Sbiten, the traditional beverage for wintertime in Russia, is a drink with a long, colorful history. Research shows that sbiten has been around since the fourteenth century. Traditionally, Sbiten was served from of-heated copper samovars by the sbitenshchik, who served it up until the beginning of the twenty century on Russian street corners.

I have always loved all things Russian. For the past twenty years, I have collected stamps from Russia and emerging territories, and have an extensive collection in 2 large Scott's Standard books. One of my favorite composers and pianist is Kostia, who haunting music of his Russian homeland is a beautiful listening experience. If I am particularly stressed out, it is Kostia I turn to. His albums include Suite St. Petersburg and 10 Pebbles, among others.

Sbiten is made in different ways, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic. It is the perfect antidote for long cold winters, something Russia is famous for. Here in Michigan, it is a real treat for us old folks that hate winter.

The word Sbiten comes the from the verb sbit – to beat or to pound. The herbs and spices are ground in a mortar, and then mixed with honey or molasses. It is allowed to ferment for a short period, and then mixed with water to make a slightly alcoholic drink. Replacing the water with a good Cabernet Sauvignon makes for a more lively drink, one to be appreciated by all. It is also fortified with brandy or vodka for a more potent libation.

The basic recipe for Sbiten:

3 1/2 cups water

2 cups honey

3 cinnamon sticks

2-3 cardamom pods, seeds removed, toasted and crushed

1/3 Tsp ground ginger 1 TBS whole cloves

2 dried chili peppers (optional)

2 TBS raspberry or apricot jam

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Whisk continuously to insure honey is well mixed. Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature. Strain liquid through cheesecloth into an airtight container for storage and refrigerate until ready to bottle.

I buy 750 ml Cobalt Blue EZ Cap bottle from the local brewmeister to bottle anything like Sbiten to present as a gift during the holiday season. Add some fancy ribbon, a foil cap to the bottle, and a gift card. For about $ 8 USD you have a wonderful gift to present to friends or co-workers. A case of the Cobalt Blue bottles runs about $ 15.00.

I have spent quality time with the air force and as the IAF had a Russian connection, I was lucky to visit Russia many times. During my visits to Russia, I and my fellow colleagues were treated with utmost respect and the Soviets genuinely thought of India as a friend.

One of the aircraft that impressed me was the Tu-95 which gave the code name Bear by the NATO powers. The history of the plane makes interesting reading. In the early fifties of the last century, despite having the Atomic bomb the Russians did not have a proper delivery system to attack America. The cold war was in full swing and the Russians desperately needed a deterrence.Josef Stalin had a meeting with the designer Andrei Tupolev and the result was the Bear.Andrie Tupelov was one of the engineering greats of Russia in the field of aviation and the long range aircraft are part of his contribution to the history of aviation.

The plane first flew in 1952 and had a range of 9000 miles. All credit to Andrei Tupolev who spent eons of time on the drawing board and the wind tunnel tests. TheBear was a 4 engine turboprop plane. It was powered by the Kuznetsov engines which at that time were the biggest and most powerful engines in the aviation world. The plane had tremendous endurance and large bomb bays as in those days, the Atomic bombs were large gravity falling bombs. With this plane, the Russians for the first time had a strategic bomber that could fly to the heartland of the USA.

The Russians churned out a few more versions and one of them was the TU-114 which was also sold to the Indian navy for sea surveillance. The Russian AF ordered substantial numbers of these strategic bombers. As on date more than 59 of these strategic long-range bombers are still in service with the RAF.As per the vision document of the Russian AF, these planes will not be retired till 2040. In other words, the planes will remain part of the strike command of the strategic air force till 2040.

The plane looks like a blast from the past. It has a speed of 710 mph and the engines make a pounding sound. Once the plane revs up and goes into a dive at full throttle the sound is so strong that even a submarine submerged can hear the approach of the bomber. Never the less, despite this relative drawback, the plane is a great platform for offensive weapons. It can also carry cruise missiles and launch them against an enemy at some distance from the target. This makes it a great weapons platform. The plane is the pride of the Air Force and Russians feel mighty proud to have such a lethal strategic bomber.

