November 15, 2018

Whoosh, Bark, and Boo


Whoosh, Bark, and Boo
Easy, Breezy, Beautiful Clean Energy

1. Russia is blowing with the wind, at least when it comes to renewable energy. The Russian electric company RusHydro has opened up a wind farm above the Arctic circle to help one town move away from expensive generators and fuel deliveries. Tiksi, a town of 5,000, will use three particularly hardy wind turbines to offsetits use of diesel by 500 metric tons a year. This project was done with the help of Japanese researchers, in an effort to better supply remote municipalities with a stable source of energy.

2. There’s life in the old dog yet… one dog was recently memorialized for being the true best friend that every person wants, but doesn’t quite deserve. Belyash, a dog in Chelyabinsk, waited for his owner for two years at the last place he saw him, not knowing that his owner had died in a car accident. A few years after the death of Belyash, Chelyabinsk has given him new life through a statue, which portrays the dog in motion, looking for his master. (It’s okay, we’re all crying).

Waiting dog

Photo: tim_miloslavskii

3. What’s scarier than Halloween? Only someone trying to ban Halloween, which is a common pastime in Russia. This year was no different. For example, State Duma deputy Vitaly Milonov said the holiday should be banned, because it is based on Satan and the worship of dark forces. A couple of Hallow-haters claimed that Halloween either encouraged mass shootings or was disrespectful to victims of violence, and to top it off one archpriest said Halloween was for the brainless (to be fair, that is an apt description of zombies). Although most Russians don’t celebrate Halloween to begin with, we personally hope this didn’t dissuade the few that do!

In Odder News:

President Pumpkin

Photo: president_rf

  • This Putin-o’-lantern is something that happened, please take note.

  • Should you be able to eat caviar in prison? A probe into a convicted gang member’s luxe life behind bars aims to find out.

  • Sweet caper: one man stole 18 tons of chocolate to pay off his debts.

Quote of the Week:

“A celebration of unscrupulous and brainless people”

— Archpriest Andrei Tkachev, condemning Halloween and its adherents

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.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
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...
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.
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 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.
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.
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