Human Trafficking

Today I was going to write about why reform in Ukraine is so slow and the bottom-up support that is missing.  That will have to wait until I get around to it.

Currently I am researching serious and organised crime for a document that will be published elsewhere in cyberspace in the months ahead.  Certainly it should be published by the year end.  Needless to say, Ukraine like most nations has issues with serious organised crime and within that broad heading human trafficking falls.

During this research, this very powerful, short and thoughtful Dutch video got my attention.  Whilst it does not go into the methodology, statistics, trafficking routes, reasons and end results, it does make anybody who watches it think twice about what is going on around them.

Watch it to the end – Something to think about!

Ooops – Seem to have missed Monday

Oh dear, I seem to have missed a post for Monday.

Sorry dear readers, but business rolled into social and……..well I didn’t get home in time to post yesterday.

Of course today I look like a bucket of smacked twats with eyes like piss holes in the snow.

In fact, if beauty is skin deep, today I look inside out.

Anyway, I am now fully versed and an expert on Captain Morgan’s nightclub in Odessa……..even if I couldn’t hang in there until closing time.

The Prodigy Back In Ukraine – 7th October

Well dear readers, The Prodigy return to Kyiv for the 3rd time and are playing Kyiv on 7th October…….

I don’t know whether to “Smack my bitch up” or “Firestarter”……………

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmin5WkOuPw

……..Well, I wasn’t going to “Smack my bitch up” now was I.

Looking For A Ukrainian Bride?…….Told You All This In Other Posts…….But Now Someone Else Is Telling You The Same!!

Well dear readers……..see below.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1192211/From-Russia-Without-love-How-thousands-lonely-British-men-ruthlessly-fleeced-Russian-email-brides-racket.html

Not like I haven’t told you sad people many, many times in other posts on this blog.

You still won’t get the message though will you!!!

Ukraine Government States Gambling Establishments Can Be Run From Residential Buildings

I have had a few emails from my loyal readers asking how it is I can write about something every day…..Well this is Ukraine and every day there is something more bizarre and absurd which happens……..meaning I have a never ending supply of material.

Last week in Dnipropetrovsk there was a fire in a “casino” in which 9 people died and 11 were injured…….when a gaming machine caught fire near the entrance to the establishment……..Of course there was no fire escape!!

This is Ukraine…….health and safety, fire regulations and other such minor issues just do not register on the radar…..unless it is by an official in need of an “administration fee” to “look the other” way when he wants a new car and doesn’t have quite enough cash.

As normal, a criminal case was opened and the directors of the “offshore company” which owned this “casino”……as well as many others no doubt……..were arrested.

Calls were made by certain RADA members and City Administrations to not only enforce all regulations on casino’s but to consider their locations…….preferably out of town.

Obviously casino’s in Ukraine are normally a way of laundering money and are usually owned by “offshore” companies…..with Ukrainian directors.  Well there is no point in laundering money if your company isn’t offshore…..you’ll pay tax on your clean money if it isn’t!!

Ukraine has no Elliot Ness type figure…….so the Al Capone’s go unchecked.  In fact modern day Ukrainian business, politics and economics can be compared quite well to the USA between the 1930′s – 1960′s.

Now Ukraine’s casino’s are not exactly what you will find in Las Vegas.  Some are fairly large but the majority are just small shops filled with old gambling machines and a lot of old Babooshka’s and old men being paid a little extra money to stretch their pensions, by feeding the machines all day and night……….This is to give the “casino” the appearance of being busy all the time to launder the massive amounts of cash which are supposed to go through them…….but quite clearly don’t.

Anyway, after the said fire last week in a “casino” one would think that a little more thought, care and attention would be given, considering the recent media coverage, as to location, fire regulations etc. etc.

The last thing you would expect to hear from a Government official is that it is Ok to put them in residential buildings………but this is Ukraine, a place where money will override common sense and morals every time!!

Yesterday, the Deputy Minister of Housing and Municipal Services of Ukraine…….he must have a f*cking big business card……Orest Lotosky stated that is was possible to put these “casino’s” into residential properties.  I quote “We have decided this kind of activity, the gambling business, in residential premises, is permissible.”

