Windows to Russia

I have read nothing lately from Politicians in the USA, that does not say anything but talk down about Russia! McCain is a big issue, with his threats about Russia!

Sen. John McCain said Sunday the United States should respond harshly to Russia’s anti-democratic actions and suggested that President Bush is reconsidering his assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

After meeting Putin for the first time in June 2001, Bush said he had been able to gain “a sense of his soul” and had found Putin to be “very straightforward and trustworthy.”

Recalling Bush’s assessment just months after taking office, McCain said: “Look, we all say things that are stupid. I’m sure that the president has re-evaluated his position in light of Putin’s recent actions”.

I was a Republican all my life, looks like McCain has changed that! McCain has serious issues.

Now…

Senator Slams Putin Invitation to NATO:

AP, Reuters – U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, who has worked with Russia on disposing of nuclear materials, questioned whether NATO was right to invite President Vladimir Putin to its summit meeting early next month.

Speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on NATO, Lugar on Tuesday pointed to a recent threat by Putin to target Ukraine with nuclear missiles if the former Soviet republic joins NATO and accepts the deployment of anti-missile defenses on its territory.

At its summit in Bucharest, the alliance will consider whether to invite Ukraine and Georgia to join a program preparing them for membership.

“To invite President Putin into this situation, I suspect, is to give him a meeting in which he intimidates them further,” Lugar said. “In this context, this seems to be very dubious.”

Lugar helped pass legislation, called the Nunn-Lugar Comprehensive Threat Reduction Act, which has helped former Soviet states destroy, dismantle and secure thousands of nuclear warheads and other weapons of mass destruction.

Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Fried, who testified at the hearing, called Putin’s attendance an opportunity to find new ways to cooperate with Russia.

“The challenge, however, is to make sure that NATO takes decisions on issues on their own merits — based on what is good for the alliance and good for the issues at hand — without undue pressure from any outside actors,” Fried said.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was quoted Wednesday as saying NATO had not yet decided whether to allow Ukraine and Georgia to join the alliance.

Asked when NATO plans to offer Ukraine and Georgia a Membership Action Plan, the first step to membership, Scheffer said, “We are debating on this issue.”

“Remarks on this from the Moscow side have happened often,” he told the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza. “We treat our Russian partners seriously. … We must engage them in the discussion.”

So as Russia starts Slamming Back, America has no one to blame but themselves…

WtR

In the USA the horse shoe points up to keep good luck from draining out!

Hello,

Customs & Superstitions are much alike and it could be an argument as to which are customs and which are superstitions! I will let you decide…..

Customs:

* Before leaving for a long journey the traveler(s), and all those who are seeing them off, must sit for a moment in silence before leaving the house. It is often conveniently written off as a time to sit and think of anything one may have forgotten.

* After someone has left the house on a long journey, their room and/or their things should not be cleaned up until they have arrived.

* Knocking on wood is practiced in Russia as in other countries.

* Breaking a mirror is not considered bad luck in Russia, but looking at one’s reflection in a broken mirror is.

* It is bad luck to use physical hand gestures to demonstrate something negative using oneself or someone else as the object. For example, when describing a scar you saw on someones face you should not gesture on your own face or someone else’s. If you must, you can demonstrate in mid-air.

* If one person accidentally steps on another person’s foot, it is common for the person who was stepped on to lightly step on the foot of the person who stepped first. It is said that they thus avoid a future conflict.

* Birthday parties should be celebrated on or after one’s birthday, not before. So when one’s birthday falls during the week, it’s best to celebrate the following weekend.

* Talking about future success, especially boasting about it, is considered bad luck. It’s better to be silent until the success has been achieved or to even sound pessimistic.

* Returning home for forgotten things is a bad omen. It is better to leave it behind, but if returning is necessary, one should look in the mirror before leaving the house again. Otherwise the journey will be bad.

* Many Russians consider giving sharp objects, like knives or scissors, as gifts, to be taboo.

* Birds that land on a windowsill should be chased away. If they tap on the window, or fly into it (open or closed) it is considered a very bad omen.

* Things bought for a new born baby (such as clothes, toys, furniture, etc.) should only be purchased after the baby is born.

* It is often considered taboo to step over people, or parts of their body, who are on the ground. It is often said that it will prevent the person from growing (if they are not fully grown already). It is better to politely ask the person to move or to find a way around them. If one accidentally steps over a person (or people), it is sometimes standard to step backwards over them.

