Thursday, August 25, 2011

Making Space For Russia

If I red it, you get it. If not, sorry....

"Russian rocket with space station supplies crashes after launch; Impact in Siberia felt for 60 miles; crew still stocked" by Kenneth Chang, New York Times / August 25, 2011

NEW YORK - An unmanned Russian rocket carrying three tons of food, fuel, and other supplies for the International Space Station fell back to Earth soon after launching yesterday....

While the station has adequate supplies, the Soyuz rocket that failed is similar to the ones used to carry crewmembers into orbit. With the retirement of the shuttles, the Soyuz rocket is the only transportation available....  

Uh-oh.

--more--" 

Trapped in space?

"Retired officer arrested in Politkovskaya killing" August 23, 2011

But this arrest, like the arrest of the suspected triggerman in May, still does not address the issue of who might have ordered the killing of Politkovskaya, a sharp critic of the Kremlin and its chosen strongman in Chechnya....  

The brutal attack drew worldwide attention to violence against journalists in Russia, rated one of the most dangerous countries in the world for reporters. Suspicions of government involvement in the killing have been widespread....  

The inconclusive investigation and the botched trial added to suspicions of government involvement in the killing.

Oh, I'm sure those are just pesky, know-nothing "conspiracy" theorists, right?

--more--"

"Belarus freezes plan to give up uranium stockpile" August 19, 2011|Associated Press

Belarus has suspended an effort to fully give up its Soviet-era stockpile of highly enriched uranium with U.S. assistance in response to new American sanctions, the government said Friday.

Belarus will make sure the material is stored securely in line with its international commitments, the Foreign Ministry said....

Or they will be giving it to Iran.

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"US is pressed on POW, MIA recovery effort" July 26, 2011|Washington Post

WASHINGTON - A coalition of groups representing veterans and the families of missing US service members has accused the Defense Department of undercutting a joint US-Russian program that seeks answers to the fate of Americans who disappeared behind the Iron Curtain....

Just like they did in Vietnam.

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Related: Bulgaria museum enshrines Soviet era

Also see: The Boston Globe Says the Soviet Union Still Exists

Literally!  They are no better than Bachmann!   

Aren't they like 20 years gone?  

And if an empire is going to collapse, that is the template: Self-implosion with no violence.

Back to where we started:

"Russia faulted by Poland in crash; Some blame put on air controllers" July 30, 2011|Associated Press

WARSAW - Russian air traffic controllers gave incorrect and confusing landing instructions to pilots of a plane that crashed and killed Poland’s president and 95 other people, a Polish report said yesterday - a finding that could further strain ties between the countries.

But the report into the crash apportions most blame on Polish officials and procedures.... 

The report challenges a Russian aviation commission report published in January that put sole blame for the disaster on Polish officials, striking Poles as an attempt to avoid any responsibility for the crash in heavy fog at a rudimentary airport near Smolensk, 220 miles southwest of Moscow.

Since then, Poles have eagerly awaited their own experts’ report, hoping it would create a more balanced picture.

The accident on April 10, 2010, killed dozens of senior officials along with the president and his wife.
As key causes of the crash it cites incorrect positioning of the Tupolev-154 during an attempted landing due to insufficient training of the pilots.

It also cites a lack of proper cooperation among the crew and an overly slow reaction to an automatic terrain warning system that warned pilots they were flying too low.

Incorrect information from the airport’s control tower on the plane’s position also prevented the crew from realizing they were making mistakes, it said.

--more--" 

Related: Polish People Are Stupid

If they believe anything governments say about plane crashes they are. 

Also see

Rich Russian won’t seek presidency

5,000 Ukrainians protest arrest of ex-prime minister

Related: Slow Saturday Special: Ukrainian Uproar

North Korea’s Kim arrives in Russia

For something that was so secretive the Globe sure knew a lot about. 

Russia and North Korea working on a natural gas pipeline, huh?