I first saw this behemoth in the Russian airbase and its size awed me. I had not seen such a large plane. I wanted to take some photographs, but it was not allowed. Subsequently, I did ride on the plane as a passenger. With the permission of the senior captain on board, I had an entry into the cockpit and was struck by the maze of electronic equipment displayed.It had ECM and ECCM on board. The plane could carry atomic bombs and has been the main strategic bomber of the Russian air force for over 5 decades. This points to its technical excellence and airworthiness.

The TU-95 is now getting a little dated and recently two crashes occurred in Siberia. This sent alarm bells ringing and the entire fleet was grounded, but after a technical inspection, the plane is back in harness. I traveled on the plane from Moscow to Vladivostok in the east, a distance of almost 5000 miles and the flight was smooth. But at times the noise was a bit too much and so we were given earphones. I always wondered why the IAF did not ask the Russians for this plane as it would have been a great deterrence to China with its range and Beijing and entire Manchuria would have been in the range of the IAF. But strange are the ways of the politicians and one wonders what happened, for the Russians did give the TU-114 the long-range maritime version of the plane to the Indian navy and it even now soars over the Arabian Sea.

During the height of the cold war, the TU-95 was a force multiplier. It could carry cruise missiles with nuclear warheads and the planes often approached the California coast. They were a potent threat to the US and the USAF often scrambled jet fighters to intercept these bombers. The USSR at that time used this plane as a deterrence and with its awesome range, it kept the Soviet response to the US bases around the Soviet Union at strength five.

After the end of the cold war, the Russians did not scrap these planes but upgraded them and now they will serve with the Russian Airforce till 2040. One reason for this is, that the Russians have not yet developed an alternate strategic bomber of comparable range. The Bear thus still carries the Russian flag to the far corners of the world. Even now sometimes Putin orders these planes and they approach the California coast, a gentle reminder that Russia remains a great power, though the erstwhile Soviet Union is part of history.

The Russians feel a tremendous sense of pride in this plane, which gives the Russians something to crow about as the USAF has no comparable plane of this range and endurance.

The Concept
Russian Futurism was an artistic movement in the fields of literature and Visual Arts that hit Russia in the early 20th century. Russian Futurism took its cues from the famous manifesto published by an Italian poet Fillip Marinetti (1876-1944) on the front page of the February 20, 1909, issue of the French daily newspaper Le Figaro. Inspired by this manifesto, a group of Russian poets and artists formally adopted the ideology of Marinetti’s manifesto in December 1912, under the leadership of Ukrainian artist David Burlyuk (1882-1967).

The History
In comparison to its Western counterpart, Russian Futurism is an esoteric and little-known trend. However, it was an enormously momentous movement in Russia, leaving its marks both, in art forms (theatre, graphic art, painting, & poetry) and public life. The Russian Futurists named themselves ‘Budetlyane’ – people of the future.

The Details
Notwithstanding the apparent resemblance flanked by Russian and European Futurism, each had its own style, displaying the nation’s local traditions and outlook. One of the distinctive qualities of Russian Futurism was the merger of all probable styles and trends – “everythingism,” as defined by French Futurist poet Ilya Zdanevich(born 1913). The setback of one common approach was not encouraged. They espoused speed, technology, & violence, and was pictured as celebrating the technological, future era and its triumphs over nature. Highly influenced by Cubanism, Russian Futurism even went beyond the techniques of Cubanism.

