Zelensky's rock and hard places

I feel so bad for Volodymyr Zelensky. Six months into his tenure as President of Ukraine, he is a changed man. At the centre of the US House impeachment hearings, he finds himself embroiled in controversies not of his doing, stuck in the middle between Trump and Putin. He has no chance to succeed. Ukraine has no chance to win the battles.

Yet, he has secured the release of a batch of prisoners who are suing Russia over torture. And he's made the cover of Time magazine in a year when Trump was only shown in caricature. His story was so hopeful. The comedian turned President who made a TV show come to real life. I hope he can endure.

Refugees

Being a child of immigrant refugees, I am acutely concerned with the issues around immigration reform in the US and the EU. Being an immigrant myself, having moved from the US to Ireland, I have a degree of understanding of what it takes to pick up and leave, though not under duress. Trump's rhetoric and rants are particularly distressing and divisive. But someone posted this poem by Brian Bilston called Refugees. It hit on something I've always said. There's no truth, only a point of view.

Read the poem and think about refugees. Not colonists like the British who devastated the Native American population or the conquistadors who decimated the Maya and Inca, or the European missionaries and fortune hunters who enslaved Africans. Think about all those who fled oppression to give their children a chance to survive and thrive. They didn't choose to leave like I did. They had to leave. I do not condone illegal immigration and all those who simply overstay their visas and break the laws of the countries they adopt. I do support the belief that anyone can be an American. I am a citizen of Ireland, but I can never be Irish; yet I will always remain American.

The shopping experience

My how things have changed since my childhood. Shopping used to be such an amazing experience. My mother preferred Wanamaker's department store in downtown Philadelphia. We'd take the trollies down to center city and walk the short distance around 'Billy Penn' to the store. It was a magical experience, especially at Christmas when the gorgeous building was decorated with the most opulent and magnificent decorations for Christmas. It was back in the time of Miracle on 34th Street, when Gimbel's, Macy's and Wanamaker's were jostling for market share. You didn't buy quantity. You bought quality. Things that wouldn't go out of style and were superbly made to last. How times have changed in one lifetime.

The eagle at Wanamaker's was iconic. If my mother, my sister, and I got separated, we were to return to meet up at the eagle. You could always find your way there.

Now we shop online at amazon with Prime delivery making it a snap. But we can't touch the fabric in advance, we can't see the quality, we can't smell the natural fibres. We look for reviews by others who have done so and hope, that when it arrives, it will be as promised. I miss the days when it took some effort to shop. We'd stop at the candy department on our way out and get chocolate coated orange peels and Napoleans from the bakery department.

I will never forget those experiences with my mom. Especially, when she asked for the 'shits' department. It's 'sheets' ma, 'sheets' not 'shits'.

Happy Christmas everyone, and to all a good night!

Ukraine is back in the news

Thousands march in the first Gay Pride parade in Kyiv.

This is days after four men, 3 Russians and 1 Ukrainian separatist, were charged by the Dutch led Joint Investigation Team with downing Malaysia Airlines jet MH17.

Meanwhile, the Central Election Commission reports refusing to register candidates of the Communist Party of Ukraine in the nationwide multi-member electoral district for the snap parliamentary elections to the Verkhovna Rada on July 21.
But never fear, you can watch a video on traditional cooking of traditional foods made from homegrown ingredients to soothe your nerves on YouTube. Enjoy.

So what do we know about Zelenskiy

Zelenskiy has turned out to be the frontrunner in Ukraine's Presidential elections. But what does he stand for? To begin, Reuters has compiled a brief on his policies. The information is based on interviews by Reuters reporters with Zelenskiy and his economic adviser, Aivaras Abromavičius, as well as public statements from his campaign. Aivaras Abromavičius is a Lithuanian-born naturalized Ukrainian investment banker and politician. He was Ukraine's Minister of Economy and Trade from 2014 to 2016.

In December 2014, President Petro Poroshenko granted citizenship to three foreign technocrats who were nominated for cabinet positions. The foreign masterminds were expected to contribute expert advice to overcome the severe economic and defense threats facing Ukraine. Lithuanian Aivaras Abromavičius was one of those three. He resigned from office in 2018 citing a government that was unwilling to take the steps necessary to curtail corruption. You can read about his position here. 

So how much of this do you believe? Personally, I believe Zelenskiy would say anything to get elected, just as one would on a reality TV show. What happens after that, no one knows for certain, but we do know he does not speak Ukrainian and his show was funded by an ousted oligarch. What path will he follow? Well, he's gone to Paris to visit Macron in a move that won't help Poroshenko.

God help Ukraine!

Forever remembered...Вічная память!

Oksana Korzeniowski - Вічная память!  4/11/1945 - 3/29/2002

Remembering my sister Oksana Korzeniowski Rudakewych, beautiful both inside and out. The most caring person I've ever known. She would have been 74 years young today. Miss you sis!  Her obituary tells of how much she was respected by her peers and loved by all. 

She would have been so proud of her family, Alexis, Andrew and her fascinating grandchildren, Alexander (Ziggy) and Miles (Misho). Beautiful family, and the third generation to carry on the tradition of being Ukrainian in America, learning to speak the language, attending Ukrainian Catholic Church, and, of course, eating Ukrainian food. I spent a month with my niece and her family in the States earlier this year. We walked down memory lane paying tributes to my sister, Alya's mother, and recreating the dishes we remembered from our childhoods. I cooked some of my mom's favourites and Alexis cooked some of her mom's and her grandma's favourites. Long may the tradition last. 

Zelenskiy takes the first round

With a majority of the votes counted, Zelenskiy has taken more than 30% of the vote on the first round. Poroshenko is following in second place with about 18%. Tymoshenko is out with 13%.

