October 03, 2007 Putinâ??s Plan I saw this coming. Really, I did...For months, I have been privately sharing a prediction about Putin's succession plan. Unfortunately, I really cannot prove it, since I never committed the prediction to print. So you're going to have to trust me on this. Same thing happened back in the 1980s, when I correctly predicted the Andropov-Chernenko-Gorbachev succession before each slogging step. But of course I did not put that in print either. There were no blogs back then. Russia File
September 27, 2007 Ancient Peoples of the Russian Steppes Scythians, Sarmatians, Amazons; all ancient inhabitants of Russia's southern steppes. These Mesopotamic, nomadic tribes were feared warriors and accomplished horsemen who warded off the mightiest rulers including Darius and Alexander. History Russia File
September 21, 2007 Russian Corporatism This ran in the Wall Street Journal yesterday and was circulated on the esteemed Johnson's List. It is so intriguing, I felt it deserved quoting in its entirety.The Board Members of Russia, Inc.By Garry KasparovIt has been both amusing and disturbing to watch the Western media chase its tail after the appointment of Viktor Zubkov to the post of Russian prime minister.Amusing because these are the same experts and pundits who wr Russia File
September 20, 2007 Two Films So last night I watched two films. The first was The Color of Pomegranates, by director Sergei Paradjanov. I picked it up from Netflix, intrigued by the blurb:Paradjanov's acclaimed poetic masterpiece was banned by Soviet censors who feared it was a nationalist parable.The story depicts the life and spiritual odyssey of the medieval Armenian poet and troubadour Sayat Nova, and his rise from carpet weaver to archbish Russia File
September 04, 2007 Ded Moroz Ded Moroz; Grandfather Frost; is the Russian counterpart to the Western Santa Claus and other Gift Givers worldwide. He and his assistant, Snegurochka, continue to delight children and adults alike. In 2000, Santa Claus traveled to Russia to meet Ded Moroz for the first time! Culture History Holidays Russia File
September 02, 2007 Blini Traditions of the so-called Russian pancake and several authentic recipes. Culture Food & Drink Russia File
September 01, 2007 Kaluga's Rocket Scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was the father of Russian space travel. A quirky, half-deaf teacher, he inspired generations with his idealistic views of the age to come.
September 01, 2007 Colonial Russia Perched on the rocky cliffs of California's Pacific coast is Fort Ross, a National Park commemorating the southernmost point of Russian colonial settlement in the Americas. Each July, thousands flock to the Fort for an annual celebration.
September 01, 2007 An Inspired Publisher: Alexander Smirdin Alexander Smirdin was one of Russia's first, great publishers. He loved books more than money and that may have brought about his ruin.
September 01, 2007 Sputnik: The Satellite That Changed Everything Beep... beep... beep... In October 1957, a tiny satellite sailed round and round the Earth. Launched from Russia, it kicked off the Space Race and changed how we viewed our world and Russian science.
