вторник, 30 марта 2010 г.
понедельник, 29 марта 2010 г.
Two blasts in Moscow Metro
Two explosions have rocked the Moscow Metro this morning, claiming dozens of dead and injured.
The first explosion happened in a carriage at the central Lubyanka underground station at 07:56, informs RIA Novosti news agency.
The second blast happened at the Park Kultury Metro station also in a carriage of a train at 08:39.
Russia's Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika has officially announced that 37 people died in the two terrorist acts this morning.
RIA Novosti / Vladimir Fedorenko, STF
Russian news agency Interfax quoted an unnamed source in Russian law enforcement structures as saying that the attacks were carried out by female suicide members. The source said that this conclusion can be drawn from the type of damage inflicted upon the exploded Metro carriages. Preliminary reports say that body fragments of the attackers have already been found, the source added.
According to Russia’s Emergency Ministry, the first explosion presumably happened in the second carriage of a Metro train stopped at the Lubyanka station in the very center of Moscow, only several hundred meters from the Kremlin. At 9:30 am Moscow time, the Emergencies Ministry gave the number of casualties as 20 to 25 killed and 17 wounded on Lubyanka station, and 12 to 15 killed and over 20 wounded at Park Kultury station.
Rescuers and police are working at both scenes.
The explosions happened during rush hour. Both Lubyanka and Park Kultury stations are very busy interchange stations, with many people there at any given time, particularly on Monday morning.
According to preliminary data, the explosions were carried out by suicide bombers with about four kilograms of TNT at Lubyanka station and two kilos of TNT at Park Kultury Metro station, informed Moscow’s Prosecutor General.
Meanwhile, all train services have been suspended on the Moscow Metro system for the time being, with security services on high alert.
Mobile telephone networks in Moscow are overloaded.
A criminal investigation into a terrorist act has been initiated.
Lubyanka station (image from CCTV)
Source:RT
четверг, 25 марта 2010 г.
Cossacks of the Napoleonic Wars-Cossacks' generals.
greeted by the Londoners. He was awarded a golden sword
and ... a honorary degree by the University of Oxford.
The most famous Cossack commander was Ataman Matvei Platov (1757-1818).
Platov begun service in the Don Cossack Chancellery in 1766, becoming an esaul in 1769. He distinguished himself in the 1771 Crimean campaign, and was promoted to command of a Cossack regiment in 1772. Between 1774 and 1784 he fought against the Crimean Tatars in 1774 and in 1782 under Suvorov in the Kuban Valley, Chechnya and Dagestan.
Upon Alexander I's ascension to the throne, he was appointed Ataman (Headman) of the Don Cossacks. In 1805, Platov ordered the Cossack capital to be moved from Staro-cherkassk (Old Cherkassk) to a new location, known as Novo-cherkassk (New Cherkassk). Platov distinguished himself in 1806-7, 1812 and 1813 in the campaigns against the French. Platov scourged the French during their retreat from Moscow in 1812, and again after their defeat at Leipzig.
During his visit in England he was enthusiastically greeted by the Londoners. Platov was awarded a golden sword and a honorary degree by the University of Oxford. A full-length portrait was painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence for the Waterloo Chamber created at Windsor Castle by George IV, then Prince Regent.
General ChernyshevAlexandr Ivanovich Chernyshev (1785-1857) was a famous Cossack raider. He entered the army at the age of 15, and advanced rapidly through the ranks, participating in all of Russia's campaigns against Napoleon. During the period 1807–1812 Tzar Alexander sent Chernyshev to Napoleon to serve as a channel of communications. Napoleon took a liking to Chernyshev. In 1812 Chernyshev was promoted to general-major, and in 1814 to general-lieutenant. Chernyshev was not well-known in Europe but in Russia in that time he was very popular. In 1812 Chernyshev's aggressive pursuit and hit and run tactics demoralised the French.
In 1813 and 1814 his raids very deep into enemy territory were quite spectacular. Chernyshev's Cossacks raided Kassel, the capital of Westphaly. After being driven out of Kassel, King Jйrфme Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother, managed to return on the 16th of October, before deciding to seek refuge in France on learning of the result of the battle of Leipzig. (In 1815 at Waterloo, Jerome's division attacked Hougoumont.)
In 1819, Chernyshev became a member of the committee Tzar Alexander established to reform the organization and legal structures of the Don Cossack host.
