April 19, 2018

Hot and Cold: Spies, Armageddon, and Skiing Half-Naked


Hot and Cold: Spies, Armageddon, and Skiing Half-Naked
Bovines, Bikinis, and Bomb Shelters

1. There’s a new secret weapon in the world of espionage: cows. At least, the Russian government thought there was. One Russian farmer was accused of espionage for ordering GPS tracking devices. This turned out to be a cock and bull story, so to speak, as he actually needed the GPS devices for keeping track of cows that strayed from the herd. The Russian government has apologized for the mistake, and the farmer has accepted the apology. Good thing the Russian government is sticking to some measure of a-cow-ntability.

2. The end is nigh, and it’s time to stock up on water. That’s the message from some Russian journalists, who are urging viewers to prepare for a nuclear apocalypse in reaction to new tensions between the United States and Russia. What’s on the grocery list? Fewer sweets and more water, advises one journalist. Say what you will about nuclear war, but it sounds like it will help enforce a healthy diet.

Photo: Россия 24

3. The world has seen a new record broken and is experiencing a new dawn of human accomplishment. What record? This week, Russians set the new record for the most people skiing downhill while wearing a bathing suit: 1,525. The record-breaking event was part of an annual Siberian snow festival, Grelka Fest. Grelka Fest also hosted a concert, skijumping into a pool, and a festival of colors celebration. The Russian aptitude for fun in the very cold sun seems to know no bounds.

Photo: KrekLife

In Odder News:
  • Russia’s turning up the heat: Moscow experienced its hottest April 16th in 70 years when temperatures reached 20°C (68° F)

  • Everyone deserves a fresh start for spring! Check out these great photos of monuments getting a good spring cleaning.

  • A pretty kopek: the most expensive single room in Moscow is a whopping $225,000

Quote of the Week:

“Sweet tooths will have a hard time: Chocolate, candy, and condensed milk will have to be left in your past life.”

—A dire warning from a Vesti-24 news anchor

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Some of Our Books

Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
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.
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 Little Humpbacked Horse

The Little Humpbacked Horse

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.
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Steppe / Степь

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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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.

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