March 12, 2020

An Upside to Warm Winters


An Upside to Warm Winters
An assortment of vodkas looking for a new home. Would you be willing to take one in? Th1234, Wikimedia Commons

Russia has had a ridiculously warm winter this year. Fortunately, there's an upside to those melting ice caps: alcohol-related deaths are down.

According to Interfax.ru, in January 619 Russians died from alcohol poisoning. That might sound like a lot, but it's actually down 37.3 percent versus 2019. Likewise, 153 persons died from alcohol-related exposure: 46.1 percent fewer than last year.

The head of Russia's National Union for the Protection of Consumer Rights, Pavel Shapkin, explained to Interfax that the warmer temperatures "reduced the alcohol burden on public health." This is backed up by a recent trend: wine sales in early 2020 have increased, while vodka and cognac sales have slowed.

Maybe the lines at that distillery tour you've been meaning to take are shorter now?

 

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Tolstoy Bilingual

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This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
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.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

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Bears in the Caviar

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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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93 Untranslatable Russian Words

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