START Treaty is now a FART Treaty…

Obama the president of the USA signed the START Treaty. But not without exclaiming about the real issue and thorn in the treaty, that has come out with Russia:

“It is the policy of the United States to continue development and deployment of United States missile defense systems to defend against missile threats from nations such as North Korea and Iran, including qualitative and quantitative improvements to such systems,” Said Obama…

“Consequently, while the United States cannot circumscribe the sovereign rights of the Russian Federation under paragraph 3 of Article XIV of the Treaty, the United States believes continued improvement and deployment of United States missile defense systems do not constitute a basis for questioning the effectiveness and viability of the Treaty, and therefore would not give rise to circumstances justifying the withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the Treaty,” Said Obama…

Hummm…

That is not what Russia thinks and what Obama signed as a START Treaty makes that clear. America had changed the START Treaty and Russia responded in like form…

Now we have a START is a FART treaty…

If America farts over missile defense without Russia being happy. Oh – the stink will hit the fan…

We should have left the treaty alone as it was first presented. The new Russian wording and amendments are serious issues to Russia…

Who plays chess and who plays checkers?

Related articles

Will Terminated Mayor Yuri Luzhkov be back to Russia?

Yuri Luzhkov
Yuri Luzhkov

Yuri Luzhkov recently received a British visa to visit his family in London, England and has left Russia. This is according to a Russian based news agency, who was quoting a source close to the British Home Office…

The rumors are and have been flying like the proverbial snow in the Moscow wind.  Now – it seems to be a fact, that Yuri Luzhkov has definately left Russia. The second he crossed that big border, out came this new news on the Russian wire…
[pullquote]A probe by the State Audit Chamber revealed 230 billion roubles ($7.82 billion) of financial violations by the Moscow government over two years, declining to say when this happened. Except they made it clear that Yuri was “large and in charge…”[/pullquote]
“Russia’s financial watchdog uncovered almost $8 billion of financial violations by Moscow authorities under ousted mayor Yuri Luzhkov, highlighting the country’s battle with rampant corruption…”

Gotta love the timing of that statement of information!

What are the odds that Yuri and his billionaire wife will ever be back to Russia? What are the odds that her billions have already been moved out of Russia? If you had billions of dollars and allegations of this magnitude against you, would you step back into the fire? Hummm…

I seems that Yuri has come back with a, “I will be back to fight these allegations…”

I know what I would do! I would take my billions and go buy an island somewhere in the vast world. Get a new citizenship from Dominica 🙂 with his petty cash fund and take my learjet and travel all over the place. Let Moscow… (Well you know what I mean! :))
[pullquote]Yuri Luzhkov still has a lot of influence in Moscow politics, his continued high approval from the people have put a thorn in the Kremlin side. Besides his wife is worth $ billions of clout…[/pullquote]
But then again I know what it is about to fight for your honor and life if you really are innocent… (Link to Harassment!)

So once again, time will tell. Do you think Yuri and his wife are innocent victim of the repressed and depressed Russian society? (Sounds good doesn’t it?)

So is he a crook like almost everyone in his type of position all over the world seems to be?  Their time comes and goes but they always leave rich. But the ones that don’t leave – at least in Russia. Go to jail and are broke, for a long time…

(Yes just like Khodorkovsky…)

Windows to Russia!

This is what Israel has Feared Would Happen…

Egyptian opposition against peace treaty with Israel

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest opposition force, will take steps to have a peace treaty with Israel canceled after President Hosni Mubarak steps down. A Muslim Brotherhood leader, Rashad al-Bayumi, told the Japanese NHK television that the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty is detrimental to the dignity and interests of Egypt and the Arab world…
Windows to Russia!

Is Russian Education Under Attack…

windows to russiaThe draft of the Russian Education Reform that was posted online for debate by the people, has sparked total outrage in the internet community. Now after people have had time to absorb the information the rumbling has started…

This is the site: (Russian and English)

http://mon.gov.ru/
http://eng.mon.gov.ru/

If I remember correctly this Education Reform is one of Medvedev’s projects… (I may even have several articles talking about this… Hummmm lets see! OK here is one…)

But let’s get back to democracy. Democracy isn’t just discussing draft laws. Right now, by the way, we are considering a law on education. You see, modern democracy is not just representation, when people elect a deputy to represent them in the parliament or a regional lawmaking structure. Modern democracy is people openly expressing their opinions. People who use digital media and the Internet know that the web often gives birth to public opinion. (WTR Link)

OK so this is nothing new and now they are allowing the people to have a say. Will the Kremlin listen?

