The author of this letter to a daily "national" newspaper doesn't get the point of the redress money the Ukrainian community is (still) seeking, despite the government's passing of Bill C-331.
He lumps Ukrainian Canadians in with other ethnic groups demanding compensation ... which is just money for themselves, at the expense of today's taxpayer.
What UCCLA, on behalf of Ukrainian Canadians, has repeatedly asked for is not compensation, but simply the money that the government confiscated from Ukrainian and other East Europeans during the WWI internment operations, and never did return.
Furthermore, that money is not destined to line the pockets of ethnically-defined individual Canadians, or even the descendents of internees, but rather for an educational campaign that will allow *all* Canadians, "hyphenated" or not, to learn about this particular episode of their own history ... something mainstream Canadian historians have oddly seemed loathe to do.
Who knows, such a campaign might just enlighten those who arrived here within the last half-century as to why Canada is now such a great place to live.
Canada is not some fairyland utopia. It is a country that people worked hard, and often suffered and sacrificed, to create ... so that those following in their footsteps would not have to work as hard, or suffer and sacrifice as much as they did.
Sarcasm from those who don't appreciate the sacrifices of their predecessors does little to enlighten or enrich the fabric of Canadian society.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Vancouver audio archives for Dec 24, 2006
Ukrainian radio audio archives for Dec 24 are now available for download and streaming on the website ... and for podcasters via this RSS feed.
On Nash Holos, special Christmas Eve programming features lots of carols and greetings from near and far. Sylvia has an interesting twist on kutia and Fr. Bruce reminds us of the "reason for the season" with an exploration of the Nativity icon found in most Ukrainian churches.
On Chetverta Khvylia, Pavlo brings you news and views, exclusively in Ukrainian, and also gets into some special Christmas Eve programming for those listeners celebrating according to the Gregorian calendar.
Enjoy!
On Nash Holos, special Christmas Eve programming features lots of carols and greetings from near and far. Sylvia has an interesting twist on kutia and Fr. Bruce reminds us of the "reason for the season" with an exploration of the Nativity icon found in most Ukrainian churches.
On Chetverta Khvylia, Pavlo brings you news and views, exclusively in Ukrainian, and also gets into some special Christmas Eve programming for those listeners celebrating according to the Gregorian calendar.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Ruslana anti-trafficking video
Speaking of raising consciousness, Ukraine's female pop icon Ruslana is using her celebrity for a very good cause.
A big "Brava" to her for putting out this video and raising awareness of the scourge of human trafficking.
Human trafficking, especially for purposes of sexual exploitation, is one of the few remaining "taboo" topics in today's society.
Perhaps that's because it so clearly illustrates the barbarity of contemporary society ... and the reality that despite being more liberal, we are not really as advanced a society as we may like to think.
Cross-posted at The Natashas blog.
A big "Brava" to her for putting out this video and raising awareness of the scourge of human trafficking.
Human trafficking, especially for purposes of sexual exploitation, is one of the few remaining "taboo" topics in today's society.
Perhaps that's because it so clearly illustrates the barbarity of contemporary society ... and the reality that despite being more liberal, we are not really as advanced a society as we may like to think.
Cross-posted at The Natashas blog.
Mandry's consciousness-raising video
One of my favourite groups from Ukraine, Mandry, has put out a fabulous video which you can view here.
It's very appropos on the 2nd anniversary of the elections brought about by the Orange Revolution. This was one of the hits enjoyed by the revolutionaries in Kyiv as well as those of us observing from the other side of the world.
H/T to Irena Bell of Ottawa's Ukrainian radio program.
It's very appropos on the 2nd anniversary of the elections brought about by the Orange Revolution. This was one of the hits enjoyed by the revolutionaries in Kyiv as well as those of us observing from the other side of the world.
H/T to Irena Bell of Ottawa's Ukrainian radio program.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Viktor Yanukovych addresses CSIS in Washington
Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych spoke at a CSIS forum in Washington, DC on Dec. 04, 2006. A transcript of his talk, as well as an audio file and a video file, are available on the CSIS website here.
(That's CSIS as in the Centre for Strategic & International Studies , not the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.)
(That's CSIS as in the Centre for Strategic & International Studies , not the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.)
Monday, December 18, 2006
Vancouver audio archives for Dec 17, 2006
Nash Holos Dec 17 Ukrainian radio audio archives are now available for download and streaming on the website ... and for podcasters via this RSS feed.
Sylvia has a recipe for traditional Ukrainian spiced honey cake, and Fr. Bruce offers some practical tips for holiday travellers closer to home as well as a listing of the Christmas services at Ukrainian churches in the Greater Vancouver area.
As usual, another Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, of course... plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
Sylvia has a recipe for traditional Ukrainian spiced honey cake, and Fr. Bruce offers some practical tips for holiday travellers closer to home as well as a listing of the Christmas services at Ukrainian churches in the Greater Vancouver area.
As usual, another Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, of course... plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
Canadian media still jeers at Ukrainians
Alberta's new premier was just recently sworn in.The Edmonton Sun published an article with great detail about his cold, and the Edmonton Journal published this charming cartoon.
Might it be that the Canadian elite and the MSM just can't stand it that a Canadian of Ukrainian descent has become a premier?
Looks like leopards don't change their spots
This is disappointing but, I suppose, not entirely surprising ... given the historical relationship between Poland and Ukraine.
[According to the Organization of Ukrainians in Poland] ... the Polish TV channel TVP-3 has plans to take Ukrainian news off the air.
Representatives of the channel claim there is no room for the Ukrainian program. ... this goes directly against Polish laws and international responsibilities in protecting rights of minority groups. .... It is estimated that there are nearly half a million ethnic Ukrainians living in Poland.
Full article here.
[According to the Organization of Ukrainians in Poland] ... the Polish TV channel TVP-3 has plans to take Ukrainian news off the air.
Representatives of the channel claim there is no room for the Ukrainian program. ... this goes directly against Polish laws and international responsibilities in protecting rights of minority groups. .... It is estimated that there are nearly half a million ethnic Ukrainians living in Poland.
Full article here.
Canada still burying its own history
Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk has written another brilliant editorial, published in today's National Post (here). It illustrates what can IMO be justifiably construed as the manifestation of an ongoing irrational prejudice against all things Ukrainian (and, probably, east European in general).
They call it La Ferme -- The Farm, an innocuous name ... for an experimental farm.
Before the Great War many wondered if the Clay Belt's soils could produce crops sufficient to feed enough people to colonize the Canadian Shield, so that they could, in turn, exploit the region's mineral and timber resources. [But] somebody had to do the back-breaking work of clearing away the boreal forest and tilling the land. Who would want such a job? ... then the war broke out and the needed workers became available in the form of people deemed "enemy aliens." The first contingent of 109 men arrived Jan. 13, 1915. ...
... They were all prisoners under guard, dispatched into an archipelago of 24 Canadian concentration camps spread across the Dominion, from Banff to Beauport and beyond. They were also all civilians, not really Prisoners of War, just simple people branded "enemy aliens." Stripped of what little wealth they had, they were forced to work, for others' profits. ... When the internment operations ended on June 20, 1920, unpaid earnings of $9,510.17 were owed them, the equivalent of thousands of man-months of labour. Deposited with the Bank of Canada that booty still enriches their gaolers.
... 19 of their original number stayed behind, in the La Ferme cemetery, the only Ukrainian Canadians still there. ... Now this once sacred space is ... hidden by the encroaching bush, buried even deeper by bureaucratic ignorance and political indifference. ...
Ottawa should acquire, restore and preserve the internees' cemetery. And if we honour the last Canadian veteran of the Great War with a state funeral, we should also so dignify the last internee when her time comes, recalling the innocence betrayed on the day this country carted children off into the woods --not because of anything they had done, but only because of who they were and where they had come from."
Do send a letter to the National Post at this address, commenting on this article and deploring such apathy towards our country's history.
Also, you might consider writing to your MP (find his/her address here) and insisting that the government honour its financial commitment to the Ukrainian community on redress.
Those funds, unlike those for other redress settlements, are earmarked to educate Canadians about their own history. (Funny how the Canadian establishment keeps dragging its heels on that... )
They call it La Ferme -- The Farm, an innocuous name ... for an experimental farm.
Before the Great War many wondered if the Clay Belt's soils could produce crops sufficient to feed enough people to colonize the Canadian Shield, so that they could, in turn, exploit the region's mineral and timber resources. [But] somebody had to do the back-breaking work of clearing away the boreal forest and tilling the land. Who would want such a job? ... then the war broke out and the needed workers became available in the form of people deemed "enemy aliens." The first contingent of 109 men arrived Jan. 13, 1915. ...
... They were all prisoners under guard, dispatched into an archipelago of 24 Canadian concentration camps spread across the Dominion, from Banff to Beauport and beyond. They were also all civilians, not really Prisoners of War, just simple people branded "enemy aliens." Stripped of what little wealth they had, they were forced to work, for others' profits. ... When the internment operations ended on June 20, 1920, unpaid earnings of $9,510.17 were owed them, the equivalent of thousands of man-months of labour. Deposited with the Bank of Canada that booty still enriches their gaolers.
... 19 of their original number stayed behind, in the La Ferme cemetery, the only Ukrainian Canadians still there. ... Now this once sacred space is ... hidden by the encroaching bush, buried even deeper by bureaucratic ignorance and political indifference. ...
Ottawa should acquire, restore and preserve the internees' cemetery. And if we honour the last Canadian veteran of the Great War with a state funeral, we should also so dignify the last internee when her time comes, recalling the innocence betrayed on the day this country carted children off into the woods --not because of anything they had done, but only because of who they were and where they had come from."
Do send a letter to the National Post at this address, commenting on this article and deploring such apathy towards our country's history.
Also, you might consider writing to your MP (find his/her address here) and insisting that the government honour its financial commitment to the Ukrainian community on redress.
Those funds, unlike those for other redress settlements, are earmarked to educate Canadians about their own history. (Funny how the Canadian establishment keeps dragging its heels on that... )
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Smart Plate - just in time for holiday bingeing!
Ok, I know this has nothing to do with Ukrainian music. But, food is a universal Ukrainian meme. And it looks like a Ukrainian has just invented a cure for gluttony.
... [the] smart plate ... knows how much you've put on it, and if you even try to eat more than is good for you, prepare to be told off. Yes, by the plate. 'Stop right there!' the plate will say, or 'Where's your willpower?' ...
This is the brainchild of Ukrainian scientist Dr. Hryhory Chausovsky, who is clearly not one to offer second helpings. It may look like a normal plate, but it has special weight sensors which let it tell you off when your eyes are bigger than your belly. Of course, you could always cheat by keeping within the weight limit and going back for seconds, but if you think you might be tempted, Dr. Chausovsky has also designed a belt that does the same thing. Ouch. Sadly, this isn't yet available for sale: whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, only you can tell...
Well, I say, (recovering) gluttons of the world, unite ... and demand that it be made available!
Full article here.
... [the] smart plate ... knows how much you've put on it, and if you even try to eat more than is good for you, prepare to be told off. Yes, by the plate. 'Stop right there!' the plate will say, or 'Where's your willpower?' ...
This is the brainchild of Ukrainian scientist Dr. Hryhory Chausovsky, who is clearly not one to offer second helpings. It may look like a normal plate, but it has special weight sensors which let it tell you off when your eyes are bigger than your belly. Of course, you could always cheat by keeping within the weight limit and going back for seconds, but if you think you might be tempted, Dr. Chausovsky has also designed a belt that does the same thing. Ouch. Sadly, this isn't yet available for sale: whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, only you can tell...
Well, I say, (recovering) gluttons of the world, unite ... and demand that it be made available!
Full article here.
Ukrainian President meets with diaspora in Estonia
The National Radio Company of Ukraine has a brief report about President Yushchenko's recent meeting with the Ukrainian diaspora in Estonia.
Speaking about the Ukrainian government's cooperation with Ukrainians living abroad, Mr. Yushchenko said he was determined to build closer ties with expatriates and that four hundred programs had been launched in this area so far...
Wonder if he will make it to Canada sometime soon?
Article here.
Speaking about the Ukrainian government's cooperation with Ukrainians living abroad, Mr. Yushchenko said he was determined to build closer ties with expatriates and that four hundred programs had been launched in this area so far...
Wonder if he will make it to Canada sometime soon?
Article here.
Perfect Ukrainian cafeteria found
This Kyiv Post article suggests some great, inexpensive Ukrainian eateries in Kyiv... This one in particular sounds like my kind of place!
Puzata Khata’s chain of cafeteria-style restaurants is definitely the best of its kind in Kyiv. ... The chain also makes a noticeable effort to keep everything “Ukrainian”—staff members dress in traditional Ukrainian garb and only speak Ukrainian to customers (even if the customers are speaking Russian), and all the music played has Ukrainian lyrics.
Most importantly- where else can you get a delicious three course meal, including a vinagret salad, borshch and meat-stuffed varenyky for Hr. 14.20?
That's about CAD $3.40 ... pretty amazing price for a meal like that, and Ukrainian music too!
Puzata Khata’s chain of cafeteria-style restaurants is definitely the best of its kind in Kyiv. ... The chain also makes a noticeable effort to keep everything “Ukrainian”—staff members dress in traditional Ukrainian garb and only speak Ukrainian to customers (even if the customers are speaking Russian), and all the music played has Ukrainian lyrics.
Most importantly- where else can you get a delicious three course meal, including a vinagret salad, borshch and meat-stuffed varenyky for Hr. 14.20?
That's about CAD $3.40 ... pretty amazing price for a meal like that, and Ukrainian music too!
Vancouver audio archives for Dec 10, 2006
Vancouver's Dec 10 Ukrainian radio audio archives are now available for download and streaming on the website ... and for podcasters via this RSS feed.
Chetverta Khvylia archives are also up, so tune in for the latest in Ukrainian news and views, exclusively in Ukrainian, with host Pavlo Manugevych.
On Nash Holos ... our veteran cooking instructor, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar, shares a recipe for traditional Ukrainian poppyseed roll. On Travel Tips, Fr. Bruce takes you through scenic Slovakia, in anticipation of Solaway Travel's upcoming summer tour to Eastern Europe. Join him on his spiritual segment, And With Your Spirit, for a brief biography of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker... the *real* man behind the Santa Claus myth.
As usual, another Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, of course... plenty of Great Ukrainian music! Our CD of the Week is "Ukrainian Rhapsody" featuring virtuoso fiddler Yogi Klos. Enjoy!
Chetverta Khvylia archives are also up, so tune in for the latest in Ukrainian news and views, exclusively in Ukrainian, with host Pavlo Manugevych.
On Nash Holos ... our veteran cooking instructor, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar, shares a recipe for traditional Ukrainian poppyseed roll. On Travel Tips, Fr. Bruce takes you through scenic Slovakia, in anticipation of Solaway Travel's upcoming summer tour to Eastern Europe. Join him on his spiritual segment, And With Your Spirit, for a brief biography of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker... the *real* man behind the Santa Claus myth.
As usual, another Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, of course... plenty of Great Ukrainian music! Our CD of the Week is "Ukrainian Rhapsody" featuring virtuoso fiddler Yogi Klos. Enjoy!
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Oh, those Ukrainians!
