Russia | Cold United

Bruce Parry in Yakutsk, Yakutia/Siberia

On 06.25.10, In Adventures, Climate, Cultures, Environment, Lives, Photos, Projects, Societies, TV, Travel, documentary, By Bolot

Bruce Parry (with a tripod) and his team in Yakutsk, Yakutia/Siberia

Hurray! Bruce Parry with his IndusFilm crew is in the Siberian town of Yakutsk! What’s he doing here?

Bruce Parry (born 17 March 1969, in Hythe, Hampshire, England) is a former Royal Marine instructor who is now a TV presenter and adventurer, known particularly for the documentary programme series Tribe (known as Going Tribal in the United States), co-produced by the BBC and the Discovery Channel. Resource: Wiki.

I met Bruce Parry two days ago on Lenin Avenue in Yakutsk. Actually he and his team arrived early, on June 17th. They have already visited a village near the town, went for two celebrations of Ysyakh, Yakut national holiday. One was held in Gorny ulus (three hours by a car from Yakutsk) and Megino-Kangalassky region (just in the front of Yakutsk on the opposite bank of the Lena River). On the day of the meeting, they visited Epl Diamonds’ diamonds-cutting and jewelry’s factories and drove around the downtown shooting general views of the city.

First, I would love to tell the story of how his arrival happened to be possible. (more…)

Tagged with: Arctic • BBC • Bruce Parry • Climate change • Culture • documentary • Even • IndusFilms • reindeer herders • Russia • Sakkyryr • Siberia • social change • Yakut • Yakutia • Ysyakh

Arctic Movie: Siberia’s Yakutia in Nicolas Vanier’s LE LOUP

On 06.24.10, In Climate, Cultures, Lives, Movies, Videos, By Bolot

Director: Nicolas Vanier
Location: Topolinoe, the Verkhoyansk Range, Yakutia/Siberia.

(more…)

Tagged with: Arctic • arctic movies • Even • France • french • husky • loup • movie • Nicolas Vanier • Reindeer • Russia • Siberia • trailer • wolf • Yakutia

Arctic News Digest, June 23, 2010. By George Lessard.

On 06.23.10, In Lives, News, Science, By Bolot

Canada's booth at the IPY Conference in Oslo. Credit: Mark Terry. CanadianGeographic.ca

THIS TIME: Arctic Tundra to Shrink by 51 Percent / Arctic aboriginals wonder if they’ll be pawns again in the new rush to develop the North / Methane Releases From Arctic Shelf May Be Much Faster Than Anticipated /

(more…)

Tagged with: Alaska • Arctic • Arctic aboriginals • Arctic news • Bering Strait • Canada • Chukotka • George Lessard • North • Russia • USA

My photo in The Encyclopedia of Weather & Climate Change!

On 06.21.10, In Climate, Environment, Lives, People, Photos, Projects, By Bolot

My photo in the Encyclopedia of Weather and Climate Change

My photo of women waiting for a bus in Yakutsk in winter was published in “The Encyclopedia of Weather & Climate Change. A Complete Visual Guide.” Can you believe it? Aaaah. I don’t. This is like a dream.

Funny, but a year ago, when I received Mr. Lachlan McLaine’s message titled “Image query”, I didn’t pay much attention to it. Actually, I did, but I couldn’t realize how big the project Mr. McLaine mentioned was, though he wrote that he was currently working as a project editor on a book titled “The Encyclopedia of Weather”. He said, “It’s a big project with an emphasis on good informative photos and illustrations.”

At that moment, his words didn’t mean anything special to me. I was just an ordinary Siberian guy, who was voluntarily developing YakutiaToday.com, the website dedicated to my lovely Siberian region called the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). And here I received the message saying “The picture wanted.”

First, I was just happy at the fact that my old picture posted on the mentioned web resource deserved any attention. Second, I said, “Why not? Take it, but, please, give the link to my site.” Third, I asked Mr. McLaine, “Is it possible to get one copy?” My intention was simple, I wanted to practice my English. My weather terminology is still weak, you know.