So it's as I expected, since no one took more than 50% of the vote, Zelenskiy and Poroshenko will face off in a runoff on April 21. Slava Ukraini!

The New York Times has an analysis here.

People have been saying "Only in Ukraine." But that's not true. Remember, the US had Ronald Reagan, a B-class movie actor. And California had the Governator. Now the US has a reality TV show star as President. Name recognition counts. And Zelenskiy has been role playing for some time now. That might make him the most qualified on the issues that count to the people. Let's watch what happens.

Elections in Ukraine

What do a chocolate magnate, an energy tycoon later jailed on corruption charges, and a TV comedian have in common? They are all running in Ukraine's presidential election today.

Zelensky casting his ballot

That may sound like a joke, but it's serious business for a country at war with Russia. They are the three lead candidates for the job: the incumbent, a former Prime Minister, and a comedian playing the President in a television series. If there is no outright majority winner, the top two candidates will duke it out in a second election on April 21. The incumbent, Petro Poroshenko's approval rating has gained some ground recently but the comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky may score 26.6% of the vote according to one poll. 

Zelensky is the star of 'Слуга Народу,' or Servant of the People, a Ukrainian television series carried on Netflix. He has high recognition and his name is a household word. In the made-for-TV series, Zelensky plays a schoolteacher who unexpectedly becomes President of Ukraine after becoming famous for an anti-corruption rant that goes viral on social media. Servant of the People is, in essence, a campaign advertisement for Zelensky. A new episode aired just days before the election. In reality, he's a political newcomer with no real platform or experience. They say that comedians are highly intelligent people. Let's see how long he can stand up to the pressures of facing down Putin. 

The third candidate is former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. The most recent Rating Group Ukraine poll* showed Tymoshenko running neck and neck with Poroshenko, each with support from about 17% of likely voters. Tymoshenko was the head of an energy company in the 1990s, became Prime Minister twice, and was later jailed over a natural gas agreement that she signed with Russia. She is widely believed to be corrupt among the Ukrainians and the victim of political retribution by others. 

Personally, I have liked Poroshenko. He's been in a tough place. He lost Crimea and Donbas on his watch. But he got Ukraine through the separation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Russian Orthodox Church, possibly halted the complete invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and managed to get the EU and NATO to consider Ukraine's position in Europe. Given that he is fighting off Putin, it's not difficult to understand why it would be hard to get a really high approval rating. 

I am suspect of Tymoshenko and I don't know Zelensky. Looks like I'll have to watch Netflix tonight.

*МОНІТОРИНГ ЕЛЕКТОРАЛЬНИХ НАСТРОЇВ УКРАЇНЦІВ (22-27 БЕРЕЗНЯ 2019 РОКУ)

Дата публікації: 28.03.2019

http://ratinggroup.ua/research/ukraine/monitoring_elektoralnyh_nastroeniy_ukraincev_22-27_marta_2019_goda.html

International Women's Day

Marc Bennetts a journalist in Moscow reported on how Russia marked International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day, a public holiday in Russia, has long lost any connection to feminist issues. The 8th of March has become all about men giving women flowers and complementing them on their looks.

Vladimir Putin offered his own tribute to Russian women, “You find time for everything – at work and at home, and yet remain beautiful, bright, charming and the centre of gravity for the whole family, uniting it with your love, as well as your ability to inspire and support, comfort and console.”
Putin’s comments came after he told female police officers, “What does a young woman need to maintain her figure? Three things: a workout machine, a masseuse, and a suitor.” He honoured female mounted police officers by riding alongside them.

This year, a bomb disposal robot handed bunches of yellow tulips to young girls in an online video. In Yekaterinburg, servicemen posted perhaps the day’s oddest tribute to Russia’s women, posing with assault rifles alongside ballerinas in an empty metro station. The project was entitled “The strength of a man is in the tenderness and love of a woman.” In Crimea, little green men in fatigues mimicked those seen on the peninsula before it was annexed. They handed out flowers on the streets. In St. Petersburg, men crashed into a feminist coffee shop forcing flowers on women during a women's only event where reportedly one woman sprayed them with pepper spray. 

The sad thing is, they don't see anything wrong with their behaviour. Domestic violence is a serious problem. About 8,000 Russian women are estimated to die annually from injuries caused by their partners. The situation was exacerbated in 2017 when Putin signed off on a law that partially decriminalised domestic violence. There were some attempts to promote women's rights on the day under the banner “It’s Not Her Fault” to raise funds for a charity that assists survivors of domestic abuse..

I'm afraid it's not much better in Ukraine. Ukraine, of course, celebrated similarly under communism. But last year, in 2018, the holiday was removed from the calendar. Women, who had been happy to be treated nicely on one day of the year became angry. Men who were used to doing something special on one day of the year got confused. And now the future of International Women's Day in Ukraine is uncertain. Why are women respected on just one day of the year? How about International Women's Year every year?

Ancestry

I recently had my ancestry analysed. Lo and behold, at the 50% confidence interval, my DNA showed a majority (84%) of Eastern European ancestry: Polish, Ukrainian, and a few others. Those traits cover everything in the last two generations. That matches my personal known history - my parents lived in the border region between Ukraine and Poland and the borders shifted all the time. 

My DNA also shows a relatively high percentage of 8.3% Greek/Balkan. That also makes perfect sense as our family was Greek Catholic and Byzantine catholicism was widespread in Ukraine.  These minor traits go back 4-7 generations. The remainder was attributed as Broadly European. 

Alas, my Neanderthal index is lower than 58% of people screened. I am, therefore, arguably more human than most. I wonder what implications that has.