July 24, 2020

Pushups for the Poor


Pushups for the Poor
This picture gives us middle-school dodgeball flashbacks. Not good ones. Jorge Royan, Wikimedia Commons

As Russia reopens its economy following the novel coronavirus quarantine, new legislation put forward in the State Duma seeks to stimulate the economy, and also newly doughy, homebound Russians.

Russian legislators are currently working on a plan to provide vouchers for fitness centers and workout classes to people of low socioeconomic status. The hope is that not only would Russians be encouraged to get in shape, but also fitness clubs, many of which are small- or medium-sized businesses hit hard by the virus lockdown, would also see increased cashflow from state support.

At this stage, the legislation is still in its infancy, but has already received support from many lawmakers.

Seems like a win-win to us.

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Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
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.  
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

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Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
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Russian Rules

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The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

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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.

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