February 03, 2020

Floating Fishermen


Floating Fishermen
Don't break the ice! Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay

Earlier this week, nearly 600 ice fishing fans were stranded on an ice floe in the southern Sakhalin islands. The fishermen were cut off from the mainland when the ice cracked and floated away. Local residents had previously been warned via text message that the ice in this region was dangerous, but the warning didn’t deter these avid fishermen.

Rescuers arrived and evacuated 536 people from the ice floe on January 28 using three boats and a hovercraft. No one was in need of medical assistance. Some of the fishermen reported that, by the time they were rescued, the coast was already over 600 feet away.

This seems to be a popular place for stranded fishermen: the weekend before, 200 fishermen had to be rescued from an ice floe in southern Sakhalin, and on January 22, 250 fishermen were rescued from the same place. The lesson? Bring warm clothing if you go ice-fishing near Sakhalin.

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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.

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