The Olympics are in high gear and half-way completed and the team from Ukraine scored another gold medal on Saturday. Olesandr Petriv Ukraine took the medal for the 25 metre rapid fire pistol event, beating the silver placed winner Ralf Schumann of Germany by 0.7 points
Petriv claims that his colleagues think he’s insane because of his complete dedication to the sport, but his gold medal helps him disagree. Petriv usually finds the final of his competitions sticking points and he attributes his success in winning the gold from learning from his past mistakes, allowing him to perform well. This is the first time Petriv has ever gone to the Olympics even though he has been participating in the sport for the last 22 years of his life.
The leader going into the even was Keith Sanderson who ended up in fifth place. American Vincent Hancock won the gold in skeet shooting and then for tie-shooting, firsts for the American team. The world’s number 1 shooter, Georgios Achilleos of Cyprus finished fifth in the skeet shooting pack and Qu Ridong of China ended at sixth after a seven way shoot off tie breaker.
All of the shooting events finished with the men’s free rifle 3-position competition on Sunday, August 18th. You can find more information on the Olympics at this blog: The Armenian Blog
If you are making plans to travel to Ukraine for a vacation or to visit friends and relatives, then you are going to want to go between late April and early June. During this time of year the weather is warming up and the chestnut trees are in bloom. This is time of year when the cafes begin to offer outdoor seating, the Carpathian and Crimean Mountains are in bloom for hikers, and rainfall is at a minimum. There are fewer tourists in the cities and if Easter should happen to fall during these months, the Orthodox Easter rituals and celebrations are rich with tradition and traditional Ukrainian foods.
While July through August also offers visitors to the country the full summer foliage, the weather can be hot and stiflingly at times. Tourists and residents alike flock to the cooler Crimea and Carpathian Mountains or head to the coast of the Black Sea. The summer months see more outdoor activities being available for visitors to enjoy, but everything is more crowded than during the cooler summer – and even autumn – months.
Skiers will appreciate Ukraine during the bitter cold of December and January as the slopes in the Carpathian’s open up for some great powder action. However, visitors to the country during the winter are advised to bring heavy clothing in order to fend off the cold. The winters in Ukraine do tend be a bit shorter than the countries that surround it with the northern part of the country seeing temperatures around 14 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit in January. The southern part of the country has only slightly warmer temperatures.
For more travel tips you can check back here at ukrainian guide and also at lonelyplanet.
When you visit Ukraine, you discover that there is a language barrier you are going to have to overcome. The official 
language of Ukraine is Ukrainian and most visitors to the country will find this language or the language of the countries located around it – such as Russian, Romanian, Hungarian, and Polish – being spoken. While many Ukrainian residents understand Russian, they may not respond to you if you speak it, especially the further west you go. In the eastern part of Ukraine, like Crimea, Russian is spoken almost exclusively. In the central and eastern parts of Ukraine, you will find Ukrainian and Russian being spoken at the same time. This language mixture is called ‘surzhyk’.
Younger members of the country and its communities may speak and understand some English. English is taught as a foreign language in the schools and if you are lucky enough to find a young Ukrainian who understands and speaks English and they are willing to help you, you will be extremely unfortunate.
Unless you are planning on bringing a translator with you on your trip to Ukraine, it is recommended that you learn basic Ukrainian or Russian before entering the country. A Ukrainian or Russian phrase book will come in handy. You should also keep the mobile number of someone who is bilingual in English and one of these languages in your phone so that you can have something translated quickly. If you can speak another Slavic language such as the one listed above, you will be able to communicate well enough to get around the country.
Carlsberg, a well-known, international beer distributor has been investigating new locations across the world for a new brewery and distribution center. One of the locations that representatives of the beer company are looking 
at is in Ukraine. Managers and other spokespeople for the popular beer manufacturer have already visited a number of Ukrainian sites for consideration and it is still up in the air as to whether or not the final facility will be an actual brewery, depot facility, or both.
According to a Carlsberg spokesman, the process of locating the right place for the company’s expansion is still ‘very premature’ and in the early stages of development. There is still no firm decision as to whether or not any construction will take place in Ukraine.
