Those Born in Obscure Years By Alexandr Blok

Those born in obscure times
Do not remember their way.
We, children of Russia's frightful years
Cannot forget a thing.

Incinerating years!, do you bring tidings of madness or of hope?
The days of war, the days of freedom
Have left a bloody sheen on our faces.
There is a muteness - the tocsin bell
Has made us close our lips.

In our hearts, once so ardent,
There is a fateful emptiness.
Let the croaking raven,
Take flight above our deathbed -
O Lord, O Lord, may those more worthy than us, Behold Thy kingdom!


This poem illustrates the discontent of the Russian people with the actions of Tsar Nicholas II on the Eastern Front. Written in 1914, it starts off by speaking of the Great War. Once again the imagery of birds is used, however very differently in this poem. Birds usually symbolize freedom, but ravens symbolize knowledge and watchfullness. Having a raven fly over the deathbeds can symoblize the liberation of death from the knowledge of the atrocisties of Russian life during that time period. Those who are dead are most likely the russian soldiers sent ill-equipped to the front. The poem also shows the anger of the lower classes by sarcasticly stating that the people in power are not on the same level as those they serve.

Two Left Dead in $1.5M Bank Heist

Bank robbers killed two guards and stole 38 million rubles ($1.5 million) from a Sberbank branch in Chita, pulling off one of the country's biggest heists in a decade.
Police found the bodies of the guards, their hands in cuffs and legs bound with duct tape, when bank employees called to say the doors were locked from the inside and that they could not start work Saturday morning.
"The robbery was discovered when the new shift started in the morning. Police helped open the door, and the two security guards who had been killed were found in the room," a police spokesman told Interfax.
The guards apparently were shot with one of their own Makarov pistols, RIA-Novosti reported.
In addition to the cash, the robbers made off with 9 ounces of gold and 62 ounces of silver bullion from the branch of the state-owned bank, located in the center of the east Siberian city.
The robbers fled in a Toyota sedan owned by one of the guards. The burned-out shell of the car was later found on Chita's outskirts.
Anatoly Uskov, a senior aide to Chita's regional prosecutor, said the robbery was well planned, with the robbers leaving few traces and even taking the video recordings from the bank's security cameras.
Uskov said locks on the bank's doors had not been damaged.
"Investigators are working on several versions of how the robbers got into the building, but the main ones are that they had stayed in the bank since the previous evening or that they had known the guards," Uskov said, RIA-Novosti reported.
Sberbank is offering a reward of 300,000 rubles (about $11,600) for information on the bank robbery.
Police said Sunday that the search for the robbers was ongoing.
Bank robberies are relatively rare in Russia, where banks that work with a lot of cash have elaborate security systems. In July 2005, three masked robbers attacked guards delivering about $1 million to a branch of Vneshprombank in central Moscow, killing one and injuring a second before fleeing with the cash.
Chita, located near the border with China, is the closest major city to the prison where Yukos founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky is serving an eight-year prison sentence after being convicted of tax evasion and fraud.

