Stonehenge: “Domain of the Dead”

Scholars unlock the secret to Britain’s megalith

There are many legends about Stonehenge at Salisbury Plain. Some contend aliens placed the hefty stones at the monument, while others credit the wizard Merlin. But after 5 years of research, Mike Parker Pearson, an archeologist at the University of Sheffield in England, has offered a simpler solution Stonehenge was the burial ground for Britain’s first royal dynasty. READ more

My tragic life without China

KP journalist tries to live one week without Chinese goods and fails miserably

“Everyone needs to study Chinese! China is going to control the world – and very soon,” my editor told us repeatedly. After spending a little over a week in China, he returned to Russia devoid of patriotism and optimism. Each conversation ended with China taking the West by storm. I couldn’t handle it any longer.

“OK! That’s enough!” I said. “China has what, a population of one billion or so? And…? Stop being so dramatic!”

But this was just the conversation he had been waiting for.

“Look around you,” he said. “Wake up! China’s already here in Moscow. It’s impossible to live without Chinese goods. You couldn’t go one week without ‘Mаde in China!’”

I thought otherwise. “Try me,” I said.

And the deal was done. I had one week to prove I could live without Chinese goods.

“This is the perfect chance to inject some patriotic journalism into the editorial room,” I thought.

Little did I know what lay in store.

My electronic soul mate

First thing’s first. I had to sort through my stuff to see what Chinese goods I was already using.

“There shouldn’t be much to worry about,” I thought. “My apartment’s quite spartan as is. The only thing I really need here is my computer.” But when I examined my electronic soul mate more closely, I was horrified at the sight of the tag: “Made in China.”

“Oh my God!” I said to myself. “A week without my computer?! I haven’t gone a day without it for the last 7 years…” READ MORE

Advertisements, Web sites and beauty contests feed pedophilia

Maniacs and perverts have taken Russia by storm. It’s as though they’ve been freed en masse from incarceration.

With each day the news show more crimes and dead children. People are afraid to let their kids go to school or the park. This is the case in every town and village and not only in big cities.

Children are in danger wherever they go – school, the gym or at camp. But what’s really happening? How can we protect them from the growing number of Russia’s pedophiles? Have they always been around? Were their crimes simply hidden? Or is there a new wave of pedophilia taking hold of the country?

Several recent crimes of child assault

Krasnoyarsk – After a yearlong search, police finally captured the murderer of 5-year-old Polina Malkova. Her tortured remains were found 10 days after the child’s disappearance. The maniac lived nearby. READ MORE

Sexual disorders led to Hitler’s rise to power

Historian Leonid Mlechin embarks on a journey to unravel Adolf Hitler’s biggest mysteries. [Rare Photos]

It’s difficult to find a bookstore without a shelf dedicated to Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler. Leonid Mlechin’s “The Fuehrer’s Biggest Secret” is the latest addition. Mlechin, a renowned historian, author and TV host, discusses Hitler and why he remains such a puzzling and prominent historical figure decades after his death.

KP: Don’t we already know all there is to know about Hitler?

Mlechin: In world history there are certain personalities responsible for such heinous crimes that they will always attract attention. READ MORE

Hunting for the soul

Scientists search for the soul’s temporary haven

What is the origin of the soul? How is the soul related to God? What happens to the soul after death? Ancient scholars attempted to answer these questions in the Tibetan “Book of the Dead,” which appeared in the 8th Century. Researchers believe the author, legendary Buddhist Guru Padmasambkhave, based his work on older sources. The book teaches readers how to die properly, and prepares their souls for reincarnation.

The “Book of the Dead” says the soul is omniscient after death, yet unable to convey thoughts or feelings. During its afterlife journey, the soul sees relatives and acquaintances as they existed in life. The soul observes the body being undressed and prepared for burial. Later, the soul fearlessly and joyfully greets the spirits of the afterlife. The soul looks into a mirror, sees the choices it made in life and understands the goal of its last Earth passage. After judgement, the soul waits 49 days before rebirth.

“Scientific interest in the ‘Book of the Dead’ grew tenfold in the last century,” said Physics Professor, head of Kharkov’s Physics and Technology Institute READ MORE

Indigo children are among us

Scientists say Indigo children do exist – a new race with extrasensory abilities

The film “Indigo” was recently released in cinemas throughout Russia. The film explores the Indigo phenomenon – an alleged new race possessing extrasensory abilities. “Indigo” children are said to be unusually sensitive and gifted. Each year, more parents and teachers come forward with stories about these children. The film’s creators believe that Indigo children are a widespread phenomenon and a new breed that will lead mankind into the 22st Century.

Psychologist and member of the European Psychiatric Association Natalya Mikhaylovskaya spoke with KP about Indigo children after years of studying gifted youth.

Babies with brilliant eyes

“For the past 10 years children have been born who don’t resemble ordinary boys and girls,” Mikhaylovskaya said. “Their uniqueness is apparent when they are only several months old. Doctors say they are astounded by the children’s very ‘adult’ eyes. While ordinary babies aren’t able to focus their vision, Indigo children stare intensely. The older they get the odder they behave compared to their peers.”

