Contact Information & Comments

We're back!

If you have any comments, ideas or just want to be in touch (and I do want to hear from you), you can send me an e-mail at jtroupis@hotmail.com (my personal, not business, e-mail) Of course, you can always simply comment here at the blog, but the e-mails, in contrast, are private. I'm more than a bit curious as to who and how many have been reading, and sure would like to hear your thoughts.

I must express my sincerest thanks to the State Bar of Wisconsin--George Brown and ALL--for encouraging me to complete comments while I was away, and taking care of innumerable details before and during my travels. The State Bar has a really great group of people whom we in the Bar are lucky to have. Thank you!

It was an extraordinary trip that will affect me (and Karen) for the rest of our lives. We met some exceptional people, many of whom you have heard about, some you have not. It was much harder and much more important, satisfying and surprising than I ever anticipated.

Thank you to everyone at Michael Best who covered so many different things while I was away. Had I not been with such a spectacular group of people I would not have considered the trip. You all know that without Fran Wiley I could not have gone. Thanks Fran and everyone.

I've said it over and over again, but it bears repeating that the vice-rector, Olga, dean, Elena, asst. to the vice-rector, Natalya, and two wonderful ladies, Galiana and Svetlana will remain my friends for as long as they are willing to hear from me, and they made this a trip of lifetime. Baikal National University of Economics and Law is an exceptional place because they have exceptional people making it happen, and exceptional students. I hope my small contribution to that marvelous place will inspire great leaders for the future of Russia, and a renewed sense of the importance of Liberty, Freedom and the Rule of Law.

Thank you again. Please let me know if you've been following the blog.

Das Vidanya.

Strong Women, Capitalism on Steriod--Final Thoughts

Some final random thoughts:

*As we met today with the Vice-Rector, the Law School Dean, the Assistant to the Vice-Rector, and our two tanslators/friends I realized I better say what perhaps you have all noticed--this is a land of VERY strong women. As with so many meetings, today's meetings had only one man present--me.

*As you can see from the picture of one of the primary shopping areas, and contrary to every useless book we purchased (for ridiculously too much money) about Russia, there is nothing you can not buy in Russia. Given we seem hardly to know the history of a neighboring town (As in, who were the first settlers of Mineral Point, Wisconsin? No, they were not artists and bohemians.), its not surprising we had no clue of what Irkutsk has been since the early 1600's--a magnetic crossroads of Western and Eastern cultures, native Siberians, the descendants of Genghis Kahn, all of China, Korea and Japan, all blended together by czarist (as in "Ceasars") of the Russian West (speaking French). This spot has been a commercial center for centuries, and so it remains today--the heartbeat and gateway to the Orient. We are told that even in the darkest times of the Soviet, the black-market here was as active as one can imagine. Today, as we walked thru the stores and shopping malls it was as if this were Capitalism on Steriods. (Memories of a time in the 80's when I wandered the backstreet malls of Seoul, S. Korea, and made the same observation, come to mind.) Talk about overheating an economy.... There are far more cranes erecting massive new buildings here than in any city I've seen in America's midwest.

*Aluminum recycling--you're kidding right? With energy costs here lower than virtually anywhere in the world because of the massive hydroelectric dams, there are aluminum plants being built for what is expected to be a massive demand for aircraft aluminum. A new aircraft plant is planned here in Irkutsk to build the world's largest new commercial jets. Wonder what it will look like in ten years?

*Veterans: I've mentioned this before, but must return to the veneration of WWII veterans. The national celebration of those veterans will be on May 9, and as the poster shown in the picture here, the shool children will honor those veterans everywhere in the country. Bring a flower to a veteran and say Spaseba (thanks). When I spoke of my father still being alive as a veteran of WWII in the Pacific everyone in the room expressed admiration (so do I, Dad).

*May Day--the celebration of the Workers of the World--is tomorrow. Sure hope I don't miss the parade.

