The Great Johnny Cash

When I was a kid, I practically wore out my father's copy of "Ride This Train" by Johnny Cash. It was something of a concept album, the first I ever heard and long before I knew who Pink Floyd was. Between songs, Johnny would come in with "Ride this Train" and provide a narrated set up for the next tune. I can still hear the individual songs in my head.

I was never a big fan of country music as a teenager, when I first got into Kiss etc. and then embraced punk and what some called new wave, but I always liked to hear Johnny. There was an authenticity to his voice that I felt closer to than any of the so-called voices of my generation.

In fact, I was in a local punk bar band at one point in my life and and we would do a wildly bizarre version of Folsom Prison Blues that I always began by announcing "Hello everybody, My name is Johnny Cash" before we proceeded to destroy the song as a big joke. The oh-so-hip crowd (as hip as you can be in small town Mississippi) loved it and I never had the nerve to tell the other guys in the band that I wish we would try doing it straight.

I never walked away from Johnny, but I didn't listen to him with other people for a long time. That is until around 1990. For whatever reason, age I guess, I started picking up whatever I could find of the Man in Black. It was hard getting individual albums from his past (his later stuff wasn't of interest to me) and one of the greatest presents I ever got was an 8 album CD collection from the 60's including "Ride This Train", given to me by a girlfriend.

From there Johnny started recording with Rick Rubin and I was in heaven. Cash simply blew everybody else out of the water. He had no peers. That same girlfriend and I saw him and June Carter Cash in concert with, of all people, this new kid called Beck, and that was one of the greatest concerts I ever saw. My opinion of Beck went from being a one hit novelty act with "I'm a Loser" to deep respect for his musical knowledge. And he hasn't disappointed me since.

The greatest mistake I made when coming into the Peace Corps was not loading up my computer with all the Cash albums in my collection. Ukraine and PCVs are not a great source for his music so I've endured almost two years with a greatest hits album that only whets my appetite.

I've been very excited about the upcoming movie "Man in Black" and only regret that I will probably only get to see it on DVD but I can't wait for that moment. I hope that somebody finally does a definitive documentary on this legend.

Anyway, everybody is talking about JC now and here is a nice article to check out. Enjoy.

OSM

Ok, I've checked out the new OSM site.

I have a great deal of respect for many of the people involved in this new venture. I wish them the best. I've followed the development of OSM over the past several months and although I wasn't sure what to expect, I was sure it would all make sense when it launched.

Right now, I'm sorry to say, I frankly don't get it.

Maybe it is still in beta stage. I'll give it some time.

NYT's Shame

I've never understood the willingness to ignore the horror of communism as it massacred tens of millions over the years. Hitler is rightly listed as one of the great monsters in history but the fact is, Joseph Stalin murdered more people than Hitler ever imagined. And Mao runs a close second. For example, from 1932-1933, 7 to 10 million Ukrainian peasants were forcibly starved to death while they occupied the most fertile fields of Europe.

And all the while, the New York Time's man in Moscow, Walter Duranty, posted lie filled reports extolling the Soviet dream and denying the horror he knew to be true. Duranty was awarded a Pulitzer for his aiding in murder and the Times had another plaque to hang on the wall. Years after the facts have been revealed, the Times refuses to return the award.

And some people actually still proclaim the virtues of that murderous state and that lying newspaper.

Front Page Magazine has an interview with Volodymyr Kurylo, the President of the United Ukrainian American Organizations of Greater New York about this shameful situation. Here is a sample:

----------------------------------------------
FP: Tell us about the Ukraine famine.

Kurylo: We should call it the Ukrainian Famine Genocide of 1932-1933.
Ukrainians have known it as the "Holodomor".  Stalin needed and wanted to
collectivize agriculture in the fledgling Soviet Union.  The USSR was a
third world country and Stalin needed to industrialize it.  He did so
rapidly & brutally.

Ukraine has been known as "the breadbasket of Europe" because of its rich
agricultural region and the crops it produced, primarily grains.  Wheat was
a valuable commodity to be traded for hard currency.  Stalin instituted a
policy of forced collectivization.  It was easier to seize more produce from
the independently-minded peasants if they were forced into large
state-controlled farms.

Towards the end of 1931, about 70 percent of Ukrainian peasants had been
coerced into joining the collectives.  During this period grain seizures
began to wipe out reserves which had been accumulated from previous
harvests.  Even though famine was breaking out, nothing was going to stop
Stalin.

The peasant-producers had to fulfill their obligations to the State before
they could receive their allotment.  Quotas were unreasonable and bands of
communist zealots, military units and NKVD secret police were sent in to
enforce the Stalins decrees.

Even seed grain was declared state property and withholding even a few
grains was considered a crime against the state punishable death by death.

Early in 1932, the Soviets continued to increase the grain procurement
quotas for Ukraine.  Stalin, Kaganovich, Molotove et.al. were well aware
that extraordinarily high grain quotas would result in grain shortages.
They didn't care that Ukrainian peasants would not be able to feed their
families.

Villages that were emptied by the genocidal famine would be re-populated
with ethnic Russians thereby helping to solve the nationalities issue Stalin
was facing.  Stalin also implemented an internal passport system to restrict
peasants from traveling in search of food.  In fact, the peasants were the
last group to be issued passports decades after anyone else.

The toll was staggering: estimates range from 7 to 10 million dead.  At its
peak, the genocide was claiming 25,000 peasants a day.  We haven't touched
upon executions, internal exiling, forced-slave labor etc.
-------------------------------------------

As those other really important guys always say, read the whole thing.

Asses and Taliwackers

Finally a one stop website for all those knee-slapping
revealing photos
of various athletes.

Two questions, why so many playing soccer and why such a big percentage of men?

Link again via Cruel.com

Fast Food Dangers You Never Imagined

Unbelievable.

Anybody who read about Milgram experiment in Psych 101 will be familiar with the power of authority but trust me, you will not believe this.

Link via Cruel.com

Partisan Commentary

There are those commentators who refuse to follow a party line and you learn to respect, if not always agree with, for their integrity. And there are those who are embarrassingly devoted to that party line, evidently trusting their readers not to actually read the news and see hypocrisy in their column.

Pat Robertson is an idiot of course. Lucky very few people take him seriously. Anyway, Charles Krauthammer slaps him down a little.

Mona Charen on the other hand, seems to have forgotten about a certain number of Republicans who voted for the recent bill she's vilifying the Democrat's for.

Lennon/McCartney feud take 987

Over the years I have found myself changing my mind about who is my "favorite" Beatle. I won't bore you with details except to say that I flipped between Lennon and McCartney. And yes, I know that it is a silly exercise but we're talking about a brooding 20 year old pondering the really important things in life.

I got over it but some people just want to squeeze every drop from this rock.

Goodbye Deuce 4

Michael Yon continues to provide the most compelling stories of soldiers that do the dirty work while the rest of us pontificate. Deuce 4 ends their run with class.

Ukrainian illness

Wow, Ukraine is certainly a breeding ground for all kinds of nasty diseases. Trains are notoriously filled with allergens that can put down a bolshoi muschina with ease. And riding an overnight train compounds this because of the allergen impregnated mattresses and pillows. I began taking multiple antihistamines on every trip after only a couple of rides when I realized that a train ride inevitably results in becoming sick. I know that allergies are not related to a cold but they can weaken your system and make you more susceptible.

Well, that seems to work but on this last trip I picked up yet another cold. My head has been clouded for about 5 days and I hope I am coming out of it soon. Needless to say, my postings have dropped off dramatically.

And all while this Open Source Media is being launched, driving opposing bloggers from across the blogosphere bloggaliciously crazy and the Republicans seem to have lost their minds or finally gotten drunk (literally) on power and passed some resolution on the war that evidently was been drafted by Ted Kennedy. My mind's clouded state makes it impossible for me to summon up a comment on either that is worth commenting on as the above probably illustrated.

I did manage to visit a classroom today blather on and on about very little of substance. The students probably think I'm either brilliant or nuts.

Anyway, I hope that tomorrow I will be back with something worth saying.

Posting

I've been on the road since Friday, attending a friend's wedding and getting some medical things taken care of.  I expected to be able to use the internet in the office to post while I wiled away the time but found that my fellow PCVs inevitably walked up to speak and started asking questions about this "Cranky PCV" thing. 

 

I managed to change the topic but just didn't feel comfortable and decided to wait until I am back to the privace of my home. 

 

The purpose of this blog is not to be an expose of the Peace Corps, although there is room for that if somebody were to take it on, but to be able to speak frankly about my feelings and experiences.

 

The reality, (oh, this is expose-y I guess) is that the PC administration in my country is hardcore democrat and their biases are revealed on a regular basis.  People that don't share the party line tend to keep their opinions to themselves.  And I have chosen the same strategy, at least when dealing with admin. 

