Boris Nemtsov research centre to open in Prague

The Academic Centre of Boris Nemtsov, a think tank named after the murdered Russian opposition politician and focusing on Russian affairs, will start operating at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague on March 1, the hlidacipes.org news server wrote on Tuesday.

The agreement on the opening of the centre was signed two weeks ago by FF UK Dean Mirjam Friedova, Boris Nemtsov Foundation head Zhanna Nemtsova, who is Nemtsov’s daughter.

Nemtsov was one of the loudest critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

6 signs you’re hung up on your ex (and what to do about it)

Rule number one: Stop. Checking. Their. Instagram.

You may think you’ve moved on from your last relationship, but sometimes our behaviours prove otherwise. Dr Georgia Henderson, a clinical psychologist at Priory’s North London Hospital, told us there are six common everyday signs someone’s still hung up on their ex.

1. You try to make them jealous. “By turning up at places they may be or posting things online,” Dr Henderson explains. You may also be “focusing on their emotional responses to you, rather than what’s happening in your life now,” she adds.

What the Moon is doing these days is awesome

Smoking weed linked to having more sex by Stanford University study

Where there is smoke, there tends to be fire, say medical researchers who found frequent marijuana users have about 20 percent more sex than those who abstain.

Stanford University School of Medicine researchers unveiled the link between marijuana and the frequency of sexual intercourse in a study published on Friday in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Researchers in California reached their conclusions after a retrospective analysis of data on 50,000 Americans ages 25 to 45, compiled from 2002 to 2015 by the National Survey of Family Growth. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sponsors the survey.

14 Hidden Messages in World Famous Logos

Really smart branding is hard to pull off. We’ve seen countless companies make big PR mistakes with tone-deaf advertisements (especially over the last few years), but one thing remains a constant: their logo design. But have you ever stopped to really look at them?

Some of the most famous logos from around the world actually hold “secret messages” that reflect that brand’s essence. These hidden meanings play on the subconscious, and even if you’ve seen them a million times over, they each hold something rather unexpected.

Toblerone

Hidden within the Toblerone logo is the image of a bear standing on its hind legs. Don’t see it? Take a close look at the mountain. The bear is closely associated with Bern, Switzerland (where the company was originally formed), as well as the Swiss Mountains. The word “Bern” is also hidden within “Toblerone”.

These are the best democracies in the world — and the US barely makes the list

Less than 5% of the world’s population lives in a “full democracy,” according to a new report ranking countries by how functional their political systems are.

The Economist Intelligence Unit released on Wednesday its 2017 Democracy Index, which ranks 167 countries on a 0 to 10 scale. Only countries with scores above 8 are categorised as “full” democracies.

The US was downgraded from a “full democracy” to a “flawed democracy” in the same study last year, which cited the “low esteem in which US voters hold their government, elected representatives, and political parties.”

The study has five criteria: whether elections are free and fair (“electoral process and pluralism”), governments have checks and balances (“functioning of government”), and whether citizens are included in politics (“political participation”), support their government (“political culture”), and enjoy freedom of expression (“civil liberties”).

Scroll down to see the world’s best democracies.

1. Norway — 9.87/10

Oslo, Norway.franganillo/Flickr

Electoral process and pluralism: 10.00

Functioning of government: 9.64

Political participation: 10.00

Political culture: 10.00

Civil liberties: 9.71

2. Iceland — 9.58

Reykjavik, Iceland.Getty Images/Spencer Platt

Electoral process and pluralism: 10.00

Functioning of government: 9.29

Political participation: 8.89

Political culture: 10.00

Civil liberties: 9.71

3 dead after helicopter crashes into Newport Beach home: ‘You just knew something horrible had happened’

A helicopter crashed into a Newport Beach home Tuesday, killing three people and injuring two others, authorities said.

The four-seat R44 copter crashed “under unknown circumstances” about 1:45 p.m. after taking off from John Wayne Airport, said Ian Gregor, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.

Four people onboard and one pedestrian were involved in the crash, although it was unclear who among them was killed, said Newport Beach police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.

