to stress our shared American values and move away from the hyphenated identities that divide Americans, while providing a compelling justification for whites to move in the same direction.
Swain: We need a collective move away from identity politics. White nationalism is the baby that multiculturalism birthed. Our national interests as Americans are ill-served by racial double standards and the single-minded focus on racial politics. Hopefully, we can rise to a higher level.
Swain: Many whites, especially younger ones, would disagree with Dr. Walter’s assessment. What they see are racial double standards that place them at a disadvantage. Why don’t we try to collectively move away from overt racial politics and focus on forging an American national identity? As long as racial and ethnic minorities push for identity politics, many whites will want to join.
(3) Do white nationalist leaders champion some legitimate grievances that are not being addressed satisfactorily by mainstream political leaders?
Swain: Unfortunately, white nationalists leaders are exploiting some legitimate grievances and fears that trouble many Americans. These worries include concerns about racial preferences, liberal immigration policies, black-on-white violent crime rates, and job losses due to globalization and other shocks to the economy. In their search for votes, leaders of the major political parties have seemly abandoned addressing some of these grievances that resonate with ordinary, non-racist Americans.
Swain: I would gladly exchange racial preferences for race neutral social welfare programs and more aggressive programs to fight discrimination. Affirmative action, as currently practised does little to help the poor and liberal immigration policies clearly harms Americans with low skills and low levels of education. Unfortunately, it will take a racial crisis before the government does anything about the situation. These grievances are already being voiced by the white nationalists leadership and others who see an injustice.
Swain: Keep in mind that the IQ gap between the races has decreased from 15 points to about 10. Experts suspect that the remaining differences are due to environmental factors such as nutrition. Unfortunately, much racism remains in American society. I would gladly exchange all existing racial preference programs for a stronger set of measures to detect and combat hidden discrimination and for more aggressive programs designed to help all disadvantaged Americans improve their lots in life.
All in all, what we have in place today benefits elites of all races and it fails to meet the basic needs of most disadvantaged Americans. We cannot sustain racial preferences in a society as diverse as we are becoming and not expect unrest and turmoil. We need non-discrimination, outreach to the disadvantaged, and a more equitable systems for distributing opportunities.
Swain: I believe that we are increasingly at risk of unprecedented levels of racial conflict and turmoil because of conditions coming together at this point in history. These conditions include the continuing influx into the country of non-white immigrants and the prospect that America in the not-too-distant future will cease to be a white majority nation. Many Americans are worried about liberal immigration policies, the decline in high paying, low-skill industrial jobs, and globalization.
Census Bureau data show that all Americans have experienced a loss in real wages and that non-Hispanic whites have had the sharpest increase in poverty. Also, certain social, political, and economic conditions can spur rises in hate crimes against disfavored groups. I see a devil’s brew for future racial and social unrest. White nationalists stand ready to exploit the frustrations of ordinary white Americans. Another powerful source of future conflict comes from the rising expectations and demands of racial minorities for a greater share of the nation’s wealth and political power.
Swain: Well thank you. I would like to summarize by saying that we should strive to promote an American national identity. Although we can never be totally color-blind as a society, we can adopt race neutral public policies. What we have in place today are a set of policies that pit different groups of Americans against each other. As a multiracial, multiethnic society, America has defied the odds for other countries because we are a nation where the majority of people profess to be God fearing individuals, who believe in a common creator, and a brotherhood of man. Racial preference programs are at odds with core Christian principles of universalism that stress the role of the autonomous individual, equal to every other human being in the eyes of God.
What on earth does this have to do with the article above?
Can’t we just get along? The solution to all this bickering is raising our children to be tolerant.
“…Russian democracy activists have likened (Kremlin-funded youth summer camp called “Selinger” ) to the Hitler-Jugend”
“Selinger had the youths take photographs of the faces of the most well-known democracy activists …. They then put the faces on pikes, and topped them off with Nazi hats.”
Sounds like they both argue against each other using “reductio ad hitlerum.” Do not we see the same debates here at much higher level (e.g. MSNBC comparing Bush to Hitler?) What is so unusual about it?
