"THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT"
In-Depth Ukrainian News, Analysis, and Commentary
"The Art of Ukrainian History, Culture, Arts, Business, Religion,
Sports, Government, and Politics, in Ukraine and Around the World"
"THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT" Year 04, Number 73
Action Ukraine Coalition (AUC), Washington, D.C.
morganw@patriot.net, ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net
Washington, D.C.; Kyiv, Ukraine, THURSDAY, May 6, 2004
INDEX OF ARTICLES
"Major International News Headlines and Articles"
1."DR. JAMES E. MACE MEMORIAL HOLODOMOR FUND" ESTABLISHED
Fund to be administered by Ukrainian Federation of America
By E. Morgan Williams, Publisher and Editor
THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT
Washington, D.C., Thursday, May 6, 2004
2. DR. JAMES E. MACE FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, May 6, 2004
THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT
Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 5, 2004
3. EU'S 'BIG BANG" WOULD NEVER BE REPEATED, SAYS
ROMANO PRODI, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT
[Prodi Continues His Ukraine Bashing Remarks and Policy Position]
By George Parker in Dublin, Financial Times, London , UK, May 03, 2004
4. EUROPEAN UNION EXPANSION INCOMPLETE WITHOUT
UKRAINE, PRESIDENT KUCHMA SAYS
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 4 May 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tuesday, May 04, 2004
5.EU LEADERS MUST NOT RULE OUT UKRAINE'S ENTRY, STATES
BORIS TARASYUK, CHAIR OF THE UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT'S
COMMITTEE FOR EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
Tarasyuk calls EU officials' statement "tactless and offensive."
Era, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 5 May 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK in English, Wednesday, May 05, 2004
6. COUNCIL OF EUROPE BODY CALLS FOR INVALIDATION
OF UKRAINIAN MAYORAL ELECTION IN CITY OF MUKACHEVE
Ukrayinska Pravda web site, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian 4 May 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tuesday, May 04, 2004
7. PRO-RUSSIAN PICKETERS DISRUPT UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX
CHURCH CONSECRATION IN ODESSA, UKRAINE
Monks from various monasteries of the Russian Orthodox Church
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Wednesday, May 05, 2004
8. POLAND'S CZESTOCHOWA STEELWORKS TENDER
VOIDED, NEW ONE ANNOUNCED
LNM Holding and Ukrainian Donbas Asked to File Again
Polish News Bulletin, Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, May 04, 2004
9. UKRAINE GREETS TWO KLITSCHKO BOXING BROTHERS AS
NATIONAL HEROES, VITALI RECEIVES ORDER OF COURAGE MEDAL
AP Online, Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 05, 2004
10. GENTLE GIANT IN UKRAINE NEEDS URGENT SURGERY
Leonid Stadnyk, 33, believed to be the tallest living man, does not
seek fame and calls his height his curse, writes Tom Parfitt in Podoliantsi
By Tom Parfitt in Podoliantsi, Ukraine
The Age, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Monday, May 3, 2004
11. HOW TALL CAN A HUMAN GROW?
Ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk hits the news as the world's tallest living man
By Ian Sample, The Guardian, London, UK, Thursday, May 06, 2004
12. BRITISH OFFICIAL WARNS AGAINST MEDIA CURBS IN UKRAINE
Era, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 5 May 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Wednesday, May 05, 2004
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 73 ARTICLE NUMBER ONE
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
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1."DR. JAMES E. MACE MEMORIAL HOLODOMOR FUND" ESTABLISHED
Fund to be administered by the Ukrainian Federation of America (UFA)
By E. Morgan Williams, Publisher and Editor
THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT
Washington, D.C., Thursday, April 8, 2004
HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA - A special "Dr. James E. Mace Memorial
Holodomor Fund" has been established by the Ukrainian Federation of
America (UFA), Dr. Zenia Chernyk; Chairperson and Vera Andryczuk,
President, announced on Wednesday, April 7.
Dr. Zenia Chernyk, chairperson of the Federation's board of directors
said, "The special memorial fund to honor the life and work of Dr. James
E. Mace, will be administered as part of the program of the UFA, a
non-for-profit USA charitable and educational organization organized in
1991.
The UFA is dedicated to the preservation of Ukrainian culture and
heritage and providing assistance to Ukraine in its drive for full democracy
as well as social and economic advancement."
