Ever get the impression that the somber pictures of Munch are ready-made illustrations for the equally somber works of Dostoevsky? We do, and it turns out there’s more to this hunch than meets the eye.

“When the Russian tsar is fishing, Europe can wait,” said Alexander III of Russia. How could this happen?

In Russia can you feel safe walking down the street, traveling on the Metro or having a drink in a bar if you are a single woman or single man? And can you expect that the reputations of your colleagues and bosses will prove more important to them than the temptation to indulge in a daily dose of racy banter? Most Russians have only recently heard the word "harassment" for the first time, but they have long experienced the phenomenon at close quarters. There are numerous reasons behind it.