*University Extravagance: The quality of education has little to do with the physical structures, yet we rank Universities based on the square footage. Doesn't that seem silly, wasteful and wrongheaded? What do buildings and desks have to do with how much can be taught or how much can be learned? I remember James teaching in New Orleans, a room with little for desks, paint peeling from the walls and not much more, and yet watching those children, eager to learn--and really learning because they had a great teacher. Here they do not have the resources for those endless pastures with their herds of new buildings, but they still have fine structures, as you can see in the picture. I've learned that the youth of Russia can be as inquisitive, intelligent, frustrating, brilliant and all that may be harnessed by great teachers. As one e-mail I received so eloquently put it, the only thing that these marvelous young people may not have is the opportunity to succeed that is so precious to us. Maybe with this new era they will have that opportunity.

*In meeting with the Vice Rector and Dean, they repeatedly mention their hope that we can make arrangements with Wisconsin Universities or Colleges to participate with them in programs. I must try to make that happen.

*Karen and I have eaten out exactly one time since arriving! There was not time. Karen taught 15 separate English classes. I taught 21 class periods on American Rule of Law, showed four full length movies and a full length interview, taught a master class for the faculty, met with the entire faculty to discuss legal education in America and attended meetings with the Dean and Vice Rector. Of course, you've read about the social activities. Wow! And I enjoyed every single minute (maybe not those with the scalding broken water pipe). Rest?...as Jim Senty likes to point out, there will be plenty of time for that when the good Lord says its time to check-out.

*Olga, the Vice Rector and Elena, the Law School Dean, are truly exceptional! As with any organization, it begins with the individuals that make-up that organization. Baikal National University has chosen very very well.

*Fishing: O.K., I admit it, I had to make a special trip to the map store to buy depth maps of Lake Baikal today, along with topographical maps of the area. I wonder why Jim would do that? (Hey, John, Peter and all in Australia--it's not that far to Baikal for you, is it?)

*Speaking of maps, they actually have them. Seriously, they have real maps of real roads and real towns. For those youngster who may not remember the great Russian Bear of my youth, no maps were allowed. This area, for example, had, we are told, numerous nuclear launching facilities, Chemical Biological Warfare plants and all such other diabolical processes for wiping out mankind. No way they would let you see a map. This means we had no idea before coming here that there are numerous cities, villages and towns, connected by roads and railroads crisscrossing the region. I keep telling people that we had no idea there were so many towns and they do not seem surprised in the least.

*Soviet era: I am not kidding when I say that no one here will so much as acknowledge the existence of 70 years of history from the 20's to the 90's (excepting comments in praise of veterans). It is variously referred to as "that time", "those 70 years" etc., but never more. Prodding will get you comments about the black markets and "famine" times, but only if you prod. It is as if the national conscience has been wiped clean.

----

I will miss the people most. We've met some truly extraordinary people who have become friends. No surprise. Friendships and family are vastly more interesting than any given place or any given time. The place and the period of time certainly add texture and color, but I did not choke up repeatedly in the last few days about the place (as stunning, interesting and surprising as it is). As I closed my last class with a few tears (like some of my students) it is because we have enjoyed a great adventure together with new people that have added immensely to our lives. As I sit here in Siberia I think of all our friends and family from Wisconsin to Florida to Illinois to Ohio to Utah to Idaho to California to Australia and to all points in between. We may now add Irkutsk to that list.

Das Vidanya.

Exhiliration and Sadness

My classes ended today. I am sad. No other way to put it. Of course I understand that this is the feeling of all teachers as they watch there students move on. But today was particularly poignant because this was for the weeks I have been here, a class on a topic--liberty and the Rule of Law--to students--Russians--who would have had virtually no chance in their lifetimes (or certainly the lifetimes of their parents) to experience the sense of freedom and liberty we so often take-for-granted as Americans. It seems almost impossible to conceive of those freedoms these young people are experiencing disappearing, yet we know they have disappeared before. The people of Russia have gone through a remarkable change (and, at least for me, I must admit what Putin seems to have accomplished is almost unimaginable in such a short period of time).

