What makes the FSU so interesting?

[mendeleyev]

You are absolutely right. Thanks for catching that!

In some of the far east republics Hinduism is more common and I guess that was on my brain at the time.

[Misha]

You are absolutely right. Thanks for catching that!

In some of the far east republics Hinduism is more common and I guess that was on my brain at the time.

Actually, I don't know of any republics where Hinduism is common. You must be thinking of the Buryats and Buddhism.

[mendeleyev]

Perhaps it was too much vodka instead of thinking. 

(And I rarely drink!)

[Gator]

Actually, I don't know of any republics where Hinduism is common. You must be thinking of the Buryats and Buddhism.

"Common" is the key descriptor.   You probably already know that the nation with the greatest number of Muslims is India.   Most people miss that piece of trivia. 

[Misha]

"Common" is the key descriptor.   You probably already know that the nation with the greatest number of Muslims is India.   Most people miss that piece of trivia.

After Indonesia and Pakistan, of course. I was being polite by the use of "common" as I do not know of any traditional Russian populations that practiced Hinduism There are certainly Hindus in Russia now, but they would be more recent migrants.

[mendeleyev]

"Common" is the key descriptor.   You probably already know that the nation with the greatest number of Muslims is India.   Most people miss that piece of trivia.

I'd missed it. Makes sense though geographically.

I was being polite by the use of "common" as I do not know of any traditional Russian populations that practiced Hinduism

Thank you. I was thinking of the Altai Republic and the Yakutia of the Sakha Republic but the majority religion there is probably the practice of shamanism. Vladimir Putin had made a trip east a few years ago and toured a Hindu monastery/temple near Yakutsk and that may have been in the back of my mind as well.

[Misha]

I'd missed it. Makes sense though geographically.
Thank you. I was thinking of the Altai Republic and the Yakutia of the Sakha Republic but the majority religion there is probably the practice of shamanism. Vladimir Putin had made a trip east a few years ago and toured a Hindu monastery/temple near Yakutsk and that may have been in the back of my mind as well.

It wouldn't have been a historic temple as prior to the arrival of Russian Orthodoxy the Sakha and indigenous peoples had shamanic practices and beliefs. Hinduism has been spreading only recently whether in Moscow or elsewhere due to the rise of the Hare Krishnas and others.

[mendeleyev]

Exactly, shamanism would be historically dominate in that region. As I recall the trip was when Putin was in the latter part of his second term and he stopped at the temple/monastery for a photo-op to show Russia's tolerance for religion.

[OlgaH]

BTW, Russian schools have the same options as then in the US...kids can opt out and the region can be represented by faiths other than Orthodox. The 4 protected religions in Russia: Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism have access to public school time for teaching religion and ethics.

Not exactly so. The lessons on "Fundamentals of religions and secular ethics" are still on experimental level in the public schools, I hope it will not go farther than that. But the government along with official Orthodox Church pushes the Orthodoxy that is not acceptable in my opinion and in opinion of many public school teachers. The Russian Federation is ethically diverse and there are many religions the people practice, and a religion is a cradle of culture. That's why when I was invited to take a position of World Culture History teacher at our Eparchy Sunday school I politely refused as I look at every religion first of all from the cultural perspective.

Olga, are you still producing those excellent videos on Russia?

I think they would be great for a thread like this.

Not now. I'm mostly staying busy with our business 

[OlgaH]

Exactly, shamanism would be historically dominate in that region. As I recall the trip was when Putin was in the latter part of his second term and he stopped at the temple/monastery for a photo-op to show Russia's tolerance for religion.

