Russian taxis resembles those found elsewhere in the world, but, just like with many other things, there is a unique “Russian touch,” which makes this breed less understandable for a typical western visitor. It is a good thing you have found this story because I, a native Russian with great understanding of western psyche, will give you a thorough guide to getting a taxi in Russia, Moscow, St. Petersburg or any other Russian city.

There are three types of taxi that inhabiting Russian roads: “real cabs” (usually yellow), “airport cabs (cabsters)” and “citizen cabs.” If you are planning to use a taxi, the distinction is crucial for it determines how much you will be asked to pay and how much you should actually pay.

Let’s start from the strangest variation of taxis in Russia – “an airport cab (cabsters).” Those, as you can probably guess, inhabit areas surrounding airports. They are not “real cabs,” in a sense that they are not operated by actual firms and don’t have taxi licenses. They are run by a clique of private entrepreneurs who stick around airport terminals hoping to find a foreign tourist who does not suspect anything. They are easily distinguished in the crowd. They will stand around and tell you: “Taxi, taxi, do you need a need a ride?”

Remember, don’t use their service unless you are willing to up to $200 for a 30 minute ride and put yourself in a the danger of being robbed. Also, keep in mind that the “official” airport counters in Moscow collaborate with these cabsters. If you go to a counter, they will put you in one of these cabs and give you the same outrageous rate.

No one understands why there are no “real cabs” available in Moscow airports. Perhaps, because “the airport cabs” scare away “the real cabs” with violence. “The airport cabs” are a leftover from the turbulent 90s and a semi-criminal organization that you should stay away from.

So how do you get from the airport to your hotel? It is a great idea to arrange your airport pick up in advance. Don’t count on the public transportation. It is very inconvenient and could take few hours to get in the city. It is a good idea to ask you travel agent to arrange your airport pick up in advance. Travel All Russia (1.800.884.1721) can arrange “a real cab” for just $50 which will come to the airport and its driver will wait for you at a terminal exit with a sign with your name on it.

Once you get into the city, you don’t have to worry about the cabsters for they rarely leave their natural habitat. There will be a plenty of official taxis which go by-the-meter, in large cities at least. In smaller cities you can use “the citizen cabs.” You can get “citizen cabs” in larger cities too. They will cost about the same as the real cabs. The best way to get a real cab once you are in the city is to ask your hotel receptionist to order a taxi for you.

How to get “a citizen cab”

* Just go to a road curb on a busy street, stick your hand out and you will see two or three cars pulling up a few seconds later. The rate is always about $10 for each 10 minutes of driving.

* Once a car pulls up, tell its driver where you need to go

* A Driver will think for few seconds and then ask you “Skolko” (how much).

* At this point, you should say – “1000 rubles” (this is about $40), if you are going further than 10 minutes away. If you are going less than 10 minutes away, say 500 rubles.

* A driver will tell you “Malo” (not enough)

* Repeat your offer one or two more times and this should do a trick. Driver will say “Ladno” (OK) or “Sadis’ (Get in). If a driver does not give in, sweeten a deal by about 20%.

Russian dating sites have become very common on the internet today with so many people raving about them. These sites have become popular largely due to the growing number of people looking for partners on the internet. Since the world is now a village, it is now easy for people from various corners of the world to date Russian men and women. So if you really want to have a partner from Russia, you should join one of the reputable Russian dating sites. The good thing is that there is a great assortment of sites that you can choose from.

However, before you join any of these sites there are several important factors that you need to bear in mind. For instance, you need to know the different types of these sites that exist in Russia so that you can be able to choose one that is more ideal for you. It is also important to know how much it will cost you to become a member of any of these sites. Even though most of these sites are free to join, there are some that charge a small registration fee. Therefore it is good to compare rates from different Russian dating sites before you settle on any of them.

As a rule, you have to understand how Russian dating sites work before you decide to enroll in any of them. This will help you to succeed in your search of a Russian partner. There are several crucial steps that you need to follow whenever you are joining a Russian dating site. For starters, you should begin by signing up. Since most of these sites depend on their customers to survive, they make the registration process very simple. What is more, Russian dating sites make connecting with new partners easier and secure than most real life methods of dating like blind dates.

To sign up you need to create a unique user name that the site will identify you with. It is therefore advisable to make your user name more interesting. You will also be required to offer important information about yourself including your contacts, full names, age, nationality, profession, medical status, and more. Some Russian dating sites will require you to provide details about your credit card especially if you are supposed to pay monthly fee. But you need to exercise caution when you are giving such details in order to avoid online frauds.

