Windows to Russia

Last week Turkey made a statement that Israel will not get any gas from them but Syria, Lebanon, and Cyprus will. This was pertaining to recent issues and the completion of the Blue Stream 2 pipeline.

Putin is in Turkey on business and has concluded some finalization of deals. The word is official that:

Russia is committed to the second stage of the Blue Stream gas pipeline, but it won’t extend to Israel, according to Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, speaking in Turkey.

The decision to halt Blue Stream before it reaches Israel, would be consistent with Turkish calls for sanctions against the country. But it would also trim the economic scale of the pipeline – first proposed in 2002.

Interesting! What might come up in the future as more pressure is applied to world situations to circumvent Israel?

Windows to Russia!

The Russian experts will be giving their reports on the sinking of South Korea’s Cheonan corvette to the Russian Defense Ministry in a couple of days. So stay tuned because Windows to Russia will have the full report or as much as we can get of that report and post it on the site…

This should be interesting!

Windows to Russia!

I get upset at incidents like this. A tragic happening and the men who are suppose to be helping control a terrible situation, have nothing better to do than steal from deceased people.

It seems that credit cards of the deceased people were stolen by four soldiers who were at the scene to make sure that it was secure. Russia’s first response was, Nope – It did not happen…

The Russian prosecutor’s investigations office said four Russian soldiers had been charged with “theft carried out by a group with premeditation”, according to state media.

Three of the four soldiers had previous criminal convictions, including robbery and counterfeiting, the prosecutor’s office said.

The soldiers have already admitted their involvement, a spokesman was quoted by Itar-Tass and Ekho Moskvy as saying. The Russian reports said the sum stolen was more than 60,000 roubles (£1,300).

I do not blame Russia for her first response because the desire to keep things under control until the truth is evaluated, is normal.

I initially said to myself, What were former criminals doing in the Army? Then I allowed my memories to return about who I was enlisted with in America, back in the old days. The army was a place for many that had no future at the hometown. In Russia they still have the draft so you take all that comes…

So I will not continue on that theme but I will say, The men that stole the credit card should be punished heavily and due to the sensitivity of the situation that was at hand at the Polish Presidents Plane Crash, it makes their crime even morally and politically wrong…

Windows to Russia!

Today lets have some baked fish that will simply tantalize your taste buds. This is not a hard recipe as almost all of Windows to Russia recipes are simple. I found this recipe that was labeled several times as “Moscow Style Baked Fish!” I have made this style of fish many times and it is based after a French recipe that I use to follow… (Regardless it is plain – Yummy)

Ingredients:

* 800 grams of boneless fish fillets
* 10 ea mushrooms, canned or boiled (sliced and not 10 cans)
* 2 ea medium hard boiled eggs (sliced)
* 2 ea medium onions (chopped)
* 50 g butter (broke up into small chunks)
* 7 ea peeled potatoes (diced)
* 1-1/2 cup sour cream (25 plus %)
* 1/2 cup shredded cheese (white or yellow – your choice)
* salt and pepper to taste (I use fresh garlic also)

In a skillet at high heat fry the fish fillets until seared or sealed to hold juices in, on each side. (turn twice but do not cook all the way)

While frying the fish have a greased baking pan ready as the oven is being preheated to 300 degrees F.

Then place the seared fish slices in the center of the greased baking pan. Then take the diced onions and fry in the same fish skillet – until golden brown brown.

While the onions are frying take raw diced potatoes and cover the fish slices, to fill the rest of the empty pan and then apply the cooked onions on top the potatoes and fish.

Put the butter in little chunks, then the egg slices and sliced mushrooms on top of everything. (you could slice up some fresh garlic and apply at this time.)

Cover with sour cream and shredded cheese. (bury the other ingredients.)

Salt and Pepper to taste! (some may salt and pepper twice – once after the potatoes and then at the last step)

Bake in the oven until done. (preheat 300 degrees F. and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. in center rack of oven. Keep an eye on the top of dish and pull before it burns.)

Let cool a few minutes and then get ready to eat! (Yummy)

Notes: If you use a clear baking dish then that helps to keep an eye on the bottom burning. Notice that Russian dishes have an abundance of sour cream in them!

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

No visas for tourists traveling between Russia and Brazil starting this Monday! Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba, Peru, Ecuador, The Dominican Republic and Argentina within Latin America are visa free…

This is an agreement that was signed by President Dmitry Medvedev during his visit to Brazil on November 26, 2008 finally comes in effect. (Yippy – “Rock On” Medvedev!)

Russian and or Brazilian tourists either way, are not required visas for entry, exit, transit or stay on the territory of another state for up to 90 days within each 180-day period from the first entry.

However, this agreement pertains just to tourist visas. Business visas still under the old rules.

Time for a trip to Brazil! 🙂

Windows to Russia!

Here in the last few months Georgia has continued to provoke Abkhazia and her sea going rights. It has even got to the point that Georgia has confiscated sea going vessels that are going to port in Abkhazia. Tbilisi ordered that any ship sailing to Abkhazia without the permission of Georgian authorities should be arrested. Several ships from Turkey have already been seized it seems.

