Year: 2012

Damn Where is the Ice or better yet “Ice Ice everywhere and not a cube to spare!”

Ice cubes in a glass of iced tea. Lighting con...
Ice cubes in a glass of iced tea. window, (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You would think a country that has Winter around 7 to 8 months a year would have ice cubes. That is what I am thinking about in conjuncture with a e-mail I received and they told me that they, “I Hate Russia because there is no ice in their drinks!” then they went on to say, “I even had to beg at McDonald’s to get ice and McDonald’s is an American company!” They did not even say anything good about Russia, just that they hated Russia (With explicit language included!) and that was their reason…

I guess each to our own and if you gotta hate! Hate for a good reason right? No Ice… 🙂

My conclusion is that any country that is frozen as long as Russia is frozen, does not have a desire for putting frozen cubes of water in their mouths. I know that I have lost the desire to cool myself with frozen water and I think that to a Russian, that would just be  stupid thing to do and climate has a whole bunch to do with it. Just like Russians are not happy with fans to cool themselves in the summer. Summer is just not that hot 99% of the time and they do not have the thoughts geared toward fans or ice…

Oh and this person had just been to Russia in the last month. If that is true then they did not need ice in the first place and if they wanted cold drinks, just place the bottle on the balcony for a few hours and the drink would be in the cold way very quickly. The other night it was -5 Celsius and it is freezing almost every night now and part of the days…

So while I feel for the poor American that did not have ice in Russia, I also think that hating Russia as vehemently as it was presented to me in the e-mail is just plain ignorant and to use it as a bases to hate something or someone is very sad…

So for you world travelers from the Western world: Russia has no ice for drinks and even McDonald’s will fill your cup ice-less unless you explain to them you want ice. To be honest, I want no ice and more soda…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia

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Russian Thoughts With a Cup of Coffee…

Been very busy and have a lot of irons in the fire. Those are my thoughts this morning while I work an article for Windows to Russia into the schedule…

So I am sipping that cup of coffee and this time the coffee is from Belarus. I found a very good cheap coffee. It is full flavored and does not have any bitter after taste. It is 100% Colombian coffee and is processed (roasted) and packaged in Belarus. Good coffee…

A few things that are happening in our part of the world:

We just had a Globus Super Store from Germany, opened recently within two blocks of our home and what a store it is. It has several restaurants and a fast food place associated with it and it is just like having a Walmart available any time of the day. Now I see why Walmart is struggling to get into the Russian market. Everyone else beat them here… 🙂

According to the information available, from the marketing news. The store was built in an area that accommodates 350,000 people within walking distance to the store. 500,000 with in a short 10 to 15 minute drive. I think that this is enough people to keep the store going and to be honest, I think they understated the amount of people in the area. I would say closer to a million people will have easy access to this store. It is located that good and Sveta and I can walk just two blocks and we are at this store…

I also found very very cheap Russian processed coffee in this store and will try it out soon…

It is amazing how different the temperature is from Tunisia to Moscow and Sveta and I are wishing to be running around Tunisia again. It is so cold here and has snowed several times since we have been back…

Speaking of being back, Sveta and I went and saw the Broadway type play called Little Mermaid at a theater downtown Moscow. It was very good and we got free tickets through Svetas work Union, as they have to do something for all the monthly union fees that they collect and never have to pay out to anyone. Yes I was shocked when I found out that unions are a huge part of the Russian work force. Sveta tried to explain that they are left over from the Soviet times. As you see I tried to get a picture of the closing curtain call…

We also went to see a Shaolin Monk Show and it was very very good. Could not get any pictures of that…

Oh a small side note: If you believe even one iota of anything about this Petraeus issue, which now has garnered another victim in John Allen, then you are full of hogwash. Any country that allows a standing president as Clinton was to escape the indiscretions that he performed and these indiscretions were actually proven beyond a Shadow of a doubt as being true, to continue as if nothing happened. Is a country that should care less what Petraeus has done. The only difference is that the powers to be want Petraeus silenced and discredited. The fact that I think Bill Clinton is Dingle Berries, also means that I think Petraeus is the same form of crap. But what is good for one, is good for the other and to have a dual set of standards is the main issue and is wrong…

