We break through!

On New Year's Eve, we turned to our authors with a request to offer a festive toast: “Imagine that you are facing a huge New Year's table, around which the best scientists and teachers of Russia gathered, they hold in their hands glasses with champagne and look at you, smiling. What would you tell them? " We publish the answers received.

Olga Solomina,
Geographer, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, deputy. Director of the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences:

Dear colleagues! It seems to me that the past 2013 is most capaciously described by the formula of Viktor Shenderovich: "When the state turned to face a person, a person screamed with horror." Although, sorry, of course, the New Year toast should be fun. And, indeed, you never know this year of cheerful?

Here, for example, from the latest: the draft law on the Russian language, which reports that “foreign citizens and state citizens” should “use and communicate exclusively in Russian”, or the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of December 16, 2013 that during sports competitions a citizen has the right “to use toilet rooms (cabins)”, or here are the “map of science”, where you do not distinguish from lyrics, and you do not distinguish from lyrics, but gynecologists from political technologists. The decisions of the Basmann and “zoological” courts are also interesting, according to which it is forbidden to call “plagiarists” of people in whose dissertations according to the inexplicable coincidence that pieces of text were suddenly discovered, as if repeating the dissertation of another person.

In general, in the Oblonsky house, everything mixed quite strongly in the past year, which was full of surprises, including the most important surprise for us on June 28, 2013 June “On the reorganization of the Academy,”. The latter forced many of us to refresh the classic texts of Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin: “From a young age I received doubt about the benefits of sciences, and then, gradually growing, more and more in that doubt was affirmed, so now, being in the rank of lieutenant colonel ... not even for doubt, but already for the right for myself, I respect it.” Those who have not re -read this text for a long time, I highly advise - there the justification of the current reform is clearly outlined by the retired lieutenant colonel Dementy with a surrender.

But I still want to finish this New Year toast optimistic, lines from the song of Timur Shaov:

And according to the law, Petya, the third of Newton,
The more they crush us, the stronger the defense!
Long live science! Mold for sound speed,
For Mendeleev Plesni and Klaiperon!
And let the price of our attempts three kopecks,
Change the anthem, law, sustainable, charter, way!
But the area of ​​the circle is now, inhabited and forever
Stubbornly, in spite of the Pi-Er-square!

Alexander Meshcheryakov,
Japanist, professor at the RSU, employee of the Department of History and Philology of the Far East of the Institute of Eastern Cultures and Antiquities of the Russian State University:

There is such an old Japanese parable. They lead a samurai to execution. The escort says:

- What is your last desire.

- Give me a drink.

- There is no water with you, but there is a persimmon. Ripe, juicy. Eat and have a thirst.

- No, no. The doctor said that persimmon is harmful to my health.

When the samurai was brought to the place of execution, a decree on his innocence and pardon came.

Not everything in my country goes the way I would like. Personally, I live on the principle: do what you can, and there be as it will be. My life experience suggests: only a sequence in the main matters of your life can lead to a result. Water sharpens the stone. Kurochka on the grain pecks and fed. This is already my illiterate grandmother taught me so.

Alexey Khokhlov,
Physicist, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, professor of Moscow State University, Chairman of the Council for Science under the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation:

Recall the famous lines of Pasternak: "But you yourself should not distinguish defeat from the victory."

I wish us all in the new year to learn how to turn our defeat into our victories!

Vladimir Plungan,
Linguist, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, professor, head. Department of the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and department of the Institute of the Russian Language. V.V. Vinogradova RAS:

I would like to remind you to all the lines of the poet Georgy Ivanov:

In the thirteenth year, not yet realizing what will happen to us, what awaits us, raising a shampan glass, we met a fun -New Year.

How old we have! Years pass, years pass - we do not notice them ... But this air of death and freedom, and roses, and wine, and the happiness of that winter no one has forgotten, oh, I'm sure ...

It must be through a lead darkness, to the world that is forever lost, the eyes of the dead look like this.

Vladimir Yadov,
Sociologist, Dean of the Faculty of Sociology Gaugn, G.N.S. Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences:

Let me, dear colleagues, precede the New Year toast of one parables. Many years ago, in a large-black country, people who lived very modestly, mainly in apartments for several families (Kommunalkas), were distinguished by an incomparable enthusiasm for literature and at the same time idolized scientists. In the parks, in trams and metro there was no one who could read a book or a magazine. Walking along the sidewalk, we should beware of the bespectacles and a RIC point, on the go deep into reading.

