Its a Russian Thing!

Russians Carry Blastic Bags...

I walk the streets of Moscow and I have noticed a peculiar thing that I find unusual.

Everyone, including children and men carry plastic bags, some small, some big, some in back pockets and some really pretty. They are used to carry any and everything. It is almost a fashion statement for many. The bags usually have a place of business on them. They are fabulous advertisement. My favorite are the big bags that you get at the department stores. They are heavy plastic and will last months.

My Wife, carries one everyday. When I meet her at the bus stop I take the bag. It usually weighs 10,000 kilos. has everything from a book she is reading to boiled Quail eggs. I do not know how she carries it. 🙂

Also, Russian women still carry purses, on top of carrying the bag. Also, in side the bag, you will find more bags, ready to be put in service.

I tried to ignore this bag thing, for I came from America and no self respecting man would carry a bag everywhere. I lost the battle!

Now I carry a bag in my back pocket, So that I can carry treasures that I find on my excursions around Moscow. 🙂

Windows to Russia!

PS:
I even saw the people in small Villages carry the bags also.

America Crys Foul but Russia Will Start Irans Nuclear Plant…

Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant...

Against the wishes of the USA. Russia is launching the Iran Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. The date has been set for August 21, the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) said on Friday.

Rosatom spokesman Sergei Novikov told RIA Novosti that the first reactor at the Bushehr NPP would be loaded with nuclear fuel on August 21.

“From then on, it [the reactor] will be qualified as [an operational] nuclear power plant,” Novikov said.

A Russian delegation headed by Rosatom chief Sergei Kiriyenko will attend the launch ceremony.

The United States has called for Russia to delay the start up until Iran proves that it’s not developing nuclear weapons. Russian officials said that the latest official U.N. sanctions against Iran will not get in the way or affect the Bushehr project. The additional sanctions that have been imposed by America and the Eu are non binding sanctions that have hindered more than helped the situation with Iran…

The construction of Iran’s first nuclear plant was begun in 1975 by several German construction companies. They pulled out following a U.S. embargo on high-technology supplies to Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the subsequent U.S. Embassy siege in Tehran.

Russia signed a contract with Iran to complete construction in February 1998.

On June 9, 2010, the UN Security Council approved a fourth round of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, including tougher financial controls and an expanded arms embargo, as well as an asset ban on three dozen companies and a travel freeze on individuals. Those sanctions were specifically exercised to exclude many Russian and Chinese projects so that America could get them on board. Later, the United States and the European Union imposed extra sanctions against Iran, including tougher restrictions on the energy sector and a tougher trade embargo. this then started the backslide of help from China and Russia on future sanction projects…

Even though the construction of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant has not been affected by the UN sanctions against Iran. America has increased her sanctions and now has repeatedly increased the pressured on Russia to drop the project and go along with all aspects of what America has sanctioned against Iran. The debates in America’s congress centers on this subject about the defiance and psychotic relationship that Russia has with Iran.

Russia has woke and seen the truth…

Windows to Russia!

  • Russia: Iran’s nuclear plant to start next week (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
  • Russian nuclear agency says launch of of Iran’s first nuclear plant will begin next week (foxnews.com)
  • Russia says to load fuel in Iran reactor on Aug 21 (msnbc.msn.com)
  • Iran nuclear plant launch beckons (bbc.co.uk)
  • Iran’s first nuclear power plant set for launch Aug. 21 (theglobeandmail.com)
  • Russia objects to EU Iran sanctions (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
  • You: Bushehr nuclear plant construction unaffected by Iran sanctions: Russia Foreign ministry (nation.com.pk)
  • Russia says Iran reactor will start up in August (reuters.com)
  • Russia Ready to Launch Iranian Nuclear Power Plant (israelnationalnews.com)
  • Russian official: Iran’s reactor ready by August (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Man – this is a big item in Western Press…  Hummmmm!

Ten Years, August 12, 2000 the Russian Nuclear Submarine Kursk Sank in the Barents Sea…

Wreck of Russian submarine K-141 Kursk in a fl...
The Kursk Wreckage…

With the death of all 118 crew members on board. The Kursk remains the worst disaster in the history of the Russian submarine fleet.

The Kursk was designed to combat large surface ships, primarily American aircraft carriers, the Kursk was the most advanced submarine in the Russian navy at the time. Construction began in March 1990, and the Kursk set out on her maiden voyage in May 1994.

