I was drinking my morning cup of coffee here in Moscow, Russia and looking at a video about a press release that Medvedev did.
In a surprise move: Dmitry Medvedev discussed Democracy and the Khodorkovsky case in an interview with Novaya Gazeta, which is known for its critical stance towards the Kremlin…
Everyday Medvedev shows what he is about and when he does things like this he shows that he is trying to change the older ways of Russia!
According to the President’s press service: “This will not be the last interview with Russia’s printed press. This is to become normal and a regular feature of Dmitry Medvedev’s time in office.”
For the first time in the Moscow’s history, the authorities are allowing the members of Russia’s gay community to stage a protest…
Scarcely has the former MoscowMayor Yury left his workplace when the city he shaped for almost two full decades made a change that was contradictory to the norm…
The quiet murmurer of disapproval has increased and the fingers are being pointed at a Medvedev. Stating that he should have seen this coming…
Russia still has a “Wild West” flare about her and that is part of the attraction Russia holds for me. But this flare could cause issues from certain groups that vehemently express the desire of being anti gay…
I hear the murmurs stirring amongst the breezes and they are not conductive to pleasantness…
Could this move be too soon after the demise of a popular mayor?
My wife and I had an article before Easter in the West on March 23rd, 2008. I had an article then about the Russian Easter. I am now bringing it back up…
Easter in Russia is celebrated according to the rituals laid down by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Apart from differences in rites and rituals, the bone of contention between Western Christians (Protestants and Roman Catholics) and the Eastern Orthodox Christians is the date of Easter celebration. In determining the vernal equinox, the Eastern Church uses the Julian calendar while the Western Church employs the Gregorian calendar.
2008 date:
March 23 (Western)
April 27 (Eastern)
Moreover, whereas Western Churches hold Easter sunrise services, in Russian Orthodox Church Easter services last all through Saturday night. The congregation gathers in the church or cathedral on Saturday evening and takes part in an Easter vigil commemorating the buried Christ.
Easter service is also held in a different way. Already on a Saturday night people put on their best clothes and come together in dark churches that symbolize a gloomy world without the light of faith.
The holy week is pretty much busy in most Russian homes. Once a spring cleaning is done, it’s time for baking Easter bread. The eggs are painted on Holy (“Clean”) Thursday and fresh Easter cakes (Paskha) are prepared on Saturday. It’s a tough time as Saturday is the strictest fasting day when orthodox Christians are almost not allowed to eat. Tasting food while cooking is also forbidden. But everyone is looking forward to the feast, and the cooks do their best. It is a tradition to bless Easter eggs and bread in the church. Fasting ends after the Easter Mass and feasting begins.
The Easter Day starts with a long family breakfast. The table is decorated with fresh flowers, pussy-willow branches and, of course, painted eggs. Besides Easter bread and Paskha that are only eaten on Easter, there is lots of other food on the table like sausages, bacon, cheese, milk, etc. – so basically everything that was prohibited during the Forty Day Fast. However, the feast starts with a piece of aromatic Easter bread.
Sharing food on Easter has been a long tradition in Russia. That is why after breakfast people visit their friends and neighbors exchanging eggs and small Easter breads. If the first egg you get on Easter is a truly gift given from the heart, it will never go bad, says an old Russian wisdom.
It is also common practice to visit cemeteries and bring eggs, some bread and beer to the graves. In doing so, people let deceased loved ones enjoy the feast.
Strangely enough the weather on the Easter Day is usually very nice and sunny. “The sun plays”, say the Russians. It is an old custom to open the cages and let birds go free on Easter.
In the past, only men were allowed to ring church bells. Bell-ringing could be heard everywhere creating a joyful atmosphere. There was no Easter without swinging on a swing. It was great fun, especially for kids and girls.
————————————————- It is still very popular to roll Easter eggs on the ground or down a hill. The aim of the game is to break the eggs of other players without damaging your own ones. Experienced players pay special attention to the form of the eggs and even make special gutters for the eggs to have a better roll. Farmers believe that rolling eggs keep the soil fertile.