It is easy to label someone as racist (e.g. liberals label Tea Party as racist.) We should expect that such ‘debates’ go on in Russia as well. But could we take such labels seriously? I think not. Here is wiki on nashi:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashi_(youth_movement)
Here is a paragraph about their goals:
“Walking Together leader Vasily Yakemenko said in 2005 that the goal of the new movement is to put an end to the “anti-Fatherland union of oligarchs, anti-Semites, Nazis, and liberals.”
They are Russian nationalists, but are they racist?
” Nashi organizes voluntary work in orphanages and old people’s homes, and helps restore churches and war memorials. It also pickets shops accused of selling alcohol and cigarettes to minors, and campaigns against racial intolerance.”
It looks like the group as whole is anti-racist and that is part of their agenda to fight with the new racism emerged after fall of Soviet Union.
So, Kim why is “Nashi” racist any more than Tea Party is racist? Do you have any proof that they are actually racist? Or being “Russian patriot,” that is believing in special role of Russia means to be a racist? If so then anyone who is US patriot, who believes in American exceptionalism is a racist by the same logic. Tea Party is racist, Ronald Reagan is a racist and most of us PJM readers are racists while the citizen of the world Obama who has deep seated hatred for white people is the light to the world similar to Dr. King.
So, Kim why is “Nashi” racist? If you do not have solid proof of it aside ‘common knowledge ammong Russian Democrats’ then correct your article. Or if you consider ‘common knowledge’ of one group as a solid basis for reporting then consider moving to MSNBC, CNN or Huffington Compost.
Putin get’s smeared as a racist while Obama get’s a free pass for his black youth groups.Oh that’s right blacks can’t be racist??? RIGHT!!! lofl :O
Word “Nashi” literary means ours or our side or our group. In Russian this often used as expression of groupism in cases when the identity of the group is obvious. It can be anything from a gang to an Empire. I guess that organization Nashi uses it in sense “those who were with us,” meaning all ethnicities of former Russian Empire. It is simply the group where you belong.
Looking at their agenda I do not see how the word “nashi” mean “us Slavic Russians.” That translation is another idea which Kim made up.
Groupism is opposite to American values of individual liberty and personally I despise groupism and group-think . But, groupism is integral part of other cultures like Russians, Mexicans, Swedes, Italians etc. Left liberals, communists, gangsters and socialists flourish in those cultures. Personally, I do not like such cultures and would hate to live among them , but I would not mistake their groupism for racism.
Sorry, Sergey, but the word “nashi”, if the speaker by assumption includes himself in the designation (and how could he not), absolutely could be defined as “we” or “us” as a group. I agree with you otherwise.
One of the most important things to consider when reading a piece such as this: who is writing it, and what is their agenda?
“Kim Zigfeld” is a fictional identity. This might as well be a post by Mickey Mouse.
Did you google the name? If I were writing on the criminal activities of Putin and his neo-Soviet state, I certainly would not be using my own name. Putin has a long reach through the Russian Mafia in the US. There are still too many ruling politicians in Russia that have roots to the old Soviet Union and the NKVD.
Granted, Putin is the puppet master, but all these name calling is childish. The USA has lots of investments in a capitalist Russia. If we own half of the major corporations, why all the bashing? We are surely a good return on investment. I know of many hedge funds that are getting between 15-20% returns, which you don’t get anywhere else.
marciano guerrero
So, because I own stock in the S&P 500 I should keep my mouth shut and not criticize when the American government is not to my liking? Thank you for enlightening me.
Kim Zigfeld has been editor of La Russophobe http://larussophobe.wordpress.com/. I have been puzzled by why she wants to be “La Russophobe” but I think now I understand.
Kim explains: “The difference between a “russophobe” and a “russophile” is that while both “love” Russia, they define “love” differently: the “russophile” does everything he can to destroy the country, while the “russophobe” does everything he can to save it from destruction.”
This tells me that Kim is most likely a Russian women with humanitarian education from Moscow State University who grew on “Master and Margarita.” Why so? Thinking that love is hate and hate is love is a peculiar feature that can be found only in Russian women. Well, we can think of Klingon women as well, but everyone knows that Klingons in original Star Trek series were made after Russians. (It is only in the Next Generation series they started to look more like Muslims).
Kim explains: “Calling yourself a “russophobe” is a wonderful way to bring out the best in a “russophile.””
