The Olympics gives the world’s most talented athletes a chance to show their abilities to people all over the globe. It also gives the world’s most wealthy marketers a chance to show their products to that same audience.

Among the Games’ biggest sponsors is Samsung, whose Galaxy Note 3 was granted the title of official phone of the Sochi Olympics in thanks of its manufacturer’s generosity. Some reports are claiming that the Korean electronics maker isn’t showing a respect for healthy competition, though, by asking athletes with iPhones to make sure they cover the Apple logo when on-camera.

The relationship between the Olympics and corporate sponsorship is largely accepted as a necessary, if somewhat distasteful, part of putting on such a large-scale event. After all, no one wants to see the best in the world compete in venues that look more appropriate for a junior college athletics meet. At the same time, realistically speaking, a lot of Olympic facilities won’t see anything more than limited use after the closing ceremonies.

▼ Admit it, you just sort of forgot luging existed for the last four years.

Olympic-quality sports facilities don’t often make sense from a simple expense and revenue comparison, so in order to achieve the quality that competitors and spectators alike have come to expect, organizers need to solicit sponsorship money. And while we’re sure many companies open their wallets out of simple philanthropy, once you start talking about the kind of money necessary to be a marque sponsor, that cash outlaw has to be weighed against the possibility of how much goodwill, and with it future profit, the sponsorship is going to generate.

Such feelings are at least partly in play with Samsung, which has provided every athlete with his or her very own Galaxy Note 3. While we’re sure there are competitors from impoverished nations whose quest for Olympic glory has meant forgoing buying the latest electronics, it’s safe to assume that several Olympiads already have a smartphone. After all, most Olympic athletes are in the prime of their youth, making them digital natives for whom a smartphone is as much a lifestyle necessity as air conditioning or hot running water.

So why provide them with yet another phone?

The obvious explanation is that Samsung hopes that people around the world will see their country’s representatives chatting away or snapping pictures with a Galaxy. Once they see the image enough, a connection will form between the company’s electronics and the healthy, successful Olympiads that are the very embodiment of hope and potential.

Given Samsung’s circumstances, it’s an understandable ambition, and given that the company currently holds the share of the smartphone market, their products obviously aren’t without merit. But like any business, Samsung wants the largest slice of the pie it can claim, and in its heart of hearts, it’d prefer that pie had no Apple.

▼ Samsung execs’ hatred of their rival is so intense it’s said they actually eat rhubarb.

Media outlets including Switzerland’s Bluewin, China’s Sina, and MSN Japan/Sankei News West have reported that when athletes were given their Galaxies, they came with a written request. If they still chose to use their iPhone at the Games, they were asked to cover the Apple logo when cameras were present.

The rumor struck a nerve with advocates of both freedom of speech and Cupertino-designed telecommunications devices. Reporters in Japan spoke with a Japanese national who previously worked at Samsung, and who feels there may be some truth to the rumors. “It seems very much like something Samsung would do,” the former employee began, who said during his time with the Korean company he often heard executives telling subordinates, “Do whatever you have to in order to crush Apple.”

Samsung itself has denied asking athletes to cover the logos on the iPhones, and expanded on this by stating to reporters from the U.K.’s The Guardian that such branding decisions lie outside its jurisdiction at the games, and are instead the dominion of the International Olympic Committee. When questioned by The Guardian, the IOC also refuting the rumor, explicitly stating that athletes are free to use the electronics of their choice.

▼ So don’t throw away your Astels yet, Olympic hopefuls!

Sources: Hachima Kiko, MSN Japan, The Guardian
Top image: Paperblog
Insert images: Koco, Apple iPhoner, Dawson’s Bakery, Boobytrap

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• I used the giant Samsung phone that Apple wants to kill — and I’m never going back to a tiny screen again
• Major Electronics Producer Sharp Forms Capital Alliance with Korea’s Samsung

Origin: Samsung, IOC deny asking iPhone carrying Olympic athletes to cover their Apple logos
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Vadim Makhorov and Vitaliy Raskalov, a pair of Russian and Ukrainian climbers, have made a name for themselves around the world after a video of them scaling the 632m (2,073ft)-tall Shanghai Tower went viral and attracted over 21 million views in a week.

In the video we see the pair sneak into and make their way from the foundation to the top, drawing comments from viewers such as “I almost s**t the bed just watching this,” and “[those] guys have some balls.” Indeed this video might be disturbing for those suffering from acrophobia or vertigo.

First we see the pair walking along the streets to the tower. Yup, just a couple of Russian guys walking down a Shanghai street in ski masks in the middle of the night – nothing weird or suspicious about that.

Once they entered the building they start taking the stairs, at which point the viewer may think they’re being suckered into some hot stair-climbing action.

Then suddenly the stairs go away. In an impressive feat of equilibrium-strength these two venture out onto a narrow ledge and take some pictures of the city’s taller buildings emerging from the mist.

By daylight they come out near the top of the building. But aren’t done yet. Makhorov and Raskalov start to climb the construction crane on top of the building; a network of thin piping and thin steel grates all eerily reminiscent of my recurring nightmare.

Then they reach the tip of the crane–taking them to a total height of 650m (2,133ft) according to the title of the video. The two then sit back and take in the surreal view of Shanghai and I vomit a little inside my mouth.

Of course by scaling the second-largest building in the world you can bet these guys aren’t novices at this kind of thing. In fact they got into some hot water a while back for climbing the pyramids in Egypt and taking gorgeous pictures.

Image: Vitaly Raskalov

This time, having illegally entered private property, they have run the risk of ticking off the Chinese government. They chose the Chinese New Year vacation to make the climb as construction would be halted and fewer people would be around.

Luckily, from everything I’ve heard about them, China’s authorities seem like an easygoing bunch so the climbers should be fine. No, wait. I’m thinking of the guys who run the video rental shop up the street. The building company and Shanghai authorities are quite upset and concerned over the risk of copycat climbers releasing a statement which read “The act that these two people have committed is a violation of the laws of our country. Public Safety has already launched an investigation.”

