Windows to Russia

Germany issued permission on Monday for the construction of Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipeline in Germany’s exclusive economic zone.

That is an important statement and it looks like Nord Stream is solidly on it way to fullfillment in 2011.

For those of you who do not know about Nord Stream:

Nord Stream is a gas pipeline to link Russia and the European Union via the Baltic Sea. It will carry natural gas to supply both businesses and households. The new pipeline will be an important factor of energy security in Europe.

Nord Stream will transport up to 55 billion cubic metres of gas each year. This is enough to supply more than 26 million households.

Nord Stream is more than just a pipeline. It is a new channel for Russian natural gas exports, and a major infrastructure project which sets a new benchmark in EU-Russia cooperation. (Link to the Home site of Nord Stream!)

To a good video about the pipeline.

Some facts: Nord Stream will be 1,220 kilometers (758 miles) long and will consist of two parallel lines. The first line, with a carrying capacity of around 27.5 billion cubic meters a year is due for completion in 2011. The second line is due to be completed in 2012, doubling annual capacity to around 55 billion cubic meters.

This has always been one of my favorite Christmas pictures. Snoopy seemed to always have so many more material items than Charlie Brown. It seemed that Snoopy was the epitome of Society. Charlie Brown and us viewers could only stare in amazement at the life style that little dog lived in such a tiny residence.

A few years of watching the Charlie Brown Christmas Special made me realize as I got older, that there was very good hidden messages in each Charlie Brown Show. We all could relate to one of the characters that made up the shows core environment….

We will up date as we get pictures of the tree put up on the Red Square near the Kremlin…

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

After having been here in Russia for over three years now (In fact – this is my 4th Christmas in Russia!) and getting acquainted with the Russian ways and culture, I have started to lose the excitement of the December 25th Christmas time frame. Now my thoughts are centered around the first week in the New Year! Russia has around a week off at the first of the year and this year my brain is geared to that holiday.

Our Cabin!

This year Svet and I are going to travel to our tiny little village and stay for a week. I can not think of any better way to start the New Year than in the little village cabin, heated by a wood fireplace.

Shadow of “brown plague” over Georgia – Analytics – GeorgiaTimes.info: “The ceremony of Glory Memorial explosion in Kutaisi coinciding with Mikheil Saakashvili’s birthday failed. The explosion broke out ahead of time, killing a woman and a child with the pieces of the monument. Looks like a symbol. The president called to initiate investigation and punish the culprits. But many people in the world look at the explosion as ‘blasphemy’ and ‘an act of state vandalism’. An anti-fascism wave is rising in Georgia.” (Read More)

Russia condemns arms supplies to Middle East groups:
Russia is opposed to a buildup of weapons in the Middle East, and especially supplies to militant armed groups, the president’s envoy to the region said on Tuesday.

Only effective religious leaders can help resolve Middle Eastern conflict:
Hieromonk Filipp Ryabykh, Deputy Chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, told RIA Novosti that only an interfaith dialogue among the Middle East’s effective – and not nominal – religious leaders can help resolve the conflict, which has long ago transformed from a political to a religious one.

Winter cold snap kills 32 in Ukraine:
At least 32 people have died in Ukraine since bitter cold with heavy snowstorms hit the country last week, with the mercury falling to 12-15 degrees Celsius below zero (10-5F), local media said on Tuesday.

Russia to commission new stealth bomber in 2025-2030:
Russia’s new strategic bomber will use stealth technologies and is expected to enter service in 2025-2030, the commander of Russia’s strategic aviation said on Tuesday.

Russian expert calls for ‘stick’ approach toward Israel:
Differences between the Israeli and the Palestinians are too sharp to be settled by the two parties without “serious pressure” from the international community, a Russian political analyst said on Tuesday.

Russia keeps to its plan to hold Moscow Mideast conference:
Russia has not given up the idea of holding a Middle East peace conference in Moscow and hopes that favorable conditions will aid in its convocation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov said on Tuesday.

Former Russian PM Primakov blames U.S. for Middle East imbalance:
Former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov said on Monday that the United States is to blame for Iran becoming a Middle Eastern power after it launched its war against Iraq.

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

S&P Upgrades Outlook on Russia to Stable from Negative:

PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA DMITRY MEDVEDEV:

Colleagues,

First of all, I want to thank this summit’s host, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has received us all today for this informal meeting.

Experience shows that these kinds of informal meetings are extremely useful. They give us the chance to discuss all kinds of issues without being bound by protocol and formalities. This way, we can talk things over openly and sometimes obtain some very good results, make real breakthroughs, and come up with good ideas that we then carry out.

One example is the idea we came up with a year ago to establish an economic support fund, the EurAsEC Anti-Crisis Fund. I think, given the situation, we set it up quite rapidly. The whole ratification process is now complete and the fund has started work. This is the sort of direct result that these kinds of informal meetings produce. We should not forget that the idea of creating the EurAsEC itself arose at one of these informal meetings.

We do not have a set agenda today, although, three of our countries, Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, agreed during the meeting in Minsk to meet again at the end of the year in Kazakhstan to discuss our plans for building the common economic area between our countries. This follows on from the recent signing of a separate agreement on creating a common customs zone that will apply in our countries. We are therefore here today to discuss these and other matters of interest to our colleagues.

Indeed, all sorts of things are happening around the world today. I can share with you my impressions from the recent climate summit in Copenhagen. There are results, but they are modest. The working process turned out to be very difficult, unfortunately, but we did finally manage to put together a declaration reflecting the different countries’ views on what we should do to improve the planet’s environment, and what steps we can take to prevent adverse effects of climate change.

There are also other issues of concern that we always examine: the economic situation, the regional problems our countries face, above all challenges such as terrorism, drugs trafficking, and organised crime. We are working actively on countering these threats through the regional organisations in which we take part, on a bilateral basis and in other forms.

This meeting, like our last meeting in Kazakhstan, is part of what has become a good tradition. I am sure that we will be able to exchange views on all different issues today. I think, if our partners have no objection, we will discuss the Single Economic Space, and will look together for answers to the complex problems our countries have faced over this difficult year.

I therefore thank you once again, Mr Nazarbayev, for inviting us here and organising this informal meeting. As a rule, we come away with good results.

Sometimes the world is cruel and inhumane! I have followed this story from the beginning and have been silent about it because I have been thinking! Thinking how cruel the world can be to children and or people – at times. Be it the past or present…

This x-ray of a young boy (2 1/2 years old) in Brazil shows (31) sewing needles that have been stuck in his body. Not just stuck in a little ways but inserted into his lungs, heart, liver, neck all over his body! This was done by his stepfather and a new girlfriend. His stepfather is 30-year-old Roberto Carlos Magalhaes and has been arrested and confessed to putting the needles in the boy’s body at the behest of his lover who said the act would help the two to stay together and enact revenge on his past wife. He also said that over a one month period the needles were put into the child body.

Maybe this is a case of do unto others as they have done to others. How would that stepfather like having needles stuck in his body over a month? (Sorry but things like this just upset me!)

I hope the boy recovers…

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

PS: I realize that many things like this happen all the time, but I can not write about them all. There is not enough bandwidth in the world. Sad is it not?