Moscow Fun Facts

Moscow, being the capital of Russia and a popular home to many, has lots of interesting information about it. It has a population of about 11. 2 million people. It's major industries include machine building, metalworking, oil refining, publishing and brewing. Most males in the city describe their jobs as either engineer or business man. Moscow is however, very undiverse when it comes to different types of people and races. The breakdown goes down like this: Russians 79.8%, Tatars 3.84%, Ukrainians 2.04%, Bashkir 1.16%, Chuvash 1.13%, Chechens 0.9%, Armenians 0.79%, other 10.34%. As for money, Moscow has more billionaires living there than any other city in the world. The total comes to 33. The area code is 95 along with 7. Both these numbers must be used even for local calls. As for seasons, it gets them all. It is known for having very hot summers but very cold winters. January 7 is when they celebrate Christmas and January 1 is New Years. June 12th is Russian Day. Moscow is also the home of the Kremlin, The Red Square and the Bolshoi Theater.

Russians are crazy..

I stumbled upon some absolutely insane images of random things in Russia - the nature of the internet, I guess. I'm thinking that some of them may be fake or altered photos(the door that is halfway up a wall perhaps), but maybe I am underestimating Russians' ability to do strange stuff.

The pictures I found are located here, but the following are a few of my favorites.


Stairs leading to a window? What is this?



I thought Russians would have been good architects?



And of course, the liquor store is the whole family's "любимый магазин!"

Русский Рок

As a fan of rock music it's interesting to see how rock scenes have evolved in other countries over time, especially a country where free expression was rather limited for a long time. Rock in Russia evolved from an earlier underground tradition commonly referred to as 'bard music', folk-influenced music written by individuals outside the central establishment and performed only to small, cult audiences. With some limited influences from western rock music, the Russian rock scene grew popular during the perestroika era of the 80s; a unique form of music followed, a combination of popular acoustic folk music and 60s-70s rock from outside - the Beatles being a primary influence.

A couple of bands popular during the 80s heyday, which is often referred to as the Russian classic rock period -

Piknik
(they look like a creep new-wave band!)


DDT
(the Russian Barenaked Ladies! At least, they kinda sound like it, and their lead singer looks like a surly Russian version of Steven Page..)


Alisa
(now here we go. This is a little harder.)


Pretty cool, if a little strange musically. I'll have to look into Russian metal next time.

Traditional Aussie Dish

So, I was going to try to write a post on something intellectual and interesting, but after trying to sign up on loveplanet.ru for the past hour, my brain hurts.

Instead, I've decided to catch you all up on a little bit of Aussie culture, that luckily I can vaguely relate back to Russian culture.


Behold: The PAVLOVA! (Or "Pav", if you want to be really Aussie, and therefore lazily shorten the word as we do everything else.) A most delicious dessert, the origins of which Aussie's and Kiwi's still fight over. (Kiwi being the name for a person from New Zealand) I don't really care which country it's from, both of us hold it as a traditional dish.


The story goes that it was named after the Russian ballet dancer, Anna Pavlova (told you it was relevant), after her visit to the country (either New Zealand, or Aus, depending on what story you'd rather believe) in the 1920's. (Anna Pavlova, by the way, is one of the most famous ballerinas in history -along with Nijinsky -as she was the ballerina to travel the world and perform ballet for people who had never before seen it performed. She has been hailed as the reason ballet every became popular in America.)






Pavlova is basically just a giant meringue -you beat a bunch of egg whites, fold in a whole lot of sugar, maybe add some vanilla and a little vinegar, and sit it in the oven to bake. It makes this gorgeously crispy meringue-like shell on the outside, but leaves it moist and soft and almost spongy on the inside. Sooooo delicious.



So once you have this big sugary cake, you cover it in whipped cream (but NOT the crappy, squirt it out rubbishy stuff that you guys buy in a can)...no, you buy REAL cream and whip it yourself, and then you smother the whole thing in fresh fruit.


You can use any fruit you like, but I personally believe that no pavlova is complete without passionfruit, kiwifruit, and strawberries. Lots of them. The passionfruit is key. Banana is also nice. But whatever you like, stick it on, eat it, and melt into happy oblivion.






