Where is it? The Primorye Krai, or region, is located on the Pacific Ocean at Russia's far eastern edge.

What's the biggest city? Vladivostok, which is the home to Russia's Pacific Fleet and Russian's biggest Pacific Ocean port. Because of the naval operations, Stalin closed Vladivostok off from the world, and it remained so until 1991. Nakhodka (also written as Nahodka) is the second-largest city.

Who lives here? Mostly ethnic Russians. But there are Korean and... more

There's a lot of Chekhov on the cultural calendar for June, so I thought it appropriate to take a minute to talk about another of Russia's great authors.

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was born on Jan. 29, 1860, in Taganrog, in Rostov Oblast on the northern part of the Black Sea. There is a fairly active Yahoo! group for families who have adopted from Rostov, so if you're one of the lucky... more

I've asked my kids' elementary school to give my little guy another year of kindergarten.

It was not an easy choice. He has come amazingly far--physically, socially and developmentally--since coming home from Sakhalin Island less than two years ago. Just being in an educational setting for several hours a day was a big leap for him. Remember that children in Russia--in orphanages or out--don't start school until they are seven. And I learned in April that there are no major problems that would qualify him for an individualized... more

Anna Karenina could have a lot in common with Ocean's 13, I've decided. The latter movie, which opens this coming week, has a cast that is packed with the cream of Hollywood's younger generation cream: Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Casey Affleck and Scott Caan. There could be roles for more than a few of these guys in our fictional casting of new movie version of Anna Karenina. (For anyone who's late to this series, I've already thrown out ideas for a new Anna... more

One small bit of good news on the adoption front: Sean and Robin, who are blogging at "His, Hers & Ours", are in Russia for Trip 1. Best wishes for a happy trip.

But once again, no news on accreditations. And frankly, if anybody in Washington is paying attention, I don't think all the very undiplomatic diplomacy that's going on now is of much help.

On Thursday, David Kramer, a State Department Russian expert rebuked... more

There's a lot of Chekhov on the program in June.

In Los Angeles, you can see his 1904 drama "The Cherry Orchard" at the Evidence Room Theatre Project, where it is playing through July 2. Chekhov's story line, of a family that is losing its wealth and its home, seems likely to have a lot of resonance for the Evidence Room cast: It is being forced by a lease dispute to move from its theater when the production closes.

Down near San Diego in Solana Beach, Calif. four directors are staging four... more

OK, we've played amateur directors to cast the lead of a new movie version of Anna Karenina. Now comes the hard part: Vronsky.

Why so hard, you ask? Hollywood must be brimming with young men who could fill the role of the dashing young army officer and Don Juan.

Maybe it's just me (as I've said, I don’t get out to see many movies that are not G-rated) but I don’t see a lot of choices. Remember, my starting point for Anna, in the initial... more

Where is it? Arkhangelsk Oblast, or region, is about 600 miles north of Moscow, just shy of the Arctic Circle. It has nearly 2,000 miles of coastline on the Barents, Kara and White seas. It is in the same time zone as Moscow.

What's the biggest city? Arkhangelsk city accounts for 356,051 of the 1,336,539 people in the region. Other big cities are Severodvinsk (once known as Molotovsk after Vyacheslav Molotov, Stalin's foreign affairs minister and creator of the eponymous incendiary device), which... more

So much for hoping the U.S. government would have an enlightened attitude on the fees it charges for adoption-related documents.

According to a statement issued today, effective July 30, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will be slapping a whopping 38% increase on the cost of an I-600A. Fingerprinting costs will rise to $80 from $70 for each member of an adoptive household over the age of 18. And the price of a citizenship certificate... more

I gave up counting how many Kleenexes I went through during Sunday night's Dateline NBC piece on Lisa and Hythem Salem and the children they adopted from Russia. If you saw it, you know already that it is that kind of piece. If you didn't, then you can catch large chunks of video from the segment on Dateline's Web site.

But in going through the Russia Adoption forum yesterday,... more