Once you have signed up, you should proceed to create your profile. This is normally the most significant step in joining an online dating site. You need to complete your basic biography including data about your marriage status, locality and date of birth. It is also important to provide details about your interests as well as hobbies. You should make your profile as catchy as possible. There is fierce competition among people looking for love in Russian dating sites.

Russian belongs to the group of Slavic languages in the Indo-European family of languages. This language has a rich tradition and literature. This language is spoken by over 150 million people in Russia and other former republics of USSR. Cyrillic alphabets are used in writing Russia. Latin letters are quite similar to some of the Russian letters.

Russian is different from English in many aspects. The grammar, word order, phonology are all really different from English. English has a particular word order which Russian lacks. Moreover the grammar is completely different. Besides Russian is a phonetic language. These differences make a Russian speaker learn English and vice- versa. But it has been proved that these differences are not big hindrances.

The vast literary translations from English to Russian and the use of language in the communication sector for business related matters have proved this. There are a number of universities and colleges which train the students to learn Russian. English to Russian translators are of great demand these days.

There are a number of difficulties a translator face while translating English into Russian. A person who is a native Russian speaker, who has good knowledge in Russian grammar and slang, will not become a good translator. A person can translate well only if there is adequate knowledge about the cultural contexts.

Most of the terms and phrases in Russian will have a proper cultural background and will be related to the lives of the people. So, only those who can relate well to the cultural situations along with the fluency in the language can make best translations. I is thus necessary to secure a wide knowledge about Russia and its people while learning the language.

An interesting thing that one will note while translating is the word order. English has a fixed word order which is absent in Russian. This Slavic language has a word order which is very fluid. Inflections play an important role. The change in the composition of the words can change the meaning. Another interesting fact about the language is that there may not be exact words for certain words as we find in English. With the popularity of internet there are a lot of English loan words used by Russian. The word computer itself is the best example. It is used as such in Russian.

Though people might find it a bit difficult to study the language and translate the works into Russian, this Slavic language is really rich with a lot of literature and is really beautiful. It is really worth becoming an English to Russian translator.

Russians will become very defensive if you criticize their country. They know Russia has a lot of problems, but it's their country and they are proud of it.

Avoid making comparisons between America and Russia. Russians will usually interpret this as criticism. They may become indignant without you knowing why.

The problem is that Russians love foreigners and want to talk to you about America, so it's a difficult situation. Try to explain things without making comparisons.

Russians have an inferiority / superiority complex. Many of them have low self-esteem, which makes them sensitive about criticism. They may try to cover this up by matching your perceived boldness, making them appear arrogant.

The father of one woman I met was retired military. Russians have a great respect for the military and are very proud of their military history.

I began to tell him a little bit about the American military thinking he would relate. However, he felt that I was comparing American military operations to Russian military operations.

He proceeded to boast about how Marshall Zuckov had Russian submarines in New York harbor without the Americans being aware of it. I had offended him without being aware of it.

Of course, I changed the subject, and soon all was forgotten.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Sergey Petrov, Deputy of the State Duma, and member of the “Spravedlivaya Rossiya” (A Just Russia) political party, member of the Russian Budget and Taxes State Duma Committee and the founder of the ROLF Group, the first diversified automotive business in Russia.

Sergey Petrov is an exception to the rule: a Russian billionaire who built his business from nothing as opposed to benefiting from the privatisations in the early 1990’s. An independent straight talker, with a remarkable personal history; he reflects the changes and turbulent times of post and pre Soviet – Russia.

He is a pragmatic and passionate about his country and a vociferous critic of the status quo in Russian politics; and of Russia’s leaders.

Graduating from school in 1971 he entered the Higher Military Aviation School in Orenburg, southern Russia. In 1975 he was commissioned and qualified as a pilot in the elite Soviet Strategic Air Force. Flying Tupolev Tu-16 BADGER aircraft, a twin- engine, strategic nuclear bomber, he often challenged NATO skies.

“I remember these days, flying the big planes and making the (NATO) fighters accompany us” recalled Sergey.

Retraining on fighter aircraft he became an Instructor, won the Soviet TOP GUN at Fighter School, Orenburg and looked set for a meteoric military career as he made Major at 26, a decade earlier than most of his peers. And, like a meteor, his career in the military crashed.

He recalled “It was in 1982 when I finished my military career as I fought against the KGB and the Communist Party.”

Whilst it became possible to challenge authority in the Soviet Union in the early 1990’s the earlier era of Brezhnev and Andropov (1964 to 1985) were a different case entirely. Soviet justice was swift and severe. Andropov, the former KGB leader who led the Soviet Union between 1982 and 1985, was a hard liner whom played a key role in crushing the Hungarian Revolution in 1956; the ring leaders were arrested and executed.

In 1982, if you were not part of the ‘system’, it was an intimidating environment.

“The KGB had been watching us and decided to bring us into custody. Not only me, but 12 colleagues as well, living in different cities as we had now scattered across the Soviet Union”.

Sergey Petrov had started his protest against the ruling Communist Party at the age of 21 and had tried to influence his colleagues and students highlighting the injustice of the system.

“I had many targets and goals. I had to teach the students to fly the aircraft, to hit the targets and to indoctrinate them with Soviet propaganda. No one asked me to fight against the Soviet system. It was not in my job description. It was why they decided to kick me out.”

By 1982 his war of ‘propaganda’ had been noticed and he was dismissed from the Soviet Army and expelled from The Communist Party of the Soviet Union for anti-Soviet propaganda and participation in secret democratic organizations.

Unable to find work in Orenburg, Petrov along with his wife and baby, made their way to Moscow. Petrov’s anti- Soviet activities precluded him from working for any elite organisations like the military, security or diplomatic corps.

Between 1982 and 1989 he worked for the Mosinzhstroy, the Moscow construction company and studied at the Soviet Trade Institute. He graduated in 1987.

“When the market economy became a reality I decided to stop working for nothing and to open my own company. But first, as I had nothing I decided to acquire experience. I got a job in a joint venture with Rosek for a small period of time, maybe a year and a half and gained experience”.

In 1991, as the Soviet Union fell apart, Petrov joined thousands of Russians at the barricades around Bely Dom, the Russian White House, resisting the attempted coup d’état by Soviet hardliners loyal to the crumbling regime.

“On the day of the Coup I spent the night in the crowd outside the White House. It was my dream. I was dedicated to the democratic process, democratic rules and future”.

The coup attempt failed and led to the annulment of the 1922 union treaty that established the Soviet Union, led to the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the beginning of radical Russian economic reforms. The new reality for its citizens was a fight for survival in the new Russia.

“We were in an awful environment in the 1990’s but we had hope. Every year it was getting better and better.”

Sergey Petrov’s first foray into his own business was with a car rental business.

“I decided to set up my own company “Rolf”. The Company was registered on the 5th August 1991 but we had already been working in that year. A successful business, especially if you consider the unfriendly environment we had in Russia. In the beginning we worked for foreign companies. When we expanded into the home market, we immediately lost a lot of cars. People rented the cars and went to Kavkaz (to export them).”

He laughed as he recalled the situation.

“No one could find the cars. The people renting them had a good business!”

The business, sold off by MBO, still flourishes today.

Sergey moved into the automotive retail sector.

“Mitsubishi created a tender for its first car dealership in Russia. We participated and we won. We started the business and we were very successful. We had a very ‘soft’ approach with Mitsubishi, asking them to teach us. We were not arrogant, unlike the other participants in the tender process, who tried to teach the Japanese how to sell cars.

I remember the Japanese, in charge of the tender, losing his cool with the other participants. Leaning forward, he banged his hand on the table.

“Thank you very much! We shall not work with you”.

It was a very successful day for us”.

In 1992 ROLF started sales of Mitsubishi new cars, managing to sell 192 that year.

In 1994 the company opened the first purpose built Mitsubishi show room in Moscow.

When asked about his choice of industry and his thoughts that the automotive sector in the 1990’s being heavily criminalised with gangsters and oligarchs a like carving out chunks of cash and areas to control he says “The industry was like a toy for an oligarch. We had absolutely different aspirations. They only had the target of earning money and gaining political power. We were focused on how to build a nice Company, a great Company. We had the dream to build our company to be like the best companies in the world.

Sergey Petrov built his business around core values of openness, honesty and transparency which will have presented more than a few challenges in an environment renowned for its opaqueness. His goal was to recruit people who believed in his vision.

By 1999 ROLF was the largest foreign car importer in Russia, with revenues of $100 million, a not insignificant figure for a start up business only 9 years old.

In 2000 Sergey Petrov enlisted Matt Donnelley, the charismatic business leader,promoted him Chief Executive in 2004 and took the post of “Honorary President” himself. Thus began the second Epoch, the ‘Donnelley years’. The success of the new management team from 2000 was reflected in the position Rolf continued to enjoy its dominant position as the premier importer and distributor of foreign cars in Russia.

“You recruit people who bring efficiency in the long run, if they share your core values then they can run the business without making any big mistakes and you don’t have to keep telling them what to do”.