One of my students, Mary (there in the front in the checkered jacket) spoke often in class and sent me an e-mail today expressing some of her thoughts. She was taken with the enthusiasm, energy and optimism she perceived I brought to the Class in talking about the sanctity of our Constitution. She was taken, as well, by the repeated acknowledgments, in the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address, as well as cases throughout our history, that we Americans simply do not trust Government. It is a nation "of the people, by the people and for the people" and she understood that attorneys are expected to stand-up for the people and often stand between the government and the people in protecting individual rights. As she and others observed throughout the class, the 'words' of the law may be the same here, but the implications are very different. A criminal statute is read against the accused. While our statutes are read narrowly so as to require precision and clarity, the statutes of this country (like many others without the long Constitutional history of the USA) are read always to favor the government. That is not a subtle difference, but it seems so easily lost or gained, incrementally or overtly here in Russia. There is a long history of the government as the 'protector' and there remains a powerful belief that government can (indeed 'must')solve all problems--the words of my students, not mine. They wonder openly if this country is prepared for the real risks of democracy, individual rights, freedom, liberty, capitalism and encompassing all of those--the Rule of Law.

The strength of intellect of the students I was privileged to teach was exceptional. They would do well at any American law school. Early-on they were reluctant to talk, and certainly could not get the point of the Socratic method. Then, almost overnight, they embraced debate, discussion, disagreement and resolution. Where there were no hands, the entire room was filled with students who wanted to address the issues. Exciting! Several faculty members would attend each day and I think they were genuinely surprised by the animated classroom and the clarity with which the students seemed to grasp the issues at stake. These are not retiring young people; they are excitable, genuinely intelligent young adults who want to know what they can do as attorneys and they want to make a difference. This country is in an enormous transition, and they know it. They are afraid of it, of course, wouldn't you be afraid? But they now have at least some understanding of the role attorneys must take as leaders in demanding that the government step-aside for freedom to take-hold.

It had been my plan in structuring the classes to end with Environmental Law. This place, near to Lake Baikal, holds great meaning to everyone here, and so I had hoped they could talk about Environmental Law as a question of what policies they would want and what policies they could justify within the principles of law we had discussed. Though they would not get this idiom--They hit it out-of-the-park. They talked about responsibility in the context of Tort law, and they talked about certainty of obligations and indemnity in the context of contract law. They addressed the meaning of general welfare and they debated private versus public obligations. It was not until the end of 4 hours of class that I spoke about what the rules are in America, because the solutions they may chose for this country may well be different. I hope, and I believe, they understood that there is no one solution that is "right". In a country that believes in freedom, liberty and the rule of law, there is always a need to consider alternatives and it is always right to debate and discuss, before reaching resolution.

I concluded with the final scene from Civil Action where the attorney explains that if success or failure of an attorney is to be measured in dollars won or lost, then, in that case he lost. But, for an attorney, he goes on, that is not and must never be the measure. Would we do it all again? Would we act to protect those principles we believe in? In the answer to those questions we, as attorneys, find our success.

I have done my best to bring at least one American lawyer's undying optimism about our system to this extraordinary place--Irkutsk. Our system has flaws. Flaws that even this past week have come to affect one of my best clients.) But lawyers can and do make a difference. America has survived because of the great dedication of lawyers to the rule of law. No government can take that away so long as we, as lawyers, remain steadfast. Russia, for all of its flaws, is trying to find its way, and I am so incredibly blessed to have had this opportunity to do my part to help it down that path we hold so dear.

I am sorry for the length. I am just so proud of these students and this Univesity for risking as much as they risked to have me here. When I told the students at the end of my last meeting today that "I am honored to have been invited", I meant it.

Das Vidanya.

Galina & Svetlana

Consider this. You are landing in Siberia, in the early morning darkness, its snowing. While the plane is modern, you are do not pull into a terminal. You stop on a pitted concrete runway.A bus arrives in the dark and you are escorted, in the dark and snow, to that bus where no-one speaks your language in the land of the Gulag. As you pull up to a old wooden shack, everyone steps out--you follow thru a portoco of corrugated steel, into a small wooden floored room sagging from age and nearly as dark as the outside.

Then, as you enter the next room, from the right a blond woman, with an infectious smile, approaches and in a marvelously jovial voice asks if we are the "Troupis'". That was our introduction to Russia and to Galina Isaeva.

