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Upcoming Events
Mail List In order to post on the mail list, it is necessary to join the list. Click on "Mail List for SMAUG" below for instructions. Smaug Meetings To be announced on mail list (see below). This Thursday, 2 September 2010, we will meet at the IHOP on 41st Ave near Capitola Road in Capitola, near the Shell station and Savemart. The meeting will start at 7:30 pm and continue until 10 pm. We will be meeting at Cafe Pergolesi in downtown Santa Cruz from time to time. To be announced. Announcing An alpha pre-release of Fedora 14 is available - There's a link on the lower right of this page. Felton LUG Cabrillo's CGLUG hosts an installfest on the 3rd Friday evening of each month, during the school year. For further information, check the Lindependence ran a series of installfests in Felton a couple of summers ago. They plan to have another series in the San Lorenzo Valley in the future. For further information, check the Lindependence Web Site Events Linux Picnic Linux Picn*x 19 was held on Saturday 21 August 2010 at Sunnyvale Baylands Park. DEF CON 18 Links
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Being Putin
It's not easy being Vladimir Putin. The former Russian president was often criticized for his policies (aptly called Putinism) during his term. Even if his term is long over, he's still misunderstood; U.S. president Barack Obama, before embarking on a state visit to Russia, said that Putin's Cold-War approach to U.S.-Russia ties is outdated. There's some truth to Obama's statement, as Putin once worked for the Committee for State Security (more known as KGB). In fact, critics of Putin claimed that those who surrounded him during his presidential term were connected to secret police groups. They added that his administration was more of a fascist state that wasn't far too different from Josef Stalin's regime. Despite the serious charges, Putin enjoyed the support of the Russian public. He revived Russian economy after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. He undermined the influence of the business oligarchs, whom he claimed have attempted to make Russia vulnerable. Putin's influence grew and he would've stayed for another term if not for a law that prohibits heads of state from seeking a third term. So he groomed Dmitry Medvedev to succeed him. Some ranted that there was a new president long before the presidential elections were held. And maybe this was the only way for Putin to stay longer in public office; he was chosen as Prime Minister after Medvedev was formally swore in as president. This political set-up didn't sit well with the U.S. In fact, it's the latest saga in the chilly relationship between the U.S. and Russia. Many papers from superiorpapers have discussed this in great detail. Obama presented himself as the man of change during last year's presidential elections and he kept his promise so far; he rather not be antagonistic with nations that the Bush administration was at odds with. He seeks the same thing with Russia, which is a challenge. Putin still exerts influence, but can Obama do something? It will be known in a year (at the most). Stephenrusedski's blog | login or register to post comments |
