Tennis Education

TENNIS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO ALL KIDS!

By Stephen Wilson

 

            TENNIS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO ALL KIDS!

 

             Interview with a professional tennis player and coach.

 

             Second City Teachers spoke to Maria Laskina, a former professional Bulgarian tennis player, linguist and teacher who came to Russia to study Russian. We agreed to the interview on the condition of changing her name. This precaution was taken not just because the interview touches on sensitive issues but because the current climate is increasingly making it difficult to express even views which are hardly offensive. Maria mother is Russian and her father Bulgarian. From an early age she trained intensively as a tennis player practically every day until finally receiving an

injury which ended her dream of becoming a professional tennis player.

             Before her injury, Maria had been training in tennis for ten years from the age of eight.

             In order to forget this blow ,she decided to come to Russia at the tender age of 18.

             At first it turned out to be a rude awakening. When she first came to the railway station in Moscow her passport and belongings were stolen by a thief. She studied Russian, worked at a Russian school and later married a Russian and now has two daughters. She has been living in Moscow ever since. The interview offers us a unique insight into the highly competitive and ambitious world of tennis where parents are often pushing their children beyond the limits to achieve ambitious aspirations.

 

             Second City Teachers

 

             What proposals would you make to improve the training of children in tennis?

 

             Maria Laskina

 

             First of all tennis should be made available to all kids and not just the rich. I'm not saying rich children are bad but they can sometimes be spoiled, lazy or unmotivated. They might not like this sport. But everything starts off not with

pressure. Pressure only begins when the tennis player shows good results. The trainers notice your kid is talented and say "Let's try and make the child a tennis star." So the children have to work hard and do two to three training sessions a

day which can last in total 3-4 hours. This training costs a lot of money for expenses.

             Parents have to pay not only for training but for the food at restaurants and the stay at expensive hotels during tours. If tennis players want to increase their ranking they have to take part in many tournaments and win as many games as possible.

             A child can win a lot of money for doing this. Now since a lot of parents have invested a lot of money in training their child they are anxious to make money.

             Sometimes parents will draw up a contract where the parents get 50% of the income and their child the other 50% . Now some parents, because they have paid a lot of money become emotionally unstable and angry. After their child loses a match, they can go up and scream at them even beating them up. They lose their temper. I saw one mother come up to her child who had lost a match and hit her. While staying at

hotels I would over hear parents screaming and arguing with their children after they had lost a match. I know that they punished some of their kids by making them do hard physical exercises.  

 

              Second City Teachers

 

              You told me that some tennis players who are doing badly in a match can break their own tennis racket out of anger and frustration?  

 

               Maria Laskina

 

               Once  my father bought me this very good and expensive tennis racket. At one match I got angry and threw my racket on the ground and it broke. I was too frightened to tell my father because I knew he would be very angry. So for about one and half to two years I kept playing with this broken racket. I still won game with it but I wondered about why I lost some games and whether I might have won more. When my father finally found out he was very surprised.

 

               Second City Teachers

 

               How do you think coaches can better prepare children for tennis ?

 

                Maria Laskina

 

               I think coaches should be more realistic and not promise the parents that their kids have a chance to earn so much money. Sometimes parents don't have enough money for training and their children lack talent. Many rich kids are really lazy. It is best for them to talk honestly with the parents and they have to look suspiciously at the relationship between parents and children when they notice something is wrong and the behavior shows abuse. Not to do anything to protect

children makes the situation worse.

 

               It is very difficult to persuade parents not to be too ambitious. I also think it should be forbidden to see parents attend training sessions because they like to give advice and this of course, annoys the coach because it is his job. You as a teacher don't like it when a parent comes to your lesson and offers advice on how you should teach.

 

               Second City Teachers

 

               Do you regret training as a tennis player?

 

               Maria Laskina

 

               I don't . The training builds your self-discipline and it expands your horizons. When you have this competition it is good for you. I have made many good friends in tennis. But I don't know if you have noticed that the most famous tennis

don't want their kids to become tennis players.

 

               Second City Teachers

 

               Did you lose your childhood by training in tennis?

