1. |
UKRAINE Is Not Dead Yet
02:11
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"Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy" is the national anthem of Ukraine and means "Glory and Freedom of Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished." The lyric was written in 1862 by the poet Pavlo Chubynsky from Kyiv and Mykhailo Verbytsky set the text to music the following year.
Today, amid Russia’s invasion, the anthem has become a way of expressing solidarity and inspiring courage. In 1922, the anthem was banned by the Soviet regime. Seventy years later, after Ukraine gained its independence, the anthem was adopted by the Ukrainian constitution.
It has become a rallying song against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. People from all over the world have been singing the song in support of the Ukrainian people and their undying spirit.
"Ukraine is not yet dead, nor its glory and freedom.
Luck will still smile on us brother-Ukrainians.
Our enemies will die, as the dew does in the sunshine.
And we, too, brothers, we'll live happily in our land.
We'll not spare either our souls or bodies to get freedom.
And we'll prove that we brothers are of Kozak kin."
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2. |
Dumka
02:41
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Even in the best of times, the relationship between Russia and Ukraine has been somewhat troubled. A full Russian invasion of Ukraine began this week, breaking international law and violating Ukrainian sovereignty.
"Dumka" is a musical term in Ukrainian which literally means thought. Ukrainian composers drew on the harmonic patterns in their folk music to inform their more formal classical compositions.
This piece was inspired by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Dumka". Tchaikovsky, widely regarded as Russia's greatest composer, had a profound love and admiration for Ukraine. During his frequent visits to Ukraine, Tchaikovsky closely familiarized himself with its musical culture.
“I found the peace of mind here in Ukraine that I had unsuccessfully sought in Moscow and Petersburg.” - Tchaikovsky
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3. |
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“You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing… after they’ve tried everything else.”
In the end, it took Japan attacking Pearl Harbor and Hitler declaring war on the United States to get America to do the right thing. So much the same, so much different. All the major players this time have nukes. Well, not all — the Ukrainians took all their nuclear weapons and gave them to Russia in 1994 in exchange for a piece of paper guaranteeing they would never be invaded by their neighbor.
Can humans change the way they behave, or does history repeat itself endlessly, with humans forever condemned to re-enact past tragedies. Are we now witnessing the beginning of a third world war?
It looks like history is repeating itself. The citizens of Kyiv are seeking shelter in their local subway stations, like Londoners sleeping in the Underground during the blitz. We see refugees heading for borders, trying to escape the dangers and uncertainties of war.
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4. |
THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING
02:03
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The Russian government feels threatened by Western democracies, both directly through sanctions and indirectly because free press and civil liberties expose Russian government corruption. Witness the annexation of Crimea, the military attacks on Ukraine and the information warfare campaign conducted during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Robert Mueller’s report states unequivocally that Russia launched a “sweeping and systematic” attack on US democratic institutions during the 2016 presidential election.
Putin has made it a priority to attack the democracies of Europe and the United States. He has used security services, the media, public and private companies, organized criminal groups, and social and religious organizations to spread malicious disinformation, interfere in elections, fuel corruption and threaten energy security. Enormous numbers of Americans are not only failing to fight back but they are unwitting collaborators by reading, retweeting, sharing and reacting to Russian propaganda and provocations every day. America's outdated election infrastructure offers ample targets for hackers.
The United States is only one front in a worldwide campaign of Russian election interference. Researchers at the University of Toronto have documented 16 electoral interventions linked to Russia since 2015. Nine of those elections led to results that favored the Kremlin's strategic interests, including Britain's 2016 vote to leave the European Union. Hackers linked to Russia have also targeted pro-European Union politicians in Norway, Germany and France.
If you weren't already worried about Russia, you should be now.
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5. |
JUST VOTE
02:24
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"This year's election is 'more important than any in my lifetime," says Barak Obama.
JUST VOTE.
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6. |
A Nation of Immigrants
02:27
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President John F. Kennedy’s final book, A Nation of Immigrants, is a relevant contribution to the contemporary debate on immigration reform. Throughout his presidency, JFK was passionate about the issue of immigration reform. He believed that America is a nation of people who value both tradition and the exploration of new frontiers, people who deserve the freedom to build better lives for themselves in their adopted homeland. Written in 1958, its inspirational observations about the diversity of America’s origins and the influence of immigrants and refugees on the American experience make a compelling case for a sensible and humane immigration policy today – one that provides opportunities and hope for “huddled masses” from around the world.
Despite the current political winds battering our values, now is the time to hold open those doors. The Trump plan of splitting parents and children at the Mexico/ US border created outrage, anguish and chaos. The plan inflicted more trauma on migrants escaping violence and hardship who had endured harsh journeys to reach the US. It is hardly the humane immigration policy that JFK and other fair-minded leaders of his era from both sides of the aisle had envisioned.
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7. |
VOTER SUPPRESSION
03:38
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The United States has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the developed world. Prior to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, many states used policies such as poll taxes and literacy tests to prevent African Americans from voting. Even after the voting barriers of the Jim Crow era were removed more than 50 years ago, some lawmakers continue to pursue policies that would undermine our nation’s progress.
