The Zdravstvuite revolution

In some things, I just put my foot down and won't do it another way.

For example - I insist on calling the weather "beautiful" (красивая )when it can only be described as good (хорошо). Recently, however, I have given way slightly on my stance by beginning to call the weather "extremely wonderful/lovely" (прекрасна) - which is just a more Russian way of saying that the weather today is beautiful. My stubbornness in holding to my own idioms isn't to be obstinate - rather - I think that the word I choose sometimes better conveys the spirit that I want to impart - even if it sounds weird to a Russian - the very surprise in hearing a phrase a certain way - doesn't that in itself make you think and consider the beauty of today's weather?

My true stonewall is in the greeting "Здравствуйте!" Hello! (And saying thank you - but that for another day)

Ever since coming to Ukraine - I have insisted on saying "Hello" to people I run into - especially to the door keeper when I enter and leave the building. Alister always laughed at me. "You don't do that he said - maybe when you leave -but definitely not when you come back again." Well, I insisted on saying it - a smile, a wave, and a Zdravstvuite! called out to whoever is watching the door and whatever friends might be near by.

Now, whenever I leave and enter - the doorkeepers themselves eagerly smile, wave, and shout Zdravstvuite. Today, waiting for the lift, I was busy sending a message on my phone - Zdravstvuite ,I heard quietly to my side - but I didn't look up - Zdravstvuite - I heard louder and suddenly someone was shaking my arm. I looked up and it was the jolly doorman (We have 4, who rotate in 24 hour shifts - Maria, Jolly, Sleepy, and the Lame woman)
Oh, I'm sorry, I said, Zdravstvuite! He smiled and waved and walked away.

The revolution has come - Saying hello to people as that you run into shall soon be common practice - if not in all of Kiev - at least on my block - just wait and see.

And the winner is . . .

So the first verdict is out -

Chernovetski - the incumbent mayor of Kiev gets to stay mayor with an initial 32% share of the vote (counting is still going on)

-The other main candidates each had about 20% of the vote and the remaining 10% of the vote was basically split between 3 other candidates (though I heard rumoured that all in all - 72 people were on the ballot) If those other 69 candidates hadn't existed - it is possible (at least more so than this current race) that Chernovetski would have been ousted.

BUT - the drama isn't over yet. Sure the tents, the flat screen tvs, even the flags and pamphlets have been tidied up and put away - BUT is the election really over? Due to the most recent tiff between Yulia and Yushenko - Yushenko declared that despite the 70 odd candidates - there would be no second round of elections - But the question is now, will Yulia, now that her chosen mayor failed to win the vote - will she let the mayor issue die or will she push and get another election.

I hope she lets it die - even a corrupt mayor has got to be better than the millions spent on the election campaign. It truly makes me feel ill to think of it - There are so many things that the money could be used for!!

My Russian teacher says - that granted Chernovetsky is crooked - at least he has been in office for awhile and has maybe made enough money for himself and his friends - now he can start spending the money on the city. In fact, his entire campaign (which monopolized the televisions on the metro and has led to a lawsuit over the misuse of public funds) Was explicitly based on the principle that he is doing things (23 kindergartens opened, remodeling 43 schools, 17 hospitals, 3 bridges, new metros my 2010 - Actually a new metro near us open a full half year ahead of schedule - it doesn't go anywhere yet - you come out in a not long abandoned construction site (in a freshly paved buss turn about with roads that no one knows where they lead too ---next time we go Alister and I are taing out compass--but the important thing is you can take the metro to somewhere).

What you didn't know your states did

Did you know that since 1994 - your state has been participating in egg decorating in order to display the egg at the White House over Easter to represent each state?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/easter/2008/eggsbystate/ For other years - just do an internet Search for White House State Eggs and the year.

Some states do contests - and some actually hire outside artists. Craziness.

Candy Variations

Just an interesting observance about blue M&Ms.
They didn't make it to Ukraine.
I bought my first bag of M&Ms today and realized that the colors looked, well traditional. The blue eyesore was missing. However, light tan had not been restored to the mix either.
Actually, I don't really have anything against blue M&Ms. I do know people who won't eat various colors - but to me, well tasty chocolate is tasty chocolate and sometimes it just needs to come with a candy coating.
Still, I wonder why Blue M&Ms didn't make it to Ukraine?

You may also be interested to know that Lime Starbursts are replaced by Apple ones in the Ukrainian pack.

