Lithuania celebrate the millennium.

VILNIUS, July 6 - Celebrations on the occasion of the Millennium will be the country of Lithuania on Monday on the Day of the State.

At the celebration is expected to visit a large number of guests - monarchs, heads of state, prime ministers.

Millennial Celebration of the anniversary of Lithuania will begin with the national flag raising ceremony at the square in front of the Presidential Palace and the President Valdas Adamkus. Then the dignitaries will take part in Holy Mass at Vilnius Cathedral.

One of the most important events will be the opening ceremony at the Cathedral Square in Vilnius Palace of the rulers - re-established in ancient drawings of historic buildings completely disappeared.

Later, guests waiting for a solemn reception on the occasion of the Millennium mention the Day of the State of Lithuania and in the courtyard of the Presidential Palace.

In Ukraine, noted the Navy Day.

There Russian military marches, and came specifically to Sevastopol Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko visits the Black Sea Fleet ships, who quit the Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Residents of Sevastopol on the established holiday Yushchenko did not call. On the square Nakhimov, where celebrations were held, was only government officials, supporters of a number of far-wing parties, the military and the press. But when Victor Yushchenko went to the impromptu inspection of the Black Sea waters in the barge, the residents of the city of Sevastopol on the bank launched a 30-meter flag of Russia. Russian flags were raised as a monument to Empress Catherine the Great. All of what happened has caused strong reaction the outgoing president of Ukraine. Viktor Yushchenko has once again expressed his hope that the Russian ships leaving Sevastopol in 2017. But even if it suddenly for some reason, and will happen, then it does not leave the city of Sevastopol residents: according to the All-Ukrainian population census conducted in 2001, more than 90% of the inhabitants of Sevastopol consider Russian their native language. Perhaps, therefore, all their statements made in anger Yushchenko in the Ukrainian language.

Why do Russian people drink?

Meeting with Russian and U.S. leaders. The head of the White House asked: «Why do Russian people drink vodka?» Answer: «And what, they play tennis?!»

Use of strong alcoholic beverages in Russia has long been popular rule, and is accompanied by certain «ritual». If a person does not drink - it is a suspicious type, it is better not to have affairs. Attitudes to drink in Russia has always been sympathetic. To that person the assistance and support - a tradition. So, when industrial-scale production of alcohol, drinking in the country has adopted widespread. Drink rich and poor, drunk businessmen and the unemployed, women and men. In recent years, three times increase in the number of women alcoholics. With the advent of capitalism has widened the range of beverages consumed. There were, at first glance, innocuous low-alcohol cocktails, which have become popular among teenagers. Now, drink and children ...

West can not understand the mysterious Russian soul. What is the soul of this? This is the soul of a warrior. West can not understand it, just as the soul of the Japanese samurai does not cling to life, and at any moment ready to die. But if the Japanese samurai warriors were a little of the population, the Russian man was a warrior. In the Russian character, you can see the elements of military culture - and it is often dismissive attitude to material values, the indifferent attitude to the comfort of home, these issues with the Russian women's, and even drunkenness. Drinking alcoholic beverages is the warriors of pan-European tradition. You will not find any in the past, nor is any valid, ie in a state of war, a European army in which soldiers would have been teetotal.
Russian drink, and Europeans drink, but do so in a completely different, why? Yes because we have with them is very different cultures. Russian, this military culture, in Russia every man in the first place was a warrior, and then farmer, craftsmen, or scientists. In Europe, everything was just the opposite. Until the twentieth century, Europe did not total wars, ie wars which kill not only enemy soldiers but also civilians. The war was the fate of a handful nobility who fought among themselves, without involving its peasants and townspeople. The vast majority of the population had nothing to do with the war, people were engaged in agriculture, trade, trade. Meaning of their existence has been the accumulation of money and creation, as much as possible comfortable conditions of life.

In Russia, people's concept of the festival is closely associated with a rich meal, especially with ample alcohol. Strong alcoholic drinks are considered almost mandatory attributes of this event. Indifference, saving the latter reaction the body has become our defining feature. Therefore, and the popularity of vodka - unprecedented even by the Russian scale. This is - a terrible indifference, when a man sees his life is not broken, do not snap off with the corner, but so hopelessly fragmented, both along and across the broken, only for the alcoholic intoxication is still remain. That if the vodka banned - would immediately we broke out the revolution.

Do not want to, and not with grief, drink Russian people and for the eternal needs of a great and extraordinary. Drink, if you like, mystical, seeking to withdraw from earthly life balance and return it to the blessed bodiless state. Vodka - White Russian magic man, he strongly prefers her black magic.

However, the main use of vodka in a Russian table practice involves the use of it as a mandatory annex to the Russian fast food diet. Russian food is a final table, only in 18 th century. At the same time came the flourishing of Russian domestic distillation with its rich and varied assortment of vodka. Thus, the nature of vodka, its organoleptic properties, its flavoring and clean up all this fit in to the taste characteristics of food and Russian food composition table. That is why these two concepts - vodka and a snack - were, after all, inseparable, and both lexical idioms, and as a food reality. However, rooted in the minds of the people of these notions, because of changes in inequality and social conditions have become, over the past two years, distorted and made disproportionate importance in different segments of the population of Russia. The essence of these changes was that the vodka has remained as an indispensable component, a starter either impoverish or reduced, or disappear altogether.

Symbolism of vodka in Russia is universal. It is more important than gold or oil. Recall that never, even in the most disadvantaged in the Soviet era, vodka was not a lack. Vodka - it is fate, the fate of Russian. Because of Russian vodka are known throughout the world, as producers of vodka are huge profits from its sale.

Russia begins anti-alcohol campaign.

Russia is now drinking more than 90 years, although when times were tough. The Ministry of Health and Social Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy conducts a program for the promotion of healthy lifestyles. Activities aimed at building a healthy lifestyle among the citizens of the Russian Federation, including the reduction of alcohol and tobacco, this year will cost at 830 million rubles in the next year - 820 million in 2011-meters - 850 million in 2009 to 83 regions will be established about 500 health centers.

This promotion gives the result - for the five months of 2009 was born on 3% more children than during the same period last year (mortality rate decreased by 28.3%). Covered activities, people were more likely to marry and to marry - the number of marriages increased by 6.1% (the divorce was less at 3.7%).

In Russia all the more public and community leaders speak on the topic anti-alcoholic.