July 12, 2018

Lost Game, but Newfound Pride


Lost Game, but Newfound Pride
Out But Not Down

1. Team Russia is out of the World Cup, having suffered a loss to Croatia on Saturday. Although fans were disappointed that the miraculous streak of wins did not continue, Russians around the world are proud of their team’s historic performance. Remember, Russia was ranked as the 70th best team as the tournament begun, and only 17 percent of Russians believed the team could make it out of the group stage. So, you could say Russia scored big and exceeded any set goals at the 2018 World Cup! (For those of you hoping for a stop to our World Cup coverage, you’ll have to hold out one more week, as the final is Sunday in Moscow).

2. It was the opposite of a space odyssey: a Russian cargo ship made the trip to the International Space Station in three hours and 40 minutes, a record time. Russia’s Progress-MS-09 was carrying almost three tons of food, fuel, air and tools. The ship’s return trip will be less glamorous: it will be stuffed with trash and sent to burn up in the atmosphere. As exciting as all of this is, we have to wonder: why does it still take nine hours to fly to Moscow from New York? Oh, right, rocket fuel...

3. Samara is getting hot and steamy, at least if the local public utility company, Samara Communal Systems, gets its way. With Samara getting hit by July heat and an influx of foreigners streaming in for the World Cup, water is becoming an ever more precious resource. In light of this, the utility company offered up a solution: save water by showering with someone else! The response to this must have been bigger than they imagined, because Samara Communal Systems released a follow-up statement, letting the city know that everything was operating normally and that the first statement was a joke. Whether this was more a cause for relief or for consternation, we really couldn’t say.

In Odder News:
Quote of the Week:

“Save water - take a shower together :)”

Samara Communal Systems tells citizens how to survive through hard times

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

The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
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. 
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.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

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

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
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.
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.
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. 

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