SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " EXPLAIN " 3,038 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Mamdani thanks Trump for giving extension to small businesses to comply to new SNAP rule
The New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani explains Friday that business owners, in particular bodegas, were scrambling to comply to new USDA requirements for what they must stock in order to accept SNAP benefits.
Aaron Glenn explains Joe Brady connection before Jets-Bills game
Aaron Glenn and Joe Brady go way back and they established a relationship that has lasted for years.
Communist Party Politics, Rockets and Komsomol Business in Soviet Dnipropetrovsk
This is an excerpt from Ukraine’s Outpost: Dnipropetrovsk and the Russian-Ukrainian War (2022). Free to download from E-International Relations. The Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk (in 2016 the city was renamed Dnipro) was shown on a movie screen in the Soviet Union for the first time in 1981 as a ‘Russian-speaking’ city in Nikita Mikhalkov’s feature film Rodnia. A story of a Russian peasant woman who visited her daughter in the big industrial city was used by Mikhalkov in his movie to emphasise a growing crisis in Soviet family life during the Brezhnev era when former Russian peasants lost their Orthodox Christian identity during the process of socialist industrialisation and modernisation. Paradoxically, Mikhalkov completely ignored the real social and national problems of the city; instead choosing as the setting for his movie Russian peasants’ adjustment to Soviet modernisation. Even now many Russians use this film as evidence of the ‘Russian character’ of Dnipropetrovsk ignoring the real demographic and social history of this Ukrainian region (Elberg-Wilson 2016).[1] Despite Mikhalkov’s picture, the city of Dnipro and the Dnipropetrovsk region had a multi-national and multi-cultural character coupled with the strong influence of Ukrainian and Jewish culture. Get E-International Relations delivered to your inbox, free. As you sign up, consider becoming a paid subscriber, or make a donation, to support our work. Subscribe Using various archival and published documents, this chapter will cover the social, economic and cultural development of the city and the region of Dnipropetrovsk through the period of late socialism after Stalin, showing the ties between the multi-national Komsomol members and business ventures during perestroika and how this influenced the rise of oligarchic clans in post-Soviet Ukraine. Emergence of Soviet Dnipropetrovsk Paradoxically, from the early beginning, the founding of the ‘city of Catherine’s glory’ (Ekaterinoslav in Russian) and its province in 1776 by the Russian imperial administration of the Catherine the Second involved non-Russian ethnic groups, which shaped a historical demography of this region in Southern Ukraine. These ethnic groups included the local Ukrainian Orthodox Christian peasants and Cossacks, Jewish traders and artisans, Armenian Christians, and Tatar Muslim settlers. By the middle of the nineteenth century, thousands of German Protestant and Mennonite colonists also settled in the province. Moreover, by attracting foreign capital, the Russian imperial administration transformed this multi-ethnic and multi-religious region in the booming industrial centre of the Russian Empire by the beginning of twentieth century (Zhuk 2004, 33–96). After the Russian Revolution and civil war, the province of Ekaterinoslav continued to play an important role in the industrial development of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1926 the Soviet administration decided to change the name of Ekaterinoslav which sounded too ‘old fashioned’ and ‘imperial Russian.’ The new name was a combination of the name of the Dnipro River with the last name of Grigorii Petrovskii, head of the All-Ukrainian Executive Committee of the Soviets, and well-known organiser of the working-class movement in the region of Ekaterinoslav before the Revolution. ‘Dnipro-Petrovske’ was later transformed into ‘Dnipropetrovsk’ (Bolebrukh 2001, 156). Both the city and region of Dnipropetrovsk lived through the New Economic Policy (N.E.P.), industrialisation and the Stakhanovite movement. The region lost millions of human lives during collectivisation and the dekulakisation campaign, and especially during the Holodomor of 1932–33. During industrialisation, the Soviet government restored the industrial base of the region. Former metallurgical giants such as the Petrovskii (formerly Brianskii)plant, the Chodoir (formerly Vladimir Lenin) plant and others resumed production of pig iron and steel. During the 1930s, Dnipropetrovsk became an important centre for Soviet heavy industry. In 1932, Dnipropetrovsk regional metallurgical plants produced 20 per cent of the entire cast iron and 25 per cent of the steel manufactured in the Soviet Ukrainian Republic. After the beginning of the campaign of ‘Ukrainianisation’ in 1923, the number of those who spoke Ukrainian grew, reaching 38.5 per cent in the city by the end of the 1920s. Between 1932 and 1939, the number of city dwellers in Dnipropetrovsk increased to over 500,662. The Dnipropetrovsk region became the most urbanised of Soviet Ukraine with more than 2,273,000 people living in the region (Vasiliev 1977, 55; Bolebrukh 2001, 159–164). Dnipropetrovsk also became the cultural and educational centre of Soviet Ukraine. There were ten colleges, including the State University, 97 secondary schools and 19 vocational schools. The Soviet administration restored local drama and music theatres. During the 1930s, Dnipropetrovsk had 120 libraries, five museums, six movie-theatres, 30 clubs and palaces of culture (Bolebrukh 2001_,_159–164). The Leonid Brezhnev Clan Post-war Soviet modernisation influenced the careers of many young and ambitious Komsomol members in the region. One of them, Leonid Brezhnev, was born in 1906 in Kamenskoe, joined the Kommunystycheskaya Partyya Sovetskoho Soyuza (Communist party of the Soviet Union - KPSS) in 1931 and, after graduation from Dniprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute was elected as a council deputy of the city of Dniprodzerzhinsk. The Stalinist purges of the 1930s removed many old Soviet and Communist officials from government positions who perished in prisons and the labour camps of GULAG. Young people such as Brezhnev filled the void created by Stalinist repressions in the region. In 1938, the young Brezhnev was elected as a member of the regional committee of the Soviet Communist party of Ukraine (KPU) and head of the Department of Agitation and Propaganda. By the young age of 32, Brezhnev had become secretary of the KPU committee of the most important industrial region of Soviet Ukraine. His career was interrupted by the Great Patriotic War when Brezhnev joined the army as an ideological officer (see Mlechin 2005). From August 1941 to October 1943, the Dnipropetrovsk region was occupied by the Nazis, and Soviet troops liberated the entire region by February 1944 (Berkhoff 2004, 11, 36, 49, 149–150, 152–153, 248–249). The Soviet administration restored the industrial base of Dnipropetrovsk, and by 1950 the main metallurgical and machine-building factories had reached their pre-war levels of industrial production and productivity. During this period, Brezhnev began his political career as a talented and ambitious organizer of the industrial re-birth of Dnipropetrovsk. He was an experienced young army ideologist who had proved his loyalty to the Stalinist leadership during the war and was familiar with Dnipropetrovsk before 1941. The Central Committee of the KPSS sent Brezhnev to Dnipropetrovsk in November 1947 when he was elected first secretary of the Dnipropetrovsk regional committee of the KPU, and he ruled the oblast until June 1950 (Vosstanovlenie). His successors were Andrei Kirilenko and Volodymyr Shcherbitskyy, both close friends. Two other young comrades of Brezhnev, Oleksiy Vatchenko and Yevhen Kachalovskii led the region respectively in 1965–1976 and 1976–1983 (Vasiliev 1977, 72; Bolebrukh 2001_,_ 233; Mlechin 2005). Brezhnev promoted the political career of his old friends, many of whom became prominent political figures in Kyiv and Moscow during his leadership of the KPSS. Both contemporaries and scholars who study the ‘Brezhnev period’ call this phenomenon the ‘Dnipropetrovsk mafia’ or rule of the ‘Dnipropetrovsk Family’ (Nahaylo 1999, 36, 69; Wilson 2000, 162). Since the rise of Brezhnev to the pinnacle of Soviet power, the ruling elites of Dnipropetrovsk influenced not only regional, but also republican and All-Union politics. Dnipropetrovsk’s transformation into an important centre of the Soviet military industrial complex was directly related to the sudden rise of Brezhnev to the pinnacle of Soviet power in October of 1964. Brezhnev promoted the political career of his compatriots from the Dnipropetrovsk military industrial complex. Brezhnev’s friends and close colleagues from his post-war years in the Dnipropetrovsk region went to Moscow and became prominent political figures in the Soviet nomenklatura hierarchy during the 1960s and 1970s. Two main industries of the Soviet military industrial complex – metallurgy and missile-building – had important factories in Dnipropetrovsk and therefore provided the Brezhnev clan with new members from 1964 until 1982. Even after the downfall of the Brezhnev clan in Moscow in 1983, when Yurii Andropov began his struggle ‘against corruption and nepotism’ in the Soviet nomenklatura, members of this clan continued to play a prominent role in the political life of Soviet Ukraine. Besides the Physical-Technical Department of Dnipropetrovsk State University, the Dnipropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute also assisted the political careers of many of Brezhnev’s close friends who in the 1970s and 1980s became important members of the Kremlin nomenklatura. Nikolai Tikhonov, former head of Dnipropetrovsk Sovnarkhoz during the 1950s, was one of the deputies of the Soviet Prime Minister between 1966 and 1976, First Deputy of the Prime Minister from 1976 to 1980 and head of the USSR Council of Ministers from 1980 to 1985.