I could not find anything in Russian news on Putin's visit of Hindu temple near Yakutia or Shaman temple. I also would like to know about the Hindu Temple near Yakutia, and  I  can not recall any temple or monastery in Shamanism.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism

But I remember Medvedev visited Ivolginsky Datsan in Buryatia in 2009. Putin also was going to make his visit along with Medvedev, but I think he did not make it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivolginsky_Datsan


Yakut God Aiyy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aiyy


Hinduism in Russia.
A large centre is being built in Moscow, which was initially opposed by the Russian Orthodox Church. In 2003 the authorities asked devotees to vacate their temple in exchange for a piece of land on which they could build a bigger temple.[4]

This was followed immediately by mass protests orchestrated by the Russian Orthodox Church which did not want land given to a temple that was "converting Russian Christians to a Hindu way of life". Hindus were victimized, threatened, bullied, beaten and subject to violence. A misinformation campaign was launched against Hindus by the Orthodox Church.[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_in_Russia

"Orthodoxy or Death" is written on their T-shirts (absolutely legal in Russia)

[mendeleyev]

Olga it is senseless to brand the ROC as the sole contributor to bigotry in Russia. Should we also bring up Muslim on Muslim violence in places like Dagestan?

I think not as neither contributes to this topic.

[OlgaH]

Olga it is senseless to brand the ROC as the sole contributor to bigotry in Russia. Should we also bring up Muslim on Muslim violence in places like Dagestan?

I think not as neither contributes to this topic.

mendeleyev, it is what it is, a reality in the Russian Federation.  I think such facts also would be interesting to know 

Personally I don't greet and justify any aggression in any religion, and especially when a religion is used as a political tool, as an ideology. 

[SANDRO43]

One can find Hindus where least expected . One of their subgroups, the warlike, turbaned Punjab Sikh, last August dedicated their largest temple in Europe - costing about € 2M, € 1.3M loaned by a local bank, the rest raised from worshippers' donations:   

Where? At Pessina Cremonese, a hitherto mostly unknown little town in the farming/cattle-raising area near Cremona (best known for its luthier traditions - home to Stradivari and Guarneri), where the Sikh arrived in the mid 1990s as stable minders and formed a substantial community over time.

The temple is not yet topped by pagodas as in their golden Amritsar shrine,  but will be in the future, their Lord Shiva willing .

[mendeleyev]

So how do Russians advertise a personal item to sell or offer a service?

In older days you'd tape or plaster some kind of paper announcement on the entry wall of a Metro station. The citywide clean up efforts have mostly done away with that opportunity.

Of course there are other ways, such as...

The Community Bulletin Board:
LiveJournal has transformed the Russian social scene and even CraigsList has come to Russia. But one of the easiest ways to look for an advertisement or service is just outside your building's front door. It is the free community bulletin board.


http://www.livejournal.com/

http://moscow.craigslist.org/

However one of the easiest ways to look for an advertisement or service is just outside your building's front door. It is the free community bulletin board.


 


This is the bulletin board located outside the front door of our apartment building. Very often you can find these outside neighborhood markets and pharmacies, too.

[mendeleyev]

How do Russians manage social networking? If a Russian wishes to spread a message, contact long lost friends, has something to sell or needs to find an item to purchase, how do they get that message to others?

Of course social networking takes on many forms, from Facebook type services, the new Google+, to a Twitter account. Then too there are the old standbys like Craigslist or even a piece of paper stapled to a corkboard like in the photo above. But Russians do more for social networking than just LiveJournal, CraigsList or bulletin boards.

VKontakte (ВКонтакте) is perhaps the biggest in the former Soviet Union and popular around the world with Russian speakers. VKontakte translates as "in contact" and shares many similarities with Facebook. Many Russians use Facebook as well. www.Vkontakte.ru and the sister website www.vk.com make up the 5th busiest website in Russia.





Like Facebook, VKontakte allows users to post messages and make contacts either publicly or privately, however a big advantage is its file sharing technology such as the torrent ability for members to share large files.

How do you participate in social networking? Leave a comment and let us know.

[mendeleyev]

From the Mendeleyev Journal feature on Life In A Russian Home:


Russian entryways can look very rundown yet the apartments inside could be very nice. Often that is done on purpose to foil burglars, etc. While the photo below is not the Mendeleyev entryway, it is representative of many across Russia.



So recently we decided to get one of those new electronic locking mechanisms. They're a tad expensive at first but no more bulk keys, and since most apartments have either double or triple deadbolts, the keys add up in a hurry!

So far, so good and we're enjoying the installation on a new door of solid wood and then a metal plate covered by an attractive wood veneer, a standard feature of doors here.




