Author: Marsha

check this out.

My sister Cheryl entered her preserves into the Norfolk Fair and she cleaned up

1st place for misc pickles (pickled pairs)

1st place for conserves (carrot cake)

3rd place for pears

3rd place for peach jam

3rd place for wine jelly

Just found out that there will be a story on Kobzar’s Children in the October 17th edition of the Hamilton Spectator! It will focus on the story behind Natalia Buchok’s story, A Bar of Chocolate. Natalia is originally from Hamilton, and her parents still live there. The story is a true one based on her father’s experience as a teen in a displaced person’s camp when he dressed up as a girl to go on a date with an American soldier in order to get a bar of chocolate.

Natalia and I will be signing copies of Kobzar’s Children on October 22nd at the Ancaster Chapters from noon until 2.

This coming Sunday, Muriel Wood and I will have an Aram’s Choice book event at the Armenian Community Centre in Cambridge at 2:30. Please come if you’re in the area! Muriel has made some numbered signed prints of a few of her paintings. I already pleaded with her to set aside the 1/1 copy of the painting entitled “Fleeing Turkey”. This painting is of Aram’s grandmother leading a donkey out of Turkey. Strapped to the back of the donkey are two baskets, each containing a child. On the back of the donkey is a third child. That painting has special significance for me because it is based on a real life recollection of the late Aram Aivaizian, an historian, writer, and genocide survivor who helped me tremendously with my initial Armenian genocide research.

Here’s where the Aram’s Choice event will be:

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, I did readings a four Toronto Public Libraries as part of the TPL’s Focus on Youth month.

The first library I went ot was Eatonville on Tuesday morning. I got there in good time and the students were all settled in and ready five minutes ahead of time, so I started early. The librarian held up a copy of Nobody’s Child and asked for the students to guess what year it was nominated for the Red Maple. The winning guess got to keep the book. It was pretty funny though, because none of the students was familiar with Nobody’s Child.

I began to do my presentation and then noticed that one of the girls in the front had a Cardinal Slipij shirt on. I asked her if she was from Cardinal Slipij school and she said yes, that all of the students were from there. That’s a Ukrainian school! No wonder they weren’t familiar with Nobody’s Child, one of my Armenian books. It turns out they were all familiar with Enough and Silver Threads and Hope’s War, so it was a great talk and the audience was very attentive. So attentive in fact, that I ended up talking for 70 minutes.

In the afternoon, I went to Riverdale Library in Chinatown. This is a beautiful old Carnegie library and the room that they had set up for me was a bright and airy circular room. These kids were also fantastic. Very attentive and asking great questions.

On Wednesday, my first library was Malvern in Scarborough. It was pouring rain when I left just after 8am. Why is it that people don’t know how to drive when it rains? The traffic jams started even before I got at far as the Lincoln Alexander Parkway and they didn’t let up til I was practically at the library. I didn’t get there until almost 11am for a 10:30 reading! I called to let the librarian know that I was stuck in traffic, and she said, “Don’t worry about it, we were all stuck in traffic today too!”

When I got there, the kids were waiting. They had been entertained with storytelling and chatting, but I felt really bad about making them wait so long for me. I started my presentation and about three minutes in, the fire alarm rang. A minute or so after that — just as I started presenting again — it rang again! Speak about a less than ideal presentation!

Yet the kids were fabulous. Very attentive and they asked great questions. I don’t think I would have been so patient in their situation.

In the afternoon, I went to Flemington Library. Instead of presenting to young adults, I did a storytelling session using Aram’s Choice with their ESL students. What an interesting group of people! There were new immigrants from China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Ukraine, Somalia and many other places. What they all had in common was the will to learn and an appreciation of Canada. I storytold Aram’s Choice and then we talked about what it meant to be a newcomer to Canada. I told them that the reason I write immigrant stories is because immigrants are heroes. It takes courage to up and leave everything familiar and to travel to a brand new country. The teacher asked me my opinion of how her students could assimilate more quickly. I said that the beauty of Canada is that we can all keep our cultural traditions and still be Canadian. When asked what one thing a new Canadian could do to feel more at home, I suggested trying something new once a week, whether it be food, or a free concert or going to some public event that has nothing to do with one’s homeland.

Thankfully, the drive home wasn’t nearly as bumper to bumper as it had been in the morning!

Here.

PRESS CONFERENCE, UNIAN, Kyiv, Ukraine, Thu, Sep 28, 2006
Action Ukraine Report (AUR) #770, Article 5
Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, October 8, 2006

We are living in a time when each nation seeks to master its history as
profoundly as possible, no matter how tragic it is. It is crucial to learn
one’s past without prejudice in order to step more confidently toward the
future.

This is perfectly understood by the wise Jewish nation, which devoutly
preserves every trace of its millennial history.

An example of this is the arrival in Kyiv a few days ago of hundreds of Jews
from around the world to mark the 65th anniversary of the tragic events that
took place in Babyn Yar.

One hundred and fifty soldiers came from Israel to serve as an honor guard
detail at the site of the mass burials. The president and government of
Ukraine were the patrons of these actions aimed at honoring the memory of
the victims of the Jewish Holocaust.

