Dear friends, We don't have Christmass in Russia as an official holidays, we do celebrate all things up side down,
but I don't want to bother you on your holidays as well, just can't wait to share my questions with you and pretty ready that nobody will answer me, just let me talk to myself, thinking about you and if somebody will have time to answer me ... - when we shall have our holidays: we do celebrate Happy New Year, then ortodox Christmass - on the 7th of January... and then not official but still holiday - "Old" Happy New Year... - it will be also OK. So Merry Christmass to all of you and a Happy New Year and for those who can find time for reading - here is my dilemma I did 4 hour OS (you see I did persuade to give me more time, while working with local government administrative workers on the up-grading), and on the 24th it was the group from different regions, whom I saw a week before on a 2 hours meeting, where I proposed them to try to make a picture of desired future of our communal service - and they worked nicely and in a week ... of lectures, tired but worked nicely in the OS, posting a very important questions for them, "How to improve their work in communal service", there were always the 'needed resources' such as financing, but some did write what are the next steps to move the problem solving forward... but the work was great and... whatever happens... on the other day, after the Happy New Year party in my research institute... may be here is the reason, that I was a little bit tired and in an other mood, and the next day again need to work with the other group - from my city, Novosibirsk, I found myself being pushing participants to really think what they can do and to start with - I asked them - so things will be moving. I did ask them intuitively, what I now think, that I want them to ask, on their usual 'resource' as financing - what is needed that there will be financing?, but I did ask only what concrete first steps is needed to be done, as some did not write any... so, I realized myself, that I'm attached for results, but not in the meaning that I wait them from OS, but that I wanted to 'train' them more, then OS is supposing to be... there was one women, who did said in the closing cession, that nothing will move until somebody will move that. so there really was understanding of what I did try to do with my questions...and there were saing like we can do something only being together - one big city, 1,5 mln people, but 10 districts, so there were 30 people who never met and work in Organizatonal-Technical Departments - don't ask me what they do, as they did discuss, that there are diffirent functions in different districts. but the problem is - not enough financing for houses repairing and keeping them in good conditions... the last law - in the beginning of December, that people will pay 90% of expances of this communal service, as I say - it is not 2 and not 1,5 , so it will not solve the problem of making communal service work in the "market system", it will stay again as the oathis of 'socialism', 'driving on the left side of the road, when everybody goes on the right..." and don't giving the possibility to develop it and no financing for repairing... and... roofs coming down on the heads of people... but... that is not my role as the facilitator - to push people to think more then they can now? is it? so give me your hand, if there is somebody ready... don't worry, if you are busy... it can wait untill after holiday, so just thank you for being here ... or there I worked with the group of people, working in the planning departments some time ago, and I asked them if they can to write down in the analitical tables not two columns - facts of the last period, and the plan for this year - the third one, which federal departments anounce but did not finance, but they should 'know" what is the difference with the "social normatives" as they take more money to Moscow, then leave them in the regions, so who, as not the regions should calculate the nessassary financing - I know it looks like very 'socialistic' but if not so, that why don't we go 100% payments and real donations to people in need, so people can start calculate real money and not 'promissed but never given from the government' well the year is finishing, the problems let stay in the past, let's go to the future with hope, so should I only facilitate and watch people? they did recieve OS - the right to talk democratically and are very happy with good communication possibilities... in some time I will work with the heads of the department, so should I 'irritate' them with my questions and the results of their workers discussions, or it is not my business? and do I need to just watch when they say - no financing - no deal...? sorry for many questions again best wishes elena novosibirsk, russia