From what I am understand as I read the draft, is that this possible law is going to hurt many Russians in the education field and after reading over what they propose, it is a very bad idea…

It seems that the days of free Russian education are over. It is a clear sign of separation of the rich and poor. Unless the people get their opinion across and stop this atrocity…

Russia has always had some of the highest standards in education in the world and it shows in the number of intellects that are present in Russia. Russians have always had the ability to have a complete free education all the way to a PHD, whether they have money or not…

But this intentional dumbing down the populace is not beneficial. I just ask Russia to look at America and think about the dumbing down syndrome…

http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDyDtYy2I0M

The above is just to name a few, of hundreds of links…

So Russia wants to be more like America everyday! Be careful you are heading that direction more and more everyday…

I hear the rumbling in LiveJournal at this very moment…

Windows to Russia!

WikiLeaks: AL-QADHAFI: TO RUSSIA, WITH LOVE?

Reference ID  Created  Released   Classification  Origin
08TRIPOLI8 29   2008-10-17  14:02   2011-02-01  21:09   CONFIDENTIAL Embassy Tripoli
Appears in these articles:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wikileaks-files/libya-wikileaks/

VZCZCXRO8755
OO RUEHTRO
DE RUEHTRO #0829/01 2911446
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O R 171446Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4005
INFO RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0074
RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV 0011
RUEHSK/AMEMBASSY MINSK 0001
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0007
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0599
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 1245
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 0635
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 0783
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 0727
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0150
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0003
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 4526

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000829

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/MAG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2018
TAGS: PREL MARR MASS LY BO RS UP VZ
SUBJECT: AL-QADHAFI: TO RUSSIA, WITH LOVE?

