Windows to Russia – Going to Israel!


Svet and I got “Places to go, People to See, Things to Do” in Israel. So from the 2nd of November 2009 to 18th of November 2009. Svet and I will be gone. We will still try to post a little bit and try to check on comments…

Boza has been left with a good friend who he really likes and will most likely not want to come home when we get back. 🙂 We also are going to leave frozen, snowy and very icy Moscow, Russia! You take off in subzero freezer and land in a smelt furnace. (That is how it feels when you are use to Northern temperatures…)

We will take lots of pictures and that way we can show you all what we did.

(Goof Off – that is what!)

So see you all when we come back…

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Ukraine Has First H1N1 Swine Flu Death and they Shut the Country Down!

Ukraine Shuts Schools, Bans Public Events Over Flu:

KYIV (Reuters) — Ukraine has closed schools, banned all public events, and imposed restrictions on people’s movements around the country for a three-week period after confirming its first death from H1N1 swine flu.

“All educational institutions without exception…will be switched on to a three-week holiday period,” Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko announced. She indicated this period could be extended if it was deemed necessary.

“Apart from this, we will make the decision to cancel all mass meetings…for three weeks,” she said at an emergency government session.

“We will introduce a special system to stop unnecessary travel by people from one region to another,” she added.

Earlier, the Health Ministry confirmed that one of 30 deaths in Western Ukraine since mid-October that had been attributed to flu and pneumonia had been caused by the H1N1 strain, commonly known as swine flu.

“So far, not all the dead were tested [for H1N1],” a Health Ministry spokeswoman said. “However, tests on one dead [person] proved positive.”

“We are considering [imposing] a quarantine not only in the west, but also across the country because the virus is spreading very fast,” Health Minister Vasyl Knyazevych told a news conference, without giving details.

Glad I got in Ukraine and back out when I did a week ago. I may have been stuck for a while…

Think maybe this has to do more with control of people at election time than the flu?

Update: Seems that I hear that 11 have died from confirmed swine flu cases. That is eleven of the 30 or so reported deaths. Not eleven new deaths…

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Russia’s Nikolay Valuev vs. Britain’s David Haye on November 7

I have ignored this long enough. I have waited to see if for some reason it gets called off like so many Heavyweight fights seem to have happen. As of right now it looks like this fight will happen.

Going to be held in Bern, Switzerland on November 7th, 2009 Russia’s Nikolay Valuev vs. Britain’s David Haye in a sanctioned Heavyweight match.

David Haye (22-1, 22 KOs) vs Valuev (50-1, 34 KOs)

My money is going to the Russian Giant – He has trained very hard and I really think he is ready for this fight…

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Russian News From Russia: October 30th, 2009!

Hot News! “Nothing can be valued above human life” – Medvedev:
President Medvedev believes the dark pages of the nation’s history and its moments of glory should be remembered alike.

Somali pirates capture Russian sailors:
The Thai-flagged fishing trawler “Thai Unit 3” that was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean is crewed by 23 Russians, two Philippians and a Ghanian according to the EU naval force operating in the area.

Hiddink offered new Russian contract:
The Russian Football Union (RFU) has approached coach Guus Hiddink with a proposition to prolong his contract with the country’s national team.

Teens face trial over deadly police impersonations:
Five young adults, three of which under 18, are to go on trial accused of assault and homicide of three homeless people in southern Russia. The alleged attacks were part of a game in which the teens acted as policemen.

“Obama has sold the world on the idea that he’s pushing for peace”:
What Barack Obama has done is an incredible advertising campaign, David Swanson, an American writer and journalist, told RT.

To kill or not to kill, that’s the Supreme Court’s question:
Russia’s Supreme Court has asked the Constitutional Court to clarify whether the ban on capital punishment should be lifted on January 1, 2010.

Troubled “Arctic Sea” handed over to Maltese authorities:
The Maltese-flagged cargo vessel “Arctic Sea” – mysteriously hijacked in July 2009 and then freed by the Russian patrol boat “Ladny” – docked at the Maltese port of Valetta on Thursday.

Russians want political opposition – poll:
Seven people out of ten favor the existence of strong political opposition parties and NGOs in Russia, a new poll shows. The number has been growing over years.

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Windows to Russia: The Russian Blog!

Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee and thinking back to the start of Windows to Russia! It was brought on by the fact that I have well exceeded 1600 posts and really did not realize that we had.

The road has been long and not always very fun…

When I first started this blog I had a very strong group against us that was anti Russian and Anti Windows to Russia! I was attacked by multiples of Russian hate blogs, forums and sites and that has never ended but almost has stopped. What has definitely ended is that they all realize that Svetlana and I are not going away.

So many Russian blogs and Russian websites looked down their noses at us and we ignored them and kept going. Now we sit and watch these Russian blogs and Russian websites disappear one by one or slow their posting to a trickle.

We believe in what we are doing and will always strive to do better. Windows to Russia is a constant evolving process that never stops and never rests. If you read this you will be one of thousands that do. That is what we am proud of and hope one day that you will be one of ten thousands reading every day!

It was even important enough to us to set the blogs back a year by changing domains. In fact the move was much more successful than we could have imagined and in less than a month we have started back on the road to new territory.

The domain is easy now – just remember www.windowstorussia.com

Were else can you go and find such a conglomeration of blogs with Russian facts, news, photos, videos and everyday life in Russia under one roof? (so to speak)

I mean one thing that I have said many times: “My goal is to change one persons attitude at a time, about Russia!”

I have the rest of my life here to do that. 🙂

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

PS: I want to thank all of our readers and hope that you spread the word and get new people wondering – What is going on in Russia?