The Artist
Most of the Futurist artists also wrote poetry (Velimir Khlebnikov, Vladimir Mayakovsky, David Burlyuk, Alexei Kruchenykh, & Elena Guro) and were musicians too (Nikolai Kulbin, Vladimir Baranoff-RossinÐ~, & Mikhail Matiushin). They mutually understood that with their understanding of Futurism as an art form was determining the man of the future. Natalia Goncharova, Mikhail Larionov, Kazimir Malevich, Pavel Filonov, Olga Rozanova, Nikolai Kulbin, and Alexandra Exter also paid tribute to Russian Futurism at some junctures of their careers. David Burlyuk, so-called “vicar of Russian Futurism,” stood at the core of this galaxy of Russian futuristic stars. One of the finest examples of Russian Futuristic works is David Burlyuk’s ‘Glass Eye,’ a unique representation of the Futurist view of the world. The exhibition at the Russian Museum consisted of some two hundred works of art – painting, graphic, decorative & applied art, book graphics, archive documents, and sculptures of these artists. Poster of ‘Victory over the Sun’ by El Lissitzky’s and ‘Cyclist’ (1913) by Natalia Goncharova are a couple of other Russian Futurism milestones.

Conclusion
The movement began to decline after the revolution of 1917. Some Futurists died, others emigrated. Although considered extinct, Russian Futurism still powerfully echoes in the modern, popular culture and art of Russia. As David Burlyuk rightly summarized it, “Russian Futurism is not a school, it is a new disposition.”

Visiting Irkutsk

Irkutsk is one of the most important cities in Eastern Siberia. This city has also become a popular tourist destination. It is also one of the largest Siberian cities, the population of which is about 600,000. Irkutsk is located on the banks of River Angara, which flows from the deepest lake in the world the Baikal.

Irkutsk was founded in the middle of the 17th century, by the end of which the population reached the number of a thousand people. Most of the people coming to Irkutsk at that time wanted to find the legendary treasures, which were hidden somewhere in the city.

Irkutsk has numerous historical and architectural sights, which survived through the time and numerous earthquakes, as well as fires. Wooden constructions of the past centuries can be found in the city. Most of them represent the architectural styles of the past centuries.

There are numerous sights in the city, which will surely interest the tourists wishing to see this wonderful city.

Accommodation in Irkutsk

Irkutsk has accommodation of any kind, as the city is always full of tourists and business travelers. There are superb five-star hotels in Irkutsk, as well as cheap three and two-star hotels. Most of the hotels in Irkutsk offer all kinds of services for the tourists.

Victory hotel is among the best hotels of the city. There tourists will find comfortably furnished rooms with all the amenities included. The rooms have bathrooms with showers, direct dial phone, as well as electronic security system. The hotel has also restaurants and many other facilities.

Angara hotel is another popular hotel among the tourists. It is located in the central part of the city. Angara hotel is one of the oldest hotels in Irkutsk, which offers all kinds of services needed for a comfortable rest. The hotel has a business center, where business meetings and conference can be organized.

Baikal Business Center hotel is among the best four star hotels in the city. It is located closely to the Irkutsk exhibition Center. The hotel offers best services and all kinds of entertainment.

Going out in Irkutsk

Irkutsk offers different kinds of entertainment for the tourists. Various restaurants and cafes are located in the city. Tourists will find Chinese, Japanese and Russian restaurants offering delicious dishes of all kinds.

Irkutsk is famous for cafes serving Russian pancakes, known as bliny. Blynnaya is perfect place for tasting Russian pancakes. The best pancakes are served there, most of which have various kinds of fillings.

Kioto is a Japanese restaurant, which offers delicious Japanese food, such as sushi and other dishes with rice. Orion Chinese restaurant is among the best ones in the city. Orion Chinese restaurant is popular among locals. Havana Café is also popular among locals and tourists coming to the city. The café has its own bakery, as well as a bar.

There are various kinds of other restaurants and cafes in the city, where tourists can spend their free time. The restaurants in Irkutsk are known for the most delicious dishes of Russian cuisine.

We get a lot of questions about what happened to the Russian Church after the revolution of 1917 and what religious life was like during the Communist regime in Russia.

As we know, in 1914 Russia had 55 173 Russian Orthodox churches and 29 593 chapels, 112 629 priests and deacons, 550 monasteries and 475 nunneries with a total of 95 259 inhabitants.

