"SNOB Magazine" Only for Russia's Super Rich

by Barry Artiste | April 25, 2008 at 04:49 am

4026 views | 20 Recommendations | 5 comments

Opinion
Barry Artiste, Now Public Contributor

"That's Telling em".

SNOB Magazine, Wow, someone has a Death Wish!

If this is a trend for things to come, whereby the Super Rich of Moscow will be featured in their oplulent homes, while the majority of Muscovites live in post War crumbling concrete Stalinist Apartment Blocks will certainly outrage some, when the average Muscovite salary is $200.00 a month. Golden Circle Apartments cost around $2,000 a month for a one room flat. Moscow is one of the most expensive places in the world to live.

Featuring Rich Muscovites and their Opulent Homes in the city and outskirts of Moscow will sure to inflame the have nots.

Nothing like having the Super Rich Russians with American Dollars hanging out of their pockets, SNOB Magazine Tucked under your arm, while walking down the Arabat late at night, flaunting it in front of the Gypsies and Babuskas.

If the Metro Police or Militia do not take you out, the Roving Gangs and Russian Mafia will. Nothing like painted a BIG $ Bullseye on your Forehead, for those looking for an easy score.

By James Kilner

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's super-rich love to flaunt their wealth. Soon they will have a magazine called Snob to help them.

Mikhail Prokhorov -- whose wealth is estimated at around $22 billion -- plans to spend $150 million setting up a magazine, website and television station called Snob, the general director of the new venture told Reuters on Wednesday.

"It's for people who are successful and those who want to be successful," said Andrei Shmarov, who will run Snob.

Prokhorov, 42, made his fortune in the chaotic 1990s when businessmen bought up parts of former Soviet industries for a fraction of their real value.

The Forbes Rich List ranked Prokhorov as the 24th richest person in the world. He is one of the owners of Norilsk Nickel, the world's biggest nickel producer, and Polyus Gold, Russia's biggest gold producer.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary's online edition, www.askoxford.com, a snob is: "A person who has an exaggerated respect for high social position or wealth and who looks down on those regarded as socially inferior".

Thanks for the comments General.

It is a travesty in Moscow where gangs go into seniors homes, homes seniors were given by the communist state years ago. These homes are in the golden circle and some worth close to a million dollars on todays market, but seniors will never sell or leave them, this is their slice of heaven, though a rundown heaven.

Russian Gangsters tell them you have 5 minutes to vacate the house, and in turn we will give you another home 10 miles or so away, Seniors, know not to cross the gangsters and move pronto, meanwhile some of these seniors are located to a concrete ghetto on the outskirts where they know no one, hence their live is over, gone are the familiar sights and sound of friends and a neighbourhood they knew for decades is replaced by another in which the ghetto is comprised of recent immigrants from other parts of the Soviet Union. Being a Moscovite has special privileges, such as jobs, health care etc... and means everything to people. Someone born outside of Moscow 20 miles away, is treated as a second class citizen and must apply for a permit to even work in downtown Moscow, including government positions which are always given to Moscovites first.

The relocated Seniors and most their grandchildren's (Who most of the times live with their grandparents) new home is a dump and worthless compared to their home in downtown Moscow. Meanwhile Gangsters refit entire homes and apartments in stolen in downtown Moscow and sell them for millions. Police and Government seem to look the other way. Who knew the Wild West was in the Heart of Moscow.

Anyways, thanks for the comments and the visit General

Dear Barry,

I hoped that you might be available to contribute to this week's report that we arepreparing on Russia.

One of our producers - Simon Ostrovsky - has just got back from Russia. His
report is a light hearted look at Russias elite society. There is a new
super rich online community there. To qualify you would need to be approved
by other members of the group that include Russias rich and famous like the
richest man in Russia - oligarch Mikhail Prochorov. As part of the report
Simon tried to join this club but unsurprisingly to no avail. We are doing
a fun piece on it and would love you to apply to the group.

In roughly 30 40 seconds could you please tell us why you think that you
should be a member of this group. Obviously this is a tongue and cheek
application. Please feel free to record a satirical application if you
like. We would like to know what it takes to qualify as Russia's elite and
what you would bring to the table if you were a Russian billionaire.

The fastest way for us to receive these contributions would be via the net.
To do this you would need to own or have access to webcam or camcorder.
Simply record your response (please frame your head and shoulders in the
shot and talk directly to the camera) and save it to a .mov or .wmv file.
Then upload the file to www.yousendit.com and make the recipient address
listeningpost@aljazeera.net.

Please could you email me as soon as possible to let me know if you will
contributing to the show. We would need these with us as soon as possible as
we are due to edit the report tomorrow.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Best,
Nick

NowPublic

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"SNOB Magazine" Only for Russia's Super Rich

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