If you’re interested…

I was asked to submit a brief paper about the origin of the financial crisis for an economics conference that will be held by one of my universities later this month.  Not an easy task given the multi-discipline nature of the event, but one I think more people (Ukrainians and Americans) could benefit by better understanding.  With that in mind, I tried to make it as straightforward as possible while hoping I didn’t simplify too much.  (Be warned, it’s four MS Word pages long.)

Real life encounters IV

A conversation Yura and Ruslan, two 8-year-olds that watched as another volunteer and I packed up softball equipment after a softball practice.

Yura: Hey, can I hold a glove?

(I toss him a glove)

Yura: Can we throw a ball together?

Me: Maybe next time, we’re finished today.

Yura: Oh… well when will you play again?

Me: Maybe on Friday, we’ll see.

(The boys say “ok” and begin to walk away)

Yura: (turning around) Where are you from?

Me: We’re from America.

Yura: Oh, America. … America is better than Ukraine, right?

Me: Well, yes and no…

Yura: Yeah, America is better because you have police on motorcycles! I saw on TV.  We don’t have them here.

Ruslan: Yeah we do! When [President] Yushchenko came to Lutsk he had police on motorcycles!

Then they helped us carry equipment back into storage and gave us some dried kalmar. Good kids.

Catchy electro-pop song of the moment

As I’ve written previously, I’m quite the connoisseur of Ukraine’s broadcast music video channel, M1. Most of the music is just god-awful packaged Ukrainian pop music, but I appreciate the fact that Ukrainians have access to a broadcast music station that still mostly plays music videos–unlike other well known music channels.

In addition, the M1 rotation has its fair share of foreign music, as well. Most of it is Justin Timberlake, Beyonce or, unsurprisingly, Lady Gaga. But I have come across a few catchy electro-pop songs that I have had brief, intense infatuations with. Mostly because of the videos. Probably the first one was a song called “Let me think about it,” which was/is huge in Ukraine. Then there was MGMT’s “Electric Feel” last summer. After that a song called “Merrymaking at my place” by a guy name Calvin Harris.

And without further adieu, I present the lastest M1 song and video that I’m bound to listen to way too many times, get sick of, and never listen to again…