Ukraine in Numbers

So I found this great site that tells all about religious activities and denominations in Ukraine - Its not 100% comprehensive - but its better than any of the other stuff I have found so far. I took the data that they provide and made it into this general chart of Denomination Groups in Ukraine. Then I found a few more sites that also had some facts and Info - So I was putting it all together for a class presentation anyway - and thought I would share. Click on the image to make it bigger.

Another Circus

Once again, the streets have been transformed with crowds of colored tents, colored papers, flashing televisions blaring political messages.
If you thought the Primaries in America are bad - at least you haven't lived through almost 5 years of non-stop campaigning followed by elections and re-elections like the people here in Kiev.

This time people want to be Mayor. In my opinion, there are several problems with the Kiev Mayoral election - but the most significant being that the election forced into being by the National Parliament, continues to be fueled by Parliamentary persons, and seemingly few of the 78 representatives running for mayor are actual residents of the city. Many in fact are already parliamentary deputies - but I guess being mayor of the capital and puppet to the political wishes of your party through the city is better than just being in the Parliament. National politics should have nothing to do with local politics, even in a capital city. If corruption exists at the local level (which it dose - the current mayor having allegedly given way land deals worth millions to his political cronies) it be solved through the courts. If the Courts can't solve the problem, then it is the job of the national government to reform them so that they can. If an early election is called - it should be at the initiative of the people, not the national government. If candidates run - they should be have been residents of the city for a particular time, and they should run on his own merit - not with a picture of a the Prime Minister peering over his shoulder.


The circus of elections do nothing - with 78 candidates - the Corrupt Mayor will stay mayor - and how much money would have been spent on tents, on fliers, on flat screen televisions - and don't forget the $40 per vote payment being offered to students and others who need money and are tired of the run of elections. Really, if ones vote doesn't seem to make a difference why not sell it?

