Windows to Russia

RBC, 03.01.2008, Moscow 10:25:16.Urals Energy Plc. has announced that Morgan Stanley Securities Limited, which acted as the manager of the leading Russian independent oil company’s private share offering, has exercised its over-allotment option. Morgan Stanley purchased 1,643 shares, or nearly 5 percent of the offering. Urals Energy Plc placed 32,857m shares worth a total of GBR65.6m (USD132m) worth of shares on December 5, according to the company’s statement.

RBC, 03.01.2008, Moscow 11:32:06.HydroOGK is planning to rebrand in late January – early February 2008, the Russian power generation company said in a statement today. The company did not specify, which name the consolidated company would use. However, RusHydro was among the proposed names.As reported earlier, HydroOGK is undergoing restructuring in the form of consolidation with electric power plants and is scheduled to start operating as a unified company on January 9. Its shares are projected to be listed on Russian stock exchanges in April 2008. The company’s GDR program is to start in March 2008….(Click: read more)

RBC, 03.01.2008, Moscow 11:42:48.The Moscow government’s 2008 program provides for the construction of some 5.3m square meters of real estate in Moscow. About 1m square meters of housing are projected to be built in the center of the city, including 675,000 square meters of commercial building and 325,000 square meters of housing.Some 4.8m square meters of residential buildings were introduced in 2007.

RBC, 03.01.2008, Moscow 12:42:14.Some 28 hotels are to be opened in Moscow in 2008, the Moscow city government’s representative told RBC today. Vladimir Resin, Deputy Mayor of Moscow signed a decree to this effect. According to the document, 21 hotels are projected to be opened in the center of the city, and the total amount of hotel rooms is anticipated to exceed 5,200.About 3.5m people come to Moscow annually and the figure is estimated to reach 5m in 2010 and 20m in 2025. More than half of tourists coming to Moscow are Russian citizens.

RBC, 03.01.2008, Tbilisi 13:43:56.Georgia’s presidential candidate Badri Patarkatsishvili released a statement today confirming his decision to run for President in the elections scheduled for January 5, 2008. Earlier, Patarkatsishvili’s campaign headquarters had been considering filing a refusal to take part in the elections on behalf of Badri Patarkatsishvili on January 4.

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Hello,

This is Putins farewell 2007 & looking forward to 2008 Speech!

Kyle & Svet
comments always welcome.

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“We not only restored our territorial integrity but also we felt united. These years we worked together in order to preserve our country and turn it into a modern, free and strong state, which may be convenient and comfortable for citizens’ life,” he said in a 5-minute speech broadcasted midnight on Monday.

“We see that Russia has been strengthening every year. We see that our economy is growing and new opportunities are opening for the people,” he said while a celebration was going on at the Red Square.

“Let us wish each other new success and raise our glasses to the health and happiness of our relatives and to those we love and take care of most of all, and to whom we give our warmth and to whom we will be close,” he said.

“Let your longest dreams to come true,” the Russian head of state said, receiving applause, cheers and the New Year bell rings on the square.

Putin has pledged to step down after next March’s presidential election. He has backed First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev to become his successor.

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Happy New Years,

Kyle & Svet

GUM Department Store DaytimeHello,

Last night my Wife and I went to Red Square. For it is now the great New Years celebration! I put together a video of some of the Kremlin, Lenin’s Mausoleum, Gum Department store and everything else that is located on the Red Square. If you have never seen the Red Square this will be a treat for you!

Have a Happy New Year!

Kyle & Svet

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Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee and thinking about…

As we continue through the Holidays, we must all be much more conscience about pedestrians. People need to get out to buy Holiday gifts & go to family and friends for Holiday dinners.

We do not all have cars; The ones who do have cars, need to care about pedestrians. In Russia as I have said before, Pedestrians are like a target in a Cross Walk! I have seen many close calls and very serious (death) involving crossing the roads in Moscow! WHY?….(Click: read more for rest of the story!)

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One Pedestrian Killed, 2 Injured by Police Vehicle
The Moscow Times

One young woman was killed and two others injured after they were mowed down by a police car while crossing the street in a crosswalk in southwest Moscow, police said Thursday.

