From Russia with Love? Or maybe death...

A shot of death? Hundreds have died in Russia following consumption of tainted vodka. Numerous Russian towns have declared a state of emergency as thousands of citizens pour into local hospitals after drinking vodka laced with household chemicals. In an effort to curb illegal production of vodka; Russian government passed a law mandating all alcoholic beverages to have a stamp and barcode. Vodka began to disappear from the shelves as producers were unable to promulgate the new, more stringent standards. Fundamental economic theory dictates that a decrease in supply without a change in demand translates into an increase in price. The demand for vodka was more than the market could handle. Bootleg vodkas began to pop-up; often laced with any and every substance that contained some percentage of alcohol. Incidence of hepatitis and liver failure skyrocketed; a staple of low quality; bootleg alcohol. Russian Roulette may have met its match.
In related news, Finland recently declared alcohol as the leading killer of people aged 15 to 64; more than cardiovascular disease and cancer. Experts cite a rise in EU regulations which reduced alcohol import quotas by more than 40%. Alcohol is not a staple of Finnish culture as it is in Russia but in both cases many more are dying as a result of alcohol than ever before.
Russian energy giant Gazprom is said to double the price of gas for Georgia by 2007. Currently, gas is sold for $110 cubic metres of gas and will increase to $230. Critics charge Russia with using oil as a political weapon and cite the spike in oil prices as fallout from decreasing relations between Russia and Georgia. Georgia’s state minister for economic reform, Kakha Bendukidze said the increase was a political decision rather than a market incentive.
Google has yet to fully take-over Russia and Eastern Europe but it has made its presence known in the United States. Google is soaking up the market for internet TV following their $1.65 billion purchase of internet mogul YouTube. Already the search engine flagship of the internet; Google intends to expand its advertising arm to YouTube’s vast audience of over 20 million. Google’s advertising budget is expected to pass $1.3 billion by 2011.
Google’s growing conglomeration approaches Microsoft’s monopoly on technology. Microsoft announced today that it plans to release its newest operating system Windows Vista on November 30 following numerous beta-versions. This will be Microsoft’s first operating-system release since 2003 when it unveiled XP. Vista is said to be a major overhaul of the Windows operating system including new and enhanced user-interfaces and advanced networking capabilities. Vista will premiere in 6 different versions; each catered to the consumers’ requirements; three for business, two for home-users, and one for developing nations.