Since then, Galina has, in every way, been indispensible. She met us at the airport on our first day (morning, actually, and still very dark, and snowing, and small, and a bit unexpected, and, well, you get the idea). She will see us off on Friday. And, in between, she saved us from exploding water and saved us from the Russian laundry dilema. She has taken time virtually every day to greet us with that extraordinary smile. (This, by the way, all in the face of her being a single mother to a teenage daughter.) Not once has she intimated or mentioned that we are pain-in-the-you-know-what Americans with unending requests (and we are just that).

Galina grew-up at the end of the Soviet era, and her stories about what it was like have helped us understand so much better this place and this time. She has shared the history of her mother and father and the history of the town. In fact, Galina is a professional guide when not teaching at the University--guiding in Russian, Spanish and English. (Hire her!) If you ever have the pleasure of meeting Galina you will understand that I can not really express very well how special she has been for us.

Translating for an American lawyer is, I think, a bit like herding cats--theoretically possible, but practically, a disaster. Though I had sent outlines, materials and powerpoints, since when have I stuck to a script? So, Galina and Svetlana each day put-up with my latest changes, new and unknown words, ridiculously complex sentence structure and general lack of consideration. Yet, each day they could not be more pleasant. Reminds me of Fran, Heather and all my assistants and staff back at Michael Best. How could I be so lucky?

Svetlana Luts (the black hair) has been exceptional, as well. She teaches many classes in English, all of which have continued (as does Galina--Spanish & English) while she also helps me each day. Always ready to explain what the students mean, Svetlana quickly warns me when I'm particularly obtuse. She certainly could be a lawyer, if she chose that path, as every day she asks me tough questions of her own, in addition to those of our students. (Her husband works for the equivalent of the White Collar Unit of the FBI.)

Like Galina, Svetlana has shared with us the details of her life here. Her father, my age, was an engineer in a city North of Irkutsk specializing in pulp production. He died unexpectedly in January, so for Svetlana to take the time since then to study the materials and then to so patiently deal with the likes of me, well, that speaks volumes about her character and intellect.

Neither Galina nor Svetlana have ever been to an English speaking country! Yet, here they are translating daily on everything from the American Declaration of Independence to Brown v. Board of Education and every subject in-between. After studying for months and being here for three weeks I can say all of Good Morning, Thank-you and (finally yesterday) Excuse Me, in Russian. We have invited them over and over to visit us in Wisconsin, and though I know we can never be as good a hosts they have been, we certainly do hope they will come to visit.

As we continue concluding classes and meetings this week, it's a bit hard to imagine not seeing and being with Galina and Svetlana. They have been with me every day, for virtually the entire day, catching my mistakes and probably keeping me out of trouble I can not even imagine. Think of someone who re-speaks each of your words for hours each day and how close you would become. We will miss them immensely.

Thursday is May 1. You know--MAY DAY. A national holiday in Russia that this year extends to a long weekend. So, tomorrow, Wens here, will be the last day we can communicate back home. We will begin our journey back across Russia, then the Atlantic, then to the American Midwest on Friday morning.

Das Vidanya.

Baikal--Oh my Goodness

We hear of things all our lives and wonder if they can meet our expectations. On rare occasions something we have heard of, read of or thought of might (oh so rarely) exceed our expectations. Lake Baikal fits squarely in the second in the category.

As someone who thought seriously about forestry, and later to run a fishing camp, and often simply to find the most remote places on the planet (e.g. Australian Outback, Hudson Bay, Northwest Territories etc.), Lake Baikal stands as one of those mythical places you've heard of, but doubt. Consider that there is only one stream that exits Baikal, and Baikal is so large that it holds more than 20% of all the World's fresh water. (more than double the size of the next largest lake, our own Lake Superior). That single river, the Angara, is said to be more than 800 feet deep at the point it exits and there is a single rock at the center that is, in fact, the top of the peak of a mountain extending 800 ft. to the bottom.