Hmmm……..so not only will the residents of the apartment blocks where these “casino’s” will start to appear have to put up with lifts that don’t work, drunks in the stairwells, lights which don’t work in the communal areas…..not to mention piss, shit and puke from the dossers which sleep in the communal areas if they can get into them……you are now going to encourage the drunks, insomniacs, addicted gamblers, debt collectors and other associated low life which are connected to these low level “casino’s” to congregate around the entrances to apartment blocks 24 hours a f*cking day?

Just what a young mother wants every morning, having successfully fought off the unwanted attentions of the first 4 drunks she encounters on the stairs…….she then has to step over the shit, piss and puke……explain to her kids the man is “not well”……..and then avoid the blood-bath outside.  The same goes for every occupant of the apartment block.

Then we still have the issue of safety for the residents from the other causes such as fire………as seen last week.

What did the said Minister have to say about this?

“They will be checked jointly with the corresponding structures of the Emergencies Ministry, the Ministry of Architecture and others.  Establishments located in residential houses will be checked in accordance the procedure foreseen in law.  We’re only checking to see if the placement of such establishments in residential buildings is permitted.”

WTF?……..You have just said they are permitted you twat! 

You have also not given anyone direct responsibility and even in a non-corrupt country, with so many agencies involved, things would fall through the cracks!!  All you have done is said A,B,C and X,Y and Z are responsible for checks…..So unless their inspectors are feeling somewhat poor this month and need an “administrative fee” to look the other way from the obvious violations, nobody will actually carry out these checks or be held responsible when the next fire occurs but this time the whole apartment block goes up in smoke.

The only consistency in Ukraine is the consistent inconsistency.

Turkuaz Restaurant/Nightclub – Odessa

Well, as the name suggests, this restaurant/nightclub has a very Turkish theme to it.

The theme does not run through the decor……..but the food.  If you like Turkish cuisine……..and I don’t dislike it, this place is Ok………..and it does the hookah!

www.turkuaz.com.ua

It is on Deribovaskaya.  During the day, you can sit outside on the pavement in a “patio” environment in the summer months……as I have done on several occasions.

The menu is not “exclusively” Turkish…..and the standard “European” can eat here without a problem……..but hey, if you go to a Turkish Restaurant, you’re going for Turkish food right!!!

The nightclub itself does not open until 2200……..and stays open until 0600…….playing predominantly “dance” music.

It does host live music on occasion, together with “show programmes”………………and strippers.

………Well, I know you have been a little disappointed by the lack of “fun pillows” in my blog lately!!

Eh?…….You can’t see?…….But I always make sure every photo claiming to be taken of a place is taken from that place……it’s called authenticity!!

There are no better pictures of “fun pillows” from this club!!

You don’t care eh……….Ok, hang on…………….

Happy now……….even though they have nothing to do with the nightclub in question?? 

It is quite a small club though, accommodating a maximum of 350 people………so therefore the average Ukrainian or Moldovan wedding packs it to capacity……..Errrrm, no I’m not joking, the last Moldovan wedding I went to, there were over 500 guests……….and no he works for me, he isn’t an Oligarch.

What?………..Sure, if you’re interested I will put a post together on traditional weddings here……..but this post is about the Turkuaz……which is an Ok place to eat!!

Club El Rico – Odessa

Found on Dobrovolsky in the city centre, Club El Rico opened it’s doors to the public in 2005.

I have called it a club…….although it is not what you would call a nightclub……or a bar……or a restaurant……..but somewhere within all three.

What?

Ok, I will explain.

It seats only 60 people…….so not a nightclub similar to those I have already written about, which can host 1000 plus people……although it has a dance floor/performance area.

It is a restaurant……..but it isn’t because of the live entertainment………which some of you will be pleased to know will be covered in a few paragraphs time…….which is not always conducive to watching when eating……as food will probably fall from your open mouth!!

It is not a bar……..because the food it fairly good and like I say, it seat 60 people.

The menu is what you can term “European” although heavily Spanish orientated.

The music has a wide variety depending upon which night you go and covers the Drum & Bass, Blues, Latino, Electro Pop, Hip-Hop, Disco and Dance spectrum.

There are also various acts which……….yes you’ve been waiting a few days now……includes strippers!!!!!!!!!!

