Day: November 5, 2010

Russia: Life Is More Important Than Vodka!


I was drinking my morning cup of coffee and thinking about life!

A few months ago in the little village that I talk about all the time in these pages!

Link 1; Link 2; Link 3; Link 4; Link 5; Link 6;

A very nice lady was murdered! Yes you heard correct, A village of just 10 to 12 people living there, had a murder.The murder was over: Vodka…

A man who lived temporarily at the village, to help work on the rebuilding of the church asked a local Babushka for money to get vodka with! She refused to give him the money and he proceeded to beat her to death. He got his money & got his vodka, he was found the next day by police, very drunk! (End Of Story!!)

Not the end of story for me. You see, the photo above was taken just a few days before she died. That is her house, this lady lived in this village all her life. She was part of the heart and soul of the village that I love very much. She had a beautiful home and she ran the local General Store (picture to right) for the village all the years it was open. Then a man who is there, only to be a worker for the Orthodox Church, kills Her!

Over Vodka???

I have thought about this everyday since it happened.

Do instances in life affect you this way?

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Windows to Russia!

That Cup Of Coffee and the START Treaty…


Medvedev and Obama at Prague with START Treaty...

As Windows to Russia passes the 2100 article (post) milestone. I am sitting here drinking that cup of coffee and doing some thinking. The thinking’s that come with realizations that push ancient thoughts out of my brain…

I was thinking about the START treaty and listening to Moscow express the dissatisfaction of the America political system and the inability to get a simple thing done. Now when I first came to Russia I would have taken offense to that kinda talk. But after years here, I realize that after watching the political systems in many other countries. Some of them good and some bad. I realize that the American political system has a huge anchor dragging it behind the rest of the modern world…

So when the START treaty was signed in Prague on April 8th 2010, the Russian and US Presidents agreed in front of the world, that all START adoption procedures would be synchronized. Now Russia within three months to the day (July 8th) was ready to ratify the document. But America has been giving out hollow promises as to the same effect. It is now November 5th and America has done, “well what America does best”.

Thrown a monkey wrench into the gears…

Now Russia has had to pull the ratification due to American games. The Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee has repealed an earlier decision to ratify the latest Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the US after the American Senate made around 30 amendments to the original version…

What! 30 amendments to the original version…

Oops – Russia just said stick it where the sun don’t shine…

Now that Obama has had “the rug pulled out from under him” so to speak. It is start-ing (no pun intended) to look like a “cold day in hell” before that START treaty gets done this year. It also looks as though the treaty will be held as hostage for concessions from Obama on agenda items that the new Congress wants. The prospect is now even being contemplated by Moscow that the treaty may be dead in the water due to a “lame duck” situation that is being expressed about the American Administrative system in place right now in America…

This is hard for the Russian government to understand the workings in Washington DC. I have spent years now watching the system work here and it is pretty straight forward. When the president says, get it done. They get it done.  Now Medvedev has had a good time of it because Putin runs the government as Prime Minister. That makes a good deal for Medvedev…

But still the political situation in America gives people laughs or tears in other countries because they all have stories they like to pass about the ridiculous system in America. This then, is just one more story to add to that list…

America loves to expound on other countries short comings politically, but they seem to never stop and think about how out of date and mired in the mud the political system is in America. If a country ever needed to overhaul her system, it is America and it needs to be done from top to bottom…

I remember the first time Sveta said to me, “How stupid is it that we and you have to elect a new president and officials every 4 or 5 years!” She then went on to say, “You just get your president and government trained the way you want  and they leave!”…

Today that information from her made more sense. You see, I have a smart girl and she sees things different than I do. She is from a different world than I am. She sees nothing wrong with a leader being in charge for many many many years…

I remember saying something like, “What if he is a terrible leader?”

Sveta then said something like, “Everyone then should get together and kick him out!”

That might be simplified in thinking’s but it really does make sense…

Windows to Russia!

From Russia: Ukraine Plays more Games With Europe’s Freezing Citizens!


Hello,

So I had just read some articles from the Western press (CNN) (Time) these articlesWindows to Russia! point blank played all the blame on Russia! Lets look at one and if you like more just Google, the Internet is full of Bad Russia good Ukraine articles:

CNN had a title that read:

Russia Backs Off Deal With Ukraine!
Just as millions of Europeans struggling through cold winter temperatures thought a resolution had been reached in the Russia – Ukraine natural gas standoff, Russia said it will not proceed on a the deal.
(They make this sound like Russia just changed her mind! How come the article title did not start with “Ukraine Plays more Games With Europe’s Freezing Citizens!”? )

I just shake my head in disbelief…

Kyle & Svet

comments alway welcome.

From Russia: Ukraine Has Changed!


Hello, (This article is an old article that will give you an idea about how things in Ukraine have changed. Things are much better in Ukraine… Kyle)
Windows to Russia!
While Svetlana and I checked out Kiev, Ukraine this last visa trip. Svet and I took a walk like we always do. We walk for about an hour and a half and always take the same route. That we we can see the changes that are happening.

About half way through the walk Svet turned to me and said the people are sad! They look like us Russians do, but they feel and act sad, unlike Russians.

What Svet means is: Ukraine people are a much more expressive people than Russians to strangers. They are more inclined to smile and to show facial expressions to strangers. This is something that Svet has noticed in our trips to Ukraine that the people act different than in Russia.

Ukraine until this trip, has always been happy even when they did not have any gas for heat this winter when I was there.

I saw it the first trip that we took. Ukrainians are what I call more of an extrovert society – Russia is more of an introvert society.

This time Svet and I both saw a huge change in the Ukrainians, They are sad and show it on their faces. Everywhere we went there was large crowds of men standing in groups. They seem to have nothing to do and act lost.