"Donated funds will be used to support the Holodomor Education and
Exhibition Program in Ukraine, that Dr. Mace has been involved in,"
according to Vera Andryczuk, UFA president, "and other projects to
honor Dr. James Mace's commitment to telling the truth about the genocidal
famine in Ukraine during 1932-1933, as approved by the Federation
in consultation with Dr. Mace's wife, Natalia Dziubenko-Mace and
a special Holodomor Advisory Committee to be appointed by the UFA."
Mrs. Mace is, in her own right, an outstanding and long-time researcher
and writer about the Ukrainian Holodomor 1932-1933 (terror famine,
death by famine.) The UFA welcomes suggestions from interested
parties about the implementation of the new fund and the future programs
it will undertake.
Donations to the "Dr. James E. Mace Memorial Holodomor Fund" can
be made by making out a check or other financial instrument to the
Ukrainian Federation of America, in US dollars, designating the donation
for the "Dr. James E. Mace Memorial Holodomor Fund," and mailing the
check to:
Dr. Zenia Chernyk, Chairperson
Ukrainian Federation of America (UFA)
930 Henrietta Avenue
Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania 19006-8502
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 73: ARTICLE NUMBER TWO
The Genocidal Famine in Ukraine 1932-1933, HOLODOMOR
Genocide Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/index.htm
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2. DR. JAMES E. MACE FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, May 6, 2004
THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT
Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 5, 2004
KYIV - The final funeral arrangements for Dr. James E. Mace (1952-2004)
have been announced. The arrangements are as follows:
Thursday, May 6, 2004, Kyiv, Ukraine
11 AM - Memorial Service at the Teachers' House in Kyiv
1 PM - Funeral Services at the St. Volodymyr's Cathedral, Kyiv
3 PM - Funeral and Burial at Baykove Cemetery, Kyiv
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EDITOR: Dr. James E. Mace's obituary and a listing of his books,
articles and other writings over the past 25 years can be found at the
following link: http://www.artukraine.com/events/mace36.htm. Most
of Dr. James E. Mace's articles about the Ukrainian Holodomor 1932-
1933 (terror-famine, death by famine), published during the past seven
years, can be read at: http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/index.htm.
==========================================================
THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 73: ARTICLE NUMBER THREE
Check Out the News Media for the Latest News >From and About Ukraine
Daily News Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/newsgallery.htm
=========================================================
3. EU'S 'BIG BANG" WOULD NEVER BE REPEATED,SAYS ROMANO
PRODI, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT
[Prodi Continues His Ukraine Bashing Remarks and Policy Position]
By George Parker in Dublin, Financial Times, London , UK, May 03, 2004
DUBLIN - The European Union's "big bang" expansion from 15 to 25 members,
celebrated over a weekend of emotion and ceremony, will never be repeated,
Romano Prodi, European Commission president, said yesterday.
Mr Prodi said the EU would soon be full and that there was no prospect of
countries such as the former Soviet republics of Ukraine or Belarus becoming
members.
Instead he predicted the creation of a "ring of friends" for Europe, a zone
of co-operation stretching from the Baltic through the Middle East to North
Africa.
"There would be strong links not only in the economic field, but in
migration and food security," he told the BBC. "But they would not be part
of the same parliament, and not be members of the same European Commission."
Mr Prodi, who steps down in October, said the EU would probably be complete
once it had taken in the three outstanding applicants - Bulgaria, Romania
and Turkey - and the countries of the western Balkans, including Croatia and
Serbia. That process is expected to take many years.
The accession of the 10 new members, which include eight former Soviet bloc
countries, on May 1 was marked by events across Europe, culminating in an
official flag-raising ceremony in Dublin attended by the 25 leaders of the
enlarged Union.
Bertie Ahern, Irish prime minister and holder of the rotating EU presidency,
said: "We must never forget that from war we have created peace; from hatred
we have created respect."
Gerhard Schröder, German chancellor, attended a ceremony on the border with
Poland and the Czech Republic before heading for Dublin. "Those who lived
through the second world war and its aftermath would not have thought this
possible," he said.
Many citizens of the new member states spent the weekend at street parties,
in a rare spontaneous show of support for a European project often
associated with remote bureaucracy. The accession events were only slightly
marred by a demonstration by about 2,000 anti-globalisation protesters in
Dublin, who were doused by water cannons borrowed from the British
authorities in Northern Ireland.
