Monthly Archives: October 2006

Carbon Confusion

Posted on October 23, 2006 by Tim Newman

Even though I suppose I’m an engineer of some description, I still consider myself to be more of a scientist than the average bloke in the street.  I feel sort of entitled to think this having sat through 2 years … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | 6 Comments

Putin’s Remarks

Posted on October 23, 2006 by Tim Newman

It appears that President Putin, who I shall take care not to offend in my postings here lest I be banished from Russia for good, has made a bit of a daft statement regarding allegations of rape in the highest … Continue reading →

Posted in Russia | 24 Comments

An Industry in Crisis

Posted on October 21, 2006 by Tim Newman

Fed up with El Gordo spending your hard-earned cash like a drunken sailor?  Fancy earning £600 per day tax free, plus accomodation and car, working 6 weeks on/3 weeks off? If so, then simply learn an engineering discipline and join … Continue reading →

Posted in Oil & Gas, Recruitment | 14 Comments

The Challenge Ahead

Posted on October 21, 2006 by Tim Newman

When I first landed this job in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a Russian girl I’m friendly with told me to expect a lot of frustration when working with Russians.  So far it’s not been too bad, although there have been one or two … Continue reading →

Posted in Russia | 3 Comments

Tourists unimpressed with Moscow

Posted on October 19, 2006 by Tim Newman

So a group of Western Europeans goes on a trip to Moscow, finds the conditions underfoot to be appalling, and ends up being shafted by a uniformed official? Now there’s a surprise.  Welcome to Russia, folks.  Now try living here.

Posted in Russia, Sport | 1 Comment

Terry Lloyd

Posted on October 17, 2006 by Tim Newman

A UK coroner has ruled that ITN journalist Terry Lloyd was unlawfully killed by US forces in the opening days of the Iraq War.  Not content with the ruling, and clearly with the authority to make such statements, National Union of … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq | 9 Comments

General Winter Approaches

Posted on October 12, 2006 by Tim Newman

When I was a teenager and reading a lot of books on WWII, I remember one particular passage which concerned the German invasion of the Soviet Union.  Promised that they would be in and out before winter set in, they’d … Continue reading →

Posted in Sakhalin | 6 Comments

Billiards with a Caucasian

Posted on October 10, 2006 by Tim Newman

I am now into my second week of bachelorhood in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, my tsaritsa having fled to St. Petersburg and back to civilisation for a few weeks.  So last night my Ossetian friend, also my landlord, took me to play billiards … Continue reading →

Posted in Sakhalin | 9 Comments

Anna Politkovskaya

Posted on October 9, 2006 by Tim Newman

As Mr Worstall has said already, the murder of Anna Politkovskaya was always likely. When I was in Ukraine last year I took with me her book Putin’s Russia, and found it to be both very interesting and utterly depressing … Continue reading →

Posted in Russia | 9 Comments

Idiot Idiot Idiot

Posted on October 6, 2006 by Tim Newman

I’m an idiot.  Make that a complete idiot. Amazon.com do deliver to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and indeed everywhere else in Russia.  I am just incapable of reading an onscreen message.  One of the books I was trying to order was out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Sakhalin | 3 Comments