MY WORK CITED: I’m pleased to note that my essay on the arrest and prosecution of “Russian” oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, “The Khodorkovsky Affair,” has been cited in The Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law.
The Khodorkvosky Affair
"Man has already furthered evolution very considerably, half unconsciously and for his own personal advantages, but he has not yet risen to the conviction that it is his religious duty to do so deliberately and systematically." - Francis Galton
Tag Archive for 'Russia'
RUSSIAN INVENTOR’S FLYING CAR: A young Russian inventor, Alexander Begak, has developed a flying car that can travel 50 mph on land, 100 mph in the air, and has a range of over 2,000 miles on a tiny tank of fuel. The car weighs less than most of its potential pilots. It also has the capacity to remain flying even at very slow speeds — as low as 9 mph — giving it enhanced safety and usefulness for animal tracking and other specialized purposes. Its vulnerability to high winds means there would be days when it would be grounded, however.
MORE WAR RUMBLINGS: It seems that the oligarchs of the so-called “West” (actually, Russia seems to stand for traditional Western values more than America or the EU does these days) not only want to conquer Iran, but to surround and intimidate Russia as well. According to South Ossetian political scientist Irina Kadzhaev, “Georgia’s war against South Ossetia may easily turn into NATO’s war against Russia. This would be a third world war.” And according to Canadian think tank Global Research, American and NATO military men are being trained to regard Russia as “the enemy.”
USA NOW MARXIST?: I suppose it had to happen sometime after the accession of Barack I, but it’s still an historic moment: a writer on Russia’s Pravda has described the U.S.A. as “Marxist” and called for Russians to rethink their American investments.
Pravda has quite a bit of courage and some good articles these days. Wish they’d do two things, though: 1) put their best material in audio form and start an Internet radio network with licensable hourly newscasts to compete with the “Western” corporate media (which could also be put on shortwave); and 2) stop running the sensationalistic/sexy stuff with which they salt their site in an apparent effort to increase ratings and revenue — it hurts the credibility of the serious pieces.
RUSSIA FAVORS EURO OVER DOLLAR: According to Pravda, “the U.S. dollar is not Russia’s basic reserve currency anymore.” Though dollar-based assets at Russia’s central bank are still substantial at over 40%, they are dropping and have now been exceeded by Euro-based assets.
THE JEWISH CONTRIBUTION TO ‘ANTI-SEMITISM’: Pravda online just published a rather even-handed article with that daring title by Dr. Peter Baofu. I applaud their courage in doing so, and they do outshine the nominally American press in many areas, but I wish they would stop damaging their credibility with articles by anti-evolution cranks and junk science essays like “Birds can scan the future,” et cetera.
MORE WHITE CHILDREN: According to the Daily Telegraph, encouraging a higher birthrate in his country is Russian President Medvedev’s pet cause. Among other measures, Medvedev (pictured) instituted the “Order of Parental Glory” for Russian families who bring four or more children into the world and provide them with a healthy environment. Russian birthrates grew by 8 per cent. in 2007 and 6 per cent. last year.
Russia has the glory of being a country where the phrase “more children” is synonymous with “more White children.” Bravo to Medvedev for making the world a better place.
UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE DAY: The BBC reports that Georgia likely committed war crimes in South Ossetia; Human Rights Watch concurs. We get nothing but silence from the US establishment, of course; and Fox News has also blacked out this story.
WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK: If you like music and, like me, want to avoid supporting the Evil Empire’s economy, you may enjoy the superb AVRO Klassiek from Holland. Also try 101.ru from Russia: a huge selection of genres at 128 kbps. Their ‘Cyber Space’, the sometimes wacky-lounge ‘Easy Listening’, and ‘Pop Classical’ have been entertaining. I’m not sure what ‘BG and Aquarium’ and ‘Cats and Dogs’ music might be, though!
