Windows to Russia

Twinkies (Hostess Twinkies is a trademark of Interstate Bakeries Corporation). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hostess, the makers of Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Wonder Bread, is going out of business after striking workers failed to heed a Thursday deadline to return to work, the company said.

“We deeply regret the necessity of today’s decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike,” Hostess CEO Gregory F. Rayburn said in announcing that the firm had filed a motion with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to shutter its business. “Hostess Brands will move promptly to lay off most of its 18,500-member workforce and focus on selling its assets to the highest bidders.”

Hostess Brands Inc. had warned employees that it would file to unwind its business and sell off assets if plant operations didn’t return to normal levels by 5 p.m. Thursday. In announcing its decision, Hostess said its wind down would mean the closure of 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers, approximately 5,500 delivery routes and 570 bakery outlet stores in the United States. Source and read more >>>>

You know it is bad in the world when the Twinkie goes down for the count…

I watched once as I rolled a big snowball off a huge hill, as a little kid. It rolled and rolled and as it rolled, it got bigger and bigger. Then before I knew it, it got so big that it tore the barbwire fence up that it hit at the bottom of the huge hill. I mean it got really big and my bottom got really sore for doing what I did and I never did it again…

But what I am trying to say by my babbling is that, things start small and can become real big as they get out of control faster than we can stop it. As a little kid, I could start the issue, but stopping it was beyond my abilities…

One day just like Twinkies going down, the crash will happen because we can’t stop it from happening. Just like a little boy started a snowball rolling down the hill and enjoyed it all until the fence said stop and the fence broke…

What has happened to the Twinkie is a sign of our sick economy and country and you should be looking around, because you might just see more happenings rolling down big long hills…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Related articles

• Is it the end of Twinkies? (wcpo.com)
• Union strike kills Twinkies baker Hostess (wnd.com)
• Tastes change from Twinkies to tofu, hurting Hostess (voices.kansascity.com)
• Twinkies maker Hostess Brands going out of business following strike (abclocal.go.com)
• Hostess Brands To Shut Down (outsidethebeltway.com)

Our Volga and Boza…

I have to say that 3700 rubles for a years worth of car insurance is kinda a pleasant price to pay. That equates to a year worth of coverage for  around $125 dollars in America. That is a year not a month…

Many thing are that way here, from healthcare to automobiles…

Why not so long ago (couple of months – maybe?), we had a new clutch + put in our car. We had new clutch plate, throwout bearing, pressure plate, clutch slave cylinder, master cylinder (for brakes) and a couple of other things done. The total cost was around $300 dollars in American money and that included parts and labor…

Our Volga is like a new car now and drives just plain darn excellent…

Oh we also just got our technical paper redone a few days ago and that could be equated to an inspection for safety of the cars mechanical parts. Our Volga is in good shape and good for another year before we have to start all over again… 🙂

It just amazes me how much cheaper necessities (insurance to utilities) are in Russia for the comparable product in America…

Gotta run and I hope that you have a great day…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Related articles

• This is our Russia we live in… (windowstorussia.com)

Russian granny fights off attack by lone wolf:

Related articles

• Russian cattle herder tells how she killed a wolf – video (news.windowstorussia.com)
• Rabid Wolf No Match for Dagestani Granny (news.windowstorussia.com)

The Il-76 plane with 20 tons of cargo including blankets and articles of daily necessities has taken off from the airdrome in Ramenskoye in the Moscow region. The Russian ministry is to send more planes to New York later, loaded with pertinent necessities…

Finally! The way has been cleared for Russia to be allowed to send necessity supplies to Hurricane destroyed New York. The Hurricane Sandy was obviously much worse than what was being presented to the world and Russia knew this. It wasn’t a day past the death and destruction of Sandy and Russia was trying to get helping supplies sent to America…

They had 50 tons of cargo in several jets waiting to go and now the Russian news has politely expressed this: After delays caused by paperwork, two Russian flights will leave for New York on Tuesday carrying 27 tons of blankets and other household items to people who lost their homes to Hurricane Sandy…

The bottom line was that it was refused at first and tons of red tape had to be cleared while people went without. Then after Russia patiently waited and prodded and since the situation in the area of hurricane Sandy’s destruction is a total wipe out. The USA decided that 50 tons of supplies is very helpful. Russia has said there is more if needed…

I knew that it finally had been approved, because a few days ago the US State Department issued a whispered thank you to Russia, for supplies that are on there way…

People in Russia are really better informed than Americans about how bad it was in America with Sandy and the world really does want to help. I had told Sveta before it happened that it was going to be really really bad. I told her that really bad is my prediction and I saw that the Kremlin had put out the word for how bad it was going to be, even before the hurricane hit land. It was enough to see what it did to Cuba and others, so all you had to do was open your eyes and look around…

