Day: January 13, 2011

Russian News… (01/13/2011)

Russia considers reciprocal START amendments:
The Russian State Duma plans to tie the ratification of the START treaty with the US plans to develop the global anti-missile defense and allow Russia to quit the agreement in case such defense starts being developed…

Moscow allows rally in memory of slain football fan:
The Moscow authorities have authorized a peaceful rally on January 15 to commemorate the death of football fan Yegor Sviridov…

Opposition leader’s arrest legitimate – court:
A court in Moscow has confirmed that the arrest of the opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was sentenced to 15 days in jail for disobeying police, was legal…

Anna Chapman to solve world’s mysteries on TV:
Anna Chapman, the most notable participant in the recent espionage scandal, is set to host a new show on Russia’s RenTV channel. The program “Secrets of the world with Anna Chapman” will be launched within the channel’s…

Report on Kaczynski’s plane crash gets mixed reaction in Poland:
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has cut short his holidays to return to Poland on Thursday and study the Russian committee’s report on the reasons for Lech Kaczynski’s jet crash…

Banned light bulbs sell like hot cakes:
Eco-friendly alternatives do not seem to catch on in Russia – despite the recent ban on 100-watt bulbs, citizens are set to stay with their beloved source of light, buying the remaining items in stocks…

Russian drivers back on the right path:
New anti-alcohol laws have proven effective, with a significant drop in the number of road violations and drunk-driving cases over the first weeks of the year…

S. Korean man arrested for “tweeting” praise of the North:
South Korean prosecutors have arrested a man for disseminating pro-North Korean videos and text through social networking services, which is a criminal offence in the republic…

Russia’s Lavrov says no swap deals with U.S. on alleged arms dealer:
Russia is not discussing with the United States any possible swap deals concerning the alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, extradited to the United States from Thailand late last year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday…

Windows to Russia!

I Think I Saw “Chicken Little” This Morning While I Walked The Dog…

I woke up this morning and looked at some mainstream news head lines. It was really very depressing and as you can see from a random selection of just a few titles. It looks like the world is going to end tomorrow. Except with the fact that Obama needs to get busy and raise a billion dollars to work on that reelection…

I then would have swore I saw “Chicken Little” running around with his head covered. While I walked the dog…

Well… Then again maybe the world is coming to an end! Anytime that a politician needs a billion dollars to get elected then we have lost total sight of what is important in life and we are headed off that cliff like the lemmings in the old game…

Iran, U.S. prepare for ‘last chance’ nuclear talks

from Wash Post World by Joby WarrickDOHA,

Iran has escalated its routine bluster in the run-up to next week’s nuclear talks in Istanbul, suggesting the Jan. 21-22 meeting could be a “last chance” for major powers to strike a deal. On Wednesday, it had its reply from the United States’ top diplomat: Get serious.

The Dangerous Chip on China’s Shoulder

from TIME.com: Top World Stories,

Its long-dormant army may be muscling into U.S.-Chinese relations. That can’t be good

Gates on N Korea: Get ‘serious’

from BBC News,

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, speaking in Japan, tells North Korea it is time to show concrete evidence that it is committed to talks.

US top brass warns on Afghanistan

from BBC News,

The US military’s top officer Adm Mike Mullen warns that there will be an increase in bloodshed in Afghanistan this year.

Obama Begins Gearing Up Re-Election Bid

Wall Street Journal,

Democratic Officials Say Early Start Is Needed in Part to Commence Fund-Raising for Contest Expected to Cost $1 Billion.

World Risks Food Riots as Grains Climb, Economist Chalmin Says

By Rudy Ruitenberg (Bloomberg),

The world may face social unrest including food riots in April as grain prices increase, said Philippe Chalmin, an economic adviser to the French government.

That cup of coffee was really good and I decided that the news was trying to irritate me today. So I just ignored the world for hours this morning and reprogrammed my new Android Phone…

The only thing above that we should be truly worried about out of all these articles is the food issue. The rest of them are propaganda trash. So while Obama needs a billion dollars to play president, Iran is threatened with an ultimatum again, China is walking around with a big chip on her shoulder, North Korea is scolded again and we find out that Afghanistan is getting worse (again). The world is starving and riots will be in our future…

I do know that the world population  has reached almost 7 billion and is said to surpass that in 2011. Try this chart from Wikipedia…

World population estimates milestones
Population

(in billions)

 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Year 1804 1927 1960 1974 1987 1999 2011 2025 2045–50
Years elapsed 123 33 14 13 12 12 14 20–25

Now chart above looks like a real problem! Don’t you think? Takes a lot of food to feed that many people. Don’t you think? Hummm…

Windows to Russia!