[2] Nikolai Shcholokov was the Soviet Minister of Public Order in 1966–1968 and from 1968 to 1982 he was Soviet Minister of Interior. Georgii Tsynev was during 1971–1976 a member of the Central Revision Committee of the KPSS and a deputy head of the KGB from 1970 to 1982. In the KGB he was the 1st Deputy Chairman in 1982–1985 as well as he was a Candidate Member of CPSU Central Committee in 1976–1981 and accordingly was a full Member of the said body in 1981–1986. Victor Chebrikov, who graduated from Dnipropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute in 1950, was one of the leaders of the city party organisation in Dnipropetrovsk from 1961 to 1971. In 1971 he became the head of the personnel department of the USSR KGB, First Deputy of the Head of this organization and from 1982 to 1988 a chairman of the KGB (Pikhovshek 1996, 11–12, 272–274). Another of Brezhnev’s close friends, Volodymyr Shcherbytskyy, promoted the careers of other people from the region of Dnipropetrovsk. With his support, Oleksii Vatchenko became the head of the Presidium of the Ukrainian Soviet Supreme Soviet from 1976 until 1984 with the assistance of another politician from Dnipropetrovsk, Valentyna Shevchenko. Aleksandr Kapto, who worked as a secretary of both the Dnipropetrovsk Komsomol organization and the Soviet Ukrainian Komsomol in Kyiv in the 1960s, oversaw the Department of Culture in the Central Committee of the KPU; in 1979–1986 he was a Secretary of the Central Committee and accordingly was the main ideologist of the Soviet Ukraine. Many other members of the ‘Kyiv ruling class’ under Shcherbytskyy were also linked to the Dnipropetrovsk metallurgical and military lobby. Shcherbytskyy’s assistant from 1972 to 1984 was Konstantin Prodan who began his career in the Komsomol organisation of the city of Dnipropetrovsk (Pikhovshek 1996, 48–103). As a contemporary political analyst noted, ‘Officially Prodan was put in charge of industrial production, though, according to insiders of the former KPU Central Committee, his principal function was ‘maintaining’ contact with Brezhnev’s assistant Georgii Tsukanov in Moscow’ (Pikhovshek 1996, 33–34). Another important reason for the rise of the ‘Brezhnev Clan’ was the relative independence of Dnipropetrovsk’s local administration from Kyiv. Because of the status of Dnipropetrovsk as a ‘strategically important centre for military industry,’ different branches of the local administration were under the direct supervision of Moscow, rather than Kyiv (Interviews with Tihipko, Markov and Bocharova). The Military Industrial Complex and Ruling Elite of Dnipropetrovsk The city of Dnipropetrovsk was the location of famous metallurgical and machine-building factories in pre-revolutionary Russia and the Soviet Union. Before 1941, Dnipropetrovsk became the most urbanised region of the Soviet Ukraine. Almost 53 per cent of this region’s population lived in 16 cities and towns of the region (Vasiliev 1977, 55; Bolebrukh 2001, 159–164). In 1980, the industrial enterprises of Dnipropetrovsk manufactured a significant part of the industrial products and customer goods for the Soviet Ukrainian Republic. A total of 5.4 per cent of steel, 9 per cent of rolled iron, 28 per cent of pipes, 62 per cent of combine beet-harvesters, 27.9 per cent of television sets, and 8.5 per cent of knitted wear in Ukraine were produced in the city of Dnipropetrovsk (Bolebrukh 2001, 219). After 1945, the main centre of economic and financial activities of the region and the city of Dnipropetrovsk became neither metallurgy nor mining. The new centre which changed the status of the region and of the city was a secret military factory in Dnipropetrovsk. The entire ideological and cultural situation in the region, and especially the city, depended on this one industrial plant which became the most important part of the Soviet military industrial complex. In July 1944, the State Committee of Defence in Moscow decided to build a large military machine-building factory in Dnipropetrovsk on the location of the pre-war aircraft plant. In December 1945, thousands of German prisoners of war began construction and built the first sections and shops of the new Dnipropetrovsk Automobile Factory (Markov, 1995). In 1947–1948 this factory produced its first cars and special military vehicles. However, on 9 May 1951 the USSR Council of Ministers decided to transform the main shops and sectors of this factory into ‘secret production’ which included not only special military vehicles, but also powerful rocket engines and different types of modern military aircraft. The former Dnipropetrovsk Automobile Factory was transferred to the Ministry of Armament of the USSR and received a new name – the State Union Plant #586 (Lukanov 1996, 12). Stalin introduced the organisation of special secret training of highly qualified engineers and scientists who were to become rocket construction specialists. He recommended the introduction of a new college degree at Dnipropetrovsk State University which would be a Master of Sciences in rocket construction. In 1952 the university administration formed a new department with the name ‘physical-technical faculty’ which was the largest department at the university, admitting on average four hundred students each year. These students received better accommodation and a higher stipend payment than students from other departments and colleges; the lowest stipend for this department was 450 roubles, while the highest stipend at another prestigious school, the Dnipropetrovsk Medical Institute, was only 180 roubles. A special commission from Moscow selected talented undergraduate students studying physics from engineering schools all over the USSR and sent them to the physical-technical department at Dnipropetrovsk State University, where they resumed their studies as rocket engineers. Simultaneously, the university administration announced the admission of new freshmen students in this department. The promise of a good stipend and a ‘romantic’ career of rocket engineer attracted thousands of talented young people to this ‘secret’ department, which provided training specialists for only the Dnipropetrovsk Automobile Factory (Horbulin 1998, 9, 62–63). In accordance with another decision of the Soviet government, in 1954 the administration of this automobile factory opened a secret design office with the name ‘Southern Construction Bureau’ (konstruktorskoe biuro Yuzhnoe). The main assignment of this office was to construct military missiles and rocket engines. Hundreds of talented physicists, engineers and machine designers moved from Moscow and other big cities in the Soviet Union to Dnipropetrovsk where they joined the konstruktorskoe biuro Yuzhnoe (KBYu). In 1965, the secret Plant #586 was transferred to the Ministry of General Machine-Building of the USSR and the next year it changed its name into the ‘Southern Machine-building Factory’ (Yuzhnyi mashino-stroitelnyi zavod) or simply Yuzhmash (in Ukrainian Pivdenmash). The first ‘General Constructor’ and head of the ‘Southern’ design office was Mikhail Yangel, a prominent scientist and outstanding designer of space rockets who led the design office and factory from 1954 to 1971. Yangel designed the first powerful rockets and space military equipment for the Soviet Ministry of Defence. Yangel worked with talented engineers who later became the leaders of military production in Dnipropetrovsk and the official directors of Pivdenmash. Two close collaborators of Yangel were the Pivdenmash directors Leonid Smirnov (1952–1961) and Aleksandr Makarov (1961–1986). Makarov’s successor was Leonid Kuchma, the Director General of the Pivdenmash in 1986–1992, who later became one of the most prominent political leaders in independent Ukraine and was and still is the only President of Ukraine (1994–2005) elected twice (Strazheva; Platonov and Horbulin; Romanov and Gubarev; Baikonur; Baikonur, Korolev, Yangel). In 1951 the Southern Machine-building Factory began manufacturing and testing new military rockets with an initial range of only 270 kilometres. By 1959 Soviet scientists and engineers developed new technologies, and as a result, the KBYu launched a new machine-building project producing ballistic missiles. Under Yangel, KBYu produced very powerful rocket engines which dramatically increased the range of ballistic missiles and from the 1960s, began to be used as launch vehicles for Soviet spaceships. Pivdenmash designed and manufactured four generations of missile complexes which included space launch vehicles Kosmos, Interkosmos, Tsyklon-2, Tsyklon-3 and Zenith. The KBYu created a unique space-rocket system called Energia-Buran and manufactured 400 technical devices which were launched as artificial satellites (Sputniks). For the first time in the world space industry, the Dnipropetrovsk missile plant produced space Sputniks. By the 1980s, Pivdenmash manufactured 67 different types of spaceships, 12 space research complexes and four defence space rocket systems. These systems were used not only for purely military purposes by the Ministry of Defence, but also for astronomical research, for global radio and television and for environmental monitoring. Pivdenmash initiated and sponsored the international space programme of Eastern European socialist countries, called Interkosmos. Twenty-two of the 25 automatic space Sputniks of this programme were designed, manufactured, and launched by engineers and workers from Dnipropetrovsk. Pivdenmash and KBYu became not only an important centre of the Soviet space industry and Soviet military industrial complex, but also the main rocket producer for the entire Soviet bloc. (Hall and Shayler 2001, 