For those busy with scientific research in search of the deep laws of nature and social relations, the Academy of Sciences with many institutions was created, where academics, professors and their young employees worked hard in the hope of a state, international or at least quarterly prize.

Suddenly, a large, weaped country broke up into pieces. People moved to separate apartments, officials - to cottages, got their own cars, stopped reading. They now scoured over suprape shoppen, and when they arrived home, they settled down in front of the TV. Football players began to trade as precious metals, and scientists were paid only for food. The High authorities ordered the Academy to be modified, to redirect budget capital to sports facilities and their defense from external enemies.

So we will lift the glasses for the honor and dignity of our corporation, for the courage to defend the sacred right to scientific search. Our business is right. No passaran!

Vladimir Surdin,
Astronomer, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Physics, Moscow State University, S.N.S. GAISH.

They say: “The year failed ...” But it happened worse ... There was war, hunger, loneliness, denunciations ... But everyone carried the fire of knowledge as best he could: Giordano Bruno was generally burning at the stake. And we have a Christmas tree, the table is set up and good friends. And ahead is the most interesting. Happy New Year!

Pavel Kvartalnov,
Zoologist, N.S. Department of Zoology of the Verse Biology Faculty of Moscow State University.

Dear colleagues! In the coming year, I wish everyone to preserve clear thinking, open eyes to peace and faith in miracles! I am sure that many will agree with me that without sincere faith in the miracle, no scientific discoveries, no achievements in education are impossible. There is no paradox in this, because life itself, like the fact that our world is known, is also a miracle. I propose to raise glasses to ensure that in the new year there are more real good miracles!

Alexander Porobov,
Mathematician, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, G.N.S. Mian, professor at the Faculty of Informatics of Chicago University (USA):

Can I say briefly, in a word? We break through!

Anatoly Zasov , astronomer, head. Department of Non -Galactic Astronomy of the GAISH of Moscow State University, professor of the Department of Astrophysics and Star Astronomy of the Faculty of MSU:

Answering your question: “If you were now put in front of a big, most ill table filled with astrophysics, astronomers, and other scientists ...”, I will say that ... I would prefer that the table be filled with something more edible. And he would wish everyone to preserve the remnants of optimism in the new year. Well, new interesting works, of course.

Victor Sonkin , philologist, specialist in Western European and Slavic literature, journalist, translator:

Dear friends! Mikhail Leonovich Gasparov includes words that the then Deputy Prime Minister in science said fifteen years ago: “Fundamental science: firstly, on the one hand, this is a very inertial system. Even completely stop funding - it will be self -destroyed for a very long time. ” Well, we seem to have lived until such days. I wish you all exactly so much inertiality that when times will change, including our efforts, and society will understand that without science it cannot be not only healthy, happy and normal, but simply by society, we have not yet been completely self -destroyed. One way to bring this day is an enlightenment; Nowhere now I meet so many joyful and smart people as among students and schoolchildren. Let, according to the poet from the "Bacchic song",

“False wisdom flickers and smolders
Before the sun of the immortal mind.
Long live the sun
Yes, the darkness will hide! "

Viktor Vasiliev , mathematician, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, professor of the Faculty of Mathematics NIU HSE, G.N.S. Mian:

I wish everyone not to lose a sense of humor. We will find what to laugh at in any of our circumstances, we will have fun over our mistakes and sores, to make a laughing stock of evil dull fools and crooks. Let's look at our life from a height and from the future, which will put everyone in places, and take care of what jokes will tell about us - joyful or mocking, empathizing or derogatory. That's what we will win!

Elena Savva:

Dear colleagues! The main thing that the outgoing 2013 was marked in our country, in my opinion, in Russia the struggle of two sides worsened: those who seek to suppress human dignity, and those who defend it. They are especially stubbornly striving to suppress dignity among the academic community, to learn to think on their own. The criminal prosecution of my husband, doctor of political sciences, Mikhail Savva, showed that the authorities were ready to go very far. But the “Savva case” demonstrated something else: we have hope while we can fight together.

I am grateful to everyone who provides us with support. Most of these people and I do not even know my husband. Let the new year, 2014, will bring us positive changes! May our loved ones be healthy, successful and happy! For ours and your freedom!