What makes the FSU so interesting?

[mendeleyev]

Someday I would like to learn how to stack firewood like this. One can imagine that learning the skill to take wood for winter use, without bringing the whole pile down, to be equally important.



Most often you find these in rural areas, and especially in Ukraine. However, I took this photo at a quiet monastery near our home just outside Moscow.

[Anotherkiwi]

Someday I would like to learn how to stack firewood like this. One can imagine that learning the skill to take wood for winter use, without bringing the whole pile down, to be equally important.

"Wow" is all I can say! 

[mendeleyev]

It seems that as human beings, we cannot help but to be inspired by music, and young people. This is Sergei and Tetyana, two young Ukrainians from Kyiv (Kiev) who are making some great music with instruments that are very popular in the Eastern world, but I don't think that these instruments are heard much any longer in the non-European West.

They have "covered" the Scorpions, Metallica, and others. I hope that you will enjoy this cover of a great Adele song!

[SANDRO43]

It seems that as human beings, we cannot help but to be inspired by music, and young people. This is Sergei and Tetyana, two young Ukrainians from Kyiv (Kiev) who are making some great music with instruments that are very popular in the Eastern world, but I don't think that these instruments are heard much any longer in the non-European West.

Wrong as far as the accordion is concerned which bears the visible mark of PIGINI (http://www.pigini.com/en/), a company based in Castelfidardo (Ancona), the Italian capital of accordion manufacturers:

As for the other instrument, the bandura, it's a type of finger-plucked zither or dulcimer that is still quite popular in various Eastern countries, with varying local names:

Better know in the West is the cognate Hungarian hammered cimbalom:

[jone]

Hey.  I love an old squeeze box.  Lawrence Welk, RIP. - A one-ah and a two-ah

Here's Tea for Two.

[mendeleyev]

Sandro, of course. That is why I mentioned the "non-European" West. 

It is interesting to learn from you the origin of these instruments. Both are often featured when the Kyiv Symphony tours, but my memories of them lapses after about age 15 in the States.

[SANDRO43]

Hey.  I love an old squeeze box.

Two different traditional schools, Parisian and Bairense:

[Muzh]

Carajo!!!


Esto es bailar, no joder el pavimento como hacen otros.

[mendeleyev]

There will be dancing on Sunday night at the Hard Rock Cafe in Moscow. The expats celebration of Halloween will begin around 6pm. The place is easy to find:

exit the Metro at Smolenskaya (line 3) Metro Station. Go outside to street level. Once outside, hang a right and walk to nearby Arbat street. Go straight and you will come to a large building (#44) with the Hard Rock Cafe flag flying at street level. 

Google Maps: http://goo.gl/maps/IKopZ
 Yandex Maps: http://maps.yandex.ru/-/CVvuqD26
 Web: http://www.hardrockcafe.ru/

[Anotherkiwi]

The place is easy to find:

exit the Metro at Smolenskaya (line 3) Metro Station. Go outside to street level. Once outside, hang a right and walk to nearby Arbat street. Go straight and you will come to a large building (#44) with the Hard Rock Cafe flag flying at street level. 

Which exit, Mendy?    Don't forget that all Metros have several and, if you pick the wrong one, you're toast.    Unless Smolenskaya has an exit actually labelled for Arbat, you may never get to the party.

[mendeleyev]

Sorry, and you are right. I sometimes forget that not everyone has been to Arbat, one of Moscow's oldest and popular pedestrian walking places. 




(Click on sign to make it bigger.)

The easiest way is to follow this girl in the miniskirt. It is so fun to follow the leader sometimes!



She exits the Metro by following the signs that say "exit to city" (in Russian) in the direction of Old Arbat. Upon exiting she turns right and it looks as if you're walking into an alley, and you are briefly. She is headed for the McDonald's. If you get lost anywhere near Metro Smolenskaya, just ask for McDonalds. She walks past the McD "Express Window" and at the corner (welcome to Arbat Street!) she walks out into the intersection. You'll slant left and follow her--why not, those are nice legs. Quickly she will point to a blue/greenish building on the right--that is Pushkin's home, and the camera pans it briefly. Immediately she turns and points to the left--that is the Pushkin memorial statue. The next building on the left is the Hard Rock Cafe and at about 2:45 on the video you can begin to make out the Hard Rock logo to the left.

