talkmagic.co.uk

3 of my grandparents were Russian and one was merely Polish. I therefore am somewhat Slavic myself. I even negotiated with the Soviet Embassy to sell svengali decks there. This was in the days of the Cold War and it was one of my dafter ideas.

My brother talked me out of it when he explained that my grandfather was in the Russian army during the revolution and stole a horse and escaped over the border with it. Perhaps he didn't like the cold weather. Mind you he escaped to Scotland which isn't much better.

My brother thought that they might not let me back out again if they found out. Actually I found out what a lucky escape I had when I worked a Russian day in Toronto with the svengali deck. Nothing but Russkies to work to and most of them spoke English to some degree. Not only did the b******s never buy anything they were passing counterfeit money like they had just printed it that morning.

They probably did.