So America Did Not Like Russia Today Doing Some Reporting on the SOA Watch Rally…

Not a peep so far out of the Western Press. So where is the Western Press? Where is the screaming articles about this video? The whole Russia Today crew was arrested. What about the other news agencies?

An RT crew, including correspondent Kaelyn Forde and cameraman Jon Conway, has been detained by US police while filming protests near the Fort Benning military base in Georgia.

­They were taken into custody despite complying with the police demand not to come close to the gates of the base. Kaelyn Forde managed to make a call from the prison in Muskogee to which they have been transported. RT is now trying to find out the details of the incident.

Each year human rights activists gather at the gates of Fort Benning, which houses the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Co-operation (former the School of the Americas), demanding its closure. The institute has been training police and military personnel from Latin American countries, many of whom are said to have been allegedly involved in crimes against civil citizens and killings of foreigners.

Police have also detained a dozen protesters on the grounds of taking part in an unauthorized mass protest.

Watch the videos of the detention posted by Media4Movement and RT above!

Watch your back! It is starting to look like what the Western press spouts about Russia is happening around America also…

Update: When the rally participants tried to leave the vigil area, the police blocked off all exit points. After a few minutes, the police allowed people to leave on the sidewalk, only to follow them, indiscriminately arresting people who had neither committed any crimes nor engaged in civil disobedience. Among those arrested were journalists, who were filming the police misconduct and bystanders. All arrestees are currently being held in the Muscogee County Jail for up to a $5,500 bond.

Hummm, looks like people need to start waking up…

Windows to Russia!

Coffee, IBM, Gazprom, Shipping and Traffic…

The weather outside is just plain nasty and that cup of coffee is just plain good this morning. So while I was sipping that wonderful coffee. I was doing some thinking’s…

I was thinking about several things and least of which is not that Sveta has flown out early this morning from Moscow and headed to Belgium. Sveta who is an IBM AS/400 or iSeries computer specialist has a MIMIX 7, brain crushing week ahead…

So Boza and I have the flat to ourselves for a whole week and we are going to try real hard not to get in trouble… 🙂 (I said try!)

When I met Sveta I knew she was into computers but I had know idea that she was a software/programmer specialist and to top that off she is the IBM Server Specialist for the Gazprombank in Russia. Gazprombank is (in Russian: Газпромбанк) is the largest Russian non-state owned bank, which is among the three largest banks in Russia…

I am very proud of her…

Next on the thinking list was the traffic in Moscow!

Yesterday Sveta and I ran some errands. We had to go to the car market for some parts, mail a package to America, go to the shopping mall, go to Svet’s mothers and go to a movie…

Now that seems to be a reasonable list of things to do. It was Saturday and we had all day to do it. Up early and on the road was the plan and get home to go to the movies. Oops – It did not happen! We accomplished the first two items and that was all accomplished in about 13 hours. By the time we finally made it home, the movie was vetoed by us both…

Sometimes trying to drive through Moscow is on the verge of being akin to driving through a landmine field in a Volkswagen beetle. Just ain’t gonna happen and if you try it. You will be in bad shape…

We started out going to the auto parts market. It took us 1 ½ hours to get 5 km to the market. We were at the market itself about 5 minutes.

Now starts the hell:

Then we had to drive into the Moscow center and go to a UPS to mail a box of goodies for a person in America…

After watching and passing no less than a dozen wrecks and another dozen broken down trucks, we succeeded in reaching the nearest Mail Boxes Etc. shipping places. We had erased 7 ½ hours of our day already… 🙁

After 1½ hours to get a package packed and shipped. We started home. 4 hours later we found a parking space (miracles do happen) and collapsed in our flat. To be fair though the drive home was much better than the drive to the center of Moscow and we stopped at McDonald’s and had some of those great Fish Wraps that they have now… 🙂 (Only 3 wrecks on the way home to look at!)

So you may consider that yesterday was a failure? Not so! Sveta and I consider it an adventure. The one thing about Russia is, that nothing is easy and smooth. If it was, it would not be Russia. I really think that Murphy’s Law was founded in Russia… (No it was not. The first form of Murphy’s law goes back as far as 1877 out of Britain it seems… )

“Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”

That is why I love Russia and never wish for it to be any other way…

Windows to Russia!

