Tag Archives: UK

More on Russian Oligarchy

As I periodically do on this blog, today I’m writing about how more and more obvious it becomes that the Russian Federation is run by an oligarchy.

Not that its so unique, lots of nations are run by oligarchies, but let’s stay on Russia today. Last weeks news that yet another person who was going to testify that the Russian secret police were responsible for the poisoning of that guy in the UK, once again threw an even brighter blinking red warning sign that not only is Russia run by an oligarchy, the oligarchs are willing to do whatever it takes to stay in power, and that includes the occasional murder.

Oligarchy: (according to webster) 1 : government by the few
2 : a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes; also : a group exercising such control

Radio Open Source had one of their must-listen-to programs the other day regarding Russia and just what has happenned to the country since their so-called adoption of the market system. Among the things that the interesting guests pointed out:

    – Moscow now has one of the highest number of billionaires of any city in the world.
    – President Putin may step down after the next election, but the next president will come from the same group that has ruled the country for the past 2 decades.
    – He can also just rewrite the statutes to make himself a powerful prime minister and keep ruling.
    – The KGB was never disbanded, it was simply given a new name.
    – All the big industries, especially fossil fuels like gas and oil, were taken control through secret deals, family connections, and of course the occasional government payoff.

Anyway there’s plenty more where that came from, but the concern remains the same. Huge inequality continues to grow in Russia while a small group of people plunder its natural wealth. The population is decreasing while the rest of the world pretends Putin is a nice guy and nothing is wrong because they are so addicted to the fuel Russia will provide for the forseeable future.

My Future Kids

If if never said it before.. I fully intend to have some children some day. Yup.. some youngins… and my dear Krizu predicts Ill have those youngins relatively sooner rather than later in my life.

Which brings me to today’s topic: Im pregnant!

(watching to see if my readership suddenly increases with Soap Opera like news)

OK no. BUT. I do wonder about what country is good for raising a child. And while I can hear my mothers voice as she reads this saying “it isnt about the country.. it is about the family and how the family raises the children”… I would still like to examine some other factors when it comes to good places to raise children. (besides a barn)

So who better to look to than UNICEF. If they know anything… its kids. And when they released a study entitled “Child Well Being in Rich Countries” I was impressed to see the Netherlands in first place, followed by Sweden and Denmark. I was also interested to see the UK in last, and the US in second to last. For anyone who cares, Portugal was around 17th, as you can see in the graph.

The study looks at factors that I admit I dont understand how theyre measured.. child well being, relationships with parents, material well being…

Still it goes well with my own surface research; whenever I see the huge number of parents waiting to take their kids to lunch, standing outside the schools with their bikes, on break from work. I think to myself — hey.. thats how it should be! In Newark we just went to the basement for lunch and were allowed to run around in a small square called the playground, and if a parent visited that would mean we were in big trouble. So while I don’t know exactly how great Unicef’s study is, and I haven’t lived the experience.. so far.. all the signs point to the fact that Im in the right city to raise me some youngins.

Zimbabwe Has No Oil

My good friend and longtime reader Jack wrote to me earlier in the day saying hello and asking if I’d address the forgotten issue of Zimbabwe. And he’s not the first to have done that, BadHAreDay in Lisbon has often asked me to talk more about the country-turned-tragedy.

Now I haven’t taken my eye off the sadness, mind you, Im still a devoted reader of “This Is Zimbabwe”. But it is true I haven’t produced anything on the subject in quite some time.

The numbers have grown worse in the last few years; one figure reads that 80% of the population now live in poverty. In what sounds like a story from 300 years ago, numerous people in the capitol have died of cholera! Life expectancy has dropped to 34. The list of horrors goes on and on… read more over TIZ’s retrospective of 2006.

And yet, Iraq gets billions upon billions of dollars for their so-called democracy thing. Somalia gets invaded by Ethiopia in the blink of an eye. Brazilian UN troops still occupy chunks of Haiti. And Palestine gets all its money frozen for electing a new government. Meanwhile in Zimbabwe.. nothing. Time keeps passing, people keep dying and suffering, and the world closes its eyes.

Which actually brings up a bigger question; above I seem to suggest that the international community should act. But I actually am not completely sure about that. Instead I wanted to point out the situations where the world gets involved either financially, politically, or militarily, while one of the most tragic crimes continues to go on in Zimbabwe. Somehow it doesn’t qualify. Maybe it lacks some alleged AlQaeda links or a profitable fossil fuel for exploration.

