September 23, 2005 Anniversary This Sunday is the 20th anniversary of Gorbachev's creation of the Anti Alcohol League. Na zdorovye! As if in fitting tribute, it was revealed today that the French liquor giant, Pernod Ricard, may be in talks to purchase the Russian brand... drumroll please... Stolichnaya. Is nothing sacred? Russia File
September 23, 2005 Khodortaystvo Last evening, the Khodorkovsky case was brought to a hurried close when the imprisoned oligarch's appeal was summarily rejected just as K's sentence (and that of his codefendant) were reduced to eight years. "I won't live that long," K commented on leaving the court. "What we are dealing with here is not the prosecutors or the judges, it is the full weight of the state machine. The political authorities are dictating what is going on here," the Moscow Times reported K's l Russia File
September 22, 2005 Fradkov Looking for One Good Man Oh, the perils of leadership. As reported in the recent issue of Argumenti i Fakty, Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov recently took a trip to the little town of Sharya, in Kostroma oblast. There, he visited a forestry enterprise set up and run by Swiss masters. Looking over the uncommonly clean and efficient operation, Fradkov exclaimed, “And why can’t we do this? After all, our specialists are the best in the world.” The quest Russia File
September 21, 2005 Taste of Summer Ok, it has been a long summer, and time we got back to ramping up this blogject. Taste of Russia is just over and we are coming down from a high because we didn't get walloped by a hurricane, the way we did last year. Ophelia gave us a pass and we had sun, fun and kvas.Meanwhile, we are entering the home stretch on our November/December 05 issue. Some great stories in this issue, including a fascinating look back at what really happened Russia File
September 01, 2005 Insults That Taste Russian Some truly Russian words to toss around when you need a handy insult or diss.
September 01, 2005 The October Manifesto Russian Democracy found its first legs in the 1905 October Manifesto, issued under duress by Nicholas II. But it would not be enough to ensure Russia a democratic future...
September 01, 2005 A Tumultuous Century Begins People always dream of peace and happiness. This was particularly true of Russia 200 years ago, in 1805, half a decade into the new century.
September 01, 2005 The New, New Year On September 1, 1700, the old way of counting years, starting from the end of fall harvest time, ended, and Russia switched to a New Year that began in January.
September 01, 2005 Scratch Russian Cuisine Where we go in search of true Tatar cuisine. The recipe is for the savory dish, peremech.
September 01, 2005 Millennial Kazan Few Russian cities are as old as Kazan, the ancient trading center on the Volga river. We explore the history and social fabric of the Tatar capital.
September 01, 2005 Spirit Wrestlers of Southern Russia Not many hints remain of Doukhobor culture in Southern Russia. Persecuted in the past for their pacifist beliefs, modern Doukhobors search for an identity in the modern world.
September 01, 2005 Tiksi or Bust! Each year, just a handful of foreigners sail up the beautiful, broad Lena River. Joshua Hartshorne made the trip and he has sent us this diary of his travels and travails.
