A Soviet City in the Middle of the Sea “Oil Stones

In 1940s and 1950s, right after the World War 2 Russia had to recover from the consequences of the Nazi invasion. Lots had to be done and as we know to complete something you need to have enough energy. And energy at that times as well as it is much likely now meant oil.

At that times the known oil reserves differed from what people in Russia know about it now. The main places to drill for oil was Southern Russia on contrary to frozen Northern Siberian regions as it’s for now. And the gemstone of the Soviet Oil production was Caspian sea region, mainly the territories that are an independent state of Aizerbajan now.

So after a massive attack of oil thirsty state the lands of this previously oil-saturated region little by little got exhausted of the black mineral treasure and the need for new sources of it arouse. Now it’s not clear who was that this genius who first came up with an idea of getting the oil right from the sea bottom where it was still plenty of it and for this purpose to build a real city 42 km (25 miles) off the coast right in the middle of the sea, but what we know is that this idea came into play and by some crazy chance it got support from that times Soviet leaders who leveraged it with the all support the biggest (by the territory) state could offer at that time. What this meant is that in a matter of just a few month a real town was built right in the middle of the nowhere on giant steel blocks coming from the sea bottom, from as deep as hundreds of feet down. And they called it “Oil Stones”.

And that was really a city! Just one fact: the length of the streets of this one-of-a-kind town was exceeding 350 km (200 miles) if combined. There were nine stored buildings, schools, industry complexes and fountains. Lawns with green grass and children playing ball. And all that is forty two kilometeres from the nearest Earth surface close!


As Soviet Union was keeping its achievements behind the iron curtain less was known to the rest of the world about such engineering wonder being built. Later, the new Northern reserves of oil were discovered which exceeded hundred times the ones they had in Caspian Sea region so the Soviet oil production industry giant moved away from that place, making it semi abandoned. But even now this place according to what has been said has more than the 2,000 inhabitants. A true example of what human is capable of achieving, maybe one of the biggest man made structures on Earth and how small we sometimes know on such places around the world.

Russia’s Seven Wonders

There are seven wonders of the world, but most of them were already destroyed either by the hands of humans or by the cruel passing of time. And last year a group of some Russian TV-channels, newspapers and radio stations hold an official opinion poll and discovered what kinds of real wonders Russia has. Anyone could participate in the poll taking votes via internet or SMS services. So, the seven best-looking and really fascinating places were chosen. Here they are:

The Baikal Lake

This lake is situated in Eastern Siberia and considered to be the deepest lake in the world as well as the biggest freshwater tank on the Earth. It is 1500 meters deep (~5000 feet). Look how clean the water is. The view is really enthralling.

Valley of the Geysers

The landmark is located on the Kamchatka peninsula and comprises of hundreds living geysers. The place is in the list of UNESCO World’s Heritage.

Mother Motherland monument

This memorial of huge sizes was built in the end of 50’s to pay the tribute to the memory of those people who were killed on their duties during the WWII. The monument is in Guinness Book of World Records as the highest monument at that time. The woman symbolizes Russia and is two times higher than Statue of Liberty with 85 meters high (~280 feet.)

Peterhof

The place was built to the order of Peter the First in the beginning of 17-th century and is situated nearby Saint-Petersburg. It is considered to be the top tourist attraction in the whole Russia.

Saint Basil’s Cathedral

No comments, folks. That’s just a classic of the genre.

Poles of the Komi Republic

No one knows how long ago they were created, but for sure scientists know that only nature could create such a thing. Estimated age is 200 million years and their height is 42 meters at most (~140 feet.)

Elbrus

The mountain is the highest point in Russia and some people believe that it is also the highest point in Europe. Lots of tourists, ski and snowboaring lovers visit this place yearly. Its height is 5600 meters which is 18600 feet.

Soviet Union shined on the map of the world

A good deal of time had passed since the country of the Soviet Union shined on the map of the world. And though it has been a lot of water under the bridge, some people keep finding photos of old Russia, and if to be more exact, photos of old Moscow and its region. One never knows when he would find a pack of the old photos, whether it would be a dump or even his own apartments. Such masterpieces of anonymous photographers illuminate us about how it was in the old times and so we can compare it with what we have nowadays and make some conclusions for ourselves.

Every one of you surely knows that the times they are a-changing. And it is truly enough as we can conclude from these photos. Two places and therefore two different sides of society are depictured on these shots. Town and country, the very center of Moscow and the main landmark of a little town in the Moscow region, Sergiyev Posad.

Since the beginning of time Moscow’s train stations always were very crowded and awfully dirty, they were always like a loadstone for down-and-out people. But on these shots the stations do not really look like they are dirty and it seems you can’t find even a speck of dust on them. And there are so little cars that even a single traffic jam cannot be spotted.

Now to the city of Sergiyev Posad with its renowned showplace which is called The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius and is the one of the most prominent monasteries in the whole Russia. Something about 60 years ago (yeah, that is when these shots were made) it looked not so good. Its shape was really bad and shabby so any inhabitant of the city where such a landmark located would be ashamed of it for sure. But now it is totally renovated and most probably looks like it looked when it was made, in 1345 AD.

















Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. These short stops in breathing usually lasts for 10 to 30 seconds and can happen up to 400 times every night. Men, people who are overweight or over the age of 40 are more likely to have sleep apnea, but it can affect anyone at any age, even children. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a common type of apnea in children, is caused by an obstruction of the airway, such as enlarged tonsils and adenoids. This is most likely to happen during sleep because that’s when the soft tissue at the back of throat is most relaxed. Children who have OSA nearly always snore, may have difficulty breathing during sleep, and may be restless during sleep and wake up often. Symptoms of OSA tend to appear in the first few years of life, but the disorder often remains undiagnosed until many years later.

Once a doctor completes an evaluation and makes a diagnosis, most cases of OSA can be treated or managed with surgery, medications and monitoring devices. Generally, a polysomnagram or overnight sleep study is used to confirm obstructive sleep apnea. It charts the child’s brain waves, heartbeat, and breathing during sleep. It also records arm and leg movements. The study requires the child and a parent or guardian to spend the night at the sleep center. In some cases other tests, including endoscopy and magnetic resonance imaging, may be used to evaluate the child’s upper airway. But a recent discovery may lead to a much simpler way to detect whether a children has OSA—a simple urine test.