Finally: Lithuania Plans 'Fantasy Resort' to be Staffed Only by Blondes

Since we're big fans of Lithuanian blondes, we fail to see what's wrong with any of this.

Empowering blondes or stereotyping them?

The jury is out on a Lithuanian company that plans to build a "fantasy resort" staffed only by blondes in the Maldives.

Olialia (pronounced Oh-la-LA) has created a business empire in Lithuania, using its troupe of glitzy models with platinum hair to market just about anything from potato chips to pop music. There's Olialia pizza and Olialia cola, even Olialia computers.

With the Maldives resort - and plans for an airline linking it to the Baltic republic - Olialia is taking its blond ambition to a new level.

"Blond is light. It attracts people like sunshine," brand manager Lauryna Anuseviciute, a 24-year-old former model, explained at the Olialia office in downtown Vilnius.

In Lithuania, where a big chunk of the population shares Anuseviciute's light hair color - naturally or aided by peroxide - such unabashed glorification of blond beauty doesn't raise many eyebrows.

It remains to be seen how the Olialia concept will be received in the Maldives, a more ethnically diverse archipelago in the Indian Ocean, which requires foreign developers to hire at least 50 percent local staff.

Maldives tourism officials said they had not received any details about Olialia's plans and had not issued any permits.

"We welcome any serious innovations and investment for discussions so long as it is backed by serious finance with a robust and realistic business plan," Simon Hawkins, director of the Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation, wrote in an e-mail. He underlined "realistic."

However, he didn't appear to see the blond requirement as a major hurdle for employees from the Maldives, saying "perhaps they could work behind the scenes, or die their hair?"

No need, according to Anuseviciute. "Staff who are not blond will wear a blond wig to make everyone look similar," she said. The wig will be considered part of their uniform.

Hopefully skimpy outfits and heels are also required. Just saying.

Sadly, some object to this. It's racist or something.

Back home, the small women's rights movement is cringing in disgust. Not only is the "blond island" idea demeaning to women, but borderline racist, said Margarita Jankauskaite, director of the Lithuanian Center for Equality Advancement.

"I am ashamed that this initiative came from my country. This only sends a message to the world that Lithuania is a country of cheap beer and cheap blond women," Jankauskaite said.

Cheap beer and cheap blondes? What the heck is wrong with that?

By the way, if you can't get enough of Lithuanian blondes, feel free to peruse the photo gallery. You can thank me later.

Baltic Perspective On Putie

POLITICS OF PARANOIA
No one who has paid the slightest attention to events in Russia over the past several years was the least bit surprised by the results of the Dec. 2 election, which was determined well in advance. Previous elections, of course, were also manipulated and marred by abuse of state funds (let’s not forget Boris Yeltin’s shenanigans in 1996, or the violations witnessed in 2000 when Vladimir Putin was first elected), but this year the scope of fraud and use of methods in contradiction with the spirit of democracy clearly demonstrate that, at best, neither Putin nor any other Russian official has the right to use the word “democracy” in reference to the country’s system of governance. At worst, Russia’s electoral sham has shown that the mentality of Russia’s leadership is driven by a more sinister psychosis – paranoia.

Analysts agree unanimously that Putin and his party, United Russia, would have won the election had it conducted it freely and fairly, and without prior manipulation of the laws to make it more difficult for parties to participate and break the higher, 7 percent barrier. Russia has prospered under Putin. GDP is up almost 70 percent, wages and pensions are paid regularly, a middle class has formed, and Russian corporations are now buying Western businesses. Then why the heavy-handedness and gross abuse of power?

Here opinions diverge, but while there are undoubtedly several reasons, the dominant one harks back three years to Ukraine, when foreign money and influence played a key role in helping reverse what appeared to be an electoral victory by pro-Russian forces. That one event – the so-called Orange Revolution – forever changed the Kremlin’s opinion of the West. Ever since then Putin and his administration have planned methodically, leaving no (spy)stone unturned, to prevent foreigners and NGOs from meddling in the parliamentary election.

The Kremlin’s fear of outside interference, in fact, has been irrational to the point of becoming paranoid. Two examples come to mind. First, cells of pro-Kremlin youth activists were positioned at various locations in Moscow on election day in order to prevent any impromptu anti-Putin rallies from materializing. There was even one outside the BBC’s office in Moscow to discourage opposition politicians from venting on the international airwaves. Second, in a major pre-election speech on Nov. 22 Putin referred to opposition politicians as “jackals,” which in Russian is an extremely strong word. “Now they’re going to take to the streets,” he ranted. “They’ve learned from Western experts and have received some training in neighboring republics.” Hence, the youth scare-squads on Dec. 2.