The accident occurred during an exercise of the North Fleet, in which the Kursk was taking part. The vessel sank at a depth of a little over 100 meters around 108 miles from the Kola Strait.

Russia Mourns her Kursk dead today…

Windows to Russia!

Russia: Gorbachev Seems to be Sliding Back Into the Political World!

Soviet President Michael Sergeevich Gorbachev
Gorbachev…

Gorbachev has been busy as of late. He has been speaking out more and more…

(RIA Novosti) – Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has said that the Obama administration in the United States needs far-reaching ‘perestroika‘ reforms to overcome the financial crisis and restore balance in the world.

The term perestroika, meaning restructuring, was used by Gorbachev in the late 1980s to describe a series of reforms that abolished state planning in the Soviet Union.

In an interview with Italy’s La Stampa published on Friday, Gorbachev said President-elect Barack Obama needs to fundamentally change the misguided course followed by President George W. Bush over the past eight years.

Gorbachev said that after transforming his country in the late 1980s, he had told the Americans that it was their turn to act, but that Washington, celebrating its Cold War victory, was not interested in “a new model of a society, where politics, economics and morals went hand in hand.”

Seems that a lot of lies and deceit went on during the fall of the Soviet Union and looks like a portion of the lies and deceit came from America…

Interesting, the more I read the better it gets…..

Windows to Russia!

Cup of Coffee Today Was Delicious and Other Thoughts…

A photo of a cup of coffee.
A Good Cup Of Coffee…

Today I really enjoyed that wonderful cup of morning coffee. Sveta was sitting with me drinking her hot tea and I had the perfect cup of coffee…

Part of the enjoyment out of life with Sveta is that her and I can sit and talk for hours. I never had that in America with my two American wives. No one ever wanted to sit at a kitchen table and talk about things in America. Just too busy…

Russians love to sit at the kitchen table and discuss things. It is as Sveta says, part of the quality of life

Today Sveta and I talked about several things and one of them was about taking a trip to Turkey. It seems that lots of Russians travel to Turkey and there are fantastic deals that include airfare, hotel, excursions and food. So it looks like Sveta and I will make plans for that particular trip… (Fun Time)

The next thing that was talked about and the real reason that I have started this post. We talked about Russia allowing many other countries to help with the fires…

It started me thinking that she was correct and I was once again tossed into the thoughts of why America did not allow help on the Gulf Oil Spill. So many countries had offered help to America and they never really took anyone up on their offers.

Russia has accepted lots of help from all over the world. Many aircraft have been sent to help dump water on fires all over Russia. I understand that Ukraine sent many men to help fight the fires. In fact I have heard of virtually no denial of help from Russia. Also the always a showman Putin – Decided to help fight the fires. He went up in one of the planes that scoop up water and dump it on the fire. He got to pull the lever that dropped the water. So Putin is touted as the great savior and putting out fires. (Looks like we are starting our presidential campaign. 🙂 )

We also talked about a trip to the village is in order but until the Ryzan area is under control from fires, we will hesitate to travel that far. It is looking like the fires got close but did not get our village. (Cross Your Fingers!)

So it also looks like Sveta and I will be planning a trip to a country that she or I have never been to. But Russians love Turkey and Turkey loves Russians. I hope they like Americans… 🙂

Turkey sounds like fun…

Windows to Russia!

No Hot Water Every Year is Normal…

Is This a Pidgeon hole...

I read several articles today from other blogs and websites. They were complaining about the lack of hot water in the cities every year in Russia due to cleaning the systems out…

It then dawned on me that we were almost done with our turn at no hot water…

It also dawned on me that I never cared this year. I have been taking cold showers and washing dishes in water that you heat in a pot. I never even blinked an eye at doing this. Then I realized that I have almost totally adapted…

I hear and talk to newbies to Moscow and they are mortified the first time they see the famous squat toilets at the rail station. They literally scream when they lose hot water in the summer for a week to two weeks. They gasp when they are told to filter all drinking water. They wanna go home when they find that ice cubes are part of another world they left behind…

Many newbies never make it and I have never understood why. Life is very good here but it is different and that makes it even better than good…

So I smiled today at the realization that I have become a Muscovite sorta-be!

I even think the pigeons are wonderful now…

Windows to Russia!

From Russia: Putin – Quote of the Day – "I’m not working in a circus, you know!"

