Where is it? Krasnoyarsk Krai is an enormous territory in Siberia that stretches from the Arctic Ocean almost to Russia's southern border with Mongolia. It is in its own time zone, and four hours ahead of Moscow. You can find the current local time here.

What's the biggest city? Krasnoyarsk, which is located toward the territory's southern end. The city's population was 909,341 as of the 2002 census, out of some 3 million... more

Ever since Russian legislators enacted the so-called maternity incentive law late last year, I've been wondering how it would turn out. Recently, I've gotten a little bit of a glimpse.

By way of background, last December 27 the legislators approved a plan to create a long-term savings account (similar to our Individual Retirement Accounts in the United States) that would be offered to families who have a second child, or more. The government would deposit... more

Every month at my kids' elementary school they have a Red, White & Blue Day assembly. They were started in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which claimed two lives in town, but civics has always been a strong focus of the school's curriculum.

Each Red, White & Blue Day assembly has a theme--the military's role for Veteran's Day, civil rights for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, the history of America's flag and the writing of the national anthem for Flag Day this past week. The lessons are simplified, as I suppose they must... more

OK, I'll skip right over what didn't happen this week (again)(sigh)(channel frustration), and get on to what did.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave broad hints in an interview with the newspaper Kommersant that he may run for office again in 2012. The constitution that Russia adopted in 1993 bars presidents from serving more than two consecutive four-year terms, which Putin wraps up next year. But the constitution does not prevent past presidents from running again.... more

Almost half of all the deaths of working age men in Russia may be caused by the drinking of alcohol not meant to be a beverage. So says a study released this morning by Britain's national school of public health.

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found that the percentage of deaths caused by the drinking of so-called hazardous alcohol--alcohol-containing substances that were not supposed to be beverages--was significantly higher than previously thought. The study, which was carried out in Izhevsk, Russia by... more

There is some very insightful writing on the Russian adoption blogs this month and I wanted to pass it on.

Jenni writes about the two children she adopted from Murmansk in December 2005 at "Four Feet More". In a post early this month entitled "Vika And The Bear" she relates what happened when her daughter's kindergarten class read Nikolai, the Only Bear. If you haven't read this book, it is a good one to have on hand... more

Where is it? The Jewish Autonomous Oblast, or region, is located in the Russian Far East, bordering on Khabarovsk Krai. It is in the same time zone as Vladivostok. You can find the current local time here.

What's the biggest city? Birobidzhan (sometimes written as Birobidjan), population 77,250 as of the 2002 census, out of 190,915 total inhabitants... more

Where is it? Kamchatka Oblast, or region, is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, northeast of Primorye Krai and Khabarovsk Krai and bordered by the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean. It shares a northern border with Magadan Oblast. It is in the same time zone as... more

There was a piece in The New York Times this weekend that really has me worried. No, not about the state of Russian adoptions. This article bears on my efforts to grow a vegetable garden that a Russian could love.

You might remember that, several weeks ago, I planted cucumbers, potatoes and beets in my backyard garden. They are staples in the Russian diet and my... more

Never underestimate what you will find on the Internet.

I started out this morning to write a little primer on Independence Day, the holiday that Russia celebrates today, June 12. It's Russia's newest holiday, and so doesn't have quite the weight of Victory Day (May 9), which commemorates Russia's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, or even those Soviet holdovers like International Women's Day (March... more