Visit Ukraine 2022

It would seem that even a country at “war” can become a popular destination and attract travellers, especially from Europe and North America! 

Consider Ukraine – although I must clarify that this country is mired in a military conflict with a neighbor, rather than being actually caught in a full-blown war, as Western media would like to portray. If Russia really goes to war, would VIPs ("Very Idiotic Persons") dare to step foot into a country where death and destruction is all around? 

Indeed, the country is luring those who want to be seen to "stand with Ukraine" and in the process, bask in the media limelight. This explains why an endless stream of visitors can’t wait to turn up there and I can tell you, thus far, the guest line-up is pretty impressive! 

In March, Ukraine hosted Czechia’s prime minister Petr Fiala, together with Slovenian prime minister Janez Jansa, and Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki and his deputy Jaroslaw Kaczynski. 

In April, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, European Council President Charles Michel, and European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen were all in Ukraine at one time or another. So too, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Romanian prime minister Nicolae Ciucă, Bulgarian prime minister Kiril Petkov, Swiss leader of the House of Representatives Irène Kälin and fellow parliamentarians, Lithuanian prime minister Ingrida Šimonytė, UK prime minister Boris Johnson, and Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen along with her Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez. Not forgetting, from the US, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. 

In May, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, his deputy Chrystia Freeland and foreign minister Mélanie Joly paid Ukraine a visit. So too, the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania Eva-Maria Liimets, Edgars Rinkēvičs and Gabrielius Landsbergis respectively. And from the US, came House speaker Nancy Pelosi, and a posse of Democratic Reps, Gregory Meeks of New York, Jason Crow of Colorado, Jim McGovern and Bill Keating of Massachusetts, and Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee of California. Also, actor and United Nations special envoy Angelina Jolie and even first lady Jill Biden. Not to mention Irish singer-songwriter of U2 band, Bono.

I don’t think the above listing is exhaustive – but you get my drift! 

Ukraine is most certainly, 2022’s No. 1 travel destination!

Banned Letters Z and V

Yesterday, I had mentioned about the letter Z finding itself in trouble in Europe. 

Today, I came across a news report that Latvia's parliament have adopted a new law that bans the display of the letters "Z" and "V" in public, under the pretense that these symbols, which are being used by Russian troops in Ukraine, stand for glorifying "military aggression and war crimes".

Anyone found guilty under the new law will be fined up to €350, while companies can be fined up to €2,900. 

The vote on the new law was introduced as an "urgent procedure"! 

And then there was another report that Kiev had asked Slovenia's embassy on Thursday to take down its flag (left) because it was too similar to that of Russia! 

This is all becoming farcical and ludicrous!! But when you have a Ukraine President who is a real-life comic, what do you expect?!

A Bronzed Melania Trump

I had blogged about the Melania Trump carving in Slovenia on September 03, 2019. 

But on July 04, 2020, the sculpture was torched (left). And the police have yet to find the perpetrator(s). 

Now, a bronze likeness of the US first lady has replaced it. 

The work – like the original – is a collaboration between Brad Downey, a Berlin-based US artist from Louisville, Kentucky, and a local craftsperson, Ales “Maxi” Zupevc, who have invited residents of Melania’s hometown of Sevnica to see the work in nearby Rozno in south-eastern Slovenia.

The new statue has been placed on the same tree stump where the wooden statue stood before it was badly damaged. Modelled on the previous design, Downey has said he hopes it will now be harder to destroy. 

That sounds like a challenge! 

BTW, Malaysia’s coronavirus cases have breached the 10,000 mark on Wednesday!

 

Malaysians should be thankful that the country's numbers are a mere fraction of the global caseload and fatalities at 0.03% and 0.01% respectively.

12 Countries Have Zero Coronavirus Cases

Believe it or not, there are still countries with zero cases of the coronavirus. These are the following:

BTW, Slovenia has become the first European country to proclaim an end to the viral pandemic at home, AP reported. 

It said on Friday that Covid-19 is under control and there is no longer a need for extraordinary health measures. The government says EU residents are free to cross into Slovenia from Austria, Italy and Hungary at predetermined checkpoints – although most non-EU nationals will need to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine. 

The first coronavirus case in Slovenia was recorded on March 04 – a returnee from neighbouring Italy. By May 13, there were 1,463 confirmed cases and 103 deaths in Slovenia.

Still, I am expecting the coronavirus to make a return.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, saw cases rise to more than 20,000.

Also yesterday, Russia announced more than 10,000 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s total to 262,843 – the third-highest in the world after the United States and Spain. 

On Thursday, Russian officials defended the country against claims that its unusually low mortality rate from Covid-19 is suspicious, maintaining that its method of ascribing cause of death is “exceptionally precise”.