Once the hangovers have faded, the expanded Europe faces some formidable
challenges in the coming weeks, including finalising a new EU constitution
designed to streamline decision-making and choosing a new European
Commission president.
Mr Ahern began preparing for the decisive June 17-18 EU summit yesterday
when he held talks with Anton Rop, Slovenia's prime minister, in the first
of 24 private meetings with all the heads of government.
Mr Schröder said he "assumed" the constitution would be signed at the
summit, although there will then be a fraught ratification process in each
member state, including a number of referendums.
Member states will also start discussing this summer the size of the next
seven-year EU budget, which is likely to pit paymasters such as Germany,
France and Britain, which want a tight budget, against net recipients
including the new member states. (END)
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EDITOR: Romano Prodi, European Commission president, has been on
his highly visible and vocal Ukraine bashing program for a long time now.
The best thing about Mr. Prodi is that he steps down from his EU position
in October, 2004. We hope this will silence Mr. Prodi and his personal,
ill conceived, anti-Ukraine campaign.
=========================================================
THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 73: ARTICLE NUMBER FOUR
Major Articles About What is Going on in Ukraine
Current Events Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/events/index.htm
Become a financial sponsor of The Action Ukraine Program Fund
==========================================================
4. EUROPEAN UNION EXPANSION INCOMPLETE WITHOUT
UKRAINE, PRESIDENT KUCHMA SAYS
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 4 May 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, May 04, 2004
KIEV - Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has congratulated the leaders of
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Cyprus, Poland, Hungary, the Czech
Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia on their countries' entry into the European
Union. Kuchma has sent congratulatory telegrams to the heads of these
states, Kuchma's press service reports.
The telegrams say: "A new wave of EU expansion was completed on 1 May
2004. It was unprecedented both in relation to the number of new member
states and in relation to the depth of reforms occurring in the European
Union.
The idea of European unity, which has worried the minds and hearts of more
than one generation of Europeans, is acquiring real features.
By choosing the path of jointly meeting the challenges of modernity, the
European nations are demonstrating to the whole world their willingness to
set aside the stereotypes of the past and to unite their efforts in order to
construct a new, unified Europe."
"Ukraine has always welcomed the process of EU expansion as a logical and
inalienable component of the reinforcement of European-wide values and the
dissemination of stability, security, prosperity and democracy on the
European continent.
At the same time, we are convinced that the large-scale project under the
name of 'United Europe' that is now being implemented cannot be logically
completed without Ukraine," Kuchma's telegram says.
According to Kuchma, "the subsequent months will be especially important in
the search for joint responses to the issue of the future framework and
content of relations between Ukraine and the EU." "The experience of
cooperation between our states and the direct knowledge of regional
peculiarities may substantially affect discussions with the EU and help to
bring relations between Ukraine and the EU onto a qualitatively new level -
from partnership to associate.
In our opinion, at the current stage this most meets the interests both of
Ukraine and the EU. In this we count on the help and assistance of your
state," the telegram says. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 73: ARTICLE NUMBER FIVE
Exciting Opportunities in Ukraine: Travel and Tourism Gallery
http://www.ArtUkraine.com/tourgallery.htm
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5. EU LEADERS MUST NOT RULE OUT UKRAINE'S ENTRY, STATES
BORIS TARASYUK, CHAIR OF THE UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT'S
COMMITTEE FOR EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
Tarasyuk calls EU officials' statement "tactless and offensive."
Era, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 5 May 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK in English, Wednesday, May 05, 2004
KIEV -[presenter] The statement by the president of the European Commission,
Romano Prodi, that Ukraine has no prospects of ever joining the European
Union was a tactless and offensive comment about our country, said the
chairman of the parliamentary committee for European integration, Borys
Tarasyuk.
[Tarasyuk] Romano Prodi is not the European Union, and his comment is not
the position of the European Union. How else would you interpret Article 49
of the Amsterdam Treaty which sets the terms of accession to the European
Union?
It says any European country - and Ukraine is European - that so
desires - and Ukraine so desires - and meets the criteria for membership of
the European Union - unfortunately, we cannot say, in principle, that we do
at the moment - is entitled to join the European Union.
