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Saturday, November 2, 2013

Proposed brother/sister road trip: Russia's M10

Just thought you should know....



Anne Lamott has a new book (remember her from the honeymoon?)! I saw it when I picked up the copy of Dallas 1963 I ordered from the bookstore around the corner. Stiches was tempting sitting there on the checkout counter looking all green and hopeful, but buying 2 hardcover books in one trip to the bookstore is buying one too many. Until next time, Anne!

Also, Dave and I saw 12 Years a Slave. Whew. If you've heard anything about it, you've likely heard this movie is strong and powerful and very difficult to watch. Do not expect a relaxing trip to the theatre. And don't buy popcorn and candy and the likes. The brutality of 12 Years a Slave does not lend itself to movie snacks. All of that said, I encourage you to see it as it supposedly is one of the most accurate depictions of slavery to come out of the film industry. I recommend it in the same way I would recommend Schindler's List.

And finally, I stumbled on this FASCINATING piece from the New York Times on the 430-mile road that connects St. Petersburg and Moscow, the M10, that is. The article describes the severe neglect of the road and the plight of the towns and villages out there standing along it. We're talking out in the hinterlands here. Villages are being reclaimed by the wilderness! There has been a resurgence of child marriages along the M10 as laws for schooling the young have changed or been done away with. And there was a 70 MILE TRAFFIC JAM during a blizzard last year. The article reads:

    After a snowstorm in November, about 10,000 vehicles got stuck in a traffic jam that 
    extended more than 70 miles, trapping some drivers for three days in subzero 
    temperatures.

What?! That is some wild west business happening out there. The article gives political explanations as to why the M10 has experienced such neglect and the implications of this downward spiral.

Read on, my friends! And happy November!

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