Well with that said, lets move on to something else…

I do have to say that all the petitions to secede are really cool and I hope that things get going on this issue. I see around 25 states have put forth petitions. Louisiana has already gotten their signatures and the rest are catching up. I have always been a believer that the states need to be totally separate governments and the federal government is to be very very very tiny. Oops – did I say that? Guess I better be looking up in the sky for a drone to terminate me at any moment… 🙁

Yes these issues in America are a favorite with Russians right now. Nothing like the almighty America to show her weak side while she continues to badmouth and blow up the world. It just makes Russians smile when they see the truth being laid out for all to see. Russians are use to the truth about Russia being exposed, but Americans are not use to American undergarments being shown to the world…

A final thing that I am think about!

People with any brains need to really do some thinking’s about the future of America. (Or as one Canadian yelled at me. It is not America it is the USA or United States (US) I live in America and so do you, but you live in the US and I live in Canada…) Things are getting rough and as fast as the system is collapsing, it is definitely sinking faster than the Titanic sank and with all the free drinks and goodies being given out, you will not realize that your head is underwater until it is too late. Blub blub blub…

Oh and a little tidbit of information: Globus crushed the McDonald’s that tried to open nearby us. I never thought I would see that happen, but McDonald’s was not allowed to open, when Globus dictated the rules. Globus has a fast food area inside the store. Hmm…

Cool…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

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Russian Recipe: Kartoflyanki – Russian Style…

Kartoflyanki a little potato ball that is covered with fried onions, also many use a creamy sauce and smother them like with a gravy (Sorta like Swedish meatballs!). They are easy to make and everyone will love them, whether you eat them smothered or just pop one in your mouth and munch…

So how about a different way to serve those potatoes?

Ingredients:
800g/2lb potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
Salt and pepper to taste (Russians really do not use much pepper though!)
100g/4oz cornflour (cornstarch)
2 eggs
25g/1 oz butter
A little plan flour for counter surface non stickiness

Instructions:
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with salted water, bring to the boil then reduce the heat a little and cook for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender…

Preheat the oven to 180C – 350F and lightly butter a baking sheet…

Once the potatoes are cooked, drain well, return to the pan and mash…

Once potatoes are cooled down, add the cornflour or also called cornstarch, butter, egg, salt and pepper, mix well then turn onto a floured work surface and knead gently…

Shape the dough into small balls about the size of a walnut, place on the prepared greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes…

Traditionally served sprinkled with fried onions. I like to crispy fry the onions and they really make a great side dish for the Kartoflyanki! Of course Russians consider these a meal many times, as Russians at home do not hardly ever have over one or two items at a meal setting. Unless they have guests of course…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

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Russia is Buying The National Gold Production…

I found out some interesting information that I have been following for a while now. I have been looking at the gold production in Russia and then watching the gold being bought by the Central Bank of Russia. I started to see a hand in hand issue between production and buying. This also lead to grey area reports that gold production is off and exporting gold is going to curtailed. Kinda like the grain issues that have been going on lately in Russia…

Bottom Line: Russia which is a huge gold mining nation, is buying some, or basically all, of her domestic output for the federation reserves.  This internal buying of most of the domestically produced gold for Central Bank reserves is yet another form of gold off-take from the market, but if not recorded it does not appear in supply/demand statistics around the global markets…

So I did some searching around and found China and Venezuela are doing exactly the same thing and on top of it, so are several other countries. It seems that gold transactions are being hidden in all the ways that are possible to hide them…

I know that true gold production in Russia is at an all time high and that all the gold produced by the mines is whisked away as fast as it is procured. It is also being claimed that gold production in Russia will increase tremendously by 2015…

I always think about this quote from a book I read…

“Gold is the money of kings; silver is the money of gentlemen; barter is the money of peasants; but debt is the money of slaves,” wrote Norm Franz in his book Money and Wealth in the New Millennium (2001).

How true it is!

