Vladimir Putin - Snuffing Out The Blue Flame?

Rumors are only valuable when they are denied.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Bed Of Procrustes, p.33

At the time of this writing, the Russian stock market is only down about twenty percent so far this year. The Russian ruble (rubble?) is at all time lows. No doubt with the latest antics in Crimea, Russia's international credit rating will be harshly downgraded. Being a self proclaimed 'energy superpower' requires a constant ton of incoming international capital. It seems to the Oracle of Ottawa that it is all a pretty high price to pay for a sand spit salt water parking lot.

Putin - Dealing from a full deck?

 Although the Putin spin and image department run full out to make the boss a he man to every man, he certainly needs at least a seminar on real estate appraisal. When you are on the outside looking in, all you can do a is shake your head and wonder if a good government driven mental health strategy for Russia's top leading lights would not be a better use of the tax payers funds.

The Oracle of Ottawa really hates to bring it up, but the whole situation is really starting to look like the "Guns of August" all over again. And it is the 100th anniversary this year. What goes around comes around. And how do you think this will all end at the end of the day Dear Reader? One wonders if the Russians will take kindly to their new diet of Chinese take out?

Once the big bad bear was really bad ass. Now all he wants to do it seems is shop at Wall Mart. The Oracle of Ottawa cant say for sure where this is all going, but he is saying this could all go nuclear on a bad day. And of course the world will still turn, and the environment will make a hell of a quick comeback, just with a lot less problems.