Who gave Romano Prodi the right to interpret this way a founding document
of the European Union? (END)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDITOR: We certainly support MP Borys Tarasyuk's comments when he
says the recent statement by the president of the European Commission,
Romano Prodi, about Ukraine was "tactless and offensive." Mr. Prodi has
been pronouncing these "tactless and offensive" statements about Ukraine
far too long. He should have been silenced long ago by the EU members.
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 73: ARTICLE NUMBER SIX
The Story of Ukraine's Long and Rich Culture
Ukrainian Culture Gallery: http://www.ArtUkraine.com/cultgallery.htm
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6. COUNCIL OF EUROPE BODY CALLS FOR INVALIDATION
OF UKRAINIAN MAYORAL ELECTION IN CITY OF MUKACHEVE
Ukrayinska Pravda web site, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian 4 May 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tuesday, May 04, 2004
KYIV - The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of
Europe has proposed that the result of the mayoral election in [the
Transcarpathian Region city of] Mukacheve should be declared invalid and new
elections called.
This decision by the bureau of the Congress of Local and Regional
Authorities of the Council of Europe was approved during a meeting in Paris
on Monday [3 May, but the Council of Europe web site says that the document
was approved by the bureau of the Congress on 4 May], the [Ukrainian NGO]
Institute of Mass Information has reported.
The meeting of the bureau approved a report prepared by three rapporteurs
of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities who served as observers
during the Mukacheve mayoral election. The report gives a detailed list of
the legal violations that were recorded during the election. It is proposed
to present the report for discussion at the June session of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
According to the report, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of
the Council of Europe concluded that the Mukacheve election "discredits the
electoral process in Ukraine". The Council of Europe representatives noted
"interference [in the election] by top level authorities" and reported the
use during the election of "unidentified gangs of criminals".
"There was a large-scale fraud during the final tabulation of the votes,"
the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
said.
In addition to calling for the Mukacheve vote to be declared invalid, the
Congress also called for a criminal investigation to be launched and the
guilty to be punished.
[A representative of the pro-presidential United Social Democratic Party was
declared the winner of the Mukacheve mayor election on 18 April. The
opposition, however, said that the result had been falsified to deprive its
candidate of a landslide victory. The text of the report is on the Council
of Europe web site at http://www.coe.int/T/E/Clrae/] (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 73: ARTICLE NUMBER SEVEN
The Genocidal Famine in Ukraine 1932-1933, HOLODOMOR
Genocide Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/index.htm
===========================================================
7. PRO-RUSSIAN PICKETERS DISRUPT UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX
CHURCH CONSECRATION IN ODESSA, UKRAINE
Monks from various monasteries of the Russian Orthodox Church
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 5 May 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Wednesday, May 05, 2004
ODESSA - About 500 pro-Russian activists of the One Homeland civic
organization and monks from various monasteries of the Russian Orthodox
Church today picketed St Vitaliy's Church in Odessa for five hours,
preventing believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev
Patriarchate from attending a service in the church, which was to be
consecrated by the bishop of Odessa and Balta of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church of the Kiev Patriarchate, Payisiy.
Picketers shouted curses against [Kiev Patriarchate head] Patriarch Filaret
and the leaders of [opposition parliamentary factions] Our Ukraine and the
Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc, Viktor Yushchenko and Yuliya Tymoshenko.
"This event, of which the local authorities had been aware but failed to
prevent, resulted in a flagrant violation of the constitutional rights of
local believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate,"
the secretary of the Odessa eparchial department of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church of the Kiev Patriarchate, Hegumen Havryyil, has told UNIAN in an
interview. "People had to walk into their own temple this morning literally
through a corridor of Ukrainian-haters, who shouted: "An anathema on
Filaret", held other insulting slogans and grabbed some of the older female
parishioners by the arm, leaving some of them in tears."
It was only thanks to support from a big group of parishioners, who are
members of the local Ukrainian Brotherhood headed by Roman Devyatov,
that priests and Bishop Payisiy managed to enter St Vitaliy's Church.
"Hundreds of well-organized law offenders, including Russian citizens, with
the connivance of the local authorities, tried to strip Odessa residents of
the right to the free choice of a religious denomination," the eparchial
secretary stressed. "Despite these illegal acts, which were aimed against
believers and the patriarch of Kiev and all Ukraine-Rus, head of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate, Filaret, the ceremony to
consecrate the church did take place. The scheduled visit to Odessa Region
by Patriarch Filaret, whom thousands of Orthodox believers are looking
forward to meeting on their land, will also be held regardless."