Painted eggs are an international Easter symbol. In Russia Easter eggs are believed to possess magic powers. They are supposed to protect crops against hail damage, keep cattle healthy and ward off evil spirits. An Easter egg hidden in the foundation of a house would bring the owners happiness and prosperity. It should even be possible to make yourself look younger by rolling an Easter egg over the face. So it’s no wonder that painted and blessed Easter eggs used to be kept as lucky charms for a long time. One day someone started making and painting wooden eggs. Porcelain, golden, silver and gemstone eggs are very precious. The most exquisite ones are probably the Imperial Easter Eggs designed by the world-famous jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé’s for the Russian Royal Family.
Traditional Easter eggs are red. Of course, it is also possible to use other colors. In Russia eggs are often cooked together with onion skins or wrapped in colorful fabric remnants. Spinach dyes eggs green and beet root gives them a red tint. Easter eggs get a nice shine if rubbed with vegetable oil.
At midnight ringing church bells announce the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Priests come to the altar holding a crucifix and candles. Solemnly singing, they walk through the church and then around it. Everyone lights the candles and follow the procession. Churches and cathedrals are now full of singing voices and candle lights.
The Orthodox liturgical chant substitutes a Catholic organ and creates a very special atmosphere. The Mass goes on till dawn. Today, the president and other politicians also attend the Easter Mass.
As there are no bench rows in orthodox churches, some people find it difficult to stand the whole mass that goes on for hours. But the impressive ceremony is worth every effort. The Easter service ends early in the morning when the priests go around the crucifix. Numerous church bells start ringing, the singing gets louder, and finally the priests tell everybody to forgive each other and seal it with a hug and a kiss. Everyone happily follows this appeal. The traditional Easter greeting can be heard everywhere: “Christ is risen!” and the answer: “He is truly risen!”
I am ignoring the Western press because all they can do is try to analyze what is happening in Russia and with that they have failed miserably. But the Eastern press is going all different directions and it is a Heyday in the Russian press…
So…
Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, who was sacked on Tuesday by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, plans to appeal in court, according to Interfax. RT
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Russia’s Supreme Court has not received any complaints from Moscow ex-mayor Yury Luzhkov over his dismissal, despite media reports that he plans to appeal the decision, a court spokesperson said on Wednesday. RIA
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Independent Russian magazine The New Times published late on Tuesday a copy of a letter written by sacked Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov to Russian president Dmitry Medvedev a day before he was dismissed. RIA
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Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov’s abrupt loss of the president’s confidence and his ensuing departure from office could be seen as sensational news, as he seemed the consummate survivor; on the other hand, there was no other way out of the situation. RIA
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This is the letter that Yury sent to Medvedev and Medvedev’s office swears that it had nothing to do with the firing…
Just click each photo to read… (Russian Only!)
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Russians have mixed feelings about Moscow ex-mayor Yuri Luzhkov, the Russian Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM) said on Tuesday.
Thirty-three percent of the respondents described Luzhkov as an efficient manager, who did a lot for high living standards in Moscow. The opinion was mostly voiced in the Central Federal District (42%) and the North Caucasus (40%) and by supporters of the Communist Party and the Just Russia Party (39%).
Thirty-four percent have the opposite opinion. They think that Luzhkov failed to resolve city problems and Moscow successes resulted from the status of that city. As a rule, that opinion was voiced by representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party (46%).
Sixty-two percent of the respondents described Luzhkov as strong-minded (62%) and energetic (61%). Fifty-five percent called him competent, and 52% said he was broad-minded. Forty-three percent said he was an amicable person, and 38% called him intelligent. Forty-nine percent said Luzhkov was corrupt, 48% called him cunning and 44% defined him as “a politician inclined to intriguing.”
The poll was done on September 18-19, 2010. The center polled 1,600 adults in 140 cities, towns and villages in 42 regions. The error keeps within 3.4%.
Next…
Yury Luzhkov skipped a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, following the announcement of his dismissal as mayor of Moscow. He reportedly stayed in his office until lunchtime, receiving his aides and members of the Moscow legislature.
He left City Hall a few hours later, refusing to comment on his dismissal to the media.
Earlier in the day, Luzhkov reportedly filed his resignation as a member of the ruling United Russia party. The head of the party’s central executive committee, Andrei Vorobyov, told reporters it had been dated as September 26, two days before Luzhkov was fired.
Luzhkov had been the mayor of Moscow since 1992. A mass campaign against him had been going on in state-run media over the past few weeks, and law-enforcement agencies have repeatedly tried to bring him to justice for condoning corruption in the upper echelons of Moscow’s City Hall.