As the twentieth century approached, Russia could boast the largest single national Church in the world.

Although freedom of religious expression was formally declared by one of the first decrees of the revolutionary government in January 1918, both the Church and its followers were heavily persecuted and deeply disadvantaged. Prior to the Russian Revolution, there were some 54 000 functioning parishes and over 150 bishops. There were soon bloody and cruel killings of bishops and priests, and massacres of believers during the Red Terror and the following years of repressions were shocking. These persecutions were even greater than the persecutions of the Ancient Christian Church both in the number of holy martyrs and the cruelty and ingenuity of the persecutors.

Many religious hierarchs fled Russia during the revolution and the civil war that followed. They contributed to the spread of the Orthodox Church in many countries. However, some hierarchs even formed their own organization that became known as the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. They split away from the Russian Church. During the 1920-30s, most church buildings were blown up, burned or converted into secular buildings; over 50 thousand priests were either executed or sent to labor camps.

By 1939, there were less than 100 functioning parishes and only four bishops.

During World War II, the religious persecution in Soviet Union became less pronounced, in part due to cooperation of the Church with the state on national defense issues. Years 1944-45 saw the reopening of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary that had been closed since 1918. After the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, relations between the Church and the state started to deteriorate again. Until Perestroika, public expression of religious beliefs – Christian or otherwise – was frowned upon; known churchgoers were deprived of some social rights, they could not become members of the Communist Party, which in turn, severely limited their career opportunities and many lost their jobs and any privileges. All Soviet university students were required to take courses in so-called “Scientific Atheism”.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior was blown up in 1931 and turned into a heated open-air pool. Restoration was started in 1995.

Some priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as other churches in the Soviet Union were secretly employed by the KGB for the government to discover who was a Church member. Despite the dangers, large numbers of people remained openly or secretly religious. In 1987 in the Russian Federation between 40% and 50% of newborn babies were baptized, and over 60% of all the deceased received Christian funeral services.

A pivotal moment in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church came in 1988 – the millennium of the Baptism of Russia. It appears now that the government had realized the fruitlessness of its efforts in its war against religion and instead tried to use religion to gain the support of the people.

Throughout the summer of 1988, major government-supported celebrations took place in Moscow and other cities and many churches and some monasteries were reopened. An implicit ban against religious propaganda on state TV was finally lifted. For the first time in the history of the Soviet Union, people could use their TVs to see live transmissions of services from central churches.

Today, the Russian Orthodox Church is the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world. Over 90% of ethnic Russians identify themselves as Russian Orthodox. The number of people regularly attending church services is considerably lower, but growing every year. The Church has over 23,000 parishes, 154 bishops, 635 monasteries, and 102 clerical schools.

The Middle East is an oven ready to explode, I don’t have to prove that, we can see it; we see Iran playing with nukes, and Syria and Iran supplying terrorist groups. Russia looking here and there for money, its old glory, and who is in the Middle? You guessed it, Israel. I do not wish to be skeptical with a message, like so many preachers, trying to sensationalize the Biblical hour of destruction, but lets put it where it belongs, no conjecture, no footnotes, just description: we can turn to the front pages of any newspaper to see where we are headed, or we can turn to Ezekiel 38: and chapter 39, read the whole thing, you will find Russia, Moscow, marching to the Middle East.

Ask the question: who can take down Israel? China can’t, they’d lose their pants, and belt, or as they say in Peru, the Goat and the Rope. There are only two countries in the whole world that could take on Israel, the US and Russia. Europe, or even NATO, without the US assistance would be cooked alive if Israel decided to pour their might upon them. This is not boasting, I am not Jewish, nor boast, it is fact. I spent 11-years in the military. We got nukes over in Europe, but by the time we got to put them in place to use, the sake would have gobbled us up. It is just show and tell over there.

Ezekiel is the prophet in question here, as Russia is signified as Rosh, in the Bible, from whence Russians derive their name. Thus, Russia will invade the land of Israel, but be defeated. In researching this, and watching world events unfold, one need only as who is the face of Gog, and where is the land of Magog? As a result of your research, you will discover Mother Russia. The meaning of Gog, is ‘end time ruler.’ But what we discover in the bible is this: Gog’s last stand. The tips of the Caucasus Mountains are referred to as or called ‘The Gogh” We also can trade Magog to the book of Genesis Chapter 10.

I don’t want to get too much into spreading this out as far as one can, it would take a volume or two, but to make a point I must settle something. Josephus, a Jewish historian, who worked for the Romans, who lived 2000 years ago, said the Greeks called the Scythians Magog or Magogites. These are the very same people Russia gives credit for populating their land, thousands of years ago.

The bible and times, and means indicated a great conflagration in the Middle East in the last days. These are the days you and I are living in; to me they are most interesting. We can recognize these as actual or false, it doesn’t matter, I am just a little vice among many, but God’s word says so, and as I said already, so does the times and means. If it was up to me, I’d say let’s get it over with, I feel we are living in a most interesting time. Actually, there are only two times in history I’d liked to have lived, the first, would be in the beginning, when Adam and Eve were alive, the second is now, at is end.

The legend that Alaska has a shortage of available women is an absolute demographic fact, but ironically, just across the Bering Strait there are plenty of hot Russian brides who are looking for foreign husbands, because Russia actually has a shortage of available men.

According to the 2000 census there were 114 single Alaskan men for every 100 single Alaskan women, but those numbers are actually too rosy, because Alaska has become the home of a large flourishing lesbian community. So, the facts for a lonely Alaskan man are actually worse than the numbers would indicate.  The shortage of available single women is so bad in fact it is the subject of a lot of bad jokes: What do you call a beautiful woman in Juneau? A Tourist!

The problem for Russian women, no matter how attractive, is that the men tend to die young from drinking on a scale that is hard to imagine. Until recently it was assumed that they drank a little more than twice as much as men from the US or EU.   However, some British researchers did not think that difference was enough to explain the much higher rates of alcohol poisoning and liver failure until they realized that many Russian men also consume large quantities of commercial alcohol in the form of items such as cologne, anti-freeze, and household cleaners. 

So, it is not really surprising that the average life expectancy of Russian men is only about 58 years of age and many men already suffer from alcohol related health problems before they reach 40. Worse, the booze, which really became a huge problem only after the fall of the USSR, has also led to an explosion of domestic violence, and that is a major factor driving women from Russia and many other areas of Eastern Europe to sign up as mail order brides.  

So, it seems like the Russian women looking for husbands and the Alaskan men looking for wives would be a match made in heaven. 

First, the standard of living in Alaska is much higher than in Alaska and most Alaskan men could support a wife in a style that most Russian women can barely dream of. 

Second, there are plenty of women in Russia, with a population of over 140 million, to easily meet the needs of the men in Alaska, and that’s not even considering the women from the Ukrainian or other countries in Eastern Europe. 

Third, the Alaskan weather isn’t going to scare off a Russian girl or any other woman from Eastern Europe. Even the Crimea can get brutally cold in the winter.

Fourth, many of the women are hot enough to melt the permafrost. In general, women in the old Soviet Bloc are obsessed with beauty and fitness and even an average girl in Moscow or Kiev would turn heads in Fairbanks.    

So, why don’t more Alaskan men pursue mail order brides from Russia or other countries in Eastern Europe. Probably, the main reason is that they don’t really understand how the modern international dating industry works. They are probably worried about being scammed, but today the mail order bride industry is extremely concerned about scammers. Men that use a good agency and a little good sense probably have no more chance of being scammed than any guy does when he meets a pretty girl anywhere and maybe even less.  Really, lonely Alaskan men and beautiful Russian brides does seem like a match made in heaven.  