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

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Russia and Her Grain Game…

Grain
Grain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Well tis the season to play games and grain is that game in Russia. As you know I have been following the grain games in Russia for years and this time it is no different than many other times. While the grain bins are overflowing with grain, Russia says they do not have any and they try to short the market…

“The average consumption of grain in Russia is about 71mln tonnes. This year’s harvest is 70mln tonnes,” said Irina Vorobyeva from 2K Audit. “With exports totaling 10-14mln tonnes it could lead to a deficit in the domestic market. But the country has reserves of 20mln tonnes, that is enough to compensate for the exports”

The price of cereals and breads are dropping around where we live and I know that I pay almost 10 rubles less for my oatmeal than I did a few months ago. I am seeing 10 ruble drop on a loaf of bread. That is from a high of 25 rubles a few months ago, per loaf…

I see that on the home front prices are much better, but on the international front, grain is a rocket and Russia is going to ride that rocket for every penny (ruble) they can…

I had to smile how the above insert says that Russia uses 71 mln tonnes and we only harvested 70 mln tonnes, I watched 35 mln tonnes of grain disappear over the last few months in the news and I also saw record grain harvests all around the ares that Sveta and I travel…

Thew government is assuring us that grain is plentiful for the Russians and that the babushkas need to settle down and quit being upset. I will tell you that Russians get in a hissy over grain issues…

But hey! As long as I have my oatmeal cheap and my bread even cheaper, I am a happy camper. How about you? Is bread getting more expensive?

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

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Georgia: President Saakashvili being asked to move…

Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili says President Mikheil Saakashvili should vacate the presidential palace. Ivanishvili told journalists on November 2 it was too expensive for the Georgian government to maintain the building. The prime minister said the spending on the palace was “immoral” and that savings could be used to help the “many refugees and poor citizens in our country.” According to Ivanishvili, the state pays $500,000 per year just for the palace’s electricity bills…

Sorry I had to stop laughing before I continued to write this article…

I can just see Sassy’s face when he is told to get out…

Strange things going on in Georgia on the political scene right now. This palace they are talking about is the same one that Sveta got in trouble for trying to take a picture of. They told Sveta that it was against the law to take a picture of the palace and she was harassed for doing just that, “Taking a picture of the Sassy Presidential Palace!”

Strange things going on…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

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The Quagmire America has made of Syria by Kyle Keeton…

Nice try, “America”. You already bought and paid for the opposition. Cash on the barrel head…

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for a re-shaping of the Syrian opposition’s leadership adding that the Obama administration was suggesting names and organizations that should be included in the new leadership that may emerge in the talks held next week in Qatar.

They are your cup of tea America and it was brewed your way. As George Galloway described the opposition/terrorists, you are “Servants of the Crusader Powers”, owned by the Qatari and Saudi puppets of the USA.

They (terrorists) are at the bottom of the gutter, because they crawled there on their hands and knees. Anyone who would bring terrorists into Syria is a criminal and America crawled there with those terrorists…

NATO/US helped put Al-Qaeda fighters in Syria in the first place. We are now clearly entering a new phase in the propaganda war with regard to Syria, heralded by the NATO-aligned establishment now using the presence of Al-Qaeda fighters in the country, many of whom were airlifted into Syria by NATO powers, as a justification to launch a wider military assault…

Despite innumerable bombings and assassinations targeting the regime, the fact that Al-Qaeda fighters were behind the violence was considered taboo, and some mainstream news outlets even preferred to spin conspiracy theories about Assad’s forces being behind the bombings rather than admit the truth…

The mainstream media now admits that Al-Qaeda is behind most of the anti-Assad violence in Syria and that the Syrian opposition is largely led by Al-Qaeda fighters, backed up by U.S.-funded rebels. In addition, U.S. officials like Ambassador Susan Rice and the White House itself have all but applauded terrorist bombings in Damascus…

Back in March, leaked emails also revealed that the Pentagon was planning to direct terror attacks and assassinations inside Syria in a bid to topple Assad…

Despite the U.S. government welcoming attacks carried out by Al-Qaeda as a tool to further destabilize the Syrian government, the establishment has launched a spin campaign claiming that Al-Qaeda is merely capitalizing on the uprising in Syria when in reality Al-Qaeda is leading the uprising. (Link to Source >>>)

 

The imperialists messed up in Libya: They attempted to put a bunch of terrorist types in power in Libya. Didn’t take well with the locals so they were quickly removed, and the whole project plunged into utter chaos. Libya is a war-zone of death and neither Romney nor Obama want to talk about Libya because its a immense American failure…

I guess we will be happy when Syria is in the same shape as Libya… 🙁

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

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Vegetarian Borscht: for those times that meat seems just too much…

borscht served
borscht served (Photo credit: Muffet)