However, for the sake of objectivity, it should be recalled that at least
half the victims at Babyn Yar (if not more) were gypsies and Ukrainians,
who were viciously destroyed by the Nazis.

Among the victims were also entire crews of ships of the famous Dnipro
Flotilla as well as the defenders of Kyiv-soldiers and commanders of the
Southwestern Front.

Here is the grave of the unvanquished Olena Teliha and other Ukrainian
patriots shot by the Gestapo in 1942, whose memory are for some reason
not being honored on the state level.

At the same time we express dismay at the encroachments on the holy of
holies-the destruction of the memory of the Ukrainian nation. We are
troubled by the fact that the disputes around the tragedy of the
artificially engineered Holodomor of 1932-1933 are intensifying.

Increasing in frequency are provocative statements by pro-communist
forces whose goal is to turn the commemoration of the Holodomor
tragedy into a farce.

After the end of the competition to decide the layout of the memorial
complex in honor of the victims of Ukraine’s holocaust, the Holodomor,
political forces from the pro-government coalition launched a campaign
to stop the construction.

As a result, the draft of the 2007 state budget of Ukraine has not allocated
a single penny for the building of this memorial.

The state has terminated its financial support of the museum exposition
“Not To Be Forgotten” (on the crimes of communism in 1917-1991) at
the Memorial Society, which hosts up to 10,000 students and pupils free
of charge every year.

Based on international experience and in accordance with the Presidential
Decree, on 31 May 2006 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine passed
Resolution No. 764 “On the Creation of the Ukrainian Institute of National
Memory.” The institute was granted appropriate status as the central organ
of the state executive power with its range of posts and special
responsibilities.

After all, the victims of the Holodomor, communist repressions, and Hitler’s
genocide are scattered throughout the Ukrainian lands. The destruction of
the Ukrainian ethnos lasted for centuries. Ukraine’s tragedy is such that no
one has yet succeeded in grasping its scale, causes, or consequences.

Thus, the young generation of Ukrainians is not able to fathom its nation’s
past, formulate a clear-cut vision of the national idea, or develop a
state-building strategy that could unite the nation on the basis of its
fundamental values.

The task placed before the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory is to
meticulously restore the backbone of our nation with historical consistency
and objectivity.

However, the formation of its structure is being impeded by the rise to
power of openly anti-Ukrainian officials of the new-old government. The
institute had not even begun its work when, as a result of various
officials’ efforts, the budget was reduced out of existence.

Furthermore, in contradiction to the above-mentioned resolution of the
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, responsibility for the Ukrainian Institute
of National Memory has been transferred to the officials in charge of the
State Archives of Ukraine.

This move in fact liquidates the very status of the Ukrainian Institute of
National Memory as the principal manager of budget funds granted by the
cabinet resolution.

This deliberate or ill-advised destruction of a state institution that was
initiated by a Decree of the President of Ukraine and confirmed by a
resolution of the previous government prompts serious questions regarding
the continuing formulation of Ukrainian state policy on the preservation of
national memory.

One example of the cynical attitude to the victims of political repressions
in Ukraine is the site of the mass secret burials that took place in the
1930s and 1940s in Bykivnia Forest. According to various experts, the
number of victims in Bykivnia is equal to the number of victims buried in
Babyn Yar.

All the data point to between 100,000 and 150,000 victims. But neither
agencies of prosecutorial supervision nor state officials are showing any
interest in the objective disclosure of the crimes of the past or in
establishing their true scale.

As Andrii Amons, the investigator from the Military Prosecutor’s Office,
stated in the final resolution “On the Closure of the Criminal Case,” the
Bykivnia burials have not been thoroughly investigated because the deadline
for investigative actions has lapsed and because of lack of time-meaning,
the Ukrainian government has neither the time nor the desire to deal with
the excavations.

Who should take on this work throughout Ukraine, to conduct searches in
the Solovky Islands, Mordovia, the camps of the former GULAG-every-
where that Ukrainians were destroyed-if not the Ukrainian Institute of
National Memory?

Meanwhile, in the last few months unsanctioned excavations ordered by
unknown organizations in Poland are being conducted on the territory of
the National Historical-Memorial Preserve “The Graves of Bykivnia.”

It has been learned that individuals can hire a special team in Kyiv and,
ignoring Ukrainian laws, exhume and bury whatever they want. Witnesses to
this were the participants of the World Forum of Ukrainians, who visited
Bykivnia on 20 August 2006. There they saw fifteen new burial sites
connected to the search for the remains of executed Polish officers.

Here, in the presence of representatives of Poland, who after examining
bones and skulls and not finding anything of interest to those who ordered
these illegal exhumations, hired workers calmly dump all these remains in
sacks designed for waste and without following accepted procedures,
place them in pits and cover them up with earth.

What other state in the world would countenance such vandalism and
mockery of the memory of innocent executed people?

Despite the fact that the territory of the Bykivnia burials was declared a
State Historical-Memorial Preserve in keeping with the Resolution of the
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 546 of 22 May 2001, and which was
granted national status by the Decree of the President of Ukraine, this has
not stopped the architects of these unsanctioned exhumations.

