One very admirable trait of Russians is that they take their vacations VERY seriously, and they take A LOT of them - two weeks over New Year and Christmas, two weeks in the beginning of May, a month in August, and many more peppered in throughout the year - women's day, defender of the fatherland day, Victory day, not to mention the huge number of religious holidays, it never ends. Perhaps it's the long cold winters, or the long period of being a workers' paradise, or just that they know how to enjoy life - none of the dour North European ethic in Russia, its more like a northern Italy.

For this reason, news out of Russia slows to a crawl (with some notable exceptions) in the late summer. If anything momentous does happen, we will let you know. We might post a few articles from the archives.

Do yourself a favor and follow the Russian example. Turn off your phone and take a walk in the park, play with your kids or grandkids, walk your dog, hit the beach, try to get yourself into a natural environment.

We'll see you in September.