 

               Maria Laskina

 

               May be in some ways. My sister and mother went on holiday to different resorts while I did n't have time to go for a holiday.

 

               Second City Teachers

 

               How difficult is it  for poor families to get their children trained to become professional tennis players ?

 

               Maria Laskina

 

               I think it is more difficult than previously. The state does not provide enough funding and most of the cost of training falls on the shoulders of the parents who work hard to earn enough money to cover the costs. it is very difficult to

find sponsors. I don't think the facilities and trainers are as good in Bulgaria as in the United States. That is why many parents have emigrated to rich countries so they can make more money to fund their children. I think the Bulgarian Tennis Federation should provide free training for children because

many poor but talented children are missing out.

 

               Second City Teachers

 

               You worked as a school teacher in Russia. Did you enjoy it?

 

               Maria Laskina

 

               I did not enjoy it at all ! The kids were okay. I did not have a problem with them.

               But one teacher who was old and strict  shouted a lot at the children. I felt sorry for one boy who was hyperactive. He wasn't guilty of this but it was just in his nature. But the teacher put him down and kept shouting at him and I didn't

enjoy this. My Russian was worse than the kids because they had no accent but I had. {Maria 's job was to teach Russian in the school. }

 

               Second City Teachers

 

               How do you find the Russian state school system?

 

               Maria Laskina

 

               I think there is just too much homework and  that teachers often use the school textbook too quickly. They hurry it and many pupils don't have enough time to keep up with this. It is not the fault of the teachers but the system.

 

               Second City Teachers

 

               Why did you come to Russia?  

 

               Maria Laskina

 

               Many reasons. I wanted to change my life and move on. Moving to a new environment can help you change things. I wanted to forget the impact of my injury in tennis because it was uncomfortable seeing all my friends carrying on with their training to be tennis players when I could not. I don't regret coming to Russia as that would be very egotistic and I have got many things from Russia.

               I think that coming to Russia was  my destiny and accept that.

Bus Drivers

Bus Ride with Lots of Friends Amid Covid19

by Thomas Hansen, Ph.D.

It is Saturday, June 20, 2020, and I am riding the Broadway 36 bus.  I have gotten on far north, and am headed south.  When we reach Foster, the CTA driver hands over bus #1383 to the new driver.  It is 12:23 PM.  There are 26 people on the bus.  Two of them are not wearing masks.

The new driver boards the bus – wearing no mask  -- and proceeds south on Broadway, picking up additional passengers at most every stop.  By the time the bus reaches Argyle, it is carrying 29 passengers.  On this ride, each time we stop, a few more people board.  Sometimes a few exit, also.

At 12:27, a large argument breaks up toward the front of the bus.  The topic is the number of people riding on #1383.  There are 4 people with no mask on – plus the driver.  One of the 4 is a young man who has taken his mask off once the argument begins.

Some are clearly disgusted there are so many passengers on the bus.  They talk about death, risk, pandemics, responsibility, craziness, confusion, and ignorance.  Others defend the driver, saying the virus is not that deadly, there is no pandemic, the government is trying to control us, and all people have a right to ride the bus.      

The language being used in the argument is not suited for children.  However, there are some children present, and they are hearing the words being used.  One little girl – whose father is against so many passengers being on the bus – screams she is afraid “the bus will explode because there are too many people on it.”  

There are 2 people on the bus with walkers, at the very front.  Another person with a walker boards the bus.  The driver takes down the rope to the COVID-no passenger-sign area near him and does not put it back up.  The bus is now at Lawrence, and there are 30 passengers.

The argument has gotten very loud, and one of the most vocal persons, who claims the establishment is trying to control our lives, explains how “the man” wants to kill us and has told CTA drivers to put as many passengers on the bus as will fit.  The bus is running full.

By the time the bus reaches Wilson, there are 32 passengers.  People are cramped, and a young couple enters through the front door instead of the back.  They stand in the area where people are not supposed to stand – there is no room.  The gentleman has a bicycle.  He presumably does not have a disability.  The woman with him talks loudly on a cellphone when she boards.  She does so as they ride, and she is still doing so when they get off the bus at Buena Park.