The tale of Tsar Saltan

Long ago in a faraway kingdom, three sisters were outside in the courtyard talking, imagining what they would do if they were married to Tsar Saltan. One said that she would prepare a great feast for the entire world. The next said that she would weave linen for the entire world. The third said that she would give the tsar "an heir, handsome and brave beyond compare."
It so happened that the tsar, who was just outside the fence, overheard the conversation. When he heard the words of the last maiden, he fell in love and asked her to be his wife. They were married that very same night and conceived a son soon after. The other sisters were given jobs as a cook and a weaver.
A few months later the tsar went to war and had to part with his beloved wife. While he was at war his wife, the queen, gave birth to his son. A rider was sent to the tsar to convey the good news. However, the two sisters and a friend named Barbarika were so jealous of their sister's luck that they kidnapped the rider and replaced him with their own messenger who carried a note to the tsar which read: "your wife, the queen, has borne neither a son nor daughter, neither a mouse nor a frog, but had given birth to an unknown little creature."
When he read this message, the tsar was mortified and sent a letter back telling his wife to wait for his return before taking any action. The scheming sisters met the rider on the way back, got him drunk, and replaced the tsar's actual letter with a fake one that ordered the queen and her baby to be put into a barrel and thrown into the sea.
Of course, there was no way to disobey an order from the tsar, so the palace guards put the queen and her son into the barrel and rolled it into the water. As the queen wept inside the barrel, her son grew stronger, not by the day, but by the minute. He begged the waves to wash them onto dry land. The waves obeyed and he and his mother found themselves washed ashore on a deserted island.
By now they were quite hungry, so the son made himself a bow and arrow, using small branches from a tree, and went hunting. Near the sea, he heard a screech and saw a poor swan struggling against a huge black hawk. Just as the hawk was about to bury its beak in the swan's neck, the youth shot an arrow, killing the hawk and spilling the bird's blood into the sea. The white swan swam up to the lad, thanked him and said, "you didn't kill a hawk at all, but a wicked wizard. For saving my life, I will serve you forever."
The son returned to his mother and told her of his adventure, and then they both fell soundly asleep, even though they were still hungry and thirsty. The next morning they awoke and saw a wondrous city standing before them where there had been nothing before! The two marveled at the golden domes of the monasteries and churches behind the city's white walls. "My, look at all the swan has done!" the lad thought. The two walked into the city and throngs of people greeted them and crowned the young man a prince, proclaiming him Prince Gvidon.
One day a merchant ship was sailing near the island when its sailors caught a glimpse of the amazing walled city. The city's cannons signaled the ship to come ashore. Prince Gvidon welcomed them and offered them food and drink. He asked what they had for sale and where they were going. "Our trade is in furs", they said, "and we are headed past the island of Buyan to the kingdom of Tsar Saltan."
Gvidon asked the merchant sailors to convey his respects to the tsar, even though his mother had earlier told him about the note that led to their expulsion from the tsar's kingdom. Still, Prince Gvidon thought the best of people and could never quite believe that his father could do such a thing.
As the merchant sailors were preparing to leave the island, the prince became sad when thinking about his father. "What is wrong? Why are you so gloomy," the swan said. "I so wish to see my father, the tsar", Gvidon replied. Then, with a splash of water, the swan turned the prince into a small gnat so that he could hide himself in a crack of the mast of the ship en route to see the tsar.
When the ship arrived at the Tsar Saltan's kingdom, the tsar greeted the merchant sailors and asked them to tell of the lands they had seen. The sailors told the tsar about the island and the walled city, and spoke of the hospitable Prince Gvidon. The tsar did not know that this Prince Gvidon was his son, but expressed a wish to see this beautiful city anyway. The two sisters and the old Barbarika did not want to let him go, however, and acted as if there were nothing to marvel at in the sailors' tale. "What is really amazing," they said, "is a squirrel that sits under a fir tree, cracking golden nuts containing kernels of pure emerald, and singing a song. That's something which is truly extraordinary!"
Hearing this, the gnat, really Prince Gvidon, got angry and stung the old woman's right eye. After he flew back to the island, Gvidon told the swan the story he heard about the remarkable squirrel. Then the prince walked into his courtyard and, lo and behold, there was the singing squirrel, sitting under a fir tree, cracking golden nuts! The prince rejoiced at this and ordered that a crystal house be built for the little animal. He placed a guard there to stand watch and ordered a scribe to record every shell. Profit for the prince, honor for the squirrel!