The three women, all 18-year-old citizens of Kyrgyzstan, were crossing Ulitsa Profsoyuznaya at around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday when they were struck by the patrol car, a Lada hatchback heading out of town, police sources told Interfax.

The car was driven by a warrant officer from a police precinct in the Moscow region town of Domodedovo, the sources said.

The accident once again throws a spotlight on reckless driving in Moscow and the customary disregard that drivers demonstrate toward pedestrians here.

The warrant officer told investigators that he did not notice the women, and blood-alcohol tests showed that he was sober, Interfax reported.

The names of the women and the officer were not given in the report. City traffic police and the city branch of the Investigative Committee, which is handling the investigation, both declined to comment Thursday.

No one answered at the Kyrgyz Embassy in Moscow.

A Domodedovo police spokeswoman said only that an internal investigation had been opened. She refused to say whether any formal charges were brought against the warrant officer and whether he had been arrested.

Perhaps nothing encompasses the savage pace of life in Moscow like the widespread driver disregard for pedestrians. Anybody who has ever tried to cross the street in Moscow, whether at a crosswalk or traffic light, knows how perilous this mission can be. Drivers not only rarely stop for pedestrians, they often speed up to make sure the would-be crossers stay put.

Ulitsa Profsoyuznaya, in particular, is notorious for its dangerous crosswalks. In January, Nastya Pak, 8, and her 5-year-old brother, Pyotr, were struck and killed while crossing the thoroughfare in a crosswalk with their mother.

Several police officers throughout the country have been involved in serious traffic accidents this year.

In August, a traffic cop in Samara struck two pedestrians while driving his own Lada, killing one and seriously injuring the other. A blood-alcohol test revealed that he was drunk.

In July, the head of the juvenile delinquency department of the Interior Ministry’s Kirov region branch ran over a teenage girl in the town of Omutninsk. The girl suffered serious injuries, and when traffic police arrived, the officer refused to take a blood-alcohol test.

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What causes accidents at marked crosswalks?

Research suggests that marked crosswalks give pedestrians a false sense of security. Pedestrians often step off the curb into the crosswalk expecting drivers of vehicles approaching the crosswalks to stop. However, drivers frequently fail to stop and cause an accident. At all crosswalks, both marked and unmarked, it is the pedestrian’s responsibility to be cautious and alert before starting to cross the street.

At midblock crosswalks on multi-lane roadways, another frequent factor in causing accidents involves the driver in the lane nearest the curb stopping for a pedestrian that is waiting to cross or who is already in the crosswalk. The driver of a second vehicle traveling in the lane next to the stopped vehicle tries to pass the stopped vehicle and hits the pedestrian, even though it is illegal for drivers to pass a stopped vehicle at a crosswalk. Pedestrians should be very cautious when walking in a crosswalk, especially when their visibility is limited by vehicles already stopped at the crosswalk.

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The issue is the mentality of the driver in Moscow! Example; I try to stop for pedestrians in a cross walk. The driver behind me gets angry, honks his horn, flashes his lights & passes me on which ever side he can. (Remember that I am stopped to let someone cross!) The person in the cross walk then becomes a target for a rude, crude & socially unacceptable driver!

Sad!

What do you think?

Kyle
http://kylekeeton.com/2007/12/russia-sidewalks-are-made-for-driving.html
http://windowstorussia.com/2007/09/russia-safe.html
http://kylekeeton.com/2007/06/road-from-village.html
comments always welcome.

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Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee & thinking about how Christmas is not even half over in Russia!

I had my Christmas at the 25th of December but now the Russian version of Christmas is coming twice (?) on the 1st & 7th of January…

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http://russian-crafts.com/customs/christmas.html

New Year Eve instead of Christmas

Few people in Russia remember, but when the communists took power in 1917 they banned the open expression of religion. While it was easy to pray at home, the Russian people were concerned about giving up their traditional Christmas celebration.

But where there is a will, there is a way!

They re-invented the New Year’s holiday tradition to include a decorated tree, and introduced a character called “Grandfather Frost.” Known as “Ded Moroz,” Grandfather Frost looked very much like the western “Santa Claus” or “Pere Noel” – except he wore a blue suit.

Actually, Ded Moroz was a character that existed in the pagan culture, centuries earlier. For a time, Christmas was all but forgotten. In fact, it was generally celebrated only in small villages, where the citizenry was far from the prying eyes of the Party.

Today, Christmas is celebrated again, on January 7. But, to date, New Year’s remains the bigger event.

Russian Christmas

Thirteen days after Western Christmas, on January 7th, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates its Christmas, in accordance with the old Julian calendar. It’s a day of both solemn ritual and joyous celebration

After the 1917 Revolution, Christmas was banned throughout Russia, along with other religious celebrations. It wasn’t until 75 years later, in 1992, that the holiday was openly observed. Today, it’s once again celebrated in grand fashion, with the faithful participating in an all-night Mass in incense-filled Cathedrals amidst the company of the painted icons of Saints.

Christmas is one of the most joyous traditions for the celebration of Eve comes from the Russian tradition. On the Eve of Christmas, it is traditional for all family members to gather to share a special meal. The various foods and customs surrounding this meal differed in Holy Russia from village to village and from family to family, but certain aspects remained the same.

An old Russian tradition, whose roots are in the Orthodox faith, is the Christmas Eve fast and meal. The fast, typically, lasts until after the evening worship service or until the first star appears. The dinner that follows is very much a celebration, although, meat is not permitted. Kutya (kutia), a type of porridge, is the primary dish. It is very symbolic with its ingredients being various grains for hope and honey and poppy seed for happiness and peace.

Once the first star has appeared in the sky, the festivities begin. Although all of the food served is strictly Lenten, it is served in an unusually festive and anticipatory manner and style. The Russians call this meal: “The Holy Supper.” The family gathers around the table to honor the coming Christ Child. A white table-cloth, symbolic of Christ’s swaddling clothes, covers the Table. Hay is brought forth as a reminder of the poverty of the Cave where Jesus was born. A tall white candle is place in the center of the Table, symbolic of Christ “the Light of the World.” A large round loaf of Lenten bread, “pagach,” symbolic of Christ the Bread of Life, is placed next to the Candle.

The meal begins with the Lord’s Prayer, led by the father of the family. A prayer of thanksgiving for all the blessings of the past year is said and then prayers for the good things in the coming year are offered. The head of the family greets those present with the traditional Christmas greeting: “Christ is Born!” The family members respond: “Glorify Him!” The Mother of the family blesses each person present with honey in the form of a cross on each forehead, saying: “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, may you have sweetness and many good things in life and in the new year.” Following this, everyone partakes of the bread, dipping it first in honey and then in chopped garlic. Honey is symbolic of the sweetness of life, and garlic of the bitterness. The “Holy Supper” is then eaten (see below for details). After dinner, no dishes are washed and the Christmas presents are opened. Then the family goes to Church, coming home between 2 and 3 am. On the Feast of the Nativity, neighbors and family members visit each other, going from house to house , eating, drinking and singing Christmas Carols all the day long.

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So I get very confused; I ask Svetochka when is Christmas?

She tells me the 1st of January! Then she says but…. “It is also the 7th of January!” (pause) “Just that the 7th is not as important?”

I am not going to argue, I get lots of Winter Holiday fun & spend it with my Sweetie!

I am a lucky man!

Kyle

WtR

Hello,

For about a year we have slept on the worst bed on earth! Yes thee worst bed; I have slept on rocks, dirt, sticks, mud & you name it!!!! We had the worst bed in History of Mankind! :)))
Our Christmas gift to ourselves was a roll up 100% cotton mattress. This is the softest and most comfortable mattress I have slept on. Last night was the best night sleep we have had in a year.

It was pure heaven!

Cost was 964 Rubles that is about $40.00 American Dollars.

Ever wonder why we put up with things so easy to fix?

Kyle

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Moscow, December 26, 2007. – The Salon Press publishing house, a subsidiary of the RBC holding (MICEX, RTS: RBCI), has completed acquisition of a 100% stake in the Kvartirny Otvet magazine. Salon Press has also received exclusive rights to publish the legendary Italian architecture, design and art magazine Domus. Both publications successfully complement the leading Russian interior design publisher’s product line and are set to boost its readership, as well as to create additional advertising opportunities for its clients.

“The publishing house’s development strategy implies continuous optimization of its product range in line with the market requirements. Kvartirny Otvet targets general audience, while Domus is intended for a more dedicated reader,” Salon Press General Director Sergei Shustov said.

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