Among the many corrupted currents loosed upon the nation by the Bush Regime, this scandal is perhaps the worst, for it abets all the others and breeds new pestilence.

Swedish cars may be a rarity in the old town of Tashkent, but Swedish meatballs need not be. In Moscow, too, this comforting dish is just the thing when the autumn weather -- and the idiot drivers -- stress you out.

Vladimir Mirzoyev's production of William Shakespeare's ""King Lear"" at the Vakhtangov Theater marks a turning point in this popular director's career.

A concrete power-station tower, overgrown streets and dreary apartment blocks with smashed-in windows -- the backdrop of the new computer game ""S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Oblivion Lost.""

Just recently, the Italian and Russian Ministries of Culture, along with the Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Center, combined to bring to Moscow and St. Petersburg a brief ""Festival of the Culture of Italy in Russia.""

As often happens with prodigies across the globe, violinist Oleg Kagan's rise to fame was fast and sure. A student of David Oistrakh, Kagan had won prizes at three international competitions by the age of 20 and went on to make classic recordings with pianist Svyatoslav Richter and cellist Natalia Gutman, who also became his wife.

When B.B. King played Moscow in 1979, it was a first chance for many Russians to hear the blues. Now, a local festival invites musicians from the United States every year to spread the genuine Mississippi Delta sound.

For Russia's classical ballet buffs, the thought of American dance might seem all too New World.

Founded just 13 years ago, the Russian National Orchestra has already undergone its fair share of upheavals. The opening of this season's program marked yet another new chapter, with Mikhail Pletnyov back on the podium.

Court intrigue makes for potentially good historical drama, and is a field that director Vitaly Melnikov has explored on more than one occasion.

Among the many corrupted currents loosed upon the nation by the Bush Regime, this scandal is perhaps the worst, for it abets all the others and breeds new pestilence.