In fact, what I would rather have seen.. or see in the present.. is an internal change. Revolution from within for the country. I say that because I think it would be more sustainable and legitimate, rather than installed by an outside force. But still, if the population is starved, imprisoned and murdered… it may just require some type of intervention. And nevermind how I like or dislike intervention, with all the actions they’ve taken for different reasons, in different corners of the world. Surely Zimbabwe qualifies for immediate attention… and action.

Or maybe not… just go back to talking about dead models.

bm179 A long term vision for Wroclaw

You may have heard the name Warsaw or even Krakow, but have you heard about the Polish city of Wroclaw? Well chances are, you will, because whether you talking culture or commerce, the city and its mayor are making waves in the European swimming pool.

My guest, on the phone from Wroclaw, Poland, is Agnieszka. She is one of the very busy people who, I’m convinced, are driving the city’s dynamic art scene to international recognition. (read about the upcoming 12th International Media Art Biennale WRO 07)

We discuss:
– What is unique and what is important to know, when it comes to this city.
– History of Wroclaw, the changes over the past century
– Mayor Rafa? Dutkiewicz, coming to power, and his plans for the city
– Working with the mayor
– His famous and unorthodox campaign to reach polish emigrants, in places like the UK
– Who is investing in the city and what jobs will there be
– The longterm possibilities
– The independent thinking republic of wroclaw
– and more, listen to the program.

Some audio from Bill Moyers as well, to start it off right.

Welcome to 07, Lets Start with Saddam

Everyone will talk about the Saddam execution, and I can’t help but be one more today.

Nothing screams modern society like a hanging. And did you see the uncensored video of it? Talk about watching a barbaric civilization.. and when I say that Im referring to the so-called human civilization.

I know.. its the new year and Im enjoying life in Berlin.. why be so hard on humanity? Well.. I refuse to take-it-easy on humankind in ’07.

But here’s an aspect of the execution that I’ve been especially compelled by, sorting through todays news i came across a BBC article that interviews the US military nurse in charge of Saddam since capture. He says some pretty interesting things, including that Saddam frequently asked why the US had invaded Iraq if its laws were fair and the inspectors had declared there were no WMD. It also talks about some lesser important details about how he gardened and saved his bread scraps to feed birds. The last detail that really got me was about the occasion where the nurse had to leave to return to the US, and Saddam embraced him and said that now.. they were brothers.

All these details further add to the pile of questions and inconsistencies about the man. Above all, that he really does not understand what has happenned to him, his country, and perhaps even what he did – wrong or right.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty, many leaders around the world have already expressed their opinions that the trial was not a fair one and that the execution was a mistake.

For my part I would add that something seems very odd about the timing, and how fast this execution was pushed. When you think about it, having Saddam dead prevents any intimate details from ever coming out about important moments in history – including the days when he was buddy buddy with the US.

Eye on The Head Russian

Packing.. packing.. and watching.

Vladimir Putin.

Democracy shmerocracy, as time goes on, he reminds me of all the former Russian presidents/dictators going all the way back to Stalin and maybe that Tsar guy who had poor health.

I say this as I watch each report come in about his government’s latest move, public or secretive, to consolidate power, own lots of resources, and get rid of opposition.

Latest one is this 20bn dollar seizure of Shell and their gas projects in places like Siberia. Not that I love shell or gas for that matter, but it continues to seem suspicious that the state gas company buys up more and more and then seems to use this power to influence other countries that need this gas… for example.. the EU.

After the radiation poisoning of this agent guy and the murder of that wonderful journalist, both of which I obviously can’t confirm that government was involved in or at least had some knowledge about… these also seem to be odd occurances.

What did Bush say some 6 years ago about Putin during a state visit… he looked into his soul. We probably should have known then… if Bush looks in your soul and see’s good… well.. that IS probably a sign.

Whatever the case, my concern is with people… Russians, Europeans… Humans. Unfortunately we need these things like gas and oil, and the question is how will all of us be manipulated based on the whims of a leader that has proven, over his very long reign, that he will use all manner of force and persuation.. to get what he wants. Whatever that is.

Thankfully some bloggers are keeping watch…. here’s one I was flipping through today… Im going to keep reading and see if I can’t learn some things and understand better what is happening.