Nikolai Vasilievich Illovaiski (1772-1828) was another talented Cossack commander. Nikolai Mozhak writes: "He was enlisted to the military service in the age of 6 as a private cossack. In the age of 8 he took part in his first military expedition to the Crimea for suppressing the Crimea Tatars that supported Turks." Illovaiski participated in campaigns against the Turks, Poles and the French. In 1813 after the Battle of Bautzen he left the army, his health was failing, and went back to the Don.
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среда, 24 марта 2010 г.
Ural Malachite
Few Russian gems are considered to be undoubtedly better than their foreign analogues. Few gems have their own patron. It is widely known that the best malachite was produced in the Urals.
Malachite was first found in hoary antiquity in the south of Iran, where King Solomon’s Mines were situated, as a legend says. However, the richest in colour and patterns was the Ural malachite, known the world over. The stone has various tints of green: from light green with bluish to dark green, almost black. Reniform formation of the mineral creates amazingly intricate inimitable patterns on its cuts and polished surfaces, demonstrating the unsurpassable beauty of nature. Because of this tracery the Ural malachite was called “the peacock stone” in Old Russia. The name of the mineral derives from the Greek name of mallow, the leaves of which have the colour similar to malachite. Quite often malachite was found together with blue lazurite; the coalescences of the two minerals are very beautiful.
In order to see the splendid articles of the famous Ural malachite one should go to a museum and the best choice will be the Hermitage Museum, which boasts a whole malachite hall. The biggest malachite item can be found in the St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg – the columns of the altar there reach the height of almost 10 meters. Practically in any museum palace one can find articles made of malachite of the 19th century. These are table tops, fireplaces, vases, caskets, candelabra and various decorations made of this beautiful green stone with fanciful yet natural tracery.
«Малахитовая гостиная» на Яндекс.Фотках
«Внутри Исаакиевского собора» на Яндекс.Фотках
The huge antiques seem to be made of enormous malachite boulders, but that is an illusion. The method of making them is called “Russian mosaics”. The item itself was made of some other material, such as, for example, marble or metal, above which thin blades of malachite were pasted. It was very difficult: one had to saw a piece of malachite perpendicularly to its schistose structure into blades not thicker than 1 mm, then put these fragments together in such a way to create a single pattern, and afterwards rub the junctions with a special mastic to conceal them. What made it still more difficult was that the surface of the articles was not always flat.
Ural malachite masters were peerless in their craftsmanship. How hard their work was, in what conditions they worked and what a price they paid for their mastery, loosing their health!
The heyday of Russian malachite fell on the early and mid 19th century, when the biggest deposits - Gmeshevskoe and Mednorudnyanskoye - were discovered in the Ural Mountains. The biggest piece of malachite weighed about 250 tons! Tons of Ural malachite started to be mined, it was widely used as facing material, and considerable amount of malachite stones was exported. The debris of malachite was used for production of malachite green paint, with which roofs of houses in the Ural were often painted in that period.
European masters used malachite in a way different from Russians; partly that was because of their thriftier attitude to the expensive material. The green stone was used in Florentine mosaics, where the patterns were made up of various minerals: blue lazurite, red jasper, marble and granite.
Malachite was processed in various ways: it was faceted, cut to make stamps and decorate silverware, tea sets, etc. Unfortunately it was used on such a great scale and mined so devouringly, that its deposits were soon depleted. That was the sad real story, parallel to the fanciful folk legends inspired by the magnetic green stone and put down by the famous Ural writer Pavel Bazhov in his Malachite Casket.
There are not many malachite occurrences in the world now, and the minerals mined there are not as beautiful as Ural malachite. Presently the major provider of malachite is Zaire. From the early 19th century attempts were made in different countries to reproduce the natural process of malachite generation. Only in the second half of the 20th century Petersburg scientists developed the unique technology of growing natural malachite. Experts prove that this synthesized malachite is a total analogue to the natural malachite, similar in chemistry, structure, and other physical qualities.
Modern items of malachite are modest in size as compared to the luxury of the past centuries. These are mainly jewels: earrings, pendants, bracelets, rings, brooches and necklaces. Looking at these enchanting pieces one cannot help recalling the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, a mythic patron of malachite riches.
Source:www.russia-ic.com
воскресенье, 21 марта 2010 г.
The Amur
Посмотреть на Яндекс.Фотках
The Amur is one of the largest rivers of North-Eastern Asia, which was formed by the confluence of the rivers Shilka and Argun. For 2824 kilometers this truly powerful river with its tributaries: Zeya, Bureya, Ussuri, Sungari carries its waters all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The Amur weaves its way across the territory of three states – Russia, China and Mongolia. The Chinese call it “River of the Black Dragon”, the Mongols – “Black water”.
