Windows to Russia

Hello,

Today I am going to start something new and try to have twice a week a recipe from Russia! So while I was drinking my morning cup of coffee, I remembered the pie my wife made and it was very good and not overly sweet.

So I know that everyone has their favorite apple pie recipe but this is from Russia and done the Russian way. (How my wife does it.)

The Russians call it The Charlotte Pie!

Ingredients:

• 3 apples
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 3 eggs

Cooking:

Cut three apples into thin slices, put them all into an oiled baking-pan.

Then mix (electric mixer is the best thing you can imagine for this kind of dough) the eggs well, then add sugar and mix again, flour — then mix, baking soda — more mix, squeeze the lemon juice into the dough — and finally, mix!

Pour this dough over the apples and stick the whole thing into a pre-heated oven. (At 325 degrees F.) Middle rack.

In 20 to 25 minutes the Charlotte pie is done!

Now for you die hard Americans you can add some cinnamon to the dough to give the pie a distinct American taste. But that is not the Russian way. Russians are not big in cinnamon.

That is the recipe for this Monday and we will for sure have another at least next Monday. Maybe sooner…

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

These dogs have connections in Russia. They happen to belong to Medvedev and they just won some awards.

Amongst 12,000 furry competitors at the Eurasia-2009 dog show, the president’s two English setters, Joly and Daniel, got first place in their individual classes, while his golden retriever, Aldu, received a silver medal at the Eurasia-2009 dog show.

Some say that they won because they belong to the boss of Russia but the dog show people said that Medvedev’s dogs deserve the awards.

I do know that Medvedev did not go to see the dog show he was in Italy and Spain this weekend. So he was too busy to attended.

Seems his dogs took care of things with out him 🙂

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

PS: Dmitry Medvedev is also the owner of a cat of Siberian breed, called Dorofey, which seems to be quite the veteran of political battles. Dorofey became a news maker after he fought with the cat of the last Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Hello,

Here in Russia it was not easy to find Paul Harvey on the air in fact it was impossible. So when I moved to Russia I gave up my habit of listening to Paul Harvey everyday on the radio. I switched to the Internet but it never was the same as listening to him live on the air.

I read his book The Rest of the Story,

A joke Harvey passed along to his listeners in Sept. 2007, about an imaginary meeting of David Petraeus and Chelsea Clinton. The President’s daughter asks the General if he’s afraid of anything, and Harvey gives this reply: “I am afraid of three things. I am afraid of Osama, and I am afraid of Obama, and, Ms. Clinton, I am afraid of yo’ mama.”

This was a so typical of Paul Harvey and it is what I loved about him. I remember times that I would pull over to the side of the road in my car and sit and listen to his broadcast. Always around noon he would come on air somewhere in the USA and I did not want to wreck the car while listening.

Paul Harvey said once: “I don’t think of myself as a profound journalist. I think of myself as a professional parade watcher who can’t wait to get out of bed every morning and rush down to the teletypes and pan for gold.”

“Retiring,” he said, “is just practicing up to be dead. That doesn’t take any practice.” He was still broadcasting the week before he died.

Paul Harvey made me laugh, cry, get mad and sit in amazement during his broadcast.

I will miss Him…

Paul Harvey: Good day!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

I have watched how Russia uses her press (Russia Today & RIA) and it is very predictable. The press has a few articles that state issues about possible problems with things. (anything) Then as we get closer to the day of reckoning the articles get more to the point. Then what they have hinted at happens. It is like clock work and 95% accurate. I call these articles warning shots like over the bow of a ship on the seas.

In the case of Ukraine this time, about two weeks ago the first article appeared that Ukraine is having issues with collecting money for gas payments. Then the articles appeared about Ukraine cutting back on the amount of gas they need. Then came articles that Ukraine might not be able to come up with all the money. Now, the articles state how the situation can be circumvented. The next articles will be about Ukraine not paying. So on and So on!

So: Medvedev is letting the world know that Ukraine is about to default and once again not pay her gas bills. The message is very clear and Medvedev has come up with a way to help and Russia will lead the way…

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev suggested on Sunday that European financial institutions should create a pool to help Ukraine pay for natural gas supplies and Russia was ready to participate in this process.

“Some analysts say that the economic situation in Ukraine is virtually close to a collapse. If we feel that they are unable to pay, let’s create a financial pool and help them with money. I believe this is a way out of the situation for all. There is a group of European financial institutions and we are also ready to participate,” Medvedev said in an interview with the Spanish media on the eve of his visit to Spain. (Link)

Russian media reports said, citing sources in Gazprom, could again cut off gas supplies to Ukraine if $400 million was not transferred by March 7.

