Anyway, congratulations on what is a terrific book. Im so glad youve returned this. We have written so many books and articles about the dissidents and opposition and that is like maybe 10 of the population we dont hear a lot of people in between make do and get by. The idea came to me slowly as i found i wasnt exactly able to capture what i was seeing and feeling and maybe because i wasnt understanding the picture myself when i arrived with that dichotomy that you mentioned looking for the oppressors. With stalin or neo and that makes for good journalism. With time i realized i wasnt doing justice to the country and there was a lot of left out of the story. But i didnt totally have the framework if it wasnt this battle between the position debate co opposition. We can talk about this a bit and it takes up most of the prologue of the book was the way of making sense of what was going on and helping me understand the way that most people the dynamics that guide people are ultimately so
Particularly announced wednesday by Vladimir Putin shifting Greater Authority to parliament which has left many wondering what this means about putins own plans to relinquish the presidency or not in a few years. So we are especially fortunate to have with us this evening an expert on putins russia, joshua yaffa who is the moscow correspondent for thenew yorker. Been covering russia for much of the past decade and his new book between two fires truth, ambition, compromise in putins russia offers a truly fascinating and revealing look at the impact of the putin era has had on above all the nations psyche and the moral struggles and calculations that Many Russians confront. Josh has written a very nuanced portrait ofrussia. Nothing like the simplistic view of that country, oppressed people lorded over by a kgb trained dictator area josh describes a people who fall somewhere between oppressor and oppressed, prone to compromise and accommodation with the state but still double and resource
[applause] [cheering] wow. Good morning, family or should i say, good morning, church . It is so good to be in the massachusetts seventh. It is so good to be in boston. It is so good to be home. [applause] you know, i cant think of any place i would rather be as we close out 2019 than here with you today in community. In a matter of hours, we will close the chapter on 2019 and begin a new year and a new decade. This is a time for reflection, for introspection, for renewal, for reset. Every morning, my husband conan and i set our intentions for the day in reset by reading an affirmation from a book called the president s devotional by joshua dubois. The pages have become wellworn overtime because we have revisited them many times. The affirmation we have revisited the most is entitled a gentle battle. I will paraphrase it. It says that every morning, we awaken to a gentle battle. And we must decide, as soldiers, in what direction we will march. How shall our minds be focused . Will we m
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Shakespeare Theatre company bard Associations Annual dinner and mock trial. Before we begin murder in mycenae, please take this time to silence all electronic devices. Photography of tonights trial is strictly prohibited. Now, please join me in welcoming chair of the Bard Association. [applause] thank you so much for joining us. I said earlier that all the things we all do watching plays, being on the board, the mock trials and Bard Association is the most joyous. Tonights dinner and mock trial is presented by the Bard Association, an Affinity Group among many that support this theater. As you know, tonights argument is based on the text of the oresteia, which was adapted thellen mclaughlin with chronicles, the deluge of violence that can only be stopped when society peers into its own soul and sees a way out. Our performance, and i hope everybody got a chance to see it, which was our beloved artistic directors last here at the end of 33 years of be
Shakespere theater company. This is just over an hour. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Shakespeare Theatre company bard Associations Annual dinner and mock trial. Before we begin murder in mycenae, take this time to silence all electronic devices. Photography of tonights trial is strictly prohibited. Now please join me in welcoming chair of the Board Association Bard Association. [applause] thank you so much for joining us. I said earlier all of the things we do watching plays, feeding on the board being on the board, the mock trials and Bard Association is the most joyous. Tonights dinner and mock trial is resented by the Bard Association, an Affinity Group among many that support this theater. Tonights argument is based on the text of the oresteia, which was adapted from the originals. With a chronicles of the delusion of violence deluge of violence that can only be stopped when society peers into its own soul and sees a way out. Our performance, which was our beloved artistic d