Russian artist, Naum Gabo was a renowned 'Constructivist' sculptor, writer and teacher. Born on August 5, 1890 in the Jewish family of six children, in Briansk, Russia, Naum Gabo was christened Naum Neemia Pevsner. His father owned metal works in Russia and his elder brother, Antoine Pevsner, was a 'Constructivist' painter. Naum Gabo was multilingual and was able to speak and write German, French, and English, in addition to Russian.

After finishing his school in 1910 at Kursk, Naum Gabo enrolled himself in the Munich University, where he studied medicine, natural sciences, alongside learning art history under Heinrich Wölfflin. It was in 1912, when he was attending an engineering institute in Munich that he first came across 'Abstract Art.' Naum Gabo's education in engineering helped him in developing and mastering his sculptural work that involved the usage of mechanical tools. In the year 1913, Naum Gabo joined hands with his brother to pursue arts in Paris, where he met some 'Cubist' painters. Around this time, Gabo had gained popularity and even won Logan Medal of the Arts.

He migrated to Copenhagen and then to Oslo, after the outbreak of the First World War. Naum Gabo's earlier works were mostly 'figurative,' where cardboard & wood found maximum usage. His first construction came in existence in the year 1915. One of his famous sculptures of those times, "Head No.2," now graces the Tate Collection, representing the volume of a figure without carrying proportionate mass.

Naum Gabo returned to Russia in 1917, after spending five years with his brother in Moscow. During this period, he contributed his works to the Agit-prop exhibitions and took up teaching at the Higher Art and Technical Workshop. Making good use of his technical education, he tried to experiment with a process called 'Kinetic Sculpture' around this time. Naum Gabo jointly with his brother, Antoine, got his book 'Realistic Manifesto' published in 1920, which was a pioneering work in documenting 'Constructivism.'

Naum Gabo then moved to Germany, where he met various artists of the Stijl, the Dutch artistic movement of 1917, and also taught at Bauhaus, the school of crafts and fine arts. He designed a fountain in Dresden, which was later destroyed. The artist and his brother, Antonie, roled out a 'Realistic Manifesto' in August 1920, which promoted 'Constructivism,' while criticizing 'Cubism' and 'Futurism.' The duo had a joint exhibition in Paris in the year 1924, and designed the stage & costumes for Diaghilev's ballet 'La Chatte,' in 1926. Naum Gabo was also a member of the Abstraction-Creation Group in Paris during 1932-36. He moved to London in the year 1936, and lived in Cornwall for the most of his stay. He finally moved to the US in 1946, and got US citizenship in 1952.

Naum Gabo's art focused on the concept of time and space, using a wide variety of materials, such as plastics, fishing line, bronze, sheets of Perspex, and boulders to make 'Surreal' sculptures. His works represent a beautiful blend of tangible and intangible elements. Naum Gamo is considered as one of the greatest artists of all times, whose art pieces still generate enough interest, to be displayed at a number of public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate Gallery in London. The legendary artist breathed his last on August 23, 1977.

Animal Farm, a masterpiece novella by George Orwell was written in 1945. It falls under novella as it is shorter and contains a less complex plot unlike a novel. The crux matter of Animal Farm is about how Czarist Russia evolved into communist Russia after the Russian Revolution in 1917. Orwell used the animal farm as the backdrop representing Russia and the animals that dwelled in the farm as the who’s who in the Russian Revolution. The Animal Farm is an allegory-a narrative that uses literary devices to unveil concealed meanings and messages.

The Oxford Dictionary defines allegory as a story, poem, or picture which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. Not only that, Animal farm is also a satire. The same Oxford Dictionary defines a satire as the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to mock, expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other social issues. Animal farm fits into both these categories aptly.

At the time when the book was published, it wasn’t that popular, did not command a widespread reading because Russia was an ally of the West in their fight against German aggression under Hitler in World War II. In a clear indication of belittling the Russians and its communist leaders, the western world saw it as an act of non-goodwill if they popularized the book in droves.

