September 15, 2021

I'm Not Dead Yet!


I'm Not Dead Yet!
You gotta admit, they do make them look pretty cozy with all the added padding these days.  Photo by Max Pixel

Police in the Komi Republic recently found a resident (or potential vampire?) sleeping in a display coffin at a funeral home. 

The suspect in question was actually not a member of the undead but rather a normal, but very drunk, human being who only wanted a comfy place to rest in peace before his inevitable hangover.  In his stupor, he had broken a shop window and simply let himself inside the funeral home for a quick nap.

But of course, what seem like great ideas when we are drunk usually are not. In this case, this particular stroke of genius will cost this individual a criminal case against the owner of the shop for intentional destruction of property. But sometimes a good night's sleep is worth it, no?

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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.

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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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Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

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