Blondes March in Latvia

Looks like this is becoming an annual event, one we have absolutely no problem with. Now this is a crowd I'd like to get lost in.

Over 800 blonde women have marched through the Latvian capital of Riga.

According to AFP, the event was organised with the aim of cheering up locals during the country's current economic crisis.

Student Linda, 19, said: "I feel very good to be surrounded by so many beautiful women. It's great to be blonde."

Another blonde helper Ilze added: "It is just great to do something positive in Latvia and at the same time promote blondes as being fun, positive, intelligent people."

New Zealander Clint, 26, who travelled from Britain for the event, said: "After seeing last year's parade in the news, I knew this was something I could not afford to miss!"

Clint's got his priorities in order. Here's some more marchers.

We definitely approve.

Everyone Loves a Parade: Especially a Parade of Hot Latvian Blondes

I had no idea they grew them so nicely over in Latvia. This could be a possible future vacation destination.

Latvians may be feeling depressed as a result of the economic crisis which has hammered the Baltic state, but over 500 blonde women did their best to lift spirits in Riga on Sunday with a parade and other "Blonde Weekend" events.

The global economic crisis has hit the Baltic state of Latvia particularly hard and left the population feeling blue. But one group of Latvian women has taken a novel approach to fighting the pervasive feeling of doom and gloom.

On Sunday, a procession of more than 500 blondes paraded through the capital Riga wearing pink and white. Many were escorted by lap dogs wearing the same cheerful hues. Their goal: to use their beauty to shine a little light into the dark mood caused by the global downturn.

Though it was far from being a protest march, some women used the opportunity to counter stereotypes. "I am beautiful, but I'm not dumb," Ilone Zigure told the news agency AFP. The student added that she hopes that those of her countrymen who are depressed about the economic crisis will find her "positive energy" contagious.

It's a sentiment that many observing the parade shared. "Finally, something positive," one 70-year-old woman watching the parade told AFP. "I just can't stand listening to people talk about the crisis anymore."

No kidding. Maybe we can organize something like this over here. I happily volunteer. All you hot blondes out there, drop me a line.

Here's a couple more shots. You can see the rest at the above link.

Nice gig being a photographer for this event. Just lay on the ground and get all the good shots.

Aw, even pets were welcome.

Here's a nice parting gift. Yum.

The lovely ladies at the Latvian Blondes Association have a website.

I don't understand Latvian, but I do understand blonde.

Hot Air links. Thanks!

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.