17 September 2013. Sergei Yolkin’s World. A Crisis in Anti-Smoking Policy

A Crisis in Anti-Smoking Policy

Sergei Yolkin

2013

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Anti-smoking policies appear ineffective… in Greece, signs prohibiting smoking in public places just haven’t stopped the practise, and warning labels on cigarette packets don’t deter British teenagers from smoking. Sergei Yolkin takes a jab at this…

5 September 2013

Sergei Yolkin

RIA-Novosti

http://ria.ru/caricature/20130905/960949529.html

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16 June 2013. Sergei Yolkin’s World. Minzdrav Snatches Away Victims from Death

Minzdrav Snatches Away Victims from Death

Sergei Yolkin

2013

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In Russian usage, “Minzdrav” is an acronym for Ministry of Health (in Russian, of course). It’s common coinage in the Russian language… for instance, Minoborony is the Ministry of Defence, and Minyust is the Ministry of Justice. American equivalents are POTUS, SecDef, and DoD. Bureaucratese IS international, after all. In Orwell’s 1984, the reader finds the Russian format for acronym formation in the Newspeak Ingsoc, Minitrue, and Miniluv (amongst others). It’s not sinister in intent… although it seems that way at times. It’s just meant to save keystrokes (no lie).

BMD   

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Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova estimates that the new anti-smoking law could save 150,000 to 200,000 Russian lives per year. Here’s how Sergei Yolkin sees it.

28 May 2013

Sergei Yolkin

RIA-Novosti

http://ria.ru/caricature/20130528/939880831.html

10 February 2013. Sergei Yolkin’s World. Smoking… Hazardous to Your Wallet

Smoking… Hazardous to Your Wallet

Sergei Yolkin

2013

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The RF Gosduma is preparing amendments to the Administrative Code, establishing a fine of 3,000 roubles (99 USD. 74 Euros. 63 UK Pounds) for individuals smoking in public places.

16 January 2013

Sergei Yolkin

RIA-Novosti

http://ria.ru/caricature/20130116/918366667.html

 

13 January 2013. Sergei Yolkin’s World. Vigilantes Against Smoking

Vigilantes Against Smoking

Sergei Yolkin

2013

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In Russian, Народное ополчение (Narodnoe Opolcheniye: People’s Militia or Muster) brings up visions of Minin and Pozharsky during the Smuta, of the First Patriotic War against Napoleon, and the desperate defence of Moscow, Leningrad, and Sevastopol in the VOV. This caricature also has overtones of the Sov era Добровольная Народная Дружина/ДНД (Dobrovolnaya Narodnaya Druzhina/DND: Volunteer People’s Posse) and of Soviet anti-drunkenness posters. To use the word ополчение as he did, Yolkin’s taking a sly dig at the current anti-smoking campaign. He’s hinting that it’s overblown and more than a little self-serving. Again, a Russian would be au fait about many of these things, and would grasp Yolkin’s point immediately, but a Westerner needs a heads-up on it all to see the thrust of the jab.

I chose “vigilante” as the rendering of ополчение because “militia” would be too formal… and the picture makes it clear that Yolkin finds the whole thing too ludicrous for words. It’d also give it a military colouring that Yolkin’s not trying to convey.

BMD

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On Friday, the newspaper Izvestiya reported that RF Gosduma deputies proposed a ban on smoking rooms in buildings, smoking onscreen in TV and movies, and for the new anti-smoking law to enter into effect immediately, not in phases, on 1 January 2014.

11 January 2013

Sergei Yolkin

RIA-Novosti

http://ria.ru/caricature/20130111/917724306.html