This past weekend we saw that magical rock--honored by the Shaman's of the Boryiat people for thousands of years. I could not show that picture here, because while I may know something about ancient times I don't have a clue without my children's help of how to blow-up and cut the picture I took. As we saw that rock, the young girl, Luba (meaning "love") in the picture above explained the ancient tale of a daughter's love, her father's disgrace and the tears that have formed the great Angara river. Luba is, herself, a Boryiat from the far Northern portion of Lake Baikal.

You may see in the pictures the reality of this time of year here--Lake Baikal remains frozen (albeit no longer safe for walking). The break from the ice to the outflowing river forms a majestic blue against the Lake's Siberian white. No picture could possibly do justice to the strength of the blue and the infinite expanse of white--reaching to the mountains and then over the horizon.

Of course, we're from the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, so we do know cold, and a bit of cold will certainly not discourage a picnic. Apparently we are kindred spirits with the Law School faculty (two are pictured here with us), as they brought a picnic lunch and but for the absence of a good Brat, it was perfect.

Now I know some back there are wondering, will they go back? Actually, I can not think of anyone who would even think I was not coming back--it's Karen they wonder about. But, just in case you had any doubts, look at that Northern Pike mounted in the Limnological Institute we visited adjacent to the lake. I know that picture alone means that my brother Christ, Justice Bill, Sarah, James and Flint are all booking their tickets even as I complete this blog. (David H. we'll even let you join us.) Babe Winkelman has yet to visit Irkutsk, so there remains some hope. I doubt they've ever seen a Daredevl, and a Suick--it would be a slaughter. (O.K. so, for all of you who do not fish, you'll have to ask someone to translate. In other words, you'll feel just like me, here, in Russia, where, they think English is, well, a foreign language.)

Tomorrow we begin two days of wrap-up, and while I will comment later in more detail I can not close tonight without commenting on today's class. (It is Monday evening as I write this.) Today, as I concluded with my class about the extraordinary role of lawyers in America I choked-up. Even through a translator I could not hide that being a lawyer has never been, for me, merely a job. It has been, for me, a calling. I will say more before I leave, but, if you are an attorney reading this, no matter what today or tomorrow may bring, know that we are so lucky to have what we have.

Das Vidanya

Circue de Soleil meets Bar Mitzvah!

Let's just say it was Friday, and that would be the night we would be on our way to the Madison Symphony Orchestra. (Rick Morgan reminds me this was the weekend of Russian music, the ironies never stop) The Irkutsk Symphony is renowned in the Far East, and is, in fact, on tour in Europe this Spring. No surprise, this is the land to which dissidents were sent for 170 years (dating to the time of Czar Nicholas in the early 1800's). You know those musicians----sometimes a bit out of the mainstream (that's a compliment). So, being the shy and retiring sort I had mentioned my hope that we could attend a concert while we were in Irkutsk.

Galiana to the rescue! (Galiana is, you may recall, the finest organizer, translator, host you could ever want. I believe we shall dub' her "Fran, of the East.") We, of course, have not had a single day off since arriving (note to office---it's really not a vacation), and Karen is a bit exhausted.But being known for wearing people out, when Galiana says she can get tickets to a concert on Friday night, I jump at the opportunity. (You know how this works, if you don't want to hear the answer, you just don't ask. It's better to seek forgiveness than permission. I choose not to ask Karen before agreeing....) So, while the class is watching Civil Action on Friday afternoon, I'm off with Galiana and Svetlana to the music hall to get the tickets.

Now, I don't want to be disparaging about anything, but think "High School Stage". Marvelously ornate blue and white corinthian columns in a red late Baroque period building, but still, High School Stage. (including a wood floor that would make a marvelous basketball court). In fact, while I am visiting the Hall (Galiana will not be able to join us so she needs to show me the ropes in advance.) there is a program being presented for Russian military veterans of the Chechnian and Afghanistan battles. (Think, a group of Vietnam Veterans on Harleys.) I'm thinking, this concert might not be Karen's cup-of-borscht. But, ever the fearless one who knows that though these are quite competent lawyers here in Siberia, I've not yet taught them about American Family Law so there should be time for Karen to get over whatever.

