Windows to Russia

LUKoil’s U.S. GAAP net profit down 50% to $3.36 bln in 1H09:
Russia’s largest independent oil company LUKoil announced on Friday a 50% year-on-year drop in its U.S. GAAP net profit in the first half of 2009 to $3.362 billion.

IMF to allocate 195 million euros to Latvia:
The International Monetary Fund has given Latvia another 195 million euros ($278 million) under a deal agreed last year to help the Baltic country cope with a severe recession.

Russia sends ceremonial guards to Libya parade:
Russia will send an honor guards company to Libya to take part in a military parade dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Libyan revolution on September 1.

Six injured by suicide bombers in Chechnya:
Three police officers and three civilians were injured early on Friday when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in Chechen town of Shali, a Chechen police spokesman said.

Infrastructure collapse: allegation or reality?:
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti economic commentator Vlad Grinkevich) – The accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Power Plant is one of the biggest man-made disasters in modern Russia. It has exceeded the Chernobyl catastrophe in the amount of the simultaneously released energy and the scale of destruction.

Soviet and Russian anthem author Mikhalkov dies at 96:
The legendary Soviet-era children’s writer and poet Sergei Mikhalkov, who penned the lyrics to the Soviet and modern Russian national anthems, died on Thursday at the age of 96.

Arctic Sea hijack suspects charged with piracy, abduction:
Eight men detained last week on suspicion of hijacking the Arctic Sea cargo ship have been arraigned on piracy and kidnapping charges.

Russia international reserves down $2.3 bln to $398.3 bln in week:
Russia’s international reserves, largely holding gold and foreign exchange, were down $2.3 billion to $398.3 billion in the week of August 14 – August 21.

Nicaragua plans meat exports to Russia from 2010:
Nicaragua plans to supply 12,000 metric tons of beef and pork products to Russia annually from 2010, the country’s agriculture and forestry minister, Ariel Bucardo, said on Thursday.

Customs officials seize 80 kg of heroin on train in south Russia:
Customs officials in southern Russia have seized a record stash of about 80 kg (176 lbs) of heroin, a spokesman for the local customs office said on Thursday.

Who needs the destabilization of South Ossetia?:
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti commentator Dmitry Babich) – Someone obviously tried to spoil a double holiday in the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali by staging an explosion on Wednesday.

Russia reports 211 swine flu cases:
The number of people diagnosed with the swine flu virus in Russia has risen to 211, Russia’s chief sanitary official said on Wednesday.

The legendary Soviet-era children writer and poet Sergei Mikhalkov, who penned the lyrics to the Soviet and modern Russian national anthems, died on Thursday at the age of 96.

“He died of old age – he simply fell asleep,” his grandson, Russian film producer Yegor Konchalovsky, said. Yegor Konchalovsky also said the funeral would most likely take place on this Saturday.

Korolyov, (A great writer and literary critic.) said: “This is a great loss to our culture, and to our literature – Mikhalkov was a symbol of a whole era.”

Apart from his two sons, Mikhalkov is survived by his wife, 10 grandchildren and several great grandchildren.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090827/155942753.html

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

The Dozor-600 is the first Russian unmanned long-range aerial vehicle capable not only of sending back images, but also of carrying weapons.

I am going to add a correction after Peter has given me more information. I did not research this with much detail and went by what Russia Today has been expressing on this subject. I now realize that Russian has an assortment of unmanned drones and I truly did not know that. In my eyes the fact that Russia has been talking and stewing over Israel unmanned drones was because they did not have any of their own to use. Or the ones they had were such poor quality that they were useless. It seemed to me that the war with Georgia a year ago was the first time I heard that Russian needed to buy unmanned drones from Israel…

After reading what Peter has given me for information he is totally correct and Russia has a large selection of unmanned drones in which they have used and build.

So thanks to Peter for correcting me on my information.

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Putin attributed the lack of progress to U.S. influence over the world.

Putin said at the new gas pipe line opening at South Ossetia “What is happening now … attests to one thing: Not many members of the international community use their sovereignty in the full sense of the word,”. He also said, “All of them, being under pressure from one superpower, the United States, are executing its political will without comprehending — and not wishing to comprehend — the gist of events.”

