As Russia prepares to enter the World Trade Organization, debate has heightened as to just how far Russian capitalism has developed. Without confusing the debate with one concerning the state of Russian democracy (the two concepts are not inextricably connected), one can say that at best capitalism has evolved with a unique flavor, incorporating communist-era infrastructure and concepts. At worst, one could say that Russian capitalism is bogged down in the communist-era vestiges of inefficiency, mismanagement and corruption. This month's newsletter is devoted to portraying some of the best and worst of Russian capitalism. 
Vestnik: 6th Call for Papers
Vestnik, The Journal of Russian and Asian Studies is now in its sixth call for papers. Vestnik publishes the best in student research (including undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate in all fields related to the FSU). Students interested in submitting must do so before December 20, 2006. For more information, click here or contact the editor.
Russia in the Media
News about the death of former spy and Russian exile Alexader Litvinenko has dominated the news this month. However, there has also been much news about Russia's WTO aspirations, reactions to the US elections, and about events in Central Asia, which has not only included cultural outrage at the Borat movie, but also local elections and a political revolution.
This month, Russia also published a special insert in the Washington Post. Its main purpose seems to be improving Russia's image among investors.
Feature: The Russian Economy at Home and Abroad
November was an extremely busy month for changes in and news about Russian business. The following resource is meant to give a broad understanding of specific subjects concerning the current state of the Russian economy. Topics include: the WTO deal with the US; how consumers in Russia and abroad will be affected by economic events in Russia; labor and migration issues; investment in and by Russia (esp. in the US); and recent changes to the Russian government's economic policies.
 Vestiges: Capitalism in Post-Soviet Space
The introduction and development of capitalism to Russia has had to utilize Soviet-produced and influenced infrastructure and traditions. This has created a version of capitalism that often differs not only in its outward appearance, but also in its basic functioning and philosophy. The following photo essay by Kendra Drischler focuses on visual representations of how Russia has adapted to capitalism and how capitalism has adapted to Russia.
Who's Who of Moscow Business Reform
The following Who's Who concentrates on those professionals working to improve business in Moscow through better legislation, corporate governance, infrastructure, and/or product and service standards. Research was performed by SRAS student Jeremiah Lach.
Featured University: MIRBIS
The visiting scholar program at MIRBIS places you in one of Russia's top business programs for a semester or year. In addition to studying the Russian language, you will be able to take a range of business-related classes. These are part of MIRBIS's standard International Business undergraduate program; also in attendance will be Russians who are seeking their degree at MIRBIS. These are the future business leaders of Russia.
Kyrgyzstan's Latest Revolution
Michael Coffey is a second year M.A. student in European and Eurasian Studies at George Washington University. He is currently studying with SRAS at the American University – Central Asia and was on hand to witness the latest dramatic political developments in Kyrgyzstan.
Up to $22,000 for Russian Studies
Alfa Fellowships. Those with graduate degrees, language proficiency, and professional experience can apply for monthly stipends, related travel costs, housing, and insurance to attend Alfa's professional exchange program. Deadline: Dec 15 (more info)
National Bureau of Asian Research Fellowships. Recent master's degree recipients are encouraged to apply for this year-long fellowship based at NBR's headquarters in Seattle researching and publishing information about Asia policy. Deadline: Jan 15 (more info)
Fellowship in Eastern Europe Cultural Processes. Post-doctoral students in the areas of culture of relevance to this post are literature, cinema, media, and the arts may apply for this appointment earning £25,633 p.a. Deadline: January 15 (Available at: Stanford and Oxford)
ACTR Fellowship for Superior Proficiency. Upper-level undergraduate or graduate students and working professionals may apply for this fully-funded program abroad to develop superior proficiency in Russian. Deadline: January 31 (more info)
IREX Fellowships Short Term Travel Grant. Holders of graduate degrees may apply for grants covering up to eight weeks of travel for independent or collaborative research projects in Europe and Eurasia. Deadline: Feb 7 (more info)
National SMART Grant. Third and fourth year undergraduates can receive up to $4000. The application is now included as part of the FAFSA funding process. (more info)
English First: Teacher's Review of the School
Many students supplement their budgets while studying in Russia by teaching ESL. As part of our efforts to educate students about the responsibilities and opportunities this growing market offers, we asked Becca Dalton, a former SRAS student who has been teaching for almost a year at one of Moscow's largest schools for her thoughts on teaching abroad.
Olga's Blog - Вступительные экзамены
Olga's Blog features another new entry this month on вступительные экзамены (entrance exams) at Moscow State University. The blog also completes our discussion of participles in Russian with an in-depth look at past passive participles. Next month will feature more information on Olga's first month at MGU and the experiences of incoming university freshman in Russia. Find out about today's Russia in today's Russian!
 Images of the Month: "The Russia I Saw"
SRAS sponsored a photo contest for its students. Photos were judged by not only their color and composition, but on their ability to say something about Russian culture and modern life. These photos were selected as the top three winners. They, with the captions, and several other runners-up will be featured in the 2007 SRAS Calendar. To request a calendar for your classroom or department, contact us at study@sras.org.
Language: Авоски = String Bags (Shopping Soviet-Style)
Specific language developed around the complicated process of shopping in the Soviet Union. For example, "дефицит" came to mean not only "a shortage of goods" but was used to refer to the hard-to-find goods themselves. Some of this vocabulary is still in use today (indicated in bold black), while some has become "old fashioned" (indicated in bold red).
If people were lucky enough to see дефицит (goods in short supply) for sale, they wanted to отовариться (get the goods) with it, even if they did not need this particular thing at that time, just for the future. There was a specific etiquette that was employed. Newcomers would ask the queue:"Кто последний?" (Who's last?). After some person replied, usually with a simple "Я" (I am) or "Я последний" (I am last), the appropriate response was: "Я за вами" (I am after you). With this, the newcomers занимали очередь (secured a place in the queue). Sometimes some rude person tried to пройти без очереди (jump the queue), but the rest of the queue used to tell him «Вас здесь не стояло» (You were not standing there). This process and language is still used in Russia wherever lines form (such as at a doctor's or government office).
Women in the Soviet Union did not often rest during their lunch break, as it was regarded as valuable time to достать (get) groceries. Ladies used to take авоськи (string-bags) to work and бегали по магазинам (ran around shops) during their lunchtime. It was also not uncommon to find men carrying meat or oranges in their otherwise empty briefcases if they had found these дефицит items for sale. However, it was not just food that was often hard to find. When some scarce good appeared in the stores, people used to say, for example: "Ботинки выбросили!" (They have thrown out some boots [to us]!).
A person was lucky if he or she had блат (profitable connections). This person could get дефицитные товары (another way of saying "goods in short supply") and many other things. There was a пародоксальная ситуация (paradoxical situation) – for people with connections, холодильники были забиты едой, в то время как в магазинах был дефицит продуктов (refrigerators were full, at the same time that there was a shortage of food in the shops).
In mid-80s, талоны (coupons authorizing purchase of certain amount of butter, sausage, and other foodstuffs) were introduced. However, in the bigger towns there were кооперативные магазины (cooperative trade shops) where wealthier people could buy sausage and other дефицитные товары at higher prices. | 
