Saturday 31 December 2011

Vaclav Havel

This 2011 year was difficult for many countries in the world. And many famous people had left our Earth forever in 2011. But in the last day of this year I would like to remember the great politician Vaclav Havel who died on December 18th, 2011.
In my country people say "we need our Ukrainian Havel" or "where is our Havel in Ukraine?". Because former Czech president, politician, dramatist and dissident Vaclav Havel was and is that example of possible humanity and moral in politics, which is necessary for real success in the politics of any country. Unfortunately many modern politicians forget about humanity and moral, they think that only power and money can do everything in the world, but Vaclav Havel showed us that it's not so. V. Havel fought against communism and dictatorship the first in Czechoslovakia and then all over the world. He always respected human rights and democracy. Vaclav Havel showed for all next politicians that moral and fair man can rule a country. Great man he was. World will always remember him.
And how Vaclav Havel said: "Truth and love must beat lie and hatred".

Friday 30 December 2011

Yulia Tymoshenko was moved in Kachanivka prison colony

On December 23th the Court of Appeal of Kyiv didn't approve the appeal of Yulia Tymoshenko's lawyers and didn't change Pechersk court's verdict of October 11th, 2011 about Tymoshenko's guilt. But Ukrainian power began another judicial deals against Tymoshenko, except the deal of Russian-Ukrainian gas contract's signing by Yulia Tymoshenko and Vladimir Putin in January, 2009, and these another judicial deals aren't closed nowadays. On December 29th Ukrainian Minister of Justice Oleksandr Lavrynovych said about a necessity of the end of all judicial trials in the deals against Tymoshenko, only after which Y. Tymoshenko could be moved in prison colony. Ex-Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko has also problems with her health, especially with her spine, and she can't move normally. But this early morning, on December 30th, Y. Tymoshenko has already been moved in Kachanivka prison colony in Kharkiv region, though she couldn't go and Lukyanivska jail's workers carried her to the prison's car. Tymoshenko's relatives and lawyers, deputies of her party "Batkivshchyna" and many simple citizens of Ukraine say about illegality of these actions against Tymoshenko and about judicial deals against her in general. Nowadays all they worry the most if Yulia Tymoshenko will be alive and healthy during her staying in prison colony in Kachanivka.

Thursday 22 December 2011

Volodymyr Ivasyuk

On December 20th monument to Volodymyr Ivasyuk was opened in Lviv on Taras Shevchenko avenue. It's only a second monument in Ukraine, dedicated to this famous Ukrainian composer, poet, singer. The first Ivasyuk's monument is situated in his native city Kitsman in Chernivtsi region, where Volodymyr Ivasyuk was born in teacher's family on March 4th, 1949. Volodymyr Ivasyuk is author of 107 songs, 53 instrumental compositions, 2 musics for theatre's performances. He was professional violinist - studied to play on the violin during 1955-1966 in Kitsman children's musical school. He also studied to play on the piano there and could play on the guitar and on the viloncello. Volodymyr Ivasyuk gratuated Lviv Conservatory and Lviv Medical Institute. V. Ivasyuk painted pictures, enjoyed photography and cinematography too. He wrote his first song "Lullaby" in 15-year-old age! And his famousest songs "Chervona Ruta" ("Red Ruta") and "Vodohray" ("Waterfall") were the winners in the mainest songs' contest of USSR "Song-1971" and "Song-1972" in Moscow in 1971 and 1972 years accordingly.

Vasyl Zinkevych, Nazarij Yaremchuk and Volodymyr Ivasyuk and ensemble "Smerichka" perform a song "Chervona Ruta" in Moscow in 1971.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV_4XvldJw0

Ensemble "Smerichka" performs a song "Vodohray" in Moscow in 1972.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixc13mxL2i0&feature=related

And here Volodymyr Ivasyuk performs his own song "I'll go in the distant mountains".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XolO5uz8e34&NR=1&feature=endscreen

Another famous Ukrainian songs, written by V. Ivasyuk: "Fate Has Its Own Spring", "Song Will Be Between Us", "Ballade About Two Violins", "Ballade About Malvy", "I Am Your Wing", "Invite Me In The Dreams", "Hat", "Two Rings", "Uncontrolled Stream", "Love Blossoms Only One Time".

