"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Not only do I have a burden for the Chinese, but the Russians as well. Tens of thousands marched today in -20c temperatures to demand an end to Vladimir Putin's 12-year rule. This was the third mass demonstration since Putin's political party won a parliamentary election in December in what appeared to be widespread fraud. Sound familiar?

The rallies are the biggest in Russia since the demonstrations that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1980's. The anti-Putin protests have been driven by members of the educated and urban middle class. Sound familiar?

Putin has ignored many of their demands but has given vague promises to introduce liberal reforms and guarantee a fair presidential vote. He has attempted to counter the anger by focusing on his core support group of blue-collar workers, farmers public servants and the elderly.

Sound familiar???