Courtesy: americanprogress.org

I thought you folks in civilized countries might like this.

Due to the financial crisis that is impacting the world right now, the banks in Ukraine told everyone that they can’t take their money out.

Yep! ALL BANKS – who have your money, have been told by the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance (or something like that) to refuse to give people their money!

HA!

pretty wacky!

It’s no wonder 90% of people keep their money in their mattresses.

Moreover, in case you didn’t know it, the Ukrainian currency has been devalued twice (I think) in the current era (once in Soviet times, once post-Soviet) –> where the “central bank” simply says “your money is now worth 1/100th of what it used to be worth: Get used to it!

The people in the know would take out HUGE LOANS right before this happened. Then, with merchandise in hand, the money would deflate, and they would pay off their loans (houses, cars, etc…) with their next meager paycheck.

To all those that have lost their lives to the cold hands of tyrannical men… everywhere

Let us reflect – consider the loss, the pain, the sorrow that ensued following that September day 7 years ago. Please, let’s consider what brought us to that point in our history, and how we can try to make the world a more peaceful place, for ALL mankind, in our wholly uncertain future.

* * * * *

Today’s post is dedicated to those that lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Moreover, today is also dedicated to those people that have the COURAGE to make the world a better place by:

eliminating hatred

extinguishing acts of war

fostering love in community

respecting all peoples and their origins

contributing to feelings of brotherhood throughout humanity

and acknowledging the validity of different belief systems, religions, and cultures

* * * * *

– because in relative terms, life is so very very short,

and we are all just fibers of the same human fabric –

* * * * *

PEACE

I flew into Kiev a couple of days ago. We took an unusual approach, and flew right over Kiev. Our home is not visible in the picture (more to the left), but this is a picture taken when the plane was almost exactly over downtown, looking south, along with the flow of the great Dnepr River.

Anyhow, this was the first time I had seen a U.S. Air Force airplane at Kiev Airport. In fact, after we disembarked from our plane and boarded the shuttle bus from the tarmac to the terminal, I saw a second US plane. The one in front was a C17 transport, I think. I can only guess what physically rolled out of it in order to protect Dick.

Ugh…

That’s right. USA Vice-President Dickhead Cheney was visiting (I was to find out later). OK, fine, I’ll just spit it out:  I cannot stand the current US Administration — Bush, Cheney, Karl Rove (though he’s not officially a member), and all of the other F*ckers. They are evil, greedy, etc ….  the list goes on and on, and I’m sure I don’t need to repeat it here. Whew… glad I got that off my chest.
Anyway, I’m guessing that the plane behind the C-17 was Cheney’s private US Government jet (Air Farce 2, or something like that).

Look, I love being an American, and I never shy away from representing the USA. I’m proud of it. But damn… I surely didn’t vote these assholes into office. There must be a lot of stupid Americans out there. Or, oh yeah, somebody made (is making) a lot of money by rigging the electronic voting machines. Surprised? Don’t be.
When I arrived I obviously knew something was going on, but I had no idea what. I hadn’t heard that Dick (or any other high ranking USA official) would be visiting the Ukraine. Not that it’s all THAT unusual, but the airport was truly a mess when we tried to physically exit… cars everywhere, and we had to practically walk out off the airport grounds to get picked up (they wouldn’t let Andre into the roundabout to pick us up). Anyhow, on the drive away from the airport there were militzia everywhere: military guys in grey/black camouflage, hats, walkie-talkies, etc… (I didn’t see them with guns) lining the ~10 mile road into Kiev. There was at least one man every 500 meteres on each side of the road. Seriously. Overboard.

Here’s the pic:

That’s all. Just was incredibly surprised that we parked our Lufthansa jet right next to an American transport jet and “Air Force 2.”
The next day Cheney was in Italy. Putz.

Yep,

hard to believe, but I was there. His house is on the right, and a church is in the background. My wife got an invite, and I was allowed to attend as her guest. Man, did I get a look at the table from the secretary checking off names. I even “dressed up” for the occasion — but obviously we were under dressed when compared to the fully adorned dignitaries in attendance: virtually all of whom were wearing their best stuff — crowns, jewels, cuff-links, pins, wings, hats, regalia, etc… Moreover, only the rabbi and some Greek orthodox dude had beards, . Anyhow, I was miffed at the idea that some American secretary would even smirk at my attendance. Whatever.

So, we enter the compound (I mean, Ambassador’s residence) and begin waiting in a long line to pass the gate. Various officials kept passing us in line and letting themselves in. I’m wondering what we’re waiting for? Ahhhh… I see.. To greet (introduce) and shake the American Ambassador William Taylor’s hand. As soon as I saw that, I bailed outta line. “Where’s the beer? – there’s supposed to be free beer…” I asked my wife. We skedaddled over to the beer line, and I obtained a frosty summer beverage (Славутич, on draught), and began to mingle.

