Diplomacy: Scorned No More: It’s A Warm Holiday Season For Dictators

Putin dismantled Russian democracy. Yeltsin nurtured crony capitalism. Even Mikhail Gorbachev, by the end of his career, was jailing dissidents. And Medvedev? Kremlin-connected analyst Stanislav Belkovsky says his main qualification is that he can be trusted by Putin. But power in Russia seems to corrupt more absolutely than anywhere else —which explains why Russian history, like Western perceptions, seems doomed to repeat itself.
—Owen Matthews

The German stock market is proving resilient despite signs of a weakening in the nation's economy. Analysts credit the country's strong industrial and auto sector. How the DAX outdoes other major markets:

20 year-to-date percentage increase of the DAX 30 (Germany)

5 year-to-date percentage increase of the S&P 500 (United States)

2 year-to-date percentage increase of the FTSE 100 (London)

1 year-to-date percentage increase of the CAC 40 (France)

Videogames: Fighting the Virtual Good Fight
Deemed a failure for the Allies, Operation Market Garden is proving a success in the virtual world, featuring in at least 12 current videogames. War has always been a big seller for the $10 billion videogame industry, but recently one particular conflict has been capturing the imaginations of gamers: World War II. More than 100 titles are now dedicated to the struggle between the Axis and Allies, over 70 of which have been made in the past five years. The Medal of Honor and Call of Duty series have sold a combined 23 million copies, and make up two of the four best-selling first-person shooter games ever. Perhaps this shouldn't be surprising, since videogames tend to deal in absolutes. "More than any other conflict in history, World War II is an example of good conquering evil," says Col. John Antal, a retired Army Ranger who consults for Gearbox Software on its Brothers in Arms series. So, might videogames become the primary source on World War II info for kids? "I'm convinced that's happening," says Prof. David Staley, head of the American Association for History and Computing. Most academics say first-person shooters, even historically accurate ones, give a simplistic version of the war without touching on why it began or how it was won. Even so, isn't there more to be learned saving the world from Nazis than from space invaders?
—Matthew Philips

Law: Juicy Online Libel
The internet is good at shaming. On countless Web sites, people post rants about ex-lovers and rude customers. Now a site aimed at U.S. university students is causing some to question the legality of online rumor mills. Juicy Campus is rapidly growing by soliciting gossip under the premise that posters will remain anonymous. But what began as humor has started sounding downright defamatory. The posts have devolved from tales of secret crushes to racist tirades and stories about drug use and sex, often with the alleged culprit explicitly identified by first and last name.

Despite the outrage over JuicyCampus (whose founder declined to comment) authorities can't stop it. It's protected by a U.S. law that immunizes Web hosts from liability for the musings of others—as long as the hosts aren't modifying content. The rationale for that decision is to protect big companies from the actions of every user. But for victims of false written claims that could harm their reputations, that leaves little recourse. "Courts tend to have very antiquated understandings of privacy," says Daniel Solove, an expert in cyberlaw. "Until that changes, we're going to see this kind of thing keep happening." At present, there's only one sure way to rein in a site like JuicyCampus: persuade everyone at a school to stop using it. But you don't need a degree to figure out that won't happen.
—Jessica Bennett

Gadgets: Home Shock Protection
For about $300, anyone in the United States (except convicted felons) can now own a Taser C2 stun gun. The pint-size zapper is designed especially for women, and comes in silver, black pearl, blue and pink.