Father Frost (Santa Claus) Had His Birthday…

Russia celebrated the birthday of Father Frost on November 18. This is one of the most favorite children’s characters in Russia and all the world. Children of all ages in Russia are glad when he visits… (Me Too!)

http://windowstorussia.com/santa-is-real_09.html

http://windowstorussia.com/father-frost-delivers-red-square-new.html

http://windowstorussia.com/russia-santa-time-again_14.html

http://windowstorussia.com/svet-sunday-new-year-and-christmas-in_16.html

http://windowstorussia.com/russia-is-there-santa-claus-in-russia_12.html

What Will Putin Name His New Dog?

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin does not have a name for the new puppy that was given to him during a visit to Bulgaria. Russian citizens can help the prime minister choose a name for his Karakachan puppy. Each participant may submit a male name for the prime minister’s new puppy to his website.

The prime minister’s new pet has already gone through a brief quarantine and is completely healthy. The puppy is living in Putin’s Novo-Ogaryovo residence.

The puppy has not been introduced to Putin’s other dog, an 11-year-old black Labrador named Connie. “Of course, it is very important how they get along,” a source in the prime minister’s press service said.

Anyone can name the prime minister’s new male puppy. Mr Putin received the puppy as a state gift while in Bulgaria. To submit a suggestion, click on Letters to the Prime Minister and select the latest column: Name the Prime Minister’s New Puppy, in the Section menu. You will be required to enter your personal information on the application at the bottom of the page.

(Putin’s Site)

(Link to Letter to Prime Minister)

Just translate page in Google and you can do it…

One reader left a comment on my other article and said to name it Zagor!

I sent in “пончик” which means donut! I do not know why, he just looks like a donut to me. Sveta just looked at me like I was crazy when I told her the name I liked. Actually I wanted Jelly Donut but Russians do not have such a word…

I know that it will not be picked because I probably just insulted Putin’s new dog… 🙂

Go ahead send in a name and let us know…

PS: Guess I have to add this for the commentators that seem to not understand that we are naming a little puppy! Keep the comments clean and no cussing! I had to stare at 13 comments that expressed such vile and hate toward Putin and they were all from America and they all ended up in “file 13“…

This is name the dog, not name the man you hate more than anyone in the world… 🙁

Windows to Russia!

Does NATO Have a Future?

As the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is getting ready to meet in Lisbon, Portugal to map out its long term future. Russia Today takes us to the show CrossTalk with Peter Lavelle. Peter Lavelle asks his guests if NATO has a future considering the Washington-led failure in Afghanistan is high on the viability factor…

Does NATO have a future?

I like crosstalk and they have some good shows…

So does NATO have a future? I say not in the East…

Windows to Russia!

Bout was Psychologically Pressured by the USA-Russian Federation Consul Report…

NEW YORK, November 18 (Itar-Tass) – “Professional psychological pressure” was exerted on Viktor Bout during the flight from Thailand to the United States, Russian Consul General in New York Andrei Yushmanov said in an interview with Itar-Tass on Wednesday evening after a meeting with the Russian businessman extradited to the United States.

“Obviously, there was also a professional psychologist among the agents (of the Drug Enforcement Administration) escorting him on the airplane,” the consul general said. “He was given a hint that not only he alone is under threat, but also his family – his wife and 16-year-old child.” “The interviewer at the same time was insistently leading him to a conclusion that the threat is coming from Russia, from Bout’s motherland,” Yushmanov conveyed the defendant’s words. “In particular, he was offered to tell more about his activities and all his contacts – in this case the agent paid special attention to the contacts.” “For cooperation with the US justice he had been promised not only benefits but also that all will be well with him and his family,” the Russian businessman said at a meeting with the consul.

However, stressed Yushmanov, Viktor Bout, in his own words, “dismissed all the hints, because he certainly felt no guilt.”

At the same time the Russian citizen noted good conditions, which were created for him during the flight from Thailand to the United States, adding that he was “even given the same food as the escort.”

At the same time, the consul general stressed, “absolutely all was confiscated – personal belongings, clothes, watches, absolutely all the money and documents” from the Russian in the prison in Thailand. Therefore, he is currently experiencing an elementary lack of personal hygiene – not even soap to take a shower, and the money to buy it all. “He just feels cold,” said Yushmanov. “All this, in view of fatigue after a long flight, a complex agenda and climate change, of course, affect his health.” At the same time, the official said, “Bout keeps a stiff upper lip and shows good spirits.”

The consul general also said that Russian authorities would give assistance to Viktor Bout providing him with all the necessary things for the time of the investigation, including the hiring of paid lawyers. “All this will happen soon, because there is little time left before January 10 (the court’s next meeting),” he said.

