Windows to Russia

Originally posted 2008-08-25 15:55:00.

Seems Russia has a few slaps back in the American face that may hurt….

1. Moscow may respond at the UN Security Council, where it can put obstacles on the way of US intentions to punish Iran for its nuclear ambition.

2. All anti-terrorist programs, the struggle against drug mafia, Syria, Venezuela and Hamas can be added on the list too.

3. Russians may stop their cooperation with the USA, with the cooperation in the energy industry.

4. The USA needs to obtain Russia’s help in the endeavor to make Iran and North Korea shut down their nuclear programs.

5. Russia started the shipments of first components of its very effective S-300 missile system to Iran. Russia is in the deals now with India for missiles to arm India’s new submarines. Russia is also working on Arms deals with Syria, Jordon and Venezuela on arms deals.

6. Russia may complicate USA’s and NATO’s supply of the coalition in Afghanistan In April, Moscow gave France and Germany a right to transit non-combatant cargoes via Russia.

7. Russia is capable of blocking any sanctions at the UN Security Council.

8. Moscow can also pull out from a number of treaties, including the one signed with the USA about the liquidation of short and smaller range missiles after the expiry of START-1 Treaty in 2009.

9. The USA would hardly prefer Moscow disposing of its dollar assets. Moscow has already started the actions to sell Russian crude for rubles, which would obviously affect long-term dollar positions.

10. Can you think of any more?

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

I woke up this morning and fired up the computer. I was greeted with an onslaught of disgusting comments and e-mails that centered around the Russia and America Spy issue. I have spent almost 2 hours going through all these comments and e-mails. The spam and cussing filters work really good by the way. I wanted to save the ones that at least tried to comment…

I have expressed interest in this spy bull because it involves Russia. If I lived somewhere else in the world, I would have cared less about Russian spies in America. If I was in America I would have cared less about Russian spies in America. I most likely would have never written about it…

What I would be writing about if I lived in America is the Gulf Oil Lie…

I am following what is happening and I can tell you something. We are in big trouble. I have lived in Florida and I know how beautiful that the Gulf Waters can be.

The big news is being very poorly done over the Gulf Oil Lie. Example is, I just read an article by BBC and normally they are very neutral but in this case it was a text book cover up article. It was a hunky dory everything will be just peachy keen when they get that new cap in place… (How many new caps?)

One thing that bothers me and I really hope that if you are old enough, you remember, the 1979 oil disastor that spewed oil for nine months, devastated marine life and covered the Texas and Mexican coasts with gobs of crude. Florida was a long ways from that spill…

There really are strong parallels between the two spills. Like the Deepwater Horizon spill, the Ixtoc 1 spill on June 3, 1979, involved the failure of a blowout preventer device, a kind of emergency shutoff valve. In both cases, metal domes put over the well failed to stop the leaks. Also the news casts from that era are virtually identical to the news casts today. In fact if you can find some old videos from that era you will think you are listening to the newscast of today and what they say about the oil spill…

And in both cases, crews turned to something called relief wells dug horizontally through the seafloor to stop the spills, a technique that can take months.

The Ixtoc I was an exploratory well being drilled in 160 feet of water about 60 miles northwest of Ciudad del Carmen on Mexico’s Gulf coast. By comparison, the Deepwater Horizon well is in 5,000 feet deep water.

This disaster is much worse and by being in 5000 feet of water makes the Ixtoc I situation a piece of cake…

I remember the Ixtoc I incident very well. It dumped 3,000,000 barrels of oil so they say. The effects were far reaching and are still able to be found if you go look…

By my calculations Ixtoc I became a baby oil spill in comparison a long time ago. The news, BP and the Government at first was using the Ixtoc I as a comparison because they had no idea that this would ever come near that bad of a spill. That ended quickly…

Guess what?  I think at least 20 million barrels (840,000,000 gallons) of oil have exploded into the Gulf and with this oil is coming some really bad other chemicals. We ourselves have put some really bad chemicals in the water on the oil.