Here's Ukraine's entry in the Junior Eurovision contest. Unbelievable talent ... and what a cute kid!
(Thank goodness for the internet! What we'd miss out on if we had to rely only on the regular channels of media distribution.)
(Thank goodness for the internet! What we'd miss out on if we had to rely only on the regular channels of media distribution.)
Oh, those Russians!
Check this out for some wickedly funny satire ... it may put you in mind of that song about the long-ago poisoning of Rasputin.
From the same people who almost brought you O.J. Simpson's almost Blockbuster Book, straight from Moscow, a Sensational tale of Intrigue, Action, and Mystery, the Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin story... IF I DID IT - Here's How It Happened
... You will never look upon the statement "Let's Do Lunch" the same way ever again.
Song/video here, satire here. Enjoy!
From the same people who almost brought you O.J. Simpson's almost Blockbuster Book, straight from Moscow, a Sensational tale of Intrigue, Action, and Mystery, the Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin story... IF I DID IT - Here's How It Happened
... You will never look upon the statement "Let's Do Lunch" the same way ever again.
Song/video here, satire here. Enjoy!
CBC to air feature on Ukrainian genocide legislation
CBC just announced that the Holodomor is to be discussed on the CBC Radio's "The Current" on Thursday morning December 7th 2006.
They are going to discuss the recent passing of the Genocide legislation and whether it was far enough.
Check it out (here) or listen to it the old-fashioned way (i.e., on the radio ;-)). Then please make sure to share your thoughts with the producers by email or other methods:
Tel: 416-205-7878 Fax: 416-205-6461 Mail: The Current P.O. Box 500, Station A Toronto, Ontario M5W 1E6
They are going to discuss the recent passing of the Genocide legislation and whether it was far enough.
Check it out (here) or listen to it the old-fashioned way (i.e., on the radio ;-)). Then please make sure to share your thoughts with the producers by email or other methods:
Tel: 416-205-7878 Fax: 416-205-6461 Mail: The Current P.O. Box 500, Station A Toronto, Ontario M5W 1E6
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Vancouver audio archives for Dec 3, 2006
Vancouver's Dec 3 Ukrainian radio audio archives are now available for download and streaming on the website ... and for podcast subscribers there's now an RSS feed for Nash Holos!
Chetverta Khvylia archives are also up, so tune in for the latest in Ukrainian news and views, exclusively in Ukrainian, with host Pavlo Manugevych.
On Nash Holos ... our veteran cooking instructor, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar, has the scoop on honey and a recipe for honey cookies. On Travel Tips, Fr. Bruce takes you to Prague, another stop on Solaway Travel's upcoming summer tour to Eastern Europe. On his spiritual segment, And With Your Spirit, he explains everything you ever wanted to know about why Ukrainians have two calendars and two Christmases!
As usual, another Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, of course... plenty of Great Ukrainian music! Our CD of the Week is "Learning Curves - The Students of Steven Chwok" ... a very talented group of tsymbala players.
Enjoy!
Free music aggregator launched
According to this article, a free software program has been launched that collects, organizes and stores tunes based on your personal tastes, and helps you share them.
Goombah is a free service that helps you find new music and people who share your musical taste whether you're into blues, alternative, classic rock or any mix at all.
Based on your iTunes collection and listening behavior, Goombah displays like-minded members' collections and recommends tracks they really like that you don't have. You can show your friends your music collection, and explore matching members' and friends' collections.
Goombah is a free service that helps you find new music and people who share your musical taste whether you're into blues, alternative, classic rock or any mix at all.
Based on your iTunes collection and listening behavior, Goombah displays like-minded members' collections and recommends tracks they really like that you don't have. You can show your friends your music collection, and explore matching members' and friends' collections.
Contest tests native-language skills in Ukraine
It will be an uphill struggle for some time yet to revive the Ukrainian language in Ukraine. Still, it's encouraging to see such concerted efforts in Ukraine.
This month, Ukrainians had another chance to take part in an unusual contest -- the sixth nationwide dictation intended to test their knowledge of the Ukrainian language.
As in previous years, it was broadcast on radio and participants were invited to send their transcriptions to the radio's office. Those who were able to successfully avoid all the spelling pitfalls were rewarded with prizes.
... The dictation takes place every year on November 9 to mark Ukraine's annual Language Day. ... The nationwide dictation is part of effort forge a national identity and to bridge the language gap that emerged after the Soviet collapse.
Its title -- 'Dictation Of National Unity' -- could hardly be more explicit.
But the contest's impact so far has been modest, laments Mykhaylo Slaboshpytsky, the director of the League of Ukrainian Patrons -- one of the groups organizing the event.
Read entire article here.
This month, Ukrainians had another chance to take part in an unusual contest -- the sixth nationwide dictation intended to test their knowledge of the Ukrainian language.
As in previous years, it was broadcast on radio and participants were invited to send their transcriptions to the radio's office. Those who were able to successfully avoid all the spelling pitfalls were rewarded with prizes.
... The dictation takes place every year on November 9 to mark Ukraine's annual Language Day. ... The nationwide dictation is part of effort forge a national identity and to bridge the language gap that emerged after the Soviet collapse.
Its title -- 'Dictation Of National Unity' -- could hardly be more explicit.
But the contest's impact so far has been modest, laments Mykhaylo Slaboshpytsky, the director of the League of Ukrainian Patrons -- one of the groups organizing the event.
Read entire article here.
Latter day Bolsheviks bomb Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow
Well, it's a bit late, and rather skimpy, but at least here's one report (a translation) on that Ukrainian embassy bombing. They are rather hard to find...
At about 5 p.m. Wednesday, three men threw explosives onto the grounds of the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow. Fortunately, none of the Embassy officials were injured ... Ukraine’s Embassy is preparing a letter to Russian authorities regarding the event. ...
[Reports cite] a letter signed by the Eurasian Youth Union, claiming that it had carried out this action jointly with the National Bolshevik Front ...[because they] were 'upset with the decision made by the Verkhovna Rada to adopt the law on the Holodomor of the 1930s' ...
Full report here.
At about 5 p.m. Wednesday, three men threw explosives onto the grounds of the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow. Fortunately, none of the Embassy officials were injured ... Ukraine’s Embassy is preparing a letter to Russian authorities regarding the event. ...
[Reports cite] a letter signed by the Eurasian Youth Union, claiming that it had carried out this action jointly with the National Bolshevik Front ...[because they] were 'upset with the decision made by the Verkhovna Rada to adopt the law on the Holodomor of the 1930s' ...
Full report here.
Press freedom group honours yahoo China whistle-blower in Kyiv
The World Association of Newspapers recently honoured the jailed Chinese reporter who blew the whistle on yahoo operations in China by awarding him its annual press freedom award.
Certainly Kyiv was a good choice for WAN's 2006 conference. If only such a prestigious global organisation would spell the name of its host city properly...
Ukraine just recently joined this group so perhaps, with time, it will.
The Associated Press, the Middle East Publishers Association, the Editors and Publishers Association of Mauritius and the Association of Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine have joined the World Association of Newspapers, which groups 76 publishers associations and 18,000 newspapers world-wide.
Not suprisingly, Ukraine is a shining light in the FSU regarding press freedom. Ukraine has been so with any kind of freedom for centuries. Let's hope that, for once, that light doesn't get snuffed out.
The region covering the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe is one of stark contrasts when it comes to the state of press freedom. Countries such as Ukraine and those in Eastern Europe have shown steady progress in the fifteen years since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Press freedom in Belarus and the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan has declined considerably in recent years, and the past few months have proved no different. Russia is characterized by a complex and often contradictory media environment.
Certainly Kyiv was a good choice for WAN's 2006 conference. If only such a prestigious global organisation would spell the name of its host city properly...
Ukraine just recently joined this group so perhaps, with time, it will.
The Associated Press, the Middle East Publishers Association, the Editors and Publishers Association of Mauritius and the Association of Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine have joined the World Association of Newspapers, which groups 76 publishers associations and 18,000 newspapers world-wide.
Not suprisingly, Ukraine is a shining light in the FSU regarding press freedom. Ukraine has been so with any kind of freedom for centuries. Let's hope that, for once, that light doesn't get snuffed out.
The region covering the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe is one of stark contrasts when it comes to the state of press freedom. Countries such as Ukraine and those in Eastern Europe have shown steady progress in the fifteen years since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Press freedom in Belarus and the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan has declined considerably in recent years, and the past few months have proved no different. Russia is characterized by a complex and often contradictory media environment.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Media Filtering/Censorship or Media Incompetence?
I find myself with a growing concern about media censorship/filtering.
The news coverage of the Orange Revolution had broken previous method of operation by the Western media to covering breaking news in Ukraine. The press had covered the story fully and fairly accurately.
Prior to the Orange Revolution the news of events in Ukraine had been covered by journalists based in Moscow. The stories always had a Russian flavor/taint to them and thus tended to portray events in Ukraine in a negative light.
In the last year, the Western media has fallen into old habits. Major events in Ukraine either do not get covered or with that Moscovite flavor that leaves many people with a bad aftertaste.
Two major events have occurred this week that have received zero coverage in the Western Media.
The first was the November 28th 2006 enactment of a Law in the Ukrainian Parliament that declared that the 1932-1933 Holodomor (Famine-Genocide) was an Act of Genocide carried out against the Ukrainian people by the brutal Soviet regime of Joseph Stalin. This was based on extensive evidence declassified by the Ukrainian security services of Soviet OGPU & Government records of the era. This is an extremely important issue as 10 million Ukrainians had perished in such a short time.
This first act was heavily covered by the Ukrainian media in a positive light while it was covered with disdain by the Russian media. The Western Media just ignored it.
The second was the November 29th 2006 resulting bombing of the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow by a "youth group" protesting the enactment of the Ukrainian legislation. This is a serious act of terrorism carried out on Russian soil. The Ukrainian media has covered it. The Russian media has ignored it and the Western Media is nowhere to be found.
Is this media censorship by the Western Media or just plain incompetence?
The news coverage of the Orange Revolution had broken previous method of operation by the Western media to covering breaking news in Ukraine. The press had covered the story fully and fairly accurately.
Prior to the Orange Revolution the news of events in Ukraine had been covered by journalists based in Moscow. The stories always had a Russian flavor/taint to them and thus tended to portray events in Ukraine in a negative light.
In the last year, the Western media has fallen into old habits. Major events in Ukraine either do not get covered or with that Moscovite flavor that leaves many people with a bad aftertaste.
Two major events have occurred this week that have received zero coverage in the Western Media.
The first was the November 28th 2006 enactment of a Law in the Ukrainian Parliament that declared that the 1932-1933 Holodomor (Famine-Genocide) was an Act of Genocide carried out against the Ukrainian people by the brutal Soviet regime of Joseph Stalin. This was based on extensive evidence declassified by the Ukrainian security services of Soviet OGPU & Government records of the era. This is an extremely important issue as 10 million Ukrainians had perished in such a short time.
This first act was heavily covered by the Ukrainian media in a positive light while it was covered with disdain by the Russian media. The Western Media just ignored it.
The second was the November 29th 2006 resulting bombing of the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow by a "youth group" protesting the enactment of the Ukrainian legislation. This is a serious act of terrorism carried out on Russian soil. The Ukrainian media has covered it. The Russian media has ignored it and the Western Media is nowhere to be found.
Is this media censorship by the Western Media or just plain incompetence?
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Interview with the Telnyuk Sisters
For those who can read and understand Ukrainian, Lvivska Hazeta has published an interview with Ukraine's fabulous Telnyuk Sisters!
The interview can be found here.
The interview can be found here.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Vancouver audio archives for Nov. 26, 2006
Vancouver's Nov 19 Ukrainian radio audio archives are now available for download and streaming on the website ... and for podcast subscribers there's now an RSS feed for Nash Holos!
Chetverta Khvylia archives are updated to this past Sunday, so tune in to get the latest in Ukrainian news and views, exclusively in Ukrainian, with host Pavlo Manugevych.
On Nash Holos ... our veteran cooking instructor, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar, has an unusual Ukrainian kolach that is found only in certain regions of Ukraine, called knysh. On Travel Tips, Fr. Bruce takes you to another on Solaway Travel's upcoming summer tour to Eastern Europe, this time to the birthplace of the Genome project. He also shares A Spiritual Moment in which he commemorates the victims and survivors of the Holodomor, the soviet-engineered famine of 1932-33 in Ukraine.
And as usual, there's the Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, of course... plenty of Great Ukrainian music.
Chetverta Khvylia archives are updated to this past Sunday, so tune in to get the latest in Ukrainian news and views, exclusively in Ukrainian, with host Pavlo Manugevych.
On Nash Holos ... our veteran cooking instructor, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar, has an unusual Ukrainian kolach that is found only in certain regions of Ukraine, called knysh. On Travel Tips, Fr. Bruce takes you to another on Solaway Travel's upcoming summer tour to Eastern Europe, this time to the birthplace of the Genome project. He also shares A Spiritual Moment in which he commemorates the victims and survivors of the Holodomor, the soviet-engineered famine of 1932-33 in Ukraine.
And as usual, there's the Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, of course... plenty of Great Ukrainian music.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
The Telnyuk Sisters on YouTube
Just heard some exciting news about a fabulous musical duo in Ukraine!
After more than a three year absence from Ukraine's musical arena, The Telnyuk Sisters are taking a new approach and pre-empting the release of their 9th album – *About Both Sides of the Sun and the Moon,* with a premiere of their video of their song *Vechirnyk* from the album.
The video is available here.
Since their appearance on the Ukrainian music scene in 1986 the Telnyuk Sisters have been Laureates of the the 1989 and 1991 editions of the Chervona Ruta festivals, were awarded First Prize at the "New Names" National Competition and the Vasyl Stus Award in 1998. They have recorded seven albums: The Magic Span of Time (1991); Halya and Lesya (1994); Silence and Thunder (1998); Concerts in Canada (2000); U.B.N. Songs from the Play (2001); Wind of the Century (2002), Firebirds (2002), and their double disk compilation CD entitled Selected (2005).
"Incorporating elements of Eastern European folk, New Age, and pop/rock into a gorgeous, melancholy, and ultimately defiant mix, this Ukrainian duo is an anomaly both globally and in their own country," says Rostislav Shtyn, principle of DANAPRO Ltd, which since the end of October of this year has been managing the duet. "In a just world, the Telnyuk Sisters would be international pop stars."
If the folks managing the duo is doing it right, they soon might be! This video is the first I've seen (or heard) of the Telnyuk Sisters and they are dynamite! I can't get that song out of my head now ... They deserve to be international stars! As soon as get their music I will be sharing it with Nash Holos listeners.
The Telnyuk Sisters will be doing a mini-promo tour of their album in six Ukrainian cities, starting on December 13th. For more information contact Nazar Stryhun, Director of Media Relations for DANAPRO in Kyiv (380-44) 526-9458.
After more than a three year absence from Ukraine's musical arena, The Telnyuk Sisters are taking a new approach and pre-empting the release of their 9th album – *About Both Sides of the Sun and the Moon,* with a premiere of their video of their song *Vechirnyk* from the album.
The video is available here.
