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Community

Community News

Business

Alinga Consulting Group
Business and Law
New, Current, Relevant.
On November 10th, 2006, Alinga Consulting Group will hold an information seminar.
Seminar program: Tax Administration: Overview of the changes entered in part I of the Tax Code; Taxation: Overview of the changes entered in part II of the Tax Code; Labor Law: Overview of the changes entered in the Labor Code; Accounting and Taxation for Leasing Operations; Accounting and Taxation for Promissory Note Transactions; Accounting and Taxation for Dividends: Declared dividends, disbursed dividends; Events occurring after the reporting date.
Seminar cost – 3900 rubles + VAT .
Please email questions related to the above topics i_kuznetsova@acg.ru
or fax: 223-6595

Charities

Downside Up Concert!
Downside Up will hold a fundraising concert by the Don Cossack Choir, on 3rd December at Dom Aktera on Stary Arbat.
All proceeds from ticket sales will help benefit Russian children living with Down syndrome. General tickets for the matinee performance will be sold for 1500 rubles and includes a post-concert reception. VIP ticket package includes the best seats in the venue, a free program, post-concert reception, and a Don Cossack CD autographed by the conductor. VIP tickets are limited and prices are 2000 rubles each.
For further information about tickets, please visit the Downside Up website at www.downsideup.org
or contact us at 165-5536
or Jill at
jill@downsideup.org
or Irina at
irinam@downsideup.org

Samusocial Concert
Dee Dee Bridgewater will perform November 29, 2006 at 19:00
At the International Hall of Music of Moscow (MMDM) in aid of Samusocial Moskva, a new Charitable Foundation which assists children living in danger on the streets of Moscow.
Tickets can be purchased from MMDM directly.
For further information please call Samusocial Moscva – Tel: 241-0652
or go to the website
www.samu.ru

Kidsave’s annual Gala
The 4th annual Stand By Me Gala Dinner is a black-tie fundraising event in support of children without parents and will take place on Saturday, November 18, 2006.
For further information please email or call Olga Pastushenko – olga@kidsave.org
Tel: 978-3250

Music

Moscow International Choir
An amateur choir group, which meets every Tuesday night; currently at St Andrew's Church on Voznesensky Pereulok, at 19:00 to sing a mixture of classical and more popular music. There are two seasons with concerts in December and May. We are always looking for more members of all ages, nationalities and levels. We organize social evenings and dacha days in the summer. It is a wonderful way to meet like-minded people of all nationalities.
Contact: Chantal Cooper Tel: 200-5205, 8-917-552-8339

Religion

Moscow Congregation for Progressive Judaism
Friday night service (Russian-Hebrew).
Every Friday in November at 19:00
Venue: Moscow Jewish Community House, ul.Volochaevskaya, 14/1
Tel: 632 55 98 Contact person: Nelly Shulman

St.Andrew’s Anglican Church
Sunday services:
8:30 Holy Communion
11:00 Sung Eucharist with Sunday- School and Creche
18:30 Evening Prayer

Note:
Remembrance

Sunday November 12 Service begins at 10:30
Weekdays:
8:30 Morning Prayer
18:30 Evening Prayer (including Saturday)
Wednesdays:
19:00 Holy Communion
19:45 Bible study
Thursdays:
19:30 Concert night with classical vocal and instrumental music (tickets at the door) Trash & Treasure Sale December 2;
12:00 – 15:00 in the Church Canon Simon Stephens Chaplain St Andrew's Anglican Church
Voznesensky Pereulok 8, Moscow Metro: Okhotny Ryad or Pushkinskaya
Phone/Fax 629-0990
www.standrewsmoscow.org

Social

The Rabbit Hole
The Rabbit Hole is an open mic writers and artists collective for sharing prose, poetry and music, comprised of an English-speaking international crowd. Held every alternate Sunday (November, 12th and 26th) in the "biblioteka" at the FAQ Cafe: Gazetny Pereulok 9/2.
Contact
RabbitHoleFAQ@gmail.comfor more information.