From Lenin’s Communism (which didn’t work); problems with Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, and Andropov, the Cold War; Chernobyl (the worst nuclear reactor disaster in history); and the present seemingly black-mail over gas and oil; indicates that Russia is comfortable with unrealistic actions and refusal to work with other nations to make earth a better place to live.

High school classes in economics teach that communism is an ineffective form of government that fails because it kills the initiative of the people. In Russia it appears that being a supper power is far more important than caring for its citizens. To the Russian government a slogan ‘world peace’ is less important than the slogan ‘down with America and the West’.

Vladimir Lenin was the first Premier of the Soviet Union (1917). Joseph Stalin became General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in 1922 and his policies and leadership were based on Marxist-Leninist ideology. He transformed Russia from a nation based on agriculture to a global superpower. Some write that Stalin was indirectly or directly responsible for the death of millions of Russians.

Nikita Khrushchev’s leadership (1953-1964) established the Warsaw Pact to counter the perceived threat from NATO. He led the Soviet space program that launched Sputnik 1. He played a large role in deployment of missiles in Cuba, causing the Cuban missile crisis. He then insured the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961.

In 1964 Leonid Brezhnev moved into power. He supported the North Vietnamese in the Vietnam War. He legitimized domination over Eastern and Central Europe with the signing of the Helsinki Act in 1975. He saw Russia reach the peak of its strategic and world power with the signing of the SALT 1 treaty.

In 1982 Yuri Andropov became General Secretary of the Communist Party. His rule saw the weakening of relations with the United States, which worsened when Soviet fighters downed a civilian jet liner.

It seems that historically Russia has placed more importance on being a supper power than caring for its own people and getting along with the rest of the world. It was reported that when the Russian K-141 nuclear attack submarine Krusk sank in August 2000, President Putin apparently confronted President Clinton with a threat of firing nuclear missiles at America. Clinton is reported defusing the incident by cancelling a multi-billon dollar debt owed by Russia.

Chernobyl: (the abandoned city). In the town of Pripyat, 16 km from Chernobyl is located the Chernobyl nuclear power station, which is the site of the worst nuclear reactor disaster in world history. An ignorant unauthorized test of one of the plant’s four reactors, obviously by unqualified persons, resulted in an uncontrolled chain reaction in the core of the reactor. Emergency backup systems were disabled.

The next day a tremendous explosion occurred and resulted in large quantities of radioactive gases and particles being spread throughout the northern hemisphere, including Ukraine, Finland and Sweden, Moldova, parts of Turkey, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, the Slovak Republic, Yugoslavia, Finland, Bulgaria, Norway, Romania, Germany Poland, United Kingdom, Lithuania, Poland, Italy and even Japan. Perhaps this was of little concern to the Russian government.

Millions of people were affected in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. The World Health Organization estimates that the total radioactivity from Chernobyl is 200 times that of the combine releases from the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The overall problems are much greater than the official estimates and the truth will likely never be known.

There is no safe level of radiation exposure. Today in many countries there is a restriction of production, transportation, and consumption of food because of fallout contamination. The full terrible effects of this Russian disaster will never be known. Exposure to ionizing radiation can cause cancer in almost every organ in the body. The time period between exposure to radiation and the appearance of cancer can be 50 to 60 years. The mental health impact of this disaster is terrible.

Ian Fairlie, PhD, UK and David Summer, Dphil, UK (in their article, “The Other Report”) wrote, “Our overall conclusion is that the unprecedented extent of the disaster and its long-term global environmental, health and socio-economic consequences should be full acknowledged and taken into account by governments when considering their energy policies”.

Chernobyl is not the only reactor and nuclear accident the Russians have experienced. From July 1961 to date there have been several naval reactor and nuclear accidents, including the sinking of the nuclear submarine Krusk. These accidents involved refueling, repairing, and constructing.

Russian expertise and safety standards appear very substandard for an area as serious as radiation exposure.

