Ukrainian journalist Hanna Horzhenko, in Minsk, Belarus to cover the lead-up to that country's presidential 'election,' was arrested, along with her camerman, by authorities -- while doing a live on-air report!
Have a listen here.
Unbelievable.
It was posted at this blog for Canadian journalists on March 13. Not much disccussion on the site. There seems to be very little outrage in western journalist circles over this violation of freedom of the press in the last communist bastion in Europe.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Shed a tear for the networks
Ahem. What did I say in my last post?
According to an article in the Globe & Mail...
Broadcasters want Ottawa to address several issues that are affecting their sector, including the rise of Internet television. The networks [such as CTV Inc., CanWest Global Communications Corp.'s Global and CHUM Ltd.] are concerned about the threat downloadable programs pose to their businesses ...
At the very least, the broadcasters want to know what the rules will be for Internet TV, and how those revenues will be divided. The push for a TV review comes at a time when the CRTC is already juggling a similar crucial review of the radio sector, which is also worried about splintering audiences as iPods and other new technology such as satellite radio erode its audience share.
Is that sound of an empire imploding?
According to an article in the Globe & Mail...
Broadcasters want Ottawa to address several issues that are affecting their sector, including the rise of Internet television. The networks [such as CTV Inc., CanWest Global Communications Corp.'s Global and CHUM Ltd.] are concerned about the threat downloadable programs pose to their businesses ...
At the very least, the broadcasters want to know what the rules will be for Internet TV, and how those revenues will be divided. The push for a TV review comes at a time when the CRTC is already juggling a similar crucial review of the radio sector, which is also worried about splintering audiences as iPods and other new technology such as satellite radio erode its audience share.
Is that sound of an empire imploding?
CanCon on TV -- quantity over quality?
The cancellation of the 2004/05 National Hockey League season ... significantly reduced Canadian content viewing. ... On conventional Canadian television stations, Canadian content dropped to 54.1% in 2004 from 56.5% in 2003. On Canadian pay and specialty channels, Canadian programs accounted for only 36.8% of viewing, down from 44% in 2003.
Gee, maybe they should redefine "Canadian content" then? It's a pretty thin line as it is. What about when two American NHL teams play? Does that fact that some of the players are Canadian make it "Canadian content"? In which case, what if none were?
I dunno. Maybe they should just scrap "CanCon" altogether. Those who actually produce good Canadian programming, music, etc. are on their own anyway. The govt would rather support big media conglomerates, and generally does.
Entire article here.
Gee, maybe they should redefine "Canadian content" then? It's a pretty thin line as it is. What about when two American NHL teams play? Does that fact that some of the players are Canadian make it "Canadian content"? In which case, what if none were?
I dunno. Maybe they should just scrap "CanCon" altogether. Those who actually produce good Canadian programming, music, etc. are on their own anyway. The govt would rather support big media conglomerates, and generally does.
Entire article here.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
ukemonde now blogging!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Another great site for Ukrainian music on the radio and online
I just exchanged links with Robert J. Tomkins , who hosts the Zabava Radio Program in Edmonton. It airs on 790 every Sunday from 7-9 P.M. (MST). That's every Monday from 02:00-04:00 GMT!
If you're confused by time zone conversions, or just want to listen at a time that's convenient for you, it's available here for download anytime.
Great, foot-stomping music that makes it hard to sit still...
Enjoy!
If you're confused by time zone conversions, or just want to listen at a time that's convenient for you, it's available here for download anytime.
Great, foot-stomping music that makes it hard to sit still...
Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Ukraine election de-briefing video clip
Mr. Pavlo Grod gave an interview yesterday on the Ukrainian television station 5 Kanal for their English language news section. It can be viewed here. (Scroll down to the bottom of the page. You will have to download the video by clicking on the little TV camera.)
The clip will be put up on the Ukrainian Canadian Congress website soon under "UCC in the news."
Thanks to Ostap Skrypnyk, Executive Director Ukrainian Canadian Congress, for circulating this email message.
The clip will be put up on the Ukrainian Canadian Congress website soon under "UCC in the news."
Thanks to Ostap Skrypnyk, Executive Director Ukrainian Canadian Congress, for circulating this email message.
Ukrainians and Russians, an article and a new book
This post has nothing to do with Ukrainian music, but much to do with Ukrainian history. It is also a piece of shameless self-promotion.
