What makes the FSU so interesting?

[mendeleyev]

That is because the little Chinese in there who is making the pizza had his coffee break. Dutch union laws....

Growing up in the Dutch Antilles we had Chinese restaurants and laundries. Local Dutch laws back then stipulated that to immigrate they had to work in one of those two professions.

Those mandatory 2 hour long lunch breaks back then were something I found boring as a kid as most of the shops shut down, but I'd love to have those kinds of work breaks as an adult. I doubt that they still have those laws?
 

[mendeleyev]

Victoria & Anastasia Petryk (Вікторія та Анастасія Петрик) are singing sisters, proud daughters of Ukraine and for good reason. Anastasia (Ah-nah-stah-si ya) burst on the scene two years ago while singing backup for her 14 year old sister. There she was, a mere 6 year old singing angel with an incredible alto voice. Today at the age of 8, Anastasia continues to steal the hearts of not only her native Ukrainians, but foreign fans as well.

Here she sings "Аллилуйя" (Alleluia) at the Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian National Opera House in Kyiv (Kiev).




In this video she sings "Снег" (snow) with popular Russian singing star Philip Kirkorov (Филипп Киркоров).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=M-xJVSmYJL8#!


Finally, this wonderful version of "Скрипаль Осінній" (Autumn Violin) in a duo with Нина Матвиенко (Nina Matvienko).

[Shadow]

Growing up in the Dutch Antilles we had Chinese restaurants and laundries. Local Dutch laws back then stipulated that to immigrate they had to work in one of those two professions.

Those mandatory 2 hour long lunch breaks back then were something I found boring as a kid as most of the shops shut down, but I'd love to have those kinds of work breaks as an adult. I doubt that they still have those laws?
 

They still have, just like in most countries in Southern Europe.
Reason is people are used to eat a warm meal at lunch, and due to the sun being the highest a small nap is customary after lunch.
Though for us who are used to the pace of big cities everything there seems to be done like a small nap...

[mendeleyev]

www.mendeleyevjournal.com

According to the Metro management around 150 persons die annually by falling onto the tracks. Granted, a certain number of these are suicides but most seem to be accidents and with unprotected platforms, it is easy to make a misstep or in a crowd in rush hour be pushed to the edge of a platform.


Platform at "China Town" Metro station, Moscow.

In an effort to reduce accidents the Metro has released a helpful guide on what to do should you fall from the platform onto the tracks. This safety card contains several great tips on what to do to avoid injury or death and will be available around English speaking tour guide kiosks.





As we reported to you recently, new stations will be built with glass enclosures on the platforms with automatic doors that will open only when the train is stopped for entry/exit. It will take some time however to refit 183+ existing stations with the glass safety enclosures.


The new station "Forest Park" will be the first with glass enclosures on platforms.

[Anotherkiwi]

www.mendeleyevjournal.com

According to the Metro management around 150 persons die annually by falling onto the tracks. Granted, a certain number of these are suicides but most seem to be accidents and with unprotected platforms, it is easy to make a misstep or in a crowd in rush hour be pushed to the edge of a platform.

Very true, and not just in Moscow.

In an effort to reduce accidents the Metro has released a helpful guide on what to do should you fall from the platform onto the tracks. This safety card contains several great tips on what to do to avoid injury or death and will be available around English speaking tour guide kiosks.

That's terrific news.  I wasn't aware of the contact rail at the side - I just assumed that there was a live rail on the ground.

As we reported to you recently, new stations will be built with glass enclosures on the platforms with automatic doors that will open only when the train is stopped for entry/exit. It will take some time however to refit 183+ existing stations with the glass safety enclosures.


The new station "Forest Park" will be the first with glass enclosures on platforms.

Having experienced the glass doors in Shanghai and Hong Kong, I can thoroughly recommend them.  However, they still don't stop people trying to shove their way on while others are trying to get out.

[mendeleyev]

Among the steps that officials in Russia and neighboring Ukraine are taking to enhance tourism is the Latinization of major street and attraction signs. From Moscow to Saint Petersburg to Kiev and the region of Crimea, more maps and street signs are being lettered to help foreign tourists get around more easily.





