Apropos of Nikolai Rachkov, caricaturist (snap cartoonist)     In 1997, Nikolai Rachkov, a painter from Tyumen, set a world record in fast cartoon painting in Pushkin Square, Moscow. He portrayed 115 people in the course of an hour. In 1999, he depicted 196 persons in the course of two hours. In 2000, during a six-hour marathon cartoons were made on 500 people. The painter had to work hard for over 40 years to set these records. He graduated from Tyumen University, geography faculty; passed military service in railway troops, worked at a plant, on a construction site; painted anti-fire posters; and even worked in Gazprom as a painter-engineer. For several years held the post of chief painter at the editorial staff of the regional newspaper Tyumenskaya Pravda.     Participated in morning broadcasts on the First TV channel, the Rossia channel, TVTs, NTV, in the programmes "Bolshaya Stirka," "Nashi v Gorode," "Vremechko," "Vokrug Smekha," "Gorod Zhenshchin," "SSSR," "Data," and others.     His caricatures were published in the following magazines and newspapers: Smena, Krokodil, Krasnaya Burda, Vokrug Smekha, Krestyanka, Limuzin, Nauka i Zhizn, Za Rulem, Trud, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Argumenty i Fakty, Moskovsky Komsomolets, Mir Novostei, etc.     Nikolai Rachkov is a participant and winner of many Russian and international cartoon contests held, in particular, in Belgium, France, Yugoslavia, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Soufh Korea, Japan, Brazil, Germany and other countries.     He is an author of several caricature albums. Member of the Russian Union of Journalists, Creative Union of Russian Artists and International Federation of Artists (IFA).     As producer he staged several caricature festivals in Tyumen. The latest (me titled "Oh, Army Service!" involved more than 300 artists from 25 countries.     In 2001, his personal exhibition was held in the Russian State Duma in Moscow. In December 2002, for the first time he presented his works in the UN Centre in Vienna, Austria.     He made cartoons on V. Putin, G. Seleznev, M. Kasyanov, Yu. Luzhkov, B. Gromov, V. Zhirinovsky, B. Nemtsov, I. Khakamada, M. Gorbachev, G. Zyuganov, V. Gerashchenko, Ye. Primakov, A. Chubais, V. Yumashev, A. Tuleyev, G. Yavlinsky, B. Gryzlov, G. Gref, V. Chernomyrdin, B. Yeltsin and many others.     He also took part as snap cartoonist in the following yvents: 1. TV festival "White Spots of Siberia"; 2. Festival "Yugra-94" (Tyumen, Surgut, Nefteyugansk, Khanty-Mansiisk); 3. Presentation of the Moscow-Tyumen air flight (Boeing-737) of the Transaero airline; 4. International exhibition "World of Beauty" (Moscow, the Kremlin, 2003); 5. World biathlon championship (Khanty-Mansiisk-2002), etc.     Nikolai Rachkov is open for cooperation.     He is going to set a new record in fast painting during 8-12 hours non-stop, plans some actions hi Russia and abroad. Creation of corporate cartoon sets and personal orders is not ruled out.     You may also accompany your measures with Rachkov's caricature exhibitions on various topics.     Contact phone: (095) 659-39-19,     e-mail: umen-6@yandex.ru