 

This is even more annoying when you see the Ukrainian staff expressing the same political positions that they seem to have taken on simply because the bosses have educated them on proper American politics. 

 

For instance, my regional manager recently suggested that, to avoid conflict,  I tell local Ukrainians that I do not support my government's various policies.  He wasn't telling me to lie, he was telling me it was OK to state my opinion.  It evidently never crossed his mind that I might actually support some. 

 

Anyway, I'll start posting again tomorrow.  Sorry if anybody has actually come here and found no new posts. 

Carter Continues His Quest...

...to become the worst ex-president in history. I have friends who used to hail Carter as the best ex-president in history. Whatever, I never thought it worth the effort to argue. I mean after humiliating himself for 4 years, let him take that mantle if he wants. But over the past 10 or so, he's become nothing less than a big pain the the ass.

Not just for Republicans, there were reports of him annoying Clinton during the 90's as well.

Anyway, he's got a new book: "Reviews call the book biting political commentary, despite the fact that there's an unwritten rule in American politics that former presidents do not criticize current ones. Carter says he wrote this book reluctantly, but did so because he just couldn't stay silent anymore."

Couldn't stay silent? It seems he can't keep his trap shut.

Thank god nobody takes him serious anymore.

Bush begins push back

A lot of people have been calling for the president to be more aggressive in making the case for the war. Maybe that has begun: "As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who voted to send them to war continue to stand behind them"

Are the French being radicalized?

After 16 days, this report: "Two Molotov cocktails were tossed at a mosque Friday evening in the southern town of Carpentras, but it was not immediately clear whether the attack was linked to the unrest that has wracked the poor suburbs and small towns of France since Oct. 27."

This is not good of course, but could it be the work of people pushing back.

Martyrs in Skirts

I believe that more important than Palestine or Iraq or the local iman
or Osama or Mohammed or even Alah, the most important thing to guys
that choose the shortcut to paradise is their reputation. They know
that the family is going to be proud and all their buddy's will be
yapping about them for weeks and weeks. The media will publish their
photos around the world and everybody will know who they are. Whoohoo!

What can be done to counter that? Well, I don't have all the answers
but here is one idea.

In a perfect world, there would be a web site that takes photos of
dudes that blow themselves up and photoshops them onto women's bodies
in various forms of womanly wear so that the whole world knows that
these guys really wear dresses (and do other less than martyrly things)
when they aren't blowing themselves up. There could even be quotes
from the blown up dudes with their likes and dislikes etc.

And the whole blogosphere could start a linking campaign to ensure that
everybody knows about it. Who would complain?

I'm not sure if the photos should be demure or fantastically sexy or,
allah forbid, pornographic but I just wonder it would give anybody
pause before they strapped on the pipe bombs.

He man manly formulae

My first question is "Is this for real?"

My second "Is that guy in the picture the before or after patient?"

French dopes

Oh sure, we have dopes everywhere but here are a couple: who happen to be in France

First the just plain dopey:

"'We're not doing anything to help these people. I'm surprised they didn't riot sooner,' said Brigitte Gaspard, a 42-year-old unemployed mother, one of many who feared a nighttime curfew could inflame the situation."

Then the sensitive dope:

"But, parents and children watched together, in shock, as a black father arrived to pick up his son and faced a humiliating request by school authorities for his identification card. The man lost his temper and his son burst into tears.
'You wonder what drives people to riot?' said Fabrice Allorge, 31, a white man witnessing the scene as he picked his son up from school. 'They've never asked me for my identification.'

OK, what is wrong with that? Check out the next sentence that shows his real sentiment:

Allorge said he has told his wife and children to stay indoors at night and has placed a list of emergency numbers by the telephone. With a whisper, he noted that he wonders if his neighborhood will be the next to explode.
'I live next to Africans,' he said. 'You never know what could happen.'"

UPDATE: In my original post, I used the word "idiot" instead of dope. That was kind of harsh I think.

Car b Q solution humbly submitted

I'm not saying there are some flaws to this plan, but how about setting loose a few hundred of these in France to put out all those cars? They'd have them stomped out in no time.

I'll leave it to somebody else to work out the details concerning additional Ostrich insurance.

Wedding

I'm off to a wedding tonight. Taking the overnight train.

I have been asked to be the best man so I guess I have to behave
myself. Blogging will be light for a couple of days.

Yes, as you can see I have always felt very strongly about this.

In the 80's there was a studio executive who famously kept two memos about any particular project in his desk. One was an enthusiastic endorsement and the other expressed grave concerns. He would be able to pull the most useful one out when needed.

The politicians and pundits who supported the war but have now backtracked are doing the same thing except they made the unfortunate mistake of actually speaking out loud in public.

Norman Podhoretz via Instapundit provides a rundown just in case anybody has forgotten.

Today I won't engage in the dramatic technique of throwing out a quote then BANG! revealing it to have been uttered by somebody who now holds an opposite view. Instead, the game for today is to guess which current war critic said what.

---------------------------
If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq’s weapons-of-mass-destruction program.

Iraq is a long way from [the USA], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risk that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face.

He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983.

Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons-of-mass-destruction technology, which is a threat to countries in the region, and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.

There is no doubt that . . . Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical, and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf war status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies.

Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations, and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them.

In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical- and biological-weapons stock, his missile-delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al-Qaeda members.

There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years. . . . We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction.

We know that [Saddam] has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country.

Iraq’s search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter, and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power.

I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force—if necessary—to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security.

We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.

The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical- and biological-warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons.2

hard to negotiate with a tyrant who has no intention of honoring his commitments and who sees nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons as his country’s salvation.

[o]f all the booby traps left behind by the Clinton administration, none is more dangerous—or more urgent—than the situation in Iraq. Over the last year, Mr. Clinton and his team quietly avoided dealing with, or calling attention to, the almost complete unraveling of a decade’s efforts to isolate the regime of Saddam Hussein and prevent it from rebuilding its weapons of mass destruction. That leaves President Bush to confront a dismaying panorama in the Persian Gulf [where] intelligence photos . . . show the reconstruction of factories long suspected of producing chemical and biological weapons.
-----------------------

The studio executive I mentioned before was also famous for seriously damaging and almost destroying what was one of the greatest studios in history through his hubris and complete dedication to the glorification of himself. As a film lover, I despised him for that. But at least it wasn't a country.

For answers to who said what, you just need to follow the link above.

The End of the World is...

Great article at Varifrank about predictors of doom both today and in the past.

I grew up in a Southern Baptist church and as a teen was convinced by my elders that the world was in the last days of the end times. The evidence was all there. Luckily for me a couple of flaws in the timeline drove me to break away before I had the compound plans drawn up.

Friends and family, who depended on Revelations for the weather forcast had a difficult decade in the 80s as the disintegration of the USSR threw a wrench in all the elaborately laid out interpretations. As Gorbachev began dismantling the Soviet Union, my mother was convinced that it was all a ruse to lull the US into a false sense of security and then SPRING THE TRAP with the anti-christ and all that jazz.

Ahh, those were the days.

What, did they run out of cars?

"Shortly before the decree came into effect, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, on a visit to Toulouse, said police were reporting a "fairly significant fall" in violence."

Evidently there is a slowing of what Tim Blair calls the car-b-que.

I'd like to answer that question but first, let me avoid it.

Tim Russert with Ted Kennedy on Meet the Press:

----------------

MR. RUSSERT:  You talked about Iraq.  There's a big debate now about whether or not the data, the intelligence data, was misleading and manipulated in order to encourage public opinion support for the war.  Let me give you a statement that was talked about during the war.  "We know [Iraq is] developing unmanned vehicles capable of delivering chemical and biological warfare agents...all U.S. intelligence experts agree they are seek nuclear weapons. There's little question that Saddam Hussein wants to develop them. ... In the wake of September 11th, who among us can say with any certainty to anybody that those weapons might not be used against our troops, against allies in the region?  Who can say that this master of miscalculation will not develop a weapon of mass destruction even greater--a nuclear weapon. ..."

Are those the statements that you're concerned about?

SEN. KENNEDY:  Well, I am concerned about it, and that's why I believe that the actions that were taken by Harry Reid in the Senate last week...blah, blah, blah.

Blah, blah, blah blah...and that is what the Democrats stood for on the floor of the United States Senate last week.  That was a bold stroke, one that has the overwhelming support of the American people.  It's about time they get the facts on it.  They haven't got the facts to date.  They deserve them, and they'll get them.

MR. RUSSERT:  But, Senator, what the Democrats stood for on the floor of the Senate in 2002--let me show you who said what I just read:  John Kerry, your candidate for president.  He was talking about a nuclear threat from Saddam Hussein.  Hillary Clinton voted for the war.  John Edwards, Joe Lieberman, John Kerry.  Democrats said the same things about Saddam Hussein.  You, yourself, said, "Saddam is dangerous.  He's got dangerous weapons."  It wasn't just the Bush White House.