Perhaps you didn't notice but it is a keyless entry system. Instead of carrying around a bulky key ring you must either carry the combination carefully written somewhere in a wallet or make certain that the combination is committed to memory.

There is a feature that shuts the system down if someone attempts to enter with the wrong combination--which is how I locked myself out recently. I nearly panicked until remembering that we had set a 5 minute reset, so I sat on the concrete stairs and waited for some minutes to pass after which time I had remembered the correct sequence for our 9 digit combination.

So, how does it work exactly?




Part of the mystery is that unless you know how to operate the door, you can't even enter a combination. That can be a minus for forgetful folk like me. Okay, it is a multiple deadbolt system made by Samsung. There is battery backup and God knows what will happen someday when both the electricity is off and the batteries dead!
 
The handle only works after the combination has been entered and verified. The little round button below the "Samsung" name is the door bell. Press it and the door chimes. Option: Some units can be programmed to call cell phones when somebody rings the doorbell and we can patch into the intercom to find out who is ringing the bell when away from home. We didn't take that option but it sounds pretty cool.

Next, on the Samsung unit there is a digital screen, visible only after activation to frustrate unwanted visitors. To activate the digital screen with the keypad for combination entry one must press the little silver bar (almost unseen) located between the word SAMSUNG and the round doorbell button. Once the screen is visible then it is just like a smartphone phone keyboard to enter the combination which triggers a series of noises and rings (waking up everyone inside) as the lock disengages so that everyone is aware when the door opens.

The door locks immediately upon shutting after entry. We could have set it to lock after 15 or 30 or 60 seconds but we chose the immediate option. If the door doesn't close properly or is stuck open an alarm sounds.

On the door handle you'll notice metal slits and those are speakers for the intercom. There is an eye peephole standard in the door and in addition to seeing the person ringing, you can use the intercom to find out who is knocking, and why.

The smartest thing I've done is keep the number of the installer hidden in my wallet along with the combination because this is modern technology and at some point, I'll need his help at some weird hour in the middle of the early morning.

Until that time, we're feeling very secure.

[mendeleyev]

I was browsing thru the LiveJournal ads for items for sale and came across dancing lessons. Join a dance club and learn the "hustle" for just 600 руб. Not bad!

The person offering the classes at a central Moscow location had loaded this video as an example of the "hustle" dance.






While not certain that this represents the hustle as we know it, I can tell you that most Western guys are left in the dust when it comes to dancing. Especially American guys.

This kind of dance venue is called "Open Air" (meaning out in the open/non structured) in Russia and Ukraine and very popular in the 24-40 age bracket.

Is dancing important to many RW and UW?

Yes.

Not that you'll lose the girl if you don't, but if you want to see the sparkle in a Russian gal's eyes, dance with her. Not some jerky movements learned from a nightclub, any guy can shake his groove thing which is where most of us begin at first. We're talking about dancing that is learned and perfected.

Did you know that Russia and Ukraine have some of the most polished swing, hop and ballroom dancers under the planet, under the age of 35 even? When it comes to dancing the 1950's and 60's are alive and well in the FSU.

Ребят, есть скидочные флаеры на первый месяц занятия хастлом для начинающих в клубе "Движение". Народ пожадничал, и они щас лежат без дела. Реализовать можно до конца года, а может и продлят срок.
Там получается скидка 80%, вместо 3200, платите 600р (не мне, а клубу за месяц занятий).

Тем кто давно хотел, но не решался, самое оно.
Писать лучше в личку, в коментах тоже отвечаю.
Встретиться могу в метро по договоренности.

In a nutshell the ad tells of a bunch of discounts resulting in a 600 руб price and the offer to meet and dance. Supposedly the normal price for lessons is 3200 руб but if we act now...

The YouTube video is old--August 2009. Wonder if that is him in the video?

For those of you in Moscow and interested, he also posts that flyers are being passed out at Metro Полежаевская around 17:30 each weekday evening (5:30pm). He's also willing to meet someone (a gal I presume) to share the lessons.

Hmm...passing out flyers at Metro stations is now illegal. Interesting.



