Categories

Archives

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is innocent: The cult of stupid sinks to new depths

I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that there’s a vibrant and growing community on the Internet composed of allegedly lucid people who are unshakably convinced that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is being framed for the Boston Marathon bombing. Despite the growing mountain of evidence against Tsarnaev and his late brother, and despite the fact that Tsarnaev has [...]

Sow the Wind

You know the rest…

Reports from the arc of the angry Tea Party movement indicate that, yes indeed, there is a FEDERAL government and yes, it does provide a big payoff to be in one of the five states that comprise Tea Party Homeland. Each and every one of the states on the map receives [...]

Russia scraps law enforcement deal with Washington

Reuters

Russia is scrapping its agreement with Washington to cooperate on law enforcement and narcotics control, another sign of deteriorating ties between the Cold War-era foes since Vladimir Putin’s return to the Kremlin last year.

The order, signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and posted on the government website on Wednesday, said the agreement, which [...]

Conversations From The Common Ma’am

David Gregory is now a possible felon for showing an empty magazine, not attached to any gun, on TV. NBC checked, got conflicting answers, prior to the show. The conflict is pretty standard when dealing with multiple government employees. He was showing what they look like, which is information for those who’ve never seen one. [...]

Mitt’s Son Goes To Russia, Says Dad Will Be More Flexible After Election

From the NY Times:

Matt Romney, a son of the Republican presidential nominee, traveled to Moscow this week seeking Russian investors for his California-based real estate firm just days before his father is to wrap up a campaign in which he has vowed to take a tougher stance with the Kremlin.

…while in Moscow, Mr. [...]

Foreign Language American Anti-Intellectualism

It’s hilarious to watch Republicans fall all over themselves bashing each other for speaking French in the case of Mitt Romney and Chinese in the case of John Huntsman. Of course, it’s hard for me to get excited about a candidate that speaks a romance language. They are all pretty easy to master. I mean, [...]

Mongolia's spy chief: invited to Number 10, detained in Wandsworth

Echoes of Pinochet as country’s top intelligence officer is arrested during official visit to Britain over alleged kidnap

When Mongolia’s spy chief stepped off an Aeroflot flight into Heathrow a few weeks ago, he expected a welcome befitting a foreign dignitary arriving for high-level talks with the British government on a new era of intelligence [...]

Yanukovych wants more powers

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych called on Tuesday for constitutional reform that would strengthen his powers and enable him to push through tough economic reform.

Yanukovych said the former Soviet republic needed a new, stable political system led by a “strong president” to guide it through potentially painful structural reforms.

“In order to achieve this we [...]

Living in Kyiv: Fear, Freedom and my Civil Liberties

Over the years, I have traveled extensively. Thirty-seven countries and island nations now. It has been something I relish, and something I strive to do with my life. To engage life. To live. To understand that I Love Life and Life Loves Me. And it allows me to pursue my career as a photographer.

After [...]

Questions

There aren’t many reports from Stratfor I pay much attention to these days. After the predicted that Iran might invade Turkmenistan it was pretty clear that most of their non-Russian analysis was amateurish, at best. But, one weekly document I pay pretty close attention to is the ‘Intelligence Guidance’ which is little more than a [...]

Not An Ally

In the summer of 2003 I visited Georgia. I spent almost a week in Tbilisi. One of the most interesting visits I had there was meeting Alex Rondeli. I also met with a young man named Timur Iakobashvilli. The meeting with Rondeli was quite fascinating. He is wise to world in ways that Iakobashvilli was [...]

Ukraine’s Orange Coalition Dissolves

The so-called Orange coalition of Western-leaning political factions in Ukraine’s Parliament disintegrated on Tuesday, in what could be the first stage in an effort to unseat Prime Minister Yulia V. Tymoshenko.

Ms. Tymoshenko has so far rebuffed calls for her resignation by Viktor F. Yanukovich, who defeated her in a bitterly contested presidential election last [...]

World War II Figure Inflames Passions in Ukraine

Half a century after his death at the hands of the K.G.B., Stepan Bandera, a World War II partisan, has not lost his ability to rally Ukrainians against Russia ”” and against each other.

Monuments to Mr. Bandera have sprung up across western Ukraine, his fight for the country’s independence glowingly recounted to schoolchildren on [...]

Independent Experts Blame Georgia for South Ossetia War

(…) The independent commission appointed by the European Union to investigate the war between Georgia and Russia last summer has concluded that Tbilisi is responsible for causing the five-day conflict, SPIEGEL has learned. According to diplomats in Brussels who are familiar with the contents of the secret document, the EU experts also assign part of [...]

Ukraine: When a budget crisis looms, this mayor dons a Speedo

CSM – Facing a reported $1.2 billion budget deficit, accusations of corruption, and a parliamentary commission investigation, Leonid Chernovetsky, mayor of Kyiv (Kiev), knew he needed to give the performance of his life.

He didn’t disappoint. After jogging and doing 15 chin-ups, he stripped down to a Speedo and swam 15 meters. ”œI want [...]