I can promise you that Ukraine is about to go belly up just like Iceland did. Ukraine owes everyone and their brother money.

Don’t say that Russia has not fired several warning shots…

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

The issues of trading weapons for food (barter) was discussed with Russia last Wednesday. Guatemala officials have expressed that the Central American country is interested in working out a new trade deal.

(barter: to trade by exchanging one commodity for another)

“Guatemala is interested in acquiring aircraft, armored vehicles, and other armaments to fight organized crime. We could pay, as the Russian side suggests, with sugar and coffee for the arms deliveries.” (Link)

The Guatemala government it seems, has been instructed to study the Russian side’s proposals and draft the necessary recommendations.

It seems that Guatemala’s Ground Forces, Air Force and Navy were in need of arms deliveries. They have a huge issue with not enough equipment but a very large surplus of sugar and coffee.

Now that is a barter that I see possibilities with. I sure do not want to run out of coffee in Russia.

It seems that countries may have to start doing this sort of trading again to survive the financial crises. All through history goods have been used as money. Salt, spices, coffee, sugar and tobacco are to name a few.

Just keep my coffee in stock and I will be happy…

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

RBC, 27.02.2009, Moscow 19:13:06.In 2009-2011, the Russian government will allocate RUB 240bn (approx. USD 6.72bn) to compensate certain groups of Russians for the losses they suffered when their deposits with Sberbank and state insurance companies dwindled dramatically after the Soviet Union collapsed and prices went rampant in the early 1990s. The government will also spend part of this sum to buy out state treasury bonds and Sberbank certificates issued in the Soviet era. These compensations are stipulated by the federal budget for 2009 and in the planning period for 2010-2011, the Finance Ministry said in a report. Specifically, RUB 70bn (approx. USD 1.96bn) is to be earmarked for these purposes in 2009, and RUB 85bn (approx. USD 2.38bn) in both 2010 and 2011.

RBC, 27.02.2009, Moscow 19:02:52.Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev has submitted a bill that amends Russia’s legislation to allow for a smaller number of voter signatures in favor of candidates for State Duma deputies and specifies the grounds for candidates’ registration to the State Duma.

RBC, 27.02.2009, Moscow 18:36:40.Russian Health and Social Development Minister Tatyana Golikova will speak at the Federation Council’s plenary meeting on March 4, RBC learned from the press office of the Russian parliament’s upper house. As part of the government hour meeting, the minister will tell senators about the top-priority steps the ministry is taking to allay tensions on the labor market.

RBC, 27.02.2009, Novo-Ogaryovo 16:00:05.The Russian government does not intend to reintroduce capital flow restrictions, even in order to prevent sharp exchange rate fluctuations, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with the United Russia party’s leaders in Novo-Ogaryovo. Such a move would only signal the government’s complete abandonment of its ambitious plans to make the ruble a regional reserve currency, Putin stated. He noted that the ruble was already a freely convertible currency – 90 percent of Russian-Belarusian trade, for instance, was in rubles. “We do not want to abandon these strategic projects,” the PM concluded.

RBC, 27.02.2009, Novo-Ogaryovo 15:43:47.Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin believes that the country’s monetary authorities have so far managed to keep inflation in check, as he said during a meeting with the United Russia political party’s leadership in Novo-Ogaryovo. Putin reiterated that prices grew 3.1 percent between early January and mid-February 2008 and 3.2 percent over the same period of the current year. “On the whole, we have managed to control the situation,” he concluded.

RBC, 27.02.2009, Moscow 14:29:18.Russia’s external debt (including that of the former Soviet Union which was undertaken by Russia) decreased 9.8 percent in 2008 and stood at USD 40.5bn or EUR 28.7bn as of January 1, 2009, compared to USD 44.9bn as of January 1, 2008, Russia’s Finance Ministry indicated in a report today. Debt to member states of the Paris Club shrank 22 percent to USD 1.4bn or EUR 1bn as of January 1, while non-Paris Club debt dropped 13 percent to USD 1.9bn or EUR 1bn.

RBC, 27.02.2009, Moscow 13:37:47.GAZ Group intends to save RUB 20bn (approx. USD 560m) in 2009 as it kicks off a program for improving the economic soundness of its enterprises in the wake of the crisis, the Russian truck maker’s press office reported. As part of the proposed plan, the company will implement a program in 2009 that enables it to step up sales, free up cash for timely servicing of its loan portfolio, and avoid losses by the end of the current year.