* Unmarried people should not sit at the corner of the table. Otherwise they will not marry. This mostly applies to girls, and often only young girls. Sometimes it is said that you will not marry for 7 years, making it alright for young children to sit there.

* A purse as a gift requires a little money inside. Given empty it causes bad financial luck.

* A funeral procession brings good luck. But one should never cross its path or it is bad luck.

* A woman with empty water buckets coming towards you is considered a bad omen.

* A group of two or more people should not walk on either side of a tree. They should all keep to one side or the other.

* Bread should only be cut with a knife, not with your hands. Otherwise, it is said, that your life will be broken.

* It’s good luck to trip on your left foot.

* One should never hand a knife directly to another person, as it is said that the two will get into a fight. Instead a person should always place the knife down on a surface, and only then can the other person pick it up. In several cases you can give it directly, but only pointing the sharp end to yourself and making the knife’s handle accessible for the opposite person.

* If one feels that he or she may have been cursed by someone (had the “evil eye” put on them) or just has the feeling of a hostile presence, it is recommended to remove one’s coat and then put it back on starting with the hand opposing the usually used one.

* It is considered bad luck to put keys on the kitchen table.

Superstitions:

* If your ears or cheeks are hot, someone is thinking or talking about you.

* If your nose itches, you’ll be drinking soon.

* If your right eye itches, you’re going to be happy soon. If your left eye itches, you’ll be sad.

* If your lips itch, you’ll be kissing someone soon.

* If your right hand itches, you’re going to get money soon. It sometimes means you’re going to greet someone. If your left hand itches, you’re going to give someone money.

* If you have the hiccups, someone is remembering you at this moment.

* If an eyelash falls out you’ll receive a gift. If someone finds an eyelash on someone he or she will sometimes let the person blow it away and make a wish.

* If a fork or spoon falls on the ground, expect a female guest. If a knife falls, expect a male guest.

* If you eat from a knife, you’ll be “angry like a dog”.

* If a black cat crosses your path, it’s bad luck. People will often avoid crossing the place where it crossed, or will at least wait for someone else to cross it first.

* If you spill salt, it’s bad luck and is said to bring conflict.

* If it’s raining when you leave a place, it means you’ll return, and it is considered a generally good omen.

* If it rains on someones wedding, it means they’ll be wealthy.

* If someone sneezes while telling something, it means he or she is telling the truth.

* If you find a bay leaf in your soup (commonly Borshch) while eating, it means you’ll get mail from someone.

* In Russian superstition if a couple sets a wedding date and doesn’t end up getting married on that date they can not set another date and should not get married as their union will be cursed.
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I find it interesting that Russians do not consider an open umbrella in the house to be bad luck, nor do they consider walking under a ladder bad luck. When I grew up those two were bad things to do, along with “Step on a crack and break your mothers back!”

What things are the same for you and do you have any different “Customs & Superstitions?”

Kyle & Svet

Folk Medicine & Etiquette

comments always welcome.

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2-level tunnel to be driven below Kolomenskoe

The city authorities of Moscow plan to purchase one more tunneling system to drive a tunnel below Kolomenskoe mansion, Alexander Zemelman, president of JSC Metrogiprotrans, declared at a press conference on December 18, RIA Novosti reported.

“The capital [of Russia] authorities intend to purchase a 19-metre-diameter(62.34 ft.) tunnel shield from a German company for performing this work,” Mr Zemelman said.

He noted that JSC Metrogiprotrans would design, besides the tunnel, the approaches to it as well as a bridge over the Moskva River.

“The tunnel will link Proletarsky Avenue to Pechatniki district,” the company president added.

Mr Zemelman emphasized it would be the two-level tunnel.

“A road tunnel of the fourth ring road will be overlapped with the metro tunnel. The vehicle lanes will be located on the upper level and the metro line – on the lower level, this line is set to link Kashirskaya station to Pechatniki station,” the official concluded.
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(Original Article)
В Москве построят гигантский тоннель
Краснобогатырскую улицу и проспект Буденного свяжет тоннель, длина которого составит 3 км 207 м. По информации Департамента транспорта и связи столицы, он станет участком Северной рокады.

Дорога уйдет под землю на Краснобогатырской улице, пройдет под Преображенской и Семеновской площадями и выйдет на проспект Буденного после Семеновской улицы.