The author himself was not an anti-communist. In fact George Orwell is said to be a socialist who supported the belief that industries should be under the control of the working class (workers) for the good of everyone, not just benefitting the elites, who controlled these industries. However, he witnessed the corrupt revolution of the communist in Russia, eventually leading to a change of perception.

Orwell was perplexed on how the communist had diverted, departed from their initial noble goals of seeking a classless society. Orwell’s conviction was that he owes the world a warning of how destructive unchecked authority was.

He was adamant to show the other side of communism when it was taken too far without a check and balance and how the leaders of this cause succumbed to worldly pleasures, the same class bound pleasures that they despised on other ideologies; hence the world got to witness the birth of Animal Farm. Orwell had used allegory to the best of effect, to criticize the hypocrisy of communism, especially its overzealous leaders, their actions and their thirst for merciless murders and mass killings to maintain their status quo.

The use of pigs, of all animals, was the acme of this novella. In the thought of a layman, pigs are lazy animals, non-productive and gleefully end as meat in most taste buds. However, Orwell was way ahead of his time. He used pigs as his protagonists and antagonists in Animal Farm for the same reasons of how modern science had revealed quite shockingly though, about these creatures. Scientists want people to think of pigs as more than just meat. Among other talents, pigs are known to have excellent long-term memories and they are skilled at completing mazes and recognizing symbols, just like our close cousins-chimpanzees. They also have empathy and can learn from each other in groups.

Besides that, Orwell had used pigs as an irony, debunking all the myths surrounding these fleshy creatures as lazy but wise, gluttonous but conniving, immobile but strategist who is vivacious in thoughts, plotting and scheming a plan discreetly. Pigs are fleshy, sized animals known for their slobs. Orwell was quick in equating some world leaders especially from the communist ideology states to pigs probably because of the state of hypocrisy that they lived their lives; floating in the wealth produced by the proletariat who for a major part of their miserable lives remained poor and desolate, where else the leaders were fat, ugly and precariously healthy.

The Old Major in Animal Farm was a pig, portrayed as old and wise, experienced and well-respected. Old Major had a dream where ‘all animals are equal’. This was relayed to the animals, who rejoiced in the prospect of relieving themselves from the clutches of the elites – the humans. Orwell used Old Major to represent Karl Marx, the founder of Communism and the Communist Manifesto, which is based on Marxism. The words uttered by Old Major represent Marx’s words on the evils of feudalism and capitalism.

The utterance also accentuated on the idealistic world of communism. Thereby, the Russian Revolution in 1917 was inspired by those who believed big in the doctrines of communism. In Marxist methodology, it originally used economic and sociopolitical inquiry to analyze and critique the development of capitalism and the role of class struggle in systemic economic change.

According to Marxist doctrines, class conflict within capitalism arises due to escalating contradictions between highly productive mechanized and socialized production performed by the proletariat (workers), and private ownership and appropriation of the surplus product in the form of surplus value (profit) by a small minority of private owners called the bourgeoisie. In the Animal Farm, the bourgeoisie were represented by Mr. and Mrs. Jones, the humans who owned the animals, frequently ill-treating them. Mr. and Mrs. Jones can also be equated in direct reference to the last Czar of Russia – Nicholas II and his consort Alexandria who were disliked by the Russians at that time for unnecessarily dragging Russia into World War I. Apparently, the animals exhausted their patience, began to rebel, eventually booting the humans out of the farm and took control of their own destiny.

Besides Old major, another pig character was Snowball. Snowball rose as one of the leaders in Animal Farm. Snowball was depicted as a vivacious and an ingenious character. He was given the task of spreading the attained glory of Animal Farm throughout the neighbourhood. Snowball represents Leon Trotsky – Lenin’s second in command in the Russian Revolution and the leader of the ‘Red Army’ in the subsequent Russian Civil War.

