The Kyiv Independent Puts Current U.S. Journalism to Shame
I finally met some of my greatest professional heroes—the journalists of the Kyiv Independent. If you are not familiar with the Kyiv Independent, you should be. These courageous reporters broke away from a rival news organization after many resigned in protest over an oligarch owner’s interference in editorial decisions. Determined to build a genuinely independent […]
The Careless, Uninformed, Glib & Damaging Dissemination of Disinformation – Rita C. Article
A Facebook “friend” who claimed to be a journalist wrote an article about the Russian War in Ukraine with so little credibility, journalistic standards, and Russian disinformation that I felt I had to respond to at least some of the disinformation. See Rita’s “article” Rita C. Article (The Yellow Highlights are the excerpts we addressed […]
The Sleazy and Slippery Slope of Appeasement
For the first time since the full invasion, the United States voted against a UN resolution condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine. Marco Rubio, the once proud son of Cuban Immigrants and anti-communist hawk, said, “We didn’t feel it was conducive, frankly, to have something out there at the UN that’s antagonistic to either side.”He defended […]
Raw Travel’s “My Summer in Ukraine” Film is Streaming Now.
Raw Travel’s “My Summer in Ukraine” documentary film premiered to a standing-room-only crowd in New York City last month, a scant one week after the election. I was amazed and grateful at the response of the crowd, especially Ukrainians, who were visibly moved, some to tears. Rather than trot the film out to film festivals […]
Russian Exile Musician Releases Anti-War Single
Dmitry Spirin is a good pal of mine from the Russian band Tarakany! (Cockroach). If you’ve watched Raw Travel, you’ve heard Dima’s music. He’s a very talented and popular songwriter and musician. I met him on my trip to Moscow in 2010, and we released Tarakany’s album “Russian Democrazy” together on Punk Outlaw Records in 2013, just as […]
Trumpism’s Cognitive Dissonance
While visiting family down south, I had yet another befuddling conversation with a “Trumper” also claiming to be a “Ukraine supporter” who has somehow rewired their brain to ignore the fact that the Trump faction of the GOP are the primary folks responsible for abandoning Ukraine by blocking continued US funding. I’m curious how one […]
Linda Yaccarino Needs New Glasses?
Ms. Yaccarino may need new glasses because what is deceptive is Linda Yaccarino continued justification of hate speech and disinformation as “free speech.” READ THE ARTICLE HERE As if a private company had no control over what was posted on its private platform. What’s also misleading to advertisers are X’s traffic numbers. Most of their […]
Why I wore a tie for the first time in years
PART ONE – WHY THE CAUSE? A few weeks ago, I wore a tie for the first time in several years because I had the privilege of advocating before elected U.S. Senators and Congresspeople’s offices and staffs for a cause I cared deeply about. The cause was to convince U.S. Congresspeople and Senators about the […]
Chicken Soup for the Soul – Will they Walk the Walk in Ukraine?
– From Cynopsis “Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s premiere of the Ukrainian fantasy series “Cossacks” arrives on Crackle on September 1. Directed, written, and shot on location in Ukraine and featuring a cast of Ukrainian actors, “Cossacks” is a 12-episode sword and sorcery fantasy series” Hmm. Is this a good thing or tone-deaf, given the […]
“20 Days in Mariupol” is tough but “must see” journalism and filmmaking
I went to see the film “20 Days in Mariupol.” It has taken me over a week to write about the experience, not because I have been so busy (though I have) but mainly because I couldn’t quite work out what to say about a film that was so… And therein lies the issue. […]
Helping the Flooded Communities of Kherson, Ukraine
Driving from Kyiv to the Southern parts of Ukraine, I can see that farmland is everywhere and that Ukraine is the world’s breadbasket. Wheat is ripening. Fruit is in season. Farms, as far as their eyes can see, make the flooding brought on by the Russian destruction of the Kakhovka dam so unspeakably harmful. Yesterday […]
Raw Travel Visits Ukraine in Wartime
Crossing the border from Przemsyl, Poland into Ukraine during wartime was surreal, sad, inspiring, and infuriating. Slava Ukraine!