One year passed, and here we are. See further what was the final result. I am so happy. I am ready to repeat “Thank you, Mr. McLaine!” as many as possible. This post is one of my ways of saying “Thank!” (more…)

Tagged with: Climate change • cold • cold weather • Encyclopedia • photo • Russia • Sakha • Siberia • Weather • winter • Yakutia • Yakutsk

Winter Photo Journey to Russia’s South Ural, the Europe-Asia border

On 05.28.10, In Natures, Photos, Travel, By Bolot

The Taganai National Park in South Ural in Russia. An awesome snowy mountains between Europe and Asia. A winter nature photo by Ivan Dementievsky. Click the photo to enlarge.

The Taganai National Park in South Ural in Russia. Between Europe and Asia. Photo by Ivan Dementievsky.

Published initially on the Facebook page “Russia. Travel across the country.” This is an amazing online place, where you can enjoy the fascinating & beautiful nature photographs of the world’s biggest country. Btw, there are many “cold” pictures on it as well. (more…)

Tagged with: mountain • national park • nature • photo • Russia • Taganai • taiga • Travel • Ural • Ural Range

Arctic Movie: “How I Ended This Summer”

On 05.23.10, In Movies, Videos, By Bolot

A movie that didn’t leave me indifferent…

How I Ended This Summer (Translit from Russian: Kak ya provyol etim letom) is a 2010 Russian drama film directed by Alexei Popogrebski. It was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival.

Synopsis: Two men working at an isolated meteorological station on an Arctic island gradually begin to lose touch with reality.

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Tagged with: Arctic • arctic movies • Chukotka • drama • island • meteorogical station • movie • Russia • Russian Arctic • trailer

Indigenous people of Russia battered by hardships

On 05.21.10, In Cultures, Daily, Lives, People, Societies, By Bolot

Resource development has only led to more misery for northern Russia's indigenous peoples, Larissa Abryutina from the Russian Association of the Indigenous People of the North, tells a Laval university conference on the challenges of sustainable development and sovereignty in the Arctic on May 18.

Pollution, alcoholism, poor health care reduce life expectancy to between 40 to 45 years.

QUEBEC CITY — Many of the 280,000 indigenous peoples of Russia’s north are watching their communities and cultures teeter on the brink of extinction as economic hardships force them to leave their homelands and migrate in droves to the city.

Many of those who remain behind have abandoned traditional values and become “profit-driven in their search for compensation for their traditional lands,” Larissa Abryutina of the Russian Association of the Indigenous People of the North said May 18 in a presentation to a conference at Laval University on sustainable development and sovereignty in the Arctic.

Like other speakers, Abryutina revealed a striking irony: that it’s much easier to find bad examples of development and self-determination in the Arctic than good ones.

Abryutina, a Chukchi, is herself a casualty of the desperate choices facing northern Russian indigenous people: a doctor of radiology, she left her home region of Chukotka due to its declining standard of living.

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Tagged with: alcoholism • Chukotka • community • Culture • Far East • health care • Indigenous Peoples • Nenets • North • North Siberia • pollution • Russia • sovereignty • sustainable development

Snow Change in North Siberia: Indigenous Peoples’ Views on Climate Change and Ecology

On 05.19.10, In Climate, Cultures, Environment, Lives, People, Science, Societies, By Bolot

Reindeer in Yakutia, North Siberia, Russia. Photo by Bolot Bochkarev.

Here I would like to share the current results of the Siberian part of the Snow Change International Research Project realization. It took me real efforts to find this information. The project I am about described has its own website, but its owner doesn’t have time to publish a very interesting research results info on its online resource. Therefore, I asked a regional coordinator, the Northern Forum Academy chairman, Vladimir Vasiliev, to present the text to me. He did, but it was totally written in Russian. So I have translated it into English and not sure yet if some terms sound correctly. If any, just let me know about mistakes.

About: SnowChange is a not-for-profit independent cooperative organisation with headquarters in Finland. Head of International Affairs: Tero Mustonen
Status: Active. Website: SnowChange.org.

Project Mission

The international community network of SnowChange spans all eight Arctic states. Most of the member communities and families are from the various Arctic Indigenous Nations and other subsistence communities.

The project involves working with the various Northern areas and peoples on the topics of ecological, especially climatic and weather changes from the scientific and traditional knowledge point of view. In addition to the community documentation Snowchange as well works to advance local Indigenous knowledge in the global context and advance decolonisation of the North in the face of rapid changes.