RBC, 27.02.2009, Moscow 12:29:31.Former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze insists that Mikhail Saakashvili’s major mistake in international relations was breaching friendly relations with Russia. He made this statement for the Russia Today TV channel. He pointed out that Georgia’s authorities could have at the very least preserved relations with Russia at the previous level. “Yet they failed to agree, and thus an anti-Russia campaign was launched, with the August military conflict as its culmination, which left Georgia devastated,” Shevardnadze said. “As a result, Russia acknowledged Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s independence,” he continued, adding that this was Moscow’s great mistake which threatened to have negative consequences in the future.

RBC, 26.02.2009, Kiev 19:13:14.Naftogaz of Ukraine has officially approached Gazprom to cut the volume of gas it is scheduled to buy in 2009 from 40bn to 30bn cubic meters, the Ukraine president’s press office reported today citing Bogdan Sokolovsky, the president’s envoy on international energy security. Sokolovsky said the Ukrainian company was requesting a revision of a respective clause in the contract signed in January 2009, adding that in accordance with the agreement, such revisions must be made at least six months before the year starts, when the deliveries are to be made. The fact that the agreement has to be changed a mere month after it was reached demonstrates that it has serious shortcomings and was drafted without any prior expert studies. He believes it is already high time for Ukraine to start negotiating cuts to the gas volumes to be supplied from 2010 to 2019 in accordance with the nation’s energy strategy.

Hello,

Yesterday we talked about Russian fast food. (Link) Today we are going to talk about the growth of McDonald’s fast food in Russia.

McDonald’s, is the world’s largest fast food chain and the largest in Russia. It seems that they are going to invest at least $120 million in opening about 40 restaurants in various parts of Russia during the fiscal year 2009. This is based on a $3-4 million per restaurant bases. McDonald’s is also planning to remodel certain stores and install updated fixtures and decor.

A big issue for McDonald’s is to have a 100% production of McDonald’s products made inside Russia. As of this writing 80% is home grown and McDonald’s wants to move that 20% outsourced to home grown by the end of 2009.

McDonald’s fast food chain in Russia includes over 200 restaurants. Though on the small side for a chain of stores, Russian McDonald’s have some of the highest volume in the business and people in Russia just Love McDonald’s.

Kyle & Svet

Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee and the airwaves are abuzz with the escapades of Hillary Clinton last week and now the “Human Rights Report” that America has slammed China, Russia, North Korea and others with.

Clinton or (spoke mouth) for the USA in China last week, set the grounds for this report and started the “piss off China” soft approach. In Russia the report we got was far different than what main stream media was reporting in America. In America it was said that Hillary had a good meeting with China. The problem is, that was and is a lie. Hillary Clinton pissed China off by saying that China needs to get their Human Rights issues in order, but of course we will still advance our relationship with you even though you (China) are a Human Rights devastation.

Now we have the gall to follow the Clinton words of wisdom with the famous “Human Rights Report” put out by the biggest Hypocrites on earth.

hyp·o·crite
Pronunciation:
\ˈhi-pə-ˌkrit\

1 : a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2 : a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings
— hypocrite adjective

Now Russia is in the midst’s of this because the report damages Russia like all the past reports have. Once again Russia looks at the situation in America and sees how America treats her people and the worlds people. Then Russia very quietly works on pulling farther and farther away from what America calls their perfect world.

This statement came from the report:

“While not delving into U.S. human rights practices, the report acknowledged that the U.S. human rights record remains a concern around the world, and it said President Obama has vowed to apply global human rights ideals at home.”

That is it!, America has knowledge of the issues but they are not worth mentioning because they are so trivial…

Just things like this:

US officials admitted they were imprisoning children under 16 years of age at the Camp Delta military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The young prisoners, some of whom have been jailed in US military prisons for over 12 months, are defined as “enemy combatants” and are being interrogated for suspected links to Al Qaeda or Afghanistan’s former Taliban government.

“school to prison pipeline” that funnels Black and Brown children into prison through discriminatory policies and under-funded public schools.

The Wide disparities in the criminal justice system (African Americans and Latinos are 60 percent of the nation’s prison population) are not due to the effects of racist policies, but are “related to differential involvement in crime.” (Yup!)