We have just possibly killed the Gulf, can we stop it before we kill the Atlantic? The call now is that it is going to devastate the fishing all through the North end of the world.

Have you seen the videos of the wells and the dolphins that have died from the oil? Have you been looking around and trying to see what is really happening? Do you think it will? Can we stop it? Is the ground fractured at the well? Is evacuation a possibility? Why is the local news being stifled? What if the two relief wells create a bigger problem? Why are local governments being squelched? Why have state governments been pushed aside? Why is the whole damn world not there by the millions to save the planet? Can we Nuke it? Is this all on a unstable fault line in the earths crust? How many places are leaking on the Gulf floor? Have we been lied to? Do you trust the ones in Charge?  …

Lots and lots of questions that need answers and I really do not think that we can answer them. But I wanna know! Now you see why I had heart attacks…

Windows to Russia!

• Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill surpasses IXTOC I as worst oil spill in Gulf of Mexico’s history (gcaptain.com
• Tomorrow, BP Spill Will be the Largest in Gulf History (treehugger.com)
• 1979 Ixtoc oil spill suggests there will be no quick fixes for Deepwater Horizon (foxnews.com)
• Repeating Ixtoc’s Oil Soaked History (npr.org)
• Tomorrow, BP Spill Will be the Largest in Gulf History (treehugger.com)
• 1979 Ixtoc oil spill suggests there will be no quick fixes for Deepwater Horizon (foxnews.com)

I had a comment that expressed the desire of hoping that Russia and America will not have a set back in their relationship over this spy issue. I have analyzed this situation from multiple angles and can not see any good that has come out of spy verses spy.

It had nothing to do with good or bad, right or wrong and spy verses spy. It had to do with the timing of the whole escapades and that was an intentional deliberation. It had to do with the fact that Obama made the decision to do what he did and it was a slap in the face to Medvedev…

At first I was thinking that Obama would not have done that. That he would have either made sure that the people were arrested before Medvedev came or wait until after he left and the G-8 and G20 were over. The fact that he choose how it came down has directed even my feelings on the issue. Building a relationship with Russia was important and a decade old case of a handful of dumb spies was not important. If these spies were so important why were they not picked up one, two, three or more years ago. They never ever came close to accomplishing anything of importance…

An example of change in thoughts comes from Mayor Yury of Moscow. Now many love the Moscow Mayor and then again many dislike him greatly. But I do know that he will say what is on his mind and that causes people to have issues with him…

Now the big news in Moscow is that they will help Vietnam build subways and Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov said, “For Moscow, Vietnam is the first priority compared to any other countries in terms of cooperation.”

So goes Moscow, goes Russia…

Take it how you want, but believe me after being here for almost 4 years. I know that he said this for a reason and that was not to convince Vietnam to get help doing a subway.  Mayor Yury Luzhkov is a powerful man in Russia and I have learned by watching, that what he expresses is thinking’s from the Kremlin. I have also picked up multiples of  changes in the way the news is presenting issues with America.

Many in Russia believe that looking West is degrading to the future of the country. Many believe that Russia should be concentrating on the surrounding and East side of the world.

Truth is, Relations With America Have Gone Back to Normal. This spy issue was just a reality check for Russia…

Lets hope they prove me wrong!

Windows to Russia!

• Could Putin Have a “Told You So” For Medvedev? (windowstorussia.com)
• Russia May Be Wondering Who Really is in Charge in America… (windowstorussia.com)
• Russia and USA say, “I Spy is Over”… (windowstorussia.com)
• Looks Like Someone Thought Russia Was Getting Too Buddy Buddy… (windowstorussia.com)

GAZ Volga Siber:

In 2006, GAZ Group acquired the Sebring platform from Chrysler, on the basis of which the new vehicle was developed.

With the purchase of the platform from Chrysler, we acquired new light vehicle production and quality control technologies – technologies used in modern automobile construction.

