Letters to the Editor

To the Editors:

The article [Ringing in the New Year] incorrectly states that the Julian and Gregorian Calendars are 14 days apart. In this century and in the next century, the calendars are 13 days apart.

Also, the Gregorian calendar did not change where the leap years occur, but rather changed when leap years do NOT occur. Both calendars’ ‘leap day’ occur on Feb 29. In the Gregorian calendar, century years not divisible by 400 are Not leap years. Hence, in the century year 2000, a leap year will occur in both calendars. This will keep the two calendars 13 days apart. In the century year 2100 (NOT divisible by 400), the Gregorian calendar will not have a leap year and the Julian calendar will. After Feb 29, 2100, the two calendars will be 14 days apart.

Please be more careful in the future.

Andrew Stepanoff

by email

Andrew:

Thank you for your lucid explanation. We are sure other readers will find it useful. And we apologize for the misstatements.

– The Editors

To the Editors:

During World War II I was a radio officer on a U.S. merchant ship, S.S. Joshua Thomas, which made two voyages to Murmansk and Archangelsk...

After off-loading in Murmansk (about October, 1944), we sailed through the White Sea to a port west of Archangelsk called Molotovsk, named after the Stalin government minister of foreign affairs, I think.

Does the town still exist? If so, what is its modern name? I can’t find Molotovsk in an atlas.

From there we went to a small lumber mill town called Ekonomia I believe, on an island in the Dvina river opposite Archangelsk. There we took on a cargo of lumber for England. While there we were privileged to watch a small parade on Nov. 7 celebrating the October Revolution.

Question: Does Ekonomia exist today? If so, wht is its modern name?

Question: Is it still possible to get the medal offered to Allied seaman several years ago and if so, how can I apply?

Thanks for your attention. I enjoy the magazine very much.

Sincerely,

John Whitaker

Modesto, CA

John:

The town of Molotovsk was so named from 1938 to 1957, when former  Prime Minister Vyacheslav Molotov, for whom it was named, was stripped of all his party and government titles and honors for his part in the “anti-Party” affair of that same year. It then reverted to its original name, Severodvinsk. While we cannot find any record of the town Ekonomia, it would seem likely that you are referring to Novodvinsk, just up river from Severodvinsk. The town was originally called Pervomaysky (First of May) and has about 50,000 residents.

As to the medal for seamen, our inquiries turned up the Submarine Officers Club in St. Petersburg, which has done some work in this area. It was suggested to us that you address a fax to them there (812-213-0778) with your inquiry, addressing it to Igor Nikolaevich Kurdin.

– The Editors

To the Editors:

I have been a subscriber for 2-3 years. I thoroughly enjoy the publication. My favorite article was this month [Dec/Jan 1998] about Sergei Fedorov and Russian hockey. I’m a big fan of hockey especially Russian hockey. I would love to see more articles about hockey life in Russia and former players.

Where else can I find books or other information about hockey in Russia and former and current players?

Sincerely,

Eric Bowyer

Eric:

A new book has just been published on this subject: Tarasov: The Father of Russian Hockey, by Anatoly Tarasov (Griffin Bay Bookstore, 1997, $19.95). It is a compelling autobiography.

Also worth reading, but hard to find, as it is out of print, is The Red Machine, by Lawrence Martin (Doubleday, 1990). It gives a good history of hockey in Russia, from its origins to the time the book was written in 1990.

Meanwhile, we do have on our editorial plan a story of Russian players in the NHL. Stay tuned...

– The Editors

To the Editors:

Thank you for the wonderful article about Suzdal. The photos and the historical information are great. Suzdal has been the Sister City of Windham, New Hampshire since 1992. Since that time we have held many exchanges between our two towns. The citizens of Suzdal are warm and hospitable people. Many of us have formed lasting relationships with friends in Suzdal. We would like to re-emphasize that Suzdal is a terrific destination for the traveler who visits Russia ... Anyone wishing to know a bit more about Windham’s relationship with Suzdal can visit the Sister City on the Windham web page- http:\www.town.windham.nh.us/

Sincerely,

Barbara Coish

Chairman, Windham/Suzdal

Sister City Committee

Barbara:

Thank you for the information and the website info. We encourage other Sister City organizations in the US (there are now over 100) to keep us abreast of related events, websites and information.

– The Editors

ERRATA

A typo at the end of our article in the Dec/Jan issue stated that Chile Pepper magazine is published in Albuquerque, TX. In point of fact, the magazine is published in Fort Worth, TX. And Albuquerque, as several residents of that fine city made a point of noting to us, is proudly located smack dab in the center of New Mexico. We apologize.