Russia: Extreme Censorship

Few countries have as extensive a history of censorship as Russia, though many of the Soviet-era restrictions had been lifted during the 80s and 90s. Clearly Vladimir Putin has a touch of nostalgia, however. Obviously the big news was the introduction of legislation against the positive portrayal of homosexuality brought into law earlier this year, but this doesn't seem to have sated the need to crack down on free expression.


Stalker, one of the classics of Russian
cinema, will be restricted by the law

Putin has signed a new law banning swearing in Russian media. That's all books, magazines, newspapers, films, television, theatre, music etc. Those breaching the new law will face a hefty fine. Existing media containing swearing will have to be clearly marked with a warning, though the threat of shutting down traders not adequately warning their audience will presumably convince many that stocking such material isn't worth the risk. Disputes as to what constitutes a swear word will be handled by an expert panel (hopefully made up of Gordon Ramsey, Samuel L. Jackson and Quentin Tarantino).

The move will also presumably prevent the showing/publication of many foreign works (I can't see Game of Thrones slipping through!). It's also unclear how it'll affect online services such as Facebook and Twitter.

Any one want to place bets on what Russia will ban next?

Original story: BBC News

Exploding whale threatens Canadian town

I really wish that headline was exaggerated somehow. Sadly, no.

A dead blue whale has washed up in the small Newfoundland town of Trout River (seriously Canada, name your towns better!), attracting a wave of tourism. Unfortunately the small town isn't really geared up to dispose of a 25-metre whale carcass, and it's starting to get a little pungent.


never, ever type 'exploding whale'
 into a google image search

More alarmingly, the corpse is now beginning to bloat, sparking fears of an internal gas explosion (still not exaggerating). Currently refused any government assistance, the town population of 688 are now faced with a battle aginst the clock to somehow remove the carcass before things get... messy.


Original story: Escapist

Thieves: We're in it for the honey...

Sometimes people do things so insane that I just can't work out how they conceived the idea in the first place. Case in point - thieves in Perthshire have stolen thousands of bees.

Bees. The perfect honey heist.

Yes, bees - the buzzy yellow and black things that make honey. Why would you possiby steal bees? I can't imagine they're too easy to fence. A cheap way into the honey industry? Who knows?

Source: BBC

Physics students (sort of) learn how to throw a fireball

Sometimes I can't help but think that scientists have way too much time on their hands. Especially three physics students from the University of Leicester, who have been investigating how an ordinary human being might throw a fireball without any additional source of combustion. The solution is simple - just hurl a gasoline soaked volleyball at a constant speed of 93mph or higher. The viscous drag forces would ignite the gasoline and hey presto, fireball.

Picture credit: Nintendo

The slight problem is that the fastest recorded volleyball throw is 66mph, and the ball would start to slow as soon as it left the hand. This would make igniting the ball impossible for an unaided human, which is presumably a relief considering the proximity of the thrower's gasoline soaked hands. Besides, I'm still holding out for someone discovering how to set things on fire by glaring at them...

Source: Escapist Magazine