December 17, 2021

A Cone-petition


A Cone-petition
Pinecones are more than just cute holiday decorations. Photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash

A pinecone collecting competition was held in the Uvelsky district of the Chelyabinsk region.  Altogether, participants from the competition broke records by collecting almost ten bags of pinecones in just eight hours, which doubles the total collected in previous years.

But participants competed in this event for more than just the thrill of competition or the glory of victory; pinecones play an important role in the restoration process of forests and by collecting them, the citizens were able to do their part in keeping Russia green. The competition aspect was just a fun added bonus to increase incentive, and it worked!

After the pinecones are processed in a special pinecone drier and stratified, about four kilograms of seeds can be produced from one ton of pinecones. This process is especially important with all the forest loss that has occurred in recent years due to forest fires in Russia. To make up for this, the head of the Uvelsky Department of Forestry, Ivan Romashenko says that the plan is to restore seventy hectares of forest annually. That's a lot of pinecones! 

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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.

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Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

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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.

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