What makes the FSU so interesting?

[mendeleyev]

In the Mendeleyev Journal...

The first snow, Первый снег in Russian, of 2012 came much earlier in the far north cities near the Arctic Circle, but last night was the first snow in Moscow. It didn't seem to impact traffic as it was mostly light flurries but we'll see if it becomes heavier today.

Calling it "October's wet promise of the six months of gloom," The Guardian (London) reporter Miriam Elder wrote, "Winter is, of course, Moscow's natural state. The slightest hint of frost brings Russians fumbling for their furs, checking skating rink schedules, ensuring soup ingredients are in full stock."



First snow 2012 Oct 23 (foto: marsianins.livejournal)

Last year the first snow was 15 October, and in 2010 it arrived on 13 October. We can only echo Ms. Elder's observation that, "Navigating Moscow's traffic-crazed streets is a stressful experience at the best of times – in winter, it's downright exhausting."



First snow of 2010 was October 13. (foto: wunderground/Jemenai)

If you are packing for Moscow do not forget a warm full length coat, a scarf, pair of gloves and a hat to keep your head warm.

[mendeleyev]

What would it be like to live beyond the Arctic Circle?

Welcome to the town of Kandalaksha where 36,000 people live in an area that in many ways shares a sense of life perhaps in rural areas near you. A longtime friend from the Appalachians asked recently what it was like in Kandalaskha. Of course he'd discovered a lady's profile there and was curious about life in that region of the world.



 

At first I was about to say that very few things represent the same between his little slice of the world and hers. But then after a moment to ponder, I began to realize how many things are much the same. Of course there is no seaport, no large body of water, no seals swimming up to people, and no large oil production in Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Tennessee. There is no passenger train service several times daily and Appalachian and Cumberland states are much warmer in winter.

 
 
 
But there are some striking similarities: In both regions there is coal, poverty, poorly maintained roads, the good character of most residents even in the face of chronic unemployment, the wide open outdoors, opportunities for camping-hunting-fishing, kids who take school seriously, parents who care about their children, families that go to church and pray together. folk who drink beer all Friday night, good drivers, bad drivers, movie theatres, love of sport, talented artists and musicians, and corrupt politicians.

Yes, life may very different in Kandalaksha when compared to a rural area near you. Yet if you look closely, I think you'll see that in many ways life is pretty much the same.

That is a good thing.

[mendeleyev]

The Mendeleyev Journal would like to show you something that is illegal in Russia, but common.

Most Russian towns of any size have some developed transportation such as electric trolley trains, buses, etc. Another option is a legal minibus, called Marshrutki (Маршрутки). These minivans are privately owned but licensed by a city to run the same route as larger city buses but provide express service with fewer stops. The passenger pays a little more for the express minibuses but arrived at their destination faster. Of course the passenger can also choose to pay less and ride on the larger buses which are slower with more stops.

Another form of transportation is the “gypsy taxi” so-named because they’re non-licensed and thus illegal for a gypsy taxi to mimic the same route as official transport. Neither are they supposed to use city bus stops and shelters to pick up passengers. But they do. Private passenger cars on their way pick up passengers for a fee. The driver pulls over, the passenger announces where he/she wants to go and the driver earns some extra money on the way to work.



In this video the camera is inside a (Маршруткa), a licensed minivan operating on its assigned route. Watch closely as private cars arrive at each stop ahead of the minivan to pick up passengers that by all rights belong to the licensed minibus driver who pays the city a monthly fee for the route. Are the gypsy taxis guilt of illegal poaching of paying customers? Of course, and that is why the driver has made a video. But will it help if he takes it to authorities? Probably not.

In large cities like Moscow Gypsy taxis are illegal and not supposed to operate anywhere, but the practice is common. In most smaller cities gypsy taxis are legal but drivers are not supposed to use established city routes and pick up facilities.