German Christmas Market Deutscher Weihnachtsmarkt Saturday, November 25, 2006.
German Embassy, 56 Mosfilmovskaya Ult.
Directions: Metro Universitet & Trolleybus 34; Metro Kievskaya & Trolleybus 17, 34.
Come and find all your special presents for the holiday season at the German Christmas Market – from traditional homemade Gingerbread Houses and Christmas Cookies to handmade Christmas decorations and original carved decorations from the “Erzgebirge” region in Germany. There will be Advent Calendars, Christmas Stollen, Dominosteine, and many other quality German products on sale. Enjoy typical German specialties such as “Bratwurst” and “Glinwein”, “Kaffee & Kuchen”, “Kartoffelpuffer”, etc.
Entrance ticket: 50 rubles (includes many door prizes) and children under 12 free.
For more info: weihnachtsbasarmoskau@yahoo.de

WC Winter Bazaar
The annual IWC Bazaar will be held at the Radisson Slavjanskaya Hotel on Saturday, December 2nd 2006. The Bazaar brings together embassies of nations from around the world, each selling a dazzling array of products from their home country. It is the major IWC fundraising event of the year.
For further information please contact Monica Howkins by email: monicahowkins@yahoo.com

American Women's Organization
The AWO of Moscow has over 200 members and helps ex-pat women adapt to life in Moscow through social, cultural and educational activities. The club also supports charitable organizations in Moscow. The AWO Meetings for this month will be held on November 15th and a Newcomers Coffee will take place on November 8th. Members meet at 10:30 at the Hard Rock Cafe on Stary Arbat.
The American Women's Organization (AWO) is proud to present the 13th Annual AWO Craft Fair, which will take place on Thursday November 2nd at Park Place (113/1 Leninsky Prospect) from 10:00 -17:00. Get a head start on your Holiday Shopping with more than 100 of the most talented artists in Russia! There will be jewelry, art, ceramics and much more for sale! Also, don’t forget about the silent auctions and raffles. Proceeds benefit the Nastenka Foundation supporting Moscow's Pediatric Cancer Hospital.

Sport

Ex-pats Over 30 Football (Soccer ) League
If you're a keen footballer and 30 years old or older, why not join our fun (but a bit serious) league. With 8 sponsored teams of various levels, professional referees and a great social scene, it's a great chance to meet new friends and get fit at the same time. Our outdoor summer pitch location (centre of Moscow) is perfect for families and we provide free shashlik, salads, beer and soft drinks for players, friends and family.
For more information, please email Nick Rees at nickrees99@yahoo.com

IWC Launches 2006-2007 Season
By Nataliya Dementeva
Photo by Lisa Azarova

The International Women’s Club of Moscow (IWC) held their first General Meeting of its 29th season in late September. The gathering at the US Ambassador’s residence, Spaso House, is a 16 year tradition and more than 500 IWC members from 80 countries were welcomed by Lisa Carty, wife of Ambassador William Burns.

Brigit von Canisius, wife of the Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta, was re-elected President by the club’s steering committee, and told Passport that she is “full of enthusiasm to again have the opportunity to work with so many fantastic, talented and benevolent ladies from around the globe.”

Handicrafts enthusiasts and interest groups devoted to subjects as diverse as Russian literature and cross country skiing were observed busily recruiting the new membership to join their groups that meet regularly during the year.

Members of IWC’s community service groups provide assistance to the more vulnerable in Moscow and the surrounding region, with a special focus on children. They support approximately 60 projects annually. A dedicated team of over 45 volunteers actively manage and monitor each project, ensuring quality and efficient use of resources. The projects for the coming year cover a broad range of carefully chosen beneficiaries including Baby Houses and Internats (orphanages), Children at Risk, the Elderly, Foster Families, Hospitals and the Disabled, Soup Kitchens, Street People, Prisons and Detention Centers, and other Charity Groups.

Charitable auction hosted by EU Ambassador
By Nataliya Dementeva
Photo by Lisa Azarova

The charitable auction of Russian Contemporary Art in honor of Operation Hope took place at the residence of European Union Ambassador, Marc Franco, in mid October. Ambassador Franco and his wife Rita Janssen organized the event to raise awareness about the problem of hydrocephalus in premature and newborn babies in Russia. Operation HOPE works full time to remedy the catastrophic situation for children in Russia. Art works by famous Russian artists were offered together with beautiful paintings by up and coming if lesser known artists. Participants at the auction included executives of many multi-national companies in Russia, representatives of the Russian business community, ambassadors and senior diplomats. The auction was organized to raise funds for the projects conducted by the Operation HOPE, an Autonomous Non-commercial Organization (ANO) founded in 2000 by the Russian fund for Culture together with Dr. Zinenko, a highly respected pediatric neurosurgeon, who is also the initiator and driving force behind the ‘new’ treatment of premature babies in Russia. Additional funds will be sought for the procurement of a Voluson 3-D ultra- sound scanner in order to conduct faster, more accurate and detailed diagnosis of babies.