At about 6 p.m. we cross/scramble wildly Karl Marx Street (an adventure recounted in an earlier battle) on our way to the Hall. Karen recognizes at some point that maybe this is not, well, your Chicago Symphony Center. As we fight our way through the crowds waiting for busses, past the flower stands and Coca Cola kiosks, we enter the hall. I'm surprised. In the place of the Harley driving veterans of foreign wars, we have rabbis, men and women in fine clothes and children well dressed (and misbehaving). We enter the Hall, locate our seats (the Cyrillic Alphabet does not apply to numbers, whew am I lucky) and sit behind two huge Russian men in suits (think KGB). The crowd enters. The lights are not lowered (thank goodness, as I'm thinking those two guys are here to discuss the counterfeit incident of the day before), but everyone quiets down and we hear, what's that, can it be, yes it is---an accordion behind the curtain. (We're from Wisconsin, so unlike most of America we still know what an Accordian sounds like...also the sound of bowling pins as well as how to pronounce "brat" and "you betcha") And, from behind the curtain out comes, yes, a French Accordian player. (O.K. I get Wisconsin accordian players, Polish accordian players (got to be the Karge's favorite music too)and maybe even an embarrassed child, forced by cruel, unwitting parents, like me, to play, but FRENCH?) My opinion of the French has been restored! (Ooops(Karen's maiden name is Jeanblanc)) Then, could it be, yes it is, Kenny G. coming in through a back door--well not quite, but a good imitation by a French guy. All this topped with a string bass.

Now, I can't say I would have chosen, or even imagined, a trio of String Bass, Accordian and Soprano Saxaphone playing Russian Bar Mitzvah music. But when it comes to being in Russia, it just can't get any better than this. And, if I doubted (as I may have implied last week with the Synagogue) that there might not be a Jewish population in Irkutsk, I was wrong as the hall was filled and if you take a moment (please do) and listen to the video of the end of the concert you'll know what I mean. It's not the Symphony, but darn if it was not just great fun to hear and enjoy.

It was a marvelous Friday evening in Siberia.

Das Vidanya.

Orthodox Easter

It is now late Friday and if this is like last weekend we will not able to comment throughout the weekend. I had intended to post pictures of the exceptional Orthodox cathedrals, Jewish Synagogue and Roman Catholic Church as it is Orthodox Easter on Sunday. Yesterday, Thursday of Easter week, is the treated as the day to clean all windows in one's in house. This long tradition is credited to the Orthodox faith here as a part of bringing the light in, and with it the great blessings of the sun, spring and good luck. So, we saw students cleaning windows at the University and all we spoke to intended to clean windows at their homes, as well. Like the tradition of the puss-willows of this past Sunday, so much points to the Spring and what it means to the joy of the seasons.

Tonight we will be at a concert by a trio of musicians from France who are appearing at the local hall. The title of the program "Shalom" certainly suggests the music, and certainly, as well, (like the rebuilding of the synagogue) would suggest that the diversity of the community does not end with the only the local cultures.

Tomorrow we head to Lake Baikal. We will travel on the road meant for Dwight Eisenhower--a story you will need to check back later to hear. It's exciting after hearing so much about Baikal, to finally visit. (I wore a tie given to me by Bill Linton today of a variety of fishing tackle. Each day I put a picture of a different fishing trip up with my presentations, and several students noticed the tie. Fishing will, I'm afraid, only happen if there is a future trip.)

Sunday, Othrodox Easter, will be the first day we have nothing planned since arriving. If nothing else, we can say with absolute assurance that this was no vacation. Adventure--yes!

A last item. Recall that it is an important tradition to give gifts here. We brought one full suitcase of gifts and will hopefully leave all of them with our hosts and students this next week. Karen has already received several gifts from the English school faculty and her students. Today, one of my students brought a truly extraordinary gift. She has been working since I arrived on a picture of a Baikal Grayling (a fish of the Arctic) and presented it to me today. It was made entirely with the petals of flowers! It is as beautiful as it sounds.

Have a marvelous weekend.

Das Vidanya.