The Specialized State Enterprise “Memorials of Ukraine” has not reacted
to either the bill of indictment about these violations or the instruction
issued by the Main Administration for the Protection of the Cultural
Heritage of the Kyiv City State Administration to put an immediate halt to
the arbitrary exhumations.

Furthermore, one of the initiators of the excavations, Andrzej Pszywoznik,
who is the secretary of the Council for the Protection of Monuments to the
Struggle and Martyrdom of Poland, is spreading inaccurate information in
the Polish press that 103 burial sites containing the remains of Polish
officers have been found in Bykivnia.

Even the following fact is ignored: the previous investigation designated
the Bykivnia burials as a crime site and therefore any exhumations must be
carried out after a new criminal case is reopened and in the presence of an
investigator charged with conducting a forensic medical examination.

A similar attempt to conduct unsanctioned excavations took place in 2001,
when symbolic graves appeared in the National Preserve at Bykivnia,
complete with the crosses and symbols of a foreign state. What next?

Without denying the possibility that remains of Polish citizens who were
repressed by the Stalinist regime may be found in Bykivnia Forest, the
Ukrainian side should organize an objective investigation of the
circumstances surrounding their deaths and a search of burial places,
relying on newly opened KGB archives and based on international
agreements and European laws.

Under other circumstances, the actions of the Polish side may be viewed as
instigating an international conflict, an example of which was the incident
at the Polish Orliata war cemetery in Lviv.

Preventing a similar situation could be possible only if the Ukrainian side
on the state level were represented by the Institute of National Memory,
which would prohibit illegal acts on the territory of the National Preserve
at Bykivnia and direct the excavations within the legal purview of Ukraine’s
legislation.

The circumstances of jointly experienced tragedies, when various nations
fell victim to the Soviet totalitarian regime, should lay the foundation of
completely different, good-neighbor relations. The bones of our victims
and foreign victims should not reside in joint graves.

Dmytro Pavlychko
Head of the Ukrainian World Coordinating Council

I was in Quebec City during the last week of September and had an opportunity to meet Kim Pawliw, the youngest contributor to Kobzar’s Children: A Century of Untold Ukrainian Stories.

We were both on hand to witness the unveilings of plaques at two internment camp sites — one at the Valcartier Military Base and the other at the Beauport Military Base. Kim was asked to read her poem at both plaque unveilings, and she also helped unveil at one of the sites.

The event was given extensive news coverage, including French language media interviews for Kim. Also, CBC am did a 14 minute story on Kim, her poem, and the internment of Ukrainians. The Montreal Gazette did an excellent story. And better yet, the Gazette story was reprinted in a number of newspapers across the country.

Here are the plaques:

I’m doing some Canada Council sponsored readings in Toronto this coming week. If you’re in the area, drop by:

Tuesday, October 10th:

10:30am
Eatonville Branch library
430 Burnhamthorpe Rd

1:30
Riverdale Branch Library
370 Broadview Ave

Wednesday, October 11th:

10:30
Malvern Branch Library
30 Sewells Rd

1:30

Flemington Park Library
29 St. Dennis Drive

I really should be going to bed, but while nearly rear-ending slow driver this afternoon, my head began to make a list of irritating things. So here are some things that I hate:

1. Drivers who slow down to change lanes.

2. Fake looking French manicures. You know, the ones that are so bright white and squared off they look like chicklets? Is that supposed to be attractive? Even bitten off fingernails are better than that!

3. People who fart in a crowd and pretend it was someone else.

4. Joe Volpe.

Well, that’s not such a long list after all. What are your pet hates?

Here’s some things that I love:

1. A brand new fat novel to read.

2. Playing Scrabble with my son.

3. The smell of fresh soap.

4. Fresh ground Kona coffee brewed hot and served black.

What do you love?

I took the one hour trek to Kitchener today to present at Word on the Street. The nice thing about Kitchener is that it isn’t Toronto. It was ever so easy to park because I had a parking pass with a giant R on it, so even though it was pouring rain, I got to my own tent in record time. I haven’t been to WOTS in Toronto lately (dare I admit that I avoid it?) because the last time I went, I had to park so far away that it was a real hike to get to the tents. Not fun.

Even though it was pouring rain, there was a good turnout. I did a presentation of Aram’s Choice. Because of the venue (open tent, lots of noise) I didn’t do a reading, but instead talked about the story behind the story of Aram’s Choice. The organizers had put together a craft table for the kids to participate in once my presentation was finished. I was pleased to see that the kids were given materials to make their own individual carrying boxes. I explained during the presentation the significance of boxes in Aram’s Choice: each child, upon leaving their temporary refuge in Corfu to begin their journey to Canada was given a wooden box. In that wooden box they placed all of their worldly belongings. Also, the children were not known by their names, but by the number on their boxes. After I did my own presentation and signed some books, I trekked over to a panel discussion on blogging featuring James Bow, Derek Weiler of Q&Q, Aimee Morrison, and Alex Good. During the discussion, Aimee mentioned that most livejournal users were 13 year old girls writing about angst. I think she’s wrong about that. What do you think?