We passed by the cake table, and I had to snap this picture. I did elicit just a bit of homesickness, I have to admit. So we meandered up to the top, fairly large lawn and grabbed a little pulled beef BBQ sandwich, some salad, and some salsa. Good stuff. Our family doesn’t really eat much beef, so it tasted extra good! Before too long I needed a bevvy refill, and we headed down to the salmon tent. Whoa — AWESOME fish. GIANT salmon were baked on wood planks in huge BBQs — and they came off steamin’. I think I had 3 portions along with my second beer. Just as we began feasting on the Pacific Northwest delight (we were conveniently perched right in front of the salmon line), the Ambassador began addressing the 300-400 person gaggle of American semi-royalty (not really).

Nice guy, that Mr. Bill. The other guy (on the left) was the interpreter, though Willy tried to speak (and somewhat successfully, I might add) a bit of Ukrainian to the people. Looking out to the right (not shown) were ~3 or 4 levels of lawns and shrubs where people were eating, drinking, and watching the Ambassador’s address. The first picture shows a mid-level view. So we helped ourselves to the fish while everyone’s back was turned towards the serving tables. Damn good stuff.

We then walked around a bit and ran into a couple of people that Helen knows. We met a Marine and his wife, an Air Force Major and his wife, a Navy guy and his wife, and several others that were consular attachés. Funny — I never thought I’d find a reason to use that those words in print, but there you have it. It was fun… we chatted, talked about typical American stuff, and how it is to be an American living here. Of course, all of these folks are really quite isolated in their experiences. I won’t go into it, but they pretty much have their lives planned for them — where to live, where to work, when to travel, where your driver is supposed to take you, etc… I, on the other hand, live in Troeschina; my favorite white ghetto this side of the Mississippi. I get to see real life in Kiev

So we chatted for a while, and enjoyed the July 4th BBQ and the American colleagues. Mmmmmm M&M’s. We passed out some business cards to try to drum up business for Helen (God knows there’s plenty of need), and we called it an evening after about 3 hours.

Definitely my first 4th of July in a former Soviet block country!!!

A bit of an extreme title, I admit. But in lots of ways it is true. So many people here are “forced” into a life of corruption, bribery, scams, theft, extortion, illegality, etc. If you can’t put food on the table, what would you do? Starve??? So, a bit of money-taking from people that have more can hardly be considered a crime, right Robin Hood?

The average wage is so low, for the majority of jobs, that if you don’t get money on the side somehow, you can’t pay the bills. OK, fine… that may be a slight exaggeration, but without a doubt, it is significantly harder to pay the bills and have an average quality of life. And with Western culture creeping into spreading throughout the country (and the region), like a virus without an antibody to stop it, the desire to be rich and famous and be one of the “have’s” vs. the “have-not’s” is palpable. Everybody wants. And everyone wants cool stuff.

In my opinion it’s impossible for Westerners that haven’t been here to imagine what it’s like. But try. Try to imagine that you have [forever] been cut off from the majority of progressive worldly influences (unless the USSR government wanted to expose the people to them, which were apparently few and far between) — all until 15 years ago. At that time, the flood gates opened, so to speak. And now that bereft freedom is like a tidal wave spilling over the terrain, which carried a consumerism virus. The problem is that nobody has any money, or any equity for that matter.

People want more than they can have. Sure, greed is an age-old emotion. In the West, you can be legally greedy! If you can stick to the law of the land, and finesse a sweet life within the confines of democracy, then more power to you. Law and order serve as foundations for such fortunes and freedoms. But in Ukraine, at least from my perspective in the capital (Kiev / Kyiv), even the public officials are obviously on the take. From what I gather, they make so little that it’s nearly impossible to have a reasonable lifestyle if they don’t take from others. I suppose it similar in lots of 2nd and 3rd world countries — but for me, living here, it is a very new experience, and it makes me truly fear the law.
So, let me get to my point.

I have a couple of examples to share. And God, I really hope the Polizia don’t figure out who I am. The first example, and the trigger that elicited this post occurred to my brother in law (BIL). BIL got pulled over by the police last week. Not sure what he did — I think it was just a “routine stop.” Let me explain…

Usually the police park their cars at known, consistent, pre-determined places on roads. After all, why should they go chasing people around in their beat up Lada’s? Why not let the “new rich” people come to them? This being said, I’m not sure why the pulled BIL over; he doesn’t have that nice of a car. So… the cops sit in their cars, or the little “lifeguard” stations that they erect — and they wait. Funnily enough, the cops have these “checkpoints” set up at “funnel” locations. Points on major thoroughfares that people are forced to drive through. Ex: dams, bridges, highways, major intersections, etc… So they wave you over, and you stop. The inspect your papers. They run your name on their computer. If you did something bad in your past – you are in trouble. If there was something wrong with your car – you are in trouble. If you’ve done nothing wrong, and your car is in working condition – you could still be in trouble. You have a significantly higher chance of getting pulled over if the policemen are standing next to the road and if nobody is obviously parked on the road’s shoulder. That means the previous car just left, and that they are ready to make a few more bucks. You know… “Mama needs another purse…” Thus, they brandish white and red barber-pole like batons, and wave in the direction of the shoulder as you approach when they want you to pull over. Of course, the speed limit is often 25km/hr just before a patrol station, so they can get a good look at you.