The US government’s assertion of federal ownership of nearly 90% of Western Shoshone lands. The land base covers approximately 60 million acres, stretching across what is now referred to as the states of Nevada, Idaho, Utah and California. Western Shoshone rights to the land – which they continue to use, care for, and occupy today – were recognized by the United States in 1863 by the Treaty of Ruby Valley. The U.S. now claims these same lands as “public” or federal lands through an agency process and has denied Western Shoshone fair access to U.S. courts through that same process. The land base has been and continues to be used by the United States for military testing, open pit cyanide heap leach gold mining and nuclear waste disposal planning. The U.S. has engaged in military style seizures of Shoshone livestock, trespass fines in the millions of dollars and ongoing armed surveillance of Western Shoshone who continue to assert their original and treaty rights.

The USA incidentally also has the world’s largest prison population of roughly 2 million people, which accounts for approximately a quarter of the world’s prison population.

I could fill a thousand pages with issues that America has.

OK, so where is the long “Human Rights” devastating report on all the bull that America does everyday to squelch the rights of her citizens and citizens of the world?

This definition of hypocrite fits America to a tee! My Grandma use to say: “It takes one to know one!”

No country in the world should view itself as the incarnation of human rights, and use human rights as a tool to interfere in affairs of and exert pressure on other countries and realize its own strategic interests. The United States reigns over other countries and releases Country Reports on Human Rights Practices year after year. Its arrogant critique on the human rights of other countries are always accompanied by a deliberate ignoring of serious human rights problems on its own territory. This was not only inconsistent with universally recognized norms of international relations, but also exposed the double standards and downright hypocrisy of the United States on the human rights issue, and inevitably impaired its international image.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia News: The U.S. senate is planning to consider the creation of a special committee to investigate the activities of retired President George W. Bush, AFP news agency reports.

Russia News: Russia’s coach, Guus Hiddink, has earned his first victory with Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League. The blues beat the Italian team, Juventus, 1-0 at Stamford bridge in the last 32 of the competition.

Russia News: Barack Obama can only serve eight years, though all missile defense shield technology problems won’t be worked out by that time, according to Lawrence Korb, a defense expert from the Center for American Progress.

Russia News: A 35-old man has committed a ritual suicide in one of the Orthodox monasteries in Odessa, Ukraine. Some believers call it an omen of future tragedies, believing such incidents happen prior to major tragedies.

Russia News: The court of Avezzano, Italy, has sentenced a citizen of Ukraine to two years and three months in prison for having sold her little daughter for €1000, according to ANSA news agency.

Russia News: Russian Muslims should boycott all Dutch-made goods, including the world-famous tulips and roses grown in the Netherlands, representatives of the Muslim spiritual authority of Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Region said.

Russia News: Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni warned that the Jewish state may launch another military operation, unless Iran stops smuggling weapons into the Gaza Strip.

Russia News: Whenever Barack Obama’s term is over, people will still like him as he represents the achievement of the American spirit, says Dan Gainor, vice president of the Business and Media Institute.

Russia News: Former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky is awaiting legal proceedings in the block for VIP-prisoners in Moscow’s Matrosskaya Tishina detention centre. The ex-Yukos CEO’s cell mates are economists of the same age.

Russia News: At least nine people died and over 80 others were injured when a Turkish Airlines plane crashed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Wednesday, Dutch authorities said.

Russia News: A group of Russian Navy officials are suspected of attempting to smuggle 30 anti-submarine missiles and 200 airplane bombs worth a total of $18 million to Tajikistan for sale to China.

Russia News: Iran’s nuclear chief said on Wednesday the Islamic Republic had 6,000 operating centrifuges at a uranium enrichment facility at Natanz and was planning to install a total of 50,000 over the next five years.

Russia News: A Belarusian scientist has advised the country’s businessmen to begin breeding edible frogs for export during the current economic crisis, Russia’s Vesti TV channel said on Wednesday.

Russia News: Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the completion of Iran’s first nuclear power plant is “bad news” for the whole world, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.

Wow that was exciting! 🙂

Hello,

It is that time of the year again in Moscow, Russia!

At least 400 bee-keepers have gathered and they have come from the 50 regions of Russia and the CIS countries. The reason that they have invaded Moscow, is to take part in the annual “All – Russia Honey and Honey Products Fair” that is running through to March 3 at the Manezh exhibition center.

There will be about 60 varieties of honey to choose from. You can meet all your honey needs like propolis, royal jelly, pollen, wax and natural mead. There also will be tons of literature with bee-keeping manuals and Russia honey fact books.

The honey that you can get from this fair in Russia is incredible. Some of these honeys are like eating ice cream they are so rich and smooth.

The cost last year for a kilogram of honey ranged about 500 Rubles ($15). The price varies by where it comes from in Russia. (That is a lot of honey.)

Entry is free.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.