Below is an article from the Kiev Post -
Mayoral candidates mount challenge
by Tamara Babakova, Korrespondent Staff WriterMay 07 2008, 23:33
© UNIAN
First Vice Prime Minister Oleksandr Turchynov, mayoral candidate from the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, digs in at a “subotnik” campaign event in a Kyiv park on April 12.
On an April Saturday, First Vice Prime Minister Oleksandr Turchynov, having been re-qualified as a gardener, took a spade in his hands and went to a subotnik (the Soviet tradition of voluntary work on Saturdays) to plant trees along Kyiv streets.
Even though the saplings of birch trees and lindens, which the politician planted carefully, will definitely not bear edible fruit, Turchynov, having rolled up the sleeves of his sweatsuit, worked towards gathering a different harvest – an electoral one.
Being a true ally of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Turchynov is a contender to the capital’s mayoral post – one of the most sought after positions on the country’s political Olympus.
In addition to Turchynov, 78 other challengers aspire to get the mayor’s seat. Among them are incumbent Mayor Leonid Chernovetskiy, his “retired" 70-year-old predecessor Oleksandr Omelchenko, and heavyweight boxer Vitali Klitschko.
“A subotnik is, of course, a great thing, but in order to drastically change the situation, a real shock is needed, and that has not happened yet,” noted Vadym Karasiov, a political analyst.
Despite their efforts, none of the candidates have done anything significant so far to overcome Chernovetskiy, he said.
“I think a serious fight is still ahead of us,” the expert said.
Since the election race in Kyiv is approaching its final lap, potential mayors are making their final surge for power.
Chernovetskiy has engaged in “carpet-bombing” the population. For several days, monitors in all of Kyiv’s metro cars have ran reports, during peak capacity, on the heroic deeds of incumbent city authorities, regardless of the truthfulness of the claims.
Reaching the multi-million subway audience is an ideal target. “They simply use modifications of old (political) programs and massive outdoor advertising campaigns,” explained Kostiantyn Matviyenko, an expert of Gardarika Corporation of Strategic Consulting.
Despite big expenses, the current election campaign has not managed to transform from a competition of personalities into a competition of candidates’ concepts.
“A person is presented like a brand, but no one talks about plans for the city’s development,” Vyshlinsky said.
Politicians more than compensate for the lack of strategic solutions by running a myriad of public events devoted to the election campaign.
Klitschko opens playgrounds and gives autographs, Turchynov plants trees and Viktor Pylypyshyn, the Lytvyn Bloc candidate, has cyclists riding around Kyiv flying multi-colored banners promoting him.
“Well, those are people, athletes, who were ready to support us and we, of course, were not against that,” Pylypyshyn said. “Believe me, personal contact with people is much more effective than all those different billboards.”
Students of Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv share Pylypyshyn’s view too: personal contact with people makes it easier for them to choose the new city mayor.
“Brigades walk around a residence hall and say all you need to do is come to a polling station and vote,” a student told Korrespondent. “Money is given only after the votes are counted. They say this time it will not be less than 200 hryvnias. While during parliamentary elections, they were giving 100 hryvnias to every student.”
Students will be told at a polling station who they need to vote for, but recalling their experience during the last election for parliament, they assume they will have to check off the line with the Lytvyn Bloc for City Council and its mayoral candidate Pylypyshyn.
The Lytvyn Bloc’s press service said this was the first time they heard such accusations and they promised they would investigate the case.
Surveys conducted one­and­a­half months ago show the Chernovetskiy Bloc has a commanding lead in the election race. Under the existing conditions of single­round elections, the candidate who receives 30 percent of the votes will win.
“And this is the case even though a considerable number, 50 percent (of the electorate), is aggressively against this very candidate,” he said.
Despite strong attacks by parliament and the Cabinet of Ministers after snap mayoral elections were announced, Chernovetskiy managed not only to stay afloat, but remains the most popular politician in the capital.
“Chernovetskiy has political know­how,” noted Hennadiy Balashov, a political psychologist. According to him, the incumbent mayor managed to buy the most reliable electorate – orphans and pensioners.
“All his additional payment, handing out cereals and clothes, make him an indestructible figure,” Balashov said.
Chernovetskiy used “adminresurs” (government resources) in the fight for the mayor’s seat, he said, admitting the mayor’s methods are effective.
“There is a certain category of people who still have Soviet expectations and believe the authorities must help them,” Balashov said. “If the authorities help, they are good. If the don’t, they are bad.”
The expert thinks that help for the needy does not burden Chernovetskiy.
“He does such things using city funds,” Vyshlinsky said. “If not city funds, then it is money that was stolen earlier.”
The candidates do not have problems with financing. According to the sociologist, among candidates who have chances to be elected, only Klitschko might encounter such problems.
“Simply with his budget, he is unable to overcome his adversaries’ message,” explained Vyshlinsky.
In fact, the politician­boxer’s budget for the election campaign isn’t impressive, only $100,000, “as specified by legislation,” according to Dmytro Andriyevskiy, head of the Klitschko Bloc’s campaign headquarters.
Offering any figures related to election campaign financing is irresponsible, said political expert Matviyenko.
“Elections in our country are one of the most powerful factors of the shadow economy,” he said. “You have undeclared amounts of cash, the stealing of money at campaign headquarters, all these babushkas sitting in tents and unrealistic prices for printing campaign leaflets,” he said.
No matter what amount the candidates invest in their campaigns, Chernovetskiy still remains the most effective politician in Kyiv.
“A billionaire hasn't been born, who in the fight for this seat, will simply walk around and give things away several years in a row, like Chernovetskiy does in such a direct and open way,” Balashov said. “No one can compete with him.”
Vyshlinsky is more optimistic. He sees two options: either Turchynov or Klitschko will withdraw in order to support somebody else, or at the critical moment, the parliament will adopt a resolution creating two election rounds. “Well in this case of course, I am almost like Lesia Ukrainka in the sense that ‘I am hoping without hope,’” the expert confessed.

Dippy Eggs

There are alot of people finding this blog because they want to learn how to cook a "dippy" egg - but keep finding Pysanky instead.

It's not hard - so I thought I would humor them. Please note that it IS NOT RECOMMENDED to eat eggs with runny yolks as they still may contain salmonella, ecolai and other yucky stuff that could make you sick.

A dippy egg: any soft boiled or over easy egg that you can "dip" your toast in. Also known as soft-boiled or over easy

Soft-boiled (Dippy Eggs) for chicken, duck, and goose eggs

1. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature
2. Place the eggs in a pot and fill it with water
3. Remove the eggs and add a teaspoon of salt to the water
4. Bring the water to a boil
5. For a medium chicken egg: Place the egg in the boiling water for a minimum of 3 1/2 minutes. The actual time will depend on the freshness of the egg and the preference of the eater. Fresher eggs will take longer to cook.
6. Add 1/2 a minute to the time for a large egg, 45 seconds for extra large etc
7. For duck eggs, cook the egg for a minimum of 4 1/2 minutes
8. For goose eggs, cook the egg for a minimum of 5 1/2 minutes

Over Easy instructions for chicken, duck, and goose eggs.