The Siber will be manufactured in Russia and sales will start in 2008. The vehicle’s design was adjusted to better suit Russian roads. Among these technical changes are increased road clearance and hardened suspension.

The other changes have to do with the look of the Siber. The bumper, radiator grill and lights have been redesigned. There are plans to revamp the salon.

Installation and preparation of equipment is currently under way at the GAZ production line in Nizhny Novgorod. Contracts are being signed with part suppliers. The question of partial localization of component production is being carefully considered.

New welding and assembly lines have been built. The Haden-2 painting complex has been modernized. In effect, a new factory has been built for the production of the Siber.

The first Siber cars will already be rolling off the assembly line at GAZ this summer. The Siber is being manufactured under licence from the American company Chrysler, but the engineers at Magna have made a great contribution to the implementation of the project. Canadian colleagues played a very active role in the work during virtually all the phases of the project – from procurement, setting up information systems and localizing spare parts to improving technologies, for example in the paint or welding shops on the assembly line. About 150 Canadian specialists provided direct assistance to get the Siber’s assembly plant in Nizhny Novgorod operational.

Specifications of the Volga Siber:

Basic equipment: 2-liter engine with 141hp, air conditioning, two airbags, ABS, anti-skid Traction Control System, halogen headlamps with delayed disconnection and adjustable levels of brightness, power steering, adjustable steering wheel, electric driver’s seat adjustable in six directions, stereo system with 6 speakers and amplifier, heated and folding electric mirrors and a full spare tire.

Main technical specifications: 4-cylinder in-line Chrysler engine (standard Euro 4). Displacement: 2 litre and 2.4 litre. Power: 141hp and 143hp; Torque: 188 @ 4,350 and 210 @ 4,200. Maximum speed: 200 kmph. Fuel tank capacity: 61 litres. Dimensions: clearance: 140 mm; length: 4,844 mm; width: 1.792 mm; height: 1,394 mm; volume of passenger compartment: 2,660 litres; volume of boot: 453 litres.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

About Volga Siber Project

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• Immaculate Volga’s Cold War style elicits warm smiles (autoblog.com)
• The Tank-Like Soviet Race Car That Never Raced [Retro] (jalopnik.com)

I really thought that America would wait a few months before they gave out the confirmation information about this spy game crap. I was hoping for the sake of relations between America and Russia. That the bragging, that is so common by America, would not slither forth for a awhile…

But it looks as though when you got a story that is headlines news for more than a day. You play it for all it is worth. Play is a good word and all this information just backs up what I have been saying. Lets read a few excerpts from The Washington Post and her latest article on this spy saga…

1. President Obama’s national security team spent weeks before the arrest of 10 Russian spies preparing for their take down and assembling a list of prisoners Moscow might be willing to trade for the agents, senior administration officials said Friday.

2. Now, with the swap on an airport tarmac in Vienna completed, the administration hopes the episode will remain a non issue between Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, treated as one of the occasional, fleeting bumps in a smooth road ahead for relations between their countries.

3. With any luck, U.S. officials indicated, it would be as if the biggest spy swap since the end of the Cold War had never happened.

4. Obama was first told about the Russian program and the long-running investigation June 11.

5. They discarded the possibility of asking Moscow for individuals with no intelligence connections, and they found that the universe of imprisoned Russians who had been accused of spying for the West was surprisingly small. (Link)

I have said several times that Medvedev is quiet and Putin has taken the limelight to pull attention away from Medvedev while Medvedev does a little soul searching.

Everyone in America has this very wrong. Russia is so different than what you believe and or led to believe. Russians have turned from the forward process that was being made in the minds and attitudes, as political wherewithal’s seems to have blended into a viable working situation…

That changed fast and it came at the sole discretion of the powers at large, the powers to be and the power wanna Be’s…

I took a long walk and did some soul searching myself about this false spy situation. This is my feelings and I really do not care if you think America was right and Russia wrong – or- America wrong and Russia right…

They were both wrong and none of this should have been news. This should have concluded behind closed doors and never should have been magnified by anyone for any reason.