Since their appearance on the Ukrainian music scene in 1986 the Telnyuk Sisters have been Laureates of the the 1989 and 1991 editions of the Chervona Ruta festivals, were awarded First Prize at the "New Names" National Competition and the Vasyl Stus Award in 1998. They have recorded seven albums: The Magic Span of Time (1991); Halya and Lesya (1994); Silence and Thunder (1998); Concerts in Canada (2000); U.B.N. Songs from the Play (2001); Wind of the Century (2002), Firebirds (2002), and their double disk compilation CD entitled Selected (2005).
"Incorporating elements of Eastern European folk, New Age, and pop/rock into a gorgeous, melancholy, and ultimately defiant mix, this Ukrainian duo is an anomaly both globally and in their own country," says Rostislav Shtyn, principle of DANAPRO Ltd, which since the end of October of this year has been managing the duet. "In a just world, the Telnyuk Sisters would be international pop stars."
If the folks managing the duo is doing it right, they soon might be! This video is the first I've seen (or heard) of the Telnyuk Sisters and they are dynamite! I can't get that song out of my head now ... They deserve to be international stars! As soon as get their music I will be sharing it with Nash Holos listeners.
The Telnyuk Sisters will be doing a mini-promo tour of their album in six Ukrainian cities, starting on December 13th. For more information contact Nazar Stryhun, Director of Media Relations for DANAPRO in Kyiv (380-44) 526-9458.
Grand-nephew of Welsh journalist Gareth Jones comes to Canada
Late November is when Ukrainians traditionally commemorate the Holodomor. If you're in the "Golden Triangle" area, don't miss this:
In commemoration of the Famine-Genocide in Soviet Ukraine, 1932-33.
International guest speaker: Nigel Linsan Colley, author and independent researcher from the UK, and grand-nephew of acclaimed newspaper journalist Gareth Jones.
Title of talk: Gareth Jones: The Man Who Knew Too Much. How a Welsh journalist exposed Soviet Ukraine's famine-genocide and met a tragic fate.
TORONTO: Monday, Nov. 27, 2006, 7:00 p.m. at the Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation, 2118-A Bloor St. West, Toronto
OTTAWA: Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2006, 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul's University, 223 Main St., Ottawa, Amphitheatre, room 1124, Guigues Hall.
MONTREAL: Nigel Linsan Colley speaks on: The Gareth Jones Diaries, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006, 2:00 p.m., Faculty Club, McGill University, 3450 McTavish, Montreal, and Friday, Dec. 1, 2006, 7:00 p.m., St. Sophia's church hall, 6270 12th Avenue, Rosemount.
Contact: Prof. Yarema Kelebay: (514) 398-4972 or (514) 481-5871.
In commemoration of the Famine-Genocide in Soviet Ukraine, 1932-33.
International guest speaker: Nigel Linsan Colley, author and independent researcher from the UK, and grand-nephew of acclaimed newspaper journalist Gareth Jones.
Title of talk: Gareth Jones: The Man Who Knew Too Much. How a Welsh journalist exposed Soviet Ukraine's famine-genocide and met a tragic fate.
TORONTO: Monday, Nov. 27, 2006, 7:00 p.m. at the Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation, 2118-A Bloor St. West, Toronto
OTTAWA: Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2006, 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul's University, 223 Main St., Ottawa, Amphitheatre, room 1124, Guigues Hall.
MONTREAL: Nigel Linsan Colley speaks on: The Gareth Jones Diaries, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006, 2:00 p.m., Faculty Club, McGill University, 3450 McTavish, Montreal, and Friday, Dec. 1, 2006, 7:00 p.m., St. Sophia's church hall, 6270 12th Avenue, Rosemount.
Contact: Prof. Yarema Kelebay: (514) 398-4972 or (514) 481-5871.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Vancouver audio archives for Nov 19, 2006
Vancouver's Nov 19 Ukrainian radio audio archives are now available for download and streaming on the website ... and for podcast subscribers there's now an RSS feed for Nash Holos!
On Nash Holos ... our veteran cooking instructor, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar, is there to help you get a head start on your holiday baking, with a couple of easy, delicious Ukrainian festive recipes. On Travel Tips, Fr. Bruce gives a sneak preview on two cities in Poland he and Myrna will be taking visitors to on Solaway Travel's summer tour to Eastern Europe. He also shares A Spiritual Moment in which he reflects on Pylypivka, the Ukrainian version of Advent.
As usual, there's the Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, of course... plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
On Nash Holos ... our veteran cooking instructor, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar, is there to help you get a head start on your holiday baking, with a couple of easy, delicious Ukrainian festive recipes. On Travel Tips, Fr. Bruce gives a sneak preview on two cities in Poland he and Myrna will be taking visitors to on Solaway Travel's summer tour to Eastern Europe. He also shares A Spiritual Moment in which he reflects on Pylypivka, the Ukrainian version of Advent.
As usual, there's the Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, of course... plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
Friday, November 17, 2006
Remembering the Orange Revolution
Interesting article on the anniversary of the Orange Revolution, with a message for Ukraine's president “Having come to power, you should have wielded it”
In all fairness, that message should also be directed at his one-time supporters, particularly Yulia Tymoshenko. Sad to think what national glory was sacrificed on the altars of their egos.
In the diaspora, however, the Orange Revolution isn't regarded quite so dismally. As the article points out, it was as much a demonstration of democracy as a call for a regime change. As an exercise in self-awareness for a nation, was a huge success.
Also, it put Ukraine on the world map. These days, whenever a non-Ukrainian Canadian asks "What was the Orange Revolution?" all I have to say is "elections in Ukraine ... remember the guy who was poisoned?" Of course, everyone remembers the news stories about Yuschenko's poisoning, and along with it, the vote-rigging and demonstrations against it.
I appreciate that it's easier to be sanguine when you're far removed from the day to day realities. Still, I take great comfort in knowing that even the most obtuse must realize there is no more need for long-winded explanations starting with "In 988 Ukraine accepted Christianity ...."
In all fairness, that message should also be directed at his one-time supporters, particularly Yulia Tymoshenko. Sad to think what national glory was sacrificed on the altars of their egos.
In the diaspora, however, the Orange Revolution isn't regarded quite so dismally. As the article points out, it was as much a demonstration of democracy as a call for a regime change. As an exercise in self-awareness for a nation, was a huge success.
Also, it put Ukraine on the world map. These days, whenever a non-Ukrainian Canadian asks "What was the Orange Revolution?" all I have to say is "elections in Ukraine ... remember the guy who was poisoned?" Of course, everyone remembers the news stories about Yuschenko's poisoning, and along with it, the vote-rigging and demonstrations against it.
I appreciate that it's easier to be sanguine when you're far removed from the day to day realities. Still, I take great comfort in knowing that even the most obtuse must realize there is no more need for long-winded explanations starting with "In 988 Ukraine accepted Christianity ...."
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Ukrainian Film Club
If you're interested in Ukrainian movies and films, check out the Ukrainian Film Club.
It operates on the principle of the Book of the Month and other similar clubs. Only difference is the Ukrainian Film Club has better prices, and better quality products! ;-)
It operates on the principle of the Book of the Month and other similar clubs. Only difference is the Ukrainian Film Club has better prices, and better quality products! ;-)
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Podcasting getting easier
According to this article, they've come out with a new podcast player that picks podcasts for you. Looks like there are still a few bugs to work out, tho....
Noisely is a new podcast search site that is described as an “intelligent podcast audio player.” ... The site needs to provide more information about the podcasts in its search results. At a minimum, it should provide the podcast feed URL for the podcasts to allow users to subscribe to podcasts that they like.
Still, it's good to keep an eye on these things.
Noisely is a new podcast search site that is described as an “intelligent podcast audio player.” ... The site needs to provide more information about the podcasts in its search results. At a minimum, it should provide the podcast feed URL for the podcasts to allow users to subscribe to podcasts that they like.
Still, it's good to keep an eye on these things.
Media industry overlooks the obvious
Well, will wonders never cease. A broadcasting association notices an identifiable ethnic group (read: "market") in its audience and deigns to "study" it. All kinds of moguls have opined on the value of studying this market. Maybe one day they will also notice that the wheel has already been invented.
The Country Radio Broadcasters have announced that they will collaborate with Edison Media Research to undertake the first-ever study of Hispanic Americans and their relationship with Country Radio and Country Music.
Here in Canada, Ukrainians as well as other identifiable ethnic groups have since day one been routinely disdained and disregarded by the mainstream media and its marketers. Maybe one day the moguls will ditch the arrogance and bigotry that keeps them from recognizing and catering to ethnic audiences. (Yeah, right... on about the same day there's world peace.)
Anyway, here's the article.
The Country Radio Broadcasters have announced that they will collaborate with Edison Media Research to undertake the first-ever study of Hispanic Americans and their relationship with Country Radio and Country Music.
Here in Canada, Ukrainians as well as other identifiable ethnic groups have since day one been routinely disdained and disregarded by the mainstream media and its marketers. Maybe one day the moguls will ditch the arrogance and bigotry that keeps them from recognizing and catering to ethnic audiences. (Yeah, right... on about the same day there's world peace.)
Anyway, here's the article.
Vancouver audio archives for Nov 12, 2006
Vancouver's Nov 12 Ukrainian radio audio archives are now available for download and streaming on the website and for podcast subscribers there's now an RSS feed for Nash Holos!
On Chetverta Khvylia, join host Pavlo Manugevych on Chetverta Khvylia (4th Wave) for the latest news and views from Ukraine, exclusively in Ukrainian, as well as some great tunes!
On Nash Holos ... our veteran cooking instructor, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar, has some fascinating info about poppy seeds, tips on flour and a yummy recipe. As well, Fr. Bruce has the scoop on an upcoming tour to Eastern Europe, and A Spiritual Moment in which he shares a poignant personal memory of Remembrance Day.
And of course, there's the Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, as usual ... plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
On Chetverta Khvylia, join host Pavlo Manugevych on Chetverta Khvylia (4th Wave) for the latest news and views from Ukraine, exclusively in Ukrainian, as well as some great tunes!
On Nash Holos ... our veteran cooking instructor, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar, has some fascinating info about poppy seeds, tips on flour and a yummy recipe. As well, Fr. Bruce has the scoop on an upcoming tour to Eastern Europe, and A Spiritual Moment in which he shares a poignant personal memory of Remembrance Day.
And of course, there's the Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, as usual ... plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Resisting progress ...
This article just underscores how unimaginative major record labels have become.
Someone tell 'em that resistance is futile ... ya can't stop progress just because *you* don't feel like changing with the times!
Here at Nash Holos, we're a bit more forward ... we've been on the net for ages, and now we are podcasting "for real" i.e., with an RSS feed, and continue to bring listeners information about the local (Vancouver) and global Ukrainian community, along with plenty of the best Ukrainian music being produced. And there's always lots of new stuff coming out!
Meanwhile, the Luddites continue on their merry way. Oh well. If they really believe that 100,000s of lemmings can't be wrong, let them. It's (still) a free world. ;-)
Someone tell 'em that resistance is futile ... ya can't stop progress just because *you* don't feel like changing with the times!
Here at Nash Holos, we're a bit more forward ... we've been on the net for ages, and now we are podcasting "for real" i.e., with an RSS feed, and continue to bring listeners information about the local (Vancouver) and global Ukrainian community, along with plenty of the best Ukrainian music being produced. And there's always lots of new stuff coming out!
Meanwhile, the Luddites continue on their merry way. Oh well. If they really believe that 100,000s of lemmings can't be wrong, let them. It's (still) a free world. ;-)
Friday, November 10, 2006
Ukrainian language chic
According to this Radio Polonia report, Ukraine's Orange Revolution president, Viktor Yushchenko, is a champion of Ukrainian language rights for Ukrainians.
Happily, speaking Ukrainian is apparently considered very fashionable, which will certainly help him, and the cause!
Happily, speaking Ukrainian is apparently considered very fashionable, which will certainly help him, and the cause!
Payola still "business as usual"
Do humans have genetic some predisposition to repeating history and some blockage that prevents people from learning from recognizing and learning from the mistakes of the past?
We're just hearing about lawsuits involving payola to record companies in the "good old days" of radio.
If successful, Microsoft’s move could lead to higher prices for portable media players ... The move could backfire, though, since more and more people are using portable players to listen to podcasts and indie music. ...
We're just hearing about lawsuits involving payola to record companies in the "good old days" of radio.
Now, according to this article, MicroSoft is doing pretty much the same thing. ...
Microsoft has announced that it will be giving a cut of the sales of its Zune portable music player to the Universal Music Group in order to create closer ties with record companies and steal market share away from Apple’s iPod. Microsoft has made similar offers to the other major labels.
If successful, Microsoft’s move could lead to higher prices for portable media players ... The move could backfire, though, since more and more people are using portable players to listen to podcasts and indie music. ...
The major label RIAA members have been looking for ways to get a cut from digital music players ...
The best we can hope for, I guess, is that the monopolistic moguls outsmart themselves and the whole thing does backfire.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
podcasting for students
This could be a dream come true for students of Ukrainian, be it language, history, music, or whatever ... for home study and/or between camps, classes, etc.
David Aldrich, Bradley Bell and Tim Batzel of the University of Washington have written a paper that looks at an automated podcasting solution for educational use.
Automated Podcasting Solution Expands the Boundaries of the Classroom (PDF) was presented Wednesday in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada at the University and College Computing Services (SIGUCCS) 2006 Fall Conference. The paper reviews design considerations for a university podcast solution and also includes a high-level look at the University’s final podcasting architecture.
... Podcasting is being used increasingly in education, especially at the university level ...
Some interesting viewpoints here... http://www.podcastingnews.com/2006/10/20/professor-university-podcasts-are-totally-bogus/ ... there's a very lively discussion in the comments section.
Interesting how different people see things differently. What I envision is essentially a cyber-classroom for far-flung students that can't physically be together. Kind of a step beyon the brief residency requirements of some distance ed programs, such as at Royal Roads University in BC.
Speaking from experience, it can be a real struggle to study by correspondence! Podcasts would just enhance the course material by providing an audio component to the written material.
Anyway, I hope that this concept is being considered by Ukrainian educators.
David Aldrich, Bradley Bell and Tim Batzel of the University of Washington have written a paper that looks at an automated podcasting solution for educational use.
Automated Podcasting Solution Expands the Boundaries of the Classroom (PDF) was presented Wednesday in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada at the University and College Computing Services (SIGUCCS) 2006 Fall Conference. The paper reviews design considerations for a university podcast solution and also includes a high-level look at the University’s final podcasting architecture.
... Podcasting is being used increasingly in education, especially at the university level ...
Some interesting viewpoints here... http://www.podcastingnews.com/2006/10/20/professor-university-podcasts-are-totally-bogus/ ... there's a very lively discussion in the comments section.
Interesting how different people see things differently. What I envision is essentially a cyber-classroom for far-flung students that can't physically be together. Kind of a step beyon the brief residency requirements of some distance ed programs, such as at Royal Roads University in BC.
Speaking from experience, it can be a real struggle to study by correspondence! Podcasts would just enhance the course material by providing an audio component to the written material.