Some time later, a second ship came to the island enroute to the tsar and the prince again told the swan that he wished to see his father again. This time, the swan turned the prince into a fly so that he could hide in a crack of the ship.
After the vessel arrived in the kingdom, the sailors told Tsar Saltan about the wondrous squirrel they had seen. Saltan again wanted to visit this fabled city but was talked out of it when the two sisters and Barbarika ridiculed the sailors' story and spoke themselves of a greater wonder--of thirty-three handsome young knights, led by old Chernomor, rising from out of the raging sea. The fly, Gvidon, became quite angry with the women and stung Barbarika's left eye before flying back to the island.
Once home again, he told the swan about old Chernomor and the thirty-three knights, and lamented that he had never seen such a wonder. "These knights are from the great waters that I know," the swan said. "Don't be sad, for these knights are my brothers and they will come to you."
Later, the prince went back and climbed a tower of his palace and gazed at the sea. Suddenly, a giant wave rose high and deep onto the shore, and when it receded, thirty-three knights in armor, led by old Chernomor, emerged, ready to serve Prince Gvidon. They promised that they would come out of the sea each day to protect the city.
A few months later, a third ship came to the island. In his customary fashion, the prince again made the sailors feel welcome and told them to send his respects to the tsar. As the sailors prepared themselves for their journey, the prince told the swan that he still couldn't get his father out of his mind and wished to see him again. This time the swan turned the prince into a bumblebee.
The ship arrived in the kingdom and the sailors told Tsar Saltan about the wondrous city they had seen and how every day thirty-three knights and old Chernomor would emerge from the sea to protect the island.
The tsar marveled at this and wanted to see this extraordinary land, but once again was talked out of it by the two sisters and old Barbarika. They belittled the sailors' tale and said that what was really amazing was that beyond the seas lived a princess so stunning that you couldn't take your eyes off of her. "The light of day pales against her beauty, the darkness of night is lit up by it. When she speaks it is like the murmur of a tranquil brook. Now that's a marvel!" they said. Gvidon, the bumblebee, got angry at the women once more and stung Barbarika on her nose. They tried to catch him, but to no avail. He was safely on his journey back home.
After his arrival there, Gvidon strolled out to the seashore until he was met by the white swan. "Why so gloomy this time?" the swan asked. Gvidon said that he was sad because he did not have a wife. He related the tale he had heard of the beautiful princess whose beauty lit up the darkness, whose words flowed like a murmuring brook. The swan was silent for awhile, then said that there was such a princess. "But a wife," the swan continued, "is no glove that one can simply cast from one's hand." Gvidon said he understood but that he was prepared to walk the rest of his life and to all corners of the world to search for the wondrous princess. At this, the swan sighed and said:
There's no need to travel, There's no need to tire. The woman that you desire, Is now yours to spy. The princess is I.
With this, she flapped her wings and turned into the beautiful woman that the prince had heard about. The two passionately embraced and kissed, and Gvidon took her to meet his mother. The prince and the beautiful maiden were married that very same evening.
A short time later, another ship came to the island. As usual, Prince Gvidon welcomed the sailors and, as they were leaving, he asked the sailors to send his greetings to the tsar and to extend an invitation to him to visit. Being happy with his new bride, Gvidon decided not to leave the island this time.
When the ship arrived at the kingdom of Tsar Sultan, the sailors again told the tsar of the fantastic island they had seen, of the singing squirrel cracking the golden nuts, of the thirty-three armored knights rising out of the sea, and of the lovely princess whose beauty was beyond compare.
This time the tsar would not listen to the snide remarks of the sisters and Barbarika. He called his fleet and set sail for the island immediately.
When he reached the island, Prince Gvidon was there to meet the tsar. Saying nothing, Gvidon led him, along with his two sisters-in-law and Barbarika, to the palace. Along the way, the tsar saw everything that he had heard so much about. There at the gates were the thirty-three knights and old Chernomor standing guard. There in the courtyard was the remarkable squirrel, singing a song and gnawing on a golden nut. There in the garden was the beautiful princess, Gvidon's wife. And then the tsar saw something unexpected: there standing next to the princess was Gvidon's mother, the tsar's long-lost wife. The tsar recognized her immediately. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he rushed to embrace her, and years of heartache were now forgotten. He then realized that Prince Gvidon was his son, and the two threw their arms around each other as well.
A merry feast was held. The two sisters and Barbarika hid in shame, but eventually they were found. They burst into tears, confessing everything. But the tsar was so happy that he let them all go. The tsar and the queen and Prince Gvidon and the princess lived the rest of their days in happiness.

