Stories about Russia from October, 2005
Russia: 15 Years of McDonald's
Russian Marketing Blog reflects on what has changed at McDonald's in Russia after 15 years.
Russia: Wheat Beer
The Russian Dilettante reports on the growing acceptance of weissbier in Russia and why Baltika must rebrand every few years.
Russia: Why Bribe-takers Get Caught
Russia Blog discusses why bribe-taking officials get caught. It certainly does not appear to be an interest in stamping out bribery in Russia, where it is estimated over three times more is paid in bribes each year than is paid out in the government's budget.
Kazakhstan: Renationalizing Oil
Tim Newman reports that, driven by current high prices, Russia and Kazakhstan are pursuing effective renationalization of their oil industries.
Russia: Nalchik Roundup
siberianlight.net rounds up news about the violence in Nalchik.
Russia: TV's Waning Influence
Scraps of Moscow translates an article arguing that television's ability to influence Russian public opinion is on the decline.
Russia: Perceived Rudeness
Russian Blog discusses the perceived rudeness of Russians.
Russia: Subway Survival
Veronica Khokhlova writes about bad behavior and picking up bad behavior on the Moscow subway.
Russia: Ordinary Detergent
While comparative advertisement is illegal in Russia, using a generic product name featured in a competitor's advertising is not. Konstantin Dlutskiy reports on how this led to the birth of Ordinary Detergent.
Russia: Eurasianism
Ben Paarmann discusses Eurasianism as Russian foreign policy.
Russia: Closed Cities
If you thought that the concept of closed cities died with the Soviet Union, siberianlight.net reports that they are still home to 1.7 million Russians–Russians who are subject to severe limits to their movement and who formally have limited rights of property and privacy.
Poland: Who Speaks Blair's Language?
Far fewer leaders in Poland's new ruling parties speak English than do members of the outgoing government reports the beatroot.
Russia: Opposing Reputations
Konstantin of Russian Blog discusses why Russian culture has a repuation for both rudeness and extremely warm hospitality.
Russia: Explosion of Political Youth Groups
Sean's Russia Blog analyzes the explosion of political youth groups in Russia across the political spectrum.
Russia: Marketing Pelmeni for Free
The Russian Marketing Blog reports on how one Russian pelmeni maker launched their brand for free.
Russia: Backstage at the Bolshoi
The Bolshoi Theatre's old stage is closed for renovations until 2008, but before it shut its doors, Cyber-Generation went backstage to record the occasion.
