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28 Feb 2012 09:35

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World: Vladimir Putin will take your virginity. Vote for him!

  • Creepy Russian political ad of the day: Wherein a scared virgin is relieved to learn from a fortune teller that she’ll lose it, as they say, to former KGB agent and Russian Prime Minsiter Vladimir Putin, who’s running for president this year. Putin already served two terms as Russian president from 2000-2008; he couldn’t run again in 2008 due to term limit laws, so he chilled as Prime Minister for four years while Dmitry Medvedev warmed the seat, and now he’s seeking his old office again. If elected, he could conceivably serve until 2024. Anyway, it’s noteworthy that an ad like this flies in Russia; a similar commercial by, say, Mitt Romney’s campaign in the US probably wouldn’t cut it (imagine Rick Santorum’s response) It’s also noteworthy that there are two more ads with the same pro-“lose your virginity to Vlad Putin” message on the guy’s website. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Dec 2011 10:15

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World: Russia: After protests, Putin suggests opposition opponents disorganized

  • The problem is they lack a consolidated program, as well as clear and comprensible ways of achieving their goals, which aren’t clear either. They also lack people who are capable of doing something concrete.
  • Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin • Dismissing his opponents as disorganized and leaderless in comments made days after large-scale Christmas weekend protests in Moscow. Putin, who is running for president in March (after skipping a term due to term limits), says those elections should be transparent and fair, but outright dismissed protester desires for a recount in the Russian parliamentary elections earlier this month. “As a candidate, I don’t need any vote-rigging,” he said. “I want the election to be maximally transparent. I want to rely on people’s will, on people’s trust, and it makes no sense to work if it’s missing.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Dec 2011 09:45

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World: Billionaire rich guy plans to give Vladimir Putin a run for his money

Mikhail Prokhorov, a gold-mining magnate who owns the New Jersey Nets, is one of two men who just announced plans to run against Vladimir Putin in 2012. He’s been stewing since he got kicked out his party for fighting with the Kremlin. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Dec 2011 09:57

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World: Surprise: State-owned Russian TV covers protests straightforwardly

  • They showed me on Channel 1 and said I was an opposition leader, which is already a breakthrough. They’re already calling me from Washington and asking what’s going on.
  • Former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Boris Y. Nemtsov • Discussing how, in a fairly abrupt about-face on Saturday, Russian television started straightforwardly covering the protests against the recent Russian parliamentary elections — including showing Nemtsov (who has since become a major opposition figure and a noted critic of Vladimir Putin) in a relatively neutral light, something which hasn’t happened in roughly a decade. Here’s how one TV anchor, Rossia 1’s Andrei Medvedev, put the events: “Today’s protest was a lesson for everyone. It turns out that, to express your dissatisfaction with the authorities, it is possible to gather on a square after getting permission from those same authorities. And to keep order, all you really have to do is give a polite admonition.” Is it possible that the protests were hard for state-funded Russian television to avoid, since they were so heavily covered on the Internet? A fascinating twist. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Dec 2011 10:26

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World: Russian parliamentary election protests continue despite pressure

  • 15,000 protesters showed up in Moscow source
  • » Russian opposition protests come out in numbers: Roughly a week after the Russian elections proved to have questionable results, people are still showing their frustrations with Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party with protests. “People are just tired, they have already crossed all the boundaries,” noted one protester, Yana Larionova. “You see all these people who are well dressed and earn a good salary, going out onto the streets on Saturday and saying, ‘No more.’ That’s when you know you need a change.” Protesters came out in such strong numbers that authorities were worried that the footbridge under them would collapse. Meanwhile, the Russian government continues to discourage the protests — including painting the protesters as similar to those in Libya and blaming the United States for the protests.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Dec 2011 10:23

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World: Hillary Clinton, Vladimir Putin have war of words over Russian elections

  • She set the tone for some actors in our country and gave them a signal. They heard the signal, and with the support of the U.S. State Department, began active work.
  • Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin • Claiming that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton instigated violent protests in his country by claiming there was evidence of electoral fraud. “The first thing that the secretary of state did was say that they were not honest and not fair,” Putin claimed, “but she had not even yet received the material from the observers.” Clinton responded to Putin’s comments by reiterating her own. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Dec 2011 11:07

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World: Clinton supports electoral fraud investigation in Russian elections

  • Russian voters deserve a full investigation of all credible reports of electoral fraud and manipulation and we hope in particular that then Russian authorities will take action.
  • U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • Lending support to claims that Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, which did poorly in Sunday’s Russian parliamentary elections, may have committed acts of electoral fraud to make the massive decline look better than it actually was, a claim supported by international observers. The party, in what was seen as a referendum on Putin, lost 77 seats and its pivotal two-thirds majority. “The Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve the right to have their voices heard and their votes counted,” Clinton noted. “That means they deserve free, fair, transparent elections and leaders who are accountable to them.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

24 Sep 2011 13:21

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World: Vladimir Putin may face tougher economic road second time around

  • The task of the government is not only to pour honey into a cup, but sometimes to give bitter medicine. But this should always be done openly and honestly, and then the overwhelming majority of people will understand their government.
  • Russian Premier Vladimir Putin • Explaining what might be coming next for Russians — that is, austerity measures. The former-and-likely-to-be Russian President grew greatly popular on the back of business-friendly economic measures (a flat tax!) that may not be easy to keep up in the current global economic climate. Will Putin, round two, prove to be as memorable as Putin, round one? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Sep 2011 12:50

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World: Russia: Putin and Medvedev trading places like Murphy and Aykroyd

On the left, a guy who wants his old job back. On the right, a guy who’s got said job and will accept an ultimate job swap — from President to Premier — for the 2012 election. The United Russia party likes this idea. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 May 2011 12:15

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Culture, World: Here’s a picture of Vladimir Putin doing manly things

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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