April 11, 2019

Come Out and Play


Come Out and Play
A flurry of activity is sometimes followed by a deeper peace. fsin.su

Reduce homophobia, reuse plastic, recycle unnecessary homework assignments

1. After a slight kerfuffle, yoga is a yo-go in Russian prisons – as is being gay. Claims that yoga is anti-Christian and causes homosexuality were submitted to conservative senator Elena Muzulina, who allegedly asked for two pilot yoga programs in prisons to be suspended, which she later denied as “fake news.” Deputy Director of the prison system Valery Maksimenko took a justice warrior pose-ition, saying yoga has been linked to a drastic drop in doctor visits and that, although it doesn’t cause homosexuality, even if it did, homosexuality is perfectly legal Russia, important people around the world have “non-traditional, for us, sexual orientations,” and no one has the right to judge someone for it. Prisons will be rolling out the welcome mat for yoga, as the program is expanded to all of Russia. 

2. Soccer games at the World Cup used a lot of plastic cups. Why not complete the cycle of life from soccer, to cups, to more soccer? That’s why Budweiser opened a new soccer pitch in Sochi made from 50,000 World Cup cups. It’s not just an environmentally friendly statement; 2006 World Cup champion Marco Materazzi, who attended the opening, called the field excellent. Budweiser later plans to move the field to Volgogradskaya Oblast, where it will be open to anyone who wants to play. The minister of sports for the region hopes that this will kick off all sorts of creative projects with used plastic. 

Yes, that’s my cup you’re standing on! / Budweiser

3. The Ministry of Education has done their homework on school kids’ stress and decided to recommend lower homework loads. Because children in Russia were working more each week than their parents. A true class struggle. The new guidelines may not be a full-blown revolution, but at least the working class will now be a relaxed class – and also a more individualized class. Earlier, the Ministry of Education proposed creating an online “personal office” for each student, with additional material based on the interests they have indicated on social media.

In odder news

  • Moscow government will support entrepreneurs or NGOs creating old-folks’ homes for pets when their owners can no longer take care of them. Who says you can’t teach an old dog to live in a new home? 
  • A man in St. Petersburg claims to have caught a fish with a gold ring inside, calling it fairytale magic. Others are saying, however, that based on, you know, scientific facts, about how wide a fish can open its mouth, the story rings false. 
Something seems fishy about this. / VKontakte
Seeing a meteorite always brightens your day. / Kraschp/Youtube

 

Quote of the Week

“Green-eyed taxi, slow down, slow down,
And take me where they’ll be
Always, always, happy to see me”

 
– The (translated) chorus of “Green-eyed Taxi” by Oleg Kavsha,
voted “best song to listen to in a taxi” in study by taxi company Citimobil.
If they could only listen to one song on repeat the entire ride, though,
60% of those surveyed went with Despacito


Want more where this comes from? Give your inbox the gift of TWERF, our Thursday newsletter on the quirkiest, obscurest, and Russianest of Russian happenings of the week.
 

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955