Trotsky also wanted to spread the word about communism to other nations. However, fate had it differently when both Snowball and Trotsky were expunged by ruthless and corrupt individuals who craved for power more than anything else.

Napoleon was another pig character who rose as a leader in the novella. Rather than influencing other animals and working through consensus, he secretly raised nine puppies into ferocious man-eating animals. These nine puppies were his personal army of bodyguards which he used and manipulated to achieve his goals, no matter how treacherous and brutal they were. Napoleon represents Josef Stalin-the General Secretary of the Russian Communist Party from 1922 until his death in 1952.

The nine puppies were an analogy to the KGB – the Communist party’s secret police, known for its ruthlessness. The KGB carried out all of Stalin’s commands religiously without fear or favour.

The false confessions of disloyalty in Animal Farm, and the subsequent executions were modeled at Stalin’s great purge in the 1930s in which anyone who is seen as a counter-revolutionist was killed mercilessly.

Squealer, another character in Animal Farm is a pig who always spread persuasive messages supporting the leader’s goals and objectives. Squealer is an embodiment of hypocrisy and propaganda. He reinvents the rules and history in order to confuse the other animals in the farm. He could also represent Pravda- the communist newspaper in Russia which was the official propaganda mouthpiece of the party in the 1930s. With his wizardry like words and manipulative articulation, Squealer kept the public (the animals) calm and under control with his often misleading and crooked messages and announcements.

Animal Farm serves as a reminder of how humans crave for unlimited power to rule the lives of innocent people through ‘divide and rule’ and ‘manage by fear’ tactics to achieve their personal goals. Along that line, some made it into the history books as either being exemplary or despised. This novella is excellent to be used as a reading resource for middle and high school students.

Students will not only learn the English Language, but also the various literary devices – allegory, satire, irony, metaphor and personification that come with it. The novella contains lots of humour from which the writer mocks the actions of the leader and students will also be able to apply their thoughts out of the box to identify why some individuals had managed to obtain power, how some maintained this power at all cost, how some misused the power entrusted on them for their own personal gains and agenda, how some abused their power using violence and threats, and how some had lost to the people-power insurgencies.

Apart from that, the historical events representing this novella will provide an insight of Communism and Russian history. Marxism subsequently gained support across much of Europe, and under the control of the Bolshevik Party, a communist government seized power during the Russian revolution, leading to the creation of the Soviet Union, the world’s first Marxist state, in the early 20th century.

Russia has deep cultural roots and is known worldwide for its culture and history. One thing that Russia is especially well-known for is its beautiful handcrafts. Russian gifts are among the most sought after and fascinating handicrafts that have decorated Russian homes for decades. Nesting dolls (aka stacking dolls, Matryoshka, or Babushka dolls) were first brought to Russian in 1900 by Mamontov at the World Exhibition in Paris. Soon after, they were being made throughout Russia and the surrounding regions. Since then, Nesting dolls have been part and parcel of Russian traditions. The quality of the dolls varies depending on the material of wood used and craftsmen involved in their production. The fakes are easily differentiated by their garish colors and cheap quality of wood. Despite the fakes, Nesting dolls have been modified to meet peoples’ needs today.

Below are some of the reasons why nesting dolls will never get out of fashion:

Evolution from Traditional to Modern

Modern stacking doll sets have adopted many modern themes which is why they make such great gifts. For example, they are often modified from a traditional style that represented the Russian peasant woman to modern dolls that symbolize popular figures like the presidents, pop stars, athletes and many more. This modification means that the dolls remain totally fashionable.

They are used to Represent Movie Stars & Famous People

Disney stacking dolls are always popular in characters like Cinderella, Beauty and Beast, Pinocchio, Snow-white, Spiderman, Batman, Sponge Bob, it is a long list. Nesting dolls painted with movies stars are popular among children. With more stars coming up every day, that means their use will be increasing day by day.

