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 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.
At the Circus

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
22 Russian Crosswords

22 Russian Crosswords

Test your knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and society with these 22 challenging puzzles taken from the pages of Russian Life magazine. Most all the clues are in English, but you must fill in the answers in Russian. If you get stumped, of course all the puzzles have answers printed at the back of the book.
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.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
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.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
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.

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