Putin is woefully intolerant. He has shown that he is not only unwilling to accept criticism of Russia but that he considers Russia’s internal critics to be traitors (This frame of mind – those who aren’t with us are traitors – is a devious twist to another familiar strain of intolerance first uttered six years ago by someone else: “those who aren’t with us are against us.”). His derogatory eulogy for Anna Politkovskaya, a renowned journalist and Putin-critic who was shot to death outside her Moscow home, is a self-indictment. Politkovskaya, he said, did more damage to Russia by dying that she did while alive. Clearly such words could only come from a demented mind.

For the Baltics, none of this is news. It should, however, be a useful confirmation of what is already known. We should be mindful of the fact that the Kremlin is now fueled on paranoia and will in the future be increasingly pro-active in meddling in affairs of countries in the near abroad now that it is utterly convinced that Western powers do the same. The Kremlin has recently scored important victories in Ukraine and Georgia, facilitating major setbacks in the democratic transformations of those countries, and when possible it will try to influence events in the Baltics as well. The Bronze Soldier riots in Tallinn were just the first instance of what is likely to become a regular phenomenon.

The State Department's Russian expert was unavailable for comment.

Via The Baltic Times

Damn Capitalists

Lithuania joins carbon challenge roster
Lithuania has confirmed that it will join its Baltic neighbors in taking the European Commission to court over the level of its carbon dioxide emission allowance.

It is the seventh eastern European nation to take legal action, creating a serious headache for EC regulators.

Heh. Wait until New Europe floats the idea that in all matters EU, it should be one nation, one vote. That will cause some real headaches.

Lithuania has asked for a CO2 allowance of 11.2 million tonnes a year for the period 2008-2012, after the European Commission has halved its original allocation of 16.6 million tonnes to 8.8 million tonnes.

"Lithuania's government is going to appeal to the European Court of Justice over emission allowances," said Nemira Pumprickaite, spokeswoman for Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas August 10.

In Brussels, a spokeswoman for Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said the Commission was confident that its decision would be upheld in court.

Baltic neighbors Latvia and Estonia as well as larger eastern European peers Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia have also decided to appeal to the EU court over the CO2 quotas as too restrictive for their growing economies.

Lithuania has said it will have to produce more electricity from fossil fuel plants, a major source of pollution, after the closure of its remaining Soviet-built nuclear reactor to fill the gap until a new nuclear plant comes on stream.

Leading presidential contender Ron Paul is trying figure out how to link this to Bush foreign policy blowback.

Old Europe Put On Notice?

Vaclav Klaus and Lech Kaczynski focused on Czech-Polish economic and cultural relations . . . .

Klaus calls for joint efforts of Czechs, Poles in EU
Czech President Vaclav Klaus Wednesday pointed to the importance of cooperation of the EU member states on the regional level and of their joint efforts in the EU.

Klaus, on an official visit to Poland, said at a meeting with Polish Senate Marshal Bogdan Boruszewicz that the result of the June EU summit did not fill him with optimism, the Polish news agency PAP reported.

At the summit Poland came up with the proposal to extend the validity of the current EU voting system until 2020 after which a new system envisaged in a draft European treaty would take effect.

Poland demands more voting power in the EU, pointing to the size of its population. Poland believes that the new voting system envisaged in the EU's new draft treaty will give large countries such as Germany too much influence.

Wanna see Old Europe really fill their panties? Suggest Demand one nation, one vote.

Of the EU's 27 member states, the Czech Republic alone has offered Poland support in its bid to reopen a debate on the voting system.

The summit in the end did not comply with Warsaw's demand but it agreed to postpone the new voting system's introduction until 2017.

Boruszewicz praised an important role of the regional cooperation within the Visegrad Four that includes, apart from Poland and the Czech Republic, also Slovakia and Hungary.

Klaus said that the more was achieved within the group the better but pointed to disputes that exist in the group.

Boruszewicz said he was satisfied with the Polish-Czech consultations on the U.S. plan to station a missile defence base on their territory.

Klaus said that the Czech Republic's approach to the U.S. proposal shows the importance it attaches to trans-Atlantic relations.

To stand on two feet - in the USA and the EU - is especially important for the countries with such geographical position as Poland and the Czech Republic, Boruszewicz said, adding that it would be appropriate to think about the strengthening of the east European policy.

It is reasonable to consider cooperation between the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia, Klaus said.

Hmmm. All countries which have recently told Soviet Russian president Vladimir Paranoid and his lackeys to STFU.