Classic Car 2006 Season Ends
By Nataliya Dementeva

Commemorating the end of the 2006 season, the Moscow Classic Car Club held its last rally on September 30th. Starting and finishing at sponsor’s Blue Elephant Royal Thai Cuisine restaurant on Novinsky Blvd, it was a splendid afternoon out and about for the many fine classic cars owned by car aficionados.

Altogether 50 cars participated with two-man teams, although some found an extra passenger to take along. The winner was Alexandr Smirnov driving a Mercedes Benz, with Oksana Smirnova as navigator; in second place; Vitaly Bogdanov and Aleksandr Yatsun in a Bentley S2. Third place was Stanislav Soloviev and Marina Solovieva in a Chevy Corvette. The winners were determined according to six stages of skills for the 2006 championship. In each of the six stages participants had to compete in driving skill and dexterity in completing a number of special exercises. The final scores for each stage were recorded for the general total and were considered as the main criteria for winning the 2006 championship.

Onto the Starting Ramp

Milka Kresoja,
sponsor of the rally

Vladislav Ephrussi
with driving companion

Press catch the action

Road Toll
Fred Flintstone

On Wednesday morning Wilma saw a report on the morning news about an 11-car pileup on the new highway recently completed into Bedrock. Apparently, a couple of gaishniki (policemen), batons in hand, were collecting tolls in the middle of the night along this 8-lane divided highway. While checking papers on the first car, two more piled in. According to reports, instead of taking matters in hand, the gaishniki claimed this wasn’t their beat and split. Shortly thereafter, another 8 cars joined the pile-up and the mess wasn’t cleared away until early morning.

This episode raises many questions about the habits of homo voditel russica (HVR); probably the world’s most dangerous and inexperienced drivers, and their hunters, the gaishniki. Bear in mind that the average Russian driver has probably had a driver’s license less than 5 years, and practically without exception, the license was bought whether earned or not. A friend’s wife recently flunked the driving test five times, until someone finally clued her in about the required payment – she passed the next time. Another was more fortunate; her instructor took care of matters early on and 6,000 rubles cleared the way for a pass on the first try.

This system means that some HVR have no business on the road. Not long ago, I spent about fifteen minutes in traffic watching an HVR try to back out of a parallel parking space that was about three meters longer than the car. The HVR got out numerous times to check the clearance at the rear before finally freeing himself. In another case, an HVR with a brand new Toyota RAV was simply unable to back up the car when trapped in a dead end.

The hunters of the HVR generally work on foot, black and white striped baton in hand, even along high speed multi-lane highways. They need just 20 or 30 meters of free space, such as the end of an entrance ramp, to step out into oncoming traffic to halt all traffic in order to direct an HVR from the high-speed lane into their trap.

Another trick used by HVR hunters is to stand about 100 meters past a serious traffic jam in order to catch escaping HRVs, who are likely to violate any number of traffic laws after spending an hour in traffic. Of course, the hunter’s job is to hunt traffic violators and collect tolls, not assist with nuisances such as traffic jams and accidents. Not long ago, I barely escaped what was shaping up to be a major Moscow gridlock, with traffic penned in so seriously that it was difficult to imagine when and how anyone would move. About 50 meters past the choke point, three gaishniki had five cars pulled over that had tried to hop the curb onto the tramvai (tram) tracks.

Occasionally, the gaishniki will poach outside his territory, singly or in groups, usually late at night and off-hours. This was probably the case in the eleven car pileup. You may hear advice to challenge such hunters about their right to the territory, but this is probably useless; after all they are the hunters.

Once in the trap, negotiations begin po-chelevecheski (on a human/ civilized level), because neither the hunter nor the hunted wishes to spend hours or days in the bureaucracy that a citation would involve. And after all, the hunter and his family have to eat, and the HVR yearns to run free.

Anyone Want a Ferret?
Linda Lippner

Spending the winter in Moscow? Why not get a furry friend to keep you company on those cold and snowy nights ahead. Man’s best friend – a friendly dog or puppy? Or a small kitten or two to keep you entertained with their antics – and no frigid walks out on the streets if you litter-box train a kitten. I have another idea that you might like to consider. A ferret! Ferrets are a bit more work as you have to tend to their diet and very little high quality ferret food is available in Moscow. I have heard that some people will even feed a ferret chicken or rat or lab mice. And sausage, potatoes or dog food are also offered to ferrets. Not a good idea, so keep your eye out for substitute ferret food such as Hill’s Kitten or Iams Kitten for a healthy ferret.

