Nick Paton Walsh: "How I learned to love Vlad"

As it feels like a sin, then this must be a confession. I have been in Moscow for four and a half years, reporting on the presidency of Vladimir Putin - its slow erosion of democratic freedoms, its savage disregard for the individual, its petro-dollar arrogance. I've been reflexively critical, due to the obvious truth that the battered Russian people deserve something better. They have done for centuries. But now my time here has come to an end, I need to confess: I am becoming something of a Putin fan.

The Guardian correspondent in Russia Nick Paton Walsh returning home. Some kind words from he.

Moscow photo blog

This photo is from Moscow In My Eyes photo blog by Svetlana.

Russian Scammers

In 2004 the United States Embassy in Moscow received 3126 complaints by Americans claiming to be the victims of fraud. Less than 20% of murders are solved in Russia, so do not expect anyone to take your monetary loss seriously.

Review of Russian scams: High Yield Investment Program, Dating Scams, Package and Money Transfers. You should read it before starting exporation of Russia. Danger is real!

Russia’s Spam King - Vardan Kushnir

He withheld pay from employees, boasted of his sexual adventures, enraged government officials, and flooded Russia with 25 million emails a day. Then one morning, Vardan Kushnir’s mother found his bloodied body on the bathroom floor, skull bashed in.

Wow! Interesting detective story with bad end from Wired. Don't doubt: I am received 1-2 mails from American Language Center, as all Russia.

Russia and Europe: friends or enemies? What are your stakes?

One more interesting link to the Mosnews! With hot title "Europeans See Russia as Partner, U.S. as Threat — Poll"!

The Village of Moscow

The Village of Moscow (state Michigan). Thanks for link to Dirty.ru.

The week of Putin

President is popular as never before! First titles only about Putin and G8. One of them is "More Russians Trust Putin After G8, Basayev Death — Survey".

President Vladimir Putin’s rating rose from 77 to 79 percent after he hosted the Group of Eight summit and security forces claimed responsibility for killing Russia’s most wanted man Shamil Basayev. The poll was carried out by the independent Moscow-based Levada Center on the G8 weekend when pictures of Putin hosting world leaders in a restored 18th century palace outside St. Petersburg led every television news program in Russia, Bloomberg reports.

More info: http://mosnews.com/news/2006/07/21/putinrating.sh...

Putin’s First Car

An old Ukrainian-made “Zaporozets,” which belonged to Russian President Vladimir Putin, will be exhibited in St. Petersburg’s Konstantinopol’skiy Palace — the museum where the Group of Eight summit took place.

Originally posted: http://mosnews.com/news/2006/07/19/putinszaporo...

Back in the USSR!

Image text:

Once upon a time, McCartney write a song "Back in the USSR!"
And all have thought, that he has betraid his native Britain and, god save the, Queen.
- BAD! BAD! BAD!
- Commy!
- Go back to bears in Syberia!

More strips by Aleksey Nikitin: Britolz and Jesus said.

Russia Launches $1.3 Million Mobile Phone

The Diamond Crypto Smartphone, designed by luxury accessories maker Peter Aloisson, is priced at a crisp $1.3 million and is tagged as the costliest in the world. Apart from the enticing looks, this phone manufactured by the Moscow-based JSC Ancort Company uses powerful encryption technology to provide special security. This technology is used with the aim of securing the user’s identity together with keeping intact info about kidnapping, technological blackmail, financial racketeers and corrupted state officials.

Originally posted: http://mosnews.com/news/2006/07/18/phone.shtml

Fireman's Day in Russia

On April 30th, Moscow celebrated Fireman’s Day with a parade featuring burning torches, bowls of fire, fireworks, crackers, stilts and musical instruments.

People dressed up as firemen, chimney sweepers, lamplighters and other, less recognizable, characters marched through downtown Moscow. The crowd passed through the city scattering sheaves of sparks to its final destination, Tsvetnoy Boulevard, where the event concluded with a large fireworks display.

Originally posted: http://mosnews.com/images/g/s139.shtml

Kissing garden

I see, Lao makes some movement there. But there is one link, that I can't be silent about!

Everything is extremely simple in "Kissing garden" - grown up your fruit and kiss others. With help of kisses, fruits grow up very big.

Main thing takes part not in Internet, but in you. Watch what occures around you, listen to your feelings, thoughts, senses - what people give you, and what you give to them. that is important.

Originally posted: http://kiss.ksan.ru/about/

My fruit grow here.

P.S. Yes, I am still alive. ;)

Now, mostly as an editor.

The president in residence means traffic congestion!

Why?
G8 leaders in St. Petersburg!

Welcome to Vladimir Putin's Russia. The façades are freshly painted; everything glints with the sheen of new money. In the run-up to the summit, the Russian president is not only honoring dead democrats but has taken to spending hours meeting with pro-democracy NGOs. So eager is he to burnish his liberal credentials, in fact, that last week he politely thanked environmentalist hecklers for interrupting him. As leaders of the world's leading industrialized democracies—plus Russia—gather this week to discuss, among other things, Iran and energy security, the larger questions may concern Russia itself. Just what kind of nation has it become under Putin, and where is it heading? "Times are changing; there is a new reality now, says top Putin aide Sergei Prikhodko. Or, as Dmitry Trenin of the Carnegie Moscow Center puts it: "Moscow has left the Western orbit. It's now in free flight."

Originally posted: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13774391/site/news...

Welcome to Russia!

Life in Sent-Petersburg is really interesting and bright if you have money and you know when it will happens. A lot of clubs, galleries, festivals, different subcultures… - you‘ll need more and more time to see everything!

Theatres and museums are typical food for typical tourists. But I wanner show you other side of Russia. I wanner shock you.

The 4th St. Petersburg Tattoo & Body Art Festival – is the largest event of that kind in Russia, which gathers the best Tattoo masters and the Largest Tattoo Studios of Russia and the Former Soviet Union. This is the only chance in a year to see the Tattoo Art & Industry in Russian Federation.
…The end of this festival is show called hanging. Least said soonest mended. More and more photos here.

More info about festival here.

Putin, Nikita and stomach

Recently Russian president Putin surprised a crowd of foreign and Russian tourists. By the way to residence Vladimir Vladimirovitch mind to communicate with tourists. He drawed attention to the boy 4-5 years old. He kneeled down and asked boy his name. Boy answered "Nikita", Putin lifted the boy's shirt and kissed his stomach. He then stood up, patted Nikita on the head and than walked away through the crowd of amazed tourists.

At the 6th of July Vladimir Putin will conduct a press conference. He’ll answer on the questions from foreign and Russian web users.
Of course most popular question (18 527 voices) "Answer, please, what was the reason of your act - kissing boy Nikita in stomach?"

More info here.

Image text: Kiss my shiny metallic stomach!

Originally posted: http://zhgun.livejournal.com/322879.html