December 20, 2018

Merriment and Mischief


Merriment and Mischief
The Reckless, the Robotic, and the Rebellious

1. Watch out for fake robots, friends. Even the best among us can fall for their beautiful, shining allure. Russia-24, a state television channel, spent time at a youth robotics forum admiring Boris the “robot,” for his dancing skills. Sharp-eyed viewers were skeptical, asking where Boris’ sensors were, and why his dancing contained so many movements. And, above all, why did photos of Boris reveal a sliver of skin in between his head and body? Alas, Russia-24 had been duped. But let this be a lesson, both to our readers and the so-called robots that would try and take them in: never let them push your buttons.

Robot man

Photo: Gizmodo

2. Russian educators in Perm are finally doing as students want and getting out of their hair. Quite literally, too, as officials have told local schools to stop expelling students based on their hair color. This all started when one student was suspended from classes for having pink hair (the horror!), and the suspension was subsequently investigated. Not to worry, though, schools are still discouraged from letting students wear symbols of “asocial informal youth cultures,” whatever that means, as well as clothes that promote illegal behavior.

3. We get it, you’re Russian. One Siberian daredevil (lunatic?) awed crowds by being swung around in circles while hanging onto an excavator bucket at -37 degrees celsius, after which he was promptly doused by a bucket of water. All this in a pair of shorts and nothing else, no less. This was part of the “Open Winter Siberiada” games, a winter festival in a small town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, in which a variety of stunts and competitions occurred.

In Odder News:

Christmas ticket tree

Photo: Meduza

  • O Christmas ticket tree, o christmas ticket tree: a new Moscow metro art display smashes together holiday and commuting vibes.

  • Was it the 66th car that tipped them off? A Russian transport official was fired after his wife purchased a stunning 66 cars for personal use

  • Move over Khabarovsk, there’s a new capital of the Far East: Vladivostok

Quote of the Week:

“The festival was a big success and the Siberian freeze (minus 37 degrees Celsius) had no effect on the mood of the town’s residents,”

— The company Sibzoloto, commenting on the heartwarming conclusion of the Open Winter Siberiada

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

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.
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.
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.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
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.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
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 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.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

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