Напомним, что одновременное строительство Северной и Южной рокад заложено в Генплан развития Москвы до 2025г. Эти трассы станут своеобразными хордами и соединят противоположные районы Москвы.

Северная рокада начнется от трассы Москва – Санкт-Петербург в районе Левобережное и выйдет вдоль Октябрьской железной дороги на проспект Королева в сторону Преображенской и Семеновской площадей. Затем трасса уйдет в район Кожухово через Перово.

Южная рокада пройдет через улицу Обручева до Балаклавского проспекта, далее под железнодорожными путями и выйдет на Варшавское шоссе. Естественно, и здесь не обойдется без “супертоннеля”, который пройдет под Борисовскими прудами. Его длина, согласно проекту, составит 4,5 километра.

Любопытно, что совсем недавно стало известно о намерении властей открыть еще один тоннель-гигант протяженностью 4,85 км. Он должен пройти под музеем-заповедником “Коломенское”, через район Нагатинский Затон к станции “Печатники”. Планируется, что благодаря такому строительству удастся облегчить передвижение по городу не только автомобилистам, но и пассажирам метрополитена (в плане заложено продление Каховской линии метро от станции “Каширская” до станции “Печатники”).

По нижнему ярусу тоннеля будут следовать поезда метро. Верхний уровень предполагается отвести для автомобильного транспорта. Тоннель будет построен по тому же принципу, что и на Звенигородском шоссе под Серебряным бором, однако для автотранспорта он будет не трех-, а четырехполосным. Ширина полос автомобильного движения составит 3,75 м.

Таким образом, столичные власти замахнулись на весьма амбициозный проект: если замысел будет реализован, то этот подземный путь станет самым длинным городским тоннелем в Европе (сейчас это звание закреплено за тоннелем в Дублине, протянувшемся на 4,5 км).

Пока же самым длинным тоннелем в Москве считается Лефортовский. Его протяженность составляет 2150 м. Кроме того, он является самым широким в Европе: диаметр тоннеля составляет 14 метров.
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(Machine translation)
In Moscow: They will build The gigantic Tunnel!

Krasnobogatyrskuyu street and the prospectus of Budenniy will connect the tunnel, whose length will be 3 km of 207 m. according to the information of the department of transport and connection of the capital, it will become the section of northern belt road.

Road will leave go under the earth on The krasnobogatyrskoy street, it will pass under Preobrazhenskiy and By semenovskoy by areas and will leave the earth to the prospectus of Budenniy after Semenovskoy street.

Let us recall that the simultaneous building of northern and southern belt roads into the general plan of the development of Moscow to 202shchg. these routes will placed become unique chords and will connect the opposite regions of Moscow.

Northern belt road will begin from the route Moscow – Saint Petersburg in the region left-bank and will leave along the October railroad to Korolev’s prospectus to Preobrazhenskiy’s side and Semenovskoy of areas. Then route will leave into Kozhukhovo region through pointed. Southern belt road will traverse Obruchev’s street to The balaklavskogo prospectus, further under the railway lines and will leave to the Warsaw highway.

Naturally, and here it will not manage without the “super-tunnel”, which will pass under the Borisov ponds. Its length, according to project, will be 4,5 kilometers. It is interesting that very recently became known about the intention of authorities to open one additional tunnel- giant the length of 4,85 km it it must pass near the museum- preserve “Kolomna”, through the region Nagatinskiy creek to the station “printers”. It is planned, which because of this building will be succeeded in facilitating movement by the city not only for motorists, but also the passengers of the metro (in the plan placed the prolongation of Kakhovka subway line from “Kashira station” to the station “printers”).

The subway trains will follow on the lower tier of tunnel. Upper level is intended to lead for the truck transport. Tunnel will be built on the same principle as on the Zvenigorod highway under silver boron; however, for the motor transport it will be not three -, but four-strip. Width of zones of automobile motion will be 3,75 m. Thus, capital authorities were swung back to the very project: if concept is realized, then this underground way will become the longest urban tunnel in Europe (now this title allotted for tunnel in Dublin, which was lengthened on 4,5 km). As the for the present longest tunnel in Moscow is considered Lefort. Its extent is 2150 m. furthermore, it is the widest in Europe: the diameter of tunnel composes 14 meters.
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Now this is cool!
Bear likes tunnels.

Kyle & Svet

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Dear Customers!
We apologize for the TEMPORARY lack of alcohol in our store!

