Category: Russia

How you doing today?

I am fine & dandy myself and that coffee is exceptional this morning. I found that milk has dropped over 20 rubles a carton, eggs actually went down 10 rubles per 10 each, bread was 12 rubles a kilo loaf and I have a years supply of coffee waiting for me to sip away at it…

Yes; I am happy, but my joy is nothing compared to what I see and feel around me, as I walk and talk among Russians in Russia. Russians have acquired a new pride of Russian life and it is permeating throughout the society…

Go shopping and the stores, just burst, crammed packed full of internally made Russian products. Actually, I realized that Russia had made changes and I have talked about the agriculture, factories, and warehouses being developed all over. Though I under estimated to what extent they could carry it all out and now I will, “set the record straight… *”

*The Russians have increased productivity a hundred times or more and it shows from cheese to toilet paper…

Yes we had some price increase and due to internal efforts, the Russians have basically self-regulated what needs done to keep from putting a hardship upon the totality of society. Prices for Russian made products are good and the quality is excellent…

The main statement I am making today is I am seeing Russians smile, laugh, sing, and dance. This is in everyday life. The prevailing mood is sunny, delightful, and future bound…

What makes life good?

Well to me it was having a three-day holiday this past weekend and now I am cooking a pot of chicken soup. That is good, for the chicken (grown in Russia) was 116 rubles a kilo and that equates into $1.90 a kilo; which is .86 cents per pound. This will make four meals and that is good…

November 1989 is what people in the west need to remember and associate with Russians. That was a time frame that Sveta my wife will tell you, “Was horrendous and we lost our country and tried to lose our souls!” Between Gorbachev and Yeltsin, Russia became sold to the west for the highest bidder and when Putin came into power he pulled up the boot straps and started to steer the ship called Russia in a better direction…

The west thinks that they can easily convert a population of people who have been through hell and back to go through hell and back again. Ignore Ukraine, they are not Russians and not the same in a general sense. Ukrainians are extroverts and Russians are introverts…

Russians are far in the opposite direction of Americans, when it comes to intellect, my world I live in Russia is one of Masters and PhD level people. Everywhere I travel, I find intellects as a major part of the populace. Sveta is Masters degree in math and Computers. Her mother is a math major. Her son is the same at Masters level and one day a PhD. He ex husband is a college professor and almost all her friends have degrees. At first I thought this was just because Sveta is an intellect and we travel in that circle. Not true, education to a PhD is free as a right to Russians and only a fool would turn that down. Russians are no fools…

Therefore, the recent death of an opposition character has actually brought about the reversal effect that the west expected and we in Russia, all know the western involvement, some way or another. The government of Russia being nice (sometimes too nice) says different, but the people in Russia have woke up to America and her shenanigans…

Awareness is the driving force behind the grow of  in Russia…

The exuberance of realization:

That Russia is her own country and not a vassal state. Russia is a country that can defend herself and others if need be and Russia is a country that has finally decided on the direction to steer herself and that is east…

Having a purpose and a future is happiness. Having a government that tries to see the way of the people, is also very important and Russia has such a government. Not perfect but a hundred times more democratic than the government American has…

Transformation…

The process of transformation is everywhere and I feel it happening as I write this article. There is a saying that I like…

“Evil men have no songs! How is it that the Russians have songs?”
by Friedrich Nietzsche

Good question and the answer is easy…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

PS: To be west is so mundane, to be east is so hip…

Once upon a time: I remember my first true experience with how Russians hide their businesses. We were on a trip that Sveta and I took to our village home. We had to find an auto parts. We finally asked if the town had an auto parts store?