SEN. KENNEDY:  The fact is--and I voted against the war, because every military--I'm in the Armed Services Committee, and every military leader highly decorated, military leader, said that it was foolish to have a military intervention at that.  General Hoar, with the Marines--General Hoar, who has more Silver Stars than you could possibly count said if  we go into Baghdad, it'll look like the last five minutes of "Private Ryan," so we know we had enough information to vote against it, I believe.
------------

I don't know this General Hoar but he evidently saw the G rated "Private Ryan" where the Germans got their asses pounded into the ground and ran away like girly men. Does he have a bazillion Silver Stars?!?!?!?!? I'm pretty sure I can count that high if you give me enough time.

------------
SEN. KENNEDY: It is time now to--we are going--the end of this year, Tim, we find that our mandate has expired in the United Nations.  The president has to go back to the United Nations for a new mandate....blah, blah, blah.
------------

Oops, see my earlier post, the mandate was unanimously passed. Can you count to Unanimous Senator Kennedy?

UPDATE: I misread Kennedy on the "Private Ryan" reference. I was thinking he said the first 5 minutes but he said the last. Wasn't that when the old dude was visiting the cemetary?

UN Mandate

Great, all the people who insisted that the UN sign an approval slip on Iraq can relax, it's unanimous!

"UNITED NATIONS, New York The Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a one-year renewal of the United Nations mandate for the U.S.-led multinational force in Iraq.
 
The resolution, sponsored by Britain, Denmark, Japan, Romania and the United States, extends the mandate until Dec. 31, 2006, but calls for a review of the decision by June 15, 2006, and allows for the termination of the mandate at any point if Iraq requests it.
 
The review clause was added as a compromise with the demands of France and Russia, which initially asked that the term be extended only six months, rather than a year.
 
The drawing-up of the measure was remarkably free of disputes on an issue that two years ago deeply divided the Security Council and threw relations between the United Nations and United States into turmoil.
 
Commenting outside the Council chamber after the vote, John Bolton, the United States ambassador, said, "We thought the manner in which the resolution was adopted in a constructive, cooperative, and very rapid fashion was a good sign." Samir Shakir Sumaidaie, the Iraqi ambassador, said, "We note with satisfaction the manner in which this resolution was passed in an environment of harmony and agreement."
 
Bolton said the 15-0 vote "expressed the clear desire of the international community to support the evolving democratic process in Iraq."

The Leakiest Leaking Leakers Just Keep on Leaking

Did the CIA decide that all those rules and stuff are too much of a hassle? I'm just glad the Democrats and Republicansare working closely together to resolve this issue for the good of the country.

"'It's illegal to leak classified information and classified information was leaked to the Washington Post,' the official said."

Maybe they could post that up on the super secret double naught spy breakroom bulletin board.

Never Get out of the Pixar boat!

Never Bet Against Pixar

I thought the bad reviews for Chicken Little meant Pixar was about to bend Disney over in their current negotiations. Of course the movie would pull in something like $40 million its opening weekend making me look like a fool.

BUT WAIT! There's more!

The real test will be the final BO. I have a feeling that 7 year olds aren't distinguishing between a Disney or Disney/Pixar movies at this stage in their movie seeing development. Actually I bet a lot of parents aren't either. Blockbuster status depends on repeat business so time will tell.

In any case, those folks that dumped their Pixar stock must feel like dopes about now.

Good Republican

Being out of the country means I'm out of touch with American TV but then I never watched West Wing Anyway. I figured the president on that show would eventually be hammering on missile silos to save the world around the point that Martin Sheen acquired a producer's credit.

But this story about a West Wing ratings driven live debate that recently aired is interesting.

BushitleroviensteinmcChimp, or whatever

If your standard talking points for vilifying George Bush are growing stale, not quite packing the punch of last year, this site should provide plenty of fresh material. In fact, why not try the home page Hard Truth for a whole new understanding of the world.

If the worms don't eat your brain first.

Uh, France, You Know There's a Riot Going On? You might want to, uh, put that out.

The French get serious about doing something, maybe, perhaps, we're not sure right now.

"PARIS (AP) - The French government declared a state of emergency Tuesday after nearly two weeks of rioting, and the prime minister said the nation faced a ``moment of truth.''

Um, wouldn't that moment have been somewhere between cars 500 and 600? Not that I could put a definitive timeline on it or anything.

Doing Nothing, Means Something

I was wrong about Darfur in my earlier post I guess. Since the MSM never really carries any news of substance about that area anymore, I assumed that all was well. I mean, the UN was going to work on it at least 18 months ago. I remember a lot of tough talk. Surely they followed that up right?

Christopher Hitchens brings us up to date on the great job the UN is doing in Darfur

A taste:

"In other words, a Rwanda in slow motion, and in front of the cameras and the diplomats. What was all that garbage about "never again"?"

And most importantly for those whose main goal in life is to keep their hands clean:

"Nonintervention does not mean that nothing happens. It means that something else happens."

Mickey's dark Days

Via Cruel.com, a look at and edgier, more suicidal Mickey Mouse of the 30s.

An MSM Takedown

Stephen Green again proves that he is one of the most thoughtful and articulate writers in the blogosphere with this piece on the MSM and the Iraq war.

Here is the part that gets your blood pumping:

"It's fair to ask if the Iraq Campaign was a necessary component to the Terror War. It isn't fair to compare Iraq to Vietnam, when the two wars have nothing, zero, nada in common. It's fair to ask if our soldier are dying in vain, or because of stupid policy, or because of inferior equipment. It's not fair to run headlines like 'Battle Deaths Continue to Mount.' No shit, Sherlock? A real story would be, 'Battle Deaths Decline as Fallen Soldiers Miraculously Resurrected.' It's fair to question Bush's policies. It's not fair to act as a conduit for enemy propaganda. It's fair to ask if Iraq is draining resources from our efforts in Afghanistan. It's not fair to complain that Afghanistan isn't perfect yet. It's fair to complain about indecencies at Abu Ghraib. It's not fair to virtually ignore atrocities committed by the other side everywhere else in Iraq."

From there it gets better.

Getting Things Done in Ukraine, Not

Why is Ukraine stuck in idle when it should be on its way to being an economic dynamo (IMHO)? I won't try to answer that but here is an example of the way things work.

I have had the opportunity to work closely with the Oblast (similar to
a US state) government and its pursuit for economic development. In
that time, there has been one wildly heralded local election (with live
satellite coverage [a first in Ukraine!], street fairs and a huge
concert featuring one of the most popular singers in the country), one
wildly heralded 3 day student conference (free beer and bbq for
students and a concert by one of the most popular singers in the
country) and yet another street concert by yet some of the more popular
musical acts in the country. The concerts I describe use full sized
and equipped stages with all the smoke and lights that any respectable
eastern European rock star would demand.

These are great. Great opportunity to show the people that the
government cares about them. Great opportunity to pass out free balloons and informative
materials concerning a wide range of issues. Great opportunity to
bring together students from across Ukraine and teach them that they
are all, in their hearts, the same.

Great. I'm all for that.

The Oblast government has made exports and foreign investments its top
priority.

Great. The Oblast desperately needs such development.

Since I work with the government, I have contacts with people
immediately connected with the Governor. In the flurry of activity and
excitement of a new beginning, I went to the Oblast website to see how
potential investors or import/exporters would get information. The
site is in Ukrainian with no English translation. Since most foreign investors/businesses will more likely speak English than Ukrainian, I thought it important to create a mirror site in English. My offer to help
create an English version of the site was politely declined by the
webmaster. Too much to do.

OK, well I'm resourceful, unlike a typical exporter in the
US, I know people who know people in the Oblast. I ask around and find
the personal email address for the person in charge of developing
foreign investments and I write an email requesting information about
exporting Oblast products to the US. The very opportunity that the
Oblast is desperately searching for (by the way, I didn't fabricate
anything, I actually know somebody who is very interested in this).

I never received an answer.

I mentioned this to some workers within the Oblast. I never heard
anything more.

This was 4 months ago.

This kind of thing is repeated constantly.

The very structure of how things are done is broken in Ukraine. It is
a remnant of 70 years of Soviet rule. It is not necessarily based on
politics anymore but is more cultural. Why this is and how to fix it
is a much longer post but the point is that there is a societal
overhaul that is long overdue.

I'm no political genius but it seems there should be more effort in business development and less concerts and balloons. Or am I being too dramatic?

Hot Sex Sports Story

I have a feeling posters of these girls are being contemplated in a much more intense and frenzied manner by teenaged boys (ok, men) across Carolina.

A Kinder Form of Fighting

A Kinder Form of Fighting

Why don't the French cops get a couple dozen of these?