Hello,Windows to Russia!

Putin was in an interview and when he was asked this question below about how fun his job is he was caught off guard a little bit. I really do not think that he expected this question…

Q: “What’s the funnest part of your job? Not funniest, but funnest.”

Putin: “I’m not working in a circus, you know! There’s not much fun in my job. Well, you got me. I haven’t found anything that would be fun. No, I don’t think there’s anything fun about my job. The funniest thing was your question!”

Can’t say he does not tell the truth:

“I’m not working in a circus, you know!”

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia Has a High Speed Train Now!

This is a cool video of the new high speed train going from Moscow to St. Petersburg. This was just a trial run and it will be a few months wait before allowing regular passengers to ride.

This will be a blast when it is official – Svet and I are going to St. Petersburg and have a visit then… 🙂

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

We See The Sun in Moscow but More Smoke to Come…

A reprieve happened today. The air cleared a little bit and the sun poked her nose at us today. That does not mean that all is good but it does mean that there still is a possible life without smoke. This let up in smoke will most likely be short lived because over 520 fires are estimated to be blazing across Russia as I write this post…

The fires have also surrounded Moscow

The smoke is reported to have even carried as far as St Petersburg. I read a letter from someone that said they woke this morning in St. Petersburg the sky was dimmed and the smell of smoke drifted in the air…

I find the responses of the Government interesting and the fact that they promise to give everyone new homes that lost them in these fires is intriguing to me. It seems that many have received compensation money already and that within three months they will have new homes…

Sveta was telling me that it looks like the new homes will be flats instead of the village homes that many lived in. The flats will have running water, sewer and other amenities. Don’t be puzzled by what I have said. Most villages have no running water and use outhouses as the norm. So this is a huge step up in the world for many of these people…

I have read many angry letters by people on Live-journal and I sense some frustrated non believing people. I really do not blame them because they have just watched all their possessions go up in flames and nothing could stop it. The heat and fires make non believers out of the best of us…

But the excitement of a new home is in the air and if the Kremlin fulfills its promise you could have a better ending then the beginning of this tragedy…

So Windows to Russia will keep an eye on the progress of rebuilding the villages and see if what has been promised will come to bear fruit

I think it will…

Windows to Russia!

Common Fascism

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbil...
Saakashvili…

In fact, the year of 2008 is the sequel of 1939. Hitler was in Germany. Enormous pains were taken by the West to strengthen Adolph in hope to set him against the USSR; Mussolini and Spanish Fascists were treated kindly with the same purpose, while Hungary was almost considered an example of statehood.

With an approach like that, one would surely venture too far, and what goes around, comes around. There is a feeling that the western leaders’ seats are occupied by historical D-students: time has taught them no lesson.

Assessing the situation that developed around Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the years before the August 2008 events and after them, one can say that Saakashvili is just an axe in the hands of an executioner. He could not have acted differently. A punisher does not ask why burning this or that village; he just executes an order, which was clear enough: formally, “set up constitutional order”, while in fact, “destroy everything pro-Russian and create maximum tension for Moscow”; use all means, do not bother about people and do not hesitate to be cruel, for we’ll cover you. As to the West, it has got rich experience in contemporary history.

After a cease-fire agreement that did not at all fit in with US’ plans, Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia under their owners’ pressure. It resembles Serbian Kraina when Serbians approved a cease-fire agreement and Z4 plan and the next day, under US’ pressure, Croatia attacked Kraina. Knin was on fire; the territory was mopped up within a few days and the “international community” kept silent.

The same scenario was repeated in 2008: destroying everything “alien”. This time, there will also be someone else to blame or to be secretly condemned. Things would not have gone as far as collisions should Saakashvili not be America’s servant. However, CIA taught him not to be sorry for Russian or Georgian victims, and it is important that Georgian Nazis will continue pursuing their aggressive policy.

Collisions were triggered directly from the USA; it was Washington’s fighting reconnaissance to see how far Russia will go. Georgia is just one of American colonies used as a mousetrap. US would attack Russia themselves instead of doing it via Georgia if they had a chance to.

Saakashvili picked the day when the Olympics started in Beijing for attacking the peacefully sleeping Tskhinval and Russian peacekeepers. On August 5, Georgian Ministry of Defense announced “Olympic armistice” implying the cease of any military actions seven days before the games and for as long as they last. “Not only does Georgia support this principle; it is generally opposed to any military actions at any time. Georgia considers negotiations to be the only way of conflict settlement”, – the statement of Ministry of Defense went.