“Sure they did,” said everyone you asked. Everyone knows that it is just down the street, turn left, turn right, turn left, cross the ditch, turn right again, and turn left again and you won’t miss it…

But you will still never find the business because they do not have a sign out that says Auto Parts or actually, you will not find any sign for any reason, much less a business. You will not find it because it is located in someones house and they have a huge fence barricading the world from seeing that house. So you drive by it 10 times until someone else finally guides you there…

Of course everyone in town knows where it is at… 🙂

That is a Russian business. Word of mouth is king. (No pun intended!) Why put a sign up? You might get unwanted business and have to work…

If you do find a sign for a business you will find one of several things wrong with it… (But most likely, you will not find a sign!)

1.) The business is, “Out of business!”
2.) The sign is located on the wrong business or building. What you want is across the street, to the left and one block at the first light and then to the right…
3.) The sign is from the Soviet era and unreadable except for the hammer and sickle…
4.) The sign is hand written, on paper, taped to the door, outside, years old, and is in tatters all curled up…
5.) The sign has nothing to do with the true nature of the business…
6.) The sign is visible after you pass the business and you either turn around or go somewhere else…
7.) The hours posted mean nothing, for no one follows them…
8.) The sign uses English words that make no sense to a Russian…

The last one is interesting and it makes me wonder why they use American lettered signs. We have a “Chicago Style food” place near us and the sign is big as all get out. It says, “Chicago Style Foods” in huge bold letters. The problem is no one here, but me, knows what the heck “Chicago Style Food” is and the food they serve is definitely not “Chicago Style Food.” By the way I seriously would not eat there. Does the term “rat hole in the wall” mean anything to you?

Oh – but Russians regularly do post signs for one thing. In fact they are really good about posting this particular sign. It is almost guaranteed to be found on any business that you have just spent two to three hours looking for. The sign that they will post says something like: Tea Time – 20 minute break will be right back!

* * * Believe you me, in Russia “Tea Time,” is so important, that truck drivers will stop in literally the middle of the road and have their tea. Tea is serious business in Russia… * * * (That is another story!)

When Sveta sees that sign. She says, “Lets go, You don’t know what 20 minutes they mean!” At first I was confused, but after living here in Russia awhile. I realize that she meant, They won’t be back today…

That is a Russian business for you and now you know a little more about Russia…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Hello everyone, hope all is good today?

It is hard to image how you can find a calm sort of peace within a city as huge as Moscow and her surroundings are. Huge in size and population. That is the thinking this morning as I sip on a wonderful cup of coffee. In fact I think that before I start thinking, I will go and make a second cup of coffee and then sip it, while I finish my article…

There, now that is perfect! See what I mean? Peace and quiet…

Holidays in Russia are wonderful, the people literally all get off work for the holidays and they stay inside and or play in the parks, which being located all over the place in Russia, create happiness galore. Oh, the holiday is March 8th, International Women’s Day and Monday (3/09/2015) is the day off for that particular day…

See, peace and quiet…

* * * * * * * * * *

Spring is here and I hope it stays here. In fact it has been the best winter since I have been here in Russia. Nine winters have passed behind me here in this wonderful country and while there have been ups and downs, nothing is worse than the roller coaster of a ride, I endured in the USA…

Thinking is pretty simple this morning:

1.) Snowden is either an idiot for trying to leave Russia or a planted patsy and his work done. I am leaning on the latter…

2.) McDonald’s and Coke Cola are starting to gasp and die in Russia. It is a toss up right now, if they will survive. Same is happening in China and looks like possibilities in both countries of complete removal of the companies could possibly happen. This is a death blow to these companies, for they do not survive on US sales alone anymore. I think that it would be a perfect storm scenario, if BRICS became a Coke and McDonald’s free zone… 🙂

“Don’t McDonald’s and Coca-Cola want to support Obama’s sanctions and rid us of their products? They would be true to their principles and we would be healthier,” the head of the lower house of parliament’s foreign affairs committee in Russia, Alexei Pushkov wrote on Twitter…

3.) If the US was anymore obvious about her death wishes for the world, she would have to take her pants down and crap straight on the worlds face, to relay her message any stronger to us all. Fact is, the US is a rogue country run by hate and warmongering. Reminds me of one of those little African dictator countries, that we all hear about, except America is the biggest most powerful gorilla in the room…