This fairy tale is written by the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. The fairy tale is about Three noble sisters who one day hope to be the wife of the Tsar Saltan. The story has a moral of forgivness, love and family . This is shown when the tsar returns home and embrasses his wife and child and has a feast. The sisters can no longer contain their grief and admit to their bad actions. When the tsar hears all of this he is to happy to do anything else but forgive them. after he forgive the two sisters he has a happy life with his queen and Gvidon for the rest of his days.

RESTAURANTS. BARS. SPAS. SPORTS CLUBS. ONE WEIRD MUSEUM, AND A WHOLE LOT MORE. EVERYTHING A NIGHT OWL NEEDS TO SURVIVE IN MOSCOW

Moscow 24/7
By Marina Kamenev
Issue 35 Spring Guide

Moscow has never had a shortage of places to go at night, if casinos or clubs were what you had in mind. More recently, however, the city has witnessed the quiet blossoming of a new kind of nighttime Moscow, a nocturnal world catering for those seeking practicality and comfort, rather than a boogie on the dance floor or a spin of the roulette wheel.
“I work about nine hours a day, and when I get home, my evenings are taken up by my family,” said Catherine Reulland, a 36-year-old native of Quebec, Canada, who works for an international accounting firm. “Once a week, I like to stay up late and dedicate some time to myself.”
One of Reulland’s favorite midnight haunts is the recently opened Respublika bookstore on Tverskaya-Yamskaya Ul. Besides a reasonably large selection of English-language fiction, Respublika also offers a motley assortment of high-end notebooks, designer underwear, iPods, designer greeting cards, CDs that you can listen to on-site, and a cafe that stays open till 11 p.m. Best of all, there are chairs and couches where you can read till the wee hours of the morn, although management might take issue if you decide to fall asleep on one.


Nighttime can be the right time for getting that long-awaited beauty treatment, too.
“March 1 will mark four years since we’ve opened, and our doors have not closed since,” said Olga Goryachova, the operating manager of Moi Parizh, a “round-the-clock’” beauty salon on Nikitsky Bulvar.
Besides providing the usual array of services such as hairdressing, massage and facials, the salon also offers customers a choice of drinks – everything from coffee to cognac – to keep their spirits up during the witching hour.
A more exotic option is 7 Krasok, where a staff of professional Thai masseuses provide a wide variety of Eastern beauty and relaxation treatments, ranging from the 30-minute “Foot Break,” described on the salon’s website as a “foot massage for the very busy,” to the 2-hour “Tropicana,” which combines a body scrub with Thai oil massage.
If you’re in the mood for nocturnal exploration, the Bulgakov Museum at Mayakovskaya should keep you occupied. The museum is housed in the apartment where author Mikhail Bulgakov lived in the 1920s, and it contains memorabilia from his life and novels, as well as a resident black cat called “Behemoth,” named after the satanic feline in Bulgakov’s most famous novel “The Master and Margarita.”
The doors to the Bulgakov Museum remain open throughout the night in the summer months.
“On weekends we get the same amount of people coming at night as during the day,” said Svetlana Kostina, the museum director. “It gets quite busy.”
The museum runs night tours of “Bulgakov Moscow” that start at midnight and finish at 2 a.m. Private four-hour tours that start at 1 a.m. can also be arranged.
Too busy in the day to do that much needed housecleaning? Gold Clean, a Moscow-based company that does everything from straightening up apartments to hauling construction debris will dry clean your furniture, wash your windows, clean your carpet and bring about general domestic order, and they’ll drive as far as 400 kilometers outside of Moscow to do it.
If a toothache is keeping you awake, the Makdent clinic carries out emergency procedures as well as regular check ups – their website boasts that they haven’t closed for seven years. If it’s your pet that has the toothache, the Zoovet animal clinic can aid the poor critter whose owners are too busy to take it to the vet in the daytime.


