Photo of the Day (05/19/08)

by Iva Skoch on

Since I am in Russia this week, I am using a photo I took yesterday on the secret ground of Kolomenskoe, in outer Moscow. Rumors that Peter the Great was born here led to its nickname “the Russian Bethlehem.”

The Church of the Ascension overlooking the river Moscow is quite stunning and the park is great. What I loved the best, however, was the view. From here, Moscow looks like a peaceful oasis set in nature. (Don’t let it fool you. It is the opposite of that.) Here is the weird thing: I found the view of the endless field of communist-era city blocks strangely soothing in their uniformity. From far away, they don’t look as scary as they do close up.

From Russia, with love.

***To have your photo considered for the Gadling Photo of the Day, go over to the Gadling Flickr Pool and post it. Make sure it is not copyrighted, otherwise we can’t post it here.***

French happy hour may be coming to an end

by Anna Brones on

Using English words in France, sometimes causes a stir. Remember the French Eurovision song that had English lyrics? Despite attempts to language purity, English words and expressions still manage to make their way into la vie française. “Happy hour” is one of those expressions. The French love getting a deal on an afternoon beer, and happy hours (pronounced apee ow-uuur in a French accent) are popular. Travelers love them too, as they make expensive pints of beer — or an afternoon pastis — just a little more affordable. But the infamous happy hour is under the threat of a ban.

The French government body in charge of the fight against addiction to drugs and alcohol is working on a measure that would ban happy hours as well as the sale of vodka and other strong liquors in nightclubs in order to curb underage intoxication and alcoholism. The proposed measures are currently under discussion, but a decision could be made within a few weeks.

Government officials see the proposed ban as helping with public health, others see it as a merely “stupid measure.” “People buy bottles when they are in a group because it’s cheaper and they can last a long time on a single bottle. Does the government want people to spend their money individually to get wasted on beer instead?” said Patrick Malvaes, president of a union representing nightclub owners.

Happy hour might be under threat, but don’t worry, I am pretty sure the French government would never dream to regulate wine consumption. Just plan on making the house red your drink of choice on your next French vacation.

Bolshoi in Russia: Find me in da club (if I can get past the bouncers)

by Iva Skoch on

Greetings from Moscow! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means “Big” in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia this week.

I don’t think you can ever be ready for clubbing in Moscow. I certainly wasn’t. Granted, I am not really the clubbing type. I arrived in Russia last night and was told that we have VIP tickets to Opera, one of Moscow’s hottest clubs. What can you say to that? I overdosed on caffeine and I went. For research purposes only, of course.

Upon arrival, I have five immediate observations:

  • The DJ is great.
  • The women (especially the dancers) are hot beyond belief (and this is coming from a woman)
  • The guys are not hot (once again, this is coming from a woman but one not necessarily into the whole Armani Exchange and Diesel uniform look)
  • It is virtually impossible to tell “regular girls” apart from those with a pricetag on them
  • I don’t think there are any regular girls here

I realize I am completely improperly dressed because neither my cleavage nor my legs nor my belly is exposed. Then again, I am not here to find a husband like the majority of the local beauties. My friend is telling me that being a male expat in Moscow is great because Russian women are “all over you.” It is also bad because they are only all over you because you have money and a foreign passport, both of which they’d like to obtain.

He tells me this is how all club conversation between a Russian woman and a foreign man go:

  1. Where are you from? (Hopefully from anywhere in the West)
  2. What kind of job do you have? (Anything with the keywords: manager, president, etc. sounds good)
  3. Do you have a driver? (Anyone who is anyone in Moscow has a driver. If you don’t, you are out.)

If your answers are positive, congratulations! You might have a wife on your hands. A trophy wife, too! At that point, you can only hope that nobody else comes along who a) comes from a more desirable country, b) has a better job, c) has a better car (and a better driver). Relationships in modern Russia are Darwinism at its purist free-market form.

I have seen my share of meat markets in my lifetime, but none that take the trade to perfection quite like a Moscow club.

There is way too much visual stimulation in this club: several dancers, few of them practically nude, theatrical performances, disco balls, all that. I need a drink. $12 for a can of Red Bull plus $10 for a shot of vodka. Not a cheap way to get “into the right mood.” However, comparing to getting a table for the night–from anywhere between $2,000-$12,000, gulp–it seems like a bargain. The VIP tickets were great to get in here, but they don’t give you much more than that.

I shouldn’t complain. Getting into a Moscow club is not the easiest thing to do. There are lines of people dressed to the nines every night hoping to be admitted in. The bouncers are trained to perform “face control” (or feis kontrol as they say here) and examine your shoes, face and clothes to see if you are good enough to get in. Opera has a face control rating of 4 (out of 5), aka Tough. Wearing jeans and shoes costing less than $100 is not helping you here, so don’t even try it. Sneakers? Forget it. Unless, of course, you had a Bentley drive you to the club and you are willing to buy a table. That’s a different story.

You might also be saved if you simply speak English to the bouncers because they will assume you’ll be able to afford the drinks (and that you are not just one of “those people” who come here just to stare at the superhot dancers.) Let them assume away!

Deported foreigners injected with dangerous psychotropic drugs

by Iva Skoch on

If aiming at the goal of human rights violations, the US scores once again!

Gulf News writes: “The U.S. government has injected hundreds of foreigners it has deported with dangerous psychotropic drugs against their will to keep them sedated during the trip back to their home country, according to medical records, internal documents and interviews with people who have been drugged.”

Before you call the Gulf News biased, you should know that the story was actually reported by the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service. Apparently, the government’s forced use of antipsychotic drugs, in people who have no history of mental illness, includes dozens of cases in which the “pre-flight cocktail,” as a document calls it, had such a potent effect that federal guards needed a wheelchair to move the slumped deportee onto an airplane.

Federal officials portray sedation as rare and “an act of last resort.” (Not the all-inclusive, family-friendly kind of resort mind you.)

Off to Russia. Wish me luck

by Iva Skoch on

Tomorrow, I leave for Russia. I have never been before and I am psyched. However, I can’t believe I chose this particular week to visit Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Of course, I picked the dates before knowing that some 50,000 English fans are expected to descend on Moscow to watch the Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea on May 21. Why the match between two British teams is happening in Moscow, I frankly don’t get. I am sure they have a perfectly good reason for it. I know nothing about soccer and I wouldn’t mind keeping it that way.

Stay tuned for a dispatch or two from Russia.