Moscow has added double decked red tourist buses based on their success and popularity among tourists in the Saint Petersburg area. This summer Moscow will add street kiosks with English speaking guides near major attractions to answer questions and hand out English language street maps.





Above: this sign indicates the number of kilometers to the Crimean peninsula cities of Yalta and Alushta, Ukraine.

[ML]

Above: this sign indicates the number of kilometers to the Crimean peninsula cities of Yalta and Alushta, Ukraine.

Now, if they could just switch all signs to MILES also . . .   

- - - - - -

And reminds me of joke.

Highway patrolman pulls over a car being driven by 90 year old woman.

Patrolman: Ma'am . . . why are you going only 19 miles per hour on this this major highway?

Woman: The sign back there said 19 miles per hour.

Patrolman:  The sign said Route 19.

Patrolman (Looking at 3 other elderly lady passengers): Is everything OK; why are those ladies so quiet and white as sheets?

Woman:  We just got off of Route 92 a ways back.

[Anotherkiwi]

Now, if they could just switch all signs to MILES also . . .   

Why?  Every other country in the world (except the UK) uses kilometres! 

[ML]

Why?  Every other country in the world (except the UK) uses kilometres!

I know.  It just shows how much change is needed to correct things.
Do your part there in NZ to get the ball rolling.

[SANDRO43]

It just shows how much change is needed to correct things.

You should start getting over YOUR obsession with anatomical body parts - I mean inches, feet, yards, fathoms, etc. not THOSE other parts not used for measurements .

Granted that the metric system was introduced by the French in 1795 and they were not too popular with Britain then - and thereafter - but that's carrying an old grudge too far . Countries in black (3: USA, Liberia, Myanmar) are the only ones not yet accepting it:

Countries by date of metrication. Colours red to green show the pattern of metrication from 1795 to 1998. Black identifies countries that have not adopted the metric system as the primary measurement system. White identifies countries that already used the metric system at the time they gained their independence

[mendeleyev]

 I love the Russian people so much and have come to identify with them in many ways. Often they get a bad rap for being blunt and supposedly cold to others. But that is not a true picture of these wonderful folk.

On the internet you can find dashcam videos of bad drivers (yes they exisit) and of rude people (you'll find them in any country), so perhaps that is why I enjoy this dashcam video because you see a slice of ordinary and real Russian people in their true spirit, very kind and willing to sacrifice--reasons to love them so much.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=TzBInt4zljQ
 

 

[Larry1]

Beat you to it Mendy   :

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=16020.0

[mendeleyev]

As usual. 

I need to have the KGB put you under surveillance. LOL
 

[ML]

Often they get a bad rap for being blunt and supposedly cold to others. But that is not a true picture of these wonderful folk.

Jim, we are always cautioned about stereotyping.

However, there must be more truth in stereotyping than not; otherwise why would these sayings and ideas get started and continue?

Is there a lot of talk about how great Jewish guys are at basketball?
Is there a lot of talk about how great black people are at dealing with money?
Is there a lot of talk about the great sense of humor of Germans?
Is there a lot of talk about how great the cooks are in England?
Is there a lot of talk about how great are the teeth of English people?

Granted . . . in any group that is stereotyped, there are some that don't fit the stereotype, and that is why we should not automatically  assume something about an individual.

However, wouldn't you think the vast majority must fit the stereotype or it would not persist?

[/size]I don't have super strong convictions about what I wrote above, so I am willing to consider other viewpoints[/size], but just from a logical standpoint it makes a lot of sense to me.

[mendeleyev]

Is there a lot of talk about how great Jewish guys are at basketball?

Ah, basketball..I've been told that the boys can't run fast because the little beanie skull caps fly off. 

[ML]

Ah, basketball..I've been told that the boys can't run fast because the little beanie skull caps fly off. 

Maybe the circumcisions have some affect also.

[mendeleyev]

Helpful article from Russia Beyond the Headlines on changes in Russian language usage:

When Tanya Brahmann, a German manager of a major international company in the field of business communications, suggested that she and a Russian colleague switch to informal "you" ("ty" in Russian, or "thou" in older versions of English), her innocent request was unexpectedly refused. This was her baptism by fire in the art of Russian business etiquette, which sometimes differs radically from the Western code of conduct.

