"My wife is very cold."

Doing business in Russia has its…complications. The Telegraph notes:

The creed of the Kremlin — to get anything done, one must either pay or intimidate — has become a way of life for all Russia. Bribery is back big time. Last month, one of Britain's largest retail groups held a round of meetings with potential local suppliers in Russia. "The talks were like every other I've conducted," said the executive concerned. "Everything was above board, thrashed out in normal business fashion. Then we had some drinks to finish our discussions on a convivial note. Suddenly, the Russian I was dealing with said: 'My wife is very cold.' It seemed incongruous. Frankly, I didn't know what sort of response he was after. Then he said: 'She needs a new fur coat.' And he winked. I made my excuses and left. We never signed that particular deal."