Volodymyr Ivasyuk died under strange circumstances. On April 24th, 1979 someone unknown called V. Ivasyuk, he went somewhere and didn't come back anymore. On May 18th 1979 he was found hung high on the tree in Bryukhovychi forest nearby Lviv. Who killed Ukrainian great talent Ivasyuk? Answer is unknown till nowadays.

Volodymyr Ivasyuk's monument in Lviv in the evening.

Saturday 10 December 2011

Dedicated to Human Rights Day

Ill prisoner lays on the bed in the jail's cell. Prisoner has a spine's pain and can't move normally. Judges come in the jail's cell and sit down on the chairs, bringing in the cell before their visit. Judges begin a judicial session over ill prisoner, though prisoner's lawyer says about bad health of the prisoner. Judicial session in the jail's cell is holding without journalists. Several times jail's doctors arrive in the cell to look how is prisoner's health and then they go away. And judicial session continues, though lawyer says that it's illegally and ask to stop it. Judicial session lasts more than 11 hours. And after all judges decide...to arrest arrested prisoner in the second time, so prisoner is re-arrested now! And judges don't write any period of the prisoner's arrest in their judicial decision. Judges go away from the jail's cell. Ill prisoner stays to lay on the bed in the cell without knowledge of the arrest's period before the announcement of the final judicial verdict.
Such judicial session was held over ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in the prison's cell on December 9th. And Human Rights Day is celebrated in the world on December 10th...

Friday 9 December 2011

Strikes of Chornobyl liquidators.

Ukrainian Parliament decided to abolish privileges since 2012 year for 16 population's categories, including saviours of Chornobyl disaster on April 26th, 1986. That's why Chornobyl saviours began mass strikes in many Ukrainian cities. On November 27th 69-year-old Hennadiy Konoplyov, former miner and member of Donetsk protest against abolition of privileges for 16 people's categories, died during protest's dispersing, made by police. On November 30th in Kyiv Chornobyl liquidators began a starvation ahead the building of Parliament with a request to leave their privileges (additional payments). These saviours, people, who made worse their healths during a liquidation of the accident on Chornobyl atomic electrostation in 1986, so they need their privileges just to be able to buy medicine for themselves and to bring a few money in their families like its heads. If in the past Chornobyl liquidators could imagine, that after their hard work of disaster's liquidation they will not have state payments to buy medicine in the future, maybe they wouldn't go to liquidate Chornobyl accident. But...Who will ask simple people what they want? Soviet power didn't think about that people and just sent them as liquidatiors, though they often weren't saviours or liquidators by their profession. And present Ukrainian power also doesn't think about Chornobyl saviours, their healths and families. State power says: "There are no money for you". But at the same time Parliament's deputies don't want to abolish any privileges for themselves.
On December 9th Chornobyl liquidators protesting ahead Parliament have already stopped their starvations because of bad healths of many protestants and have gone home in the different Ukrainian cities from where they are. But they'll continue to protest against abolition of their state payments, because they have right to these payments and also haven't another way except a strike.

