by Robert Maginni
Regensburg, Germany. Vladimir Putin’s political party, United Russia, won a crushing victory in Sunday’s election harvesting 315 of the 450 seats in the state Duma, the Federal Assembly’s lower house. This outcome was widely predicted and now it’s a waiting game to see what it means for Russian democracy, Putin’s future and whether this is the start of a new Cold War.
After Putin accepted the mantle of leadership for United Russia, the opposition melted away or was pushed aside by the Kremlin’s acid rhetoric and heavy-handed campaign management.
United Russia cast the election as a referendum on Putin’s nearly eight years in office. Their goal was to deliver a big victory, thereby giving Putin the “moral right” to maintain influence after he steps down as president in May. “The vote affirmed the main idea: that Vladimir Putin is the national leader, that the people support his course, and this course will continue,” said Boris Gryzlov, the parliament’s speaker.
Russians feel optimistic about their future. “Approximately half the population … believe that tomorrow will be better than today,” says Maria Marskevich of the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Sociology. That optimism is based on Putin’s success ...   more »

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, Dec. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Recent high-profile discussions about UFOs and the call by former pilots and officials for full government disclosure concerning what is known -- if aything -- about these strange aerial sightings have people of all walks of life speculating about the nature and intention of extra-terrestrial entities.
Among others, Bible scholars have long been intrigued by the weight of historical evidence suggesting unearthly contact by interdimensional beings. Theological discussion on this topic has grown recently due to the increase in sightings of unexplained phenomena. Some believe this may be a sign that the earth is teetering toward an epic event.
Shortly before his death in 2005, ABC news anchor, Peter Jennings, narrated an extensive documentary on UFOs. The History Channel, A&E, The National Geographic channel, Discovery and others followed with documentaries on UFO sightings, abductions, visitations, even ghostly apparitions that were recorded in UFO flap areas. Then a well-publicized UFO event occurred in 2006 when a metallic, disc-shaped craft was witnessed hovering over Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The sighting was important because the witnesses included American Airlines ground personnel, passengers, pilots, and the airport's air traffic controllers.
Prophecy expert Terry James believes this ...   more »