Best of luck, guys…

Source: YouTube – raskalovit, Shanghai Tower (Chinese)
For much more climbing photography you can see Vitaliy Raskalov’s blog on Livejournal (Russian / English)
Original article by Meg Sawai

▼ Some views of Shanghai Tower from below (Photos: RocketNews24)

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Origin: Russian climbers break into and scale the world’s second tallest building, Shanghai Tower
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The Sochi Olympics didn’t quite turn out how Russian figure skater Yulia Lipnitskaya had hoped. After losing out to her Russian teammate and placing 5th overall in the ladies competition, you can bet that this talented 15-year-old will be back with a vengeance for the 2018 Winter Games.

But despite her relative inexperience on the international stage, she has already made quite a name for herself across the world with her fierce determination, signature spin, and blunt remarks. Over the past several weeks she’s also amassed quite the following of Japanese fans. One piece of art made by a Japanese fan even caught the attention of none other than the skater herself! Read on to see the fan drawing that Yulia posted on her personal social networking site.

First, let’s check out this collection of some of the other fan-made artwork that has been popping up around the web!

▼Performing her signature “I” spin- look at that flexibility!

▼Sketchy-style

▼Wow, absolutely gorgeous!

▼In the style of kirigami, the Japanese art of paper cutting

▼”I wanted to draw a quick picture of Yulia during my break time, but gave up halfway.”

▼Adorable super-deformed version

 ▼”The athlete I admire is Mao. The thing I hate is the media” (click here for the reason why). Illustration by bona fide manga artist Takashi Shiina

…And so on. Even Yulia herself stumbled upon a drawing uploaded by Twitpic user @lizhi3 and uploaded it to her VK account (VK is one of the largest  social media sites in Europe).

▼Yulia’s VK account profile page

▼@lizhi3′s picture displayed on Yulia’s account page

It must be pretty exciting for an Olympic athlete to take notice of your artwork, huh?

Source/Images: Netorabo
Cover image: YouTube

• Japan’s Nikkan Sports under fire after publishing hugely unflattering photos of Mao Asada
• South Korea protests Olympic figure skating result over biased judging
• Russia’s “Emperor of Ice” Evgeni Plushenko thanks Japanese fan, shares thoughts on Yuzuru Hanyu
• Each of Mao Asada’s Olympic performances led to a power station’s worth of electricity demand
• Russian figure skater Yulia Lipnitskaya is a firecracker both on and off the ice

Origin: Artwork by Japanese fan catches the eye of Russian figure skater Yulia Lipnitskaya
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Japan just can’t seem to get enough of Russian figure skaters. It’s nothing new, either. In fact, 2002 Olympic champion Alexei Yagudin published his autobiography in Japan before in his home country! Yesterday, we shared with you some fan art dedicated to 15-year-old Yulia Lipnitskaya, who even displayed a piece on her personal social media site. Today, Japanese netizens are gushing over megastar Evgeni Plushenko, affectionately dubbed “Puru-sama” in Japan. Although he ended up withdrawing from the men’s singles event during the Sochi Games, he did help his country win the team event earlier in the week, and has a stack of medals to his name won in previous years’ Games.

But now that he has officially retired from the sport, many people are wondering where life will take Puru-sama next. Could there be a future in coaching for him? It looks like it could be a legitimate possibility after he praised newly-crowned Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu and responded to a Japanese fan’s tweet a couple of days ago. 

It all began when Japanese Twitter user Uchida Haruko posted the following piece of fan art of Plushenko on her account. She explained, “Plushenko really is ‘the Emperor of Ice,’ so I’m just going to leave this portrait of ‘Plushenko the First’ here.”

▼Hmm, I don’t recall this historical portrait from my high school European history class…

Shortly afterwards, she was shocked to see that the Emperor himself had responded to her tweet by writing “спасибо” [spasibo], which means “thank you” in Russian. As a first-year university student, she was beside herself with excitement that he had even noticed her tweet.

▼Uchida Haruko’s original tweet plus Plushenko’s response

She then wrote, “It’s a miracle! My idol Plushenko has found this lowly tweet out of thousands of his followers, and probably made the effort to translate the Japanese and read it. Waaaa!!!! Now I can die happy.”

Around the same time, another Twitter user tweeted the message, “Plushenko should become Yuzuru’s coach,” to which Uchida Haruko answered, “It seems like he’s actually seriously considering that, if you look at this picture.”

The picture that Uchida Haruko links to is actually a compilation of screenshots from an interview with Plushenko on Japanese TV (you can view the picture here if you just scroll down a bit). Plushenko and the reporter are talking about new Japanese Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu. Here’s a translation of the Japanese subtitles from the screenshots:

Reporter: “What kind of thing do you want to teach Yuzuru Hanyu?”

Plushenko: “A quadruple toe loop-quadruple toe loop. He should be able to land more than two kinds of quadruple jumps. He’s still only 19 years old, so he can definitely learn. That includes the possibility for quad-quad jumps. Yuzuru is a genius on ice and he gave a wonderful performance.”

Needless to say, the Emperor’s high praise for a popular Japanese skater further cemented his celebrity status in Japan. Here’s what some Japanese fans had to say after seeing the interview screenshots:

“Plushenko, you’re soooo cool! I hope your surgery goes well, by the way.”

“He really is watching the younger skaters carefully.”

“I wonder when he’s coming to Japan next…I want to welcome him!”

“Plushenko’s popularity is gonna skyrocket now!”

“It would be great if figure skating could connect Russia and Japan more. I also want to see Yuzuru give an exciting exhibition performance like Plushenko sometime!”

We’ll keep our eyes out for any news about the two of them collaborating together in the future!

Source/Images: Hamusoku
Top image: YouTube

• Russian figure skater Yulia Lipnitskaya is a firecracker both on and off the ice
• South Korea protests Olympic figure skating result over biased judging
• Figure-skating silver medalist Chan prepared by drumming to K-ON!
• Korean broadcast asserts Yuna Kim’s gold medalist status at Sochi Olympics with cheeky subtitle
• Each of Mao Asada’s Olympic performances led to a power station’s worth of electricity demand

Origin: Russia’s “Emperor of Ice” Evgeni Plushenko thanks Japanese fan, shares thoughts on Yuzuru Hanyu
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Adelina Sotnikova’s gold medal at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics will no doubt be remembered as one of the most controversial wins in recent Olympic history. Despite the Russian putting on a dazzling performance, many felt that South Korea’s Yuna Kim deserved the win and that it was only through some decidedly suspicious voting on the part of the judges that Sotnikova was able to claim the first prize.

