Year: 2009

From Russia: New World Reserve Currency? (Lets Talk About It!)

Hello,

While drinking my delicious cup of morning coffee here in Russia I came across this tidbit of information.

China is ready to discuss Russia’s proposal of a new global reserve currency as an Windows to Russia!alternative to the U.S. dollar at the G20 summit in London, a vice governor of the country’s Central Bank said on Monday.

Russia earlier submitted a proposal to the G20 summit which could see the IMF examining possibilities for creating a supra-national reserve currency, and also forcing national banks and international financial institutions to diversify their foreign currency reserves.

“We believe it is necessary to consider the IMF’s role in this process and also define the possibility and the need to adopt measures allowing for Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to become an internationally recognized super-reserve currency,” Russia’s proposal read. (Link)

Seems that Medvedev has been a busy little boy running all over the world instilling little thoughts of new currency to run the world on. I have said before that you have to watch Medvedev and not Putin. Putin puts on the show but Medvedev is working behind the scene as a real President making decisions to change the countries status in the worlds eyes.

I told my wife the other day and it made her laugh because she never looked at Putin this way. I told her that Putin is just a good – ol – boy type guy. He is down to earth and tells it like it is. (good or bad)

Medvedev is different, he is a lawyer type guy. HE has plan A,B,C,D and E already in the works. When he says something he means it and it has been thought out for weeks before he says it. Medvedev is caculating and brutal when it comes to his demands. But Medvedev is honest.

The two of these men in control of Russia are two peas in a pod. Together they are going to take Russia a long ways to world power staus. The weakness in one is the strength in the other.

The East is preparing for the collapse of the West…

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia Today: Are Radical Ideas What Is Needed?

Hello,
Windows to Russia!
I was drinking my morning cup of coffee and watching some really good videos. Russia Today Once again does a good interview in New York City. They have a series that is called The Resident and the American journalist Lori Harfenist, walks around New York City and asks people questions.

The videos are very good and you get a lot of true feelings come out on the camera by American people.

In Russia this is becoming a very popular series of reports that air on a continual basis. It gives a unrehearsed view of America at street level.

I hope that Russia Today will continue this series as long as possible. I enjoy seeing the people answer the question and their facial expressions.

I am also starting to wonder when the series will be banned by America? The Russia Today show is having problems getting airtime in America now and have been cut by several big sources already. Russia Today has given people in Russia a new way to look at America. Before all Russians knew was that the show “Friends” was America…

Windows to Russia!
Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: The Big Mac Index Test – Ruble Verses Dollar!


Hello,Windows to Russia!

This is a short video that explains why the Ruble in Russia is undervalued against the American Dollar.

We can attest to the price of a Big mac in Russia is what they say it is. In fact the price for McDonald’s here in Russia is just dirt cheap compared to America.

It is funny how when you put something in terms of a familiar item that it makes more sense. This is called the Big Mac Index Test!

They say it is accurate…

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

A Recipe From Russia: Simple Kompot (traditional berry drink)

Hello,

In Russia going out to eat at a cafe will bring you to the realization that beverage choices are minimal at best. Beer, Kvas, bottled water, hot tea and Kompot!

If you visit a friend and you do not drink vodka or beer then the Kompot will come out of the refrigerator.

Kompot is a very popular drink and is made by all good cooks in the kitchen. So lets make some Kompot like they do in Russia.

Ingredients

* .5 kilo (half kilo) assorted berries (strawberries, red bilberries, blueberries, raspberries, black currant, or a frozen mix is a good choice too. Also just a single type of berry can be used.)
* 2.5 liters of water
* 4 – 6 tablespoonfuls of sugar – per taste

Cooking

Boil the water, then add the sugar and berries. When it boils again, lower the heat and cook for 15-20 minutes. To make it taste even richer, you can add a few leaves of fresh peppermint or Spearmint three minutes before the drink is cooked. You can also add a pinch of Cinnamon. The drink can be served either warm or cold.

Yummy!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russian News From Russia: March 20th, 2009!

RBC News Source: March 17th, 2009!