316ff; Siddiqi 2003, 97, 113, 114, 164, 177, 285) The military rocket systems manufactured in Dnipropetrovsk created the base for the Soviet Strategic Missile Forces (Dnepropetrovskii raketno 1994; Bolebrukh 2001_,_ 209–211, 229; Lukanov 1996, 13). On the eve of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, KBYu had nine regular and corresponding members of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, 33 full professors and 290 scientists holding a Ph.D. More than 50,000 people worked at Pivdenmash. Pivdenmash was ‘a state’ inside the Soviet state. In 1969, after a long competition with Moscow’s V. Chelomei Centre of Rocket Construction, Pivdenmash rocket designs won, and from then leaders of the Soviet military industrial complex preferred only Pivdenmash models. The Soviet state provided billions of Soviet roubles to finance Pivdenmash projects (Horbulin 1998, 6, 24–31). Officially, Pivdenmash also manufactured agricultural tractors and special kitchen equipment for everyday needs, such as mincing machines or juicers for Soviet households. In official reports and public information there were no details given about its production of rockets or spaceships. However, hundreds of thousands of workers and engineers in the city of Dnipropetrovsk were employees of this plant, and members of their families and therefore most local people knew about the ‘real production’ of Pivdenmash. Dnipropetrovsk as a KGB “Testing Ground” The Soviet government approved the KGB’s proposal to introduce the highest level of secrecy over Pivdenmash and its products. According to the Soviet government’s decision, the city of Dnipropetrovsk was officially closed to foreign visitors in 1959. No citizen of a foreign country (even Eastern European socialist) was allowed to visit the city or district of Dnipropetrovsk. From the late 1950s, Soviet people called Dnipropetrovsk ‘the rocket city’ or ‘closed city.’ (Bolebrukh 2001, 211). Members of the Brezhnev clan in the Moscow offices of the KGB and Ministry of Interior also contributed to centralised ideological control in Dnipropetrovsk, which especially influenced the KGB and security operations in the closed city. The local KGB office was always more Moscow-oriented, ignoring the interests of the authorities in Kyiv. At the same time, for Moscow officials who began their careers in Dnipropetrovsk, the city became the testing ground for many All-Union KGB campaigns which they attempted to initiate. Dnipropetrovsk KGB officers were ‘pioneers’ in the organisation of ideological campaigns which became ‘models’ for other ‘closed’ industrial Soviet cities. [This phrase – ‘pioneers of ideological campaigns’ – belongs to a local retired KGB officer. According to the KGB documents, Moscow’s representatives in the Dnipropetrovsk clan always interfered in local KGB business, imposing their own practices on the local officers.] (Igor T.; DADO, f. 19, op. 52, spr. 72, ark. 1–18) As a result, the inhabitants of Dnipropetrovsk experienced more ideological limitations and more brutal anti-Western campaigns than people in many other Soviet cities. Facing direct Kremlin supervision, the local KGB and KPSS ideologists sought to prove their ideological reliability and occasionally exaggerated the ‘threat from the capitalist West.’ KGB officers transformed one building in the Dnipropetrovsk Special Psychiatric Hospital (psikhushka), located in a town of Ihren (now a suburban district of Dnipro), into a special police facility for ‘political dissidents.’ All over the Soviet Union, Ihren psikhushka (especially its Section 9) became notorious and known as the worst incarceration for political prisoners. The Dnipropetrovsk KGB tested various drugs on prisoners and performed different medical experiments, treating the most ‘opinionated’ political dissidents as mentally sick patients. Many religious and civil rights activists and ‘bourgeois nationalists,’ such as national communist dissident Leonid Plyushch, described the Dnipropetrovsk Psychiatric Hospital as ‘mental hell’ because of its police system of harsh treatment and everyday humiliation (Plyushch 1979, 304–326, 340–349). Meanwhile, local KGB officers explained their harsh treatment of dissidents such as Plyushch as an ideological necessity to protect a strategically important centre of the Soviet military industrial complex (Igor T). Growth of the Population and Standards of Living in the Region The new status of the city brought more state investments and contributed to the overall improvement of the standard of living of its inhabitants. During the 1950s, the main sponsor of city improvements and renovations was the metallurgical industry. During the 1960s and 1970s, the space rocket industry and its biggest factory, Pivdenmash, sponsored all major city programmes, renovations and new architectural projects which included the sports palace Meteor with a large indoor pool, football team Dnipro, city airport, city theatre of opera and ballet, historical museum of Yavornitskii, department store ‘Children’s World,’ construction of thousands of modern apartments, libraries and movie-theatres, and celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the city of Dnipropetrovsk in 1976. (Bolebrukh 2001_,_ 211–212). Even the expansion and renovation of the Dnipropetrovsk Central Farmer Market (known as Oziorka) was supported by Pivdenmash as part of its improvement of the city’s life, and a reflection of the growth and strategic importance of the city. From 1958 to 1965 the city administration invested money in building a new covered location for the market and by 1970 they had re-built the entire neighbourhood transforming it into a modern and convenient place for the ‘socialist consumption of goods and services.’ (Lazebnik 2001, 167–185) As a result, the missile factory, the centre of the Soviet military industrial complex, contributed to a new level of cultural consumption among not only the city’s dwellers, but also among all guests of Dnipropetrovsk. Consequently, the pioneering efforts in the popularisation of new modern forms of Western music such as jazz and rock-n-roll also began among engineers and workers of Pivdenmash who contributed to the spread of new cultural forms and activities among those who lived in the city and region of Dnipropetrovsk. The improving living conditions in Dnipropetrovsk led to an increase of the regional population from 2,339,800 people (with a 56 per cent urban population) in 1951 to 2,850,700 (with a 72 per cent urban population) in 1961. The larger salaries and better distribution of food and industrial goods also attracted young people from other regions of the Soviet Union to Dnipropetrovsk. From the 1950s onward, most of the Dnipropetrovsk population were people younger than 30 years old. In 1970 there were 3,343,000 people in the region (76 per cent of who lived in cities) which by 1984 had increased to 3,771,200 people (with 83 per cent urban population). The population of the city of Dnipropetrovsk grew from 660,800 people in 1959 to 1,066,000 in 1979 and more than 1,153,400 people in 1985 when Gorbachev came to power (Glushkina 1985, 10, 11). The Dnipropetrovsk region had a young multinational, predominantly Russian speaking population. Three major ethnic groups shaped the cultural development of the region – Ukrainians, Russians, and Jews. During the peak of ‘international harmony and prosperity of developed socialism’ in 1979, Ukrainians made up the overwhelming majority of the regional (72.8 per cent) and urban (68.5 per cent) population. Due to massive emigration from the Soviet Union, the Jewish population decreased from 2.7 per cent in 1959 to 1.7 per cent in 1979 and 1.3 per cent in 1989. The number of Russians in the region’s population grew rapidly from 17.2 per cent in 1959, 20.9 per cent in 1970, 23 per cent in 1979 and 24.2 per cent in 1989 (O vozrastnoi structure 1971; Goskomstat USSR 1991, 100, 102). By 1985, more than a third of the population in the city of Dnipropetrovsk was ethnically Russian. If we add to this number the 3.2 per cent of Russian-speaking Jews and more than 33 per cent of Ukrainians who considered Russian their native language, we will have more than two thirds of the city’s population who associated themselves with Russian rather than with Ukrainian culture. According to contemporaries, the high salaries and better conditions of living attracted representatives of various nationalities from different republics who also spoke Russian rather than the Ukrainian language in Dnipropetrovsk (Goskomstat USSR 1991, 106, 108, 119, 122; Prudchenko and Smolenska 2007). Komsomol ‘Business’ During the Late Soviet Era The regional economic activities of local ‘businessmen and women’ from the Komsomol during perestroika had their roots in the pre-perestroika era. They also strengthened trends for independence from Moscow which had earlier existed in Dnipropetrovsk. All the elements of their initial business had already been developed during the Brezhnev era when the cultural consumption of late socialism combined the structures of Soviet international tourism with the ideological efforts of Komsomol activists into one business network. Mass rock and discotheque music consumption among Soviet youth was delivered by Komsomol and trade union apparatchiks. International tourism and discotheque enthusiasts provided these apparatchiks with music and video material for their entertainment business. Without these relations it would be impossible to imagine the development of post-Soviet capitalism. The first pioneers of organizing Komsomol business in the region were two graduates of Dnipropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute, the Ukrainian-Moldovan Sergiy Tihipko, the First Secretary of the Dnipropetrovsk Komsomol regional organization in 1986–91, and the Ukrainian Oleksandr Turchynov, who worked with Tihipko as head of the agitation and propaganda division in the same Komsomol regional