The fact is: Putin is right and he went on to say, “I am sure that the situation will gradually change because no one wants to be a vassal,” Putin also elaborated and said. “Cold War-era thinking in terms of blocs will gradually dissolve in the reality of modern times.”

The one thing that I like about Putin is that he says what he thinks and what he thinks is very correct. Putin is what I call a straight shooter…

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Hey Everyone,

Today Svetlana brought me some more pictures. So I have thought about doing a weekly or biweekly post called: Life in Moscow – Russia! Moscow is a never ending flow of people and personalities. (Just like any major city.) Svetlana has a good eye for taking pictures and I am proud of her. So I think that a post every week that she gives me pictures is appropriate…

Lets begin:

We make movies…

We hand out coupons, ads and business cards…

We also hope that someone drops money in our box with an Orthodox icon on it…

We have the military move us when we have a high enough rank…

I have seen this in Russia before. There is as always 300,000,000 ways to make these rolls. This is a simple way and easy to make in most kitchens even when you have a small kitchen. It is a great food to experiment with and try different fillings. The one nice thing is that the rolls are fantastic just plain. So lets make some simple cheese rolls…

Ingredients:
* 1 lb cottage cheese
* 1 egg
* 1 cap full or teaspoonful of vanilla extract
* half cup granulated sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 2 and a half cups of sifted flour

Mixing and Cooking:
Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl into a big ball of dough. (It should be slightly sticky (wet) to the touch.)

With floured hands make four separate smaller round balls of the dough.

Roll with rolling pin each ball on a well floured surface (board) into a circle shape at least a quarter of an inch thick.

Cut the circle into 8 or 12 pie like slices, then roll them up from the point to the widest side.

Bake on a greased sheet pan for 20 minutes at 325 F. Until golden brown! (Hint: they will grow in size as baked, so leave space between them.)

Pull out of oven and brush with butter and let stand a few minutes.

Time to chow down. Yummy!

Notes: You may roll jams, raisins, nuts and or just about anything up inside the dough. A fantastic inside: is sugar cinnamon and a little bit of butter rolled up inside the cheese roll.

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Russian economist says too soon to bury dollar:
There is little hope that any currency will replace the dollar as a reserve currency any time soon.

S.Korea’s first self-launched satellite fails to reach set orbit:
The first satellite launched by South Korea failed to reach its designated orbit pattern on Tuesday.

Rescuers recover two more bodies at Siberian power plant site:
Rescuers recovered on Tuesday another two bodies bringing the death toll to 71 people following a blast at Russia’s largest power station last week.

Russia, Mongolia set up uranium venture:
Russia and Mongolia signed a deal on Tuesday during President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to the country to set up a joint venture to mine and process uranium.

Drug police in Tatarstan seize 13 kg of heroin:
Drug police in the Russian Volga republic of Tatarstan have seized 13 kg of heroin from a group of Afghan drug dealers, the Russian drug control service said.

Day of mourning in Siberian region in honor of dead firefighters:
Siberia’s Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area on Tuesday will lower its flag to half mast in memory of those who died in a fire at a north Siberian oil depository, an administration spokesman told RIA Novosti.

Putin pays brief visit to Chechnya:
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin paid a brief unannounced visit to the volatile North Caucasus republic of Chechnya.

TV channel investigates begging as “business” in Moscow subway:
Begging in Moscow’s subway appears to be a well-run business with a hierarchy and average monthly incomes of around $1,300, similar to a Metro driver’s salary, according to a Russian TV report.

Indian army receives first T-90 tanks made under Russian license:
India’s defense industry handed over to the army on Monday the first ten T-90 Bhishma main battle tanks assembled under a Russian license at a domestic plant.

Medvedev hits out at media ‘technological collapse’ reports:
Russia’s president criticized on Monday media reports that claimed a recent fatal accident at a south Siberia hydro-power plant indicated that Russia was on the verge of a technological collapse.

New Su-35 fighter can attack eight targets simultaneously:
The new Sukhoi Su-35 was among the aircraft to make its debut at the MAKS-2009 international air show. The fighter utilizes the newest “electrically operated aircraft” technology.

