RIA Novosti

Madonna's Well-Hung Drummers

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 08:39:00 GMT

That’s right! Madonna does Moscow with her well-hung drummers and I was “like a virgin” because it was my first time seeing her in concert…

August and Time for Christmas

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 13:14:00 GMT

August ‘tis not the season for Christmas, but you wouldn’t guess that in Moscow right now. At first I thought I had really lost it, I’d finally gone mad…

Bury Me in a Crockpot

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 13:31:00 GMT

When I die, I want to be cremated, put in a crockpot and be made King of the Hill!I just got back from an archeological dig from the 10th century near the border with Belarus.

Psychopathic Anti-Tobacco Killer!

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 08:45:00 GMT

It’s a known fact: Smoking Kills! But in my case it wasn’t the cigarettes that nearly took me to my grave but a psychotic nutcase on the street ready to murder me for smoking…

Why Do Cats Rule?

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 11:21:00 GMT

OK, I’ll admit it right off the bat: I never have been a cat lover… But there seems to be a lot of cat lovers around the world because any time you open Facebook, someone is bound to have posted a cat doing something…or nothing.

First One In, Last One Out

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 12:24:00 GMT

Russian elevator etiquette is sometimes very confusing. Sometimes if you’re the last one in, that is standing up against the doors, you’re the last one out…

News from Across the Ocean

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 18:50:17 GMT

When I report news, I know that my family and friends back in the States are reading it, which keeps them up to date not only on the news over here, but also what I’m up to.

Childhood Sandcastles

Fri, 04 May 2012 18:37:32 GMT

I got one of those cultural stories today that reminded me of my childhood and brought back memories of building sandcastles on the beach in the United States.

Analyzing Russia: Wanna Bet?

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:01:00 GMT

I just read an “analysis” of what Russia and Russians are like by an unnamed Canadian here in Moscow. He made a list of 25 “facts” for everyone so they “understand” Russia…It should be entitled: “How Stereotypes are Created”…

A Whilrwind of World Weather Woes

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:14:50 GMT

I've been skipping around the globe in the last two weeks trying to find the ideal weather, you know, something spring-like as it should be, as opposed to the nasty weather in Moscow.

Of Ciggie Butts and Doggie Poo

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:41:00 GMT

Lots of people seem to like Moscow’s snowy winters that last around five months of the year, that is until the white stuff starts melting and the true horror of everything built up in the snow becomes disgustingly visual…

Hair by Anya, Nails by Vazira

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:16:00 GMT

It’s been crazy the last couple of months here in Moscow with elections, protests, rallies and holidays, and I just couldn’t find time to get myself in order. I finally found a window and got a badly needed haircut and some extras…

Defend Thy Fatherland!

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:30:00 GMT

February 23 in Russia is a holiday dedicated to all of those Defenders of the Fatherland, or in other words all the military people from WWII onwards. Even though I’m an expat in Moscow, the natives still like to invite me to their holidays and we celebrated like “real men!”

Taking a Break from the Cold to Go Ice Fishing

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:20:00 GMT

I’ve had enough of covering all the protests and rallies in Moscow over the past few weeks (with still more to come) in the freezing cold and took the opportunity to do something else in the cold I’ve never done…

It's My Lucky Day! Hell Has Frozen Over!

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:06:00 GMT

I’m calling in all those promises, debts and dreams that were given an abrupt answer of “When Hell freezes over!” that I’ve heard ever since childhood. It’s finally happened!

Becoming a Polar Bear is Just Part of the Job

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:56:00 GMT

My job as a correspondent puts me in some really wild scenarios. Take for instance boldly taking a swim in a river when it’s 10 degrees Fahrenheit…

Quit clowning around and get back to work!

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:38:00 GMT

Russia is finally starting to crawl back to work after almost two weeks of rough binging and doing nothing else. The holiday season is rough on everyone and not just expats…

R.I.P. in Monkey Heaven

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 08:53:00 GMT

I don’t want to get sappy, but we have lost a lot of big names this year. People who were always in the news and on television, people that we followed their every step practically. They’ve all faded from our lives in 2011…

'Tis the season for ‘pofigism’

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 08:18:00 GMT

Usually at around Christmas time you tend to see people “caring and sharing.” However in many large cities this aspect sometimes takes a back seat. This morning on my way to work I saw an outlandish example of Russian “pofigism” in Moscow…

An endless weekendless December

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:30:00 GMT

All right enough already! The Russians have destroyed every single weekend this month for me. Why can’t they schedule all their protests during the week so I can have a break?

Russian democracy marching to the beat of a different drum

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:41:00 GMT

Elections and democracy are somewhat unique in Russia and I thought I’d take a few moments and simplify the overall picture and create something like “an outline for dummies.” Don’t take offense, I didn’t understand the system for a while either and would like to separate the apples from the oranges with you…

Revving up the engines for elections

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:26:00 GMT

There seems to be a lot of sputtering, backfiring and smoke in the air here in Moscow right before the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for this Sunday, but the engine seems to be giving enough steam to make the machine move forward…

Everyone’s a beggar!

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:04:00 GMT

I don’t ever hand out any loose change to beggars of any form on the streets or subways. It’s not because I’m greedy or poor myself, it’s because I would be openly supporting organized crime…

Greeting friends from faraway lands

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:56:00 GMT

Being a journalist and an overall nice guy (blush), I get to meet lots of people from all levels and from different countries.

Look mom, no cavities!

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 07:53:27 GMT

I’ve been able to say that for more than 45 years, but alas, no longer. I got my first cavity and had to go to the dentist to have it taken care of. Dentists are scary enough for the average person, but I had to go to a Russian dentist and open wide….