REF: A) TRIPOLI 340, B) TRIPOLI 297, C) TRIPOLI 321, D) IIR 6 915 000 609 TRIPOLI 00000829 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: John T. Godfrey, CDA, U.S. Embassy Tripoli, Dept of State. REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 1. (C) Summary: Russian diplomats in Tripoli said Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadhafi planned to travel to Moscow October 31-November 2 to reciprocate the visit of then-President Vladimir Putin to Tripoli earlier this year. Al-Qadhafi will be preceded by his son, Muatassim al-Qadhafi (Libya’s National Security Adviser), who plans to arrive as early as October 25 to meet with officials at the Federal Security Bureau and the Ministry for Emergency Situations. The visit would come on the heels of a recent port call in Tripoli by Russian naval vessels. Al-Qadhafi reportedly considers his relationship with Putin to be good, and Libya seems eager to at least give the appearance of cultivating closer ties with Moscow, possibly to counter-balance recent agreements with Italy and the U.S. on colonial compensation and terrorism-related legal claims, respectively. A successful visit to Russia could prompt closer military-to-military cooperation and equipment sales, something Russian diplomats here say they’ve been advocating for some time. End Summary. LIBYA HEADS INTO THE COLD 2. (C) Poloff met with Russian Emboff Evgeny Kozlov October 16 to discuss the recent visit to Tripoli of Russian warships. Kozlov volunteered that he was involved in finalizing arrangements for an upcoming October 31-November 2 visit to Russia by Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadhafi. It is expected that military-military cooperation and sales of Russian military equipment to Libya will feature prominently in al-Qadhafi’s visit. (Note: Per refs B-C, Russian DCM Anatoly Martinov told us in April in advance of Putin’s visit that Russia hoped a joint Russian-Libyan military cooperation council established in the late 1990’s would yield increased sales to Libya of Russian military equipment. End note.) Kozlov said al-Qadhafi had hoped that Putin would attend his Revolution Day speech on August 31 in Benghazi and help inaugurate the Russian Railroad Company’s work on a multi-billion dollar contract to construct a 554-kilometer rail spur between Benghazi and Sirte, which was negotiated during Putin’s visit in April (ref A). Al-Qadhafi had also arranged a joint meeting with Italian PM Berlusconi and Bolivian President Morales – both attended the Revolution Day celebration – and was disappointed that Putin had not joined them. Describing the atmosphere between al-Qadhafi and Putin during the latter’s visit to Tripoli on April 16 as “very friendly”, Kozlov said Libya seemed eager to deepen its “productive coordination efforts” with Russia. 3. (C) According to Kozlov, Muatassim al-Qadhafi, son of Muammar al-Qadhafi and National Security Adviser, will travel to Russia ahead of his father to meet with senior officials at Russia’s Federal Security Bureau and Ministry of Emergency Situations. (Note: Muatassim and another al-Qadhafi son, Khamis al-Qadhafi, have undertaken military studies in Moscow. Khamis al-Qadhafi spent 14 months in a combined Russian staff college course especially designed for him and obtained a PhD in military sciences in 2007. End note.) Kozlov did not yet know whether External Security Organization chief Musa Kusa would accompany Muatassim. He noted that nearly 200 Libyan protocol and MFA officials, together with another 100 military and security personnel, were en route to Moscow to advance the visit. Russian officials believed al-Qadhafi planned to stop in Minsk and Kiev on his way back to Tripoli from Moscow. THE BEAR VISITS THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI 4. (C) Al-Qadhafi’s visit would follow the October 11-13 port call of Russian warships to the shores of Tripoli (ref D). The nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great, together with the frigate Intrepid and anti-submarine destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and support vessels, were in and around Tripoli harbor. (Note: Tripoli’s relatively shallow port prevented the Peter the Great from docking in the harbor. End note.) According to Kozlov, at least seven senior Libyan naval officers, including the commander of the Tripoli naval base, toured the vessels. Defense attaches accredited to Tripoli did not have an opportunity to tour the vessels, but children from the Russian Embassy-sponsored school did. In an apparent nod to tensions between Moscow and Kiev, Ukrainian children at the school stayed in class while their Russian, Belarussian and Central Asian classmates enjoyed their field trip. Kozlov said TRIPOLI 00000829 002.2 OF 002 the flotilla would stop in Turkey and Syria before heading to Venezuela for joint Russian-Venezuelan naval maneuvers scheduled for late November. Media reports indcate that the Intrepid will proceed separately to waters off Somalia. 5. (C) Comment: Kozlov touted the ship visit and al-Qadhafi’s upcoming trip as signs that Russian-Libyan ties continue to grow. Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi made several statements to the press supporting Russia’s actions at the height of the Georgia crisis in August, and Libyan PM al-Mahmoudi reportedly told the Kremlin that Libya would support Russia in the UNSC; however, it is difficult to assess the extent of Libya’s commitment to deeper ties with Moscow. Having just concluded agreements with Italy and the U.S. to resolve issues of longstanding concern – colonial compensation and terrorism-related legal claims, respectively – al-Qadhafi may be seeking to balance engagement with Western powers by reminding us and others that he still has other options for military-to-military cooperation and other engagement. On a lighter note, Kozlov told us Libyan protocol had not yet raised whether and where it might pitch al-Qadhafi’s tent – his preferred mode of lodging while on the road – in Moscow during the chilly fall season. End Comment.GODFREY

Windows to Russia!

WikiLeaks: Russian Customs Officers Reported two or three Incidents of Unshielded “Cobalt-60” was Discovered…

ID: 09MOSCOW2943
SUBJECT: ALLEGED NUCLEAR SMUGGLING INCIDENT AT THE RUSSIA-KAZAKHSTAN BORDER REF: TELEPHONE CONVERSATION BETWEEN FSN AND RUSSIAN CUSTOMS OFFICER RELAYED TO EXBS ADVISOR Classified By: DCM ERIC RUBIN FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, C, D).

DATE: 2009-12-04 14:02:00
CLASSIFICATION: SECRET
ORIGIN: EMBASSY Moscow
TEXT: S E C R E T MOSCOW 002943

SIPDIS

FOR STATE ISN/WMDT AND PM/ISO/PMAT (24/7)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/04/2019
TAGS: ASEC KCRM KNNP KZ MNUC PARM PINR PTER RS UP
SUBJECT: ALLEGED NUCLEAR SMUGGLING INCIDENT AT THE RUSSIA-KAZAKHSTAN BORDER REF: TELEPHONE CONVERSATION BETWEEN FSN AND RUSSIAN CUSTOMS OFFICER RELAYED TO EXBS ADVISOR Classified By: DCM ERIC RUBIN FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, C, D).