Many times Sveta and I just do not want a meat dish and that includes the soup called Borscht. In Russia, Borscht is considered a meal and nothing else, but black bread and sour cream necessary to eat a delicious meal, but the issue with Borscht is that it usually has meat of some type in it…

Well even Russians do not always want meat in everything they fix and I decided to make a Vegetarian Borscht for Sveta and she loved it. Then she told me how her mom would do the same many times and just exclude meat from the recipe…

So lets make a Veggy Borscht, my way…

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 – 2 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
10 small beets or 7 -8 medium beets, peeled and diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and shredded
1/2 small green cabbage, shredded
2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
3 fresh tomatoes diced, crushed, smashed and or what ever
2 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup of sugar
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
3 or 4 sprigs fresh parsley
sour cream

Directions:
In a stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the beets, carrots, parsnip, celery root, 8 cups water and bring to a boil…

Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Raise the heat and stir in the cabbage, garlic and tomatoes. Return to a boil…

Lower the heat and simmer for 5 more minutes…

Remove from the heat and Stir in the salt and pepper…

Then with a lid on the stock pan, let the soup cool for about half and hour. Then apply heat again and bring to a quick boil. I feel that this makes for a more flavorful soup and stops the veggies from become so easily mushed…

Just as you take the soup off the stove as it is boiling the last time, add the sugar! Now I do not add sugar and Sveta never has a complaint. Russians swear by the sugar in the soup, so I will tell you to add it… 🙂

Then stir once twice and everything is nice, then serve piping hot and add the dollop (I like a big, no bigger, no bigger dollop) of sour cream and a parsley sprig at the table, then enjoy!

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

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Mercury City Tower in Moscow Russia…

English: Moscow-City 2010,March
English: Moscow-City 2010,March (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I found this interesting. The new tower Called Mercury City Tower in Moscow is the tallest skyscraper in Europe. Sveta and I have watched this business center rise from the ground over the years and I guess that we never realized that it was going to be so tall. I found a paragraph below from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia…

Sveta and I were just talking about how they played games and said they did not have the money to finish these towers, when the worlds financial crises hit several years ago. Russians just scoffed at them and when the question was asked, “Why? and Where is the money?” Things quieted down and the building continued… 🙂

Mercury City Tower (Russian: Меркурий Сити Тауэр) is the tallest skyscraper in Europe, currently under construction in the Moscow International Business Center of Moscow, Russia. Construction started in late 2005, and the tower is expected to top out in September 2012 and to be completed by the end of 2012. Initially planned to stand at 332 m (1,089 ft) with 70 floors, and 5 levels underground, the tower’s top was modified during construction on 23 July 2012 in order to reach 75 floors and to culminate at 338.82 m (1,111.6 ft) as confirmed on 10 August 2012. (Link)

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

PS: Mercury City’s reign as Europe’s tallest skyscraper won’t last long, however. Its rival next door is the under-construction Federation Tower, set to reach 506 meters when it’s completed next year…

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The enemy and Pakistan Army by: Nadir Mir…

Map of Pakistan
Map of Pakistan (Photo credit: Omer Wazir)

The enemy and Pakistan Army

By: Nadir Mir | October 26, 2012

Who is Pakistan’s existential enemy – USA, India or the militants?

The obvious answer is India! The reason this question needs to be answered is to clarify the hazy image of national security. Indeed, a security policy built on mixed views is bound to fail. And “if the policy is faulty, even a brilliant strategy will flounder.” Existential threat here means a threat posed to the unity, demography and integrity of Pakistan. The very basis of the state or its physical existence stands challenged.

No army can successfully fight on many fronts. Napoleon’s army and Hitler’s Wehrmacht both fell victims to imperial overstretch. Pakistan’s army is already facing numerous threats: India’s Cold Start strategy, USA’s de-nuking agenda, foreign sponsored separatists in Balochistan, Indian rekindled Sindhudesh movement, Karachi based ethnic/mafia groups, militants in Pakhtunkhwa and spill over of war in Afghanistan.