I just read an interesting article on E-Poshta, entitled: "PERSPECTIVES: St. Petersburg's anniversary." Penned by columnist Andrew Fedynsky, it first appeared in the Ukrainian Weekly (05/25/03). Among other things, it's rich with historical context explaining the roots of Ukrainian-Russian animosity:
Although it's more than 600 miles north of Kyiv, St. Petersburg looms large in Ukrainian history and culture. Ukrainians first arrived there in substantial numbers in 1709, after Hetman Ivan Mazepa's defeat at the Battle of Poltava where he fought to free Ukraine from Russian rule. To punish what he saw as disloyalty, [Russian Czar] Peter condemned tens of thousands of Kozaks to build canals and drain marshes, clear forests, drag stones to pave the streets, cut, hew and haul lumber to the banks of the Neva and drive piles, build docks. The slaves lived in crowded, filthy huts in the midst of swamps and squalor. Many died from malaria, scurvy and dysentery. In the wintertime, they froze. According to estimates from Peter's time, at least 100,000 people died building his city.
One hundred twenty years later, another slave arrived there: Taras Shevchenko. Soon, he met fellow Ukrainians, notably, the painter Ivan Soshenko and writer Yevhen Hrebinka who convinced some influential Russian friends to arrange for Shevchenko's emancipation. The rest is history. Once free, Shevchenko applied his genius to the 'Kobzar,' the poetry collection that tapped into the ancient songs he'd heard as a boy. The wandering minstrels who sang them helped Ukraine's peasant-serfs maintain their national consciousness more than two generations after the last Kozak stronghold, the Sich, had been destroyed. Published in 1840 in St. Petersburg, the 'Kobzar' is easily the most important book in Ukrainian history. As for the orphan whose poetry mobilized a defeated nation and changed the course of history, his story has been elevated to mythological levels. "
Now for the self-aggrandizement. My first published work of fiction, a short story about a young Canadian who goes to Ukraine to experience the Orange Revolution, will appear in a book that takes its inspiration from Shevchenko and his book "Kobzar" and hopes to continue his work. The book is a collection of 12 short stories (fiction and non-fiction) spanning 100 years.
The Kobzar's Children: A Century of Untold Ukrainian Stories is scheduled for release in June and of course I'll keep you posted! You can also check the progress on Marsha Skrypuch's blog.
Incidentally, the book is slated for release in the United States in the near future. Stay tuned!
I just read an interesting article on E-Poshta, entitled: "PERSPECTIVES: St. Petersburg's anniversary." Penned by columnist Andrew Fedynsky, it first appeared in the Ukrainian Weekly (05/25/03). Among other things, it's rich with historical context explaining the roots of Ukrainian-Russian animosity:
Although it's more than 600 miles north of Kyiv, St. Petersburg looms large in Ukrainian history and culture. Ukrainians first arrived there in substantial numbers in 1709, after Hetman Ivan Mazepa's defeat at the Battle of Poltava where he fought to free Ukraine from Russian rule. To punish what he saw as disloyalty, [Russian Czar] Peter condemned tens of thousands of Kozaks to build canals and drain marshes, clear forests, drag stones to pave the streets, cut, hew and haul lumber to the banks of the Neva and drive piles, build docks. The slaves lived in crowded, filthy huts in the midst of swamps and squalor. Many died from malaria, scurvy and dysentery. In the wintertime, they froze. According to estimates from Peter's time, at least 100,000 people died building his city.
One hundred twenty years later, another slave arrived there: Taras Shevchenko. Soon, he met fellow Ukrainians, notably, the painter Ivan Soshenko and writer Yevhen Hrebinka who convinced some influential Russian friends to arrange for Shevchenko's emancipation. The rest is history. Once free, Shevchenko applied his genius to the 'Kobzar,' the poetry collection that tapped into the ancient songs he'd heard as a boy. The wandering minstrels who sang them helped Ukraine's peasant-serfs maintain their national consciousness more than two generations after the last Kozak stronghold, the Sich, had been destroyed. Published in 1840 in St. Petersburg, the 'Kobzar' is easily the most important book in Ukrainian history. As for the orphan whose poetry mobilized a defeated nation and changed the course of history, his story has been elevated to mythological levels. "
Now for the self-aggrandizement. My first published work of fiction, a short story about a young Canadian who goes to Ukraine to experience the Orange Revolution, will appear in a book that takes its inspiration from Shevchenko and his book "Kobzar" and hopes to continue his work. The book is a collection of 12 short stories (fiction and non-fiction) spanning 100 years.
The Kobzar's Children: A Century of Untold Ukrainian Stories is scheduled for release in June and of course I'll keep you posted! You can also check the progress on Marsha Skrypuch's blog.
Incidentally, the book is slated for release in the United States in the near future. Stay tuned!
Ruslana takes part in Ukrainian elections
The Ukrainian pop star Ruslana, winner of the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest, threw her support firmly behind Viktor Yushchenko in Ukraine's recent parliamentary elections.
She's been receiving some criticism for it, as this blog post indicates, but she's really just doing the same as American entertainment celebrities who pubicly supported John Kerry in the last American election.
