New Computer in Russia and that Cup of Coffee…

That cup of coffee this morning was great and I decided to have it while I was fine tuning our new computer. Sveta and I had decided to build our own system after or other computer bit the dust. But as we priced out parts we found out that several computer shops had units cheaper than what we could buy parts for and build our own. In fact after checking the American and UK big name stores like Tiger Direct and such. I could not even get a bare bones kit as cheap with the same exact parts. Not including shipping from such a far away place…

I spent days pricing parts and whole units and found that Russia has the best pricing period on computer pre-assembled in the whole world. We finally decided on a computer store (TopComputer) downtown Moscow and we put our order in. Now to start with, I am a AMD fan and I think ATI Radeon is the best video cards. So that became the basis for the computer. We found a unit by a store in Moscow that had a MSI motherboard, AMD Athlon II X3 core 445 – 3.3 MHz, ATI Radeon HD 5570, 2 – 1000 gig hard drives, 8 gigs of DDR3 ram and all kinds of other goodies. The price was about $275 American dollars and all I had to do was install Windows 7, 64 bit. Which I had, so we did not have to pay for an operating system…

After a full day of playing around we have a three core 3.8 MHz computer that simply is fantastic. Oh yes, I said it was a 3.3 MHz! Yes it is but this MSI motherboard is so simple to overclock that I had to see what she would do. I got it to an honest 4 MHz but she was slightly jittery so I backed it down to rock solid and left it at 3.8 MHz. Not bad for a cheap system. It cost less than our last computer and is vastly faster than our old Sempron Depo computer (1.8 MHz)…

So I am back plucking away on the big computer keyboard again and it sure feels good. Now we are good to go, for another 3000 articles on Windows to Russia…

Windows to Russia!

Russia Today Talks About the Gold Dinar and Libya…

Some believe it is about protecting civilians, others say it is about oil, but some are convinced intervention in Libya is all about Gaddafi’s plan to introduce the gold dinar, a single African currency made from gold, a true sharing of the wealth.

­“It’s one of these things that you have to plan almost in secret, because as soon as you say you’re going to change over from the dollar to something else, you’re going to be targeted,” says Ministry of Peace founder Dr James Thring. “There were two conferences on this, in 1986 and 2000, organized by Gaddafi. Everybody was interested, most countries in Africa were keen.”

Read More at Russia Today >>>

Between gold and Oil it looks like Qaddafi was a sitting duck and now it really makes sense what France, Britain and America are up to…

Makes sense and Russia Today is not letting it lay on the sidelines…

Windows to Russia!

What’s up in Russia? (06/27/2011)

Rare birds and animals in the Moscow Zoo breeding nursery:
Many see the Moscow Zoo breeding nursery as something mysterious. The nursery is located some 100 kilometers away from the Russian capital, near the town of Volokolamsk in the Moscow Region. Rare birds and animals from across the world inhabit an area of 200 hectares…

Folk customs and traditions in music:
Every nation has its own customs, traditions, beliefs and superstitions; Some have died out becoming history, some have survived, including in classical art; Russian classical music literally bristles with traditional folk moments, if I can say so; Listening to classic Russian operas you can come across Christmas carols and Shrovetide themes…

Former Russian spy to be sentenced for high treason:
A court martial in Moscow is expected to impose a sentence on a former Russian Intelligence Service Colonel Alexander Poteev later today. The man is being tried in absentia on charges of defection and high treason…

John Fogerty rocks Moscow:
Acclaimed American rock singer, songwriter and guitarist John Fogerty performed in Moscow on Sunday, in a gig that critics said once again confirmed the rock icons highest professionalism…

Russia could be the opportunity which makes it happen for you:
Sarah Semyanik was born in London and grew up in Surrey. She graduated in Theatre from the Dartington College of Arts. She went on to teacher training and taught English within the state education system. Having reached a natural break in her career, she went out on a limb and came to Moscow to teach…

Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians are one Christian people – Patriarch:
The Russian region of Bryansk southwest of Moscow is where Russia meets Belarus and Ukraine. The exact meeting point of these three Slavic countries, with a stone obelisk on it, is the site of annual outdoor festivals on Slavic Unity Day on June 25th…

Russian police to undergo voluntary lie detector tests:
Russian police officers will be voluntarily checked on lie detectors but the refusal to be tested could spoil their future career in law enforcement, the head of the Russian Interior Ministry’s internal affairs division, Lt.-Gen. Yury Draguntsov, said on Monday…

Russian legislators under fire for proposed abortion restrictions:
A push by the Russian government to raise childbirth statistics has driven lawmakers to propose a bill limiting a pregnant woman’s options for abortion. Critics oppose the initiative saying it is wrong and an…

Windows to Russia!

