Vladimir Putin, Marriage Counselor

One of the big stories in Russian celebrity culture has been an extramarital affair involving Russia's wealthiest man, Chukotka governor and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, with model Darya Zhukova. Abramovich has resisted divorcing his wife while also maintaining his relationship with Zhukova.

According to the Moscow Times, Vladimir Putin himself met with his close friend Abramovich and told him to "clean up his act," thus moving Abramovich to proceed with the divorce.

Perhaps Putin is seeking to expand his legacy as a man who can solve all problems, foreign and domestic, or maybe he gets sick of celebrity dirt in the news like everyone else.  ¶ # posted by Jon @ 2:16 PM

  Hindsight: Enterprise

The inevitable, early investigative reports in the wake of Enterprise, Alabama's recent tornado disaster have appeared.

It's legitimate journalism, pursuant to the "why" that follows "who, what, where, when" and "how," and it really doesn't warrant any disciplinary cause for complaint, but it can sound discouraging to the affected and to the mostly supportive public.

Personally, I don't feel any appetite for criticizing anyone's decisions made that day. I'm sure many of us remember close encounters with possible funnel systems, and can recall the uncertainty of guessing where a tornado would manifest and even the possible risk of sending an ill-timed school bus into greater danger, which is a very real concern in rural districts with long bus routes. Anyone could be faced with these choices.


I hope the people of Enterprise and those near to them will remember our best wishes and focus on caring for those affected, and not let any second-guessing strain them more. Healing comes first.  ¶ # posted by Jon @ 11:08 PM