The two people who were injured were taken to a hospital and trauma center for treatment.

A woman tried to bring an emotional-support peacock on a United flight, and it reveals a growing crisis for airlines

• United Airlines denied a woman’s attempt to bring a peacock onto a flight.
• According to a travel blog, the woman said the peacock was an emotional-support animal, allowed to fly free.
• While the woman offered to pay for the peacock’s ticket, the blog said, United would not let the animal onto the flight.

Clean, Green California House Design

Check out this clean, green California house design, the aptly named Caterpillar House designed by Feldman Architecture.

This ranch style home stretches along a grassy hilltop in a linear plan that maximizes the views. And this California house indeed has a deep connection to nature, from the inside out.

Earth excavated to make way for the home was actually used in constructing its walls.

Survey: Armenians’ Attitudes Toward Azerbaijan Increasingly Hardening

“Non-compromising attitudes have become mainstream in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. These attitudes jeopardize the prospects of peaceful resolution.”

People in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh are increasingly opposed to making any concessions to Azerbaijan in their long-running conflict, and are also increasingly pessimistic about the chances for peace, a new study has found.

Hardening attitudes in Armenia have been anecdotally observed for the last several years, a trend that accelerated after the heavy fighting in April 2016 in which Armenians, for the first time since the ceasefire in 1994, lost some territory. But the new survey, from the Yerevan think tank Caucasus Institute, fleshes out those impressions with some data.

A 2004 poll, for example, found that two-thirds of Armenians expressed support for some sort of concessions to Azerbaijan in the name of peace. But a 2017 survey, the report found, “shows that readiness for compromise has drastically decreased,” with only eight percent expressing support for some concessions.

Australia state secrets exposed after sale of filing cabinets

Thousands of classified documents mistakenly sold at second-hand shop in Canberra.

Thousands of top secret Australian government documents were mistakenly sold at a second-hand shop in Canberra and later handed to the media, Australia’s state broadcaster has reported.  The ABC on Wednesday published details of the documents, which cover the secret discussions and decisions made by five governments over almost a decade.

The broadcaster described the trove as “one of the biggest breaches of cabinet security in Australian history”. The broadcaster has published a series of stories based on information in the documents, including how the Australian Federal Police lost nearly 400 national security files from the cabinet’s National Security Committee — a top secret body that deploys the military and approves kill, capture or destroy missions.

Schumer to Trump administration: Who met with Putin’s spy chief?

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is demanding to know whether anyone in the Trump administration met with a top Russian spy who visited the United States, after the Russian embassy said he had taken part in discussions on combating terrorism.

“The Trump administration must immediately come clean and answer questions: which U.S. officials did he meet with?” Schumer told reporters, flanked by Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin (Md.) and Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.).

The Russian embassy tweeted earlier Tuesday that Sergey Naryshkin, the director of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, had been in the United States “for consultations with … counterparts on the struggle against terrorism.”

NME’s 100 Most Influential Artists:

When the idea was first floated of an issue celebrating the most influential acts in music today, one question was paramount: where do you put The Beatles? Obviously modern music wouldn’t exist in its current form without them, virtually every facet of NME’s world can be traced back to ‘The White Album’, they’re clearly the most influential act in rock history. End of argument, right?

But how many bands today turn up to a rehearsal room plastered with posters of Ringo, neck a load of brown acid and plug in planning to write a 21st Century ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’? Far fewer, we reasoned, than want to write their own ‘Seven Nation Army’ or ‘Crystalised’. Ditto Dylan, The Stones and The Who, et al.

These are acts whose influence is written in stone, the very bedrock of the form, but who aren’t necessarily directly informing the music being made today any more than Chaucer is influencing Buzzfeed. Influence is a fluid concept, so rather than simply tipping our caps to the legends (again), we set out to quantify which are the biggest influences on today’s music scene.

There was a certain amount of science to it. An entire week of work experience students left the office thinking that cutting-edge music journalism in 2014 mostly involves calculating which bands have been mentioned most in NME in the past two years, then hunting out references to the bands that influenced those acts online and finally adding up the number of times each influence came up.

