Month: November 2018

Interesting discovery happened (after coming back to Moscow) from the long term staying at the Tiny Russian Village…

I came from America and was use to the chlorine in the water. Just a fact that most water in America is chlorinated to make it safe to drink. In Moscow the same, it is chlorinated and I never could tell the difference when I came here to Russia…

Then I went to the Tiny Russian Village and discovered, as in my past life, well water is fantastic and chemical free….I got use to the Tiny Russian Village water and when I came back to Moscow, I got diarrhea, even when filtering the water and that is no fun…

This last trip to TRV is positive proof that chlorinated water causes me issues. I had the same issue in America, but it is hard to get away from chlorinated water, unless living in very rural areas. I always stayed so busy in life in America, I never sat down and thought about what it is that is causing me issues?

I go to TRV and no diarrhea, come home to Moscow and guess what? “diarrhea”! I must be sensitive to chlorine?

So we are buying water in five liter jugs and don’t tell Svetochka, but I am refilling those jugs to save money….she wants me to buy a new one each time. I just cannot. Too expensive and I am just too frugal…

and…

and at home…

I measured the trip and it is 2.9 kilometers round trip. That is good to walk and good for me….I have a million coins to use this way, at the machine and by golly, I will just carry water….like in the village…

WtR

This is in the empty lake bed of our Tiny Russian Village lake. Svetochka and I were walking the dried lake bed and came near the edge of the lake. The grasses were tall and beautiful…

Svetochka loved the tall grasses as they whispered in the breeze…

I wonder what they were telling her?

WtR

Get ready for Christmas surprises…

WtR

But…

No pumpkin pie for us trying to stay thinner. I did not say thin, I said, “Thinner!”

Which implies that we have extra padding to work with…

Amazing how fast time flies….not sure I like flying time though…

I bought a pumpkin today and will boil it, part of it, for us to have tonight with some turkey and salad. It is Thanksgiving and this bear was totally ignoring the holiday…

So Happy Thanksgiving…

Svetochka and Kyle
WtR

Sveta wanted Pumpkin and she gets pumpkin…

WtR

This is the Tiny Russian Village I talk about on this blog…

Only -16 and time to walk to get a bus or taxi to Big Village…

It stands on top the world around this part of Russia. The image is taken from near the river and in the valley that the river runs in…it is part of heaven…

The monastery is very unique, even for a Russian monastery. The bell tower is humongous…

Original Village Bell Tower and Church…

This is really Russia…

WtR

In America the below items that are expected in Russia are not very often expected in America….sometimes it is proper, but most of the time not…

a. Bring a Gift: This is practiced somewhat in America, but more often than not, you just go visit and take nothing. Unless the party is BYO (Bring Your Own)…

b. Do Not Give Flowers in Even Numbers: I have talked about many things like this in the past twelve years. Do not bring even number of flowers to your girlfriend. If you want her to be your girlfriend that is… 😉 And if you want your mother and or grandma to keep you as their kin?

c. Do Not Shake Hands Over a Threshold: Never shake over a doorway threshold. Just never and just do not do it…

d. Forget Something? Look in the Mirror before leaving again and before you actually leave the first time, sit for a moment, just before you walk out the door…

e. Never Exchange Money After Nightfall: I learned this from Vova in the Tiny Russian Village. I have been taught many things living in the village. This is one very important thing to remember…

f. If Staying the Night, Bring Some Home type Clothes: Or if taking a train trip, even a car trip and or such. Russians do not sleep in their walking around clothes….Russians change clothes when they get home as a habit…

g. Keep Your Cup Half-Full and or half-empty if You’re Not Ready for More Alcohol: Bottom line in my opinion keep you glass over half full. Sip that drink, or you will find it filled and filled and filled…

h. Be Sure to Toast that drink you get: Toast and toast and toast. It is an unwritten law that every drink is toasted….maybe it is an official law?

i. Never Argue with Babushka: Argue all you want with grandpa (dedushka) he will most likely enjoy it, but forget grandma. She will argue with you against grandpa even, but try that with her and you will loose. Everyone and I mean everyone listens to grandma (Babushka)….bottom line Russians respect their elders, yes even grandpa…

j. Take Off Your Shoes: You go to someones home? Take off those nasty shoes! Very simple….remove your shoes….which means don’t have nasty dirty feet and holes in your socks… 😉