In 2001 Rolf opened its first non Mitsubishi Dealerships as the company started sales of Audi and Ford cars. In 2006 as ‘Best Brand in Russia’ it sold approximately 124,000 cars with 155,000 cars the following year. The ROLF machine, by now the 5th largest in Europe by new car sales, seemed unstoppable. In 2007 the Avtomir organisation, ROLF’s closest Russian rival, managed to achieve less than half of ROLF’s sales. In September 2008, Rolf Import had landed 15,000 Mitsubishi cars for the Russian market through Kotka and St Petersburg.

Halcyon days, indeed.

However, changes were in the offing and the entrepreneurial flair went from the business as both Sergey Petrov and Matt Donnelley exited the business. Sergey was nominated to the Duma in December 2007. Matt Donnelley had overseen Rolf’s stratospheric growth and had been instrumental in taking Rolf from a $100 million turnover to over $ 5 billion in 7 years.

Sergey recalled “I had completely left the business at that point. I was elected to parliament and tried to change the whole environment. I tried to help. It did not make sense to make another billion if the powers that be can take away the first one. I decided to spend my time and energy to improve Russia’s business environment.

In 10-years we built a good company but discovered it is impossible to build the world’s greatest company in this country. It is not a business friendly state… all the officials are dedicated to history. We, the people, need to fall down a few times and learn lessons that we should be more concerned about ourselves, our family and friends and co-fellows… than being a super power. It needs to be overcome and will take two generations”.

The end of the second Epoch ushered in a new ROLF.

Sergey Petrov recalled Nick Hawkins, the new ROLF CEO 2007 to 2010, asking when ROLF was strongest. Sergey’s response “between 2004 and 2007.”

This period saw ROLF revenues double in size year on year, a colossal achievement with remarkable profits, and the envy of similar groups worldwide.

“The best years for Rolf were after I handed over to Matt Donnelley as Chief Executive. Matt compensated for my imperfections. He contributed his professionalism, made sure the company remained focused on our core values and gave us our greatest mutual success”

A privately owned company, with one single-minded shareholder and a very strong CEO, reflects both the character and personalities of those business owners. The abrupt removal of these characters from ROLF and the knock-on changes in leadership led to an emergence of a different company with a changed ethos; and an end to the runaway success of previous years.

“The Company started to deteriorate after 2007. Even before the crisis, the Company was not so strong.”

The 3rd Epoch saw a changed and expanded management team, hungry to benefit from big bonuses and the success of Russia’s accomplished automotive group. Ultimately the evolution was ephemeral, expensive and doomed as it ran head long off the cliff in 2008.

Welcome to the global financial crisis.

In Petrov’s words “ROLF became more and more bureaucratic and more and more inefficient… and not flexible enough to face the future”.

One can sympathise with him as he underwrote the largesse with over $300 million losses. The ROLF pendulum swung far, in a relatively short space of time and the cash burn was prodigious.

The management team went into crisis mode: free hold sales and lease backs, the cancellation of all new projects and scale backs on others, a fire sale of stock (new vehicles were sold for less than the wholesale prices leading to one European manufacturer recalling an entire model range from the Russian market).

A desperate grab for business began across all the business sectors. Belatedly, business unit managers recognised the scale and severity of the crisis. The actions were too little and too late as other, more agile businesses, took available contracts and more direct measures of cost reduction.

Sergey Petrov returned in 2010, leading to a mass exodus of top management, and heralding ROLF’s rapid resurgence. The business had survived the greatest financial crisis since the 1930’s; but at a cost, as Petrov sold 40% of his company to the Mitsubishi Corporation.

ROLF is a different company now to the one that entered the global crisis in 2008. The management team has changed and again, led by its founder. The ethos is now on efficiency and rebuilding profit whilst focusing on the car retail sector. None core businesses may spun-off. The market is changing as IPO’s will see a swathe of mega-groups retailing cars in the Russian market.

Sergey Petrov, “receiving purchase offers every other day” has no intention of following suit and intends to remain the owner of a “family business” albeit a large one. Rolf has been, since its inception, one of leading companies in the Russian automobile market. Now it is the official dealer of 13 brands, with 30 Moscow and Saint Petersburg dealership centers and remains one of the largest automotive concerns in Russia.

“We will be chasing efficiency as government will put more burdens on business.30% social taxes are high so we have to become the most efficient”

What was the pivot moment?

“It was not my decision that changed my life but the KGB’s; when they arrested and kicked me out of the Air Force. I couldn’t find a job in the city where I lived so I had to leave Orenburg and go to Moscow with my wife and 1-year old son. I think that changed my life, drastically.