4.)  Six men pulled in “so far,” over the assassination of Nemtsov. Five captured and one blew himself into little pieces, with a grenade. Four of the ones left, are pretty quiet and head hangers, but one (fifth) stands out as the attitude in the group. He likes to give Islāmic love signals to the picture takers…

5.) We should look at life, like this photo shows below. We humans are most likely the worse thing to have appeared on Mother Earth and we always put greed before life itself. That is so against nature, that I take it to mean, we are not from this planet, but a viral organism that’s injected into the ecosystem to see if we could survive…

They point fingers and blame the Soviets, but no one is doing serious things to stop the death and we still blame the Soviets, many years later. Seems blames does not fix the issue…

6.) Europe (with exception of lap-dog Britain,) are all expressing the astonishment at the fact that America is frothing at the bit, like a rabid dog, over wanting a war with Russia. This has become a major concern, after the realization that America is run by NeoCons who desire nothing less than WW3 and death to all and all a goodnight. It is coming to the surface that America while it was psychopathic at its best days, now has become psychopathic and sociopathic on its best days, mixed together in a profound level of density that pales the total population, as a whole. Sorry norm has become deviant…

7.) Big news people, America is becoming isolated; China has stepped up and is batting full strength for Russia. The red lines are being drawn and stepping over them is going to be suicidal in the long term. The new empire in the east is showing tremendous patience with the floundering empire in the west. This is the way to do it and not by trying to show that you are the biggest cock on the walk…

* * * * * * * * * *

Sveta loves holiday, she sleeps in and relishes the down time. We usually find a place to eat out later after I cook a breakfast at home and preceding the dinner I cook at home also. We both find that the cooked at home meals are the best, but it is nice sitting in a restaurant and just talking about the future and life in general. Sveta and I have lots of irons in the fire, so to speak, we seem to not be able to get all done within a short time. The time frame seems to be five years or more to achomplish what we want to get done…

I am getting ready to spend the summer in the village and grow our food supply this year. It is time to finish the village home and get it ready for a unknown future, that is leaning to the dark side, being driven by the Western Empire…

This quote says it all to me…

“Give me the money that has been spent in war and I will clothe every man, woman, and child in an attire of which kings and queens will be proud. I will build a schoolhouse in every valley over the whole earth. I will crown every hillside with a place of worship consecrated to peace.” – Charles Sumner… (American Statesman and Abolitionist, Lived from 1811-1874)

Time to grab a cup of coffee and do some thinking!

Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia

Happy March 8th to everyone…

From Sveta, Kyle and Boza
at Windows to Russia…

BEIJING, Russia and China will jointly support the international peace an security, they will also defend results of World War II, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a news conference on Sunday.

“Russia and China are permanent members of the UN Security Council. We shall continue strategic coordination and cooperation for support of the international peace and security,” he said.

“This year, both countries will have large-scale events devoted to the 70th anniversary of Victory in the war against fascism. We shall be supporting each other, support jointly the international peace and defend results of World War II,” the foreign minister said.

Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia

President Putin also reduced the wages of Kremlin administration, government staff and the Chamber of Accounts by 10% as well.

In a move that will shock the western governments. Russia has cut not just governmental employees salaries 10% (I hear that some salaries are mandated and some will not be cut in the lower levels of gov. employees,) but the president on down has cut their pay also. No preferential treatment here, for the government is government from the top down…

MOSCOW, March 6. / TASS / Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that reduces the salaries of the president, prime minister, prosecutor general, head of Investigative Committee, Cabinet members and Kremlin officials by 10%, the Kremlin press service reported on Friday.

Update: The reduction will also affect those with salaries based on the 2004 Presidential decree that’s titled “On payment for executive power federal organization top managers” and those that fall under the 2013 decree “on the monetary remuneration of persons in public office,” as well as for other people, whose salaries are mandated by a federal law…

I laughed when I heard this. I laughed because, there is no way in hell that the governmental officials in America would cut their pay 10%. They would be more like to increase their pay 10%, while the rest of the country was docked 10% to pay for it…

Think I am kidding? Herman Cain would have done the same and you see how far he got for president. He was threatened big time for his thinking…

This also was strongly supported by literally everyone in the Russian government, for it is just correct, when the going is tough…

I think since the US is so far in debt, shouldn’t we be cutting lots of things to get out of debt? A little pain to make some gain?

Cutting the pay of politicians in America is one way to get rid of the rift raft…

Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia

Maybe this dish did not originate in Russia, but bring up the word Plov and a Russian will say Yummy or the equivalent there of! 🙂 It seems that Plov became a Russian tradition during the Soviet era. You can make this dish with chicken, turkey, pork, beef and lamb, or just simply without meat! So of the millions of way to prepare this dish. I chose my recipe that I served the Governor of Georgia in America once, at Georgia Military College…

Delicious Lamb Plov or Pilaf!

First the Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil.
1000gm cubed lamb (1 kilo)
2 large carrots sliced
2 large onions sliced
75gm dried apricots diced
50gm raisins.
700gm long grain white rice.
Sea Salt and course ground black pepper.
500ml chicken stock.
1 tsp grated orange rind.
800ml water.
2 medium red apple, cored and chopped.
2 – 3 whole garlic clusters (excess loose skin removed and top cut off, not bottom)

Next to Make:

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Over a stove on medium heat, put the oil in a large frying pan. When the oil is hot, add the lamb cubed and fry for 5 minutes.

Remove the lamb after 5 minutes and set aside in a bowl.

Then in the same frying pan add the sliced carrots in the same oil for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Then add the sliced onions and continue to cook for another 7 minutes.

Then add the diced apricots and raisins and cook for another 2 minutes.

Then add the rice to the mixture and cook for 2 more minutes. This is an important step and if you see that the heat is not holding up well in the skillet, increase the cooking time by a few minutes with the rice.

Now add the precooked lamb that you set aside in a bowl earlier, to the mixture in the skillet. Make sure all meat juices are added also! 🙂

Add salt and pepper to taste – even if you do not use salt – you need to add a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. They are very important to release the natural flavors of the dish. Just a pinch…
Then add the chicken stock, orange rind and water. (Stir thoroughly)

Bring back to a boil in the skillet and transfer all the contents of the skillet to an oven proof dish that will hold the contents comfortably. (allow for expansion of the rice)

This is where the garlic cluster come into play: Insert the garlic clusters into the mixture.

Remember that we preheated the oven to 180 degrees C. and bake for 40 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. (all liquid must be absorbed and do not stir while baking – repeat do not stir while baking)

After around 40 to 50 minutes you can remove the Plov from the oven. Now stir the Plov to mix all well… (care with the garlic clusters)

Scream for the family to come and eat…

Time to Eat: Take apple slices and lay them on the plate first. Take a nice scoop of Plov and cover the apples and those who love garlic get a cluster!

Yummy – Serves 6-8.

Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia

by John Stanton

“…Evil minds that plot destruction. Sorcerers of death’s destruction. In the keeps turning. In the fields the bodies burning as the war machine keeps turning…Politicians hide themselves away. They only started the war. Why should they go out to fight? They leave that role to the poor.” Black Sabbath,War Pigs

Oh, it’s out there. It is the US government’s Selective Service/Draft program that currently requires all males 18 years of age to willingly sign up for the opportunity to have the US government force them, under penalty of law, to work for the government in a killing and maiming capacity (military employment), or in a supporting role for those who are on the front lines doing the US government’s dirty work in far away lands and, who knows, perhaps here in the USA.