This gave us a rough list which our editorial team – heads swimming with all of the bands that Wolf Alice (or whoever) have raved on about over 4am ciders – then took to the pub, tore into shreds, fought and shouted about and finally reconstructed in the rundown of 100 you see in the mag today. The Beatles didn’t make it. Sorry.

The List by NME about the 100 most influential bands:

1. Deerhunter,
2. The Cure,
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs,
4. Iceage,
5. Country Teasers,
6. Dirty Projectors,
7. Richard Hawley,
8. Black Lips,
9. St. Vincent,
10. Foals,
11. Flying Lotus, ,
12. Simple Minds,
13. Oneohtrix Point Never,
14. Billy Bragg,
15. The Triffids,
16. Black Flag,
17. Nine Inch Nails,
18. The Jesus and Mary Chain,
19. Massive Attack,
20. Animal Collective,
21. Dusty Springfield,
22. Suicide,
23. Stevie Wonder,
24. Best Coast,
25. Vampire Weekend,
26. The Wedding Present,
27. Slint,
28. Wu-Tang Clan,
29. Grimes,
30. Rilo Kiley,
31. Pharrell,
32. Nick Lowe,
33. The National,
34. Jay Z,
35. The Slits,
36. Diplo,
37. The Zombies,
38. Talk Talk,
39. The Stooges,
40. DJ Shadow,
41. DJ Rashad,
42. Chic,
43. Black Sabbath,
44. James Blake,
45. Happy Mondays,
46. The Chills,
47. Aphex Twin,
48. The Fall,
49. Nas,
50. Television,
51. Sufjan Stevens,
52. Death From Above 1979,
53. Bat For Lashes,
54. The Cars,
55. Wiley,
56. T Rex,
57. Bikini Kill,
58. New Order,
59. PJ Harvey,
60. Led Zeppelin,
61. Tame Impala,
62. Brian Jonestown Massacre,
63. Dr. Dre,
64. Kraftwerk,
65. My Bloody Valentine,
66. TV on the Radio,
67. Depeche Mode,
68. The Knife,
69. Pavement,
70. Bjork,
71. Bon Iver,
72. Bruce Springsteen,
73. Beck,
74. The Stone Roses,
75. Fleetwood Mac,
76. Nirvana,
77. Queens of the Stone Age,
78. Burial,
79. Sonic Youth,
80. Hole,
81. Prince,
82. Neutral Milk Hotel,
83. Aaliyah,
84. Blur,
85. The Velvet Underground,
86. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers,
87. The Clash,
88. Joy Division,
89. The Breeders,
90. The Smiths,
91. The xx,
92. Nick Cave,
93. Kate Bush,
94. The Gun Club,
95. The Flaming Lips,
96. The Strokes,
97. The White Stripes,
98. Kanye West,
99. David Bowie,
100. Radiohead

Handywomen by Gardenista Team

While we’ve been admiring resourceful women in the gardening and outdoor world, the team at Remodelista has been featuring women contributing to the world of architecture and interiors (while also flexing their own handywomen DIY muscles).

Here are a few of our favorite Remodelista posts from this past week:

A Shopable Austin Bungalow, Outdoor Teepee Included (And in case you’re were curious, here’s How to Know When You’re Garden Needs a Teepee). On the search for a tool box of your own? Take your pick from 10 Easy Pieces: Stylish Tool Boxes. 

‘Glee’ Actor Mark Salling Found Dead At Age 35

Mark Salling, the former Glee star who last month pleaded guilty to child pornography charges, was found dead today in Los Angeles, a law enforcement official has confirmed to Deadline. The actor was 35.

The source said the death is being investigating by authorities as a possible suicide, and the coroner’s office is waiting to inform his next of kin and family members. His body was found near his home in Sunland, in northern Los Angeles.

Man dies after being sucked into MRI machine, police say

A 32-year-old man died in a freak accident in India after being sucked into an MRI machine Saturday night, authorities said.

Rajesh Maru carried an oxygen container into a room at Nair Hospital in Mumbai with an active MRI scanner, and its magnetic forces dragged him in, according to local police.