Luzhkov’s dismissal comes just a week after his 74th birthday and a day after his return from a brief vacation in Central Europe. One of his former deputies, Vladimir Resin, was appointed as acting mayor. And Moscow’s current Cabinet will have to go along with Luzhkov.
Next…
What I sense from the people I see in Moscow, is that enough people really like Mayor Yury and that this could be detrimental to Medvedev. The wind is blowing the gossip that Mayor Yury may be in the running for president. So in effect the Russian news is trying to portray the fact that Yury should have done a better job of working with Medvedev…
Putin has made a few statements but as I have said in the last few months. Putin has allowed Medvedev to do his own thing and sink or swim on his own…
Russia’s ban on grain exports may be lifted as soon as the harvest figures are established, Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev stated today at a meeting on the financial stability of the agricultural sector.
It seems that they want to tell the truth and they just can not bring themselves to that point….
The truth is, that after Sveta and I made a few trips into the Russian countryside. We discovered that there is grain and lots of grain to be exact…
The huge grain silos are full and the new fields are planted and already a beautiful green. What fields have not been planted are being plowed and planted as this story is being written…
The stores in the big villages near our little village, are full of buckwheat. (Our village does not have a store.) The cafe we eat at had buckwheat as a side dish every time we were there. (4 times) The store near us in Moscow where we live, has never been out of buckwheat at anytime…
The only lack of supplies in food is from the initial onslaught of people who are hording the products and that comes from a whole different ball game in the past…
I am not going to say that some areas did not have issues, but I am going to say that, I think there is a little fibbing going on…
QUESTION: Mr President, based on the outcome of your visit do you think China, along with the United States and the European Union, will be able to take part in Russia’s modernization by perhaps becoming involved in specific projects in the Skolkovo Innovation Center, for example? And in general, on the basis of what we saw over the past three days in Dalian, Beijing and Shanghai, what do you think Russia can and wants to learn from China?
PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA DMITRY MEDVEDEV: You know, I believe that China not only can take part in the modernization of our economy but, in fact, is already taking part, because there is a number of quite interesting and modern high-tech projects that we have been implementing jointly with our Chinese partners.
We saw one of such projects as we walked around our pavilion. This project focuses on the manufacture of accumulators for buses. It is very interesting. If I am not mistaken, such an accumulator will suffice for a bus to travel 400 kilometers. This is a simple example but it is absolutely obvious.
As for bigger and more serious projects, I discussed this subject with President of China Mr Hu Jintao, and I proposed to him this kind of cooperation in Russia. President Hu found this interesting and said that Chinese experts and organizations are willing to participate in the creation of Skolkovo, and are ready to consider a variety of ways in which they can take part in our new innovation center. So this topic has been discussed directly with our Chinese friends. And I’m certain that there are very good prospects in this area, just as good as the prospects we have in Europe and the United States. We are interested in all partners, and all partners are important to us.
As for the outcome of this visit, I think it is very positive. Of course, the visit was very fast: three cities in three days. On the other hand, is has been a very interesting and very concentrated program. I was just thinking of how to explain this, maybe in a Chinese style.
Dalian symbolises the history of our relations, it is the past, and, of course, the future too because we met with students at the university there, but nevertheless it is our history.
Beijing represents the present, with extensive talks in restricted and in expanded format, with the participation of the top officials of the People’s Republic of China; talks held in a friendly atmosphere, very specific and detailed negotiations, plus the signing of a significant number of documents. You know this already, I saw this discussed in the media today: overall, the outcome is regarded as a clear success. We have made some breakthroughs.
Incidentally, I told Vice President Xi Jinping today, as well as President Hu Jintao yesterday that we view our relations with China as strategic and focused on the future.
And we certainly saw the future here in Shanghai. First of all, Shanghai itself is an interesting and beautiful city, which has changed a great deal in the past nine years. Back then it was already a modern city, although it has a historical center, but even then I found a lot of things amazing. Now everything is really very interesting and beautiful, and our pavilion and participation in 2010 World Expo is, in fact, the future, the future of our cities, the future of our industry, but most importantly, it is the future of our children. In this regard, our pavilion symbolizes a vision of the future. And personally I thought it was very interesting that various high technologies were explained in a way that was easy for children to understand, in Russian and Chinese. That is why 6 million people have already visited our pavilion, out of the 60 million people who have visited the Expo. That is one tenth, if you think about it, of the people and children who came over, and I think that’s not bad. So the future is today.