A woman with a stroller carrying a young child enters through the front door, despite the high number of passengers.  They board, and they keep the total at 32 passengers.

                                  

A couple of us exit at Waveland.  I am talking with the other two passengers.  I go up to the front to look in the bus at the driver.  He is still not wearing a mask.  He glares at me as I look at his sleeve and see what looks like the number 40508.

Quarantine Easing

QUARANTINE ENDS IN RUSSIA

By Stephen Wilson

 

             'There 's some say that we wan,

              Some say that they wan,

              Some say that nane wan at a', man ;'

 

              A Traditional Scottish song

 

             On the 9th of June the Quarantine experiment planned from the 1st to the 14th June was abruptly ended evoking a wide range of often mixed feelings. Some  observers feel that this is more of a political move than a well thought out and rational response to events so that the government can claim they will celebrate two victories; the 75th anniversary of the end of the war along with winning a

fight against the Covid -19 virus. Such complacency may be misplaced. Who has won? Has the virus or the state won? Maybe nobody has won!  

 

            Sergei seemed to stumble into the model shop rather than walk in. In a hurry, he had tripped over the stairs. The shop assistant bellowed at him "Where is you mask?

            You are not allowed into the shop without a mask or gloves!"  Sergei, a tall, frail and gaunt man looked surprised and immediately covered his face with his tee-shirt and

then purchased two expensive books on Russian aviation during the First World War. After that purchase, all was forgiven. I shouted at him, "Yes, where is your mask" but he realized I was an old friend who had known him over a decade. It was the first time we had met for almost 3 months. But I wondered if he, and many other people, were completely aware that some of the existing rules of the quarantine in public places and transport, are still in force despite an announcement to finish the quarantine on 9th of June.

 

            Walking about Moscow I have observed an almost complacent and laid back attitude among local people. Whereas only two weeks ago you could notice over 50% of the people wearing masks and gloves, now at present, if you are walking around the city with a mask and gloves in some localities you feel like an exception or even freak. In deed you might draw ridicule from some people. "Why are you wearing those gloves and a mask? There is nobody near you." People were sitting on benches again and gathering together as if there had been no crisis. But older and some middle-aged people were more cautious and tended to wear the mask over their faces. However, in the metro, practically everyone is wearing a mask and gloves and attempting to

observe social distancing. What a huge contrast!

 

            Russians have been responding in many different ways to this crisis. Contrary to the belief of many people in Britain, Russians are not under the iron thumb of some all

powerful and pervasive police state always watching you. In fact, often the police don't stop or pay attention to people at all and the experience of enforcing the quarantine indicates they can't completely control the situation because too many

people are breaking the rules. Instead, they would often send a loudspeaker car appealing to people to "Stay at home". But despite a massive publicity campaign people can go on breaking the rules.

 

            Some people believe that the ending of the Quarantine has been way premature. A linguist, Maria Hazaretyan, said, 'We can't allow 'the immortal regiment to go into the city on Victory Day, as every day, 1500 to 2000 people in Moscow are still being infected. I am certain that the statistics of those those who have caught the virus are

underestimated." Amalia Sokolovskaya stated, 'The parade has lost it's meaning.

            There is no sense in celebrating it ".  The decision to end the quarantine on 9th of June appears to have been taken by the president who overruled the authority of the local mayor of Moscow. Sobyanin lamented in vain that "We have more important problems to grapple with than organizing a military parade on the 24th June and an

Election to vote on the constitution".

 

            A Russian businessman who came down with the virus said, "A lot of my friends are still scared to go out because they might catch the virus. They think that observing

such a quarantine for almost 3 months and then suddenly getting it means all their suffering has been in vain."

 

            But for many people facing immense economic problems and psychological pressure the end could not come any sooner. They feel greatly relieved. They argue the danger from this virus has been exaggerated if not invented. They have been cursing the mayor for either ruining their business or rendering them unemployed.

