One More Thing To Make Barrett Sad About Russia

So Russian motorcycle sports are struggling to gain popularity. This article explains, but I don’t think it is that hard to imagine. For starters, racers in Russia don’t get paid. They either find sponsors, or pay for things themselves. This is massively expensive. Compare this to the nearly idolized positions of racers in places like Italy for instance, and you’ll understand the struggle.

The riding season is also highly short in Russia, so it’s hard to get a following. Apparently, motorcycles are also atrociously expensive. Hard winters and all that. Imports. Blah blah, sadness.

And finally, why race MotoGP, the most exciting races in the world when you could instead subject yourself to ice racing, something motorcycles should never do.

I just don’t understand…

Check the link. http://rbth.com/sport/2014/07/28/russian_motorcycle_sports_struggle_to_attract_fans_and_financing_38533.html

Russian Fairy Tale

The Tale of the Priest and of His Workman Balda

This fairy tale supports the working class of Russia, that the labor folk are important. This cheap priest goes into town looking for cheap labor where he finds Balda. Balda means stupid or simple. Balda said he could work for the priest as long as he gets to hit the priest 3 times on the head if he completes his jobs. Of course the cheap priest agrees thinking he Balda could not do all his task perfectly, the priest was mistaken.
Worried the priest assigns a task of collecting debt from a demon, to the priest surprise Balda accomplishes this. The priest upholds his deal and allows Balda to hit him on his forehead. The priest is hit so hard that he looses his sanity. " You shouldn't have gone rushing after cheapness." This lesson is to teach values of work and ethics. Also find it interesting to see Buddhist elements with demons and demon's family. Buddhism was popular or on the rise in the East, especially in Mongolia. I wonder where the influence came from and how popular these Buddhist elements are in Russia during the creation of this Tale.

Whats up with the whole gay thing?

So I went on Reddit and this was the response to the top post ever on /r/russia with the prompt of "Whats up with the whole gay thing?" I honestly found the response fascinating, please find the entire post linked at the bottom of this blog post if any of the people who actually read these would like to read more. 

What you have to understand is that Russia is a very conservative country that never got around to a proper, linear sexual revolution with more things gradually becoming more acceptable. There also weren't any "waves" of feminism, as women were granted all rights and responsibilities right after the revolution and there wasn't the sort of gradual acceptance like there was in the West. Those things are related. Homosexuality was only decriminalized very recently, and taken off the list of mental illnesses very begrudgingly without much public debate around the issue. When the Soviet Union started falling apart, pretty much everything was instantly allowed, porn, prostitution, all at once were out in the open like a shock wave, so the sexuality of a typical Russian is a really weird thing.

You're expected to get married and have kids, the younger the better. There is a lot more involvement of your parents and grandparents in a traditional Russian family, many people even live with their parents after getting married and having kids, because realty is very expensive. At the same time, there is a sort of neurotic sexuality everywhere. Russians are very promiscuous. Infidelity is excepted, divorce is almost guaranteed. Sex is supposed to be that thing men do to women, too, which is a remnant of the former, more conservative times. Sex is somehow both a taboo humiliating act done to another person and a normal thing. You're expected to be sexually active, but at the same time, you're also shamed for it quite a lot. The image of any sexual deviation from a certain norm is pretty much a caricature. People confuse transsexuals, homosexuals and pedophiles, too. And this is in a country where you're not even supposed to look weird.

The prison culture also has a very strong influence. Lots of people, even educated people, know prison slang and basic laws and rules of prison life. One of those laws is that, basically, the guy who's at the end of the food chain is supposed to take it up the ass. That is a very shameful thing.

Then there is the concept of "tolerance" which is almost a swear word in the media. Basically, to distance us from the west, we are told that the West is on decline, because they allow various minorities more rights than "normal people", and they allow women too many rights, so their birth rates are down and they'll all be replaced with Arabs soon. Demographics is a very important issue here, because the population is aging and dying out. There is a derogatory term "tolerast" which is a combination of tolerant + pederast, that describes someone who would allow themselves to be dominated by all those "lesser" beings. The remnant of the idea of an outside enemy who wants to destroy mother Russia by making it weak is pretty strong, too, and a strong Russia is something people want. Then there is the issue that this is a poor country and people have a lot of bigger problems than simple social acceptance. Basically, if you can't afford to raise your children, you still have to live with your mom at 30, and your hospital has rats and no central heating, you don't have the capacity to worry about someone's feelings. Human rights activists are viewed as rich, sheltered fools like those people you might see on /r/TumblrInAction. There isn't much of an open discourse.

