![]() ![]() These patterns are not hard-wired into the DNA of Russians or Ukrainians. Unlike moderate wine- and beer-drinking countries, they also share a “ traditional vodka drinking culture,” marked by heavy intoxication, binge drinking of hard liquor, and a general acceptance of the public drunkenness that results. Today, both Russia and Ukraine consistently rank atop of the world’s heaviest drinking nations. By Andreas Argirakis, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons ![]() Lost amidst all the talk of ethnic, linguistic, and cultural ties between Ukrainians and Russians at play in the Donbass area of southeastern Ukraine, the culture of alcoholism seems almost too cliche to garner mention yet perhaps it explains all too well the different political trajectories in Ukraine’s east and west. Aspirations and allegiances aside, the most striking contrast between the pro-European protests on Kyiv’s Maidan square and the pro-Russian, anti-Maidan protests in the east is not simply that the latter tend to be armed and forcibly occupying government buildings (rather than protesting outside of them), but also that they have a higher likelihood of being drunk and disorderly, making the situation dramatically more volatile.Įspecially amidst revolution, vodka and AK-47s don’t mix, especially in Russia and Ukraine. The Governor's time and resources need to focus on larger scale policies that make a positive mark on the entire state, not trying to advocate what's best within the confines of a portion of Raleigh.If Ukraine is a volatile tinderbox of political instability, the situation in its Russian-speaking east is even more dangerous: a tinderbox drenched in vodka. Those are issues that need to be managed and determined at the local level with local leadership, both elected and grassroots, coming from the people who live there. It really isn't appropriate for Cooper to spearhead very local issues, such as addressing the housing stock in a section of Raleigh, or addressing the aesthetics of a neighborhood or Capital Boulevard. Yes, Raleigh and the Triangle stands out as one of the areas of the state with jobs that commands higher incomes, but there are also plenty of working people who don't fit the mold of a household with two income earners in a household each earning close to or over six figures each, and a half million dollar home is well out of reach.Īlso, Cooper will be the Governor of North Carolina, not the Governor of Raleigh. ![]() The concern over good moderate income residents being pushed out is worth some serious consideration. I'll leave the "overpaid intruders" discussion out of this since someone else already commented on that, but there are some points to bring out about the other part. Hopefully things may reverse with a new governor. If these overpaid intruders keep being lured here, lots of good moderate income residents will be pushed out. Just because you personally, 1 isolated instance, were not helped in any way by the recent success of Raleigh, doesn't mean that Raleigh's growth isn't beneficial to the vast majority of long time residents of NC and recent migrants. Progress and migration to NC, both from Americans and Internationals, have played an integral part to the success of Raleigh and Charlotte, and have helped the state and its citizens in so many ways, that me starting to list them would end up consuming more of my time writing this post than your comments deserve. How is Fayetteville, Clinton, Greenville, etc doing for this so called high quality of life? Which areas provide better opportunities for children to grow, become successful and stay in the area? It's very far from just being a Raleigh or North Carolina phenomenon. Whether for good or bad, this is the current state of America. Do you care to expand on this term? What exactly do you mean by this?Ģnd, I think you might of fell asleep for 30 years and have just awaken. ![]() First of all, you used the term "overpaid intruders". ![]()
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