I could not do anything except fly my fighter jet and I thought that this was a big problem. But, I was young and it allowed me a restart. I lost 7-years but I retrained and I graduated from Moscow University. All the diplomatic and military careers were closed to me. The KGB watched me and accompanied me everywhere’.

What are you most proud of?

“I think it is the people around me. Like Tatiana (Lukovetskaya) and others. We brought up a lot of people who are working now in different companies but they absorbed some of our core values. The most profitable business is the most honest business.”

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

“A politician working for a better Russia and leader in my business “

Aston Martin or a Ferrari?

“Aston Martin”

The history of alexandrite is noble as the stone itself. This gemstone was first discovered in Russia’s Urals in the emerald mine in 1834. It was discovered when Russian tsar Alexander became of age and it was instantly named after him. However since the colors of alexandrite were green by day and red by night, those also corresponded with Russians colors it became their national gemstone. The extreme high quality along with the beauty of this stone quickly made it popular and it was used to make a lot of jewelry – the most popular being alexandrite rings that were even created by the Tiffany’s jewelers.

However once all of the supplies of alexandrite gemstone were exhausted in the Ural’s the interest quickly dropped as well. While it was found in other places also the fact remains that the one found in Russia had the highest quality in terms of hardness – it ranked an 8.5 on MOHS, but it also had the strongest change of color as well. The other non-Russian alexandrite barely changed its colors at all. The good news is that finally in 1987 a new source of alexandrite was discovered in Hematita in Minas Gerais, Brazil that almost corresponded with the quality of the one in Russia used to make alexandrite jewelry and alexandrite rings. The hardness was not as high as the Russian source but the color changing aspects were there.

Today the interest from commercial jewelers for this amazing gemstone and for making alexandrite rings and alexandrite jewelry is very low. This has of course affected the price as well and now you can find limited supplies of alexandrite really cheap but if you know the dealers who stock them. Today it turned out to be a real gemstone enthusiast item but if you are interested in owning one I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it right away.

Not too long after high quality alexandrite rings and alexandrite jeweler was produced worldwide. Even some of Tiffany’s finest jewelers fell in love with alexandrite and the possibilities it holds. The specific thing about this gemstone was not only that it had two complete different but very live and vivid colors during the day and during the night but also that it was a rather hard and durable gemstone. For comparison you might know that diamond ranks a 10 on MOHS but alexandrite is not that far behind it with an 8.5 grade. This made the gemstone ideal for making alexandrite rings, jewelry and other accessories as it was not prone to chipping or cracking and it was extremely resistant to the daily ware and tare.

However things took a turn for the words for alexandrite the day that the Russia’s supplies got exhausted. The alexandrite found in other countries was no match to the Russian one as it barely displayed any change of color and it was not even half as resistant to the jewelers quickly lost interest. Finally in 1987 a beautiful high quality alexandrite was found in Brazil, while it was not as hard as the one from Russia it was still really good but the gemstone never got as popular as it once was. Today only real gemstone enthusiasts and lovers are proud owners of this hard to get alexandrite rings and jewelry.

Nowadays, there are 3,500 people living in Lovozero. Seven hundred of them are Sami. Other populations of Lovozero include Russians, Komi, and Tatars. However, it is very easy even for visitors to detect a visual difference between inborn Saami (undersized, thickset, with large features) and Komi-Izhort (statelier with "European" features). Saami people are usually employed in reindeer herding. There are two schools, two kindergartens, a music school, a School of Arts, a Museum of Culture, and a Palace of Arts (working with non-indigenous population).

Two local tourist attractions are the Museum of Saami Culture and the National Cultural Saami Center, which is designed in the style of northern chum, the traditional aborigines living place. This site is not too far from the downtown area of ​​the village. The third attraction is the "Covas," a local hotel.

First is a National Saami cultural center. I was surprised to see a large building constructed in the shape of a chum. Before Sweden invested approximately 1,215,000 Swedish krones in 2002, this was a famous local restaurant known simply as "Chum." However, with the closing of many mines and companies in the time of "Perestroika," most patrons of "Chum" disappeared.

Is not it such an irony, so common with the Soviet epoch? Is not it a paradox to sell alcohol to aborigines of Pola Arctic? Now, this is a community place not only for Saami, but also for all residents of Lovozero where they can learn and benefit from a local culture center, offices of the Saami Association, a radio station, workshops for a traditional Saami craft, and courses of Saami language.

A National Saami cultural center for a small community with a decreasing population is a home for Saami souls. The Saami Center has two departments: the department of folklore and the handicraft department. It offers language courses for working people three times per week. Besides that, it provides dancing and singing courses.

