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[[File:StH 98 Ugly Rouge.jpg|thumb|Rouge's first appearance in the Archie Comics.]]
[[File:StH 98 Ugly Rouge.jpg|thumb|Rouge's first appearance in the Archie Comics.]]
{{Main|Rouge the Bat (Archie)}}
{{Main|Rouge the Bat (Archie)}}
Rouge appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series. Very much like her video game version, Rouge is fond of riches, especially rare, beautiful gems, and has often searched for or stolen jewels. She has had several run-ins in the past with [[Fiona Fox]] and [[Nic the Weasel]], often beating them to rare treasures, and thus has something of a former rivalry with the pair.{{main|Rouge the Bat (Sonic X)
Rouge appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series. Very much like her video game version, Rouge is fond of riches, especially rare, beautiful gems, and has often searched for or stolen jewels. She has had several run-ins in the past with [[Fiona Fox]] and [[Nic the Weasel]], often beating them to rare treasures, and thus has something of a former rivalry with the pair.{{main|Rouge the Bat (Sonic X) }}
[[File:Rouge 3.png|left|thumb|233x233px|Rouge in Sonic X anime]]
[[File:Rouge 3.png|left|thumb|233x233px|Rouge in Sonic X anime]]
Rouge appears in ''[[Sonic X]]'' and its [[Sonic X (comic series)|comic book series]] as an agent for the [[President (Sonic X)|President]] and friend of one of his agents, [[Topaz]]. She was recruited into G.U.N at some point after she was transported from Sonic's home world that is in parallel dimension to [[Earth]]. She fought in the Chaos Emerald Martial Arts Tournament and during after returning back home, she mainly sided with the heroes on their adventure to defeat the [[Metarex]].
Rouge appears in ''[[Sonic X]]'' and its [[Sonic X (comic series)|comic book series]] as an agent for the [[President (Sonic X)|President]] and friend of one of his agents, [[Topaz]]. She was recruited into G.U.N at some point after she was transported from Sonic's home world that is in parallel dimension to [[Earth]]. She fought in the Chaos Emerald Martial Arts Tournament and during after returning back home, she mainly sided with the heroes on their adventure to defeat the [[Metarex]].
Revision as of 22:52, 7 July 2014
- For other uses of this character, see Rouge the Bat (disambiguation).
Template:Character Rouge the Bat (ルージュ・ザ・バット Rūju za Batto?) is a fictional, anthropomorphic bat from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Rouge is a jewel thief, part-time government agent (working for G.U.N.), and self-proclaimed treasure huntress who plans to make all the gems and treasures of the world hers. Her current jewel obsessions are the Master Emerald and Chaos Emeralds. She made her debut in Sonic Adventure 2 and has been featured in the Sonic the Hedgehog console games, along with five handheld games since.
In nine of the thirteen games she has appeared in to date, Rouge wears a skintight black tube-style body suit with a large fuchsia heart-shaped breast plate, long white gloves, and white thigh-high boots with pink hearts on the toes. Her boots have metal heels and soles. Whatever she stomps on is left with serious damage. She also has long eyelashes and wears blue (or pink in Sonic Heroes) eye-shadow. In Sonic Heroes, she wore a different outfit with similar color schemes and heart-shaped details.
- 1 History
- 2 Other Game Appearances
- 3 Appearances In Other Media
- 4 Personality
- 5 Powers and Abilities
- 6 Relationships
- 7 Voice portrayal
- 8 Theme songs
- 9 Cultural impact
- 10 Quotes
- 11 Trivia
- 12 Gallery
- 13 References
- 14 External links
Early Life
Not much is known of Rouge's origins or past, though at some point she gained an obsession with jewels and became a treasure hunter. She also joined the Guardian Units of Nations as an undercover agent, and was paid for her services with gems and other riches. She gained possession of the blue Chaos Emerald at some point.
Sonic Adventure 2
At some point, Rouge learned of the Master Emerald and went after it, hoping to steal it from Knuckles the Echidna. She was seen arguing with Knuckles over it as she tried to convince him to "just let it go". Their argument was interrupted when the notorious Dr. Eggman, whom Rouge had heard of but never seen, arrived to take the Emerald for himself—which didn't go as planned, as Knuckles jumped up and smashed it. This prompted both Knuckles and Rouge to find all of the shards before the other did. However, just prior to beginning her search, Rouge apparently placed a tracker on the Eggmobile, which enabled her to later locate his pyramid base.
After finding three Emerald shards in Dry Lagoon, Rouge headed for the Egg Quarters, where she sent a message to the President's secretary through some sort of device apparently concealed in her glove. Finding three keys to enter Eggman's computer room, she discovers his space transporter, which is set to the Space Colony ARK Rouge had heard about. Using the machine, she heads for the central control room of the ARK. When she arrives, she strikes a deal with the Doctor and Shadow the Hedgehog: if he gives her his Emerald detector to the Master Emerald shards, then she would give him the blue Chaos Emerald she had found and would help him obtain the others, three of which she knew their locations. Around this time, she begins to investigate the Ultimate Lifeform and Project Shadow.
On Prison Island, Rouge steals three of the Emeralds after breaking into Security Hall. However, a guard robot appears and the vault is sealed, leaving her trapped in the building as Eggman's bomb is about to go off. Fortunately, she manages to destroy the robot, and is saved just in time by Shadow, who used Chaos Control. Back on the ARK, they threaten the world with the Eclipse Cannon, giving the President twenty-four hours to surrender the United Federation to the Eggman Empire, or else they would destroy the country.
Rouge was later supposed to try and guard the ARK from the intruders (Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose, Miles "Tails" Prower and Knuckles) after Eggman failed to stop them (and ended up having to get out of the mess he got himself into) but instead started snooping around about the Ultimate Lifeform for the President. Later she discovered that Knuckles' stash of the Master Emerald Shards had accidentally been jettisoned into space, and used the opportunity to try to complete the Master Emerald. However, shortly after finding them, she encountered Knuckles at a Space Structure Planetoid and dueled with him for the Emerald Shards. However, her recklessness gets the better of her and she nearly falls into a pit of lava, where she is saved by Knuckles. They have an intimate moment before Rouge pulls her hand away from him and offers some bashful remarks. In the end, she gives him the Emerald Shards, claiming that "they stink like echidnas do", and takes off.
She continues to assist Shadow and Eggman, until she is revealed by Shadow to be a secret agent working for G.U.N., who also stops Rouge from taking the Emeralds from the Eclipse Cannon shortly after overhearing her plans. However, Eggman, while attempting to activate the Eclipse Cannon, unknowingly activates a crash sequence that was secretly programmed into the ARK's main computer. Rouge comes to Sonic and Knuckles to tell them the grave news after learning what was going to happen from the President (although Knuckles initially thought she was attempting to regain the Master Emerald when she arrived). Rouge cheers Sonic and Shadow on during the final battle to save the earth from the Biolizard, and is given Shadow's inhibitor ring by Sonic after his supposed death. She is seen telling Knuckles that she is going to change her treasure-hunting ways; a promise she doesn't sustain.
Sonic Heroes
In Sonic Heroes, Rouge is the flight member (and presumptive captain) of Team Dark, as the player can have the ability to fly when they play as her. She releases the unconscious Shadow from his stasis pod, and accidentally activates E-123 Omega, who attempts to destroy all of Eggman's robots/androids, including Shadow, who Omega assumes is a robot android. Rouge stops Shadow and E-123 Omega from fighting, suggesting that they work together as a team to find Eggman. She wears a different outfit than in Sonic Adventure 2, sporting a more futuristic pink-and-purple design with the heart motif on her belt rather than her chest. At the windy city, she also accuses Team Chaotix of trying to take Eggman's treasure themselves before their battle against them. Her only objective in the game is to find Eggman's "treasure", which turned out to be a huge room with thousands of capsules containing Shadow's clones, which were destroyed by E-123 Omega soon after. Upon this discovery, she attempts to inform Omega that the Shadow accompanying them was likely to be an android made in the original's likeness, but decided against it, although Omega deduced enough about what she was about to say and informed her that the original Shadow had to have existed if the Shadow Androids are present.
Sonic Battle
In Sonic Battle, Rouge is one of the most prominently-featured characters in the game, with her story being the third to be played through. She is the owner of Club Rouge, a casino in the Night Babylon' area of Story mode. During the story, when Sonic lent control of the Gizoid, Emerl to her, she trained him to be the ultimate jewel thief. Most of her fighting techniques appear to be derived from kickboxing. Her special attacks include sending a round bat that blows up towards her enemies, a powerful kick and sending what appears to be a ball of sonar energy into her opponents.
Shadow the Hedgehog
Rouge also appears in Shadow the Hedgehog, helping with the Hero missions in Digital Circuit, Death Ruins, and GUN Fortress. In Expert Mode, Rouge lends her voice to Shadow at the beginning of Cryptic Castle, Lava Shelter, and The Last Way (along with the voice of every other character that appears in Expert Mode). In her levels, she rescues the Chaos Emerald and fights the Black Arms when they are pushed back into the forest.
Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
In SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, Rouge appears as an "Amigo" character, playable in stages White Acropolis, Kingdom Valley, Flame Core and Tropical Jungle. She first appears escaping Eggman's base with Shadow after stealing the Scepter of Darkness as part of a mission from GUN. After escaping, Rouge and Shadow go to Kingdom Valley to find the GUN rendezvous point, however they are ambushed by Eggman and the Scepter is broken after a struggle. Mephiles the Dark emerges from the broken scepter and is reborn in Shadow's shadow and sends the two into the future. Rouge then teams up with Sonic and his friends to find two Chaos Emeralds that enable them to return to their own time. Rouge returns to the present alone and realizes that Shadow has stayed in the future. Rouge then goes about finding E-123 Omega and sends him to help Shadow.
Rouge eventually finds that Omega and Shadow have found a way back from the future and so teams up with them once again to find Mephiles, Omega confesses that he betrays Shadow in the future and that one day the whole world will turn against him. Rouge assures her friend that "even if he believes everyone in the world will turn against him, she will always remain by his side". Rouge then helps Shadow, along with Omega, to try to defeat Mephiles and seal him in the new Scepter of Darkness. However this attempt does not work because Mephiles is using Shadow's form. Thanks to Shadow, the trio then defeat all of Mephiles' clones only to find out later than Mephiles actually escaped. She later helps the rest of the crew save Sonic.
Sonic Rivals Series
Sonic Rivals
Rouge mainly appears in Shadow's story in Sonic Rivals. When she communicates with Shadow about what she discovered about Eggman, the transmission cuts off. Much later, when Eggman Nega (who is disguised as Eggman and took the picture of Rouge with his camera turning her into a card) threatens to take a picture (and trapping it) with his camera, the mad scientist is ultimately defeated and Rouge is freed from her card. Rouge appears in some of the 150 collectible cards.
Sonic Rivals 2
Rouge appears as a playable character in Sonic Rivals 2. During the storyline she worked with Knuckles the Echidna, her rival, to find the Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds. To do so, she stole Eggman's emerald detector to find them. She and Knuckles found themselves having to battle with other rivals and Eggman Nega (unknown to the duo, he is disguised as Eggman) in order to find the Chaos Emeralds while Knuckles was unable to find the Master Emerald. Rouge found six emeralds which opened a portal to another dimension. Rouge was dragged into the portal by Knuckles, leading to her finding herself separated from Knuckles in another dimension. When she found Knuckles, she saw that his mind was being controlled by the Ifrit, a big fire monster that could destroy the world. Rouge managed to defeat the Ifrit and saved Knuckles, she then found the emerald detector destroyed and saw the Master Emerald inside it. The two returned to their own dimension. Knuckles took the Master Emerald but was then distracted when Rouge calls him dashing, giving her enough time to take the Emerald from his grasp and run from the scene.
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
Rouge appears as a playable character in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood.[2] She is the fourth person to join Sonic's group and is assigned by the GUN Commander as a "representative" of the organization. When the group reaches the Kron Colony it is revealed that Rouge was sent by GUN to gather some Nocturnus technology. The player can choose to help her by obtaining various amounts of Nocturnus Tech. Her overworld abilities allow her to fly (better so than Knuckles but worse than Tails and Cream) and the Stealth ability—one that she shares only with Shade. In battle, she has low attack power and low armor, but gets to attack twice per round. She can weaken, distract and even steal items from her foes.
Sonic Free Riders
In Sonic Free Riders, Rouge, along with Shadow, decided to enter the World Grand Prix in Extreme Gear as Team Dark. Rouge, however, was only interested in the large cash prize and treasure that was given to the winners of the tournament.
As the World Grand Prix had started, Rouge and Shadow were 15 minutes late to the opening ceremony. When they arrive, Omochao complained about their tardiness, but Rouge told Omochao that she and Shadow were only here for the award. Discontent with the rule that three members are required in one team, but accepting of them, Rouge asked Omochao if he wanted to a part of her team, but he refused. Rouge then spotted a E-10000B robot and gets him to join her team.
In their first race, Team Dark was put up against Team Babylon and were victorious. In the next race, Team Dark went up against Team Heroes. During their races, E-10000B began to wear down from overheating and Rouge displayed some teasing doubt for her robotic teammate. As Tails began to worry about E-10000B's condition, Rouge insisted to continue the race. Eventually, Team Dark defeated Team Heroes which led to them finals against Team Rose.
As Team Dark was just one race away from winning against Team Rose, E-10000B began to reach critical levels. Team Rose berated Rouge for treating a teammate like that, but Rouge brushed off their comments, as she believed that E-10000B was just a machine, and insisted on continuing the race. After winning against Team Rose, Rouge and Shadow left the tracks and hurried over to the Grand Prix Headquarters and stole the cash purse and treasure from there, before taking their leave. When Omochao found them, Rouge told him that since they had earned the prize, she had gotten what she came for and saw better use of her time than wasting it on the award ceremony. Rouge was, however, surprised to hear from Omochao that what they had taken was just dummy drops for display and that the real prize was locked away in a safe, and they had to attend the award ceremony to receive it.
As the World Grand Prix proceeded, Team Dark received their own fair share of defeats. During these races, Rouge displayed her general confidence to the opposing team that she and her team would win the grand prize, while mocking their efforts, only to be defeated each time. Despite this, Rouge is impressed by their opponents' skills.
Near the end of the World Grand Prix, Team Dark and the other teams came down with an equal amount of victories, and Rouge, with the rest of her team, came to the award ceremony to collect their prize. Once there, however, Rouge and the others were told by Dr. Eggman (under his alias King Doc) that they had one more race against his Gear-jockey robots. As she was heading out to the track, Rouge was surprised to find E-10000B, whom she had thought was out of commission. After the race, Eggman then revealed himself and announced that that he had been collecting all the data on the racers in the Grand Prix with his E-10000 to make the ultimate Extreme Gear that he could use for his own agenda and challenged Rouge and the others to a race. After beating Eggman, Rouge noticed that E-10000B looked a little shaky, but then Metal Sonic revealed himself as the one controlling E-10000B and passing fake data to Eggman.
Rouge and the others watched as Metal Sonic challenged Sonic the Hedgehog to a race, in which Sonic soundly defeated his robot copy. Afterwards, it was revealed that Eggman never had any prize to give to the winners of the World Grand Prix, but Rouge remarked that she would be lying if she had said that she had not seen this coming.
Sonic Colors (DS)
Rouge appears in an extra mission in Starlight Carnival in the DS version of Sonic Colors. She tricked Knuckles into coming to Eggman's theme park, much to Knuckles' dismay but for unknown reasons.
Sonic Generations
In the console/PC version of Sonic Generations, Rouge attended and helped prepare Sonic's surprise birthday. As the party started, however, the Time Eater suddenly appeared´and Rouge was sucked into one of the Time Eater's Time Holes and ended up in the White Space, where she was turned into a statue due to the Time Eater's effects.
Eventually, Rouge was returned to normal by Classic Sonic (Sonic's past self) and Modern Sonic (Sonic's present self). When Classic and Modern Sonic confronted the Time Eater, which was revealed to be controlled by Modern Eggman and Classic Eggman, Rouge arrived at the battle with the others and cheered on both Sonics, allowing them both to transform into Super Sonic. When the Sonics defeated the Time Eater, Rouge and the others were sent back to the present. Continuing with the celebration, Rouge later waved goodbye to Classic Sonic and Classic Tails when they returned to their own time.
Other Game Appearances
Sonic Riders Series
Sonic Riders
Rouge appears in Sonic Riders as an unlockable character that can be used in Free Races. She is the strongest flight-type character (after Wave) in the game. Rouge plays no active role in the story; however, the official website states that Rouge has some kind of rivalry with Wave the Swallow.
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
Rouge returns in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity as an unlockable racer, but, again, not in the storyline. She is unlocked by completing Heroes Story in Story Mode. Also, she is a flight-type character and can transform her Extreme Gear, Temptation, to an Air Ride with a Gear Part.
Mario & Sonic Series
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Rouge appears in the game Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games as a boss in Festival Mode that the player may compete against, as well as Jet, Omega, and Eggman Nega. She is the boss of the figure skating event, and after beating her, the player can buy her costume, which gives Rouge stats to the selected Mii. Rouge also appears in the DS Adventure Tours working for Mario and Sonic to find stolen objects from the museum for White Stones. However, she will challenge Mario and Sonic to a Figure Skating match since Bowser and Dr. Eggman bribed her with a huge amount of White Stones. Rouge will help recover the next Snow Spirit from Eggman and Bowser after her defeat and continue working for Mario and Sonic.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Rouge later returns in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games as a rival in London Party Mode. This time, the player competes against her in 110m Hurdles. The Rouge costume with her stats for the selected Mii also returns where it easily be purchased through Blank Exchange in Bonus Mode. In the Nintendo 3DS version she is fought by Peach in Hyde Park saying she was going to trap them (Peach, Amy, Daisy and Blaze) in the fog. After she is defeated she claims to have no memory of what she had done. She then says the last thing she remembers is being in the British Museum looking at the art and artifacts there when the room fills with fog. She then remembers breathing some in (mind-controlling her) and after that nothing except someone telling her to trap them in the fog. She then leads them to the Fog Machine and Blaze destroys it. She then stays with them and helps clear the fog coming from Big Ben.
Appearances In Other Media
Archie Comics
Rouge appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series. Very much like her video game version, Rouge is fond of riches, especially rare, beautiful gems, and has often searched for or stolen jewels. She has had several run-ins in the past with Fiona Fox and Nic the Weasel, often beating them to rare treasures, and thus has something of a former rivalry with the pair.
Rouge appears in Sonic X and its comic book series as an agent for the President and friend of one of his agents, Topaz. She was recruited into G.U.N at some point after she was transported from Sonic's home world that is in parallel dimension to Earth. She fought in the Chaos Emerald Martial Arts Tournament and during after returning back home, she mainly sided with the heroes on their adventure to defeat the Metarex.