[mendeleyev]

If you end up on a large bustling thoroughfare, instead of the alleyway, just circle around the building. That large busy street is not Old Arbat.

[mendeleyev]

Georgia is a great place to visit. Several of our members, 2TallBill quickly comes to mind, have spent time there. Chris Botti, famed Boston classical and smooth jazz musician has visited Tbilisi (capital city) twice. His concerts are inspiring and here is Chris on his second concert to Georgia.

You might wish to skip past the introduction which is not in English.

[mendeleyev]

The Mendeleyev Journal:

Count us as normally cautious when something seems too slick, or too glossy, at first sight. Thus, a group calling themselves "Foreigners In Russia" has peaked our interest, but not necessarily our endorsement as of yet. When something hits social media so polished at the outset, there is the possibility of a tie to the government's propaganda machine, which frankly in Russia is very sophisticated. We will provide some insight at the end of this article.

Meanwhile we'll give at least some leeway for the sake of argument. That includes the makeup of the expat (foreign) population in Russia. Most expats living in Russia did not just wake up one morning with the epiphany along the lines of "I will move to Russia today!" Instead, most have either work or family connections upon moving to Russia. All expats must have reasons that pass the muster of the government.

So, that being said, where do these expats (supposedly) come from?





According to this chart, once you subtract the CIS (former Soviet) countries, most expats are from Europe. When you look at these numbers, it is useful to understand that they very likely represent trading and business relationships between Russia and abroad. Most of the expats are employed by companies that have origins in these European nations, or at companies that do business with those nations.

What about Latin America?





The numbers are much smaller for several reasons: the ability of poor countries to afford travel and options to live abroad, the reality that people with darker skin are not so readily accepted in Russia, and that only recently has Russia began to cultivate relationships with Latin American nations via the BRICS trading alliance.

There are legitimate reasons for Western expats to be concerned about life in Russia. New laws dictate that any foreign resident declared as an 'undesirable' might well be required to pay a 500,000 Ruble fine (approximately $7,700) and be sentenced up to six years in a Russian prison. Such laws are designed to keep foreigners from migrating illegally, and from participating in activities that the government views as political in nature.

The Russian economy is contracting and Russia's Federal Migration Service reports that since early 2014, "some  41 percent of Spanish nationals, 38 percent of British nationals, 36 percent of U.S. nationals and 31 percent of German nationals have left Russia", according to a report in The Moscow Times.

Currently, there is even more concern for American expats given the current tensions between Moscow and Washington. When Americans do run into trouble with Russian authorities, Russia does not recognize the standing of the US Embassy and its diplomatic missions to assist American citizens. The mood in Russia has turned decidedly anti-American in recent times, especially since the annexation of Crimea and Russia's war in Eastern Ukraine.

Russia actively screens potential expats for their suitability to live in Russia. Under new migration rules, those applying to live in Russia must pass a basic language test that includes a minimum vocabulary of 1,250 words. A test on Russian civics must be passed, and new questions added to the Russian history test include the applicants view on the annexation of Crimea, and a question on Stalin's policy of farm collectivization. Passing the test is required: 60% is the minimum score for those with a work permit, and 75% is needed for those seeking a residency permit.

As to the truthfulness in the charts and their percentages listed above, how many American live in Russia? The answer is about the same number who live on the Netherlands Antilles island of Curacao: about 6,000. How many Britons live in Russia? The answer: 6,100 according to the British Institute for Public Policy Research. The first chart lists the number at 10%, yet it fails to list the number of Americans.

Our suspicions remain just that: suspicious.

[mendeleyev]

Sergei Baklykov and his new cameraman Renat released last week another Real Russia episode on housing development. Here is that program:

[Boethius]

Are modern Russian apartment buildings as poorly constructed as they are in Ukraine?

[mendeleyev]

It depends on the target market for buyers. In Russia, when it comes to new housing, think Sochi in regards to shady land deals and shoddy construction. However, there are German and French developers in several large cities and not only is their focus on quality, but they are held to a higher standard by inspectors. At the same time, their developments are not cheap--it seems to be a case of "getting what you pay for" in that respect.