I think it just shows she is far more "progressive" than most of the folks who like to wear that label.
She's been receiving some criticism for it, as this blog post indicates, but she's really just doing the same as American entertainment celebrities who pubicly supported John Kerry in the last American election.
I think it just shows she is far more "progressive" than most of the folks who like to wear that label.
New trend in talk radio?
The primary focus on Nash Holos is Ukrainian music ... there is so much of it being produced and so little time to share it!
However, I just wanted to share some (what I hope is encouraging) news in the mainstream media that may foreshadow a new trend in the big moneymaker world of talk radio.
A new talk radio program will premiere this week in Washington, DC. called ChickChat Radio. It is billed as "a fun, contemporary, relevant, stylish, unique, non-political, not-for-women-only radio show, with hosts who are never at a loss for words or opinions."
Should be interesting!
Also, a recent survey showed that 70% of the listeners of the highest-profile US shock jock, Howard Stern, did not follow him to satellite radio as he and his new boss hoped, but stayed with FM radio and are enjoying his replacements.
Too bad, so sad. Them's the breaks in the radio biz.
Let hope these news items are an indication that the novelty of trash-talk is wearing off, and that a new trend is developing towards more civil and intelligent conversation on the airwaves.
Of course, you'll find lots of that on the Ukrainian radio programs listed on this blog ... along with GREAT Ukrainian music!
However, I just wanted to share some (what I hope is encouraging) news in the mainstream media that may foreshadow a new trend in the big moneymaker world of talk radio.
A new talk radio program will premiere this week in Washington, DC. called ChickChat Radio. It is billed as "a fun, contemporary, relevant, stylish, unique, non-political, not-for-women-only radio show, with hosts who are never at a loss for words or opinions."
Should be interesting!
Also, a recent survey showed that 70% of the listeners of the highest-profile US shock jock, Howard Stern, did not follow him to satellite radio as he and his new boss hoped, but stayed with FM radio and are enjoying his replacements.
Too bad, so sad. Them's the breaks in the radio biz.
Let hope these news items are an indication that the novelty of trash-talk is wearing off, and that a new trend is developing towards more civil and intelligent conversation on the airwaves.
Of course, you'll find lots of that on the Ukrainian radio programs listed on this blog ... along with GREAT Ukrainian music!
Monday, March 27, 2006
Ukraine blogs on
Nash Holos archives updated for 032606
Yesterday's broadcast of Nash Holos is now uploaded.
On Ukrainian Food Flair, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar will keep you heart-healthy with a delicious recipe, and shares some fascinating facts and an amusing anecdote about fish.
On Travel Tips for Ukraine and Eastern Europe, Myrna Arychuk of Solaway Travel has a reminder about her fall tour to Greece.
There's also the usual Proverb of the Week, and items of interest to the Ukrainian community in the Lower Mainland ... and beyond. And of course, plenty of Great Ukrainian Music!
On Ukrainian Food Flair, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar will keep you heart-healthy with a delicious recipe, and shares some fascinating facts and an amusing anecdote about fish.
On Travel Tips for Ukraine and Eastern Europe, Myrna Arychuk of Solaway Travel has a reminder about her fall tour to Greece.
There's also the usual Proverb of the Week, and items of interest to the Ukrainian community in the Lower Mainland ... and beyond. And of course, plenty of Great Ukrainian Music!
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Podcasting defined ... and explained
A lot of new words popping up these days thanks to cyber-technology.
The word "podcast" is a concatenation of the words iPod and broadcast. The underlying technology used for podcasts, called RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is capable of containing any type of media including audio, video, graphics, and more.
Here's a link to some Frequently Asked Questions about podcasting.
Incidentally, that (RSS) is exactly the same underlying technology blogs use. It is a fabulous content management system in these days of "information overload." (You gotta know someone as lazy as I wouldn't be manually surfing the 'Net for articles to post here...)
Almond Rocks is the RSS feed I use to scan headlines and blogs. It's a handy, dandy little aggregator and so incredibly easy to use. Highly recommended.
The word "podcast" is a concatenation of the words iPod and broadcast. The underlying technology used for podcasts, called RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is capable of containing any type of media including audio, video, graphics, and more.
Here's a link to some Frequently Asked Questions about podcasting.
Incidentally, that (RSS) is exactly the same underlying technology blogs use. It is a fabulous content management system in these days of "information overload." (You gotta know someone as lazy as I wouldn't be manually surfing the 'Net for articles to post here...)
Almond Rocks is the RSS feed I use to scan headlines and blogs. It's a handy, dandy little aggregator and so incredibly easy to use. Highly recommended.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Featured Post
Ukrainian Food Flair became a best seller today!
So thrilled to see this today! Thank you to my dear friend and writing mentor, Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch , and best-selling children's a...
