Heating Up In Kyiv

It's getting hot in Kyiv! Since most have no air conditioning, we are very much feeling these 90+ temps.

Forbes magazine today published its list of the world’s most powerful women. Ukraine’s prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko was listed third just (Oprah was ninth).

The Ukrainian president is having a bit of a problem with his son who apparently likes to drink very expensive champagne ($1000 a bottle) and drive wildly in a $180,000 BMW. The president blasted a journalist who had reported his son’s behavior. Almost overnight, more than 200 journalists lashed back calling for the president to support freedom of the press in Ukraine. The controversy continues and can be followed here.

What's exciting is that journalists feel free enough to criticize the president's family and that the president is engaging them in debate about instead of just sending in the tax police to shut down their newspaper.

In our Kyiv world, Lena did well on the GMAT, but the UEC's hope of resolving a government problem fell flat. The person who was supposed to present our case before this particular commission didn't take our papers to the meeting. I think they were just all wanting to go on vacation. So that is put off till September. The UEC closed today and will have an extended summer holiday, along with the rest of the country. We still have some work to finish there (though a lot was accomplished this week) and will now turn our attention to preparing for our Eighth Annual Cherkassy Conference.