I eat pav every Christmas, and Mum always makes it if we have international visitors. I don't know whether Anna Pavlova herself enjoyed the dish, but it was created in honor of her, so I hope so. Really, it does reflect her passion, ballet -it's light, delicate, difficult and takes a lot of skill and practice (getting pavlova just right, stopping it from collapsing and not coming out as sticky goo is EXTREMELY difficult and takes a lot of skill...) and in some cases, is rather fruity.



I plan to make it next time the RSC does something food-based. :-)

Monsters Don't Eat Russians, Russians Eat Monsters

So here is a clip of a “monster” a couple Russian men caught off the coast of the Sea of Azov, a northern section of the Black Sea, after a large storm. I found a bunch of stories on this frightening thing. Apparently, it was “moaning like a human” after they pulled it out. The “alien” was captured on video by one of the Russian’s camera phone. To prove they were not afraid of the monster, the Russian men decided to eat it and one proclaimed this meal to be the best he had ever had. 

 Spoiler Alert! If you have not watched the creepy video yet, do so before reading on…

What the Russians were actually so bravely eating was in fact a harmless giant Guitarfish or Rhynchobatus djiddensis. This member of the Ray and Skate family most likely was carried to its new home by a strong storm from somewhere temperate like the western Indian Ocean or perhaps from the tropical waters of Australia. In fact, the Russian was not being proud when he claimed the Guitarfish was the best thing he had ever eaten. These creatures are strongly desired in many Asian markets because of their great taste and for this reason hold a place on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) red list. So hopefully the Russian town that was stirred by this “monster” has now learned the truth, frankly, I hope the men are a little embarrassed. There is just something so wrong about owning a camera phone and believing in sea monsters.

 

Minute of Glory

In America we get 15 minutes of fame, in Russia, you only get one, and boy is it weird. Here's some guy covered in sequins, dancing like an idiot on a Russian TV show. (There are more people doing strange stuff in the related video links off to the side.)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=utUte3DDDVY&feature=related


AND, here's something actually useful; a handy guide to noun declension:
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1425267&lastnode_id=0

Russian Folk Medicine

Well. It seems I've caught the bug. Feeling sick too? Not to worry! Here are some Russian folk remedies that might do the trick.

Have cold and flu-like symptoms? You should get some горчичники. Горчичники are mustard plasters (also known as sinapisms) made of dry mustard powder, flour, water or egg whites. They're said to stimulate the immune system, relieve pain, and also have an anti-inflammatory effect. They're often used to treat the common cold, runny nose, rheumatism, and respiratory problems. Usually this mixture is spread onto a cloth and applied onto the back or the chest. Make sure the mustard paste doesn't make contact with the skin. This leads to burning, blisters, ulcers, and even dead tissue. Other side effects include sneezing, coughing, asthma attacks, eye irritation, stomach problems and kidney irritation. Горчичники shouldn't be used on on children under the age of 6.

Don't think горчичники will do the trick? Maybe you should try fire cupping. First, you'll need to acquire банки (little glass jars that are usually applied to the back). Light a match inside the jar to create a vacuum and place it flush against the skin. As the air cools in the cup, the vacuum pulls up on the skin, stimulating the acupressure effect. Fire cupping is originally a Chinese tradition and has also been found, in varying forms not only in Russia but in Vietnam, the Balkans, modern Greece, Mexico, and even Iran. According to the American Cancer Society, this technique is ineffective. It leaves temporary spots on the skin (like in the picture) and poses a small risk of burns. Reports from its supporters say that fire cupping gives a lasting feeling of relaxation and invigoration.

Think you have a cold? Stay as warm and dry as possible. Try only drinking hot drinks like teas and be sure to avoid cold beverages! Although this is concept is not unique to Russia, Russians tend to be more adamant about it than most Westerners. It's also widely believed that sitting on cold surfaces is extremely hazardous to a woman's health and inhibits her ability to bear children (by somehow exposing her ovaries to the cold).