Уважаемые покупатели!
Приносим свои извинения за ВРЕМЕННОЕ отсутствие алкогольных напитков в нашем магазине.

In Russia beer is not considered alcohol, So of course you do not get drunk drinking beer? (sounds like a bunch of people I knew in America!)

So the sign points out the fact that they do not have hard liquor at the store, (whiskey & Vodka)!

The beer is the same as Coke & Pepsi, just that beer is better for you 🙂 ……wrong 🙁

My wife and I do not drink so we always find things like this strange.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

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Hello,

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RBC, 11.03.2008, Moscow 15:25:08.Open Investments has placed CLNs worth $99.9m, the investment and development company said in a statement today. The coupon rate has been set at 10.45 percent, and the maturity period is 5 years. The offering was made as part of the global loan program of ING Bank N.V., London.

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Hello,

Today I want to tell you about Paul Robeson(April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976). And we will celebrate his 110 birthday anniversary exactly in a month. When we look for information about Paul Robeson in Internet we can find out that he was an exceptional athlete, actor, singer, cultural scholar, author, and political activist. I want to start my story about him with my favorite video:

Some people knows him just as a great singer, but he was unique man. He had a very strong opinion about fairness and he fought for his beliefs. He toured Republican Spain during the Spanish Civil War and was photographed with members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, including its black commander, Oliver Law. His repertoire included Peat Bog Soldiers, which was popular with International Brigades volunteers and veterans alike. Robeson was among the first performers to sing in concert on behalf of the U.S. troops during World War II.

But today I want to tell you just about Paul Robeson and Soviet Union.

After traveling to Europe for several years in the early 1930s, Robeson was extended and accepted an offer to visit the Soviet Union. While there, Robeson was given the red carpet treatment, according to biographer Martin Duberman, including trips to the theater, banquets, and other attractions. Robeson became captivated with this new society and its leadership, declaring “that the country was entirely free of racial prejudice and that Afro-American spiritual music resonated to Russian folk traditions. “Here, for the first time in my life … I walk in full human dignity.”

Through his writings and speeches, Robeson went on to defend the foreign and domestic policies of the Soviet Union and Joseph Stalin. During the Soviet purges, Robeson allegedly told a Daily Worker reporter that “from what I have already seen of the workings of the Soviet Government, I can only say that anybody who lifts his hand against it ought to be shot!” After the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Robeson proclaimed during a speech at the Paris World Peace Congress in 1949 that “It is unthinkable that American Negroes will go to war on behalf of those who have oppressed us for generations… against a country [the Soviet Union] which in one generation has raised our people to the full dignity of mankind.” Sugar Ray Robinson responded to this by saying that although he did not know Robeson he would “punch him in the mouth” if he met him Even while many former left wing supporters of the Soviet Union learned of the atrocities being committed there and began publicly denouncing their former affiliations, Robeson held firm.

In March of 1950, NBC canceled Robeson’s scheduled appearance on former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s television program, Today with Mrs. Roosevelt. A spokesman for NBC declared that Robeson would never appear on NBC. Press releases of the Civil Rights Congress objected that “censorship of Mr. Robeson’s appearance on TV is a crude attempt to silence the outstanding spokesman for the Negro people in their fight for civil and human rights” and that our “basic democratic rights are under attack under the smoke-screen of anti-Communism.” Protesters picketed NBC offices and protests arrived from numerous public figures, organizations and others.

However, because of the controversy surrounding him, all of Paul Robeson’s recordings and films were withdrawn from circulation. From then until the late 1970s, it became increasingly difficult in the United States, if not impossible, to hear Robeson sing on records or on the radio, or to see any of his films, including the highly acclaimed and successful 1936 film version of Show Boat. As far as audiences of the late 1950s (and all of the 1960s) knew, there was only one film version of the show, the MGM Technicolor version of 1951, in which bass-baritone William Warfield played the role that Robeson had played in the 1936 film version.

In 1952, Robeson was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize. In April, 1953 shortly after Joseph Stalin’s death he wrote a eulogy entitled To You Beloved Comrade, in which he praised Stalin’s “deep humanity,” “wise understanding,” and dedication to peaceful co-existence with all the peoples of the world calling him “wise and good”.

I asked my Mom about Paul Robeson and she told me that, yes she knows and remembers him: She told that he was incredible person and that’s mean a lot. Not just Paul Robeson loved Soviet Union, Soviet Union (people and leaders) loved him! Here is a Soviet video of his 60th anniversary movie what was made in 1958 when he was repressed and banned in his own country.