Therefore, three cities – three stories, as they say, and each one has its own value and its own dimension.
I am fully satisfied with the outcome of the visit to the People’s Republic of China. I hope that this visit will symbolize a new chapter in the history of our relations.
QUESTION: Mr President, at the last meeting on law enforcement, you mentioned executive orders which will reform the Interior Ministry. Could you please say how it will be reformed? Will the changes affect the ministry’s top officials? And could you comment please on your decision regarding the Investigative Committee. Will a new unified Investigative Committee be created?
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: When I came into office, I said that I will focus on the legal system and law enforcement, and that is what I have been doing. At any rate, very serious decisions are being made. Perhaps the progress has not been as rapid as I had wished and the results are not as all of us had expected, but in any case a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so we must do something rather than just talk about how impossible it is to reform our law enforcement system and how it would be easier to start from scratch and make some tough decisions. We must act, we must change, but these changes must reflect our current reality.
That is why I proposed to reform the Interior Ministry. We are about to adopt the Law On the Police Force, which will change the functions of the police, set new objectives and grant new rights. This law was debated for a long time, and, in my view, quite successfully. Again, some thought these changes sufficient and others did not. But in any case, this law, when adopted, and I hope this will happen in the near future, this law will not be set in stone, and if necessary we will make amendments to it. Most importantly, it is a new step in the development of our law enforcement system and the police.
Regarding the structure of the Interior Ministry, this issue is determined by a PresidentialExecutive Order. I am currently discussing it with the leadership of the Interior Ministry, with the Presidential Executive Office and with other persons involved. I believe that this organization should be modern, fairly compact, rational and consistent with the Law On the Police Force. I think this structure will be approved in a relatively short time.
Now, with regard to the Investigative Committee. There have been debates on the Investigative Committee since at least the time when I first enrolled at Leningrad University and even before that: do we or don’t we need a separate Investigative Committee? Having examined all the arguments I made the decision to establish an independent Investigative Committee with the same staff size and jurisdiction of the existing, or rather the former Investigative Committee of the General Prosecutor’s Office.
I would like the reform process to be peaceful, and to make sure the investigative system works without fail or hindrance. That is why the final configuration has not been defined as yet. In principle, I suppose it is possible that at some point the Investigative Committee may assume full jurisdiction of other investigative agencies. But if we do it, we must be aware of the consequences. The main thing is that it is acceptable for the law enforcement system, contributes to the effective investigation of cases and does not create any unresolvable contradictions in the work of investigators themselves, because now they have a different status, there are different bodies, and we must create equal working conditions. It is a long process but in principle I think such a scenario is possible.
But I also allow for a different scenario. I think we can preserve the system with several investigative agencies, as indeed is the case all over the world. Not all countries have a single investigative agency. Perhaps in our case there are too many of them and some of them could change their profile, but it may be wise to keep several investigative agencies. Experience and legal practice will show which system works best, but now the Investigative Committee will begin its work.
QUESTION: Mr President, could you please comment on today’s executive order relieving Yuri Luzhkov of his duties as Moscow Mayor, written with the wording that you rarely use in your work.
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Not relieving but dismissing, because dismissal means termination. And the wording is not just rare, it is used for the first time.
There is not much I can say to comment on the executive order because the reason is stated in the executive order itself. The reason is that I, as President of the Russian Federation, have lost confidence in Mr Luzhkov as the Mayor of Moscow. The existing law, which was adopted several years ago, directly states “loss of confidence” as grounds for termination, or in the terminology of the law “dismissal from office”. It is difficult to imagine a situation where the President and a Governor work together in an environment where the President, the highest official in Russia, does not have confidence in an official, a regional leader, which is, in fact, what has happened. This is the first time it has happened but I cannot exclude the possibility that it will happen again. It depends on each particular situation.
QUESTION: Do you already have certain candidates in mind?
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: The Executive Order I signed appointed Vladimir Resin Acting Mayor of Moscow. He is an experienced man, familiar with the situation and with the team. I am certain that he is capable of maintaining a normal effective working mode until, in accordance with the law, candidates will be selected and submitted to me as President. I will then decide who will become the leader of Moscow and submit the candidacy to Parliament.