Russia to slash spending on gov’t staff: The administration of Russia will be cut by RUB 38.7bn (approx. USD 1.14bn), or 22 percent, Russian Windows to Russia!Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin told a briefing following a cabinet meeting on Thursday where amendments to the federal budget for 2009 were under discussion. The figure includes all expenses connected with public management, Kudrin explained. He stressed that the cuts would not affect the court system, however, which would be funded in full.

Budget revenue to shrink in Russia: According to revised data, Russia’s budget revenue will drop 27.6 percent in 2009 compared to 2008, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin told a press conference following a cabinet meeting on Thursday. In 2008, Russia’s budget revenue stood at some RUB 9.258 trillion (approx. USD 273.7bn), while budget surplus amounted to roughly RUB 1.697 trillion (approx. USD 50.2bn). The amendments to the federal budget for 2009 have yet to be refined, Kudrin said, adding that they were purely technical amendments with no particular significance. He also explained that subsidies earmarked for various Russian regions might be reallocated in a number of areas, and the government would determine the possible ways to use its budget reserves.

Russian retail sales slide in February: Retail sales decreased 2.4 percent to RUB 1.05 trillion (approx. USD 30.51bn) in February 2009 compared to the same month a year earlier, the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) reported. In the first two months of 2009, however, retail sales inched up 0.3 percent to just shy of RUB 2.129 trillion (approx. USD 61.85bn) against January-February 2008. Enterprises and individual entrepreneurs operating out of fixed premises accounted for 86.4 percent of total retail sales, while retail markets and fares represented 13.6 percent. Food products, including beverages and tobacco, made up 48.5 percent of total retail sales, while non-food items accounted for 51.5 percent (against 46.7 and 53.3 percent, respectively, in February 2008).

Russia’s unemployment rate creeping up menacingly: Russia’s total number of unemployed jumped 20.6 percent in February 2009 year-on-year, to over 6.4 million people (8.5 percent of the economically active population), the Federal State Statistics Service said today. This also shows a 4.9-percent increase from January 2009.

Putin slams money printing as inefficient : Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin finds printing more money an inexpedient and even dangerous way to cover the budget deficit amid the economic turmoil. Budget deficits are in store for Russia not only this year, but for a few more years afterwards, he stressed at today’s government meeting. This, in the PM’s opinion, confers even greater responsibility on the government and calls for a conservative budget strategy, as well as maintaining confidence in the national financial system. The budget deficit, therefore, must be tackled in a civilized manner, with the help of globally accepted means – that is, from reserves stashed away during the previous year or, if necessary, through loans obtained on market terms.

From Russia: The New Obama War – Afghanistan!


Hello,Windows to Russia!

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee here in Moscow, Russia and thinking about Obama and why he has sent 17,000 more troops into Afghanistan. I had been talking to Svet about the fact that by doing this Obama has made the Afghanistan war his war. It no longer will be the Bush failed war but the Obama failed war.

This video is an interview by Russia Today with Andrew J. Bacevich. Very intelligent man and highly educated. (Link) His views are very similar to mine and having been been in the military, I understand where he is coming from. Though his view point was from a much more lofty Colonel rank against my First Sergeant!

Andrew J. Bacevich, Sr. is a professor of international relations at Boston University and is the author of several books. Which include The American Empire: The Realities and Consequences of US Diplomacy, The New American Militarism: How Americans are Seduced by War and The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism. He has been a vocal critic of the US occupation of Iraq, calling the war a impending doom of failure. He has described George W. Bush’s endorsement of such doomed wars as “immoral, illicit, and imprudent.”

Bacevich graduated from West Point in 1969 and served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, serving in Vietnam from the summer of 1970 to the summer of 1971. He retired from the service with the rank of Colonel in the early 1990s. He holds a Ph.D. in American Diplomatic History from Princeton University, and taught at West Point and Johns Hopkins University prior to joining the faculty at Boston University in 1998.

He has irrefutable credentials and makes no qualms about his feelings when associated with the Iraq or Afghanistan War. He also lost a son in combat in Iraq.