organisation in 1987–90. Tihipko and Turchynov initiated and ‘ideologically justified’ the first Komsomol businesses in the region. Two other Komsomol members, who also graduated from the same institute as Tihipko and Turchynov, Kolomoyskyy and Viktor Pinchuk, both of Jewish origin, started their careers not in the official Komsomol business, but on the black market of Dnipropetrovsk, trading various goods, and using their financial and engineering skills for their own survival in the conditions of economic collapse of late socialism. Kolomoyskyy used his financial skills and connections with Tihipko to organize its own financial corporation Privatbank, which became the most successful bank in post-Soviet Ukraine. Pinchuk, using his engineering and managerial skills, founded his own metallurgical venture, entitled Interpipe Company. It is noteworthy that all four of those Komsomol members, two Ukrainian and two Jewish, used their personal connections through their friends and partners from Pivdenmash, including through its last director Leonid Kuchma, to start their first businesses in Dnipropetrovsk (see Golovko 2012). In the mid-1980s, when perestroika created favourable conditions for the managerial skills of Komsomol activists, this system produced new activities for cultural consumption, such as video salons which brought their organisers more profits than traditional discotheque clubs. The video business used the same infrastructure and network of the discotheque movement; namely international tourism, Komsomol activists, trade union leaders and the ‘discotheque mafia.’ This network contributed to the business career of two fans of Western popular music, Yulia Tymoshenko and her husband, Oleksandr (Popov, Milshtein, 55; Ponamarchuk). Yulia Grigian (Telegina) was the daughter of Armenian taxi-driver Grigian and Russian technical worker Telegina, a fan of British rock music. Yulia Grigian married Oleksandr Tymoshenko, son of a member of the city KPU committee in the Pivdenmash administration. In 1978, Yulia Tymoshenko joined the student Komsomol organization in the Department of Economy at Dnipropetrovsk State University. This department was opened on the initiative of the Pivdenmash administration in 1977 to provide training for qualified economists in Dnipropetrovsk’s growing military industrial complex. Yulia Tymoshenko graduated with honours from the Department of Economy in 1984 and began her first job as an engineer-economist through the connections of her father-in-law, Hennadii Tymoshenko. For five years, she worked at the Lenin machine building plant, another factory which belonged to the Soviet military industrial complex. In 1979, she gave birth to her daughter Yevhenia, and until 1988 she and her husband enjoyed a typical Soviet upper-middle class life in their one-bedroom cooperative apartment. They continued to watch movies, listen to Western pop music, and occasionally visited and danced in well-known discotheque clubs in downtown Dnipropetrovsk (Popov and Milshtein 2006, 64–67; Suvorov 1991). Perestroika changed the young Tymoshenko family. Hennadii Tymoshenko recommended his son and daughter-in-law to join the co-operative movement and promised his support through the city’s KPU and Soviet administration. In 1988, the young Tymoshenkos used their old connections in the Komsomol discothèque world to open a public service enterprise, a video-rental shop in Dnipropetrovsk, with 5,000 borrowed Soviet roubles. The profits made from this first venture were used to open a chain of video rental stores. They used the experience of Komsomol apparatchiks, who brought their first VCRs in Dnipropetrovsk through Sputnik. Contacts in the discotheque movement helped provide these apparatchiks with Western video tapes and an audience which was ready to consume new Western cultural products. Former discotheque enthusiasts tested these new business practices and proposed the idea of video salons, which had already become the most popular and fashionable form of entertainment Moscow and the three Baltic republics. As a result, during perestroika both the Komsomol and ‘discotheque mafia’ provided infrastructure for these salons in Dnipropetrovsk. When in 1987the KGB opened the city of Dnipropetrovsk to foreigners, Pivdenmash imported thousands of VCRs using barter agreements with South Korean businessmen. As a regional KPU apparatchik who oversaw the distribution of movies throughout the Dnipropetrovsk region (kinoprokat), Yulia Tymoshenko’s father-in-law had access not only to these Korean VCRs but also to local movie theatres which provided the first mass audience for video films. The main base of a Tymoshenko’s ‘video enterprise’ was the location of the former central Komsomol discotheque club of Dnipropetrovsk oblast– the Student Palace in the Taras Shevchenko Park of Culture and Relaxation in downtown Dnipropetrovsk (Popov and Milshtein 2006, 52–89; Ponamarchuk 2007). In 1989, she quit her old engineer-economist job and became the head of the Terminal co-operative. The same year, another participant in the ‘discotheque mafia,’ Serhiy Tihipko, was elected as the first secretary of the Komsomol organization of Dnipropetrovsk oblast. He not only supported Tymoshenko’s enterprise, but also brought his additional discotheque and Sputnik connections into Terminal. In this way, discotheque activists and Komsomol apparatchiks contributed to the growth and popularity of Tymoshenko’s business (Tihipko). In 1991 after the disintegration of the Soviet Union and Soviet state tourism, the representatives of the Brezhnev era Komsomol elite, such as Tymoshenko demonstrated again that a skilful adjustment of this network to the new economic situation was an important foundation for success in post-Soviet business activities. The initial capital of Terminal, the music and video Komsomol enterprise which Tymoshenko had launched during ‘the discotheque era’ of late socialism, became the foundation of her business and political career in post-Soviet Ukraine. Epilogue: Dnipropetrovsk Komsomol Entrepreneurs and the Formation of Post-Soviet Oligarchs Political corruption in the post-Soviet geopolitical space is rooted in cultural consumption during the Brezhnev era, especially in the so-called ‘discotheque effect’ on society during the era of ‘mature socialism.’ During this period of late socialism in the USSR, millions of Soviet young people, loyal members of Komsomol, fell in love with the catchy sound of ‘beat music’ by the Beatles and hard rock by Deep Purple. Even ten years after dissolution of the Soviet Union, the post-Soviet space was ruled by former Soviet hard rock fans, representatives of the so-called ‘Deep Purple generation,’ new post-Soviet politicians, such as Russian Prime-Minister Dmitri Medvedev, twice Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, President Petro Poroshenko and former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Paradoxically, détente in the 1970s led to the influx of Western cultural products into the USSR, such as popular music and feature films. As a result, Soviet ideologists, including the Komsomol, attempted to control Soviet consumption of cultural products from the West using ‘Komsomol discothèques’ where Soviet young people could dance to ‘ideologically permitted’ Soviet and Western music. Contemporaries called these organizers ‘disco mafia’ in the industrial cities of Eastern Ukraine. By the end of perestroika in 1991, more than 100 Komsomol businesses had emerged in industrial cities in Eastern Soviet Ukraine, of which more than ninety originated in the city of Dnipropetrovsk (Zhuk 2010, 301). Only a few of the most successful enterprises survived post-Soviet competition during the 1990s and created ‘new business corporations’ such as Yulia Tymoshenko’s ‘Gas Empire,’ Kolomoyskyy’s and Tihipko’s Privatbank, Aleksandr Balashov’s ‘Trade Corporation’ and Rinat Akhmetov’s Liuks. The overwhelming majority of these post-Soviet successful businesses were organised by or directly connected to the ‘disco mafia.’ At the same time, the first Dnipropetrovsk ‘capitalists’ demonstrated a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, from the Ukrainian Tihipko, Armenian-Russian Tymoshenko, Russian Balashov and Jewish Kolomoyskyy contributing to the multi-national identity of the city of Dnipropetrovsk and Dnipro. Some contemporaries noted how the business activities of Komsomol ‘entrepreneurs’ in the 1980s contributed to regional identity in Eastern Ukraine. Many of these ‘entrepreneurs’ who were not ethnic Ukrainians became active participants in the Ukrainian independence movement in 1988–1991 to protect their regional business interests rather than defending Ukrainian culture and language. In the 1990s, former members of the Soviet ‘discotheque mafia’ and their former KPU supervisors became an integral part of the business and political life of independent Ukraine. As leaders of oligarchic clans in Ukraine they have resisted Russian expansion into their ‘spheres of influence.’ The case of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, elected in April 2019, whose entire career was generated inside the Soviet-based system of television entertainment, continues to demonstrate the connection between ‘post-Komsomol‘ business and political careers. Zelenskyy began his acting career in 95-yi Kvartal, which was a reference to a neighbourhood in Kryvyy Rih, where he had grown up and was inspired by the 1960s Soviet television show KVN. As we see, the Dnipropetrovsk and Dnipro elites, who are still rooted in their Soviet past, play a significant role in the development of independent Ukraine. References Berkhoff, Karel C., (2004). Harvest of Despair: Life and Death in Ukraine under Nazi Rule. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Bolebrukh, Anatolii G. et al., eds., (2001). Dnipropetrovsk: vikhy istorii. Dnipropetrovsk: Grani. Derzhavnyy arkhiv Dnipropetrovskoyi oblasti (hereafter – DADO), f. 19, op. 52, spr. 72. Dnepropetrovskii raketno-kosmicheskii tsentr: Kratkii ocherk stanovlenia i razvitia. (1994). DAZ-YuMZ-KBYu: Khronika dat i sobytii. Dnipropetrovsk: YUMZ. Glushkina, Liudmila G. ed. (1985). Tsentral’noe Statisticheskoe Upravlenie Dnepropetrovskoi oblasti. Dnepropetrovshchina v tsifrakh. (K 40-letiu pobedy v Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine). Dnipropetrovsk: Gosstat. Golovko, Volodymyr. (2012). Ukrainski finasovo-promyslovi grupy v modernizatsiinykh protsesakh 1991-2009. Kyiv: Instytut istorii Ukrainy NAN Ukrainy. Goskomstat USSR. Dnepropetrovskoe oblatnoe upravlenie statistiki. (1991). Naselenie Dnepropetrovskoi oblasti po dannym Vsesoiuznoi perepisi naseleniia 1989 goda. Dnepropetrovsk: Gosstat. Hall, Rex, Shayler, David J. (2001). The Rocket Men: Vostok and Voskhod, the First Soviet Manned Spaceflights. Chichester, NJ: Springer. Horbulin, Volodymyr P. et al. eds. (1998). Zemni shlyakhy i zoryani orbity. Shtrykhy do portreta Leonida Kuchmy. Kyiv: DrUk. Kuznetskii, Mikhail I., Stazheva, Irina V. eds. (1995). Baikonur – chudo XX veka: Vospominania vevteranov Baikonura ob akademike Mikhaile Kuzmiche Yangele. Moscow: Kosmos. Kuznetskii, Mikhail I. ed. (1997). Baikonur, Korolev, Yangel. Voronezh: Kosmos. Lazebnik, Valentina I. (2001). G. A. Efimenko ed., Oziorka nasha: Istoricheskii ocherk o Dnepropetrovskom Tsentralnom rynke. Dnipropetrovsk: Grani. Lukanov, Yuriy. (1996). Tretii president: Politychnyi portret Leonida Kuchmy. Kyiv: Taki Spravy. Markov, Karlo A. (1995). Uchastie nemetskikh voennoplennykh i internirovannykh v vosstanovlenii narodnogo khoziaistva Dnepropetrovskoi oblastiv pervye polevoennye gody. Voprosy Germanskoi istorii: Ukrainsko-nemetskie sviazi v novoe i noveishee vremia. Mezhvuzovskii sbornik nauchnykh trudov, In: Svetlana Bobyliova, ed., Dnipropetrovsk: DDU, 158–172. Mlechin, Leonid M. (2005). Brezhnev. Moscow: Molodaia gvardia. Nahaylo, Bohdan. (1999). The Ukrainian Resurgence. Toronto: Hurst. O vozrastnoi structure, urovne obrazovania, natsional’nom sostave, iazykakh i istochnikakh sredstv sushchestvovania naselenia Dnepropetrovskoi oblasti po dannym Vsessoiuznoi perepisis naselenia na 15 ianvaria 1970 goda. (1971). Dneprovskaia Pravda, June 26. Pikhovshek, Vyacheslav, et al., eds. (1996). ‘Dnipropetrovska simya’: Informatsia stanom na 25 lystopada 1996 roku. Kyiv: Ukrainian Centre for Independent Political Research. Pikhovshek, Vyacheslav et al. Eds. (1996). Dnipropetrovsk vs. Security Service. Kyiv: Lybed. Platonov, Vitalii P. and Horbulin, Volodymyr.P. (1979). Mykhaylo K. Yangel. Kyiv: Nauka. Plyushch, Leonid. (1979). History’s Carnival: A Dissident’s Autobiography. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Ponamarchuk, Dmytro. (2007). Prosto Yulia. Izvestia, September 20. Popov, Dmitrii, and Milshtein, Ilia. (2006). Oranzhevaia printsessa. Zagadka Yulii Timoshenko. Moscow: Izdatel’stvo Ol’gi Morozovoi. Romanov, Aleksandr P., Gubarev, Vladimir S. (1989). Konstruktory. Moscow: Molodaia gvardia. Siddiqi, Asif A. (2003). Sputnik and the Soviet Space Challenge. Gainesville: University Press of Florida. Elberg-Wilson, Eliot. (2016). ‘Eduard Artem’iev and the Sonics of National Identity,’ Slovo, 28, 2: 2–25. Strazheva, Irina V. (1978). Tiulpany s kosmodroma. Moscow: Molodaia gvardia. Vasiliev, I. V. et al. eds. (1977). Istoria gorodov i siol Ukrainskoi SSR v 26-ti tomakh: Dnepropetrovskaia oblast. Kyiv: Glavnaia redaktsia Ukrainskoi Sovestskoi Entsiklopedii. Vosstanovlenie Pridneprovia (1946–1950). (1980). Dokumenty i materially. Kyiv: Nauka. Wilson, Andrew. (2000). The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press Zhuk, Sergei. (2004). Russia’s Lost Reformation: Peasants, Millennialism and Radical Sects in Southern Russia and Ukraine, 1830–1917. Baltimore, MD & Washington D.C: Johns Hopkins University Press and Woodrow Wilson Centre Press. Zhuk, Sergei (2010). Rock and Roll in the Rocket City: The West, Identity, and Ideology in Soviet Dniepropetrovsk, 1960–1985. Baltimore, MD & Washington D.C: Johns Hopkins University Press and Woodrow Wilson Centre Press. **Interviews**Igor T., KGB officer, 15 May 1991, Dnipropetrovsk. Karlo A. Markov, 12 April 1992, Dnipropetrovsk State University. Mikhail Suvorov, 1 June 1991, Dnipropetrovsk. Natalia V. Bocharova, 15 March 1993, Dnipropetrovsk State University. Sergiy Tihipko, director of Privatbank in Dnipropetrovsk, 12 October 1993, Dnipropetrovsk. Yevhen D. Prudchenko and Halyna V. Smolenska, 18 July 2007, Central Library of Dnipropetrovsk oblast, Dnipropetrovsk. Notes [1] I used also numerous interviews conducted with my relatives, who are ethnic Ukrainians, but live in Moscow, Russia, who still support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s anti-Ukrainian politics. [2] Sovnarkhoz is abbreviated from Russian Sovet narodnogo khoziaistva, an economic department in the Soviet government during the early Stalin era and during Khrushchev’s reforms.
Video: What’s Behind the Trump-Huang Relationship?
President Trump’s show of support for Jensen Huang as he was under fire was a remarkable moment in a relationship that barely existed two years ago. Our White House correspondent Maggie Haberman explains how Mr. Trump came to see Mr. Huang as a modern-day Henry Ford.
'The Body's miraculous ending, explained
What happened to Grace?
Opinion: Voters rejected AI data centers in dozens of communities as 2026 blue wave crested
Opinion by Barbara A. Trish: The widespread pushback against data centers is now part of the narrative explaining the dramatic results of the 2026 midterms.
Nvidia’s week of chaos, explained
In a matter of days, a corporate scandal has toppled the leader of the world’s second-most valuable company, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang; thrust his family into the spotlight; raised huge questions about the future of the AI industry; and landed on Washington’s doorstep.
How Nvidia Can Move Forward Without Its Founder
When a celebrated founder leaves abruptly, the board must stabilize the business, communicate clearly, and find a successor who can lead through uncertainty. In this Q&A with Harvard Business Review Senior Editor Juan Martinez, Harvard Business School professor Sandra Sucher discusses the challenges facing Nvidia’s leadership. She explains how directors can demonstrate the company’s capabilities, support investigations, and help employees address customers’ concerns. The succession search requires assessing whether internal executives have gained the authority and experience needed for the top job. Sucher also discusses what an outside candidate would need to succeed and how to keep valued executives engaged. Her advice emphasizes honest communication, deliberate leadership development, and giving employees a meaningful role in rebuilding trust across the organization.
Rachel Maddow says the Justice Department is collapsing. Can it be saved?
Was the Justice Department ever really above politics? Rachel Maddow digs into its surprising past to explain why she believes its future is at stake.
The NVIDIA story is a BFD
Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, one of the world’s most valuable companies and perhaps the most strategically important corporation to the future of the United States, resigned after admitting to an extramarital affair with a woman U.S. intelligence officials believe was a Chinese spy. This is a big fucking deal. Thanks, Captain Obvious. But my impression is that the political world is under-reacting to the Nvidia story. We’re overdue to have at least an initial newsletter covering it. I don’t expect this to become a Silver Bulletin obsession, but the overlap between politics and AI is well within our purview, and this story falls within those sightlines. I’m going to do this as one of those “13 thoughts” bullet-pointed lists that can make for a nice shortcut for these developing news stories. The usual ground rule is that I’m working through my thinking with you in real time, so treat this as provisional. To be clear, this is political analysis, not a scandal explainer. For more about the scandal itself, read Zvi or listen to these recent editions of Odd Lots or Search Engine: Basically, what those describe is that this story isn’t just about Jensen Huang having slept with an alleged Chinese agent, Alice Huang. As this New York Times graphic illustrates, there’s also a broader penumbra of suspicion related to a company called Megaspeed, which Alice Huang ran and which bought Nvidia chips through Nvidia’s hardware partners. U.S. authorities began investigating Megaspeed in 2024, during the Biden administration, over whether it diverted advanced Nvidia chips to China in violation of U.S. export controls. The Commerce Department’s work on the probe was paused in late 2025, and the case was “abruptly transferred” to the Justice Department, the Times reported. My 13 thoughts A canonically good bet is to “buy the rumor but sell the news.” In other words, to bet on people overreacting. That would have been good advice in the case of Haley Stevens’s endorsement of Mike Rogers, for instance. But I think there’s a case for buying the news when the news cycle is particularly busy. The political news world has been knee-deep in the midterms, which is an absolutely massive story given the magnitude of the Democratic sweep. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say it’s one of the bigger political earthquakes of the century. However, public attention spans and journalistic bandwidth are finite resources. The timing might lead one to downplay the magnitude of the Nvidia story. It will probably build. In terms of the magnitude, the comparison that comes to mind is the onset of the Iran War, which also dropped amid a busy news cycle1. Nvidia is not the same sort of story, but it is of roughly the same shape and size, because there are tripartite implications for the economy, for geopolitics and for domestic politics.
