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21 August 2012
RIA-Novosti
The food service for the delegates of the APEC Russia 2012 summit, to take place on an island off Vladivostok early next month, will largely use Western European cuisine. Of authentically-Russian dishes, only a mere handful will be on offer. The problem is that Russian cuisine’s too unusual and too caloric for most of our APEC guests. The menu takes account of the fact that the delegates include many practising Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. It also includes much seafood, so highly-prized across Asia and so easily-available in the Russian Far East. Of drinks, a range of wines and liquors will be available. The liquors will include the best of the best of our vodkas.
22 August 2012
Voice of Russia World Service
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_08_22/Russian-cuisine-too-unusual-for-Asia-Pacific-guests/
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the West not to take unilateral action in Syria. His comments came after US President Barak Obama warned of what he termed “enormous consequences” if the Syrian government used chemical or biological weapons. Mr Lavrov met senior Syrian officials in Moscow, where he called for national reconciliation and an end to the fighting in the Middle Eastern country.
A stoned-faced President Obama issued a stark warning to the Syrians, “We’ve been very clear to the Assad régime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red-line for us is that we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilised. That would change my calculus”. This was President Obama’s strongest language on this issue to date. It came after Syria said last month that it possessed chemical and biological weapons. Damascus also said that it’d use them if foreign countries intervene in the conflict that’s raged for 17 months now. That seems to have prompted President Obama’s comments and an implicit threat of military action.
David Roberts of the Royal United Services Institute, a defence think-tank, noted, “It’s not even clear what weapons of mass destruction Syria possesses. As with a lot of things when it comes to Syria, especially at the moment, I think we need to be quite clear about things that we’re certain about, and things that we’re not certain about. In terms of certainty, I don’t know of any enormously-reliable sources that say they have chemical weapons, or a certain amount of biological weapons, or whatever it may be. I think they most likely do, but the specific quantities, where they are, and what they are… I don’t think there’s any accurate public information about that”.
Russian officials sought to distance their country from any talks of Syrian stockpiles, stating categorically, “Chemical weapons weren’t supplied to Syria either by the Russian state or by the USSR”. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met a Syrian government delegation headed by Jamil Qadri, Vice Premier for Economic Affairs. The two men said they discussed chances of achieving national reconciliation in Syria. Lavrov added to the pressure on the Syrian government saying, “Damascus is moving in the right direction, but it’s not moving fast enough towards national reconciliation”. So, why is the Russian government continuing to defend its ally? Despite constant Western pressure, the Syrian government’s showing unwillingness to make moves towards talks with the rebels.
Professor Maksim Bratersky of Moscow’s Higher School of Economics says, “There’s genuine fear in the Russian foreign policy establishment that the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad could lead to violence across the Middle East. Russians believe that régime change, especially with foreign intervention in Syria, would lead to further problems in the region, possibly to a large-scale conflict. More and more specialists here are writing pieces in the newspapers about a new wave of religious wars in the Middle East”. However, for the Professor, keeping Bashar al-Assad in power isn’t the main Russian foreign policy aim, he said, “Moscow’s more worried about the principle of foreign interference in other countries. There were some circulations that Russia’s pursuing something really important and long-term in Syria. I don’t see that. Russia doesn’t have particular economic interests. Yes, there’s a refuelling point for Russian naval ships in Tartus… that’s not a big deal. From the strategic point of view, Syria isn’t very significant to Russian long-term interests. So, I think, in this particular case, Russia is mostly concerned with general issues… how world politics is organised, and what’s allowed, what isn’t allowed, because Russia’s future status depends very much on how this particular conflict is resolved”.
However, the Russian hope that we can avoid substantial foreign interference look increasingly slim and Syrian weapons of mass destruction might well be the trigger. Even aside from the American threats, other nations say they may get involved if circumstances change. For example, Israel said that if Syrian-backed Hezbollah used the situation to take control of the weapons, it would act immediately and with maximum force.
22 August 2012
Voice of Russia World Service
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_08_22/Syrian-conflict-Russia-stands-firmly-against-foreign-intervention/
In view of the up-coming American presidential election, the results of several public opinion polls have become public in the country. The impression is that various services and foundations, along with the national and local media, conduct such polls every day and that they do so irrespective of the fact whether there’s a reason for it or not. At the beginning of this week, the findings from another series of surveys were made public. Undoubtedly, there was a reason this time… a choice taken by Mitt Romney, the candidate for the Republican nomination for US President. As you might remember, Mitt Romney chose his running-mate… US Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI), the current Chairman of the House Budget Committee. The polltakers decided to find out whether this step had affected Romney’s popularity.
The point is that, as regards this index, Romney’s popularity stayed low whilst Obama’s remains better, as it’s been evident in recent times. If just 2 months ago the gap between them was minimal, it’s gradually increasing today. The results of recent public opinion polls show that neither Romney nor the Republican Party gained any benefits. According to various estimates, Romney’s 4 to 8 per cent lag behind Obama remains unchanged. Besides, it’s clear that only one out of every three American poll respondents heard something about Ryan’s positions on the main issues of domestic and foreign policy. The same number of respondents is concerned about his capabilities of carrying out the vice president’s duties. As regards the current Vice President, Democrat Joe Biden, more than 40 per cent of respondents approve of the way he handles his job. As you know, cognition comes through comparison.