Saturday 26 November 2011

Remember Holodomor

On November 26th, 2011 Ukraine and Ukrainian diaspora in the world commemorated 79-th anniversary of Holodomor of 1932-1933 years. Holodomor was man-made famine and genocide and was organized by Joseph Stalin against Ukrainians, lived in USSR, on the modern territories of North, East, Central and South Ukraine (except Crimea and a part of Odesa region). The majority of Ukrainians lived in the villages, because their main occupation was agriculture. And Ukrainians were always very freedom-loved people and that's why J. Stalin decided to destroy Ukrainian nation and to create dictatorship in Soviet Union. In later autumn of 1932 Soviet regime began to take off all grain, any food, domestic animals in Ukrainian peasants to have harvest for Soviet Union, as chieves of that cruel state said. But indeed J. Stalin and his fellows specially killed Ukrainians, taking off their food and leaving them to die in the wintry time. Then special detachments were organized to go in the villages and to take off all possible provision, which was transpoted to direct places, guarded by policemen. These detachments searched in every corner of the rural houses, looking for a food. And even hungry people searched the rests of the vegetabgles on their fields in winter, these Soviet regime's workers killed that poor hungry people. And Ukrainian peasants died from famine...In the end of 1932 - on the beginning of 1933 Ukrainians gathered plants to cook some soup, ate birds, cats and everything that could be eaten, and it's terrible, but they sometimes ate their relatives, because it was horrible famine! The winter of 1933 was the cruelest period for Ukrainian peasants. In general Holodomor of 1932-1933 killed 3 millions 941 thousands people and 6 millions 122 thousands unborn babies in Ukraine.
24 countries have already recognized Holodomor as genocide against Ukrainians, organized by J. Stalin. Ukraine commemorates the victims of Holodomor'32-33 on the lasr Saturday of November. People light the candles in memory of Holodomor's victims in the homes and pray for them in the churchs. Pray that it won't be any holodomor in the world in the future.

The candles in the form of cross in memory of millions of Holodomor's victims (Lviv, 26.11.2011).

The words, formed with candles, "Пам'ятай голодомор" ("Remember holodomor").

Wednesday 9 November 2011

What will be the points of Association Agreement EU-Ukraine?

The majority of Ukrainian politicians says much about a necessity of Association Agreement EU-Ukraine and nothing about points of the future Association Agreement (AA). So it's very strange situation for Ukrainians, when politicians want to sign important deal between Ukraine and EU, but Ukraine's citizens don't know the points of this deal.
Ukrainian people mostly have positive attitude towards European Union, and they have a right to know what will be written in the points of AA between two sides. And now they don't know it! It's something impossible! What will be written in the first point, in the second, in the third, in all points of Association Agreement EU-Ukraine? Politicians can't sign such and similar significant state deals, when nation isn't informed about deal's details.

Sunday 30 October 2011

Autumn in Lviv.

St. Mykhayil Greek Catholic Church.
Vyacheslav Chornovil monument and City Armory behind it.


Pidvalna Street, one of the borders of Medieval Lviv.

Grand Hotel with his autumnal friend-tree.

Autumnal contrasts in Stryyskyy park.

Rotonda in Ivan Franko park, the oldest park in Lviv.

Main path in Ivan Franko park.

Ivan Franko monument and autumnal leaves.
Upper part of Boyim's Chapel with Jesus Christ sculpture on the top and autumnal tree.

Lake in Stryyskyy park.

Autumnal trees near-by my house.

Friday 14 October 2011

Yulia Tymoshenko

On October 11th, 2011 Pechersk court decided "Yulia Tymoshenko is guilty" in Russian-Ukrainian gas contract of January, 2009, signed with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. This contract is named unprofitable for Ukraine by present statemen and Y. Tymoshenko is announced guilty in money loss for state. According to court's decision ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko must stay in jail for next seven years and can't be stateman for three years after her jail's period, and she also must pay 1,5 billions hryvnyas as compensation to "Naftogas" (but what is this compensation for?...)
Yulia Tymoshenko didn't agreed to such court's verdict and Tymoshenko's lawyers prepare the appeal. Because what money loss did she make for Ukraine? Did she put some money from state budget on her personal account, or build house or buy private airplanes, yachts, etc., using state money? No.
Probably then, in January, 2009 it could be signed some better gas contract, but it's a question why besides Y. Tymoshenko anyone Ukrainian stateman didn't propose someone else gas contract. Why was this gas contract of January, 2009 not signed by Viktor Yushchenko, Ukrainian President of that time, if it was so important deal for state? And why was Viktor Yanukovych, oppositioner of that time, silent and didn't say nothing about bad side of that gas deal?
I hope that Ukrainian power is a few clever and will justify Tymoshenko. This needs not only for Ms. Yulia, but for all Ukrainian citizens and state power too.
Yulia Tymoshenko lost 3% to Viktor Yanukovych, present Ukrainian President, on the elections in February, 2010. Then she also didn't agree with the results of the presidential elections and asked for re-calculation of the votes in the electional districts where Tymoshenko's team fixed falsifications. But Central Electional District didn't decide to re-calculate the results of the elections and announced Viktor Yanukovych Ukrainian president. So V. Yanukovych is Ukraine's President less than two years. Surely, Y. Tymoshenko was and is his mainest opponent. So what did state power want? To put its opponents in the prison! And where is fair struggle between politicians or it's just a dream in Ukraine?