The scientific priority of Snowchange is currently in the following areas of the North:
- The Saami territories of Finland, Russia, Sweden and Norway
- Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Murmansk and Republic of Karelia in Russian Federation
- Savo, North Karelia and Kainuu, Finland
- Iceland and Faroe Islands
- British Columbia, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada
- Alaska, USA

In addition to the operations in all Arctic countries (United States / Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Greenland and Faroe Islands (Denmark), Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russian Federation) SnowChange has partners in Bolivia, Nepal, Ghana and New Zealand.

Report on the Snow Change project realization in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
Information from its regional coordinator, Vladimir Vasiliev
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Tagged with: Arctic • Climate change • climate changes • Environment • Evenk • Finland • Iengra • Indigenous Peoples • Indigenous Peoples of the Russian North • Kolyma • NGO • North Siberia • Northern Forum • Northern Siberia • Reindeer • reindeer herders • research project • Russia • Science • Siberia • snow change • snow report • Yakutia • Yukagir

Videos: Enjoy the fragile beauty of the Arctic & the North Pole

On 05.13.10, In Climate, Environment, Natures, Science, Travel, Videos, By Bolot

Two Arctic/North Pole scientific expeditions. Take your time and enjoy the Arctic! This beauty is fragile. Climate changes and global warming, you know, do gain ground.

Video #1: Jean-Louis Etienne’s Generali Arctic Observer

A famous French Arctic explorer Jean-Louis Etienne’s The North Pole balloon crossing from Spitsbergen to Siberia’s Yakutia in April of 2010. Check out the Generali Arctic Observer expedition website. More info on his landing and rescue operation in Siberia’s Yakutia, north from the village of Batagai, Verkhoyansky region, at eYakutia.com.

Video #2: North Pole + Nuclear Icebreaker Yamal + Magic of Arctic Ice

From Russia’s Chukotka via the North Pole to Scandinavia by the Russian nuclear powered ice-breaker “Yamal”. You may also want to go to the North Pole. Hurry up! The Arctic is melting fast. It sounds like a joke, but, unfortunately, it is not.

If you can recommend more videos with the awesome Arctic views, please, share. Leave your links in comments.

Tagged with: Arctic • balloon • Batagai • Chukotka • cold • expedition • France • Generali Arctic Observer • global worming • Greenland • ice • Jean-Louis Etienne • Kisilyakh • melting • North • North Pole • Norway • nuclear ice-braker • Polar ice • Polo Norte • Russia • Sakha Republic • Scandinavia • Science • Siberia • snow • Spitzberg • USA • Verkhoyansky • Yakutia • Yamal

Bryan & Cherry Alexander’s extensive collection of Arctic photographs

On 05.09.10, In Climate, Cultures, Lives, People, Photos, Travel, By Bolot

Even herders riding on reindeer at their winter pastures near Verkhoyansk. Yakutia, Siberia, Russia.

I really love what the UK couple Bryan & Cherry Alexander do. They’ve got a great collection of “cold” pictures on the website ArcticPhoto.co.uk. It’s their stock library. Yeah, they make money on their works, but they are pro photographers. The point is that they are totally devoted to Arctic and Antarctic! That’s what I love in them.

I found their website eight years ago, when I searched pictures from Yakutia’s Arctic. They’ve got amazing photographs of the ordinary people of Verkhoyansk, the 2nd or, maybe, the 1st Pole of Cold in the northern hemisphere. In their Yakutia-related collection you can see hunters, horse herders, reindeer herders, Yakut villagers, Even nomads, etc. I think they were the first international photographers, who managed to visit Verkhoyanks in 90s.

No need to introduce Bryan & Cherry Alexander. They are pretty well-known. Their cold-related works are regular printed in the world’s leading magazines. They’ve got photos from all Arctic regions – Northern Siberia, Greenland, Alaska, Arctic Canada and Arctic Scandinavia. Their power is their ability “to document the lives of the native peoples who live in these remote places.”

If you are interested, what type of people live in the Arctic zone, just check out their collection with photographs of Inuit, Innu, Cree, Dene, Komi, Khanty, Nenets, Dolgan, Nganasan, Even, Evenk, Evenki, Yakut, Chukchi, Sami, Selkup, and Yupik. Even with watermarks they are pretty informative