Actually, it’s still too early to say that Romney’s choice is bad. Ryan isn’t well-known in America yet. It’s clear that he needs more time to show his good points, so that Americans could begin to regard him as one of their own. However, there’s not enough time for that. There are two weeks left before the 2012 Republican National Convention, which should finally approve the candidacies of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan for President and Vice President. By the way, in his election campaigning, current US President Barack Obama is trying to add as much to Ryan’s celebrity as possible… of course, in the negative sense. Several days ago, Obama accused Ryan of not supporting the presidential bill providing for the allocation of financial aid to farmers who’ve suffered from this year’s drought. Thus, it’s very easy to imagine whom they’ll vote for at the upcoming election. One more thing here… when Obama speaks about Ryan, he’s very diplomatic and ironical at the same time. We should mention here that the tone of statements regarding Obama made by Paul Ryan and, especially, by Mitt Romney, is even sharper. However, this adds nothing to their success, as the public opinion polls show. On 6 November, it’ll become clear whose tactics will win.
15 August 2012
Voice of Russia World Service
2012
The website Israel Hayom reported that the Kfar Kedem theme park, which recreates the life of ancient Judea, equipped donkeys that carry visitors about the park grounds with Wi-Fi wireless routers to give patrons access to the internet.
22 August 2012
RIA-Novosti
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Zyuganov Sez that Pussy Riot “Deserved a Good Taste of the Belt”
Tags: Orthodox, Russia, Moscow Patriarchate, Russian, Kirill I of Moscow, World War II, politics, right-wing, McMansion, Russian Orthodox Church, Orthodoxy, Christian, Religion and Spirituality, Christianity, Religion, Moscow, Eastern Orthodox Church, morality, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Gennady Zyuganov, KPRF, political commentary, Communist Party of the RF, Left-wing politics, Pussy Riot, Left Front, Valentin Rasputin
KPRF leader Gennady Zyuganov (1944- ) with Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev (1946- ) of Moscow and all the Russias (then, Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad). HH often meets with those on the Left (he doesn’t speak of his personal political leanings, but “actions do speak louder than words do”)… he doesn’t associate with godless liberal (“libertarian” in Anglosphere terms) right-wingers. When HH attacks “liberalism”, he attacks “libertarianism” and all of its pomps, NOT the political Left.
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KPRF leader Gennady Zyuganov called Pussy Riot’s actions “outrageous and blasphemous”; if it were up to him, personally, he’d give them a good taste of the belt. The official KPRF website quoted Zyuganov as saying, “Of course, one can’t speak for everybody in the country. Personally, my point of view is that I’d give them a good taste of the belt… I’d whip them and sent them home to mommy and daddy. This would take the place of a judicial punishment. I’d say that they wouldn’t engage in such outrageous and blasphemous behaviour again”. He said that the action at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was “a slap in the face to all Orthodox believers”. Zyuganov noted, “I agree with the idea that the trial made the situation worse. They used it as a comprehensive attack on Russia’s spiritual foundations”.
He thought that we should listen carefully to the writer Valentin Rasputin. Zyuganov pointed up that Rasputin stated, recently, “There’s been a very serious struggle against Christianity as a cultural phenomenon. After all, the foundation of our European civilisation is Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. As for communism, they rewrote it, they decided to build the Kingdom of God on Earth, and they made a lot of mistakes, and committed ill-advised actions. It seems to me that [Pussy Riot’s action] was an attempt to turn against our spiritual foundations and roots, which, in any case, lie in Orthodoxy. This action was extremely dangerous for all concerned”. Moreover, he believes that the politicians “were interested parties, but it was difficult for them, they didn’t adapt well to the situation. Many of them hold a candle in church like it’s a glass of vodka, and they hold a cross in their left hand! I’m sorry; they don’t have God in their soul. It’s all very sad. If we tear out our spiritual basis, anything can become a provocation … after all, the fascist contagion that led to World War II began with the fact that the half-mad van der Lubbe set fire to the Reichstag, and, then, the Nazis herded opponents into concentration camps and put the Communists and Socialists against the wall. We shouldn’t make a mockery of national symbols”.
21 August 2012
Interfax-Religion
http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=47217
Editor’s Note:
One of the reasons that the protests against the Pussy Riot sentence didn’t gain traction is that the Organised Left (KPRF and Left Front) weren’t buying the liberal nihilist (that is, “conservative libertarian” in Anglosphere terms) argument. The KPRF didn’t show up at all, and Sergei Udaltsov (leader of the Left Front) only made a token appearance.
Here’s a point to ponder. The Left, by and large, agrees with Gennady Andreyevich. Hell, most commies are believers nowadays… the unbelievers are found amongst the pro-American, pro-Free Enterprise, pro-globalist zapadniki. That’s right… the Leftists are god-fearing people with a thirst for a social justice (and a sense of humility because their fall from power taught them bitter (but candid) lessons). The godless Libertarians are the enemy. They worship Almighty Mammon… they bow down before the Moloch of Filthy Lucre. That’s where you’ll find the Abomination of Desolation… in nice McMansions in nice gated communities where nice people don’t raise their voices.
Gennady Andreyevich is the Left of today… Pussy Riot symbolises the Right in all of its self-centred “me-first” nihilist greed and hubris. Do look beyond the surface… there’s much more in common between Paul Ryan and Pussy Riot than there appears at first glance. Scary, ain’t it?
BMD