QUESTION: The presidential election in Belarus is approaching. We are aware of a number of candidates for the post. What do you expect from this election?
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Nothing good. I’m only joking, of course. I am sure that the Belarusian people will make their choice, because it is an internal affair of Belarus. And I hope that this choice will be implemented in compliance with the existing legislation and with respect for human rights and fundamental interests of the citizens of Belarus. We are not indifferent about the fate of Belarus and Belarusian people.
The Russian government may allocate RUB 24.5bn (approx. USD 800m) to Gazprom in the form of subsidies in 2011-2013 to cover the difference between the gas purchase price from the operator of the Sakhlain-2 project and the price set for gas supplies to energy companies in the Far East via the Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok gas transporting system. The figure was included in the supplement to the federal budget draft law for the next three years.
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Syktyvkar Yuri Luzhkov should have taken timely steps to improve his relations with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told a press briefing today. According to Putin, Luzhkov did a great deal for Moscow’s development and is a prominent figure in modern Russia. “However, it is quite obvious that his rapport with the president was poor, and the mayor is the president’s subordinate, after all, and not vice versa. Considering this, he should have been the one to make a move to normalize the situation,” the PM said. Putin also stated that Luzhkov’s dismissal was carried out in accordance with the law. He went on to indicate that Medvedev had already discussed potential candidates with United Russia, noting that he himself would probably have a say on the matter.
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ActingPresident of Moldova and speaker of the Moldovan parliament Mihai Ghimpu has signed a decree on the dismissal of the parliament. The dismissal became effective today, and the next parliamentary elections have been scheduled for November 28, 2010. The decree was signed in the presence of journalists who were invited to the press briefing.
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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is confident that the presidential election in Belarus will be held in accordance with the law. He made this statement during his trip to Shanghai. “I am sure that Belarusians will make a choice and it will be done within the rule of law,” he stated. In response to a question about his expectations regarding the outcome of the elections, he said, “I do not expect anything good. Just kidding, of course.” The Russian leader stressed that Russians in general and he personally “cared about the fate of Belarus and its citizens.”
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Lukoil and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) signed an agreement on the expansion of strategic cooperation in Beijing on Monday, the Russian energy giant indicated in a press release today.
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Ukraine’s Fuel and Energy Ministry has denied information distributed by a number of the country’s media sources stating that Kiev was posing hurdles for natural gas supplies to Poland. According to the ministry’s press office, the full volume of gas delivered to Ukraine’s eastern border is being transited in full to European consumers in accordance with existing transit agreements. The ministry specified that Naftogaz of Ukraine had not received any proposals from Poland’s PGNiG or Germany’s E.ON Ruhrgas on the transit of additional gas supplies. The company is currently providing services involving Gazprom’s gas transit in accordance with the long-term agreement dated January 19, 2009. Yesterday, some Ukrainian publications, citing a source from the ministry, announced that Naftogaz, upon Gazprom’s request, had refused to transport the natural gas to E.ON Ruhrgas in Poland. Media sources insist that this is the Russian energy monopoly’s way of forcing Poland to consent to the Russian company’s control over the management of Ymal-Europe gas pipeline.
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Synergy, a Russian producer of distilled spirits, has announced the placement of 2.9m ordinary shares, or 15 percent of all issued and outstanding shares, as part of the Secondary Public Offering (SPO), the company announced in a statement today.
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The Bank of Russia’s board of directors has passed a decision to keep the discount rate at its current level of 7.75 percent per annum, the Central Bank announced in a statement today. The last time the regulator cut the interest rate was on June 30, and the rate has so far been reduced four times this year. At the beginning of the year, the discount rate stood at 8.75 percent.
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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree on the dismissal of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, the Kremlin’s press office announced this morning. According to the document, the decision was passed due to the Russian leader’s “loss of trust” in the mayor. First Deputy Mayor Vladimir Resin has been appointed acting mayor until a new person takes office. Luzhkov has been Moscow’s mayor for over 18 years, since June 6, 1992. Rumors of his potential dismissal have been circulating for quite a while, but he always managed to keep his post. The official date for the expiration of Luzhkov’s powers is July 2011.