Russians leaders need to show great concern for everyone everywhere. It appears that Russia wants to build 40 new reactors during the next twenty years. The goal is to produce 100% of Russia’s electricity by nuclear power. The purpose of this is so that Russian can export most of its natural gas. The reason for this is to give Russia a powerful foreign-policy tool as Russia pressures the Western Europeans, who desperately need the natural gas. (Info from Nathan Hodge and Sharon Weinberger ‘A Nuclear Family Vacation in Russia’ – ‘The Atom Works for Peace’).

Besides boasting a plan to build 40 new nuclear reactors in Russia, it seems Russia has big plans to also make nuclear energy a top Russian export. Russia wants to create affordable new reactors for countries that can not afford to even consider developing one reactor. One concept is the “floating nuclear power plant”, which is a nuke on a barge that will be operated by Russian crews (specialists). Remember Russia has many years of experience with naval reactors and any country that buys a “floating” nuclear plant has no need to provide any specialist. These poor countries just lease a nuclear plant with full support from Russia; with little assurance that Russia really has the needed expertise to insure nuclear safety.

Russia’s past safety record is lousy and now Russia wants to furnish the world with nuclear energy packages that include Russian specialists.

Today Russia is siding with Iran with its nuclear ambitions…as Russia furnishes Iran with assistance. This should make a logical person question who will actually control Iran’s nuclear-fuel cycle.

On the other hand there could be a “dream come true”. If Russia and the U.S. could work together to prevent proliferation among other countries, the world could experience lasting world peace.

Recently, Mr. Putin mocked the U.S. missile defense plan, Russian renewed its Bear-H patrols to American borders. In Sep 07, Bill Gertz wrote that Russian strategic nuclear bombers conducted a practice exercise that involved a simulated cruise missile attack on the U.S.

President Bush, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other government leaders continue to call for nations through out the world to join together and insist that the U.N. do what is necessary to halt Iran’s nuclear activities. Iran’s president seems to just laugh at the world as he continues to seemly our smart everyone with his tough talk. Perhaps he really is the world’s smartest psychologist.

Over and over Iranian leaders repeat that “Israel must be eliminated from the face of the earth”. Most people seem to feel that Israel takes these threats seriously. President Bush stated that the U.S. will defend Israel if it is attacked with missiles. Israel seems to understand that there is no assurance that an Israeli attack on Iran could eliminate Iran’s nuclear program and threat. Israel has also attempted to assure all concerned that Israel has the ability to cause tremendous damage to Iran’s nuclear program with either a nuclear or non nuclear attack. Israel has also tried hard to convince the world that Israel will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. It should be the U.N. and not Israel that prevents Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

It seems that Russia will side with Iran? It seems clear today that Mr. Ahmadinejad wants to be the Islamic leader in the region. Is he willing to lead or does he just want the title “leader”?

It’s sad that too many people of the world seem to have a short memory. Millions are still alive that should remember situations and actions that lead to WWII.

Wake up world!

The word combination “Russian mafia” became obsolete long ago. Now Russia is governed by oligarchs – those, who in their time managed to buy oil, gas, etc. at cheap price. As you can see, it presents no danger for ordinary tourists, it is a matter of politics. And in general to be in Russia now is no less and no more dangerous than in any European town.

But as everywhere tourists should know some measures of safety, since they, as a rule, have big sums of money with them.

1. Cash.

You should have cash enough to pay for taxi, dinner and a night at a hotel. Even if you must

be met and taken to the hotel where you have already reserved a room! Because you might face different circumstances and you must be ready to this.

Attention! The newer your notes the better! So pick them out carefully before the trip. There mustn’t be any ink or fat spots and small holes on them. They mustn’t be worn or slightly torn. Such notes can be exchanged only in the State bank at a lower rate.

Currency exchanges are large in number and everywhere. At the railway stations, airports and hotels the exchange rate is always less profitable. If you can pay the driver with currency, do so and exchange other money in the city.