Is This the Beginning of the End of the Tale of the Arctic Sea Freighter?


As you all know I have followed this poor freighter from the beginning and now we seem to have at least a light at the end of the tunnel. It looks like the men can come home finally, that have been imprisoned (so to speak) on the vessel for a long time. Russia has lifted all restrictions on the vessel which is allowing it to port at Malta. (Which is the flag it sails under by the way!)

Tidbit of information:

MOSCOW, October 29 (Itar-Tass) -A group of Maltese experts of the Civil Defense Department who tested the Arctic Sea freight ship for radioactivity and presence of hazardous chemical particles have found nothing unusual, the Fairplay Maritime information provider reported with reference to a source in the Malta government.

Is this the end of the tale of a hijacked freighter called the “Arctic Sea”?

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Russia has Stood Firm With Iran and No More Sanctions!

For a few days all you heard was positive about Russia and Iran. The sweet sticky bull came from the Western press and it did nothing but make Russia and Iran realize the folly of America.

I then watched a Western press that slid into their old habits, they started to degrade Russia and Iran because Iran was not giving answers fast enough. I watched articles from Big Western Media change their tone. The fact that Iran hesitated on an answer became an issue that Iran was reneging on the deal and that there was a power struggle in Iran that could destroy the regime. I read articles that said Russia does not deserve any more favors from America like dropping the missile shield or lets reinstate the missile shied, because they did not help the USA with Iran more… (Like that was really a favor…)

Then a couple of days ago Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had warned Western powers that they will gain nothing by trying to push and intimidate Tehran, and Russian officials have refused to publicly back the United States in threatening tougher sanctions against Iran. 🙂

This caused a complete reversal in Western press attitude. At that point out came the same ol – same ol that earmarks the Big Western Media!

Then after the West showed their true colors, Iran answered the questions. Everything is and was cool! Iran will do it and Russia knew this…

Remember the Kremlin always plays chess – Washington DC always plays checkers!

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

In Russia Have Tank – Who Needs Roads?

This is a great video and I wish it was in English. (The video that I found in English was terrible.) So lets watch a video about an off road race that included a few tanks.

These tanks were hand built from spare parts (don’t ask what parts) and were very underpowered. They are not real tanks, not even of correct size and no real guns, but they function like a tank. These tanks won the race as all the other 4×4’s were buried in up to a meter of snow. The tanks just kept on going. A young man in video said it was all good and everyone had fun!

From what I understand about this event, the regional officials kinda gave the man who built them the third degree. For the tanks are not registered for the road. As he says he has no plan to register them because they are not going to be used on the roads.

Looks like he does not need roads… 🙂

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

The French Auchan is Russia’s King Retailer: Can it Keep Wal-Mart at bay also!

Here in Russia the rumors of Wal-Mart breaking into the Russian market always float around. But the truth is: Russia has a fantastic retail giant called Auchan. I have been a Auchan fan since moving to Russia. It has the feel of Wal-Mart back when Sam Walton was still alive. A company that put people first…

Privately held French big-box chain Auchan is growing fast in China, Russia, and elsewhere as it challenges Wal-Mart, Carrefour, and Tesco.

Quick, what’s France’s answer to Wal-Mart? Until now, it has been Paris-based Carrefour, the global No. 2 retail chain. But increasingly, another French retailer, Auchan, is giving both Carrefour and Wal-Mart a run for their money.

Over the past decade, Auchan (pronounced oh-shon) has expanded rapidly into China, Russia, and Eastern Europe. Based near the northern French city of Lille, the privately held company is now the world’s 14th-biggest retailer, with 1,200 stores in 12 countries and annual sales of $59 billion. (Link)

Just a few weeks ago Carrefour pulled out of Russia after a short try at going head to head with Auchan. Carrefour found that Auchan was a powerhouse in Russia just like they are finding the same in China. The picture above is from our collection of photos and believe me – This is what a Auchan looks like all the time when open.

Auchan reports that they have received a slight drop in sales but have maintained growth. This is a fact because Svet and I are avid Auchan fans. As of this writing I would say that Auchan has started a new growth period, because the stores are busier than I have ever seen them.

One thing that makes Auchan a favorite for me is that they have bought the home-improvement chain Leroy Merlin and I am here to tell you Leroy Merlin has it all for home improvement. Home Depot lovers would turn their heads and look twice.

What does Wal-Mart have in competition if they try to break into Russia? They might find the same thing that happened in Germany where Wal-Mart failed… (Russians like their Auchan)

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Seems Georgia Messed Up Again! (Woodcutters got confused?)

Georgia is really in a tissy over this one. South Ossetia caught 16 Georgians cutting lumber on their territory and the Russians have them in custody. Georgia is demanding immediate release of the woodcutters. Now what Tbilisi is not expressing very loudly is that they caused the problem.

As is known in this part of the world, Georgia regards the border with South Ossetia to be administrative only and considers any and all the natural resources of South Ossetia to be its own. The land in the frontier zone have many times been the reason for armed conflict situations.

So Georgia has been announcing that:

“Any Georgian has got the right to cross the border now as it had been before last August when the Akhalgori region was under control of the Georgian authorities and was part of the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region.” (Link)

This in effect caused a confusion to the woodcutters. They really think that they have a right to go to South Ossetia and cut all the wood they want.

Well maybe not – but it sounds good!

So Russia needs to let the guys go home and Georgia needs to quit playing games with South Ossetia – before someone gets hurt – again…

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Update:

16 detained Georgians chopped woods illegally:

“Russian border guards detained 16 citizens of Georgia, who illegally chopped valuable woods in the territory of South Ossetia, – the diplomat informed. – The woods subsequently were directed to the furniture factories in Georgia “.