This is how it's done Mate

Has Australia actually done what so many European countries have failed to do, get ahead of the Jihadists?

I wonder how this will go over with the locals?
-----------------
The highest-profile suspect captured is Abdul Nacker Ben Brika, also known as Abu Bakr, a radical Muslim cleric.

In media interviews, Abu Bakr has said he is against the killing of innocents, but added he could not discourage students from training in jihad camps. He has also praised al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Abu Bakr appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning charged with being members of a terror group.

"Each of the members of the group are committed to the cause of violent jihad,'' said prosecutor Richard Maidment, adding that Bakr was the ringleader.

Rob Stary, a Melbourne lawyer who represents eight of the suspects including Bakr, said his clients have only been charged with being members of a terror group.

"They are not charged with being involved in the planning or preparation (of a terrorist act)," he said.
--------------
Lawyers always see the glass half full!

Cheney Fights for Detainee Policy

Via Hit and Run, which is all a twitter over these things an interesting article about the effort to impose tighter restraints on the treatment of prisoners. Dick Cheney wants to provide exemptions for certain categories.

I have no burning desire to start sharpening bamboo shoots but it seems that it is a mistake to create laws that so strictly bind the hands of people who are supposed to get info from bad guys. Especially in an age in which we hear complaints of pop music being a form of inhumane treatment.

One thing you have to give al Qaeda credit for is they do know how to work the system and they do teach their people all the ropes. We shouldn't be making it easier for them.

Beautiful Women

When I was assigned to Ukraine and waiting for my departure, I was informed by people who know these things that the women of Ukraine are the most beautiful in the world. They told me about the thriving marriage industry that brings westerners (mainly from US) to meet and marry Ukrainian women. That is a whole other post.

Well, Ukrainian women are beautiful. I don't know if they are the most beautiful, my time in Italy convinced me that Italian women were the most beautiful and then a recent trip to Germany convinced me that German women are the most beautiful.

And living in LA can spoil a man. It seems that the most beautiful women from every small town in the world make their way to LA to become movie stars. So LA probably has the most beautiful waitresses in the world.

I could create a long list of the many states that have the most beautiful women (Texas has the most beautiful Cowgirls) but I have a bandwidth limit here.

I did end up dating a Ukrainian girl here for a while. Yes, she was beautiful. But I discovered something about myself. I really enjoy communicating with women, especially one that I am having a relationship with. I enjoy finding that place where we understand each other's unique voice and can talk about all those things that you don't talk about in polite company.

Communicating with women has its own difficulties for me. I'm not a mumbling fool or anything but in a relationship there is always an opportunity to say something the wrong way and be misunderstood or vice versa. I blame it all on me.

So when you are dating somebody who's English is OK but not fluent (my Russian is very bad, ochen ploho) then those little subtleties are magnified and provide even more moments of explaining yourself. I enjoyed my time in that relationship but after it ended, decided that I would stick with fluent English speakers for now. The only ones I've met here so far are American.

Last week we found out that we are getting a couple of new PCVs in our city next month. I am in a city with another guy and both of us are ready to start dating again and both are not eager to date the locals. We have been closely following the events and just found out that we are getting a girl who fits into both of our age range.

We'll be meeting her soon.

This could be war.

A Lesson by VDH

Long essay by Victor Davis Hanson about the realities of muslim terror and what we need to do about it.

He cites some nutcase rantings by a San Antonio columnist but point to this:

"More coherent—but, in its way, even more frightening—was “Time to Talk to al Qaeda,” a Boston Globe op-ed by Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou of Harvard’s Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research. Mohamedou assures us that bin Ladin is a reasonable adversary with whom we can reach accommodation."

My concern is that there are actually people out there that will read things like that and see it as reasonable.

Also, is it just me or does the magazine cover on that page looks a lot like Spiderman's head shot?

Hollywood and Religion

Brent Bozell over at Townhall has a piece about the dearth of Christian themed movies coming out of Hollywood.

He complains, rightly I think, that the industry is afraid of religious themed films in spite of the success of "The Passion" but he does say this:

"This is not to say, however, that a book with a Christian message is going to be a guaranteed hit at the theater. The "Left Behind" series of books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins have sold an astronomical 70 million copies, but when the first two books were turned into movies, they bombed at the theater. Hollywood is now trying a radical innovation with "Left Behind: World at War." the third movie attempt. It is releasing the film exclusively in churches -specifically, on screens in 3,200 churches, 1,200 of which can seat more than 2,000 viewers."

I have news for Mr. Bozell and Hollywood, the success of religious themed films are going to be based on their quality a hell of a lot more than anything else by far. The fact is that most religious films suck. They tend to range from amateurish to ridiculous. Sure, give me a list of good religious films to rebut me but odds are I can name 20 good secular ones for every "Passion" you throw at me.

At the same time, the vast majority of serious "erotic" films suck too. Every time I read about some director being a titty-baby because his film got an NC-17 for sexual content, I can rest assured it will be about as erotic as buying kartofels from the local babushka. Henry and June anyone?

Good movies, that's all we ask.

It's Cool

Kofi Annan assures us in this commentary in the Washington Post that we have nothing to worry about when the UN takes its rightful place as overlord of the internet.

As a remedy to this situation, I suggest somebody inform Mr. Annan that the internet is currently inhabited by a large population of agitated Hutus and see what happens. The UN won't find time to actually doing anything about the internet for decades.

Changing the Clock

Or not.

Thursday I was getting ready to teach a class when I looked at my
kitchen clock and saw that I was running just a tad later than I like.
So I ran down to the Marshrutka (you know, the passenger vans used as
mini-buses) and jogged to my class with 15 minutes to spare. I hate to
be late, bad example and all for the students you know, so I was very
happy with myself when I actually arrived a little early.

One student shows up, puts her books down and leaves. I've had a
problem with students not attending classes, apathy runs rampant here,
but I usually have my core group in attendance. Well I decided to wait
for a while and get some writing done. 30 minutes later, no students.
Finally the one student returns, sits and stares at me as if I am going
to teach her even if she doesn't even speak English (I use one of the
students as an interpreter and they weren't there).

I've found that I have to really reach inside myself sometimes to find
the necessary patience with my students but there are moments in which
my annoyance shines through and this was one I guess because I asked
"So, where is everybody?" That's when she told me we still had 45
minutes before class started. I had failed to adjust the kitchen
clock.

In fact, as I write I still have not gone to the trouble of taking the
clock down and setting it back. I'll get around to it.

Eventually.

Libby's Fibby

Has anybody come up with the definitive clever name for the current
situation with Scooter? I'm sure everybody has worked with the same
old variations with "gate" but isn't that so 20th century by now?

Libby's Fibby is my nomination.

Marketing Religion

Jeff Jarvis has this to say about recent decisions by the Methodist church.

"God’s work?

I sure as hell don’t think so."

Whatever dude. I'm as un-religious as is possible, but I've never understood people's demands that a church change its belief system based on changing times. Of course since I'm not part of any religion I guess I have no say but, having said that, I SAY that if a particular religion doesn't fit with the times, let it serve it's members or lose membership and fade away as part of a natural process.

Isn't that where all the protestant religions came from?

I support gay marriage but I'm not going to tell my mother that she has to ignore what she believes is the word of god. I gave up that kind of time-waster years ago.

Cat Fight

Ever been in a situation where a couple of people you know have a disagreement and start yelling and saying things you think they might regret later? You know, where their emotions get the best of them and neither is willing to back down? Try this exchange over at Daily Pundit.

A question

By the way, is there a Blogger's styleguide?

Get with the Program!!!!!

I did it again! The film fest links come from Hit and Run.

http://www.reason.com/hitandrun/

I'm a dope.

Liberty Fest reports

Themed film festivals are always a little creepy since they are most concerned with serving their theme and can find themselves running really crummy movies because of the festival's narrow scope. But if there is one constituency that is poorly served in film it is conservatives so maybe the Liberty Fest has a purpose.

Here are two wildly different takes.

First the rave.:

And then, the rasberry.

Ahem, an Introduction

So I started this blog way, way back and then dropped it for various
reasons, mainly lack of internet access.

I've resumed without actually telling anybody so if you found me,
welcome.

I am a Peace Corps Volunteer currently posted in Ukraine. If you've
ever been in the PC, you probably know that it is a hive of liberal
group-think so, not being fully with the program makes me something of
an oddball. My PC friends would probably be surprised to hear this but
I would be an oddball in a hive of conservative group-think as well.
I've struggled with the left/right labels in the past, trying to
identify myself as liberal on these issues and conservative on those
but I finally realized that those labels simply don't work for me.

I don't see how a war on terrorism or the war in Iraq can be defined as
liberal or conservative issues. And I find that both parties share the
same enthusiasm for hypocrisy if it suits their particular purpose.