 

            Despite massive billboards and notices placed around blocks of flats, people are not that concerned about voting in the next referendum for a new constitution. Very few

Russians are aware what the amendments are about other than it would allow the president to remain in power until 2036. Perhaps the indifference lies with the fact that so much of the present constitution is not observed at all.  Does an amendment proposing that the traditional family must have strict gender roles: a mother remains a woman, and a father, remains a man really inspire much interest? A further

amendment is to defend a particular interpretation of the 'Great Patriotic War' against say, some fascist views of history as well as one view which blames Russia for being one of the main causes of the war. One amendment is that the Russians won't be under obligation to pay out compensation or comply with some international agreements. This means that Russians will have less access and appeal to other forms of justice should an unfair decision be made by a Russian court. When almost everyone has been absorbed and distracted by this virus, few people  notice the full implications of some of those amendments.

 

            As always, there are some people who live aloof from the world around them. The crisis does not or hardly ever touches them. The Russian businessman told me, "A woman told me that I was the only person she knew who had come down with this virus".  Could it be possible that some people might be wholly unaware of this crisis?

            In an interview on 'The World at War T.V. series, Doctor Gray said in one interview that he had met an Italian hermit in the Apennines who had never heard that there

was a war on. He just carried on hill farming as he had always done.

 

            For understandable reasons, many Russians are dying to return to work or find new jobs. School students are relieved that they can sit exams at the end of June rather

that wait till September. But teachers are still doing lessons on-line and despite a carefree atmosphere in parks, life has hardly returned to normal. But President Putin was at pains to point out the government does not intend to replace all face to face teaching with on-line teaching. There are no such grand schemes or plans. But he stated that the colossal experience of distance education must be used in the future.

           "However, on-line education can't replace life communication between teachers and students ... Concerning all those rumors that distance education can fully replace and squeeze out face to face learning, I see this as an open provocation ". But who is being provocative? The ambitious proposals to expand on-line programs have not come from teachers or unions, but from some rectors, economists and businessmen. You can understand why some teachers are so anxious about any potential imminent threat to their jobs or hints of being made redundant.           

Book Review

BOOK REVIEW

RAILWAY GHOSTS AND HIGHWAY HORRORS

By Daniel Cohen and illustrated by Stephen Marchesi

Scholastic, 2003, New York and London.

 

HELPING THE HOMELESS

 

 

           At some critical point in our lives we hope that some stranger might intervene to save us from going over the brink. There seems to be a deeply rooted part in people which yearns for an angel, helper or benefactor to show us a way out of an impasse. It is only natural for people in a desperate predicament to yearn for a miracle at the 11th

hour. For instance, a person who inadvertently walked into a swamp hopes that someone will pull him out or a person whose car breaks down in a remote place hopes for a passerby to stop and help. In fact, fairy tales, folk tales and epics often reflect this desire. This might be why a small book of ghost stories by Daniel Cohen, has a wider appeal to readers who want more than just to hear a good yarn or

feel the sensation of intense fear. The book is titled 'Railway Ghosts and Highway Horrors.' In this book Cohen argues in his introduction that since there are practically no castles or very old houses in America then you are not going to come across ghosts in this setting, but more likely on roads and railways.

 

           I have been using this book for teaching some English lessons for more than a decade. One Russian student told me she could never forget the strange illustration of a headless bummer carrying a lamp in a tunnel to warn his friend of imminent danger ahead on the track. She found it more amusing than scary. She was hardly traumatized!

 

           Quite a number of those stories are about a ghost intervening to aid people and save them from either potential accidents or misfortune.

           For instance, in one 18th century legend, 'The Ghost of the Great North Road', the former wife comes back from the dead to help drive the coach of coachman Tom Driffield just in time to deliver an urgent message to York from Durham. She later warns Driffield's son whose coach is threatened by highway men waiting to ambush him. The headless dead colleague of Chuck Dolly turns up with a lamp in a tunnel to warn him that a huge boulder up ahead threatens to derail the train unless they stop. But it is the story of Big Joe the trucker which strongly impressed me. This is not only because of Cohen's down to earth and lively style of narration, but because he displays a lot of empathy with the characters he portrays. You almost feel you are walking in their shoes.

 

           The legend of 'Big Joe' begins with a 19 year youth, Randy Talbot, who is homeless and alone on a rainy and desolate highway. He is trying to hitch a lift, but practically every vehicle passes by. Cohen writes: 'It looked like another night spent in the open, cold and hungry. Randy was feeling as about as low as he ever had in his life.