Here is a guy offering to sell his 6 remaining flu tablets. Wonder if this is a knock off product? I've heard of Coldact Flu Plus, but to sell 6 tablets from a used package...

субботу, м.Тимирязевская, примерно в 16 часов. Или после 20 часов, можно в центре.

 I think the dude is on drugs. He offers to meet Saturday at Metro Timiryazevskaya (busy place in NW Moscow), at hour 16 (4pm). Then says maybe 20 hours (8pm).
 
 Are we supposed to wait 4 hours for him to show up just to buy some leftover flu tablets?


One last online LiveJournal ad (similar to a CraigsList):
 
 




This person wants to sell his used journals. Only problem is that he forgot to post his location, email or phone.
 
 Moscow is the biggest city in Europe. We are not going to drive aimlessly around just hoping to stumble into a guy selling his used journals.
Maybe he is proud of the Playboy edition and doesn't really want to sell his rags, just wants other people to know what he has.

[mendeleyev]

Dancing on your visit
 
 
 танец = dance  "tahn yits"
 
 танцы = dancing  "tAHn tse"
 
 
 This couple is really good:
 
 
 
 
 Interesting also the number of girls sitting on the sidelines. My guess is that a guy not afraid, after all not every couple out there is as polished as these two, would have cecent opportunity to meet single gals at a venue such as this. Talk about breaking the ice in spite of language barriers!
 
 
 Same venue:
 
 
 
 
 
 Different venue:
 
 


As you can see there are a variety of skill levels so no matter your skill set, go for it and enjoy!

[mendeleyev]

From the Mendeleyev Journal page on Orthodox Christmas in Russia:


There are 2 major fasts during the Orthodox year along with numerous "minor" fasts. The fast, called a "post" in Russian, is for the purpose of cleansing and discipline. The first major fast is the Easter Fast and the last of the year is the "Nativity Fast." A major fast is always followed by a major feast.

The Nativity Fast lasts for 40 days just like the Easter Fast. This fast is sometimes called the "little Pashka" (Easter) because Christ came as a baby and the nativity prepares us to celebrate his birth.


2011 Western calendar fasting period
15 ноября (November) and for 40 days through 24 декабря (December). Christmas day on 25 December.


2011 Eastern (Russian) fasting period
28 ноября (November) until Christmas Eve, 6 январь (January 2012). Christmas day on 7 January 2012.


Acceptable exemptions to the fast:
- When given an exemption by a priest.
- When traveling.
- When a guest in someones home.
- When guests are in your home.
- For legitimate health reasons.
- Young children are exempt.
- Elderly are exempt (although often they are the most pious).
- When fasting would call undue attention--the fast is for personal discipline, not to make others uncomfortable.
- When a woman is pregnant.


What items does one give up during a fast:
- Meat of any kind (except fish on certain days).
- Oil in cooking.
- Wine, beer, vodka....any kind of alcohol.
- Dairy products.
- Egg products.
- All parties and celebrations are delayed until after 7 January.
- Some couples give up sex completely, others curtail the frequency during the fast, both must agree...and many do.
- It is a good time to try to give up unhealthy habits like smoking, swearing, etc.


"Wow, this is strict!" some will say.  So,

What is the purpose of the Orthodox fast:
- Christ fasted for 40 days in the wilderness, eating only fruits and berries.  He spent the time in prayer.
- The fasts are designed to assist one to be more like Christ, spending more time in prayer.
- Every time you feel hungry, instead of eating, say a prayer asking God for discipline in your spiritual life.
- Discipline...in the Orthodox faith one should try to discipline the flesh (body).  The flesh leads to sin but the spirit leads to everlasting life.
- Such a prolonged discipline leads to a very joyful celebration to the feast of Christ's nativity on Christmas day!


How is observed:
- Government offices allow employees to observe the fast and most government cafeterias change to a "fast friendly" menu.
- Most public schools also modify to a "fast friendly" menu.
- Supermarkets and other food stores modify inventory as less meat and dairy products and more vegetable products are purchased. Some even post fast-friendly menu suggestions.
- Many restaurants offer a fasting friendly menu alongside the regular offerings, others switch to a fasting only menu for the 40 days.
- Republics that are primarily Muslim offer the option to employees and in some years the Islamic fast of Eid al-Adha, to commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son as commanded by God, is celebrated near the same times as the Nativity Fast.