The Saami Center becomes more active after the first of October when all work is finished on the fields. The first event in the season is the Day of the Old Man. At the end of November is the Festival of the Bear. The Festival of the North is celebrated in the end of March, Saami Games typically take place in June, and the Day of Saami occurs in August.

Saami Public organization also has an office in this building. They're helping the center by finding resources for improvements and assist the elderly in getting social service assistance. Personnel of the Center make attempts to be kept informed about situations among the Saami families, the tundra, and so on. The Center supports talented families.

I entered a large, slightly rounded hall with a circle under a ceiling. My hostess disappeared, and I start wandering around. Attracted by sentences in a Saami language and pictographs from the North Sea on the ceiling, I took several pictures. Simplicity is a magical type of art, and I like it. Later, I found out that a local painter created this piece of art, which is giving food for thought.

My thoughts were that a different explanation of this creation could be found in literature. However, the common description is that the circle symbolizes the Universe where Lappish gods live. In the center is Pjajvy, the Sun deity, surrounded by a foremother of the Sun, the shaman, deities of fruitfulness, and the soul of the person traveling around the sun. The empty seat is left for the people still living on the earth. I noticed a sun on the floor, and I walked around a sun while looking up imaging myself in the empty place on the circle of the "world of people."

Time was flying fast, and I decided to enter the left narrow hall with doors leading in from both sides. Several paintings were hung on the walls along the corridor. One of them in particular attracted my attention-a portrait of a Saami reindeer herder in the tundra, created by a local painter, BD Shavalov. Deep thoughts reflected on the face of middle age man.

As I continued wandering, I entered an open room, a small colorful souvenir shop. It surprised me. I browsed the room filled by Saami vibrant traditional crafts ready to be purchased by foreign tourists. The price (in rubles) was really high, clearly not intended for the locals.

The colors in the patterns of the decorated clothes and headboards of the Saami are still the same. Green, blue, and red patterns appeared to the eye during polar nights and short, dull summers. The blue color symbolized a polar night; and by contrast, the other colors hinted at a long-expected summer. I had seen these nice things before and had some of them. Personally, I like footwear (such as boots) and sleepers made from deerskin for their warmth and lightness. There was a mask in the shop that was obviously not authentic Saami craft. The shelves also stocked many interesting books and CDs on Saami language and their culture.

After my browsing the shop, I noticed that the building was still empty and quiet, and I realized it was time to look for my companion, who appeared from one of the other rooms.

There was no special presentation for tourists and no dancing. It should be stated that Saami do not have old national dances. However, the Saami has a very interesting way of singing. Their improvised, highly spiritual songs are called "luvuyt." Luvuyt do not rhyme and have no definite structure. They are typically about any subject that might be of personal importance to the singer and vary broadly in lyrical content. The Saami were singing about their lives in general – the tundra, deer, and children – and they always sing solo. These traditional folk songs have declined in popularity over the twenty century.

I would like to make mention about the four colors of the Saami flag. Water, Earth, Sun, and Fire compose the national flag of the Saami. Water is a blue color; Earth is a green color; Sun is a yellow color; and Fire is a red color.

The walls of the round hall were covered with posters and pictures. Near the window close to entrance was a large board with beautiful drawings by Saami kindergartens. To see signs in Russian in the Saami Cultural Center which was build to preserve their language and culture was quiet interesting. The goal of the center is the revival, preservation, and the development of Sami culture. The main requirement for people working in the Center is to belong to an indigenous community.

I recently received the starting and heartbreaking news that the Cultural Center of Saami is in grave danger of being altered. The Administration of the Lovozero District, Murmansk Region is planning to transform the National Cultural Center of Saami to the Tourist Bureau Center.

The new head of the local administration, Dmitri Pisarev, claims that all agencies leave the occupied building as soon as possible. The reason for the transformation involves economic difficulties. Despite the numerous efforts of foreign charity organizations to help, financial crisis has waked havoc on the tiny Saami community-due, in part, to the difficulty in supporting an indigenous Saami community in an environment where many unequaled individuals and groups are clearly trying to take advantage of others' generosity for their own benefit.

Still, this transformation of the Saami Cultural Center is heart-wrenching and should, sometimes, be reconsidered. Instead of supporting the education and prosperity of the last indigenous tribe on the Kola Peninsula, the administration and local government are clearly following their own hidden agendas-to benefit and gain at the expense of their own neighbors' culture and tradition.

The Cultural Center of Saami was opened after major repairs in 2003 and is an extraordinarily important arena for cultural activity in Lovozero, helping to protect and support to keep a national identity of Saami in Russia. The loss of such a facility will be a true shame.

