July 12, 2018

Lost Game, but Newfound Pride


Lost Game, but Newfound Pride
Out But Not Down

1. Team Russia is out of the World Cup, having suffered a loss to Croatia on Saturday. Although fans were disappointed that the miraculous streak of wins did not continue, Russians around the world are proud of their team’s historic performance. Remember, Russia was ranked as the 70th best team as the tournament begun, and only 17 percent of Russians believed the team could make it out of the group stage. So, you could say Russia scored big and exceeded any set goals at the 2018 World Cup! (For those of you hoping for a stop to our World Cup coverage, you’ll have to hold out one more week, as the final is Sunday in Moscow).

2. It was the opposite of a space odyssey: a Russian cargo ship made the trip to the International Space Station in three hours and 40 minutes, a record time. Russia’s Progress-MS-09 was carrying almost three tons of food, fuel, air and tools. The ship’s return trip will be less glamorous: it will be stuffed with trash and sent to burn up in the atmosphere. As exciting as all of this is, we have to wonder: why does it still take nine hours to fly to Moscow from New York? Oh, right, rocket fuel...

3. Samara is getting hot and steamy, at least if the local public utility company, Samara Communal Systems, gets its way. With Samara getting hit by July heat and an influx of foreigners streaming in for the World Cup, water is becoming an ever more precious resource. In light of this, the utility company offered up a solution: save water by showering with someone else! The response to this must have been bigger than they imagined, because Samara Communal Systems released a follow-up statement, letting the city know that everything was operating normally and that the first statement was a joke. Whether this was more a cause for relief or for consternation, we really couldn’t say.

In Odder News:
Quote of the Week:

“Save water - take a shower together :)”

Samara Communal Systems tells citizens how to survive through hard times

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Woe From Wit (bilingual)

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.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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 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.  
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

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