I watched this video from Russia Today three times and have to say that he makes allot of sense in what he says. America (Obama) had a chance to leave the blame on Bush’s head. So it looks like we spend the rest of our lives in Iraq and now Afghanistan will become even more of a huge endless money hole…

Windows to Russia!
Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

PS: Tidbit of information from Windows to Russia:

The largest groups of armed forces by the USA are the 142,000 military personnel in Iraq, the 56,200 in Germany, the 33,122 in Japan, 26,339 in South Korea, 31,100 in Afghanistan and approximately 9,700 each in Italy and the United Kingdom.

Altogether, 84,488 military personnel are located in Europe, 70,719 in East Asia and the Pacific, 7,850 in North Africa, the Near East and South Asia, 2,727 are in Sub-Saharan Africa with 2,043 in the Western Hemisphere.

No wonder no one in the world likes us…

What Is Russia Up To? March 17th, 2009!

Russia is up to not believing the USA rhetoric:Windows to Russia!

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday during a Defense Ministry meeting claimed that NATO is continuing its attempts to broaden its military infrastructure towards Russia’s borders. Russia does not like the candy coated actions that have no meaning. NATO will not learn…

Russia is telling Europe that we have our own gas project to supply you with gas:

Gazprom has received an invitation to join the Nabucco pipeline project to pump gas from Central Asia to Europe, but will not take up the offer, a deputy head of Russia’s energy giant said. “Yes we said – NO!”

That killed the Nabucco pipeline:

The Nabucco gas pipeline project to pump natural gas from Central Asia to Europe bypassing Russia has been removed from a European Union list of priority projects, a source in the EU Council of Ministers said on Tuesday. (Oy)

Russia has been sending huge amounts of aid to Afghanistan and now to Tajikistan:

Russia will send three airplanes with humanitarian aid , including food, blankets, tents, and electric generators, a spokeswoman for the Federal Agency for State Reserves said on Tuesday.Seems server weather has destroyed much of the country energy network.

Bad news from Vietnam:

A Russian emergencies ministry plane has arrived in Moscow carrying 14 Russian tourists who were injured in a Vietnamese bus crash that left nine Russians dead, a senior health official said on Tuesday. Very similar to the crash last year in Israel. (A tour bus)

That was not good, Russians are going to have to watch out for these cheap tour bus excursions.

Last but not least the changing of the attitudes that I see in Russia and the world. At one time the world had this starry eyed out look about America, a Hollywood rose colored glasses vision! That has changed and now the world has more realism in their outlook.

Just another day in Russia…

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russian News From Russia: March 17th, 2009!

RBC News Source: March 17th, 2009!

Wage arrears rising in Russia: Wage arrears for a range of monitored economic activities reached RUB 8.087bn (approx. USD 232.12m) as of March 1, 2009, up 16.1 percent from February 1, 2009, the Federal State Statistics Service said. Wage arrears accounted for 2 percent of the total monthly payroll. In the area of education, health care and social services, overdue salaries were at just 0.2 percent. In agriculture, the debt stood at 5 percent.

Russia to continue support for Abkhazia, S. Ossetia: Russia is set to continue financial support for Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2010-2011 in the framework of a three-year budget, Deputy Finance Minister Anton Siluanov stated today. He did not specify the exact amount of funds to be allotted in 2010-2011, however, noting simply that it would by no means be smaller than in 2009. This year, RUB 2.36bn and RUB 2.8bn (approx. USD 67.74m and USD 80.37m) will be allotted to the budgets of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, respectively. Furthermore, Siluanov noted, Russia is pondering loans to the two republics to finance profit making projects.

Russia estimates Pension Fund’s surplus in 2009: Russia’s Pension Fund surplus is estimated at RUB 241.5bn (approx. USD 6.93bn) in 2009, according to the documents prepared for the fund’s upcoming board meeting. Meanwhile, the share of budget funds allocated to the fund is expected to go up from 52 percent to 63 percent. The documents also state that the fund’s budget will be revised, and its total revenue is projected at RUB 3.282 trillion (approx. USD 94.2bn), and expenditures at RUB 3.040 trillion (approx. USD 87.3bn). The share of the fund’s revenue and expenditures is expected to amount to 81 percent and 7.5 percent of GDP, respectively.

