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http://www.jeanlouie.com/

It is 9:25 a.m., in Moscow (capital of the 21-republic Russian Federation), 6:25 a.m. in London, and 1:25 a.m., in New York City, capital of the world.

Russia is the largest country of the world, about twice the size of the United States (or China).

Russia is the 6th most populated country in the world after China, India, the U.S, Indonesia, and Brazil.

Russia is one of the five members of the permanent Security Council at the United Nations, the ones with veto power.

Russia was the largest and the most important of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union (USSR).

Russia is the country of Rasputin, and of Sissy the Empress.

Russia was the first country to send an astronaut in orbit, beating everyone at the tech game.

Russia is the country of Gorky, Gogol, Peter the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy.

Russia is also the country of Lenin, Gorbatchev, Solzhenitsyn, and of the Bolshoi Theater.

Without Russia, blacks and women in the U.S may have still been barred from voting.

Without Russia, it is unlikely that the Great Entitlements (social security, health insurance for seniors, etc.) would have made into the U.S books of law.

Without Russia, the people of Cuba would not be the most educated and the healthiest of Latin America.

Without Russia, Mozambique and Angola would have disappeared.

So if you know all that, why are you asking why I am in Russia?

I am in search of an understanding of the present past.

I am here to see what is happening to the people, original product of communism, twelve years after the collapse of the failed so-called dictatorship of the proletariat.

But the main reason of my presence here is to fulfill a New Year resolution: take a picture on Red Square.

I am in Moscow with a friend, colleague and co-explorer, Yvan (not The Terrible one).

We have questions, because we are puzzled by the fact that:

Every other girl in Russia is called Olga, Tatiana, Anastasia, Natacha, or Elena.

Every other guy is called Dimitri, Vladimir, Mikael, or Yuri.

The trip will take us to Saint Petersburg and also to Prague, Czechoslovakia.

Russia and Czechoslovakia (Oops! Czech Republic): here we are!

Reporting from the SAS Slavanskay Hotel (Radisson) in Moscow, tel: 7 05 941 8020 (X454).

Please visit: http://www.jeanlouie.com/

(The Traveller, Saturday, June 14, 2003)