1. Heat your frying pan on medium heat and add a small bit of oil if you're not using a non stick pan
2. Crack the egg into the pan
3. Turn the heat down to low
4. When the dense pool of egg white around the yolk begins to set flip the egg
5. Count to ten and flip the egg out of the pan and onto a plate

Success

We have caught a mouse.

Alas, his death came too late for my Cilantro, Spinach, and Lettuce.

Unfortunately, he also choose death in new, smaller springtrap rather than falling 4 inches into a glass bottle for re-release.

All traps are still set and on the ready in case he has some friends that didn't hear about his untimely end.

If there are no signs of mice in the next week or so, we'll try to figure out the best way of filling in the hole so that mice can't drop in for another visit.

Bigger is not better

The mysterious something is definitely a mouse.

A thorough cleaning of the balcony, revealed, among other pellet like evidences - this incriminating hole underneath the old, empty gasoline cans sitting in the corner. (Why we have gasoline cans - I have no idea)

Alister went out and came back with this mousetrap:

Actually it is a Rat trap - and it is huge - really. But the only thing else they had in the market were little plastic mouse traps that Alister didn't think could possibly do anything and even the seller said he thought the small trap would just catch a tail.

Well this trap - if the mouse would only set it off would obliterate the mouse. See the red stuff on the trap? That is ink from a red pen that Alister used to test the trap with - the pen was shattered and red ink went all over the kitchen.

So we baited the trap with the tastiest thing I could imagine = Peanut butter bread.

3 hours later - the bread is gone and the trap in perfect condition. We reset the trap - this time with a smaller piece and really wedging the bread under the bait catch so the mouse would have to work to get it off. I then sprinkled some oatmeal on the trap - and it fell on all parts of it.

Well, not only did the mouse manage to eat all of the oatmeal from out and around the trap (having to crawl all over the thing) but he actually LICKED OFF THE PEANUT BUTTER from the bread. In Alister's words - the mouse is definitely cheeky.

As if the oatmeal and peanut butter weren't enough, he then came back, finished off the bread, which we had dolloped with sour cream and topped with a kernel of oatmeal, and then he proceeded to DIG UP MY CILANTRO!!!

Alister has promised to come back with the wimpy looking plastic trap. I've also rigged up an elaborate trail of oatmeal up the dustpan and onto a basket in which I have placed a deep glass jar with oatmeal on the bottom. So far the mouse hasn't fallen for it (pun not intended).

If this fails, we will definitely have to put aside all concerns about "who can take care of a cat for us when we travel and just get one) Alternatively - maybe we could rent a cat.

Orthodox Easter

For anyone keeping track - this last weekend was Orthodox Easter - And we joined the throng celebrating Christ's Resurrection.

Really, it's harder to celebrate a holiday at a separate time than the culture around you (no wonder the Israelites kept getting pulled into the Native practices)

Orthodox Easter is a Big deal. Many people are strictly fasting in the weeks leading up to Easter and then they go and stand all night at the church for the Easter Eave Service and Blessing. On Sunday, you'll see people carrying their baskets of eggs, wine, Easter Bread, and other products to be served at the Easter Feast to the church to be blessed. Click here for more on Ukrainian Easter traditions.

(Thanks Bob for the pic!)

Finding a good movie to watch

The problem with living in another country and wanting to see a movie is that all of the titles are translated - sometimes drastically. While you can normally figure out what movie is playing in the theater, trying to find a movie and rent it later on it almost impossible.

In Costa Rica, for example - I remember we were there when U271 came out. Really - how can you translate that any different? Well they did, the changed the name (in Spanish) The Battle for the Atlantic.

The way i've found around this conundrum is to do a language specific internet search for one of the main actors in the movie I want to see. this means that if i want to learn more about a Russian movie, I can go to IMDB.com, type in a Russian actors name, like Nikita Mikhalkov, and find the English names and reviews for all his movies - or I can for an movie - like Hair Spray, doing a Google search for John Travolta ( Джон Траволта) and find that actually the translation of the title was great. (лак для волос).

Best of all, I've found the Russian version of the IMDB - and in case I don't want to go to all the effort of figuring out how to spell names in Russian - the Russian titles and names are connected to the original titles and name spellings.