[mendeleyev]

In the Mendeleyev Journal...I have always loved two Russian cars over any other, the impressive and top of the line ZIL and the Volga. Now President Putin has a new limo, a ZIL, to replace his German made limo. I'm impressed with this ZIL.

The car known as ZIL has been the signature car in Russia for decades and the company that makes the high end vehicle hopes that a new limo for President Putin will resurrect the car's sagging sales for a vehicle seen as important to past generations but lacking the sleekness desired by younger buyers.  The president gets an updated car with loads of new innovations yet one that retains the historic style of a classic ZIL.

The shell of  Mr. Putin's new limo was manufactured in Russia by AMO ZIL, the same company that has built Russian presidential limos since the rule of Leonid Brezhnev. The engine and transmission were made in America while the car's design and special modifications for presidential use were designed and built in Russia.



(foto: Екатерина Рзянина; vesti.ru)

The limousine is a ZIL-4112P, the P stands for president, a model the company hopes to continue building for security conscious business executives. The new ZIL executive limo line features technological upgrades in ergonomic design, suspension, cooling system and power supply complete with a standby generator if needed. The new engine, built by American manufacturer Allison, has been upgraded to a fuel injection system with improved fuel economy and acceleration to 200 km/h. Improvements to fuel economy are also significant, now at 25 liters per 100 kilometers from a 7.7 liter engine with 400 horse power and a five speed automatic transmission also made in America.

Mr. Putin's new limousine has six doors and a wealth of safety and anti-terror innovations. Tires for the car's 16 inch wheels are specially made at a factory near Moscow and with full armour the vehicle weighs over 3.5 tons yet boasting increased acceleration and speed.



Currently President Putin rides in a German made Mercedes-Benz S-Guard Pullman.

[mendeleyev]

From today's Mendeleyev Journal:

For our American readers there continues to be worldwide coverage of Hurricane Sandy and today we highlight some aspects of the coverage from Russian media.

We'll begin with a short language glossary:
Ураган Сэнди is Hurricane Sandy and spoken as "Ora-gahn Cendi."

Супер шторм is Super Storm and when sounded is done with a Russian accent so that is sounds as "Su-pyer Storm" or "Su-pyer Stor-ma" depending on use.

США is the Russian abbreviation for USA and sounds like "Sh-Shah."

Россия is the word for Russia and sounds like "Rah-sea-ya."

Американский is the term for American and sounds as "Ameri-kahn-ski."

миллион is million; "mil-e-ohn."

долларов is the world for dollars; "doll-arovhf."


Report from Russian government TV "Channel One:"


Report from Russian TV channel "Russia 24:"




Russian newspaper and magazine coverage is provided via news syndicates such as vesti.ru (http://www.vesti.ru/theme.html?tid=100414):

[mendeleyev]

How to order at Wendy's when it is cold outside.

Привет. I'd like to start with some hot Чай (chai = tea) immediately! Ok, that is nice. Thank you. May I have the печеный картофель (baked potato) at the top left. It has беконом с сыр соусе (bacon with cheese sauce) and sure, you talked me into a Твист (potato twist). It is cold outside and a good tvist (there is no W in Russian) is good for.....well, its got to be good for something I'm sure.



(Wendy's on Old Arbat, Moscow.)

Okay, next let's have some hot Чили (chili) and I'd like the классик трипл (Classic triple) except put only one burger patty on the burger but please serve the other two on the side.

Why two patties on the side? If my wife asks then I can say that I ordered only ONE patty on my burger instead of three!

[Eduard]

What makes Russia so interesting? 

[Haroshij]

You are a smart lady, Ranetka!


Btw, I think that you are each correct.

The metric system deals with powers of 10:

• 1 meter = 

• 10 decimeters =

• 100 centimeters =

• 1000 millimeters 

However, as Manlooking points out, a gross which is the basic bulk unit of measurement in the metric system is a group of 12 (12 in each group) equaling 144 individual units.