But I do find myself reading more from what is considered the
conservative side of opinion. And the vast majority of my friends are
liberal.

So maybe that makes me a Masochistan. Has anybody started that party
yet?

I am slowly starting to realize various mistakes I've made over the
past week, not attributing some links to the blog that I found them on
being the most inexcusable and I promise to make a better effort.

In Ukraine (it is "Ukraine" by the way, Ukrainians hate it when people
say "The Ukraine"), internet is relatively expensive. My method of
using it is to go online, grab as much as I can and then log off to
save minutes. I do all my reading offline and so when I want to blog a
story, I go back on and blah, blah, blah. Sometimes, in that gap, it
has slipped my mind to attribute where I originally found a story.
Sometimes, I forget where I got it. In any case, I'll try harder in
the future I promise.

Other than that, I need to begin pulling out and posting quotes from
sources that I link to more. I've started that to some degree but I
don't know HTML and I don't get the pretty quote formatting of others.
And since my online time is limited, I think that this will be the
standard for a while.

There are old posts below that I tried to edit and managed to
completely screw up in the process. I'll be repairing that in the
future.

If anybody knows a way that you can post on blogspot by email with
formatting (links etc), please let me know. I don't know if that is
even possible but it would save me a lot of time.

Oh, and I'll be making a greater effort to pontificate on the unique PC
experience in Ukraine.

A grown up's CIA

Interesting article about the way things were run in the 1980's CIA.

Obviously there were some foulups back then but after the current debacle, this is refreshing.

" Casey seemed to know everyone on earth who had ever accomplished anything, and he had a genius for flipping through his Rolodex and plucking out the one individual in the entire world capable of helping us find out whatever we needed to know %u2013 and then talking that man or woman into lending a hand.
It was always done quietly if a meeting was necessary, we held it away from the office and with no paper trail whatever. And we did it all the time. There are literally scores of individuals in Washington, and elsewhere, who during those years gave their time and energy, sometimes at personal risk to help provide information vital to our country security. Of course you don't know who they are because they never, ever talked about what they did, not even to their friends and colleagues, never gave a speech about it, and never published op-ed essays about it even if they thought the resulting Reagan policies were wrong-headed."

Chicken Little

I see that Chicken little is getting tepid at best reviews. The guys
at Pixar must be out house shopping right now.

Lower Ninth Ward update

Nice piece about hurricane aftereffects from NO resident Blake Bailey in Slate

Miss Cleo the Editor

The last time I read USA today was in a hotel while on business. Back then I remember Al Neuharth's editorials as tepid and inconsequential. Since when did he become psychic?:


"We'll never know whether I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby is guilty of lying to a grand jury as charged.
Despite Libby's not guilty plea at Thursday's preliminary hearing, President Bush and Vice President Cheney can't afford to let him go to trial. So they'll offer him the moon to plea bargain for the best deal he can cut."

Pick me up

Interesting review in Slate of new book about depression here.:

I've heard something like this before:

"In many instances, depressives may simply be judging themselves and the world much more accurately than non-depressed people, and finding it not a pretty place.'"

The Barbarians at the Gates of Paris

Horrifying and long description of the growing violence in France via Vodkapundit.

Big surprise is that it is from 2002.

I just discovered City Journal this year and so far have been impressed by the intelligent and well thought essays. But, the absolute hell on earth described here forces me to wonder if it is accurate. I've never been to France and when I do make it, I don't expect to step foot into these areas so I'll never know firsthand. Still, I've grown so leery of believing any news without verification that I'm withholding judgment for now.

It is fascinating though.

Jihad Babes

Ok, its been a long jihad, Allah seems to be on a different schedule sometimes and thinking all day about your plans with those virgins can make you can lose your focus but then it's always good to remind yourself of the Jihad babes you're fighting for.

Groupthink

I was surprised one day when a normally level headed friend of mine became furious when we happened to pass an office for "Jews For Jesus". He felt that any Jew that becomes a Christian has betrayed their people.

Frankly I didn't understand and still don't. I've always believed in individual choice.

Then we have things like this.

There have been times when I thought it would be cool to have a clear ethnic identity rather than the Heinz 57 mix of my family but if it means giving up your ability to be who you want to be, forget it.

UN to the Rescue!

Yet another opportunity for the UN to show its effectiveness and commitment to peace here. I'm sure that with a firm hand they will have this situation quickly resolved.

Oh, and can somebody please tell Stalin to put on a parka? It's going to be cold down there.

Art Explained

Tim Blair provides helpful captions for our better understanding.

FOXNews.com - Politics - Senate Permits Oil Drilling in Alaska Refuge

So this is the real goal of the Bushitlerstein master plan after all? Let the conspiracies begin!

Where's the Plame?

Just one question, why don't we hear anything from Valerie Plame? Is she the timid bride that can't speak for herself? What's up with that?

Plamegate's real liar - Los Angeles Times

Suggestion to Republicans and their mouthpieces, Scooter Libby was NOT indicted for "covering up something that wasn't a crime." as asserted here, but for lying under oath.

When Clinton was charged with that, Republicans impeached him.

I'm not calling for frog marching (as if I know what the hell that is) Libby anywhere but hypocrisy sucks and being so blatant about it sucks even worse.

Traffic light cameras

Interesting story on traffic light cameras over atHit and Run.

In the comments section I said this:

After dodging the Deathrace 2000 traffic that runs through the Westwood section of LA for 7 years, I was happy to see something introduced that could possibly allow me to survive one more day of lunch.

But then after getting a ticket by one of these fascist camera cops and I saw the light. Theoretically I have no problem but when the city and the equipment manufacturers have a financial stake in the system, it corrupts everything.

Using parking tickets as a revenue generator creates enough of a cringe factor for me. To use something that is so clearly linked to real safety issues is repulsive.

I don't have the links but there were stories in the past years about cities that actually decreased the length of the yellow light to increase tickets! After 100 years of cars on the road, hasn't somebody come up with a standard yellow light period that everyone agrees is sufficient?

Darfur

Hey, haven't heard anything about Darfur in the news lately. I guess
the UN has fixed that all up then.

Yay for UN effectiveness!

Doom

Saw the movie last night at the theater. I generally stick to action
movies here since my Russian allows me to understand about 1 in 10
words. I'll leave the more literate films to viewing on DVD.

But Doom seemed like it would be a big, dumb no brainer and it lived up
to every expectation.

A few months ago I stumbled across a discussion group on Rotten
Tomatoes in which participants were rating the movie. They all gave it
their lowest scores. But as I read the discussions, none of them had
actually seen the movie, they based their ratings on plot descriptions
and evidently the movie was not going to be sufficiently true to the
video game. Wha?!?!?!?!?

Anyway, I have to take a shower now. I feel dirty.

Cindy Sheehan for President!

Hillary is getting an early Christmas present from the super duper left.

SCOTUS

BTW, I don't know where I picked up the term SCOTUS, probably from some
blog that is much more hip to such issues

Is it me or does anybody else think of "Scrotum" when they see that? I
know, I sound like an 8th grader but I just can't help it.

Duh of the day.

If any headline deserved "duh?" as a response, this one has to be it.

ANALYSIS: Supreme Court choice triggers political battle

Heat

In Ukraine, in the typical Soviet era apartment building, heat is a
collective commodity. Everybody gets their heat from radiators and
nobody has control over the levels. So you just hope that whoever is
operating the steam valve wherever they make the steam, is sober,
paying attention and giving you enough of the stuff to keep the
temperature in your apartment somewhere above freezing.

To make it more interesting, the moment heat is started for the season
is based on certain criteria. We must have 3 days in a row of
temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius. Last year nature toyed with us
for quite a while. We'd have 2 days of horrible weather and then the
sun would pop out and deny us that crucial third day. I don't remember
the date that the heat was turned on but it seemed about a month after
it was needed.

Luckily this year we were blessed with 4 days of crummy weather pretty
early in the season and so I can hear my trusty radiator creaking and
hissing as it starts firing up.

Understand, I'm not suggesting that a working radiator will actually
warm an apartment, but it will keep Mr. Frost at bay. I have my trusty
Peace Corps electric radiator to wrap myself around (literally) for the
next 6 months or so. It keeps everything within 3 inches toasty.

And so the winter begins.

VDH's Private Papers::Moralizing in Their Sleep

While I was being glib yesterday about the concerns raised over Saddam's trial, Victor David Hanson used it to launch into a whole list of hypocrisies.

VDH's Private Papers::Moralizing in Their Sleep

SCOTUS Nominee, Take 2

So Alito has been nominated.

Wow, never heard of the guy. In fact, never heard of any SCOTUS
nominee before they were nominated! But damn if I don't have an
opinion!

