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speaking about French and Russian, I heard that bistro is a corrupted form of the Russian word for quickley (bystro/быстро). It entered the French language when Russian soldiers entered Paris during the Napoleonic war in 1814 and would shout bystro when they ordered coffee.
What is a "bistro", anyway? I've always wondered about that.
I've never been to Russia but I did go clubbing in Lviv in Ukraine once, and even though I speak no Russian or Ukrainian at all I amazed the other English guy I was with who said he had no way of knowing where the cloakroom was by knowing enough Cyrillic to recognise the word гардероб (garderob) in big letters on the wall literally just behind him - same as garderobe in French
Also, is it true what somebody told me once about how the Russian word for railway station вокзал (voksal) is taken from Vauxhall railway station in London?
"Zal" means hall. I don't know about the first syllable. It could just be a coincidence. Or....not.
What is a "bistro", anyway? I've always wondered about that.
From Russian "быстро" ( quick, fast)
As the legend has it, when Russian officers were in Paris, whenever they'd come to French taverns, they'd always demand that their food would be served to them "fast." ( It looks like they were always in a hurry, because normally Russians don't serve food "fast" and never eat fast either))) But we are talking about Napoleon times here)))
So the French learned - here is a bunch of people who are always hungry and who are always in a rush, so they better figure out how to fix something fast, and not necessarily fancy. And that's how the French Bistros were born)))
More on Sergey Udaltzov from Dmitriy Olshansky ( a well-known Russian publicist)
"The revolutionary Udaltsov was set free from prison.
As soon as he was set free, he said very simple words.
He said that he doesn't support Putin, but Crimea is still ours.
He said that he doesn't support Putin, but in Donbass we still stand by our people.
He said that he is ready to go to the public protests against the corruption, but he is not ready to be used for someone else's agenda.
And if he already has a criminal record, he won't be lying about running for presidency.
He said that if we are against Kremlin, that doesn't mean that we are rooting for someone overseas.
I was listening all this, thinking to myself - what kind of loonie bin we live in, that in order to say such simple, sound things we need some Communist Udaltzov.
Because the ideas that are so obvious for the rest of the world - I am against the authorities, but I am not against the state; I am against the administration, but I am not against the nation, are regarded as something strange and unimagineable in Russia.
Here, you have to be either "for" anything and everything, even without asking what people are actually talking about, or vehemently against it - let it all burn in hell. And we can't go about it any other way. Once a Russian said "A," he feels obligated to say "B", and "C" and "D" and "F" and "G" and "H" and "I" . He feels that he has to go all the way through.
No, he doesn't have to.
When you leave the psychiatric ward, don't forget to shut the door behind you, comrade Udaltsov."
That's NOT what it's all about Albion.
Sergey Udaltsov is unapologetically "left." Navalny according to Russian political field is a "liberal" ( which does NOT imply the same meaning as it is in the US; with other words he is really "right.")
Now during the Bolotnay Square event both "left" and "right" forces of opposition united.
The "left" ( i.e. Udaltzov) suffered more repressions from Putin than the "right" ( i.e. ppl like Navalny.)
Which only makes sense, since Navalny is NOT dangerous for Putin; Udaltzov IS.
So he was in prison for the last... what? 6-7 years? Without asking for mercy from authorities.
So now when he is free, he is saying that there will be no more united "right" and "left" opposition.
So apparently his opinion of Navalny has changed, not to mention of the other members of the "right wing" opposition to Putin.
P.S. If I have time, I'll translate what Russian intellectuals are saying about Udaltzov/the whole situation around him.
I'm really out of the loop here. But could you explain what "left" means in the Russian context? From a Western perspective, the "old" regime was "far left". But in the Russian context, I would call it "right".
I'm really out of the loop here. But could you explain what "left" means in the Russian context? From a Western perspective, the "old" regime was "far left". But in the Russian context, I would call it "right".
Why would you call it "right" in the "Russian context" Ruth?
Why would you call it "right" in the "Russian context" Ruth?
Because it involved repression of certain freedoms, repression of ethnic consciousness or of its manifestations, and other things that are associated with the Right. The old saying in the US, that used to be taught in college classrooms, was that it was so far Left that it was Right. In other words, the political continuum was not a straight line with Socialism/Communism at the left extreme, and Fascism at the right extreme; rather--the continuum was a circle, if you get the drift of that. But....maybe you wouldn't.
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But we are talking about Napoleon times here))) 
