US election to lift Ukraine’s role

Kyiv Post

by Mark Rachkevych, Assistant Editor
Feb 28 2008, 02:33

“Of the three presidential contenders remaining, observers said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would be Ukraine’s biggest advocate, as his record demonstrates.

“The likely Republican nominee lent his support to Viktor Yushchenko and the Orange Revolution from the very start, before the smoke cleared and other US politicians felt safer to extend endorsements.

“He chairs the International Republican Institute, a leading advocate of Ukraine’s Western integration.

“McCain has also been the staunchest challenger to Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, avidly criticizing his authoritarian politics and even urging Russia’s exclusion from the Group of Eight (G8), the world’s greatest economic powers.”

Click on the above Link to the Kyiv Post article.

Final count down to the end of the Monopoly Game vote. It's February 24 here in Marion, Ohio, USA 10:22am. 4 days, 8 hours and 25 minutes to the end of the voting for the top twenty.
 
I hope you can vote every day and then for ten days vote for Lviv to also be included. Best wishes to Kyiv and friends of Ukraine!

The Monopoly Game, Something fun!

Looking for something fun to talk about in the midst of winter, February the coldest weather of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. There is plenty of trouble in the world and it all can get somewhat depressing this time of year.

So! Here is the great Monopoly vote going on – cities all over the world are in contention to be included in the next edition of this board game, now about seventy three years old, about four years older than I am. J

The game is probably most familiar in the US and the vote to be included on the new design has possibly created the greatest interest in Canada and China. Strange.

If the game generates another seventy years of popularity the cities on the board will become etched in memories of millions. As youths I and my sisters played the game, my daughter played the game and now her children have the game.

I’ve been watching the movement in the top twenty cities. These will be on the board with two more from a “wild card” list that will be voted separately. For a sociologist or geopolitical student it would be interesting to follow as cities move up the list in surprising ways.

Canada as of today has three cities in the top twenty. China had three and now has one. Kyiv is ranked number thirteen today and has been bouncing between that and fourteenth place.

Cities will come up quickly from someplace below the twenty and then slowly decline. Kyiv came up that way but has been holding on.

Riga, Latvia, has made a remarkable assault. Little Latvia, a proud country of about two and a quarter million people, 30% of which are described as Russian. Last week Riga was not to be seen near the top twenty. Today it is number four. Latvians are dedicated.

Every email address in the world can vote every day for the next fourteen days. If you have five email addresses you can vote with each one every day.

Good news! This is indeed a step forward for Ukraine.

From the Kyiv Post: New higher education entrance exams to launch this year.

by Dariya Orlova, Kyiv Post Staff Writer
Feb 07 2008, 03:25

For the first time nationally, Ukraine’s high school graduates will face standardized exams this spring, replacing most of the current notoriously corrupt entrance exam process.

External Independent Testing (EIT) establishes a single standard to gauge students’ aptitude for higher education.

It also aims to eliminate bribery of local school administrators, who play a major role in developing tests and verbal exams, as well as scoring them.

“The goal of external independent testing is the objective and unbiased evaluation of a graduate’s achievements,” said Vadym Karandiy, deputy head at the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment (UCEQA), the state institution established to organize and manage independent testing.

The following two posts are from The National Radio Company of Ukraine

06-02-2008 18:20 Ukraine's NATO accession will ensure security of European values, Viktor Yushchenko believes.

This was stressed by the President when addressing the students of the Kyiv National Economic University. Particularly it will ensure humanitarian and social policy, protection of human rights, freedoms, and the rule of law being shared by Ukraine, he said.

President Viktor Yushchenko noted that Ukraine's policy poses no threat to any third party. President Yushchenko noted the truth in the discussion is complicated as the Communist agitation and propaganda of the Soviet time had left their traces on the whole generation.

"It is not a fault of the current generation. We should bring the truth, additional knowledge, information to change human thinking and philosophy," the President summarized. 

06-02-2008 18:05 Yulia Tymoshenko urging her ministers to speed up preparations for hosting Euro-2012

All ministers without exception must demonstrate efficient preparations for Euro 2012. I wish to see more dynamic work," Tymoshenko said while opening the government meeting today.