           Randy had half run away, half been kicked out. Try as he might, he couldn't remember a single really good day in those 15 years. Life had been an unending string of arguments and fights, and when he wasn't fighting with his parents, a sullen silence reigned. They never talked, not even said hello'.

           Anyone who has worked with homeless people will immediately identify the tense atmosphere in a dysfunctional family which they have fled. We read on that Randy had hitchhiked all over the country begging, shoplifting and taking the odd job to get by.

          'Randy kept on moving because he never found  any place he really wanted to stay. He always hoped the next place would be better than the last.

           It never was. It was just more of the same. Now he felt his string about to run out'.

           Then suddenly a big 18-wheeler truck pulls to a halt. The driver invites him in. He is a huge man with a deep commanding voice who immediately inspires trust and respect. He asks Randy, "A lousy place to catch a ride....How'd you wind up here?." Despite usually reacting to some questions with a grunt or distrusting silence, Randy tells him his whole life story. The driver is listening attentively. He doesn't preach or judge, but simply listens. The driver replies, "You've had it real rough. But don't give up hope. You're young, you've got time, and you never can tell what is going to happen". Then Big Joe drops him off, gives him a 5 dollar bill for food and asks him to eat in a cafe. Before he can thank the stranger Joe drives away.  

 

           When Randy drops into the restaurant ordering food and coffee he tells them he was dropped off by Big Joe. Because Randy has never heard of Big Joe, the waiter tells him how he died in an accident while driving his truck. He swerved to avoid a bus full of school children driving up the long lane. None of the children were killed, but Big Joe was. After his death his ghost truck picks up and gives money to homeless hitchhikers.

 

           There are many versions of this story. Some people believe it is a living legend and that such a Trucker exists. Songs have been sung about this Trucker by Tom Faile and many other singers. Some young Russian student at Moscow State University sang a song about this legend at a storytelling workshop we organized about ten years ago. Sometimes this ghost is called Phantom 309. It could be that the story of Big Joe turns out to be a combination of different stories put together. There was a real catastrophe where a trucker was forced to swerve his truck to avoid a deadly collision with a bus of school children. The trucker was not called Big Joe, but John William Peter Trudelle. He died swerving his truck as a bus came out.

           Unlike in the Big Joe story, some of the passengers in the bus die along with Peter.

 

           Well, was the story of big Joe simply an invention? Was it based on  real events embellished by a versatile storyteller? Many truckers turn out to be brilliant storytellers! Did David Cohen himself make it up? Cohen, as if anticipating such questions, answers, 'Are the stories in this book true? Did they actually happen? I didn't make them up, though somebody might have. I have heard them and enjoyed them, and that is what you should do, just enjoy them.' In other words, don't look at me if you looking for a culprit who invented the story of Big Joe! It is a standard

retort given by Scottish storytellers. They even have a saying 'If it be a lie as told by me, it was as a lie told to me '{In Gaelic, it goes , Ma 's breug bhuam e, is breug chugam e}

 

           Such a story of Big Joe often doesn't raise eyebrows or scoffing in Russia. This may come as no surprise as there are countless stories of how Saint Nicholas appears and rescues people who are either sinking in a swamp or are surrounded by German soldiers. Saint Nicholas appears and gets them out! Only recently I heard how my friend Vitalily Negoda Macdhughaill wrote to me how Saint Nicholas

appeared in person to tell his great grandparents that his son had not died in the war as officials had claimed, but had been taken prisoner and he was alive. Maria Koroleva also told me how two members of her family were saved by Saint Nicholas!  

           So the story of Big Joe might well have some truth to it. He might be a kind of ghost or even a real living person who vanished like a ghost. Perhaps there is more than one Big Joe roaming around . Cohen claims that his readers should just enjoy his stories. But Cohen might have done something more than amuse readers.  

           Perhaps Cohen has inspired some readers to help the homeless!  You never can tell!

