''Along with television, entire areas

''Along with television, entire areas of the reality we inhabit disappeared,'' wrote Avtandil Tsuladze, a newspaper columnist. ''There are no more politicians with their loud promises, no streams of compromising materials, no analytical programs, even the president himself has disappeared.''

''The first day was hard, but then I realized, this will undoubtedly raise the birth rate,'' said Vadim Byrkin, who works in Moscow. ''Someone should do a study in nine months, to see how many children were conceived in this week. My own activity has increased drastically.''