Used as a Form of Education

Stacking Dolls toys can be used to educate children. Parents buy nesting dolls as gifts to their children as well as for educational purposes (motor skills development, counting, painting, socialization in groups etc). The doll toys also teach the children how to think about their families in future.

Cartoon Characters can be Painted on Stacking Dolls

Children like cartoons. Children will enjoy if their parents gift them with cartoons bearing cute nesting dolls. Nesting (stacking) dolls with cartoon characters can be good gifts for children especially during the festive season or on birthdays. Children can plan with nesting dolls for countless hours and not get bored or tired of playing.

They are Heirlooms

Many families pass down nicer high-quality collections from one generation to the next… Exclusive or one-of-a-kind nesting dolls are passed on from parents to their children as a way to preserve cultural heritage or family memories. Mothers pass their beautiful gifts to their daughters and they are taught the values attached to them. That way, the popularity of the nesting dolls will never dwindle.

They are Well Marketed

Russian Matryoshka Dolls dolls are well marketed. They are sold and collected everywhere around the globe. You can find collectors in every country and high quality exclusive nesting dolls gain in value with time, making them more valuable and more sought after. You can usually find them in specialty souvenir shops or on e-commerce sites. Since they are easily accessible and are liked by many people, they will always be on high demand and fashionable.

Russian Babushka Dolls are Valuable Collectibles

Owning a Babushka is like owning a piece of Russia history. Besides, it has its associated childlike wonder and magic. So if you are kind who love collectibles, then a set of wood dolls could be the perfect collection. Each set of babushka dolls is unique and carries with it real meaning. That means you will have some keepsake collectibles that will remind your significant other of your love.

Not knowing what Russian girls prefer may not give you the best first date with them. Being clueless about their needs will not make you the best match, but the following are a few pieces of advice that you can take to make the most out of your first date.

Giving presents may not be your way of showing that you care, but in Russia and in other Eastern countries it is. You do not need to give anything expensive, just something thoughtful. Giving candy and flowers are great ways to show Russian girls that they are just as sweet and beautiful!

You may be happy to know that girls from Russia take especially good care of themselves and how they look. This means, however, that you may have to do the same. Do not go on your first date looking too casual. Wear something semi-formal like slacks, dress shoes, a polo shirt, and a nice jacket. This way she will know that you too care about how to look while being around someone as beautiful as her.

As on any other date where you are trying to impress a girl, it is important to always compliment your date. Make it a sincere compliment, so the easiest way to do that is to focus on the characteristics that you find most attractive about her to start with. Whether it is her lovely complexion or her adorable smile, Russian girls, like any other girl, will appreciate a simple compliment that will make her smile and become more comfortable during the date.

Family is foremost for many Russian girls. Many of them grow up in homes that have close family ties and that focus on building on the family unit. This means that their future spouses need to be loyal and responsible. If you have high hopes for the date you will meet, later into the date conversation you may want to emphasize your own views on strong family values ​​and relationships and how important these are to you.

It never hurts to be a gentleman. All it takes is the act of helping your date out of a car, pulling her chair for her, or opening doors for her. This applies to every girl and not just girls from Russia. Every girl likes to have a good old fashioned guy who really cares for her welfare, no matter how small the situation.

It will help the both of you if you are confident and optimistic about what the evening has in store for you. Being negative is never helpful, but having a positive disposition and self assurance will help boost the mood between you and your date. Russian girls like an optimistic man who will make them laugh and feel comfortable about any situation.

This advice is useful if you are dating women who are usually not only beautiful, but intelligent and sensitive as well. Knowing what Russian girls need is the first step to starting a healthy and possibly beautiful relationship with someone who can be a perfect partner for life!

October witnessed significant deterioration in global markets as fears of a systemic banking collapse wracked markets and concerns of a deep global recession grew. Volatility reached unprecedented levels early in the month as investors sold assets to raise cash, irrespective of fundamental value or long term stability as compulsory de-leveraging by banks, hedge funds and oligarchs meant market chaos became the norm’.

