The International Space Station

Tonight I watched the International Space Station fly overhead, a star-like speck, illuminated by the distant sun, silently sailing by the almost full moon,  It took six minutes from the Pacific horizon to the horizon over Arizona and the US. This is called Expedition 28 and there are six men up there, three from Russia, two from the US, and one from Japan. The commander is Andrey Borisenko from St Petersburg. (His story is fascinating.)

What a time to stop, watch, and think about our travels in space—they have gone so far, and so far to go in the future. The final Space Shuttle mission to the ISS is scheduled for July 8. As a boy I read all the Jules Verne novels, all amazing forecasts of what has happened since. I remember where I was when Sputnik first flew over head—I was in Maine. And when our first astronaut, Alan Shepard, was in orbit—I was in California.

 We will see much more in the future. What a life!

Now it’s Russian art at the auctions!

One of my favorite Russian artists is Ilya Repin. The painting above is called “They did not expect him.” It is in Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery. I always enjoy seeing it. Repin was one of the “Peredvizhniki” or “The Wanderers.” These famous artists in the late 19^th century rebelled against the academic formalism of the Imperial Academy and portrayed the hard lot of the poor folk, the common men and women. Today much of Repin’s art can be seen in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg as well as the Tretyakov.

Now Russian art is getting the big money. I was amazed to see where a Repin recently was sold at Christie’s auction for over $7.3 million. It was one he did in Paris, called “Parisian Café.”

There is a very interesting story behind Repin’s “They did not expect him,” but that is for another time. Contact me if you want to discuss this or any of the “Peredvizhniki,” as it is all a favorite art subject of mine. Repin, clearly, is one of the best.

Learn more about Russian Art, Buy here “Walking on Ice, An American Businessman in Russia”. Your comments are welcome.

How Fiction Becomes Truth

The great painting by Johannes Vermeer, “The Girl with a Pearl Earring” is sometimes called “The Mona Lisa of the North.” I visited it once in The Mauritshuis in The Hague, the Netherlands. That girl’s gaze will rivet the most impatient viewer.

I had read the popular book on this painting, “The Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Tracy Chevalier, and after seeing the painting, I wrote Tracy and told her of my experience. I told her about the man who sat in front of the painting for hours , his eyes glued to those of the girl in Vermeer’s painting.  I assumed the man had read Chevalier ’s historical novel and for him, like for me, that story became the truth about Vermeer and the girl in the painting. Tracy agreed how, especially in the absence of any pertinent historical facts, the fiction becomes fact, the story.  Tracy Chevalier did a masterful  job. Great movie, too.

Writing a historical novel myself on two Rembrandts, it has been an enjoyable task to separate what is known from what is not known and create a compelling story.  I hope to get this published within the near future.

Artist’s across the Water~ LA and St. Petersburg

It’s a wonderful start in understanding the world, when children can paint for friends across the sea, and learn about the world and its different people.  One thing learned is that we are not so different. For the second year the Los Angeles-St. Petersburg Sister City Committee is sponsoring a student art exchange between student’s of the Los Angeles and St. Petersburg, Russia.

The LA display of several hundred paintings, including 82 from St. Petersburg has just closed and will be on its way to St. Petersburg in late June. It will be displayed in this famous Russian city as part of the renowned Master Class International Art Festival during the fabulous “White Nights”   this summer.

The painting shown above is the work of the 9-year old Maxim Domochevsky.

Learn more about St. Petersburg, Buy here “Walking on Ice, An American Businessman in Russia”. Your comments are welcome.

Talking to our Future World Business Leaders

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I had the privilege of addressing the Executive MBA (EMBA) class at Colorado State University this week in preparation for their June trip to Russia. My book, “Walking on Ice, An American Businessman in Russia” is a textbook for this US/Russian MBA course, so they were well prepared and had good questions.

I covered what I call “the third side of the Russian coin” which really is the underlying thousand years of cultural influences on Russian thought, behavior, and therefore business. Much progress is being made, but there’s much more to be done.

We discussed particularly the present growing “Generation 3” as I call those who entered the great post-Soviet change fresh for the universities and institutes in the early 90s. And the present excitement and wonderment over the Skolkovo efforts to reinforce the great technology values in young Russia and bring it successfully and profitably onto the world market. The recent partnership with Silicon Valley is a cornerstone of that initiative.

To quote Alexis de Tocqueville on the subject of Russia and America: “Their starting-point is different, and their courses are not the same; yet each of them seems to be marked out by the will of Heaven to sway the destinies of half the globe.”

 From my experience in Russia, I am so happy to see this sincere interest in Russia from a leading American MBA program. I am glad to see CSU playing a part in this destiny. I am confident there will be good results.

