February 08, 2018

Groundhog Day, Russia Edition


Groundhog Day, Russia Edition
Punxsutawney Phil Brings Weird Weather to Russia

1. One million fans are expected to visit Moscow this summer for the World Cup, but some less welcome guests are coming as well. A plague of locusts is expected descend on Russia during the World Cup. Southern Russia, including the host city of Volgograd, will be particularly affected, although preventative work is already beginning. Of course, Russia is quite well-prepared to handle other Biblical plagues: three days of darkness is a pretty good week for Russia in January.

2. You might think that Russians don’t need any egging on when it comes to snow removal, but some Muscovites are trying regardless. Over two feet of snow fell in Moscow this weekend, breaking the record set in 1957. The Moscow government called in the big guns (literally, Russian soldiers) to help clear the snow, but even that wasn’t enough to satisfy some residents disgruntled at the pace and haphazard manner of snow removal. A few citizens have taken to throwing eggs at workers removing snow, which seems to be a rather cruel yolk.

3. That’s one small step for man, and one giant leap as he attempts to smash the birdie. For the first time, astronauts played badminton in space. Four astronauts from Russia, the United States, and Japan recently played doubles badminton in the International Space Station, serving up a new source of entertainment in the form of a video compilation. Maybe a literal space race will be next?

Photo: Телестудия Роскосмоса

In Odder News
  • Once in a super blue blood moon: Russians took beautiful photos of this rare lunar phenomenon. 
  • The phrase “snow white” is now nonsensical in Siberia, where black snow fell last week. 
  • Luggage fees got you down? Try this woman’s trick: put all of your clothes on and bury your suitcase in the snow.
Quote of the Week

“It’s funny to you, but do you know how shameful it will be?”

—Russia’s Minister of Agriculture worries over the terrifying possibility of locusts disrupting the World Cup.  

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

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

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.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

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.
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.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

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.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

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.
Murder at the Dacha

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.
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.  
A Taste of Russia

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.

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