What can be done?

   The ideal solution would by to put aside our differences and concentrate on common economic interests. If our politicians accepted the current division of power and started working on reforming the tax system, legal system, social security, education and medicine we would all benefit, regardless of the language speak. Unfortunately, our political leaders will not leave well-enough alone and try as hard as they can to exploit our differences in their political games. They have done it many times before and I see no reason why they would be willing to stop these practice.     There is hope though. Speaking of the long term horizon,
Ukraine is demographically drifting to the European Union. First of all, the population mass is literally moving to the west – Western regions of Ukraine and Kyiv outperforming Eastern regions in the demographic dynamics – due both to natural demographic changes and to migration processes. Secondly, the younger generations of Ukrainians are less likely to vote for parties with the socialist and communist ideologies, as the regression analysis showed. Both trends work in favor of the Europe-oriented liberal economic model of development and reduce ideological and cultural differenced for the whole country. The question the remains: can we afford waiting so long? 

Stepotylo, Oleksandr. “Ukraine is drifting to the West – Slowly but Surely”

The Ukrainian Observer, vol. 82/2 (May 2007): 11.

For Bear Lovers =)

Just a funny picture, I found in Internet yesterday.

How To Be British

How to complain: British rules

In order to be British, or at any rate to pass unnoticed in British society, the visitor must learn not to make a fuss. A fuss is something that the true Brit cannot stand.  

A clear example of fuss is complaining about poor service, for example, in a hotel, shop or restaurant. The true Brit does not do this. “Just think for a moment”, says the Brit, “would you like to do their job?” If the receptionist ignores you, or the hairdresser blows smoke in your face, if the soup is cold or taxi driver overcharges – say nothing! Who knows what

disappointments, what secret sadness their lived might contain? You may purse your lips or grit your teeth; you may raise one eyebrow quizzically, but DON’T COMPLAIN. You can always write to the local newspaper when you get home! 

Dress Sense

It’s 11.15pm on a cold Friday night in the dead of winter. Two young women in crop tops showing their bare waists and shoulders, and mini skirts with no tights underneath, are strolling along arm in arm. “Hello, darling!” they shout, “where you from then?” And they run off down the road screaming with laughter. “Good heavens!” wonders the visitor, “aren’t they cold?” This is an example of famous British toughness. On the other hand, in summer the same visitor may observe Brits sitting on the beach wearing jackets and pullovers with long woolen socks under their sandals. The important thing to remember is that the British dress to pleasure themselves and to show their independence of fashion, weather, social convention and colour theory. For many foreigners visiting Britain it’s a welcome change to be able to dress without having to worry if their clothes are the wrong size, or don’t match, or are torn, or inside out, or show off their fat legs.  

Pronunciation: How to pronounce the th sound

 There’s no point having perfect grammar and a vast vocabulary if no one can understand what you are saying. If you are worried about your pronunciation, practice these useful sentences at home alone. 

-         Mother and Father left Rotherham last Thursday, wandered hither and thither then thumbed a lift to Thirsk.

-          Larry rarely allows Lily and Rory a lift in the lorry, but Laura regularly lets Roland lie languidly on her lilo…

-      While Archie Shimmied with Sheila, Sasha cha cha cha-ed with Shirley.

-         One windy Wednesday, wealthy window Wendy Williams went to visit Westminster vet Victoria Vince to view her lovely violets.  P.SHave fun!! J 

What I’m Reading Now

“Saul had been with Emma for three years when he met a pretty friendly blonde in the bar. They chatted and smiled and flirted lightly. Saul had no true desire to her, no intention of asking for her number or grabbing a furtive snog. Until that night, he had quite enjoyed the occasional, harmless, forgettable flirt because his affection for Emma and monogamy had remained unsullied. That night, however, it wasn’t that he wanted the blonde, it was that he didn’t want Emma.”

“That morning, he left the house to go to work. Now he was returning only to leave home. Had he kissed Emma that morning? He couldn’t remember. Would the offer of just good friendship be a possibility or a cowardly digression? Would she believe him when he said that he was so sorry, that he did love her and felt wretched for hurting her? That it wasn’t her, it was him? Would she believe him that he truly felt she deserved more than he could give? That he didn’t mean to sound exactly like all those articles in the women’s mags she pored over in her long bubble baths and that he browsed through when he’d forgotten to buy an Evening Standard? He doubted it….”

