In the late afternoons and early evenings, the crowd is easily over 1 million. That many people simply can't fit in Independence Square. The demonstration spills in to the streets for several blocks.

The Russians have a lot at stake, and the power of Moscow pride should never be underestimated.

The recent history of Ukraine is replete with dead journalists, beaten journalists, news agencies being shut down, and politicians being injured or killed. Most are killed in mysterious auto accidents.

The objective of the demonstrators is to win the affection of the armed agents of the government. Most of the Kiev police have now pledged their support for the people.

Dictators can fix up their entire families in good jobs, in or around government, and often do. In democracies, such a practice is frowned upon. Privileged access to the corridors of power through family connections and a kind of old boys' network, is also deemed an abuse of power, and so it is.

Regulatory reform must move beyond limiting the damage that the financial sector can do and ensure that the sector genuinely serves society.

The fact that free men persist in the search for the truth is the essential difference between Communism and Democracy.

A parking lot attendant who's a guy makes a lot more money than a child-care attendant who's a woman.