Missed This

April 12th, 1961 - Yuri Gagarin Becomes First Man in Space

54 years ago yesterday.

Good Grief!

Russia opposition politician Boris Nemtsov shot dead

"A leading Russian opposition politician, former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, has been shot dead in Moscow, Russian officials say.

An unidentified attacker in a car shot Mr Nemtsov four times in the back as he crossed a bridge in view of the Kremlin, police say.

He died hours after appealing for support for a march on Sunday in Moscow against the war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned the murder, the Kremlin says.

In a recent interview, Mr Nemtsov had said he feared Mr Putin would have him killed because of his opposition to the war in Ukraine."

Boris Nemtsov, Russian opposition leader, shot dead in Moscow

"Boris Nemtsov, a Russian opposition leader and sharp critic of President Vladimir Putin, was gunned down Saturday near the Kremlin, officials said. Nemtsov was killed just a day before a protest planned against Putin's rule.

The death of Nemtsov, a 55-year-old former deputy prime minister, ignited a fury among opposition figures who assailed the Kremlin for creating an atmosphere of intolerance of any dissent. Putin quickly offered his condolences and called the murder a provocation.

Putin ordered Russia's law enforcement chiefs to oversee the probe. "Putin noted that this cruel murder has all the makings of a contract hit and is extremely provocative," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies."

Yah. We believe you Vlad.

Vlad's biography: Putin's Long Shadow

Gorbi Weighs In...

...and confirms what I've been thinking for some time:

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev warns world ‘on brink of new Cold War’

Thanks Putin.

Time Marches On

Muhammad Ali health: Boxing legend misses own premiere because he is 'so ill he can barely speak', his brother claims

"Muhammad Ali’s battle with debilitating Parkinson’s disease has reached the point at which he can barely speak, his brother has revealed.

The legendary boxer, 72, was too ill to attend the premiere of a film about his life last week – or to take part in any of the production for it."

[---]

"Muhammad’s son, Ali Jnr, said in January he believed there was "no chance" his father would survive until the end of 2014.

"I just want, hope and pray to God that this awful disease takes my dad sooner rather than later," he said."

And Gorbi, too: Mikhail Gorbachev reportedly 'fighting for his life' as health deteriorates in hospital

"Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Russian leader, is in hospital fighting for his life after his health deteriorated, Russian news sources are reporting.

“My state of health has been moderate for a week and today I am in hospital,” agency Ria Novosti quoted the 83-year-old politician as saying.

“My health is deteriorating.”

“I'm hooked up to a monitor,” he added."

[---]

"Famed for introducing widespread reforms glasnost (openness) and perestroika (rebuilding), Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union in 1985.

A Nobel Peace laureate, who has been heavily critical of the aggressive foreign policy of current Russian President Vladimir Putin, is thought to suffer from diabetes."

Maybe I'm next.

Interesting what he says about Putin, isn't it?

Stuff I Didn't Know...

...about The Beatles and the Cold War. You learn something new every day.

Global Affairs...

...are extremely tense right now. It's like walking on broken glass. I don't remember it ever being like this, not even during the Cold War.

Four NATO warships to enter the Black Sea before September 7

The Russian Bear versus everyone else.

About That Malaysian Airliner Shot Down...

...over Ukraine, I wonder who was on board that Putin wanted dead? Reminds me of the Korean Airlines disaster. Who said the Cold War was over?

Proxy Wars - Two Can Play That Game

Iran and Saudi Arabia - Middle East Cold War

"At its core, the Iranian-Saudi rivalry is about power and money: two oil-rich giants, vying for control of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow water passage that accounts for almost 20% of all oil traded worldwide (and 40% of all US crude imports pass)"

Well, they say history repeats itself.

Here's A Nice Little History Of Iran Since the 50's

What Really Happened to Mossadeq?

What Started As...

..a dual over striking Syria, has turned into a tug of war between Obama and Putin:

Obama team fires back at Putin op-ed on Syria

Amid all the sorrow and inhumanity in the world, sometimes there is outright hilarity. What's Obama going to do next? Bang his shoe on the desk in the Oval Office and then throw it at Putin? Funny how history just keeps playing over and over and over:

Missed This...

...but I guess after 52 years it doesn't matter that much:

Cosmic Bash: Parties on Earth and Mars Celebrate Human Spaceflight

Fifty-two years ago Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space, ushering in the final, intense competition of the Cold War. Thank God the Americans won. If they can just save themselves from oblivion now.

And speaking as a female, Yuri was kinda cute when he was young, wasn't he?

Quick now. Who was the first American in space?

And I didn't know Gagarin died while test-piloting a MiG-15. Learn sumtin new every day.

Apology Accepted...

...Now, bring back the death penalty:

'I'm sorry,' Canadian navy spy tells family before sentencing

Ever Wonder Why...

...the Russians are such hardy people?

Welcome to the coldest village on Earth where the temperature can hit -71.2C, mobiles don't work... but homes still have outside toilets

• Russian village of Oymyakon has lowest recorded temperature for any permanently inhabited location

• Nothing grows so locals live off diet of reindeer meat and horse meat but never suffer malnourishment

• Locals keep their cars running all day for fear of them not starting again if turned off

• Digging graves for a funeral can take up to three days as ground has to be thawed with hot coals

You gotta wonder why they didn't win the Cold War.

Hip! Hip! Rah! Rah!

Way to go Britain!!!

"The MV Alaed had its insurance withdrawn by The Standard Club in London while it was about 50 miles (80.4km) off Scotland's north coast.

The insurer said it had sought more information on the boat's cargo."

[---]

""We were informed on Friday evening that the ship might be carrying weapons, in particular attack helicopters, missiles and non-specific munitions, and we are making inquiries to establish what their side of the story is.

"There are exclusion clauses in our cover and, for anyone involved in improper or unlawful trade, we can cancel cover.

"We are investigating whether or not to do so in this case.""

Those Ruskies have been looking for greater access to southern ports, one way or another, since forever. With so much of its empire now independent nations, the search continues. That, and who said the Cold War was over?

Reflections on a Lifetime

My mother was two or three years old when the communist "revolution" took place in Russia. During the ensuing Soviet hegemony, the whole of Eastern Europe fell behind the "Iron Curtain" (Winston Churchill's phrase) with the Soviet Union's assistance.

Following close on the heals of WWII, the Cold War began. I was born at the beginning of that war. I spent my entire youth witnessing from afar the terrible tensions throughout that era - the Cuban Missile Crisis, the proxy wars, etc., etc..

This morning, I was listening to Charles Adler, Canada's best talk radio host. His show featured a clip of Ronald Reagan's famous speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin Wall that separated communist East Germany from free West Germany.

A few days ago was the 25th anniversary of that speech, yet it seems like only yesterday that Mikael Gorbachev's Glasnost and Perestroika movements were in full swing.

Shortly after that famous speech, the whole of communist Europe was gone. It began in Berlin. Reagan's speech had given East Germans hope.

Something that had begun when my mother was a toddler, something that created the Cold War, that defined my generation, was gone.

Poof!! Just like that.

Everything changed.

Years later I learned that German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, had been born on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall. She grew up under the real deal, not Communism Lite - ie) Socialism, but the real thing. She is now the only European leader with any sense, while the rest are dealing with the consequences of socialism - with their heads in the sand, I might add.

Charles Adler was born in communist Hungary. He escaped, tucked into a knapsack. carried by his father, when he was a mere toddler.

Listen to his program on his website: http://charlesadler.com/

The Reagan speech is broadcast on Adler's June 16 Commies and Zombies segment.

He also has an excellent rant about returning to Canada after a trip to Eastern Europe, which also touches on the legacy of communism.

Listen to both of them.

His rant about Canada is item 41 June 1 A Return to Canadian Soil

Hurry. Those numbers and the audio clips may change real quick, just like the world did twenty-two years ago when the Berlin Wall came tumbling down.

Regrettably, we still have Socialists amongst us who are doing their level best to impose communism lite on us. No thank you!!

I Feel Old

Fifty-one years ago. The sad thing is that I remember this, very clearly.

Ummmmmm...

...I think we're already in one:

Hague fears Iran could start 'new Cold War'

And given the behavior of Vladimir Putin, I really don't think the old one is over yet.

Reminicent of Cold War Europe

Canadian Forces to open support hub in Germany

"The Canadian Forces are setting up a new operational support hub in Germany in anticipation of future missions abroad, Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced Tuesday."

[---]

"MacKay said the recent experience of using a small logistical hub at an American airbase in Spangdahlem, Germany, to support Canada's mission in Afghanistan has "driven home the value of maintaining operational support hubs abroad in anticipation of future mission requirements."

The defence minister said the Canadian Forces must be "flexible, able to respond at a moment's notice and get halfway around the world sometimes at very short notice.""

CBC's usual cadre of commentators must be stunned. So far, there are no comments.

Wow!

Anka Warsaw concert cancelled by JFK assassination

"Paul Anka is back in Warsaw to perform a concert he had to cancel 48 years ago following the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy."

Given that this was the height of the Cold War, I'm surprised he was even touring Poland. Looks like he was the among the first:

"Anka was among the first North American singers to have been allowed to tour behind the Iron Curtain at a time when Communist Poland was slowly opening up to Western popular culture."

I'm also surprised he's still going. Like Elvis, he picked the wrong time to become famous and his career just started to soar when the Beatles and Beatlemania knocked everyone else, including Anka, off the charts and the stages.

And You Thought ...

... the Cold War was over.

"MOSCOW -- A grueling 520-day mock flight to Mars came to an end on November 4, as six male researchers emerged from the hatch of a sealed metal capsule where they have been confined for 17 months."