January 20, 2022

Good Deeds, Gas, and Gasless Cars


Good Deeds, Gas, and Gasless Cars
In Odder News

In this week's Odder News: Tesla owners demand service, a lonely cat, and a rapper's ties to Russia.

  • Popular American rapper Kanye West (who apparently has started calling himself "Ye") is planning a trip to Russia sometime this coming spring or summer, during which he expects to meet with President Vladimir Putin. West's strategic advisor Ameer Sudan has said that Russia is going to be like a second home for the rapper, as he plans to expand his business relations with the so-called "Trump of Russia," Aras Agalarov.
  • A family in Novosibirsk left their cat home alone during the New Year's holidays, with nobody to look after it. Fortunately, the neighbors heard the cat's pleading and were able to feed him through the peephole of the door until the police received permission from the owner to open the apartment. The cat was safe and happy (as happy as a cat can be) to meet his rescuers.
  • President Putin has recently approved an initiative presented by the Federation Council (essentially the Russian Senate) to make all natural gas used for eternal flame war monuments free. The multi-billion-dollar corporation Gazprom has generously(ish) offered to handle the cost by itself.
  • Russian Tesla owners have recorded a video for Elon Musk, imploring him to open up a Tesla office in Russia. The drivers complain that, despite how much they enjoy their electric cars, it is very difficult to keep their cars maintained and properly charged, since there are no official Tesla service centers or dealerships in Russia, and all parts need to be ordered from abroad. Perhaps it would be easier to stay "green" in Russia by driving cars that run on natural gas?
  • Dima Vasetsky, a 10-year-old from Yekaterinburg, has been dubbed world champion in knowledge of the Chinese language. Aside from his fluency in Chinese, Dima has also been praised for his understanding of Chinese etiquette and culture. Dima started learning the language at the age of five, and has also been given the title of "small ambassador of China in the world." Is it ironic that the "small ambassador" is from the world's largest country? We think so.

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Some of our Books

Steppe
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Steppe

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.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

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...

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

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.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

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A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
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Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

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