Do only religious Russians fast?
- Not at all. For some non-religious persons the fast is a cultural event and part of Russian history. Others use it as a time for diet and cleansing, and some don't fast at all.

[mendeleyev]

One of the famous stations near the Mendeleyev Journal is just up the line, Метро Чкаловская (Metro Chkalovskaya). The name is shared with a Moscow neighborhood (Чкаловской/Chkalovskoi) however the district isn't near the Metro station.





Метро Чкаловская was named for the after the famous Soviet aviator Валерий Павлович Чкалов (Valery Pavlovich Chkalov) who was a Red Army airforce test pilot and received the "Hero of the Soviet Union" award in 1936. In 1937 he successfully completed a 63-hour flight from Moscow to Vancouver, Washington (USA) via the North Pole flying a Tupolev ANT-25 plane.

It was at least in part due to men like Chkalov who popularized the concept of Josef Stalin as "Father" to every Soviet citizen. In fact, Chkalov published an article titled “Our Father” about Stalin soon after becoming the first person to fly from Moscow to the United States.

Valeriy Chkalov died in December of 1938, before the Great Patriotic War with Germany. The Metro station named in his honour is on the Lyublinskaya Line and is a transfer station to the Kurskaya-Koltsevaya and the Kurskaya-Radialnaya radial of the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line. It also offers access to Moscow's Kurskiy Rail Terminal.

 



Soon we'll visit the Chkalov neighborhook as it offers an interesting view on classic Stalinist design and building construction.

[mendeleyev]

Coming soon: Visit to Moscow's Chkalov district.

[mendeleyev]

From the Mendeleyev Journal section on the Great Patriotic War:


Russians sometimes seem offended at any American expression of pride over victory in WWII. Despite all those Red Army rations, medical supplies and equipment stamped "made in the USA" it is as if Russia fought Germany all by herself.



Several American contributions listed at Moscow's Victory Park museum.




American Jeep displayed at Moscow's Victory Park museum.


Americans are equally ignorant of the price paid by the Eastern side in obtaining that joint victory.

So just where does that leave the British?

Unfortunately, the British contributions are often overlooked and that is a mistake because the English were of utmost importance in the winning of that war. Granted, the typical American reaction is that "we bailed them out" and the typical Russian reaction is that Britain delayed in opening a 2nd front and thereby cost millions of Soviet lives.

There is truth is both those views but a lack of appreciation as well. The Brits played a front-line role and held the war open long enough for the giant American industrial machine to enter the fray making the difference without which both Russkies and Brits would be speaking German in public schools today.

But did Churchill just hold the door open long enough to be rescued? Not on your life. Winston Churchill played a leading role, as did the British people, in winning the war. I said and meant a leading role.





Russians need to remember that British, Canadian and American soldiers fought bravely and died without the threat of political officers who remained in the rear to shoot Red Army deserters, even though they were defending freedom of someone else. That is not meant to be critical of Russian soldiers, but the voluntary service displayed by many British and American soldiers is a hard concept for some Russians to swallow.

Americans need to learn that somewhere between 25-28 million Soviet citizens and soldiers were killed in the brutal fighting, making American deaths, while important, in terms of statistics a mere drop in the bucket.




Photo taken of a full room mural inside Moscow's Victory Park museum.


The war was costly for everyone and both Russians and Americans should brush up on Britain's brilliant war strategies and unselfish personal and national sacrifices.

[Gator]

American Jeep displayed at Moscow's Victory Park museum.

If this is the outdoor museum on top of a Moscow hill, interesting place.  I enjoyed the huge artillery mounted on a railcar, plus climbing over the tanks.

Americans are equally ignorant of the price paid by the Eastern side in obtaining that joint victory.

  To some degree but far from equally.  The Soviet losses were too horrific to ignore.  Russians today are more ignorant of what we and the Brits did.

Granted, the typical American reaction is that "we bailed them [Britain] out"...