Dear Paul Robeson, Soviet people sends you regard from mountains and ocean!… – that was the end of this movie.

And I just can add: “Dear Paul Robeson people of ex-Soviet Union still remember and love you!”

Svet

comments always welcome
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PS. This story started when Kyle publish an old Soviet Anthem on our Video site. This Anthem was sung by Paul Robeson, it was an English, a good translation and a voice of the singer was gorgeous! An Anonymous (DP) asked if the singer is the same Paul Robeson – an American black opera singer and what deal he had with Soviet Anthem back in 1943.

Thank you Anonymous for your good question
PPS Don’t miss a very good documentary movie about Paul Robeson!

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RBC, 07.03.2008, Moscow 10:58:35.Itera seeks to increase the number of its investment projects it Turkmenistan. A delegation of the Russian natural gas producer’s top managers is due to arrive in Ashgabat on March 9 to hold talks with the country’s officials over Itera’s participation in new and existing oil and gas projects. For instance, the company intends to sign a production sharing agreement (PSA) for three blocks of the Caspian Sea Shelf and receive a license for the survey and development of a new block. If Itera gets the license, it is likely to engage Zarubezhneft and Rosneft as partners, the RBC Daily newspaper reports.

RBC, 07.03.2008, Moscow 10:51:39.Half an hour into today’s special dollar trading session for tomorrow deals, the weighted average exchange rate stood at 23.83 RUB/USD, having gained RUB 0.02 since the opening. The current developments on MICEX can be attributed to the euro’s slight decline against the dollar on international exchanges. The European currency is now trading at USD 1.54, down 0.025 percent from USD 1.5404 at the opening.

RBC, 07.03.2008, Moscow 09:56:33.Russia’s Central Election Commission is expected to officially disclose today the final presidential election results. According to a statement the commission’s head Vladimir Churov made earlier, the results were to be summed up towards the end of March 7.

RBC, 07.03.2008, Moscow 09:35:27.Russia’s Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov will chair a meeting of the presidential council for the development of physical culture and sports, sport excellence and the preparations and the holding of the Sochi Olympics in 2014 today. The meeting’s participants will discuss financial support for the program of constructing Olympic facilities in Sochi, as well as see whether the previous meeting’s instruction had been duly fulfilled, including with regard to the city’s transport infrastructure. The meeting will also address the creation of the unified information center Sochi-2014 for contacts with the mass media and a hotline to answer the questions of the public. Regional Development Minister Dmitry Kozak and Transportation Minister Igor Levitin are expected to deliver their reports today.

RBC, 06.03.2008, Moscow 19:55:14.Open-ended mutual funds specializing in investment in the metallurgy sector demonstrated the biggest earnings in Russia in the first two months of 2008, according to a rating of the most profitable mutual funds for the year to date published by the RBC.Rating agency today. According to the study, seven out of ten funds with the highest earnings rate were metallurgy sector oriented.

RBC, 06.03.2008, Moscow 19:49:49.Russia exported 19.015m tons of oil in January 2008, 0.69 percent less than during the same month a year earlier, the Federal Customs Service (FCS) reported. In value terms, oil exports increased 1.7 times to nearly $11.657bn, with 17.839m tonnes (a 1.16 percent rise year-on-year) worth $11.359bn (up 70 percent) supplied to countries outside the CIS. Meanwhile, Russia delivered 1.177m tonnes of oil (down 26 percent) worth $597.9m (up 15.65 percent) to the CIS.

RBC, 06.03.2008, Moscow 19:28:11.Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works’s (MMK) revenue under RAS grew 17.87 percent to RUB 190.287bn (approx. USD 7.91bn) in 2007 compared to a year earlier, the company said in a statement. MMK’s gross profit increased 4.42 percent to RUB 61.282bn (approx. USD 2.55bn), while sales profit rose 2.67 percent to RUB 51.447bn (approx. USD 2.14bn).

RBC, 06.03.2008, Moscow 18:42:46.The Russian stock market finished with no defined trend today. The MICEX index was down 0.22 percent at 1,652.01 points and the RTS index up 0.42 percent at 2,050.9 points. On MICEX, Transneft soared 3.43 percent, Norilsk Nickel rose 0.71 percent, and LUKoil increased 0.81 percent. Meanwhile, Sberbank lost 1.56 percent, VTB fell 2.2 percent, and RAO UES slid 1.51 percent. Among the RTS’s gainers were Transneft (up 5.38 percent), LUKoil (up 1.12 percent), and Norilsk Nickel (up 1.81 percent). However, Sberbank declined 1.23 percent.

