The Mobile World Congress (MWC to the cognoscenti) took place in Barcelona during the last week of February. It was a four-day exhibition of the digital world’s latest and coolest. Phones, tablets, “wearables.” All of it very cutting edge. One of the big winners was the Yota, a dual-screen telephone from … Russia. Not the first place you think of when your mind turns to smart phones. But the Yota is a hot ticket, according to press reports. Not yet available in the U.S. but, maybe, soon.

And, then, there were the Olympics, also in February.  The Sochi games were a $50 billion festival celebrating the 21st century Russia.  The host country put on an extravagant, show for all the world to see and came in first in the medal count, as well.