That’s when the oxygen cylinder apparently broke, emitting fatal concentrations of liquid oxygen that Maru inhaled, the Guardian reported, citing preliminary police reports.

The Mysteries and Tragedy of Russia’s Bottomless Karst Lake (PHOTOS)

The water is serene but deathly cold – and danger lurks beneath its surface. Yet, in the aquatic depths the promise of discovering hidden underwater caves and relics of our past awaits. Here, beauty and allure belie risks – but risks that some are prepared to take.

“A sapphire in a ring of green trees.” That’s how this stunning lake has been described. Even on overcast days, the water has a deep, crystal blue color like the gemstone to which it has been compared.

But there is much more than splendor to this lake. Beneath its smooth surface lie mysteries as yet unsolved. And some of these are secrets that the lake will not easily give up; at least, not if the recent tragic death of one diving explorer and the hospitalization of another are read as telltale signs.

9 Magical Zen Gardens

Zen garden is an interesting and deeply spiritual aspect of Japanese gardening traditions. The typical Zen garden consists of an enclosed and shallow sand box of sorts which features predominantly sand or gravel with rocks of various shapes and sizes.

The rocks and sand (or gravel) are the chief elements of the garden, which generally creates the scene of islands in the sea. The sand or gravel in a Zen garden represents the sea or ocean and is used instead of water. It will be carefully raked by tending monks to create the impression of waves on the surface of a body of water.

The rocks themselves represent islands or rock formations jutting out from the water. The overall goal is to create a small-scale recreation of an aerial or cliff-top view of an intricate coastal scene. One of the primary differences between a Zen garden and most other varieties is the lack of living elements. Although grass may sometimes be included, no other plant or flower species will be found in a classic Zen garden.

This can be both unusual and exotically appealing to people with no past experience with the history and meaning of a Zen garden.

The world’s most extraordinary hotels in pictures

Mihir Garh, Rajasthan 
“The fort sits in splendid isolation amid the Thar Desert near Jodhpur. It looks like an enormous sandcastle, a mirage, and is not just a unique place to stay; it’s a shrine to the artistic and architectural traditions of Rajasthan in general and Jodhpur in particular.”

Planet Baobab, Botswana
“Botswana’s Makgadigadi Pan comprises the world’s largest network of salt pans – a thirsty, mirage-inducing landscape of flat, shimmering expanses under hard blue skies. Halfway along the sole tarred road through this arid moonscape, a statue of an anteater towers at the dusty verge. It is a surreal sight, and an appropriate signpost for the distinctive Planet Baobab.”

Prendiparte B&B, Bologna, Italy
“A medieval high-rise turned romantic hideaway, the Torre Prendiparte is unlike anywhere else you’ll ever stay. The living area is on the first two floors and comprises a snug, classically-furnished living room, mezzanine bedroom, and kitchen. Above this is the former jail where you can still see graffiti left by prisoners on the 2m-thick walls.”

Qasr al Sarab, UAE
“Rising from the shifting sands, Qasr Al Sarab appears like a mirage on the edge of the vast Empty Quarter desert. Outside high crenellated walls echo fortresses of old. Inside rooms continue the dream of Arabian Nights with sumptuous fabrics, carved Islamic designs, woven rugs, wooden doors and metalwork lanterns.”

Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge, Tasmania, Australia
“A stay at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge plunges you into the heart of Tasmania’s wilderness, with luxury that feels as organic as your surrounds. The cabins are nestled privately in the bushland, with wallabies bounding past the windows and wombats shuffling amid the trees.”

Free Spirit Spheres, British Columbia, Canada
“Suspended in the trees on sturdy guide ropes, Vancouver Island’s Free Spirit Spheres look like giant eyeballs peering deep into the British Columbia woodlands. Step inside and the handmade orbs – accessed via spiral rope staircases or slender steel bridges – are lined like comfy boat cabins with built-in beds and cabinets.”

Taskonak Hotel, Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
“Göreme has dozens of beautiful cave-hotels but Taşkonak manages to dish up the cave-suites and stupendous views Cappadocia is famous for without breaking your budget.”