With the Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow may not seem to be a particularly hospitable location. However, the Russian capital is home to a wide variety of impressive cultural destinations and attracts countless visitors each year. As a result, Moscow also has a long list of top hotels that offer high-class service, deluxe accommodations and a comfortable, convenient place to stay when sight-seeing. Although many hotels in Moscow provide a high level of service, the hotels below are among the best and offer a one-of-a-kind experience.

Metropol Hotel: The Metropol Hotel is centrally located and blends in well with the rest of Moscow’s architecture, as it is an elegant, historic hotel built at the turn of the century. Although the structure was completed in 1903, the Metropol’s interior offers the latest amenities, including a fitness center, internet access and a top-notch restaurant. The Metropol has set the standard in luxury in Moscow and will not disappoint.

Golden Apple Hotel: Another classic hotel is the Golden Apple, which is housed in a 19th-century mansion. With just 92 rooms, you’ll be sure to find peace and quiet at the Golden Apple, which opened in 2004. With WiFi and a 24-hour business center, the guests here tend to be productive rather than party animals, so your stay in this elegant, opulent gem won’t be disturbed.

Marriott Royal Aurora Hotel: Marriott is a trusted name in travel accommodations, that the Royal Aurora lives up to the chain’s reputation. This hotel is located just minutes from the Kremlin, and features classically inspired architecture, 230 luxurious rooms, elegant furnishings and round-the-clock service. Of course, as the Royal Aurora is located in the heart of Moscow, you’re not likely to spend much time in your room.

Ararat Park Hyatt Hotel: If you’re more apt to trust familiar names rather than local, independent hotels, the Ararat Park Hyatt is the perfect destination. This hotel is considered not just one of the top hotels in Moscow, but one of the best places to stay in the entire nation. The modern, almost absurdly luxurious hotel will stun you with its high-class interior design, supreme comfort and magnificent service.

Mamaison Pokrovka Suite Hotel: The Mamaison Pokrovka is unlike any other hotel in Moscow, as it is pushing the limit of five-star amenities and service. The modern facility features 84 plus suites with kitchenettes, WiFi service and access to an elegant two-story spa. The Mamaison Pokrovka Suite Hotel is also ideal for business travelers, with multiple meeting spaces, all draped in modern elegance.

About the same time US president Barack Obama was boasting about the new nuclear arms reduction deal he negotiated with Russia, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin was busy visiting Caracas, negotiating a series of agreements that will reshape the geopolitical landscape in the Americas. Upon his return to Moscow, Putin announced that he and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez had an agreement for the sale of over five billion dollars in armament to the South American country. This exceeds the 4.4 billion dollars in Russian military hardware Venezuela has acquired since 2005. The new arms deal provides Venezuela with a credit line in excess of two billion dollars.

The rapid arms build-up started by the leftist leader has many foreign observers preoccupied, as Venezuela isn’t in any danger of being aggressed by any other country, despite Chavez’ wild claims of a Colombian-American conspiracy. Acquiring such an arsenal could be a sign that Chavez plans to use it for offensive purposes at some future date, most probably against neighboring Colombia, a country for which Venezuela as well as allies Ecuador and Nicaragua had secretly drafted an invasion plan in the recent past. Such a scenario is made more plausible by the current perception that Colombia’s ally, the United States, has lost interest in the region under president Obama, and would shy away from intervening militarily in any conflict. It’s conceivable that Venezuela, the world’s fifth largest oil exporter, may seek to gain a direct access to the Pacific Ocean and the lucrative Chinese market, something that would become a reality if it controlled Colombia.

Venezuela’s new arms purchase include submarines, tanks, combat helicopters, troop transport aircraft, and long range mobile artillery. Another 30 bilateral accords were signed during the Putin-Chavez meeting, including one that paves the way for Russian firms to build oil refineries in Venezuela, as well as develop the enormous Hunin-6 oil field. Acquiring its own refining facilities is of particular strategic significance for Venezuela, as this will end its dependence on American refineries. Another deal struck during the meeting was one with far more reaching consequences in terms of future US-Venezuela policy: Russian cooperation to build Venezuela’s first nuclear power plant. Could “Iran West” be far off?