1.(S) BEGIN SUMMARY: Post wishes to alert the Department and Washington agencies per reftel that it has received a report indicating a potential incident of illicit trafficking in nuclear and/or radiological materials. This report came to post,s attention via a telephone conversation between a xxxxxxxxxxxx and the Export Controls and Related Border Security (EXBS) FSN, which was relayed to the EXBS Advisor. Post cautions that details of the alleged incident are very sketchy. END SUMMARY.

2.Details of the alleged incident follow:

LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION OF MATERIAL ALARM AND DETECTION DETAILS

a. (S) EXBS FSN received a telephone call from a xxxxxxxxxxxx on the Russia-Kazakhstan border. xxxxxxxxxxxx. The telephone call was part of a larger conversation between the EXBS FSN and the officer that occurred some time in August 2009. The information was not relayed to the Advisor immediately after it occurred, but some time later. b. (S) The informant told the FSN that during the summer of 2009, RUSSIAN customs officers reported two or three incidents in which unshielded cobalt-60 was detected in railroad passenger cars traveling from Kazakhstan headed for Russia. A large though unspecific number of people were exposed to the cobalt-60 which, while highly radioactive, was not weapons grade. A reportedly one-half to one kilo of the material was seized, although it is not clear whether that was the estimated amount per seizure, or the total amount seized during the two or three incidents. The radioactive materials were discovered at the RUSSIAN border with Kazakhstan, when the radiation portal monitors were set off. c. (S) It is assumed that there was an investigation, but it is not known if there were any arrests or detentions. (Note: RUSSIAN Customs officials do not have arrest authority; the matters would have been referred to either FSB or MVD. End Note) It is not known who sent the materials out or what their intent was. Post will attempt to verify the information through multiple liaison channels but at this point cannot vouch for its veracity. Beyrle

0 12/04/2009 2675 ASEC,KCRM,KNNP,KZ,MNUC,PARM,PINR,PTER,RS,UP ALLEGED NUCLEAR SMUGGLING INCIDENT AT THE RUSSIA-KAZAKHSTAN BORDER

Post wishes to alert the Department and Washington agencies per reftel that it has received a report indicating a potential incident of illicit trafficking in nuclear and/or radiological materials. This report came to post,s attention via a telephone conversation between xxxxxxxxxxxx and the Export Controls and Related Border Security (EXBS) FSN, which was relayed to the EXBS Advisor. Post cautions that details of the alleged incident are very sketchy.

Windows to Russia!

Information on the Status of Russian / American Adoption Proceedings…

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Moscow, Tverskaya, 11 phone +7 (495) 629-53-27    press@mon.gov.ru

On December, 1-3, 2010 Russian-American negotiations on cooperation in the field of international adoption will take place

On December, 1-3st, 2010 in Washington there will pass the next meeting of the Russian and American experts devoted to preparation of the agreement concerning adoption between the Russian Federation and the USA. The Russian delegation at negotiations will be headed by Mrs. Alina Levitskaya, the director of Department of upbringing and socialization of children of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

According to Mrs. Levitskaya, “there are bases to hope that the talks will allow to remove the remained issues and thereby ensuring the prompt signing of the agreement“.

The subject of discussion will be several items of the draft agreement on which the Russian side had been stated remarks. In particular, according to the Russian experts, it is required to specify procedures for the recognition decision on adoption in the accepting state, for receiving by the adopted child the citizenship of this state, the organization monitoring the cases of conversion of adopted children.

Russia and the USA on the whole coordinated the project on adoption

On April, 20, consultations on signature of agreement on adoption between the Russian Federation and the United States will take place

Information report on question of return of an under age citizen of the Russian Federation

Russia and France plan to sign a cooperation agreement in the field of adoption in 2010

I am waiting for updates from this point on all the proceedings. So I realize this is two months old. But it is the latest information that I can come up with. It has become silent on the adoption issue since the latest abuse case that has come forward… Kyle

Windows to Russia!