Although Westerners might be wary of these folk treatments, the last may not be completely unfounded. Some existing research shows that mild hypothermia inhibits the immune response. Keeping warm actually helps your body's defense against infection, which is why you'll sometimes get a fever when you're sick. A slight increase in body temperature makes it harder for bacteria and viruses to survive.

So, you may not be inspired to run out and get горчичники or банки, but it might actually be wise to stay warm in your time of illness. I'm clearly not a medical professional, but drinking hot tea, eating soup, and snuggling up with a blanket seems a lot less hazardous than the other alternatives. You can try those at your own risk.....

If none of these treatments float your boat, check out this website:
http://www.russianfoods.com/russian-cooking/chapter00003/default.asp

Hope you find a cure to whatever ails you!

Дах - Портал коммерческой недвижимости - Moscow, St Petersburg and Pr

You know, three or four years ago, NO ONE would have predicted that Russia would be the "new frontier" for consumers... For any business/design/marketing students out there, a knowledge of Russian would open up many doors. And keep in mind that with Russian, languages like Czech, Bulgarian and Polish become very simple to learn -- sort of like the way that Spanish helps French study.

Дах - Портал коммерческой недвижимости - Moscow, St Petersburg and Pr: "Cities in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) dominate a top-20 ranking of new-destination cities to be targeted by cross-border retailers over the next five years, with Moscow in No 1 position, followed by St Petersburg and Prague.

The only Western European city in the top ten is Amsterdam, which shares 10th position with Kyiv. This year’s risers are the capital cities of the European Union’s newest members, with Sofia and Bucharest both up two places to 6th and 7th respectively."

Russian ABCs

It goes...
A БЭ ВЭ ГЭ ДЭ Е Ё Ж З И Й (read и краткая, short eee), КА ЭЛ ЭМ ЭН О ПЭ ЭР ЭС ТЭ У ЭФ ХА ЦЭ ЧЭ ША ЩА (the reader hardly distinguishes them) Ъ и Ь (read твёрдый знак [hard sign] и мягкий знак ([soft sign]) Э Ю Я

A phonetic language like Russian hardly needs an alphabet song, much the less to "Frère Jacques"... Most Russians have trouble remembering the order of the letters in the dictionary, so maybe this song has some use.

And, frankly, the commercial comes across more creepy and sinister than comfy and consumery... The tagline Учитесь спать с нами (Learn to sleep with us!) only emphasizes the M. Night Shyamalan overtones.

Election, Elections, Elections, Oh My!

It seems to be election year for everyone. While many of us have been focusing on the U.S. presidential election, some may have forgotten that Russia is having its first Putin-free (well, sorta) election this year since 1996. While it is pretty much a given that Dmitry Medvedev will be the victor, I thought we should give attention to the other candidates.

So, here are the nominees:

Andrei Bogdanov - Leader of the Democratic Party of Russia.

Dmitry Medvedev - Putin's former Chief of Staff and Vice Prime Minister since 2005. He is supported by president Vladimir Putin and the parties United Russia (Russia's largest party), Fair Russia, Agrarian Party, and Civilian Power. He stated that he would appoint Putin as Prime Minister if he was elected prompting many political analysts to believe that he would only act as a figurehead with Putin holding the power. A December 2007 poll found that 79% of Russians would vote for Medvedev if elections were held right then.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky - Nationalist Deputy Speaker of the State Duma and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. He ran for presidency in 1991, 1996 and 2000. Is seen as as the "living embodiment of authoritarianism and militarism in modern Russia." Has been involved in a lot of scandals including his apparent Antisemitism, friendship with Saddam Hussein and support of his regime, and his supposed support of forcibly retaking Alaska, the dumping of nuclear waste in Germany, and the use of nuclear weapons in Japan.

Gennady Zyuganov - Leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and former presidential candidate. Ran for president in 1996 and 2000. In the 1996 election he came in at a close second to Yeltsin with 32% of the vote (Yeltsin received 35%).

Mikhail Kasyanov, former Prime Minister under Yeltsin, current leader of the Popular Democratic Union, and political enemy of Putin was recently disqualified (as in Sunday) when it was discovered that 13% of the required 2 million signatures that qualified him were forged.

Mark March 2nd on your calendars for voting day!