Russia Quotes
Some citations quote Patton using the word “Asiatic” rather than “amiable” in the fourth sentence but sources with the full diary entry use “amiable.”
{627488} is an earlier quotation by a French Diplomat of very similar sentiment, but it is not known if Stalin had ever seen it. Also See Beilby Porteus {627489} for an 18th century variation. This is a puzzling phenomenon. In the United States if there is a plane crash and a hundred people are killed, it is page one and television lead news. But between 40,000 and 50,000 Americans die each year, one or two at a time in auto crashes, and it does not seem to be news. More American college students commit suicide (about 1200 a year) then are killed in mining or other industrial accidents, but the former we rarely hear about.
“Caucasian” was originally a geographical term that had nothing to do with race. No one knows exactly how it came to be accepted as a racial term or as a color no one knows. Today of course we know that race has no scientific meaning, and that all humans are descended from the same ancestors in Africa. Note that the original “Caucasians” included people of many skin colors and features—from Russians and people from the Baltic to North Africans and the many skin shades of India.
Vladimir Lenin
Some analysts believe that this may have been literally true, given his brutal record thereafter.
Misquoted. Comedian Tina Fey, while impersonating Ms. Palin on Saturday Night Live, uttered this line that is now widely attributed to the former Alaska governor. The basis for this line comes from a Sept. 11, 2008 interview with ABC News's Charles Gibson, who asked Palin what insights she had from her state being so close to Russia. She responded: "They're our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska." This is true. On a clear day, those on the Alaskan island of Little Diomede can see the Russian island of Big Diomede, some two and a half miles away. There are other points in Alaska where you can see Russia on a clear day.
Ataturk was not receptive toward Communism as some other world leaders were at the time. He saw its weakness far earlier than many others.
At the time, the Russian economy was dominated by and dependent upon their exports of oil and natural gas. The rest of the economy was relatively weak.