In this environment the weakness of the capital structure of emerging markets was once again underlined, Russian equities, in particular, were crushed, even after the enormous value destruction that had been witnessed in the previous months. A perception that Russia would suffer due to its dependence on commodities may have explained part of this selling fury, but the continued forced selling of many leveraged domestic players led to a complete rout of the market that had not been seen since the crash of 1998. When the dust had settled the RTS index closed the month down 36%, with the mid cap RTS2 index down over 46%, and the bull market rally of the last four years had evaporated.

I believe this is the time to go “long only” based upon our belief that the market is –

a) Completely oversold and driven to these levels only by margin liquidation

b) The cheapest stock market in the world and cheaper than at any time since 1999

c) That the forced selling that led to the capitulation of the market has, largely, run its course.

To highlight why I think Russia is straightforwardly mis-priced, I present the following data comparing Russia’s domestic economic situation now, compared to the last crisis in 1998:

1998 versus 2008;

-GDP per capita, $1800 v. $12000;

-GDP growth, -5.3% v. 7.0%;

-Inflation, 84% v. 15%;

-Unemployment, 13% v. 5.6%;

-Public debt as a % of GDP, 42% v. 5%;

-Trade account, $16.4B v. $200B;

-Foreign currency reserves, $12.7B v. $500B;

-Stabilization fund, $0 v. $190B;

-Tax collection as % of GDP, 8% v. 22%.

Where appropriate, I have been switching from mid cap exposure to blue chip exposure, as it is my view that blue chip stocks will move first when the anticipated market recovery begins, and many are trading at P/E’s below 2,. Surgutneftegas, for example, is on a P/E of 2 and has a market cap’ below its cash holdings. Since inception in January 2007 the market has fallen 60%, even though the oil price has merely returned to where it was 22 months ago. However, if I am correct and much of the selling of the past two months has been margin related liquidation rather than discretionary selling; a return of confidence could spark a giant rally. Were the market merely to return to levels of late June this would represent a rise of 271%, in comparison the Dow Jones Industrial Average would only have to rise 28% to return to end of June’s level.

Lynn Visson’s “Wedded Strangers” explains:

“For Russians, the ultimate sin is being stingy. Americans are viewed as being tight fisted.”

Russians and Americans have vastly different views of money. This is understandable considering that Russians were raised under the Soviet system and Americans were raised under a capitalist system.

Under the Soviet system, Russians had money in their pocket, but no place to spend it. Jobs, medical care, apartments, pensions – the basic necessities that one needed for life – were provided by the state.

The problem was that the State decided what to produce. Choice in goods was unavailable. That was if the product was even available. Goods were scarce. You couldn’t comparison shop even if you wanted to.

You didn’t have to worry about spending too much money because there weren’t too many goods to spend money on.

There are stories to illustrate life during the Soviet times. When you walked down the street and you saw a line of people, you got in line, even though you didn’t know why the line was forming and what you were waiting for.

Whatever it was, it was scarce and people wanted it, so it was better to get in line before you missed out.

Conversely, Americans have more money, but they have a thousand choices on how to spend that money. The whole American consumption system is designed to get you to spend money on whatever product is advertised. They supplement the myriad choices with easy credit.

The trick in the American system is to figure out what it is that is really important to you. It becomes important to make wise choices because there are so many choices available. Shopping for bargains and good value becomes imperative to survive American capitalism. Your choices are virtually unlimited. You could spend hundreds of thousands times your income in America without giving it a second thought.

The problem is that you would soon find yourself wallowing in consumer debt.

Americans value their ability to negotiate a good deal and to find a bargain. They brag about the great deals they get. They are proud of their ability to get the most for their money. To live at the highest standard of living possible is the goal of America’s consumer society.