Treachery is one of Fascism’s traits. Having lost the military operation, Saakashvili has been fighting in the information sphere for two years. It looks like Washington supplies him with theses. Mishiko has always lied, is lying still and will go on lying – there is nothing else he can do.

For instance, he asserts that in August 2008, the South-Ossetian capital represented a “military camp” and its assault at the beginning of the military conflict with Russia was justified. Saakashvili made it clear that he saw no need for international investigation of the crimes committed by the Georgian Army in South Ossetia, having stressed that Georgia has already performed the necessary proceedings: “It must not look like there was a small and helpless Tskhinval, as Russians would present it, and we came at night all of a sudden and cruelly attacked the sleeping town. The population had been evacuated before the full-scale intrusion, for the people would have become an obstacle for the troops advancing along a narrow road. The town was turned into a military camp. Russian intruders were already there, laying down fire at our positions”.

Let me translate his words: first, it is none of your business whether we kill our own people; second, Ossetians were crushed by Russian armor spoiling for a fight with the Georgians. The madman went on: “It’s a pity we could not apply disproportionate force against them: we’ve got neither disproportionate, nor proportionate force. Our forces were incomparably poor…”, – Saakashvili confessed, making it clear that he could achieve the desired victory by increasing the forces to overlap the last-year figures. That is a statement to think about.

The president is longing for revenge just like any Fascist. Blood is again going to be shed in this marvelous nook. Saakashvili will end up bad but what does it have to do with the people having to live under a rain of lead?

Saakashvili and company believe it all happened as they said. Here is a full copy of Doctor Goebbels’ cynical verbal exercises: “You may lie only when you will definitely not be caught, or will be caught too late”, and Saakashvili was virtually found out in a lie.

The main thing is that Georgian authorities have committed a crime against humanity, which is confirmed by confessions of captive Georgian soldiers, citizens of Tskhinval who survived the leaden hell, and by many other things. There is evidence of the official Tbilisi’s cannibal policy, and retaliation is inevitable.

And that was not provided for in the West’s plans. The reports, investigations and opinions are only aimed at placing Saakashvili and Russia on the same shelf and proving that both parties are wrong. A mean tactics that is sure to fail. The words of President of the Nixon Center Dmitry Sims are quite illustrative here: “All the leaders in Obama’s team, Clinton, Gates, and General Johns see it clearly that the war was launched by Georgia. This fact has been known not only from the European Union’s recent report, from observers staying in Georgia and from independent journalists’ investigations but also from a whole group of Georgian officials who have left Saakashvili’s administration since then”.

Thus, American administration has got no doubts the attack was initiated by Georgian side upon Saakashvili’s personal order. The purpose of the war was not only to free South Ossetia for Georgians but also to “chase”, as Saakashvili put it in his talk with Burdzhanadze, Russian troops “on their rusty tanks” and demonstrate Russia’s “impotence” to the entire world.

In other conversations, he admitted that it was his personal desire to send Putin about his business.

Should we expect any positive steps from Georgia in future? No. Saakashvili is one of those who do not like to make it another way and does not understand the way he can behave under the circumstances. The end they set for him justifies the means they gave him. He is driven far aside and has got his crimes ahead of him. There will be no repentance.

Georgia Times

By Vladimir Anokhin vice president of the Academy of geopolitical problems…

  • Putin Responds to Clinton’s Repeat Performance… (windowstorussia.com)
  • Georgia expands military budget amid rising paranoia (rt.com)
  • ROAR: Medvedev’s visit to Abkhazia “marks Russia’s presence in the region” (rt.com)
  • Here comes the new war with Georgia (barbaradiamond.blogspot.com)
  • War and peace (bbc.co.uk)
  • Moscow calls on world to stop selling weapons to Georgia – official (rt.com)
  • Clinton Assails Russian Occupation of Georgia Regions (businessweek.com)
  • Moscow vows support for breakaway Georgian regions (dailycaller.com)
  • Russian president visits Abkhazia (bbc.co.uk)
  • “Medvedev on Georgia” and related posts (robertamsterdam.com)

(Views expressed in this article reflect the author’s opinion and do not necessarily reflect those of Windows to Russia. Windows to Russia does not  vouch for facts and quotes mentioned in the story)