Windows to Russia

First I had to make things usable again on my WordPress site. This was after a boneheaded move by WordPress…

Disable Gutenberg for your WordPress Blog…

They had pissed me off and I have finally found the answer…

The business-focused CMS Powerful. Versatile. Predictable. ClassicPress is a modified and enhanced version of WordPress (without Gutenberg) that serves the business website market…

Source: ClassicPress – The business-focused CMS. Powerful. Versatile. Predictable. (without Gutenberg)

I could not understand why WordPress would destroy such a wonderful system. I found out I was not alone and people much smarter than I have solved the issue….but I am smart enough to switch…

This site windowstorussia.com no longer runs upon Original WordPress, it runs upon the CMS (Content Managing System) called “ClassicPress” and thank god for that…

As the newcomer business-grade CMS, ClassicPress has a lot to prove. WordPress is the dominant CMS, currently powering more than 30% of all websites (60% of websites built on a CMS); for some perspective, see the chart. As a fork of WordPress, ClassicPress plans to capitalize on what we believe is a misstep for business and professional users in WordPress’s decision to integrate the block editor into core (originally introduced as the Gutenberg plugin). ClassicPress v1.0.0 will be the beginning of a Long…

Source: Why Choose ClassicPress for Your Business / Professional Website CMS? – General Discussion – ClassicPress Forums

After thinking about what to do for several months and grumbling about what WordPress did to mess up my way of blogging, I have switched and there was not a single hiccup…

It was easy and painless…

I still do not understand why WordPress did what they did, but I see this as somewhat why…

They think I am stupid!
They love to piss off all the old timers in the blogging business!
They like alphabet blocks!
They love block editing!
They think everyone is on mobile!
They hate the computer desktop!
They do not want people learning to code!
They do not listen to stupids like myself!
They decided to cater to those more stupid than I am!
Finally: They only love Sock Monkey people (Like Facebook)…

So I left, because the company I was keeping/associated with was even more stupid than I am…

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What a last few days. I got my new passport and I just got my website back under control from the stupids…

WtR

На архипелаге Новая Земля объявлен режим чрезвычайной ситуации из-за нашествия белых медведей. В населенных пунктах Архангельской области животных с каждым днем становится все больше, голод вынуждает их подбираться все ближе к людям. Опасных зверей встречают на свалках, улицах и на детских площадках. Доходит до того, что незваные гости забредают в подъезды жилых домов. О нашествии говорят не только местные власти, которые публикуют официальные заявления и предупреждения, но и владельцы аккаунтов в Instagram….

On the archipelago (Group of Islands) of Novaya Zemlya, Russia declared a state of emergency due to the invasion of polar bears. In the settlements of the Arkhangelsk region of animals every day becomes more and more, hunger forces them to get closer and closer to people. Dangerous animals are met in landfills, streets and playgrounds. It comes to the fact that uninvited guests wander into the porches of residential buildings. Not only local authorities, who publish official statements and warnings, but also Instagram account holders speak about the invasion. The latter, however, the situation is not so much scary as entertains. The brightest publications of eyewitnesses – in the collection “Tapes.ru”.

Source: В России произошло нашествие белых медведей: репортаж из Instagram: Явления: 69-я параллель: Lenta.ru

 

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#новаяземля #атакована #белыми#медведями #типичняроссия

A post shared by @ photo.shake on Feb 9, 2019 at 12:05pm PST

Governmental people have come to asses the issue and so far the situation has improved. They have been tranquilizing the bears and hauling them off. But as usual, Russians will feed the bears and more bears will come. Kinda like, if you feed the wild dogs or wild cats you get more wild dogs and cats…

Bunch of fat bears! Maybe if they had unicycles?

WtR

https://lenta.ru/articles/2019/02/10/belye/

For the past month I have been working on getting my U.S. Passport renewed. If you live outside the USA and do not desire to wander back to the US and renew there, you can, in most countries renew your passport while in another country…

Now this article is the basics and the next article will be my experience, going through all this. (Won’t be a next article!) Your mileage will very according to your experience and country you attempt to renew from…

This experience is from Russia and at the Moscow Consulate…

Tidbit: I got my passport card also and they had also just received that card and I was able to pick up both passport and passport card… Yippy!

