February 24, 2022

Bass Guitar, Baby Goats, and a Break for Guys


Bass Guitar, Baby Goats, and a Break for Guys
In Odder News

In this week's Odder News: planting forests as a present, a light thief, and a head-banger's fantasy.

  • One lucky go-getter's dreams came true at an Aria concert in the Moscow Oblast. The heavy metal band noticed his sign in the crowd which read, "I want to play Rose Street [one of Aria's songs] on the bass!" To the boy's shock, he was invited onto the stage to do just that! If you haven't heard of Aria, perhaps you need a refresher on Russian rock.
  • February 23 is Defender of the Fatherland Day, a holiday in Russia on which people celebrate the men in their lives. However, according to a new survey, nearly half of all Russians questioned consider the holiday to be only for military personnel. This doesn't stop the majority of Russians from taking the day off work, however.
  • On the other hand, if you're one of the people that do celebrate the gendered holiday, you will need a gift to give to the men in your life. Luckily, project Plant a Forest has you covered. They are running a promotion called "Trees Instead of Socks," whereby you can pay to have a tree planted in areas affected by fires and natural disasters around Russia.
  • Some people will steal whatever isn't bolted down, but even that doesn't stop everybody. One ambitious thief was caught on film carrying an entire light post home in the Moscow Oblast. Although it remains a mystery how or why the man would steal such a heavy object, we can only hope that he puts it to good use.
  • Don't worry, we didn't forget to add a bit about animals! Several baby goats have been saved from a garbage can in Chelyabinsk Oblast by children that heard their squeaks and called for help. But who would put such cute and useful animals there in the first place? A mystery, much like our light-pole-stealing friend.

You Might Also Like

Buy a Goat
  • May 01, 2020

Buy a Goat

It mows and fertilizes. What could possibly go wrong?
Gender Equality in Gift Giving
  • February 24, 2021

Gender Equality in Gift Giving

Russian women seem to luck out more than their male partners during the spring holiday season, a new study shows. 
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.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
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...
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

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. 
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.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 

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