Bolivian president Evo Morales, a staunch Chavez supporter, was also present at the summit and sealed an agreement that will allow Moscow to build an air base in Bolivia, described as a refueling stop for Russian military aircraft. Morales also signed deals for co-development of gas fields in his country. Putin has long been seeking to restore the global clout Russia enjoyed as the USSR, as well as undermining American global influence. In Chavez and his allies, Putin has found willing partners and has handed the United States a serious political blow in its own hemisphere. For Chavez, the protection afforded by a Russian alliance will give him more maneuvering room in his own plans for regional dominance. Never shying away from an opportunity to peddle Russian influence, Putin is also reaching out to Venezuela’s enemy and the US’ most important South American ally, Colombia, offering aid against terrorism and perhaps other incentives, which he’ll discuss with outgoing president Alvaro Uribe during his upcoming visit to Moscow. Could Colombia pact something with Russia as insurance against Venezuela, perhaps also motivated by Washington’s waning interest in its key ally since George W Bush left? Lest we forget, Colombians are still waiting for passage of the long promised free trade agreement, and Plan Colombian, Washington’s anti-drug war funding, saw cuts last year.

Washington’s response to recent events has been muted. If it can’t see beyond its own domestic problems, the US could well be witnessing the beginning of a new cold war, born right in its own backyard!

My future hostess, Saami woman, warned me on the phone that the temperature had dropped to -50°C. From my previous personal experience, I knew this was not possible, and I was right. In Illinois State, we have much lower temperatures than in this region of the world, sometimes falling below -30ºC. Anyway, I was equipped with warm clothes to be ready for any kind of surprises.

It was a cold winter day. From the window of the plane, I saw a chain of hills. We walked to the airport through snowfall – and it seemed no one even bothered to shovel the walkways. Upon entrance to the luggage area, from distance I recognized my hostess. She reminded me of a Saami, a short woman with a large rounded face, garbed in a long fox fur coat.

The road to the Revda (by western standards) was in excellent condition, wide and shoveled. We stopped at a roadside shop where drivers and locals could buy several varieties of frozen fish and other frozen products. This tiny, temporary place could only be noticed by its Russian flag. It was interesting to see this little unheated fish shop standing in the middle of nowhere. A dog welcomed us. As we drove on a bit, we came across another well-known local landmark – a large roadside tree known to the locals as “Lenin.” Its profile greatly resembles the same silhouette of Lenin that rested on former Soviet Union coins.

We arrived in the small city of Revda to find a high-rise building, private houses, a church and several concrete buildings. At that time, Revda, as result of closing some enterprises and mines people moved out, was mostly unoccupied. The settlement had been built up basically with wooden barracks before 1967, and after the railway began, many high-rise houses were constructed. Buildings above five floors were under construction either in big cities, or in those settlements that had prospects of considerable growth.

To see nine-floor apartment buildings in Pole Arctic shocked me, especially since they were almost empty at the time. What kind of government, architectures, and other interested parties participated in this project? Did they know (or at least ask or ponder) how much it would cost to maintain high-rise housing? To my knowledge, nobody knows the real price of keeping concrete buildings in an acceptable living condition. Families still living in these buildings spent hours without heat and electricity.

These days, there are 9,700 people living in Revda. In the Revda located a Joint Stock Company “Sevredmet.” The JSC produces loparite concentrate, a raw material for tantalum, niobium, and rare elements, partially titanium. Before the collapse of the USSR, this company satisfied seventy percent of the country’s demand for rare metals and eighty percent of niobium. The raw material source is a unique Lovozero deposit, with subsurface mines in Karnasurt (since 1951) and Umbozero (since 1984). During the last decade, the company has faced serious difficulties due to a crisis in product sales.

I spent several days with Saami family in the Revda, about eight miles (twenty kilometers) away from the Lovozero, the center of Russian Saami. I tried to learn from my Saami hostess, something to share in the future with my readers about Saami culture, history, family values, traditions, clothes and other details from within. Even, maybe, to find out some interesting facts of the shaman’s art. Saami called these people Noaides.

According to my hostess, Olga, both of her parents were Saami. Her father, Olonkin Serge, was a famous hunter on the Kola Peninsula. Serge was sometimes paid well: for killing eighteen male wolves, he received five mail reindeer and one doe plus 2,500 rubles; for killing five she-wolves, he received five does and one male deer and 3,000 rubles. He had a lot of government awards. Her mother was a manager of collective milk farms and had been part of a family who was persecuted by the government in the time of collectivization.

Serge had six sons and one girl. He came from a family of fifteen sons and one girl. Later, Serge was forced to relocate with his family to Lovozero from the Voronya settlement, just as all Saami were. At that time, the government began building up the Sovhoz, a large collective farm, huge plants, manufacturing facilities, mines, military bases, and electro stations.

The former Soviet Union completely changed the Kola Peninsula before World War II and almost erased the Saami as an ethnic group after the war. Colonization by different neighboring countries, as well as sometimes aggressive or hidden conversion into Christianity, the vanishing of the small ethnic group was almost complete.