American Buddhist Net

The Soviet Union is gradually being rebuilt as Vladimir Putin eyes a return to the Kremlin. The man who declared the collapse of the Communist state to be the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century” appears determined to forge a new empire.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

The Russian army is embroiled in an embarrassing scandal after 200 of its tanks were found abandoned near a forest in central Russia, unguarded and unlocked.

A news website near the city of Yekaterinburg posted a video of the forgotten tanks showing passers-by clambering inside the vehicles and playing with empty ammunition belts. The only items that seemed to be missing were live rounds and the keys to the tanks' ignitions.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Russian officials have mused openly about the prospects of a de facto takeover of the country’s Far East by Chinese immigrants (legal and illegal alike) reports Joshua Kucera. But a booming Chinese economy and disaffection with Moscow might actually be pushing Russians the other way.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Police in Russia have arrested a man who hijacked the electronics of an advertising billboard to show pornography.

The 40 year old prankster had hacked into a computer system which ran the giant advertising screen, situated above a busy Moscow street near the Kremlin.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Moscow authorities have allocated a plot of land on Poklonnaya Hill, a WWII memorial in the Russian capital's west for a Buddhist temple, a deputy Moscow mayor said Tuesday.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

MOSCOW, February 14 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent a congratulatory message to Russian Buddhists on Lunar New Year.

“I congratulate cordially Russian Buddhists on Lunar New Year – Sagaalgan,” the Kremlin press service quoted the congratulatory message as saying.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Armchair explorers can now travel the length of Russia's Trans-Siberian railway with the click of a mouse, Google have said.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Russia urged China to dump its Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bonds in 2008 in a bid to force a bailout of the largest U.S. mortgage-finance companies, former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Consider the source, arguably the greatest salesman in US history. "Give me $700 billion now!" "No!" "Make that $800 billion!" "OK!" ABN

Church officials denied the poisoning cases are due to sanctified water.

A total of 228 fell sick, of which 114 were admitted to hospital, Rospotrebnadzor said. Media reports said earlier 40 people were hospitalised with symptoms of poisoning.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

A poll published by the Ministry of Education shows that more than 58% of parents chose secular ethics for their children, while only 19.1% opt for the foundations of Orthodox culture. Unprepared teachers and unsuitable texts root cause of problem.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Melbourne, Jan.21 : Aboriginal elders in Australia have accused Russian world figure skating champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of stealing an Aboriginal dance idea and causing serious cultural offence.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

President Obama sent two of his top national security officials to Moscow on Wednesday to clear the last hurdles to a new nuclear pact, but a revelation that U.S. missiles will soon be deployed near Russian territory could complicate the talks.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

By Susanne Sternthal
Published: January 16 2010

Russians can go nutty when it comes to dogs. Consider the incident a few years ago that involved Yulia Romanova, a 22-year-old model. On a winter evening, Romanova was returning with her beloved Staffordshire terrier from a visit to a designer who specialises in kitting out canine Muscovites in the latest fashions. The terrier was sporting a new green camouflage jacket as he walked with his owner through the crowded Mendeleyevskaya metro station. There they encountered Malchik, a black stray who had made the station his home, guarding it against drunks and other dogs. Malchik barked at the pair, defending his territory. But instead of walking away, Romanova reached into her pink rucksack, pulled out a kitchen knife and, in front of rush-hour commuters, stabbed Malchik to death.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Excellent article, well-worth reading. ABN

Alexandre Billette pays a visit to forest worshippers of the remote Mari El republic on the Volga, who have maintained their religious traditions despite pressure from the Tsars, the Soviet regime and the Orthodox church

On a poor road across the Mari El ­republic, the village of Mari-Turek is barely distinguishable from thousands of others in rural Russia that time has forgotten. With no industry, it dozes peacefully away from the main thoroughfares of the Volga federal district.

