Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with russia

Music for a zakuski gathering?

everichon — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:31:59 -0800

I am hosting a zakuski gathering soon, and I need music! I already have much Slavic Soul Party and Gogol Bordello. Lounge-y or somewhat mellower than Bordello would be ideal, but I am open to any suggestions. The final constraint is it should be available for purchase as a download. Or legitimately free!

How destructive are current U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals relative to their maximum levels?

Joe Beese — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:54:02 -0800

How destructive are current U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals relative to their maximum levels? For simplicity's sake, we can define "destructiveness" as combined gross megatonnage, unless you have a better idea. I'm also assuming that it makes sense from a political/military perspective to consider weapons stored in former Soviet Union countries as belonging to Russia's maximum arsenal but not to its current arsenal, but correct me if I'm wrong.

Bonus points if you can find a link to a widely circulated graphic from the early-80s freeze movement. It represented the world's nuclear stockpile with dots placed in a rectangular matrix. Each dot represented one Hiroshima bomb, I think. One group of 3 dots was circled to indicate all the explosions in World War II - or something like that. And above them were dots and dots and dots...

Let's say I'm a Russian student in my mid-twenties.

klue — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:58:36 -0800

Let's say I'm a Russian student in my mid-twenties. What Russian music am I likely to carry around on my mp3-player? Which Russian movies am I likely to have seen and discussed over the last few years, and which Russian books am I likely to have enjoyed?

I'm sure Russians are as exposed to foreign culture as anyone else, but that's not what I'm looking for here. Apologies in advance for my general ignorance.

Interviews, Research & Archiving, oh my!

ikahime — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:06:04 -0800

I'm preparing for a massive personal archiving/interviewing trip with my grandparents and need advice regarding many aspects of the project. My grandparents came to America from Lithuania during WWII and have an amazing story that my cousin and I started documenting several years ago. Life being what it is, we really only got a rough outline and are now going for another week long visit with them (now 97 and 90 years old, but still witty and spry). Not only do they have some great/astounding anecdotes that we haven't documented, they also have an amazing collection of photos (some taken by Life Magazine photographers) which are in not such good order (to say nothing of being stored or digitally preserved).

Here are some of my concerns that perhaps y'all could help me with:

History: I'm not a historian, and so have been trying to bone up on the Soviet-Nazi conflict that took place in the Baltic States. Books and online resource recommendations are appreciated.

Preservation: I need to construct a good workflow for organizing/digitizing old photos. How best to store? Should I be uploading to the cloud, or bring an external hard drive with me?

Interview: Getting these stories out of them is not usually too hard, but I'm wondering about tried and true methods of biographical interview. Should we march thru the historical timeline? Jump around and organize later? Are there some good prompts I shouldn't forget to ask them?

Documentation: I would like to either film or audio record or both. I will probably have access to a decent microphone + laptop and a so-so digital video camera. Should I have both roll at the same time, or just favor one vs. the other? This is my weakest link. Is Audacity a good enough program, or should I be throwing down for something else?

In addition to doing this for my own (and my family's) edification, I'm gathering this info now for some sort of creative project in the future (still yet to work out - could be something as mundane as a book, or more outlandish like an interactive sculpture, or hyperlinked map). I've started making things like timelines and maps of their trip from Lith to Germany to Britain to the US; got any other ideas of rich add-ons?

Lastly, I'm looking for other media to bring with me that may enhance their reminiscing, especially music of the era/region (they were in Germany for quite a few years in the late 40s. Got some faves?

Thanks to all in advance!

travel to dagestan issues

saraindc — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 04:12:26 -0800

US citizen wanting to travel to dagestan. What are the hurdles and problems I will face? I am in russia for a month and would like to visit dagestan with a friend who is from there. I can probably pass as a local looks wise. The people registering my visa warned my friend thàt it would maybe be problematic for me to go there, its not in my listed itenerary although I was previously told that once you get the russian visa it doesn't matter where in russia you go. I am 25 and female, my friend is male 33 and I would be with him. Please advise on whether I could go there logistically, whether you think it would be dangerous, and any other issues I should be aware of. Thanks !!!!!!!

Day Trip to Russia?

brittanyq — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:05:34 -0800

Kaliningrad, Russia - is it worth visiting & how do I get there? I'm planning a Europe trip for next summer and I'm pretty sure one leg of my trip will be through Tallinn-Riga-Vilnius. Is Kaliningrad worth trying to visit? I'll be on about an $85/day budget.

If it's worth visiting, how would I go about getting a visa? How expensive would it be? (both for the visa & transportation, accommodation, etc.) What should I go see?

