Friday morning roundup

The Russian Orthodox Church has "its own foreign policy," and it's remarkably short-sighted. Here's a smarter perspective:

Western analysts acknowledge the dangers faced by Christians in Syria, but say the church would be wise to distance itself from the Assad government and prepare for a political transition. “What we see now in Syria is systemic failure — it’s brutal, it’s now an insurgency — but in the end it’s just systemic failure,” said Andrew J. Tabler, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and an expert on Syria. “If the Christian population and those that support it want a long-term future in the region, they’re going to have to accept that hitching their wagon to this brutal killing machine doesn’t have a long-term future.”

Single moms can "do it", but can do without all the bloviating. I'm a little disappointed in Mr. Vegan-before-Six; none of these cold soups actually need butter. Make them with olive oil instead.