2. Credit cards.

It is very convenient to keep money on a plastic card. In this case you avoid the problem of pickpockets. However you face the problem of providing safety to money on your account: danger increases if you check your account by Internet, or use cash dispensers and enter your key-code. What should you do to save your money?

– Before departure open a card special for travel. Put there the sum necessary for the trip. In this way you will not only save your basic money, but will not exceed the limits of planned budget. :))

– It is better to open a credit card, not debit. In case some payment is made from your card without your knowledge, you will be able to return money only from your credit card.

– Keep basic sums of money on the account, which has nothing to do with Internet. Check it only after coming back to your country.

– Always have the bank contacts with you. Write them somewhere, don’t rely on the information written on your plastic card. If you lose the plastic card, you will lose all the telephone numbers of the bank.

Following these simple rules, you can protect yourself from computer thieves.

3. Sending money.

However there is one more original way allowing you to avoid cash dispensers, customs and pickpockets at the railway stations. Just send money to yourself through some money transfer system like Western Union. To do this, transfer money on your name to the city where you are planning the trip. You can make some transfers, so that not to carry a big sum of money with you but get it when necessary. If you are planning the trip to several towns, you can make transfers on your name to each town. In case some transferred money is left unused you can return it after coming back to your country.

4. Travel checks.

This way is popular in the world, but in Russia few banks have this service. Say, in Kazan there is only one bank (Ak Bars) that accepts travel checks. So carrying money in travel checks, don’t count fully on them, it is better to combine different ways.

Remember in Russia you CAN’T pay by checks or in any other ways, except rubles and plastic cards. You may pay dollars or euro to private persons (for instance taxi driver) if they agree, but in all official places it is forbidden.

Follow these simple rules preparing for your trip and enjoy your time in Russia!

Russian airports

Russia is a big country, which occupies a really big territory. Numerous cities are located on the territory of Russian Federation, but not all of them have modern international airports so you have to be strategic when you plan your flight to Russia.

The main and biggest airports of the country are located in the most significant Russian cities, such as Moscow, Novosibirsk, St Petersburg and others. There are about four hundred airports in the country, but just seventy of them meet international requirements.

All big airports of Russia have modern equipment and provide wide range of services to the customers. The airports offer departure and arrival services of all kinds, as well as transportation services to the tourists and businesspersons traveling in Russia.

Airports in some regions of Russia are not well developed, but still they provide the services needed for the travelers. The level of comfort there is not high, but it is still the easiest way of traveling across Russia.

Biggest airports in Moscow

Moscow is the biggest and busiest Russian city, which is also the capital of Russian Federation. The city is always full of tourists and people coming to the city on business. The transportation system is well developed in Moscow, as it is considered the way of getting to other parts of the country. There are five airports in the city and only three of them handle international flights.

The biggest airports in Moscow are Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo, which meet all the modern requirements. Domodedovo is the largest airport in Moscow, which has a well developed infrastructure. There are numerous shops, cafes, restaurants and business centers at the airport. There is also a hotel in the airport, known as Domodedovo Airhotel, which offers full range of services to the tourists visiting the city.

Sheremetyevo is also one of the best airports in Russia. The airport offers good departure and arrival services. It is also the main base of several airlines, among them Aeroflot Russian Airlines.

Airports in St Petersburg and Novosibirsk

Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg is among the best airports in the whole country. This airport cooperates with more than seventy airports in different parts of the world. Numerous Russian and foreign airlines deal with Pulkovo International Airport.

The airport is divided into two terminals Pulkovo I and Pulkovo II, the first of which handles domestic flights, while the second mostly international. Both terminals have a well-developed infrastructure and offer best services available in an international airport. Pulkovo II also offers VIP services for the travelers. The airport has all modern equipment for a comfortable and unforgettable arrivals and departures.

Pulkovo International Airport is not the only modern airport on the territory of Russia. Tolmachevo International Airport is located in Novosibirsk. It also meets all the international requirements. The airport handles not only domestic and international flights, but also serves as an important cargo relay point.