EXPLOITATION IN LIFE AND DEATH IN UKRAINE

We were particularly saddened by this story. It seemed so unfair that two women who were victims of human trafficking were fined for passport fraud. No we have seen first hand what happens to these women. One night after a glass of bubbles too many, we and a mate decided to go to Splash Palace, Courtenay Place's' famous strip joint. It was full of stunning Eastern European women strippers. We lasted the length of a small drink. It was just too depressing.

Anyway, it appears the people of Ukraine are being exploited in life and in death

As the German Newspaper Spiegel has uncovered, body bits from cheap Ukrainian corpses find a ready market in developed nations.

In an interesting step, one of our favourite online Newspapers, the Kyiv Post has put its money where its morals are. In a recent editorial they have revealed they willl no longer carry the adverts that have probably led to the exploitation of their countrys vulnerable women.

The Kyiv Post has indirectly participated in the commercial exploitation of women by publishing advertisements that most likely promoted prostitution under the euphemistic headings of "introduction" and "relaxation."Mohammad Zahoor, the Kyiv Post’s new owner, has stopped the practice, effective the Sept. 11 issue. He's taken a small, but important, step to counter exploitation where he can. Now let’s hope many other people do also.

Well done them.

RICH AND FUNNY

We always have a giggle about NBR's rich list - we are amazed at the number of people we know whom it doesn't capture. However it is an interesting read. But it is completely overshadowed by this Ukrainian Rich List in the KYIV Post. It is very irreverent.....

Take this one for instance. ( Yip Cactus - he is cute - go find him!)

Net Worth: $753 million Age: 38 Marital status: Married, three sons and one daughter Industry: Metallurgy Last year: $2.4 billion

In December, Oleg Mkrtchian struck an important deal. The co-owner of the Industrial Union of Donbas (IUD) bought a 75 percent stake in the Kuban soccer club from Krasnodar, Russia. The team handsomely rewarded its new Ukrainian owner by winning the Russian First Division, and so from next season will compete in the Russian Premier League. The club’s annual budget is $18 million – quite impressive for a club anchored near the bottom of the table. For Mkrtchian, Russian football is an important social duty. Thee millionaire has a number of projects in the Krasnodar Territory, one of which is the construction of a metal factory in Armavir. IUD has but put a halt to its construction because of the crisis – one reason being the slack season in the metallurgical sector – but investment in football is a different matter. “For all football in Kuban, such a deal is good news,” writes the North Caucasus newspaper. “The territory’s budget will no longer be spent on the upkeep of a hopeless team.”

This will send you to bed with as smile.

SEX TO BE BANNED IN THE UKRAINE

There is a bit of a moral crisis over in the Ukraine. the govt there has decided to ban pornography but as commentators point out the draconian legislation is a a bit cock eyed.
They haven't really defined what porn is. In short they have boobed.

So they have a law that has the potential to be seriously abused - used for corruption even.

Appparently according to the story possessing porn will be okay as long as you dont sell it


We like this quote from the story.

Les Poderevyanskiy, a writer and painter who attended Karas’ exhibition, agrees that the new law is ridiculous.

“Pornography is the representation of sexual acts. If we say that the representation of a sexual act is a bad thing, then the sexual act is still worse. So let’s ban the sexual act first,” Poderevyanskiy said. “If there will be no sexual acts, there will be no pornography.”

UKRAINE FINAINCIAL CRISIS POISED TO OPEN EUROPE FAULTLINE?

We blogged on the state of some of the Eastern Block countries a few weeks back and the prediction that a major financial calamity could create the European Faultline

The cracks are now appearing in Ukraine. The PM , Yulia Tymoshenko has come out stating that they are okay and they have not got the begging bowl out but clearly the country is in trouble

And it appears that more than a few mad politicians may not be helping.