A trip to the pet rynok by the side of the MKAD allows you to check out the ferrets they have for sale there. Ferret breeders say nyet to rynok ferrets as they may be sickly or badly bred. But they are certainly fun to watch. I went there with a friend in search of a ferret. Just to make sure that a ferret is what he wanted, we toured the rest of the pet rynok before getting directions to the rumored ferret dealers. We passed dogs and cats and cats and dogs. Since it was chilly, some of the dogs had assuredly human outerwear on; sweaters complete with turtlenecks and a few child-size jackets with hoods. Some of the smallest kittens and puppies were in what looked to be aquarium tanks with small votive candles inside (but out of harms way), keeping the little critters warm. And on we went past real aquariums with fish, and nearby, fish eggs of all kinds – start your own fish from scratch is the hint.

When you are looking for ferrets and don’t know the name for ferret in Russian, you are at a distinct disadvantage. We finally had a breakthrough when a helpful saleslady told us the name in Russian, which sounds a little like whorook. “Whorook, whorook” we practiced as we followed her down the aisle. And all of a sudden there they were – lots of little baby ferrets and a couple of very large ferrets. In fact, they were so large that my friend was taken aback. One specimen was sitting on top of a cage having a hard roll for a snack. I was invited to lean over and sniff him. This was my chance to smell the musky scent of an un-fixed ferret and I certainly didn’t want to miss that! The ferret cooperated, after a suspicious glance my way. I discovered why owners of ferrets, at least in the US, give them regular baths – and get them fixed. We decided to consider for a bit longer this very important purchase and we went home to conduct more research on the business of ferrets in Russia. If you are considering a similar purchase, go to: http://www.ferret.ru/list-english.html

International Christian Assembly: 45 Nationalities Worshiping Together
By Susan Hetherington

The Moscow branch of the International Christian Assembly ministers to 45 nationalities living in Moscow. Arriving at their temporary quarters (see below for their permanent quarters and other contact information) at The Forum Center, I could see the diversity immediately. At least 300 members of this friendly and relaxed congregation were joined in singing with the band and choral group on the stage while following the overhead projection of the words to the songs in English and Russian. I noticed many people hooking up individual simultaneous translation devices, as volunteers in the congregation can send wireless translations of the English service into Russian (and Portuguese!) ears. Sometimes there is a French-speaking volunteer to help. Visitors were invited to stand and introduce themselves. They were from Ghana, Nigeria and Malaysia. I also met folks from Germany, Korea, India, the U.S. and the Philippines. In spite of all this internationality, approximately 1/4 of the congregation is Russian. As Interim Pastor Ken Buller stated; “A true rainbow of people” were assembled that morning worshiping Jesus and his teachings. The sermon was delivered by Pastor Ken based on the Book of John, Chapter 9 “I am the light of the world”; but before that, Pastor Kevin Barner, who has been leading the Moscow church for 4 years but is currently in the US, delivered a message to the congregation via a pretaped computer video projected on the wall. It was an encouraging and humorous message to the group about the successful outcome of a search for a new and permanent place of worship.

The International Christian Assembly will have been conducting services in Moscow for 15 years in 2007, and they also have a church in St. Petersburg. You can get contact information from the numbers/website below. At the Moscow church there is Sunday school for children 3-13 and Childcare for those under 3. There are additional fellowship meetings for students and national groups during the week. A Christian Men’s Forum Fall Retreat was also announced where men can gather for a weekend in the country to reestablish balance in their spiritual and physical lives. Mime dance group lessons were being formed and anyone with musical talent and the spirit of giving can join the creative arts ministry which includes the band or singing group, computer/video work or drama and dance. The International Christian Assembly can be a full-time life for members of this church. And this is very similar to Assembly of God churches across the U.S. and the mission churches around the world. They are the largest Pentecostal church in the world at 51 million members.

As in other Pentecostal churches, you can request congregational prayer for illness, loss of faith or other spiritual issues. Holy Communion is the first Sunday of the month and water baptism is offered. As the church literature and Pastor Ken and Pastor Kevin would say: “If you do not currently have a church home, we invite you to consider worshipping with us…”

Contact ICA at: www.icamoscow.org, office@icamoscow.org, pastor@icamoscow.org,
8 962 933-35-81
Services at: Yunost Hotel, Khamovnichesky Val 34, Metro Sportivnaya (Red line) 1.5 minute walk from the metro.







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