What about the proverbial midnight snack? As you may have guessed, there is no shortage of restaurants catering to night owls. Moroccan eatery Ketama on Bolshaya Dmitrovka keeps the couscous coming 24-7, and although you might have visited the famous Cafe Pushkin on more than one occassion, you will find that it definitely has a special charm around 4 a.m. Mexican restaurant Che is a perfect choice for sleepless revolutionaries, and you can kick back at dawn with a mojito and a hand-rolled Cuban cigar at Old Havana. Galereya keeps its doors open throughout the night for hungry “Zolotoy Molodyozh,” and neither last nor least is that old post-party favorite, Courvoiser.
After all that eating, an hour or two at the gym might be just the thing you need. Two gyms from the Planeta Fitness chain are open 24 hours – one is on Malaya Dmitrovka, the other on Bolshoi Kislovski. Personal training can be arranged if you book before ten, but classes do not run that late.
“During the night it is less busy, but there is still enough demand for services from those who have commitments during the day,” said Maria Leshova, a Planeta Fitness representative.
“Besides,” she added, “when else could you have the Olympic-sized swimming pool all to yourself?”

This article portrays all of the wonderful things that you can do at ngiht time in moscow. throughout the article, Kamenev describes that theres more to the moscow ngiht life than just casinos and clubbing. a new kind of night life is becoming popular within their culture where as one goes to a quiet, relaxing place and relaxes. this strongly connects to russian social and cultural development. they are developing socialy by creating a new style of "ngiht life". this article proclaims that citizens work 9 hours per day and they just want to relax when they get home. places have been created for adults to go and read or socialive at a coffee bar and relax in comfy chairs. also, museums and hair stylests are opening as well as stores that sell a wide variety of things. these places are open for those who do not have the time, due to their tough, every day schedules. russia's capital, Moscow, is evolving into a more relaxing, laid back atmosphere.

Russian Innovation- The Reading List

1. New Russian Innovations

On Russia and the International Economy:

http://www.industryweek.com/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=10824
This is an article on Russian innovation through their science andeducational systems. Russia's educational system is one of the best in theworld, along with its scientists, and other countries- such as America- want to tap into this power. Forget about everything being "made in China"-soon, more and more things are going be being made in Russia. Russia not only produces items efficiently, but inexpensively as well. Russia has more scientists and mathematicians working in R&D centers than any other country, increasing productivity. Now that more and more borders between Russia and the rest of the world are being opened, Russian resources could finally be taken advantage of.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_10/b3873062.htm
Even eastern countries are beginning to tap into the innovation of Russian scientists! Samsung's research center is now located in- surprise!- Moscow. One item the Russians have produced so far is frequency-filtering technology, something commonly seen in today's society as noise-cancelling earphones. In the words of Song Yong Won, "There's an enormous pool of scientific and engineering talent we can tap into in Russia." Russia has been somewhat slow at developing its own companies, so Russian scientists will often work for other companies created by foreigners. Perhaps this is a sign that Russia's xenophobia is finally starting to die out. Russian engineers are better, more efficient, and most importantly, cheaper.

Modern Russian Inventions:

http://www.cee-foodindustry.com/news/ng.asp?id=58193-non-drip-ice
Yet another fascinating Russian invention is born: no-drip ice cream. Produced by MyasoMolTorg, this ice cream turns into a semi-solid jelly whenheated, rather than a liquid. Products like this are beginning to rekindle a previously failing Russian market. Many more innovations have been made in Russia that pertain to ice cream, such as vitamin-enriched, low calorie, and energy-building ice creams. Some ice creams now have no fat or sugar at all, which are directed at the overweight or diabetics, and some ice creams now have live bacteria to help regulate the intestines. An entertaining and informative article, and perhaps a glimpse of the future of ice cream worldwide.

