May 03, 2018

Flagging Relations, Funny Money, and Floating Laundromats


Flagging Relations, Funny Money, and Floating Laundromats

What Goes Up Must Come Down

1. It’s harder to rally round the flag when you have no flag. Russia is insisting that the United States return the Russian flag to its rightful place on the flagpole at Russia’s seized consulate in Seattle. Oh, and Russia would also like its consulate back. In the meantime, Russia polled Twitter users regarding which American consulate Russia should close, which led to the closing of the (un)lucky American consulate in St. Petersburg. As for the Russian flag, a U.S. diplomat confirmed that it will be returned to Russia. All in all, this is looking to be yet another “banner” year for U.S.-Russia relations.

Photo: Vexillus from Glasgow, Scotland

 

2. The Russian ruble was knocked down a few pegs, literally. Vandals destroyed a monument to the Russian ruble outside the Central Bank branch in Syktyvkar, Russia. The once sleek, glass-and-metal structure is now a pile of glass shards and an overturned ruble sign. This incident hits a little too close to home, as the ruble recently fell against the dollar after newly imposed American sanctions. At press time, the vandals were still unknown, but you can bet your bottom ruble that if caught, they will pay dearly.

Ruble ruckus

Photo: ProГОРОД

 

3. That’s one more item checked off the laundry list! The town of Veliky Ustyug is building floating laundromats at the junction of its two rivers. Keep in mind, these aren’t your everyday American laundromats: these are laundry stations that help people better wash their clothes in the river. There’s even a chance Ded Moroz (Father Frost), Russia’s version of Santa Claus, will give his clothes a good rinse there, as he is rumored to live in the town. If hand washing your clothes with Russia’s Santa doesn’t sound like good clean fun, then we don’t know what does.  

In Odder News:

Tiger hunting

Photo: Kaliningradru

 

  • A whole different animal: a zoo practices catching tigers by dressing up an employee in a tiger costume. Hilarity ensues.

  • A last minute goal is scored as the Samara World Cup stadium is finished the day before its first test match

  • Check out Russian artist Anastasia Bulgakova’s spot-on drawings of different countries as warriors

Quote of the Week:

“Pretty, cold, straightforward and with diplomatic skills of a sewer drain. Still, if you know her a bit, she will show you how warm and loving she can actually be.”

— Anastasia Bulgakova’s description of her personified sci-fi drawing of Russia

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Life Stories

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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.

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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.

 
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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.

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

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