The city of Vladivostok has a larger population than the whole state of Alaska and it's not far away. I don't know if they still doit t - I haven't met any of them in recent years - but it used to be that every year a plane load of Russians traveled to Juneau and a plane load of Alaskans went to Vladivostok. Long before Palin's time though.

We used to have music parties for them, and that is where one Russian told me in response to my having 'passed' my turn that in Russia it is considered very rude to not do something when it's one's turn; whether it's a song, a poem, a recitation or a dance, one does something.

The Kamchatka Peninsula is close by as is Siberia.

I just had a phone call from a friend who tells me that last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live Kimmel amplified on Palin's expertise. She, he said, is an expert on finance; right from her house she can see a bank.