The issue is: These supplies should have been able to have been sent to America a week + ago, to help all the people in need. Instead I saw total disarray going on and looting everywhere. That is just what we saw, that was not covered up by the main stream news…

Sad…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

PS: Russia has already delivered humanitarian aid to Sandy victims in Cuba. Cuba did not have issues… 🙁

“Seven years ago, in September 2005, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry helped the United States in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,” the news agency reported. “Then, three EMERCOM planes delivered to the United States more than 60 ton of humanitarian aid, including medical supplies, rations, tents and blankets.”

Related articles

• Sandy’s Victims to Get Help from Russia (news.windowstorussia.com)
• Russia Sends Plane with Humanitarian Aid to Storm-Hit Cuba (moscow.windowstorussia.com)
• Russian Thoughts With a Cup of Coffee… (windowstorussia.com)
• Russian aircraft takes off to deliver humanitarian aid to Syria (panarmenian.net)
• Russia Sends Aid to US Victims of Sandy (voicerussia.com)

Public discontent over a ban on popular websites in the Russian sector of the internet is skyrocketing. The new law allowing authorities to compel ISPs to cut off unwelcome websites may force web surfers to unite against the government’s initiative.

­The federal law ‘On information, information technology and protection of information’ that came into force on November 1 empowered Russia’s Federal Supervision Agency for Information Technology and Communications to compose a blacklist of websites to be closed down.

The uniform register of prohibited websites, officially confidential, is constantly expanding. The list unites porn resources, file-sharing communities, websites dedicated to drugs or containing related information, websites dedicated to terrorist activities, pedophilia etc.

The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in a recent ruling called to ban online casinos and to oblige providers to eliminate links leading to such web resources.

The uniform register now reportedly consists of over 180 websites, some already defunct, others still operational.

An interesting fact about how the Information Agency tracks ‘bad’ websites is that anyone can anonymously submit a URL or an IP of a web resource the informer believes poses a threat on the official website of the agency. The information will be verified and if prohibited material is found there, the website will be closed.

Source and Read More >>>

Windows to Russia…

Related articles

• Bloggers’ fear: Russian crackdown on illegal web content causes stir (rt.com)
• Censorship row over Russian internet blacklist (news.windowstorussia.com)
• Russia Blacklists Over 180 Websites (news.windowstorussia.com)
• Russia’s secret internet blacklist (news.windowstorussia.com)

Ice cubes in a glass of iced tea. window, (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You would think a country that has Winter around 7 to 8 months a year would have ice cubes. That is what I am thinking about in conjuncture with a e-mail I received and they told me that they, “I Hate Russia because there is no ice in their drinks!” then they went on to say, “I even had to beg at McDonald’s to get ice and McDonald’s is an American company!” They did not even say anything good about Russia, just that they hated Russia (With explicit language included!) and that was their reason…

I guess each to our own and if you gotta hate! Hate for a good reason right? No Ice… 🙂

My conclusion is that any country that is frozen as long as Russia is frozen, does not have a desire for putting frozen cubes of water in their mouths. I know that I have lost the desire to cool myself with frozen water and I think that to a Russian, that would just be  stupid thing to do and climate has a whole bunch to do with it. Just like Russians are not happy with fans to cool themselves in the summer. Summer is just not that hot 99% of the time and they do not have the thoughts geared toward fans or ice…

Oh and this person had just been to Russia in the last month. If that is true then they did not need ice in the first place and if they wanted cold drinks, just place the bottle on the balcony for a few hours and the drink would be in the cold way very quickly. The other night it was -5 Celsius and it is freezing almost every night now and part of the days…

So while I feel for the poor American that did not have ice in Russia, I also think that hating Russia as vehemently as it was presented to me in the e-mail is just plain ignorant and to use it as a bases to hate something or someone is very sad…

So for you world travelers from the Western world: Russia has no ice for drinks and even McDonald’s will fill your cup ice-less unless you explain to them you want ice. To be honest, I want no ice and more soda…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia

Related articles

• Russian Thoughts With a Cup of Coffee… (windowstorussia.com)
• Ice Cube Screams ‘Everythang’s Corrupt,’ Says Election Is A ‘Money Game’ (coffee.windowstorussia.com)
• Russian Recipe: Kartoflyanki – Russian Style… (windowstorussia.com)
• Russia Calls For No Adoptions – Period… (October 2012) (windowstorussia.com)
• Russia and Her Grain Game… (windowstorussia.com)