{Exception to (j.) in the villages and you have friends like Vova, you don;t worry about such things. We stomp all over each others home… ;)}

WtR

Sveta and I got caught in a speed trap. Everywhere, but at this particular spot that we got caught speeding is 70 kilometers an hour and many times 90 kph. We were doing 78 kilometers an hour and that is fine. Except at this spot, hidden behind another big sign, is a speed limit sign that lowers the speed to 50 kilometers an hour…

I was ready for the 70 kph, but 50 kph is just a speed trap number and we are guilty as caught. Except, there is no way short of standing on the brakes to keep the correct speed and of course that means you will most likely have an accident…

This trip we knew the spot and crawled through the camera. The camera was still there and catching people in a speed trap…

Here is a better shot of the criminals…

And this is the letter below…

gibdd

But we got to pay only a few hundred rubles because we paid immediately…

Criminals we are… 😉

WtR

Here is another one they sent. Just in case you don’t like the first ones…

Shaheen, Wicker, Coons & Rubio Warn Against Russian Leadership of Interpol Ahead of General Assembly Vote

November 19, 2018

Helsinki Commission Members Call on Trump Admin & Interpol General Assembly Members to Oppose Alexander Prokopchuk’s Candidacy for President of Interpol

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), members of the Helsinki Commission, issued the following joint statement, urging the Trump administration and members of Interpol’s General Assembly to oppose the candidacy of Alexander Prokopchuk of Russia to serve as the President of Interpol. A vote to elect the next President of Interpol will be held at the Interpol General Assembly in Dubai on Wednesday.

“Interpol electing Major General Alexander Prokopchuk as its new President is akin to putting a fox in charge of a henhouse,” said the Senators. “Russia routinely abuses Interpol for the purpose of settling scores and harassing political opponents, dissidents and journalists. Alexander Prokopchuk has been personally involved in this intimidation strategy which ultimately seeks to weaken democratic institutions and embolden Putin’s authoritarian regime. If elected as President by the members of Interpol’s General Assembly on Wednesday, we have no doubt that Mr. Prokopchuk will further institutionalize the abuse of Interpol red notices and block ongoing efforts at meaningful reform. Further, the potential access he would gain to sensitive law enforcement data will bolster the Kremlin’s ability to harass critics living outside of Russia and aid other authoritarian regimes seeking to do the same. For these reasons, we urge all 192 members to stand for the integrity of Interpol as a legitimate international law enforcement mechanism and vote against Mr. Prokopchuk. We continue to call on our administration to use its voice, vote and influence to ensure that Interpol can no longer be co-opted by Putin and other dictators for their own nefarious purposes.”

The Russian Federation is one of the main countries to exploit Interpol’s red notice system, whereby notices of arrest are sent to all member countries. Russia has used the red notice system to harass Russian dissidents, critical Americans and other individuals opposed to the Kremlin’s aggression around the globe. Russia’s candidate for the President of Interpol, Major General Alexander Prokopchuk, has been particularly involved in the Kremlin’s continued harassment campaign since he served as the head of Russia’s National Central Bureau since 2011.

Source: Shaheen, Wicker, Coons & Rubio Warn Against Russian Leadership of Interpol Ahead of General Assembly Vote | U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire

We really are a sick country that is very fearful of the world in general…

https://www.shaheen.senate.gov/news/press/shaheen-wicker-coons-and-rubio-warn-against-russian-leadership-of-interpol-ahead-of-general-assembly-vote

WtR

Think “Bill Browder” and you get all the answers…

Update:

“And what I’m saying to the Canadian Parliament and the Canadian government is Canada should lead right now on suspending Russia from the Interpol system, in the same way as Russia was suspended from the Olympics after getting caught cheating,” Browder was quoted by Canada’s CBC news network as saying.

My my, how the truth comes out…

Is friendly Russian Bear from YouTube show a Putin stooge? | Daily Mail Online

A Russian-made children’s cartoon show has been accused of being part of the Putin propaganda machine. Masha and the Bear focuses on the relationship between a slight but imposing young girl and her protector, a huge bear. In one Masha even dons a Soviet border guard’s hat as she repels invaders from the Bear’s carrot patch.

Source: Is friendly Russian Bear from YouTube show a Putin stooge? | Daily Mail Online

This is your newest bad Russian…

Please be careful when enjoying the Masha & Bear cartoons…

WtR