Parents are confused and turning to medical professionals for advice about how to raise their Indigo children. They’re having a difficult time communicating with their kids. Their children don’t want to study or play games like their friends. They don’t listen to authority and they’re always off on their own. READ MORE

What future awaits President Medvedev’s Russia

Russia will undergo many changes over the next four years. Experts debate which exactly…

In the two months before the elections, Russians somehow got used to the idea of having two presidents — an acting and a newly elected leader. But the days of the diarchy ended with Dmitry Medvedev’s inauguration on May 7. Many questions remain unanswered about Russia’s political future. What will President Medvedev’s policies be? How will Medvedev maintain his political stature? What difficulties and successes await Russia and Medvedev? How will Russia’s economic and domestic and international policies change? KP spoke with renowned political scientists to address these questions.

Middle class, or just somewhere around the middle?

Political scientist and Deputy Director of the Political Technology Center Boris Makarenko talked about President Medvedev’s 2020 socio-economic development program that he announced in Krasnoyarsk.

“The program’s goal is to give Russia an injection of modernization,” Makarenko said. “The program is both fantastic and accurate, but today the main issue is where Russia will get the necessary finances. Oil revenues and consumer demand have served as the engine for Russia’s progress in recent years. But we’ve already squeezed all that we can out of the high prices on oil. If we start exploiting Russia’s reserves, inflation and prices on products will skyrocket. And more than anything else inflation is just taxing the poor.”

Inflation worries Russian citizens more than any other issue, according to the Russian Public Opinion Research Center. Approximately 68 percent of the population considers inflation to be a serious problem.

Makarenko said that Russia’s primary unused resource is giving the middle class the opportunity to participate in the country’s development. He added that Medvedev will most likely attempt to support the middle class, reiterating that the government’s finances are only social payments taken from salaries as tax.

“You need to bake the bread before cutting it to make sure everyone gets a thick slice,” Makarenko said. READ MORE

President Dmitry Medvedev: His first 100 days in office

After today’s presidential inauguration, Dmitry Medvedev will officially become Russia’s head of state. KP spoke with renowned political scientists to get their opinions about what President Medvedev’s steps will be in his first 100 days in office.

Gleg Pavlovskiy, General Director of the Effective Policy Fund: “The apparatus will try to break down the new guy.”

I think the most important thing that Medvedev will do in his first three months as president is toughen up. He’ll attempt to implement the diverse and strategically significant program he’s announced, but the apparatus and civil servants will try to confuse the president and inundate him with minor problems. This won’t be intentional. That’s just the way they’re built.

The apparatus feared Putin slightly despite the fact that he didn’t get too thick-skinned. But they’ll try to break down the new guy. Medvedev is well aware of this. His recent statements that innovation’s chief adversary is our own administrative system weren’t by any means accidental. Also, Medvedev’s first 100 days in office will pass during the summer. Russians are inclined to do anything but work in these months. This initial period will be difficult and important for Medvedev and pass under the motto: “Who commands who?” This will be a reconnaissance in force for Medvedev as he takes over the presidential authority. He’ll likely draw unpleasant conclusions about the power vertical that he once chaired. Thus, in early fall he’ll probably begin to act more toughly. READ MORE

Medvedev’s presidential inauguration: A day that will go down in history

Presidential inauguration is distinct from prior ceremonies because both the acting and newly elected presidents are set to participate. This is a first on Russia’s political scene. In 2000, Boris Yeltsin attended Vladmir Putin’s inauguration, but he had already relinquished his authority in December 1999. Both Medvedev’s and Putin’s paths through the Kremlin and gala halls of the Grand Kremlin Palace have been meticulously planned.

Putin will likely be at work from early morning at the Kremlin’s Main Building. He’ll arrive at the Kremlin’s Red Porch in a Mercedes with the Presidential Standard (flag) on the hood. Putin will proceed directly to St. Andrew’s Hall where the events will be held.

Medvedev’s motorcade will enter the Kremlin through the Spassky Gates and drive to the main entrance of the Grand Kremlin Palace. The newly elected president will climb the red carpet on the Kremlin’s front stairs to Georgiy’s Hall. From there he will go to Aleksandr’s Hall to meet Putin. READ MORE

Former Chief of Presidential Protocol Vladimir Shevchenko: “We used Aleksandr II’s coronation ceremony as a point of reference.”

KP explores the planning process behind Medvedev’s inauguration as president

Russia’s first presidential inauguration was held on March 14, 1990, still in the Soviet Union. The Soviet Constitution was officially removed at the Convention of State Deputies, Mikhail Gorbachev was sworn in as president and the brief ceremony came to an end.

Boris Yeltsin’s inauguration to his first-term as president was held on July 10, 1991 at a meeting of the Russian Supreme Soviet. He was sworn in on the Constitution of Soviet Russia. The Constitution of the new Russia wasn’t passed until later in 1993. By keeping the ceremonies short, the Russian state inadvertently avoided the painstaking process of planning elaborate presidential inaugurations. READ MORE