But hidden on these remote plains are hundreds of places of worship that few travellers ever notice. In the traditional religion of the Mari people there are no churches. They prefer to gather in rocha, isolated groves; the republic has about 400 sacred ­rocha, some tiny, others the size of small forests.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Aginskoye, Russia -- For more than a decade, Bair Zhamsuev oversaw a tremendous social and economic transformation in this remote, cattle-breeding region of Siberia. In 2008, though, before he was transferred to the Kremlin, Governor Zhamsuev encouraged the largely Buddhist population of the Aginsk Buryat Autonomous Region to support a referendum that effectively stripped its independence and allowed it to be swallowed up by the surrounding ethnic-Russian territory.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

(Reuters)--Enthusiasts participate in a winter swimming competition in Vladivostok, Russia

LINK TO ORIGINAL

The investigation into the so-called Warmergate emails - the leaked data from the University of East Anglia’s climate change department - took a new twist last night when The Mail on Sunday tracked the stolen messages to a suspect computer which provides internet access to China.

The address used to post the emails is also on an international ‘black list’ which highlights suspicious behaviour on the internet.

The revelation comes after the Russian security service, the FSB – the former KGB – authorised the release of confidential information that allowed us to retrace the route taken by the email traffic.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

WASHINGTON: A new research has determined that Earth's north magnetic pole is racing toward Russia at almost 40 miles a year due to magnetic changes in the planet's core.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

By M K Bhadrakumar
Dec 24, 2009

...A pipeline to the heart of Asia

Nazarbayev's message was direct: Western investors could keep their money if interested only in exploiting Kazakhstan's mineral wealth. The president was speaking as a momentous event in the history and politics of Central Asia was resetting the terms of engagement for foreigners in the region: the development of an ambitious 7,000 kilometer pipeline to link the region's gas fields to cities on China's eastern seaboard.

Ten days after Nazarbayev spoke, Hu arrived on a Central Asian tour for the formal commissioning of the 1,833-kilometer pipeline connecting gas fields in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan (and possibly Russia) to China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

Turkmenistan says it alone can supply 40 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas a year through the pipeline for three decades once it reaches full capacity. That is about half China's current annual consumption.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

First-rate article. Be sure to read if you have any interest in world politics, Central Asia, Russia, China, or Europe. Here is another excerpt: Therefore, if there is a zero-sum game, it is like this: China's gain is Europe's loss, which in turn can be Russia's gain since Russian gas is now certain to remain Europe's main energy source for the foreseeable future. Needless to say, Europe's continued dependence on Russian energy constitutes a vital chip for Moscow in its efforts to forge partnerships with major European countries. While the USA makes war in Central Asia and does almost anything it can to piss off Russia, China quietly buys position and power. Rather than cooperate with Russia, as we should have been doing since the fall of the Soviet Union, we have practically gone out of our way to drive them into China's arms. Our resource war in Central Asia is costing us a fortune in money and good will, and at the end of the day, it is unlikely we will have anything to show for it. ABN

A monkey may be sent to Mars, under plans unveiled by Russian scientists.

Although the ape will be looked after by a robot on the mission, the decision is expected to spark controversy with animal rights groups.

The Russians first succeeded in putting monkeys into orbit in 1983.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

MOSCOW -- A Moscow radio station says it is being sued by Josef Stalin's grandson who claims the station wrongfully dishonored the dictator.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Think our winter's been a bit grim? Try visiting Yakutsk – the Russian city where 'a bit nippy' means minus 50C, and a quick dash to the corner shop could end in frostbite. Shaun Walker enjoys amini-break in deepest Siberia.

...Locals claim that there are enough lakes and rivers in the region for each inhabitant to have one of each. They are fond of boasting that the region contains every element in the periodic table. According to local legend, the god of creation had been flying around the world to distribute riches and natural resources, but when he got to Yakutia he got so cold that his hands went numb and he dropped everything.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Lenin Square, Yakutsk

Lives on alms, praying on the street and constantly wandering, Felix Shvedovsky is a Buddhist monk who, according to his own words, believes that life in Moscow devestates people’s spirits. In an attempt to change the situation, he prays in the center of the big city.

Climategate just got much, much bigger. And all thanks to the Russians who, with perfect timing, dropped this bombshell just as the world’s leaders are gathering in Copenhagen to discuss ways of carbon-taxing us all back to the dark ages.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Hard to know what to make of all this evidence and counter-evidence and now fake evidence, or claims that it is fake. For me the important point is human beings are ruining the earth with toxic pollution, and this most definitely includes earth's atmosphere, which is extremely thin. I, for one, believe that human generated pollution is causing a rise in atmospheric CO2 and that that is causing earth's overall temperature to rise. That said, cap and trade looks like one of the biggest scams to come along in - I was going to say years, but months is just as bad and closer to the truth. I have no problem with people doubting human generated global warming as long as they are concerned about reducing pollution. I believe that we do need a planet-wide program to reduce pollution--all of it, including the intemperate use of nanoparticles and depleted uranium. I fear what they are doing in Copenhagen and doubt the results will be good. We have to do something, though, if we want to preserve earth's ecosystems, or at least some of them. I have no idea how to ensure that Copenhagen or whatever agreement is finally reached will work and be reasonable. I don't see how we can do nothing, though. Health care is sort of similar--the system in the USA is a mess and we all know that when Congress tries to fix it, if they ever do, they will likely create a worse mess. But we can't go on as we are. Can someone please invent a cheap, and super accurate lie-detector? That will fix all of these problems. I favor heading into the morass of bureaucratic bs and doing the best we can with it. Leaving things alone - leaving countries and corporations to dump shit wherever they want - just will not work. And it's the same with health care--to leave it up to corporations is to look the other way while death warrants for your fellow citizens are being signed. ABN

Russian authorities have told Sky News that Western forces in Afghanistan are to blame for the country's status as the world's biggest heroin consumer.

The head of Russia's anti-narcotics federal agency says that British troops in Helmand Province are not doing enough to stem production of the world's deadliest drug.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

New York, Dec 16 : Vladimir Putin's alleged girlfriend Alina Kabaeva has given birth to a baby boy, whom sources claim to be the Russian Prime Minister's first son.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

MOSCOW, Russia — Bank robbers have threatened tellers with knives, shot their way into banks and tunnelled up into vaults. But one woman in southern Russia chose a more peaceful method: Police say Galina Korzhova hypnotised a bank teller into handing over tens of thousands of dollars in what is believed to be just one in a series of daring, if non-violent, bank robberies.

...Police say that Korzhova is a "tsiganka," or Roma. Police, who are often criticized for racial profiling, say this type of crime is most often perpetrated by Roma who are traditionally involved in fortune telling and are often seen begging in Russia.

The Roma, or Gypsies, are nomadic people who live throughout Europe. Human rights groups say they are severely discriminated against in Russia and that police routinely assume their guilt and harass them.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Re: Hypnotizing people for money...a comment below this article reads: "This is not news, the American politicians have been doing this to the population for years." Robyn

Wagons brimming with logs accumulate in the Siberian railway station of Dalnerechensk, more than 8,000km (4,971 miles) east of Moscow. They are waiting to cross the nearby Chinese border.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

This piece is also worth reading. You cannot understand China without appreciating how large its footprint outside of China has become. China consumes natural resources from Africa, SE Asia, Indonesia, PNG, Russia and more. At the same time, it's low labor-costs have decimated manufacturing in the USA and elsewhere. Large scale capitalist or semi-capitalist enterprises - be they Chinese, European, or American - are rapidly devastating the wold's ecosystems. A few people at the top become extraordinarily wealthy, some consumers get a lousy "good deal", most workers are skinned alive, and the environment is often utterly destroyed. The consequences of these kinds of practices are obvious, of course. I, for one, do not see where real change will come from save an environmental catastrophe large enough to make everyone take notice. My only comfort is it all proves the first noble truth. ABN

THE limited popularity of Singapore's Russian Orthodox Church calls to attention the uneasy relationship modern Russians have with religion.

Since it was set up two years ago, Russian Orthodox Church members have increased from 10 to 100, but that is still only a small fraction of the 3,000 Russians who live here.

LINK TO ORIGINAL