I Love This Country?

Fire broke out in a Moscow nightclub early Sunday, killing 10 people, an Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman said.

Now, there were two things in that statement that were shocking to me, other than the actual deaths. First off, Moscow has a nightclub? And secondly, 10 people were there?!?! Wow.

The cause of the blaze had not been determined, but some witnesses said it broke out during a "fire show" that was part of the club's nightly entertainment. Okay, now this is making some sense…gimme some more.

The preliminary accounts indicated that a performer in the show inadvertently set his clothing on fire and that in turn ignited a nearby 5-liter (1.2-gallon) container of inflammable liquid. Aahhh, there is the Russia I know. So let me get this right; they have a “fire show” and they keep a highly combustible liquid near the stage? Brilliant.

Yakov Smirnoff was reached for comment and had this to say, “In the US, you can always find a party. In Soviet Russia, Party finds you!” Interesting, very interesting…