March 27, 2020

Lions, Covid-19, and Isolation – Oh My!


Lions, Covid-19, and Isolation – Oh My!
An Instagram post makes some startling claims! Image by k104fm via Instagram

With folks staying home due to the coronavirus pandemic, people are doing everything they can to stay entertained. For some, that means creating rumors and fake news, such as a recent story about lions in Russia.

According to an Instagram post from March 21 by user “Barstoolnewsnet,” President Putin released 500 lions onto Russia’s streets to ensure that people stay indoors during the quarantine. The post includes an image of a lion wandering empty streets above a banner that reads “Vladmir (sic) Putin released around 500 lions to make people stay indoors." There is no evidence of a news source or news outlet shown by the banner.

The post was shared many times around the world, prompting several fact checks. According to Global News, the story was especially popular in India.

PolitiFact did its own check on the story and rated it a “Pants on Fire” fake. The post was also flagged by Facebook and Instagram as containing fake information.

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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.

Fearful Majesty
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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.

Bears in the Caviar
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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.

Survival Russian
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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.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
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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 Latchkey Murders
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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...

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
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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.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
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Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

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