Thonga Beach Lodge, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa
“One of few such lodges within the extraordinary 328,000 hectare iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a Unesco world heritage site.”

Saugerties Lighthouse, New York state, USA
“Saugerties Lighthouse is a historic 1869 landmark that makes a wonderful base for exploring the scenic Hudson valley. It is 100 miles north of New York City, and the red brick building has played a pivotal role in safely guiding steamboats, barges and other vessels safely along the Hudson river over the years. More recently (in the mid 1990s), the lighthouse was transformed into a two-room B&B, providing safe haven of a different sort.”

The Gibbon Experience Treehouse, Bokeo Reserve, Laos
“The tree houses erected by conservation group Animo are a thing of architectural wonder, straddling the giant trunks of strangler fig trees. But more extraordinary still is that to reach these vertiginous eyries you’ll have to trek through the fecund realm of the tiger, then catch a series of exhilarating zip lines strung across the forest canopy, before flying into your night’s accommodation.”

Amazing color pictures from 1960s Budapest

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National Geographic Photo Contest

 

 

 

 

100 years old pictures in colours before World War I

Türkei, Bursa, Ladengeschaeft einer Confiserie, Auguste Leon, 1. Juni 1913

Vietnam. Tonkin, Leon Busy, 1914

Indien, Statue des Heiligen Stiers, Stephane Passet, 29. Januar 1914

Österreich, Wien, Judengasse, Fotograf unbekannt, 23. April 1913

Mongolei, nahe Ulaanbaatar Urga, Stéphane Passet, 23. Juli 1913

Irland, Galway, Marguerite Mespoulet, 26. Mai 1913

Indien, Uttar Pradesh, Agra. Mausoleum Taj Mahal von Shah Jahan für Mumtaz Mahal, Stéphane Passet, 19.-21. Januar 1914

Indien, Amritsar. Marmorne Strasse zum Goldenden Tempel, neben den rituellen Reinigungsbecken, dem Darbar Sahib und dem Hari Mandir, Stéphane Passet, 15. Januar 1914

China, nach Kalgan. Nomadenlager, drei Männer und ein Junge vor einer Jurte, Stéphane Passet, 18.-21. Juli 1912

Water pipe smoking. Samarkand

Mongolei, Ulaanbaatar. Der Finanzminister des unabhängigen Staats Mongolei auf dem Marktplatz, Stéphane Passet, 22. Juli 1913

Major Lazer & DJ Snake – Lean On (feat. MØ)

Listen To A Rare 1965 Recording Of Stanley Kubrick’s Most Profound Interview

When physicist and renowned author Jeremy Bernstein (born December 31, 1929) penned a terrific piece on 37-year-old burgeoning director Stanley Kubrick for The New Yorker, the story gained so much attention that Bernstein was commissioned to write an even more elaborate profile of the legendary filmmaker. Normally Kubrick would have flat-out refused, however, he agreed due to the fact that he shared a common passion with Bernstein — chess. When Bernstein travelled to Oxford, England for the conversation on November 27, 1965 it was also captured on tape. The interview remains to this day one of the most profound conversations with Kubrick ever recorded, and you can listen to it in full below.

Helios – Hope Valley Hill (Arms and Sleepers Remix)

Keith Kenniff – Helios

Mac DeMarco // “Brother” (OFFICIAL SINGLE)

 

Alan Watts: Sense of Nonsense

November 27, 1965: A Rare Recording of Stanley Kubrick’s Most Revealing Interview

“People react primarily to direct experience and not to abstractions; it is very rare to find anyone who can become emotionally involved with an abstraction.”

George Orwell on how to make the perfect cup of tea

Excerpt from Orwell’s fantastic 1946 essay outlining his 11 “golden” rules of tea /

Harald Grosskopf’s 1979 Masterpiece “Synthesist” Is 7 Minutes Of Pure Amazingness

Yesterday TEEN DAZE released a new mixtape which you can stream and download by visiting ThePlayground.co.uk.  The 8-track collection provides a perfect ambient backdrop for pretty much any situation, but the crown jewel of the mixtape is unquestionably Harald Grosskopf’s brilliant track “Synthesist”.

