Letters to the Editor

To the Editors:

In the article, “Russia’s Soviet Shadow,” (January/February 2015) on page 54, Vladimir Putin is reported to have said something exactly opposite to what I remember from the original report in 2010.

Your story: “He who does not mourn for the breakup of the Soviet Union does not have a heart, and he who does not wish for its rebirth does not have a brain.”

My memory: “He who does not mourn for the breakup of the Soviet Union does not have a heart [identical so far], BUT he who wishes for its rebirth does not have a brain.”....

Can someone please clarify?

Thanks,

Mark Wallace
by email

Dear Mark:

You and several other readers caught an egregious error that three proofreaders missed! We apologize. Of course, the second half of the quote should have read “who wishes,” not “who does not wish.”

The Editors

To the Editors

...I read with great interest the article in the Nov/Dec edition, on Kenozersky National Park. The photos were lovely and I appreciated the author’s recognition of the value of the people who live inside the park and contribute to the sense of harmony he described. However, I do not think the readers got a full understanding of the truly remarkable achievement in cultural and natural conservation that this park has reached. Much of this must be attributed to the outstanding leadership of the park’s director, Elena Shatkovskaya and her highly professional, dedicated staff.

In addition to restoring 17th and 18th Century architectural treasures, with the park’s support, local communities are now reviving traditional dances, songs and crafts, and fully integrating them into their lives. The park is also supporting a new initiative to restore small-scale agriculture and make it possible for visitors to fully experience the Russian rural north.

I have traveled to many protected areas across Russia and other countries and am quite certain that Kenozersky National Park deserves the highest recognition as a park which exemplifies community-based conservation and sustainable development.

Margaret Williams
by email