5 Common Myths About Success That Science Has Already Debunked
From the 10,000-hour rule to following your passion, a psychologist explains why five popular success beliefs don't hold up.
Dan Campbell Gets Personal in Germany: ‘This Game Gave Me a Life’
Asked about his passion for football in Germany, Dan Campbell explained how the game shaped his life and why its strongest bonds extend beyond the field.
QSSR Upgrades Revealed For Six PS5 Games, Live Now in Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Plus: a new PlayStation blog explains why developers are adding the AI upscaling tech.
9 Charts That Show the Democrats’ Midterm Dominance
Sometimes, pictures tell the story more fully than words. That may be the case with the 2026 midterm elections. Here are nine charts that explain the scale and causes of the Democratic wave on Nov. 3. Why Did Republicans Fare So Poorly? It’s pretty simple: President Donald Trump was unpopular. His ...
Why Nvidia can’t simply make more GeForce cards — even if it wants to
Nvidia's AI chips and GeForce GPUs don't share a simple production pipeline. Chip analyst Ian Cutress explains why making more graphics cards takes more than flipping a switch—and why gamers could be waiting a while.
Superheated magma could fuel towering lava fountains
Why do some volcanoes erupt with spectacular lava fountains while others release lava more quietly? Scientists have discovered that a hidden effect of extreme heat inside magma may help explain the difference. Experiments revealed that superheated magma can delay crystal formation for more than eight hours, compared with just 20 minutes in magma that has not been superheated.
Climate change and tornadoes: the science shows a mixed picture
Climate change and tornadoes have a complicated relationship, and these 10 points explain what researchers know about tornado trends, shifting risk and why the record is hard to read
“Mirra Andreeva Didn’t Even Care” – Jessica Pegula Explains How ‘Diva’ Drama Finally Ended Ahead Of WTA Finals SF
Jessica Pegula had plenty to say about her upcoming semifinal showdown against Mirra Andreeva at the 2026 WTA Finals. Pegula stirred controversy ahead of the prestigious year-end tournament after a hot mic recording of her criticizing Andreeva’s mentality went viral.
Is Starfruit Good for You?
While many of us can enjoy this tropical fruit, you may need to avoid it if you have kidney disease. A registered dietitian explains more.
Playfly’s CEO explains why leagues are looking to consolidate local sports rights
Leagues are looking to simplify local sports rights that have gotten more complex and confusing as regional sports have changed.
Luxury Briefing: The coat is the outfit. Can it also be the business?
Auter, Shrimps and Mint Velvet explain how statement outerwear drives repeat purchases, as shoppers look for coats that make the outfit.
Emily Simpson Shares an Update on Her Son Luke's Health: "So Hard To Talk About"
Emily Simpson tearfully explained at the RHOC Season 20 reunion that Luke's health condition is "hard to manage." Read for details.
Rockstar says GTA 6 PS5 Pro build ran at 60 fps with major performance compromises
Rockstar may have experimented with a higher framerate mode on the PS5 Pro. In a leaked interview, the studio explained that Leonida traffic and realistic NPCs proved obstacles. As with the Xbox Series X and base PS5, GTA 6 won’t exceed 30 fps on the enhanced PlayStation console.
Cybersecurity expert breaks down Microsoft 'health check' failure and cyberattack fears
As millions grapple with disrupted emails and downed services, attorney and cybersecurity expert Leeza Garber explains why a simple server issue can cripple a tech giant, and why it’s reasonable to wonder if AI or hackers were involved.
Platinum use in science extends beyond measurement standards
Platinum and platinum group metals are widely used in advanced scientific instrumentation because of their unique combination of chemical inertness, thermal stability and resistance to degradation, characteristics that help maintain accuracy and performance over long periods. The World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) explains that the role of platinum in scientific discovery extends beyond measurement standards, noting that it is also helping scientists observe phenomena at the very limits of human understanding.
Q&A: From seed funding to scientific breakthroughs
The MIT Global Seed Funds are designed to do more than launch research projects — they build international partnerships that make ambitious science possible. MIT professor of biology Matt Shoulders describes the program and explains its profound influence on his career to date.
Bookwaves/Artwaves - November 12, 2026: Mary Roach, America’s Funniest Science Author, Part Two, 2026
Mary Roach, whose latest book is "Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy," now out in paperback, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. Recorded by computer September 15, 2026. The author of several non-fiction works that examine specific areas of life that are rarely covered elsewhere, Mary Roach brings a sharp eye and excellent research skills to explain how things work, how they don’t work, and the various things that happen in between.
Explainer: From undercover employment to corporate data breaches: the "Combating Foreign Threats to Main...
A bipartisan bill that could help U.S. small businesses recognize threats from foreign adversaries, including the risk posed by North Korean workers posing as job candidates, was debated and passed in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. It now moves on to the Senate.
Moritz Seider Addresses Leading Red Wings Without a Captain
The Red Wings left the captaincy open, and Moritz Seider explained how he leads anyway. #RedWings
‘Maybe We’ve Gone a Step Too Far’ — Ocarina of Time Remake Producer Reveals the Game's ReDeads Were Originally Supposed to Be Even Scarier
Producer Hidemaro Fujibayashi explained why the development team behind the Ocarina of Time Remake toned down the ReDeads to make them less scary.
News10: Beyond The Headlines: Meteorologist explains science behind forecasting for Upstate New York
Television meteorologists are scientists at heart. They compare models and trends to ultimately boil down their findings into a two-and-a-half-minute forecast for TV.
Researchers solve a physics puzzle about radiation that could lead to tougher electronics
Researchers have solved a longstanding physics puzzle, explaining why electronic devices can fail catastrophically when exposed to radiation. Their findings may hold the key to engineering new electronics ...
Rory McIlroy Reveals How Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal Influenced His Golf Career
Rory McIlroy has revealed that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have had a big influence on how he approaches golf and carries himself on the course. The six-time major winner explained that he has often looked beyond golf for inspiration, particularly from two of tennis's biggest names. McIlroy made the revelation while discussing the people …
Sacramento’s newest exhibition uses art to explain complex scientific research
The exhibition opens on Nov. 12 and will be on display through mid-December. Here’s how to see it.
Creatine is everywhere. What does science actually say?
Explaining what’s actually true about creatine supplements.
Jensen Huang's Private Life Became Nvidia's Business for 1 Reason, a Harvard Law Professor Says
A Harvard law professor explains why reports of Huang's second extramarital affair quickly became a board-level issue.
Scaling AI value without losing control: Lessons from Frontier Firms
Results are widespread. Value at scale is not, and that gap is what this year’s research from IDC, commissioned by Microsoft, set out to explain. In our fourth year commissioning IDC, more than 5,200 senior IT and business leaders across 28 industries shared what it takes to maximize value as AI scales. The clearest lessons...
2026 Phillies report cards: Jonathan Bowlan
Hurt, tired or both? Maybe it can explain his end of 2026
Collagen powders, creams and bone broth: what the science says about their benefits
Collagen is being added to everything from coffee to skincare. A scientist explains what happens when it enters your body and whether it really works.
Cosmic Sports founder talks rapid growth, hockey expansion and taking entertainment sports to new heights
After selling 750,000 tickets on its 2026 baseball tour, Cosmic Sports is expanding into hockey. Founder Chris Martin explains what's behind the growing success.
Jackson Walker Attorneys Provide Insight on Texas Judicial Election Results and the Future of the Business Court
Following the November 3 midterm election, in which Democrats won all ten statewide judicial races on the Texas ballot (four seats on the Supreme Court of Texas, three on the Court of Criminal Appeals, and all three seats on the new Fifteenth Court of Appeals, which hears appeals from the Texas Business Court), leading legal publications sought out Jackson Walker attorneys to explain what the results mean for Texas courts, businesses, and dealmakers.
‘Blue Lights’ Season 4 brings rigor, courage and humor to the Troubles
'Blue Lights,' now entering its fourth season, may have been conceived as a Belfast-set version of 'The Wire,' but it also joins the often exalted ranks of art attempting to explain the complicated history and reality of the Emerald Isle.
In HelloNation Business Insurance Expert Brandon Disney of Bluefield, West Virginia Explains Risk Management Strategies
What types of insurance do small business owners in southern West Virginia really need to stay protected? A recent HelloNation article answers this by exploring how insurance coverage supports business continuity, employee safety, and long term stability for entrepreneurs across Bluefield and surrounding areas. The article highlights the crucial role local knowledge plays in tailoring small business insurance to real-world operations.
Why non-QM is keeping top mortgage brokers in business
Two veteran originators explain how bank statement and DSCR loans help them close deals agency financing can’t
A Science Snippet: What is 'aircraft icing' and how is it dangerous?
In this week's Science Snippet, Chief Meteorologist Stefanie Lauber explains what icing is, how it forms, and how it can pose a danger for any aircraft.
What lurks 'Below' Newfoundland waters? A marine biologist explains the science behind the show
When I learned that Netflix planned to film the miniseries Below, about a sea monster terrorizing a Newfoundland outport, I thought to myself: "THIS I've gotta see!"
