Photo Credit: NASA, Satellite image of smoke and fires in western Russia
There has never been a summer like this. Never. Not once.” ~Ivan Tyurkin, Russian fisherman, nytimes.com
This has been one of the hottest summers on record, not just here but also in Russia, where folks are well prepared for the icy grip of freezing temperatures…Sweltering heat- not so much. (more…)
Photo Credit: Travel Alaska, Native girl with puppies
Years ago Alaska “belonged” to Russia then the United States “bought” it from Russia for $7.2 million on this day, March 30, in 1867. Initially the purchase wasn’t received well. Critics of President Andrew Johnson’s Secretary of State William H. Seward called the largely unexplored territory “Seward’s folly,” “Seward’s icebox,” and Andrew Johnson’s “polar bear garden”. My favorite is the polar bear garden one!
I guess the joke was on them because there was gold in them thar hills and oil and plenty of pipelineable land! Those are all good things, way better than nature and indigenous peoples. (more…)
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images, NAKHODKA, RUSSIA – DECEMBER 28: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attends the opening ceremony of Transneft’s newly built oil-loading port of Kozmino December 28, 2009 near Nakhodka, Russia. Putin is on a two-day trip to the Russian Far East region of Primorsky Krai.
Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has taken part in a musical program, which was sponsored by the Russian government to promote healthy life-style among teenagers. The PM attended the final of the contest “Battle for Respect: Start It Today” to personally award the winners. ~Russia Today
“Here are his thoughts on hip hop: “These youngsters who work in this art in our country – they bring unique Russian charm. Street rap may be a little bit rough, but it contains social meaning – raising social problems. Graffiti becomes a real elegant art. Break dance is something special. It is really a promotion of a healthy lifestyle. It’s hard to imagine break dance being combined with alcohol or drugs. When people perform with acrobatic elements, it really calls for respect.”
