April 04, 2019

Smart Homes, Sledgehammers, and Star Wars References


Smart Homes, Sledgehammers, and Star Wars References
Preparation for a reindeer race. Vesti Yamal

Two Cool Things to Do in the Arctic Circle: Sledging and Sledgehammering

1. Reindeer galore! March 30 was the Day of the Reindeer Breeder, an important holiday for the indigenous peoples of Russia’s Far North (as you may have read in the Mar/Apr issue of Russian Life, or online {digital sub required}). A holiday marking the passage from winter to spring, it features reindeer sledding, snowmobile racing, wrestling, and a competition for the best children’s clothes, among other activities. This year, the city of Salekhard did a modern take on old traditions. Usually, the city exhibits a chum, or traditional tent made from reindeer hides, but the city displayed a “smart chum” — a chum equipped with internet, television, and smoke detectors. Even if spring didn’t arrive, at least there’s wifi in the tundra.

2. When all the world isn’t a stage. Elsewhere in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, one driver encountered a badly parked car and got so mad that he took out a sledgehammer and wrecked the other car. Don’t worry – the video was entirely staged; the guy wrecked his own car to create the meme. However, it wasn’t all no harm, no foul: the prankster was arrested and charged with “hooliganism with the use of weapons or objects used as weapons.” When a car prank takes a bit of a handbrake turn.

Is it legal to smash in your own car? Apparently not. / Vkontakte

3. Luke, I am your mayor. Someone on the Belgorod city council is a huge fan of Star Wars. So huge a fan that, when incoming mayor Yuri Galdun had his swearing-in ceremony, the Imperial March began to play as he walked in. The city council didn’t seem to find this as entertaining as we did: a few days later, an official resigned, and the council issued a statement apologizing for having played something “foreign” at the ceremony. Sure, playing a space opera theme song at an inauguration is a little unprofessional. But still, fun it is.

Only thing missing? A lightsaber. / Screencap from edited video: МБХ Медиа

In Odder News

  • A leopard with an inverted print was sighted in Primorskii Krai. Read the full Facebook post for the juicy details.
  • When his favorite hockey team scored, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin got so excited that he kissed billionaire Gennady Shevchenko on the cheek. The moment was caught on camera and to put it lightly, entertained some internetians.

“Me, work, Twitter”: One tweeter’s take on the moment. / Я к вам из твитора

  • Several Petersburgers rescued two tired young seal pups. The pups are now resting peacefully in a rehabilitation center. This makes us excited enough to (consensually) kiss our neighbor on the cheek.

Sleeping seal pups. / Спасение тюленей 699-23-99

 

Quote of the Week

“Still, the taste of victory is impossible to describe. It is pleasant for the soul.”

Lev Ezyngi, local champion of peretiagivaniye palki (a tug-of-war with sticks), a game traditionally played on Day of the Reindeer Herders

 

Want more where this comes from? Give your inbox the gift of TWERF, our Thursday newsletter on the quirkiest, obscurest, and Russianest of Russian happenings of the week.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Survival Russian

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.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it 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 Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
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.  
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. 
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. 
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.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
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.

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