Monday 10 October 2011

State power's decision without people's permission.

Since October, 2011 Ukrainian department of Unique State Register allowed to find a personal information of Ukrainian etrepreneurs on the special informational site. But Ukrainian etrepreneurs did't allow to put their personal informational dates on the Internet! So Ukraine's state power decided instead of them to make entrepreneurs' dates like free searched information for all. Nowadays entrepreneurs' mobile telephone numbers and phone numbers of their homes (as possibility to contact with entrepreneurs!), addresses of their homes and their firms' locations, their mails, even entrepreneurs' identificational codes can be found in the informational-searching resource's site of Unique State Register of Ukraine. But, of course, as everything happens in Ukraine according to a principle "law isn't equal for all", You can't find, for example, personal dates of the famous Ukrainian etrepreneur Rinat Akhmetov on this site. Sure, he and others richest Ukrainian citizens don't want and won't want to put their personal dates on the Internet, because there are personal dates. And everyone has a right to protect his/her personal information. Why did state power forget about it? Why did state power forget about its duty to protect own citizens? What is state power for in anoter case? It's just a great impudence! To put entrepreneurs' personal dates on the Internet without entrepreneurs' permission! Do You know such incident of human rights' violation in some democratic state?

Thursday 6 October 2011

Lustration as necessary step to democracy in Ukraine.

Ukraine needs a lustration of the former employees and cooperators of communist secret police in USSR. Similar lustration was held in Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, the Baltic States and such lustration must be held in Ukraine. People have a right to know who co-operated with secret police of that unhuman soviet regime. Ukraine may be really democratic state only after this lustration, when people will know a list of the names of these employees and co-operators of KGB in Ukraine. Because You know, Ukraine is young twenty-year-old state and who knows if some ex-employee or ex-co-operator of KGB continues to do something bad things in politics, economics or cultural and social life against Ukrainian citizens and state or not.

Friday 30 September 2011

Nice and quiet Dubno, city in Rivne region.

Several weeks ago I visited nice and quiet city in Rivne region - Dubno. And here are some photos from this lovely place in Ukraine.

The gate and the bridge of Dubno castle - Ukrainian fortification of XVth century and the main sightseeing in the city.


Ancient castle' smithy.


Castle's cave and entrance in it.


Fortificated wall and ditch of Dubno castle.


Ostrozki princes' palace - one of the building of the historical complex "Dubno castle".


One of Dubno castle's towers.


St. Yan Nepomuk Catholic Cathedral - architectural monument of XIXth century.


St. Illya Orthodox Church, built in 1905.


Lutsk Gate - three-storey building which was important Dubno fortification.


St. Transfiguration Orthodox Church, the first Dubno Orthodox Church built in 1643.


Former Bernardine monaster, the oldest Dubno Church, built in the beginning of XVIIth century). Here is St. Mykolay Orthodox Church nowadays.


Interesting monument to Ukrainian writer Taras Shevchenko, which consists of the statue of young T. Shevchenko, old blind kobzar and little boy nearby.