This is not just a move in a chess or checker game. This time it was a move that squelched a true reset that could have bettered the world, years down the road. I have said before that Russia plays chess and America plays checkers. In checkers you have to take the jumps and capture the opponent. In chess that is never a forced issue… (Think about what I just said!)

What I see is a total and complete break down in trust between two major world powers that needed to have as solid of a footing as possible to help achieve stability in the world…

Russian press is the sounding board of the Kremlin. As the Kremlin smiles so does the press and Vice-a-Versa.

I could feel a real change starting to happen and it was prevalent coming from the Russian President. He had a good attitude toward America and truly believed that Obama was large and in Charge.

The sun was shining and the sky was clear. All the past was just our fears…

Lets look at the listed 5 excerpts above:

Number one makes clear that this was planned and was being staged for a special time and moment. So do not let the bull about “they are planning to run” dance in your brain. If that was true then pick them up NOW….

Number Two makes it clear that they did the timing on purpose and now are doing a fake damage control and steer the American people down that path of, “See we (America) have no hard feelings about all this and Russia shouldn’t either…”

Number three makes clear America is a – Cold War Junkie…

Number four is a good one. Obama knew before at least by two weeks and planned with the decade long process. Him and his advisers came up with that perfect moment in which to spring this stupid situation. Timing was on purpose…

Number 5 is my favorite one. We admit that Russia does not have jails full of America spies. Why? Well it is not because they (American spies) are not here. It is because Russia has got better things to do then spend a decade of intelligence money on following 10 buffoons, then arresting them, even after admitting that they really did nothing wrong and never ever correlated data transfers that meant anything… (Oh I forgot they also laundry money, grow up, so does the business world everyday and that is perfectly legal)

So as you can see, I really am perturbed by this. What happened was an inadmissible game that was created to shift short attention spans away from issues that really are bigger and more disturbing. It worked because the head line news was Cold War Spies and not the death of the Gulf of Mexico due to man’s stupidity…

• Russia May Be Wondering Who Really is in Charge in America… (windowstorussia.com)
• Russia and USA say, “I Spy is Over”… (windowstorussia.com)
• Putin Responds to Clinton’s Repeat Performance… (windowstorussia.com)
• Swap Them Russian Spys for American Spys… (windowstorussia.com)
• Spy Versus Spy: Rewind to the Reset Button Times… (windowstorussia.com)
• Looks Like Someone Thought Russia Was Getting Too Buddy Buddy… (windowstorussia.com)
• Tidbit of Information for Russia’s Medvedev to Think About… (windowstorussia.com)

Windows to Russia!

Svet and her mother are leaving Moscow this weekend. It seems that Svet’s son Misha is finishing up officer training and is ready to be sworn in as an officer in the Russian Military.

Misha is a student in the Moscow University and is working on a math and computer degree of some type. He has spent once a week for two years working with the Russian Military and now he is in a two month program to finish his training.

I am really not very informed on the happenings and will stay out of it for the most part. I am staying home this weekend because of the nature of what is happening and I would most likely never get by the front gate anyway. So Svet and I figured why create issue that do not need to be created…

But Grandma and Mother will not be kept from seeing Misha accomplish his goals in life. They have gotten train tickets for a 5 hour train ride out of Moscow to some remote location. They have a motel rented in the nearest large town to stay for a few nights and they are excited about the whole excursion…

Like many grandparents, Misha does no wrong in Grandma’s eyes and that is just right! Misha is the only child and is with out a doubt the “Apple of Grandmas Eye!”

I am also happy for Misha and realize that to see your dreams come true is a hard thing to do in this day and age.

So while Svet and her Mother spend the weekend being proud Grandma and Mother…

Boza and I will goof off this weekend and paint the bathroom…

Windows to Russia!

Dates are Yummy!

