I love Russian literature.  Much of it is pessimistic, of course.  If a bright future lies ahead, it will come in another lifetime.  Certainly, that’s the view of Anton Chekhov. (Click) At the very least, I find this point of view eccentric.  A Russian countess in Dostoevsky’s

The 6 mainstream presses in the United States are about to be reduced to 5. Random House and Penguin have decided to merge in an effort to combat the growing power of Internet retailers, primarily Amazon. The presumption is that two large houses combined will emerge more competitive t