Feburary 1st – Boris Yeltsin’s Birthday…

Medvedev unveils monument to Yeltsin:

Boris Yeltsin is a strange sometimes volital topic in Russia to discuss. If you mention his name you have about a 50 / 50 split as to what reaction you will get. I have really seen no middle of the road yet…

Russians either like him or they don’t. Now they have a huge statue of him to stare at…

President Dmitry Medvedev has arrived in Yekaterinburg where he is set to attend the opening ceremony of a monument to former Russian head of state Boris Yeltsin, who today would have turned 80 years old. Sculptor Georgy Frangulyan says the monument comprises several pieces of marble weighing 15 tons each and stands at around 10 meters tall. Frangulyan noted that the monument’s dynamic composition symbolises Yeltsin’s energy.

What I am not sure about on this particular occasion: Medvedev has made a few statements about Yeltsin and that Russia should embrace the real value of reforms made by Russia’s first president Boris Yeltsin…

Has Medvedev stepped right or wrong in his endorsement of a man that is either loved or hated equally?

I know what my wife says about him (Yeltsin) and she don’t like him… 🙂

I guess time will see…

Windows to Russia!
  • Yeltsin laid foundations of modern Russia – Medvedev (rt.com)
  • Boris Yeltsin: What’s in a name? (rt.com)
  • Yeltsin: epitome of 1990s Russia remembered (rt.com)
  • Human rights “immediate” issue for society – Medvedev (rt.com)
  • Rehabilitating Yeltsin (bbc.co.uk)
  • Statue of Yeltsin to be unveiled (bbc.co.uk)
  • Yeltsin was fond of protocol, order and would never be late – former head of protocol (rt.com)

Russia: Average Wages Growing Slowly!

Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee & thinking about one of the highest Googled keywords we have on Windows to Russia.

Average Wages: Several times everyday someone comes to Windows to Russia to see what Russians make in wages. (Not Much, but getting better.)

So this article will give you a better idea about wages in Russia. If you think you would come here to get rich, probably will not happen. If you come to Russia to have fun, that will happen!
———————————————————-
Salary Research Shows Wages Increasing

By Yekaterina Dranitsyna

Staff Writer

Most private companies in St. Petersburg — 95 percent — increased staff salaries in 2007, according to the latest salary and remuneration survey issued by Avanta Personnel recruiting company, and more than 90 percent of local companies plan to raise wages this year.

During the last year, the average salary increase in the city was 12-13 percent, while the maximum increase was reported at 30 percent. In 2008, private companies in St. Petersburg will increase salaries by 10-12 percent on average, while the maximum increase is again planned at 30 percent, Avanta Personnel reported.

“The gap between salary rates in Moscow and St. Petersburg is narrowing. In St. Petersburg the average salary is 84 percent of that in Moscow. In Vladivostok, which holds the third place in Russia, the salaries are just 55 percent of Moscow’s level,” said Anna Yegorova, head of Labour Market Research at Avanta Personnel.

Yegorova indicated that the main factors that influenced last year’s increase were the personal achievements of employees and the labor market situation, though company performance and inflation also affected salary levels.

In the survey, Avanta Personnel analyzed data concerning the HR policies of over 43,500 employers and salaries of over 27,400 employees from 92 international and Russian companies. Half of these companies were foreign, 40 percent Russian and 11 percent joint ventures.

By January 2008, the average monthly income was reported at 31,090 rubles ($1,261) for office managers, 21,520 rubles ($873) for secretaries, 11,375 rubles ($461) for office cleaners, 28,713 rubles ($1,165) for HR managers, 42,828 rubles ($1,738) for shift managers, 23,502 rubles ($953) for production operators, 26,782 rubles ($1,087) for mechanics and 25,506 rubles ($1,035) for forklift truck drivers.

Average salaries in other categories included:

Unskilled workers: 19,726 rubles ($800)

Financial analysts: 32,280 rubles ($1,310)

Accountants: 22,513 rubles

($913)

Sales representatives: 33,322 rubles ($1,352)

Merchandisers: 18,610 rubles ($755)

Software engineers: 45,684 rubles ($1,854)

IT specialists: 29,290 rubles ($1,188)

Besides the basic salary, 66 percent of the survey participants paid performance-based bonuses (12-20 percent of the annual base salary), 47 percent paid bonuses on the occasion of the anniversary of the company or date an employee started to work there, or other one-off bonuses at the management’s discretion, and 37 percent paid guaranteed bonuses either monthly or once or twice a year.