The Selective Service/Draft system us in sort of a state of suspended animation to be used only when a national crisis forces the US government to dig into the pool of bodies when the volunteer military force can’t handle the load placed on them by the requirements of its own government or the enemy. Open conflict with Russia, China or an intervention to stabilize a collapsed Mexican government/economy would likely necessitate activation of the Selective Service/Draft.apparatus. Already the US national security machinery is stretched to the breaking point with active duty and national guard personnel seeing multiple rotations to conflict zones on every continent. Domestically, the support network—including communities, families, volunteer organizations–for returning military personnel suffering from debilitating injuries to mind and body is nearly broken ,aided and abetted by greedy private contractors looking to make money not alleviate the suffering of the veterans.

Politicians and military commanders fear the activation of the Selective Service/Draft lottery as they would lose the ability to respond to the disgruntled or abused soldier, “ You are the one who volunteered.” This even though study after study shows the much ballyhooed volunteer military force exists largely because the civilian marketplace has no need for low-level labor (as it continues to jettison labor, Target for example) or the military marketing campaign that pushes the myth that military service trumps that of civilian law enforcement and first res ponders who keep American communities as :”free and safe” as possible.

According to Mint Press, ‘”The military also seems to be drawing recruits who have less education, as a recent report documented the percentage of new recruits entering the Army with a high school diploma dropped to a new low. The study, which was conducted by the National Priorities Project (NPP), found slightly more than 70 percent of new recruits joining the active duty Army had a high school diploma, nearly 20 percentage points lower than the Army’s goal of at least 90 percent. Army officials confirmed lowering their standards to meet high recruiting goals in the middle of ongoing conflicts that the U.S. was involved in around the world. Massachusetts-based research NPP concluded that the number of high school graduates among new recruits fell to 70.7 percent in 2008. “The trend is clear,” Anita Dancs, the project’s research director who based the report on Defense Department data released via the Freedom of Information Act, [indicated],“They’re missing their benchmarks, and I think it’s strongly linked to the impact [of] the Iraq War.” The study also found that the number of recruits with both a high school diploma and a score in the upper half on the military’s qualification test fell by 15 percent from 2004 to 2007. An analysis of recruiting data revealed that low- and middle-income families are supplying far more Army recruits than families with incomes of more than $60,000 a year.’”

War Pigs: You are Fungible

There are too many War Pigs to count. According to CNN “Former Texas governor Rick Perry wants US troops to go and fight ISIS in the Middle East. He terms the group “the face of evil.” Senator Lindsay Graham, a former military litigator, said this at an AIPAC conference, “ And if military force is ever employed [against Iran], it should be done in a decisive fashion. The Iranian government’s ability to wage conventional warfare against its neighbors and our troops in the region should not exist. They should not have one plane that can fly or one ship that can float.” That means that the US “volunteers” will be responsible for eliminating all the Iranians who operate such machinery. One assumes that Graham also thinks no armored vehicles or missile systems or small arms should exist either. The US military would need more than a volunteer force to totally defeat Iran and would c;likely contemplate the use of tactical nuclear weapons. Graham is clearly on the edge of insanity’s black hole as are his fellow Hawks.

On that note, American War Pigs want to sell lethal weaponry to its puppet government in Ukraine and actually want to get into combat with Russian troops. Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Martin Dempsey said, “I think we should absolutely consider lethal aid…” according to Time Magazine. That means private contractors are needed to sell the machinery and train the Ukrainian personnel.

Women will not long be exempt from Selective Service/Draft registration. It is only the continued dominance of the patriarchs that dominate US society that prevents women from shouldering the burden that men face with their Selective Service responsibility. Sean Kennedy writing for Collegian Central indicated that when Congress lifted the ban on women in combat in 2013, many people expressed concern that the inclusion of women would somehow degrade the quality of our military forces. Enter US Senator John McCain, War Pig extraordinaire and the the same American representative who glad-handed Ukrainian neo-Nazi and anti-Semite Oleh Tyahnybok in a show of support. “Senator John McCain urged special forces units to ensure that their “rigorous physical standards” are maintained. Never mind that women make up 15 percent of our military or that women have fought for our country as early as the Civil War. While there are certainly physical differences between men and women, the argument that this disparity is enough to warrant the exclusion of women is ludicrous and the perfect example of the mindset we need to distance ourselves from as a country.”