It is an amazing world that we live in. We are so nice to South Korea when they fail (abort is the new word) at a satellite launch. We even make up excuses and say jolly good try and their space program suffered and we pronounce for good measure that Russian experts are there helping to find the problem (Funny how Russians are good only when it suits the West)…

Now when North Korea wanted to launch a satellite the Western press stirred up the whole world about how it could be a missile test and be the next step to Armageddon…

SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) — South Korea’s space program suffered a blow Tuesday after a satellite launched from its first space rocket failed to reach proper orbit, a science official said.

WASHINGTON (ABC) — US Warns North Korea Not to Launch Satellite, But Not Sure How to Deter Them. – Some reports have suggested that North Korea’s announced satellite launch could be a cover for a test of a new long-range missile capable of hitting the western United States.

Where is the groups making fun of South Korea and their failure? Did you notice that South Korea has a space rocket not a missile? Did you notice that Japan and America did not worry that South Korea’s space rocket could hit them? Did you notice there are no cartoons making fun of South Korea? Did anyone notice?

I guess if I was to use the same standards then South Korea is testing a missile for the purpose of carrying a nuclear weapon, but that would not be as exciting as the evil NK and the inevitable destruction of the earth…

These are the things that should make you go Hummmmm!

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Looks pretty obvious at this point. If it is not clear to you and the rest of the world, then think about it for a minute…

General Motors’ failure last week to decide on the sale of its unit Opel has met with strong criticism from Berlin. German media commentators say the Opel saga poses risks for Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of the Sept. 27 election and could hurt relations between the US and Germany. They also warn that Opel could fall victim to political election tactics.

Germany is backing the deal as GM is starting to look like a company that has been given so much government money that they are backing out of the deal. A deal that not long ago they had to do or die and now after being blessed with lots and lots of government help and government backing, have turned their nose up at the best deal for the Opel company. GM says it wants the rights to get Opel back, (after someone else turns it around and makes a solid company out of it.) GM does not deserve that right…

The old General Motors will dissolve in bankruptcy court while a brand new company, owned largely by the United States and Canadian governments, will emerge under the same GM name.

The Magna – Sberbank deal is the best for Germany and Germany is what counts. Not the fact that a American company is being controlled now by governmental influence. Russia has an opportunity to come out a head in this deal along with Canada. Germany likes the presence of Canada and Russia as the most viable partners that will make Opel a great car company again after being driven toward its grave by GM.

This act of GM’s with the US government backing gives strength to the statement that GM was and is a failed company. (Once again our tax money put to a good use?)

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Update:

General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson is considering alternatives to a sale of German automaker Opel, several newspapers reported on Tuesday, in what would be a dramatic turnaround in the Opel saga. The government in Berlin and Opel’s workforce are angry about the decision and may protest. (Oops bad move on Americas part!)

Moscow says regional security drills to go ahead as planned:
A joint exercise by member states of a post-Soviet regional security grouping will go ahead as planned, the head of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) said on Friday.

Russian Air Force signs $190 mln contract to buy new missiles:
The Russian Air Force and the Tactical Missile Weapons corporation signed on Friday a 6 billion ruble ($190 mln) contract for modern air-launched missiles, the force’s commander said.

Woman injured in Moscow air show crash dies in hospital:
A woman who was severely burned when two fighters crashed during a rehearsal for the MAKS-2009 air show just outside Moscow has died in hospital, a doctor said on Friday.

Putin visits site of Siberian dam accident, assesses damage:
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited on Friday the site of a deadly accident at Russia’s largest hydropower plant.

Death toll in Siberian dam disaster rises to 26:
The official death toll from an accident five days ago at Russia’s largest hydropower plant reached 26 on Friday, with another 49 people still missing, rescuers said on Friday.

Russian warships escort another convoy in the Gulf of Aden:
A Russian Pacific Fleet task force is escorting its third convoy of commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden since its arrival in the area in late July, a fleet spokesman said on Friday.

Non-Aggression Pact between Germany and the USSR (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact):
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed in Moscow on August 23, 1939. It has been called a major factor in the outbreak of World War II, and determined the fate of the Latvians, Estonians, Lithuanians, Western Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Moldavians.

New AN-148 plane: the unsung hero of MAKS 2009:
Without fanfare, and minus the pomp surrounding the fighter display teams and the high-profile appearance of the Sukhoi superjet, a brand new Russian passenger plane made a modest public debut at the MAKS 2009 air show.

Medvedev’s and Putin’s approval rate rises:
Russians are approving of President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s policies more and more, according to recently released poll results.