Learn more. Buy here “Walking on Ice, An American Businessman in Russia”

Art Across the Ocean

The Los Angeles-St. Petersburg Sister City Committee again in 2011 has sponsored a Children’s Art Exchange Exhibition between the students of our sister cities.  The LA exhibit opened May 12 and will close June 4. About 200 paintings from LA Unified School District and 82 paintings from St. Petersburg are on display. It looks really beautiful. It can be seen at the Charles White Gallery: 2401 Wilshire blvd., LA , 90057. All are invited.

 Children and families attended the opening and many will go to the closing reception as well. The exhibit will then go to St. Petersburg, Russia  as last year for a special exhibit during the famous “Master Class International Art Festival,” in June. Our great thanks to Masha and Muriel and the officials of the LA Unified School District here in LA, and to the wonderful people in St. Petersburg for what they are doing there.

It is great to be sponsoring an event like this. There is so much good to be done with the children expressing their knowledge of and respect for their brothers and sisters across the sea. There is a growing respect and interaction between the US and Russia and we are proud to be part of it.

See last year’s exhibit on www.laspscc.org. 

Learn more. Buy here  “Walking on Ice, An American Businessman in Russia”

Changing Russia~ Patience Pays!

The American or Western visitor or businessman has a special challenge in fitting into the colorful and exciting environment of an evolving Russia. The world is not really so flat as to obscure the character of a people, though superficial similarities make these defining traits less visible. Even in this high-tech world, we need to understand the deeper meaning of a people, including those cultural elements that make them on occasion behave differently. Although Russia is in a great state of change, the effects of a thousand years of history are not erased in a decade or two—if ever.

After over thirty years doing business in Asia and Europe, I went to the new Russia in 1991. The contrasts with the rest of the world were amazing and at the same time stimulating. I was fortunate to gather around me in Russia some of the most dedicated, hard working, ethical, intelligent, and enjoyable young people I have ever worked with. I found a mutual sense of understanding and a team spirit toward the common goal. I started a telecom company and lived there for six years, managing the task in the cauldron of the chaotic residue of the Soviet Union and the stumbling progress of an emerging New Russia. With such smart men and women in Moscow the venture was successful, providing advanced telecom services to Fortune 1000 companies in Russia, to major Russian businesses, and to diplomatic offices, including the American Embassy.

Russia has been the highlight of my international business career—enriching and enjoyable.

Learn more. Buy here  “Walking on Ice, An American Businessman in Russia”

Climbing Kinabalu

When in the clothing manufacturing business in Asia, more than a few years back, I flew around the world twice a year for about six years. Each time I would take a scenic break somewhere for a few days. Once I climbed Mt. Kinabalu on the Island of Borneo. It was an unforgettable experience.   The mountain, the second highest in Southeast Asia is today 13,436 feet high.  But when I climbed it, it was a bit shorter as it is a granite pluton that pushes up at the rate of 5 mm per year.

It is covered with incredible flora and fauna that exist nowhere else, including orchids of endless varieties.  The summit is amazing as it is naked granite, having been once covered with ice and snow. The views to the north are of the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea and to the south of the beauty of the island of Borneo with is mystical clouds and jungle. I signed my name in a protected  summit guest book. Strange thing is that a few months later, at a dinner table in a Colorado Ski Resort, I met a woman who had signed that book a few weeks later.

What a wonderful world.  Has anyone elst climbed this great mountain?

Is Obama the Catalyst?

I have an Iranian friend, a man with military background in Iran and America and who still has family and friends in Tehran. He said to me, after the Tunisian and Egyptian revolts, that President Obama was the underlying inspiration. I listened. It was news to me.  His explanation made sense.

These young men in the Middle East, he said, see that a man of mixed race and multicultural heritage was able to swim up the stream of Anglo domination, get a top education, and win a free election in the most powerful nation in the world. A man with the name of Barack Hussein Obama. These young yearned for the freedom to choose their own path and do their best. They said, “Why not me?” He explained Obama’s Cairo speech was the thing that inspired them all. It was articulate, well versed, and respected.

With the freedom of the Internet, the ideas flowed, my friend said. Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and also the young of Iran are fully charged he said. It is the change that is happening. And we all pray it will continue to move toward peace, freedom and responsible democracy. We will see.  

What do you think?

The Wonderful Moscow Metro

Russia can’t build a decent car. But it can build the best rockets, incredible fighter planes, all kinds of technology, and the world’s best subway, the Moscow Metro. You’ve heard about them. They are works of art. In the main Metro ring and stations in Moscow they are filled with statuary and frescoes. The architecture is superb.

The Moscow Metro was built in 1935,  is 301.2 km (187.2 mi) of length, 12 lines, and 182 stations. The highest passenger traffic is highest on weekdays, when the Metro carries over 7 million passengers per day. Of course you know about the dogs that ride the Metro daily to visit their favorite dining grounds.

Ride the Moscow Metro. It is a treat. Get a guide book and top off at the most artistic stations. But do it on the weekend.

Learn more. Buy here  “Walking on Ice, An American Businessman in Russia”