For that same reason, American men are proud of their success and the assets they have accumulated. They think that they can attract a Russian woman by telling her about their ability to provide for her.

They brag about their income and their wealth to impress her and then they turn around and tell her about what a good negotiator they are in exacting the best price for things.

These traits are valuable in American society. But all that talk about money makes them sound like Ebenezer Scrooge to the Russian woman they are trying to impress.

To a Russian, who earns one dollar for every fifty dollars an American earns, an American sounds incredibly cheap when they talk about what a hard bargain they have driven to buy something.

You sound more like a miser to them.

When you talk about how you got a great price on the airline tickets to see her, it takes the romance right out of the picture, as far as she is concerned. Your meeting takes on the air of a commercial transaction rather than a romantic interlude.

To a Russian, you either have the money or you don’t. You can either afford something or you can’t. You don’t brag about how you whittled someone down in price. You don’t talk about money. It’s considered bad taste.

“First, they brag about how much money they have and then they complain about the prices,” the Russian women say. “How they count their money!”

America is a merchant society. Talking about money is normal to them.

Russians know that Americans make much more money than them. But they don’t understand anything about the types of expenses that the typical American has.

Russians have monthly expenses of rent, food, telephone, hot water, and heat in the winter. These expenses maybe cost them fifty to one hundred dollars per month.

When you tell them you make three thousand dollars per month, for example, they mentally subtract one hundred dollars for expenses, and they think they have twenty nine hundred dollars to spend money on the things they want.

Russians have no idea about the types of payments that Americans make every month. They don’t understand that recurring payments like mortgages, car payments, insurance, cable, telephone, and other expenses add up to a large portion of their monthly check.

The average American family has a standard of living, which is accessible to only the top income class in Russia.

Russians don’t pay personal income taxes and they don’t realize that you must pay as much as twenty five to thirty five percent of your income for income tax, plus property taxes, sales tax, and other excise taxes.

A Russian woman is definitely interested in your financial situation. She want to know that you have a stable job and are able to take care of her and any children you may have. Tell her that you own your own home. Tell her that you can take good care of her and her children.

Tell her about the shopping and cultural amenities where you live. Tell her about the restaurants and cafes. Tell her about the weather and the local recreational facilities. Tell her about television, movies, and other lifestyle considerations.

Tell her about the schools. Tell her what you like about your job, your family, your home, and the community where you live. Tell her why she will like it too.

Just don’t go into a lot of financial details. No matter how much you try to explain, she just won’t understand. Don’t talk about money unless you have to.

Originally Khokhloma wood tableware were produced in monasteries and for the czar court only. At that time Khokhloma tableware production was not large scale. It was because of expensive imported tin. In 1720s after the end of the North War tin flow to Russian increased. The price went down and the material came within reach of many masters. The production and the sales of brightly painted hand made art works expanded.

Thus in the XIX century items with khokhloma painting were famous not only in Russia but in Persia, India, Middle East, the USA and Australia as well. The export of khokhloma items grew after the worldwide exhibition in 1889 in Paris.

In 1916 Nizhegorodskoye Zemstvo established the first School for Wood-Working Arts and Crafts in Semyonov. The folk arts and folklore flourished in Volga region near Nizhny Novgorod province. No other territory in Russia could equal it in the number and originality of the folk arts and crafts that had sprang to life and were developed in the local communities. The Khokhloma art painting on wooden tableware is the type of Nizhny Novgorod folk art craft that became most popular in Russia and foreign countries.

The “grass-leaves” decorative ornaments and their peculiar color scheme suggest that the Khokhloma art is rooted in the ancient Russian decorative culture while the imitation of gilt ornaments on wood dates back to the medieval Russian handicraft skills. The painting technique has been somewhat upgraded but remains essentially the same as in the ancient time.