Mystery Booze

j.edwards — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:22:14 -0800

What is this bottle of Russian liquor? And where can I get some in the US? Last night I drank of this bottle of alcohol at dinner: The bottle, Closeup of writing.

All the information I have is that it is a vodka made near the provider's hometown (which I do not know) and that it is infused with herbs. They also mentioned that the distillery might have closed -- in that case, any idea what this type of liquor is called, or anyone else who makes something like it?

Do you remember the Glasnost Bowl?

srs — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:32:52 -0800

Did they really get the bright idea to host a college football game in Soviet Russia, and then have to cancel it because they couldn't sell enough vacation packages? The Wikipedia entry about the Glasnost Bowl has a bunch of outdated angelfire pages as its sources. The 1989 New York Times article that mentions it doesn't treat it as very interesting. I think it would make a publishable journal article if it's real and am looking for more info.

Never fight a land war in Asia

Hargrimm — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:30:08 -0800

What are some good examples of failing to learn from history? I was having a discussion with a friend, and I brought up the trope that "those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it." I was challenged to provide some examples, but all I could come up with on the spot was that America goes through a similar bubble and burst economic breakdown every twenty years or so. So I'm looking for more concrete examples of when a person/society made a mistake that could have been avoided by looking at history. Something like Hitler making the mistake of invading Russia in the winter, which has been proven to be foolhardy in the past by Napoleon, among others.

How can you dial 911 in russia?

clawtros — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:28:34 -0800

Quick question. Can you dial 911 in Russia? If not, what is the emergency number ? Is it a police/fire/or ambulance response ? Or do you just call an individual police number. Any info, please let me know.

Better Know a Conflict

EatTheWeak — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:23:11 -0800

Wanted: Your favorite books and articles on the Soviet army's time in Afghanistan. Hi, AskMe.

I would like to better understand the conflict between the Soviet Army and the Muhjahideen that played out in the 70's and 80's. I'm most interested in the asymmetric elements of the conflict; in how a much smaller, much less well-equipped force was able to give the Soviets such trouble.

Any and all sources are welcome. I feel severely under-educated on this subject, and would really like to develop a thorough understanding of the conflict. So, if you've anything I could read to that end, I'd sure like to hear about it.

Thank you very much.

What does гомули mean?

tellurian — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 17:01:35 -0800

On the 21st of March I had a large increase of page views on my blog. The keyword was гомули which Babelfish translates from the Russian as gomuli. The majority of visitors were from Eastern Europe with most of them originating from Sofia in Bulgaria. The word gomuli seems actually to be a typo in the article I was quoting re: using gomuti palms to produce a liquor in the Moluccas. So what, who or where is the гомули or gomuli that the Bulgarians were so interested in on that day?

An optimistic novel for an indoctrinated nihilist?

zaebiz — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:46:18 -0800

What is a classic, perhaps philosophical, novel about individual freedom to choose? So that no matter how desperate the situation you find yourself in, you always have choices about what to do, how to feel and how to think about your situation. The book is for a Russian lady who grew up mostly in the Soviet era but finds herself in Western civilisation somewhat isolated. When things get very difficult, she tends to react in a nihilistic fashion, rather than a hopeful optimistic fashion. I was thinking some thing in the Jean-Paul Satre mold, but then my knowledge of novels is very limited so very open to suggestions. Ideally it would be so widely available that its pretty likely I could find it written in Russian.

Russian brides via the internet - do they work?

vizsla — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:32:47 -0800

I have a friend whose friends are Russian brides who got married via an internet site. I'm wondering how long these types of marriages tend to last and what they are like. Are there any blogs or research about experiences of these kinds of relationships?

To Russia, with love

ruelle — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:06:34 -0800

Moscow.
A 48-hour layover end of January.
My first time in Russia. Your recommendations for a great hotel (not necessarily a hostel) near a major public transport line and near the attractions + your recommendations for what to see, where to eat, where to go out (more like russian ballet than russian roulette) and where to go shopping (where can I buy a russian fur hat for a non-touristy price).

In sum, what to do for my first time in Moscow, alone, for 48 hours in freezing January weather?
I'm so insanely excited!!

Every Which Way But A Language I Don't Speak

jason's_planet — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:36:11 -0800

Russian-speakers: I have a question about a YouTube video, dubbed into Russian. The video stars Clint Eastwood, Clyde, Momma and a bag of Oreo cookies. Here it is (YouTube 1:25. Safe For Work.)

So . . .

1. Is this actually in Russian?

2. If you're familiar with the scene, is this a good translation of the dialogue?

3. Lastly, how does one say “Oreo Cookies” and “Bang!” in Russian?

Many thanks in advance and Happy New Year to you and yours!

