While writing her own Internet pornography ad for whores.ru, A Hu-Li teasingly draws from the fairy tales of Aksakov, the poetry of Blok, the writings of Nabokov. To spice up a casual encounter, she daydreams of Suetonius — who inspires one of her especially sadistic group sex sessions. Needless to say, she handles the allusions with an admirably deft touch.

Liesl Schillinger on Pelevin's The Sacred Book of the Werewolf

This was out on the featured table when I was at the bookstore today.


Bldlghter9

Amazing scans of satirical Russian magazines published between 1905 and 1908. From The Nonist, of course.

Homemade-skyscraper

Handmade, thirteen story, wooden skyscraper built by Russian ex-gangster. More pics.

Kalashnikov

Mikhail Kalashnikov doesn’t receive any royalties on his weapons designs, so to supplement his meagre state pension, he started a spirits concern, where he retains a chairmanship.

Instead he only managed a 7x7 practice Go board


(via viridian list)

Didn’t the viridians go out of business after the market was flooded with cheap, chinese knock-offs?


Nyc37701

ALTAI, Russia — Villagers collect scrap from a crashed spacecraft, surrounded by thousands of white butterflies, 2000. Environmentalists fear for the region’s future due to toxic rocket fuel.

Totally looks like a still from a sci-fi fantasy movie that I haven’t gotten around to yet. If I wait maybe it will be…