The strength of American democracy depends on the ability of citizens to express their fundamental right to vote. Instead of pursuing the myth of voter fraud and encouraging tougher restrictions on voting, the Trump administration should work to fight voter suppression and expand the electorate. That is unlikely!
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8. |
Attacking Democracy
02:27
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Putin has made it a priority to attack the democracies of Europe and the United States. He has used security services, the media, public and private companies, organized criminal groups, and social and religious organizations to spread malicious disinformation, interfere in elections, fuel corruption and threaten energy security. Enormous numbers of Americans are not only failing to fight back but they are unwitting collaborators by reading, retweeting, sharing and reacting to Russian propaganda and provocations every day. America's outdated election infrastructure offers ample targets for hackers.
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9. |
Vive La France!
02:43
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Emmanuel Macron has made it clear that he is ready to confront one of this century’s most aggressive strongmen, Vladimir Putin. It was a move straight out of Putin’s own playbook — and one impossible to imagine President Trump making. Macron bashed Russia’s use of fake news, criticized the country’s abysmal human rights record, and said he'd no longer stand by as Russia’s allies in Damascus used chemical weapons against Syrian civilians.
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10. |
RUSSIAN HACKING
02:11
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The Special Counsel investigation, which concluded in March 2019, stated that the Russia interference "violated U.S. criminal law" and resulted in indictments of twenty-six Russian citizens and three Russian organizations. The investigation also led to indictments and convictions of Trump campaign officials and associated Americans,
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11. |
RUSSIA ATTACKS DEMOCRACY
03:12
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On January 6, 2017, the office of the Director of National Intelligence released a declassified report on Russia’s actions and intentions in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The report concluded that:
These attacks were ordered by President Putin;
Russia’s goals were to undermine faith in our democracy, to harm Secretary Clinton’s chances of winning, and to help President Trump’s election chances; and
President Putin and the Russian Government favored President Trump.
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12. |
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Microsoft has detected Russia-linked hackers targeting European democracy groups ahead of the polls. Hundreds of millions of people are set to vote for more than 700 European Union parliamentary lawmakers in May. Hackers create malicious web links and spoofed email addresses that look legitimate, aiming to gain access to employee credentials and deliver malware.
Perhaps the most alarming development has been the change of heart in eastern Europe. Hungary and Poland have seen conservative populists win sweeping electoral victories while demonizing the political opposition, scapegoating minorities, and undermining liberal checks and balances. The Czech Republic and Romania seem poised to follow.
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13. |
THE DEATH OF DEMOCRACY?
02:52
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History provides uncomfortable lessons. Among them is that systems of governance are not immortal and democracies can devolve into autocracy. As institutions decay and social norms fray, democratic processes and practices are prone to apathy, demagoguery and disintegration. Since the end of the Cold War, most democratic breakdowns have been caused not by generals and soldiers but by elected governments themselves. Like Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, elected leaders have subverted democratic institutions in Georgia, Hungary, Nicaragua, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Ukraine.
Isolating popular extremists requires political courage. But when fear, opportunism or miscalculation leads established parties to bring extremists into the mainstream, democracy is imperiled. Not only did Americans elect a demagogue in 2016, but we did so at a time when the norms that once protected our democracy were already coming apart.
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14. |
TRIBALISM
02:36
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Since Trump’s election, the term “tribalism” has become ubiquitous. The word has been used to explain his victory. Tribalism refers to the organization of people along lines of common ancestry for the purpose of exercising political power. Political tribes can organize along stark lines: the working class versus the 1 percent, baby boomers versus millennials, city dwellers versus rural people. But they can also be more nebulous, forming around subtleties of education, lifestyle or cultural taste.
Some people think that dialogue and debate can help the United States defeat its current tribalism. If only we could calmly talk about our differences, we would reach some compromise. But not all disagreements are bridgeable. The Union and the Confederacy did not resolve their differences through dialogue; it was a civil war that put an end to slavery. Jim Crow laws were defeated through mass protests and civil disobedience. Schools were desegregated though a Supreme Court decision, which had to be implemented with the help of the National Guard. The Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed as a political necessity during World War II. Some fights are not talked away. They are either won or lost.
Barack Obama has said “What if we were wrong? Maybe we pushed too far. Maybe people just want to fall back into their tribe.”
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15. |
A Broken Democracy
03:12
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American politics has become a game of powerful corporate interests: tax cuts for the rich, deregulation for mega-polluters, and war and global warming for the rest of the world. US politics have become increasingly corrupt, cynical, and detached from public opinion. Trump is but a symptom. He signifies the culmination of a long-term process whereby powerful corporate lobbies have bought their way to power.
The largest source of dark money is David and Charles Koch, who inherited the highly polluting Koch Industries from their father, a man whose business history included building a major oil refinery for Germany’s Nazi regime.
It is now the job of the rest of the world to say no to America’s reckless corporate greed, and of Americans themselves to reclaim their democratic institutions by rejecting dark money and corporate malevolence.
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Steve Shapiro Oakland, California
Steve Shapiro has composed music for hundreds of radio and TV commercials, documentary films, infomercials and other TV programs. He was the music director at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, which produced hundreds of award-winning educational films and recordings. He has a BA in Music from Brown University and an MA in Music from the Manhattan School of Music. ... more
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