It’s actually not  bad little place, as long as you can cope with tits in your Tortilla and nipples in your Neapolitan.

Eh?………What do you mean that wasn’t worth the wait and you’re off to another blog!!!……Hang on………………

Ok……….so you’ll be reading again tomorrow then.

Sex Sells – Russian & Ukrainian Pop Music

Ahhh – where to begin?

Well, I suppose I should begin with a Parental Warning…..this blog and it’s links will contain some scenes of nudity…..almost to the point of Soft Porn, provocative language……if you understand the Russian lyrics……and has a highly sexual nature to it……..although nothing explicit……..well they are pop videos after all.

Yes, I can hear you know…..WTF??????

Ok…..we all know sex sells…..well sex sells everything except safe sex…..and Russian and Ukrainian pop have mastered this in no uncertain terms.

To be a female pop star, or in a female pop group in either Russia or Ukraine you have to look sexier than the sexiest thing you ever saw that looked sexy!!

You have to wear as little as possible…..if indeed anything……and make love to the camera at any given opportunity.

A backgound of vocal training or choir membership is completely and utterly irrelevant……but a few years experience of pole dancing will certainly help you in your career.  The ability to dance slightly better than someone being brought back from the dead via a defibrillator on maximum voltage, or being zapped by the entire New York SWAT team with their Tazar’s simultaneously,  is only a slight advantage and in no way can compensate for the looks and actions of a Soft Porn Star.

Now of course, there are some “serious” pop stars here who do not act like yours is the last spare prick at a very drunken wedding…….and therefore it must be teased to the point where you want to buy their wares…….but they are few and far between.

In fact, dear UK taxpayer……if our very own Home Secretary, Jaquie Smith’s husband could get Russian music channels, your hard earned tax money would not have been used to pay for his porn addiction……and Jaquie Smith’s subsequent expense claim for this from the public purse would never have been made!!!

Yes…..Ok, if you were married to our Home Secretary, Mrs Smith MP……you’d be watching porn as well.  I can accept that……but to submit your TV porn bill as an expense to be paid by me?……When I didn’t even get to see the damned film?…..

Anyway, returning to Russian and Ukrainian Pop Music, what do I mean?………

Here is a clip from one of the most popular……well I guess the closest category would be, Russian R’n'B acts about at the moment……..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aXr0wesAxQ

That is Potap, featuring Nastia Kamenski…….who unsurprisingly features in all Potap songs…….and videos……of which there are many!!!! 

I actually have to admit I do like Potap……..and certainly like Nastia, even when she has her clothes on!!!

Well……she’s got some clothes on……unlike the video!!!

What?……..Oh no…….that is not a one off…….here is Army……

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRIr6rIxWg4

……and the very unnecessarily named Via-Gra……

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGXuNksr7ww

So, you can then add the likes of Ani Lorak…….who came second in the Eurovision?????? – Why she entered I have no idea, she is extremely popular here…….but then, for some extremely bizarre reason, the Slavic nations adore the Eurovision Song Contest……maybe dear old Terry Wogan translated well……..I don’t know, but they certainly adore the Eruo-trash of the Eurovision.

So, as you can see, even if the music is not to your taste, Russian and Ukrainian music channels, even with the sound turned off……is very……um……stimulating for most!!

Eh?……..Oh, yes, of course they have male pop stars and groups….but as normal, it is about brilliant white teeth, a Donny Osmand smile……..no thankfully I don’t remember him…..being masculine and physically fit. 

What?……..Oh sorry girls, here’s Dmitry Koldun…….um……well…..”Working His Magic”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MpfwTAnLTI

Yeh, I know it’s not too bad………did I say it was shit?

Then of course, there is the Russian equivalents of Tom Jones……of which there are a few, like Valerie Meladze……..

……who like our Tom, is still banging out the tunes!!!

There is something for everyone in Slavic modern music scene……which mirrors that in the west…….even down to the slightly more……eccentric with Verka Serduchka.  Now this star gets a pic and a link……….

………and not forgetting the link……..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlf6n7IzZYk

What?……..why does Verka get a pic and a link?…………..I know him, that’s why!

Yes, I know it’s favouritism but it’s MY blog….alright!!!