«Амурские закаты» на Яндекс.Фотках
Russians started reclaiming the territories of the Amur river basin in the first half of the 17th century. The largest town of the Far East – Khabarovsk – was named after one of the trailblazers, Yerofei Khabarov.
The nature of the Amur river basin is very contrasting. Siberian landscapes alternate with maritime ones. Siberia asserts its presence with bitter frosts, permafrost, and the larch tree that dominates the northern woods. The maritime landscape is noted for summer showers, turbulent rivers, Korean cedar, Amur grapes, Amur cork tree, Manchurian hazel and Chinese magnolia vine. The flora and fauna of the Amur river basin is remarkably diverse, with over 130 species of freshwater fish, among which the largest sturgeon in the world, the kaluga, is endemic to the Amur. Individual specimens of this fish weigh over a ton.
«Там, где Амур» на Яндекс.Фотках
Branching out into several distributaries, the Amur forms a multitude of flood-plain lakes which attract fish-eating birds and waterfowl. Among them – red-throated and black-throated loons, the brant, seagull, great cormorant and others. For ability to swallow large fish whole, the great cormorant is dubbed “big live fishrod”. In China these birds are still used for fishing.
One of the most beautiful ducks inhabiting the Amur region is the mandarin duck. Back at the outset of the 20th century this species was widespread all along the Amur river. However, as lands were reclaimed and tall-trunk trees and oak groves were shopped down, the species dwindled in number. The fact is, the mandarin duck makes its nest in tree hollows at a height of 15-20 meters, and feeds on acorns. Presently, the species has been entered in the Red Book of Endangered Species.
One could speak at length of the fauna of the Amur river area. This is a place one can encounter a great many rare animals, who are in the Red Book of Endangered Species, such as the Amur tiger — the largest of all the felines, the Far East soft-shelled turtle – a reptile boasting ancient heritage. The species has remained unchanged since the Mesozoic era.
Then there is also the raccoon dog, an omnivorous animal of the dog family, a clumsy beast with thick fur, which is noted for its complete defenselessness in the face of danger: instead of running away, the raccoon dog hunkers down and feigns death, thus becoming easy prey for predators and forest fires. “Neatnik” is how they call the badger – an awkward-moving predator with pointed muzzle and rough thick coat, who is noted for remarkable orderliness. In autumn the badger, having amassed body fat, goes into hibernation. Presently, the badger is hunted for meat and curative fat, which is used as a remedy for cold-related diseases and tuberculosis.
Around 2 ,000 plant species grow in the Amur river area. The Komarov lotus is called a natural wonder – the Amur region the northernmost place in the world where this water-lily is found.
Alas, the unique Nature of the Amur, unpartitioned by dams in its main channel, is presently endangered. The Amur basin plains are heavily populated. On the territory of China, some 100 million people live along the rivers Sungari and Ussuri.
The Amur is a boundary river. On the left, northern bank – the Russian population is very inconsiderable, while on its right bank the Chinese population is very dense. There are a great number of plants that pollute the waters of the Amur river basin,” says Victor Danilov-Danilyan, Director of the Institute of Water Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“Man’s impact on the eco-system of the river increases with every year, which has already resulted in a decline in water-marshy territories, the habitat of rare bird species, and stocks of fish resources. Construction of the hydroelectric stations on the rivers Zeya and Bureya, as well as several large dams on the river Sungari in China have upset the hydrological regime of the Amur. So the problems of the Amur need to be addressed jointly in the nearest future.
Source:The Voice of Russia
пятница, 19 марта 2010 г.
"Finist the Bright Falcon"(with Bilibin's illustrations)
Once upon a time, there was a merchant who lived alone with his three daughters in a small village in Russia. The eldest, Malvina, a powerfully built young woman with fiery red hair and a temper to match, tended to bully her younger sisters. If she did not get her own way, she would shout, scream, and a lot more besides, until she did.
The second eldest, Elvira, was a thin, dark haired girl and rather sulky at times. She often felt bullied by Malvina, but was afraid to stand up to her and usually ended up doing whatever Malvina wanted. However, she had her own little methods of paying back Malvina for her bullying.
The two were known in the village as "the Belles from hell."
Raisa, the youngest, was a quiet girl, with a long straw coloured plait, (her sisters called it 'mousy') who spent a lot of time on her own, since the others considered her 'too young' to be included in their doings.