Carlsberg beer volume in Ukraine was increased by 9% over the last six months, the figures coming in with June 30th being the last date of reporting. The first half results for the Danish beer company look promising and Ukraine is being viewed as an important growth market. This information is based on findings of Baltic Beverages Holding, a Carlsberg subsidiary already located in the country.
The rumors that are floating around indicate that Carlsberg is looking in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine for possible building sites, but the company is not confirming or denying them.
You can find more information on Ukraine at the new amour club.
The Ukrainian women’s fencing team made a great show in the 2008 Beijing Olympics by taking the gold medal and defeating the Chinese team by 45-44. This win was an exciting finish ended the women’s Olympic competition. China won the silver and the United States won the bronze by defeating the French team.
Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan led the team’s comeback against China, working through a four point deficit to tie the competition up. China was leading the Ukraine team 40-36 when Kharlan and China’s Tan Xue faced off on 
the piste. When the scores tied at 44, both women believed they had delivered the winning blow to the other. The judges paused the competition to review the official video for clarification and decided to withhold the point all together. When the two women faced off again, Kharlan recorded the winning blow and won the Ukrainian team the gold medal.
Kharlan and her team defeated the American team 45-39 earlier in the match, relegating both the American and French women’s fencing teams to battle for the bronze medal. The United States took the gold in the individual women’s fencing competition, the medal going to Mariel Zagunis after she defeated fellow team mate Sada Jacobson.
For more news about Ukraine you can also visit the Kiev Ukraine News Blog.
On September 24 and 25, 2008 the 1st International Conference to promote cruise tourism will be held in Odessa, Ukraine. The ‘BlackSeaCruise 2008’ conference has been organized by the Odessa Commercial Sea Port, the ‘Ports of Ukraine’ Publishing House, the Center for Information and Analytics ‘BlackSeaTrans’, and the International Black and Azov Seas Port Association (BASPA).
This unique tourism conference will be covered by the international mass media and representative of the port authorities and passenger terminals from the countries that surround the Black Sea will be in attendance. The conference is a collaborative effort of all of the port cities that are located on the Black Sea and their respective governments. Maritime agencies, tourist companies, and information agencies will also be at the conference to pass along information regarding the tourism initiative to attendees.
The conference is being in held just in time for the nations to discuss how the 2012 European Football Championships and 2014 Winter Olympic Games can be served by the nations located in the Black Sea region. The Football Championships will be held in Ukraine while the Olympics are slated to be held in Sochi, Russia. Organizations that are attending the conference will discuss how the two events will cause a shift in cruise shipping and passenger carriage development on the Black Sea.
Project development and analysis for a Black Sea cruise market before and after the future events will also be discussed at the conference. The countries that will be the most affected by the development include Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and Turkey. The conference is geared towards improving the entire infrastructure of the tourism trade in the entire region.
For more great info on traveling in Urkaine you can also check out this blog Travel Blog Country Ukraine
September 17 through 19, 2008 will see Atronic coming back to Kiev, Ukraine for this year’s Entertainment Industry show. The company is a provider of casino games and services on an international level and their offices 
and products can be found in the United States, Europe, Russia, Latin America, Australia, and Asia. A member of the Gaming Standards Association that supports open industry standards, Atronic will be showcasing two of its new top linked gaming products. ‘King Kong’ and ‘Cash and Cash Fever’ are four level progressive jackpot slot games.
Additionally, Atronic will be displaying to the Ukrainian people their line of linked games from the e-motion cabinet, a digital display that shows off some of Atronics popular line. The Cash Fever cabinet will feature classic games such as ‘Time for Money’, ‘Bamboo Forest’, ‘Crystal Lake’, ‘Blastin’ Barrels’, ‘Golden Adventure’ and ‘Wild Fangs’. The King Kong Cash cabinet will offer displays featuring, ‘Tiger & Dragon’, ‘Sun Spirit’, ‘Treasure Cats’, ‘Crimson Fire’ the X-tension game, and ‘Jungle of Gold’. Additionally, Atronic will be demonstrating some of their casino management products and cashless gaming solutions.