Khokhloma russian painting amazes you with its delicate grass pattern and festive coloring, which is based on combination of scarlet cinnabar and flittering gold against the black lacquer background. This is Khokhloma specific feature. Masters used tin powder and lacquer to obtain such gold color. Now they use aluminum powder.

First, the art cookware are shaped on a lathe from the dried lime wood, which are turned into bowls, vases, mugs, dishes and spoons.

They are dried and covered with red and brown primer, so that they start looking like earthen. The unpainted articles are now coated with drying oil. Next they are polished with powdered aluminium. They become dull shining, like silver, and go to the painting division. Painted articles are then varnished and hardened in ovens at the temperature of 120-130 degrees. The heat turns the varnish yellow, the “silver” into “gold” and mellows the vivid design with an even, golden tone.

The Khokhloma dishes, cups and wooden drink pots were used for serving food at holiday feasts. The wooden tableware using at the Moscow house of an important statesman had to look valuable; accordingly, they were modeled on the rich painted plates decorated with real golden fabricated by the jewelers for the luxurious homes of the Russian nobility. Thanks to the special varnish and high-temperature processing they are quite practical and safe in use. You can drink and eat using these Khokhloma tableware, because such wares not sensitive to cold and hot, salty and sour food.

Apart from Khokhloma art presents of tableware most visitors to Russia will have at least one set of Matrioshka dolls in their luggage. These dolls within dolls have long been a source of fascination. The undoing of the main doll to reveal others almost ad-in-finitem has always produced wonderment and appreciation for the woodcrafts art.

Examples of beautiful Khokhloma wood art presents, Paleh and Mstera lacquered miniatures you can look at art store online site. It is amazing that what started out as a true folk tradition over 300 years ago is still thriving and remains basically true to it’s roots, albeit on a more organized scale.

The Greatest fighter to have ever lived, even though the sport is relatively young, there have been many great fighters to have graced the ring, the cage and bar none Fedor has been the best. He is no mystery but he has this power to make people like him.

Maybe it is the fact that Fedor is such a modest person. He was born in Ukraine but his parents went to Russia and took him with them. He grew up in a small town. He wasn’t born perfectly, he had some problems in his limbs and his body as a baby, the main reason his parents went to Russia to get better treatment. To think a kid with some problems in his body and still having them when growing up with beat the hell out of tough heavyweight monster is just incredible.

It is often said those with a disadvantage in life, challenge it more than others. Maybe the case in this situation. He is liked for being modest, you can see this with his low life style, he doesn’t have a strict diet or anything, maybe that’s why he’s weight looks so natural and round. He also is a devoted Christian but says he can fight because that’s passion and it has nothing to do with his beliefs. He is also a great parent, he loves his family and often speaks about how they motivate them to perform. His little girl likes to watch him fight but the older one knows the consequence of injuries so she avoids watching them.

Fedor’s mother was a teacher so he was pretty devoted to school and he also spent sometime in the military.

One thing Fedor has often said is that he loves the sport but he loves to represent his country, Russia. This is the greatest honor for him, higher than any belt or tournament. Often when he wins his fights he goes first for the flag of Russia before the championship belt(even though the WAMMA Belt doesn’t mean much). Just goes to show Fedor has pride and whenever he goes out there he defends more so than a random belt.

Fedor is still the number one MMA Pound for Pound fighter in every MMA point rating system out there. There are rumors that he might come back to MMA but you never know. One thing is sure, he will remain the champ for people.

We have all seen the Russian matryoshka or stacking dolls in the shops. While they look old and traditional the Russian matryoshka dolls did not actually appear until 1890. These Russian stacking dolls are widely collected and can be purchased in many countries, not just in Russia. Their main appeal lies in the eye-catching and colourful design as well as the fact that you get many dolls for the price of one.

While we know that the first of the Russian matryoshka dolls was exhibited at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900 by the wife of the rich Russian landowner Sava Mamontov, we do not know when the dolls were first made. After the doll won a bronze medal at the Paris World Exhibition the idea took hold and and it wasn’t long before matryoshka dolls were being made in many places in Russia. The names stems from the popular Russian name Matryna which means mother.