Been very busy and have a lot of irons in the fire. Those are my thoughts this morning while I work an article for Windows to Russia into the schedule…

So I am sipping that cup of coffee and this time the coffee is from Belarus. I found a very good cheap coffee. It is full flavored and does not have any bitter after taste. It is 100% Colombian coffee and is processed (roasted) and packaged in Belarus. Good coffee…

A few things that are happening in our part of the world:

We just had a Globus Super Store from Germany, opened recently within two blocks of our home and what a store it is. It has several restaurants and a fast food place associated with it and it is just like having a Walmart available any time of the day. Now I see why Walmart is struggling to get into the Russian market. Everyone else beat them here… 🙂

According to the information available, from the marketing news. The store was built in an area that accommodates 350,000 people within walking distance to the store. 500,000 with in a short 10 to 15 minute drive. I think that this is enough people to keep the store going and to be honest, I think they understated the amount of people in the area. I would say closer to a million people will have easy access to this store. It is located that good and Sveta and I can walk just two blocks and we are at this store…

I also found very very cheap Russian processed coffee in this store and will try it out soon…

It is amazing how different the temperature is from Tunisia to Moscow and Sveta and I are wishing to be running around Tunisia again. It is so cold here and has snowed several times since we have been back…

Speaking of being back, Sveta and I went and saw the Broadway type play called Little Mermaid at a theater downtown Moscow. It was very good and we got free tickets through Svetas work Union, as they have to do something for all the monthly union fees that they collect and never have to pay out to anyone. Yes I was shocked when I found out that unions are a huge part of the Russian work force. Sveta tried to explain that they are left over from the Soviet times. As you see I tried to get a picture of the closing curtain call…

We also went to see a Shaolin Monk Show and it was very very good. Could not get any pictures of that…

Oh a small side note: If you believe even one iota of anything about this Petraeus issue, which now has garnered another victim in John Allen, then you are full of hogwash. Any country that allows a standing president as Clinton was to escape the indiscretions that he performed and these indiscretions were actually proven beyond a Shadow of a doubt as being true, to continue as if nothing happened. Is a country that should care less what Petraeus has done. The only difference is that the powers to be want Petraeus silenced and discredited. The fact that I think Bill Clinton is Dingle Berries, also means that I think Petraeus is the same form of crap. But what is good for one, is good for the other and to have a dual set of standards is the main issue and is wrong…

Well with that said, lets move on to something else…

I do have to say that all the petitions to secede are really cool and I hope that things get going on this issue. I see around 25 states have put forth petitions. Louisiana has already gotten their signatures and the rest are catching up. I have always been a believer that the states need to be totally separate governments and the federal government is to be very very very tiny. Oops – did I say that? Guess I better be looking up in the sky for a drone to terminate me at any moment… 🙁

Yes these issues in America are a favorite with Russians right now. Nothing like the almighty America to show her weak side while she continues to badmouth and blow up the world. It just makes Russians smile when they see the truth being laid out for all to see. Russians are use to the truth about Russia being exposed, but Americans are not use to American undergarments being shown to the world…

A final thing that I am think about!

People with any brains need to really do some thinking’s about the future of America. (Or as one Canadian yelled at me. It is not America it is the USA or United States (US) I live in America and so do you, but you live in the US and I live in Canada…) Things are getting rough and as fast as the system is collapsing, it is definitely sinking faster than the Titanic sank and with all the free drinks and goodies being given out, you will not realize that your head is underwater until it is too late. Blub blub blub…

Oh and a little tidbit of information: Globus crushed the McDonald’s that tried to open nearby us. I never thought I would see that happen, but McDonald’s was not allowed to open, when Globus dictated the rules. Globus has a fast food area inside the store. Hmm…

Cool…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Related articles

• Cup of Coffee and Tunisia Here We Come… (windowstorussia.com)
• Think With The Pocketbook as you Travel… (windowstorussia.com)
• Tunisia: Everyone in the big cities knows who you are… (windowstorussia.com)
• IKEA and that Russian Expansion… (windowstorussia.com)
• Mercury City Tower in Moscow Russia… (windowstorussia.com)
• The World is More Important… (windowstorussia.com)
• Tunisia – Interesting Concepts of Freedoms… (windowstorussia.com)

Kartoflyanki a little potato ball that is covered with fried onions, also many use a creamy sauce and smother them like with a gravy (Sorta like Swedish meatballs!). They are easy to make and everyone will love them, whether you eat them smothered or just pop one in your mouth and munch…

So how about a different way to serve those potatoes?