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Russia and Kyrgyzstan have settled all the unresolved issues surrounding the deployment of Russia’s military facilities in the country, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Russia Valery Gerasimov said. As reported earlier, rumor was rife just a few weeks ago that Kyrgyzstan’s authorities were willing to reconsider the terms of stay for Russian troops. Now, however, the matter has been closed. It could still involve a higher lease payment for Russia, which is currently being negotiated by the parties. Russia’s armed forces control 4 facilities in Kyrgyzstan: an airbase in the town of Kant, a communications center of the Russian Navy in the village of Chaldovar, a torpedo testing facility on the Issyk Kul lake, and a seismograph station in the town of Maili-Suu. All of these facilities will now be subordinated to a single command. As reported earlier, on September 20, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the Russian military base issue had been discussed with Kyrgyzstan’s government under former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. “Discussions were spearheaded by Kyrgyzstan, but then died out due to a lack of enthusiasm on Kyrgyzstan’s side. The issue of regulating and streamlining our military presence in Kyrgyzstan based on intergovernmental agreements has been discussed, on and off, for several years now,” Lavrov explained.
I was drinking my wonderful cup of delicious coffee this morning. The thinking’s going through my head had to do with several other Americans here in Russia…
Over the last few months, a few Americans that I have knowledge of are committing “Stupidisms”…
It has struck my attention that if I live in a country, that I am not a native of then I would try real hard to not destroy any form of friendship that I could use as a positive help in that country! I would keep in mind that I may need an American in Russia to get my butt out of a sling one day. Especially a American with contacts…
I have also discovered that sometimes we become Lackadaisical after we have been somewhere long enough to call it home…
One such person has signed his “severance papers” with more than just me and this person really needs all the help they can get in the world. Another one has never learned that what is on the internet is visible to the world and possibly the whole Universe. 🙂
So while I do not take the contemptuous statements to heart it did allow me some thinking’s that gave me a new aspect on living in another country…
I really hate to see people “hang themselves out to dry“…
Now before the world starts jumping up and down and saying that there is no way that they are the same!
Just read first:
I have done a lot of thinking about this. If you go back 50 years in America. You will find that the American Government then was not that much different than the Russian Government now. The Russian Government is in a growing stage now, that will take it through many trials and tribulations. The Russian Government is just like the American Government (a power struggle for the control of the country). The two governments are just at different growth stages. The American Government is a much more mature capitalist system. The Russian system is a fledgling capitalist system. I see total similarity between the Governments. They both control the elections, they control who is in office, they try to control the people, and they try to control the natural resources, plus the land that is connected. In America we have a saying “you can not sue the government” You can try but you will lose, If in America they want to widen a road and your house is in the way, they can just condemn it and take it from you. Government rules in America, The people do not rule, The same in Russia. Enough said about the governments, They are the same except for maturity differences. I say Russia needs to develop a better government than the USA, because Russia does not want to end up like America. (In debt, broke, power hungry, and could care less about the people who live their)
Now to the people who live their lives in these countries!
The people have very few differences. The only true differences are the cultural differences. I have lived both in Russia and the USA. The person that Americans would call The Middle Class, supports both counties. This person just wants peace, food, housing, time to vacation, be comfortable, and raise a family in a safe world. They do not want the government always changing faces. They do not want war, drugs, alcohol, and people interfering in their lives. They want to raise a family according to their society rules.
The people are no different in either country, This same extends to the rest of the world. I have friends the world over. They all confirm that people want peace not war!! Governments want war not peace!!
The day Governments really listen to their people will be a day to remember. The problem is that the man who runs for President of a country, is a man who wants to be King or Dictator. He wants to be the Boss. So he already has his mind made up, on how the country will be.
I do not want to run a country!! Do you?
The Russian and American people are the same in all the ways that count! (Love, loyalty, caring, needs, desires, wants and comforts)
![Rainbow flag flapping in the wind with blue sk...](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Rainbow_flag_and_blue_skies.jpg/300px-Rainbow_flag_and_blue_skies.jpg" "Rainbow flag flapping in the wind with blue sk...")
![](http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png")
![Seed and wither flower of buckwheat](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Fagopyrum_esculentum_seed_001.jpg/300px-Fagopyrum_esculentum_seed_001.jpg" "Seed and wither flower of buckwheat")
![A photo of a cup of coffee.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/A_small_cup_of_coffee.JPG/300px-A_small_cup_of_coffee.JPG" "A photo of a cup of coffee.")