Actually, I get so very tired of this process. The hypocrisy from both
sides of the political aisle is depressing. And to think that both
will continue to insist that they are simply trying to find a competent
candidate.

When are we going to finally come up with the SCOTUS Range-finder 4000
that taps into each potential candidate's brain stem, extracts their
rulings on the top 5 issues of the day and presents them to the Senate
in the candidate's blood so that we don't have to hassle with the
carnival?

Just a question.

Question of the Day

Question on front page, top of the fold, of my newest Christian Science
Monitor World Edition: A Fair Trail for Saddam Hussein?

Question from me: Do I really care?

Feel Good Corps

After 18 months or so, I guess a volunteer can offer an opinion about
the Peace Corps with some authority. At least concerning their
experience.

I entered the Peace Corps with great expectations and ambitions. After
living my life with one purpose in mind, my own happiness, I decided I
would make some sort of contribution to the world that was completely
altruistic. Well, I can't say that I am as self-actualized as I had
hoped but I have adjusted to a very meager allowance and humble living
conditions. In the states I would be at the bottom of the poverty
ladder, scrambling for the first rung.

Surprisingly though, when you are poor by choice it is easier to live
with than I expected.

But this experience isn't supposed to be about me. Ok, I am hoping to
gain some things (personal growth, blah, blah, blah), but I am really
here to help in transferring technical skills to Ukrainian businesses.
Frankly, it is a long, tough road.

And so it is for most of the business volunteers I know. The Ukrainian
business culture is so alien to western styles of management etc. that
it is practically impossible to get anybody to actually follow any of
your advice. Why? Grants.

Everybody loves grants. Organizations love to receive them,
organizations love to give them. In the end, everybody is happy. But
what good does it do? From my experience, organizations in Ukraine use
their PCVs to write grant applications. For what? Oh, they don't
know, They'll think of something. PCVs read about grants. PCVs study
grants. PCVs become experts in grants. And PCVs write the grants.
Some PCVs are successful in grant applications and receive great, and
well deserved praise, And commonly the money is misappropriated and/or
ends up in somebody's undeserving pocket.

And what does the organization learn? "Wow, let's write more grants.
Let's get the UN or George Soros to prop us up again next year!"

Is anybody doing follow up studies to see what the actual impact of the
granting system is? I don't mean some dry accounting of money spent,
but a study that evaluates the results of this system.

Is this money doing any real good? What is the percentage that is
skimmed?

But more importantly, how much harm does it do? How much do grants
keep Ukraine businesses and government mired in a system of begging for
money, stealing what they can and never going through the difficult
steps of building a real organization that is self-supporting?

What is our role here? Are we here to make measurable contributions or
is that really important? Do we care if we are effective or just
giving the impression of effectiveness?

Are we really just the Feel Good Corps?

I and many business volunteers supplement our time here in other
activities. I teach a management class and participate in two English
clubs as well as other such activities. But I would much rather be
providing the expertise that I have brought with me.

Third Way

Yes, that tired phrase that party operatives scoff at. The third way.
Who is going to finally get it?

The blogging world is known as being dominated by the right. Wrong.
From my perspective, the blogging world has a larger percentage of
people who support the war in Iraq, not right-wing causes.

The problem is that some people believe that supporting a strong
defense is a left-right issue. It isn't.

The irony of the past few years is that the Democrats have embraced
their "Base" in an effort to build support. The Democratic brainiacs
who are paid large sums of money to provided real smart advice decided
a while back that the Dems have to show their courage and take a stand
on the important issues. The only problem is that they seem to have
decided that if the Republicans are on one side of an issue, they have
to be on the other. My 6 year old niece understands the silliness of
that. Voters want to believe that you arrive at your position through
conviction, not through a temper tantrum.

So those of us who tend to be center or center left, who are not
typically one issue voters, had to make a choice such as "What is more
important to me, gay marriage or national security?" Well, sorry Mr. Sullivan, but as much as I
really, really, really want you to have the right to marry, my fear of
a nuclear device lighting up Manhatten is a little more compelling.
And the same goes for the other pressing issues of the day. Security
trumps everything right now.

And by the way, John Kerry didn't support gay marriage either.

From my perspective the party that usually wins is the one that manages
to create the image of the most centrist. I've never understood why
anybody would think leaning to the wingnuts would be effective.

So what will happen in 2008? My prediction is the most moderate
candidate will win.

But here is the irony, if a Democrat wins, the right will say they are
a flaming liberal, if a Republican wins, the Dems call them a right
wing wacko. Of course, to wingnuts everybody not in their wing is an
extremist.

So if you want to know who is the real centrist, the voters will let you know. And it will probably tell you where you stand in the political spectrum too.

Scooter's Patooter in the Roto-Rooter

I'm trying very hard to maintain a balanced view on this indictment.
When Clinton lied and then lied about lying and then was outed as a
liar, I was furious, not only because of the lying, but because it
shifted my perspective of everything he had done before.

Suddenly I could see how the many women who had made accusations
against him were possibly, and in my mind, probably, telling the truth.
Suddenly I could see how Clinton had a history of destroying women who
dared to cross him. Suddenly I could see what I couldn't see before.
And I felt like a dupe. Although I had problems with about half of
his politics (probably true for most politicians) I voted for him
twice.

And I suddenly felt like I could finally understand the anger that
people felt over Nixon. My father had always defended Nixon with
something along the lines of "He wasn't involved in Watergate and all
he did was try to protect his friends." or whatever. Clinton taught me
how infuriating it is to have the President lie to you.

Do I think presidents always speak the truth? No, the nature of the
job, I assume, requires some bending of the truth periodically. But
the key here is "the job". If the president is doing his job in an
honorable manner, I'll accept a fib now and then. Otherwise, keep it
above the board.

And by the way, that also means if a lawyer asks
an inappropriate question about issues outside of the job, refuse to
answer. But don't lie. Under oath.

So with Scooter's situation I keep thinking that if I am intellectually
honest, I will be equally outraged. For now I just can't muster it.
Perhaps in the coming months there will be revelations that get me to
that point but I am so flabbergasted at the political maneuverings that
are being revealed between the CIA and the Administration that I'm too
dumbfounded to summon up very much anger.

What is, or was going on there? Are these people professionals or
children? Are they serious about their role in national security?

How is it that our national intelligence agency sends a guy on a secret
mission and he ends up using that trip for political ends? How is it
that somebody can blatantly leak supposedly classified information
without repercussions? And then write an op-ed about it?!?!?!?!? I
honestly don't understand.

But then am I changing the subject? This is about Scooter right? He
is the one that revealed Valerie Plame's name to the world right?
Well, no, all I can tell is that he said he heard it from one person
but they believe he heard it from somebody else. From everything I've
read, the secret, revealer of the Plame name is still a secret.

I'm as far away from Washington as you can get and frankly I still
don't know the meaning of the new (to me) hot word "meme" so I won't
even begin to address Fitzgerald's motivation except to say that it
seems that most people agree he is a straight shooter. I hope that is
true and that this is all resolved clearly and cleanly. And if Scooter
Libby broke the law, he should be punished.

The Real Deal

I
am sitting in my permanent site as I write. In case you didn't guess,
this is in the city of -. Since I last communicated with you, I have
been sworn in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer. In my first 3
months I was a "trainee" which is the equivalent of a pledge in the
Greek world with all attendant rights and priviliges. While we were
killing ourselves to learn the language and culture, the real PVCs
were sneering at our very presence, our gall to exist. After so many
hundreds of hours of language training and cultural immersion, we now
have the experience and knowledge that allows sneering at the next
group's incredible unworthiness.

We have of course all sworn that
we won't follow suit so I pledge that the next pledges will not suffer
my wrath.

During the week we were preparing
for swearing in, we stayed again at that hellhole resort called
Prolasek. Upon arrival I requested a new room when we realized that
our door lock did not function in any normal lock-like way. Instead of
moving us they sent a maintenance man. He repaired the unlockable lock
but unfortunately it wasn't actually repaired to a functional state.
In fact, after repairing it, he demonstrated its repairedness and the
handle fell off in his hand. So he repaired it again. With a hammer.
As we made a 4th and this time successful request for another room, he
was splintering the wood of the door as he hammered out the unlockable
and unrepairable lock. We left him with his hammering and visited
friends.

It was another nice week. To be
around Americans is refreshing. To be able to speak on a college level
for a change feels great. Even the most English-fluent Ukrainians are
lost when you accidently drop some nuance into your conversation (this
isn't a slight against Ukrainians since most of us still speak like
tiny, incoherent Ukrainian children). So we talked and talked and
talked. And, to steal and paraphrase a line from an old friend, our
conversation was chock-full of nuance.

We learned the results of our
language evaluation and I scored Intermediate Low. It was enough to
not be humiliated but nothing to brag about. I blame it all on
Babushka, who always spoke in Ukranian, I think.