Since the event, the internet masses have been more than vocal on the issue, but this week Sotnikova’s own public Facebook page has been plastered with angry comments – mostly but not all from users with Korean usernames – and decidedly unflattering pictures of the skater’s face merged with that of animated ogre Shrek, who is shown as wanted for the theft of a gold medal, and photoshopped images of her standing in second place on the winner’s podium while Yuna Kim takes first.

Along with a number of comments from well-wishers congratulating the skater on her Olympic win, there are currently hundreds of posts from disgruntled figure skating fans (and perhaps a handful of trolls who love to hate no matter what) making it quite clear that they feel Sotnikova did not deserve the gold.

There are a number that we have chosen not to publish, but here’s a sample of the images that have been posted to the Russian skater’s Facebook wall to date.

▼ Podium play

▼ Umm?

▼ There are also a number of frankly bizarre images alluding to the “moth-like” outfit Adelina wore in previous competitions.

▼ And then the “Shrek” trolling (ogre-ing?) started.

As clever and creative as a couple of these images are, I think it’s important to take a moment to remember that, whether you think she deserved the gold or not, Adelina Sotnikova remains an extremely talented figure skater and has achieved more in her short career than most athletes could ever hope to. She currently holds the gold not because she snatched it away from Yuna Kim with her bare hands, but because a group of people trusted to decide who was best on the day decided that she deserved it. If anyone is to blame here it’s the panel, not the skater, and I’m sure the Adelina would far rather that her first ever gold at the Olympic Games – the ultimate prize for any athlete – were not tainted by controversy like it currently is.

Haters are gonna hate, sure, but let’s not get personal here, guys. Adelina might be an Olympic athlete, but she’s also just a 17-year-old kid, and it can’t be easy to have complete strangers giving you grief online for something you probably had no hand in whatsoever.

Source: Itai News, Facebook

• Korean broadcast asserts Yuna Kim’s gold medalist status at Sochi Olympics with cheeky subtitle
• The Winter Olympics would have been far more fun with Mario Kart power-ups 【Video】
• Each of Mao Asada’s Olympic performances led to a power station’s worth of electricity demand
• South Korea protests Olympic figure skating result over biased judging
• Figure-skating silver medalist Chan prepared by drumming to K-ON!

Origin: Adelina Sotnikova’s Facebook page plastered with photoshopped hate mail
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Does the name Valeria Lukyanova seem to ring a bell? If you’ve been hanging around enough, you might remember our previous posts about the Ukraine-based Russian model who is known as the “real-life Barbie“. We haven’t heard news of her for about a year or so, but she’s back in the spotlight again and this time, it’s not about her already well-known doll-like looks.

Word is, she’s now attempting to survive on only air and light. Holy cow, could she really be turning into a real Barbie doll?!

The 28-year-old Valeria Lukyanova is famous for her uncanny resemblance to the popular Mattel doll with her cosmetically enhanced chiseled features and unbelievable body proportions.

It was previously reported that she follows a strict liquid diet and works out at the gym regularly to maintain her enviable waistline, but her 50-centimeter waist seems to have shrunken further with practice of Breatharianism, a new age practice that advocates a lifestyle that is sustained sans the consumption of food or water. According to a recent report on the International Business Times, Valeria said, “In recent weeks I have not been hungry at all; I’m hoping it’s the final stage before I can subsist on air and light alone”.

While Valeria appears to be positive about her new “diet”, many netizens have regarded it as a form of anorexia and comments asking her to “eat something” or “get a sandwich” surface on her Facebook pages from time to time.

Valeria has also previously mentioned that she thinks that she came from another planet, has the ability to travel through time, and can speak with aliens through light. Perhaps her unique “origin” contributes to her ability to survive on air and light, but the last time we checked, humans need to eat and drink to stay alive.

Although the whole Breatharianism thing may sound like a feasible way to cut down a few inches around the waist and save money at the same time, you might want to keep in mind that some people have actually died from starvation while attempting to attain the ways of the extreme practice. We don’t usually try to influence our readers’ choices in life, but for once, kids, make sure you consult a trustworthy adult before attempting something like that!

Source: ETtoday
Reference: International Business Times, Wikipedia
Images: Valeria Lukyanova on Facebook

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Origin: Real-life Barbie now survives on light and air, might be turning into a real doll【Photos】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Russia has been all over the headlines recently. Earlier this year, it was for the Sochi Winter Olympics. More recently, it’s because president Vladimir Putin has been flexing his muscles again, this time in Crimea.

As the world’s eighth largest economy Russia can’t be ignored. The sheer scale of its pipelines, for instance, its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, or its population decline are mind-boggling.

We put together some key facts about Russia.

Russia has the same surface area as Pluto.

Wikimedia Commons

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Origin: 17 Mind-Blowing Facts About Russia
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

So there seems to be just a teeny bit of political turmoil in Eastern Europe these days, what with almost every voter in formerly-Soviet Crimea saying they’re happy to cut ties with Ukraine and have the region annexed by Russia. It’s a thorny opening act for the newly-appointed Crimean attorney general, but Natalia Poklonskaya can at least count on the moral support of thousands of Japanese men. Not because they necessarily agree with her political views, though, but because the 33-year-old Poklonskaya looks more like she came from Central Casting than the judicial branch of government.

Of course, where there’s love-struck Japanese men pondering the ideal forms of female beauty, anime artwork can’t be far behind, and there’s a growing batch of Poklonskaya fan art making the rounds on the Internet.

