Windows to Russia

Hello,

The Day of Moscow, Did not end up being a wild weekend for us. (we are not very wild anyway)

The weekend was spent dealing with a situation with a friend who is hospitalized. So we did not go looking for the festivals.

We spent Sunday looking for the hospital that the friend was in. We did find the Hospital and was not able to see her. The doctor was available and talked with Svet about the prognosis.

We left and since the roads to the center of Moscow were blocked we gave up trying to find the festivities downtown! So we decided to go home.

Then we came upon something that made the whole weekend better. That’s my next article, as I drink my second cup of coffee! 🙂

Kyle

PS: Moscow is 860 years old and the whole city was covered in flags and special signs like the ones I showed you in the pictures.

Hello,

Every so often I post Blogs that I consider a pretty good read. I am trying something new this time. I am taking a screen shot of their site and posting it. If you have a mind to, stop by and say hi to them. They really are a good read. Each one has a particular strength and it shows when you read the articles.
http://sebastians-soapbox.blogspot.com/
http://www.humabpost.com/
http://thesilverpeoplechronicle.blogspot.com/
http://kindliness.blogspot.com/
http://www.tsl8.blogspot.com/
http://abdoulayesadji.blogspot.com/

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

On my second cup of coffee today, don’t tell my wife, I was thinking about freedom. The perception difference that countries have on freedom.

The USA says, freedom of press, freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, the Constitution protects freedom, these are just a few of the thinking’s of Americans. The American feels that they are free, I felt that I was free when I lived in America. It is what I grew up with. It is what I fought for. It is what I believed. It is what I still believe! It is what works for America. The American has a lifelong set of rules that tell him what freedom is.

Russia has a different look at freedom, The Russian is really free. The Russian does not have a set of rules in his mind that defines freedom. They pretty much do what they want when they want. The mind of a Russian dislikes the rules and regulations that is pressed on them by society. This dislike extends all the way to the top of the Russian Federation. (I have noticed that Russia does not like the world telling them that they should follow these rules, to get these results.)

My Wife tries to explain to me what is freedom for Russians. Everyday that goes by I understand it a little more. We as people set what is freedom!

In America you know what makes you feel free, you know that you are free. You have a defined set of rules that tell you that you are free.

In Russia they have freedom, because they break the rules that say: “You are free!”

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Hello,

I am drinking my morning cup of coffee. Today, I feel like this picture of the Bear. Comments are making my life terrible…

Windows to Russia!

Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee and I was thinking about the weather.

I wrote an article not long ago, this article was about how nice the weather is in Russia. Much cooler and no humidity.

Well it looks like I jinxed the weather. It has been so hot, that you could fry eggs on the asphalt! The humidity is so high that the fish can swim in the air instead of the lakes and ponds!

You need to understand what this means in a city like Moscow. About 90 % of the city does not have air conditioning. The Flats have windows only on one side and they do not have screen doors, to help circulate air. The concept of fans is not a Russian concept. (though, I think my Wife is glad that we bought two fans)

So once again the weather is almost the same as what I left in Kentucky, USA. Hot, humid, and horrendous.

Kyle

comments always welcome.

Hello,

This is probably as my wife says: “That is not an exciting type of article.”

But to me it is great, I love trains of all types and in all countries. I watched the railroad system in America go down hill and take second place to the Trucking Industry. Now in Russia the Railroad system is King. The Railroad is why the road system is not very extensive in Russia. Russia has Railroad tracks all the way across the country but not roads. (or what you could call a road)

I will always love Trains, If we had the room in Russia we could build a scale model set, with all the trees, houses, bridges, and you name it!

How about you, Do you Love Trains?

Kyle

comments always welcome.

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“Russian Railways said its net profit more than doubled in the first half of this year compared to the same period of 2006, to about RUR 25.32 billion (approx. $984m) under Russian accounting standards. Revenue was up 18.9 percent at RUR 469.1 billion (approx. $18.2bn).

Freight traffic climbed 19.2 percent to RUR 371.87 billion (approx. $14.5bn) from January to June 2007, long-distance passenger traffic was up 23.9 percent to RUR 45.491 billion (approx. $1.77bn), and local passenger traffic dropped 4.9 percent to RUR 10.167 billion (approx. $395m).

Russian Railways’ gross profit doubled to RUR 58.673 billion (approx. $2.3bn) in the first six months of this year, while pre-tax profit increased 1.7-fold to RUR 50.341 billion (approx. $1.96bn).

In 2006, Russian Railways’ net profit increased 2.6-fold to RUR 26.4 billion (approx. $1.03bn), under Russian accounting standards. Revenue was up 13.38 percent at RUR 848.9 billion (approx. $33bn).

Russian Railways is Russia’s largest transportation company, accounting for 39 percent of the country’s freight traffic (including pipeline transportation) and for more than 41 percent of passenger traffic. It is also one of the world’s largest transportation systems. Russian Railways’ authorized capital is worth RUR 1.5452 trillion, or over $50 billion. The company is wholly owned by the government.”(RBC)

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link to article:

Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee and I came across this article that made me laugh until I had tears in my eyes, then I got serious about what happened.

You have to live in Russia and experience the Traffic Cops, to fully appreciate this article.

The typical driving Russian has a run in with these Traffic Cops on a regular bases. Then you fork out about 500 Rubles to keep the Traffic Cop happy and drive away.

I have a saying: “The traffic cop in Russia looks not for who is breaking the law, They look for who they can get money out of .” {We (my Wife and I) surprise many cops, with an old Volga and a American driving :)) }

Now on a serious note:

I wish I could have been at this scene, I would have helped the cop who was being beat up. (Osipov).

Why? The Traffic Cop, Osipov refused to bend the law. He should be commended for the action. I wonder why the other Traffic Cop with him did not help him fight the Senior Police Officer?

Many unanswered questions.

One thing I will say, The average Traffic Cop in Russia is changing. He is become more respected by me as I live here longer. I have seen a change in the Traffic Cop. I hope the change continues.

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(The Moscow Times)
The article:

A senior police officer who caused a crash by veering into oncoming traffic in southern Moscow beat up a traffic policeman who refused to overlook the violation.

Prosecutors have opened a criminal inquiry into the incident, which, Interfax sources said, left the traffic policeman hospitalized with facial injuries and a concussion.

The assailant, Alexei Shornikov, is a senior lieutenant of the Central Federal District branch of the Interior Ministry, the Southwest Administrative District Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. Calls to the branch went unanswered Thursday.

The incident took place Wednesday afternoon when traffic police were alerted to an accident on Ulitsa Miklukho-Maklaya in southern Moscow.

Two traffic policemen — identified by the prosecutor’s office as A. Osipov and Y. Kamyshnikov — arrived at the scene and asked Shornikov for his license to drive his Mercedes. Interfax reported that Shornikov had steered into oncoming traffic and hit a GAZel van.

Shornikov refused to show his documents and tried to persuade Osipov not to register the accident, which would have resulted in his license being suspended for one year. Osipov refused, and Shornikov attacked him.

Osipov was admitted to the Botkinskaya Hospital with a concussion and facial injuries. Shornikov was detained and taken to the prosecutor’s office.

If tried and convicted, Shornikov faces up to five years in prison for assaulting an officer.”

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Kyle

comments always welcome.

Casualty count in Russia train wreck up to almost 30

An emergency official said at least 27 people were injured, three of them critically, after an explosion derailed a dozen cars on a Russian passenger train traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg late Monday. Original estimates reported ten casualties.

The derailment occurred around 9:30 pm local time, near the city of Novgorod, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) northwest of Moscow. (AP)

Hello,

The Russians were lucky on this one, Could have been much worse, Now they just need to find who did this and give them some Russian Justice.

Kyle

comments always welcome.