Category: Russia

This is a subject that I have talked very little about and I am only talking about this subject now out of curiosity. Curiosity that stems from coming from a totally different society and mindset. It simply has to do with people being given their living quarters free and clear, after the fall of the Soviet Union. This is the coffee thinking’s today on this crisp, cold and sunny day…

It seems that in July of 1991, the Russian Federation passed legislation permitting tenants of municipal and departmental housing to acquire their units free of charge. I have over the years listened and studied the Russians I know and I can tell you that most if not all of the 100+ Russians that I have associated with, have at least one if not two or more paid for living quarters. Yes that is correct, they own their home(s), “Lock Stock and Barrel!”

The only real problem I saw with this, was the fact that many people never signed up and got the paper work done. In fact people that I see complaining are too lazy to take care of the paperwork and get their home in their name free and clear…

Putin just stated as a matter of, “It Will Happen!” –

“The president (Putin) believes that taking into consideration social significance of this problem it is necessary to raise the issue of prolonging public housing privatization for all categories of citizens for two more years,” The president’s spokesman, Peskov said.

“Therefore we proceed from the assumption that this issue will be studied in this manner, which will allow those categories of citizens, who failed to do this in time, to privatize their flats free of charge, although to be fair it’s worth noting that there was enough time to complete all privatization procedures,” Peskov said.

He noted that the issue of free public housing privatization “is very sensitive and concerns a great number of citizens.” The expiry date of free privatization is March 1, 2013. This is looming soon…

I have listened to Sveta and her mother. They have accomplished this task many years ago and because of Sveta’s aunt taking care of her side of things. Sveta and I have a place to live that is paid free and clear. We paid the family money and now the new unit we are in has no mortgage at all, zip, zill and no bank involved…

Living house payment free is strange experience for this American. I have paid off a home in the past, but I stupidly loaned on it and started a failing business. So in the end, I went two months with no house payment and then borrowed against it and then ended up loosing the home as collateral on a business venture…

The mind set in Russia is so different than from what I came from. Russians value family, security and most of all no taking out loans. In the end they have more money to spend and yet they make so much less than in the western side of the world…

Since most of these people are not getting the paperwork done, because they have always been supplied a home and it looks to be that nothing has really changed in their lives. So the threat of losing their home over the simple fact that they are lazy, means nothing to them and by what I see. They are correct…

Russia is now extending the deadline for people to get their flat put in their name – FREE!

This has been going on since 1991…

I ask you to stop a second and image the money that you would have available to spend on everyday life and even vacations, if your home was paid for and utilities where around a quarter of what you pay for them now!

No really think! I watch the world in Russia that I live in. I watch people with totally free healthcare, free homes and literally free utilities in comparison to the western world. Food staples are dirt cheap and to top it off many Russians have free or greatly reduced priced public transport…

As a society Russia has much more free spending money than many Americans. I know that my dollar goes much farther here in Russia and “That is That!”

So back to the subject at hand…

Russians have been allowed two more years to get their flats put in their names, free of charge. I know that it happens because all the Russians I know have done it and they all live in a flat that is paid for. The future generations of Russians are in a good way, if they are smart about how they treat their homes they inherit…

Why Sveta’s son Misha will inherit 4 paid for units, with no debt on them when his adult members pass away. Think about the possibilities available to future generations to live without debt strangling them all their life. He can lease these units and live happily forever after…

I bet they extend this deadline at least one more time in the future…

Russians! That is why I love Russia…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

US Asks Russia to Lift Meat Ban: Please take our Tainted Meat, because no one else will…

WASHINGTON, on February 11th 2013 has whined “What did we do!”: The US government on Monday called on Russia to lift a ban on US beef and pork imports containing the livestock feed additive ractopamine, which went into effect earlier in the day…

I have read that the US wants to talk about it, but the US was given a chance and ignored that chance…

Russia says, “We do not want the crap in our meat!” Russia says ractopamine is unsafe and dangerous, that it is imposing the ban on US meat imports containing the food additive, because the US Food Safety and Inspection Service failed to guarantee that beef and pork shipments would be free of ractopamine. Russia has waited for a response and one never came from America, where as Canada and several other countries complied and made concessions…

Once again it is an America that does no wrong and everyone is mean to her as she is so perfect and is the queen of perfection. Just listen to the stupid statement that comes out of several “foot in mouth” diseased individuals: “The United States is very disappointed that Russia has taken action to suspend all imports of US meat, which is produced to the highest safety standards in the world,” said US Trade Representative Ron Kirk and US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a joint statement.”