Hegumen Havryyil believes that the incident today was intended "to incite
sectarian hatred and to stage mass street clashes" and once again
demonstrates the methods that are being used in relations with believers of
the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate by "the pro-Moscow
figures and pastors of the church. Odessa residents have had the chance to
see for themselves that the authorities and law-enforcement bodies are
turning a blind eye to illegal actions by organized groups of people, who
stop thousands of citizens from fulfilling their constitutional right to
freedom of religion and the choice of a denomination."
[The Moscow and Kiev patriarchates have been locked in bitter disputes over
church property and other issues since Filaret declared independence from
the Russian Orthodox Church and consequently was anathemized by Moscow.]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDITOR: Such actions by "monks" from various monasteries of the Russian
Orthodox Church throughout Ukraine the past several months are very
shocking, disturbing, disgusting, and should be stopped by the authorities
in Ukraine. Unfortunately these monks are allowed by the authorities to do
about anything they want to, including the destruction of property,
confiscation of property, disruption of meetings, cursing at Ukrainian
citizens, physically pushing citizens around, and a whole host of other
abusive actions. The Russian Orthodox Church, in condoning and encouraging
such actions in Ukraine, has lost its way and is not living up to any
acceptable international moral, civil or religious code of behavior for
sure. When will Ukrainian authorities stop being afraid of the Russian
Orthodox Church and their leadership in Moscow and shut down the
unacceptable and destructive behavior of their monks in Ukraine?
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 73: ARTICLE NUMBER EIGHT
Ukraine's History and the Long Struggle for Independence
Historical Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/histgallery.htm
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8. POLAND'S CZESTOCHOWA STEELWORKS TENDER
VOIDED, NEW ONE ANNOUNCED
LNM Holding and Ukrainian Donbas Asked to File Again
Polish News Bulletin, Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, May 04, 2004
WARSAW - At the last moment, just before stepping down, Treasury Minister
Zbigniew Kaniewski decided to terminate the tender for the sale of Huta
Stali Czestochowa (HSCz) steelworks without selecting a winner.
An investor was not selected because the European Commission had expressed
doubts concerning the rules of restructuring Huta Czestochowa , whose
property is leased by HSCz. Kaniewski decided to ask the LNM holding and the
Ukrainian Donbas to file their offers again.
The decision was to satisfy the EU and put an end to the conflict with
Ukraine after the previous rejection of Donbas's offer. Representatives of
the latter are not happy with the Treasury's verdict, however. "Such a
decision only unnecessarily prolongs the process. We haven't yet made a
decision as to whether we will file a new proposal," said Donbas's
representative Konstanty Litvinov. The Ukrainians were hoping that after the
Treasury's talks with LNM ended they would be allowed to negotiate. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 73: ARTICLE NUMBER NINE
The Rich History of Ukrainian Art, Music, Pysanka, Folk-Art
Arts Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/artgallery.htm
Support "The Action Ukraine Report"...Send A Check Today
===========================================================
9. UKRAINE GREETS TWO KLITSCHKO BOXING BROTHERS AS
NATIONAL HEROES, VITALI RECEIVES ORDER OF COURAGE MEDAL
AP Online, Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 05, 2004
KIEV - WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko returned home to a hero's
welcome in his native Ukraine on Wednesday _ welcomed by a military brass
band and hundreds of cheering fans.
"The belt that belonged to legendary Muhammad Ali and Joe Lewis, now belongs
to Ukraine," said Klitschko, showing off the green belt from his April 24
victory over Corrie Sanders.
Klitschko was accompanied by his younger brother Wladimir, who was defeated
in his bid to win the minor WBO title. "We tried our best to bring two belts
to our homeland, but not everything depended on us," Vitali Klitschko told
the crowds at Kiev's City Hall.
"I still don't understand what happened to me on Apr. 10, when I suddenly
felt myself so exhausted that I had to fight not against Brewster, but
rather against myself from the first rounds," Wladimir said, adding that he
was in his "best shape" before the fight.
Media reports in Ukraine were full of speculations about the blood tests
taken from Wladimir Klitschko right after the fight _ the tests revealed his
sugar levels were four times higher than normal. "But they were normal the
next day, and the results of the tests taken in a week, have mysteriously
disappeared," said Vitali Klitschko.
