You often hear that Russians and Americans have a lot in common. That’s true. Just look at who their heroes and clowns are.

I had this and many other thoughts after a Skype video call from my Moscow relatives. In Russia, new year’s eve is still the greatest holiday of all. I was amazed to see how much food Tatiana prepared for the occasion, how dressed up they were. You could feel how important the occasion was. Despite the time-honored hypocrisy streaming from their TV.