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Much Ado About NothingBy Andrew Roth
Russia Profile05/18/2011Russia’s most burning political question was not answered today, as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev frustrated expectations that he would give an announcement on whether he would be running in the 2012 elections. The press conference was Medvedev’s first stab during his three years as president at holding the type of public question-and-answer session that was made popular by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during his presidency. Yet with little new to say, it remains unclear what Medvedev gained from the much-hyped event in the first place. Read More

Good Article…

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Putin reveals outdoor passions in US interview:

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin spoke of his passion for fishing and extolled the virtues of the outdoor life in an unusual interview with a US hunting and fishing magazine published on Wednesday.

“I value more and more what sport has given me, the habit of a healthy way of life, and the opportunity to be in the countryside,” Putin, once famously photographed fishing with a muscle-bound naked torso, told Outdoor Life magazine.

The interview was published in full in the original Russian in the Russky Pioneer magazine, where Putin writes an occasional column.

“As for fishing, it is close to me and I love it, and I always make use of unfortunately the very rare opportunity to sit with a rod,” said Putin, whose last public fishing outing was with Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi.

“It’s true work sometimes helps. How else would I be able to fish in America and what’s more in the company of two presidents?”

Putin praised early 20th century president Theodore Roosevelt’s creation of national parks in the United States, calling him a “passionate defender of untouched nature” and praising his “huge, priceless contribution… to nature preservation.”

Asked about whether it was appropriate for a president to be photographed in outdoor pursuits, Putin says: “I remember well a photograph of Theodore Roosevelt, on which he is shown not simply with a gun or a fishing rod, but with a lion he killed himself.”

While the magazine covers hunting and fishing, Putin is avowedly not a hunter, unlike Soviet leaders such as Khrushchev and Brezhnev.

“I am not a hypocrite and I think that hunting as a leisure pursuit has the right to existence, but only in certain cases, when it is properly regulated and when the animals are able to regenerate,” Putin said.

Putin has taken part in expeditions to tag a whale and a Siberian tiger, as well as heading the Russian Geographical Society, in an interest in ecology that burnishes his action man image but also appears heartfelt.

Putin gave an interview to Outdoor Life magazine, in a quirky choice of media outlet, after a columnist called him “the coolest man in politics.”  -AFP

Hummm – Good job Putin…

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Today as promised we will take a picture tour into the Privoz Market. It was said to have began in 1827. It is a buyers paradise and anything (I mean anything) can be found there somewhere…

It seems that the main market is devoted to foods and then as the market grew it encompassed a whole array of other goods and services…

Sveta and I bought: Oranges, apples, spinach, shirts, coats and spices. The spices were the treat for me (You can see a spice stand in the first picture of the gallery.) and this market had huge selections of spices from all over the world. It was an ex-chefs delight. At times there was so many people and stuff to look at that it became overwhelming… 🙂

Part of the charm was how much it was like markets from my youth in America. Where meat, dairy, fruits and veggies were haggled over and purchased from an individual instead of a chain supermarket. Russia has these markets also and that is what makes it fun to shop in Russia…

So while, yes it had its seedy characters (Watch your billfold) and questionable material / food items at times. But the people and experience is part of what makes us human and capable of dealing with the world better than we do in a sterilized inhuman environment…

May we never lose these type of markets to modernization and stigma’s…

Just another reason I love Russia and Ukraine…

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While sipping that morning cup of coffee. I was doing some thinking’s on the Russian presidency. The media either from the West or East, has “their panties all in a twist” trying to figure out what is going on with Medvedev and Putin…

The articles either extenuates or exasperates the situation according to what ever opposite issues said article decides to attenuate to…

I know that from what I have observed since Medvedev went into office, that he is the lessor of the two leaders and has lashed out at the Russian base of power in an attempt to prove that he is top dog. I know that Medvedev’s legacy is for the ability that he has to terminate people and not for the ability to work things out…

The ability to terminate everyone, a leader that does not make…

So is there an issue between Putin and Medvedev?

All I know is that Putin is perceived to be in tune with the common people of Russia and when someone like my Sveta who always votes communist says, “Putin makes more sense than Medvedev and I might just vote for Putin this time instead of communist.” That echos what I hear out and about in Russia. I realize that the people that I associate within Russia see Putin as the strongest of the two and the most honest of the two (Even if they do not like him!). Putin exhibits strength, down to earthness and control. Also Putin by creating the “All-Russia People’s Front” will definitely broaden the base of his ruling party, get him distanced from the stigma of a corrupt United Russia and increase his support before a parliamentary election in December. This “All-Russia People’s Front” seems to me that it has a tiny bit of the old communist flair to it. That is a strong undertone in this countries heart and Putin realizes that you must communicate with the people not talk over them…

What ever the situation is that is developing between Medvedev and Putin. Medvedev needs to remember that Putin put him where he is at. The people of Russia know this and one thing I do know, is that back stabbing is taboo in Russia. No one turncoats on someone and does not chance being ostracize by society…

So what will happen with the Russian presidency will be disclosed over time and if this rift is real. Then we will see interesting happenings. The West has already forged into the fray. They whole heartily support Medvedev in their articles. They portray Medvedev as the savior of Russia and portray Putin as a stagnation of Russia. That is a detriment to Medvedev and Medvedev really needs to rethink his “I love Western attitude.”

