Windows to Russia

What more would a Russian want? Before you know it they will all be saying Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet is the Russian way…

“I really hope not!”

Everyday I wake up in Russia it looks a little bit more like America. We have McDonald’s, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Budweiser and now Coors Beer…

American-Canadian beer company, Molson Coors Brewing Company, has signed Moscow brewing company to bottle the Coors Light brand in Russia, reports Russia Today.

I remember when Coors Beer became popular. But the only place you could get it was basically in Colorado? It was suppose to be illegal in the rest of the country. So, since it was presumed illegal we had to have it and many people all over the country made illegal runs across the Colorado state line and bought Coors beer. I think the Movie, Smokey and the Bandit with Burt Reynolds, dealt with the bootlegging issue of Coors?

You could make a fortune selling the cases of beer for three to four times what you paid for them…

You could say Coors was “coveted”…

Those where the “good ole days”…

Windows to Russia!

Hello,

In Russia the old system of stock predictions has proven to be fatal (literally)! The old system that relied upon humans has become out of date and inaccurate. So a new system with higher accuracy was needed to predict the stock market more accurately.

Do you recall the earlier months of this year when in Russia, respected analysts and brokerage houses were eyeing an end of year level for the RTS (Russian Trading System) of 3000?

Finans Magazine does, and with the RTS currently nudging 700 it thought it needed to look at another way of getting stock market guidance and has turned to a female monkey from the Durov animal circus.

It coaxed the young monkey into choosing 8 publicly listed company from a group of 30 with independent observers present to ensure that there was no pressure on the monkey from any organizer to choose one stock or another. The monkey chose these companies in Russia: Polyus Gold, Rosneft, Lukoil, Avtovaz, Gazprom-Neft, Surgutneftegaz, Sberbank, Uralsvyazinform.

Finans Magazine intends to set up a portfolio matching the monkey’s selection, and monitor it throughout 2009 to see how it compares with the other professionals in Russia and their advice. (Link)

The Monkey’s Portfolio:

1. Avtovaz
2. GazpromNeft
3. Lukoil
4. Polyus Gold
5. Rosneft
6. Sberbank
7. Surgutneftegaz
8. Uralsvyazinform

For those of you who are looking for good picks on the stock market in Russia, this could prove to be a Godsend!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

PS: Maybe the world needs to get themselves monkeys to predict Wall-Street?

Good video because it is hard for me to see Medvedev as being tough. He has such a baby face. Putin just looks so much tougher than Medvedev, when the law is being laid down…

In this video Medvedev lays the law down to Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller!

I guess Medvedev does not want to barter?

Windows to Russia!

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee and thinking about the Gas issue between Belarus and Russia. The Western press is all over it with comparisons to the Ukraine situation in the past. The Western press has gone all out and is accusing Russia of using gas as a political weapon and this is even as Belarus admits they owe it:

“Belarus acknowledges the gas debt, but has offered to pay with machinery, equipment and various other goods,” Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said, adding that talks had yielded no result.

The amount is $200,000,000 and that may not seem like a lot in this day and age, but it is a lot to a country like Belarus!

I understand Gazprom’s stand on it and if you do not pay your bill a utility company will settle it for you and that involves shutting off the gas at the meter. I once had my water shut off in America for a past due amount of $2.95. I was new to living in a city and never thought twice about a tiny bill I received that said that I still owed a minuscule amount. This was an 11 day notice that if not paid my water would be shut off. I was 15 days away from the next water bill due in the mail and I knew that all would be paid in full at that time. $2.95 is not enough to worry about! Wrong…(No pay – no play!)

But when I discovered that Belarus is trying to pay by a barter method, I started to do some thinking. What is better to receive a bunch of worthless paper we call money or to get a tangible product, such as farm equipment that can be used on the farms in Russia…

Now to a giant like Gazprom they only care about the money. But on a realistic level, countries and companies that open up the possibility of bartering again as a means to pay bills is not a bad idea.