My roommate, J, was told about 10
minutes before swearing in that the country director wanted to speak
with him. He was excited because he expected to be asked to recite a
Ukrainian poem that he read at the talent show. It was quite what he
expected.

He was given a warning because of his performance at his going away
party. He drank a local brew called Spirit that a host family brought
and passed around. There is debate about whether Spirit is 98 or 100
percent alcohol. That 2% can make a real difference I guess. Anyway,
as you would expect, after a shot or two of that, he either simply
joined in the fun with the locals or made a raging ass of himself
depending on who you listen to. Word got back to Peace Corps and he
was told that one more infraction would, in their words, "Get you the
Delta Prize". Ironically, I don't think Delta actually flies here but
he got the point.

It was disheartening as this all
happened on the day of swearing in. When he should have been happiest,
he was worrying about his future with Peace Corps. He will do fine I'm
sure. He is a great guy, 30 years in a range of interesting jobs, all
kinds of accomplishments. I think the lesson is that its just best to
stay away from Spirit. And I don't know why anybody would want to go
near it.

The ceremony was nice, long as
should be expected and hot for lack of air conditioning but nice. The
country director was 45 minutes late and after sweating in a suit in
an uncomfortable chair, I did not join in on the welcome applause.

It was a cool moment to be welcomed to the club. I did find it odd
that they picked a brass band to play the USA and Ukrainian anthems.
But it was even odder to find the same band playing during the
reception that followed. What could have been a quiet moment to
reflect on everything that had passed was somehow diminished by the
tuba in the corner playing "Turkey in the Straw" at full volume. What
they lacked in ambience, the made up for in volume.

On the last day at the compound,
while packing to go, I couldn't find my iPod case. I turned everything
upside down and right side up. No luck so I pulled all the sheets etc.
off the bed and turned up the mattress. No iPod case but ...there was
a box of matches. A box of matches with a 10 inch wire sticking out.
Now that seemed odd.

So I picked up this matchbox and
noted that it had an electrical switch on it. Then I slid it open to
find it contained circuitry and a battery. As you might have guessed
by now, the end opposite the switch held a microphone.

These are the things you only read
about. We have been told ad nauseum that we are always being listened
to. We are told to be careful in what we say. We are told to be
careful in what we write, in snail and email. And we take it
semi-seriously, but this was just weird. So I did the most appropriate
thing and...took a picture (see attached. I left the picture large so
you can zoom in.) and then I whistled as loud as I could into the
microphone.

Then I called our PC coordinator
and they took it to headquarters. This created a firestorm at the
complex. All the other PCVs were turning over their beds, looking for
their bugs, hoping against hope that they would find a bug. But I was
the only one. So then the conjecture game started. Was it directed at
me? Was my involvement with my particular site causing me to be a
target? My roommate was even convinced that he was the target of PC
trying to catch him drinking. Needless to say, I was quite the
celebrity for the day.

I don't know what it was all
about. Maybe a random bug of PCVs. Maybe an old bug that was forgotten
(although the maids seem to turn the rooms upside down when they
finally clean the rooms on your departure). Maybe I was targeted, but
I find that most unlikely. Do I think PC bugged our room to catch the
sounds of my roommate guzzling a beer? Even I'm not that paranoid. I'm
sure we'll never know unless PC manages to beat it out of the compound
manager and maids. I was asked by security to write and sign a
statement about the incident and the bug is being analyzed by a crack
team of PC security guards. Me, double naught spy relocating to -

Since I was traveling alone, PC
bought me a coupe on the train. That way I didn't have to fight
anybody for luggage space. And, by the way, if I wanted I could walk
around naked and sing show tunes. I brought plenty of food and drink
for the trip but once I was in my compartment I realized I was far too
paranoid to actually go to the bathroom and leave this un-lockable
room with all of my possessions alone so that some knife wielding
drunk lurking in the smoking area could slip in and force me to drink
with him. So to keep my bathroom trips to a minimum I didn't eat or
drink for the 12 hour trip. I blocked the door and read myself to
sleep.

Upon arrival, I found my
coordinator was not waiting at the station as expected. I had 7 large
bags to unload and since the train can't pull over and wait for you, I
just ran out with as many bags as possible, dropped them on the
platform, ran back to my coupe and grabbed more, ran back etc. always
keeping an eye towards the platform or train, depending on where I
was, until everything was finally unloaded. When she did arrive, she
insisted that my idea of crossing the tracks at a nearby ground level
crossing was just wrong, instead we should avoid the extra 50 feet and
carry everything up the 3 story tower that crosses over the track. As
god is my witness, I will never climb that tower again.

Now I am in my new home. We have
to live with a host family for another 3 months at our new site. My
family is very nice and I have a bigger room than before. But we are
in a two room apartment and they sleep in the living room. So when I
go to bed in my room at night, I have a twinge of guilt as the rest
start laying out whatever they are sleeping on. But it means a stipend
for them that would be nothing to an American but is at least the
equivalent to a month's pay here.

Did you know that you can buy
roast chicken, cheese and sausage during the day, carry it on an
overnight train, and since you didn't eat it, present it to your host
family and then eat it with the family for two days for a total of 3
days at room temperature without refrigeration and without getting
sick? Neither did I!!! In fact it turns out there are a lot of silly
refrigeration and basic hygienic practices that you evidently can
simply do without. I've heard that in the wild, parasites will enter a
host and feed off it while simultaneously protecting it from others.
I think that is called a symbiotic relationship. Maybe I'll be
bringing home some unexpected company.

I was spoiled in B. I had Babushka
at the house who constantly took care of me with cooking, cleaning
etc. And she cooked well. And often. Here, I have a mother who works
long hours with no time to cook (and who confessed last night that she
really can't cook) and an 18 year old sister who is making it up as
she goes. It isn't that she doesn't try, but she's never been taught.
So her idea of cooking is to cut up potatoes, lightly season and fry.
I have eaten a lot of cheese and hard salami since my arrival. I guess
I will always like cheese but I am beginning to despise hard salami.
Maybe I should start teaching her to cook or buy a cookbook.

And they don't like Bortsch!

But I like the family and if I can
just find a way to get nutrition, I think I'll enjoy my stay a lot.
And I am looking forward to meeting the other PCVs in town.

I was invited to another PCV's
place last week for dinner with visiting friends. I was waiting for my
new friend at a bus stop with an old, drunken Ukrainian who was trying
out his drunken English with the funny looking American when a girl,
who has been pretty beat up in life and missing more than one tooth,
approached me and asked my name. Then she asked me if I wanted to have
good sex. When I said no thank you, she explained that no, she wasn't
a prostitute, she just wanted to have sex... with me! And it was only
10 greevna! Gee, the women here sure are nice. Fortunately my friends
arrived soon after and rescued me from the clutches of the semi-pro
stitute.

Speaking of prostitutes, I was
chewing some of the local gum last week and managed to cause a
breakdown in its physical structure. Yes this is mundane but I have to
share. I've never witnessed anything like it before. I remember the
exact moment that the gum's elastic properties began to collapse. I
didn't understand what was happening at the time but on one closing
chew, I noted that the normal resistance experienced in the previous
chew was slightly but noticeably missing and I knew that "this isn't
right". And it continued its downward spiral. Within a minute, my
"Orbit White" had transformed into a pasty, gooey mess, oozing between
and sticking to my teeth. I can't say if this is a result of a
chemical or physical degradation but it is definitely something the
Ukraine confectionaire scientists need to start working on
immediately. Maybe they can confer with the American scientist who
seemed to have developed a technology that causes gum in the US to
harden into rubber with every chew. Maybe they can find a
middle-ground-gum. The future is limitless.

Have I mentioned the Ukrainian
service roads? They are very narrow, run alongside the main streets
and allow fast and direct access to the front of any shop. Or, can
serve as an alternate route to bypass slow traffic. Very convenient
for businesses and people in a hurry. In America you would call them
"sidewalks". I've made the mistake of walking on these service roads
on several occasions when a car demanded the right-of-way.

My job is working with a college.
It is dedicated to bringing western style, journalistic practices to
Ukraine. Ukraine has a gazillion newspapers and the majority are still
run like the old Soviet style government mouthpieces. The College's
goals are to expand into various regions of Ukraine and teach
journalists a new way. I think it is going to be a great challenge.
And I am excited about what is ahead. I have spent several days
researching various foundations that could be available to help and we
are putting together a presentation to be given in the end of summer.

;One thing I've noticed, and may
have written about before, is that Ukraines love to drone on and on
with their presentations. And they believe a presentation's importance
is directly tied to its length. I am going to try to convince them
that an American audience (which I think those that have money will
tend to be) will more appreciate a complete but concise effort. Any
advice from all my Power Point Presentation Gurus (you know who you
are) would be very, very, very welcome.

