March 16, 2017

Medical tourism, space tourism, imaginary tourism


Medical tourism, space tourism, imaginary tourism

Morality, the Moon, and Meds

1. American Idol. The Apprentice. Ramzan Kadyrov’s version of The Apprentice. And now, the competition to become Russia’s first cosmonauts on the moon. Roscosmos, Russia’s state-owned space agency, has announced a recruitment drive for wannabe cosmonauts to join Russia’s first manned Moon landing in 2031. Candidates will be evaluated based on technical, physical, and psychological ability to win the honor of representing Russia’s next big step in space. Unfortunately, they’re not actually making it a reality TV show.

2. With May’s Eurovision Song Contest around the corner, scandal’s already a-brewing. Russia’s nomination of Yulia Samoilova, a singer who happens to be in a wheelchair, is seen by some as a Russian bid to take the moral high ground by spotlighting the disabled. A timely tactic, too, with Kiev – which is hosting this year’s event – threatening to ban Samoilova from Ukraine because she performed in Russia-annexed Crimea. Ukrainian Security Services call it a provocation, but in the Kremlin’s view, “everyone has been to Crimea.”

3. Forget architecture, history, nature and art: more tourists are now visiting Russia to get pregnant or have bad teeth pulled. Thanks to lower costs and fewer restrictions, medical tourism is on the rise in Russia, especially from countries belonging to the Commonwealth of Independent States. With instances as varied as Chinese tour groups dropping by the dentist between museums and Iranians getting experimental cancer treatment, there’s even talk of instituting a medical visa. Whether you love Fabergé eggs or just want to get your varicose veins treated, it’s yet another reason to visit Russia.

In Odder News

  • To take a tour of what Moscow doesn’t look like, explore these blueprints of Soviet-era architecture that never got built.
theguardian.com
  • Tourism in the taiga is as much about staying alive as seeing the sights.
  • Endangered, elusive, and ghostly, snow leopards are good at not being spotted. Except for by these cameras.

Quote of the Week

"There is no one who hasn't been to Crimea."
—Dmitri Peskov, President Vladimir Putin's press secretary, on the claim by Ukrainian politicians that Yulia Samoilova, Russia’s Eurovision pick, shouldn’t be allowed into Ukraine because of a visit to Crimea.

Cover image: themoscowtimes.com

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

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.  
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
A Taste of Russia

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.
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.
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.

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