2. History of Russia's Evolution- Innovation and New Thought in Politics

http://www.emayzine.com/lectures/russianrev.html
A highly thorough and informative article on the Russian Revolution of 1917. The Russin Revolution of 1917 is what caused the Russian monarchy todissolved and the Soviet Union, AKA communist Russia, to come into being.The entire revolution actually consisted of two revolutions: the first of which overthrew the Monarchy, the second of which was an armed revolt of theBolshevik party. The Revolution(s) were sparked by the incompetent and unwise policies of Czar Nicholas II pertaining to the oppressed lower class. Soon, there were protests and strikes by the poor working class, and chaos ensued. Troops were eventually called in, and the government began to collapse. The Soviets eventually took the place of the old government, and the Soviet Union was then formed.

http://www.geographia.com/russia/rushis01.htm
This is an ENORMOUS website on Russian history and culture. They have sections on almost every part of Russian history, from pre-Mongol ancient Russia to the Soviet Era. Modern Russia is mentioned several times, and it demonstrates to us that, as always, Russia's self-image and identity ishighly confused and conflicted. Through the website, we see how Russia has transformed from thousands of small villages, to a unified country. You can read about the Mongol invasion and their eventual defeat, as well as the legendary stories of the Romanovs, the Napoleonic Invasion, the Russian Revolution, and the traumatic Soviet era.

3. General Information About Russian History and Culture

http://www.goehner.com/russinfo.htm
This website is fascinating! It tells us about how Russian culture differs from American culture. It demonstrates how Russian history has shaped modern Russian attitudes- the authoritarian past has made Russians moreoriented towards to collective good than individual rights and significance, for example. It also goes far to explain why Russians supported communism for so long. The website explains how even the climate of Russia has shaped modern Russian attitudes. The website goes on to explain that the Russian mindset is pessimistic, cautious, egalitarian, and honest, whereas Americans can be seen as annoyingly happy risk-takers, and somewhat individualistic/selfish. In short, Russia and America are like night and day to each other- you'd best read this before you try to analyse anything Russian on your own.


Happy reading!