“Viktor also asked to convey his regards to his family and arrange for him a contact with his wife,” the consul general noted. He also said that the Consulate is going to help the Russian citizen to find good paid lawyers, although at present “he has no claims to the free lawyer provided by the court.”

According to Yushmanov, representatives of the prison will meet with Bout soon in order to tell him about all his rights, duties, regulations and rules that exist in this facility.

The Consulate General for its part intends to turn to the prison administration in order to lay out all the claims and issues the Russian citizen has at this point regarding his detention in custody.

Bout’s extradition and delivery to the United States took place amid high secrecy and security measures and came as a complete surprise not only to his relatives, but even to his local lawyer and Russian diplomats. Russia insists its diplomats should be granted access to Bout, and it calls for respecting his rights as a citizen of the Russian Federation. The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the Americans of causing “unprecedented political pressures” on the government and judicial authorities of Thailand and promised to continue to protect the rights of Bout as a Russian citizen. “The whole affair is a sample of blatant injustice,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier.

Head of the State Duma’ committee on international affairs Konstantin Kosachev, said in an interview published by the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily that the Russian authorities were acting adequately. They have not interfered in the proceedings on the merits, but, feeling certain doubts about whether investigation and trial can be objective and fair enough in the US, they press for the unconditional compliance with Bout’s rights. Kosachev said that such behaviour by the US side was utterly unacceptable. “A very painful blow has been dealt on our mutual trust and our partnership. This will affect the climate of cooperation in the future. Following the path of some sort of sanctions or reprisals, or showing injured pride would be wrong. But we should draw conclusions regarding the sincerity of our partners.” “The fact that the Americans have used arm-twisting against the authorities of Thailand and brought Bout to their territory raises serious questions about the objectivity and fairness of the trial he may stand there,” he added.

Windows to Russia!

Coffee, Viktor Bout and the START Treaty…

While I was sipping that morning cup of coffee. I was thinking about a couple of items that has Russia a little upset to say the least…

1. Suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was extradited from Thailand to the United States on Tuesday…

(and or)

2. One of President Obama’s top foreign-policy goals suffered a potentially ruinous setback when the Senate’s second-ranking Republican said the U.S. nuclear treaty with Russia should not be considered until next year…

Well that just is a fine “Howdy Dowdy” from the land of chaos I call America …

Lets talk about Viktor Bout first…

The Eastern press is lit up over the Viktor Bout issue and the Western press keeps saying that America and Russia will survive this bump in the road. The Eastern press is calling it more than a bump in the road and it looks like that reset button that Hillary gave to Lavrov is about to be crushed under a bear paw…

What makes the Viktor Bout issue important to Russia and or America?

There is muddy water regarding Bout’s Soviet Military career although it is a fact that he did serve in the Soviet Union’s armed forces…

The clarity ends there. But the grapevine kicks in and gives us this…

Viktor Bout graduated from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages, it is said that he is fluent in six or seven languages. Bout’s own personal website (Read Here >>>>) points to the fact that he served in the army of the Soviet Union as a translator, holding the rank of lieutenant. Rumor has it that Bout reached the rank of lieutenant colonel.

[pullquote]But other gossip says that:
1. He rose to the rank of major in the GRU. (Which is an arm of the Soviet services that combined intelligence agents and special forces.)
2. That he was an officer in the Soviet air force.
3. That he is now a Soviet military intelligence personnel. Or
4. That he was in the KGB.

Take your pick… :)[/pullquote]

It is known that Bout made a significant amount of money through his many air transport companies shipping cargo. It seems that Bout was willing to ship just about anything and he even shipped military arms for United States in Iraq and the United Nations on a couple of occasions…

The Western media is playing the Hollywood game on this, as America is famous and world renown for. He is called “The Merchant of Death!” and “The Lord of War!”

With breathless excitement, the American media reported that Bout was transported from his prison cell to the airport, accompanied by two motorcades, one of which was a decoy intended to throw off potential abductors. The New York Times reported that Russia offered Thailand oil below market price in exchange for their refusal to turn over Bout to the United States, but Washington allegedly outbid Russia with weapons and other military equipment. Read More >>>

Remember the fact that he shipped arms for America. America has a habit of using people and abusing people (Ask  Saddam Hussein – Oops America killed him after he helped America!)… Hummm!