Quarantine Easing

MOSCOW CAUTIOUSLY EASES QUARANTINE TWO WEEK EXPERIMENT

By Stephen Wilson

 

 

            (MOSCOW) -- 'Rain, rain go away, come back another day' goes an old nursery rhyme my grandmother loved to sing whenever it rained. It was supposed to be a kind of spell chanted to conjure away the heavy rain. For it has almost been raining relentlessly in Moscow for the past three days. The sky continues to be gray, grim and overcast. Just drifting mist which obscures any view. You can't see

the sun, the moon or the sky as on previously occasions. At times the sky could become so transparent and crystal clear blue you could spot the constellation of Orion the hunter by his three star belt. When there was a pause from the rain,

yesterday, people poured out on the streets of my locality and began walking around, meeting each other. It seemed to have become another Sunday afternoon. It was as if the quarantine rules and regulations had already been either forgotten or suspended by fatigue, frustration and anger.

 

            A WONDERFUL WALK

 

            The new notices which had been posted on the door entrances to each block of flats had disappeared, been deliberately torn down or blown away by a fierce wind. The  

notice informed residents of new regulations and rules which have to be observed during the quarantine from the 1st to the 14th June. For instance, people can go out for exercise and do sport from 5 to 9 o clock in the morning but they can only go out for walks three times a week at scheduled times listed on the notice board. For example, the residents in my block are allowed to go for a walk on the 2nd, 4th and 7th of June, but then the following week: the 10th, 12th and 13th June. People who go out have to wear masks and gloves everywhere outside their flats as well as observe social distancing. People are forbidden from sitting on park benches or gathering in crowds. In addition, practically all the shops are being opened, though restaurants, cafes and swimming pools will remain closed. The Mayor of Moscow Sobyanin, apologized for the complexity of the rules but said he did not want a scenario where enthusiastic and euphoric people gathered in the streets as if it was a May the first demonstration. This is an experiment which will last two weeks, and if it does not work, then a full scale quarantine will be reintroduced.

 

            When I heard the news that I would be allowed to resume my long walks I felt great joy. I confess that on the eve of 1st of June, I felt as excited as a schoolboy before Christmas. I could hardly sleep. And at 5 a.m. I began my long walk around Moscow. The sky was still overcast, but it had stopped raining or rather, there was only light drizzle. Just outside my flat I came across a young man who looked as if he had been jogging. There was hardly a soul in sight. As I was making my way to Telman Square in the Aeroport district I noticed a rowdy almost drunken group of youths and one boy shouted at me: "What are you looking at, grandfather?"

            I soon crossed the square and made my way to Chapayevsky Park where I noticed one young man doing press-ups on bars and another couple jogging together.

            All along the great Leningradsky Shosse or Highway, huge billboards loomed up carrying photos of members of medical teams treating the sick. Each billboard was titled 'Heroes Among Us', carrying a photo of a named doctor or nurse while in the background a line of medical staff stood. In my locality you saw photos of Natalie Chugunova, a doctor, Denis Romanov, a surgeon, and Yekaterina Zakharenkova,

who is a junior nurse.

 

            Other  prominent billboards appealed for volunteers saying: 'Volunteer Now! You can help! 'with photos of volunteers handing over bags of food to a fragile old woman. There were not many joggers or people doing sport. Instead, trolley buses often driven by women would rumble past me with either one solitary passenger or were empty. I walked on and on past Sokol and to Voikovskaya, until my back began to ache. I wondered where had all the homeless people gone? Had they been driven out beyond 101 kilometres or detained? But I soon met two of them.

            A poor man who had a cheerful disposition with a gaunt wrinkled and red complexion was begging for a cigarette from two drivers. Perhaps they did not smoke but they found him amusing and ignored him. He then turned to me and asked for a cigarette.

            Since I didn't smoke he had more bad luck. So he asked for change which I at least had. Then I met another homeless person who politely asked me for change. I wanted to interview him and although he gave me his name I felt I was being too intrusive. When I asked him how he was coping with the crisis he seemed reticent.

            For well found reasons many homeless have learnt to be weary at meeting strangers. They might be either beaten up or robbed by people who at first appeared pleasant.

            I had a distinct feeling I 'd meet him again. As the hours went by I noticed that streams of people were now descending upon the metro and the rush hour was beginning. For the first time in two months the city had woken up from her half slumber.