As a reminder, here’s how Poklonskaya looked in her steamy breakout video, titled New Attorney General of Crimea is beautiful. Not only was her performance so apparently sensuous that it caused its Japanese poster to suddenly drop capitalization conventions mid-title, it’s already attracted over 240,000 views in the short time it’s been online. This is in spite of the fact that literally 40 percent of its runtime is nothing more than a shot of Poklonskaya blinking as a reporter asks a question that’s inaudible in the video, plus the complete lack of any translation of her response.

▼ Our Ukranian is a little rusty, but we’re pretty sure she’s saying, “Boy, those guys at RocketNews24 are just doing a bang-up job, aren’t they?”

Still, good looks are the international language, and it seems amateur artists in Japan, South Korea, and China all decided that whatever the definitions of the words coming out of Poklonskaya’s mouth were, what she was really saying was “Draw me!” They answered the call, then took to artwork sharing site Pixiv to show off their takes on the young stateswoman.

▼ Super-deformed Poklonskaya asserting, “I….I’m the attorney general!”

▼ A somewhat more sedate rendition

This one shows a bit of an Attack on Titan influence, especially along the lower edge of the eyes.

▼ Some very impressive line work here, with a bit of a ‘90s manga retro vibe

Of course, some artists couldn’t resist the urge to pump up the subject’s bust size.

Typical anime fan, right? I mean, what’s next? Cat girl Poklonskaya?

▼ Well, yeah.

Here’s hoping a resolution can be found to the crisis in the Ukraine that makes everyone happy, and the situation has a storybook ending. After all, we’ve already got the illustrations.

Sources: Pixiv via Kotaku USA
Top image: Pixiv
Insert images: YouTube, Pixiv

• Crimean attorney general responds to the Internet’s attempts to turn her into an anime character
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Origin: Admirers express their love for Crimean attorney general in the purest way they can: cute fan art
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Japan’s infatuation with Natalia Poklonskaya, Crimea’s newly appointed and unusually photogenic attorney general, is still going strong. In the week since we first reported on it, fan art based on Eastern Europe’s comeliest stateswoman has continued to proliferate.

But how do Poklonskaya, and for that matter her anime-loving daughter, feel about the unique sort of attention she’s been getting?

In some ways, it isn’t so shocking that anime-style artists have made the 33-year-old Poklonskaya their muse. After all, Japanese society prizes earnestness, and whether you’re talking about school and work uniforms or personal clothing, Japan always likes a snappy dresser.

So perhaps this bout of artistic expression was inevitable. Still, it’s got to be a little unusual for Poklonskaya. After all, does she even know what anime is, let alone like it?

Apparently the press was just as curious as we were, as the following question came up in an interview Poklonskaya gave.

The divorcee replied that while she doesn’t watch Japanese animation herself, her nine-year-old daughter does, and couldn’t be happier that the same country that makes the cartoons she enjoys is now enshrining her mother in the medium’s style.

“My daughter looks at these pictures every day,” Poklonskaya explained in comments given at another time than shown in the video above. “She happily tells me, ‘Mom, you’re becoming an anime heroine in Japan,’ which of course is very exciting for her. As for myself, though, I’m too busy to really pay much attention to the drawings.”

The attorney general also answered a reporter’s question as to whether she’s met with any of the Japanese artists who have made her their subject, replying good naturedly that she had not, and indeed most fan art depicts her right side, much like her most-viewed video appearances.

Despite her lack of personal interest, though, Poklonskaya doesn’t mind being the subject of so many sketches. “Public figures and people in the government are often drawn, and this cannot be avoided,” she said matter-of-factly.

It’s good to know she’s OK with it, since it doesn’t look like the anime Poklonskaya trend is going to be slowing down anytime soon.

Sources: Russia no Koe
Top image: YouTube, Wikipedia (modified by RocketNews24)
Insert images: Wikipedia, YouTube

• Admirers express their love for Crimean attorney general in the purest way they can: cute fan art
• Crimean attorney general gets Wikipedia page overflowing with fan art
• Tokorozawa school solves budget matter with tasty fruit
• Japanese netizens put reality on hold for a moment, fall in love with new attorney general of Crimea
• Japanese government study on robot anime now available in English

Origin: Crimean attorney general responds to the Internet’s attempts to turn her into an anime character
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

To add to our gross-out file, a Russian court ruled today that the Omsk Cheeses factory be closed for 40 days after a photo of employees enjoying a milk bath in one of its vats went viral on social media.

In a scene reminiscent of Japan’s own summer of idiocy Twitter pranks, the photo was posted by an employee with the caption, “Actually, our work is pretty boring.” When it began circling the Internet, it came to the attention of Russia’s consumer protection agency, who then launched an investigation.

A lawyer for the company claimed in court that the white liquid in the photo was not milk, but rather a watery byproduct of the manufacturing process and that the bath liquid would not have been used in food production, but the consumer protection agency countered that their investigators had determined it was in fact raw milk used for cheese production.

Eww.

They furthermore explained that their was a concern among people who had bought the company’s products that they may have been exposed to any number of diseases, including venereal diseases.

Eww. Eww! Eww!

The trial is ongoing, and the factory will not be able to reopen until it passes a food safety inspection, but just to be safe, I think I will be avoiding cheese of all kinds for a while…

Source: Gahalog
Image: Russia no Koe

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Origin: But it’s good for the skin! Russian cheese factory busted after employees post milk bath photo
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

As we’re all aware by now, Russia is apparently filled with the worst traffic imaginable. The seemingly Mario Kart meets Carmageddon levels of danger on the road have led many–if not all–drivers in the country to set up cameras in their cars for insurance purposes. And once something is captured on film, you just know it’ll end up online. Obviously, that means YouTube is overflowing with some of the most terrifying–and hilarious–traffic videos that Russia has to offer.

But a video that surfaced last week has proven to go far above and beyond anything we’ve seen so far. It’s already been viewed over eight million times since it appeared on April 23, and is one that you absolutely don’t want to miss.

The video features a young woman driving down a country road at night, chatting on her phone. A dog appears at the side of the road and dashes in front of her car–too quick for the distracted woman to stop in time. The poor dog  goes down, and the woman gasps in horror. Clearly distraught, she backs her vehicle up, revealing the animal lying on the road, deathly still. Running to the apparently wounded creatures, she leans over it for a few seconds before standing up and turning away, seemingly crying. And then…

Well, you’ll have to watch the video. This is one you definitely won’t want us to spoil.

*Spoilers below*

*Seriously, don’t scroll any further until you’ve watched the video.*

*Well, unless you hate fun.*

*Okay, ready?*

Obviously, this was in fact an absolutely brilliant commercial from Japanese car manufacturer Subaru. We have to say that, in terms of video marketing, this is one of the best we’ve seen in a very long time.

But Subaru is no stranger to excellent video commercials. For example, last year they released a “mini Subaru” commercial that was as absolutely dreamy. And this year saw the company’s Forester staring along side some truly terrifying, realistic CG titans from Attack on Titan. Of course, they’ve made other commercials featuring man’s best friend, like this one title “In the Dog House.”

Honestly, at this point, we ready for Subaru to give up the automobile-manufacturing game and just focus on where their real talents obviously lie: In amazing marketing!

Now, go and share the video with your animal-loving friends–but be sure not to spoil the ending!

Images: YouTube

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Origin: Russian car cam captures footage of woman hitting a dog, and the unbelievable consequences
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Yep, we’re being entirely serious here. New research has shown that an old Russian practice of putting frogs into a bucket of milk to keep it from spoiling may actually be right on the money. In fact, frogs may even be the key to finding a new source of antibiotics for humans.

Still skeptical? Keep reading to find out more!

This writer happens to be a fan of frogs in general, and enjoys collecting cute frog figurines and plushies. But would I go as far as to drink a glass of milk served with a slippery green friend? Probably not. Better leave that one to the princess in the fairy tale…

▼I think we can all agree that it’s much more appealing to dunk an Oreo frog into your glass of milk rather than an actual frog.

Apparently though, that’s exactly what some Russians used to do to keep their milk from spoiling. Electrical refrigerators have only been around since the 1930s, after all. Before then was the era of the icebox, during which the ice trade became a lucrative profession (as you’ll know if you’ve seen Disney’s Frozen). But not all Russians owned their own iceboxes, and at some point someone came up the incredibly random idea of plopping a frog into the milk to preserve it!

While this practice has often been dismissed as an old wive’s tale in the modern day, a research team at Moscow State University in 2012 found some truth to it.

The substance that is secreted from the skin of frogs is rich in antibacterial and antifungal properties, which is what delays the spoiling of milk. Furthermore, the chemical makeup of these secretions is different within every species of frog, an example of nature fine-tuning the frogs’ defense mechanisms to harmonize with their local habitats.

While that scientific trivia is cool enough in itself, the news gets even better. The antibacterial agents found within the frogs’ secretions could even contain the potential to be used in antibiotics for humans! Check out this explanation from the website Today I Found Out:

“After isolating these compounds, [the scientists] began testing them against various bacterial infections. For example, the dreaded “Iraqibacter,” a drug-resistant bacterial infection that has been known to hit wounded soldiers in Iraq could (once again, potentially) be fought with a compound found in the skin of a mink frog that are native to North America. Secretions from a foothill four-legged frog may have the potential to fight the well-known resistant MRSA staph skin infection.”

Pretty cool, huh? More research is still needed to explore the medicinal potential of “frog antibiotics,” but it seems promising for now.

On a side note, even if you’re personally not a fan of the slimy amphibians, you might find it interesting to know that frogs are viewed in a positive light in many cultures. In Japan, for example, frogs are considered to be symbols of good luck. This idea partly stems from the fact that the Japanese word for frog is kaeru (カエル), which happens to be a homophone for the verb “to return/go back” (返る). Supposedly, keeping a frog (either a pet or a charm) around will help you “get back” all of the things you’ve lost, including money!

▼My own Japanese good-luck frog. Isn’t he cute?

Since we’re guessing that most people reading this article online also have access to a refrigerator, you probably won’t be needing to try the frog-in-milk solution anytime soon. But it’s good to know in a pinch!

Sources: Hachima Kiko, Gizmodo, Today I Found Out
Images: Today I Found Out, Made to be a Momma, RocketNews24

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• New Fad, “Frog Mouthing” Popular Among Young Caterpillars Results in One Death
• There’s a Snake in my Soup! We Taste Test Some Popular ‘Soul Food’ from Hong Kong
• Extreme Sashimi: Frog Edition

Origin: Got milk but no fridge? No problem! Just throw in a frog
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

It’s one of those tragic accidents that seems to replay itself far too often. Not a week goes by that I don’t open up the newspaper and hear yet again about how a crocodile has been injured by a woman not wearing her seatbelt.

Whelp, here we go again… On 20 May in Murmansk, Russia a two-meter-long crocodile named Fedya was treated for injures after a 120kg (265lbs) woman fell on it. This incident started off like they always do, with a minibus full of circus performers driving through the Arctic.

According to AFP and Russian media, a group from the “Soviet Circus” was traveling to its next show location when the driver hit a pothole in the road and had to make a sudden turn. The sharp swerve led to the troupe’s accountant, an unnamed super-heavyweight, to tumble from her seat.

Unfortunately, Fedya the crocodile just happened to be resting underneath her on a blanket and took the full force of the woman’s girth. Fedya initially showed no signs of injury. Naturally, if the crocodile had started shedding tears, no one would have believed it anyway.

However, Fedya soon began vomiting and continued to do so for around three hours. Fearing for the reptile’s life, the group took it in for medical attention. Much like when taking a gunshot victim to a hospital, taking a perpetually vomiting crocodile to a veterinary clinic is bound to lead to the police stopping by and asking some questions. As a result, the accountant was issued a reprimand for not wearing her seatbelt.

Luckily this time, the crocodile injury ended on a happy note. Fedya did not suffer serious injury and, according to the circus group’s leader, has made a full recovery. It’s actually currently in Moscow doing the television circuit there. We should all be so lucky…

Source: RIA Novosti, AFP BBNews (Japanese)
Crocodile Image: MartinRe at the English language Wikipedia
Map Image: Wikipedia – Marmelad

• Villagers on their guard as crocodiles escape from breeding farm in China
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• A Spa for Crocodiles? Well, They Do Have Pretty Scaly Skin…
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• Underwater snap will remove any fears you ever had about crocodiles

Origin: Russian crocodile hospitalized after woman falls on it
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

While most cats would be content with plain and simple internet domination, there’s one chubby tabby who craves something more. Meet Zarathustra, the Russian cat who’s sinking his paws into a different pie, taking over the world of fine art and starring in his very own exhibition. From Da Vinci to Rembrandt, no artwork is safe from this feline’s sultry poses and exquisite expressions.

Zarathustra has built up an impressive portfolio with the help of his owner, Svetlana Petrova. Their collaboration came about after Petrova lost her mother and suffered from depression that left her unable to create for two years. When a friend suggested working with the ginger tabby and using his natural talent for posing in an art project, Petrova was inspired to insert her fat cat into a number of well-known and easily recognisable artworks. Take a look at some of the collection below.

This take on Eugene Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People shows who’s really leading the people.

We wonder how David Teniers the Yonger would have felt had he known the King in his Twelfth Night (The King Drinks) would one day be replaced by a ginger cat.

Zarathustra is obviously taken by the milkmaid in Johannes Vermeer’s painting. A giant kitty needs a giant milk supply.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine is cleverly re-titled Lady with a Cat pretending to be an Ermine.

The reclining nude in Edouard Manet’s Olympia was obviously not to kitty’s liking.

More beautiful than Venus? Too right I am. Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus

Adding a cat like this to Pere Borrell Del Caso’s Escaping Criticism will do nothing to help it from escaping criticism.

Whistler’s Arrangement in Grey and Black No 1 gets a shock of ginger.

I can has cheezburger? Based on this fellow’s expression in Grant Wood’s American Gothic, the answer would be no.

Heroes (Bogatyri) by Viktor Vasnetsov. Because epic battles are more epic when cats are involved.

Michaelangelo’s famous painting is re-titled The Creation of cAt-dam.

The secret behind Mona Lisa’s smile revealed. She was probably thinking about a funny cat she saw on YouTube.

If you’re in England, you’ll be able to check out Petrova’s work at Russian Extremes – From Icons to I-Cats at The Barn at Stonehill House, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, from 31 May to 5 June. Otherwise, keep track of kitty’s continuing conquests at Petrova’s website, Fat Cat Art

Source: Hamusoku  

• Mona Lisa gets a new look, shows off her girly side
• 【Cat Video】Adorable Cat Swims in Bathtub
• 【Photo Gallery】 3D Paintings Interact with Viewers at an Art Gallery in China
• The evolution of one cat’s pestering skills 【Video】
• The Mona Lisa: Kind of a Babe During College

Origin: Fat cat takes over the art world with an amazing online mew-seum
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

This spring, our Japanese-language correspondent Kuzo travelled to Thailand, where, among other things, he treated himself to the largest hamburger we’ve ever seen. All that beefy goodness must have given him plenty of energy, since he’s back on the road again, this time travelling all the way from Beijing to London by train.

Ideally, Kuzo would have liked to make his whole journey, from his apartment in Japan’s capital to his hotel in the U.K.’s, by train. Unfortunately, the only ways to get from Tokyo to Beijing are by boat or plane. After that though, our reporter spent the remainder of the trip riding the rails as he passed through nine different countries.

Such a complex itinerary requires more than just a spirit of adventure though, and the first step in our reporter’s preparations was purchasing a ticket for the Trans-Siberian Railway. The easiest way to do this is to go through a Beijing-based travel agency, such as Beijing Sampo, who hooked Kuzo up with a private box seat from Beijing to Moscow for about 100,000 yen (US$990), which included the processing fee.

Luckily, Kuzo was able to get a ticket for the day he wanted, but we recommend making your reservation well ahead of time. There are only two rail departures a week from Beijing to Moscow, and during peak travel times tickets have been known to sell out.

The first leg of Kuzo’s trip would take him from Beijing to Moscow, via the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. While he wouldn’t need a special visa to enter Mongolia, Russia was a different story. So, the next thing to do was to contact Donguri Tours, a travel provider in Japan, and get our reporter set up with a Russian ground-entry visa.

Among the pieces of information travelers have to provide are their point of entry into Russia, as well as the date and time they’ll be crossing the border. It’s important to make sure you have these listed as per Russian local time, because showing up before the time designated on your visa application can cause complications getting into the country (arriving later than the indicated date, by comparison, seems to not be much of an issue).

Once Kuzo’s visa was ready, he booked his flight to Beijing and a hotel there for the first night of his trip. He also forwarded the address of where he’d be staying to Beijing Sampo, and arranged for them to meet him in the lobby to deliver his ticket.

Kuzo would be making eight transfers between Beijing and London, switching trains at Ulaanbaatar, Moscow, Kiev, Warsaw, Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, and Brussels. Each train on his route has a dining car, so he knew he wouldn’t have to worry about starving to death. Still, before leaving Beijing, he stocked up a few supplies, since he knew he’d be able to use the provided pots of hot water on the train to make instant noodles, at least.

The dining cars don’t take credit cards, but Kuzo was able to pay in Euros, US dollars, or the currency of whatever country he happened to be in at the time. The major stations along the way also have stands where you can buy something to eat on the platforms (they generally only accept local currency). Most memorable of all, though, were the women who came up to the train during a stop near Lake Baikal in Siberia to sell food to the passengers, although Kuzo reports that some of it, particularly the fish, seemed to be going bad.

▼ Food from the Chinese dining car

During the first leg of his trip, Kuzo made reservations for the second by taking advantage of the train’s Internet access. Using his iPad, he booked a ticket from Moscow to Kiev, following the tips he’s found online to navigate the Russian-language website. Alternatively, travelers can make arrangements in English through the website Russianrail.com. Since this is, once again, an international route, you’ll need to provide your passport information when making your reservation.

▼ The compartment even had an outlet where he could plug in his laptop, although the power did cut out on occasion.

At the borders between Mongolia and Russia, Russia and Ukraine, Ukraine and Poland, and Poland and Belgium, passengers have to go through immigration procedures. Some of these crossing were in the middle of the night, which was a bit of a pain for the sleepy Kuzo, but he recalls that the officials were friendly and kind, especially in Russia.

▼ These stops are also a good chance to pick up snacks.

▼ Have bananas and Yoshi drinks, will travel.

▼ Kuzo’s meaty Mongolian meal

▼ The Russian feast, his favorite of the trip

▼ Accompanying the Russian fare was a bottle of mineral water from Lake Baikal

▼ The newsstand in Irkutsk Station in Russia

▼ Starbucks Russia’s matryoshka tumblers

Tickets tend to sell out quickly for the train from Kiev to Warsaw, so Kuzo booked this passage while he was still in Japan by using an Ukrainian travel agency, then picking up his ticket after he got to Ukraine.

▼ Rich, tasty Ukrainian stew

Once in Poland, travelers can use Eurail’s Global Pass, which should save them quite a bit of cash. Once again, Kuzo got his before he left Japan from the travel provider Rail Europa.

By the time you reach Germany, with its intricate rail network, you travel options open up considerably. Frequent departures also give you a lot more flexibility in scheduling, but even still, reserving a seat is recommended for the limited express trains, so that’s what Kuzo did after arriving in Hamburg. He did the same thing in Amsterdam, and both times the staff was happy to explain where he needed to transfer, as well as provide copies of the timetable.

▼ Sausage and potatoes? We must be in Germany!

In Brussels, Kuzo hopped on a Eurostar train (having reserved his ticket through Eurostar.com while still in Tokyo), and a while later, he pulled into London, having completed his marathon train journey. We’re not sure how exactly he’s getting home, but something tells us that after planning this trip, finding his way back to Japan should be a piece of cake.

Photos: RocketNews24

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• The happiest airline story ever: Man and smartphone reunited by awesome customer service
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• Residents of Bangkok neighborhood don’t play by the railroad tracks, they live by them

Origin: Nine countries, tons of food, one mode of transportation – From Beijing to London by train
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Human beings, as a species, have done some pretty amazing things. Spaceships and meatball subs, for instance, being two of man’s standout contributions to the universe. But, on the whole, we’re also kind of a species that shouldn’t be allowed to have nice things.

For every fantastic human invention, a handful of people will always show up to go way overboard and ruin it for everyone. College students pretty much ruined beer and parties for everybody, now we’ve got Tea Party advocates taking the generally pretty cool “car” concept and making them belch out thick, black smoke for seemingly no reason other than to be jerks to the environment and everyone in a 20-yard radius.

Oh, and you’ve got people like the newest “Living Barbie” who took cosmetic surgery and makeup and toys – all generally useful inventions – and used them to turn themselves into freakish nightmare fuel.

Russia’s Lolita Richi looks like she might be able to wrest the living doll title from the currently more well-known Barbie impersonator and diet guru Valeria Lukyanova. There’s currently not too much information (in English or Japanese, anyway) about how or why Richi got this way, so we’ll just leave you with a handful of her moderately disturbing pictures.

Sure, she kind of even looks a little cute at first glance, but don’t blame us when the insidiously unnerving plastic sheen of her skin starts to haunt your nightmares.

Photos: Acidcow.com, Publimetro

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• Woman creates a scene at auto show because her man won’t buy her a car【Video】

Origin: New “Living Barbie” is why we can’t have nice things
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

While dealing with the crowds and the creeps on public transportation may get on your nerves, it is usually the best way to save time and money. And last week, a Russian company unveiled a new futuristic streetcar that would make any weary commuter excited to go to work in the morning.

The next-generation streetcar looks like something out of a sci-fi movie with its trapezoidal shape and sleek black exterior. Click below to read more about the so-called “iPhone on rails” and which lucky cities are getting the tram of tomorrow!

After teasing the public with concept photos, the Russian tank and train maker Uralvagonzavod debuted a prototype of the Russian One, or R1, streetcar at an industrial trade fair in the central Russian city of Ekaterinburg. The sharp angles and matte silver accents give the R1 a look that is completely unlike the streetcars running on any light rail system today. Just looking at the concept photos make you want to add your own sci-fi sound effects.

▼ This is not a scene from the newest Star Trek movie, but a possible street scene in Russia in the not-too-distant future

R1

R1

 R1

But the R1 is not just a pretty train, it has been designed to be one of the safest and most comfortable streetcars in the world. The doors are specially made to be level with the ground so that getting on or off the tram will be quick and simple for all. The seats are also wider than normal streetcar seats and the train can seat between 190 and 270 passengers depending on the specific configuration.

▼ A spacious interior and wide seats make for happy commuters

R1

The poles and handles in the R1 will be treated with a special anti-bacterial coating. A key safety point of the R1 is how the unique shape of the front window will increase the driver’s field of vision by about 30 percent, meaning they can better see traffic or pedestrians around them. The streetcar is also designed to run on uneven rails or rails that have not been used in a while, making it a great option for those cities wanting to update their lackluster light rail systems.

▼ Germophobes, feel free to touch all those anti-bacterial poles

R1

▼ A wide view of the street from the R1 driver’s seat

 R1

The R1 even got the attention of Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev who attended the expo and gave the next-generation streetcar his nod of approval. And Denis Manturov, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade, even recommended to the company that it seek buyers outside the Russian market and to go globally with the radical design.

▼ Don’t be fooled by the frown, Medvedev is an R1 fan

UVZ

The company says mass production of the R1 should begin in 2015 and is scheduled to be introduced in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhy Novgorod, Ekaterinburg and Volgorod at a later date. There are also plans to develop a version of the R1 that can be used underground. Since Russia will be hosting the 2018 World Cup, soccer fans may get a chance to ride the R1 then.

Many Japanese netizens were disappointed at first to not see any cities in their country on the list, but hope that the sci-fi streetcar will be in their city soon. Around the world, the R1 has already been dubbed the “Batmobile” streetcar and some have even compared it to the 1982 classic movie Tron.

Which cities should this futuristic tram go to next and do you think a ride on the R1 every morning would improve your commute? Check out the video below of a Russian news report on the R1 to get a closer look at the streetcar and let us know what you think!