A whole series of laws appeared at approximately the same time, and I personally think they're a reaction to a strong forming opposition: any organization with foreign funding is supposed to register as a "Foreign agent", which does pretty much nothing, mostly affects charities and makes them seem like CIA spies; you may no longer "offend people's religious feelings", which was written specifically after the Pussy Riot thing; and then there's the law forbidding "propaganda of homosexuality and pedophilia to minors" which was later changed to "denying traditional values". Basically, it's a pretty strong ideological attack on people who aren't happy with the current government. You don't like something? You're an American spy and you want to molest children and you also take it up the ass.

https://www.reddit.com/r/russia/comments/1jpagi/whats_up_with_the_whole_gay_thing/

Fox, Hare and Rooster: Russian Fairy Tale

There was once a fox and a hare. The fox had a house of ice, the hare a house of wood. Fair spring came and melted the fox's house, while the hare's stood firm and strong. So the fox asked the hare if she could come in to warm herself, then drove him out. The hare went down the road crying, and met two dogs, who asked, "Wuff, wuff, wuff! Why are you crying?" "Leave me alone, dogs! Who wouldn't cry? I had a wooden house, while the fox had one of ice. She invited herself into mine and drove me out." "Don't cry, hare," barked the dogs. "We'll chase her out." "No, you won't." "Oh, yes we will." Off they went to the hare's house. "Wuff, wuff, wuff! Come out of there, fox!" "Go away, before I come and tear you to pieces," she shouted back from the stove. The dogs took fright and fled. 

Once more the hare went on his way crying. This time he met a bear who asked, "Why are you crying?" "Leave me alone, bear," said the hare. "Who wouldn't cry? I had a wooden house, while the fox had one of ice. She invited herself into mine and drove me out." "Don't cry, hare," said the bear. "I'll chase her out." "No, you won't. The dogs tried and failed; you'll fare no better." "Oh, yes I will." Off they went to chase her out. "Come on out, fox!" roared the bear. But she shouted from the stove: "Go away, before I come and tear you to pieces." The bear took fright and fled.

Once more the hare went on his way crying and met an ox who asked, "Why are you crying?" "Leave me alone, ox! Who wouldn't cry? I had a wooden house,

while the fox had one of ice. She invited herself into mine and drove me out." "Come with me, I'll chase her out." "No, you won't," said the hare. "The dogs tried and failed, the bear tried and failed; you'll fare no better." "Oh, yes I will." Off they went together to the hare's house. "Come on out, fox!" But she shouted from the stove: "Go away, before I come and tear you to pieces." The ox took fright and fled.

Once more the hare went on his way crying and met a cock with a scythe. "Cock-a-doodle-doo! Why are you crying, hare?" "Leave me alone, cock! Who wouldn't cry? I had a house of wood, while the fox had one of ice. She invited herself into mine and drove me out." "Come along with me, I'll chase her out." "No, you won't," said the hare. "The dogs tried and failed; the bear tried and failed;

the ox tried and failed. You'll fare no better." "Oh, yes I-will." So they went up to the house. "Cock-a-doodle-doo! I'll cut that fox in two with my scythe so sharp and true!" When the fox heard that, she took fright and called, "I'm getting dressed." Again the cock crowed: "Cock-a-doodle-doo! I'll cut that fox in two with my scythe so sharp and true!" And the fox cried: "I'm putting on my fur coat." A third time the cock crowed: "Cock-a-doodle-doo! I'll cut that fox in two with my scythe so sharp and true!" The fox rushed out of the door and the cock cut off her head. So the hare and the cock lived together happily ever after

http://russian-crafts.com/russian-folk-tales/fox-hare-cock.html 

OPEC Oil Freeze

For the past couple of weeks Russia and Saudi Arabia have been planning an oil output freeze. If the freeze is carried out, OPEC members will reduce their output to January levels. This was motivated by the record low oil prices below $30 a barrel. Oil is Russia's primary economic resource and the low prices have led to economic hardship. While they were previously struggling with Iranian cooperation, a potential agreement earlier this week led oil prices to rise by 7%.

Russian Folktales: The Golden Fish

The Golden Fish is a Russian folktale from "Old Peter's Russian Folktales" about the dangers of wanting more than you need. The story involves an old poor couple who live by the sea in relative contentment. The old man fishes for their food every day while his wife takes care of the hut and prepares the fish that he catches. After a long day of catching nothing, he casts his net one last time and it feels heavy with fish. Much to his surprise, it contains only a single golden fish that begs to be releases in exchange for granting wishes. The old man wishes for nothing, as he cannot think of anything that he needs. He returns home empty-handed and tells his wife of what had happened. The wife sends him back many times with increasing demands for the fish, going from a loaf of bread, to a trough to store the bread, to a new hut, a palace, to become tsaritza, and finally ending with the demand to become ruler of the seas as well. All the while, she treats her husband worse and worse as her life improves vastly. The fish, possibly noticing how the man is being treated or simply becoming tired of granting these wishes refuses to respond to the last demand and the old man returns home to find his wife and possessions back to normal, as if none of the wishes had been granted in the first place.