On February 13, the Cabinet of Ministers is planning to endorse a national plan of preparations for the event, including balanced programs of central and regional authorities, she said. Apart from this, Tymoshenko added, the Cabinet of Ministers will endorse a specified object plan of preparations for the championship, with regard for the new requirements of the UEFA.

The Cabinet is also planning to finally endorse the organizational structure that would be responsible for preparing Ukraine to Euro-2012.

 

I’m cheering for Ukraine, but NATO? Not yet I hope.

“KIEV, Ukraine -- Few issues are as divisive as NATO membership here, but the acrimony in high-tempered Ukrainian politics reached new heights when lawmakers tried to punch each other and colleagues scrambled to draw them apart.

“Lawmakers here often resort to angry words and then their fists when arguing with opponents, but the disputes rarely get so intense as to ignore the president.”

Source: Daily Comet;   From the Kyiv Ukraine News Blog

Please click on the photo for the report.

A step forward for Ukraine reported by the Financial Times

Kiev’s WTO deal will loosen Moscow grip

By Roman Olearchyk in Kiev and Frances Williams in Geneva

Published: February 5 2008 17:30 | Last updated: February 5 2008 17:30

“After 14 gruelling years of negotiations, the World Trade Organisation on Tuesday gave the green light for Ukraine to join the 151-member body, a key step in Kiev’s effort to reduce Moscow’s grip on the ex-Soviet economy and move it further towards the European Union and the west.

“In a sign of the importance accorded to WTO membership, Victor Yushchenko, Ukraine’s president, travelled to Geneva to sign the accession documents in person.

Ukraine will formally join the world trade watchdog once parliament has ratified the membership deal, which it must normally do within six months.”

And then a step back in Kyiv reported by the Associated Press

EU POL Ukraine Politics; Ukrainian president cancels state of union speech due to parliament scuffles

By MARIA DANILOVA

Associated Press Writer

5 February 2008

“KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - Ukraine's messy politics plunged into further chaos Tuesday, when protests and scuffles in parliament prevented President Viktor Yushchenko from delivering his annual state of the union speech.

“The work of the country's deeply divided parliament, the Vrkhovna Rada, has been virtually paralyzed for several weeks since Ukraine's pro-Western leaders took a key step toward seeking NATO membership for the ex-Soviet republic.

“The Moscow-friendly opposition Party of Regions responded by blocking the rostrum in parliament, preventing voting and discussion of bills.

“Party of Regions argues that Yushchenko, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and parliament speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk had no right to put in an official request to join NATO's Membership Action Plan, or MAP -- a key step toward joining the alliance.”

BRAMA, February 2, 2008, 9:00 am ET

Canadian MP raises concerns over omission of Ukraine famine-genocide from school course.

“In his letter to John Campbell, head of the Toronto District School Board, M.P. Borys Wrzesnewskyj expressed his concerns that information about the 1932-1933 Holodomor (famine genocide) in Ukraine was excluded from TDSB’s grade 11 course entitled Genocide: Historical and Contemporary Implications.”

As a friend of Ukraine I would encourage all Canadian friends of Ukraine to consider this issue and perhaps respond.  

International Herald Tribune, February 2, 2008

Ukraine makes first step to eliminate Russian natural gas middlemen.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said the country's National Security and Defense Council on Friday instructed the government to break up the contracts between the Ukrainian natural gas distribution monopoly Naftogaz and the Swiss-based trading company RosUkrEnergo because "they contain elements of corruption and are unprofitable."

Yulia Tymoshenko begins to make her moves regardless of her slim majority in Parliament.

Sunday Herald, Glasgow Scotland, UK, February 2, 2008

The venue for the Euro 2012 final?

By Alan Campbell

“THE SFA chief executive, Gordon Smith, will put Scotland's name forward to host the 2012 European Championships if Uefa strip Poland and Ukraine of the tournament. The eastern European countries have fallen well behind in their preparations, and unless there is substantial progress over the next five months alternative hosts will be sought for the championship.”

This is a tough emotional issue involving national prides. However, I would ask Ukraine and Poland to consider discontinuing their effort to host the Olympic games in 2012. Time is running out and it should be considered that the Olympic games are becoming crushing financial burdens on hosts. It is not unusual for host cities to be left with unhappy debts in the wake of the games.