Russia, Afghanistan join forces to fight drug trafficking: Russia and Afghanistan have signed an agreement on fighting drug trafficking and the illicit trade of psychotropic substances and their precursors. The accord was signed by Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta during the Russian minister’s visit to Kabul. Both sides stressed the particular importance of the document as a major incentive for joint efforts in the area. They also underscored the significance of regional cooperation in counteracting terrorism and drug trafficking, especially between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and hailed the upcoming ad hoc conference to be held in Afghanistan under the aegis of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Russia calls for changes in international budgetary policies: Russia has called upon the leaders of G20 to develop and adopt internationally agreed standards in the field of macroeconomic and budgetary policies which would be mandatory for leading global economies, including countries issuing reserve currencies. These suggestions are listed in the proposals circulated by the Russian president’s press office for the upcoming G20 summit in London, scheduled for April 2009.

Russia urges reserve currency diversification: Russia insists on settling accounts and setting prices on the international market in the currencies of countries that meet certain global requirements for their economic development and financial systems. The idea has been expressed in Russia’s suggestions for the G20 summit in London that will take place in April 2009.

Danilov Bells Ring Loud and Clear In Moscow, Russia!

Hello,Windows to Russia!

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee and checking up on the Danilov Bells: The Danilov Bells are famous because they escaped the Communist era destruction. They were sold to the U.S. in the late 1920s and returned to Russia after 78 years of exile. Harvard kept them safe until last year, when they were returned to their original home. They have now rung today at their original residence in Moscow for the first time in 78 years.

These links are direct to my last articles on the bells and gives history on these famous bells from the Soviet era.

http://kylekeeton.com/2008/06/russia-soviet-union-history-charles.html

http://kylekeeton.com/2008/09/russia-danilov-bells-are-almost-home.html

I wish that I had not missed the ceremony today. I guess I am going to have to do a better job of keeping up on things. 🙂

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Windows to Russia: New Comment System! (IntenseDebate)

Hello,Windows to Russia!

Today on Windows to Russia, I got totally fed up with fighting the Blogger comment system. I have lost hundreds of comments and have no spam control other than going through comments myself. I want a system that I can allow comments to be posted as they are done by the commenter. I like the system to allow the people to see their comment right after they post it.

Blogger had no filters to automatically cut out cussing and spam. Blogger does not have a very friendly comment system and I decided to change all that. Blogger comments sometimes took two or three tries to get them to post… (some of the problem may be that I have somewhere around 5000+ comments)

I have tracked comments for months and found that the biggest country for rude comments is the USA and followed by Russia. I have a huge following in South America, India, Japan and Middle America. I do not get spammed or slammed with messages of love by them.

The Akismet Spam Filter is in effect now. (Link) They say 83% of all comments are spam and they are correct at least on this blog. There are days that I have spent hours removing spam and comments with cussing. Many times I have had 25 comments and only keep 3. The influx of comments has caused me to sometimes not answer for two or three days. So I have at least 83% more time to answer real comments. 🙂

I also have embedded the comment system called IntenseDebate. (Link) This comment system I hope will solve some problems. I picked this system after a lot of research and I hope that I have picked the external system that helps more than hinder the blog.

The new system allows people to post You Tube Videos in comments. It allows people to start a poll. It allows many functions that you could only dream about in blogger.

What is IntenseDebate:

IntenseDebate provides many new features meant to inspire discussion and easily follow the conversation.

In order to better organize the discussion, we’ve implemented comment threading which allows users to directly reply to one another.

Users also have an identity that spans across all blogs powered by IntenseDebate. Along with this is a reputation value, based on the quantity and quality of the comments users make, meant to give an overview of a user’s commenting history. Quality is determined by the users through comment voting, which also serves to move the best comments to the top.

With all of our comment systems being interconnected, we make it easy to track users and their activities across all blogs using our system by providing email and rss notifications.

In short, IntenseDebate has completely transformed the commenting experience.

So lets see what happens and as always Svet and I at “Windows to Russia” thank you very much for the patronage and support given.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

PS:
IMPORTANT NOTE:
I want to make sure everyone understands that just because I’m using IntenseDebate, doesn’t mean you need an account to comment. It’s totally optional. If you aren’t interested, that’s cool, you can comment just as you did before the exact same way.