Ingredients:
800g/2lb potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
Salt and pepper to taste (Russians really do not use much pepper though!)
100g/4oz cornflour (cornstarch)
2 eggs
25g/1 oz butter
A little plan flour for counter surface non stickiness

Instructions:
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with salted water, bring to the boil then reduce the heat a little and cook for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender…

Preheat the oven to 180C – 350F and lightly butter a baking sheet…

Once the potatoes are cooked, drain well, return to the pan and mash…

Once potatoes are cooled down, add the cornflour or also called cornstarch, butter, egg, salt and pepper, mix well then turn onto a floured work surface and knead gently…

Shape the dough into small balls about the size of a walnut, place on the prepared greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes…

Traditionally served sprinkled with fried onions. I like to crispy fry the onions and they really make a great side dish for the Kartoflyanki! Of course Russians consider these a meal many times, as Russians at home do not hardly ever have over one or two items at a meal setting. Unless they have guests of course…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Related articles

• Simple Belushi a Almost Russian Recipe of Taste Bud Delight… (windowstorussia.com)
• Vegetarian Borscht: for those times that meat seems just too much… (windowstorussia.com)
• Parmesan Panko Potato Balls (beatcancer2010.wordpress.com)
• Stuffed Potatoes – Papas Rellenas (mexicraverecipes.com)

I found out some interesting information that I have been following for a while now. I have been looking at the gold production in Russia and then watching the gold being bought by the Central Bank of Russia. I started to see a hand in hand issue between production and buying. This also lead to grey area reports that gold production is off and exporting gold is going to curtailed. Kinda like the grain issues that have been going on lately in Russia…

Bottom Line: Russia which is a huge gold mining nation, is buying some, or basically all, of her domestic output for the federation reserves.  This internal buying of most of the domestically produced gold for Central Bank reserves is yet another form of gold off-take from the market, but if not recorded it does not appear in supply/demand statistics around the global markets…

So I did some searching around and found China and Venezuela are doing exactly the same thing and on top of it, so are several other countries. It seems that gold transactions are being hidden in all the ways that are possible to hide them…

I know that true gold production in Russia is at an all time high and that all the gold produced by the mines is whisked away as fast as it is procured. It is also being claimed that gold production in Russia will increase tremendously by 2015…

I always think about this quote from a book I read…

“Gold is the money of kings; silver is the money of gentlemen; barter is the money of peasants; but debt is the money of slaves,” wrote Norm Franz in his book Money and Wealth in the New Millennium (2001).

How true it is!

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Related articles

• Gold Buying Just by Russia? (windowstorussia.com)
• China and Russia are Acquiring Gold, Dumping US Dollars (weeklyintercept.blogspot.com)
• Central Banks Accumulating Gold (milesfranklin.com)
• Chukotka is the farthest northeast region of Russia: Chukotka’s gold… (windowstorussia.com)
• Russian ship carrying 700 tonnes of Polymetal gold ore spotted on seabed (news.windowstorussia.com)
• Trans-Siberian Gold 1H Loss Triples to $3.9 Mln (news.windowstorussia.com)

Grain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Well tis the season to play games and grain is that game in Russia. As you know I have been following the grain games in Russia for years and this time it is no different than many other times. While the grain bins are overflowing with grain, Russia says they do not have any and they try to short the market…

“The average consumption of grain in Russia is about 71mln tonnes. This year’s harvest is 70mln tonnes,” said Irina Vorobyeva from 2K Audit. “With exports totaling 10-14mln tonnes it could lead to a deficit in the domestic market. But the country has reserves of 20mln tonnes, that is enough to compensate for the exports”

The price of cereals and breads are dropping around where we live and I know that I pay almost 10 rubles less for my oatmeal than I did a few months ago. I am seeing 10 ruble drop on a loaf of bread. That is from a high of 25 rubles a few months ago, per loaf…

I see that on the home front prices are much better, but on the international front, grain is a rocket and Russia is going to ride that rocket for every penny (ruble) they can…

I had to smile how the above insert says that Russia uses 71 mln tonnes and we only harvested 70 mln tonnes, I watched 35 mln tonnes of grain disappear over the last few months in the news and I also saw record grain harvests all around the ares that Sveta and I travel…

Thew government is assuring us that grain is plentiful for the Russians and that the babushkas need to settle down and quit being upset. I will tell you that Russians get in a hissy over grain issues…

But hey! As long as I have my oatmeal cheap and my bread even cheaper, I am a happy camper. How about you? Is bread getting more expensive?

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Related articles

• Russia to Start Grain Intervention (news.windowstorussia.com)
• Putin Calms Russians Over Poor Harvest (news.windowstorussia.com)
• http://windowstorussia.com/russian-grain-game-again-and-again.html