The Buzzy Ukrainian parking sign continues to draw comments as just yesterday a couple asked me about it. I gave them the Cliff Notes’ version of how and why it is positioned as it is in Buzzy’s front window. (For the longer explanation (click here.)
After they left, I debated taking the sign down just to avoid future discussions of it. However, because it always reminds me of Steve (Polock) Soroka, who gave Buzzy the sign, I leave it up in his honor. Too, with the Ukrainians continuing to hold their own against their Russian invaders, that is another good reason to continue having it front and center.
Then just last night Pam and I ironically watched an excellent documentary “From Russia With Lev.” The film focuses on Ukraine and how a couple of guys from there became involved in then-President Trump’s “I-need-a-favor” dealings with Ukraine.
The film goes into great detail as to how Lev Parnas and his partner Igor Fruman became middle men in the exchange of money for access into the Trump upper circles. (You can catch most of the film (click here to watch .) However, something screwy happens near the end (1:07:40) that cuts off the last 5 minutes of the film and then becomes a home video of sorts. It’s a bit strange, but you may be able to find Part 2 and the conclusion of the film somewhere else on YouTube (click here.))
All the Trumpian intrigue aside however, the real star of the film, for my money, is Parnas’ wife Svetlana. She is smart, funny, very easy on the eyes and throughout the film cuts to the chase with her candid observations. That she is the first person to appear and speak on camera at the start of the film tells you that the filmmakers thought alot of her also.) On Lev and Igor traveling to Ukraine to try and talk Zalensky into investigating Hunter Biden, Svetlana notes “I knew that this was a bad idea. It was either Mission Impossible or Mission Stupid, or maybe even both.” (41:30)
Musically, a big Ukrainian pop star is Ani Lorak (click here.) That’s not her real name however. When she first started out singing professionally, she changed her name to Karolina. However, because some other singer had already latched onto that, she simply reversed the spelling to come with Ani Lorak. Good way to have solved that problem wasn’t it?