Also, he claimed that Wladimir, who was as much as a 11-1 favorite against
Brewster, was registered as 3-1 favorite just few hours before the fight.
"There were too many coincidences for me not to have suspicions," said
Vitali Klitschko, who has been honored with an Order of Courage medal from
President Leonid Kuchma. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 73: ARTICLE NUMBER TEN
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
If The Action Ukraine Report is beneficial to you support it.
===========================================================
10. GENTLE GIANT IN UKRAINE NEEDS URGENT SURGERY
Leonid Stadnyk, 33, believed to be the tallest living man, does not
seek fame and calls his height his curse, writes Tom Parfitt in Podoliantsi
By Tom Parfitt in Podoliantsi, Ukraine
The Age, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Monday, May 3, 2004
PODOLIANTSI, Ukraine - Relatives remember Leonid Stadnyk as the
smallest boy in his class. Then he began to shoot up - and 20 years later,
he hasn't stopped growing.
With a height of 254 centimetres, Mr Stadnyk, 33, is believed to be the
tallest living man. The softly spoken giant, who lives in a remote village
in Ukraine, is 18 centimetres taller than the Guinness world record holder.
But while Radhouane Charbib from Tunisia, who is 236 centimetres, revels in
his international celebrity, Mr Stadnyk makes a reluctant record-holder.
"This is my punishment from God," he lamented. "What sin I have committed, I
do not know. All my life I have dreamed of being just like everyone else. My
height is my curse."
Mr Stadnyk was unknown to the wider world until last month, when local media
tracked him to a hamlet 180 kilometres west of Kiev, where he lives in
poverty, as a virtual recluse, with his mother and sister. When I meet him,
my hand is swallowed up by 29 centimetres of gigantic grip. The top of his
head grazes the branches of tall trees; two dogs gambolling at his size 23
feet look like puppies; his mother barely comes up to his waist.
He lives in a single-storey, four-room cottage that would be cosy even for
an ordinary tall man. He sleeps on two double beds pushed together and must
travel in a horse-drawn cart.
Mr Stadnyk suffers from acromegalic gigantism, a condition caused by a
tumour on his pituitary gland that makes it produce too much growth hormone.
In the past two years, he has grown 30.4 centimetres. If his condition is
not treated, he is likely to become the tallest man in recorded history.
That title is held by Robert Pershing Wadlow, from Illinois. Mr Wadlow also
had a tumour on his pituitary gland and was 271 centimetres when he died in
1940, aged 22. But passing Mr Wadlow's record is not a milestone that Mr
Stadnyk craves.
Though his height has been verified by Ukrainian officials, and Guinness
World Records is seeking independent confirmation of his statistics, he
would rather be left alone. Self-conscious about his appearance, he rarely
leaves his village for fear of being ridiculed.
This is my punishment from God. What sin I have committed, I do not know.
My height is my curse."The worst thing is being isolated from social
life," he says. "I get invited to parties but I don't want to go because it
makes me uncomfortable. I don't like people staring and pointing fingers.
I'm a black sheep."
He has never had a girlfriend and will not marry because of his illness. "I
don't really have any friends," he says. He relies on his mother Galina, 62.
"If anything happens to my mother, I don't even know how to buy food."
Until two years ago he worked as a veterinary surgeon on a local collective
farm. But he became too heavy for his bicycle and his feet were frostbitten
because he could not afford boots to fit his 43-centimetre feet.
Mr Stadnyk's eyesight is also failing as the enlarged pituitary gland
presses on the back of his eyes, and the pressure on his joints from his
199.5-kilogram frame means he is in constant pain. When he was 12,
doctors removed part of the tumour, but a piece remained lodged in his
brain.
Doctors in Britain say his condition will deteriorate rapidly unless he has
urgent surgery, but he cannot afford the cost of transportation and medical
care. He has to labour in the fields on his family's scrap of land because
he cannot survive on his disability allowance.
Once, a local benefactor took him on a tour of the Carpathian Mountains.
"People there were very happy to see me," he said. "They called me the
'Pride of Ukraine'. It made me feel better."
