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.