“ ‘I don’t burn for you any more,’ Saul whispered, eyes closed, forehead resting against the door frame, ‘and I should. It’s a prerequisite. I can’t compromise.’ He couldn’t even summon a spark of it from the deepest recess of his soul. His heart might be warm for her, and would continue to be, but he was absolutely sure that it wasn’t enough. He wished there was a kinder way of being so seemingly cruel. But to use a cool head to decipher his heart would give the cleanest cut, though he knew that all Emma would read written all over his face was Heartless. Saul put his in the front door for the last time…”

Freya North “ Love Rules”

What do you think about relationships on distance? I always thought that miles can make you closer. But now I am sure they can’t.My distance is only 375 kilometers, but any way it is very hard. It’s not only you are feeling lonely but you also feel bad morally. For example me, I know I have a boyfriend but I don’t see him near me. I miss him in all ways. But the hardest thing in the beginning was seeing a happy couple and start being envy. Just don’t think I’m a bad person. Any way it was just a beginning. Now our relationships have new problems. Their names are distrust and jealousy. Maybe it is because we separated too early, I mean after 5 month dating. We didn’t check relationships by time. It was passion to each other in the beginning, now it’s some kind of hostility. I understand we are young people and we need to have dates, and that thought redouble a problem. There is other thing which bothers me all the time: Is there any sense in continuing relationships without a future? I mean I’m in
Kiev and I don’t think I’ll leave it. He is in my native town, copping with university and work. Talks about me coming back in town are not raised any more. Talks about him moving here are not raised yet. I mean: What the sense than??? Ok… I’m stuck…      

Are you sure that person who is very close for you know would be so close in some time? Have you ever felt a salt of betrayal? I bat you had. Or do you have a friend who always was with you no matter what happened? I bat you have.
I’ve heard a lot of times that there is no girl’s friendship. There is only girl’s solidarity. Ha… foolish statement.
I was betrayed by girlfriends, I was cheered up by girlfriends. And thanks to them I’m never bored. But any way, there is good proverb – keep your friend close and your enemy closer. Don’t you think it’s true???

Internet connects people.

When you are feeling lonely and really have nothing to do, you usually turn on your computer and start looking in to monitor. For people who have internet it’s easier, because they always can find someone to talk with.  The same thing is with me. Same days ago I felt really lonely and I downloaded a well-known program from internet – it is called ICQ. And very soon I found a friend there. It’s a guy from
Sweden and he seams very sweat. For already four days I can’t go to bed in time, because I’m talking with him all night long. But my point is that – never think you are alone in this world, I bat someone wants to talk to you write now.   

My Final Project

I hesitated a lot about topic of my research paper. I had chosen a topic about Night Witches – women-pilots in World War II. I started looking for information and already had found some interesting stories, but suddenly I’ve changed my mind. A day or two ago we had guests on our Composition class. I talked to the lady, who had been a witness of Holocaust. I found myself very interested in this topic and decided to change direction of my research paper.
I’m going to write about Jewish people, genocide of their nation and Holocaust. I’ve already been to British Council and found some articles there. I’m also going to go to library in a few days. I always knew that a lot of innocent people had died, but it was a shock when I found out the exact figure.
Any way, I hope I will enjoy working on the project and hope it would be interesting to the others.

Was the Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933 genocide?

It is very difficult to answer this question as it has a lot of sides and views. I can identify genocide of Jew nation, but can’t say it about Ukrainians. “The famine, in other words, was not a natural phenomenon but a politically engineered cataclysm”,-Carynnyk, the Canadian poet wrote. I completely agree with this statement, as I agree with other one: “The famine seems to have been designed as part of a campaign to destroy them [Ukrainians] as a political factor and a social organism.” – James Mace, a Ukrainian historian says.
But we should forget that famine was not only in Ukraine, but also in regions along the Black Sea and the North Caucasus, and some other Slavonic countries.
Anyway, we can look on famine as on a normal reaction of country after long anguished war. It, of cause, could be a good explanation and would not raise a lot questions. But that’s the point! The famine of 1932-1933 was caused artificially!!!
This subject is full of different hidden rocks, mysteries and I’m sure we don’t know all the truth yet.
But analyzing this question, I want to offer to call it “mass extermination” rather then “genocide”.
“The famine’s intent was to terrorize a people conquered by a colonizing power”. This is what Chalk and Jonassohn, famous scholars wrote. This is the statement I agree with completely.

To Be Continued….

Bibliography:
Bilinsky Yaroslav. “Was the Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933 genocide?” Journal of Genocide Research, (1999): 147-156.