Yahh.., this reminds me how Russian women normally try to entice their lovers response. They do it by tainting them….If you ever dreamed of marring a Klingon women you can very well get it merely by ordering yourself a main in bride from Russia.
The bottom-line: if you try to judge Kim by standards which you would expect from American or naturalized American authors you will be very much puzzled with her deep emotions and indiscriminate firing and Kim would look to you as a big mystery. But, if you just make a guess “well, she is just a Russian woman” and expect from her what you would expect from a Klingon woman than this would pretty much explain all those wild emotions of hate (a.k.a. love when we do it the Russian way), her indiscriminate name calling (like “nashi =racist”) and her desire to be a hero .
I support this article 100%. Most commenters who are sceptical about this article – I am sure you don’t understand what is going on in Russia.
Several points I want to outline:
1) Nashi is quite innocent group some people here claim. They claim that the name “Nashi” does simply mean “us” and that’s why it’ only groupping. You simply don’t know “portfolio” of work of this group. For example – they bullied British ambassador and his family in Moscow because UK did not want kiss ass of Russia like Germany or Italy so often does. (And sometimes US)
2) Someone wrote that KPMG was bullied to behave like that. It’s only partially true. Such giant as KPMG can not be forced to do things like that. What they want is just to have some lucrative contracts with russian monopolies as long as possible. Nobody will touch them personally because in Russian you can buy anything. So if someone, like their partner is threatened, they will easily buy counter-action. Yes, they could be closed as the result of ignoring the offer to participate in Seliger. But isn’t it better to refuse some of the offers and not to earn a bit extra? If you’re offered to help in murder or thieft, even if you know that you won’t be caught and you will earn some money from it, would you accept such offer?
3) By the way, KPMG has a long history of having special relationships with Russian government. They befriended Putin even before he bacame president. Even before he became head of FSB (KGB). They used his help back in 1990s when he was in St Petesburg as major’s aid. Ok, we know that western companies became like scum when they are in scummy places but this is over the top. It’s like – what is next? Maybe they will make audit of those POLONIUM lab in Russia and come to the conclusion that it is transparent company which could not participate in any dirty business?
4) About large profits in Russia. You may get 15-20% ROI there but your soul will not get any off-shore account when it meets with god. It is one story to get 15-20% ROI when you clearly don’t know that it comes from bloody regime. But in case of this Seliger event – even Echo Moskvy Radio station knows it! Every educated person even in Moscow knows it. KPMG simply can’t pretend they don’t know it. Ok, if you pay your children private school fees from helping murderers and thieves to continue they business for couple of more years with the help of your name. well ok, if you then live happily and you expect your children to respect you, good luck my friends, good luck. Try to get good insurance policy for your soul. Maybe you can find some company up there in heaven who can leverage your business activity against your sins with the help of some very special model. Poor pathetic people… I know, by the way, that some people in KPMG are extremely unhappy about it as well. But, well, what can they do, poor little creatures… they are slaves to the dollar. I don’t know who is more pathetic herem in this little sad story – Russians who have to be like slaves so often because they were born there or expats who had freedom of choice and made this choice to be slaves to ROI, to profits to “good relations” with Godfathers.
By the way, maybe, maybe, some CEO at KPMG and PwC as well, think it’s smart idea because it is anyway the best Russia can get. Well, I want their asses to fry in hell anyway. I know there is certain logic in that by staying in Russia whatever the cost they also give some work places to some Russians, they give them nice office, nice salary. But actually this is very corrupt logic. It’s like you help in murder but you think it’s ok because some money from the profit in murder business you will give to charity. Not all, like 10% or maybe even 20%, so you are clear then. It does not work like that. And they make more damage to those Russians who work for them as well. Because when Russia gets another bloody revolution soon, those KPMG expats will be the first to board private jets to US, British and other safe heaven destionations. And all those poor Russians will stay there in smoke and blood in Moscow. KPMG – BURN IN HELL.
Ivan #16 :….”You simply don’t know “portfolio” of work of this group. For example – they bullied British ambassador and his family in Moscow because UK did not want kiss ass of Russia like Germany or Italy so often does. (And sometimes US)”
Ivan, does bulling British ambassador means that Nashi is racist ? Secondly, no one here claimed that Nashi is innocent or that Putin is innocent or that Eltzin is innocent.
