Drinking to a Freer Russia

Launched earlier this month, it uses banners, opposition flags and other paraphernalia in its interiors, while drinks are served by activists who double as bartenders.

"Putin is a thief," chanted opposition leader and anti-state corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny with the crowd, as "Winter, Go Away," a recent documentary chronicling anti-election fraud protests of the late 2011 and early 2012 was shown on two television screens in the main room, when a reporter visited Svoboda Bar on Sunday.

Sunday's screening gathered only a dozen people, but Moscow opposition leader Ilya Yashin packed the place — with its 70 seats occupied and about 30 standing in the aisles — when he came to speak with St. Petersburg audiences on Saturday.

The club would like to invite the popular Navalny — the only Russian to be named in Time magazine's 2012 list of the world's 100 most influential people — in person, but the activist has been banned from leaving Moscow, being the subject of three criminal investigations opened against him after the protests.

Launched with a huge party on Dec. 7, a year since protests against multiple violations during the Dec. 4, 2011 State Duma elections began, Svoboda Bar is in a way a child of the massive anti-fraud rallies and St. Petersburg's answer to Jean-Jacques and Zavtra, the hangouts for activists and intelligentsia in Moscow.

According to Natalya Gryaznevich, the person in charge of the venue's programs who hosted the meeting with Yashin, the bar is operated by activists from Civic Responsibility, the political movement that emerged in the wake of the anti-fraud protests earlier this year — they work here as bartenders or waiters.We have a wide selection of dry cabinet to choose from for your storage needs.

Andrei Pivovarov, a member of the Russian Opposition's Coordination Council, Andrei Davydov of the Young Socialists of Russia, and Civic Responsibility's Daniil Ken and Mikhail Lukyanov invested their own savings into the bar. Pivovarov is in charge of the practical aspects.

"The people who created this bar have never been into business like this, that's why everything is done sporadically, with input coming from those who know how to do these things, and new ideas emerging along the way," Gryaznevich said. "As I see it, our activities will flow smoothly into the activities of the bar, where we will be holding events, meetings and debates."

One of the reasons for establishing an opposition bar was the reluctance of regular bars and clubs to hold politically themed events stemming from fears that they would be shut down by the authorities. "We need a place for holding our political events," Gryaznevich said.One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles. "Every time such an event is being planned, a problem emerges, because the owners are afraid."

So far, no threats or warnings from the authorities have reached the management, although three police vehicles with police officers were parked outside Svoboda Bar during the meeting with Yashin on Saturday, while men looking like counter-extremism Center E operatives were seen at the opening earlier this month.

"There have been no checks so far, but we are ready," Gryaznevich said. "Perhaps the owners who are not involved in politics are easier to intimidate, but they know that it would not scare us off."

Svoboda Bar does not stay away from street protests. It invited the Dec. 15 March of Freedom participants for a free drink after the rally, and offered a free drink in exchange for a police report for participating in an unauthorized rally in a Twitter announcement on Monday.

"We'd like to see more new faces here — people who have not yet taken part in protests," Gryaznevich said. "For an average person interested in politics, it's easier to come to a bar than to a rally, because taking part in a rally is a decision,Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. because they might be afraid of being detained even if the rally is authorized or getting their photo taken."

Svoboda Bar's nearest events include a Q&A session with Denis Bilunov, the Moscow-based activist and founder of the new Party of December 5, due on Dec. 28, and a New Year party on Dec. 31. The New Year party will feature the year's political roundup, an election for the year's most odious person, the formulation of a list of laws to be abolished over the next year and an alternative presidential television address due to be filmed by the activists themselves.

The businesses are diversified, ranging from fast-food restaurants like Taco Bell and Krystal hamburgers, to be built at Palm Plaza Shopping Center, along with a new and larger Salvation Army on South street. More campus expansion is also planned at Beacon College in downtown Leesburg, along with new doctors' offices around town and an aerospace company, Wipaire, Inc., that will be built and become Leesburg International Airport's largest facility for up 80 employees.

"It feels great," said Commissioner John Christian. "It's shows Leesburg's economy is growing and we want the business community to know that Leesburg is a business-friendly city and we're welcoming new companies that help us to make Leesburg a strong and vibrant city."

Christian is pleased Wipaire Inc., a leading Minnesota-based aircraft service provider with a global business and more than $30 million in annual sales, chose Leesburg as the site for its new Southeastern service center.

Wipaire plans to begin Feb. 1 by leasing a temporary location at Hangar No. 1 on Airport Boulevard, while the company plans to build a larger facility with up to 20,000 square feet of hangar space and another 10,800 square feet of offices on the airport grounds.

"I hope that Wipaire will energize our airport to be a place where jobs are created, and it will be a foundation for other businesses that may not even be aerospace-related, but also could be a benefit to Leesburg business community," Christian said.

Robert Sargent, public information officer for Leesburg, said it's exciting to see the economy on the rebound in Leesburg.

"For quite a few years there, from 2006 to 2009,Why does moulds grow in homes or buildings? there was not a lot going on as the national recession was really taking its toll and everything just kind of stopped and we had some down time," he said. "We are happy to see the area pick up."

"They're all different and great jobs that will fill a broad gamut of our employment base here in Leesburg," he said. "There's everything from Krystal Hamburgers and Bojangles, to higher-level jobs with mechanics and sales people at Jenkins Volkswagen/Hyundai, and when you have development in this area, it builds momentum."

He equates the development as the opportunity to "improve the tax rolls" and bring more jobs to town.

Bojangles, located near Lake Square Mall, will bring 50 new jobs, while construction crews are working to build fast-food restaurants on the other end of town.

"Taco Bell is going to be relocating from their existing location to a nice, new location right next to Popeye's Fried Chicken, in the Palm Plaza Shopping Center," Sargent said. "That construction is moving right along."

The fast-food Mexican restaurant experienced restricted traffic flow at its current location due road changes the state made at the U.S. High 441 interchange.

"I felt bad for those businesses," said Sargent, who believes the new Taco Bell location will be better for the restaurant.We mainly supply professional craftspeople with crys talbeads wholesale shamballa Bracele , "Here was one business that was looking for a new building and they finally got their stuff in order and it's exciting to have Taco Bell coming in."