By Theodora Filis On Monday, December 5, 2011, in what is said to be the largest opposition rally in years, thousands of people took to the streets of Moscow demanding an end to Putin's 12-year rule, defying a crackdown by tens of thousands of police. Russian police detained more than 600 people over two nights of protests against alleged fraud in last Sunday's parliamentary elections in which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party won by a very small majority – President Dmitry Medvedev said the vote was free and democratic. The election outcome highlighted growing unease with the 59-year-old leader, Vladimir Putin. Plans to reclaim the presidency next year by the former KGB spy could be spoiled by the prime minister's worst election setback since he took power in 1999. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the election was marked by a “lack of fairness” and “slanted” in favor of Putin's party, United Russia. The Russian elector
It is imperative we all pay attention to the impact of our collective and personal actions on the environment. During the next decade, our global community will be unable to deal effectively with the formidable environmental challenges posed by decades of environmental mismanagement. There are many environmental issues I write about in this blog, some will scare you, and it is my hope, these articles will give you a reason to question and search for answers.