Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Who exactly reads this blog?

This blog is definitely writer rather than audience driven. But, it would be interesting to know if there are any regular readers out there that I do not know about. So consider this an invitation to post a comment if you are a reader that has never done so before.

9 comments:

FLG said...

You already know about me, but thought I would comment for good measure.

Unknown said...

I am checking your blog time-to-time Dr. Pohl!

Maria Antonia said...

Hello! Thought I'd let you know that I pop over once in awhile. After all, I'm always interested in reading about your "random" thoughts on the Germans-from-Russia experience, etc.

Also, thanks for all your input and historical knowledge regarding our screenplay for Under Jakob's Ladder! We really appreciate it...

Anonymous said...

I'm a Chechen immigrant resident in the UK since 1984. I graduated from the School of Slavonic and East European Studies/UCL in 2001 (BA Politics & East European Studies).

I started an MSc in Central Asian Politics at SOAS in October 2001 but unfortunately dropped out of the course in December 2001, owing to personal reasons.

I used to be fairly involved with the Ichkerian cause (primarily as an interpreter/translator for Maskhadov emissaries) in London, until shortly after President Maskhadov's assassination in March 2005.

I recall meeting you once in the SOAS bar in either late 2001 or early 2002, I can't remember exactly. I believe we spoke briefly about your doctoral thesis, Stalin's deportation of the Vainakhs in '44, Abdurrakhman Avturkhanov, the Chechen separatist movement and some other topics. Your Phd was on the on the deportation of the Crimean Tatars was it not? Forgive my ignorance if I'm mistaken. I certainly recall discussing the Crimean Tatars’ deportation with you.

Actually, I only came across your blog today, via the comments section of Mark Elf's blog. Your name rang a bell and so I decided to check out your blog.

Pazdravlyayu vas na uspeshnoy zashiti dissertatsi!

Anonymous said...

Well I've spent the best part of my Friday night/Saturday morning getting acquainted with your blog.
Just wanted to say that your blog is a veritable goldmine! Thanks in particular for your discovery and review of Margaret Ziolkowski's interesting looking Alien Visions. That's certainly one for my purchase list.

In addition, I'm definitely buying your Ethnic Cleansing in the USSR, 1937-1953 and The Stalinist Penal System: A Statistical History of Soviet Repression and Terror, 1930-1953. These will be a good accompaniment to my recent reading of Ediev's Demographic Losses of the Deported Nations of the USSR.

Anyhow, hope to see your doctoral thesis published as a book in the near future.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to bother you Dr Pohl.

Just a minor request. In my original comment on this blog I wrote: Pazdravlyayu vas na uspeshnoy zashiti dissertatsi!

I should have written: S uspeshnoy zashiti. I'd be gratful if you would edit out that particular mistake. I'm rather tired following a long night of insomnia-fuelled reading hence my grammatical faux-pas.

Obviously this particular comment isn't for publication.

Thanks.

J. Otto Pohl said...

Londonski Nokhchi:

Yes, I remember you. My dissertation was on Russian-Germans, Crimean Tatars and Meskhetian Turks. It has not yet found a publisher.

Unfortunately, I can only delete comments in their entirety. I can not edit them for content. But, minor grammatical and spelling errors on blogs are pretty common. I make a lot of them in English, my native language. You probably noticed this. The standard thing to do is either let it stand or correct it in the next comment. You correct it in the next comment. I know it says not for publication, but I figure since I can not edit the first comment, publishing the correction is the best option.

Kristopher said...

I do, but found it only recently. Interesting stuff.

I cannot believe, or maybe I can, that they have mochas in Bishkek. Any chai (in the sense of the spiced tea beverage with creamer served up by Starbucks et al)?

J. Otto Pohl said...

Kristopher:

Yes, they have the Indian style Chai with milk and spices here. But, it is called a chai latte. Chai is of course just plain old tea here.