Putain ... I mean, Puti

Ex-KGB and FSB spy Litvinenko was poisoned earlier this month by someone -- with Polonium 210. At first, everyone was calling it Thallium poisoning, heinous if true, but also requiring a fair amount to kill someone -- something like 5mg per kg. So if we assume 70 kg in weight, some 350 mg. Not a lot in absolute terms, but still fairly chunky, like an extra strength pain killer.

Thallium is used in optics production and some other sophisticated manufacturing techniques, but polonium 210 is found essentially in one place only: nuclear reactors. It can be produced by a particle accelerator, but ... can you think of a place where you can find one handy for hire? No, but in certain countries, you can find a nuclear reprocessing plant for hire -- or at least one where the right word by the right person can liberate some spare polonium. Like in Russia.

Putin and his cronies, of course, claim that they are not responsible ... but P210 is not an everyday product, is it? And who else has a reason to "off" Litvinenko, who has been scathing in his attacks on the Kremlin? It is complete BS to assume that he would commit suicide ... as the Kremlin has implied ... with P210. But it would be an interesting ruse to get at Putin with: nobody is going to think that Putin's men DIDN'T do it. So some anti-Putin types within Russia trying to bring discredit on the Boss? The trouble with that is that it is unlikely that "they" would have had the means to do the deed.

So what are we left with? A slightly bizzare assassination with a rare element that really could only have been an official state-sponsored hit" as an example to others. This does not bode well for the progress of democracy in Russia. First Politkovskaya, now Litvinenko -- who was investigating Polit.'s murder. The message seems clear: shut up or else.

Now for global warming ... nah, maybe next time.

LEBANON:

The Jewel of the Eastern Med is on the brink again: Gemayel was assassinated by ... Syrians/Hezboohah or some types like that. Gemayel was the Christian, pro-western leader that cemented Lebanon's ruling coalition. He was "hit" after Hezboohah had been complaining that they did not have the veto power over any and all legislation generated in that country. Of course, that would mean that they would control Lebanon absolutely, something that Gemayel and other members of the coalition would obviously like to avoid.

Other players are also interested: the Saudis want to protect their financial investments there and also the Sunni minority. France and the US want to avoid the Iranian-backed and inspired Hezboohah from taking control and asiduously court the Druze and Christian militias. Iran wants an ally/vassal in the West ... a foothold on the Med for their future operations and empire -- also all the better to nuke Israel with. Israel want anyone but the Hezboohah to gain power.

The Hezbahloonies threaten to riot and demonstrate to assert their voting bloc until they get the power that they want: because they are the majority group (although not in absolute numbers) they feel that they should have control. Iran backs this view. Syria, don't really care who it is, as long as they can actually run the place as their own piggy bank. So they are in bed with the Iranians and have re-armed the Loonies to the teeth.

All this is not good. And a disturbing similarity can be drawn with 1975 where another gent named ... Pierre Gemayel ... was killed destroying the fragile coalition and with results that we all saw: a 20 year civil war. Ultimately, demographics will triumph and as the Shia hordes out-breed the rest, Lebanon will convert. And Israel cannot let this happen.