April 27, 2017

Floods of water, juice, and trendy ostrich photos


Floods of water, juice, and trendy ostrich photos

Juice, Juice, Baby

1. If your town has to be flooded with something, why not fruit juice? It may not have been quite as deliberate a decision as that, but that’s what’s flowing in the town of Lebedyan. The roof of a factory owned by Pepsico collapsed, injuring two workers (fortunately, not seriously) and releasing several tons of juice into the streets and toward the river Don. This week, it’s Juicy Flows the Don.

2. In a flood that’s not quite as sugary, a playground in Yakutsk is nearly a foot deep in muddy water. The groundless playground was highlighted by opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who quipped on Twitter that Russia’s military engagement abroad is hindering childcare at home. According to a city official, a local management company was supposed to pump out the water. If the kids get lucky, they’ll fill it with fruit juice instead.

3. The Russian government’s newly vacant post of Human Rights Commissioner will remain vacant. Former Commissioner Konstantin Dolgov has transferred to the presidential administration, and his functions will be transferred to the Department for Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights. The latter department, however, generally focuses on Russian citizens imprisoned abroad. Human rights, as understood by European law, will no longer fall under anyone’s purview.

In Odder News

  • Looking for an edgy new haircut? For a ‘do that’s really on the edge, try the barber who cuts hair with an axe.

Quote of the Week

“I would like my photos to tell about the peace and interaction with the world [...] There is always a place of kindness and love!”
—Photographer Olga Barentseva on her choice to create fairytale-like photography featuring animals with human companions in nature. 

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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.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
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 Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
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.  
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.
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.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
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.

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