Russia Today, The Western Media, The Lies and Libya…

We know the American media is in Libya, but why aren’t they reporting on the military operation that more and more of the country is saying that they are opposed to?

Wayne Madsen was in Tripoli on assignment and says that what the members of the mainstream media reported while on the front “had nothing in common with what we all saw on the grounds.”

With the meaning of the military initiative being blurred by the press and the president, Madsen says a gross flux of misinformation is creating a propaganda war to get American support for the Libyan mission, and a recent poll shows that it isn’t working.

“The media is silent,” says Madsen. “Worse,” he adds, “they are putting out disinformation rather than reporting facts as they see them on the ground.”

Madsen says that Gaddafi is only gaining support in Tripoli, and as rebels rejoin his forces, the media in America does not bother telling people. “Many former rebels say, ‘look, we weren’t happy with Gaddafi,’” says Madsen, but as NATO is slaughtering civilians, they are becoming more in favor of the colonel, despite his reputation, because he is a Libyan national. And, most importantly, not a foreign invader.

Source: http://rt.com/usa/news/media-isnt-reporting-madsen/

Windows to Russia!

Coffee and What Happened to Society…

Sveta told me something the other day that got me thinking and then last night it hit home about what is wrong. I do not know how to fix it, but I know that something has happened to society’s all over the world. Things have changed in humans and they are not for the best…

Sveta said to me: “In the Soviet Union we never would have done that or acted like that.” I said: “Yes, in America 40 years ago we would not have done that either…” I do not even remember what it was about that we said these things, because we see things that make us say these statements several times a day…

But in the middle of the night last night. I awoke and was thinking about how messed up our society has become. I realize that there has always been the bad but it seems now that we have entered a new era of a “messed up bad” on earth. The bad has extended into a much higher percent of the population. Believe me Russia has the same problems that America has. What use to be once in awhile has become the norm in many cases…

I was thinking about when I was a little boy and on the Fourth of July we used dynamite as fire works. I remember that grandpa showed me how to wipe the sweat off a stick of dynamite and toss the droplets on the ground for firecracker sounds. We had 40% nitro commercial grade dynamite for taking out stumps (and fishing in the huge ponds). Dynamite was also used to destroy large boulders. In fact I knew where the dynamite was kept and could have played with it anytime I felt like. But I was told by my dad and grandpa that you did not mess with guns, dynamite, fire and electricity. I did what I was told and grew up respecting what my elders said and told me about rules and “what knots”…

It just dawned on me that whether it is Russia, America, Brazil, Europe or anywhere. I could not imagine in this day and age, having a box of dynamite on every farm for everyday use. We kept it cool and dry but never locked up and we had at least 4 cases that weigh 50lbs each in stock…

Could you imagine now days and a kid walking into his school with a Bic lighter and a stick of dynamite? I never thought that a kid would take a gun to school and shoot everyone, but it has happened many times in the world during recent history. So the notion that a kid would take a stick of dynamite to school for “show and tell” is a reality in the world we live in now…

So what happened to us? Why are we so messed up now? Why do we have to hide what use to be normal? Why and why and why?

I realize that things did happen such as the Bath School disaster in 1927 and others. But is that a reason to live in a shell and hide from life? Should we make society so closed that we can not even enjoy life?

I do know that  greatest Forth of July’s were when the adults tossed dynamite in the field. When I reached about 12 years old I was able to throw my first stick. It was into a pond and we went fishing. 🙂

It was an experience that I will never forget and was part of growing up and becoming a man. Good or bad, I grew up much different than the kids we raise now…

I also learned not to be scared of life…

Windows to Russia!

PS: Sveta says that media has a lot to do with the over reaction on things that happen in the world….

Hummm…

Death Penalty!

I think that China is serious about getting things under control with their export business! What do you think?

“Death penalty for China official

China has sentenced the former head of the State Food and Drug Administration to death after he was convicted of corruption, state media has reported.

Zheng Xiaoyu was convicted on charges of taking bribes and of dereliction of duty, Xinhua news agency reported.

The sentence is unusually harsh for a senior figure, but Zheng could have his sentence reduced to life on appeal.

The verdict came as the government announced plans for the first ever recall system of unsafe food products.

Beijing has been under pressure to act over increasing concern both at home and abroad about the poor standards of Chinese-produced food and medicines.

State television showed footage of a grey-haired Zheng – who was expelled from the Communist Party earlier this year – appearing in court in Beijing flanked by police officers.

He had been accused by an official investigation last month of accepting more than 6.5m yuan ($850,000) in bribes to approve hundreds of drugs.

One company, Kongliyuan Group, allegedly paid Zheng bribes in return for approving 277 drugs, mostly antibiotics.