Anyway, I hope that this concept is being considered by Ukrainian educators.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Kyiv showman takes up country music
This Kyiv Post article gives afficiodandos of Ukrainian and country music hope. Someone should tell them, tho, that the genre already exists in the Ukrainian Canadian diaspora. It can be heard on the Zabava program, hosted by RJ Tomkins on CFCW Edmonton and CKJS Winnipeg. A major vendor is Baba's Records in Winnipeg. For decades, it has been identified by prairie-dwellers of all backgrounds as authentic Ukrainian music.
I haven't found out yet how to get a copy of the CD, but am sure interested to hear if there is any resemblance to Ukrainian Canadian country music.
Of all Western music styles, country somehow never gained much popularity in the former Soviet Union, including Ukraine. Some of the most outstanding representatives of the genre, such as Johnny Cash, are known among music lovers here, but no local musicians have yet made any serious attempts to perform country … until now.
Just recently Ukrainian showman Anton Mukharskiy released his first solo record called “Zlokokhuchiy Man” (the adjective “zlokokhuchiy” proved impossible to translate into English) – an album of country music adapted to Ukrainian realities. According to Mukharskiy, who released an album under a different first name – Antin, the works presented on the album are “songs of an agrarian country performed in the style of village glamour.”
Theater actor and TV-presenter Anton Mukharskiy is lately best known among wide Ukrainian audiences for his role in the commercial for “Tide” detergent ...
Antin-Anton claims that what really forced him into taking up a music career was his irritation with the primitive pop and r’n’b music that dominates Ukrainian radio and TV. His idea was to offer the audiences something fresh and new. And while the local music lovers have yet to appraise his debut record, Mukharskiy has announced the future release of his second CD to be called “Khersonskiy Ranger” (Kherson Ranger).
I haven't found out yet how to get a copy of the CD, but am sure interested to hear if there is any resemblance to Ukrainian Canadian country music.
Of all Western music styles, country somehow never gained much popularity in the former Soviet Union, including Ukraine. Some of the most outstanding representatives of the genre, such as Johnny Cash, are known among music lovers here, but no local musicians have yet made any serious attempts to perform country … until now.
Just recently Ukrainian showman Anton Mukharskiy released his first solo record called “Zlokokhuchiy Man” (the adjective “zlokokhuchiy” proved impossible to translate into English) – an album of country music adapted to Ukrainian realities. According to Mukharskiy, who released an album under a different first name – Antin, the works presented on the album are “songs of an agrarian country performed in the style of village glamour.”
Theater actor and TV-presenter Anton Mukharskiy is lately best known among wide Ukrainian audiences for his role in the commercial for “Tide” detergent ...
Antin-Anton claims that what really forced him into taking up a music career was his irritation with the primitive pop and r’n’b music that dominates Ukrainian radio and TV. His idea was to offer the audiences something fresh and new. And while the local music lovers have yet to appraise his debut record, Mukharskiy has announced the future release of his second CD to be called “Khersonskiy Ranger” (Kherson Ranger).
New ads ring a (tacky) bell
There's a Ukrainian proverb that says a drop of kerosene spoils a barrel of honey.
With ads like this, ad agencies might as well dump in a tanker full of kerosene. What a way to ruin a beautiful song.
The TV spots are set to “Carol of the Bells,” a highly recognizable song with its haunting four-note melody, originally written as a Ukrainian folk “winter well-wishing” song. One shows a guy, on a hunt for an evergreen wreath, lost in the woods, then driving through a bad neighborhood and even to a shipping dock.
Adapted as a Christmas carol in the 1930s in the U.S., the original lyrics, “Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, throw cares away,” have been replaced in one Garmin ad with “Look, there’s a moose. Give me a noose. I’m lost again. Where’s Highway 10?”
This is so typical of a level of tackiness that is becoming all too common at ad agencies.
To hear it done properly, go here and click on "Shchedryk." When I was in high school at Sacred Heart Academy in Yorkton, SK, our Glee Club sang this English version. (I sang second soprano.) It was hard but worth the effort. For a bunch of kids, we did a great job of it!
With ads like this, ad agencies might as well dump in a tanker full of kerosene. What a way to ruin a beautiful song.
The TV spots are set to “Carol of the Bells,” a highly recognizable song with its haunting four-note melody, originally written as a Ukrainian folk “winter well-wishing” song. One shows a guy, on a hunt for an evergreen wreath, lost in the woods, then driving through a bad neighborhood and even to a shipping dock.
Adapted as a Christmas carol in the 1930s in the U.S., the original lyrics, “Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, throw cares away,” have been replaced in one Garmin ad with “Look, there’s a moose. Give me a noose. I’m lost again. Where’s Highway 10?”
This is so typical of a level of tackiness that is becoming all too common at ad agencies.
To hear it done properly, go here and click on "Shchedryk." When I was in high school at Sacred Heart Academy in Yorkton, SK, our Glee Club sang this English version. (I sang second soprano.) It was hard but worth the effort. For a bunch of kids, we did a great job of it!
Monday, November 06, 2006
Vancouver audio archives for Nov 5, 2006
Vancouver's Nov 5 Ukrainian radio audio archives are now available for download and streaming on the website and for podcast subscribers there's now an RSS feed for Nash Holos!
On Chetverta Khvylia, join host Pavlo Manugevych on Chetverta Khvylia (4th Wave) for the latest news and views from Ukraine, exclusively in Ukrainian, as well as some great tunes!
On Nash Holos ... find out how to cook with millet, Ukrainian style with veteran cooking instructor, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar, brought to by Obolon Beer. Fr. Bruce has some 'etiquette' tips for travellers to Ukraine on Travel Tips, as well as A Spiritual Moment in which he explores the meaning and significance of icons in Ukrainian religious tradition.
And of course, there's the Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, as usual ... plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
On Chetverta Khvylia, join host Pavlo Manugevych on Chetverta Khvylia (4th Wave) for the latest news and views from Ukraine, exclusively in Ukrainian, as well as some great tunes!
On Nash Holos ... find out how to cook with millet, Ukrainian style with veteran cooking instructor, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar, brought to by Obolon Beer. Fr. Bruce has some 'etiquette' tips for travellers to Ukraine on Travel Tips, as well as A Spiritual Moment in which he explores the meaning and significance of icons in Ukrainian religious tradition.
And of course, there's the Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, as usual ... plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
Friday, November 03, 2006
And on it goes
Sometimes you really get tired of it.
This morning I got an email request to write a letter to the editor about this article in The Weekly Online out of Atlanta, GA. I've written hundreds of letters to the editor pointing out the obvious, and many of them have been published. But some days, you just get weary of begging people to do their job properly.
From Russia with Love: Ukrainian Organist Koshuba and Pianist Daughter Perform at Emory's Schwartz Center
... on Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. in the Schwartz Center, Ukrainian concert pianist Viktoriya Koshuba will join her father, Volodymyr, on stage. In this recital, Volodymr performs an organ passacaglia of Dimitri Shostakovich, transcriptions of Tchaikovsky, a work by Borodin, and an organ arrangement of Mussorgsky’s “Great Gate of Kiev!”
OK, Ukrainians are generous people, so they can get away with the title as the composers are Russian, or commonly known as such. But there are limits ...
[Volodymyr] ... once served as pianist for the Kiev State Philharmonic Orchestra. ... In 1988 he was awarded the title “Honored Artist" of the [sic] Ukraine ...
Come on... "the" Ukraine? Still? Sigh.
It boggles the mind that they would give the article such a title, when everything they write about the musicians describes them as Ukrainian. There's not even a mention of them touring Russia!
So typical of journalism these days. Why waste time thinking up an appropriate headline when you can grab something cutesy out of the popular lexicon and get on with churning out more (just barely) passable copy?
This morning I got an email request to write a letter to the editor about this article in The Weekly Online out of Atlanta, GA. I've written hundreds of letters to the editor pointing out the obvious, and many of them have been published. But some days, you just get weary of begging people to do their job properly.
From Russia with Love: Ukrainian Organist Koshuba and Pianist Daughter Perform at Emory's Schwartz Center
... on Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. in the Schwartz Center, Ukrainian concert pianist Viktoriya Koshuba will join her father, Volodymyr, on stage. In this recital, Volodymr performs an organ passacaglia of Dimitri Shostakovich, transcriptions of Tchaikovsky, a work by Borodin, and an organ arrangement of Mussorgsky’s “Great Gate of Kiev!”
OK, Ukrainians are generous people, so they can get away with the title as the composers are Russian, or commonly known as such. But there are limits ...
[Volodymyr] ... once served as pianist for the Kiev State Philharmonic Orchestra. ... In 1988 he was awarded the title “Honored Artist" of the [sic] Ukraine ...
Come on... "the" Ukraine? Still? Sigh.
It boggles the mind that they would give the article such a title, when everything they write about the musicians describes them as Ukrainian. There's not even a mention of them touring Russia!
So typical of journalism these days. Why waste time thinking up an appropriate headline when you can grab something cutesy out of the popular lexicon and get on with churning out more (just barely) passable copy?
Thursday, November 02, 2006
National Radio Company of Ukraine
A great site to keep you informed of going on in Ukraine is this one: NRCU, the National Radio Company of Ukraine.
Make sure to download the RSS feed, and a free feed reader (aggregator) if you don't already have one. (This is the one I use.)
I love RSS ... with it, you don't have to go and check your favourite sites for updates, your feed reader will let you know when there's something new. Neat, eh?
Make sure to download the RSS feed, and a free feed reader (aggregator) if you don't already have one. (This is the one I use.)
I love RSS ... with it, you don't have to go and check your favourite sites for updates, your feed reader will let you know when there's something new. Neat, eh?
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Victory! Nash Holos is now a "true" podcast!
I think it's time to celebrate ... I feel like I just graduated!
Nareshti ... finally ... after many agonizing, frustrating months I have created an RSS feed for Nash Holos mp3 archives. (It's actually an xml file, but I think it's the same thing. Works the same anyway...)
There are lots of great sites with instructions on how to create an RSS feed, but the one that finally turned on the light in that black hole called my brain was podcast411 ... with an 8-minute podcast and very clear and simple step-by-step instructions.
So, you can now add the NH playlist page to your aggregators! The one I use is FeedReader and it's dandy. Here's the feed ... http://www.nashholos.com/NH-rss.xml
Only a couple of things left to do until I can fully relax on a laurel or two ... figure out how to actually get the xml code into cyberspace, and how the itunes coding goes. Then, NH will really be rocking!
For now, tho, I think a nice glass of Dubonnet is in order ... on the rocks, with a twist, please.
Nareshti ... finally ... after many agonizing, frustrating months I have created an RSS feed for Nash Holos mp3 archives. (It's actually an xml file, but I think it's the same thing. Works the same anyway...)
There are lots of great sites with instructions on how to create an RSS feed, but the one that finally turned on the light in that black hole called my brain was podcast411 ... with an 8-minute podcast and very clear and simple step-by-step instructions.
So, you can now add the NH playlist page to your aggregators! The one I use is FeedReader and it's dandy. Here's the feed ... http://www.nashholos.com/NH-rss.xml
Only a couple of things left to do until I can fully relax on a laurel or two ... figure out how to actually get the xml code into cyberspace, and how the itunes coding goes. Then, NH will really be rocking!
For now, tho, I think a nice glass of Dubonnet is in order ... on the rocks, with a twist, please.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Vancouver audio archives for Oct. 29, 2006
Vancouver's Oct. 29 Ukrainian radio audio archives now available!
Join host Pavlo Manugevych on Chetverta Khvylia (4th Wave) for the latest news and views from Ukraine, exclusively in Ukrainian, as well as some great tunes!
And on Nash Holos ... Sylvia has another great recipe for a Ukrainian dish that's also a favourite with Scandinavians. Fr. Bruce has a travel tip about the ideal destination for young people, as well as a message about cherishing your church.
And of course, there's the Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, as usual ... plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
Join host Pavlo Manugevych on Chetverta Khvylia (4th Wave) for the latest news and views from Ukraine, exclusively in Ukrainian, as well as some great tunes!
And on Nash Holos ... Sylvia has another great recipe for a Ukrainian dish that's also a favourite with Scandinavians. Fr. Bruce has a travel tip about the ideal destination for young people, as well as a message about cherishing your church.
And of course, there's the Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, as usual ... plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
Gogol Bordello on tour in the UK
From a recent article at Scotsman.com:
EVER since he was a child growing up in Ukraine, Eugene Hütz was obsessed with creating something grand and fantastic. His inspiration came from bunking off school to watch his favourite film, Spartacus. He swore to himself that one day he would have a band that moved and sounded just like the rebellious gladiators in the film.
Gogol Bordello, the New York-based, eight-strong gang of gypsy punks which Hütz now fronts, may not have the swords or sandals of Kirk Douglas's men, but their riotous gigs are about as close as concerts get to public disorder without requiring tear gas to subdue the crowd.
'At each concert, the audience have their own Spartacus uprising,' Hütz says...
The "music" is not exactly my cup of tea, but I have to admire the guy's determination and commitment to his craft. The guy sure knows his stuff ... marketing in particular.
EVER since he was a child growing up in Ukraine, Eugene Hütz was obsessed with creating something grand and fantastic. His inspiration came from bunking off school to watch his favourite film, Spartacus. He swore to himself that one day he would have a band that moved and sounded just like the rebellious gladiators in the film.
Gogol Bordello, the New York-based, eight-strong gang of gypsy punks which Hütz now fronts, may not have the swords or sandals of Kirk Douglas's men, but their riotous gigs are about as close as concerts get to public disorder without requiring tear gas to subdue the crowd.
'At each concert, the audience have their own Spartacus uprising,' Hütz says...
The "music" is not exactly my cup of tea, but I have to admire the guy's determination and commitment to his craft. The guy sure knows his stuff ... marketing in particular.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Celebrating Rosh Hashana 5767 in Ukraine
Here's a neat Google Video from Uman, Ukraine, on the eve of Rosh Hashana , where some 35,000 Hasidic Jews from around the world gathered to celebrate the High Holiday - the Jewish New Year 5767.
It's an hour of footage of mostly people milling around and of the crowd praying and chanting. However, , if you don't understand Hebrew or Yiddish (not sure which language it is) then you won't likely want to sit through the whole hour, but do scroll through it and take in a minute or two here and there. It will give you a real feel for the Hassidic Jewish sect, particularly the Breslov branch. Quite neat.
As well, there are a couple of great klezmer tunes opening and closing the video.
It's an hour of footage of mostly people milling around and of the crowd praying and chanting. However, , if you don't understand Hebrew or Yiddish (not sure which language it is) then you won't likely want to sit through the whole hour, but do scroll through it and take in a minute or two here and there. It will give you a real feel for the Hassidic Jewish sect, particularly the Breslov branch. Quite neat.
As well, there are a couple of great klezmer tunes opening and closing the video.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Rogers Cable anti-Ukrainian?
Well, go figure this one out.
The League of Ukrainian Canadians petitions Rogerscable Communications Inc. to use correct phonetic and linguistic transliteration of Ukrainian TV program titles on Rogers’ Interactive Program Guide (IPG.
Soon after, Rogers sees the light (duh...) and replaces Russian transliteration of the Ukrainian TV programs with Ukrainian.
Then, six months later, Rogers reverts back to its old practice of editing Ukrainian titles in Russian.
Huh? What's with that?
