The headline reads: "Russia Leads Forestry Destruction Ranking". Oh my god :-o Putin is chopping down all the trees, the bastard!
The body of the article then informs us that this is due to [wild] fires. (Maybe Putin started the fires though - am I right, am I right?)
What annoyed me most was the photograph used. It's a famous photograph, taken by John McColgan, titled "Elk Bath"*. Far from being a picture of a Russian forest fire, the image was taken at Bitterroot National Forest, Montana, USA, in the year 2000.
Just like the headline, the photograph was used for it's emotive power. A monstrous inferno, raging towards some awestruck deer - "Don't burn Bambi, Mr. Putin. Don't burn Bambi!"
The article also mentions that Brazil occupies the second place ranking in tree-cover depletion since 2001, and is a "fellow BRICS nation". I wasn't aware that tree cover was criteria for membership of BRICS. Never miss an opportunity to get a few jabs in with the little knives.
I have no disagreement that more should be done to prevent forest fires, in Russia, or anywhere else.
context: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russia-leads-forestry-destruction-ranking/518599.html
Elk Bath, by John McColgan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk_Bath
* The accreditation given is to "Pixabay", a website offering Public Domain images. "Elk Bath" is in the Public Domain, and does indeed appear on Pixabay http://pixabay.com/en/forest-fire-brand-fire-62971/
