All of James Bond’s women are long legged and sexy, powerhouses of their own, and usually just what the famous British detective likes. Unafraid to dive into adventures with the dashing 007, they tend to not have any 
weaknesses. Olga Kurylenko, the newest Bond Girl in the new movie ‘Quantum of Solace’ may appear tough as nails on the screen, but is in actuality scared to death of heights. The former Ukrainian model told the press that she was scared while filming some of the movie, but that this did it anyway and worked through her fear.
“You have to do it, you have to jump off the roof and there’s no choice. I was so proud of myself when I did it. It was a big thing for me and thereafter it was like ‘wow, I did it!’ You feel such a sense of achievement,” she told the press after filming a harrowing for the actress scene for the movie. She also likes her character, Camille, who she describes as ‘very strong and very determined’. Olga goes as far as comparing her to a female version or James Bond and enjoyed learning how to fight, shoot, fly, and strip a gun for her role.
You can get even more information about the happenings in Ukraine by visiting My Life in Ukraine
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Leaving an artistic legacy behind is the dream of every artists and Ukrainian artist Roman Bonchuk is no exception. Already famous for his large scale painting and murals, Bonchuk is now setting off on his most grand adventure. He is planning on pairing a huge mural that depicts the history of the world, according to Russia’s ‘Novye Izvestia’ newspaper. The 28 year old artists has made headlines in both his home country of Ukraine and on the international stage in December 2007 when he unveiled his 30 meter long and five meter high canvas that was devoted to the history of Ukraine.
The new painting is on an even grander scale. Planned to be 1.5 kilometres long, the mural is going to depict over 2,000 major world events and five million prominent and famous figures in that have had a hand in shaping the world into what we know today. Bonchuk plans on displaying the huge painting at the Avenue of Champes Elysees in Paris within the next five years. In order to meet that deadline, however, he will have to paint at least 2,700 individuals from world history every day without a single day off, a feat Bonchuk has yet to explain how he intends to meet.
You can get more information on Ukraine by visiting Berehulyak.com
Ukraine authorities have taken an interesting step towards banning prostitution in their country. Anyone arrested in connection with the sex trade will have the wonderful honour of dealing with mom and dad when they get out of jail. According to the ‘Sehodnia’ newspaper, law enforcement authorities have started sending letters to the parents of prostitutes telling them that they son or daughter was arrested just as he or she was selling their bodies for money. The campaign has been put into effect in an effort to reduce the prostitution trade by having parents bring some pressure on to their kids.
The program has already had some effects on the trade. One young woman, the newspaper reports, has quit the trade entirely after dealing with the family scandal and no peace and quiet at home for more than a week after she was arrested and her parents received the letter. It has already reduced the number of prostitutes on the streets as many young men and women do not wish to get into arguments with their parents.
While prostitution in Ukraine is not illegal, there are laws in place concerning it and they are rarely enforced by the police. Many Ukrainian women alone have had to resort to selling sex in order to simply make it and while the government calls it a ‘national disgrace’, they are doing nothing about closing down the many bordellos or stopping a lot of the streetwalkers that are commonly found in both the major cities and smaller villages.
Earning any type of recognition for your accomplishments from the government is a big deal and Ukrainian boxer Vitali Klitschko was summarily honored by the Ukrainian government for his professionalism in sports. The 1st 
Degree Order of Merit was bestowed upon Klitschko for ‘outstanding sports achievements, courage, dedication to his work, will to victory’ in addition to being and ambassador of Ukraine and helping to establish their authority in the world – especially in the sporting arena.
Klitschko, the former WBC World Super Heavyweight Champion, was side lined for about three years dealing with an injury that forced him into semi-retirement. He briefly dabbled with Ukraine politics for a short time during his semi-retirement. Klitschko, the older brother of boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, decided to stage a comeback and took on Nigerian boxer Samuel Peter on October 12, 2008. 8 rounds into the 15 round match, Peter ‘threw in the towel’ after overhearing the judges state that Klitschko was ahead in the match, allowing the Ukrainian boxer to regain his boxing title.
Brother Wladimir is set to take on Russian boxer Alexander Povetkin on December 13, 2008 defending his IBF world heavyweight title. Currently the two brothers are the first Ukraine siblings to hold boxing world heavyweight titles at the same time.
There are so many places to visit in Ukraine that you’re never sure where to start. Considered the jewel of the Crimean peninsula, Yalta is one of those cities you have to experience for yourself. It’s a seaside resort town on the Black Sea that is surrounded by steep mountain peaks and beautiful blue waters. It was also the home of famous writer Anton Chekov. With beaches, resorts, museums, and a friendly population of about 80,000, you can see why it has been compared to Carmel, California, Greece, and the French Rivera.
If the name Yalta is ringing bells in your head but you’re not sure why, think back to your World War II history lessons. Yalta was the city in which Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, and Franklin D. Roosevelt held their ‘Big 3’ conference to discuss the war that they were all involved in. Livadia, the Romanov vacation home that was used for the conference, is open to visitors, as is the home turned museum of Anton Chekov. The Nikitsky Botanical Gardens located just outside the city is beautiful with their 1,600 rose varieties and you could enjoy a good meal while looking out over the sea and the gardens from this elevated location.
If you are going to tour Yalta, take a two day, three night trip so that you can enjoy everything the city has to offer and the beautiful beaches to relax on.
Fashion week kicked off in Ukraine with their native daughter Lilla Poustovit launching her fashion line for this year. Her clothing is found in some of the hottest European boutiques and this romantic woman keeps her 
clothing dreamy, elegant and practical. Shown on the runway the night of October 15, 2008 to kick off the season or 41 shows, her new spring and summer collection is already a big hit.
