Joe Ragan

It has been almost 2 years since the rise of the Orange Revolution. Many here don’t believe that much has changed. Read how the new Prime Minister has re-imaged himself with the help of Republican strategists.
If you don’t know, the new Prime Minister is Viktor Yanukovich. He is the same man that [...]

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Today was “first bell.” What is that you ask? First bell is the first day of school in Ukraine and in most (if not all) former Soviet Union countries. It is a big tradition in the public schools.
All grades assemble at the school and a first grader along with an 11th grader [...]

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Rick Warren and Saddleback have unveiled a new ministry called P.E.A.C.E. plan. Check out the video here
What do you think?

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This morning I left early for church as I wanted to stop at a store along the way. I left the store and had only a 10 minute drive to the church…or at least I thought I did.
As I got on the most northern bridge in Kyiv, I noticed cars were backed up. [...]

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Today I was at a supermarket. The cashiers here (and in Kyiv, Karaganda, and everywhere else I have been in central and eastern Europe) sit down while scanning. It has caused me to wonder if it is more functional or not.
I worked in several supermarkets when I was younger. I remember [...]

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In a few hours I am supposed to go to the lake with Max, Anya, Dima, Elvira, all of their children, plus a few more people. However, I woke up this morning and it is cloudy. It’s not supposed to be this way! The forecast called for sunny skies.
This will be the [...]

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Saturdays are big wedding days in Kazakhstan (and Ukraine as well). All day long, I hear cars honking their horns as they travel up and down the main road in town. Since I live right on the main road, I hear them all!
Today, I went for a walk and found it humorous [...]

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Football…or soccer? The game of soccer, or as the rest of the world excluding the US calls it, football, is BIG news at the moment. With the World Cup dominating the news right now, it is almost impossible to not know what is going on.
Turn on the news, CNN, and it is the [...]

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Weddings are huge events in Ukraine (and all across the former SU). My friends, Max and Olga, who got married on Saturday was no different.
First, they asked everyone to be there at 1:45 p.m. since they know that Ukrainians are typically late and they wanted to start at 2 p.m. Guess who [...]

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Saturday was a spectacular day. I woke up later than usual. After getting some things done around the apartment, I went and washed my car. The weather forecast said it was supposed to begin raining yesterday evening but thus far no rain!
Later I went to the books/music/video market. Most everything there [...]

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