Ultras, hackers and femme fatales? Let’s talk about the dark side of Russia. Football hooligans Vladimir Astapkovich/Sputnik These guys are blamed the recent collapse of a metro escalator in Rome. They trashed Marseille during UEFA Euro 2016, burned flares and hid alcohol in their underpants. Some of them even wound up in jail. Football hooligans do exist, of course, but sometimes they’re not so easy to find. For example, foreigners who went looking for them at the World Cup in Russia this past summer did not find them. Instead of fights, Russian fans mostly offered them hugs and beer. It may well be that the famed football hooligans are just off fighting somewhere in a forest (we’re actually not kidding since very few people fight in the streets in full view of the police). After all, they couldn’t have simply disappeared or channeled all their destructive energy toward European escalators, right? There are too many films about Russian … [Read more...] about Scare me if you can: Some favorite myths about fearsome Russia
Taiga weather and climate
Five countries hold 70 percent of world’s last remaining wilderness
More than 70 percent of Earth's last untouched wilderness lies in the territories of just five countries, scientists said Wednesday — mostly nations that alarm environmentalists with their lukewarm response to climate change. True wild spaces — land and sea areas mostly unaffected by mankind's explosive expansion and insatiable appetite for food and natural resources — now cover just a quarter of the planet. They form vital refuges for thousands of endangered species threatened by deforestation and overfishing, and provide some of our best defenses against the devastating weather events brought about by climate change. New research published in the journal Nature found that nearly three quarters of the wilderness that's left belongs to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Russia, and the U.S. "For the first time we've mapped both land and marine wilderness and showed that there's actually not much left," James Watson, professor of conservation science at the University of … [Read more...] about Five countries hold 70 percent of world’s last remaining wilderness
Handful of states hold fate of world’s vanishing wilderness
More than 70 percent of Earth's last untouched wilderness lies in the territories of just five countries, scientists said Wednesday -- mostly nations that alarm environmentalists with their lukewarm response to climate change. True wild spaces -- land and sea areas mostly unaffected by mankind's explosive expansion and insatiable appetite for food and natural resources -- now cover just a quarter of the planet. They form vital refuges for thousands of endangered species threatened by deforestation and overfishing, and provide some of our best defences against the devastating weather events brought about by climate change. New research published in the journal Nature found that nearly three quarters of the wilderness that's left belongs to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Russia, and the US. "For the first time we've mapped both land and marine wilderness and showed that there's actually not much left," James Watson, professor of conservation science at the University of Queensland and lead … [Read more...] about Handful of states hold fate of world’s vanishing wilderness
10 awkward questions about Siberia, Siberian men and cold weather
1. Is Siberia a separate country? Or is it a Russian colony? No, it is neither a separate country nor a colony. Siberia is a geographical region of Russia and currently most of its inhabitants are ethnic Russians. In the Middle Ages, these lands were inhabited by nomadic tribes of the ancient states of East Asia. For a long time, the territory of Siberia was in vassal-like dependence to the Golden Horde, and after the latter's collapse, at the end of the 15th century, the Khanate of Sibir was formed in its place. In the Middle Ages, these lands were inhabited by nomadic tribes of the ancient states of East Asia. Legion Media The exploration of Siberia by Russians is considered to have begun in 1581 and lasted until the 19th century. War chiefs from the Tsardom of Muscovy went on expansion expeditions, subjugated lands and collected tribute from them. However, some historians do not believe that expansion into Siberia can be considered as colonization since the … [Read more...] about 10 awkward questions about Siberia, Siberian men and cold weather