February 11, 2024

In Violation of Several HR Policies


In Violation of Several HR Policies
Moolah. The Russian Life files.

Police detained two Muscovites running a scam to sell a government position that didn't actually exist.

The scammers, according to Izvestia, were attempting to sell a "position" in the presidential administration for R10 million ($110,000). Skeptical marks contacted law enforcement, and an investigation began.

Law enforcement continued to communicate with the scammers for months. When a time was finally arranged for a handoff of cash at a hotel, police caught the two criminals red-handed.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of this story is that the potential targets were skeptical enough to contact law enforcement: Corruption, unsurprisingly, is fairly widespread in Russia, and an offer for a secure and well-paying job would be enticing to many.

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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. 
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The Samovar Murders

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Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

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Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

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At the Circus (bilingual)

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Driving Down Russia's Spine

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White Magic

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Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

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