Python pip - unable to get url https://pypi.python.org/simple/package

Question

when I try to install the package in virtualenv using pip 1.5.4, I get this error (for example, when I want to install six):

Downloading/unpacking six
  Could not fetch URL https://pypi.python.org/simple/six/: connection error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
  Will skip URL https://pypi.python.org/simple/six/ when looking for download links for six
  Could not fetch URL https://pypi.python.org/simple/: connection error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
  Will skip URL https://pypi.python.org/simple/ when looking for download links for six
  Cannot fetch index base URL https://pypi.python.org/simple/
  Could not fetch URL https://pypi.python.org/simple/six/: connection error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
  Will skip URL https://pypi.python.org/simple/six/ when looking for download links for six
  Could not find any downloads that satisfy the requirement six
Cleaning up...
  Removing temporary dir /var/www/sova/venv/build...
No distributions at all found for six
Exception information:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/var/www/sova/venv/lib/python3.3/site-packages/pip/basecommand.py", line 122, in main
    status = self.run(options, args)
  File "/var/www/sova/venv/lib/python3.3/site-packages/pip/commands/install.py", line 278, in run
    requirement_set.prepare_files(finder, force_root_egg_info=self.bundle, bundle=self.bundle)
  File "/var/www/sova/venv/lib/python3.3/site-packages/pip/req.py", line 1177, in prepare_files
    url = finder.find_requirement(req_to_install, upgrade=self.upgrade)
  File "/var/www/sova/venv/lib/python3.3/site-packages/pip/index.py", line 277, in find_requirement
    raise DistributionNotFound('No distributions at all found for %s' % req)
pip.exceptions.DistributionNotFound: No distributions at all found for six

Storing debug log for failure in /root/.pip/pip.log

when I try easy_install, I get an SSL error (I was getting this with pip, but I solved it). And the packages obviously exist ... I do not use a proxy server - this computer connects via Ethernet directly to a router with a static IP address. The same setup works on another PC (also a static IP address, the same router). My connection is working fine - I can update my system, ping google, etc.

thank