Who? Who do they prefer pull over, you ask? Generally anyone in a BMW, Mercedes, Hummer, Porsche, anything shiny, anything washed, anything new, anything. But the more money a person appears to have (because everyone with money damn well shows it by buying a shiny new car), the more likely they are to have a spare $20, $50, or $100 in their wallet. Who needs a reason? They have a baton and a radio! And God knows you would give them almost anything so they don’t concoct some reason to take you to the station — as you might not be heard from for a week. I’m afraid that when they pull me over, they’ll figure out I’m American, and feel as if they just hit jackpot, or found a golden ticket in “Willy Wonka Bar.”

So, back to BIL. When BIL had his documents returned to him by the police, one thing was missing. His car registration. In the nervous haze that follows the squeeze of adrenal glands, he did not check his documents and fled the “crime” scene as quickly as he could. About two days later, BIL started receiving phone calls from an un-named, non-telephone-number-leaving individual. Eventually the call came through while BIL was home, and the anonymous caller pronounced ownership of BIL’s car registration. What do you know — surprise, surprise, surprise, Gomer. The person wanted cash, and wanted to meet tomorrow in a discreet place, at night.

BIL, knowing that the bureaucratic red-tape involved in legally replacing one’s car registration is as thick as a Mississippi swamp, makes a reasonable demand. The price: $500 Hrivna ($100 USD). Obviously it’s a scam. The cops steal the rego (Aussie for registration), they give it to a couple of 18 y.o. kids (either cops themselves or perhaps their sons), the kids do the transaction in the dark in a non-descript place, and they split the cash with their fathers (I mean cops). Perfect little game by the Authorities – I’m sure it happens all the time.

So, how can you feel safe when the Cops are this corrupt?

God forbid you get caught drunk driving… it could cost like $500 USD on the spot — or they take you to the Station. They don’t want to take you to the station, they just want money. So, the take home message is that if you are going to drink and drive, have more cash with you. Oh, and supposedly in the new year the offense for drunk driving doubled — so the cops get to demand more. So drive a crappy car and look like you got no money. And drive the speed limit. And if they pull you over, have a bit of spare cash, and check your documents before you leave the scene.

The second example happened to my wife. We were planning on going to (I’ll just tell you it’s a ‘nearby country’ so as to not incriminate anyone) for a short holiday. No problem for me, holding a US passport, but for her (Ukrainian passport) it is a different story.

You have two options, go to the embassy and apply for a visa, or go through a travel agency who can process everything for you (for a price). We decided to go straight to the embassy, because we had already booked our hotel and airfare, etc… and didn’t need the whole shebang with the travel agent. When arriving, she stood in a queue. After about an hour, she found out that visas are processed by number, and by waiting in the line, you get assigned a number. The approximated that there was about a 2 week waiting period until your number will get called. You are required to show up at 7am each day to “check in” to make sure you stay in the queue. At this point, it would have taken about 2-3 WEEKS. Sure, that might be fine for someone who doesn’t have a job, and lives nearby… but for everyone else that’s a serious pain in the ass. That being said, there was a huge line of people waiting already.
The alternative: My wife asked the lady that doled out the queue numbers if there was any other way (other than travel agents, who have their own scams going on). Of course there was. This country runs on bribery. She was told directly that she could go speak with that “gentleman over there.” Typical sort: big, Russian looking dude wearing a long black leather coat, smoking a cigarette. Sketchy.

She walked over and said “I heard you can make things happen a little faster around here.” He replied, “What do you need done?” She said “A tourist visa.” He said it would cost 250 Hrivna ($50 USD), and he promised everything would be “taken care of.” Although she had all the paperwork already filled out, the leathered individual insisted that he fill out the paperwork at a nearby cafe. So, they went, and he copied the information onto new forms, and after the monetary exchange, instructed my wife to go around to the back of the embassy. Tell the guard that “X” sent you, and he should let you in. She inquired as to how he could assure her of this, and he said “that’s not my problem.”

So, she followed his instructions and went to see the guard around back. He let her in, she saw the relevant officer inside the embassy, and within 5 minutes she was out of there… and she should receive her passport in the mail within 10 days. Sure enough, it showed up with a shiny new visa.

The point is that most people can’t afford to pay 250 Hrivna to get a tourist visa. But for those that can, standing in a line for 2 weeks is absurd. And, they know that. It’s a scam! Welcome to the developing world.
I have to say, you learn a lot from living in another culture.