Яolcats: A hilarious Russian twist on the internet’s dumbest meme

by Aaron Hotfelder on

You know what Lolcats are, right? They’re the pictures of cats accompanied by depressingly unfunny “lolspeak” captions which are posted almost exclusively by single women over 40 who are desperately waiting for anyone to click on their Match.com profiles.

Well, apparently Americans haven’t cornered the market on this phenomenon. Russians love their Lolcats, too. But since their captions are printed in the Cyrillic alphabet, most English-speakers are unfortunately left out of all Russian Lolcat fun.

Which brings us to ?olcats, a hilarious site which provides “English translations of Eastern Bloc Lolcats.” The typical made-up caption reads like something out of an old Soviet propaganda novel. A couple examples:

“We sleep with vigor. Content with the knowledge that Lenin’s body shall never decay.”

“I swear I spoke no ill of The Party.”

“Submit with honor, and you will earn a proper burial among your fathers.”

More here.

“Vodka Pipeline” Links Russia and Estonia

by Kraig Becker on

An ambitious group of smugglers managed to build a 1.2 mile long pipeline across the Russian-Estonian border with the intention of pumping contraband vodka into the EU. According to this story from the Telegraph, they actually managed to get more than 1630 gallons across the border before their operation was discovered and shut down.

It seems that vodka is far cheaper in Russia than Estonia, so the plan was to circumvent the import tariffs by pumping the booze through the pipeline, and selling it for huge profits. Those plans were thwarted last Fall however when Estonian authorities discovered the untaxed vodka hidden in a truck. Now, the 11 bootleggers, some from Russia, some from Estonia, face up to five years prison, along with massive fines. All told, the group managed to avoid paying as much as 20,000 Euros in taxes.

The scary thing is that this isn’t the first time that someone has built such a pipeline. Authorities shut down the first one back in 2004 and another in 2006, although that one wasn’t in operation yet. You certainly have to salute the ingenuity and engineering prowess that goes into these projects. It’s also good to know that in the wake of the global economic downturn, at least the bootleggers are making some money.

[via Gizmodo]

Five More Places To See Before They Are Changed Forever

by Kraig Becker on

Last week we posted a story from CNN.com that named five places to see before climate changed altered them forever. The destinations that made their list included the Great Barrier Reef, the city of New Orleans, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, the Alpine Glaciers in Switzerland, and the Amazon Rain Forest in Brazil. Here are five more amazing places that you should see before they are altered forever as well.

1. Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa, and the glacier at its summit has become the stuff of legend, thanks to Earnest Hemingway’s famous book. The mountain sits just three degrees off the equator, making it even more amazing that snows are present there. But with temperatures on the rise across the planet, the glaciers are retreating at a steady rate, and scientists now believe that they could be completely gone in as little as a decade. Those wanting to see the Snows of Kilimanjaro should make the trek to the summit soon.

2. Maldives, Indian Ocean
More than 1200 tiny islands make up the Republic of Maldives, located off the southwest coast of India, but the entire country is being threatened by the rising levels of the ocean thanks to the melting polar icecaps. It is estimated that by the end of this century, more than 80% of the islands that make up the archipelago will be submerged under water, considerably changing nature of the place. Steps are being taken to save the more populated areas, but much of the country will simply cease to exist in the years ahead.3. The Annapurna Circuit, Nepal
The Annapurna Circuit is considered one of the greatest hikes in the world. It is a 15+ day trek through the HImalaya amongst some of the tallest mountains in the world, with amazing scenery at every turn. With quaint villages found every few hours along the trail, trekkers can spend the night in traditional tea houses, and will always have easy access to food and drink. But the area is being changed forever, and not by climate change, but modernization instead. A new road in the area will alter the landscape both physically and culturally, irrevocably chaning this legendary place forever. The road will be completed by the end of 2010, and much of the charm and spirit of the trail will be gone forever.

4. The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
The Galapagos are another amazing group of islands, this time found 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. These islands are home to a dizzying number of different species of plants and animals, some that can be found nowhere else. This has made it a hot tourist destination in recent years with visitors flocking to the Galapagos to take in the unique flora and fauna. But it isn’t the tourists visiting the islands that threatens this fragile place, but instead, the growing population of permanent residents, which has grown at an alarming rate over the past decade. This over population, of a place not designed to support so much human life, is a direct threat to the ecosystem there, and could change the place forever, and very soon.

5. Lake Baikal, Russia
The worlds largest, and deepest, freshwater lake, Baikal, has only just begun to appear on the radar for most travelers. At its deepest point, it reaches 5730 feet below the surface, and those depths have never been completely explored. The lake is home to more than 1700 species of plants and animals, including the fresh water seal, the majority of which can’t be found anywhere else on Earth. Due to its size, Lake Baikal was expected to be resistant to climate change, but studies show that it is already warming, and those temperature changes will also change the landscape in the area, threatening the life of plants and animals that inhabit the remote region of Siberia.