I'd say Ukrainian Canadians can certainly be forgiven for thinking there is some anti-Ukrainian bias in the corriders of power at Rogerscable. There doesn't seem to be any other reason for turning the clock back and doing the wrong thing.
Please go here and sign the petition to get Rogers to go back to doing the right thing, again.
Sigh.
The League of Ukrainian Canadians petitions Rogerscable Communications Inc. to use correct phonetic and linguistic transliteration of Ukrainian TV program titles on Rogers’ Interactive Program Guide (IPG.
Soon after, Rogers sees the light (duh...) and replaces Russian transliteration of the Ukrainian TV programs with Ukrainian.
Then, six months later, Rogers reverts back to its old practice of editing Ukrainian titles in Russian.
Huh? What's with that?
I'd say Ukrainian Canadians can certainly be forgiven for thinking there is some anti-Ukrainian bias in the corriders of power at Rogerscable. There doesn't seem to be any other reason for turning the clock back and doing the wrong thing.
Please go here and sign the petition to get Rogers to go back to doing the right thing, again.
Sigh.
Vancouver group Zeellia on RCI
Valentyna Golash, host of Montreal's radio program Ukrainian Time in Montreal, also produces programs for Radio Canada International.
Earlier this year, she spoke with the Vancouver group Zeellia and produced a program about them that will be broadcast on RCI to Ukraine.
Go here for a direct link to the program.
Earlier this year, she spoke with the Vancouver group Zeellia and produced a program about them that will be broadcast on RCI to Ukraine.
Go here for a direct link to the program.
Trying to define "too much" ...
I'm a big fan of the new technology, like digitized music and the Long Tail economic model that enables the inexpensive distribute of it. And lots more music gets distributed these days!
But maybe, as the writer of this article seems to think, there are limits ...
"Nine thousand songs?" ... "Who the hell has 9,000 songs?"
[He] shot me a withering look. "Ninety-thousand songs. I said 90,000 songs. And, I do."
... I know my jaw dropped as the words "ninety thousand" fell from his lips.
Translated into time, that's about nine months' worth of music. ... That's nuts. ... You could have a full-term baby without ever playing the same song twice.
And besides, where do you find the time? Or the money?
... My own paltry iTunes library runs just shy of 500 songs -- a little over a day and a half of music -- and that includes every selection from Pipes of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Now, I spend a lot of time listening to music, but like most people I tend to play my favorites a lot. Even at 500 songs, there is music I've played exactly once since downloading them to iTunes. Ninety thousand songs? I wouldn't begin to remember even a tenth of the titles.
So what's the point?
I dunno. I understand the writer's point of view. However, I also suspect he hasn't been on the block long enough to recognize a library when he sees one. And besides, who's to judge the motivation of collectors?
Back in the dark ages when vinyl ruled, my husband amassed a collection of 1000 or so LPs, of just about every genre imaginable (he left the Ukrainian section to me). That's maybe closer to 9,000 songs than 90k. But still. Vinyl is old technology.
Then he discovered CDs, quite early in the game, so we probably have at least as many CDs as LPs. But at least they don't take up as much room. Anyway, now he is converting all his (well, ok... our) favourite tunes to MP3s, a format in which he will probably, in short order, be acquiring new releases.
As for me, naturally I collect Ukrainian music. I produce a Ukrainian radio program after all.
But I am also a writer, so of course I collect books ... all kinds of books. Some (not by any means all) of them are stored on what my hubby calls "the stacks." As in library stacks. I admit, it's kind of crazy. I've promised him I would cull them by getting rid of one book in the stacks for every new one I buy. But I'm not very diligent about it. There are some I just can't part with!
And yes, many of them I haven't opened in years, maybe decades. Kind of reminds me of the guy with the 90k songs ...
But maybe, as the writer of this article seems to think, there are limits ...
"Nine thousand songs?" ... "Who the hell has 9,000 songs?"
[He] shot me a withering look. "Ninety-thousand songs. I said 90,000 songs. And, I do."
... I know my jaw dropped as the words "ninety thousand" fell from his lips.
Translated into time, that's about nine months' worth of music. ... That's nuts. ... You could have a full-term baby without ever playing the same song twice.
And besides, where do you find the time? Or the money?
... My own paltry iTunes library runs just shy of 500 songs -- a little over a day and a half of music -- and that includes every selection from Pipes of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Now, I spend a lot of time listening to music, but like most people I tend to play my favorites a lot. Even at 500 songs, there is music I've played exactly once since downloading them to iTunes. Ninety thousand songs? I wouldn't begin to remember even a tenth of the titles.
So what's the point?
I dunno. I understand the writer's point of view. However, I also suspect he hasn't been on the block long enough to recognize a library when he sees one. And besides, who's to judge the motivation of collectors?
Back in the dark ages when vinyl ruled, my husband amassed a collection of 1000 or so LPs, of just about every genre imaginable (he left the Ukrainian section to me). That's maybe closer to 9,000 songs than 90k. But still. Vinyl is old technology.
Then he discovered CDs, quite early in the game, so we probably have at least as many CDs as LPs. But at least they don't take up as much room. Anyway, now he is converting all his (well, ok... our) favourite tunes to MP3s, a format in which he will probably, in short order, be acquiring new releases.
As for me, naturally I collect Ukrainian music. I produce a Ukrainian radio program after all.
But I am also a writer, so of course I collect books ... all kinds of books. Some (not by any means all) of them are stored on what my hubby calls "the stacks." As in library stacks. I admit, it's kind of crazy. I've promised him I would cull them by getting rid of one book in the stacks for every new one I buy. But I'm not very diligent about it. There are some I just can't part with!
And yes, many of them I haven't opened in years, maybe decades. Kind of reminds me of the guy with the 90k songs ...
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Just found! - First Ukrainian podcast
Very exciting discovery I made today ... a site that bills itself the "First Ukrainian podcasting site."
For your convenience, here's the podcast's RSS feed. Just plug it into your feed reader/aggregator and away you go.
Among the luminaries interviewed (in English) are Dr. Dominique Arel, US Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer, and political analyst Anders Aslund ...
I'd have to say the guy is outstanding with both a mic and a pen (well, keyboard) ... he's got a great blog too. I could do without the bits of nudity here and there but that's just me. (I guess it's considered "art" by European types, and I'm not particularly artistic.) The site is otherwise very visually appealing, however, as well as thought-provoking.
The author of both blog and podcast is Serhiy Kudelia, a PhD Candidate at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.
Molodetz!
For your convenience, here's the podcast's RSS feed. Just plug it into your feed reader/aggregator and away you go.
Among the luminaries interviewed (in English) are Dr. Dominique Arel, US Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer, and political analyst Anders Aslund ...
I'd have to say the guy is outstanding with both a mic and a pen (well, keyboard) ... he's got a great blog too. I could do without the bits of nudity here and there but that's just me. (I guess it's considered "art" by European types, and I'm not particularly artistic.) The site is otherwise very visually appealing, however, as well as thought-provoking.
The author of both blog and podcast is Serhiy Kudelia, a PhD Candidate at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.
Molodetz!
Video of Okean Elzy's musical statement on the politics of the nation
A video of that Okean Elzy song, Veseli Chasi (Jolly Times), mentioned in my previous post has been posted on YouTube here .
Nice to see a return of the Orange Revolution sentiment, "Razom nas bahato" (Together we are many) ...
The Okean Elzy song, btw, is outstanding, as are the visuals. What struck me is that, unlike most contemporary songs, this one keeps to the Ukrainian musical tradition of repeating the refrain twice. Somehow that seems to give the message so much more impact.
Let's hope that this song does fulfil its promise to effect social change, and that more will follow.
Nice to see a return of the Orange Revolution sentiment, "Razom nas bahato" (Together we are many) ...
The Okean Elzy song, btw, is outstanding, as are the visuals. What struck me is that, unlike most contemporary songs, this one keeps to the Ukrainian musical tradition of repeating the refrain twice. Somehow that seems to give the message so much more impact.
Let's hope that this song does fulfil its promise to effect social change, and that more will follow.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Okean Elzy sings for changes
Activists do what they can to make the world a better place ... and as this Kyiv Post article illustrates, one of Ukraine's most popular music groups, Okean Elzy, is no exception:
Okean Elzy frontman Svyatoslav Vakarchuk proved once again that he’s one of the most politically-aware musicians, by releasing a video for his serious topical song called “Jolly Times Have Come, Brother” written by him and performed by Okean Elzy.
The matter was considered so serious that the video premiered not at the musical channel as it usually happens but on air of an analytical TV-program ...
According to Vakarchuk, the lyrics he has written describe modern-day realities and address the whole generation, calling for change. This notion is not especially original, as any Ukrainian knows by heart another song urging for change, “Want Changes,” released by Soviet rock-band Kino in 1989. This song was truly relevant at the time, and most importantly striking changes did come two years later.
It’s hard to say when and what exactly will change in Ukraine, and if it will be influenced at all by Okean Elzy songs, though why not? After all, Ukrainian politicians now often appear very much like show-biz figures.
Okean Elzy can be heard on Vancouver radio programs Nash Holos and Chetverta Khvylia ...
Okean Elzy frontman Svyatoslav Vakarchuk proved once again that he’s one of the most politically-aware musicians, by releasing a video for his serious topical song called “Jolly Times Have Come, Brother” written by him and performed by Okean Elzy.
The matter was considered so serious that the video premiered not at the musical channel as it usually happens but on air of an analytical TV-program ...
According to Vakarchuk, the lyrics he has written describe modern-day realities and address the whole generation, calling for change. This notion is not especially original, as any Ukrainian knows by heart another song urging for change, “Want Changes,” released by Soviet rock-band Kino in 1989. This song was truly relevant at the time, and most importantly striking changes did come two years later.
It’s hard to say when and what exactly will change in Ukraine, and if it will be influenced at all by Okean Elzy songs, though why not? After all, Ukrainian politicians now often appear very much like show-biz figures.
Okean Elzy can be heard on Vancouver radio programs Nash Holos and Chetverta Khvylia ...
Monday, October 23, 2006
Ukrainian-Australian wins San Antonio Piano Competition
Aussie Girl over at Ultima Thule has a great blog post (actually, she doesn't do any other kind!) about Ukrainian-Australian pianist, Alexey Koltakov.
He won the $15,000 top prize to become the gold medalist in the Ninth San Antonio International Piano Competition.
Molodetz, mate!
He won the $15,000 top prize to become the gold medalist in the Ninth San Antonio International Piano Competition.
Molodetz, mate!
Vancouver audio archives for Oct. 22, 2006
Vancouver's Oct. 22 Ukrainian radio audio archives now available!
Join host Pavlo Manugevych on Chetverta Khvylia (4th Wave) for the latest news and views from Ukraine, exclusively in Ukrainian, as well as some great tunes!
And on Nash Holos ... Sylvia has a great recipe and the scoop on a popular spice, Fr. Bruce has a travel tip about the ideal way to travel, as well as a message about the distinctions between Eastern and Western Christianity.
And of course, there's the Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, as usual ... plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
Join host Pavlo Manugevych on Chetverta Khvylia (4th Wave) for the latest news and views from Ukraine, exclusively in Ukrainian, as well as some great tunes!
And on Nash Holos ... Sylvia has a great recipe and the scoop on a popular spice, Fr. Bruce has a travel tip about the ideal way to travel, as well as a message about the distinctions between Eastern and Western Christianity.
And of course, there's the Proverb of the Week, items of interest to the local (and global) Ukrainian community and, as usual ... plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
Thinking positive
This has nothing to do with Ukrainian music whatsoever, but ...
This morning I came across the three laws of prediction by the novelist who wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey, and just had to share.
This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." -Western Union internal memo, 1876.
"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?" -David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." - Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." -Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
More examples here ... if you're in the mood for a chuckle!
This morning I came across the three laws of prediction by the novelist who wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey, and just had to share.
- When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
- The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
- Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." -Western Union internal memo, 1876.
"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?" -David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." - Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." -Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
More examples here ... if you're in the mood for a chuckle!
Friday, October 20, 2006
good news for radio advertisers
According to this article ears more receptive to advertising than eyes.
Radio listeners are more accepting of radio advertising than they are of ads on TV or the Internet, according to the latest report from the Radio Ad Effectiveness Lab (RAEL) of NYC ... Why? Because the emotional connections they have to their favourite stations extend to the ads. Also, they consider radio ads to be more relevant to them and the products that interest them.
But the internet came off fairly well in the study too ...
Although radio elicited stronger personal connections - personal mood enhancement, personal motivation, personal comfort - participants gave the Internet higher marks for helping them understand what is going on in the world, broadening perspectives, helping to solve problems, and giving information that can be shared with others.
This is precisely what I aim for at Nash Holos:
... the reasons for tuning to radio. "Improves your mood/makes you feel positive" ranked highly in all age groups but highest with adults 35 to 44. "Helps you have a good time" scored strongest with those aged 18 to 24.
All this is very good news for radio advertisers, because radio advertising is relatively cheap, especially on programs like Nash Holos!
Interestingly, the study found that those who listened to oldies or urban radio station formats were more tolerant of advertising than other listeners.
Now, as far as the future goes, I think there's a tremendous tie-in between radio and the Internet. Looking forward to the upcoming study on it.
Radio listeners are more accepting of radio advertising than they are of ads on TV or the Internet, according to the latest report from the Radio Ad Effectiveness Lab (RAEL) of NYC ... Why? Because the emotional connections they have to their favourite stations extend to the ads. Also, they consider radio ads to be more relevant to them and the products that interest them.
But the internet came off fairly well in the study too ...
Although radio elicited stronger personal connections - personal mood enhancement, personal motivation, personal comfort - participants gave the Internet higher marks for helping them understand what is going on in the world, broadening perspectives, helping to solve problems, and giving information that can be shared with others.
This is precisely what I aim for at Nash Holos:
... the reasons for tuning to radio. "Improves your mood/makes you feel positive" ranked highly in all age groups but highest with adults 35 to 44. "Helps you have a good time" scored strongest with those aged 18 to 24.
All this is very good news for radio advertisers, because radio advertising is relatively cheap, especially on programs like Nash Holos!
Interestingly, the study found that those who listened to oldies or urban radio station formats were more tolerant of advertising than other listeners.
Now, as far as the future goes, I think there's a tremendous tie-in between radio and the Internet. Looking forward to the upcoming study on it.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Associated Press in a time warp
According to this Yahoo! News report, the U.S. government will now be spelling the name of Ukraine's capital properly, i.e. Kyiv.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press continues to spell it "Kiev."
Real progressive of AP, eh?
Must be tough living in the past. After all, there was progress back then too...
Meanwhile, the Associated Press continues to spell it "Kiev."
Real progressive of AP, eh?
Must be tough living in the past. After all, there was progress back then too...
To be or not to be ... my question to the CBC
OK, I'm confused.
Is our public broadcaster a media organization that impartially informs the public, or a public advocacy organization for influencing Canadian society?
On the one hand, it advocates for such social justice issues as working to stop bullying, and publishes stories like this one about a ventriloquist cop who teaches kids not to bully.
Yet, on the other hand, it has no qualms about publishing a news story about a video game that encourages players to become better at bullying.
So what I don't understand is, if the CBC is advocating to stop a certain behaviour, why give free publicity to a commercial venture that encourages it? Strikes me as rather inconsistent, if not disingenuous, to be doing both.
