Windows to Russia

In Russia the American donut producer, Dunkin’ Donuts, has franchised its brand to a Russian company which plans to open ten locations this year (2010) in Moscow. Looks like Burger King is not the only company that sees money in the Russian financial system.

The chain will be open in various formats, from full-fledged freestanding stores to attached mini-cafes and they say that the investment into each location is going to be around six million roubles each.

This is a reattempt as originally there was a failure with Dunkin’ Donuts back around 1996. It seems that Russia was not ready for Dunkin’ Donuts…

Do you think that Russia is ready for Dunkin’ Donuts?

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

and…

I really was wondering what Moscow did with all the snow that they loaded up in dump trucks. All over the city you can see thousands of dump trucks and loaders 24 hours a day hauling snow.

January has been a very busy month here in Russia and I have to apologize for a slow down in posting. What with New years , Christmas, my birthday and several important business engagements, I have not been able to keep up. To top the list at the end of this week I have to travel to Kiev, Ukraine for my visa trip.

Ukraine is blessed with one outcome of the latest elections: Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko is history and I hope they keep him buried there!

Former PM Viktor Yanukovych led current PM Yulia Tymoshenko by some 36% to 25%. With Yushchenko less than 5%. So that looks like on February 2nd that a run off between Viktor Yanukovych and Yulia Tymoshenko will happen.

Yulia will according to news sources gather more votes due to all the others being voted out and could very well take the next election…

If this all equates to a better world for Ukraine, then we will have to wait and see. But somehow I would not “hold my breath!”

At least Viktor Yushchenko is “out of there!” Now if they can just get “Sassy” out of Georgia…

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Russia is advancing so fast into the wonderful world of Capitalism, that it makes your head spin! Anyone from America knows about the competition between McDonald’s and Burger King. The fry wars have been brutal and viscous. 🙂 People have argued for years about who has the best French Fries and is Flame Broiled really better?

I myself being a proclaimed American have missed my Burger King! I need a Double Whooper With Cheese and an order of Burger King onion rings. So in the future it looks like a trip to the new Burger King is in order just to see if the food is the same.

Russia readies Haiti disaster relief – Russia Beyond the Headlines: “According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti on Tuesday. The quake’s epicenter was 10 miles southwest of the Haitian capital, at a depth of just 6 miles. It was followed by dozens of aftershocks, including two measuring 5.9 and 5.0.

A Russian ministry spokesman said an Il-76 plane will leave for Haiti on Thursday with 45 people onboard, including 20 doctors.

The hospital, equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic, therapeutic and surgery
facilities, can accommodate up to 50 patients at one time.

It can also employ, if necessary, an intensive care unit for 6-10 beds.
Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive told CNN the death toll from the quake could reach ‘well over 100,000.’

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier on Wednesday sent his condolences to his Haitian counterpart Rene Preval over the devastating earthquake.” (Read More of original article!)

The writing is on the wall! This is a common statement from my childhood and one that I use even in this day and age.

Russia in the stages of, the beginning to reach the end. Other words Russia will definitely end poultry imports from the USA as of January 19 due to health concerns, Putin says local producers can fill domestic demand and even start exporting poultry within 4 years.

Putin made a statement, “If positive trends remain, in four-five years maximum we will be able not only to meet 100% of internal demand of poultry with our domestic goods but also to win a significant place in the global market.”

American press comes back with saying there’s no scientific proof to that claim, with the U.S. Agriculture Secretary’s warning that the Russian rejection could hurt bilateral relations.

I will tell you that the stoppage of chicken imports by Russia will seriously hurt U.S. poultry producers, with Russia being the number one export market for America chicken. Russia imported 77% of her chicken from America in 2009. But that chicken that was imported was under duress the whole time. Russia has for quite a while been telling America that you must meet our guidelines on chicken. Which are basically the same guidelines that have caused Europe to have had a ban on U.S. poultry, for since 1997.

Looks like this is much deeper than just a chicken quality issue. I see “the writing on the wall” and this is telling me that this is just the beginning of multiples of changes coming in the world order. America always thinks the world revolves around her interests and can not foresee anyone saying “No”!

“Ouch” says America! You see America is not the only country the exports chicken. Brazil, the EU, Thailand and China also export chicken and I see some hands in the air already asking to be let in the door. Everyone wants to increase sales.

What with US tariff issues on Chinese chicken, China will just turn her head next door. Also definitely do not forget that the EU is next door also…

Knock! knock!

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

PS: Sometimes the only way to become self sufficient is to get a “stiff upper lip” and take a beating for a while. In the end Russia would come out way ahead on using local chicken production and growing until they can export…

The National Interest: “The problem is simple: not only are many Russian and American interests today out of alignment, the political realities in both countries work against any effective partnership being developed. This is because there is a major difference in how partnership/partnyostvo is defined in Washington and Moscow. For any American administration, a “partner” of the United States helps to advance the U.S. national interests, especially through burden sharing. We look at the world and believe that a partner should be assisting us in meeting the most critical national-security challenges we face—Afghanistan and Iran in particular. Russia’s efforts to use the critical northern transport route to Afghanistan as a point of leverage, and its unwillingness to apply the kinds of pressure against Tehran we know could be employed, are not the acts of a true partner. From Moscow’s perspective, Washington’s continued indifference to some of Russia’s most vital security and economic interests in its neighborhood—and sometimes active opposition to them—are likewise not what one expects of a partner. “Ruka ruku moyet” (One hand washes the other) is at the fundamental definition of what partnership consists of, in the Kremlin’s view.” (Read Rest of Article)

Moscow and Washington could resume talks on a new U.S.-Russian strategic arms reduction treaty by the end of January and the big word is could. But as we should remember: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said, “U.S. plans for a missile defense system were the main obstacle to reaching a new deal on reducing Cold War arsenals of nuclear weapons.” This is the same thing that Medvedev told Obama when they tried to get a handle on the new treaty.

I have already written about this once and it looks like a stall has happened in the process. The stall being, America wants to play with missile defense systems that affect Russia and Russia says, “Nope!”