Shanghai Tower (650 meters)

Raskalov and Russian photographer Vadim Mahora broke into and climbed the Gensler-designed Shanghai Tower, soon to be China’s tallest and the world’s second tallest skyscraper at 632 meters (2,074 feet) high. Although the tower will eventually boast the world’s fastest elevators (reaching 40mph), the pair had to climb the 120 flights of stairs by foot (taking them about two hours); they then spent another 18 hours sleeping and waiting for the weather to clear. The staggering resulting images show not just the dizzying heights, but also fantastic views of the adjacent Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai World Financial Center (together, the trio of buildings that are re-defining the Shanghai skyline).

Adam Magyar – Stainless, 42 Street (excerpt)

High speed video recording in NYC at Grand Central station.

Tolkien & Sendak On The Psychology Of Fantasy & The Powerful Effect Of Fairy Tales On The Adult Mind

In March 1939, renowned fantasy writer J. R. R. Tolkien penned an essay enitled “On Fairy-Stories” which explores the nature of fantasy and the cultural role of fairy tales. His argument is the same — that there is no such thing as “writing for children.” Tolkien writes: “A ‘fairy-story’ is one which touches on or uses Faerie, whatever its own main purpose may be: satire, adventure, morality, fantasy. Faerie itself may perhaps most nearly be translated by Magic — but it is magic of a peculiar mood and power, at the furthest pole from the vulgar devices of the laborious, scientific, magician. There is one proviso : if there is any satire present in the tale, one thing must not be made fun of, the magic itself. That must in that story be taken seriously, neither laughed at nor explained away.”

Tolkien adds: “Creative fantasy, because it is mainly trying to do something else … may open your hoard and let all the locked things fly away like cage-birds.” You can read more excerpts from Tolkien’s essay by visiting BrainPickings.org.

The Aqualibrium Garden – The Future of Food

The Aqualibrium Garden – The Future of Food by “Aqualibrium”

The fish in the self-cleaning aquarium in the bottom chamber of the Aqualibrium Garden provide the nutrients that feed the plants in the self-watering grow space in the upper chamber. This cycle… like nature herself… is automatic, providing the potential to grow an abundance of fresh vegetables, herbs and flowering plants all year.

The Real Walter White (VIDEO)

When AMC’s Breaking Bad premiered in 2008, one of Alabama’s most successful meth cooks was already knee deep in building a massive meth empire. His name? Walter White. In this documentary, Walter tells us the secret behind his product, how he stacked up thousands of dollars per day, and why his partner is now serving two life sentences.

A new industry born from the disaster — LED indoor farm

A new industry born from the disaster — LED indoor farm

Awesome pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope

 

 

 

 

Great Gardens: “Prospect Cottage” by Howard Sooley – NOWNESS

http://vimeo.com/103807651

Great Gardens: “Prospect Cottage” by Howard Sooley – NOWNESS

Speeding Around The World in Under 5 minutes Time Lapse

17 Countries. 343 Days. 6237 Photographs. One incredible journey.

GoPro: Wild Downhill Ride with Claudio Caluori

Claudio Calouri and Will Longden takes us on a wild run through the UCI Downhill Course at Leogang in Austria.

World’s smallest cat – Big Cats

森の木琴

TOUCHWOOD SH-08C http://answer.nttdocomo.co.jp/touchwood/

“TRUMP ANTHEM” — A Bad Lip Reading of Donald Trump

Snow falls in the Sahara desert

The town of Ain Sefra, on the edge of the Sahara desert, was hit by icy weather last week – and even snow.

Snowfall is very rare in the Sahara, despite the fact that it can be cold at night – because there’s rarely enough water around for any kind of precipitation.

Unbelievable Unlikely Animal Friendships Compilation 2017

Winds on this mountain in the US will make it feel like -67C

Temperatures on a mountain peak in the US state of New Hampshire could fall so low you risk getting frostbite in just a couple of minutes.

Micro Wind Turbine

Oxmo Puccino – 365 Jours

The Future Of Transportation

The World in 2050