And it really makes me resent the tax dollars I am forced to donate to the CBC. I could put them to far better use on my own program ... where I take great pains to be consistent.
Is our public broadcaster a media organization that impartially informs the public, or a public advocacy organization for influencing Canadian society?
On the one hand, it advocates for such social justice issues as working to stop bullying, and publishes stories like this one about a ventriloquist cop who teaches kids not to bully.
Yet, on the other hand, it has no qualms about publishing a news story about a video game that encourages players to become better at bullying.
So what I don't understand is, if the CBC is advocating to stop a certain behaviour, why give free publicity to a commercial venture that encourages it? Strikes me as rather inconsistent, if not disingenuous, to be doing both.
And it really makes me resent the tax dollars I am forced to donate to the CBC. I could put them to far better use on my own program ... where I take great pains to be consistent.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Breaking stereotypes in America
I guess it's progress when Ukrainians from Ukraine are now doing this...
... Levkova said she came to the United States to break stereotypes she had about the American people. Much of the news Ukrainians get about America is from Russian television, she said, which is very biased.
In the first three days of her trip, Levkova said the stereotypes have already been broken — though she’s had to break some stereotypes of her own. One man ... thought Ukraine was part of Russia. He also asked if she knew how to use a computer. ...
The rest of the article deals with the journalists' impressions of American-style democracy and the differences in press freedom between the US and Ukraine. Very good stuff!
Entire article here.
... Levkova said she came to the United States to break stereotypes she had about the American people. Much of the news Ukrainians get about America is from Russian television, she said, which is very biased.
In the first three days of her trip, Levkova said the stereotypes have already been broken — though she’s had to break some stereotypes of her own. One man ... thought Ukraine was part of Russia. He also asked if she knew how to use a computer. ...
The rest of the article deals with the journalists' impressions of American-style democracy and the differences in press freedom between the US and Ukraine. Very good stuff!
Entire article here.
Bully video game - thanks, Vancouver
This is the best a Vancouver company can produce?
The company that makes the popular and controversial Grand Theft Auto series of video games is letting players of its latest release try their hand at schoolyard bullying.
Talk about being an irresponsible corporate citizen. The press release, written by an obviously clever spin doctor, describes this disgusting video game as brutally funny and tongue-in-cheek, among other disclaimers from corporate and moral responsibility.
On its website, Bully publisher Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. describes the game released Tuesday as "outrageously funny." ... Point-scoring activities include beating up and humiliating other students, setting off fire alarms and striking teachers.
Yeah, I can just see Baba and Gido rolling on the floor over such cute and adorable antics.
A U.S. judge on Friday rejected a bid by a prominent detractor of video games to have Bully banned in Florida ... "There's a lot of violence" [the judge said] after seeing the game played. "[But] less than we see on television every night."
Oh well, that makes it ok then. But didn't someone once say that "evil happens when good men (and women) do nothing"? Heaven knows, you can't expect anything from those of questionable character.
The game, available only for Sony's PlayStation 2 console, is produced by Take-Two's Rockstar Vancouver studio. Spokespeople for Take-Two and Rockstar did not immediately return calls for comment.
A spokesman for Sony Computer Entertainment Canada declined to discuss Bully [and] Canadian representatives of video game retailer EB Games declined to comment ... instead referring the question to the U.S. parent company GameStop Corp. of Grapevine, Texas. GameStop spokespeople did not immediately return calls for comment.
i imagine these spokesmen would consider them nuisance calls and not worth their time.
Take-Two also publishes Rockstar Games' popular Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series, which depicts life in crime-ridden, decaying urban centres. The franchise has drawn criticism from some quarters for allegedly glamorizing criminal activity, but its defenders point out that "sandbox" style games such as GTA that leave players free to interact with the game world in any manner they choose also mean they can play peacefully if they wish.
Yeah, right. As we all know, kids always choose broccoli and carrots over teeth-rotting candy, so they would naturally pass on the latest attractively packaged and aggressively marketed new toy.
Makes me real proud to be a resident of Greater Vancouver (she said extremely sarcastically).
The company that makes the popular and controversial Grand Theft Auto series of video games is letting players of its latest release try their hand at schoolyard bullying.
Talk about being an irresponsible corporate citizen. The press release, written by an obviously clever spin doctor, describes this disgusting video game as brutally funny and tongue-in-cheek, among other disclaimers from corporate and moral responsibility.
On its website, Bully publisher Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. describes the game released Tuesday as "outrageously funny." ... Point-scoring activities include beating up and humiliating other students, setting off fire alarms and striking teachers.
Yeah, I can just see Baba and Gido rolling on the floor over such cute and adorable antics.
A U.S. judge on Friday rejected a bid by a prominent detractor of video games to have Bully banned in Florida ... "There's a lot of violence" [the judge said] after seeing the game played. "[But] less than we see on television every night."
Oh well, that makes it ok then. But didn't someone once say that "evil happens when good men (and women) do nothing"? Heaven knows, you can't expect anything from those of questionable character.
The game, available only for Sony's PlayStation 2 console, is produced by Take-Two's Rockstar Vancouver studio. Spokespeople for Take-Two and Rockstar did not immediately return calls for comment.
A spokesman for Sony Computer Entertainment Canada declined to discuss Bully [and] Canadian representatives of video game retailer EB Games declined to comment ... instead referring the question to the U.S. parent company GameStop Corp. of Grapevine, Texas. GameStop spokespeople did not immediately return calls for comment.
i imagine these spokesmen would consider them nuisance calls and not worth their time.
Take-Two also publishes Rockstar Games' popular Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series, which depicts life in crime-ridden, decaying urban centres. The franchise has drawn criticism from some quarters for allegedly glamorizing criminal activity, but its defenders point out that "sandbox" style games such as GTA that leave players free to interact with the game world in any manner they choose also mean they can play peacefully if they wish.
Yeah, right. As we all know, kids always choose broccoli and carrots over teeth-rotting candy, so they would naturally pass on the latest attractively packaged and aggressively marketed new toy.
Makes me real proud to be a resident of Greater Vancouver (she said extremely sarcastically).
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Kontakt TV now podcasting
Slavko at Infoukes has just announced that you can now download the Ukrainian TV program Kontakt every week to play on your Video iPod!
The RSS feed is located here. To access it, use programs like iTunes ... go there and just open up a podcasting link to the RSS feed location.
You don't necessarily need an iPod, tho. The programs are available for download and streaming as before.
However, the nice thing is that there is now an RSS feed to the site, so you can add it to your feed readers. Now, whenever there's a new program uploaded, you will automatically be notified.
BTW, if you're looking for a nice and easy (and free) feed reader, try this one. I use it and it is dandy.
The RSS feed is located here. To access it, use programs like iTunes ... go there and just open up a podcasting link to the RSS feed location.
You don't necessarily need an iPod, tho. The programs are available for download and streaming as before.
However, the nice thing is that there is now an RSS feed to the site, so you can add it to your feed readers. Now, whenever there's a new program uploaded, you will automatically be notified.
BTW, if you're looking for a nice and easy (and free) feed reader, try this one. I use it and it is dandy.
Mainstream media in an alternate universe (literally)
Well, if this isn't an illustration of the decadent west, I don't know what is.
Reuters is opening a virtual news bureau in Second Life, a three-dimensional online world inhabited by hundreds of thousands of users and one of the world's most popular virtual economies.
... Starting Wednesday, Reuters will publish text, photo and video news from the outside world for Second Life members and news of Second Life for real-world readers.
Reuters is one of several real-world corporations that has a presence in the virtual world on the internet. Organizations such as Harvard University, American Apparel Inc. and CNet.com are among those opening operations in Second Life, while musicians such as Duran Duran and Suzanne Vega have broadcast virtual concerts there using the world's lifelike animated characters.
The parallel universe was created in 2003 by San Francisco-based Philip Rosedale, chief executive officer of Linden Research Inc. It has more than 800,000 inhabitants, of whom more than 100 are earning a real-world, full-time living there...
Unbelievable. A major newswire service investing valuable resources to report on reality to grownups playing pretend. But then, it's just "business as usual" in an industry where all the big players jump on the same bandwagon.
... While objects are bought and sold using Linden dollars, the Second Life currency, Linden dollars can be exchanged for U.S. dollars, so users can make real money. ... It would have an annual gross domestic product of about $150 million US if it were to stop growing today, according to the Associated Press.
The weird thing is, this "alternate world" is pretty poverty-stricken... 99.9875% in fact (if I did my math correctly). But Reuters must believe there is real opportunity in this la-la land, more than in real countries where real people struggle with a lack of real money. Countries like Ukraine, say.
Still shaking my head. Has the Twilight Zone morphed into reality? Or maybe it's just something in my morning tea ...
Then again, this shouldn't come as any surprise. Reporting on reality to a fantasy world is way easier and more profitable than doing it the other way around.
Reuters is opening a virtual news bureau in Second Life, a three-dimensional online world inhabited by hundreds of thousands of users and one of the world's most popular virtual economies.
... Starting Wednesday, Reuters will publish text, photo and video news from the outside world for Second Life members and news of Second Life for real-world readers.
Reuters is one of several real-world corporations that has a presence in the virtual world on the internet. Organizations such as Harvard University, American Apparel Inc. and CNet.com are among those opening operations in Second Life, while musicians such as Duran Duran and Suzanne Vega have broadcast virtual concerts there using the world's lifelike animated characters.
The parallel universe was created in 2003 by San Francisco-based Philip Rosedale, chief executive officer of Linden Research Inc. It has more than 800,000 inhabitants, of whom more than 100 are earning a real-world, full-time living there...
Unbelievable. A major newswire service investing valuable resources to report on reality to grownups playing pretend. But then, it's just "business as usual" in an industry where all the big players jump on the same bandwagon.
... While objects are bought and sold using Linden dollars, the Second Life currency, Linden dollars can be exchanged for U.S. dollars, so users can make real money. ... It would have an annual gross domestic product of about $150 million US if it were to stop growing today, according to the Associated Press.
The weird thing is, this "alternate world" is pretty poverty-stricken... 99.9875% in fact (if I did my math correctly). But Reuters must believe there is real opportunity in this la-la land, more than in real countries where real people struggle with a lack of real money. Countries like Ukraine, say.
Still shaking my head. Has the Twilight Zone morphed into reality? Or maybe it's just something in my morning tea ...
Then again, this shouldn't come as any surprise. Reporting on reality to a fantasy world is way easier and more profitable than doing it the other way around.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Video version of Napster may be on the horizon
On his blog Intellectual property law expert Michael Geist discusses the parallels between YouTube and Napster.
He expounds on his newspaper column on the topic, speculating on whether the YouTube - Google deal foreshadows licensed (as opposed to pirate) peer-to-peer systems... and examines why YouTube appears to be succeeding where Napster failed.
Interesting perspective on the record labels' "conventional wisdom" that p2p file sharing is the reason the recording industry is floundering:
... there is reason to doubt that P2P is a significant competitive threat - in addition to the lengthy list of alternative explanations for the downturn of some record labels (retail price pressures, declining catalogue sales due to lack of availability, competition from DVD sales), a Canadian Heritage profile of the Canadian music industry released this summer found that Canadian artists have seen their sales grow steadily since 2001 with their share of the Canadian market increasing from 16 percent in 2001 to 25 percent in 2004.
Well, golly gee, whodathunk? Might it be that Canadian artists are, er, producing better than quality music than what the recording industry is flogging these days? And now that the labels are losing their monopoly on distribution, are able to reach audiences?
Well, it certainly appears that "the times they are a-changing" ...
In 1999, Internet distribution focused on the use of law and technology to control content and dictate terms of use. That control has proven notoriously elusive with consumer backlash against technological and legal controls and emergence of highly efficient user-based distribution models. Furthermore, it is Internet advertising revenues - not Internet controls - that today hold the promise of billions of dollars in revenue. ...
Given these changes, what is the likelihood that a new licensed P2P model will come to the fore in the near future? Better than you might think. During the height of Napster, experts estimated that even a five-dollar monthly fee would have generated billions in additional revenue for the content industries, yet those companies chose instead to sue the P2P services along with thousands of their users. The YouTube deal may foreshadow a reversal, with the industry at long last ready to embrace the remarkable commercial potential of the Internet.
He expounds on his newspaper column on the topic, speculating on whether the YouTube - Google deal foreshadows licensed (as opposed to pirate) peer-to-peer systems... and examines why YouTube appears to be succeeding where Napster failed.
Interesting perspective on the record labels' "conventional wisdom" that p2p file sharing is the reason the recording industry is floundering:
... there is reason to doubt that P2P is a significant competitive threat - in addition to the lengthy list of alternative explanations for the downturn of some record labels (retail price pressures, declining catalogue sales due to lack of availability, competition from DVD sales), a Canadian Heritage profile of the Canadian music industry released this summer found that Canadian artists have seen their sales grow steadily since 2001 with their share of the Canadian market increasing from 16 percent in 2001 to 25 percent in 2004.
Well, golly gee, whodathunk? Might it be that Canadian artists are, er, producing better than quality music than what the recording industry is flogging these days? And now that the labels are losing their monopoly on distribution, are able to reach audiences?
Well, it certainly appears that "the times they are a-changing" ...
In 1999, Internet distribution focused on the use of law and technology to control content and dictate terms of use. That control has proven notoriously elusive with consumer backlash against technological and legal controls and emergence of highly efficient user-based distribution models. Furthermore, it is Internet advertising revenues - not Internet controls - that today hold the promise of billions of dollars in revenue. ...
Given these changes, what is the likelihood that a new licensed P2P model will come to the fore in the near future? Better than you might think. During the height of Napster, experts estimated that even a five-dollar monthly fee would have generated billions in additional revenue for the content industries, yet those companies chose instead to sue the P2P services along with thousands of their users. The YouTube deal may foreshadow a reversal, with the industry at long last ready to embrace the remarkable commercial potential of the Internet.
Vancouver audio archives for Oct 15, 2006
Vancouver's Ukrainian radio audio archives for Oct. 15 are now available!
Archives for Chetverta Khvylia (4th Wave) are back! Join host Pavlo Manugevych for the latest news and views from Ukraine, in Ukrainian, as well as some great tunes!
On Nash Holos, Sylvia brings you more tips for Ukrainian cooking on Ukrainian Food Flair - this week it's about the relatively unknown benefits of using dried mushrooms. On Travel Tips for Ukraine and Eastern Europe, Fr. Bruce speaks of his experience visiting the museum at Auschwitz. And on A Spiritual Moment, Fr. Bruce has some fascinating facts about fall harvest rituals, just one aspect among many of our rich Ukrainian spiritual heritage.
And of course, there's plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
Archives for Chetverta Khvylia (4th Wave) are back! Join host Pavlo Manugevych for the latest news and views from Ukraine, in Ukrainian, as well as some great tunes!
On Nash Holos, Sylvia brings you more tips for Ukrainian cooking on Ukrainian Food Flair - this week it's about the relatively unknown benefits of using dried mushrooms. On Travel Tips for Ukraine and Eastern Europe, Fr. Bruce speaks of his experience visiting the museum at Auschwitz. And on A Spiritual Moment, Fr. Bruce has some fascinating facts about fall harvest rituals, just one aspect among many of our rich Ukrainian spiritual heritage.