-Emily Ahstrom

Going Clubbing
By Ira Iosebashvili
Issue 35 Spring Guide


Back in my teenage years, the only affordable gym in Rego Park, New York was run by an old Russian immigrant everyone called Uncle Misha. He was a former champion of something or other, walked around in the stereotypical Soviet sweat suit and ran the place out of a dilapidated synagogue basement. As you can imagine, it wasn’t much of a gym. There was a treadmill – not the electronic kind, mind you – a few sets of rusting dumbbells and a punching bag, but me and the rest of the neighborhood kids couldn’t imagine anything better. We blasted the Rocky soundtrack, hammered the stuffing out of the punching bag, and were happy.
But times have changed. Ironically, I now live in Uncle Misha’s former hometown, and the old guy would sure be surprised. Moscow is becoming a city of health clubs, with new fitness centers opening up every day, each offering services that are more advanced and luxurious than the next. We visited four of the best, and here’s what we found.
A Visit to the Doctor
Positioning itself as an “elegant” fitness club, Dr. Loder has two locations – one on Strassnoi Bulvar (which we visited) and a second near the famous Opera House on Ostozhenka. The club’s namesake, incidentally, was an early 19th century Moscow physician famous for opening several institutes and hospitals around the city.
Cheers: There’s definitely an exclusive feel here – and with membership costing $3000 per year, there better be! You’ll think you’re in the lobby of a hotel when you walk in – the lighting is low and the clanging of iron and blaring of dance music is conspicuously absent. They say the spa here is one of the best in the Moscow health club world, and the cafe offers good (though expensive) food that could pass for homemade. The main cheer, however, is the pool area. Wicker furniture and marble abounds in the relaxation area, and the pool itself is lit from above to produce a beautiful sapphire hue. All of it together looks like what you would find in the home of a minor oligarch.
Jeers: Muscleheads and others with an overabundance of testosterone might find the atmosphere depressing or even downright creepy. Also, the smallness of the place can get annoying, especially in the weight room, which is miniaturized enough to make you feel like a rat in a maze. Almost took a young lady’s head off here while doing laterals, it gets that tight. Treadmills have seen better days, as have the dumbbells.
Year membership (undiscounted): 84,000 rubles
Some random prices: Chicken cutlets – 200 rubles each; personal training session – starting at 5,120 rubles per block of 10; massage – 1,280 rubles.
10/1 Strassnoi Bulvar, 775-7474. M. Tverskaya, Chekhovskaya, Pushkinskaya.
25 Ostozhenka Ul., 637-4076. M. Park Kultury. www.loder.ru
Going for the Gold’s
One of Russia’s first top-flight gyms, Gold’s will celebrate 10 years in Moscow this summer. The original Gold’s Gym was opened in Venice Beach, California in 1965 and made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who trained there during the breakthrough documentary film Pumping Iron.
Cheers: Finally, a gym that doesn’t make you put on bakhily – those stupid blue plastic bags they make you wear over your shoes in gyms and hospitals around Moscow. Gold’s is the perfect place for those who enjoy a high-energy atmosphere – you get the feeling that people are here for working out, and little else. The gym’s huge, cavernous main hall contains 144 machines and training benches. They are extremely proud of their spinning classes, which are tailored to meet individual needs. There’s also a summer veranda on the roof, full-sized indoor tennis and basketball courts, and a cheerfully colored pool with Jacuzzi and waterfall. Trainers here are friendly and helpful. This author highly recommends the Atomic Bomb energy shake.
Jeers: So many machines, and so few weights. I had to go across the main hall to hunt down a 45 lb. plate. The gym itself is a bit out of the way – Dinamo isn’t exactly the center.
Year membership (undiscounted): 52,000 rubles
Some random prices: Atomic Bomb energy shake – 178 rubles; tennis courts – 1,200 rubles per hour.
31 Leningradsky Prospekt, 931-9616. M. Dinamo. www.goldsgym.ru
Straight Outta Sweden


World Class is a chain of fitness clubs started by former Swedish bodybuilding champion Ulf Bengtsson that has its focus on Eastern and Central Europe. The first World Class opened in Moscow in 1993, and today there are almost a dozen operational in the city and several more elsewhere in Russia. We visited the Olimpiisky location.
Cheers: Finally, a gym that doesn’t stack its lockers one on top of the other – here you get six feet of storage space all to yourself. The equipment here is all brand-new, including some space-age, computerized weight training machines that I couldn’t quite figure out. The Caesar’s salad at the cafe is a good cure for those post-workout munchies. Television screens aplenty – a Cheer if you like that sort of thing.
Jeers: The weight room’s not very big, and tends to get crowded. Dumbbells are in short supply. Trainers seem okay, but some of the other personnel have a rather vacant, glass-eyed look you wouldn’t expect at such a high-priced establishment.
Year membership: 83,500 rubles
Some random prices: Caesar’s salad – 280 rubles; personal training session – starting at 1,300 rubles.
16 Olimpiisky Prospekt, Bldg. 2, 755 6522. M. Prospekt Mira.
For other locations, see www.worldclass.ru
Maxi Sport
There are currently four clubs in the Maxi Sport chain, the newest of which is due to open in March on Prospekt Vernadskogo. We visited the location on Sheremetyevskaya Ulitsa.
Cheers: A good combination of luxury and functionality. There are all the machines you could ever want here, as well as classes in everything from boxing to strip-dancing, an excellent cafe and a first-class pool. Trainers are numerous and omnipresent, and just about every single one is a champion of something or other. Both women and men will love the spa area – the masseuses are excellent. The sauna is hotter than the fires of hell – exactly as it should be – and the Ramstore shopping center next door offers several post workout options, including clothing stores, restaurants and a movie theater.
Jeers: Some of the clientele need a lesson in gym etiquette: if you put 700 lbs. on the leg press machine, have the courtesy to take it off when you’re finished! Evenings tend to get crowded, and the lockers could be bigger.
Year membership: 52,000 rubles
Some random prices: Personal training session – starting at 1,100 rubles.
12th Marina Roshcha Proyezd, Bldg. 9 (next to the Ramstore shopping center), 933-7525. M. Alekseyevskaya, Savyolovskaya.
For other locations, see www.maxisport.ru
Some random awards
Healthiest-looking clientele: World Class on Olimpiisky – why some of these people need to go to the gym is beyond me.
Friendliest trainers: Gold’s Gym
Most muscle-bound trainers: Maxi Sport – some of these guys are big. Real big.
Most likely place to spot a minor Russian celebrity you don’t quite recognize: Dr. Loder



