Slavoj Žižek and Divine Violence

The young people of the banlieue simply wanted to say (to adopt a slogan from Badiou): we are here, and we are from here. It was a question of asserting their sheer existence. It was a pure demand for visibility. This is the best example of the limitations of our much-vaunted democracy. There are enormous numbers of people who find themselves in a situation where their most essential demands cannot be formulated in the language of a political problem. It’s what Roman Jakobson called "phatic" communication—not, "I want this" but simply, "here I am."

- Slavoj Žižek

Cities on the Volga

The next 7 photos are from the Memorial for the Battle of Stalingard in what is now Volgagrad.

Moscow

Orthodox church in the heart of Moscow downtown

Former soviet watch factory, now valued advertising space for western luxury car advertisements

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-Russia_Exhibition_Centre

Всесоюзная Сельско-Хозяйственная Выставка