A Winter War

Throughout this Autumn and Winter Russia's leader Boris Putin has been threatening the Ukraine with invasion to prevent any further Western incursion to the ex-Soviet republic. The USA and UK have responded with supplying weapons and supplies to the steppe nation and the newspapers daily report on the potential war without mentioning that only one country has invaded a country in the winter.

The 1939-1940 Winter War between the USSR and Finland was a disaster from the first step over the Arctic frontier. Stalin's troops fought for three months without any success and signed a truce in March.

Lesson learned by the Axis command.

Nothing and the Japanese seized the distant Aleutian Island of Attu from the US after the naval debacle of Midway. Their soldiers suffered from the cold and deprivations of an army trapped in a distant land.

Winters are much better suited to sieges and retreats.

The Nazi defeat at Stalingrad and Napoleon's Retreat from Moscow.

Only 15,000 Wehrmacht Soldaten returned to Germany aftr World War II and only 1500 troops survived the horrible march to the safety of Poland.

War this winter?

I doubt it.

Spring?

No one wants a war, except the Pentago who have never backed away from a war they sought to lose.

Nyet To Mickie Ds

America is over 5000 miles from the Crimea. Russia basically annexed the peninsula from the Ukraine after the collapse of that national's pro-Kremlin government. The right-wing TV demagogues and the GOP interventionist members of Congress have called for action against the 'invasion' and two days ago the USA retaliated with a non-violent fury, as the fast food chain McDonalds closed its three franchises in the seized territory.

No more Big Macs in Simferopol, Sevastopol and Yalta with the threat of further closings in the future.

McDonalds released a press statement, saying that the closures were "strictly a business decision which has nothing to do with politics."

Nationalist Russian politicians have called for a boycott of the more than 400 restaurants in Russia, including the restaurant in Moscow's Pushkin Square, which had the highest sales and served the most customers of any McDonald's outlet in 2012.

Those Crimeans addicted to the fast food chain's menu join their brethren in Iceland. That North Atlantic country closed all its Micky Ds after refusing to declare bankruptcy in 2009. Bolivian shut all its franchises in 2002 and Bolivian President Evo Morales attacked Western fast food chains during a February speech:

"The major multinational food companies seek to control the production of food and to dominate global markets by imposing their customs and foods. The only goal of such producers is to generate profits. So they standardize food and drinks, turning them into global foods produced on a massive scale with the same formula. They are not interested in the health of human beings, only in their earnings and corporate profits."

I agree with Preident Morales.

I haven't eaten a pink goo beefburger in over a year.

One economist commented that countries without McDonalds are poor.

"If you want a definition of what the rich world and the poor world are, well, if you can get a McDonald's, you are in the rich world. If you look at where these restaurants are located, it doesn't map on to culture; it maps on to money."

Money to waste on junk.

Another recent change in the Crimea affected thousands of heroin addicts attempting to kick their habit.

Russian authorities have banned methadone, claiming most of it ended up on the black market.

No Micky Ds. No methadone.

It's a brave new world in the Crimea.

Baring Their Breasts

In 2009 I traveled to Kiev as part of a trip for a high-tech company seeking to recover money from delinquent clients in the Ukraine and Russia. I stayed at a nice hotel under the bluff and wandered the city for a day before my first meeting. The men of the city were drunken louts with black eyes from fighting and falling down drunk. The young women were willowy blonde valkeries obviously dismayed by the decline of their male counterparts. I felt as sorry for them as I felt for women in the rest of the world trapped by their surroundings, but not their aspirations. Kiev has become a sex tourist destination and the women emigrate throughout Europe to escape grim futures only to discover that they have been trapped by traffickers. The government does nothing to protect these women and in 2012 they even suggested the legalization of prostitution to accommodate the influx of Euro Cup football fans. FEMEN, a small group of female university students, protested this proposal by going topless and their leader, Anna Hutsol stated that, "This is the only way to be heard in this country. If we staged simple protests with banners, then our claims would not have been noticed." Like Pussy Riot in Russia authorities have charged the bare-breasted protestors with 'hooliganism' and the police have threatened to cut the hair of arrested FEMEN members. FEMEN is small, but the founder has explained her motive to the media, "It was not difficult, as everyone knows how many problems are here in Ukraine and as Ukrainian girls we feel that every day in our minds and bodies. So all we needed was to be brave enough to tell the world about it. That’s why we decided to show that women are protesting, and to use our bodies as weapon in the fight." As for the purpose of the naked breasts, the economist said, "Even going back to ancient times – such as the Amazonians – where the sacred attitude towards the woman's breast, fed, and still feeds, every human being. But for us, it also has a different meaning: for us a naked woman is a free woman. A naked woman is uncontrolled by the patriarchate, and her unexpected appearance especially makes the patriarchy - the ruling man - nervous. It is different from the controlled appearance of a naked woman, let's say, on TV, a movie, or advertisment, etc., which is accepted and liked. We understood that in the beginning, it would be interesting for society and the media alike, and draw their attention. However, later, when we were in constant conflicts with the authorities and militia, which are the most fierce representatives of the patriarchy, we concluded that this method was chosen very well, and we continued to use it. It turned out there is nothing more terrifying in such a patriarchal country than a protesting naked woman on your territory during some very important events." FEMEN brings their fight to Paris September 18. Rue Leon 35, Lavoir Moderne Parisien 18 arronisement