Moscow Stories: Beer and prawns in the bath house - Russia's

[emad]

Moscow Stories: Beer and prawns in the bath house - Russia's new elite let it all hang out
By Andrew Osborn
02 January 2005

The Independent of Sunday

"Elitny Moscow" - the city's elite - is a sight to behold. Going out to one of the many exclusive restaurants is usually an eye-opener. The forecourts overflow with the flashiest cars and 4x4s, while inside, appearances count for everything. Diners decked out in the smartest designer gear, sporting the latest mobile phone and ordering the most expensive items from the menu. Entry to such venues is exclusive, with Moscow's infamous "face control" strictly enforced.

I recently fell into conversation with a wealthy businessman who called himself Viktor who had studied in Britain. "I left the UK," he told me, stuffing a piece of prime beef into his mouth, "when I realised that the maximum I was ever going to earn was £150,000 a year. It's just not possible to earn real money there." He may be a member of a small elite, but people like him seem to be proliferating.

"I don't know what's wrong with you in Britain that you all have to borrow money or take out mortgages to buy your houses," he said. "Here we just buy them with cash outright."

A few years ago, wealthy Western expatriates could feel like king of the castle in Moscow. But as Viktor showed, nowadays the Russians can give them a run for their money.

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=597254

[ugarte]

1. You can see the same people at Bush's inaugural

The robber barons are riding high in both countries.

[Kesha]

3. same minds think alike...

This kind of human rubbish is called

- Parasit in Russian
- Parasit in German and
- parasite in English

Kesha

[InvisibleBallots]

2. no wonder most Russians say they regret the USSR falling

Their nation has been overrun by organized crime, drug dealers, and scam artists, and now the Russians are having their noses rubbed in it.