Zheng’s former secretary, Cao Wenzhuang, also faced trial, accused of accepting bribes.

Thirty-one other people were also alleged to have been involved in the scandal, including Zheng’s wife, Liu Naixue, and his son, Zheng Hairong.

Following Zheng’s sacking in 2005, the Chinese government announced a review of about 170,000 medical licences that were awarded during his tenure at the agency.

Dozens of people have died in China because of poor quality or fake drugs.

Last year, a sub-standard antibiotic, Xinfu, which was not properly sterilised, caused the deaths of 11 people.

Thirteen babies died of malnutrition in 2005 after being fed powdered milk that contained no nutritional value.

The Chinese government recently announced an urgent review of industry food standards after public alarm over a recent spate of cases.

US inspectors blamed exported Chinese pet food ingredients, contaminated with melamine, for the deaths of cats and dogs in North America.

And they recently halted shipments of toothpaste from China to investigate reports that they may be contaminated with toxic chemicals.

On Tuesday, as Zheng was sentenced, the government said a new recall process targeting “potentially dangerous and unapproved food products” would be brought in by the end of the year.

“All domestic and foreign food producers and distributors will be obliged to follow the system,” Wu Jianping, of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, was quoted as saying.”(Xinhua news agency)

They don’t play around, do they!

Update: The Chinese have executed Zheng! Not much of an appeal process in China. Word of warning, do not mess up in business in China. (like taking bribes). Could lose your head over it.

Kyle

Russia: Arctic Sea vessel hijacking!

Want to know what Russia says about the Arctic Sea vessel hijacking? Then follow these links and find some interesting information. These links will give you a run down on what is really happening with this hijacked vessel in the arctic. The Western press has had a heyday or two over this and every conspiracy has been brought up that could be. They even say Russia has faked the whole thing…

I have been quiet about this case because I have been following it to see what is developing…

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Russia: 23 Years Ago – The Worst Man Made Disastor in History! (Chernobyl)

Hello,Windows to Russia!Today in preparation of a bad day in history we have two videos: one is Pripyat from the days and years before the accident and the other is Pripyat 20 years later. They are worth a look at and people need to remember the horror of that year. Lets hope mankind has learned…

“Twenty-three years ago on April 26, 1986 at 1:23 in the morning, the number four reactor at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl suffered an unstoppable chain reaction, causing the worst man-made disaster in history.” (Link)

This video can be a little bit hard on you if you are sensitive… (Posted Russian Video Blog)

I remember 1986 and the first report about the accident in Chernobyl. I remember the reactions of many Americans and it was not a reaction that I am proud to repeat. Lots of bad jokes floated during that time and lots of derogatory remarks came out of American mouths about the accident in Ukraine. (Soviet Union)

I myself had wished it had never happened and prayed that it would never ever happen again to America…

Yes – we forget that it almost happened at Three Mile Island in 1979 and we were lucky, repeat lucky! (Link)

The 26th of April take a moment and stop and remember the ones in Chernobyl and 76 surrounding towns. That became ghost towns with no life.

Windows to Russia!
Kyle and Svet

comments always welcome.

Mat Rodina: 2010, The Saga Continues

Mat Rodina: 2010, The Saga Continues: “Upcoming in this year will be the second fall in the Global Depression. This will start with nations failing in their sovereign debt and will quickly spiral out of control for vast areas, followed by more break down in civil order and war. Oil prices will not rise to much further in real value, though they will to some degree in dollars as inflation kicks in and pushes things up, even as a lack of demand drives prices down. However, by the end of the year, oil will see a large increase due to supply constraints caused by geopolitical issues: first in Mexico, than in Venezuela and finally in the Persian Gulf.”

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Russia: Medvedev at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) two-day summit!

Hello,

Russia: President Medvedev has gone to a meeting…..

The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will discuss the situation in Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia at a two-day summit which opens on Wednesday in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe.

The post-Soviet regional bloc, that is widely seen as a counterweight to NATO’s influence in Eurasia, comprises Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. The group primarily addresses security issues, but has recently moved to embrace economic and energy projects.

What is the SCO?

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation creation of which was proclaimed on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai (China) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. Its prototype is the Shanghai Five mechanism.

The main goals of the SCO are strengthening mutual confidence and good-neighbourly relations among the member countries; promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade and economy, science and technology, culture as well as education, energy, transportation, tourism, environmental protection and other fields; making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region, to move towards the establishment of a new, democratic, just and rational political and economic international order.

Proceeding from the Spirit of Shanghai the SCO pursues its internal policy based on the principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equal rights, consultations, respect for the diversity of cultures and aspiration towards common development, its external policy is conducted in accordance with the principles of non-alignment, non-targeting anyone and openness.