Atronic products are currently being operated in over 90 countries throughout the world. They hold 226 gaming 
licenses that include ones for the 25 states in the United States that allow slot machine gaming. This includes 164 Native American Indian tribal casinos. They have over 130,000 machines in place in more than 1,300 international casinos. Dedicating to producing high quality games and products, they also offer linked gaming products and casino management items to all of their customers.
You can also check out more on the gaming and poker happenings in Kiev at this great blog too: Casino Life Magazine Blog
Vasyl Lomachenko, a boxer from Ukraine, has helped his country take another step towards earning an Olympic medal on Monday August 11, 2008 when he defeated fellow Olympian boxer, Russian Albert Selimov 14 to 7. Selimov is currently the defending world champion in the 57 kilogram featherweight division. This was not the first time the two boxers have faced off. They went head to head at the world championship in Chicago, United State, last year where Selimov won the title and it was a quirky twist of fate that matched up these two men in the first round of the Olympic boxing events.
Lomachencko was considered the underdog in this Olympic match-up with many people looking at Selimov as the favorite and the one who was going to take the title from his fellow Russian boxer Alexey Tishchenko. Instead, Lemachencko came back from a 2 to 0 deficit after the first round to take the next two with 13 to 3 points. Once he got started he never looked back and now Lomachencko will go head to head against Bahodirjon Sultonov of Uzbekistan in the second round. Sultonov beat India’s Anthresh Lakra and is considered a serious medal contender in the sports and boxing world.
Traveling in another country is always a harrowing experience no matter where you from. When you go to a country where English is not the native language, it becomes even more mind boggling trying to get from to place. When you are traveling in Ukraine – especially in Kiev – you will find that there is a system of efficient and 
inexpensive public transportation available. The transportation includes buses, trolley busses, streetcars, and the subway – called the Metro there. Anyone who needs to travel via public transportation should be aware that they are all crowded and that morning and evening rush hours should be avoided if possible.
As an alternative to the public transportation system in Kiev, travelers can take a taxi throughout the city and outlying areas. Travelers should be ready for a fare refusal if they are not going in the same direction as the taxi driver. A traveler who hails and flags down a taxi should always state their destination first and if the driver agrees, a fare should be negotiated and agreed upon before entering the taxi. Also, travelers should always use a clearly marked taxi instead of a private vehicle, especially at night.
Brave travelers in Ukraine have the final option of hiring a car and driving themselves around the cities and the countries. However, the roads in Ukraine are sometimes not in the best condition and any winter driving should be done as little as possible. Cars should always be fully gassed before leaving the cities, trips should be planned from start to finish due to the scarcity of supplies, and they should also carry extra fuel, food and water in order to make it to their destination safely. A valid international driver’s license is all that is required for driving. Travelers hiring a vehicle in Ukraine should try to get a front-wheel or four-wheel drive whenever possible to cover the rough and winter treacherous terrain.
A comment came in from Bob and he asked if there was a recipe for a soup he had in both Russia and Ukraine. The recipe he requested was for Solyanka which is a wonderfully amazing soup that you will find in both Ukraine and in Russia. It is a great soup that you will find in many restaurants. It is made with different types of pickles and Sauerkraut which are added to the soup. This is why it is called Solyanka. The Solyanka can be made from a variety of things such as fish, meat, or mushrooms. It is also served with lemon slices, olives or sour cream or a combination of all three. Here is a tasty recipe that is sure to please you.
Ingredients you will need:
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500 g meat for stock (ham, veal, sausages, kidneys, tongue) 
4 pickles (choose any variety of pickles)
2 onions (good size onions)
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp capers
1 tbsp olives
100 g sour cream
1/4 lemon peeled
How to prepare Solyanka
Finely chop the onions and fry them in the oil until they are a light golden brown.
Add tomato paste and butter and then stew this for 30 minutes or so.
Peel the cucumbers and slice them into small junks or cubes.
Cook the meat in water until it is done, then strain the broth from the meat.
Add onions, meat slices, capers, cucumbers and a bay leaf to the broth. Cook this for 10-15 minutes.
Serve in a bowl with sour cream, olives and/or lemon slices. Sprinkle it with greens to add to the appealing look of the soup.
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