But then the banking system would hate the idea of countries and companies exchanging goods for other goods because that would leave them out of the equation…

Now a final thought on this. You can feel sorry for the Belarus people but somewhere you have to remember that someone is taking money from the system just like what was happening in Ukraine. Transit fees are paid. Money is made off of gas sold to other countries by Belarus. All kinds of little tricks and games go on. Just like in Ukraine where Ukraine was charging up to double the price to her own people for gas. The same situation is most likely happening in Belarus.

Feel sorry for the people of Belarus but do not blame Russia for the problems in Belarus…

Windows to Russia!

If not already happening, in 25 years Chinese and Russian parents will all be telling their children, whom whine about the veggies at dinner, “eat their vegetables” because “there are starving children in USA and EU” who don’t have enough to eat.

Circle of life starving.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Purple: CSTO members. Pink: Other CIS states.

Hello,

Russian diplomacy achieved an important triumph in foreign relations yesterday. At the Moscow meeting of the foreign ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization a joint statement was adopted that laid all the blame for the conflict in South Ossetia on Georgia. At the same time, the members of the organization gave support to a package of Russian proposals touching on global security, including Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s idea of developing a European treaty. Moscow will try to build upon that success at the CSTO summit today.

What is the CSTO:
On October 7, 2002, the Presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, signed a charter in Chişinău, founding the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) (Russian: Организация Договора о Коллективной Безопасности (ОДКБ~ODKB)) or simply Ташкентский договор. Nikolai Bordyuzha was appointed secretary general of the new organization. On 23 June 2006, Vladimir Putin announced that Uzbekistan had also joined the CSTO.

The charter reaffirmed the desire of all participating states to abstain from the use or threat of force. Signatories would not be able to join other military alliances or other groups of states, while aggression against one signatory would be perceived as an aggression against all.

The CSTO is an observer organisation at the United Nations General Assembly. (Link)

The document adopted by this group of seven – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – expresses support for “the Russian Federation’s active role in contributing to peace and cooperation in the Caucasus.” They advocate “a guarantee of firm security for South Ossetia and Abkhazia based on the United Nations Charter and the 1975 Helsinki Accords” and insist on “the rigorous fulfillment of the settlement principles developed by the president of the Russian Federation and president of France.”

The most pleasant part of the document for Russia is where the CSTO countries express “grave concern over the military actions undertaken by the Georgian side in South Ossetia that have led to numerous civilian victims and the deaths of Russian peacekeepers and a severe humanitarian crisis.”

In the midst of the numerous statements by the CSTO member states, it has gone unnoticed that none of its members has approved Russia’s recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.Russia now has to still make efforts to find sympathizers ready to follow its example in recognizing the two Caucasian republics. Now that Nicaragua has done so, it will be at least a tiny bit easier for Moscow.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia has expressed in disbelief that America and the EU have run off on their own agenda and played games with all parties involved:

“We didn’t agree to this when we discussed the joint resolution at the UN.” Mr Medvedev told the Wall Street Journal.

Oops – and Russia thought all those under the table gifts and back room deals were because Russia was such a sweet country…

Do not be surprised if China and Russia – now after realizing that the Western world stuck them in the back as they offered treasures to entice – do not excuses themselves from the UN sanctions…

In fact it was the same day if you remember after the signing of the sanctions that Russia got wind of bull in the air… (Link to: Russia threatens payback if Iran sanctions affect its interests)

For you see, I have been reading articles on the minutes of meetings by politicians in America and the discussions from the latest missile treaty, missile defense issue and this UN sanction deal about Iran are being turned into a fiasco by America…

If I can find this information on the web, then you know that China and Russia have found it also and that means that by now Russia and China have realized that America gives gifts and lies in the same sentence…

Just like Gorbachev said, he was told that NATO would not expand… (He really believed that they would abide by their word…)

Now Medvedev says: “We didn’t agree to this when we discussed the joint resolution at the UN.” Did Medvedev believe that they would abide by their word?

I see Russia pulling out of the new Missile Treaty (START) and the UN sanctions on Iran because of the lies that the USA have told. Medvedev just learned that America is real good at looking you in the eyes and lying. There is no way that he can believe the US on the subject of missile defense at this point…

Now Gates has expressed the opinion of the Administration of America:

“You’ve just put your finger on a kind of schizophrenic Russian approach to this,” Mr Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Did Gates just called Russia – schizophrenic?