This year, Poustovit’s offerings are classic in their materials and designs, including crumpled silk dresses, graphic print tops, polka dot sheaths and more. She uses plenty of traditional Ukraine design in her clothing and the results are contemporary and beautiful. Says Poustovit about her designs, “I had in mind an image of an Adriatic sunset when making this collection. So I wanted something romantic, yet clothes women could understand and wear easily.”
The opening show lasted all days with other designers modeling their new collection, some interesting, some boring, and some shining, but not the way Poustovit’s collection did. There models were all Ukrainian models, many from Kiev, and they all enjoyed dressing up and getting a chance to work the runway in some of Poustovit’s highly anticipated collection. The show was in Pushkin Park with seating for 700 and was a huge success.
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If you should happen to visit Ukraine and hear hubbub about the country’s space industry, then you’ll be getting yourself into an interesting conversation. Like the American spade agency NASA, the Ukrainian industry is going through its own restructuring in order to make it better and more effective. Visitors to Ukraine who are working with these employees know that the restructure is helping the country form a favorable business and investment climate, advance their rates of output for intensives science material production, develop new competitive techniques, and plans on incorporating state owned companies into the space industry in an effort to establish international investments.
The National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU) was established in February 1992 in an effort to launch the country into their own space race with former ‘Mother Russia’, the United States, China, and other countries looking to head into outer space. With the success of the International Space Station, it may not be long before we start hearing about Ukrainian astronauts taking their turn on the ever growing satellite. With 30 production enterprises working with them, they have made great strides in modern launch vehicle technology, spacecraft engines, control and telemeter systems, and space goods and services.
You can find more information on Ukraine and NSAU at ukrtravel.com
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The Molodist – or Youth – Film Festival is the biggest movie event of the year in Ukraine and this year it is set to kick off on October 18 and run to October 26, 2008. The festival presents the work of many of the young moviemakers in the country and from around the world and it includes feature films, student movies, and short film debuts. There will be a non-competitive program that includes special shows, retrospectives of actors, actresses, and directors as well as a competition section that is open to a variety of different genres and movie styles.
This year’s international jury includes American actor Armand Assante, Russian actress Alla Demidova, Hungarian director Andras Fesos, Ukrainian artist and illustration Serhiy Yakutovych, Gaga Chkheyidze who is the head of the International Tbilisi Film Festival and Ukrainian television host, writer and journalist Yuriy Makarov. The festival will be presides over by this year’s honorable president is Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko. The co-heads of the board of trustees are actor Gerard Depardieu and Hares Youssef. There will be plenty of international celebrities also attending, but there has been no release of who they may be.
Tickets are available in advance and currently there are 400 films scheduled to be screened at the festival.
You can get more information on this festival by visiting molodist.com
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If you are looking for some great Ukrainian dishes to serve at Christmas time, here is one that will make your Christmas table all that more special and give it an ethnic touch.
Kolach (Ukrainian Braided Ring-Shaped Bread)
1 tablespoon of yeast
1 cup of lukewarm water
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 cup of sugar
4 cups of warm water
¾ cup of melted butter
1 teaspoon of salt
5 eggs, beaten
12-1/2 to 13 cups of sifted flour
Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the lukewarm water and then let it stand for 10 minutes. Dissolve the cup of sugar in the 4 cups of warm water in a large bowl and then add melted butter, salt, and eggs. Slowly mix the flour into the mixture and then knead it until it is smooth and elastic. You should notice that the dough is stiffer than it normally would be if making bread. Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place until it is about twice its original size. Punch the dough down again and let it rise one more time. After the second rising, divide the dough into three equal sections.
Take 1/3 of the dough and divide it into 6 equal pieces and then roll two of the pieces into 30” lengths. Placing the lengths side by side, start of the center of the dough and entwine it into a rope like twist. Repeat for other end and then place it in a circle at the edge of a greased 9” foil pan. Make two more twists out of the other four lengths of dough only 24” in length this time. Take these two twists and twist them together in the opposite direction to make a double twist of dough.
Form the double twist into a circle and cut the ends at angle. Join them together by pinching the ends together. You will see a small circle in the middle. If you want, place a 12 ounce in the center to keep it open. Cover the loaves and let them rise until they are double in bulk but not so much that they those their twist definitions. Lightly brush the surface with beaten egg and then bake quietly at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour. This bread is temperamental and should not be subjected to a lot of opening and closing of the over door or loud noises.
Bake until the dough should hollow when bottom is tapped. Cool on layer of towels, turning occasionally so it will cool evenly.
When you are visiting Ukraine you are going to have to get used to Hryvnya, the Ukrainian currency. 1 Hryvnya equals 100 Kopecks and the paper currency comes in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 denominations. You will be able to exchange your currency for Ukrainian currency at the airports, currency exchange offices, and major hotels. Do not exchange money on the streets or with private individuals as it is illegal and dangerous.
While Ukraine primarily uses cash for most transactions, visitors to the country can also use traveler’s checks and credit cards in the larger cities. Credit cards can be used in the higher-quality hotels, Western-style restaurants, airports and store. Visa and MasterCard’s are commonly accepted as well as American Express. You may need a passport or diplomatic card as an extra proof of identity.
There also ATM machines all over the large cities and you should get a list of the ones in the cities you plan on visiting from Visa and MasterCard. ATMs can be found in hotels, department stores, restaurants, and on the streets at the banks. Most of the ATM machines offer Ukrainian currency only, but there are a few in the Kiev, Odessa and Kharkov that may offer American dollars. In Kiev, PrivatBank’s ATMs may have dollars available. Make sure you know your PIN number as Ukrainian ATM keypads do not have letters on them. They will charge a small fee per transactions but it lower than the 3% commission rate and paper work you will have to deal with to use traveler’s checks.
You can find out more information about money in Ukraine at tryukraine.com
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