For that Dog will Bite…

Just some thoughts today over a cup of delicious coffee…

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Kremlin Tells Kids Opposition Is Important

I found this link above (Click the далее button!) interesting, but it is in Russian. So some English information to get you started below…

Entrance page has a little statement on it. It goes something like this…

“Do you like when you and I do not agree? Argue, argue, contradict it. Of course, you do not like that. Those who are with someone who does not agree, then that is another opposite view – We call them the Opposition.”

Educational information on the site is broken down into small paragraphs and accompanied with pictures ranging from a pirate with an eye-patch to a mischievously grinning TV news anchor. The site is centered on children aged 10 to 12… (More or Less)

“In a healthy democratic society, those who disagree with state policies help the authorities, not hinder them,” reads the text in the “What’s the Opposition and Why Do We Need It?” section of Kids.kremlin.ru…

Deeper looking into the site: “Dissenters look for mistakes by the authorities — which is a good thing. Let them look. This is what makes the state authorities feel their responsibility to citizens.”

Hummm…

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PS: Looks like this site has been around since 2004 but this is a new twist on the site agenda to appease the Opposition. Of course the Opposition says, “Bah Humbug…”

So follow the link and play around. If you have to use a translator. You will get the gist… (The site will not bite…)

Russia will not back a possible UN Security Council resolution on Syria, President Dmitry Medvedev told a Skolkovo press conference outside Moscow on Wednesday…

“I will never support such a resolution, and even my closest friends will not be able to prod me to do so”, Medvedev said…

Political unrest shows no signs of abating in Syria, where protesters demand an immediate ouster of President Bashar al-Assad…

Earlier this year, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on the introduction of a no-fly zone over Libya and Medvedev was critically accounted for by that action, by the people of Russia…

Source The Voice of Russia…

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The Yo-Mobile looks to be a huge success. It seems to be a factor of timing and if they can produce what they say they are producing, then the Yo-Mobile is the new wave of automobiles for the near future…

New cars will cost 350,000-450,000 rubles ($12,000-$15,000). A Yo-Mobile features a maximum speed of 75 miles per hour (120 km/h), a cruising range of 249 miles (400 km) and an estimated fuel economy rating of 67 miles per gallon (or almost 30 km per liter)…

Hummm – The price is right and the statistics are great…

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I took 500+ pictures on this trip. It is nice having a really good camera phone that takes pictures as well as many cameras do. Sveta forgot her camera because she was in such a hurry to get to Ukraine and had so many loose ends to tie up before leaving. So we were saved by my Android Camera Phone…

This is a warm up post on the Sea Port at Odessa. It was a fun place and the weather was cool and delightful…

Odessa was a fantastic city and I will have several posts to cover all that we saw. Tomorrow I will post pictures on one of my favorite places in Odessa – The Odessa Market or really it is called the Privoz Market…

It is truly a market from the old days and we loved it with a passion…

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List of discussions in the podcast above:
1. European Missile Defense: the end of the RESET?
2. Operation in Libya: two months of senseless bombing.
3. Imam arrested in Florida but Chechen terrorists are comfortable in the U.S.
4. Strauss-Kahn – sex and politics in the U.S.
5. Experts propose selling gold reserves to lessen federal debt.

This is some very good news in a podcast and really puts the facts in line with what is happening in the world today…

By the way, from this side of the world: The reset with America is and has been broken a long time ago…

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Kurils belong to Russia – Foreign Ministry:
Russia’s sovereignty over the Kuril Islands rests on an indisputable international law basis, says the Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement. The Ministry has posted a commentary on its website to point out that more attempts to question the islands’ status as part of Russia fails to impart constructive nature to Russian-Japanese relations…

Locals flee as Siberian river overflows:
In Siberia the sprawling Lena River has burst its banks partially flooding several villages and forcing the evacuation of more than 1,000 locals. We have no immediate reports of any casualties at this hour. Emergencies Ministry workers are at the site helping move people out of harm’s way…

Sunken Soviet warship found, ending 30-year search:
The sunken Soviet WWII naval ship Moskva has been found off the coast of Romania. It was the Black Sea Fleet destroyer leader, and its sinking has always been seen as a greatest sea warfare mystery. The destroyer went down in the very first battle, on June 26th 1941…

Russia’s FM to hold talks with Libyan officials:
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold talks today with Libyan officials. Moscow will insist that the Libyan authorities carry out the main demand of the UN Security Council – to avoid actions resulting in civilian deaths. Mass protests swept Libya in mid-February, demanding withdrawal of the country’s leader Muammar Gaddafi…

Khodorkovsky, Lebedev arrive in court for second verdict appeal:
Jailed Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev arrived in the Moscow City Court on Tuesday to continue their attempt to overturn their conviction…

Muscovites mark “Year of Forest” by planting new trees near city:
In celebration of the “International Year of the Forest,” Russians from every corner of the country are rolling up their sleeves to help protect one of Russia’s largest natural resources. RT caught up with the green…

Erase and rewind: Moscow mayor slams demolition of historic houses:
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin ordered developers to rebuild a 19th-century house that was knocked down illegally. He also promised to launch a criminal case into the issue…

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