Windows to Russia

Hello,

The Caucasus Mountains was a high point of our last trip in April. I do not have very many pictures because of the hard drive incident so looks things look like we will not have very many pictures of the trip.

In the Caucasus Mountains Svet and I got to ride a ski lift to the top of the mountains near Sochi. We have one or two pictures of being at the top of the world. The one that you see at the beginning of this article is Svet playing in the snow! Svet & I had a very exciting ride to the top. We ate at a small cafe about half way up, the food was great and the hot tea was delicious. As the picture shows you we were a long way up…..
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We were in the North Caucucasus:
The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasus, is a region in north-central Eurasia and contains the larger majority of the Greater Caucasus Mountain range, also once known as the Major Caucasus mountains. Southwestern Russia, northern Georgia and northern Azerbaijan are included as North Caucasus.

The South Caucasus, or Transcaucasus, is a region in south-central Eurasia bordered on the north by Russia, on the west by the Black Sea, on the east by the Caspian Sea, on the southwest by Turkey, and on the south by Iran. The south Caucasus includes the Caucasus Mountains and surrounding lowlands. All of Armenia, Azerbaijan (excluding the northern part of Azerbaijan, which are within North Caucasus) and Georgia (excluding northern part of Georgia which are within North Caucasus) are in South Caucasus.
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I also found this tidbit of information about the mountains: “In Greek mythology, the Caucasus or Kaukasos was one of the pillars supporting the world. Prometheus was chained there by Zeus after Prometheus had presented man with the gift of fire.

The Roman poet Ovid placed Caucasus in Scythia and depicted it as a cold and stony mountain which was the abode of personified hunger. The Greek hero Jason sailed to the west coast of the Caucasus in pursuit of the Golden Fleece, and there met the famed Medea.”
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Yes, we enjoyed the ski ride and got to see some of the
pillars holding up the world. 🙂

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

President Medvedev, will hold talks with Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, as well as with German President Horst Koehler and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The visit to Germany follows his trip to Kazakhstan and China last month. Some analysts said the fact that he went east rather than west for his first trip abroad after being sworn in showed where Russia’s foreign policy priorities lay.

Do you blame Medvedev for going East first!

I don’t…..

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

I see that we have an upcoming meeting between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Georgian counterpart Mikheil Sakaashvili, due to take place during the St. Petersburg Economic Forum on 6-8 June.

Do you think that this could lead to a resumption of negotiations between Moscow and Tbilisi?

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee, when I came across information that Russia is working on relations with Venezuela & Colombia. Russia wants to sell military weapons to both? Now that is a tricky thing to do since they are not really best of friends. 🙂

The thoughts came to me that this would be a good way to get close to the USA with military weapons and such. Just think: Maybe they would like to have missile bases on their soil. Just like the USA wants to do in Poland & Czech! Seems like a fair trade….

Now the catch to some of this is that the USA is trying to declare Venezuela a state sponsor of international terrorism and impose sanctions on Caracas. Looks like if the USA doesn’t like you, we just declare you a terrorist.

Speaking of terrorists issues, I have been reading about how countries that use to travel freely to the USA now must call three days in advance to tell America that you are going to be crossing the border.

US security: Visitors must give 72 hours’ notice!

Travelers from 27 countries, including Britain, will be required to register online with US authorities at least three days before leaving to visit America, it will be announced today.

This latest measure aimed at bolstering American security is expected to take effect from January 2009.

Last year, European companies expressed concern when the US homeland security department floated proposals to make passengers register with US authorities 48 hours before travel. Critics feared this could complicate last-minute business arrangements.

The introduction of the new 72-hour notice period will be announced by the homeland security secretary, Michael Chertoff, later today, according to a US government official.

The rules will apply to citizens from the 27 nations of the visa waiver scheme. This includes most of western Europe as well as Australia, Brunei, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore.

Although the measure will require registration 72 hours before traveling, successful applications will be valid for multiple entries over two years.

Passengers will be able to register in advance from August this year through travel agents, airline websites or a special US government website.
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Strange how all of a sudden Australia, Brunei, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, and all of Europe is seeing their rights being eroded by the USA, (The land of the free is becoming less free one day at a time).

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

I read about this several months ago & now I see that they are going to get the bells swapped……
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The bells, venerated by many Russians, will be feted upon their return to Moscow in September.

In danger of destruction by Stalinists, the Danilov Bells were purchased in 1929 and removed from the Soviet Union by American diplomat, philanthropist, and businessman Charles R. Crane, who donated them to Harvard in 1930. The tower of Lowell House, then under construction as a clock tower, was redesigned to receive the bells. All but one of the 18 originals have resided in Lowell House ever since; the last, placed in the tower of Baker Library at the Harvard Business School, returned to Russia last year.

Totaling some 25 tons, the Danilov Bells range in weight from 22 pounds to 26,700 pounds. The most massive, called the Mother Earth Bell, is nearly 9 feet in diameter and is rung from within by swinging an 800-pound clapper. Most of the bells were cast in the 19th century, but the oldest is believed to date to around 1690.

