Year: 2010

This morning while Boza and I walked, we noticed a huge difference in the cold. It was very cold and all the trees had a very delicate icy crystal covering. (Not a solid sheet of ice.) I tried to get close enough to get a good picture but just walking near the limbs made the crystals vaporize from the heat that came from me and Boza. So nature had reached a delicate balance of temperature that was easy to upset

The Eastern press news in Russia is hopping today with the issue of America selling arms to Taiwan! It seems that America has a bunch of little deals going on with weapons in the world and one of these deals involves Taiwan. This has got China in a bad mood and it looks like China is getting ready to slap America back if America does not get her priorities straight. (Problem is that America thinks that she has her priorities in order…)

China urged the United States on Saturday to reverse its decision to sell arms to Taiwan, Xinhua reported.
The U.S. arms sales to Taiwan undermine China’s national security as well as the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei told the agency, stressing Beijing’s “resolute opposition” to the sales.
This was China’s sixth official warning over the issue in a week, as government officials denounced the U.S. move.
He Yafei said China had strongly protested the U.S. government’s recent decision to allow Raytheon Company and Lockheed Martin Corp. to sell weapons to Taiwan.
The sales plan was part of an arms package announced in October 2008 by the Bush administration, which included weapons and equipment such as Patriot III anti-missile systems.
He said the Taiwan issue was “the most important and sensitive issue at the core of Sino-U.S. relations.”
BEIJING, January 9 (RIA Novosti)

This is a soft article about the issue and if you have a desire look at any Chinese articles on this subject. They are getting real tired of American interference in this side of the world…

Here in Russia we have been taking a nice break from the normal routine. Russia has been in her New Years Holidays and tomorrow the 7th of January is Orthodox Christmas time here in Russia! So in Russia things have been looking wonderful and a beautiful holiday spirit is everywhere…

But as we look out of the “Window from Russia” we see an interesting world that seems to have gone a lot off the deep end. We have, total uncontrolled chaos about the Christmas Airline Bomber. – We have, a new war starting to take shape in Yemen. – We have, Belarus playing games with oil. – We have Ukraine starting her issues with gas. – We have a shortage of fuel in Europe, because of the tremendous cold wave. – We have, an increase in drone bombings in Pakistan, Afghanistan and now Yemen. – We have, full body scanners being installed in International Airports all over the world. – We have, Obama trying to lay a blame game on issues that seems to be dragging America into a deep cesspool. – We have,the UN handing out a report that the Afghanistan war is “teetering on the edge of a chasm”. – We have, … (About a hundred more things to say but it has depressed us enough!)

But hey, it is Christmas in Russia so Svet and I are enjoying life as best we can. I decided to ignore the world for a few days and may ignore a few more days after reading all the doomsday reports from the Western Press!

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

“Ukraine’s Naftogaz cannot pay for Russian gas” – president – RT Top Stories: “Ukraine’s president has said that the country’s gas giant Naftogaz has no money to pay for Russia’s natural gas delivered in December. The sum of the payment comes to $892 million.

Viktor Yushchenko has asked Vladimir Stelmakh, the head of the Ukraine’s national bank (Natsbank), to help solve the problem with paying for the Russian gas.

“Due to a critical situation with the Russian gas payments, I ask the Natsbank board to meet urgently and find the way to solve the problem through the mechanism of repurchase of Ukrainian government securities,” Yushchenko was quoted by Itar-Tass news agency as saying.”

Strangely, Ukraine Fails to Bribe US Government Officials: “While it is no secret that Ukraine is an overly corrupt nation that excels in bribery, the recent attempt to bribe, or some may say blackmail, US officials in order to secure further IMF funding is audacious to ridiculous extremes.” (Read More From Mizozo)