As the West continues to decline, the East has, at least, attempted to stop the endless flood of cultural and moral deterioration. Below, are two cases in point. While all forms of “simulated” child porn are acceptable and officially permitted, in the US, Russia, after taking a brave stand against gay brain-washing programs, is attempting to curtail the influence of animated child porn; some of which oftentimes details the most horrific sexual abuse of children in cartoon form. Not surprisingly, many in the West see these actions as an example of Russian extremism and oppression, orchestrated by the dictatorship of Vladimir Putin. While he is repeatedly egotistical and bullying, I think that Putin, and others in the Russian government, have some moral core - which is completely lacking in Obama and those around him. This is reflected in the fully masculine persona of Putin as compared to the ambivalence of Obama as the penultimate example of the metro-sexual male. Unfortunately, this all reminds me of the split between the Western and Eastern Roman Empires and the eventual Fall of the West. While the West, centered in Italy, was ruled by a series of decadent and ineffectual rulers, the East, in the capital of Constantinople, would carry on for another 1,000 years. This predominantly happened because, in the West, the people ceased to see themselves as being a part of a larger community. Life became about merely satisfying bodily urges. Though, in the midst of the chaos, some of the greatest Saints emerged: St. Augustine, St. Benedict, and St. Gregory the Great. Now, we must learn from their sacrifices and struggles: to remain true to our Faith, even when the world is disintegrating around us.
Russia has banned the popular adult tube site RedTube.com because it contained Japanese animated porn (hentai) that officials deemed child pornography; all of which is very legal in the US. RedTube, ranked the 96th most popular site by web traffic tracker Alexa, was blacklisted by Russian federal communications experts. Last year, the Kremlin adopted a law that allows for extrajudicial blacklisting of websites if they are determined to contain child porn, or advocate drug use or suicide. Officials in June also decided that hentai has “no cultural value.”
Nicki Minaj took to Instagram to give her fans a generous peek (most of which can not be shown here,) at her upcoming collection for Kmart, which is set to be released in October/November of this year. In the series of photos, the 29-year-old rapper models multiple colorful garments that will soon be available under the star's name for affordable prices. Minaj has collaborated with MAC makeup to release a limited edition lipstick and she also has two of her own fragrances distributed by Macy's and Elizabeth Arden. The launch of her own clothing line for Kmart sees her joining the likes of Selena Gomez, Adam Levine and Sofia Vergara, who have also designed for the retail giant.
See my earlier blog on way simulated child porn is legal in the US: