Hello,

Well seems Britain is striking a hard blow to Russia and the South Ossetian incident…

The British Foreign Office has decided not to send 40 bagpipers to a military music festival in Moscow in protest over Russia’s actions in Georgia, a foreign office spokesperson said.

The festival to mark the 325th anniversary of the Russian Imperial Guards is scheduled to take place on September 11-14 in central Moscow.

Military bands from the U.K., Austria, Ireland, Scotland, and Canada have been invited to the event. The Scottish bagpipers were due to leave for Russia on September 8.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said on Friday however that the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers would not be able to attend the Kremlin Zorya festival due to the crisis in relations between Russia and the West over the recent war in Georgia.

The bagpipers have been one of the most popular acts at the festival in recent years.

OK, is it just me or is this a sign of the mental and maturity level of the West?

What does the issues in South Ossetia and Georgia have to do with a 325 year old Military event?

I guess: the only reason that I can see why British would not go to the Festival is…..?

There is no reason……

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

This weekend Moscow will be fun. It is Happy Birthday Moscow!

We are going downtown and take pictures. It is always fun to walk around downtown Moscow because you get to see a mixture of all nationalities on earth. When Moscow has big events like this everyone comes out of the wood work, so to speak!

List of Events that will take place:

Sporting events

■ 1. “Run and smile” track and field race. September 6. (The Moskva River embankment).

■ 2. “Sports Capital 2008” sporting event. September 6, 11 a.m. (Moskvitch Experimental School of Higher Sporting Skill, Volgogradsky prosp., 46/15).

■ 3. The 39th Police relay race along the Garden Ring. September 6th, 1.45 p.m. – 4 p.m. (The Garden Ring, start and finish on the Triumphal Square).

■ 4. “Family for Health” Moscow festival of sporting families. September 6-7, 11 a.m. (Moskvitch Experimental School of Higher Sporting Skill, Volgogradsky prosp., 46/15; Yantar’ stadium, Marshall Katukov St., 26).

■ 5. “Capital Cup” Moscow International Rowing Regatta. September 6. (The Moskva River, from MSU to Andreev Bridge).

■ 6. VIII Working Muscovites sports contest finals. September 6, 12 o’clock. (Moskvitch sports complex, Lyublinskaya St., 15).

■ 7. Guinness Book of Records International Festival. XVI Waiters race walking international competition. “The most festive table” city competition. September 7, 11 a.m. (Teatralny Proezd, Teatralnaya Square).

Family events

■ 8. “Moscow through the eyes of the young – 2008. Family and creation” Moscow creative youth competitive projects exhibition. September 1-10. (Central House of Artist, Krimsky Val St., 10).

■ 9. “Together with Moscow as a harmonious family,” children and parents holiday. September 6. 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. (Bolotnaya Square, Repin public garden).

■ 10. “My Moscow – My Family, in a friendly family circle” September 7, 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. (Lubyanka Square).

■ 11. “A Walkabout of Moscow Galleries, or Capital Faces,” theatrical family event. September 7, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. (Bolotnaya Square).

■ 12.Moscow Festival of Family Art, dedicated to the Family Year 2008. September 7, 2 p.m. – 7 p.m. (Poklonnaya Gora).

Theme events

■ 13. III International Exhibition of Flower Design and Landscaping. June 27 – September 14. (All-Russia Exhibition Center).

■ 14. All-Russian Honey Festival. August 28 – October 10. (Tsaritsino museum and reserve).

■ 15. “Flowers” XV International Expo. September 4-7. (All-Russia Exhibition Center).

■ 16. VII Moscow International Youth Festival-competition of Circus Art. September 4-7, during the day. (Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, 13).

■ 17. “The First World Congress of Fouls” international Clown Festival. September 4-15. (Moscow State Academic Children’s Music Theater named after N.I. Sats).

■ 18. “POKLONenie” (worship) IV Moscow Classical and Jazz Music Festival. September 6, 2 p.m. – 4.30 p.m. (Poklonnaya Gora).

■ 19. Light and music show, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of K. Tsiolkovskii, the 100th anniversary of S.P. Korolyov and the 50th anniversary of the first Earth satellite. September 6. (All-Russia Exhibition Center, Astronauts’ lane).

■ 20. “From Belarus with Love” show. September 7, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. (Tverskaya Square).

■ 21. “The Church Bells of Moscow” classical and religious music concert. September 7, 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. ( the square outside of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior).

Student and youth events

■ 22. Young Workers Initiation. September 6, 12 o’clock. (Novaya Square).

■ 23. Moscow Students Parade. September 7, 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. (from Vasilievsky Spusk to Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure).

■ 24. Students Initiation. September 7, 12 o’clock. (Novaya Square).

■ 25. “Creative Shift” event. September 7, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. (Triumphal Square).

■ 26. “Musical Quarter” IV children’s and youth music festival. September 7, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. (the stage outside of Moscow P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory).

Moscow Day special events

■ 27. “Reflections of Moscow” light and music show. September 5, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. (Krilatskaya St., 2).

■ 28. Moscow round dance. September 6, 4.30 p.m. – 10 p.m. (Poklonnaya Gora).

■ 29. Wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. September 7, 10 a.m. (Alexander Garden).

■ 30. Moscow Day theatrical ceremony. September 7, 12 o’clock – 1.30 p.m. (Tverskaya Square).

■ 31. “I love the wide avenue’s of Moscow” event. September 7, 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. (Teatralnaya Square).

■ 32. “About Moscow with love” musical event. Moscow press festival. September 7, 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. (Pushkin Square).

■ 33. “Moscow – our mutual home” event. September 7, 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. (Tverskaya Square).

■ 34.”Moscow round dance” event. September 7, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. (Poklonnaya Gora).

■ 35. “Arts Boulevard” event. September 7, 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. (Tverskoy Boulevard).

■ 36. “Big city boulevard” event. September 7, 2 p.m. – 8 p.m. (Gogol Boulevard).

■ 37. Musical fireworks display. September 7, 10 p.m. (Vasilievsky Spusk).

So if you are in Moscow come on downtown! 🙂

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Vanity Fair has unveiled its annual list of the world’s 100 most powerful and influential people, what the magazine calls “the New Establishment”, and topping the table for the first time is Vladimir Putin, according to reports.

I keep saying: “Putin is the man everyone hates, but loves!”

read more | digg story

Hello,

Mulder and Scully from the X-Files have been thrown in cages in Russia. What are Mulder and Scully doing caged up in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg?

Ekaterinburg a town on the eastern slopes of the Urals mountains on the banks of the beautiful Iset river has a Zoo and it seems that employees of the city zoo have named a pair of skunks after the famous TV – FBI agents, the stars of the X-Files series.

Mulder and Scully are two striped skunks that were brought to the Ekaterinburg zoo from Moscow. They are currently in quarantine to ensure good health and will be on public view in mid-September. The normally pungent scented pair will now leave the air fresh since their scent glands, which release a distinctly revolting odor when skunks feel threatened, have been removed.

“The skunks are called Mulder and Scully. It was the employees who gave them their names, despite the fact that there’s nothing mysterious about them.” said a zoo representative in an interview.

This is the first time that the Ekaterinburg zoo has acquired skunks. (Link)

What good names for skunks! Gotta love it.

Kyle & Svet

Hello,

I had a comment that came from a reader awhile back who stated that he thought it would be nice to see pictures about the rebuilding of South Ossetia. Well today I found pictures from RIA. I will allow the pictures to speak for themselves……

Life is returning to Tskhinvali and the people are starting to come home after being driven out by Georgia….

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

If you live overseas like I do then get registered and vote in the upcoming presidential elections in the USA. Just because I live in Russia does not mean, what I say and think does not count. The same goes for you no matter were you live in this world.

Yes You Can: Vote! (But get it going now)

Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF) helps overseas and military voters participate in federal elections. We do this by providing public access to innovative voter registration tools and services. If you are an overseas or military voter, OVF’s goal is to make it easy for you to get your ballot and vote.

Overseas American citizens, State Department employees, and active duty uniformed service members and their accompanying families within and outside of the United States vote under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and can all register to vote from abroad using OVF’s services.

OVF’s mission is to facilitate and increase participation of American overseas voters and military voters and their dependents in federal elections by providing public access to innovative voter registration tools and services.

Integral to achieving our mission is making it easier for all Americans residing around the world, and all military and dependents residing outside their home jurisdiction, to be able to stay active in their home state’s electoral process.

Our mailing address:
https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/overseas/home.htm
Overseas Vote Foundation
4786 N. Williamsburg Blvd
Arlington, VA 22207-2836 USA

Telephone: +1 202 470 2480
Fax: +1 202 318 0653
Email: info(at)overseasvotefoundation.org

If you are like me, then you are dissatisfied with the state of affairs back home in the USA! It will not change if all you do is whine about it! Every Vote counts….

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

SEVASTOPOL, September 2 (RIA Novosti) – The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Dallas left Sevastopol Tuesday morning after anti-NATO protests in Ukraine’s Crimean port.

The Dallas, which recently delivered humanitarian aid to Georgia’s Black Sea port of Batumi, docked on Monday at the Crimean port, where Russia has a naval base, at the invitation of Kiev.

The ship’s arrival was met by thousands of anti-NATO protesters chanting “Yankees go home!” and waving banners with the slogan “NATO Stop!” Police cordoned off the area around the ship.

Ukrainian customs officers who boarded the ship and met the commander said they had been prepared to lay on buses for the U.S. crew to give them a tour of the city, but apart from a few officers, no one left the vessel. (Link)

Glad to see that the USA Navy found out how the people in Crimea feel about them. The fact that they went to the port in a high tension area showed lack of intelligence or wanting to stir up trouble.

They found trouble and They left…..

Kyle & Svet

PS: Russia has repeatedly complained that NATO has too many ships in the Black Sea. Foreign Ministry official Andrei Nesterenko said Tuesday that currently there are two U.S., one Polish, one Spanish and one German ship there. Russian officials say the United States could have delivered weapons to Georgia under the guise of humanitarian aid.”We don’t understand what American ships are doing on the Georgian shores, but this is a question of taste, it’s a decision by our American colleagues,” Putin said. “The second question is why the humanitarian aid is being delivered on naval vessels armed with the newest rocket systems.” (hummm)

Hello,

I will have to say that in a general sense BBC has a better approach to Russia than USA Media does. I am glad to see that, For the Russian media talks good about the whole situation with the EU. Moscow looks forward to real communication and desires it. But as you can see CNN headlines the situation to make it sound like Russia is threatening the EU! Guess what? Russia is not threatening the EU.

These articles are over the same meeting by the European Union!

Russia welcomes ‘responsible’ EU! (BBC) Russia has welcomed the “responsible” outcome of an EU crisis summit that condemned the country’s intervention in Georgia but did not impose sanctions. Russia’s foreign ministry said it regretted the bloc’s accusation of a “disproportionate” response in Georgia. But it said that most EU countries had shown they wanted to continue partnerships with Russia. EU leaders agreed to suspend talks on a strategic pact with Russia until its troops were withdrawn from Georgia. But Russia expressed merely “regret” over this decision, classing it as the latest in a long line of blockages to a much-delayed agreement. “Moscow over the past two years has got used to artificial obstacles to this document,” the ministry said in a statement. “There were calls from some states to impose sanctions on Russia and freeze relations,” it continued, adding: “The main thing, however, is they are in the minority and the majority of EU countries have manifested a responsible approach.”

Russia rejects EU partnership talks threat! (CNN) Russian officials Tuesday criticized the European Union for threatening to postpone talks on a new political and economic partnership deal over the war in Georgia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has issued another warning to the West over Georgia. The Associated Press quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko as saying that a “partnership” with the EU “should not be a hostage to the conflict” over Georgia. Vladimir Chizhov, Russia’s envoy to the EU, added that he was not surprised that the European Union stopped short of imposing sanctions on Russia, AP said. He told reporters in Moscow that both sides are “too interdependent,” adding that “Russia and the European Union are bound by destiny to be close partners.”

Title say it all……

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

EU, NATO, UN, America, USA, Europe, Western World: Listen up and remember this!

In this part of the world Ukraine has decided to irritate Russia about the Black Sea Fleet….

Ukraine demands Russia to give 72 hour notice on Black Sea Fleet movements. Ukraine passed a bill announcing that Russia must……. “restrict Russian warships at the leased military base at the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, saying the vessels` movements were subject to Ukrainian approval.” (Bad move Ukraine)

Ukraine to increase rent for Russian Fleet by up to 25 times. From January 1, 2009, the Ukrainian leadership is planning to up the rent for the Crimean territories where Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is stationed…… (Can some say, Stupid move?)

Why would Ukraine do this?

My only thought is that they want to loose the Crimea……

In Moscow, coverage of Georgia has so far drowned out the rumblings in Ukraine, but some Muscovites are clear where they stand…

“No one in my circle —and they’re rather well educated— would say the Crimea is Ukrainian territory.”

I will attest to that, Russians feel that the Crimea is Russia and you will see that Crimea thinks it is Russian. That was the first issue that I got to experience in Ukraine at Border crossings, When you cross into the Crimea you cross into another world. My wife automatically says: “Yes, Crimea is Russian” as the thought any other way is non existent…

So when Ukraine gets itself into hot water over trying to play games with the Russian Black Sea Fleet don’t sit in front of your TV and say: “I did not know that!” as you are told lies about Russia is aggressively acting and started this, blah, blah, blah!

For the Fact is: Ukraine started the game of: Russian Black Sea Fleet will do as we say or else… (This is not a game with Gas & Corporate issues, this is a game over Military issues and Russia will never accept that.)

So when the world turns upside down again and Ukraine is crying about Bad Evil Russia: Remember that Ukraine kept poking the Bear over Russia’s Black Sea Fleet…

Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…