russia

"Girl Model": A Journey of Deceipt and Exploitation

Virginia Prescott — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:00:00 +0000

The dream of “being discovered” is on parade at a casting call in Novosibirsk, one of several Siberian cities that supply the pre-adolescent, doe-eyed, “Russian look” models most desired by the Japanese fashion market. Ashley Arbaugh scours rural beauty pageants for girls, typically poor, mostly looking for a way out, and sends them off to Tokyo. That journey, marked by deceit and exploitation, is the subject of “Girl Model”, a documentary feature by David Redmon and Ashley Sabin. Together, David and Ashley have produced, directed and edited seven documentary feature films. Their latest, “Girl Model,” makes its broadcast premiere on PBS’s acclaimed POV series on Sunday.

Word of Mouth 03.16.2013

Rebecca Lavoie — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 13:21:49 +0000

Our niftiest and spiffiest content, all in one great show. This week, a look at the shifting human condition. Holocaust survivors being turned into holograms, a Russian "Swiss Family Robinson" that missed most of the 20th Century, corporate anthropologists, transplant "tourism," the nasty effect of internet comments, and a former professor pens a memoir about being stalked by an ex- student online.

Generation Putin

NHPR Staff — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 17:00:00 +0000

It's been over 20 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Young people in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Georgia are facing unemployment, democratic pressure, and the legacy of repression, while being influenced by the West, punk music, and the Pussy Riot trials. PRX sent a reporting team from the Seattle Globalist to explore the tensions in these countries, described by The Atlantic as 'uneasily suspended' between two political eras. Join host Brooke Gladstone for Generation Putin, an in-depth look at the millennial generation in the post-Soviet states.

The Story Of A 20th Century Swiss Family Robinson...In Siberia

Virginia Prescott — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:40:31 +0000

Imagine this: a family of six, living for more than 40 years in an isolated tiny cabin on the vast Siberian Taiga. If this were the 19th century, it might not be so far-fetched. But, it was 1978 when four geologists prospecting for iron discovered the Lykovs. Patriarch Karp Lykov and his wife, Akulina, fled the Soviet purges of the 1930s and headed for the forest where they raised their children, completely unaware of WWII, the moon landing, the cold war, or the advent of television.

The Presidential Race in New Hampshire, By Way of Russian Radio

Brady Carlson — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 22:52:02 +0000

This week NHPR's newsroom has played host to two journalists visiting the United States to see what our elections look like and to report on them to audiences back home.

One of them, Paul Filippov, is program director for a radio station in Catherinesburg, Russia, a city in the Ural Mountains. He talks with All Things Considered host Brady Carlson about his impressions of the election and political media coverage.

Romney, GOP Pounce On Obama's Russia Comment

Martha Wexler — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:13:00 +0000

President Obama went to South Korea to talk about nuclear security, only to find that the presidential campaign followed him there.

Obama is now facing sharp criticism from Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and other GOP figures following comments he made Monday, in seeming confidence, to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

As reporters gathered for a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, Obama leaned over to his Russian counterpart.

For Russia's Troubled Space Program, Mishaps Mount

Corey Flintoff — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:57:00 +0000

Russia was once the world leader in space exploration, but its space program has suffered a string of costly and embarrassing mishaps over the past year.

NASA says Russia is still a trustworthy partner, but critics say the once-proud program is corrupt and mismanaged — good at producing excuses, but not results.

The Memorial Space Museum in Moscow showcases the achievements of the Soviet Union's space program.

A model of Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, is on display, as well as the stuffed remains of the dogs who became the first earthlings to orbit the planet and return.

There'

Remaking Russia's Military: Big Plans, Few Results

Corey Flintoff — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 05:01:00 +0000

Every May, Russia displays its military might in a parade on Victory Day, commemorating the surrender of the Nazis to the Soviet Union in World War II.

The marching men and rolling tanks put on an impressive show, but Russia's military, and especially its defense industry, has fallen on hard times.

"The industry, much like other parts of the economy, hasn't seen proper investment for over a decade, if not more," says Lilit Gevorgyan, a Russia analyst for the defense industry consultant IHS Jane's.

During his campaign for president, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised to modern

Will The New AK-47 Be As Popular As The Original?

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:03:00 +0000

The Kalashnikov assault rifle, or AK-47, is one of the most dangerous and widely used weapons in the world. For more than 60 years, nations, rebels, gangsters and child soldiers have wielded the gun.

And now, Russian officials say it's outdated. As part of a $700 billion army modernization program, the country has announced a redesign of the rifle.

New York Times foreign correspondent C.J.

Russian Accuses Voice Of America Of Fake Interview

Michele Kelemen — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:01:00 +0000

NPR's Michele Kelemen is a former employee of Voice of America.

Russian anti-corruption crusader Alexei Navalny has been the victim of many dirty tricks by pro-Kremlin media.

But when the U.S.

In Russia, A Debate Over How To Set The Clock

Corey Flintoff — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:56:00 +0000

In just a few weeks, most of the United States will shift back to daylight saving time — and Americans will lose an hour of sleep but gain an extra hour of light in the evening.

That won't be happening in Russia, though, where President Dmitry Medvedev has put the country on permanent summer time.

Medvedev's decree, issued last fall, means that it doesn't get light in Moscow now until around 9 a.m.

From Russia with...Acupuncture?

Virginia Prescott — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:35:34 +0000

Jessica Golloher, Word of Mouth's eyes and ears in Moscow, reports on the scads of Russians signing up for alternative medicine.