Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001

• According to this narrative, Putin has sturdily held back waves of foreign and domestic adversaries, and simultaneously restored Russia to greatness.
• Russia has become a nation under the thrall of Putin’s singular idea, instead of a healthy contest between competing ones.
• He has progressively sickened Russian society, creating a toxic culture that celebrates xenophobia, nativism and violence.

Putin’s ascent

• Putin’s political ascent began once he took over as head of the Russian Security Council in March 1999, long seen as a likely pathway to executive leadership.
• He then assumed Russia’s prime ministership, and, soon after, its presidency as an increasingly infirm Boris Yeltsin sought to anoint a successor.
• A struggle for order and stability has been a consistent leitmotif in how Putin has portrayed himself.
• He amended Russia’s tax code, replacing an arcane system of loopholes and tax breaks with flat rates to boost compliance.

Putin’s economic miracle?

• Inflation fell and the economy grew by around 7% a year, although real wages declined.
• While the economy suffered a recession as a result of the global financial crisis in 2008, growth was swiftly restored.
• Annual household income rose to an estimated US$10,000 per capita in 2013, but by 2022 had contracted to only $7,900.
• Wealth is unevenly distributed, concentrated in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and in Russia’s regions it’s highly centred on local elites.

Kleptocrats, meet autocrats

• Despite fanfare about clearing out the oligarchs, Russia has scored consistently poorly on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
• By comparison, after Putin had finished his first term as president in 2004, Russia placed 90th.
• Putin’s rule is also the story of Russia’s slide from a “managed” democracy to an autocratic regime.

Putin’s legacy: ostracism and fragility

• With respect to perceived external adversaries – NATO members and the broader West – Putin sees regime security as being synonymous with national security.
• By invading Ukraine, Putin has actually succeeded in enlarging NATO further, with Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.
• He has prompted Germany and other overdependent European states to wean themselves off Russian oil and gas.
• And he’s ensured Russia will remain a Western pariah for the foreseeable future, while bequeathing Russia’s next generation the lasting hatred of Ukrainians.

• VERO BEACH, Fla., May 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pelican Landing Assisted Living and Memory Care in Sebastian, Fla has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a 2022-23 Best Assisted Living Community and Best Memory Care Community .
• Operated by Watercrest Senior Living, Pelican Landing is a thoughtfully designed senior living residence offering seniors a variety of multi-sensory programming and enrichment opportunities.
• Pelican Landing is one of the senior living communities recognized by U.S. News that earned "Best" status by achieving the highest possible rating for both Assisted Living and Memory Care.
• "It is a great honor and distinction for Pelican Landing to be awarded a Best Senior Living Community by an esteemed organization such as U.S. News & World Report," says Marc Vorkapich , principal and chief executive officer of Watercrest Senior Living Group.

• Today, Sunrise Senior Living, an industry pioneer and leading provider of senior communities that offer individualized experiences and best-in-class care, announces that 95 of its communities were recognized as part of U.S. News & World Reports Best Senior Living ratings for 2022-2023 in the categories of Best Independent Living, Best Assisted Living, and Best Memory Care.
• We are humbled and honored that this meaningful recognition by U.S. News & World Report is based on direct feedback from current Sunrise residents and family members, said Jack R. Callison Jr., CEO of Sunrise Senior Living.
• The 95 communities named to the ratings were awarded distinctions in the categories of Best Independent Living, Best Assisted Living and/or Best Memory Care.
• To learn more about Sunrise or to find a community near you, please visit our website: www.sunriseseniorliving.com
  Founded in 1981, Sunrise Senior Living is credited with establishing the modern era of senior living.

• Scienjoy and Herr Gallery plan to unveil the NFT Blind Box Project, along with the launch of Herr Gallery's proprietary NFT marketplace, in the first quarter of 2022.
• The NFT Blind Box Project is based on photographs of the artwork and is expected to create 486 NFTs that will be minted simultaneously.
• All the resulting NFTs are planned to be auctioned publicly, and Scienjoy and Herr Gallery intend to donate all the auction profits to the artist to support the restoration of her original mural.
• The NFT Blind Box Project provides Scienjoy with the opportunity to develop NFT projects in support of New York's emergence from the pandemic shutdown, and to cultivate new relationships with the NFT industry's top participants and artists.