However you can extend it in the other direction.
10 m = dam - decameter
100 m = hm - hectometer
1000 m = 1 km - kilometer
10000 m = 10 km = 1 mil

[mendeleyev]

Today in the Mendeleyev Journal:

English speakers in Moscow will soon have a English language radio station, not the first but the first full time English station, on the FM dial in Moscow starting next Monday the 12th of November. Last month the Moscow Media Group negotiated broadcast rights with the city of Moscow for the 105.2FM frequency.

City officials say that the station will cater to English speaking residents and tourists. Officials believe that at least 150,000 English speakers reside and work in the greater Moscow area. In addition to expats it is estimated that over 5 million English speaking visitors come to Moscow each year.



The station will occupy the frequency currently known as "Next 105.2" a station playing mainly R&B and Rock in English, featuring a playlist of singers like Vanilla Ice, Usher, Blondie, Pet Shop Boys, Rihanna, Madonna and Pink. Currently the Next 105.2 format remains on the air as of this report.

Station Chief Igor Shestakov of Moscow Media Group told Russian news service Kommersant that much of the content will come from state owned international news channel Russia Today television. Russia Today already provides programming from its Washington, DC (USA) programming facilities on stations in New York City and Washington, DC. Shestakov said that much of the news will be of interest to English speaking expats and Moscow residents.

Moscow residents may remember when Russian Oligarch Alexander Lebedev announced plans for an English-language radio station in Moscow in 2009.

[mendeleyev]

In today's MJ:

If finding English speakers in Saint Petersburg is of interest, then you're in luck. Whether to practice your English learning skills with native speakers or to network with other expats, the English Centre - Excellence invites you to stop by for a visit during their open house this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday (9-11 November/ноября). There will be open lessons for those who'd like to learn English and fun conversation.



The English Centre - Excellence is where one can find both English teachers and English teachers  and the address is Nevskiy, 80 (Адрес: Невский 80) and you may call for directions locally in Peter at  911-52-25.

Two new evening classes for Russian speakers who would like to learn English are starting next week so this is a great time to visit the Centre.

Также центр английского языка Excellence приглашает на открытые уроки тех, кто еще не знает английского.
Адрес: Невский 80
Контакты: 911-52-25

[mendeleyev]

In the Mendeleyev Journal:

Rush hour: one of the thrills for most Western visitors to Moscow is riding the underground Metro. Mostly underground with a few exceptions and the system that carries an average of 9 million riders every day.

How does it do that? Efficiently. Trains run every 90 seconds in peak hours which by the way in Russian is час пик. What is час пик? час is ch-a-s and that means "hour" or can be an expression of "time." пик is p-i-k and that means "peak" so час пик is a convenient way to describe peak hour/rush hour.
 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=SqRgXm7UfF4


Native Muscovites however are not so happy with a new map recently released. As reported in The Moscow News, "Moscow metro officials are looking for volunteers to create a replacement for a recently redesigned – and widely disliked – city metro transport map, said Pavel Sukharnikov, the metro’s spokesman, on Thursday."

"The current renewed design has been criticised for displaying the wrong dimensions and leaving out the Moscow River from the scheme, among other failures. Metro officials say they will respond to passengers’ suggestions this time around."


(By permission: City of Moscow; http://www.mos.ru/en)

Meanwhile Metro officials say that a Herrenknecht tunnel boring machine (TBM) is almost assembled so that engineers can begin tunneling between the Lermontovsky Prospekt and Vykhino subway stations in Moscow.
                 

[mendeleyev]

In the Mendeleyev Journal:

It was in November 1705 that Peter the Great issued a decree on the formation of the first regiment of marines. This new Russian service of the military was intended for service on warships as specially trained boarding & assault teams. This date, 27 November on the old calendar and 16 November on the new calendar, is now considered as the birth date of  the Russian naval infantry.



Happy anniversary, Marines!

[SANDRO43]

It was in November 1705 that Peter the Great issued a decree on the formation of the first regiment of marines.

