Prague Property

O’Connell Street Dublin Christmas day 2007.
Located in the heart of Dublin city, O’Connell Street forms part of a grand thoroughfare created in the 18th century that runs through the centre of the capital, comprising Carlisle Bridge (now O’Connell Bridge), Westmoreland Street, College Green and Dame Street, terminating at City Hall and Dublin Castle. Situated [...]

Merry Christmas everyone. There are some out there that I will not speak to today, however many if not all are in my thoughts today.
Enjoy today, and have a great 2008.
Leslie

A few days ago Lilia Shevtsova published the following column in the Moscow Times:

The Power Paralysis

By Lilia Shevtsova

Those watching President Vladimir Putin on television could not fail to see a change in his mood. After he decided on his partnership with First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, he started to look like a different person. He is very much at ease — as if a huge burden has been taken off his back. Last week, he was joking at the State Council meeting, and he curtly put the Time magazine journalists in their place during an interview at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence. His body language shows that he is enjoying his position of power immensely.

Russia’s retail turnover for November 2007 exceeded 1 trillion rubles for the first time ever, and the country will become the world’s fifth largest economy by 2020, provided its gross domestic product keeps its current annual growth rate. Russia has exported a record $7 billion worth of arms in 2007, with state-controlled Rosoboronexport overseeing most of the contracts. The duties on stainless steel import will go up by 35% to 40% early in 2008, with Russian traders of Chinese steel imports feeling the heaviest impact of the increase. French giant Renault is conducting a due diligence review before signing a final deal to buy a 25% blocking stake in Russia’s largest carmaker AvtoVAZ. Toyota Motor Corp expects its sales in Europe to continue growing at around 2% next year, although this rate excludes the rapidly expanding Russian market. “Russia is pulling the European market.” Rusal’s acquisition of Norilsk Nickel is seen as the companies “first step towards creating Russia’s first global and diversified mining and metallurgical enterprise.”

(PHOTO: A New Year tree with changeable lights stands at the Red Square in Moscow Monday, Dec. 24, 2007. New Year is the biggest holiday of the year in Russia, and is followed by the Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko))

Part of Russia’s plans to build Rosatom, the state nuclear power corporation, will include the setting up of a national nuclear energy university, to be based at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute.

Unified Energy System (UES) has completed the restructuring of the thermal power sector as part of a broader electric power system reform.

Russia’s Resources Ministry could ease access to state auctions of large oil, gas or metal deposits by foreign companies, but is to tighten control over large equity deals.

Gazprom, Russia’s biggest supplier of natural gas for power plants, paid almost $850 million for new shares in OAO OGK-6, Russia’s third-largest power generator by capacity.

Today: bird flu; pro-Kremlin youth groups; relations with Iran steadily improving; US missile shield tensions continue; a satellite tracker for Putin’s labrador?

Russia’s equivalent of Santa Claus is called Ded Moroz, or Father Frost. Every December, a free three-week course called the Moscow School of Ded Moroz is run at a government-funded youth center. “Ded Moroz is the wizard of New Year’s. His origins predate Christianity, as the pagan god of winter.” Some say he acts as an emblem of Russia’s search for its own identity within existing Western cultural symbols.