Russian scientists in Yekaterinburg are studying the age-old question: Why is there so much dirt in Russian cities?
Of course, the researchers at the Institute of Industrial Ecology gave their project a more scientific formulation: Study of the Geochemical Transformation of Urban Landscapes in the Context of Modern Sedimentation Processes. The researchers hypothesized that the composition of Russian dirt reflects pollution trends and may be harmful to urban residents.
The amount of dust in the summer and mud in the wetter seasons in Russian cities is often puzzling, especially to those familiar with cleaner cities in Europe, or indeed the United States. The American tendency (in some places) to not remove street shoes upon entering a home inspires horror among Muscovites, who dare not step beyond their welcome mat in their muddy street shoes.
Ilya Yarmoshenko, one of the lead researchers on the project, has collected 650 kilograms of dirt in ten Russian cities and studied its composition. His team found not just the usual asphalt and tire rubber, but heavy metals, like zinc and lead, and even traces of radioactive Cesium. Yarmoshenko told Ogonyok that the scientists have found that there is an average of three kilograms of dirt per square meter in Russian cities, which is about three times that of Western countries where similar studies have been done.
A scandal is brewing at the Russian business daily Vedomosti, previously one of Russia’s most respected newspapers. In March, Vedomosti, known for publishing on pink paper (like the Financial Times) and for its biting editorial section, had a change in ownership. This led to the departure of Chief Editor Ilya Bulavinov and the hiring of Andrei Shmarov, 64, to fill his seat.
Several editors protested the hiring of Shmarov (during his first meeting with staff, Shmarov said he doesn’t read the newspaper and doesn’t approve of the paper’s editorial positions), and several prominent editors and writers resigned. Tensions escalated further when Shmarov reportedly changed the headline on a major story about oil giant Rosneft without informing any staffers. His change gave the headline the exact opposite meaning.
Original Headline: Государство формально может потерять контрольный пакет в “Роснефти” The state may lose legal control of Rosneft
Shmarov Revision: Государство в результате сложной сделки сохранит контрольный пакет «Роснефти» As a result of a complex deal, the state will keep control of Rosneft
The headline was reverted to the original the next day, and Vedomosti staff published an editorial demanding Shmarov’s ouster, requesting an editor who would respect the paper’s well-established rules and transparency, threatening the departure of many of its core journalists. “Without them, all that would be left of Vedomosti is a sign on the door,” the editorial read. “One of the last sources for news and analysis that is created free of censorship or self-censorship will disappear.”
«Знаете, можно было бы кого-то другого назвать царем. Я же работаю каждый день, я не царствую. Царь — это тот, кто сидит, сверху посматривает и говорит: вот прикажу, и там кое-что сделают. А сам только шапку примеряет и смотрится в зеркало. Я работаю каждый день».
“You know, somebody else could be called tsar. As for me, I work every day, I don’t reign. A tsar is someone who sits and looks down from on high and says, ‘If I order something, it’ll get done.’ Meanwhile, he just admires how his hat looks in the mirror. I work every day.”
Russia’s State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is one of the world’s top ten most visited museums, according to an annual review in the Art Newspaper.
The country’s most visited museum has climbed up in the charts to number eight in the world, just behind London’s National Gallery.
In 2019, nearly five million people visited the Hermitage, which has also curated a rich online program. This came in handy after cultural institutions were ordered shut in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Internet visitors can take virtual guided tours of the Winter Palace, marvel at the interiors and displays, and watch lectures about the museum’s exhibitions.
During just the first two weeks of state-imposed self-isolation, the Hermitage had over 10 million online visits.
hermitagemuseum.org
For the first time in more than two decades, Russia has reissued its Red Book, the list of endangered species that are under national protection. The new edition contains 29 additional species of birds and 14 species of animals.
Work on the new edition has been going on for years (it is normally updated every decade), and was rife with controversy, as various lobbyists from industry, and from hunting and fishing groups, resisted the addition of vulnerable species to the list.
Among the most contentious decisions was the addition of the mammal-eating orca of the Far East, where populations have been poached for years in order to sell juvenile orcas to aquariums.
Another well-recognized animal now included in the Red Book is the saiga antelope, which inhabits the steppes north of the Caspian Sea, including parts of Kalmykia and Astrakhan Oblast. The species is critically endangered on a global scale. In 2003, Russian Life featured an article on the saiga antelope authored by Laura Williams (see next story).
Russia’s World Wildlife Fund announced the first winners of the Laura Williams Award, created last year to commemorate one of the organization’s founders in Russia, a longtime conservationist who contributed over two dozen articles to Russian Life, and who died in a tragic accident in 2018.
Young scientists and ecologists competed for the award, which was ultimately granted to four Russians in four different regions: raptor conservationist Elena Shnayder from Novosibirsk; snow leopard researcher Alexei Kuzhlekov from Altai; Alexei Levashkin, who built hundreds of bird nesting platforms and boxes in the Volga region; and Alexandra Khlopotova, who studies the peregrine falcon in the Urals.
President Vladimir Putin loves an element of surprise, and this spring was no different.
After denying for months that he would seek reelection to the presidency after his current term expires in 2024, Putin suddenly declared that he would not mind being given another chance – potentially being president for two more terms.
The shocking announcement came after a race to assemble a package of 14 constitutional amendments that were rapidly pushed through the Duma and the Constitutional Court. Those amendments include everything from changes to the federal minimum wage to pension indexing, from the Duma’s role in approving the prime minister and the Russian constitution’s precedence over international law.
The change related to the presidency removes the words “in a row” from the stipulation limiting the number of presidential terms to two. And it discounts any presidential terms served prior to the amendment’s passage.
So it seemed as if nothing was standing in the way of Putin staying in power until 2036, until the novel coronavirus pandemic made the planned April plebiscite impossible. And now it is currently unclear when or if the vote will take place. Technically, constitutional changes only require the approval by the Duma.
«Хорошо, вам не нравится винегрет, но вам нравятся борщ или котлеты. Вы тогда для себя решите: нет, откажусь от всего обеда, потому что мне винегрет не нравится, или я все-таки возьму — винегрет не съем, мне ни холодно ни жарко, а борщ и котлеты будут при мне».
“So you don’t like vinaigrette salad, but you like borscht and cutlets. So make up your mind: no, I’ll skip the whole meal, because I don’t like the salad, or I’m going to take it – I won’t eat the vinaigrette, as I don’t care for it, but I’ll take the borscht and cutlets.”
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