Entries 1—15 of 20 by tag Blah-blah

October 18, 7:00 PM

Is Dmitry Medvedev Gay?

Since taking the top job in 2008, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has been accused in everything from being Vladimir Putin’s puppet to complete lack of taste when it comes to picking a tie. Yet he has never been “accused” of being gay. Let’s dive under the jump to see why we think he might be gay and how this can be the greatest PR for Russia since WWII.
April 13, 3:00 PM

Pronouncing Russian Names Correctly Is Too Much For American Television

Today, Good Morning America aired a segment where three Russia's most powerful women (?) talked about their country.
December 31, 8:00 AM

President Medvedev Addresses the Nation, Facebook Users

It’s no secret that Russians disproportionately adore the New Year. At least we used to, back in Brezhnev’s early ’80s, when it was the only truly private holiday aside from one’s birthday: intimate, all-inclusive, apolitical, non-denominational.
September 26, 6:00 AM

Extreme Case of Book Deflation (And Nude Photos)

With financial crisis in Russia in full swing, we thought it would be fun to check on Sergey Rodionov, the eccentric Russian oligarch who financed a Taschen book in which his wife is photographed naked with other men, women, and, as we recall, animals.
August 1, 12:00 PM

Meet Mr and Ms Normal, Russia's Most Typical Mugs

Here they are, for the first time ever—the most typical Russian faces, a real pair of average physiognomy, courtesy of a racially-nervous little study we dug up for your amusement. Bonus: 250 most Russian last names.
July 4, 12:00 AM

Say "No" to Bombs, "Yes" to Boobs

Historically, Russians have glorified breasts and now the fascination is starting to sublimate into official, online, boobs-related ventures. Let us introduce two projects, which fill the computer screens of most Russians with tits on daily basis.
June 27, 12:00 AM

Dude, Your Dad is Weird

To premiere our new video section, here's a Russian video-reportage about policeman Eugene who's been raising his daughters to perform dangerous stunts, lovingly subtitled by RUSSIA! Watch the circus-man without a circus as he throws darts at his daughters, has them walk on swords and broken glass, and assaults them fire and daggers. It's kind of sweet, actually.
May 25, 9:00 AM

Alina Kabaeva, Rumored to Have an Affair with Vladimir Putin, Gives Birth To Son

Russian Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics Alina Kabaeva, who was rumored to have an affair with President Vladimir Putin, gave birth to son in Moscow earlier this week. Russian media kept conspicuously quiet about Kabaeva's pregnancy and personal life.
May 6, 12:00 PM

It Was Only a Small Yacht Anyway

Roman Abramovich has a problem, a gambling problem. His girlfriend, 26 year-old socialite Dasha Zhukova, gave him hell for it so he simply moved his habit online, to the "Everest Room." And then, last week, he lost a yacht in a poker game. Reportedly.
April 17, 4:00 PM

The Great Toilet Shortage Of ’09

Breaking news from Polit.ru. The headline: “Moscow lacks 100 public toilets.” Our response: juvenile snickering. But, unlike us, Moscow’s sanitary technicians are taking the issue very seriously. In fact— wait, Moscow has sanitary technicians?
March 31, 1:00 PM

Partisans for Prostitutes

Perhaps the best thing about being an oligarch – if you have any money left, that is – is the ability to hire your own partisan (Russian for “guerrilla”) army. And Mikhail Prokhorov, now the richest man in Russia by sheer luck, may have just such an army.
March 11, 12:00 AM

Patriotic Baby Names On Rise; Playground Beatings Likely To See Increase

Aw. If it isn’t little Privatizatsia ("Privatization") and darling Viagra, two Russian newborns who stand almost no chance of leading happy childhoods thanks to the names bestowed upon them by their loving parents. In Soviet times, it was not unusual to have a friend named Stalina or an enemy named Ninel (read it backwards for a “come on” moment). In fact, early Bolsheviks were suckers for “Red Baptisms” which branded miserable young souls with names like Melor (acronym for “Marx Engels Lenin October Revolution”). Today, the Moscow registry office notes an increase in modern equivalents of politicized or otherwise attention-getting monikers. Patriotism is stimulus for a name like Kosmos ("Space"), of course, but there’s also the idea that a child named for a prescription boner drug will stand out next to a ho-hum Volodya or Katya, and profit for it. Might as well just name the kid “Opportunist” and be done with it.
March 3, 12:00 AM

The Medvedevs: Best In Show, Best In General

Russian first lady Svetlana Medvedeva has been named the most successful businesswoman in Russia, according to a poll conducted by a shadowy organization called the Institute of Politics and Business. And if that weren't eyebrow-raising enough, now we find out that the "first dogs" — two English setters named Joly and Daniel — just claimed first-place titles at the Eurasia-2009 dog show in Moscow. Meanwhile, Aldu, the Medvedevs' golden retriever, won a silver. Only silver? Aldu, you've let us all down.
March 2, 12:00 AM

The Great Kommunalka Extinction

The fabled communal apartment, or kommunalka, is seeing its dying days in Moscow. Last year alone brought the liquidation of 3,000 communal apartments, with dwellers dispatched to private apartments by government initiative. By 2014, in the midst of the financial crisis, the Russian government promises to fund an additional two-stage breakup of communal apartments in the city center. For comparison, 1997 data showed 151,000 functioning kommunalkas in Moscow; this year that number is 58,000.
February 23, 12:00 AM

Government Snubs 100+ Languages On Endangered List

Turns out there’s another February holiday that gives us reason to be depressed: It’s called Native Language Day, and it came and went on the 21st. Created by the United Nations a decade ago, the holiday was observed this year with the release of UNESCO’s Atlas of Languages in Danger, a work whose findings on Russia are being heralded as “disturbing” by researchers and members of the media alike. Linguists, brace yourselves for what follows.
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