This article shows alot of infromation on russian popular culture. it connects strongly to russian social and cultural development. one of their top gyms is Gold's Gym which was first opened in california; and it was made popular by arnold schwarzinager. this shows that they are adopting ideas and culturaly developing based on those ideas of us un the Unuted States. this article describes and goes into detail about their world class gyms and where to go in Moscow for the best fittnes experience.

R.I.P Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007)

Former Russian leader Boris Yeltsin dies at age 76. Born 1931 Yeltsin lived in poverty his entire childhood until he became the leader of Russia in the first legitimate political vote that took place in the nation. An unidentified medical resource explained his death as a heart failure. In 1991 he was elected president in the first democratical vote in russia's history, after earning internationally acclaim when he mounted a tank in Moscow rallying the public to overthrow Mikhail Gorbachev. He was a good man.

-Chris Carbone

A Little Bird by Alexander Pushkin

A little bird
In alien lands devoutly clinging
To age-old rites of Russian earth,
I let a captive bird go winging
To greet the radiant spring's rebirth.
My heart grew lighter then: why mutter
Against God's providence, and rage,
When I was free to set aflutter
But one poor captive from his cage!

The poem A Little Bird by Alexander Pushkin was written in 1823 under the rule of Alexander I. During this time of Alexander's reign many peasants were forced into the military under harsh conditions. The poem also discusses the taking of foreign lands by Alexander's military campaigns, which included Finland and parts of Poland. This reference hints at the discontent of the Russian people due to the favoritism Alexander showed on the newly gained lands. This poem accuratley reflects the yearning to be free of the russian peasantry.

- Devon Fontaine

Russian Fairytale

This tale is called "Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf". It is a very traditional fairy tale. Ivan the terriblewas not a ver admirable charactor. His gains in most of the old fairy tales were through lying and trickery. Also, there is a bit of killing, which is also not any different than any other version of old fairy tales. The story is important, because it contains so many of the elements and characters which appear over and over again in Russian Fairy tales.

Some Russian Social News...

MOSCOW, March 28, 2007 (RIA Novosti) - About 45% of the soldiers and NCOs in Russia's Armed Forces will be serving on a contract basis by January 1, 2008, a deputy chief of the General Staff said Wednesday.
Col.-Gen. Vasily Smirnov said that at present there were 195,000 contract servicemen in the Russian military.
More than 30 Land Forces units have already been transferred to a contract basis, the commander-in-chief of the Land Forces said.
"These are primarily permanent-readiness units," Army Gen. Alexei Maslov said.
Earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree reducing draft service from two years to one, starting in 2008.
Former Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said in January that a large part of the Russian ArmedForces will still be manned by conscripts in the future, and that only units on constant combat readiness will be fully manned by contract servicemen.
The Defense Ministry said recently that the Armed Forces have been downsized to a current level of 1,134,000 personnel, and that Russia would continue gradual strength reductions to achieve a level of 1,000,000 by 2010.