Tag Archives: ukraine

The Extraordinary Journey of Titawny Cook

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“I always wanted to come to Ukraine, it’s been a goal of mine to come to this country in this time of war,” — these heartbreaking words marked my first time I met Titawny Cook. He is a proud Chabot graduate who is in Ukraine now covering the latest news about the war for the Chabot Spectator.

Titawny’s background is solid: he served in the United States Marines doing combat logistics and security forces operating as a Cpl of the Guard and fireteam leader in Iraq. We met on Chabot College campus when Titawny was looking for any Ukrainians out there. It was a nice meeting if not considering the context of war in my native country Ukraine. 

At college Titawny had leadership positions starting with Speech and Debate, which laid the groundwork for pretty much everything. Public speaking, confidence, political analysis, and competitive debate over domestic and international policies made Titawny a great journalist. ‘’I had a radio show that I hosted with other students for a good number of years, and this gave me good training for public interviews’’, said Titawny Cook.

This experience made a strong foundation for Titawny to decide to relocate to Ukraine to help Ukrainian Armed Forces. He also wrote for the college newspaper at this time, and he enjoyed this educational training. So much so that he eventually came around full circle to do this again.

Being a journalist and adventure seeker he embarked on a great volunteering mission: to find military work or news agency work in Ukraine, starting in Kyiv. Titawny says, there are many options to accomplish this goal, but there is an express need for fighters and infantry positions. 

Being actively involved in life in Ukraine, Titawny continues sharing his firsthand experience from the heart of Ukraine — its capital Kyiv — with all the Chabot Spectator readers. 

“It took time to get acquainted with the idea of leaving home for a long duration where I would have no friends and no support, or so I believed. Riding an overnight train with two very large suitcases, one of them carrying body armor. It was Ukraine that I was worried about because traveling with body armor could be perceived as a threat by military security forces. It was indeed, and I was questioned about why I had such a heavy suitcase.”

Titawny Cook shared with The Spectator his feelings about living in Ukraine. He said he actually loves Ukraine and especially Kyiv, and he is very proud to be there and so far has made very solid connections, including very strong friendships, in a very short time period. 

‘’I have done very well here, and I plan to stay for a good period of time and contribute to the fabric and rebuilding of this country. I have experienced nothing but real and very courteous people since I have been in the country, and any rumors or fears of people back home that I heard about before arriving here were actually untrue, and like they say, “You don’t know until you try it for yourself.’’ Titawny’s goal is to eventually find military work or news agency work here in Ukraine, starting in Kyiv.

“I hope to land with UAF (Ukrainian Armed Forces) public affairs or a journalist position with a local news agency covering the war, but overall I hope to build lasting relationships here because the strength in people is unbelievable and outstanding in terms of character and strength! ‘’

I know how different and difficult life can be in a foreign country, but I can confidently say that staying in Ukraine for just three months Titawny is doing a great job! And by the way, he is even learning the Ukrainian language to settle down there and start life in the new country from scratch. ‘’Ukraine is beautiful and strong, and regardless of war, this spirit will never be extinguished! ‘’ Titawny said. 

Titawny Cook is one of those multitalented and aspiring students of Chabot College who’s proved his desire to be a real journalist. He’s never given up on his big dream. As one of the proud graduates of Chabot College, Titawny inspires hundreds of students by his dedication to journalism and bravery in the profession. 

Despite being dangerous during the war, Titawny faced the challenge to go abroad and serve as a journalist in Ukraine. 

The Chabot Spectator wishes Titawny Cook good luck and success. Chabot College is proud of your fearlessness and eagerness for new life experiences!

Mixing Cocktails for Good: Ukrainian Lawyer Supports Orphans Via Blagomay Fund

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While the entire country of Ukraine feels the everyday pressure of war with Russian Aerial bombardment terrorizing civilians and the rising prices of goods and services, hardworking Ukrainian citizens have not let the war stop them from using their talents in a collective effort to raise funds for important causes and getting those funds to the people who desperately need them. 

Ukrainians like Evgeniy Komarov have managed to do just that by working through the night to raise money and awareness for Blagomay, which then gives their donations to abandoned children in orphanages. An event was held on Aug. 12 for this purpose at the Green Bar, a restaurant located at Khoryva St, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Evgeniy, a business law professional by day and cocktail bartender by night, has been working toward this goal since 2011. 

He works a guest shift for the event, meets with a marketing team to create a flyer, and then promotes it to his and the establishment’s patrons. Sometimes, he makes a set drink list; other times, it will be a percentage taken from the entire night of all cocktails sold. In this case, it was both, and when a customer purchases a drink at the event, the sales percentage is subtracted from the overall profits from the night and given directly to the Blagomay Fund.

I asked Evgeniy why he does this, and he replied, “First, you try charity, and then you know that you can never stop. It is a life position, a state of your soul. When you see the results, you understand that you can change something and help someone; it motivates you to do more and more.

As a lawyer, once a week, I become a bartender. For my friends, clients, and owners of the bars, it’s entertainment to see a lawyer shaking, dancing, and serving drinks. It’s a chance to meet with my friends and other people at the bar. Give them my tasty cocktails, talk with them, and have some fun. For the children of the orphanage who receive the generated funds, it’s essential and can be life-changing.”

Blagomay provides many resources for children, including educational, medical, facility reconstruction, and emergency programs. We are inspired to work to provide a new standard of living and opportunities for children deprived of parental care, children in difficult life circumstances, displaced children, children of fallen heroes, and all children affected by the war in Ukraine. The foundation’s programs include educational, medical, emergency, critical needs, shelter, and rehabilitation programs,” according to the Blagomay website.

Blagomay Fund is a Ukrainian charity that has improved children’s childhoods in over 100 orphanages in Ukraine for 11 years. The fund is dedicated to providing a better future for orphaned children who could have been abandoned or lost their families, some directly resulting from war and genocide in Ukraine. “This includes needed supplies and education so these children can still have the opportunities to become professionals in their different spheres of interest,” said Evgeniy.

One specific cocktail of the night was named after “Black Lives Matter” because Evgeniy felt strongly about the racial injustice many African Americans face daily. The cocktail was made to suit the guest’s taste for sour or sweet and included M&M’s. The night also featured a record-spinning guest DJ who played popular classic tracks like “Ridin” from Chamillionaire.

Profits on this night given to the fund were 3000 UAH (Ukrainian Hryvnia), which equals $81.29 in the U.S.; in total, from the previous event bar sales and this night equaled 6875 UAH from the sales of cocktails, which is about $186.15 US. While this is not a large amount of money in the U.S., it is a good profit in Ukraine for kids in orphanages, and every little bit counts. 

The Blagomay Organization can be reached for further donations at https://charitymay.com/en/ or https://www.instagram.com/blagomayfund/

U.S. