Monday, February 11, 2013

Mike Nova: The 85-year-old former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger i...

Mike Nova: The 85-year-old former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger i...: Gays Rejoice! Pope Benedict XVI Is Resigning via Queerty by Lester Brathwaite on 2/11/13 I have convoked you to this Consistory,...


Дорогие друзья и сочувствующие,

если бы примеру Папы Бенедикта XVI последовал предстоятель РПЦ МП Кирилл Гундяев, это был бы мудрый и своевременный шаг.
И желательно к 28 февраля, чтобы не проиграть конкуренцию Ватикану.

Спасибо за причиненные неудобства.
  • You like this.
 

Sunday, February 10, 2013

2.10.13 - Mike Nova's starred items

Mike Nova's starred items

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/9/13

Timeline Photos
Is Putin afraid of the Caucasus?

Russian lawmakers have given preliminary approval to a law to allow governors to be appointed in the country’s 83 regions, reversing last year’s move to restore direct elections. As Daniil Kotsyubinsky reports, this issue is unimportant in itself, but it exposes the regime’s soft underbelly, unrest in the Caucasus.

http://opendemocracy.net/od-russia/daniil-kotsyubinsky/is-putin-afraid-of-caucasus

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/9/13

Timeline Photos
Would democratic change in Russia transform its foreign policy?

The incompatibility of an anachronistic and arbitrary regime with the modern world is leading many to consider that democratic change is possible — likely even — in Russia. But those expecting that a new ‘democratic’ government would somehow take a softer line on foreign policy should think again, says Ivan Krastev.

http://opendemocracy.net/od-russia/ivan-krastev/would-democratic-change-in-russia-transform-its-foreign-policy

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/10/13

Gleb Pavlovsky's Photos
Пушкин открыл пальбу, убили..а мы всё отстреливаемся

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/10/13

Алексей Митрошин's Photos
... :-)

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/10/13

Алексей Митрошин's Photos

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/10/13

Timeline Photos
На прошлой неделе в Москве выпал снег, потом его убрали, а он опять выпал! Потом все растаяло, а вчера ночью все вдруг замерзло и Москва превратилась в огромный каток. В общем, обычная русская зима, непредсказуемая, снежная и очень красивая. Люблю такую погоду. Сегодня прогуляемся по Москве и посмотрим на снег, лед и тех, кто это все убирает - http://zyalt.livejournal.com/719239.html

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/10/13

Timeline Photos
from Nasha Canada

Saturday, February 9, 2013

2.9.13 - Link


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The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held a hearing on the nomination of John Brennan to become director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Senate Committee Select Intelligence

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held a hearing on the nomination of John Brennan to become director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced Deputy National Security Adviser for .. Read More
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held a hearing on the nomination of John Brennan to become director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced Deputy National Security Adviser for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Brennan, who had served in the CIA for 25 years. Mr. Brennan defended anti-terrorist attacks by unmanned drones and said lethal strikes were only used as a last resort. He also said that he was not certain the use of water-boarding in interrogations had produced valuable information. Other topics addressed included security leaks and counter-terrorism efforts against al-Qaeda

Committee Chair Feinstein stopped the hearing for a few minutes to clear the room after several outbursts from protesters delayed the hearing. Members of the public wishing to return to the hearing had to be screened by Capitol Police.
3 hours, 34 minutes | 3,816 Views
 

Грани.Ру начинают спецпроект "Против гомофобии" | Russia's Crackdown Against 'Homosexual Propaganda': The perception of homosexuality in Russia is that it's both a perversion of nature and a fashion import from the corrupt West

От любви до ненависти Грани.Ру начинают спецпроект "Против гомофобии". Известны...

От любви до ненависти

Грани.Ру начинают спецпроект "Против гомофобии". Известные писатели, музыканты, журналисты говорят о своем отношении к "антигейскому" закону, к вторжению власти в частную жизнь, к очередной атаке мракобесия. Первыми выступают …


От любви до ненависти
 
 

Russia's Crackdown Against 'Homosexual Propaganda' - Daily Beast

via Russia - Google News on 2/8/13



Russia's Crackdown Against 'Homosexual Propaganda'
Daily Beast
The perception of homosexuality in Russia is that it's both a perversion of nature and a fashion import from the corrupt West: something into which a man can slip if he's had a bit too much vodka—by all accounts a common occurrence in Russia—and as a ...

and more »



Russia's Crackdown Against 'Homosexual Propaganda'




Go read The New Republic's Julia Ioffe on Russia's baffling new ban on "homosexual propaganda among minors." Money quote:


The perception of homosexuality in Russia is that it's both a perversion of nature and a fashion import from the corrupt West: something into which a man can slip if he's had a bit too much vodka—by all accounts a common occurrence in Russia—and as a posture one adopts to be cool. Thus, the "propaganda" ban. Homosexuality is seen as an aggressive ad campaign that, traditionalists fear, will persuade impressionable young minds that being gay not only isn't abnormal and abhorrent, but stylish and hip. The idea that homosexuality is a natural and innate phenomenon, needless to say, has not gained traction here outside of small circles among the educated. Even there, it's rare.

No 'reset' in sight amid US-Russia chill: "The Kremlin is now turning Russia towards a strategic confrontation with the US," said Lilia Shevtsova... "This isn't a reset but a full-on systems failure," Vlast weekly cited a highly placed official... "The US is very disappointed -- Obama is personally disappointed," Russia in Global Affairs editor Fyodor Lukyanov told AFP... "For Putin now, foreign policy is an instrument for internal politics," Shevtsova told AFP


via Russia - Google News on 2/4/13

RT

No 'reset' in sight amid US-Russia chill
GlobalPost
There are few hopes in Russia for another "reset" in relations as US President Barack Obama enters his second term, with bilateral disputes growing every month and mutual distrust increasing, analysts say. Russia has welcomed the appointment of old ...
WMD may be key to US-Russia 'reset'RT
Visits may improve US-Russia relationsChina Daily

all 4 news articles »




No 'reset' in sight amid US-Russia chill


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There are few hopes in Russia for another "reset" in relations as US President Barack Obama enters his second term, with bilateral disputes growing every month and mutual distrust increasing, analysts say.
Russia has welcomed the appointment of old hand John Kerry as US secretary of state while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held an apparently cordial meeting with Vice President Joe Biden on the sidelines of a security conference at the weekend.
But analysts caution that mistrust runs too deep and disputes are too numerous for Washington and Moscow to make any headway in bringing about the transformation in relations that Obama hoped for when he first came to power in 2009.
"The Kremlin is now turning Russia towards a strategic confrontation with the US," said Lilia Shevtsova, an analyst with the Carnegie Moscow Centre.
In its latest salvo in late January, Russia announced plans for bans on all US meat imports and the termination of a long-standing bilateral drug control agreement.
The US in turn pulled out of a joint working group on civil society. It also said it was "deeply concerned" by Russian draft legislation that would place a national ban on "homosexual propaganda among minors".
The trigger for the standoff was the passing by the United States of a rights bill targeting Russian officials with sanctions over the prison death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
Russia responded with a ban on US adoptions, widely regarded as the toughest piece of anti-US legislation during President Vladimir Putin's 13 years in power.
-- 'A full on systems failure' --
The buzz of the "reset" that Obama launched in 2009 with Putin's predecessor, Dmitry Medvedev after nearly a decade of distant ties now seems far off.
"This isn't a reset but a full-on systems failure," Vlast weekly cited a highly placed official in the Russian government as saying.
At the first high-level contact on Saturday between the countries since Obama's second-term inauguration, Biden was conciliatory as he met Lavrov at the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Biden told Lavrov he would like to take the countries' relations "back on track", a source in the Russian delegation told Kommersant business daily.
Alexei Pushkov, international relations committee chief at the parliament's lower house, told Vedomosti business daily that a US representative suggested "Let's separate the topic of developing democracy from the broader agenda."
But Obama's own travel schedule is indicative of the state of Russia-US relations -- he appears to have dropped plans for a bilateral visit and will only come when Russia hosts the G20 summit in September.
"It looks like Obama won't come to Russia until the G20 in September since there are a lot of arguments and no topic for a breakthrough is in sight," Pushkov wrote on Twitter on Friday.
The former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton recently raised hackles in Moscow by accusing Russia of trying to "re-Sovietise" the region, a claim that Putin dismissed as "rubbish".
-- 'Obama is disappointed' --
"The US is very disappointed -- Obama is personally disappointed," Russia in Global Affairs editor Fyodor Lukyanov told AFP.
"Obama won't come to Moscow because a visit has to give a concrete result and there won't be one. Now there is nothing that could justify this visit."
Russian officials have resorted to rousing anti-American rhetoric against anti-Putin protesters allegedly funded by the US Department of State.
It banned USAID from Russia and ordered non-governmental organisations with international funding to call themselves "foreign agents".
"For Putin now, foreign policy is an instrument for internal politics," Shevtsova told AFP.
Yet while playing the anti-American card at home, Russia has in fact cooperated with the US in international crises such as Iran and North Korea.
But the key sticking point in diplomacy is the conflict in Syria, which has turned into another thorn in the side of bilateral ties.
Washington has denounced Russia's opposition to UN Security Council efforts to reach a global consensus on the need for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to quit.
Russia still holds strong cards in dealing with the United States but on a dwindling number of international issues, experts say.
"Relations are limited to specific diplomatic cases: on Syria, on Afghanistan and Iran. As a whole, the field of relations is narrowing," said Lukyanov.
am/sjw/mfp/pvh
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130205/no-reset-in-sight-amid-us-russia-chill
 

2.9.13 - Russia News Review: " Russia is lonely and out of fashion" - via oD Russia | Demonstrators Attack Allies of Georgian President, Injuring at Least 5 - NYT | No 'reset' in sight amid US-Russia chill - GlobalPost

" Russia is lonely and out of fashion"


 
"We have reached a point where is probably more realistic to wait for political change in Russia, than it is to wait for a closer cooperation within the current status quo — to press not the ‘reset’ but a ‘pause’ button in dealings with Russia."

"Foreign policy is very rarely shaped by the preferences of the people only, as indeed are such preferences prone to change quickly. Instead, the foreign policy of the post-Putin’s Russia will be determined by many factors that are now impossible to predict: the state of Russia’s economy (and in particular the size of its foreign debt); the political beliefs of its next leaders; the state of global affairs in general; and the policy initiatives of the West. But reading Russian opinion polls today is a healthy antidote to the naive expectations that a democratic change in Russia is an answer to all questions in the bilateral relations. You do not need to be George Kennan to realise that the de-legitimation of the current regime in Russia cannot be reversed. Vladimir Putin’s return to Kremlin blocked the institutional possibility for the evolutionary development of the regime. Democratic change is possible and even likely in Russia. What is unlikely is that a democratic government in Russia will have foreign policy that does not emphasise Russia’s role as independent regional power, and with the ambition to have an economic region of its own."
 
via oD Russia by Ivan Krastev on 2/7/13
 

In Georgia, Crowd Attacks Mikheil Saakashvili’s Allies

via NYT > World by By OLESYA VARTANYAN and ELLEN BARRY on 2/8/13
At least five lawmakers from the party of President Mikheil Saakashvili were reported injured after an angry crowd of protesters attacked in Tbilisi.

Demonstrators Attack Allies of Georgian President, Injuring at Least 5








David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters
Protesters gathered outside the national library in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday, to try and block President Mikheil Saakashvili from giving an address to the nation.

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/1/13

Anton Matyukhin's Photos
Классика от Васи Ложкина на злобу дня...

Волгоград на шесть дней переименуют в Сталинград: http://www.golos-ameriki.ru/content/volgograd-to-stalingrad/1594458.html

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/3/13

Gleb Pavlovsky's Photos
Хорошо: «Путешественник видит то, что видит; турист видит то, на что он приехал посмотреть» (Г.К.Честертон, от @ Ольга Красноярова). – Наш-то вовсе не выезжает – он себя вывозит вовне.. И там себя рассуждает: эх, а у нас иначе.. а вот этого у нас не дождёшься! .. Ничего нет мельче и пошлей, чем написанное в новой России о жизни других народов. Едва советская граница открылась, русские захлебнулись туризмом. Старый русский путешественник, от Карамзина и Герцена до Эренбурга и Виктора Некрасова искал в загранке иную жизнь, любовно (или с ужасом) рассматривая мощь чужих обычаев. Новые знают лишь зоны комфорта, импортируя пошлости на Родину взад.
Русское зарубежье это Пхукет и Гоа, тоска конференций и shopping area в аэропортах.
Ещё наблюдения новоначальных перегнувшись через подоконник: гляди, гляди, а вот чех с собачкой - собачка покакала, так чех какашку раз- - и в бумажку! И полисмен на него – зырк-зырк, но как по-доброму!
За 25 лет – НИ ОДНОЙ МЫСЛИ (публично обсуждённой), кроме - «Где пышнее пироги?»
Наш опыт чужой жизни заключается в ресторанных счетах и «ах всюду эти японцы..китайцы..арабы..негры..». Раздражают все, кто живут не как мы..завистливо раздражают. Когда граница (уже скоро) снова захлопнется, мы станем мучительно припоминать: мир - что такое «мир»? Мы же там кажется бывали? Ты помнишь, какие бикинюшки купила в Сантъяго-де-Компостела? Ну там где ещё был топ на косточках?!
Владимир Владимирович зря боитесь что на Западе нас подкупят! .. ботильоны из Палермо, таиландские бусы и афинский мраморный хуй у нас уже есть!

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/3/13

Вася Ложкин's Photos
я сегодня в мастерской опять слушал радио "йэху мацквы".
Каюсь.

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/3/13
"власти РФ взяли курс на патриотизм и ярко выраженный антиамериканизм: Соединенные Штаты представляются монстром" - See more of "Russian Politics - Российская Политика" via Mike Nova ...

Соединенные Штаты теряют интерес к России - INOTV

via …


"власти РФ взяли курс на патриотизм и ярко выраженный антиамериканизм: Соединенные Штаты представляются монстром" - See more of "Russian Politics - Российская Политика" via Mike Nova ...

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/4/13
Десятки фальшивых диссертаций в Московском педагогическом государственном университете (МПГУ)...

• Link

Десятки фальшивых диссертаций в Московском педагогическом государственном университете (МПГУ)...

• Feb. 4th, 2013 at 2:51 …


Десятки фальшивых диссертаций в Московском педагогическом государственном университете (МПГУ)...

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/4/13

Заснеженная Москва.
Источник фото: Интернет.

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/4/13
NYT: Dealing With the Real Putin

───────────────────────────────────

February 4, 2013

Dealing With the Real Putin
By FIONA HILL and CLIFFORD GADDY

THE Obama administration has decided it’s time to “reset the reset” with Russia. The reset was one …


NYT: Dealing With the Real Putin

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/4/13

Putin and the monk - FT.com
www.ft.com
Father Tikhon Shevkunov looks a little too polished to fit the image of the Orthodox Christian monk branded into the western imagination by Dostoevsky. The beard is just unkempt enough, but his chin is a bit too sculpted, his mane of shoulder-length

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/4/13
Путин и 300 архиереев: «Православная идеология» в путинской модели просто заменяет коммунистическую

Путин и 300 архиереев

«Православная идеология» в путинской модели просто заменяет коммунистическую


Mike Nova
4:42 PM - Public



ВЕДОМОСТИ - …


Путин и 300 архиереев: «Православная идеология» в путинской модели просто заменяет коммунистическую

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/4/13

Timeline Photos
Пришел на Красную площадь! Тут холодно и никого нет!

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/4/13
“We are heading toward 1937,” Gudkov says. “All that’s left now is for them to shoot the opposition.”

Trial of Putin Foe Shows No Russian Investors are Safe - Bloomberg

via putin's face - Google News on 2/4/13







Trial of Putin Foe Shows No …


“We are heading toward 1937,” Gudkov says. “All that’s left now is for them to shoot the opposition.”

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/4/13
2.4.13 - News Review: “We are heading toward 1937” - Link

Mike Nova
7:52 PM - Public


http://east-and-west-org.blogspot.com/2013_02_04_archive.html



“We are heading toward 1937,” Gudkov says. “All that’s left now is for them to shoot the …


2.4.13 - News Review: “We are heading toward 1937” - Link

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/4/13
RUSSIA and THE WEST - РОССИЯ и ЗАПАД: 2.4.13 - News Review: “We are heading toward 1937”...

RUSSIA and THE WEST - РОССИЯ и ЗАПАД: 2.4.13 - News Review: “We are heading toward 1937”...: Mike Nova 7:52 PM - Public …


RUSSIA and THE WEST - РОССИЯ и ЗАПАД: 2.4.13 - News Review: “We are heading toward 1937”...

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/5/13

Putinism In Winter
www.rferl.org
The recent disarray and intrigue in the Russian elite is reminiscent of the later 1990s, the twilight years of Boris Yeltsin's rule.

via Russia and The West's Facebook Wall by Russia and The West on 2/5/13
Blogs Review - 2.5.13

Mike Nova's starred items

The example of hateful, if not rabid anti-Americanism | Putin Doctrine

via RUSSIA and THE WEST - РОССИЯ и ЗАПАД by Mike Nova on 2/5/13

This is an example of hateful, if not rabid anti-Americanism …


Blogs Review - 2.5.13

Azerbaijan Is Rich. Now It Wants to Be Famous.

via NYT > Home Page by By PETER SAVODNIK on 2/8/13
Oil-rich, velvet-rope-poor Azerbaijan, a country about the size of South Carolina on the Caspian Sea, would very much like to be the world’s next party capital.
 

via Russia - Google News on 2/4/13

The Voice of Russia













Five Myths About Russia
Forbes
The past several weeks have been very busy, and I haven't had a chance to post quite as much as I'd like to. I thought I'd throw my hat back into the ring with a short post about where Russia is today. Part of what gets me so frustrated about most ...
Russia's image abroadThe Voice of Russia

all 2 news articles »

via Russia - Google News on 2/4/13

TIME













In Russia, Valentine's Day Is for Making Babies
Bloomberg
Russia isn't the only country that has tested creative ways to get its citizens in the mood. Falling fertility rates mean more elderly and fewer young people, causing economic pressure from diminishing labor and less tax revenue. And though baby-making ...
Vladimir Putin Enlists Boyz II Men to Boost Russia's Declining Birth RateTIME
Russia Threatens the WestPravda
Volunteerism Rises in Russia, and Lawmakers Clamp DownChronicle of Philanthropy (subscription) (blog)
TheDrop.fm -gulfnews.com -AsiaNews.it
all 55 news articles »

via Russia - Google News on 2/4/13

Bangkok Post













Sochi, Russia's Olympic Host City, Remakes Itself As A Winter Destination ...
Huffington Post
With a little over a year to go before the Winter Olympics begin in Sochi, the Black Sea resort is still covered in scaffolding and construction equipment. Though Sochi, which is better known in Russia as a warm weather destination for oligarchs than ...
Sochi games to cost $50 bn - deputy Russia PMBangkok Post
Russian short-trackers have golden rehearsal for Sochi OlympicsRT
Russia's F1 construction on track – PutinThe Voice of Russia
GlobalPost -TravelersToday -Wall Street Journal (blog)
all 56 news articles »

via Russia - Google News on 2/4/13

San Francisco Chronicle













Russia mulls resumption of Georgian wine imports
San Francisco Chronicle
Gennady Onishchenko, Russia's top sanitation official, said a first round of talks between delegations from both countries was successful Monday, and that a Russian delegation will visit Georgia this month to discuss issues related to restarting the ...
Georgian wine to flow as Russia lifts banFinancial Times
Russia May Lift Georgian Wine Import Ban by Spring, RIA ReportsBloomberg
UPDATE 1-Russia set to resume imports of Georgian wine and waterGlobalPost
Washington Post -RIA Novosti
all 33 news articles »

via Russia - Google News on 2/4/13














Russia mulls resumption of Georgian wine imports
MiamiHerald.com
Gennady Onishchenko, Russia's top sanitation official, said a first round of talks between delegations from both countries was successful Monday, and that a Russian delegation will visit Georgia this month to discuss issues related to restarting the ...



via Russia - Google News on 2/4/13

The Moscow Times













News Summary: Russia promises to resume imports of Georgian wine, mineral ...
Washington Post
PEACE AND TRADE: A Russian official said Moscow may soon resume imports of Georgian wine, mineral water and fruit after a seven-year ban, a step toward repairing the neighbors' relationship. THE BACK STORY: Russia banned such trade in 2006 as ...
Russia mulls resumption of Georgian wine importsU.S. News & World Report
Georgian wine to flow as Russia lifts banFinancial Times
Russia May Lift Georgian Wine Import Ban by Spring, RIA ReportsBloomberg
EurasiaNet -GlobalPost
all 32 news articles »

via Russia - Google News on 2/4/13

Sydney Morning Herald













Vladimir Ashkenazy tells Russia: prepare to be amazed at Sydney Symphony ...
The Australian
Ashkenazy's wife, the Icelandic-born pianist Thorunn Ashkenazy, a crucial presence on his tours and a veteran of communist Russia, has been perhaps a little a cooler in her enthusiasm about the Russian segment. "I'm not surprised," Ashkenazy says ...
To Russia, with love and a little local knowledgeSydney Morning Herald
Sydney Symphony and Vladimir Ashkenazy to tour RussiaAustralian Stage Online
To Russia with love (from Sydney)Limelight Magazine

all 4 news articles »

via Russia - Google News on 2/4/13

The Moscow Times













Georgian wine to flow as Russia lifts ban
Financial Times
The end of Moscow's 2006 trade ban – agreed in principle on Monday – highlights the shift since businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili became Georgia's premier in October pledging to rebuild ties with Russia, where he made his estimated $6.4bn fortune.
News Summary: Russia may restart Georgia importsBusinessweek
Russia set to resume imports of Georgian wine and waterReuters
Russia May Lift Georgian Wine Import Ban by Spring, RIA ReportsBloomberg
EurasiaNet
all 33 news articles »

via Russia - Google News on 2/4/13

The Voice of Russia













Russia to ban US turkey from Feb. 11
Canadian Cattlemen
Russia will ban imports of U.S. turkey due to concerns about the use of the feed additive ractopamine, Russia's Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service (Rosselkhoznadzor) said in a statement on Monday. The service will impose a temporary ban ...
Russia could ban US poultry over feed additiveThe Voice of Russia
Russia to ban US meat importsNew Europe
Russia to ban US turkey imports over feed additiveBusiness Recorder (blog)

all 8 news articles »