Klaus will end his three-day visit to Poland on Thursday. The main topics of his discussion with Polish President Lech Kaczynski are Czech-Polish economic and cultural relations, the EU and the planned stationing of the U.S. missile defence base in the Czech Republic and Poland.
This story is from the Czech News Agency (CTK)

That stench emanates from Old Europe's panties. Host elements of the US missile defense system?!? Why . . . why . . . that might make Putie mad at us!

Old Europe, your loyal apparatchik kameraden José Manuel Barrosa has said that the European Union is now an empire.

I agree. Empire of the Tax Consuming Toothless Tiger.

The Dawn Compromise

Angela Merkel demonstrated her skills as a tough negotiator, as did Lech and Jaroslav Kaczynski.

Tony Blair turned into a French Poodle as Nicolas Sarkozy had no trouble out-smarting Blair.

The Czechs, Slovaks and Lithuanians subtly demonstrated that New Europe will be a force to be reckoned with.

But who really came out a winner from the EU's Brussels summit?

Europe's Marathon Talks Clinch a Deal
[....]

A showdown between Merkel and Kaczynski brought the summit to the brink of failure. Merkel heaped on the pressure by saying that she would launch treaty negotiations without Poland, but once a compromise deal was reached, she had to deal with other countries' resistance to what they felt had been too many concessions to Britain.

Once a deal was finally hammered out, all the heads of states pronounced themselves pleased. Polish President Lech Kaczynski praised the diplomatic skill and "solidarity" of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Tony Blair. Sarkozy said he had worked hand in hand with Merkel and described the deal as "good news for Europe." He said it was a key achievement to have struck a deal with Poland. "After all, we didn't want to leave the biggest country in Eastern Europe behind."

The agreement is crucial for the EU. After the collapse of the constitutional project, following its rejection by France and the Netherlands in 2005, the bloc was caught in a state of paralysis. But Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel had been determined to revive the plans to streamline the EU when Berlin took over the presidency in January. She has spent the past six months trying to hammer out a deal for a slimmed down treaty that could be accepted by all 27 members. And she finally succeeded. The member states have agreed to an intergovernmental conference which will give the deal a legal framework. The treaty will then be ratified by the member states and should come into force by 2009.

Poland Wins Concessions

As expected, the biggest hurdles to overcome were Poland and Britain. Poland felt that its role in the future European decisions would be diminished while bigger countries, in particular Germany, would have a greater say under the new "double majority" voting system. Under the new system, decisions made by the European Council will no longer be made unanimously but rather by a combination of 55 percent of EU states, which have to represent at least 65 percent of the total EU population.

In the run up to the summit Poland's undiplomatic rhetoric, including its repeated references to the Nazi occupation during World War II, shocked and enraged many EU leaders. Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said Poland's population would have been much bigger than its current 38 million if it weren't for the fact that millions of Poles died during the war.

The compromise with Poland includes the postponement of the new voting system until 2014, and it will now not be fully implemented until 2017. In essence, it means the Poles can maintain their current level of influence in the EU for another 10 years. Under the current system Poland has 27 votes on the EU's decision-making council, compared with 29 for Germany, although its population is twice as big.

Warsaw was also offered pledges of solidarity in the event of any future energy crises, a major concern as Poland is dependent on Russia for much of its energy supplies. Indeed, German-Polish relations took a dramatic turn for the worse when former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder* signed a Baltic Sea pipeline deal in 2005 that bypassed Poland. The Poles felt Germany and the EU was ignoring their concerns about being over-reliant on Russia for energy supplies.

The agreement was only reached after a dramatic struggle the likes of which has not been seen at an EU summit for many years. Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who did not travel to Brussels, seemed to be calling the shots from Warsaw. When he rejected Merkel's first compromise offer, which included a delay to the voting system until 2014 and more seats for Warsaw in the European parliament, it looked as if Germany's dream of a summit success would end in tatters.

A Surprise Ultimatum

But Merkel's reaction was swift: She presented Warsaw with a surprise ultimatum, threatening to move ahead with the treaty without Poland. Her move was a gamble, with Poland's allies the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Slovakia rushing to defend Warsaw, but it prompted a last-minute rush of mediation and finally Poland was convinced by Blair, Sarkozy and Luxembourg Primer Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who played the good cops to Merkel's bad cop. The German chancellor then presented her last offer to the Poles, and they accepted.

There's more.

*Just prior to leaving office, Gerhard Schröder signed a deal with Russia to build the Nord Stream pipeline. Shortly after leaving office, der Gerhard accepted a lucrative position with a consortium that is controlled by Russian energy monopoly Gazprom --- which is building the pipeline.

Delusional Paranoia

Failing to understand that any thoughts or feelings of appreciation were lost around 1948 - and certainly in 1968 - the Soviets Russians have told the Czech Republic that removal of a Soviet Russian Great Patriotic War memorial in Brno, South Moravia, would be viewed as a hostile act.

Russia would consider the removal of a memorial above a tomb of Red Army soldiers in Brno as a breach of the interstate treaty and a hostile step, the Russian general consulate in Brno told CTK in a written statement today. It was reacting to a debate about the memorial's future started by deputy mayor of a Brno district who labelled the structure a "monster" in the town hall's bulletin and called for the space to be cultivated.

The monument in Kralovo Pole is situated next to the Holy Trinity Church. It is shaped as a stone pyramid with a Cyrillic script inscription saying that 326 Red Army soldiers who fell during Brno's liberation fighting are buried there. A flowerbed symbolises a grave.

Pelan proposed to remove the memorial and to replace it with an "erratic stone with an inscription reading To the memory of all victims of World War Two."

The Russian consulate said that the World War Two victory was attained at the cost of huge sacrifices. "That is why attempts in a number of countries (and we believe that this does not concern the Czech Republic) to rewrite the history of the war and to distort the importance of the victory are absolutely inadmissible for us," the press release says.

In April, the Soviets Russians were highly offended when the government of Estonia announced that a Soviet Russian monument known as the Bronze Soldier was to be moved to a cemetery. The Soviets Russians became indignant and demanded that the European Union punish Estonia.

In a letter of complaint to member countries of the European Union, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed indignation at solidarity within the European Union (EU) and demanded Estonia's punishment, it appears from the letter published in the daily Eesti Paevaleht. The minister expressed indignation because many Western countries supported Estonia and tolerated activity of the government at relocation of the monument. "The Western countries give their tacit approval to the fact that by equaling the heroism of soldier-liberators and the crimes of Nazis and their henchmen, Estonian authorities were attempting to rewrite history and reinterpret the role of the anti-Hitler coalition in the victory over fascism in World War Two,” the letter said.

In response, the European Union - and NATO - told the Soviets Russians to pound sand.

The West showed on Thursday it will not leave Tallinn alone in its current conflict with Moscow. The U.S., NATO, and the EU chairing state -- Germany -- stood up for Estonia, demanding that Russia stop “the inadmissible acts of violence near that country’s embassy”. Thus, Moscow was told it will have to deal with the united bloc of western states if the conflict with Estonia escalates. In response, Russia said the events in Estonia cannot help affecting its relations with the EU and NATO.

Now their jaws are tight because in Poland, a Soviet Russian monument to Feliks Dzierzynski, the first head of the Soviet political police, will be removed from the center of Warsaw.

There's a big row on between Estonia and Russia over the removal of a Soviet era monument from the centre of the capital Tallinn. The Kremlin is furious that the statue of a Red Army Soldier has been moved. And with that dispute simmering away there's another one looming between Warsaw and Moscow as Poland develops a new law on national monuments. That law goes to Parliament in a couple of weeks and it's generating lots of controversy - in Poland and Russia.

The dismantling in the Warsaw city centre of the monument to Feliks Dzierzynski, the first head of the Soviet political police, was one of the first decisions of the city authorities after the collapse of communism in 1989. The law currently being drafted is to provide for the removal of all the remaining symbols from both the Nazi and Soviet eras. The use of the names of communist leaders for streets, schools, ships and trains is to be banned. But what sparked the controversy, especially in the wake of the recent events in Estonia, are plans to remove monuments to Soviet soldiers.

In an obvious reference to Poland, the Russian Foreign Minister said that 'attempts to neglect history are unfortunately becoming today an element of foreign policy of certain states.'

Polish prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski says that his government is determined to go ahead with its plans. "No-one has the right to interfere in the question of Polish street names and the monuments of Polish squares." The minister for culture and national heritage Kazimierz Ujazdowski stresses that the graveyards of Soviet soldiers on Polish soil would not be affected. "The graves and cemeteries are under protection and are treated with due respect. No amendments are planned to existing legislation on these sites."

Sympathy for the Soviet Russian cause was on display following the EU/Russian summit two weeks ago.

The summit between the European Union and Russia ended in acrimonious disaster yesterday with no new deals signed and a stark warning to Russia that it should not try to divide the EU bloc. The European commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, told the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, that any action against an individual EU state would be considered action against the entire EU. His unambiguous comments came amid a bitter dispute between Russia and Estonia - and claims Russia had waged an unprecedented cyber-attack on its small Baltic neighbour. "We had occasion to say to our Russian partners that a difficulty for a member state is a difficulty for the whole European Union," Mr Barroso said. "It is very important if you want to have close cooperation to understand that the EU is based on principles of solidarity."

Hey, Putie! Just because they're out to get you doesn't mean you're paranoid.