Russia has been in the news a lot recently. In that spirit, here are a few items I picked up in a stationery store years ago while on a nutty trip to the Russian Far East. The plaster shapes are educational tools used to teach perspective drawing to young students. The fans feature diphthongs. A sort of Russian fun-with-phonics. And the lesson book – well – as one can see, it’s unlike what any 4th grader in NYC has on their desk.