This May Be The Last Year To See Lenin’s Tomb

Lenin’s Tomb, the place in Moscow where the father of the Communist Revolution lies embalmed, waxen and puffy behind glass, is endangered. As Russians move further away from Communism, a majority – 56 percent – thinks that Lenin should be buried. Members of the administration of Vladimir Putin, who was just elected to a third term as President of Russia, have also voiced concerns about the aging tourist attraction.

“A body should be interred in the earth,” said culture minister Vladimir Medinsky speaking on a radio show in Moscow this week. Medinsky suggested that Lenin could be buried in a state funeral observing, “all fitting state rituals, distinctions and a military salute in a suitable place” by 2013. On the other hand, the Red Square mausoleum where Lenin lies perpetually in state will remain. “It must remain. It would be possible to turn it into a museum of Soviet history that would be very well visited and could have expensive tickets,” said Medinsky. Russia’s remaining communists are against this move, of course.

Whether Lenin will be buried soon remains to be seen. But there is one component of this burial controversy that must have Lenin turning in his grave even before he is six feet under. Apparently, more than 2,000 Russians have already placed bets on the fate of Lenin’s corpse.

[Photo Flickr/wordcat57]

Japanese Airlines First to Install Bidets in the Air

Japan’s All Nippon Airways have announced they will be installing bidets in the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, set to be delivered in May of 2008. This is a first for any commercial airline. (Vladimir Putin had a bidet in his private jet, however.)

With over 60 percent of Japanese households sporting a bidet, this makes sense. But I can’t help but wonder just how much larger the lavatory will have to be to accommodate this. Will the bidet be built into the toilet, or will it be separate? Or will it be a hand-held spray bidet that are common across Asia? The bidet-toilet combo makes the most sense due to the constricted space, but the Dreamliner is a big plane, so who knows?

Someone is going to have to teach me how to use one of those things.

Pimp my Jet: Vladimir Putin


So, you think that first class upgrade you got was great, huh? Well, sneak a peek at these shots of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s jet. The source page is in Russian, but even with Babelfish, I couldn’t find out much more information. I doubt that all of the adornments are real gold, but you never know. The rest of the photo set includes pictures of a conference area, bar, and entertainment system. It’s sad when a plane has better amenities than your own home.


I mentioned the bathrooms on the new Airbus A380 recently, so this picture of a fancy toilet and bidet really caught my interest.

(via Boing Boing)