Now lets touch on the START treaty…

This is a real simple issue for me. America shows us what she does best…

Russia has been waiting for months on this very important treaty. But as I said in a past post, America has destroyed the opportunity to show the world that they care about the control of Nuclear issues. If nothing else this treaty causes a peace of mind in the world. So I do not care if this treaty was flawed or not, it was still a step in the right direction and for one of the two largest holders of nuclear weapons to not step up to the plate and play ball fairly, tells the world the true story…

That is the part that bothers me. That America lives in a  house of glitter and cannot see out the windows…

Windows to Russia!

A Semblance of Normality…

Our site, Windows to Russia has settled down and is back to a semblance of normality! We gathered a whole lot more readers over the last few weeks and is back full swing on the search engines again…

I have tried some new techniques to make the site run lighter on the server and we will see if it makes a difference…

Welcome to all the new readers!

from…

Windows to Russia!

Ikra ovoshchnaia (Vegetable Spread Recipe…)

In Russia I have enjoyed a tantalizing taste of vegetables that never ceases to satisfy the palate. They make a spread that I will say comes from this side of the world if not from Russia. We have also eaten this in Israel and was made by our Russian friends that live there. If anyone knows who is the originator of this recipe then let me know…

Lets make Ikra ovoshchnaia:

Ingredients:

* 1 medium sized eggplant (leave skin on)
* 1 large carrot (peeled)
* 1 large yellow onion (peeled)
* 1 celery stick
* 1 lb. fresh tomatoes (peeled)
* 2 cloves finely chopped fresh garlic
* 1/4 cup chopped parsley
* 1/4 cup chopped dill
* 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 tablespoon soy-sauce
* 2 bay leaves
* cooking / fry oil

Cooking:

1. Fresh tomatoes should be peeled, chopped and stewed for 30-40 minutes on low heat (after bringing to boil) to make a tomato sauce.

2. Chop eggplant into cubes, salt and put into well-oiled frying pan. Stew on low for 30 minutes, mix frequently, add more oil if pan gets too dry. Avoid burning the peel.

3. When the eggplant in the skillet gets soft and mushy. Then add into the same skillet – finely ground carrot, finely ground celery, chopped onion, chopped garlic, the previously prepared tomato sauce, black pepper and bay leaves. Mix cook for 20 minutes…

4. Then add the chopped dill, soy sauce, chopped cilantro and chopped parsley. Then cook for another 10-15 minutes. Stir frequently.

5. Careful not to burn the veggies. That will impart an undesirable flavor…

I love to eat this hot or cold and it is fantastic on a slice of black bread. I also try a variety of spices and find that it will become a multitude of flavors that you will never get tired of. You can also use the grasses that are your favorite instead of parsley and such. It also can be eaten as a side dish for a meat of your choice. Besides it is good for you and will make you grow big and strong… 🙂

Serves 6-8…

Yummy… (Time to eat!)

Windows to Russia!

Sveta and I Live in Korolev, Russia…

Right on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia is a very beautiful city that Sveta and I have the pleasure of living in..

It is called Korolyov or Korolev or Королёв. It is well-known as the cradle of Soviet and Russian space exploration . It was originally founded as Kaliningrad (Калинингра́д) in 1938 as the leading Soviet center for production of anti-tank and air-defense guns. (artillery plant) This was its main purpose until after WWII…

After World War II though the artillery plant was rebuilt and a modernization was put into effect. In1946 the city became the home for production of rockets, launch vehicles, and spacecraft under the guidance of the Russian scientist and academician, Sergei Korolyov…

The Soviet space-exploration program was born and raised in what we now know as Korolyov or then known as Kaliningrad . The name the city has now was official in July of 1996 the city was officially renamed in commemoration of Sergei Korolyov.

Lets mention what makes this city interesting: The OAO S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia. This city is responsible for IRBMs, ICBMs, “Sputnik” Program, “Luna” Program, “Mars” Program, “Soyuz” Spacecraft and dozens of others. The least of which is the ISS Space Station and MIR. Now that is almost as good as tanks… 🙂

A tidbit of information about this past closed city of the Soviet Union: It was a city classified as a naukograd (Russian: наукогра́д), meaning “science city”, is a formal term for towns with high concentration of research and development facilities in Russia and the Soviet Union, some specifically built by the Soviet Union for these purposes. Some of the towns were secret, and were part of a larger system of closed cities in the USSR, many built by forced labor from the Soviet Gulag. In the Russian Federation in post Soviet times, the term is used generally for about seventy towns that have concentrations of scientific research and production, and specifically, refers to a small number of towns that have been recognized for their scientific capabilities and hence get special privileges.  http://enNaukograd

So Sveta and I have found one of the most wonderful cities to live in, It is rich in history, culture and beauty…

Windows to Russia!