I like to read the European online news magazines. My favorite is the UK’s Telegraph. I also like the German’s Der Spiegel English version. One of the things that is interesting to me is to see how they report different things that go on in America especially politics.

For example, Der Spiegel comes across as overwhelmingly pro-Obama in its coverage. That is hardly surprising given the fact that 90% of the Germans seem to be mesmerized by “the one.” It’s probably 100% in Socialist France! I kind of wish Obama was President in Germany rather than here.

The UK’s Telegraph is far more balanced, even critical at times of “the one.” Maybe that’s because Britain is not as married to socialism as we sometimes think.

But when I need a chuckle I turn to Pravda.ru

Pravda is the Russian national newspaper, kind of like our USA Today, only it’s USSR Today or at least it used to be before the Iron Curtain folded up.

But when it was the USSR you could depend on Pravda to toe the party line. The penalty for not doing so was the gulag. I’m not sure the penalty is still the gulag for not being pro-Putin but I would not be surprised. You can take the person out of the KGB but can you take the KGB out of the person? I’m not so sure.

Anyway, Pravda prints some really odd stuff and at times you think you are reading the National Enquirer only weirder and you wonder why such and such is even news in Russia.

Here’s an example.

Apparently, whoever is responsible for naming new species of fish named one after Obama. I guess this is nothing new since other Presidents have had fish named after them, the difference being they were all dead when they received the honor. Obama is the first living President to be so honored.

At least in somebody’s world it must be a great honor. What a legacy heh? Having a fish named after you gee whiz. That Peace Prize he won for exactly what I’m not sure must pale in comparison to having a fishy named after him.

I first learned of this because I went to Pravda and there it was a story about the fish named Obama.

A fish named Obama-for real.

It’s not much of story but Pravda did point out these interesting facts:

The name of the USA’s first black president has already been given to a variety of many objects, but this is the first time when it is given to live creatures. In 2008, Obama’s name was given to a mountain in Antigua and Barbuda. In 2009, the American president appeared on the shelves of Romanian pastry shops in the form croissants with chocolate filling. Nicaraguan Obama cigars immediately started to set sales records immediately after they were released, especially in the U.S., said NTV.

So, being named after a live fish, a kind of Darter, which probably means another reason we’ll never see the Keystone Pipeline from Canada, is a high honor, at least compared to having a Romanian donut or Nicaraguan cigar named after you.

Why this is news in Russia is beyond me. I’m not sure they approve or they are mocking America. I mean really, if it were Putin he would not stand for a fish being named after him. If it were Putin it would have to be a BEAR or if they could find one a T-REX-something that would fit Putin’s macho image.

English: Vladimir Putin in KGB uniform Deutsch: Der junge Wladimir Putin in KGB-Uniform Français : Vladimir Poutine en uniforme du KGB (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Honestly, I think it’s mockery. They have a BEAR, we have a FISH and a rather small one at that, except that the fish is colorful, so maybe that’s the point.

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