Important Links:

• Photo Requirements
• Where to Apply
• Fees
• U.S. Passport Application Status
• Passport Forms

The order to do such an accomplishment: Follow links below and above…

• Make ACS appointment; (Make appointment Here on line for Moscow…)
• Complete DS-82 Form online and bring it for the interview;
• Bring your current U.S. Passport;
• Bring one photo;
• Pay the appropriate passport services fee.

Now there is one more form specific to keep your old passport in Russia for a US passport renewal and they will hand it to you at the counter to fill out. I cannot find it online and it is not necessary at many consulates. It is a form that allows you to request keeping your old passport (free they specifically specify) and this is a good change from ten years ago when I replaced my passport from being stolen. I had to fight to keep my old passport….they have changed that set of rules and believe you me, I was ready to fight again (I had to make a few phone calls back US home side to higher ups at that time.) and even had the bribe money (This time!) that they (US consulate (They wanted $80 to allow me to keep my old passport.)) demanded last time… (Looks like I was not the only one to have to deal with that issue and they changed it!)

As I say your mileage will very in other countries and as you would learn while traveling, all consulates from all countries have different rules for each country they reside in. Just because the US Consulate is nice in Moscow, does not mean at all that the US Consulate in Israel will care if you live or die… (Remember that tidbit as you travel.)

Yes I am grumbling, because it is important to know what you face in the real world. What the real world looks like in the USA Stateside is nothing for what it looks like at the US Embassy in each country. Sometimes it is better and sometimes much worse…

Do not expect it to be like a Big Mac and be the same the world over…

Things went well and I have my passport and as I have learned in the real world, this is a very good thing…

I do want to thank the efficiency and speediness of the US Consulate here in Moscow. There was not a delay from Gov. shutdown issues and they were always polite and okay to work with. Lots and lots of Russians working in the USA Consulate and that language barrier was the only real issue I found for many people trying to get things done…

Every window I came to. I felt like I listened to this…

I loved it, but it seemed a bit too much at times. Then when I got an American, I was like, “Wow, they do have Americans here!”

WtR

PS: What a damn relief to get this issue done…

How Trump’s trade war kept Russian fish sticks in US school lunchrooms: Washington (CNN) – A trade decision by the Trump administration has inadvertently protected a price advantage enjoyed by Russian-caught fish sold in the US, much of which ends up in fish sticks served to American school children. For years, Alaskan fishermen have been frustrated by foreign competition from Russia, particularly in the lucrative pollock market. Caught in Russian waters, this cold-water cousin of the cod is processed in China before being sold in the US for use in frozen and breaded fish product

Source: How Trump’s trade war kept Russian fish sticks in US school lunchrooms – CNNPolitics

OMG….I am amazed at the shear flagrant unabashed shamelessness at Main Stream Media…

WtR

Maybe this coming Tuesday, Svetochka and I will go to Moscow and I will visit the USA Embassy/Consulate and pick up my passport…

Then I will write about the whole experience and let people know what information they need and what to do when you are out of the US and need to renew their passport…

WtR

When preparing for a vacation abroad:

Travelers will hear all kinds of contrasting advice about how to carry themselves in a foreign country. On the one hand – When in Rome, do as the Romans do, on the other hand – Don’t forget where you came from…

Again: On the one hand – Be yourself. On the other hand – Blend in with the locals…

It’s all pretty confusing; add to that the stigma of being the “typical tourist,” and it only gets worse…

Culture shock:

Some of the tourist stereotypes have regular habits back home that border on offensive in other countries. Remember blowing your nose and or spitting on the sidewalk, just might piss people off in some countries!

You have different types of tourists: One type of tourist travels in large groups and takes lots of pictures and video. That type of tourist sits on buses and peers out the window waiting for the next buffet and someone to tell them when to smile and laugh. These tourists are like packs of lemmings…

Then you have a tourists that is just plain trying too hard to blend with the culture of said country… (Nuff Said!)

Then you have the tourist that opens his or her mouth and makes it plain that they disdain/boss everyone around them…

Americans, Germans, Russian and Britain’s traveling abroad have a particularly bad rap:

They’re loud, poorly dressed, and worst of all – obviously white. The Ultimate Ugly Tourist…

There are reasons for the ubiquity of this stereotype. First off, there are a lot of us white tourists. And our extreme affluence relative to the bulk of the world’s population means there are a lot of us traveling, a very expensive hobby without question. And our basic travel clothing, tends to dictate that we dress alike, and sometimes colorfully if you wear that beach shirt; stick with black, black clothing is very popular in much of the world….even Russians are trapped into that Bahama Mamma shirt of 50 colors and wears it proudly as if it is made of gold….nothing screams Tourist with more energy and clarity than a wild flower shirt…

I will tell you a helpful tidbit:

One of the most important things to remember is, “Use eyes and ears before engaging mouth.”

To paraphrase a very useful truism, “Better to be thought as an American, then open your mouth and remove all doubt about who you are…”

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Tidbit – When traveling even locally:

Trips to the local markets are always an interesting & fun time. When they discover that you are American, the word goes like wild fire through the Market. (This is good & or bad!) We (Sveta and I) have refused to buy from many vendors because they raise the price in front of your face, but in the same token we have gotten fantastic deals because they want to be the one to have sold to the American…

Very important to remember in the wilds of Russia: Most of the time, I am the very first American that these people have seen. They have read, heard and dreamed about that Western American, but….I many times am the first to grace their life in person…

I am always one to remember prices & look for the best deal. Russia has a brand of socks that are made out of rabbit hair. These socks are the best socks that I have ever worn. My wife and I buy these socks from a local Babushka that sells them for 30 Rubles a pair. She makes good money and is very happy with the sales…

We went to a local market that sold clothing and found these same socks. The gentleman who wanted to sell us the socks (after he heard me speak some English) presented us with a price tag (for the very same brand and style) of a 100 Rubles. Even with a 50 Ruble tag attached to the display socks. He was heart broken but lowered the price all the way to 60 Rubles. As we were walking away we heard 50 Rubles. We knew at this point we could have reached that 30 Ruble price, but we kept walking, for you see the Babushka will keep our sock business…

It is another fantastic day in Moscow, Russia….

WtR

Mahatma Gandhi — “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”

Now that is profound truth…

WtR

This morning as I was drinking my cup of coffee, I thought about the place we discovered years ago, near a hospital that we visited to see someone who had been admitted….I realize how important it has been for me to document things we see, as we travel around Moscow, Russia and many other countries…

Many of you might remember Mad Max, with Mel Gibson. Well if you do then you will recognize this place. This is a Russian version of Mad Max…

It is a motorcycle shop, bar and restaurant. Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to create a duplicate of the Mad Max movie. Svetochka and I stopped and took pictures at the time we found it. I do not think Svetochka has ever seen the movie, but she loved the look of the place…

So, to you Mad Max fans here is a Russian version of Mad Max, Enjoy…

WtR

Had my first taste of 5G…

Faster than a striped ass ape with his tail on fire…

В России же рекорд скорости 5G пока принадлежит “Мегафону”. В июне оператору удалось добиться передачи данных в сети на скорости 35 гигабит в секунду. Испытания проводились в лабораторных условиях на оборудовании Huawei. Базовая станция работала в режиме TDD в диапазоне 7 ГГц с шириной полосы 2 ГГц.

In Russia, the 5G speed record still belongs to Megafon. In June, the operator managed to achieve data transfer in the network at a speed of 35 gigabits per second. The tests were carried out in laboratory conditions on Huawei equipment. The base station operated in TDD mode in the 7 GHz band with a 2 GHz bandwidth.

Source: 5G интернет в России: дата выхода и скорость передачи данных

The strange thing is that I am getting it free. No password so far….Brand new popped up WiFi and I find it available even outside as I walk around. Not sure this will last, maybe it is an experiment. Maybe our city will get free WiFi? It is rated at 5G and after a speed test on my Cheap Chinese Phone? I saw bouncing the virtual needle, on the virtual gauge, on the virtual screen: 10+ gigabits per second…

Yes, not full speed yet, but hey, my Cheap Chinese Phone only cost $80 bucks…

Russia has gone all out, just like many countries on this side of the world and 5G is here. Russia is leading the way as they implement it full steam ahead…

I am lucky to just happen to have a Chinese Phone that is 4G + 5G (seriously) ready and well, all I will say is that the data stream is, “Faster than a striped ass ape with his tail on fire!”

Won’t be long for everyone here in Russia…

WtR

Now that’s what I call polka!

Too Fat Polka… (She’s too fat for me!)

WtR