Another city!

Another city!

Going to the Sea of Galilee!

Mediterranean Sea and me! (Svet always sneaks pictures of me.)

Love the flowers!

Flowers everywhere in the cities!

Big Fish!

Just Cool!

Big Fish Again!

Statues at a Museum!

It was a fantastic trip and we recommend anyone to go, But rent a car and see your own sights.

We saw tour buses everywhere, packed with Russians, Americans, Germans and Britons. They really looked wore out and grouchy!

Example: At Dead Sea, many tor buses stopped and gave the people 45 minutes: to change clothes and float in the Dead Sea and get out take a shower and get dressed again and leave to the next destination. (Not Fun)

Hope everyone enjoyed the pictures and if you have any questions just ask.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

The United Nations gathered in a meeting and hashed out a statement about the sinking of the South Korean ship Cheonan. What was expressed as the result did not meet America’s and South Korea’s expectations about the situation. It fell short of making a conclusion that extradited North Korea into the situation. North Korea was not officially blamed…

At least the United Nations can see that you have to have evidence and real facts before you point fingers. The UN did condemned the sinking of the South Korean warship, the Cheonan. But then they refused to blame a North Korea for the sinking.

Why?

Because as I have repeated time and time again about the fact that there is not any evidence that supports the statement that South Korea and the USA claim that North Korea sank the South Korean ship…

Now the Western press and South Korean press is having a issue with this statement by the UN. This type of statement brings the war mongers out in force because they really dislike it when evil North Korea is not criticized, even if North Korea does not deserve it. That has never mattered…

The drums beat loudly at this moment and the screams are being heard about how worthless the UN has become. The UN can not even criticize North Korea for the terrible act that they performed by sinking the South Korean Cheonan.

But why would the UN say that North Korea did it when the evidence is inappropriate to draw conclusions about what happened. The word alleged was the key word and we all know what that means…

We Alleged So It Must Be True…

Windows to Russia!

• North Korea Avoids Blame in UN Statement on Sinking of Warship (businessweek.com)
• U.N. Draft Condemns Ship Sinking Without Blaming North Korea (nytimes.com)
• UN avoids blaming N. Korea for ship attack (cbc.ca)

I spy has been settled between Russia and America, in a fashion that leaves all the asked questions unanswered and all the future questions will never be answered, according to the way the deal was handled. It was a 4 for 10 swap…

Russia and the U.S. have concluded the spy scandal. Both the Russian Foreign Ministry and the U.S. Department of State have officially confirmed recent media announcements about an agreement on a ‘spy exchange.’ According to the agreement, 10 alleged special agents for Russia who had to plead guilty or go to jail in the U.S. will be swapped for four people officially convicted for spying for Western countries. (Can we say coercion?)

The main conditions of the swap deal was for the 10 special agents for Russia to plead guilty. (Other words admit we are a bad people…)

President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree pardoning the four jailed  convicts based also on their petitions for pardon, in which they also confess their crimes and signed statements of oath also.  All 4 of the pardoned by Medvedev have already served lengthy prison sentences – between 5 and 11 years.  (Now we know why Medvedev has been quiet…)

The members of the alleged spy team have all signed statements of oath with their quilt pleas that expressively forbid them from talking to the press about said dealings over this case.

Can anyone understand that this was a total manipulation of the judicial and governmental systems from day one, plus that ulterior motives ruled in this aspect? Does anyone realize that this was a warning shot to wake up certain governmental officials in the USA.

Windows to Russia!

PS: Does anyone realize that they really are not spies? They could not even be charged with espionage…

• Russian president pardons 4 spies for swap with US (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• SFgate.com Admin official: Russians had to sign oath on guilt (sfgate.com)
• You: Medvedev pardons four accused spies – Update (earthtimes.org)
• Justice Dept. says Russians will release 4 in spy swap (thenewstribune.com)
• Anna Chapman ‘to return to Britain’ (telegraph.co.uk)