RBC, 06.03.2008, Kiev 17:58:26.The Ukrainian parliament has resumed work in the session hall, which had been blocked for about a month after the country’s government sent a letter to NATO, declaring Ukraine’s readiness to join the organization’s Membership Action Plan (MAP). After the opening of the session, the majority of Ukrainian deputies, except for the communists, voted in favor of joining MAP. The country will now seek to enter the organization if Ukrainians approve the move in a national referendum.

RBC, 06.03.2008, Moscow 16:10:24.Russia’s foreign trade surplus surged 73 percent to $19.9bn in January 2008, compared to $11.5bn in the same period a year earlier, the Federal Customs Service said. In the same period, Russia’s foreign trade increased 51.9 percent to $47.5bn, including $40.8bn with the CIS (up 54.9 percent) and $6.7bn with countries outside the CIS (up 36.2 percent). Russia’s imports climbed 39.5 percent to $13.7bn, including imports from countries outside the CIS worth $11.6bn (up 44.5 percent) and $2.1bn from the CIS (17.6 percent). Exports rose 57.7 percent to $33.7bn, including $ 29.2bn worth of exports to countries outside the CIS (up 59.4 percent) and $4.5bn to the CIS (up 47.3 percent).

RBC, 06.03.2008, Moscow 13:25:12.The Bank of Russia’s assets stood at some RUB 12.604 trillion (approx. USD 524bn) as of February 1, 2008, having risen 3.14 percent from December 1, 2007 and 45.54 percent from a year earlier, the Central Bank stated in a balance sheet today. According to the document, the bank’s precious metals account increased 15.9 percent to roughly RUB 383bn (approx. USD 15.9bn) compared to December 1, 2007. Funds placed with non-residents and securities issued by non-residents rose 4.8 percent to nearly RUB 11.697 trillion (approx. USD 486.4bn), while credits and deposits amounted to RUB 46.610bn (approx. USD 1.94bn), securities equaled RUB 373.654bn (approx. USD 15.54bn), and other assets totaled RUB 104.56bn (approx. USD 4.35bn).The bank’s capital stood at RUB 462.028bn (approx. USD 19.21bn) as of February 1.

RBC, 06.03.2008, Moscow 12:37:31.During today’s cabinet meeting, Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov strongly criticized natural monopolies for creating barriers for small businesses in Russia. He blamed state-owned monopolies for hiking water and electricity prices and accused officials of bribery, adding that no simplified procedures for small businesses had been introduced so far. Zubkov urged Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov to take specific and active steps to eliminate bureaucratic barriers for small businesses.

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Russia’s gold and forex reserves up $6.8bn

Russia’s gold and foreign currency reserves stood at $490.7 billion as of February 29, $6.8 billion up from $483.9 billion a week before.

The reserves rose for the second week in a row. From February 15 to 29, they increased by $9.7 billion, or 2 percent.

The significant rise in such a short time could be due both to the dollar’s depreciation against the euro and the Central Bank’s increased acquisition of foreign currency on Russia’s forex market, bringing the reserves to their highest level ever recorded.

As a result, Russia has slightly reduced its gap from China and Japan, which have the largest gold and foreign currency reserves in the world. China’s reserves top $1.5 trillion, up 43 percent last year alone, due to foreign investment and strong export revenues. Japan has over $973 billion.

Gold and foreign currency reserves are highly liquid financial assets controlled by the Central Bank and the Finance Ministry. They consist of monetary gold, special drawing rights, the reserve position in the International Monetary Fund, and foreign currency.

======================================

Hello,

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Hello,

This last Saturday, 03-01-2008 my wife and I got to go to a fantastic Artistic Gymnastic Competition! I had a blast & from the look on my wifes face she had wonderful time also!

We set near a group of young ladies about 10 to 12 years old and they never let it be a dull moment. They cheered all contenders from any country! The USA was there as was 29 other countries!

The girls from the USA did not perform as well as I would like to have seen but the Russians gave the USA girls a very warm reception! That was nice.

Here is a video that my wife made of one of the contenders……..

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

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