Rouge is a strong-minded young woman, a fearless, treasure-hunting, ambitious, independent, flirty, ruthless, calculating narcissist who most people see as only caring for herself and her gems. It is shown in Sonic Generations that Rouge can be referred to a temptress, due to her flirtatious and selfish ways. Her carefree and playful attitude can be fun or even annoying for the other characters of the series[3], especially Knuckles. She has a lot of pride and starts to fight dirty when facing a superior opponent, such as Knuckles (when it comes to power) or Tails (when it comes to flight). She can also show a bashful side, such as the time Knuckles saved her life from falling into her doom and became very embarrassed before disguising it with disgust and outrage.
Rouge is also at times a government spy who works for her own good. Rouge has a great obsession for jewels or even anything else that shines or glitters. She has been known to seduce people with her attractiveness to get what she wants (such as kissing Tails in Sonic Battle). However, she has, on occasion, shown that she can be heroic. In the final events of Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, she helped to save the planet. In Sonic Heroes, she stopped Shadow the Hedgehog and E-123 Omega from killing each other, and is seen battling Chaotix and Sonic as liabilities to her quest to finding Dr. Eggman's supposed hidden treasure room. In Sonic Battle, when Shadow was injured and needed a place to stay, Rouge helped him. In Shadow the Hedgehog, she did other laudable things, such as rescuing a Chaos Emerald from the doomed mainframe, destroying the evil monster Black Bull, and assisting Shadow in defeating Black Doom as well as showing concern for Shadow's welfare at the end of the game.
Recently, she has been becoming less selfish, as can be seen by her actions towards Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) and Sonic Rivals. However, as shown in her portrayal in Sonic Free Riders, which depicts her as a very cold and only caring about her and the cash prize suggest that she has not changed much, regarding her interest in jewels and riches. This is proved as she couldn't care less that her robot team member broke down and even went on to insult it as well.
Rouge is often known to switch between the sides of good and evil whether to succeed to get her jewelry or to save the world from danger.
Powers and Abilities
Physical Abilities
As both a part-government spy for G.U.N. and expert thief, Rouge is one of the strongest female characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Swift and powerful, Rouge has proved herself to be a force to be reckoned with in terms of physical abilities, both by her allies and her enemies.
In terms of raw power, Rouge's physical strength rivals that of Knuckles the Echidna. However, unlike Knuckles, whose strength lies in his upper body, Rouge's strength lies in her lower body, particularly in her legs and feet. Her high strength enables her to shatter boulders, slice through pieces of metal or even leave dents in thick steel walls with her kicks. She can even potentially split her opponents in half with precise kicks and create small earthquakes to trip opponents by striking the ground.
With the wings on her back, Rouge possesses the natural ability to achieve flight and is also able to glide by using her wings to manipulate her descend. When flying, Rouge can move as fast as Knuckles' gliding, but not as fast as Sonic or Shadow can run. Nevertheless, Rouge possesses an innate quickness, making her fast on her feet and can reach super speeds when running, though she is still not as fast as Sonic, Tails or Shadow.[3]
Rouge has also proven herself to be quite acrobatic, precise and agile, on both the ground and in midair due to her government training. She is able to perform all kinds of actions and movements while in midair effortlessly, grind on rails and as well perform several types of nimble movements in combat with incredible precision.
Much like Knuckles, Rouge is an expert climber and can climb on any kind of surface, no matter the material. She is also excellent at digging and tunneling through subterranean regions.
Rouge has also proven herself to be a very experienced swimmer, possibly due to her being a treasure hunter, enabling her to swim with both great speed and skill, and can reach amazing depths.
Stealth and Infiltration Expertise
As both a government spy and self-proclaimed "World's Greatest Thief", Rouge has been trained in infiltration and is skilled in the art of stealth as well.[3] As most times, however, she uses these skills to pull different kinds of successful heists, and has proven herself as a master thief.
As a result of her training, Rouge can surreptitiously enter enemy-held territory, either through stealth or by manipulation of others, such as when she tricked Shadow and Dr. Eggman into believing that she was willing to help them in Sonic Adventure 2 when she was send to investigate the doctor, and can hack computers and break codes in record time with successful results nearly every time. She is also stealthy enough to move nearly undetected through even the most fortified of locations, such as Prison Island, Dr. Eggman's various bases or Space Colony ARK and sneak up on people without bringing attention to herself.
Combat Skills
Rouge is well-versed in all kinds of combat and knows how to fight, making her a dangerous foe in battle. As a spy for the United Federation, Rouge has gone through several forms of special training in self-defense and knows a variety of martial arts. Her skills in combat are so great that she was able to fight the combat-versed Knuckles the Echidna to a standstill when confronting him on Space Colony ARK.
Fighting Style
Rouge's fighting style focuses on a form of kickboxing, a style she has derived from her special combat training, and is rarely using her arms or fists in combat. When in battle, Rouge primarily fights her opponents using a large number of skillful and specialized kicks to strike blows. Using her agility in line with her training, Rouge can perform moves such as high kicks, side kicks, spinning kicks etc., striking her opponents with deadly precision and efficiency, and can even send her whole body spinning through the air with her feet first, turning herself into an all-piercing spear.
Rouge can also complement her fighting style with her flight abilities, allowing her to take her fighting techniques to airborne opponents and allowing her to launch aerial kicks and strikes at her opponents.
Techniques and Moves
Most of Rouge's standard moves and techniques revolves around her Kick Attack move where she attacks her opponents with combos composed of kicks. Her special attack Screw Kick enables her to form a "screw" shape into midair while kicking, while her Drill Drive lets her send herself downward, with her feet first, as a spinning drill that pierces through her opponents. Also, her Hip Drop lets her drop onto the ground to form wide tremors that effects everything within its range.
When not attacking her opponents directly, Rouge has also been known to use techniques that involves some form of weapon. In Sonic Heroes she is shown to use Dummy Rings in her "Dummy Ring Bomb" move to paralyze opponents, and in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), she used her "Bomb" and "Bomb Snipe" techniques with her Heart Bombs to damage her opponents.
Miscellaneous Skills
Like real-life bats, Rouge has an excellent and sensitive sense of hearing, allowing her to hear even hear Espio, who is known as an expert ninja and a master of stealth, when he is in her proximity. Also, as hinted by her move Shriek and some of her moves in Sonic Battle, Rouge can make ultrasonic shrieks, just like real bats, to both attack her opponents or leave them disorientated.
Rouge is one of the world's most foremost treasure hunters, as seen during her hunts for the Emerald Shards and the Chaos Emeralds, and her skills on the subject rivals even that of Knuckles'.
Rouge has proven herself as being very talented at riding with Extreme Gear, as seen in Sonic Free Riders, where she is able to go toe-to-toe with some of the best Extreme Gear riders in the world. While in midair, she is capable of doing several acrobatic tricks with her Extreme Gear and can as well dash through midair with her Extreme Gear with her wings to pass through shortcuts through the tracks.
Shadow the Hedgehog
The two are teammates and current best friends in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes and often work together during mission stages, but are not seen together outside of duty alliance and do not spend time in one another's presence unless it is business. Nonetheless, Shadow is one of the few people Rouge cares about, other than herself.
In Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow saw a comparison to Maria in Rouge and saved her life when she was trapped in Security Hall. Despite how he later dismissed his actions saying he only returned for the Chaos Emeralds that she had acquired, she suspected that there was more to his reason for saving Rouge than he let on.
In Sonic Heroes, Rouge forms Team Dark with Shadow and Omega. During this time, Rouge and Shadow are much closer than they were in Sonic Adventure 2; interacting more within Team Dark as partners alongside Omega. Rouge is willing to help Shadow get answers about his past and is shown to have some sympathy for him when they discover the existence of Shadow Androids.
In Sonic Battle, Rouge calls Shadow "not bad-looking" and "a prince". She also lets him stay with her at Club Rouge when he is injured during a fight after carrying him inside when he passes out in front of the club. Also, while Shadow is dreaming, an image of Rouge appears and he whispers, "Ally." Rouge seems offended when Shadow doesn't thank her for saving him, but later he thanked her when she told him that she actually rescued him.
In Sonic Rivals, after Shadow saves Rouge from Eggman Nega, Rouge tries to persuade him into going treasure hunting with her and suggests the two "take a peek" into their own future using Eggman Nega's device. Shadow declines and the story ends with Rouge still trying to convince Shadow to join her in hunting for the remaining cards.
In Sonic The Hedgehog (2006), Rouge makes an attempt to draw Shadow into a conversation that doesn't involve Mephiles' plan to destroy the world, and at one point she says, "It's always business with you." when Shadow ignores her and rejects the off-topic sessions. Although, Shadow also shows he is protective of Rouge's wellbeing. Once, when catching her from a fall after she was momentarily knocked out by one of Dr. Eggman's robots. And again, when he jumps in front of her defensively, after a fake Chaos Emerald explodes. After E-123 Omega reveals to Shadow that he is the one who traps him in the future, Rouge tells Shadow, "Even if you believe everyone in the world will be against you, know that I will always remain by your side... Remember that..." Shadow pauses, then replies strongly, "I will." Though, in the original Japanese version of the video game, Rouge simply says, "You always have friends to whom you can rely on."