Carnivals around the world

by Jeffrey White on

Carnival enjoys many interpretations around the world, yet there are common threads uniting them. By and large these are parties that feature a great deal of tradition, costumes, parades and food and if they seem a little of the hook some time, well what do expect from people preparing for 40 days of fasting?

Here’s a look at a few Carnival celebrations around the world.

United States

Obviously the best known example of Carnival in the US is Mardi Gras, that season of debauchery that hits New Orleans once a year. Some people consider Mardi Gras just one day, the Tuesday before the start of Lent (known as Fat Tuesday). For others, Mardi Gras describes the whole season leading up to Ash Wednesday, which officially begins on Twelfth Night (January 6) and follows with daily parades, balls and parties starting about two weeks before Fat Tuesday.

The most elaborate parades start about five days before Mardi Gras’ end, with the climax coming on Fat Tuesday, where thousands of revelers pour out onto Bourbon Street and throughout the French Quarter, watch the parade of intricate floats, drink, swap beads and get crazy.

Brazil

Carnaval, as it’s known in Brazil, is one of the world’s largest parties. It kicks off four days before Ash Wednesday, and is an interesting amalgam of European, African and native South American traditions — with the one binding element being samba, the school of Brazilian dance that sets the rhythm for the entire festival.

In Rio, the birthplace of Brazilian Carnaval, samba schools compete during open stage performances and in various parades. Residents also compete, joining blocos — groups of people from the same neighborhood who dress in the same costumes, which can often be over-the-top. Each year the number of blocos increases; more than 100 bloc parades take place throughout the festival.

Trinidad

Trinidad has the largest Carnival celebration in the Caribbean, centered in its capital, Port of Spain. Technically, the celebration lasts more than a month, leading up to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, but the festival hits its climax on the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before Lent, known as Dimanche Gras, J’ouvert and Mas.

Dimanche Gras features the island’s best calypso players competing to be named “calypso monarch” for the year. J’ouvert takes place at dawn on Monday, where partygoers don old clothes and cover themselves in mud (hence the day’s name: “dirty Monday”). Like elsewhere, the big party takes place on Tuesday, with a day of costumes, dancing and eating.

Czech Republic

Carnival in the Czech Republic is known as Masopust, and it too technically stretches more than a month, from Epiphany until Ash Wednesday (it’s interesting to note that Masopust means, essentially, “farewell to meat”).

Masopust is probably bigger in the Moravia region of the Czech Republic, but there are parties to attend throughout Bohemia as well, especially on the outskirts of Prague in towns like Roztoky. Most Czech villages and towns wait for the weekend before the start of Lent to throw their big celebrations, which include not only the requisite parades and costumes but tons of local beer and a huge pig roast on most days.

Russia

Russia celebrates Carnival, but with an Orthodox Christian twist. The festival is known as Maslenitsa (Russian: ????????????), celebrated roughly seven weeks before Orthodox Easter (the difference between Western Christian and Orthodox Christian Lent is that they begin on different days; in Russia, Lent begins on a Monday).

Slavic lore has Maslenitsa as some kind of sun festival. In some respects, Russians celebrate this in anticipation of the coming spring. At least, that was how it was once described to me in Prague by a Russian friend who had me over to his house to celebrate Maslenitsa. The festival is, above all else, a celebration of food. His wife cooked rich salads of fish and meat and, of course, the bliny, or pancake, the staple of the Maslenitsa table. Unfortunately so much vodka was consumed that night that further details are a bit hazy…

St. Petersburg photos offer glimpse of a “hidden” past

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Any visitor to Saint Petersburg will quickly understand the city’s reputation as the “crown jewel” of Russia. Built by Russian monarch Peter the Great to compete with the great capitals of Europe, Saint Petersburg’s architecture is characterized by ornate European-style buildings and colorful onion dome cathedrals set along a series of grand canals.

Yet the startling beauty of this former Russian capital city does not immediately reveal the harsh secrets beneath the beautiful facades. During World War II, when city had been renamed as Leningrad by the Soviets, it was the site of a brutal siege by an invading Nazi army. Website English Russia is featuring a series of images taken by photographer Sergei Larenkov, who has superimposed photos taken during the World War II siege with the same locations today.

The siege was a horrible time for the town’s residents. Not only was the city was assaulted by an invading army – they were forced to also endure a brutal winter and dwindling food supplies, leading many to resort to eating their shoes and stray rats (if they were lucky). Meanwhile dead bodies lay decomposing in the streets and machine gun nests staked claim to once busy intersections. Larenkov’s photos effectively connects the viewer these horrific scenes, juxtaposing idyllic 21st Century street shots with stark black and white snapshots of a time of war.

Needless to say, the siege was a horrible moment – but the Germans were eventually beaten back and life slowly returned to normal. Nearly 65 years later, the city is as pretty as ever. Yet as any visitor walks the streets of St. Petersburg circa 2009, lined with gorgeous architecture, chic cafes and trendy boutiques, it’s interesting to think of how far Russia has come from those days of the past – and just how close it came to the brink of disaster.

[Via Environmental Graffiti]