Random Russian Facts

Here are 5 random interesting facts about Russia you might not know.

1.
The Trans-Siberian Railway spans almost all the way across the county, making it the single longest railway in the world. The 5700 mile railway departs in Moscow and crosses into Asia. It then makes its way to the Pacific Ocean port of Vladivostok where it reaches the end of its incredible journey. The entire journey non-stop will take you 152 hours and 27 minutes to complete

2. Russia is home to the largest McDonalds restaurant in the world. With 700 seats.

3. There are approximately 10 million more women in Russia than there are men.

4. In Russia, men never give an even amount of flowers to a women. It is considered bad luck and is associated with funerals.

5. Moscow has more billionaire residents than any other city in the world. There are a total of 74 billionaires.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский

Russian composer of the late-Romantic period, some of whose works are among the most popular music in the classical repertoire. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally, bolstered by his appearances as a guest conductor in Europe and the United States. Tchaikovsky was honored in 1884, by Emperor Alexander III, and awarded a lifetime pension.

Tchaikovsky was a pioneer in several ways. "Thanks in large part to Nadezhda von Meck, he became the first full-time professional Russian composer." This, Wiley adds, allowed him the time and freedom to consolidate the Western compositional practices he had learned at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory with Russian folk song and other native musical elements to fulfill his own expressive goals and forge an original, deeply personal style. He made an impact not only in absolute works such as the symphony but also in program music and, as Wiley phrases it, "transformed Liszt's and Berlioz's achievements ... into matters of Shakespearean elevation and psychological import” (Wiley, Roland John, The Master Musicians: Tchaikovsky (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2009).

Many of his famous works include: The Nutcracker, Op. 71; Swan Lake; The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66; 

Piano Concerto no. 1 in B-flat minor:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWerj8FcprM

Сегодня в лингафонном кабинете... Русский язык (второй год) (Урок 8 Неделя 3)... коммуникация и связь... Давайте послушаем!

Сначала... ваш тест по грамматике. Ни пуха ни пера!

Welcome to the cow-shed world!

ОК, сдали? Молодец. Тогда посмотрите самый лучший клип в мире... This is an awesome song from some Kyrgyz group... Хотон means something like cowshed in Kyrgyz. They're singing in a mix of Kyrgyz, Russian, and English. There are subtitles, but it doesn't do justice to the wonderful play of languages. (It's a parody of this song (У нас в клубе) by Тимати, one of the best-known house acts in Russia...)

После вашего теста и самого лучшего клипа, прослушайте этот разговор в бизнес-центре, и ответьте на вопросы, которые вы найдете на хэндаутe!

Вы услышите!

• Чем могу помочь? how can I help you? (notice the use of the instrumental-- "using/with what (чем) can I help?")
• прило́женный документ, который надо распечатать "an attached document..."
• в цвете/цветная распечатка what does распечатка mean?
• Что это за документ? Notice the use Что это за Х? "What kind of an X is that?"
• советовать remember? Я советую, ты советуешь....
• с печатью with a stamp (notice the repetition of the root -печать- imprint, stamp, press)
• стоит распечатать в цвете... Here, стоит means "is it worth it to"
• официальный документ
• заранее отправить send ahead
• собачка тире точка at-sign, dash, period... remember that @ по-русски means "little dog"

Сегодня в лингафонном кабинете... Русский язык (второй год) (Урок 8 Неделя 2)... коммуникация и связь... Давайте послушаем!

Владимир Путин поздравил женщин с 8 Марта!

Сначала... Прослушайте поздравеление Путина! First, just listen to the speech... Что вы поняли? What did you understand?


On your worksheet, you'll find the text of Vladimir Vladimirovich's speech. Some of the words are missing--choose the appropriate missing the words from the "word bank" and write them next to the appropriate numeral... 

Here are some other words that will help you understand Mr. Putin's speech! 

• теплота--warmth (you hear it in the instrumental!)
• подарки и цветы--gifts and flowers (instrumental) чу́вства-- feelings (instrumental!)
• Vladimir Vladimirovich then lists important women in our lives...
• любовь, поддержка, забота--love, support, and care (instrumental... remember the verb забо́титься?--» забота) душа России--soul of Russian научило нас быть настоящими мужчинами обстановка--environment всё успевать--manage to do EVERYTHING
• Мы гордимся вами! We are proud of you!

Что за человек! Какая глыба, а? Какой матёрый человечище! Вот это, батенька,  вождь! 

Я хочу такого как Путин!

Now is the time in lab when we dance...

It's weird, isn't it? Странно? Еще бы! It's like he hasn't aged a day in a decade...