China had good tidings yesterday. It has gone a month without announcing any new fatalities from the coronavirus. 

The last time a death was reported was on April 14. I reckon it's just a respite because again, I believe it'll come back.

And for many other countries, they shouldn't be expecting a hiatus any time soon. For sure, Covid-19 will be with all of us for quite a while.

Melania and Donald Trump Find Their Way to Slovenia

Slovenia seems to be embracing Donald Trump and understandably, his wife too.

A tongue-in-cheek statue of Melania was erected in the country. 

The life-size sculpture of Melania, carved out of a tree trunk with a chainsaw stands in Rozno, on the outskirts of her hometown of Sevnica. 

Dressed in a blue coat and raising her left hand in a waving gesture, she emulated a pose she struck at her husband’s 2017 inauguration. 

The brainchild of 39-year-old American conceptual artist Brad Downey, who said it’s the first monument anywhere dedicated to the wife of Donald Trump. BTW, it was unveiled on July 05, 2019. 

“I can understand why people might think that this falls short as a description of her physical appearance”, Downey told AFP news agency, but insisted that he found the end result “absolutely beautiful”. 

Of course, he will say that lah!

Downey came up with the statue as part of a project aimed at exploring the first lady’s Slovenian roots and commissioned local artisan Ales Zupevc – also known as Maxi – to actually carve the sculpture. 

Its somewhat naive style had led some critics on social media to brand it a “scarecrow”. 

Some residents had dubbed it "a disgrace", and said it looked more like a Smurfette (right) than the US first lady. 

And there are others who thought it was a good idea. One told AFP: "Melania is a Slovenian hero, she's made it to the top in the US". 

Since Trump took office in 2017, sleepy Sevnica has become a magnet for tourists and journalists searching for insights into the American first lady’s past. 

Entrepreneurial locals saw income potential and they have been cashing in on the influx, offering a bewildering array of Melania Trump-branded food and merchandise (e.g. Melania cake, Melania honey and Melania slippers) as well as a tour of the area, taking in the key sites of her early years. 

That doesn't seem enough.

Now an unflattering wooden statue of the US president has been built in his wife's home country. 

Slovenian creator Tomaz Schlegl told AFP he wanted it to serve as a comment on populist politics. 

The nearly 8m (26ft) tall figure – with a square head and jaw – showed him wearing a blue suit and red tie, and striking a pose reminiscent of New York's Statue of Liberty. 

I read that there is a mechanism inside the wooden structure that allows its facial expression to change from "very friendly during the week to really scary over the weekends", symbolizing the hypocrisy of populist politicians. 

Anyway, it was constructed on private land in the village of Sela pri Kamniku, approximately 30km (20 miles) north-east of the capital Ljubljana. 

And it’s been dividing opinion just as much. Perhaps, more so!

Will Europe Save Itself?

This is that time of the semester again when I am drowning in paperwork – yup, marking assignments. Even with today being a public holiday, I must still be up early to toil on the tedious work that is before me. 

Actually I was grinding away at this laborious task since last week and I know I am supposed to finish everything by Tuesday (yipes, that’s tomorrow!) and after that the exams begin and then, another agonizing round of grading exam scripts. 

I hate it! Sigh! But there’s nothing I can do about it except to endure. 

Yesterday, I referred to the depressing UK public sector situation. This is not just a British thing. It is playing against a worrisome backdrop of ongoing uncertainty that stems from the European sovereign and banking crisis, which it is feared will lead to broader contagion outside Europe and global credit markets.

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has warned on Saturday that “citizens in many countries face ‘dire consequences’ without a quick solution, including more social unrest and major tax increases” (Bloomberg, November 26, 2011).

And Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan at the other end of the world complained on Sunday that “European Union leaders must act to stop the region’s debt contagion becoming a ‘slow-motion train wreck’ that is already crimping Australia’s economy”. He claimed that Europe has dragged on global economic growth and cut Australian government revenue, causing asset prices to fall and households to spend less (Bloomberg, November 27, 2011).

And things are only going to deteriorate. 

On Friday, S&P downgraded Belgium’s credit rating and the beleagured country follows Slovenia, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Cyprus and Greece in having their credit rating cut this year. 

Europe’s leadership must act decisively to save Europe – but will the Europeans find political will in quick time? 

As The New York Times said on Sunday: “The endgame for Europe is fast approaching”! 

Of course, in Malaysia, we believe in our PM. After all, Malaysia is living in its own world of make-believe and everything is hunky-dory. So, there's nothing to worry about lah!  Najib Razak will take care of it!

In this much-awaited EPL game, Manchester City went ahead in the 31st minute but Liverpool equalized just two minutes later after Joleon Lescott deflected a Charlie Adam attempt into his own goal. And so the two teams had to be contented with a 1-1 draw.