In sales departments, average sales commissions amount to 40-50 percent of the base salary.

The most common benefits provided by employers in St. Petersburg include medical insurance (78 percent of companies) and lunch benefits (73 percent).

Depending on their position, employees could be awarded other privileges. Top-managers are provided with a company car in 57 percent of companies, managers in 29 percent, and sales personnel in 20-35 percent.

Over 90 percent of companies cover their employees’ cell phone expenses, over 80 percent cover business trip expenses and 95 percent provide training programs for employees.

The average annual turnover in personnel at St. Petersburg companies is 14 percent, according to Avanta Personnel.
———————————————————-
The real problem is once you leave Moscow you can see that wages drop fast. The smaller the town the less money you make. Once you get to the villages wages are non existent.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Subscribe in a reader

When Do Comments Become a Deficit and a Hindrance?

Spam is Stupid…

For Months now I have done a lot of thinking over many cups of coffee about comments. I have never achieved a balance on Windows to Russia. It is either comment crazy or no comments at all. So as I drink my coffee this morning and realize that I dealt with thousands and thousands of caught spam. I dealt with multiples of hate, death and destruction comments. I had a handful of decent comments. I had a bunch of cut and paste, slam the world, USA, Israel, Russia and much more comments. I had a sleaze of porn comments that got around the filters. I had hours of work just to get a handful of good comments out of the pile of crap. (See the paradox?)

If I allowed comments to run unmoderated and just post as they are presented. I would have an average of 1200 comments a day. But when these comments sell Viagra, porn, hate, love, home windows, basement repair, clothes, hats, boots, t-shirts and hundreds of other items. What good are they?

I myself very rarely leave comments anywhere in the blogging world. When I do, I mean what I say. I have just a handful of blogs to follow and they are what interest me. So I will leave a comment for them as I read their articles. I follow major news sites and see sometimes a 100,000+ comments left on an article. I realized the stupidity when I see many times the first comment left says, “I am first commenter!” Then you realize it is just a game…

Windows to Russia on any given day has 2000+ readers. That swells to many more, half the time. This number is excluded from the thousands of hits I get by spam bots, search bots and such. So for a Russian blog we are busy and I want it to stay that way. But I also realize that statistics point to the fact that less than half, of one half, of one percent of the real readers ever comment. A non blogging reader just does not comment very often. I read many articles that say 10 to 15 percent or more of your readers will comment. I will tell you, “No they do not.” Well maybe that is high percent is true if you play games yourself by commenting all over the blog world then you will get a return comment as a favor. (Is that really a comment?) Even if they try to act intelligent and leave a good comment they are still just there because they want a link.  In the blogging world they all want to link to a high PR blog or site. Hence we leave comments that really have no meaning just to leave a link to our site. All in the glory and grace of the Almighty Google God… 🙁

I track and have been tracking statistics for years now. Windows to Russia has exceeded 4,000,000+ actual hits and that is climbing rapidly. I do not game Alexa, Google Page Rank or any other form of trying to play with my SEO. I also have Google ad-sense now but that is a futile effort at best on my part…

So I have reached a decision after many months of fighting with all forms of comments. I have tired of spending hours everyday sifting through thousands of comments. This is a time consuming process that takes away from the main issue. Posting to “Windows to Russia…”

So I have gone to Google and used its Friend-connect system. Google is very anti-spam and will help curtail tons of spam in that fact alone. The WordPress comment system is a spam magnet and I do not like that. In fact every comment system that I have used internal or external has been a spam magnet with WordPress. The spammers are better than the controllers and they get by almost anything…

So all the old comments are still there. Except the WordPress comment box has been removed. In its place is now the Google Friend-connect system. So now you must sign up and you still will be moderated. I will also put a CAPTCHA in place if need be. To stop spam that is still getting through…

Other words if you are human and you really have something to say. If you are not here just to leave a link. Then we want you to express it. At that point I can give attention to a real comment and maybe something constructive will come out of it…

Comments became a deficit and a hindrance…

Windows to Russia!