Free Republic

The Russian media is in a state of panic as inflation soars and the Ruble slumps, leaving many to struggle. Moscow's print news outlets, heavily controlled by Russian President Vladimir Putin, were uncharacteristically negative in their coverage as they raised concerns about the economic well-being of ordinary Russians. As reported by the BBC's Russia Editor, Steve Rosenberg, the front page of Russian newspaper Nezavismaya Gazeta said: "Some products have gone up in price this year by tens of percent." The report highlighted that butter is 6.6% more expensive than it was in September, and 30% more expensive than this time...

No tangerines for you? July 24, 2007 The politics of global warming got very concrete, and oddly difficult, In a meeting with local environmentalists in the coastal town of McClellanville today, where Elizabeth Edwards raised in passing the importance of relying on locally-grown fruit. "We've been moving back to 'buy local,'" Mrs. Edwards said, outlining a trade policy that "acknowledges the carbon footprint" of transporting fruit. "I live in North Carolina. I'll probably never eat a tangerine again," she said, speaking of a time when the fruit is reaches the price that it "needs" to be. Edwards had talked about...