I want to Climb Europes Highest Mountain how do I get to Russia

complience — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:07:35 -0800

I want to Climb Europes Highest Mountain need to find a cheap flight into or near Russia/Georgia. I want to climb Europes Highest mountain Mount Elbrus (famed for being the Mountain where Prometheus was chained)

I troubling to find a cheap flight into the area, Russia and Georgia seem to have insane airport tax and their arent many carriers that go direct from the UK to Georgia/South Russia

Tbilisi isnt a good option since the airport got blown up earlier this year

The Russian Port town of Sochi seems to be the closest Airport

However Im wondering there are other options I could consider, maybe flying to another country and getting a Boat into Sochi or a train or a bus ride.

anyone with travel experience of the Caucasian would be a great help

After the war

Breo — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:00:43 -0800

I'm looking for suggestions on good reading material concerning post-cold war international relations between Russia and the United States(1992 - Georgian Civil War). Any ideas? I've seen the other questions on IR reading, but none seemed to be specific to this topic. I'm also highly interested in differing IR perspectives of the Georgian Civil War itself, if that makes sense. Thanks for any suggestions.

Looking for films and books on Agitprop

brain cloud — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:28:40 -0800

Looking for recommendations on films (documentary or dramatic) or books (nonficiton or novel) about Agitprop or Agitprop Theater, specifically as it was practiced in Boshevist Russia/USSR. What I'm hoping to find is realistic depictions focused on what it was like to be "on the inside," formulating and disseminating propaganda messages, or on the recieving end of the propaganda. Historical fiction OK.

Not interested so much in works based on Agitprop ideas.

The quest for Russian molasses

Emperor SnooKloze — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 04:06:35 -0800

Меласса в Москве? Leaving for Moscow this Friday, and one of the things I'm packing along with me is a bottle of regular ol' blackstrap molasses for my sister in law. It seems inconthievable that there's no place in Moscow to purchase what I understand to be molasses, though, and I'd love to give the name/location of a store for when she runs out. So, Mefites:

1) Is the molasses I grew up with here in the states the same thing as Меласса?;
2) Is there anyplace in Moscow to purchase the stuff? (inlaws live inside the ring road, near Mayakovskaya);
3) What should I not miss in Moscow next week? I visited once, a very long time ago, but didn't really have the ability to do anything on my own.

Thanks!

How do you get a permit to visit the Altai Republic in Russia?

madcow20 — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:27:18 -0800

Me and my gf want to visit the Altai Republic in Russia. However a friend of ours wanted to visit the place, but weren't allowed to enter because he didn't have a permit. So where does one get a permit to enter the Altai Republic and why is it necessary to get one? I mean, a tourist-visa should be able to give you access to most of the country as long as the cities you want to visit is stated on the visa.

Looking for quotes

Student of Man — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 09:26:36 -0800

Anyone speak Russian? I'm looking for any inspiring Russian (English too) quotes that will make my crush feel good. A friend of mine is leaving for good at work. She is a 22 year old Russian student. There was definitely a quiet crush with timid glances and botched conversations, flirting and hugs. I was going to write an off-the-cuff poem-love note since Im usually better at those than in conversation. But it was not gelling so I bought her some uniquley New York souvernirs (novelty stationary, converse minipurse). I still want to write something though. I'm looking for some inspirational quotes or Russian proverbs, slogans for women empowerment suitable for a female economics student. I'll also take anything you can come up with in russian that may sound sweet (I realize this is cheating) or offers a vote of confidence or is inspiring to a young traveller.

Whither the Stenbergs?

mykescipark — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:33:40 -0800

Where can one get prints/reproductions of Russian Constructivist film posters in Los Angeles?

I already know about Russian dressing

Bookhouse — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:33:44 -0800

What's good to eat at Russian-immigrant grocery stores and bakeries? My neighborhood (in West Hollywood, CA) has a very large number of Russian immigrants, and therefore a large number of Russian delis, grocery stores and bakeries. What should I be buying at them?

I'm not interested in cooking my own Russian food or what to order at sit-down restaurants. I'm more interested in unique snack foods, desserts and drinks, fresh-baked stuff, delicacies and easy-to-serve items. Specific brand names for packaged stuff would be appreciated.

Live Blogging the Next Cold War

theRussian — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:53:01 -0800

Is anyone Twittering or live-blogging the ongoing conflict between Russia and Georgia? Any one know of any first hand accounts, twitterers, or blogs set up to follow the conflict from the front lines? English or Russian is fine, just looking for something I can add to my RSS feed.

Not looking for one time articles, but rather a regularly updated source. Thanks!