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Famous russian painter and illustrator- Ivan Bilibin
Most of us take a rather provincial view of Illustration and Art History. We see a fairly circumscribed set of styles and movements that can be traced fairly linearly from The Pre-Raphaelites, through the Romantics and the Orientalists, with a few detours through Vienna and Berlin, but quickly getting back on track with the great English and French illustrators and moving directly across the Atlantic to the Brandywine and beyond. The Impressionists, the Symbolists, and the Arts Nouveau and Deco are interesting side-trips that add some scenery to the journey, but the world and the World of Illustration was and is a lot broader and more varied than we've been seeing.
Ivan Bilibin(1876-1942) was a Russian artist, born in St. Petersburg, somewhat isolated from the associations with traditional Russian art found so strongly among the art community in Moscow. His first inspirations came from Russian folk and fairy tales. After seeing an exhibition by Victor Vasnetsov (of whom I know precisely nothing) in 1899 which included images and scenes from folk lore and opera, he was drawn to the remoteness of the wildernesses of Old Russia that gave rise to the legends. His watercolors from this trip were seen and admired by the "Department for the Production of State Documents" and he was commissioned to illustrate a series of books of fairy tales.
These books, including The Tale of Ivan the Tsar's Son, The Firebird and the Grey Wolf, The Frog Princess, The Feather of Finist the Falcon, Maria Morevna, The Little White Duck, and Vassilisa the Beautiful, propelled the young Bilibin headlong into a career of illustration, set and costume design, teaching and mural painting.
Bilibin's approach to these tales was guided by a strong sense of place. The forests and mountains of Old Russia were predominant players in images that often provided as many distractions as focal points. He seemed anxious to incorporate traditional designs and motifs, often as framing devices for illustrations that didn't require them. Yet his solid depiction of the terrain and costumes made his work recognizable and appealing, despite his youthful miscues. And, most importantly, his ability to bring a sense of reality to a world of ghosts and glowing skulls reinforced the notion that these stories might really have happened and certainly heightened their appeal.
These books, with their identical covers, were still in print as recently as 1976 (now why doesn't that sound so recent anymore?) and are oft-requested items. The titles in the center of the cover were the only modifications to a common design that was easily recognizable. The interior drawings showed his increasing skills as both an artist and a storyteller. These images from Vassilisa the Beautiful are some of his earliest work from 1899. They're remarkably mature for a 24-year-old and hint at the Art Nouveau influences he relished.
By 1902, in The Little White Duck, these influences were incorporated into the borders and the foliage of the image as seen in the image at right.
During and after the fairy tale series, Bilibin worked a lot in pen and ink for magazines, book covers, and The Tale of the Golden Cockerel a reprise of the folk story in a combination of pen, ink and watercolor (see below). Several other folk and fairy tale projects were begun over the coming years. He never really escaped from his early reputation. He considered the mixture of fantasy, folk lore and historical and geographical authenticity to be his milieu and seldom ventured very far from it.
His style became more formal and he applied his vision to the sets and costumes of a series of operas, including The Golden Cockerel (1909), Askold's Grave (1912), Ruslan and Ludmila (1913), Sadko (1913,14) and others. His reputation as a fantasist and his association with Old Russian imagery served him well in this new career, as did his many visits to the Crimea where he found continued inspiration and flavor for his art.
Ivan Bilibin - Sadko
He left Russia in 1920 for Egypt, where he set up a studio and lived until 1925. He moved to Paris for the opening of the World Exhibition. He had a one man show in Prague in 1926 and helped stage an exhibition of Russian artists in Paris in 1927. He was, by now, an accomplished and sought-after stage designer and helped stage numerous ballets and operas in Paris, which had its own "Russian Opera Season." Finally in 1931 he returned to the illustration of Russian and Oriental fairy tales for a Parisian publisher. At left is an image from Father Frost (1932) and at right is one from The Lay of Tsar Ivan Vassilyevich, His Young Oprichnik and the Stouthearted Merchant Kasashnikov from 1938.
He returned to Russia in 1936 where he died in February of 1942. He was in Leningrad during the German blockade. He left several unfinished projects, many of which can be partially seen in Sergei Golynets' Ivan Bilibin co-published by Aurora and Abrams in 1982. One project was the illustrations for The Tale of the Capital City of Kiev and of the Russian Bogatyrs that he was working on during the last few years of his life. As can be seen at right, his design strengths were still present and the trademark historically accurate accoutrements were everywhere.
It's worth looking up now and again from our, dare I say it again, provincial, boundaries to examine the whole world of illustration. Though Bilibin's work was not widely available in America until the 1976 reprints by Goznak, it was received with respect and appreciation. Golynets' book about him gave us even more to enjoy and to marvel at. Today he's an artist with a growing following.
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