House of Children's Creation (former Contracts's House) - architectural monument of XIXth century.

Thursday 29 September 2011

Some Ukrainian news

There are some news from Ukrainian reality.
Good news are prohibition to use former chapel by Dognal's sectarians as their church on Pluhova street in Lviv. I wrote earlyer about this new Ukrainian dangerous sect here: http://thoughtsanddreamsfromukraine.blogspot.com/2011/06/everyone-has-right-to-choose-religion.html
Another good news are complaints of 45 oppositional deputies from BYUT and "Front zmin" ("Front of changes") (the first signed deputies under complaints - Serhiy Sobolyev, Andriy Pavlovskyy from BYUT and Arseniy Yatsenyuk from "Front zmin") to Constitutional Court about non-recognition of the Law about Pension reform, because Pension reform was accepted in unconstitutional way on July 7th, 2011 - the number of present deputies wasn't equal to number of the deputies which voted for this reform! Present deputies in parliament were much less than the number of voted deputies on parliament's screen.
And other good news are appeals of Association of Ukrainian Banks and of BYUT's deputy Serhiy Teryokhin to National Bank of Ukraine to cancel Bank's decision about obligatory showing and copying! of the first page of Ukrainian passport for all who want buy or sell foreign currency in the places of currency exchange since September 23th, 2011.
And farce's news are news about some documents of the criminal deal against ex-Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko, which are dated with unexisting date - April 31th, 2011! And three days ago Tymoshenko's lawyers also said that Tymoshenko's original signature wasn't on Ukrainian-Russian gas contracts of January 19th, 2009. There was only her facsimile. So it's a big question why she's in the prison now.

Wednesday 28 September 2011

Palestine

Palestinian bid for full membership in the UN and for statehood is examining in these days in New York at the UN Assembly. I don't know what decision will be approved, but one day Palestinian state must be exactly created. Because the peace at the West Bank and in sector Gaza will come only when both nations, Israeli and Palestinians, will have their states and will form peaceful relations between each other. No war in the Holy Land anymore! I believe that as Palestinians thus Israeli want to live peacefully without military conflicts. And world must help them in it.

Monday 19 September 2011

Possible EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

All Ukrainian newspapers and TV-channels talk about possible EU-Ukraine Association Agreement (AA). But the majority of Ukrainians can't understand how EU may sign such AA with Ukrainian state power nowadays. Association Agreement gives development of political, trade, social, cultural and security links between two sides of the signed deal. And Ukrainians know that democratic values are very inportant in EU countries and that's why people want to join to the European Union. But how can such AA be signed in the present time?
When former Minister of the Ministry of Iternal Affairs Yuriy Lutsenko is still arrested during almost nine months and former Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko is still arrested during almost two months, though court doesn't prove their guilt yet, but all people know that these politicians are oppositional leaders towards present Ukrainian power.
Simple Ukrainians can't find job just to feed their families, while Ukrainian newspaper "Dzerkalo Tyzhnya"("The Mirror of the Week") wrote that "Chornomornaftohas" had overpaid 150 millions dollars from state budget for sea drilling rig in the Black Sea, so the real price for this drilling rig is much, much lower. While Ukrainian newspaper "Ukrayins'ka Pravda"("Ukrainian Truth") writes that Ukrainian President decided to rent two new airplanes for himself, also taking money from state budget. While informational agency UNIAN informed about 50 millions hryvnyas of state money, which were uneffectively used by National Television and Radio Companies, so this is a question where these money "traveled". And site "Nashi Hroshi" ("Our Money") reported about almost 260 millions hryvnyas of state money for the technical-material center's building of Lviv Employment Center. In Ukraine employment centers don't find any jobs for unemployeds and I really don't understand why these centers exist and are financed, but I'll write apart one article about Ukrainian employment centers.
So simple Ukrainians read such news and only think how it's possible just to live in Ukrainian state, when state power doesn't take care about them. Many Ukrainians have some relative which lives and works abroad and helps financially. But a few days ago National Bank of Ukraine obligated Ukraine's citizens to show their passports in currency exchange to buy or to sell even 1 euro, 1 dollar etc since September 23th, 2011. Yeh, it's "very nice" power's step to create a dictatorship in Ukraine.
And may it be signed Association Agreement between EU and Ukraine in such conditions of the Ukrainian reality?