How to begin a letterIn business correspondence, it is customary to address Russian nationals by their first name and patronymic. To up the politeness, the word "uvazhaemy" ("uvazhaemaya" for a woman) can be added, which literally means "respected." Hence, a salutation such as "Uvazhaemy Ivan Nikolaevich" (in Cyrillic, obviously) would be considered good form.

The use of "gospodin" and "gospozha" ("Mr.," "Mrs.," and "Ms.") in combination with the addressee's surname is also becoming widespread: "Uvazhaemy gospodin Nikolaev.""If you write to a colleague from another department or to a superior, it's better not to forget the patronymic," says U.S. citizen Jesse Loeb, who currently lives in Moscow.

Which "you"?When it comes to the pronoun "you" (lowercase) or "You" (with a capital letter), attention to detail is required. In Russia, "you" is customary when addressing more than one person, whereas "You" is a courteous address to a particular individual.Recently, however, many Russians – especially in the "creative professions" – have begun to turn their noses up at "You," considering it to be overly formal."

I can't stand it when someone addresses me as ‘You’ in a message. Secretaries are especially guilty. It's so pompous! Lowercase ‘you’ is already polite enough," journalist Olga Frolova told RBTH."This rule drives me crazy," says Loeb. "Lowercase or capital letter – I still rack my brains over it sometimes. In English, the difference is always perfectly clear, and, in informal correspondence, caps are often ignored completely."Therefore, experts advise: Write "You" to begin with.

If the reply contains "you" instead of "You," switch to lowercase in further correspondence with the recipient.Meanwhile, the transition to informal "you" ("ty") is a more tortuous process than in Western languages. Foreigners attribute this to the strong hierarchical traditions that prevail in Russian business etiquette.

Read the entire article here.

[SANDRO43]

When Tanya Brahmann, a German manager of a major international company in the field of business communications...

Chumminess in German offices ?

Granted it was a LONG time ago (1969), but when at the IBM Deutschland Lab in Böblingen (below), I was astonished by the prevailing atmosphere of stiff formality: our German colleagues would address each other using the respectful Herr or Frau/Fräulein+family name, and Sie rather than the informal Du .

[Shadow]

Chumminess in German offices ?

Granted it was a LONG time ago (1969), but when at the IBM Deutschland Lab in Böblingen (below), I was astonished by the prevailing atmosphere of stiff formality: our German colleagues would address each other using the respectful Herr or Frau/Fräulein+family name, and Sie rather than the informal Du .

Exactly what I was thinking of when I read the article. The Russian etiquette is very close to what the German used to be.
On the other hand, it is customary in Germany that after a number of exchanges the matter of 'Sietzen oder Dutzen' is adressed, where both answers can be correct.

[Gator]

Jim, we are always cautioned about stereotyping.

I recently had the pleasure of talking with a RW psychologist who counsels RW.   She certainly stereotyped RW with regard to certain behaviors.  Her stereotyping surprised me. 

[Larry1]

I recently had the pleasure of talking with a RW psychologist who counsels RW.   She certainly stereotyped RW with regard to certain behaviors.  Her stereotyping surprised me.

Now THAT sounds like an interesting conversation.  Care to share anything she said?

[Gator]

Not now, maybe later.

[SANDRO43]

On the other hand, it is customary in Germany that after a number of exchanges the matter of 'Sietzen oder Dutzen' is adressed, where both answers can be correct.

Then things must have improved considerably since I last was there , the German colleagues I referred to had been working together for quite some time.

[Anotherkiwi]

How to begin a letter In business correspondence, it is customary to address Russian nationals by their first name and patronymic. To up the politeness, the word "uvazhaemy" ("uvazhaemaya" for a woman) can be added, which literally means "respected." Hence, a salutation such as "Uvazhaemy Ivan Nikolaevich" (in Cyrillic, obviously) would be considered good form.

I've seen this written so many times...and nobody tells you how on earth you're supposed to find out those names! 

[ML]

I've seen this written so many times...and nobody tells you how on earth you're supposed to find out those names! 

You ask their mothers.