  Brits in turn complained that American troops were overpaid and oversexed.
 
 

and the typical Russian reaction is that Britain delayed in opening a 2nd front and thereby cost millions of Soviet lives.

What!!! To think that is ignorance.
 
Britain declared war on Hitler in 1939 and was fighting bloody campaigns for almost two years prior to Hitler invading USSR.  Meanwhile what was Stalin doing?  Hiding behind  nonaggression pact with Hitler, Stalin invaded Poland, seized the Baltic states,   and took part of Finland and Romania.  Hitler thought Stalin went too far.  Only after losing the Battle of Britain did Hitler turn East and invade USSR. 
 
Let us not forget the Japanese.   From the 1900s to the 1930s, Russia/USSR and Japan had clashed periodically over Eastern borders.   Stalin thought it best to have a treaty with Japan.  That freed Japan to focus their military power towards the Brits and Americans (and the Dutch and French) in the Pacific.
 
The Brits had their hands full with the Nazis and Japanese.  In effect the Brits did create a second front (North Africa and Italy with the Americans). 
 
 

Winston Churchill played a leading role, as did the British people, in winning the war. I said and meant a leading role.

Well known fact, at least well known by older generations of Americans.   Time washes away much of what was important earlier.
 

Americans need to learn that somewhere between 25-28 million Soviet citizens and soldiers were killed in the brutal fighting, making American deaths, while important, in terms of statistics a mere drop in the bucket.

True, although I recall the number being around 20 million.   Many of us knew that before we starting chasing RW.  The losses were too horrific to be forgotten.  BTW, how many casualties were civilian vs. military?  How many of the civilians were due to holocaust?  How many civilians starved because their military would not surrender (St. Petersburg). 

The war was costly for everyone and both Russians and Americans should brush up on Britain's brilliant war strategies and unselfish personal and national sacrifices.

My ex-wife from Moscow is intelligent and enjoys history.  Until she visited the WWII museum in new Orleans, she did not realize the extent of the American war with the Japanese.   She knew about Hiroshima, but not the rationale about saving the lives of one million American soldiers.   And how about Stalin finally deciding to fight Japan after Hiroshima (where was he the previous 4 years?).  MacArthur made sure that the USSR made no inroads into Japan such as done in Eastern Europe.

[ML]

MacArthur made sure that the USSR made no inroads into Japan such as done in Eastern Europe.

Are you forgetting about  the three southernmost Kuril islands?

[Gator]

Are you forgetting about  the three southernmost Kuril islands?

The USSR wanted  ice-free ports along the Pacific.  Vladivostok provided this, yet air and sea military forces from the  Kurile Islands could easily blockade its access. USSR felt it was imperative to acquire these islands, so the US relented.  Maybe this was in the Potsdam accord or some other agreement such as made in Yalta.    Regardless, USSR had much larger goals than these islands.
 
 
From Wiki:
 

On V-J Day, United States President Harry Truman appointed General Douglas MacArthur as Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP), to supervise the occupation of Japan. During the war, the Allied Powers had planned to divide Japan amongst themselves for the purposes of occupation, as was done for the occupation of Germany. Under the final plan, however, SCAP was given direct control over the main islands of Japan (Honshū, Hokkaidō, Shikoku and Kyūshū) and the immediately surrounding islands, while outlying possessions were divided between the Allied Powers as follows:
   Soviet Union: North Korea (not a full occupation), Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands
United States: South Korea (not a full occupation), Okinawa, the Amami Islands, the Ogasawara Islands and Japanese possessions in Micronesia
Republic of China: Taiwan and Penghu It is unclear why the occupation plan was changed. Common theories include the increased power of the United States following development of the atomic bomb, Truman's greater distrust of the Soviet Union when compared with Roosevelt, and an increased desire to contain Soviet expansion in the Far East after the Yalta Conference.
The Soviet Union had some intentions of occupying HokkaidÅ. Had this occurred, there might have been the foundation of a communist "Democratic People's Republic of Japan" in the Soviet zone of occupation. However, unlike the Soviet occupations of East Germany and North Korea, these plans were frustrated by the opposition of President Truman.