Health insurance premiums increase as Affordable Care Act open enrollment underway in Wisconsin
Estimates from KFF find premiums for Affordable Care Act health plans are expected to jump by 13 percent next year. A health care navigator and the head of a program that helps people find insurance explain what residents should expect.
Viral ‘Nicole Kidman’ pop star Adéla explains why she opted out of this year’s Grammys race
The “Ain’t in L.A.” singer said “maybe in 2028” she’ll compete for Grammys.
The science of gossip: Here's what it does to your brain and why we can't get enough
Gossip may have a bad reputation, but research suggests it activates the brain's reward system, strengthens social bonds and can even help relieve stress; neuroscience explains why we find it so irresistible, while Jewish tradition warns of the damage it can cause
‘Arrival’ ending explained: Why did the aliens come to Earth?
Ten years after ‘Arrival’ hit theaters, Denis Villeneuve’s film still has us puzzling over its time-bending twists. EW breaks down what the aliens really wanted and the mystery of the little girl in Amy Adams’ visions.
Can vaping change your voice?
Most people know vaping can affect the lungs, but can it change your voice? An ENT explains the effects on vocal health and when to seek care.
A Mysterious Asteroid Is Accelerating Through Space, and Scientists Don’t Know Why
Scientists thought hidden ice might explain a strange asteroid's acceleration. New research suggests something else is at work.
Association for Women in Science features story by Brandywine professor
Shruti Shrestha, assistant teaching professor of physics at Penn State Brandywine, explained that, from her own experience and discussions with students, women pursuing degrees in these fields can feel isolated or out of place, despite excelling in their classes. She wrote about research in the field for a national organization.
CFP Earthquake Sees Georgia Retake #1
Georgia moved to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings while Indiana slid and UCLA surged. Hunter Yurachek explains the chaos.
‘VisionQuest’ post-credits scene explained: Showrunner shot more than we see
‘VisionQuest’ post-credits scene explained: Showrunner Terry Matalas says they shot more than we see.
What lurks ‘Below’ Newfoundland waters? A marine biologist explains the science behind the show
While Below may have some things wrong — giant squid probably aren’t vindictive, for example — a Newfoundland ocean sciences expert praises the Netflix show for stoking an interest in the deep sea.
FSU's Jeff Purinton explains key qualities for head football coach
The FSU Seminoles introduced Jeff Purinton as their athletic director on Monday, and he explained the qualities he considers in a football coach.
Business Profile: Sunflower Art Studio
Lika Gitis, the owner of Sunflower Art Studio in Gunbarrel, approaches art and life with unconcealed zeal. Gitis populates her studio with imaginative mascots including a 3D-printed Totoro (from Hayao Miyazaki's 1988 film) and a plush Van Gogh from the Denver Art Museum's exhibition of the painter. "They move around," she explained. But not, thankf...
Barbie in the Nutcracker at 25: Still the Prima Ballerina of Branded Entertainment
25 years ago, Barbie in the Nutcracker launched the Mattel icon into the world of branded entertainment. As Barbie celebrates a new Netflix retelling of the classic film, marketer Kelly Philp talks about a timely, festive activation with the Royal Opera House and explains how the brand is reaching a new generation - while bringing their zillennial parents along for the ride
Who is Pallando? 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power's Dark Wizard, explained
Who is the Dark Wizard, really?
Paul George flips the script — and the bird
PG-13, the former Sixer, poured in 36 points, then explained the baseline exchange that gave his return an R rating.
Paul George explains the obscene gesture he made to a Philadelphia 76ers fan
Paul George had a great return to Philadelphia, and it got spicy with a fan.
Melissa Joan Hart explains why she kept working while sick on ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’: ‘I was warned’
Melissa Joan Hart rarely called in sick during her seven seasons on ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch.’ There was a reason why, she explains in a new Instagram video.
A radical theory says the universe is twice as old as we thought
A provocative new cosmological model suggests the Universe could be 26.7 billion years old and might not need dark matter or dark energy to explain its behavior. University of Ottawa researchers tested the theory against several major astronomical observations, finding that it could explain galaxy rotation, cosmic expansion, and the formation of early elements.
Voice changes may detect worsening heart failure weeks before other symptoms appear
A new AI-powered voice analysis system is much more accurate than the current standard of care, according to new data presented at AHA Scientific Sessions 2026. The technology was specifically built to be user-friendly, requiring patients to speak just a handful of sentences into their smartphone each day.
From 'Dune' to 'Godzilla,' movie popcorn buckets are getting bigger and stranger — that's kind of the point
Elaborate movie-themed popcorn buckets are becoming a major moneymaker for theaters. An expert explains why fans are embracing the unusual souvenirs and how they're changing the moviegoing experience.
Mailloux Returns As Blues Send Jiricek And Lindstein Down
Logan Mailloux is back from a broken hand while Adam Jiricek and Theo Lindstein head to the AHL. Blues coach Jim Montgomery explains the move.
https://www.slu.edu | SLU-Madrid's First Exercise Science Students Begin Building Scientific Foundation
SLU-Madrid's first Exercise Science students connect foundational science courses with their future careers. Josh Prelipp shares his experience, while faculty explain the role of biology, chemistry and scientific reasoning.
Blood Rain Has Terrified People for Thousands of Years. The Culprit Might Be Growing on Lamp Posts.
From Tennessee's 1841 flesh shower to Kerala’s crimson monsoon, the sky has some explaining to do—unless the source isn’t coming from on high.
What are biomarkers? A biologist explains how doctors measure your health – and how combining cells from different people can find new markers
Why are some people hit harder by certain diseases than others? Why do some patients respond better to a treatment, while others see no effect? Biomarkers can help answer these questions.
RFK Jr. loosens access to unapproved peptides: A health law scholar explains what consumers need to know
Compounding pharmacies will now be able to sell 6 popular peptides, despite the fact they have not been proved safe and effective.
11/10/2026: Supervisory Status and Health Care Rule Quirks
Union Electric Company D/B/a Ameren Missouri, 14-RM-394835 (Regional Election Decision) A Regional Director dismissed the Employer's petition after finding that Distribution System Operating Supervisors (DSOS) II are statutory supervisors under Section 2(11) of the NLRA, but not managerial employees. The Employer, an electric and gas utility, filed the petition after the Union demanded recognition for DSOS I and II positions. Because the DSOS II are supervisors excluded from the NLRA's protection, no election was ordered. The DSOS I position was not decided, since no one currently holds it, and ordering an election for a unit with zero employees would be contrary to Board policy. As a preliminary matter, the Union was precluded from litigating supervisory or managerial status because it filed its Statement of Position with the Region but did not serve it on the Employer by the deadline. The Regional Director still took evidence sufficient to decide unit appropriateness, as the Board's rules require. Supervisory status rested on the authority to assign. The DSOS prioritize work tickets, choose which Line Troubleman or Traveling Operator to send, pull employees off lower-priority jobs, hold employees past shift end, decide whether to call in crews and how large they should be, and handle sick call-outs, all without consulting anyone. Relying on Oakwood Healthcare and Entergy Mississippi, the Regional Director found this resembled utility dispatchers who used independent judgment in assigning employees to places. It did not matter that the record did not show who selects the specific employees who respond to a call-out. The Employer failed to prove responsible direction because nothing showed DSOS face adverse consequences for field employees' performance. The one Performance Improvement Plan involved a DSOS's own errors. The Employer also failed to prove discipline authority, since switching error forms merely report incidents and upper management decides whether discipline follows. The managerial claim failed because there was no evidence the DSOS formulate high-level employer policy. They exercise technical discretion, sit below Superintendents and a Manager, and are first-level supervisors. Significant Cases Cited Oakwood Healthcare, Inc., 348 NLRB 686 (2006): Defined "assign" and "responsibly direct" under Section 2(11) and placed the burden of proving supervisory status on the party asserting it. Entergy Mississippi, Inc., 367 NLRB No. 109 (2019): Held utility dispatchers were supervisors because they used independent judgment in prioritizing outages and assigning field employees. NLRB v. Kentucky River Community Care, Inc., 532 U.S. 706 (2001): Established the three-part test for supervisory status under Section 2(11). NLRB v. Yeshiva University, 444 U.S. 672 (1980): Described managerial employees as those who formulate and effectuate management policies and are aligned with management. Ikea Distribution Services, Inc., 370 NLRB No. 109 (2021): Affirmed preclusion of issues for a late-served Statement of Position while confirming the Regional Director must still determine unit appropriateness. NLRB Edge is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Prime Healthcare Services – St. Michael’s, LLC D/B/a Saint Michael’s Medical Center, 22-RC-392696 (Regional Election Decision) The Regional Director dismissed a petition seeking an Armour-Globe self-determination election for two full-time radiation therapists at a Newark hospital. The union wanted the therapists to vote on joining its existing nonconforming unit of registered nurses, nurse anesthetists, and technical employees. The Regional Director found the union had not shown the therapists could appropriately be added to that unit under the Board's Health Care Rule and the community-of-interest factors. The Regional Director first explained that the Health Care Rule does not categorically bar an Armour-Globe election in a partially organized hospital with existing nonconforming units. Under St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, such an election does not create a new unit and so does not offend the Rule's concern with unit proliferation. The petitioner still bears the burden of showing the group is identifiable and distinct and shares a community of interest with the existing unit. The therapists were an identifiable, distinct group because they do identical work in the same department under the same managers. On community of interest, the evidence was mostly unfavorable to the union. The therapists work in the Cancer Center alongside unit nurses but have separate supervision (apart from occasional coverage), separate break areas, and distinct equipment and functions. Their contact with nurses is limited to routine patient handoffs, and they do not interact with or fill in for technical employees such as radiology technicians. The Regional Director found some overlap in certifications and training, which might tip the scale on those factors, but the union did not establish common terms and conditions. The Regional Director added that shared benefits or work rules would not suffice given separate supervision, no interchange, and physical separation. The decisive problem was the Health Care Rule's classifications. The therapists are professionals who fall within the Rule's "all other professionals" category. The parties' contract expressly excludes "all other professionals," and the union's attempt at hearing to classify some respiratory therapists as professionals contradicted that contract. Adding the therapists would create yet another nonconforming grouping and leave other unrepresented professionals in that category. A separate therapist-only unit would also be inappropriate because the record shows other unrepresented professional employees. A unit of all unrepresented employees in that category may be appropriate. Significant Cases Cited St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, 357 NLRB 854 (2011): An Armour-Globe election in an acute care hospital does not violate the Health Care Rule because it adds employees to an existing unit rather than creating a new one. Rush University Medical Center v. NLRB, 833 F.3d 202 (D.C. Cir. 2016): Section 103.30(c) of the Health Care Rule applies only to petitions for additional units, not to Armour-Globe elections adding employees to an existing unit. Warner-Lambert Co., 298 NLRB 993 (1990): A self-determination election requires that the employees share a community of interest with the existing unit and form an identifiable, distinct segment constituting an appropriate voting group. United Operations, Inc., 338 NLRB 123 (2002): Sets out the community-of-interest factors, and common supervision alone does not require inclusion in one unit absent interchange, contact, or functional integration. Wheatland Electric Cooperative, Inc., 375 NLRB No. 16 (2026): Functional integration requires that positions depend on one another to accomplish their tasks, and minor differences between groups should not be given too much weight.