And of course, there's plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Do record labels lie? ( Is the Pope Catholic?)
Here's an illustration of the recording industry's stranglehold on the radio broadcast and music distribution industries as pertains to audience "research."
... While it's against the law for the [record] labels to bribe program directors, it's perfectly legal for them to pay subcontractors to deceive program directors. ...
This is not to say that online research is inherently bad. Not at all. But bad research is inherently bad.
And, sometimes, labels are inherently bad.
Entire article here.
... While it's against the law for the [record] labels to bribe program directors, it's perfectly legal for them to pay subcontractors to deceive program directors. ...
This is not to say that online research is inherently bad. Not at all. But bad research is inherently bad.
And, sometimes, labels are inherently bad.
Entire article here.
Jack Palance’s farm up for auction
The end of an era ... Ukrainian-American actor Jack Palance auctions off his farm.
Read about it here.
Read about it here.
Constrast that to press freedom in Ukraine ...
According to Ukrayinska Pravda, in October 2007 the Parliamentary Assembly of the European Council (PACE) may stop monitoring Ukraine.
However, I see it as a call for cautious optimism rather than complacency....
.... drawing on other countries’ experience the PACE will discontinue its monitoring only after having guarantees of the irreversibility of positive changes in Ukraine.
Speaking about investigation of Georgiy Gongadze case, [PACE co-rapporteur on Ukraine Hanne] Severinsen claims that its exposure will not necessarily lead to removal of the PACE monitoring. Yet the PACE observes how Ukraine carries out investigation of the case and whether the authorities have the political will to disclose those who ordered Georgiy’s abduction.
Ukraine has radically improved the situation with the freedom of speech, but it strongly needs public broadcasting. The current situation with mass-media is complicated by the fact that nobody knows the actual owners of the television channels and who are behind them. ...
However, I see it as a call for cautious optimism rather than complacency....
.... drawing on other countries’ experience the PACE will discontinue its monitoring only after having guarantees of the irreversibility of positive changes in Ukraine.
Speaking about investigation of Georgiy Gongadze case, [PACE co-rapporteur on Ukraine Hanne] Severinsen claims that its exposure will not necessarily lead to removal of the PACE monitoring. Yet the PACE observes how Ukraine carries out investigation of the case and whether the authorities have the political will to disclose those who ordered Georgiy’s abduction.
Ukraine has radically improved the situation with the freedom of speech, but it strongly needs public broadcasting. The current situation with mass-media is complicated by the fact that nobody knows the actual owners of the television channels and who are behind them. ...
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Another martyr for press freedom
This SPIEGEL ONLINE article is a fairly in-depth look at the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya (who actually was American-born and of Ukrainian descent).
Very grim situation for press freedom in that part of the world. It hasn't progressed much, really, from Stalinist times.
... Only a few weeks before Politkovskaya's murder, Andrei Kozlov, a Central Bank official who had spearheaded a crusade against money laundering, was also gunned down in Moscow. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Politkovskaya was the 13th reporter to be assassinated since President Vladimir Putin came to power.
... For years, she had courageously exposed human-rights abuses in Russia and particularly in the North Caucasus region that includes Chechnya, making frequent trips to the war-torn area. She wrote, often in harrowing detail, of topics that have become off-limits for nearly all other journalists in Russia and broke the biggest taboo of all by criticizing Putin himself.
... As part of their investigation into her killing, police seized documents from Politkovskaya's home and office, as well as her computer, leaving her editors with no way of knowing how much work she'd left unfinished.
Born and raised in New York, where her Ukrainian parents were U.N. diplomats, Politkovskaya was a product of the Soviet elite. After the collapse of the Soviet Union she could have, like many of her generation, used her connections to build a comfortable lifestyle. Instead, she threw herself into independent journalism, ending up at Novaya Gazeta in 1999 -- just in time for the second Chechen war. By her own admission, she became obsessed with exposing the killings, torture and beatings of civilians by Russian soldiers in Chechnya. She wrote two books on the conflict, "A Dirty War: A Russian Reporter in Chechnya" and "A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches From Chechnya."
She made no secret of her contempt for Kadyrov or for Putin, and critics in Russia frequently accused her of lacking objectivity. In "Putin's Russia," a highly critical political biography of the president published in 2004, she accused Putin of failing to shake off his past as a KGB agent in East Germany.
... Politkovskaya won numerous international awards, but as she gained prominence abroad, she was increasingly marginalized at home. There was clearly an appetite for her kind of reporting -- in the last three years Novaya Gazeta's circulation has risen from 130,000 to 170,000 copies ... But in a country of 140 million spread across 11 time zones, the paper's impact was minimal. More than 80 percent of Russians get their news from national television networks -- all of which have come under Kremlin control in the past five years. Prominent national newspapers ... have also been scooped up by state-controlled companies or businessmen with close links to the Kremlin. And in the state-friendly media, Politkovskaya was persona non grata.
There has been no shortage of speculation about who might have wanted her dead. Novaya Gazeta ... has written that it believes her murder was either revenge by Kadyrov, or an attempt to discredit him. ... Politkovskaya's name was also on numerous lists of "enemies of the state" published on the Internet by ultra-nationalists angered by her support of Chechens. The pro-Kremlin media have been pushing a theory that she was killed in an attempt by exiled enemies of Putin to discredit Russia internationally and provoke instability.
... Putin himself has backed that hypothesis. ... According to Reuters, Putin had promised on Monday to "take every step to investigate objectively the tragic death" of Politkovskaya.
... Few expect any of the theories of her death will ever be proven right or wrong, or that Politkovskaya's killers will be brought to justice. Of all the investigations into high-profile slayings of Russian journalists in recent years, not one has resulted in a conviction.
Very grim situation for press freedom in that part of the world. It hasn't progressed much, really, from Stalinist times.
... Only a few weeks before Politkovskaya's murder, Andrei Kozlov, a Central Bank official who had spearheaded a crusade against money laundering, was also gunned down in Moscow. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Politkovskaya was the 13th reporter to be assassinated since President Vladimir Putin came to power.
... For years, she had courageously exposed human-rights abuses in Russia and particularly in the North Caucasus region that includes Chechnya, making frequent trips to the war-torn area. She wrote, often in harrowing detail, of topics that have become off-limits for nearly all other journalists in Russia and broke the biggest taboo of all by criticizing Putin himself.
... As part of their investigation into her killing, police seized documents from Politkovskaya's home and office, as well as her computer, leaving her editors with no way of knowing how much work she'd left unfinished.
Born and raised in New York, where her Ukrainian parents were U.N. diplomats, Politkovskaya was a product of the Soviet elite. After the collapse of the Soviet Union she could have, like many of her generation, used her connections to build a comfortable lifestyle. Instead, she threw herself into independent journalism, ending up at Novaya Gazeta in 1999 -- just in time for the second Chechen war. By her own admission, she became obsessed with exposing the killings, torture and beatings of civilians by Russian soldiers in Chechnya. She wrote two books on the conflict, "A Dirty War: A Russian Reporter in Chechnya" and "A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches From Chechnya."
She made no secret of her contempt for Kadyrov or for Putin, and critics in Russia frequently accused her of lacking objectivity. In "Putin's Russia," a highly critical political biography of the president published in 2004, she accused Putin of failing to shake off his past as a KGB agent in East Germany.
... Politkovskaya won numerous international awards, but as she gained prominence abroad, she was increasingly marginalized at home. There was clearly an appetite for her kind of reporting -- in the last three years Novaya Gazeta's circulation has risen from 130,000 to 170,000 copies ... But in a country of 140 million spread across 11 time zones, the paper's impact was minimal. More than 80 percent of Russians get their news from national television networks -- all of which have come under Kremlin control in the past five years. Prominent national newspapers ... have also been scooped up by state-controlled companies or businessmen with close links to the Kremlin. And in the state-friendly media, Politkovskaya was persona non grata.
There has been no shortage of speculation about who might have wanted her dead. Novaya Gazeta ... has written that it believes her murder was either revenge by Kadyrov, or an attempt to discredit him. ... Politkovskaya's name was also on numerous lists of "enemies of the state" published on the Internet by ultra-nationalists angered by her support of Chechens. The pro-Kremlin media have been pushing a theory that she was killed in an attempt by exiled enemies of Putin to discredit Russia internationally and provoke instability.
... Putin himself has backed that hypothesis. ... According to Reuters, Putin had promised on Monday to "take every step to investigate objectively the tragic death" of Politkovskaya.
... Few expect any of the theories of her death will ever be proven right or wrong, or that Politkovskaya's killers will be brought to justice. Of all the investigations into high-profile slayings of Russian journalists in recent years, not one has resulted in a conviction.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Congratulations, Korinnya
Here is an example of an excellent blog by a performing group. Would that there were more like it!
Korinnya has been featured on Nash Holos the past couple of Christmases. They very kindly sent me their Christmas CD ... which is utterly delightful.
Now their artistic director has been nominated for a Hetman Award. Very deserved, I'd say!
Korinnya has been featured on Nash Holos the past couple of Christmases. They very kindly sent me their Christmas CD ... which is utterly delightful.
Now their artistic director has been nominated for a Hetman Award. Very deserved, I'd say!
Review of Kobzar's Children
There's a link to a review of the anthology Kobzar's Children: A Century of Untold Ukrainian Stories over at the books' blog.
Someone has anonymously taken me to task for my comment in defence of Marsha's position.
Which kind of surprised me ...
But then again I guess it shouldn't. When you're in the spotlight it's easier for folks to take potshots at you. ;-) That's just human nature and it's the price you pay for being in the spotlight.
That being said, as potshots go, it was certainly mild... and arguably deserved after taking a potshot myself at the reviewer.
Someone has anonymously taken me to task for my comment in defence of Marsha's position.
Which kind of surprised me ...
But then again I guess it shouldn't. When you're in the spotlight it's easier for folks to take potshots at you. ;-) That's just human nature and it's the price you pay for being in the spotlight.
That being said, as potshots go, it was certainly mild... and arguably deserved after taking a potshot myself at the reviewer.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Vancouver audio archives for Oct 8, 2006
Vancouver's Ukrainian radio audio archives for October 8 are now available!
There are no Chetverta Khvylia (4th Wave) archives with host Pavlo Manugevych at this time.
However, on Nash Holos, Sylvia has a wonderful dessert recipe that is right in season! OnTravel Tips for Ukraine and Eastern Europe, Fr. Bruce has details on another fabulous city to visit in Poland. Fr. Bruce also shares A Spiritual Moment, exploring our rich Ukrainian spiritual heritage.
And of course, there's plenty of Great Ukrainian music!This week's CD of the Week is Rokovyny by Stepan Pasicznyk.
There are no Chetverta Khvylia (4th Wave) archives with host Pavlo Manugevych at this time.
However, on Nash Holos, Sylvia has a wonderful dessert recipe that is right in season! OnTravel Tips for Ukraine and Eastern Europe, Fr. Bruce has details on another fabulous city to visit in Poland. Fr. Bruce also shares A Spiritual Moment, exploring our rich Ukrainian spiritual heritage.
And of course, there's plenty of Great Ukrainian music!This week's CD of the Week is Rokovyny by Stepan Pasicznyk.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Back by popular demand -- 1648 kozak wars in Texas
Next year's Kozak Wars event will be April 14-15 (2007) at Four Winds Ren Faire in Tyler Texas!
I first heard about this amazing event last year and posted the details here . It was really a re-enactment of the 1648 Bohdan Kmelnitsky battle. And according to a recent press release, they'll be doing it again!
This year, the event will include Live Blade sabre fighting, a live reenactment of a War of Liberation battle (Circa 1648) with Winged Hussars, Kozaky and Cannon!
There will also be a Kozak Games section, with period wrestling, the National Live Blade Sabre Championship (17K), Spear throwing, and more!
Another big attraction this year will be the great Kobzar and Bandrurist Andrij Kytasty.
I understand there will be a blog about it fairly soon, so stay tuned!
I first heard about this amazing event last year and posted the details here . It was really a re-enactment of the 1648 Bohdan Kmelnitsky battle. And according to a recent press release, they'll be doing it again!
This year, the event will include Live Blade sabre fighting, a live reenactment of a War of Liberation battle (Circa 1648) with Winged Hussars, Kozaky and Cannon!
There will also be a Kozak Games section, with period wrestling, the National Live Blade Sabre Championship (17K), Spear throwing, and more!
Another big attraction this year will be the great Kobzar and Bandrurist Andrij Kytasty.
I understand there will be a blog about it fairly soon, so stay tuned!
Good use of radio
What to make of this article?
Chicago Sun-Times Columnist Richard Roeper feels that while Talk host Mike Gallagher’s heart was in the right place, he was wrong to turn over 55 minutes of his radio show to leaders of the Westboro Baptist Church in exchange for their promise not to picket the funerals of the five Amish girls who were gunned down inside their Pennsylvania schoolhouse.
Members of the church are infamous for showing up at the funerals of soldiers and claiming those soldiers have been killed because of God’s hatred of homosexuals. ...
Roeper believes that Gallagher’s “well-intentioned but misguided” offer of airtime is essentially ... “giving in to spiritual terrorists.”
After reading Roeper's article, Road To Hell Paved With Good Intentions, and checking out that church's website, I'd be inclined to agree with Roeper. I have my doubts God appreciates such vicious, vitriolic and hateful advocacy in His name.
Still, I can't completely agree that Gallagher was necessarily "misguided." On the one hand, I agree that he "gave in to spiritual terrorists" by giving those Westboro wackos airtime on his program. But on the other hand, he did what he could to shield the grieving Amish community from a hateful spectacle by self-serving louts.
As a radio host and a writer, I understand both positions. But as a Christian and a human being, I'd have to side with the radio host, because his was a direct demonstration of human compassion rather than just another social statement.
Chicago Sun-Times Columnist Richard Roeper feels that while Talk host Mike Gallagher’s heart was in the right place, he was wrong to turn over 55 minutes of his radio show to leaders of the Westboro Baptist Church in exchange for their promise not to picket the funerals of the five Amish girls who were gunned down inside their Pennsylvania schoolhouse.
Members of the church are infamous for showing up at the funerals of soldiers and claiming those soldiers have been killed because of God’s hatred of homosexuals. ...
Roeper believes that Gallagher’s “well-intentioned but misguided” offer of airtime is essentially ... “giving in to spiritual terrorists.”
After reading Roeper's article, Road To Hell Paved With Good Intentions, and checking out that church's website, I'd be inclined to agree with Roeper. I have my doubts God appreciates such vicious, vitriolic and hateful advocacy in His name.
Still, I can't completely agree that Gallagher was necessarily "misguided." On the one hand, I agree that he "gave in to spiritual terrorists" by giving those Westboro wackos airtime on his program. But on the other hand, he did what he could to shield the grieving Amish community from a hateful spectacle by self-serving louts.
As a radio host and a writer, I understand both positions. But as a Christian and a human being, I'd have to side with the radio host, because his was a direct demonstration of human compassion rather than just another social statement.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Freedom of speech selective on radio
Another article about the rot in mainstream media. Obviously, it starts at the top.
