Russian Life: Sep/Oct 2003

16: Alexander Galich Dasha Demourova
A biography of Alexander Galich, noted writer, poet and bard.
Russian Calendar

23: Vegetarian Disses and Disguises Lina Rozovskaya
A veritable salad of linguistic phrases based on vegetables to spice up your Russian.
Survival Russian

24: Miracles on a Shoestring Nick Allen
The Russian Space Program has enjoyed a remarkable string of successes and firsts over the past half-century. But, since the fall of the USSR, it has been forced to adapt to new, more commercial realities. We sent Nick Allen to Baikonur, the main Russian launch site, to report back on how the program is fairing.
Features

32: Kalmykia: Reviving the Dusty Plain Laura Williams
A huge expanse of desert and grassy plains, this southern Russian republic has an austere beauty all its own. Of course there is also Chess City and the horse races...
:: Illustrations/Images by Igor Shpilenok
Features

40: Pickle This! Darra Goldstein
Pickled Garlic is our featured recipe in this issue.
Cuisine

41: Where East Becomes West Ilya Stogoff
Last year, we sent St. Petersburg writer Ilya Stogoff to the opposite end of Russia in the dead of winter. It did not improve his mood. But he did have some interesting experiences. This, his first of four installments on his travels throughout Russia's Far East, is a fun read.
Travel

46: Defending Russian Nature Fred Strebeigh
Over the last century, Russia has created a system of preserves -- zapovedniki -- where wilderness holds sway and humans are rarely allowed. It is the world's largest system of strict nature preserves. We meet some of the heroes quietly working to preserve these zapovedniki, despite miserly allocations from the government.
Features

54: Russia Goes to the Polls Natasha Yefimova
Nikita Khrushchev once said, "Politicians are the same everywhre: they promise to build a bridge even where there is no river." As political observer Natasha Yefimova shows, there have been surprisingly few promises made or platforms pronounced in the run-up to this December's Duma election. The reasons for this are quite interesting.
Features

60: Matroshkas, Dachas, Travel and more
In this issue, we review a book on the history of matryoshkas, a revised travel guide, a book on dachas, on Putin, some fiction and much more!
Under Review

64: Where the Russians Are
A color-coded map of the US, showing which states have the highest percentage of Russian immigrants.
Post Script