They beat the Royal Marines by 50 years :

The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines (RM), are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service.The Royal Marines were formed in 1755 as marine infantry for the Royal Navy.

However, it can trace its origins back as far as 28 October 1664 when at the grounds of the Honourable Artillery Company "the Duke of York and Albanys maritime regiment of foot" was first formed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Marines

While their quick march is "A Life on the Ocean Wave":

their slow march is Russian!

[mendeleyev]

2013 will be the year of the snake so the editors of the Mendeleyev Journal plan to introduce several recipes in preparation for the great New Year 2013 celebration! The first recipe is a potato snake, modified slightly from the original for ease of preparation.


(photo: http://ovkuse.ru/id/24832/)

Those who've eaten snake claim that it tastes "just like chicken" and we're about to test that theory with this New Year's snake salad with chicken.

Ingredients:
2-3 cucumbers, either fresh or 5-6 pickled.

1 large can of olives.

4-5 medium/large boiled potatoes.

3 eggs, boiled.

2 pieces of fresh chicken.

Cheese curds or package of grated cheese.

2 small carrots, boiled.

1 can/tin of corn.

Preparation:
Marinate the chicken meat with lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped dill, then boil in lightly salted water until done, then allow to cool completely.
After the chicken has cooled separate the meat from the bones and cut into small pieces.

Put the eggs, potatoes and cheese through a coarse grater prior to chilling in the fridge.

Chill the ingredients for 30 minutes.
Mix the prepared ingredients with mayonnaise, pepper and salt; then form a snake on a platter.

Olives are cut into half and thin rings of cucumber are sliced into thin circles.

Carrots finish the snake, cucumbers and olives are used to form scales and in the center of each olive place a kernel of corn. The eyes of the snake are made of olives and the tongue of carrot.


In other developments, the Mendeleyev Journal is now easier to find. We've added new urls: www.mendeleyeevjournal.ru or from www.mendeleyevjournal.com.

[mendeleyev]

Salads on a Russian table are an indication of health, significance, happiness and success. A table may have one customary meat item but the more salads and side dishes, the more significant the celebration. So the Mendeleyev Journal continues with New Year celebration salads in the theme of the year of the snake for 2013.


(photo: http://i.ovkuse.ru/blogs/moi-mir/salatik-k-novomu-godu.html)

You can see the outline of a snake in the centre. This is a protein salad made with eggs and mackerel pike which are called сайрой in Russia. You may substitute any form of short fish if you don't like or have access to canned mackerel. This is a layered salad and each layer has it's own ingredients.


Salad layers (each layer is mixed with mayonnaise):
1 - boiled potatoes
 2 - onions
 3 - mackerel
 4 - boiled carrots
 5 - cheese
 6 - egg yolk
 7 - white Potatoes
Next in preparation:
Grate the carrots and cheese for the topping. Mix with finely chopped onion and mayonnaise. Chives for decorations.

Season to taste.

[jone]

That's just plain not fair.  My diet over here in the apartment has consisted of fruit and things I can boil.  Lucky for me Cafe Paris is right around the corner so I get my coffee and pastries.  But good salads are delish and I need to find me a woman who knows how to cook - and soon.

Thanks for sharing Mendeleyev!

[mendeleyev]

Jone, I've found that Russia and Ukraine contain some of the best cooks on the planet so I'm sure you'll be rescued. Make some friends in your neighborhood and over time you'll find yourself invited to their homes and be introduced to some of the best salads you've encountered.

Salads in the Eastern world aren't built around lettuce and while I like leafy greens, I enjoy the wide variety of salads here that don't revolve around lettuce. Meat salads, vegetable salads, fish salads, etc, make a Russian table a delight.

[mendeleyev]

In the Mendeleyev Journal continuing series on Russian New Year salads we introduce today a salad that is fun to eat and to see! If you like kiwi fruit and chicken then this is a salad you definitely want to try in celebrating the beginning of the year of the snake 2013.