Longtime WLUP-FM Chicago personality Cara Carriveau has been fired ... after comments she made about the state of the radio business ... in the Chicago Sun-Times
Carriveau wrote, 'It's unbelievable how many Chicago radio icons are not currently on the air in this town. ... My heart goes out to those talented personalities, and I am empathetic to the many disappointed listeners. This situation is sad. Very, very sad.'
[The station's vice-president said] called Carriveau's comments 'the last straw' and added, “I don't think Cara is a fan of what's happening here. I want to have people here who believe in our industry and believe what we're doing is right.'
One deejay who will be getting a shot at some of Carriveau’s weekend/fill-in shifts at The Loop is former Mancow sidekick Jeff 'Turd' Renzetti. Nyren said, 'I'm a big fan of Turd.”
In a message to fans, meanwhile, Carriveau questioned whether free speech exists in her industry. ...
It would appear not... unless perhaps you're an advocate of scatological and other trash talk. Since it pulls in big bucks these days, there's lots of "freedom" for that on the air.
Longtime WLUP-FM Chicago personality Cara Carriveau has been fired ... after comments she made about the state of the radio business ... in the Chicago Sun-Times
Carriveau wrote, 'It's unbelievable how many Chicago radio icons are not currently on the air in this town. ... My heart goes out to those talented personalities, and I am empathetic to the many disappointed listeners. This situation is sad. Very, very sad.'
[The station's vice-president said] called Carriveau's comments 'the last straw' and added, “I don't think Cara is a fan of what's happening here. I want to have people here who believe in our industry and believe what we're doing is right.'
One deejay who will be getting a shot at some of Carriveau’s weekend/fill-in shifts at The Loop is former Mancow sidekick Jeff 'Turd' Renzetti. Nyren said, 'I'm a big fan of Turd.”
In a message to fans, meanwhile, Carriveau questioned whether free speech exists in her industry. ...
It would appear not... unless perhaps you're an advocate of scatological and other trash talk. Since it pulls in big bucks these days, there's lots of "freedom" for that on the air.
Understatement of the week
This is a clear illustration of the rot at the core of the mainstream media:
KNDD Seattle midday host “DJ No Name” has apologized for playing Weird Al Yankovic's 'Amish Paradise' – a parody of Coolio's 'Gangsta's Paradise' – this week following the fatal school shootings at an Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania.
[Station management] said No Name had been 'less respectful of the event than he should have been,” and added, “We are dealing with it internally."
OK, which do you think is the more lame statement?
"Less respectful than he should have been" ...?
or
'We are dealing with it internally" ...?
KNDD Seattle midday host “DJ No Name” has apologized for playing Weird Al Yankovic's 'Amish Paradise' – a parody of Coolio's 'Gangsta's Paradise' – this week following the fatal school shootings at an Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania.
[Station management] said No Name had been 'less respectful of the event than he should have been,” and added, “We are dealing with it internally."
OK, which do you think is the more lame statement?
"Less respectful than he should have been" ...?
or
'We are dealing with it internally" ...?
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Billionaires wrecking Ukraine
Pity the poor hack who had to cover this pathetic spectacle in Ukraine. Talk about adopting the worst of the worst!
As the writer of this article put it, "If this is modernity, Ukraine may be better off without it."
Hear, hear. Some excerpts:
... The Ukrainian [billionaire] businessman Viktor Pinchuk ... is the proud possessor of a sculpted pile of tin mugs, some mobile vinyl tufts that dance when you switch them on, and a cuckoo clock whose innards - a set of bright yellow-and-scarlet wheels - are visible outside. The mugs, the agile sprigs of vinyl and the jokey clock have been deposited in the Pinchuk Art Centre, which opened above a Bentley showroom and a branch of Villeroy & Boch in Kiev in mid-September. ...
On the walls, models romp in baths of volcanic mud and treat an abandoned mine as if it were the back room of a sex club; video wraiths cavort on the white walls....
Boris Mikhailov's photographs of football, shot in Germany, show sport to be an alibi for sexual aggression and fascist belligerence. Vasiliy Tsagolov's painting Orgy peers towards the far limit of a drug-befuddled Hollywood, where Sylvester Stallone smokes a hookah, John Travolta clambers on to a prostrate starlet, and Quentin Tarantino rolls on the floor in a blissed-out stupor. Navin Rawanchaikul's Art or (M)art? mocks the profiteering of his colleagues in a gigantic parody of Veronese's Marriage at Cana. The painter himself, posing as Christ, evangelises over sacred texts on contracts and marketing strategy. At the launch, two of the art stars of Rawanchaikul's satire stepped down from the wall and drifted around the gallery ...
[T]he opening party ... was a boozy scrum in the courtyard below his gallery, with raucous rock bands and dancers writhing in cages. ... At the height of the festivity, a symbolic wall of plastic was tugged down, and some equally symbolic fireworks ignited behind it. The combination of polyester and pyrotechnics had a quite foreseeable effect. Flames shot into the air, Pinchuk's battalion of beefy goons manhandled diminutive canisters of foam, and the guests fled.
... "We now have civic values," said Pinchuk, surveying 15 years of Ukrainian independence. "We know how to be civil. What we must do is show the west that we are civilised."
If this is the best show you can put on, Vic, then you've a long way to go.
Give me"peasant' culture any day. It has a quality of integrity, depth and class that money just can't buy. And the more the (literally) filthy rich scorn it, the more valuable ... and [ahem] cultured, it is.
As the writer of this article put it, "If this is modernity, Ukraine may be better off without it."
Hear, hear. Some excerpts:
... The Ukrainian [billionaire] businessman Viktor Pinchuk ... is the proud possessor of a sculpted pile of tin mugs, some mobile vinyl tufts that dance when you switch them on, and a cuckoo clock whose innards - a set of bright yellow-and-scarlet wheels - are visible outside. The mugs, the agile sprigs of vinyl and the jokey clock have been deposited in the Pinchuk Art Centre, which opened above a Bentley showroom and a branch of Villeroy & Boch in Kiev in mid-September. ...
On the walls, models romp in baths of volcanic mud and treat an abandoned mine as if it were the back room of a sex club; video wraiths cavort on the white walls....
Boris Mikhailov's photographs of football, shot in Germany, show sport to be an alibi for sexual aggression and fascist belligerence. Vasiliy Tsagolov's painting Orgy peers towards the far limit of a drug-befuddled Hollywood, where Sylvester Stallone smokes a hookah, John Travolta clambers on to a prostrate starlet, and Quentin Tarantino rolls on the floor in a blissed-out stupor. Navin Rawanchaikul's Art or (M)art? mocks the profiteering of his colleagues in a gigantic parody of Veronese's Marriage at Cana. The painter himself, posing as Christ, evangelises over sacred texts on contracts and marketing strategy. At the launch, two of the art stars of Rawanchaikul's satire stepped down from the wall and drifted around the gallery ...
[T]he opening party ... was a boozy scrum in the courtyard below his gallery, with raucous rock bands and dancers writhing in cages. ... At the height of the festivity, a symbolic wall of plastic was tugged down, and some equally symbolic fireworks ignited behind it. The combination of polyester and pyrotechnics had a quite foreseeable effect. Flames shot into the air, Pinchuk's battalion of beefy goons manhandled diminutive canisters of foam, and the guests fled.
... "We now have civic values," said Pinchuk, surveying 15 years of Ukrainian independence. "We know how to be civil. What we must do is show the west that we are civilised."
If this is the best show you can put on, Vic, then you've a long way to go.
Give me"peasant' culture any day. It has a quality of integrity, depth and class that money just can't buy. And the more the (literally) filthy rich scorn it, the more valuable ... and [ahem] cultured, it is.
blogger slaps media
A huge snub to the mainstream media at this blog: StopSexPredators
The blogger makes an interesting point about hypocrisy in the media frenzy surrounding the Senator Foley scandal in the US ... namely that if the media had cared a whit and been doing its job, this would all have been exposed ages ago.
In predictable fashion, the MSM is now doing its best to discredit the blogger. Here's a report from CNN.com which took a direct hit on the chin. (Can't have those pesky bloggers scooping the MSM now ... isn't that called "rate busting" or some such?)
Then again, the Drudge report has come up with this interesting conspiracy theory which American Thinker seems to think has merit.
It sure is a dog-eat-dog world out there. Hard to know who to believe nowadays!
(Cross-posted at the Natashas.)
The blogger makes an interesting point about hypocrisy in the media frenzy surrounding the Senator Foley scandal in the US ... namely that if the media had cared a whit and been doing its job, this would all have been exposed ages ago.
In predictable fashion, the MSM is now doing its best to discredit the blogger. Here's a report from CNN.com which took a direct hit on the chin. (Can't have those pesky bloggers scooping the MSM now ... isn't that called "rate busting" or some such?)
Then again, the Drudge report has come up with this interesting conspiracy theory which American Thinker seems to think has merit.
It sure is a dog-eat-dog world out there. Hard to know who to believe nowadays!
(Cross-posted at the Natashas.)
Canadian film on Ukrainian and multicultural theme
A new Canadian feature film, Acts of Imagination, recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Andrij Makuch, who took it in, reviews it here:
Katya and Jaroslaw (Slawko) are relatively recent Ukrainian immigrants living in Vancouver’s east end. The area is gritty, but slowly gentrifying. When the warehouse in which Slawko works is sold for a condo development, he loses his job. ... Katya, meanwhile, is plagued by the memories of the loss of her “nationalist” parents. ...
Acts of Imagination is a respectably well-done production. Though, like most Canadian films, it is not likely to be noticed by most of the world. One thing that does set it apart is that it is the first Canadian feature film in a very long time to have Ukrainian protagonists, rendering it of some interest to a Ukrainian-Canadian audience. This is all the more true since the “Ukrainian” aspect of the leads’ lives is significant: these are not incidental Ukrainians.
Notwithstanding its generally sympathetic treatment of the Ukrainian immigrant experience, the film has some difficulties in dealing with this subject. The most obvious is the matter of accents ...
Oddly, the film portrays the protagonists as decidedly working-class folk. ... This is out of the reality of most immigrants coming to Canada from Ukraine today. While they may end up working in low-end jobs for a certain period, they tend to be highly qualified and well educated. The film hits a wrong note by not bringing this up at least nominally.
All the same, the “old-country” aspect is a real factor in Acts of Imagination. The film incorporates Ukrainian music and themes, and is an interesting and legitimate effort that is worth checking out.
Acts of Imagination ... still awaits a Canadian distribution arrangement. It ... is scheduled to be screened at the film festival in Vancouver (October 2 and 12) and Edmonton (October 5).
More information on the film is available here.
Katya and Jaroslaw (Slawko) are relatively recent Ukrainian immigrants living in Vancouver’s east end. The area is gritty, but slowly gentrifying. When the warehouse in which Slawko works is sold for a condo development, he loses his job. ... Katya, meanwhile, is plagued by the memories of the loss of her “nationalist” parents. ...
Acts of Imagination is a respectably well-done production. Though, like most Canadian films, it is not likely to be noticed by most of the world. One thing that does set it apart is that it is the first Canadian feature film in a very long time to have Ukrainian protagonists, rendering it of some interest to a Ukrainian-Canadian audience. This is all the more true since the “Ukrainian” aspect of the leads’ lives is significant: these are not incidental Ukrainians.
Notwithstanding its generally sympathetic treatment of the Ukrainian immigrant experience, the film has some difficulties in dealing with this subject. The most obvious is the matter of accents ...
Oddly, the film portrays the protagonists as decidedly working-class folk. ... This is out of the reality of most immigrants coming to Canada from Ukraine today. While they may end up working in low-end jobs for a certain period, they tend to be highly qualified and well educated. The film hits a wrong note by not bringing this up at least nominally.
All the same, the “old-country” aspect is a real factor in Acts of Imagination. The film incorporates Ukrainian music and themes, and is an interesting and legitimate effort that is worth checking out.
Acts of Imagination ... still awaits a Canadian distribution arrangement. It ... is scheduled to be screened at the film festival in Vancouver (October 2 and 12) and Edmonton (October 5).
More information on the film is available here.
fighting sleaze at yahoo
Over at the Natasha's blog, I've been chronicling my fight with yahoo over the sleazy ads they placed on the UkrCdnBroadcasters list-serv website, which I moderate.
They've responded favourably, promising to remove the offending ads.
I'm not sure how well they got the message, though. I have no doubt they'll just pop up somewhere else ... on a more "appropriate" site.
Anyway, if you're interested, go check it out here. And please let me know your thoughts. (Maybe I over-reacted?)
They've responded favourably, promising to remove the offending ads.
I'm not sure how well they got the message, though. I have no doubt they'll just pop up somewhere else ... on a more "appropriate" site.
Anyway, if you're interested, go check it out here. And please let me know your thoughts. (Maybe I over-reacted?)
net neutrality
If you're following the net neutrality wars, here's news from the Norwegian front, via internet and technology law guru Michael Geist.
It's an uphill battle for the would-be internet oligarchs, what with the cannon fodder backfiring every now and again ...
It's an uphill battle for the would-be internet oligarchs, what with the cannon fodder backfiring every now and again ...
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
National anthem no laughing matter
I've long thought that it's time to change the title and lyrics of Ukraine's National anthem.
This ZNet article illustrates why:
It has recently come to my attention that the title of the Ukrainian national anthem is 'Ukraine Is Not Dead Yet.' (Seriously, it is.)
The same could be said of Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's ongoing prosecution of Vice President Cheney's former aide I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby: The case -- involving charges of perjury, false statements, and obstruction of justice ... -- is not dead yet, nor is it even ailing. U.S. v. Libby is not only alive and well; it is also set to begin ...
According to this site, the lyrics were modified somewhat in 2003, but (obviously) not enough to dispel the negative, defeatist perception that comes through in the translation.
The current lyrics still convey the picture of a people that are under seige ... merely surviving (notwithstanding that that's a miracle in itself) rather than growing and thriving.
I mean, the reason Ukraine hasn't died yet is because she survived centuries of ongoing attempts at obliteration. So why not call a spade a spade and stop letting the foiled would-be obliterators off the hook?
There has to be a positive way to say "they haven't killed us yet" ... or even better, maybe they can just come up with a different phrase altogether, one that is more positive and dignified.
This ZNet article illustrates why:
It has recently come to my attention that the title of the Ukrainian national anthem is 'Ukraine Is Not Dead Yet.' (Seriously, it is.)
The same could be said of Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's ongoing prosecution of Vice President Cheney's former aide I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby: The case -- involving charges of perjury, false statements, and obstruction of justice ... -- is not dead yet, nor is it even ailing. U.S. v. Libby is not only alive and well; it is also set to begin ...
According to this site, the lyrics were modified somewhat in 2003, but (obviously) not enough to dispel the negative, defeatist perception that comes through in the translation.
The current lyrics still convey the picture of a people that are under seige ... merely surviving (notwithstanding that that's a miracle in itself) rather than growing and thriving.
I mean, the reason Ukraine hasn't died yet is because she survived centuries of ongoing attempts at obliteration. So why not call a spade a spade and stop letting the foiled would-be obliterators off the hook?
There has to be a positive way to say "they haven't killed us yet" ... or even better, maybe they can just come up with a different phrase altogether, one that is more positive and dignified.
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