In this country we believe in justice. If person is guilty of robbery we do not declare him to be “svolotch by definition” and automatically charge him with all crimes: murder+ incest+ racism+robbery. You in Russia do it all the time of which Kim is best modern example. This sort of approach when you see absolute evil in something, demonize it to the 100% has deep roots in Russian culture. Russian demonized Jews and did pogroms. In 1917 Russian demonized entrepreneurs and wanted to kill all of them. Then Stalin demonized anyone whom he suspected. Only Russian can take the notion of absolute evil seriously, perhaps it is rooted in Platonic idealism of orthodox Church as opposite to western fact based reasoning. In the west the evil is always particular and it is evil because it did specific action and not because it is evil by definition.
You agreed 100% that nashi is racist, but where is your proof of their racism? That what evil is my Russian friend: The evil is in creating absolute 100% demons out of small demons and that is the evil which Russians do.
You understand that Russia still sucks just as I do. But you and Kim should also realize that it is your indiscriminate logic that admit absolute demonization of your opponent without hard factual evidence (“because they are just bastards by definition”) is one of the major reason of all evil that happened in Russia.
If you search for Russian evil, look at the mirror.
If you want to put labels on people, ok, Sergey – you are, what Lenin called, “useful idiot”. Nazi, at their begining, never asked anyone to kill jews. They actually never openly showed their intention, they called it “sanitation rooms”. Fascism has roots in italian word which means “unity”. That’s what Putin regime tries all the time. This is yet not the worst version of fascism but it will soon be. Sergey, you are useful idiot, indeed.
“This tells me that Kim is most likely a Russian women with humanitarian education from Moscow State University who grew on “Master and Margarita.” Why so? Thinking that love is hate and hate is love is a peculiar feature that can be found only in Russian women. Well, we can think of Klingon women as well, but everyone knows that Klingons in original Star Trek series were made after Russians. (It is only in the Next Generation series they started to look more like Muslims).” More like an American woman who went to Leningrad State University in the late 70s and now spends much of her middle aged years as an avatar on Second Life (and as Kim Zigfeld, of course). In other words, a person with a martyr/heroic complex who nonetheless isn’t brave enough to risk libel suits for Google bombing Westerners who like Russia as scumsucking Russophiles. And who by the way, also posts photos of Americans who like Russia with Hitler mustaches while denouncing Nashi for using similar themes.
Here’s the link to the blog that sums up Zigfeld.
http://marknesop.wordpress.com/russophobia/
Someone with far more patience than I manages to slog through her posts to point out all the ludicrousness and hypocrisy. Other commenters at PJM have questioned whether Kim is a paid shill for the Jamestown Foundation before.
There’s a reason other respected authors who publish at PJM won’t link to her.
Ivan,
I do not care about labels and I do not care who you are and I do not care how other people will call you. I also do not care what you call me because from what you say it follows that you are an actual plain idiot, not useful in any way. Here is why:
Your “labels” thing is pretty much a typical Russian projection. You accuse others of what you do. Why do you need to label me “useful idiot?” Did I say that I support Putin’s regime? I did not. Not supporting your deranged logic does not make me supporter of Putin. Got it or not?
Now listen and try to understand the essence of what I wanted to explain you earlier: Charging someone in racism, (or murder, incest etc) without factual proof is evil. You did it, Kim did it and you just agreed with her 100%, Putin does it in his way, Eltzin did it, Stalin did it in the worst way. I do not say that you and Kim are as evil as Stalin or as Putin. No way. Your merely share with them one negative cultural trend and this trend of Russian culture is second important reason why Russia sucks. The first reason is that Russians believe that it is OK to sacrifice innocent people for the sake of great ideas and for the sake of the collective, that is the Motherland.
Now, here is an exercise for you: next time you want to blame me in something read through my messages very carefully and find the sentences which corroborate your charge. You failed to do it on first reply to me and you assume that I am some sort of Putin supporter. That is plain stupid. I do not live in Russia, I do not do business with Russia , I do not plan to invest in Russian business. I have had a large load of Russia and I do not want to ever see it again. I do not love Russia in any way, but unlike Kim I also do not hate it either. It is just another rathole and I just want to stay away from it.
