Ukraine: Russian President Vladimir Putin is engaging in old time saber rattling, ordering air and ground military exercises in Western Russia to last through March 3^rd. Russia’s defense minister cited the need to test readiness for a “crisis situation,” but did not mention Ukraine. Most military exercises are planned long in advance and do not come as a surprise to neighboring countries.

  In Ukraine itself, the elite Berkut police unit held responsible for killing protesters, has been ordered by the interim government to disband. It has 4,000 to 5,000 members.

And on the coast of the Black Sea, not far from where the Tsar once had his summer palace, workers have abandoned an enormous seaside mansion under construction the past two years for ousted President Viktor Yanukovych. It has walls thick enough for defending against attack.

Winter: After a long dry spell in California, heavy rain is moving into the Bay area and is expected to turn south for a week of possibly heavy rain. Further east, a mass of arctic air has invaded 2/3 of the country in another winter freeze. It’s 15 degrees in Kansas City, Kan., 6 in Chicago, 10 in Indianapolis, and 21 in Albany, NY.

World: The US will pull out all its troops by the end of the year if Afghanistan does not sign a bi-lateral security agreement. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has balked at signing an agreement, but President Obama says the US must have one if any troops are to stay to help Afghanistan fight the Taliban.

>Syrian state media claim that government forces killed 175 rebels in an ambush south of Damascus. The government described it as “a smashing blow to terrorists.”

>The Ugandan tabloid Red Pepper, under a giant headline that said “Exposed!” published a list of what it says are the “top” 200 homosexuals in Uganda. The list includes gay activists already out, as well as a hip-hop star and a Catholic priest. The story was published a day after Uganda enacted one of the toughest anti-gay laws in the world. The penalty is 14 years for the first offense and life in prison for “aggravated homosexuality.” The story in Red Pepper said, “In salutation to the new law, today we unleash Uganda’s top homos and their sympathizers.”

Nation: A study coming out of Dartmouth College says the shrinkage of Peru’s Quelccaya ice cap is caused by higher temperatures, not diminishment of snowfall as previously thought. A portion of the glacier that took 1,600 years to grow has melted in just 25. If the report is correct, scientists say it could be further evidence of human-caused global warming and resulting climate change.

>The war on junk food just might be succeeding. The Centers for Disease control reports a stunning drop of 43 percent in obesity among children 2-5 in the last 10 years. The stats for most older Americans have not changed, but obesity usually starts in childhood, so it appears a major shift could be underway.

Kiss Off: The rock group Kiss pulled its performance for its induction to the Rock Hall of Fame because the group couldn’t agree on which members would be among the four to perform. Kiss originals Ace Frehley and Peter Criss were not invited. The band has had 10 members over the years. The only original boys left in the band are the guy with the big tongue, Gene Simmons, 62, and Paul Stanley, 64. If they stick with it a few more years, they’ll be playing in the 70s again.

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