Seriously? The highest safety standards in the world! Seriously? Then they do not get out much do they?

Now if you knew what I know and what many people know who refuse to eat food produced by American big bussiness. Then you would roll your eyes at such a flagrantly pathetic attempt at trying to convince themselves that America has safe food standards…

Russia has responded to the whining with more banning of tainted food: Russia Bans Turkey Over Ractopamine Residues…

This is interesting: The food safety standards set by the United Nations, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, allows a measurable amount of ractopamine at 10 parts per billion! Now we find out that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows the usage of a standard of 50 parts per billion… (10 parts compared to 50 parts)

That seems to be a whole bunch higher…

Ractopamine, which is used to stimulate livestock growth and make meat leaner, is prohibited in around 160 countries world wide. The drug is just not a good thing to use and most of the world agrees…

In an attempt to politicize this issue, a leading association of US pork producers said the ban is less about food safety concerns and more about reducing competition for the Russian meat industry. “This is not about food safety issues, this is about protecting the domestic product,” said National Pork Producers Council spokesman Dave Warner as he also said, “Pork is a pretty important industry for Russia, so this is about reducing the competition for their domestic pork industry,” Warner said.

The US is worried that a lucrative market is about to be shut forever and last year the US exported just over 80,000 metric tons (88,183 tons) of beef to Russia at a value of $307 million, and more than 99,000 metric tons (109,126 tons) of pork at a value of $282 million…

A country that is as far in debt as America is cannot afford to lose any trade at all…

Please Russia, keep the tainted meat out of our stores in Russia! We have plenty of good meat to eat…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

P.S. – The food Americans are eating is “just plain horse crazy” and that is that…

While I have eaten horsemeat and rat, snake, alligator and variety of insects and other tasty treats in the world. I am against eating horse meat as a staple. I was raised to believe horses are a member of the family and they work the farm just like the humans work the farm…

Not long ago Sveta brought home horsemeat! Now in Russia horse meat is a staple and can be found in most stores. Eating horse is normal in many parts of the world. I just could not eat it and that is my western world upbringing. She eat it and Boza decided that it was the best thing since fried chicken and pork cutlets. I just was raised different…

But I have to laugh at the explosion of the UK society as I read everyday articles about horsemeat. I fact this article is stimulated by the fact that now they say:

Horsemeat found in British supermarkets ‘may be donkey’

That just set me to a laughing fit…

Then I really looked around…

What I thought was just a bunch of Britains running around and worrying about horsemeat, has developed into a European apocalypse

I see America has been blamed for horsemeat to Europe, I see Poland has been blamed. I see that Romania is blamed. I see fingers being pointed at Northern Ireland and to tell the truth, it has gotten way out of hand and it needs to stop. There is a hell of a lot more important things to worry about than whether you got horsemeat in you burger or lasagna. I see a “Next Stop!” and Europe saying, “Damn Russians eat horse meat, they gotta be the culprit…”

In fact I have been stunned that anyone would care enough to keep the media so involved in this story. There must be something going on that Europe is trying to cover up and keep peoples minds from questioning…

Nah they would never try to distract the public. Wish the media would do this same crazy reporting when the west kills thousands of innocent people all over the world. I guess it is all in the importance of the event… 🙁

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

For years I have talked about Russia buying gold and I have even posted several articles to keep an eye on what they are doing. In fact I have made it clear that Russia is preparing for the future when a petrodollar is no longer a feasible unit of measurement.This is what my coffee thinking’s are this morning as I contemplate gold…

Now read what Bloomberg prints…

Not only has Putin made Russia the world’s largest oil producer, he’s also made it the biggest gold buyer. His central bank has added 570 metric tons of the metal in the past decade, a quarter more than runner-up China, according to IMF data compiled by Bloomberg. The added gold is also almost triple the weight of the Statue of Liberty.

