Free Republic

Great expectations characterised 1989...The Gorbachev era brought about a frenzy of change, and people witnessed incredible events on a weekly basis: they snatched up newspapers, hung on every word broadcast on TV, and with every passing day they felt more alive and free. By the mid-1990s, nostalgia for the Soviet period started to creep in. The greyness of the Brezhnev era, with its endless queues and empty shops, started to be recalled as a peaceful, prosperous time. And gradually something that had seemed impossible during perestroika, became real: Stalin’s shadow loomed large again. Vladimir Putin’s rise to power came accompanied...

We have had an absolutely gorgeous September and October. The best ones I can recall. We used to call these nice months an Indian Summer. You aren't supposed to call them that any more. The politically correct term now is Indian Fall. I call it White Man Keep His Tan Time. This is also the time of year when the Circle Of Life gets a slice of Pi cut out. The Mom Mountain Lions often tell their offspring to move out of the basement and find a job. Of course, being young, they usually wind up in my back yard...

"I'll take 'Origin Of City Names' for 500, Alex." "The Saint that Saint Louis is named after." Beepbeepbeep "Harry Reid!" "What is Las Vegas, Alex?" "No, it's not Las Vegas." Beepbeepbeep "Nancy Pelosi!" "What is California, Alex?" "No, Nancy, California is a state. It's not a city." Beepbeepbeep "Joe Biden!" "What is orange, Alex?" "..........Honestly? You think there is a Saint Orange, Joe?" Beepbeepbeep "What is yes, Alex.?" "Joe, take your thumb off the buzzer." Beepbeepbeep "What is no, Alex?" "OK, Harry. Your thumb off the buzzer, too. I've never seen so many idiots." Beepbeepbeep "What is The State Department,...

Bernanke to Open Up as Fed Embarks on Era of Glasnost Next Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will do something no Fed chief has done before: Stand before a room full of journalists after officials conclude a policy meeting and answer questions about the central bank's decisions. Washington churns out press conferences the way Kansas cranks out wheat. But this briefing will carry more import than most: Mr. Bernanke has been on a campaign since taking the helm of the Fed in 2006 to make it more transparent and consensus-driven. The financial crisis severely shook public confidence in the...

"Gentlemen, comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about Glasnost and Perestroika and democracy in the coming years. They are primarily for outward consumption. There will be no significant internal changes in the Soviet Union, other than for cosmetic purposes. Our purpose is to disarm the Americans and let them fall asleep. We want to accomplish three things: One, we want the Americans to withdraw conventional forces from Europe. Two, we want them to withdraw nuclear forces from Europe. Three, we want the Americans to stop proceeding with Strategic Defense Initiative." Quote by: Mikhail Gorbachev (1931- ) General...

Cuban President Raul Castro is giving over more state-owned land to private owners. http://youtube.com/watch?v=4xLR4g7wcN8

By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury Imagine Russia in 2050! According to Paul Goble, a specialist on ethnic minorities in the Russian Federation has predicted that within the next several decades, Russia will become a Muslim majority state. There is another bad news with fast decline in country’s population. This has already become a headache for Russian politicians and policy makers. President Vladimir Putin has called already for Russian women to have more children, because demographers predict that Russia’s population will fall from 143 million to 100 million by 2050. This situation has alarmed Russians as well Western leaders, more so...

Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev called the Iraqi parliamentary elections a profanation. In an interview with the Interfax news agency, he said the elections are “very far from what true elections are. And even though I am a supporter of elections and of the transfer of power to the people of Iraq, these elections were fake.” “I don’t think these elections will be of any use. They may even have a negative impact on the country. Democracy cannot be imposed or strengthened with guns and tanks,” the agency quoted Gorbachev as saying. Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it respected...

<p>President Bush could kill two shibboleths with one stone were he to pick up the phone and tell Vladimir Putin what an asset the Russian President has in Andrei Illarionov. It could encourage Russia to finally ditch the Kyoto Protocol, as well as serve as the start of a much smarter global warming policy in the U.S.</p>