The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the highest decision-making body in the SCO. It meets once every year to take decisions and give instructions on all important issues of SCO activity. The Heads of Government Council (HGC) meets once every year to discuss a strategy for multilateral cooperation and priority directions within the Organisation’s framework, to solve some important and pressing issues of cooperation in economic and other areas as well as to adopt the Organisation’s annual budget. Besides sessions of the HSC and the HGC there are also mechanisms of meetings on the level of Speakers of Parliament, Secretaries of Security Councils, Foreign Ministers, Ministers of Defence, Emergency Relief, Economy, Transportation, Culture, Education, Healthcare, Heads of Law Enforcement Agencies, Supreme Courts and Courts of Arbitration, Prosecutors General. The Council of National Coordinators of SCO Member States (CNC) is in charge of coordinating interaction within the SCO framework. The Organisation has two permanent bodies – the Secretariat in Beijing and the Regional Antiterrorist Structure in Tashkent. Secretary-General and Executive Committee Director are appointed by the HSC for a period of three years. From 01 January 2007 these posts are held by Bolat K.Nurgaliev (Kazakhstan) and Myrzakan U.Subanov (Kyrgyzstan) respectively.

The SCO member states occupy a territory of around 30 million 189 thousand square kilometers, which makes up three fifths of the Eurasian continent, and have a population of 1.5 billion, which makes up a quarter of the planet’s population.

History of The SCO!

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an international organisation composed of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People of Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The SCO was created on the basis of the Shanghai Five, which came into being after signing in 1996-97 the agreements among Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia and Tajikistan on building military confidence and mutual reduction of military forces in border areas.

In January 2001 Uzbekistan requested to join the Shanghai Five as a full member. The Five’s transformation into the SCO happened at a summit in Shanghai on 15 June 2001 when the heads of six countries signed the Declaration on SCO establishment and the Shanghai Convention on combating terrorism, separatism and extremism. The newborn Organisation proclaimed “strengthening mutual trust, friendship and good-neighbourly relations among the member countries; promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade and economy, science and technology, culture, education, energy, transportation, ecology and other fields; making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region, to establish a new, democratic, just and rational political and economic international order” as its goals. The Council of National Coordinators was founded with the aim of establishing interaction among relevant ministries and departments of SCO member states.

On 14 September 2001 Almaty hosted the first meeting of heads of governments of SCO member states, who signed the Memorandum among the Governments of SCO Member States on Main Objectives and Directions of Regional Economic Cooperation. The prime ministers also announced the creation of a mechanism of regular meetings of heads of government within the SCO framework.

At a summit in Saint Petersburg on 07 July 2002 the heads of member states adopted the SCO Charter enshrining the goals, principles and main directions of cooperation within the Organisation. Besides the Charter the summit also signed the Agreement among SCO Member States on the Regional Antiterrorist Structure.

On 23 September 2003 Beijing hosted a meeting of heads of governments of SCO member states. They approved the Programme of Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation among SCO Member States as well as adopted the Organisation’s first budget for 2004. The Programme clearly determined the main objectives and tasks of economic cooperation within the SCO framework, and set a direction for the free movement of goods, capital, services and technology inside the region during the next twenty-year period.

Besides the Heads of State Council and the Heads of Government Council the SCO also set up mechanisms of regular meetings on the level of speakers of parliament, national security councils, ministries of foreign affairs (MFA Council), ministers of defence, law enforcement agencies, ministers of economy, transportation, emergency relief, culture, education and healthcare, heads of border agencies, prosecutors general, supreme courts and courts of arbitration, national coordinators (CNC).

The headquarters of SCO Secretariat in Beijing and SCO Regional Antiterrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent opened in January 2004.

At a session in Tashkent in 2004 the Heads of State Council approved the Regulations on Observer Status at the SCO and granted such status to Mongolia. A summit of SCO leaders in Astana in 2005 admitted India, Pakistan and Iran as its new observers.

The launch of the SCO’s permanent bodies was followed by the creation of a mechanism of permanent representatives of SCO member states to the Secretariat. At a summit in Astana in 2005 the heads of member states took a decision to establish a mechanism of permanent representatives of SCO member states to the RATS.

A summit in Shanghai in 2006 appointed Bolat K.Nurgaliev to the post of SCO Secretary-General and Myrzakan U.Subanov to the post SCO RATS Executive Committee Director. They assumed responsibilities on 01 January 2007. (Link)

I learn something new everyday and this is it.

The East will grow as the West will stagnate! Moscow pulls ever father from the European roots! & encompasses the Asian roots: Seems to me that Europe has forgotten its Eastern roots and has embraced the Western Military Monolith!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.