 

            DENYING THE CRISIS

 

            There is a distinct feeling of unreality here. On the surface, everything seems safely normal. You can observe many people on the streets not wearing masks, gloves or believing that this is even a crisis. Doctors and nurses who return home exhausted after working in hospitals with patients are shocked at seeing how laid back and reckless people are walking about the streets without masks and gathering in groups. I notice the same. A recent survey by the Higher School of Economics found that on 26th May, almost a quarter of Russians, 23%, thought that the coronavirus was an invention conceived by some vested interests. The number of people who don't believe this virus is real has grown rather than decreased over the past few months. Some still claim the impact of this virus is exaggerated if not fabricated. All kinds of absurd conspiracy theories abound blaming Bill Gates.

            While on 5th April only 10.4% of people believed it was an invention, by the 12th May this skeptical minority had grown to 20.7%. This may well be due to the influence of

articles on social networks.  You have to bury your head in the sand to ignore the harsh reality of this emergency. More ambulances speed by and arrive outside homes. One of my students who is very healthy never imagined in a million years he would catch it. But he came down with it telling me "It is the worst medical problem which I have ever experienced in my life. I tried to get good quality medicine from the chemists in Russian, but they have all run out of it. If you are lucky to find this medicine it now costs far more. It has risen in price from 100 to 400 rubles. I prefer to take medicine made in Germany, but the kind I want is not available," stated Yevgeni, a manager of a thriving international firm.

 

            STATISTICS QUESTIONED

 

            The Russian government is attempting to assure the situation is under control. When critics claimed that officials had under counted the number of deaths from the virus, the figures were eventually revised and it was acknowledged that as many as 60% of coronavirus patient deaths were not counted in total. So someone could have been said to have died from a heart attack or pneumonia which of course is an affect of the virus. So the virus is said to be indirectly though not directly the primary cause.

            Anastasiya Rakova, deputy mayor, is astonished at claims by foreign journalists that the state has been underestimating the level of deaths from the virus. She states

"By the way, according to the Brit Office for National Statistics, in Britain the Summer numbers may be two or even three times more. Perhaps British publishers, which

write about concealing information about the deaths in Russia simply should change the subject." Rakova claims that even if the mortality figures are revised they are a lot

lower than in London or New York. In New York, there have been 16,410 deaths and in London, just more than 5000. This is far larger than the rate of death in Moscow which on a maximum count might reach well beyond a thousand. But since the response of the British and American governments have been so abysmal, criticizing the Russian reaction seems like the kettle calling the pot black! It says more about

Cold War conflict than what is the underlying reality. There is no doubt that officials either can't count or manipulate statistics, but this is hardly confined to Russia.

 

            A DEVASTATING  TOLL

 

            The economic impact of this virus on the well-being of people has been devastating.

            As in American and Britain, thousands of people have either lost their jobs or had their income cut. Migrants in Moscow who have been laid off are on the streets and can't return home have been begging for food. If you don't work here, you don't eat.

            There exists no welfare state comparable to Germany or Britain. A person who is unemployed is entitled to between 1000 to 4500 rubles a month. And 4500 rubles amounts to a meager 56 dollars! We are witnessing a soaring rise in mass poverty and unemployment which nobody can conceal or disguise. As the writer Maxim Gorky once put in a play, "The Truth is beyond consolation".

 

            One week ago I spoke to my brother from Scotland about the Covid-19 crisis. He told me, This is like a war zone. It has hit Scotland terribly. My friend , Jan, who you met at a party many years ago, died and was only 48. Mother liked him and thought he was so polite and pleasant. Then I had to take over the work of someone who had died from this virus. Twelve people down the road in the old people's home died from this outbreak. This is a horrible disease that can attack all the organs of a person's body and he or she has no defense."  I recall, my brother Peter had been shaken by the death of his friend Jan and had to go out into the garden to cry. Jan's sister sent a letter expressing the hope that Jan would not just be another statistic.

            Peter promised, "Jan, you don't deserve to be another statistic and I 'll do all best to make sure this does not happen". In deed, nobody deserves to become just another statistic! We have to hold up a candle to those who died.