(photo: http://forum.darievna.ru/topic1488.html-sid=fdb23ca1fff4ac932461f34e125a028d)


Ingredients:
chicken fillet - 200 g
Leeks - 1
Shrimp - 200 g
boiled eggs - 4
mayonnaise-200 g
canned corn - 1 can/tin
Apple - 1
Soybean oil 1 tbsp.
soy sauce 1 tbsp.

Needed to decorate the salad:
lettuce
olives - 1 can
cucumber - 1
Kiwi - 3

Preparation:
Cut the chicken into small strips and saute with soy oil and soy sauce.
Core the apple and cut into small cubes.
Immediately mix the diced apple and mayonnaise so that the apple doesn't change colour.
Cut the onion in half and then slice into thin half rings.
Chop the eggs and shrimp cut into small pieces.
Mix the corn with the rest of the ingredients and add more mayonnaise.
Spread the lettuce in the form of snake on a platter.

Decorations:
Use slices of kiwi use as scales of the snake by laying them on the surface.
Form the eyes by making circles with the eggs and olives.
(Optional: for a dragon look triangular slices of cucumber can be used as spikes.)
Along the bottom place elongated pieces of olives. For the tongue use a small strip of red apple (or tomato).

[ML]

One of my previous gals, along with her daughters, prepared some fancy 'animals' for a dinner at her house.

They do like the idea of 'decorating' the food.

[mendeleyev]

Thank you, ML. Mrs M looked at your photos, and being the creative type, says it gave her some useful ideas for the table.

[Anotherkiwi]

In the Mendeleyev Journal continuing series on Russian New Year salads we introduce today a salad that is fun to eat and to see! If you like kiwi fruit and chicken then this is a salad you definitely want to try in celebrating the beginning of the year of the snake 2013.


Needed to decorate the salad:
...Kiwi - 3

Decorations:
Use slices of kiwi use as scales of the snake by laying them on the surface.

mendy, you started so well I was going to applaud...then you slipped back into the bad habits!!!! 
 
Great recipe, by the way! 

[mendeleyev]

At the risk of being viewed somewhat like a supermarket tabloid the Mendeleyev Journal headline for today screams "Russians fear bureaucrats, even in the forest!

It turns out that the Russian people are just like everyone else around the world, fearing bureaucrats just about as much as anything else, often even more so. So when a poll surfaced showing what Russians believe to be "the most dangerous creature in the woods at night," bureaucrats ranked second.



лось = elk
медведь = bear
волк = wolf
лесничий = forest ranger/game warden
леший = mythical forest dwelling spirit/spirit monster

The number one most feared forest dweller turned out to be the комар (mosquito) and if you've ever encountered a Russian mosquito, the likes of which some swear would leave a Texas mosquito quivering in it's wake, you'd understand that fear.

We're surprised that the lowly (pun intended) змея, the Russian term for snake, didn't even register with the poll. Perhaps respondents were confused and equated bureaucrats for snakes. That would make sense.

On the other hand, we're equally surprised that the bureaucrats didn't top the list and allow the mosquitoes to come in second.

Recount anyone?

[jone]

That reminds me of a joke I first heard in Ivanovo. 

Two Russian Mosquitos were talking.  One says to the other, hey, I've caught a cow, let's take it down by the river and eat it.  The other one says, no, let's eat it here so the big ones down by the river don't steal our kill! 

[mendeleyev]

 

Hope you don't mind if I "borrow" that one for the next family gathering.

[mendeleyev]

That reminds me of a joke I first heard in Ivanovo.

Great place by the way! It is a very historic town with a honoured place in the history of Russia and a favourite of our family along the Golden Ring area. We covered then-President and Mrs. Medvedeva in their holiday stay in Ivanovo a couples of Christmases ago: http://russianreport.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/russian-president-medvedev-spends-christmas-in-ivanovo/