September 01, 2016

Corruption, Kalashnikovs, and cultured meats


Corruption, Kalashnikovs, and cultured meats

Life, death, and burgers

1. Would you like that burger medium rare or with a side of scrotum? Burger King will be cooking up specialty burgers in tribute to Pyotr Pavlensky’s performance art, which includes stunts like nailing his scrotum to Red Square and sewing his mouth shut. Burger King’s ploy to keep up with pop culture will include burgers wrapped in edible barbed wire, sewn shut, or with a plastic spear nailing an egg to the meat patty. Burger King publicity calls it a drive to “bring culture to the masses.”

2. Uzbek President Islam Kamirov is dead, miraculously recovered, in grave condition, or maybe just on vacation? Speculative as the rumors around the leader’s health may be, speculations around what new leadership in Central Asia would mean for Russia are wilder still. Since Kamirov has been in power since 1989, the economic and political stability of the region – not to mention the Uzbek military, migrant worker flows, and the repressive state system – could be as tenuous as the rumors around Kamirov’s health.

3. Deputy Chairman of the Parnas Party Ilya Yashin has presented a report on crime within United Russia, Russia’s leading political party. Re-dubbing Putin’s party the “Criminal Russia” Party, his report describes a “social elevator for crime,” linking governors and top officials in United Russia to organized crime, corruption, bribery, money laundering, and murder. With State Duma elections in two weeks, opposition leaders hope that corruption concerns will help sway disillusioned voters.

In Odder News

newsru.com

Quote of the Week

“The death of any tyrant is not disclosed to the society because the power is afraid of unrest, afraid that the society will act in the absence of a ruler...You can announce the death of a leader only when you have the next one."
—Valery Solovey, a history professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, on the rumored death of Uzbek President Islam Kamirov. 

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

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

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.
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.
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.
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.  
Bears in the Caviar

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.
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.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
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.

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