I use to be able to ride the metro in Kiev and not be the only person looking around to see what everyone is doing. Now this time the metro ride was very similar to Moscow Metro ride. Everyone was quiet.

We always eat at the greatest pizza place in the world near the hotel and you could see it on the people eating there. Sad faces that made me feel sad also. (I do not know the name of it just that it is the greatest pizza and cheapest that I ever had. Yummy!)

This was interesting to me because Kiev is or was the same as Moscow in levels of happiness. It was just that people in Kiev expressed it more readily than people in Moscow. Now that the smiles are gone in Kiev it seems and feels unhappy.

Moscow, Russia looks unhappy, but does not feel unhappy.

Kiev, Ukraine use to look and feel happy, but now it looks and feels sad…

Make any sense? 🙂

Windows to Russia!

Russia: New Metro (Subway) Rules!


Starting Oct. 11th, 2008:

Moscow has adopted new instructions for use of the metro in the city. The new rules regulate the usage of metro tickets and introduce some new obligations for passengers.

Now the passengers are obliged to show their tickets or metro cards on the request of the metro staff, who work at the self-acting check-points, the source said. It is demanded after introduction of tickets for persons entitled to benefits, because the metro authorities registered lots of cases when the benefit cards are used not only by the people, who have the right to the benefits, but also by their relatives and friends. Now it contradicts the Code on Administrative Violations. Earlier this restriction was not mentioned.

The new rules assign the free of charge pass to children less than seven years old, setting aside the previously obscure wording “preschool-age children.”

Passengers will not have to abide by the old rule of holding onto the handrail on the right side of the escalator, and walking on the left. Starting immediately, escalator workers will be managing the crowds in conditions of intensive passenger traffic. Their job will be to order commuters to access the left or right side of the escalators.

Perhaps the most stringent introduction is a ban on the private trade of metro cards. The city authorities were forced to initiate this rule because during rush hours and first days of the month, when the demand for metro cards is the greatest and the queues occasionally stretch out of the metro stations, people offer others to enter the metro using their cards for a charge, which can be lower than the official ticket cost.

This behavior falls within the purview of the Code on Administrative Violations.

Now only persons, authorized by metro authorities, have the right to sell metro cards and to let people to pass through the check points of the metro stations,” the source said.

Additionally, beggars, sellers, moneychangers, and others will be banned from the metro premises.

It is unlawful to prevent metro employees from carrying out their duties, to ignore their justifiable claims, to approach passengers [with the intent to sell them some product or service], not to follow the legitimate claims of police officers when the latter are on duty, according to the the new rules. (Link)

Windows to Russia!

Medvedev Sparked off Scathing Criticism in Japan…


Kuril Islands
Kuril Islands…

Dmitry Medvedev just  made a visit to the Kuril Islands. The islands are Russian territorial, so there should be no reason for Japan to be hopping up and down acting like the big bear stole your candy!

But since Japan still lays claims to the Southern Kuril Islands as part of its northern mainland territories. This makes for a sensitive issue in Japan. Meanwhile in not so past history, the islands became part of the USSR as a result of WWII, with Russia’s sovereignty over them entrenched in the UN Charter and many other international documents. Japan though seems to not agree with those documents…

So on this Monday when Medvedev went to Kunashir Island, a island that is part of the Kuril Islands. Medvedev set off the chickens squawking in the hen house…

So now the rumors are flying that Medvedev did it on purpose, that Medvedev wants war with Japan and that Medvedev is showing that he is a tough guy like Putin is…

I have got to say that I give Medvedev credit. Japan said, don’t you dare visit the Kuril Islands and Medvedev gave his answer in his actions…

They are my damn Islands and I will go there if I want to… 🙂

Just look at the news articles below that have to do with the happening. This is just a few articles by the way…

Hummm…

Windows to Russia!

Cherry Nalivka…


Want a vodka beverage that will tempt your soul? How about a ruby red vodka that is fit for that special guest? Try Cherry Nalivka…

To make real cherry nalivka it is necessary to follow the rules…

1. Only use high quality vodka…

2. Only use ripened, pure, whole and undamaged cherries…

3. Only fill the bottle 2/3 full of cherries, the cherries must be not be squished into the bottle. So use a bottle with a big enough opening and it has a good lid…

4. Pour over the vodka make sure that the cherries are covered well…

5. Then seal and leave to brew for 2 months…(do not chill)

6. The next important step (after two months) is to strain the nalivka, but not squeezing juice from berries… (yes you can eat the berries and they are great on icecream)

7.  Then sugar is added to the beverage, the amount of sugar is as a rule of thumb: 5% by volume for men to drink and 40% by volume for women to drink…

8.  Now the mixture should be brought to a boil in a sauce pan with the sugar and cooled down very quickly such as in the refrigerator…

9. Now comes the final bottling of nalivka. Pour into clean sanitized bottles that have good sealing corks and this time you may use regular vodka bottles. Seal them tight after filling and store in the cellar or similar place, to wait for that special guest to stop by and have a drink…

Red Vodka...

10. Three months later in the cellar, cherry nalivka is absolutely perfect. This dark ruby palatable vodka doesn’t have high percentage of alcohol and can be kept for many years in the cellar. The nalivka is ready to drink immediately but the longer you wait the better it gets. Nalivka ripens to perfection by the amount of sugar you use. The more sugar the longer it takes…

Notes: Nalivkas are also served as dessert, with tea, coffee and are added to sweets, jellies and drinks. Nalivkas are also made from any all all fruits. Some very popular combination’s are cranberries and gooseberries. Mixed fruit is very popular. One note about Russian cherries and American type cherries. Russian cherries are very sour and not like the sweet American cherries. So the amount of sugar should be adjusted… 🙂

Windows to Russia!