What happens to your brain when the days get darker?
As the nights draw in, many of us can experience low mood. But for a small proportion of people a more intense depression develops through the winter months. It’s a phenomenon that since the 1980s has been labelled seasonal affective disorder, or Sad, and can be debilitating for sufferers. To find out more about the latest scientific understanding of Sad, Ian Sample speaks to Russell Foster, professor of circadian neuroscience at the University of Oxford. He explains what scientists think the mechanism for the condition could be and what the evidence says about the best way to tackle it.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
The Daily Mauling: 11/10/26
Kansas Jayhawks News As you’re probably aware, Melvin Council Jr broke his foot in practice and isn’t going to be back any time soon. Kansas sports can’t have nice things Bill Self believes Trey Kaufman-Renn can be great at Kansas. SI explains why, though I don’t think anyone doubts it Ahead of tonight’s game, Yahoo […]
The biggest blue wave in 50 years, explained in 7 charts
Here’s how and why Democrats pulled off this historic win.
'The first species we might be able to communicate with, interact with vocally, might be a bird': An animal researcher explains how she decoded birdsong
Julie Elie, an ethologist at the University of California, Berkeley, tells Live Science's Kenna Hughes-Castleberry about using AI to decode the vocalizations of zebra finches.
Lab-Grown Skin and AI for Teeth: Why Life Science Startups Move to Austria
AI Dental and Ingenskin have set up subsidiaries in Vienna and Graz. Their CEOs explain what makes Austria's life sciences sector so attractive for startups.
Oilers coach Mike Babcock explains Jake Walman scratch vs. Rangers
The Edmonton Oilers are off to a terrific start in 2026-27 , winning 12 times in 18 tries and leading the Pacific Division in the early going. The same can’t be said for Jake Walman, who has managed just one assist in 11 contests, along with a minus-eight rating. He’s set to be a healthy scratch for the fifth time in the last seven games when the […] The post Oilers coach Mike Babcock explains Jake Walman scratch vs. Rangers appeared first on ClutchPoints.
UBS’ Luke Ervin on Advising Business Owners. Plus, the Week’s Top News.
In this weekly newsletter, UBS’ Luke Ervin explains why he went against conventional wisdom to focus on business owners, and we review recent wealth management news.
Northwestern HC David Braun Takes Stance on CFP Expansion
Northwestern head coach David Braun explained why he believes the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 24 teams is in the best interest of the sport.
Aspirus Health explains hospice and palliative care differences
While hospice care focuses more on comfort in the end-of-life stages, palliative care looks at multiple treatment options.
Wanna join a NASA science team? Marc Kuchner will explain how
KINGSTON, R.I. – Nov. 9, 2026 – As the citizen science officer for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Marc Kuchner oversees a portfolio of more than 40 NASA-funded participatory science projects, reaching millions of volunteers eager to help conduct space research. So, how can you get involved? In his upcoming University of Rhode Island Honors Colloquium […]
Machine learning helps explain evolution of fish schools
The study is among the largest studies of the evolution of any behavior ever conducted in any group of species.
Another Reality Outside Our Universe, Beyond Science?
To “explain” fine-tuning, atheists are now reduced to imagining many universes with random values for the constants of physics.
Black Doves season 2 ending explained: Who dies in the explosive final episode?
The second outing of the spy thriller has been worth the wait - here's everything that happened in the finale
Karl Deisseroth, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: ‘ Advanced AI models could infer the activity of the brain’
The inventor of optogenetics for controlling the brain with light explains how the technique brings closer better treatments for mental illness
Lance Bass explains how diabetes changed the way he parents 2 young kids
NSYNC member Lance Bass explains how treating his diabetes has changed how he parents his two children, Violet and Alexander.
The business mistake McDonald's and Chipotle keep making: Robert Irvine
World-class chef and entrepreneur, Robert Irvine explains to Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi how he helped push through the legislative change that's replacing 50-year-old Army mess halls with campus-style dining
The business mistake McDonald's and Chipotle keep making: Robert Irvine
World-class chef and entrepreneur, Robert Irvine explains to Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi how he helped push through the legislative change that's replacing 50-year-old Army mess halls with campus-style dining
Do AI agents have minds? A philosopher explains
Agentic AI systems are not conscious – not even maybe.
WFAA
WFAA (Dallas–Fort Worth) is your source for breaking news, Texas weather, traffic, and live coverage in Dallas, Fort Worth, and across North Texas. Get the latest updates from the WFAA team — from major local headlines and investigations to severe weather, community stories, and the moments everyone’s talking about. Watch live newscasts, stream breaking coverage, and catch up on the top stories shaping Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, and surrounding communities. Subscribe for: • Dallas–Fort Worth breaking news + live updates • Texas weather forecasts, storms, and severe weather alerts • Investigations and accountability reporting • Community stories across North Texas • Major events, sports, and local explainers WFAA — Dallas–Fort Worth news and weather, live and on demand. 🔗 More: https://www.wfaa.com
HGTV’s Alison Victoria Explains Why She Fired Someone on Sin City Rehab: ‘F— Yes’
Alison Victoria didn’t sugarcoat reality TV. The HGTV designer recently revealed she fired someone during Sin City Rehab Season 2, and she told fans exactly why the decision was necessary and why she ...
Psychotherapist shares 5 simple mental health hacks to stop criticizing yourself
Psychotherapist Garth Breathnach explains 5 ways to stop being self-critical that will help you love and accept yourself more.
‘The Institute’ Star Ben Barnes Explains How Stephen King Influenced Season 2 (Exclusive)
The famed author was quite involved.
Dan Campbell explains decision to bench Christian Mahogany
The Detroit Lions benched Christian Mahogany vs. Dolphins, and Dan Campbell explained why.
Pittcon: Lab Science Conference and Expo Explained
Pittcon explained: who runs it, what the technical program, short courses and exposition offer labs, and how proceeds fund science outreach. Next: April 2027.
Protein Science: Scope, Structure Levels, Methods
Protein science explained: what the field covers, the four levels of protein structure, and where PDB and CASRAI method guides fit at the bench.
FATAL TRANSMISSIONS ⟩ She Studied Political Science in Britain. Now She Tracks Russian Troops and Guides Drone Teams to Their Positions.
Lipstick, white powder, long eyelashes, a snow-white fluffy jumper, a puppy in the corner… H. makes an effort when she goes to work. “We put the layers on top of each other… Like this. And when the cake is ready…” she explains in front of a monitor, clicking around the screen.
Steph Curry Addresses Warriors’ Decision to Bench Him in Overtime
Curry scored 41 points against Orlando, but he and Draymond Green started overtime on the bench, and Curry explained how the two of them felt about it.
Ellen Burstyn turned down the role that won Cloris Leachman an Oscar in “The Last Picture Show”
The actress explains the real-life reason why she chose a different part in Peter Bogdanovich’s 1971 classic.