Here is another take on Kim Zigfield’s identity:
http://exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=8476&IBLOCK_ID=35
I have a problem with assuming that Kim Zigfeld is a lonely American woman.
My objections are as follows: American conservative (with whom Kim associate herself) may sometimes hate Russia, but they would never like to advertise it as phobia or hate and would not be able to say that phobia is the real way to love Russia and make it better. “Hate is true love” is pure Russian thing and perhaps even Moscow specific. Second, the mentality of Kim Zigfeld is so much close to mentality of MSNBC and the deranged America left that it is hard to imagine her to be tolerated in conservative circles of America in real life . The only plausible explanations why PJM may publish her things is the glamour of authenticity when they are coming from authentic Russian. In such case PJM editors would be willing to overlook her blatant errors (let the poor Russian thing tell American audience what Russian people think about the evil Putin).
I do consider plausible that “Kim Zegfild” is a project of a Russian Western funded NGO. But then why La Russophobe does not accept donations? NGO or a lonely American woman would accept money. Kim Zegfild is well funded. It means that Kim Zegfild may be a wife of rich Russian plutocrat who became wealthy during Eltzin time by stealing Russian state property and then later got imprisoned by Putin for tax fraud and theft. This would explain her deep hatred for all things Putin and her love for Russian Democrats, the corrupted thieves .
Sergey, nobody will ever write about your identity. And nobody wants to know it. You will not leave any mark in history or in any review anywhere. You’re just zero. If you try to flirt with Kim, I don’t think it will work for you. Your intellect is too low and I don’t think you body is attractive as well. Well, I think it was the longest review of your personality you could get from a stranger in your entire life. I don’t wantto bully you, it’s just looks so.
Kim, thanks a lot for this great article. And thank you for your great and brave work in La Russophobe. This is the best resource about Russia online.
Sergey,
I agree with you that Russian women can often bait their men by taunting them. There is a reason the divorce rate in Russia is even higher than in the U.S. (if that were possible!) and it’s not just because Russians tend to marry earlier than Americans on average. Why do so many Russian men not marry or remarry after a divorce despite the sheer number of Russian beauties who seem to be available, especially in Moscow and St. Pete where salaries are better? Russian women have their babies earlier so even the ones with children are still beautiful and have not let themselves go like their American counterparts.
Yet…Russian women are heartbreakingly beautiful with an emphasis on heartbreaking. I cannot really blame Russian women for this though, there country and circumstances have made them that way. I suspect American women will soon become the same way except appear far less attractive, and start complaining that there are not enough good men to go around. In reality it is the economy that is rapidly chopping American men’s balls off with low wage to non-existent jobs. Ask yourselves why you didn’t you see so many similar complaints from American women in the 40s-70s when 90% of healthy people were married or had been married? Perhaps we see American mail order brides in a few years, shipping themselves off to Dubai, Singapore, China and God knows where, with U.S. males except for a lucky few connected alphas dismissed as drunks and losers. I do wonder sometimes if Prof. Igor Panarin is right.
Nonetheless, I cannot agree with your theory that Zigfeld is the Russian wife of an exiled or jailed oligarch. For one thing, I see no real evidence that this person actually speaks Russian or has ever visited Russia. No photos, nothing. For another, her translations are done by a ‘Dave Essel’. It is hard to verify if Mr. Essel has any existence outside of La Russophobe’s page. By LR’s criteria, if someone cannot be found via Google search then they must not exist. But Phobie is most definitely out there to smear select individuals, she said so herself, that she exists to Google bomb ‘scumsucking Russophiles’ so they will think twice before writing online how much they like Russia or believe that the U.S. and Russia should be friends.
“I do consider plausible that “Kim Zegfild” is a project of a Russian Western funded NGO. But then why La Russophobe does not accept donations? NGO or a lonely American woman would accept money. Kim Zegfild is well funded.” Absolutely she is, she’s been at this for nearly five years. I mean c’mon, who would do that much for free? The ‘we don’t accept donations’ is a red herring so she won’t be sued for copyright infringement for lazily copying and pasting Moscow Times and many other media.
Mike,
I asked Kim to present factual proof that Nashi is racist or publish correction. Why Kim or you can’t handle this simple thing and find the answer.