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http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/02/1083436473376.html
NOTE: To see six photographs of Ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk click on
the following link: http://www.artukraine.com/huminterest/stadnik.htm
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 73: ARTICLE NUMBER ELEVEN
The Rich History of Ukrainian Art, Music, Pysanka, Folk-Art
Arts Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/artgallery.htm
Support "The Action Ukraine Report"...Send A Check Today
===========================================================
11. HOW TALL CAN A HUMAN GROW?
Ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk hits the news as the world's tallest living man
By Ian Sample, The Guardian, London, UK, Thursday, May 06, 2004
LONDON - History provides a few pointers. According to the Bible, the
tallest man was Goliath at "six cubits and a span", which, depending on
whose conversion you believe, puts him somewhere between nine and a half and
11ft tall. Sadly though, the Bible was not peer-reviewed, so Goliath must be
disqualified.
The tallest man on record is Robert Wadlow, an Illinois man who died at
2.71m (8ft 11in) in 1940 at the age of 22. The record may not stand for much
longer, however. This week, Leonid Stadnyk, a 33-year-old living in a remote
village in Ukraine, hit the news as the world's tallest living man. At 2.54m
(8ft 4in), he is just 17cm short of Wadlow's record. In the past two years,
he has grown 30cm.
Like Wadlow, Stadnyk owes his extraordinary height to a tumour on his
pituitary gland. The tumour churns out growth hormone but it's a secondary
effect that leads to the runaway growth that doctors call acromegalic
gigantism.
Normally, the growth of our bones is limited by our sex hormones. A good
burst of sex hormones at the right time tells the ends of our bones to stop
growing. In acromegalic gigantism, as the tumour grows, it destroys cells in
the pituitary gland that stimulate the release of sex hormones. The bones,
therefore, never get the signal to stop growing.
But surely there must be a limit to a person's height? John Wass, a
specialist in acromegalic gigantism at the University of Oxford, reckons it
would be impressive to survive for long if you grew taller than 9ft.
First, high blood pressure in the legs, caused by the sheer volume of blood
in the arteries, can burst blood vessels and cause varicose ulcers. An
infection of just such an ulcer eventually killed Wadlow.
With modern antibiotics, ulcers are less of an issue now, and most people
with acromegalic gigantism eventually die because of complications from
heart problems. "Keeping the blood going round such an enormous circulation
becomes a huge strain for the heart," says Wass. (END)
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NOTE: To see six photographs of Ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk click on
the following link: http://www.artukraine.com/huminterest/stadnik.htm
==========================================================
THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 73: ARTICLE NUMBER TWELVE
The Genocidal Famine in Ukraine 1932-1933, HOLODOMOR
Genocide Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/index.htm
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12. BRITISH OFFICIAL WARNS AGAINST MEDIA CURBS IN UKRAINE
Era, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 5 May 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Wednesday, May 05, 2004
KIEV - [Presenter] The head of the parliamentary Committee for Human Rights,
Ethnic Minorities and Interethnic Relations, Hennadiy Udovenko, has met his
counterpart from the British Foreign Office, Jon Benjamin. The purpose of
the meeting was to establish cooperation between the committees in a common
effort against violations of citizens' rights. Pavlo Kalashnykov has the
details:
[Correspondent] Every country has its problems with human rights, even one
that can safely be described as a pillar of democracy, that is, Great
Britain. Evidence to that was presented by the head of the Human Rights
Policy Department at the Foreign Office, Jon Benjamin, who said that almost
30,000 British citizens were awaiting a response to their appeals to the
European Court [of Human Rights] against alleged violations of their rights.
By comparison, Ukrainians have sent 2,000 appeals to Strasbourg. Therefore,
there is much to work on, and working together makes it easier. The first
problem highlighted by the British guest was freedom of speech and
persecution of journalists.
[Benjamin] Any reduction in the freedom of the media here will have an
adverse effect on the attitude of the international community to Ukraine.
Restrictions on freedom of speech belong to the Soviet past rather than a
European future, and that which happened to Heorhiy Gongadze [journalist
murdered in 2000] still attracts attention in Europe.
[Correspondent] He also said Britain is very interested in a free and fair
presidential election in our country. In the Briton's opinion, much
responsibility in this area rests with the Ukrainian government.
The head of the parliamentary committee for human rights, Hennadiy Udovenko,
agreed with the visitor and expressed some hope.
[Udovenko] We shall hope that the president will keep his promises and will
guarantee a transparent election. [Passage omitted: other matters were
discussed, no details.] (END)
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