Wednesday 31 August 2011

Lutsk

I visited the centre of Volyn region, the city of Lutsk, one rainy summer day in the past year and I falled in love at once in this antique city and its kind people with blue eyes. In general Ukrainians call Volyn region blue-eyed region for much persons with blue eyes there. :)
And the first recollection about Lutsk was written in 1085 year in Ipatiyivskyy chronicle, so this Ukrainian city has 926 years! But archaeologists say that the age of Lutsk is more elder. Here are some my photos for Your virtual acquaintance with Lutsk.

The tower-entrance into Lutsk castle or Lyubart's castle, named after Lithuanian prince Lyubart, the founder of this huge Ukrainian fortress of the XIVth century.

Castle's walls

Wooden belfry of ancient St. John Church in the yard of Lutsk castle.

Wooden well

Catapult

Cannons

Great sculptures to play chess in Lutsk castle's yard. But...It's impossible to play them, because these chess pieces are immovable.

A little bit sad knight nearly one wall of Lutsk castle. Why is he in the sad spirits? Maybe he wants to come back in the Middle Ages for a few minutes...

                                            Armoury in one of Lutsk castle's towers

          Printing press near Museum of Ancient Book in Lutsk castle's yard.

The monument "Eternal Glory" in the honour of 4000 Lutsk citizens, killed by Soviet NKVS agents in 1941.

Sts. Petro and Pavlo Catholic Cathedral was constructed in 1600-1610 as Church of Jesuit's order.

Memorial museum of Ukrainian poetess and writer Lesya Ukrayinka (Larysa Kosach - her real name) is situated in this house, where poetess lived with her parents in Lutsk.

The House of the Gospel was built in the end of the XVIIth century as Protestant church for German community of Lutsk.

Virgin Mary Protection Orthodox Church was erected in the XVth century. The facade of this sacral building is rare in Volyn region because of its yellow colour - here Orthodox churches traditionally have blue-coloured facades.

St. Trinity Orthodox Cathedral was built in 1752-1755 years (former Catholic Church of the Bernardine's order).

Funny small monument to a soldier Shveyk, the hero from the novel of eminent Czech writer Yaroslav Hashek - very popular book not only in the Western Ukraine (Lviv also has own Shveyk's monument :)), but in other countries of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Monument to wonderful Ukrainian poetess and writer Lesya Ukrayinka who lived many years in Volyn region.

Volyn National University and monument to genius Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet, writer and painter.

The emblem of the city of Lustk on the road

Tuesday 30 August 2011

International folklore festival "Etnovyr"

Lviv citizens enjoy festivals and have a lot of them. Perhaps, one of the favourest festivals is held before Ukraine's Independence Day, in the end of August, and is called "Etnovyr", international folklore festival. Thanks to "Etnovyr" Lviv people and the guests of the city had a possibility to watch Czech, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Mexican, Indian, Indonesian, Palestinian, Macedonian, Cyprian and, of course, Ukrainian folklore ensembles from around a world in Lviv. And this year "Etnovyr" was held in the fourth time. Here are some photos from "Etnovyr-2011".

Italian ensemble's members play drums and trumpets while their colleagues from ensemble show Italian art of the flag bearers.


Italian ensemble shows medieval art of Italian flag bearers.


Spanish ensemble starts to perform one Basque dance.


Spanish ensemble performs one beautiful Basque song.


French ensemble shows it art to dance on the stilts.


French ensemble performs medieval shepherd's dance on the stilts.


Burundi ensemble performs its national dance with drums.