Not to worry. If a war with Russia or China breaks out, or with some as yet some unforeseen enemy, McCain and his ilk will be the first to turn to the Selective Service/Draft system to force women to fill the ranks of dead and wounded US military males.

The American war machine is positioning itself for large scale conflict. Every able-bodied American citizen, female and male, will be needed for the carnage.

Just wait and see.

John Stanton is a writes from Virginia. Reach him at captainkong22@gmail.com

Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia

Oh that cup of coffee is good this cold and snowy morning. I have some thoughts to put down in writing and decided that you all need to endure some more thinking from an American in Russia. Therefore, grab a cup of coffee and or tea and sit awhile…

Windows to Russia is an interesting creature. It seems to have a life of its own and when I try to get away, she reaches out and grabs me again. I am reminded of past women that I know, they could careless about you until you decide to look around and then they become interested again, at least until you get corralled back…

Therefore, I try to wean from the blog and she gets all hissy and decides to open up and allow the world in to see her again. This is one of those days and Windows to Russia is being slammed by good traffic. Three websites have grabbed a link to three different articles and it is a race to see which one will win at the end of the day. I just hope that the server holds up… 🙂

I have given Windows to Russia a new dress and the dress is plain and simple. This is simply a way to thwart the crap of life and believe me Windows to Russia gets plenty of caca. The market is real and Windows to Russia makes money from the sales on it and it is selling… Surprise!

* * * * * * * * * *

Even during the Soviet times, America was somewhat constrained in her actions. That has all changed and now we see the fruits of the labor of warmongers all over the US, Britain and Canada. Some others also, but they are small fry in the picture. It has become seriously a psychotic episode in the west and Russia is the target. Truly a sick society has become the Western Empire…

We have done what never has been done; we have succeeded in uniting Russia and China as one military power. I think everyone should get the picture in Europe. Start a war with Russia and there will be 500,000,000 million Asians crawling across Europe to protect their families living all over Russia and much of south Europe. Just like Russians have gone to protect their families in Ukraine over what America started there. Just think about what China will do to protect their families. I know Europe is starting to see the picture…

Really pretty simple; keep the hate and warmongering up, keep the sanctions out of control for lies, keep spreading the hummus thick on the bread, and when you trigger that war you so desire, God himself will laugh at you from the heavens as war appears on your doorstep and rips you a new asshole…

Russia and China are prepared to knock on your door and say hello, lets have tea together, before we start to play…

Then since America does not drink hot tea, as all good civil societies do. (Just maybe since Canada and Britain do drink hot tea, they will sit to talk?) Instead of a cup of tea, we will have radiated lakes of hot water to make future tea with…

Stupid is as Stupid does!

* * * * * * * * * *

I found it amazing that the huge food stores in Russia have all gotten together and are freezing prices on about 15 items. Staples I call them. That is customer service…

I also found it interesting that all Russia’s government employees have voluntarily after being asked kindly 🙂 , have taken a 10% cut in pay. Now that is customer service…

I also found it interesting that chicken costs me 99 rubles per kilo, black bread is 11 rubles per loaf, milk was 38 rubles per liter and cabbage was 22 rubles per kilo. But eggs at 53 rubles per 10 each, still sucks…

I also find it interesting that Russia still has not invaded Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia and a hundred other countries. Even though the west is screaming that Russia is invading the whole world. I think that maybe they have confused Russia with America (who does invade, rape and pillage the spoils,) but then Russia is in a whole another spot on the planet surface, but you know how things are…

How is your day? Mine is perfect…

Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia