Entries 301—315 of 307

	Business January 11, 5:36 PM The Upside Of Recession: Russian Gigolos On The Rise by Katya Tylevich
	Russia Today reports that with the stocks plunging, the number of gigolos in Moscow is bulging.This, according to Moscow police. The story comes in the wake of last month’s Russian Newsweek feature about the country’s economically challenged men seeking material sponsorship from wealthy single women in exchange for, well, being men.
Travel December 21, 4:29 PM You Are Not Free to Move About the Country by Andrew Biliter
In parts of the U.S., you can still get pulled over for a DWB (Driving While Black). In Russia, it's WWT (Walking While Tajik). Migrant workers — and brown people in general — from Central Asia and the Caucasus are constantly being stopped by Moscow's police and made to show their passports. The interaction often ends with a bribe. RUSSIA! illustator Masha Krasnova-Shabaeva has depicted this familiar scene on, of all things, a passport holder.
Politics January 12, 9:57 AM Eye Of The Taiga: Putin's Tiger Goes Cyber by Katya Tylevich
Obama may have a YouTube channel, but Putin has a web-based tiger tracker. Remember that Amur tiger the Prime Minister deftly shot with a tranquilizer dart last August? Well, you can review the sequence of events at the PM’s tiger fan site.
Art January 12, 11:10 AM Turning in Your Cokehead Friends Is Its Own Reward by Andrew Biliter
January in Moscow can be gloomy, particularly if you have to take the subway. Fortunately, the government is doing its best to keep our spirits high with its jaw-dropping propaganda efforts. This poster, from the federal department for narcotics control, encourages you to “Take part in the fate of your friends.” How? By calling an anonymous tip line and telling them your friends are using DRUGS!
Fashion January 14, 6:20 PM Valenki: Fashion Meets Frump by Katya Tylevich
Long before pretty, anemic girls and Leonardo DiCaprio stuck their fashion-forward feet into Uggs, Russian peasants, soldiers, and pioneers were sporting unbecoming felt boots of their own. They're called valenki: woolen, seamless emblems of the nation's cold history. But Russia's current bazaar offers Italian leathers and designer footwear, with no shortage of cheaper alternatives. Why, then, are these homely things flying off the shelves at $70 per pair? Nationalism? Hipster irony? Nostalgia?
Made in Russia December 21, 11:03 PM The Morskoi Boi Arcade Game by Zeke Pfeifer
Secret factories, anonymous engineers and military training methods – these are the scattered origins of what became Morskoi Boi, the torpedo-launching simulator that introduced Soviet children to the world of coin-operated entertainment.
Politics January 10, 10:42 AM Vladivostok Protests: Don't Get Excited by Michael Idov
Protest rallies continue across Russia over a new tariff that, as of January 12, aims to bail out domestic car industry by making imports prohibitively expensive. Here's a short thing I wrote about them for The New Republic. It basically cheers the return of public protest into Russian life but warns against idealizing the protesters: "These are not harbingers of a Georgia- or Ukraine-style 'color revolution.'"