Dear all our Canadian friends,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We wish you and your families Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
We want this coming 2009 be peaceful, calm, healthy, prosperous, bright, fantastic, marvellous and wonderful to you!
We wish you all happiness and lots of sunny days in 2009.

Hope to see all of you sometime in the near future!

Love,
Alexander & Olga Izyurov

Очень грустная новость

Сегодня получили сообщение о том, что вчера умер Андрей Житлухин.

Пожалуйста, оставляйте ваши комментарии и соболезнования на сайте http://kaoclub.net/. Никакой регистрации не требуется.

Just received the news that yesterday died Andrei Zhitlukhin.

Update: 20080607 Letter from Jim Guthrie received via Dennis Knudtson

Nina Salikova phoned me today with too much bad news.

About one week ago Rachid Usmanov was taking the train from Usinsk to Pechora and he died of a heart attack in Pechora. Very sudden and quick. KAO colleagues will all remember what a great and patient and helpful IT professional he was, he got us through some tough times in those early days. He worked for me at KAO and SeverTEK both and I admired him both as a good kind person and a dedicated and very talented employee.

Yesterday Andrei Zhitlukin died from complications in surgery, I believe he had cancer of the liver. Not all KAO employees would know him as he was a lawyer hired after most of the Canadians were gone. He worked for me in SeverTEK and he attended both the Canadian and Russia reunions in 2005 and 2007 and as everyone remembers, he was the life of the party. He played the guitar, sang all the great Russian songs, and dressed like he was born in
High River, Alberta. As you know, I called him Andy Lukin due to this penchant he had for dressing like a cowboy.

I will miss both of these men, they were good friends and great colleagues.

Regards, Jim

Please leave you condolences and comments for Andrei's and Rashid's families and relatives on this web site: http://kaoclub.net/.

Очень грустная новость

Сегодня Оля Изьюрова написала о том, что умер Рашид Усманов…

Пожалуйста оставляйте свои комментарии здесь и здесь.

Радостная новость!

Привет всем друзьям и знакомым! Вчера ночью Люда Крохман родила дочь весом 4 кг и ростом 58 см! Знай наших! Дорогая Люда, поздравляем от всей души!

Вчера получил письмо от Ольги Изьюровой об открытии Олегом Антипиным «гостиницы-центра досуга» в Усинске. Теперь будет где остановиться и затусоваться по приезду в Усинск.

«Всем привет!

23 февраля открылся Центр Досуга (за бассейном построили). Финансировали проект несколько человек, включая Антипина и Зусмана. Там у них есть гостиница “Пилигрим” (взяли Лену Ткаченко директором), Стоимость очень доступная, завтрак включен, белье хорошее, в номере душ, туалет, ТВ, телефон, термос, чай, кофе (в холле - диспенсеры с горячей и холодной водой)- 2700 руб. 1-местный стандартный номер; в двухместном - 1800 на человека.

Есть кафе (большой и малый зал), бильярдная, тир, солярий, тренажерный, сауна, аэробика, бильярд, настольный теннис, массаж, маникюр, педикюр. Мы были с Сашей на открытии (также были Титаренко, Люда Иванова). Нам понравилось.

Ольга Изъюрова»

По фотографиям видно, что гостиница эта НАМНОГО лучше легендарной гостиницы «Нефтянник», в которой многие из нас выпили немало водки и сломали мебели. :)

Фотографии здесь и здесь.

Дорогие друзья!

Пользуясь возможностью, хочу сообщить все друзьям и знакомым, что у Стива и Ирины Пёрди двенадцатого февраля 2008-го года родилась девочка! Нарекли её Maia Diana Purdy. То-есть, Майя - Диана. Целых два имени! Вырастет, сможет называть себя как захочет.

От себя, и всех, кому уже сообщил эту новость, хочу поздравить их с долгожданным пополнением!

Вы можете поздравить Ирину и Стива, написав коментарий к этой публикации здесь или здесь. Фото малышки внутри поста.
 

Dear Friends,

I would like to use this opportunity to inform all friends and acquaintances that Steve and Irina Purdy had their first baby girl Maia Diana Purdy born February 12, 2008.

I would like congratulate Irina and Steve with this long awaited beautiful addition to their family!

You can congratulate Steve and Irina yourself by leaving your comments here or here. The photo of the baby is inside of this post.

Mr. Harry Stuber of Big Valley, AB passed away January 30, 2008 at the age of 74 years.

Survived by his loving wife Fran of Big Valley; sons, Lionel (Lori) Stuber of Red Deer and Roy Stuber of Sicamous, B.C.; daughters, Colleen (Kevin) Grouette of Calgary and Mary (Mark) Doerksen of Winnipeg; grandchildren, Rebecca Stuber, Katherine Stuber, Alisha Grouette, Aimee Grouette, Micah Doerksen, Aby Doerksen and Richard Caruana; brothers, Fred (Joan) Stuber of Medicine Hat and John (Peggy) Stuber of Medicine Hat; many loving nieces, nephews and good friends.