The army’s primary task is to guard the borders against foreign threats. This essentially means deterring an Indian attack or a de-nuking attempt by any foreign power. The rest of the threats mentioned above need to be dealt with politically and with the support of the security forces. An internal security or specialised anti-terror force needs to be established. Therefore, the army should not be employed to solve political or economic issues; or tasks that are meant for specialised forces.

From 1947 till 2001, the existential threat from India was clear. The muddying of waters began after USA’s invasion of Afghanistan. Although the 11-year long war was waged in that country, Pakistan had to bear the brunt. It converted Pakistan into a battlefield. ‘AfPak’ was meant to create the perception of a war zone on both sides of the western border. Buzz words like GWOT, non-state actors, al-Qaeda, Haqqanis, Blackwater and terrorists served as a ‘Strategy of Deflection’. First, the US aim was to use Pakistan’s assets to help defeat the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Second, shift Islamabad’s strategic orientation away from New Delhi so that India could be pampered to compete with China and also entrench itself in Afghanistan (both were part of the neocon geopolitical wish list).

The Indians played along. After the 2001-02 military standoff, India pacified Pakistan’s eastern border, but inflamed its western border. In the bargain, it established a network of consulates in Afghanistan to destabilise Pakistan. The corrupt and nonchalant Pakistanis took peace with India seriously; they saw their salvation in friendship with it.

A decade long bombing terrorist campaign further confused the issue. The Taliban, al-Qaeda, Blackwater, Indian agents were all blamed. The lethality of terrorist strikes mostly indicated a high degree of sophistication with some being run-of-the-mill crude attacks. There was method in the madness. Apparently, multiple forces were involved conveniently labelled as Taliban.

Apparently, the Taliban have two basic motivations. First to eject the occupying forces from Afghanistan; and second to impose their version of Islam. Since Pakistan was perceived to be a US ally, hatred towards it has grown into a ferocious militant bombing campaign. Simultaneously, separation seeking Baloch militants are being supported and financed by foreign intelligence agencies, while the Sindhudesh militant leader, reportedly, seeks succour in Kabul.

The US, while partially withdrawing from Afghanistan, wants to embroil our army further into the hornet’s nest. Washington’s mantra that Pakistani army is fighting its lost war is endless. The Indians, too, are keen to get it bogged down on the western border through operations in North Waziristan. So the Malala incident is being exploited and misdirected. An orchestrated Indo-US media campaign, supported by liberals in Pakistan, aims to lure the Pakistani army. Their baited gambit seeks to launch it against its own people. This could create a massive backlash and terrorist campaign, further destabilising the state.

With our army engaged in an endless war in Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh, the stage will be set for coup de grâce. This could set in motion Pakistan’s denuclearisation and balkanisation; plans that were conceived in hostile foreign lands. Perhaps, a perfect time to initiate the Cold Start strategy or denuclearisation campaign. Even a limited version of this scenario aims to pit our army against the Taliban and those fighting the foreign troops in Afghanistan. With the Americans leaving and the Indians vulnerable in Afghanistan, they seek to diminish Pakistani influence in Afghanistan. Our enemies want war in Pakistan and clamour for peace in the region. But Pakistan needs peace at home and peace abroad.

The American geopolitical wish list was endless and frequently not doable, which resulted in an 11-year long war in Afghanistan. In addition to an exit strategy from Afghanistan complicated by USA’s desire to leave India – not Pakistan – as the winner. America is now perceived in some circles as the most dangerous threat to Pakistan. Yet logically speaking, hostility is an insane option for both USA and Pakistan. Islamabad and Washington can be friends again after the US leaves Afghanistan. Pakistan’s alliance with China, new friendship with Russia and old ties with the Taliban can help bring balance and peace in Afghanistan.

Nevertheless, the threat to Pakistan from India commenced long before 1947. The Indians wanted to replace the British Raj and were loath to see the subcontinent divided. Unable to prevent the partition, they conspired to ensure that a moth-eaten Pakistan comes into being. Since 1947, their strategy has been to harm the country in every conceivable manner. India’s hegemonic agenda and its support for terrorists and separatists in Pakistan have spoiled their relations. Hence, the present existential threat to Pakistan is mainly from India.

The writer is a retired brigadier and has authored a book titled Gwadar on the Global Chessboard. Email: nadirmir13@gmail.com Blog:wwwpakistangeopolitics. blogspot.com

Windows to Russia…

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