;Right now I am translating into
proper English an English version that is unreadable. It has been an
interesting experience wrestling with literal translations versus
understandable ones.

I love - so far. We have a river
that winds through the town and plenty of parks and outdoor cafes.
Granted I wouldn't eat the fish from the river or swim in it, but it
is a nice place to walk along and sit. And we are in the south so the
weather is more temperate, or I should say less frigid, than Kiev. And
I have, of all things, a supermarket across the street. This is a real
rarity and I am feeling pretty lucky.

And so my second, but much longer
and I expect, productive phase of Peace Corps begins. I have a new
address and will get that to you asap. I am still deciding if I want
to use the apartment or work address.

Found out about Reagan's
death. Don't really know the reaction in the US but it is interesting
here.

End of Training

This is the beginning of my last week in B. Hard to believe I have been here 3 months. On Monday I will be tested in Russian and even though I'm told it won't go on my permanent record, I am a tad nervous. I can get by in a pinch. I know to modify my Coca cola when I ask for it in a store. And I'm familiar
with the difference between saying that I walked. I began walking, I
was walking, I finished walking, I am walking, I will be walking, I
will begin walking and I will finish walking. Each of those requires a
different modification of the same verb. And of course if I go
somewhere by vehicle instead of by foot, it is entirely different verb. I am
convinced this all comes out of the Soviet system that kept track of
your every, single move. Even what stage of walking you did yesterday,
will do today or in the future. Its all very helpful for the proper operation of a police state you know.

So I am reviewing and hope to do
OK. Wish me luck.

We had terrible news on Wed. night. N, my host mother, had a brother die. He was Babushka's son. It is always awkward when a friend loses a loved one, but to be living with people, not be familiar with the customs and not confident to speak in a delicate situation, it is even more so. I tried to be
supportive and went to a friend for advice on what is commonly done.
So I brought 4 flowers (have I mentioned that in Ukraine you only give
odd number of flowers for a happy occasion? Even numbered ones are
reserved for tragedies.) and gave my host mother some money. I was a
little uneasy about handing her money but it is the custom and does
make sense. It is probably the one thing they need most, besides
emotional support, at a time like this.

So my last week will be somber around the house. Our goodbye shashlik has been canceled and I don't know if N will attend my PC induction ceremony. It is customary to mourn for 40 days. I hope that she does. After this long I would be very disappointed if she couldn't.

But I'm not complaining. Things like this help you get your perspective back.

OK, enough of the somber stuff.

Today we executed our group community project. We donated supplies to
the local hospital for the children's section. They don't have
supplies like diapers and sheets etc. We were allowed $100 for any
project and so we went shopping. We got baby bottles, diapers, toys
and some dishes. We invited the local press and they will run a story
next week. We wrote the story and emphasized the need for others to
donate as well. The hope is that it will bring attention to the
problem. Everybody felt great about it and we got a lot of kudos from
the staff after it was over.

It was a good day.

Victory Day

Yesterday was Victory Day. Another state holiday. We went to Kiev for the parade and a visit to the Botanical Gardens. We came into the city via the Metro and when we exited to the street, were excited to see that we were exactly where
the parade was coming by. Crowds were gathered on the corner against a barricade and we ran over and claimed our spot and couldn't believe our luck. We were there an hour before it started but kept ourselves entertained. One woman squeezed her kid in against a little girl that was with us and eventually had squeezed 2 more and herself against the rail. There is a lot of squeezing that goes on in this country so nobody except me seemed to take notice.

Then they announced that the parade would be starting shortly.

Then they proclaimed the great pride that Ukraine has for it's veterans and their sacrifice.

Then they announced the parade would be starting shortly.

Then they reiterated the love that all Ukrainians have for the living and dead veterans of all the wars in the history of Ukraine.

Then they announced the parade would start shortly.

Then they reminded us that we were all equally proud of everybody that ever helped in any war effort including those that were not on the front line.

Then they... I was waiting for them to tell us of the great appreciation Ukraine has for all it's enemies that made it
possible for all the glorious wars of the past, but then the parade began.

We could see the approaching banners above everybody's head and I was telling my friends that we had really lucked out to be on a corner that gave such an unobstructed view.

Then the parade turned left.

Before reaching our corner.

So we jumped over the barricades and ran over behind the band and watched from across the street. They were leading everybody up to a square for a ceremony but after the first thousand or so veterans and VIPs, it was full. The parade
continued but in smaller steps. A lot of hammer a sickles flying honoring the glorious Soviet era that destroyed this country and is still a dream for some. We decided to leave after looking at the same group of old dudes for 30 minutes.

Fun.

Ukraine economy

I finally saw a doctor yesterday. While I wanted to do this on Monday, nobody was available to see me
because of Mayday celebrations. They were celebrating on Tuesday as well. So Wed. I finally made it to Kiev and was taken in for X-rays.

When we got there, we found the waiting room full. I was ready for a very long wait (it was a WAITING room) but was surprised to be immediately led into a doctor. The X-rays were completed, I came up with nothing broken and as we were leaving, I was told by the PC medical rep to wait for him outside. As I walked out, he pulled cash out of his
pocket and gave it to the doctor. The reality of bribes in this country isn't a surprise but to witness it makes your head spin.

Since then I've had several conversations with Ukrainian friends and my head is still in rapid spin mode.

One man I know offered up the expected bribe to get a telephone installed in his home. The official slid the money back
across the table because it was too small. My friend waited 10 years to get his phone.

Another is finally applying for his little plot of land that each Ukrainian is promised in the land redistribution law. When I asked why he waited until now to claim free land, he explained that he had to save his money first. But it's free right? Well yes, but you have to pay a bribe to actually get it..

The saddest example, and closest to my experience, is a friend who has a mother in the hospital. In a recent conversation she casually mentioned slipping money into the doctor's pocket during their meeting. It went something like this "So I went to the hospital today to see my mother and then I saw her doctor and we talked about her situation and what we can expect and I gave her the bribe and came home." Nothing was said during this transaction but it was understood and expected. I asked how a person would know to do this and you would have thought I asked what 2 + 2 was. It was so simple that my friend couldn't believe I would ask. You do it so your mother will receive treatment! When I asked how a person knows what to pay,
she said it is typically 1/3 of the doctor's monthly salary. Doctor's make about $60 a month. Thank god they don't make a decent salary. Of course they may not feel compelled to take bribes if that was the case. But hey, Ukraine has free healthcare!

Another volunteer commented that the bribe system was almost like a second part of a legitimate economy since the state pays professionals such little money and doctors have to make enough to live. I understand her point and it is a good one but it is going to have to end for Ukraine to finally get back on track.

And by the way, when you go pay your taxes, make sure to bring your extra money (or gifts are ok) as well. You even have to pay a bribe to get the tax collectors to do their job.

Recipe

Today's Recipe is for Ukrainian Toilet Paper.

Ingregients:

75 parts sawdust (wood chips maybe used as a substitute.)
25 parts unadulterated saliva (no trace particles of sugars or other adhesive materials)

Heat saliva to boil. Stir in sawdust and mix for 10 minutes. Roll out paper-thin sheet and trim to 4 inch width.

Dry.

You will know if you have managed to successfully recreate the Ukraine version when it contains the softness of no. 8 sandpaper and the tensile strength of ash.

An especially happy friend points out that it isn't rough, it is exfoliating!

OK, today's lesson is over. Yesterday was May Day. The day when the workers celebrate. Lots of vodka and Beer. Evidently the Power Company was celebrating as well because the power in the majority of the city went out at about 7 pm. And was out til the next afternoon.

Before the blackout, I went with my Ukrainian friend Natasha to Kiev. We went to a large outdoor market and I bought some dvds. They are $5 each and good quality. I guess that will be my source for movies for a while.

From there we went to an amusement park on the Knipr river and had shashlik. Shashlik is the traditional Russian barbeque. And it is amazing. We ate beef, salad and shared a liter of beer. I was so amazed and happy with this new taste sensation
that Natasha mistook my expressions of ecstasy for pain.

After about 10 minutes of discussing the full range of possible American facial expressions, we walked to the river and rented a paddle boat. I was surprised that they allow anybody and everybody take these things out on this river. It isn't the Mississippi but it has the currents and whirlpools that I always associated with that river. Falling in would probably be a real, real, real bad thing. But with a lot of grit and the power of Shashlik we managed to stay dry and forge our way back up-river before the sun set.

I went to some public toilets in the park and can report that, according to the graffitti, they are just as popular for socializing as the US.

Tomorrow I am going to ask to be seen by the medical staff at PC. My arm is still hurting from a fall of about 1 1/2 weeks ago. It doesn't seem to be getting any better and I have no strength in it right now. I thought it was only bruised but
I'm wondering if I didn't cut something.