Ukraine Starting Over

    Once past all the superficial babel, if one experiences Ukraine for an extended time, the aspect of the Supernatural can arise, since it has a powerful spiritual history that stretches back into pre- Christian times : There is a footprint of powerful life histories that does not dim with time.  Strong spiritual practices have a forceful element. Of course in Politics, the opposition is always Darth Vader, and it's a struggle today for the hearts and minds of the regular people aligned with or against the Oligarchs ,  to adequately define, just who is Darth Vader, what is he? she  doing here, and who are these bad people lined up against us, with him ? Considering the fantastical cycle of Revolution, war in the Donbas, threats of using the ultimate consequence against the West if they don't agree  to accept Crimea's "annexation". The whole question of trade embargo processes relating to the EU/ USA/ Ukraine / Russia/ China , will this go on for 2 years or

   Honestly, I have never taken a look at the faces on the metro in Moscow or Saint Pete, but taking a glance  at the folks midweek on the Kiev Metro, they seemed to be decidedly deeply lost in their individual thoughts, I mean there's a difference between "pre-occupied" and lost in internal thoughts. A few weeks ago, just the sidewalk mood in Dnipro was "pre-occupied" I don't know what prompted me to choose this title for my blog, this silly movie from 33 years ago, but in a lot of ways these FSU cultures seem to constantly mirror those dated cultural milieu's of 30 years in our past. Not that they lack hip, contemporary, aware, smart people, it is more like the process of social upgrading through their media, meeting the uncontrolled , freedom scripted youth :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKov1lmq_OU really , I have to try watching it, don't think I ever saw it in the theaters or even on TV, cable. (I'm not recommending the movie)

  I see quite a lot of the street kiosks, those temporary buildings without foundations, summer terrace decks, not alone in Kiev, other big cities, being taken up, some lifted whole by crane, they made some order to remove all, or face fines, something : they are quickly gone. It is based on some set of factors : these kiosks compete with fixed stores, and in the past, I had seen that they harbored a lot of rats, swarming out from under them after dark. So it's a public health thing I guess. But then what do these Kiosk owners, workers do, once their deal is gone?     One finds a constant struggle for change every day,  on the street stalls, the small stores and shops to make change, and that's mostly about making change for a 200 UAH, or a 100 UAH, a lot of times it all hinges on a .50 kopek. A muted drama can quickly unfold over change. As one hears about how people actually interact with the new government, dealing with papers and the like, one hears that yes, the bribes ha

     Renew Sanctions or allow The Great Escape ? Yesterday on the Metro, I caught a glimpse of a Steve McQueen (70's movie actor) look alike, him getting off the car  as I was getting on, it felt weird. We looked each other in the eyes.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQGAaCSFlJI The movie Bullit, about the cop who just doesn't fit into the department,  maybe it's close to the feeling of today's Ukraine,  in their struggle to battle corruption and regain a handle on their refreshed engagement with autonomy, or that's how I feel it. Those scenes of 70's San Francisco, what a postcard from the past ! ( a backyard Ukraine Oil/gas  operation) Sanctions , it is such a clinical word,, a subset of light technical Visa and banking restrictions imposed due to egregious behaviors and actions. Many sanctioned individuals have laughed them off as nothing, sanctions on people doesn't affect their ability to delegate business through their family and close asso

Well you can't say yes and you can't say No !'   There is no doubt of Political and Environmental climate change in Ukraine : they are trying to lead the resolution of their conflict with the neighbor, rather than be driven by events, utilizing nuance and the typical off handed neutrality, not giving credit where it isn't due. from the proposal to build a new LEONI plant in Western Ukraine https://www.leoni.com/en/ Ukraine continues to hold an edge, a sweet spot for foreign investment. The conflict areas will have to wait for a game plan from Moscow to take shape for their economy to return to anything close to it's pre-war levels. It's mostly older retired people there now, and mercenary style gangsters. For sure, it will be an endless game with Moscow and Kyiv, the blame shifting, it's a natural human and societal trait. Very few governments and societies can openly talk about their mistakes and accept blame, move on. Maybe the Scandinavian countr

That's got to suck : On the Eve of the start of the Euromaidan movement, a calculated targeting  of the power lines feeding Crimea  . Ukraine's Army and security services now have to assist in the repair and guarding of  the power lines that feed the occupying Russian forces and residents of this land of Limbo.  I still have a few friends there, I don't want them getting trapped in the elevator, regardless if they are Pro Russian or anti- occupation. The blockade, I don't know what it is achieving, results ,  aggravation, or both. Of course,  the power lines feed the Kherson region too, they have to be fixed, but it's a decision point for the leadership,  one more small decision that affects long term outcomes. For sure, the blockade will be another bargaining chip in the dialogue about when, if ever Ukraine will get control back of it's border with Russia in the conflict zones in the East. It's impossible to visualize what a moveable security barrier

It's been a difficult Revolution in Ukraine, coming up on 2 years now since it's inception, a lot of people hurt, killed, a battered economy, a  lot of WTF...... ? Petro Poroshenko seems to have grabbed the Bull by the Horns and ridden out the worst of it : he has got the Presidential thing down, a lot of earnest and sober conferencing is happening, the game plan for next year is being shaped up. Ukraine's economy isn't maybe what I'd call a hybrid, an enigma, more that it's like a unique niche economic mechanism pushing itself along, for all the sorrows and troubles at the bottom, the middle class enjoys what they have, they have a lot most Americans can't really appreciate. Soon enough in the Spring, the doors of tourism will perhaps burst open, harnessing the energy of lots of talented intelligent young people. "welcome to Ukraine" it's an often painful rather than joyful reference, it's the variability of service and friendlines

last Saturday Morning on the Kyiv Metro, it felt like a Bastion of normalcy, I don't think a lot of the 11 AM riders had checked their Twitter feeds : it's a nice feeling, safe and comfortable in there. Monday evening people seemed talkative and thoughtful .... Mid week I was in the midst of some young guys in the Metro car, all of them engaged in a boisterous sign language exchange and I even felt vaguely uneasy after having watched The Tribe movie :   https://vimeo.com/99616606 Friday, after work everybody rushed through the Metro with a great intensity and varied sense of purpose : I never saw so many purpose filled faces on a public transit. Aftermath, Ukraine elections 2015 : There is no point in adding glamour or false intrigue to the horrid sequence of events imposed on Ukraine as punishment for choosing to reject a corrupt government and begin to join the EU,  I feel fortunate to be a guest in such a storied place where fiction can freely intersect some reality

Володимир Сосюра МАЗЕПА Поем : Volodymyr Sosiura  ( Ukrainian :  Володимир Сосюра ; born January 6, 1898 in  Debaltseve ,  Yekaterinoslav Governorate (today  Donbas  region) of the  Russian Empire  - died January 8, 1965 in  Kyiv ,  Ukrainian SSR  of the  Soviet Union ) was a  Ukrainian   lyric poet , writer, veteran of the  Russian Civil War  (1918–20 Був довго Йван у сні неначе,  І серце стомлене козаче  То відпускав, то тиснув жах,  Що жить йому лишилось мало…  Він бачив: смерть в його ногах  З косою грізною стояла,  Щоб голову одтять йому  І повести у вічну тьму.  Він чув: над ним музика грала,  І десь лунав погребний дзвін… *************** Yvan was a long dream like, And my heart is tired Cossack So let go, then shook horror, What is left to him live a little ... He saw death in his legs With a menacing scythe standing, To head it odtyat And take into eternal darkness. He heard music played on it, And somewhere Pogrebna bell rang