April 27, 2017

Floods of water, juice, and trendy ostrich photos


Floods of water, juice, and trendy ostrich photos

Juice, Juice, Baby

1. If your town has to be flooded with something, why not fruit juice? It may not have been quite as deliberate a decision as that, but that’s what’s flowing in the town of Lebedyan. The roof of a factory owned by Pepsico collapsed, injuring two workers (fortunately, not seriously) and releasing several tons of juice into the streets and toward the river Don. This week, it’s Juicy Flows the Don.

2. In a flood that’s not quite as sugary, a playground in Yakutsk is nearly a foot deep in muddy water. The groundless playground was highlighted by opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who quipped on Twitter that Russia’s military engagement abroad is hindering childcare at home. According to a city official, a local management company was supposed to pump out the water. If the kids get lucky, they’ll fill it with fruit juice instead.

3. The Russian government’s newly vacant post of Human Rights Commissioner will remain vacant. Former Commissioner Konstantin Dolgov has transferred to the presidential administration, and his functions will be transferred to the Department for Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights. The latter department, however, generally focuses on Russian citizens imprisoned abroad. Human rights, as understood by European law, will no longer fall under anyone’s purview.

In Odder News

  • Looking for an edgy new haircut? For a ‘do that’s really on the edge, try the barber who cuts hair with an axe.

Quote of the Week

“I would like my photos to tell about the peace and interaction with the world [...] There is always a place of kindness and love!”
—Photographer Olga Barentseva on her choice to create fairytale-like photography featuring animals with human companions in nature. 

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A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

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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.

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Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
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Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

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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. 

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The Latchkey Murders

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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.

 
Little Golden Calf
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Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

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