In Sonic Free Riders, both Shadow and Rouge appear as Team Dark along with E-10000B. Their main focus during the game is winning the treasure and prize money. Unlike in previous games, Shadow seems perfectly content with helping Rouge obtain the treasure she covets. (Note: This is the only time Shadow has appeared in a game with the intent on making money, rather than his usual ulterior motives, although the manual implies that Shadow also joined for the sake of competing against Sonic of who had the better skills.)
Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles the Echidna is Rouge's rival. The two have been fighting over the Master Emerald ever since they met. In Sonic Adventure 2 when Knuckles purposely shatters the Master Emerald to save it from Dr. Eggman, Knuckles and Rouge both go looking for its pieces. Eventually, Knuckles has to hunt Rouge down for the remaining pieces, and the two have their final confrontation at the level Meteor Herd. But during their fight, he saves her life instead because she slipped on a narrow beam and was going to fall into a burning pit of lava. After the rescue, Rouge and Knuckles share a short moment gazing at each other, before Rouge snatches her hand away and retorts with ungratefulness by teasing that he just wanted to hold her hand. In the end, Rouge gives him the remaining pieces of the Master Emerald and complains that, "They stink like echidnas do", to imply her stubbornness rather than to give him a direct, "Thank you". Knuckles gathers the shards to complete the Emerald and glances over to her, muttering, "I'm sorry if I hurt you...", and runs off. Before the scene fades out, Rouge gives a thoughtful smile over her shoulder before also heading out.
In Sonic Heroes they don't have much interaction with each other. At the end of Team Dark's story, Rouge commented that she would go looking for the Master Emerald, "since that irritating Echidna is here." However, in the last scene, she went to Knuckles and coquettishly hinted about going to look for someone else's treasure, then he ran after her saying, "She never gives up, does she?".
In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, the codex states that "there's a sort of unstated connection between Rouge and Knuckles that neither are overly willing to explore." Rouge even admits that Knuckles is cute but just not her type during the game. During the game, when Shade the Echidna mentions that she is 4,000 years old, Rouge responds to this by saying that Knuckles was "always into older women".
In Sonic Rivals 2, the two are teamed up. Rouge's reason for this is because she had a mysterious client who told her that if she found all the Emeralds, she would be rewarded, so she believed with Knuckles she might find her client to know exactly who he was. When Sonic first saw Knuckles and Rouge together, he teased them, asking them if they are on a date. Rouge is hostile towards Knuckles and doesn't trust him. She however, supported Knuckles throughout the game but later on deceived him by stealing the Master Emerald by calling him "dashing and daring" in order to distract him.
In the DS version of Sonic Colors, Rouge tricks Knuckles into making him think the invitation to Starlight Carnival she sent him was written by Dr. Eggman.
Most recently, in both the first and final cutscenes of Sonic Generations, Knuckles and Rouge are seen having a conversation at Sonic's birthday party. They appear to be communicating in a friendly, lighthearted way.
E-123 Omega
Rouge's second best friend is Omega, who is very loyal to her. She prevented Shadow and Omega from killing each other in Sonic Heroes, and soon after they formed Team Dark to help her find Eggman's "secret treasure room". Instead of finding treasure, of course, they end up saving the world, and Team Dark has been a tightly-knit bunch ever since. The two are close allies, and she shows signs of caring for him, such as in Sonic Chronicles, where she says she is saddened by the thought of Omega rusting away in Metropolis, and not with her and Shadow "blowing things up". She has sometimes shown annoyance at Omega, saying that he is too serious and that she is tired of hearing him ramble on about revenge and hatred.
Amy Rose
Rouge and Amy are generally portrayed as arch-rivals towards each other. Their relationship is similar to Rouge's relationship with Knuckles. In Sonic Battle, the two fight several times over Emerl . When Amy called Rouge's house a "dump", Rouge was furious about Amy's comment and the two started to fight over the Emerald Shard.
Their dislike for one another is also apparent in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood; they aren't always bickering, however, as shown in Shadow the Hedgehog. When Shadow had saved the world in the last story, Rouge wonders, "I hope Shadow's okay." Amy comforts her by saying, " I'm sure he's fine, Rouge. After all, he is Shadow." Rouge then looks back at her and nods in agreement.
Sonic the Hedgehog
As seen so far, Rouge and Sonic don't really show a dislike for each other, despite him being Shadow's rival and she being Tails, Knuckles, Amy's rival. Also, despite having some conflicting encounters and standpoints, they appear to be on good terms. In Sonic Battle, Rouge challenges him to a battle, if she wins, Sonic will have to get her gems and work for her. Sonic manages to win however, but he did not hold any grudge against her as seen later on. Later, Sonic let Emerl say hello to Rouge, which suggest Sonic somehow trusts her. In Sonic Chronicles, Rouge flirts with Sonic and gave him the nickname, "Big Blue", she uses the nickname again in Sonic Generations when rescued.
It is worth noting that in Sonic Generations, Rouge is one of the voluntary attendees at Sonic's birthday party and that Sonic treated her as all of his other friends, which shows a friendly relation between them. If Classic Sonic rescues her, she tells him to watch out for the Time Eater, then adds that he's not the Sonic she knows.
Although they do get along they sometimes get into fights, like in Sonic Heroes when Team Sonic and Team Dark fought in a jungle and in Sonic Battle when she kidnapped Emerl to train him to be a thief. He also said her if she did something to Emerl, he wouldn't let her off easily. When Rouge was introduced to Emerl, she gave them a idea to help Emerl, Sonic refused calling her 'a thief'.
Miles "Tails" Prower
Tails and Rouge have a friendly relationship but Rouge sometimes adds complications to it. They will usually get along but Rouge will sometimes playfully tease Tails to just get a reaction from him.
In Sonic Adventure 2 Tails was basically unaware of Rouge's presence, but this was because Rouge was sent by Eggman to spy on Tails when he was trying to find the President. After that their interaction stopped until the Ark was set to on its course for collision with Earth. In Sonic Battle, Rouge would use her charm to tease Tails because she thought it was cute and funny how he reacted. She was however very helpful in Tails' story as she gave him the access card for the Central Computer Room, distracted Shadow, and told Tails how to escape the Guard Robos. Later on in Rouge's story Tails had to stop Rouge from stealing a Chaos Emerald. In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, while in Metropolis Rouge would sometimes be snarky with the plans Tails and Eggman would come up with but still show a playful affection for Tails.
Vector the Crocodile
Rouge and Vector have interacted a couple of times in games, usually in an uncomfortable manner. She seems to dislike him and marks him foolish. In Sonic Heroes in Team Dark's Story, when Rouge was representative for Team Dark, the Chaotix budged in her way, both started trash talking to each other until Rouge found him foolish and asked for a fight. In Team Chaotix's side, Vector claims Rouge's team as the enemies and their client adversary which lead to a fight.
In Sonic Free Riders, in the finals, both seem to have a common interest in winning the prize money when Rouge gets angry that their robot partner breaks down just one race before the cash prize. Cream complains about her behavior, but Vector says that he can relate with her in wanting the money of the Grand Prix, though it is not worth sacrificing a teammate.
In Sonic Generations, they don't really interact with each other but they attend the same party and face the same conditions as everyone else. However, when the player gets all Red Star Rings in the Classic version of Spagonia, Vector says, "Aw man, you got all five Red Star Rings. Rouge is gonna have my hide for this one."
- Shadow the Hedgehog (best friend)
- E-123 Omega (close friend)
- Knuckles the Echidna (also a rival)
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Miles "Tails" Prower (also a rival)
- Doctor Eggman (depending on her goals)
Voice portrayal
- Japanese - Rumi Ochiai
- English
- Lani Minella - 2001-2004
- Caren Manuel - 2005-2010
- Karen Strassman - current
- Rosane Correa (Brazilian)
- Marie Lenoir (French)
Theme songs
The Sonic the Hedgehog video games have featured several theme songs for the character.
- Sonic Adventure 2: "Fly in the Freedom" - Tabitha Fair, Todd Cooper.
- Sonic Heroes: "This Machine" - Julien-K. This was a team theme shared with Shadow and Omega.
The background music for the stage Security Hall (titled "I'm a Spy") in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle is generally attributed to Rouge, despite technically having no relation to her. Like most characters, Rouge is associated with a genre of music, specifically smooth jazz/bossa nova/fusion with some feminine sighs thrown in (similarly to how Knuckles is associated with the rap genre). It is interesting to note that the background music in her Club Rouge stage from Sonic Battle also has feminine sighing. No other BGM in the game has any form of vocal.
Cultural impact
Promotion and merchandising
Rouge has been featured in many advertising campaigns and advertising for the Sonic the Hedgehog series in North America and Japan. At the launch of Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Rouge and a few other characters were featured in a line of plushes advertising the game. Another Rouge plush was released as a prize for crane games in Japan at the launch of Sonic Adventure 2 Battle.[4][5] As a campaign for the Sonic X anime in North America and Japan, keychains were distributed for the main characters in the show, one of whom was Rouge.[6] Sega and McDonalds released a series of LCD Sonic Themed Games at McDonalds in 2004, the games were bundled with Happy Meals. Rouge was featured in the game Amy & Rouge Volleyball in which, "Players are challenged to move Amy from side to side to return Rouge's serves and volleys.".[7]
Critical reception
Upon Rouge's introduction in Sonic Adventure 2, many game reviewers commented on her similarity to Knuckles,[8][9] including such critical remarks as "Knuckles with bat wings and breasts",[10] whilst some further criticized her design.[9][10] Her "daring attitude" and narcissism received further comment.[11][12] Rouge appeared on GamerRadar's list of "The Sexy Lady Beasts of Gaming", in which she is described as "Proof that voluptuous curves, thigh-boots, sexy eyes and rubber gloves can make any animal in the kingdom an object of lustful perverted desire. No matter how freaky-looking their real-world inspiration might be."[13]
- "Even if you believe everyone is against you, know that I'll always remain by your side. Remember that." - Rouge telling Shadow that even if he is a threat to humanity she will always be with him in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
- "My name is Rouge the Bat. Better known as the treasure hunter, Rouge." - The beginning of Rouge's recap in Sonic Adventure 2.
- "Oh great. Mama always told me that one day I'd get stuck in an alien dimension without a change of clothes." - Rouge when the heroes finally landed in the Nocturne in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood.
- "So, you did your homework, is that it? I'd say that's an invasion of privacy" - Rouge talking to Shadow in Sonic Adventure 2.
- "How's that? Perfect? Like me?" - After getting an A Rank.
- "I'm Rouge the Bat, but you can call me Rouge." - Rouge introduces herself.
- "You just wanted to hold my hand, didn't you? (teasingly) That's why you saved me; you're such a creep!" - After being saved by Knuckles.
- "All the world's jewels will be mine." - After winning in Sonic Adventure 2.
- "I've got something better than jewels that I'm thinking about right now... it'll all work out; you'll see." -To Knuckles, during the credits on Sonic Adventure 2.
- "Aw yeah baby, this makes us a team!" - After assembling Team Dark for the first time in Sonic Heroes.
- "Long time no see boys! Too bad you had to come all this way for nothing, we'll take it from here!" - Taunting Team Sonic on their way to Eggman, before the teams fight.
- "I haven't seen the President lately." - Rouge when standing still for a while in Sonic Heroes.
- "Wonder if there are any jewels around here..." - Another of Rouge's lines when standing still for a while in Sonic Heroes.
- "These ears aren't for show, you know." - When she was being spied on by Espio in Sonic Rivals 2.
- "Better behave yourselves!" - Sonic Riders, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
- "Hey, ladies first!" - When losing a race in the Sonic Riders trilogy and when she is behind in Bobsled Race in Sonic Heroes.
- "These boots were made for racing." - After winning a race in Sonic Rivals 2.
- "Too bad, so sad."- Another quote when winning a race in Sonic Rivals 2.
- "(Sighs), you're so slow!" Another quote when winning a race in Sonic Rivals 2.
- "I think... no. See ya later, silver boy." - After arguing with Silver about Chao and Chaos Emeralds in Sonic Rivals 2.
- "I despise anyone who takes jewels from me. All the world's gems are mine to keep!" - After Eggman took the Master Emerald in Sonic Adventure 2.
- "Winning is everything!" - Rouge after winning a battle in Sonic Battle.
- "Shadow? Has the prince finally awakened?" - Rouge asking Shadow if he woke up in Sonic Battle.
- "What'd ya think of my beautiful technique?" - Rouge after getting an S Rank in Sonic '06.
- "Thanks Big Blue, that's the first time I've ever been stolen." - Rouge after Modern Sonic rescues her in City Escape in Sonic Generations.
- "That piece of junk robot is no match for my charms!" - Rouge before the Seaside Hill mission with Modern Sonic begins from Sonic Generations.
- "Such a hard worker! How's about I give you a kiss for your troubles?" - Rouge flirting with Sonic after he completes her mission in Sonic Colors (DS).
- Prima's Game Guide for Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) states that there are rumors that Rouge has feelings for both Shadow and Knuckles.[14] It also erroneously says above that in Omega's back history that it was his rampage that unleashed Rouge from Eggman's base.[15]
- In Sonic Riders, Rouge has blue eye shadow on the character select screen and in gameplay but when you see her icon on the race results screen she has pink eye shadow on, very similar to the eye shadow in Sonic Heroes.
- Rouge may have been named after the jewel, the Rouge, relating to her jewel obsession. Her name could also come from a type of makeup applied to the cheeks (also called "blush").
- It is also possible that her name is a pun on the capital of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, due to her first name being Rouge and her being a bat. Her name also means "red" in French, possibly named after Knuckles' color or the fact that red is a color symbolizing love and Rouge is having a flirtatious and romantic attitude.
- Another possibility is that her name is a play on the word "Rogue", often used as a synonym for "Thief", mirroring how she often steals other peoples jewels.
- Although she told Knuckles at the end of Sonic Adventure 2 that she was done with jewelry, she is still hopelessly obsessed with jewels in later games.
- Not counting team members in the support class, Rouge has the least team POW moves in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, with only one.
- Also, Rouge is the only character with an Armor-Piercing move that hits all onscreen enemies instead of targeting one enemy. She is the second member of the Shifter class, and the only Shifter class member in Team Dark (Shadow and Omega are both in the Power class).
- In Sonic Heroes, while selecting Shadow or Omega to be Team Dark's leader, if you use the first-person camera to look at Rouge, she will occasionally turn her head in the player's direction and wink.
- In Sonic Riders and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, Rouge doesn't have her lipstick on.
- Rouge and some other characters have a few locations named after them in Empire City, as seen on the street signs of the level's day time stages in Sonic Unleashed.
- At one point in Sonic Battle while Rouge was around, Sonic says, "I smell perfume. Maybe Rouge is around.". This might mean that Rouge wears perfume, or Sonic was only making a joke.
- Sonic Riders and its sequels are the only times Rouge appear without a heart design on her clothing.
- After Sonic Battle, Rouge's design changed a bit, her wings become less detailed and only one color, also her blue eye shadow got darker after Sonic Adventure 2
- Sonic Heroes is the only game where Rouge has pink eye shadow.
- However, while performing Chaos Inferno, her eye shadow is violet.
- In Sonic X, scenes with Rouge often were accompanied by a saxophone solo.
- In Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge's outfit appears to be a purple/lavender color in game, but the concept art from the game has the outfit in its regular black color.
- As of date, Rouge has never appeared in any Sonic game without Shadow appearing in the same game, cameo or not.
- In the Sonic Riders trilogy, Rouge's breasts are shrunken down. This could be the result of her wearing a sports bra, though.
- In Sonic Generations when spoken to Rouge after receiving a few Red Star Rings, Rouge will tell the player that she's looking for "Teal Star Rings".
- In her alternate outfit model in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle her mid-driff shows her navel. However, in Sonic Riders onwards it isn't present. It is also true that Sonic characters do not have a navel (such as Wave and Tikal).
- In Sonic Adventure 2 Rouge had fangs, but afterwards, they have been absent. This is also the case with Sonic (who seemed to have fangs in Sonic Adventure) and Knuckles (unlike the other two, Knuckles' fangs still appear every few games). She did, however, have fangs in Sonic Free Riders.
- Despite being referred to as a "white" bat, Rouge only has fur on her head, while being completely hairless everywhere else.
- One of Rouge's unused lines ("Pleasure before business!") of Sonic Adventure 2 is used in one episode of Sonic X.
- Rouge (along with Wave the Swallow) is the only character in the games who is always shown with semi-open eyes.
- ↑ In Sonic Adventure 2, after witnessing how Eggman tried to steal the Master Emerald "from her," cutscene shortly before Dry Lagoon/Wild Canyon.
- ↑ IGN: Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood nulls (DS) 2400195
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rouge's entry in the Codex in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
- ↑ A description of all plush lines of Sonic the Hedgehog Characters. Retrieved on 2008-07-29.
- ↑ A description of all plush lines of Sonic the Hedgehog Characters. Retrieved on 2008-07-29.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog Pins & Keychains of the USA. Retrieved on 2008-07-29.
- ↑ McDonald's and SEGA Reveal Details of New Happy Meal Promotion Featuring Sonic and 'Search for the Silver Game' Eight New Handheld Videogames Based on SEGA's Classic Character Sonic The Hedgehog Make Stopping at McDonald's During the Holidays a Fun-Filled, Interactive Adventure. Game Zone (12/2/04). Retrieved on 2008-07-29.
- ↑ Sonic Adventure 2 Hands-On. GameSpot.com. Retrieved on 2008-07-11.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sonic Adventure 2 Review for DreamCast. Ken Innes. Retrieved on 2008-07-29.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 GameJam: Yuji Naka Unleashes Sonic Adventure 2. IGN.com. Retrieved on 2008-07-11.
- ↑ A brief description of Rouge's traits. Game Revolution. Retrieved on 2008-07-11.
- ↑ Rouge the Bat is detailed here. sonicretro.org (July 6, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-07-29.
- ↑ http://www.gamesradar.com/f/furverts-the-sexy-lady-beasts-of-gaming/a-20080326145123218031/p-3
- ↑ Prima's Official Game Guide for Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), p.8, "Rouge The Bat is a treasure hunter and spy, operating under orders from a government agency. She travels the world, seeking out precious metals and gems for her employer - but makes sure to keep a little bit of the ill-gotten gains for herself. Rouge is known for her mystifying allure, which allows her to work her charms on even the toughest foes and get her way. Never be fooled by these wiles, for Rouge cares only for herself and her own needs. However, there have been rumors that she has feelings for both Shadow The Hedgehog and Knuckles The Echidna. That's a love triangle that could really put off some sparks."
- ↑ Prima's Official Game Guide for Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), p.8, "E-123 Omega is one of Dr. Eggman's newest creations, a robot with the ability to think for itself. However, this remarkable programming allowed the robot to become self-aware and realize that Dr. Eggman did not care a whit about Omega, so long as it did its job protecting his base. Omega went into a rage one day and destroyed all the other robots in the base. After filling the halls with tons of scrap metal, Omega broke free (unleashing Rouge The Bat in the process) and vowed revenge against its perceived captor - using the very tools its creator gave it."
External links
- Sonic Adventure 2: Battle Rouge's Sonic Adventure 2: Battle profile
- Rouge the Bat Concept: "Mobius" (Real Character Profile)


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There is enormous presumption (though the ascetic sees it not) in the idea that man may be his own judge and executioner—his own physician in the sickness of liis soul.Such, then, is the football jerseys principle of asceticism, and such, we conceive, the errors on which it is founded. There is, indeed, extant historical evidence that the doctrine of the higher and lower morality was the proximate cause of Christian monastic asceticism." In the second century," says Mosheim ," was started a principle in morals, radically false and most injurious to the Christian cause, but one that has in every age, even to our own, been infinitely prolific in evil.
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text: In the context of all of Thanissaro's anatta teachings, this is inaccurate (you'll have to go outside of ATI to find all of them, but off the top of my head, there's one from Tricycle called "Hang On To Your Ego").ancientbuddhism wrote:I won't engage in your muddle of Christian theology and Dhamma. But as for this claim, Ṭhanissaro is not the first to make this mistake (consider this post and the three that follow it). The Buddha's answer to Ānanda about his silence to Vacchagotta's questions is provisional to the Buddha's concern for Vacchagotta, as this does not preclude the Buddha's thoughts on the matter of an attā in the ontological sense as we find in the Upaniṣads where the audience is suitable to receive it, as mentioned above wrt MN.22.contemplans wrote:The Buddha refused to answer whether there was a self or not a self.


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Another Heir Apparent, Uke, And Papi Pinch-Hit For
Lastly, when Tito Francona pinch-hit Mike Lowell for David Ortiz with the lead run on in the 8th and righty Kevin Gregg coming in at Toronto in the 8th, I thought, gee I like my AL predictions four weeks after I posted them here:
Here is the unasked question in BOSTON: would the Red Sox rather have David Ortiz at DH this year… or Luke Scott? Where, production-wise, will Not-So-Big-Papi fall in 2010? I think he's behind Guerrero, Kubel, Lind, Matsui, Scott, and maybe others. If the demise of the beast continues, the Red Sox are suddenly presenting a very pedestrian line-up…keep the Ortiz thought in the back of your mind. What if the second half of '09 was the aberration, not the first half? Will the Sox have to bench him? And if so, could the twists and turns of fate find them suddenly grateful that they had been unable to trade Mike Lowell?…As I have written here before, I am not buying the premise that what in essence was a trade of Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, for a full-time Brett Gardner plus Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson was necessarily an upgrade – even if Javier Vazquez (9 career post-season innings; 11 career post-season earned runs) was thrown in, in the bargain… In TAMPA BAY, I'm betting 2009 was the fluke and not 2008. What does one not like about this team? Is rightfield confused? Stick Ben Zobrist there and let Sean Rodriguez have a shot at second. That doesn't work? Wait for mid-season and the promotion of Desmond Jennings. You don't like Crawford and Upton? Bartlett and Longoria? Pena? The law firm of Shoppach and Navarro? The Rays seem to summon a fully-grown starter from the minors each year – Price in '08, Niemann in '09, Wade Davis in '10.
5 Comments
Nice work Keith, at least a month in…I though the Sox line-up was weak as well, but the struggles of Lester, Lackey, and Becket have compounded them. As for the Rays, you can't underestimate a team built on young energy, especially since so many of these players were developed within.
I have to talk about Uke, and I write from Las Vegas, where we don't get his broadcasts. At the moment we don't even get the Dodgers on the radio. But like everyone else I've heard Uke for years and wanted to add a couple of things.
His first partner in Milwaukee was the late Merle Harmon, who wrote about him in his autobiography and whom Uke has acknowledged as helping him a great deal. Merle said that Brewers players even back then were always asking Uecker for advice on baseball. For all of the jokes, he knows the game backward and forward, and the players know it–and so do the fans who listen to him.
Since Uke is off to the hospital, I remember when he had his surgery a few years ago and was asked the toughest part about it. He said, "The suppository. They put it in with a pea-shooter from eight feet."
On Uke as well…Even though I am a Cubs fan, and live in south Chicagoland, I enjoy listening to the Brewers on 620 AM (albeit a bit scratchy). The Simpsons baseball emulates Uke, not to mention the movies he's in. Major applause to Pat Hughes as well for compiling legendary play-by-play men, including Uke. As a person who would LOVE to sit in Uke's chair and has called collegiate baseball, we all owe him one. My thoughts and prayers are with him, his family, and the Brewers organization.
Right you are sir, here in Tampa Bay we like growing our team from little sprouts into mighty oaks and bringing baseball a fine looking upstanding young men lead by the cool uncle Joe who makes playing and watching FUN, and the owners really try to make the experience for us the fans worth the price of admission (the lowest in professional sports by the way). thanks for noticing now if we can just get more fans in the seats life in this baseball town will be grand….GO RAYS..Rayzor X
I'm very impressed that you, a shameless Yankee fanboy, would post such a wonderful tribute to one of my favorite Red Sox players, Kevin Youkilis.
It's true about Youk, as you say (even though you misspell his name, which surprises me): "They do not make them better than Uke and metaphorically speaking, that they are treating his heart means they will have something big and robust to work with."
Doesn't he have the heart of a champion! YOUK! YOUK! YOUK!
What's that?
He's writing a tribute to Bob Uecker? Who the hell is Bob Uecker? Oh, he is?
Never mind.


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Michael Williams sentenced for killing stepdaughter
A man convicted of murdering his stepdaughter has been sentenced.
In court Monday, a judge handed down a life sentence to Michael Williams for the April shooting death of Michala Pomfret, 21.
Prosecutors said Pomfret was shot on the front porch of her mother's home near 27th and Crawford streets. Pomfret died two days later.
Williams apologized in court, saying he doesn't remember the incident.
Investigators said Williams fled after the shooting, leading police on a three-hour-long manhunt in Bellevue. Police said they found Williams unconscious; his attorney, James Martin, attributed it to an overdose attempt.
Martin said Williams is mentally ill, mentioning he tried to commit suicide after shooting Pomfret and again in December while in prison.
"He's on anti-psychotic drugs prescribed by the state," Martin said.
Pomfret's brother, James Raymond, said William's mental illness does not matter.
"That shows he has no remorse for what he did to my sister," Raymond said. "We're not ever going to be whole again, but at least she can be at peace."


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King Demands Immediate Action by TSA to Address NY to LA Security Breach
Gravely Concerned About Security Failure Nearly 10 Years Past 9/11
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, demanded that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator Pistole immediately report on the actions TSA has taken to address the security breach at John F. Kennedy International airport by a Nigerian national last week. A man was able to pass the security checkpoint and fly from New York to Los Angeles using an expired boarding pass issued in another individual's name.
Chairman King also requested that the Transportation Security Administration conduct an audit of the performance of all travel document checkers.
The text of the letter sent to Administrator Pistole follows:
June 30, 2011
The Honorable John S. Pistole
Transportation Security Administration
601 South 12th Street
Arlington, VA 20598
Dear Administrator Pistole:
I am gravely concerned about the security breach at John F. Kennedy International airport by a Nigerian national last week whereby the man was able to successfully pass through the security checkpoint and fly from New York to Los Angeles using an expired boarding pass issued in another person's name. As I understand it, the transportation security officer designated as a travel document checker is vested with the responsibility of verifying the veracity of the identification and confirming that the travel documents are in order – that simply, the name on the identification presented matches the name on a boarding pass – that's the job. Since New York City remains a top terror target, I would expect that transportation security officers deployed in the New York area airports are among the most diligent. Clearly, this was not the case last week. Similarly, I am concerned with the additional breach of security at Virgin America airlines in which a gate agent boarded a passenger without confirming the validity of the boarding pass.
Although Committee staff has yet to be adequately briefed on the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) risk-based checkpoint screening initiative despite repeated requests, I urge you to audit the performance of all travel document checkers before fully implementing this program.
Additionally, please provide a briefing to the Committee no later than July 8, 2011, on the immediate measures TSA is taking to address these recent failures and any disciplinary action being taken against the travel document checker at JFK. It is my sincere hope that TSA will be implementing greater oversight of the boarding pass issuance and verification process between TSA and the airlines. Nearly ten years after 9/11, failures of this kind should be a thing of the distant past.


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Friend of Chroma and artist Mark Waller was invited by Paul Malouf to teach and demonstrate for Art Scene's summer week of art workshops at Bathurst in January. he sent through this really engaging report. Many thanks from Chroma Mark.
"Mark the newbie. I wasn't sure what to expect regarding my first Bathurst tutorial experience. I went down there with absolutely no idea about what I was doing, other than giving my students as much information as I possibly could. Before I go any further, I want to say thank you to all of the students who took a leap of faith and spent a week with me. You guys rock."
"I. Had. A. Ball. Not only did I adore my students (who were a lot of fun and tormented me relentlessly), but the other people I met made it one of the most fantastic weeks of my life. It was so exciting being around people who get excited about the same stuff as me (pushing paint around)! Paul Malouf (Artscene Sydney) went out of his way to take all the kinks out for me, and the other tutors were sensational. I slotted right in.
The Chroma demonstration was out of the box for me. There was some debate as to whether I 'deliberately' made a mistake with one of my paintings to show off the qualities of the Atelier Interactive product. Nice idea- but not the truth! I was a little overwhelmed at first, and found myself in one of those places where you're balanced on a knife edge. Glory or………..?? I'll let the viewers be the judge. I will say however, I managed thanks to the Interactive product, to save the painting, which was later auctioned off to generate money for the Chroma Scholarship. Call me a thrill seeker, but that make or break moment was one of the highlights of the week for me.
The staff who fed us did a wonderful job. There was always plenty of food, delivered with a smile. Legends.
The accommodation was great, much better than I expected a bum artist to get. I would've been happy under one of the dormitories (but we won't tell anyone that).
All of the students who were there seemed very friendly, and I had some wonderful conversations with people from all over Australia. Maybe it was just the event, maybe it was the place. But it's always wonderful to see so many people getting on and embracing something as sensational as painting.
Back to the students. Did I mention already that they rock? We laughed. We cajoled. We teased. But most of all, we chucked paint around. And it was great. Hopefully they took something away that made their paintings better (you'll have to ask them). But I loved working with them. It was the best part of the week. I came away completely trashed. But will never forget that week, and my new friends. Can't wait to do it again (but this time with more clothes on. IT'S GOING TO BE WINTER!! Keep it clean people, sheesh!)."
For all Mark's upcoming workshop and tutorial information, click here!


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Tobin Seagel: Protect Our WintersSunday, January 8, 2017
Climate change is the number one issue affecting the world today. It doesn't matter whether you're a skier, snowboarder, fisherman, or a couch potato; we all rely on a healthy snowpack for the snow we ski on, the water we drink, or the streams our fish live in.
On a ski mountaineering expedition to Baffin Island, I met Inuit hunters who told me that shifting ice cover is impacting their ability to hunt. In Europe, some alpine huts located on ridges now require ladders to be reached—glacier retreat has made them otherwise inaccessible.
And at home in Whistler, I've watched steep ski lines disappear as the bergschrunds—once spicy to cross—have become impassable. The season seems to be getting shorter, the snowpack seems thinner and the snow line seems to be rising. Because of a lack of snow, I haven't really been able to ski the lower mountain trees for a few years, which to me is some of the most fun terrain we have.
Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists are in agreement that climate change is real and human-caused. If we don't change the way we are doing things, long-term annual snowfall is likely to decrease by the end of this century. Not only is that going to be a bummer for people that like powder, but also it'll terminate thousands of jobs and deliver a big financial blow to the economy. In the US, winter sports generate $66 billion annually and support 965,000 jobs. The outdoor recreation industry as a whole generates $646 billion annually, supporting 6.1 million jobs. A strong economy requires a healthy environment.
So, what do we do about it?
Protect Our Winters was started by Jeremy Jones around ten years ago to mobilize the outdoor sports community against climate change. This winter the POW Riders Alliance and Science Alliance got together in Squaw for the annual POW summit to swap ideas and collaborate on initiatives for the next year. A big crew of pro skiers, snowboarders, and fly fishermen took time out of their schedules to listen to presentations by scientists like Liz Burakowski from the University of New Hampshire, social storytellers like Brendan Leonard, and industry leaders like Kevin Kassekert from Tesla and Lynn Jurich from the solar energy brand SunRun. The lifts at Squaw were spinning, but a huge rainstorm a few days before the summit had washed away most of their early season snow. I can only imagine how deep the conditions would have been if the freezing levels were just a little lower during that storm … the reality of climate change was plain to see.
Climate change is something we all have a hand in creating, which means collectively we're also the solution. Like a snowball rolling down hill, small things can add up to make a big difference if we all do them. I try to minimize how much I drive, eat a little less red meat and put a sweater on instead of cranking the heat at home. It's simple stuff, but I'm always looking to see how I can do more. There's a ton of resources online you can check out to see what is easiest for you.
Let's do this. Let's be the generation that turns this climate change ship around.


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Funds That Support Astronomy/Physics
Above: UIS professor Dr. John Martin helps children observe Transit of Venus at Southwind Park in Springfield–a special daytime "Star Party."
Funds that Support Astronomy/Physics
Your gift in any amount to the funds below provide support for astronomy and physics students, as well as for the many community members who enjoy and learn from UIS' popular Star Parties. You can use the Donate button to give online. Thank you!
Astronomy Program Fund
This fund provides money for special opportunities or extraordinary needs.
- Faculty and students can travel to a conference to present their research.
- Faculty can take part in a special opportunity to update their skills. Professors need to be aware of the latest developments in their field, so that they can pass this knowledge on to their students.
- The department can purchase special equipment, test materials, resources, or training modules to help our students attain success and achieve their goals.
These activities and others like them enrich our students immeasurably, enhancing the education they receive at UIS—but we could not do any of them without the discretionary money given to this fund.
K -Fund for Scientific Equipment (CLAS)
The net income from the K-Fund is used to purchase "big ticket" laboratory equipment in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UIS. The equipment purchases shall be restricted to laboratory equipment for the physical or biological sciences programs that would be used, though not exclusively, in the undergraduate laboratory courses. The expenditures are not necessarily made each year, but rather the net income is allowed to reinvest in the principal of the Fund until the principal reaches at least $30,000 in 2003 dollars adjusted for inflation.
Schweighauser Astronomy Fund
Named in honor of Charles Schweighauser, UIS revered professor emeritus, this fund supports research, teaching and training of students in astronomy at UIS
Scholarship Funds
Currently, there are no scholarships specific to the Astronomy/Physics department or for students majoring in this department.
You could be the first to create a scholarship that targets the students involved in the Astronomy/Physics program. As the principle donor of this new scholarship, you would get to name the fund and establish the selection criteria.
We welcome your inquiries. Please feel free to contact us.


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Workplaces to See More Spats over After-Hours WorkBy Reuters - Print
The growing technical ability to work remotely, combined the growth of work-related legal disputes, is raising the issue of work versus personal time.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Should an employee get paid for reading a BlackBerry at the dinner table, sending an office e-mail or posting a job-related blog at home?
A spat at ABC News over paying writers to check their BlackBerries on their own time recently raised the issue, and such a dispute marks the leading edge of a deluge of unresolved and potentially heated cases to come in the United States, experts say.
The growing technical ability to work remotely, combined the growth of work-related legal disputes, is raising "lots of smaller-scope issues of this kind," said John Thompson, an expert in wage and hour law at Fisher & Phillips in Atlanta.
"We've never seen anything like it. Just the question of what is work and what isn't is a practically endless question," he said. "It is going to drive to the surface all kinds of issues that nobody's ever thought of before."
At ABC, the broadcaster proposed that three new writers would not be compensated for checking their office-issued BlackBerries after working hours. The union, the Writers Guild of America, East, objected.
A compromise was reached that allowed writers and producers to be paid for using BlackBerries after hours but only under certain circumstances.
"Simply checking a BlackBerry is not our big concern," said Lowell Peterson, executive director of the Writers Guild, East. "Our folks are professionals. They're not going to start putting in overtime slips for 2.1 minutes.
"Our concern is we don't want this to grow into a major work commitment that people don't get paid for," he said.
The issue is not so much tapping out a brief message on a BlackBerry; it's the ability to write articles, post blogs, draft documents, research the Internet or sign contracts, all on a tiny, mobile, handheld gadget, experts say.
"Technology is going to continue to move in that direction," Peterson said. "It was important to us to make it clear that here's where we stand. This is not going to become an unpaid 24-7 workplace."
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Life After Layoffs: A City's Struggle to Survive
Unemployment rate in Elkhart, Ind. skyrockets, leading nation.
Dec. 11, 2008 -- Nowhere else in America has the unemployment rate jumped so high, so fast than in Elkhart.
A year ago, this northern Indiana community was prospering, with unemployment hovering at 4.4 percent. But this summer the recession hit and it hit hard.
Several big recreational vehicle manufacturers slashed jobs. Then their suppliers followed with layoffs. Unemployment has now reached 10.7 percent -- that's nearly one out of every nine people without work.
"Our plant just closed down," said Ed Neufeldt, who lost his job with RV manufacturer Monaco Coach Sept. 17. "They just closed the doors."
Based on ABC News calculations of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Elkhart's unemployment rate jumped 143 percent in the last 12 months -- it's the highest increase of any metropolitan area in the country.
After 32 years with Monaco Coach, Neufeldt finds himself on unemployment, searching for a new job when most local companies are laying people off.
"We were one of the big corporations around the area. The building was one of the biggest buildings in northern Indiana," Neufeldt said. "When it shut down, it was a big shock to everyone."
When his unemployment runs out, Neufeldt said he hopes to find a job "washing dishes or sweeping floors or something."
To pass the time and give something back to his community, Neufeldt and other unemployed RV workers are helping a homeless shelter gut and renovate a building for an expansion.
"I wanted something to do. I wanted the fellowship," he said. "We've all took a big loss in our 401(k) and we don't have jobs and stuff. It seems like we're happy up here."
The Faith Mission homeless shelter, where Neufeldt and other unemployed workers are volunteering, currently has 136 beds. Their work will allow the shelter to add 20 more.
"To see these people who don't have a roof over their head -- they don't have a job either. They're really down," Neufeldt said. "That just lifts your spirits up and you think to yourself, 'man I've got it pretty good after all, even though I don't have a job.'"