[2tallbill]

Georgia is a great place to visit. Several of our members, 2TallBill quickly comes to mind, have spent time there.

Georgian Legends are one of my favorites. They combine authentic Georgian music,
dance and of course the amazing Georgian countryside. Georgia was at the crossroads
between Europe and Asia and their unique dance was designed to be a preparation for
fighting. Many countries wanted to control the trade routes.

[mendeleyev]

Readers by now understand that I have been an Orthodox Christian for many years and have a home church in Moscow. However, there are other churches represented in and across Russia.

The very first non-Orthodox body was given permission by Ivan (the Terrible) to have weekly services. Given that Ivan first opened Russia to the English, and allowed England to have the first Embassy in Russia, it was natural for the English merchants to be allowed to have their own church services. That Embassy, now a museum property called the "Old English Court" is just two minutes behind Red Square on  Ulitsa Varvarka (Barbara Street), which is the oldest street in Moscow.

The Anglican "Embassy Church" to the Russian Orthodox Church is Saint Andrews, a beautiful structure also not far from the Kremlin. The Bolsheviks used the tall tower of this church to place machine guns during the fighting the ensued with the Communist revolution.

[mendeleyev]

How does Red Square look during the winter holidays? It becomes a giant skating rink with food and speciality vendors. The best time to go is in the evening to take in the lights and action. You will stand in long lines to enter, and you must pass thru metal detectors, but it is definitely worth the wait.

[mendeleyev]

In today's Mendeleyev Journal...

The beautiful Novospassky Monastery (Новоспасский монастырь) in Moscow. The monastery itself dates to the 14th century. It is considered to be the oldest monastery in Moscow. It was originally located inside the walls of the Kremlin.




Most of the surviving structures were completed when Mikhail Romanov became Tsar in 1612. of Several members of the early Romanov dynasty are interred in the basement of the main Cathedral which dates to 1645.

At the bottom right you can see a glimpse of Mrs. Mendeleyeva ready to enter the basement.





The photo below caught a scene of onion domes in the snow while an unknown girl was spending a moment of silence to pray. The main Cathedral features an area where visitors can light candles and pray for cancer victims.





Napoleon's troops ransacked the monastery but it was restored after the French were driven out of Russia. The Communists closed the monastery and turned it into a political prison during much of the Soviet period.

In 1991 the government returned the property to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Address: Krestyanskaya pl., 10, Moskva, Russia, 115172
Hours: 7AM–8PM   
Moscow phone: 495 676-95-70

[mendeleyev]

In today's Mendeleyev Journal...

The Last Stone Building in Moscow (for awhile):



During rush hours Moscow's Taganskaya Square is one of the most congested points in Moscow with a multi-junction intersection with six lanes of traffic in each direction. At the far right you can make out the Golden Arch of a McDonald's cafe, and below it is the logo of a KFC restaurant.

The beautiful onion domes call attention to the Church of Saint Nikolas on Bolvanovka at Taganskaya Square with a view of the electric tram & trolleybus cables overhead.
 


The sign is in Russian Cyrillic and reads "stop." Seen in the lower part of the photo is the red "M" denoting a Metro subway station, the Taganskaya station.

The Church holds a special place in Moscow history, not only because it is a Bulgarian Orthodox Church, but construction was barely completed in the year 1712, just before Peter the Great's order than no stone buildings could be built in Russia outside of his great capital city, St. Petersburg.

During the oppressive Soviet period the Communists closed the church and used it as a warehouse. It was returned to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in 1990 and today it is an active parish.

[mendeleyev]

What these young adults are doing is illegal in Russia, so my thought is that they received special permission to ski behind a vehicle in Saint Petersburg, and especially on Palace Square.

These are very beautiful scenes of Piter in a nighttime winter setting!

[Chicagoguy]

Mendy - why are some of the STOP signs in Russia written in English and look exactly the same as U.S.

[SANDRO43]

Mendy - why are some of the STOP signs in Russia written in English and look exactly the same as U.S.

For dumb non-Russians ?