Feature image: UVZ
Source: UVZ, The Moscow Times

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• A Rare Sight in Japan: Commuter Train Operates while Carriage Doors Remain Open
• Sakhalin as Seen From a Japanese Tourist in 42 Points

Origin: Futuristic tram prototype from Russia draws the envy of commuters worldwide
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

With its immense popularity, it’s no surprise that Attack on Titan has spawned some amazing cosplay photos. We’ve shown you a brilliant Serbian’s take on Erwin Smith, and today we’re heading back to Eastern Europe to show you someone the Internet apparently thinks looks exactly like Mikasa Ackerman.

Or maybe they’re actual photos of Mikasa running around in the real world? Everyone, be on guard just in case any titans show up!

When the Internet develops a crush, it doesn’t take long for that crush to develop from casual lust into pure, unadulterated obsession. The latest object of networked love is a young Russian named Katya Lischina, who has attracted attention from around the world in both the West and in Japan.

▼Transforming from normal girl into anime character in three easy steps!

While Katya is certainly an attractive girl, what seems to have really gotten fans of the young woman excited is just how similar she looks to a certain anime character: Attack on Titan’s Mikasa Ackerman. This comparison photo, for example, doesn’t even to seem to a proper attempt at cosplay–someone simply noticed that Katya happens to look a lot the Survey Corps member. We have to admit that the resemblance is nothing short of striking!

▼She really nails that solemn look.

Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately, depending on your perspective), Attack on Titan is still fiction, though Katya is certainly real! We think…

▼We don’t remember any camera phones in the anime, after all.

Katya was elevated to minor Internet celebrity status just this month when a photo of her appeared on 9Gag, spurring infatuated Internet users to learn more about her. Since then, numerous fan communities have appeared on Instagram and Facebook, where one page has accumulated over 41,000 likes since it was established on July 11.

The young Russian woman is not even a model it turns out–she’s apparently a university student and an artist. With so many fan pages floating around, it’s hard to tell what’s real, but it looks like she has a DeviantArt account with some pretty damn good illustrations.

▼Katya’s take on Chell from Portal

▼”Gamer Girl,” also by Katya

Finally, here’s a cat cosplay video from Katya. We’re starting to see why so many have fallen so fast!

Unfortunately, as we mentioned before, there’s not a lot of information about this young woman. With so many fans, it’s hard to separate fact from fantasy, though there’s no denying that she does look an awful lot like Mikasa. That said, we’re not even sure if she likes Attack on Titan–though we expect she probably does.

Regardless, we can’t help thinking that maybe people should really stop bombarding her with “marry me” messages. Call us old-fashioned, but that doesn’t seem like the best way to get to know someone…

Sources/images: Instagram, Facebook, DeviantArt, VK

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• “But we’re speaking Japanese!”: Humorous video confronts lingering stereotypes in Japan

Origin: Is Attack on Titan a documentary? Mikasa spotted in Russia!
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Are your eyes playing tricks on you? Maybe.

Take another look at that picture up there. They’re not twins, not even sisters. They are romantically involved, and they might be best friends, but they’re definitely not gay. The couple pictured above are husband and wife. Which one is the husband? Find out after the break!

There is often a lot of controversy over crossdressing, no matter which part of the world you live in. There are people who don’t think well of crossdressers, which is perfectly fine since everyone should be entitled to their own opinions, but for some unknown reason, there seems to be a handful of those who think that crossdressing makes people “turn gay”.

Until some scientist can prove that bizarre hypothesis, I’m not buying that story. One person might not be enough to prove anything, but Alina Davis (whose actual name is Dimitriy Kozhuhov), is androgynous but was born a man and just recently got married to a woman while dressed in a wedding dress.

The 23-year-old Russian dresses as a woman most of the time and looks almost like a carbon copy of his 21-year-old wife, Ellison Brux. Same-sex marriages aren’t legal in Russia, and the twin-like couple encountered deterring opinions from the registry office when they wanted to get married dressed as two brides, but the authorities had no means of refusing their union because they are by birth a man and a woman.

Alina reveals that they faced obstacles even on their big day, and were made to use the establishment’s rear entrance in the registry officer’s attempt to hide them from the public’s eye as they were “a disgrace”. We think they look exactly like a just-married couple should: unable to keep their hands off each other.

▼ Managed to guess which of the pair is the husband yet?

▼ This is Alina, the man in the controversial pair.

Social norms are different everywhere, but I’m pretty sure there are lots of things that people do that are way more disgraceful than crossdressing or accepting your loved ones for who they are. How would you react if your significant other wanted to walk down the aisle dressed just like you? Share your views in the comments section below!

Source: Zhaizhai News
Images: Mundo Incredible, Mirror

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• Getting married? Love video games? Why not hold your wedding at this Tokyo video arcade!

Origin: Seeing double? Twin-like couple wed in the most controversial marriage in Russia【Photos】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

A hunter got more than he bargained for when he shot a bear in the forest in western Siberia – he found his car ransacked the next day in an apparent “revenge attack”.

The man shot and wounded a brown bear while out hunting with two friends. On returning to his car the next morning, he found that it had been completely destroyed by the angry bear – while his friends’ two cars nearby were left untouched.

The three friends were on a hunting excursion in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, western Siberia, when the unnamed man shot a brown bear in the thigh.

The man believes the brown bear followed his scent to find his car overnight and wreak its revenge. His two friends’ cars, meanwhile, were left completely unharmed – and in the mud nearby, the men found bear prints.

A video below shows his stunned reaction as he examines his battered Ford. The front windscreen has been smashed, the seats torn out, the lights smashed in and the bumper wrenched off.

▼ The men circle the ransacked car.

It’s hard not to feel for the owner of the car, but spare a thought for the bear as well. If I had a bullet lodged in my thigh, I reckon I’d be pretty angry about it too.

Sources: The Siberian Times, Xinhuaxia News
Images: YouTube, Xinhuaxia News
Featured image: YouTube

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Origin: Hunter finds his car trashed by wounded bear he shot the day before 【Video】
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