High Gas Prices Killed Local Jobs
Dorinda Heiden-Guss, president of the Economic Development Corp. of Elkhart County, said that the RV industry had been devastated by high gas prices and then a tightening of credit to buy the large vehicles.
"It's discretionary income being spent on larger-priced items," she said.
More than 480 companies in the area have let go of one or more employees, she said.
Donnie Gaut worked for 13 years at RV-maker Travel Supreme before losing his job in April.
"I've been job hunting and haven't found anything," Gaut said. "It's just been such a blessing to be able to help other people out. You don't think about your situation."
On Monday night his wife learned that her company will close and that she will likely lose her job.
"What really helps me out the most is having trust in God and believing he will provide. That's what carries me through every day as far [as] keeping joy in my heart and peace in my mind," Gaut said. "It's what we need around this area right now because every week you hear about somebody else shutting down."
Like many other communities around the country, Elkhart has adapted to a recession that is looking longer and deeper each week.
The local Chamber of Commerce has launched a new Buy Local campaign, telling residents that patronizing area businesses is one way to help fight further local job losses.
The City Council this fall passed a new law limiting residents to one garage sale a month. For many residents it was the only source of income, but they also became a nuisance.
Crime is also on the rise. The 7-Eleven on Main Street has been hit seven times so far this year. And just last week a downtown school was locked down as police searched for two men who robbed a nearby bar.
Haircuts on Sale
The ultimate sign of hard times can be seen on the heads of many men who are delaying haircuts to save a few bucks.
In response, a group of barbershops last week started offering discounts to the unemployed.
"I've been a barber for 41 years in Elkhart," said Lowell Thomas, owner of Lowell's Barber Shop. "After all those years, those people have helped me enough and kept me in business that it's time for me to give something back to them when they need it."
Haircuts at his shop normally cost $13. Now, on Wednesdays anybody who lost a job can get one for $8.
But he too is feeling the squeeze. Residents have stretched out the time between haircuts from about three weeks to more than five, and Thomas said his business is down 20 percent.
"A lot of people are embarrassed to ask. So when they call up and ask how much my haircuts are, I ask them if they are unemployed," Thomas said. "It's not much but it might give a family a little bit extra for Christmas. Five bucks is five bucks anyway you look at it."
Job Losses 'An Emotional Issue'
There has been some recent bright news.
Last week the Mad Anthony Old State Ale House started interviewing people for jobs as cooks, busboys and servers at a new 1940s-style theater opening soon -- the jobs pay up to $10 an hour.
"It was snowing outside. We probably had 60 to 70 people standing in the snow waiting for a couple of hours ahead of time," said Jeff Neels, partner of the Mad Anthony Brewing Co. "We were just overwhelmed with the turnout. It was really a sight. I was just touched by the amount of people."
By the end of two days 650 people had applied for 140 openings.
Typically he sees college students applying for jobs. This time, Neels said there were a lot more out-of-work, blue-collar workers seeking a job.
Jean E. Perrin, who heads the work force and economic development program at Ivy Tech Community College, says that since September more than 800 people have met with her academic advising team, looking for ways to learn new skill sets.
They are taking advantage of $13 million in job-training grants given to the region. Some are trying to go into health care and others are learning more advanced manufacturing skills.
"It's not only an economic issue. It's also an emotional issue for people," Perrin said. "A lot of these people have worked in the RV industry for a number of years. I've been really impressed by people's spirit in a really adverse situation."


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President Obama arrives Monday for two days of meetings with Kremlin leaders, which may help him to determine whether, going forward, Russia will be an ally of the US, an adversary, or just another distraction amid a rising sea of global woes.
A very full schedule for Mr. Obama, which includes a lengthy working session with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday, breakfast with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, plus a major foreign policy address and meetings with Russian civil society activists, has done little to calm worries that the agenda holds out scant hope for any strategic breakthrough between the two countries, whose relations have descended into Cold War-style shouting matches at several points in recent years.
"Unfortunately, our agenda contains too many difficult issues; I'll be surprised if we can solve any of them," says Andrei Klimov, deputy chair of the Russian State Duma's foreign affairs commission. "The main task of the presidents is to give an impulse to their respective administrations, to get them moving on mutual problems so that maybe we'll see some results by the end of this year."
Both Obama and Mr. Medvedev issued the obligatory pre-summit statements, accentuating the positive and laying out ambitious hopes for progress in arms control, nonproliferation, counter-terrorism, energy cooperation, and economic development.
"Russia is a great country with an extraordinary culture and extraordinary traditions," Obama said in an interview with Russian state TV Friday. "It remains one of the most powerful countries in the world and has, I think, enormous potential for being a force for stability and prosperity in the international community."
Speaking via his new LiveJournal blog, Medvedev praised the Obama White House for "showing its willingness to change the situation and build more effective, reliable, and ultimately more modern relations. We are ready to play our part."
From scowl to smile?
The Russian public appears to have caught at least a touch of that optimism. A survey released Friday by the independent Russian Public Opinion Research Center found that 46 percent of Russians have a "positive" attitude toward the US. That's dramatically up from 22 percent in a similar poll last September, following Russia's brief summer war with neighboring Georgia. Thirty-three percent last week described their feelings about the US as "negative," compared with 65 percent in September.
But in many key areas where experts had hoped for rapid improvement in relations problems appear to be piling up faster than projected solutions. The euphoric expectation that Obama might quickly "reset" the troubled Moscow-Washington equation has long since worn off.
After Obama arrived in Washington some Russian experts had hoped that the accumulated East-West ill will would turn out to be an artifact of the former George W. Bush administration's unilateralism and inattention to Russia following 9/11. But that's been replaced by a realization that the geopolitical differences between Russia and the US are deep and abiding and that progress will probably have to be measured in tiny increments rather than major breakthroughs.
Arms reductions plans up in the air
One of the biggest disappointments is the complications around a new nuclear arms deal to replace the two-decade old START accord, which imposed ceilings of 6,000 strategic warheads and 1,600 delivery vehicles on each side. The two leaders are expected to sign a framework deal, that might bring those totals down to around 1,500 warheads on 1,100 missiles, but that will fall far short of Obama's aim of achieving zero nuclear weapons.
In recent weeks, Russian conservatives have mounted a media attack in opposition to even those modest goals, citing Russia's disproportionate reliance on its nuclear deterrent for security, and continued US determination to install anti-missile defenses in eastern Europe.
"Russia is not inclined to go very far in cutting down its nuclear weapons because of our relative weakness – and NATO's massive superiority – in conventional forces," says Viktor Kremeniuk, deputy director of the official Institute of USA-Canada Studies in Moscow. "And we need to worry about US development of anti-missile systems, which could upset any balance of offensive weapons at some point in the future."
The White House has said it is "reviewing" plans to station missile interceptors in Poland, with associated radars in the Czech Republic. But Obama's special assistant on Russian affairs, Mike McFaul, suggested in a conference call with journalists last week that the US is in no mood to compromise on that, or with Russia's demands that Washington withdraw its backing for Ukraine and Georgia's eventual NATO membership.
"We're not going to reassure or give or trade anything with the Russians regarding NATO expansion or missile defense," Mr. McFaul said.
Afghanistan offers hope for partnership
On Monday, just as Obama is arriving, Russia will wrap up massive military exercises on its border with Georgia, timed to remind the world that Moscow sees the former Soviet Union as its special "sphere of influence." Russian leaders have repeatedly said that NATO membership for Ukraine or Georgia would cross a "red line" that might lead to conflict.
"It's quite clear that Obama is less engaged in the post-Soviet region than Bush was," says Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in Global Affairs, a leading Moscow foreign policy journal. "But it's also obvious that he will never say that NATO expansion is over. So, the best we can hope for is caution on Washington's part. This region holds big potential for unpredictable explosions."
One ray of light is Moscow's growing willingness to support the struggling US-led Western operations in Afghanistan. Russian news agencies reported Friday that a deal would be inked between Obama and Medvedev to allow NATO to use a Russian "transport corridor" to resupply its forces with weaponry as well as non-lethal equipment. And last month, apparently with Russian acquiescence, the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan relented on a previous decision and agreed to allow US forces continued access to the Manas airbase, a vital link in Afghan resupply efforts.
Chess match over democracy
But controversy seems likely to attend Obama's efforts to reach out to Russia's beleaguered dissident community, which will include meetings with nongovernmental organizations, opposition parties and anti-Kremlin activists, such as chess champion Garry Kasparov. Obama will also match a recent controversial move by Medvedev, which riled Russian conservatives, by granting an interview to Russia's leading opposition newspaper, the weekly Novaya Gazeta.
In a Monitor OpEd last week, the director of advocacy for the Washington-based human rights watchdog Freedom House, Paula Schriefer, argued that Obama should go further, and use his Tuesday speech at Moscow's New Economic School to deliver a pro-democracy message to the Russian-speaking world over the heads of Kremlin leaders and the state-controlled media.
Some Russian liberals say Obama should be frank, but careful in what he says.
"I think people here might have a negative attitude," of an Obama speech that sounds critical of Russian authorities, says Sergei Mitrokhin, deputy chair of the liberal Yabloko Party, which lost its parliamentary representation five years ago amid a Kremlin crackdown on small parties.
"If the US looks like it's trying to teach us how to live, it will just play into the hands of Russian conservatives," he adds. "The best way to promote Russian democracy is to improve relations. The more positive ties between our countries, the better things will be."