You are right that no one would ever write a review on me because I have never asked for it. So, why do you care about me? It is just to divert attention from simple question which Kim and your cannot answer.
Re: flirting with Kim :
Kim, ya tebe nenaviju baby. Lubov eto banalno. Translation: Kim, I hate you baby. Love is such a banality.
That how you would flirt with a Russian (or Klingon ) chick. Well, I have had enough of beautiful Russian chick and I now I stay away from them. I am on a diet
. I grant it that Kim would have wits to both make a swift retort on any effort to flirt with her or to ignore it. But with more substantial challenges (like “why nashi is racist”) she seems has no choice whatsoever and has only one option ”to ignore it” The worst thing is that unscrupulous PJM editors will not even call her on that (how can you do it to a cool Russian chick with tight body).
Victor,
The idea that “Russian women are heartbreakingly beautiful” is artifact emerging from perception of novelty. When I was 15 years old we would think “why American women are so beautiful and ours are not so?”Even now I still think that American women far more beautiful than Russians ( This is purely theoretical as I am well settled with my family.) Far more significant than visual beauty is the advantage in conversation. Russians lost their culture of conversation during communist time while Americans have evolved theirs. As a consequence American women are more sweet when you talk to them. For a Russian the sounds of their voices are charming. The third: American culture has been flooded with various self-help books that teach how to make friends and to be nice. Ideas that produced by psychological deceases like “hate is expression of love” or “wife should periodically make scandals to check if her husband still loves her” were eliminated from American culture. When I left Russia in 1994 we still had such things as cultural cliché. These things destroy families.
It is plausible that “Kim Zeigfild” is a project of single American woman or American right wing NGO to Google bomb ’scumsucking Russophiles.’ I have two issues with this assumption:
1. Could American be so involved in Russian afire to get to “Russophile” concept? The Russian word has emotional undertone and does not carry any substance to merit circulation in rational culture. Would American expert on Russia policy ever use this word? If they do not then why to google bomb it?
2. Can American conservatives be just as dirty and unscrupulous as left liberal scumbags at MSNBC and use any lie and make believe as long as it serve achieving their ideological goals?
To each his own, Sergey. I can’t help but wonder what your model for feminine beauty might be, since you keep persistently mentioning attractive women and Klingons in the same breath. For my part, I’ve never seen so many attractive, poised, appearance-conscious, feminine and graceful women anywhere else but Russia, and I’ve traveled all my adult life. And I haven’t even visited major Russian population centres like Moscow and St Petersburg, where women presumably have much better acccess to fashionable clothing, shoes and accessories. Many, many Russian women are naturally and spectacularly attractive. They are also typically as well-dressed as they can afford when they appear in public – no Russian girl in her right mind would deliberately appear in baggy sweats and sneakers. Not all Russian women are stunning, of course, but more of them are than anywhere else. And perhaps Russian women don’t need to be “flooded with various self-help books that teach how to make friends and be nice” because they already know.
Feel free to plug the positive points of American women if you like – there certainly is no shortage of attractive and intelligent women in the USA. But if I were searching for a wife with killer looks, an excellent and broad-ranging education, refined good manners and sensible family values, that’s not where I’d go.
Oh, and Ella Pamfilova did not resign over an ugly fight with Nashi, topped by getting the smackdown from the Kremlin, although that is naturally the way this author chooses to spin it. For an excellent analysis of the many factors influencing Pamfilova’s decision (of which the Nashi argument was just a fairly insignificant one among many), I recommend this:
http://www.agoodtreaty.com/2010/08/01/ella-pamfilova/
Mark,
Klingon is reference to character not to looks. It is also reference to personal experience of being in relations with Russian beauty. When relations are short it is all cool, but when it is more than a year you may start experiencing problems. But it depends on the case. You may be very lucky to find a chick who is both beautiful and nice. It is easy to be lucky in province rather than in Moscow. In US the distribution of beauty also depends on location very much.
Re: “Feel free to plug the positive points of American women if you like”
If Janet Lupo is your idea of a woman with ideal shape then you will have more chances to find what you want in USA or India rather than in Russia. If you like tight bodies then perhaps you should focus on Russia.
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