Fall of the Emigre: A Second Look at the Mysterious Death of Mikhail Lesin

by Nomad

For those who appreciate a conspiracy theory, the baffling death of Mikhail Lesin is straight out of a John le Carré spy novel. Officially, it was ruled as an accident and yet, given current events, Lesin's demise becomes even more suspicious.

Blunt Force Trauma

When the doors of the luxurious suite at the Doyle Dupont Circle Hotel were opened on the Thursday morning of November 5, 2015, Russian emigre, Mikhail Yuriyevich Lesin was found dead and alone. He was found without any identification in a hotel room that was under his name. Police detected no obvious signs of forced entry.
After some delay, a member from the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., confirmed the identity as that of 57-year old Lesin.

Traveling from Los Angeles, Lesin had been invited to attend a fund-raising dinner for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in the city’s West End two nights before.

However, he had not appeared at the event and had failed to respond to phone calls or text messages from the fellow Russian who had invited him, a banker and philanthropist who was honored at that dinner.
Lesin's failure to attend must have seemed peculiar. He had recently confirmed he would be there and was flying into Washington specifically for the ceremony.

In fact, Lesin had been listed among other numerous guests. It meant, as one investigator points out, that "his potential presence could have been known to a large number of people, not all of whom were necessarily his well-wishers."

Names in the News: A Crossword Puzzle

by Nomad

Distraction time- it's a crossword puzzle, specially made for Nomadic Politics readers! 

The theme is names of political people who are currently in the news. Some of them are well-known and some of them are a little obscure. 

Invisible People: Why It is Important to Hear the Stories of the Homeless

by Nomad

But For the Grace of God

Throughout my childhood, I grew up hearing from my mother this phrase: "There, but for the grace of God, go I."

This was drummed into my head at the earliest age, not as some kind of arrogant boast of divine favoritism. It was instead a reminder never to take things for granted. No man, no woman or child should ever feel exempt from misfortune.

The vagary of life, sudden changes in circumstance, is the one things we all share. A business shuts down, an accident or illness, a poor choice, a hundred things beyond our control. (Add to that the temptations of drugs and alcohol and the instant relief of from boredom, stress or emotional pain.)

All of these things, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, are a part of our common humanity. Today, it might be that person who is begging on the street, living in their car or suffering from an addiction, but never ever think it could not be you or I in that situation tomorrow.
That was the greatest lesson my parents learned from the Great Depression.

Sanity Sunday - Six in Ska

by Nomad

Last week, somebody commented that reggae music made them smile.With the news of the nation essentially on autopilot and Florida being ravaged by Hurricane Irma, bringing smiles is something of a challenge.
So, I thought I would devote this post to Reggae's precursor, Ska. The selection of these six is random; a few of them are originals and a few cover versions of earlier popular songs but with a Jamaican spin.

Before the Storm: A Special Announcement to Readers about Hurricane Irma

by Nomad

Today the nation is holding its collective breath as Hurricane Irma sweeps across the Bahamas, threatening the state of Florida and very likely Georgia and the East Coast in general.  The latest prediction is that Irma will make landfall in the early hours of Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane.

It is possible - but unlikely- that Irma will surprise the weathermen and veer out to sea. Nothing is impossible. However, Few sane people are counting on that miracle.

The window of opportunity is closing as we speak. By now, all of us have heard the reports of mandatory evacuations and residents desperate to get out of Irma's path. We have seen images of crowded airports and highways blocked with traffic.