This falls in line with what has been happening for years in Russia and what I have seen happening. I find it interesting that everyone ignores the obvious and keeps on rolling in a bed made of worthless paper fiat money that is not valued as much as the cost of producing it…

It is things like this that interest me. I find it strange how we always get the information and that information is verifiable about eastern countries gold and financial dealings, but try to verify the fact if the US has the gold she says she has and try to understand what the real financial issue is in the west and you will hit a garbled wall of trash that means nothing in the least…

I figured it out…

China and Russia are buying gold as fast as they can buy it. Both are mining gold as fast as they can mine it. Both are running a race to see who can purchase the most gold. Both are on the doorstep of the western banks when those banks release gold to suppress the market…

Think about it…

Both countries want to be a world currency and be the petrol-currency of the future. So both are scarfing up gold to back that currency, as that is the way that their currency will be accepted as the number one currency. They know that the west has been selling her gold under the table trying to prop up a failing fiat money system and one day soon, the house of cards that has been built will come tumbling down when the correct breeze makes its way int the glass house that has been built…

Just watch as Russia turns “Black Gold” into “Yellow Gold” – hmm…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

The government must take into account the opinions of Russian society when considering introducing a special juvenile justice system, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday at a congress of the Russian Parents Opposition group.

“The opinion of society, it goes without saying, will be heard and considered. In these issues, there must be no place for secrecy or imposition when taking on these projects,” Putin said.

Russia has been working on the implementation of a special justice system for handling juveniles since it signed the European Social Charter back in 2000. That initiative has been strongly opposed by conservative groups in Russia, including the Russian Orthodox Church, as an alien western practice damaging traditional family values.

Children’s rights ombudsmen offices have been established across the country in the past year, but there is still no separate branch of the courts for dealing with minors.

Putin said over 141,000 citizens had signed a petition expressing concern over introduction of a juvenile justice system, and said he recognized the concerns of those who thought that a series of draft laws on guarantees for the rights of children contained social risks.

“And most importantly, Russian family traditions are not fully taken into account in them,” he said.

Over half (57 percent) of Russians questioned in a survey last week backed the idea of juvenile courts in Russia, but some 71 percent said they were against children’s rights taking priority over those of their parents.

Sixty percent said minors should not be allowed to take action against their parents in the courts, according to the survey conducted by the VTsIOM state-run polling organization.

Windows to Russia…

The Winter Olympics, held for the first time in Russia, are to take place from Feb 7 to 23, 2014 in the Black Sea resort of Sochi…

Russia has begun the one-year countdown until the Black Sea city of Sochi hosts the Winter Olympic Games. President Vladimir Putin attended the event after firing a senior official in the organizing committee.

Cities across Russia began the festivities by unveiling special clocks in their main squares which are to countdown the days, hours and minutes until the Sochi Winter Games open in one year’s time.

The capital, Moscow, unveiled a clock measuring six meters (19.69-feet) in height near Red Square. The mayor, Sergei Sobyanin was joined by Olympic champions Svetlana Zhurova and Ivan Ukhov for the unveiling ceremony.

So I put this widget here so that everyone can come by when they desire and see how long before the next Winter Olympics start…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

The Big Mac index is a guide to alignment of world currencies in regard to the US dollar and is based on comparing price for a McDonald’s Big Mac in various countries. In January 2013 a burger in Russia cost $2.43 at market exchange rates, while in the United States the price was $4.37. So the “raw” Big Mac index shows that the ruble was undervalued by 44.5%. This means, the US dollar exchanges to the Russian ruble at 1/30.5 rate, while its actual rate should be 1/16.69, according to the index.

The Big Mac index…

Yes a Big Mac is only $2.08 near us in Russia. I am always amazed how cheap McDonald’s is in Ukraine and Russia, compared to America! In fact a few months ago we bought a Big Mac in the heart of Moscow and it ran 76 rubles. That is around $2.53 per Big Mac and it is located in one of the most expensive cities in the world… (That is what they say! I don’t see it…)

To top it all off, it is the exact same food! I mean exactly…

Hmm, you should be doing some thinking’s…

That is some serious inflation in America, because when I left America years ago. A big Mac was under $3 (My last Big Mac – American made was $2.58 in Covington, Kentucky – seven years ago…) and my first one in Russia was over $2 even then. Basically the price in Russia has stayed dormant and in America it has rocketed..

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

P.S. These are averages for the countries. So your price could be more or less for your Big Mac. Mine is less and I have seen them many times below $2 in Russia…

Over 1.2 million people sign a petition demanding President Mikhail Saakashvili’s resignation! These petition signatures were collected in Georgia, by the representatives of the non-governmental organization “Unanimity for the Rights of Society…”

Now in anyone book that is a major portion of the population! I find it interesting that the West does not even talk about this, except on the back page near the obituaries and recipes…

But let a few thousand people walk around Moscow and scream murder and there is a thousand reporters form the western media trying to blow the story up into a scandal that rivals “Peyton Place” everyday of the year…

In Georgia that is like 27% of the population and that speaks volumes about what the people want!