The style of the matryoshka dolls varies depending on which area of Russia they are from. The version we most often see in the shops is the red and yellow doll with a floral design but over the last twenty or thirty years many other patterns have emerged. The characteristics of the Russian matryoshka dolls are always the same: a round face with a round stomach and no separate legs. They usually wear shawls over their heads and have rosy cheeks. The most important characteristic of the matryoshka dolls is the number of pieces, being five, seven, ten or fifteen.

The paint most used was gouache but tempera, acrylic or watercolours were also used, you might even find gold leaf on the more expensive dolls. If you are thinking of collecting Russian matryoshka dolls you will have a wide choice and where you start really depends on your budget. If you are buying the dolls for a child as a toy you might want to start at the cheaper end and there are many bright attractive sets to be had. If you are a serious collector and are looking for something special you should check out the work of Tatiana Andreeva who works with acrylic paint and also uses gold leaf, beaded crowns and jewellery. Tatiana makes some of the finest matryoshka dolls in Russia often featuring national dress and also cats, dogs and birds.

The price of Russian dolls has increased dramatically over the last few years and in the UK it is difficult to find worthwhile pieces. If you want to collect Russian matryoshka dolls you need to go to a specialist shop or try the internet, but make sure the online traders are reputable. As Russia has become more affluent the talented Russian artists know the value of their work and you will not get a bargain. It is also hard to find older Russian dolls as, before the collapse of the Soviet Empire, little was exported. If you do find an old set of dolls you should snap them up as they are a rarity and are likely to be a real collectors’ item. A tell-tale sign is that the outside will be faded while the inside dolls will look as good as new – an indication that it has been displayed somewhere for a number of years.

While most of us would like to own a set of the high end Russian matryoshka dolls it is likely that we don’t have the budget and will have to settle for one of the less expensive versions. They are still beautiful and would be a fun piece in your collection.

Single Russian women are not same as any other women in the world, they differ a lot. World has changed a lot today, but it is not easy for women to get the job according to their will, and if they get also, they are not properly paid. Above that they are not rewarded same as men are in the particular company. Women are not treated equally like men. So Single Russian woman decided to leave the outdoor work and took pleasure in making a family and taking care of their husband and children. Some women of Russia took it as a pride to take of their family.

Most of the Russian women used to attend colleges and were keen to get educated. As they were aware of the fact that women were not equally treated as men still they wanted to be graduated or get any type of business training. Their efforts towards learning were not wasted, they at least they manage to get diploma. After school it was not an easy task for them, to get a good paying job, but still they used to never give up the attempt to get a job.

People have made wrong conceptions regarding Russian singles that they are more interested in men from other countries. But the reality is that many of them would prefer to be single rather than marrying men from any other country. They are more interested in living in Russia as they love living there and marry a man from their own country and settle down.

There are only 88 women to 100 men in Russia. Due to this skewed gender ratio, it is the women who are chasing men. Therefore, there is a lot of choice for single men and the eligible men are spoilt for choice of women. Marriage for a Russian woman is a big thing, and she may not get a spouse of equal level if she is over twenty five years old. Most people in Russia get married before the age of twenty two, and the number of eligible men reduces as the age bracket increase. There is no choice left for women who have crossed thirty of their age and they contact to the dating agencies for them to find their life partner.

Single Russian women generally look for security and love in a potential partner. It does not mean that Russian women run after money. They just require their spouse to have a stable job, not necessarily a six figure income. Russian women look for commitment in their relationships and feel that long distance relationships lack that. This is the primary reason for them to prefer their partners from Russia.

Single Russian women are exceptions. You can not say all are of same type, some are career oriented, some are happy to settle down and look after their family, and some wants to marry a man from their own country and some are interested in men from other countries. So you can’t put all of them in one frame.