December 29, 2019

Snowboarder v. Snowbird


Snowboarder v. Snowbird

Snowboarder and filmmaker Igor Popelyukh was enjoying himself off-piste at Sheregesh Ski Resort in Kemerovo Region when a large grouse got seriously pissed off.

It all began because the capercaillie (глухарь) was a bit close to where they were skiing.

"I went a bit nuts from seeing the bird so close," Popelyukh said, "and decided to spray it with snow in friendly sort of way."

That appeared to ruffle the feathers of the capercaillie, which lit into Popelyukh, forcing him to retreat.

"The capercaillie was offended with such impudence," Popelyukh said, "and made one, two, three attempted punches to my torso... I did not expect the attack. I got scared when such a massive bird went at me, I literally went into a stupor. It was hard to run away, too, as I was scared to turn my back on it and I also did not want to hit the bird." His friends can be heard in the video telling him to get away. On his Facebook page, Popelyukh admitted that the bird won the battle.

The interweb approved.

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Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
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Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
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Moscow and Muscovites

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