I don’t see Sassy leaving anytime soon and I suspect he will cause trouble before and after he leaves, unless as we use to say, “They run him out of town on a rail car!”

I have watched this last month at the numbers of signatures growing on this petition and I have to say that Sassy needs to retire and enjoy the Bahamas or somewhere else just like his best buddy the Ex-President of Ukraine is doing. You know you never hear hardly a word out of Yushchenko and he is smart enough to keep it that way…

Interesting…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Russia said that they will talk with Georgia again after Saakashvili is no longer around and in power! That is what is crossing my mind in thinking’s this morning as I sit down to write this post. So it is sip coffee time and write what I think about life…

Well as I said above, that time has come and even though Saakashvili is still hanging on to his Presidential Palace with his finger nails, he has no power and is all alone in that wonderful Palace on the cliffs over looking old Tbilisi…

The news is full of “Georgia this and Georgia that” now in Russia. Now Russia will import Georgian Wines again and the Georgian Prime Minister is coming to Moscow and and and and and…

The western press is not paying attention and for a good reason, the western governments have told them to ignore Georgia for now. Saakashvili is a flopping fish on the beach and the newly elected government is pro Russian, not pro America…

I thought of a good thing for Saakashvili to do! He can go to America and run for President in the next elections. That would a be a perfect thing to allow him to expand his ideas of democracy in America and he would definitely help to expand the American police state into a thing of beauty, all over the USA…

No really! The next step for America is to have a good Foreign Puppet Dictator with fake democracy implements, from the king of democracy America, to take over the helm of the sinking ship and turn America into the country of the neoconservative war machine dreams…

I mean who cares if you are a sinking ship? As long as you can still make those canons roar with death, go down with the guns blazing! Saakashvili is the man for the job…

So now Russia is embracing Georgia again and Georgia will finally be able to enjoy the fruits of the labors of her people as now a market will open up for her goods. You must understand that for years now Georgia has been devastated because the western world, that so whole hardily provoked the “War of 2008!” between Georgia and Russia. Never fulfilled all the promises of glory that were hung as carrots in front of Saakashvili eyes…

Lets hope that Saakashvili will be kept under wraps and Georgia can get back on track. Lets hope that Georgia can work things out with Russia and work out a end to the situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Lets hope that the Georgian people can once again embrace the families that live all over Russia and the same for Russians with families all over Georgia…

Really after visiting Georgia and other CIS countries, this American realized that they are all good wonderful people, who are the same people in their hearts…

It is just really sad that they allow the west to play political games and insert said “democracy dictator” per color revolution. It is time that these old CIS (Soviet) countries learn to bind together and grow into a proper powerhouse of a world leading government entity…

It is damn for sure that many of them (Soviet countries) have all degraded into a cesspool separate from each other and that my friend is exactly what the west wanted and intended…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

When Sveta and I go out to eat and we pick a cafe, instead of McDonald’s (Which is most of the time!). This picture is a perfect example of what would feed two people and it would be considered a very normal meal…

Two soups, one bread, one pie with cabbage, two room temperature drinks, a salad and two meat cutlets and potato plates. The potatoes would be easily substituted with grechka as a side dish with the meat. You stand in line, cafeteria style and as you see you carry everything on a tray…

This is what we find 90% of the time as we travel around Russia and eat out. The food is plain and just plain delicious. Cost of a meal like this will run on average about 200-250 rubles ($6.50-$8.50) at a normal small village cafe…

You never go away hungry and getting to meet the locals is always the best way to go. The owners of these cafes that we eat at love it when an American appreciates their food and believe you me, I appreciate good food… 🙂

The only difference in the meal would be that many times we get hot tea instead of a drink. The drink above is a light smoky flavored drink that I really like and they have another drink that is fruit berry based. Either one is perfect to drink and of course coffee is always available at most places. Water is not available unless you buy it by the bottle. Russians do not supply ice water with the meals or ice with anything for that matter…

Just thought that you would like to see what you would eat in a Russian cafe as you travel Russia. Now do not confuse this with eating at a fancy restaurant in Moscow. They are not the same thing and definitely not the same cost…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…