Dear family and friends,

About time we start exchanging our annual New Year letters with each other. It is so nice to receive X-mas wishes from so many of you, hear about your news and actually just knowing that you are ok is great, as I receive mail from even those who have been silent from the previous Christmas. A lot has happened during that time and I'm looking forward to reading your NY (and not only) letters.

Main event for us is that we have a baby in the family - Andrew Stuart Breese! Wonderful little guy. Olesya became a mom and I became a grandma. Now even more than before I'd like to be closer to them and spend less time working to witness the unique moments of watching him grow and change. Alas both are still dreams to come true.

Dear friends,

One more year has almost past, and it’s unbelievable! One more good and happy year will remain in our mind as a part of our life.

Whenever people live – Canada or Russia - but their favourite holiday is Christmas or Happy New Year! We all love this magic winter holiday from the time when we were little kids and waited for Santa Claus’ or Father Frost’ gifts, and we still wait for a miracle and gifts!

Lewis (Lee) Chapman. March 24, 1948 - December 3, 2007

Lee sadly passed away December 3, 2007, after a long, courageous battle with cancer.

Lee spent his childhood on his family's farm in Crooked Creek, Alberta, until his Grade 10 year when he decided to work on the oil rigs in the prairies instead of finishing school. Lee worked his way from the bottom up and achieved a successful career in the oil industry that took him all over the world. After 25 years on the rigs he retired and became involved with tire recycling in 1994. We all enjoyed having him home.

Дорогие друзья, коллеги!

С праздником вас - очередной годовщиной КАО! У нас в Усинске вчера прошла традиционная вечеринка, народу собралось, как всегда, немало - 50 человек. Думаю, для всех - это, в первую очередь, радость общения.

Все-таки, даже живя в таком маленьком городе, мы не часто видимся друг с другом, а с большей частью так и вообще раз в год на вечере КАО. Интересно было узнать, кто где, чем занимаются, растут дети, появляются внуки.

Дорогие друзья!

Приближается очередной праздничный день для КомиАрктикОйловцев - 5 ноября 2007 г. По традиции мы собираемся его отметить в небольшом кафе Усинска.

There was the time circa 15 years ago when talking about immigration to Canada or US could give you a reputation of a mentally unstable person.

What immigration?! We couldn't even get a visitor's visa!

And today I am a proud Canadian citizen holding Canadian passport in my hand (see the pictures). Who would've thought?!

To all KAO people, their friends and relatives!

So this finally happened! The reunion and the river cruise was a success! We would like to congratulate everyone who took part in this, as well as those who couldn’t make it, with this great accomplishment!

There will be many photos and video files posted later in this album in the photo gallery. All photos will be placed in the sub-albums by their origin i.e. the person’s name who took pictures.

Please feel free to comment on this article to share your stories or let us know if you would like to write your own news post or article about your experience during this trip.

Regards,

Dmitri Matsigura

on behalf of this site’s admin

From left to right:

Irina Matsigura, Henry Van Staden, Luda Van Staden (Pustovoit), Dmitri Matsigura, Irina White (Vyazova), Anton Matsigura, Murray White.

Full size photo here.

Interesting article on Iran. Is US press avoiding the subject?

While the world press has focused on Iran’s plans to move ahead with enriching uranium, Tehran continues to wage economic war against the U.S. dollar behind the scenes.

Tehran has reached a decision to end all oil sales in dollars, according to statements by Iran’s central bank governor, Ehrabhim Sheibany, in Kuala Lumpur at the end of last month.

Some people build swimming pools in their back yards, but outdoor pools in Fort McMurray just won’t work. Since this particular family lives on the outskirts of Fort McMurray, they decided to build a sturdy, colorful playground for their 3- and 4-year-old sons, with smooth-stone gravel all around it to avoid knee scrapes and other injuries. They finished building it on Saturday evening, and the following morning, as mum was about to wake the boys and let them go out to play in their new play centre, this is what she saw from the upstairs window. (Full size photos inside).

To all KomiArcticOil colleagues:

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen!

As you know, KomiArcticOil Club is arranging a cruise from Saint Petersburg to Moscow on river boat LENIN in summer 2007. The cruise will take place July 15 to July 25, 2007.

“When Irina Mokeeva, MBA ‘97, arrived in Calgary from Moscow to start her MBA at Haskayne, it wasn’t thoughts of the upcoming winter that frightened her but the stairs in her new residence. “I never had stairs back home in Moscow,” she recalls. “Within my first week in Calgary, I slipped down a few steps and ended up breaking my finger. My middle finger, in fact.” Mokeeva became infamous for her finger fumble and was the source of much good-natured teasing from her new classmates.”

United Way Calgary website got hacked today.

Of all web sites in the world these idiots had to pick this one.

Direct link to full size picture here.