A few days ago Abkhazia put out an official statement that they will destroy Georgian military ships that tread on their waters. (I was not aware that Abkhazia had a navy of any type.)

So big bear has stepped in and backed little bears words up. Russia has said that a continuation of Georgian interceding in Abkhazian waters will lead to “serious armed incidents”.

The one thing that I have learned in Russia is that when the Kremlin makes a statement, it is not very long after that statement that action will result. Russia is in no way going to alter policy towards Abkhazia or South Ossetia and Georgia is going to have to get over it… (Whether you or I like it or not!)

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

But something seems to be keeping the situation from bearing fruit!

We were thinking of some friends that we have in Florida and the fact that the oil is coming closer and closer to the beautiful Florida beaches, have caused them to express unhappiness. They have stated several times that they do not understand why America will not let the world help clean up this oil mess? Well we are here to tell you that the world is and has offered help…

Here is one excuse why America, not BP will not allow help…

It seems that in Russia the willingness is there to help, but the abilities of BP to use all the worlds resources have been curtailed a tad by political and paranoia issues. (Who would do that?)

Per the commander of the Bathyscaphe “Mir-1” – Anatoly Sagalevich. He said, that BP and Russia began talks shortly after the environmental disaster started and have not yet ended.

He explained the root of BP’s predicament, Sagalevich said that “We are Russians, and if we go to the Gulf of Mexico with Mirs and do something there, the Americans would be appalled.”

Good to know that appalled Americans help destroy the Ocean and beaches…

Windows to Russia!

PS: Lots of help offered, but NO is the answer…

I have written several articles about the chicken issues between Russia and America. (Link) (Link) This is a serious issue that many of you do not realize is happening. The American chicken industry can not afford to loose the Russian business and truthfully Russia does not need American chicken.

There is several countries lined up to supply chicken to Russia and they have no issues with meeting the requirements that America refuses to yield to…

Of the 600,000 tons of chicken that Russia buys from America during the year, 150,000 tons just became Italy’s and Turkey’s new sales.

So what is the problem? American chicken meat is washed with a 20-50 mg/L chlorine solution. Russian health officials declared chlorine bath to be unsafe and banned the procedure, demanding that U.S. farmers adopt new technology by January 1, 2010 or lose the Russian market. The American market was also injecting over 4% water into the chicken meat to make it plumper…

The local Russian farmers are coming out with no-barred production. In fact this is the opportunity that they have waited for and are showing what they are made of. The Russian farmers have been given an opportunity to show that they can keep the supply up and the price down. So far they have met the challenge and we are seeing a price drop in chicken as I write this…

Can they keep it up? That is what the Kremlin is wondering and so hence we have a continuation of talks with Russia and America. We also have the Russian government setting up to buy chicken on a long term bases from Italy and Turkey. This is when the men are separated from the boys, so to say!

I am here to tell America that Russian Chicken Farmers want that 600,000 tons of chicken to stay home and looks like they are going to give it all they got to keep America from selling chicken to Russia, ever again…

Windows to Russia!

Hello,

We were drinking our morning cup of coffee & tea and thinking about the Moscow “House of Fairy Tales!”

It is a children’s museum {“The House of Fairy-tales “Zhili-Byli” (“Once upon a time”) works in Moscow since 1995.} The House of Fairy-tales has two branches: The Russian Fairy-tales museum and The Pinokkio Museum.

The Russian Fairy-tales is an interactive museum where children can learn a lot of interesting things about Russian folk-tales and about the tale writers, about historical roots of fairy-tales and so on. The main goal while creating this museum was to tell children through the fairy-tale about Russian national traditions and customs, to remind them of national roots, of the importance of reading books. In The Museum the children meet fairy-tale characters who take them on a journey through a Russian fairy-tale. Kids put on theater costumes and turn themselves into fairy-tale characters too. There are more than 20 different programs devoted to the Russian, ancient and temporal fairy -tales. There are special programs for disable children: blind, weak sighted, deaf . The museum collection consists of age-old utensils, clothes, furniture, books, pictures, puppets. The collection numbers over 400 items . Practically all objects are available for touching and manipulating. .

The Pinokkio Museum concentrates on the fairytales written by people from different (other) cultures and also local writers, which includes the works of Gianni Radarim, Carlo Kollodi and Alexei Tolstoy. Here visitors will find ten different programs that also allow children to dress up and role play, singing, dancing and discovering the more than three hundred items in the museum’s collection. Over and above guided tours and creative learning sessions, the museum often invites writers and artists to be guests of the museum, as well as arranging festivals for children.

No matter which branch the children and their parents visit, they are guaranteed to find magic, fun, exploration, culture and education at the “House of Fairy tales”.

Svet just adores Fairy Tales!

We think we want to go……

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

official web site www.domskazok.ru

While investigating the genocide and mass killings of Russian citizens in South Ossetia in August 2008, it has appeared that the Ukraine was participating in the massacre, Russia’s Investigative Committee says. Yup – We knew that already, but now they have a pile of proof…

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.