The larger bells are inscribed in Old Church Slavonic. The sides and shoulders of the bells bear icons of Christ, saints, and Mary, along with winged angels, medallions, and scrolls of floral decoration. The smaller bells are unadorned.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

RBC, 03.06.2008, Moscow 09:55:16.Gazprom has offered to Azerbaijan to buy the republic’s natural gas at market prices on the basis of a long-term agreement, the Russian gas giant’s press office reported, citing CEO Alexei Miller’s statement during a meeting with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev as part of his working visit to the republic. Miller noted that Russia and Azerbaijan had common interests and, being linked by a versatile pipeline infrastructure, were poised to develop mutually beneficial energy cooperation.

RBC, 03.06.2008, Riyadh 09:28:47.Russia expects to make maximum progress in its WTO talks with Saudi Arabia, a source at the Russian delegation participating in the accession talks in Riyadh told reporters. The source said the delegation was set to resolve any outstanding issues and that a possibility was not ruled out that an agreement would be reached in Riyadh. Working meetings began on Monday. Russian Deputy PM and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin will be joining the delegation today.

RBC, 02.06.2008, Kiev 19:34:09.Ukraine’s gas transit to Europe reached a historic high of 55.7bn cubic meters, up 26 percent, or 11.5bn cubic meters in the first five months of 2008 compared with the same period in 2007, Ukrtransgaz, Naftogaz of Ukraine’s subsidiary and the operator of Ukraine’s gas transportation system, reported today. The rise is linked to Gazprom’s increased exports to Europe in order to accommodate the growing demand for natural gas in the European countries.

RBC, 02.06.2008, Moscow 18:26:23.The Russian economy will not be affected by a possible cut in investment that could result from restrictions on foreign investment in strategic industries, Russia’s Deputy PM and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin told journalists following today’s government board meeting. He said that he considered the list of industries where the restrictions will be applied to be too long, adding, however, that it was his personal opinion. The restrictions could be lifted in some of the industries in the future, Kudrin noted. At the same time, the document is very clear and brings unwritten procedures in line with legislation, Kudrin stated. He also voiced the opinion that the new restrictions would not prevent Russia from attracting enough foreign investors.

RBC, 02.06.2008, Moscow 13:32:53.Over three hours into today’s special dollar trading session for tomorrow deals, the low on deals stood at 23.6955 RUB/USD, almost RUB 0.06, or 0.25 percent, below the official rate set by the Bank of Russia for tomorrow. As a result of the dollar’s decrease, the spread on deals has broadened to just shy of RUB 0.07. The ruble’s unremitting rise against the dollar on the domestic market can be traced to the euro’s continued appreciation against the dollar on international exchanges, where the euro is now trading at nearly USD 1.5555, up from some USD 1.5520 at midday.

RBC, 02.06.2008, Moscow 12:55:57.Russia and Greece plan to launch joint construction and renovation of industrial and energy facilities in third-party countries, Agriculture Minister and co-chairman of the Russian-Greek intergovernmental commission Alexei Gordeyev said today. He noted that the two countries had established political and economic cooperation, and had no serious disagreements in this respect. He added that Russia would seek to export more high-tech products, machinery, and hardware to Greece. The two countries intend to boost direct mutual investments, as well as to promote industrial, scientific, and technological cooperation. Gordeyev added that Greek investors could be attracted to the construction of Olympic facilities in Sochi.

RBC, 02.06.2008, Moscow 10:58:24.Onexim Group, owned by Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov, has made an offer to Polyus Gold to buy out a 6.54-percent stake held by Jenington International Inc., the Russian group’s press office told RBC today. The offer will be valid until 6 p.m. Friday June 6.

Junior and Karlson (Part 1)

MOSCOW, June 1 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s oil export duty will rise to a record $398.1 per metric ton from June 1, 2008, in line with global market trends.

“The average [crude] price was $102.8 per barrel for the March-April monitoring period, which puts the maximum duty rate at $398.1 per metric ton. Therefore we will reach a record export duty on Russian oil that will be fixed at $398.1 per metric ton from June 1,” Alexander Sakovich, deputy head of the customs payment department at Russia’s Finance Ministry earlier said.

He said export duties on light oil products would rise to $280.5 per metric ton from June 1, 2008, from the current $241.4 per metric ton, and duty on heavy petroleum products would grow to $151.1 per metric ton from $130.1.

The Russian government adjusts export duty on crude and petroleum products every two months, depending on changes in the Urals blend price on world markets.

The average price of Russia’s benchmark Urals crude blend was $93.36 per barrel in the first quarter of 2008, up $39.12, year-on-year. The Urals average price in March 2008 was $99.78 per barrel, compared to $58.86 per barrel in the same month last year.

On March 24, Russia’s economics ministry raised its 2008 forecast for the annual average price of Urals by 16% to $86 per barrel.

Kyle & Svet