It “takes one to know one”, that is all I can say…

Windows to Russia!

Georgia Forces Continue to Gather near Abkhazian Border

Hello,

Russia is up to her normal self as usual and this week seems to be a heavy in the military news week:

It seems that Russia sold a lot of military weapons in 2008. “Export of Russian arms reached a post-Soviet era record in 2008, says President Dmitry Medvedev.”

Well while Russia is supplying the world with weapons we will stay with the military theme for now: “The mother whose son, a Russian soldier, reportedly deserted to live in Georgia says he is being kept in that country against his will. She has been in South Ossetia, where he served, for three days but has yet to meet her son.” It seems that this mother of this man has tried to see him and every time arrangements are made Georgia will not let him see her.I found out that he also only had a few months to serve and he was out of the service.

Lets forget the military for a moment and focus on Ukraine: “On Wednesday Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko officially sent a request to EU experts to analyze the controversial gas contracts between Naftogaz and Gazprom signed on January 19.” It seems that Ukraine is in a major government battle between the President & Prime minister.

I say that the President of Ukraine is a Cry Baby and he should have come to Moscow, Russia himself and made the deal. Since he seems to be the man with all the answers.

So while Ukraine is destroying itself, lets wander back to South Ossetia and back to the military side of life: “15 Ossetians have been seized by Georgia after Russian peace keepers left the buffer zone following a four-day war last August, South Ossetian interior ministry claims. Georgia has not yet replied to the allegations.”

Not cool and Georgia needs to give them back. Next lets jump to President Medvedev who has a video blog: “Since January 12, when posting comments at the Russian President’s official video blog was authorized, the number of registered visitors has exceeded 10,000 people.” I have signed up and use his blog for lots of good information. By the way this was one of those sites in Ukraine that I was not able to get because of censorship…

While Medvedev has a growing blog so is Medvedev’s Military: “Russia is expanding production of precision guided weapons, including Iskander tactical missiles, a deputy defense minister said in an interview published on Wednesday.
“Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in service with the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) could be launched within a minute if Russia’s security is threatened, the SMF commander has said.”

and “Russia is ready to mend relations with NATO, the Russian foreign minister said Wednesday, linking any improvement in ties to a return to the founding principles of the NATO-Russia Council.”

and That is all for now. As you can see Russia is always up to something…

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

I was thinking this morning and it was not over a cup of coffee! It was a cup of chicory, Yes a big cup of chicory! So here is why I was drinking chicory (other than the fact I ran out of coffee).

1. Chicory is more soluble in water than coffee, which means you use a lot less of it when brewing. Very economical for someone on a tight budget. (I want coffee)

2. Chicory also offers extra health benefits that you wouldn’t normally get from your cup of coffee. It is reported to help cleanse the blood and improve the health of your liver. (well my cardiologist is happy)

3. To see if I can still think, with out coffee. 🙂

Now to the thinking’s part. My wife was taking pictures again. This time she found a new victim. Her work place, Gazprom. Svet works at one of the largest banks in Russia, The Gazprom Bank, which is part of the Gazprom Gas and Oil. Which is owned by the Federal Government of Russia.

To tell you Gazprom thinking, read this statement. “(Deputy chief executive, Alexander Medvedev,said: “We will reach a $1,000bn market capitalization in a period of seven to ten years. We’d like to be the most-valued and most-capitalized company in the world.”)(World News)”

Svet was telling me that the Gazprom area in Moscow is a world all its own. It is park like and has protected housing, from the outside world. It has its own hospital, and many other magnanimity’s. Svet was also telling me that it is the closet thing to Socialism in Russia now. (I hope that I got that correct, she will correct me if I did not)

I just thought that you might want to see the third largest company in the world, at least the visible side of the company.

Facts: The future of Gazprom
“Gazprom is on the way to displacing Irving, Texas-based ExxonMobil Corp as the world’s biggest company, now valued at $381 billion. General Electric is currently the second-biggest at $358 billion. Gazprom employs 330,000 people and supplies more than 8% of Russia’s GDP.(Asian News)”

Until today I had no idea that Gazprom was that big, Looks like we need to invest in Russian Oil and Gas!

Kyle

comments always welcome.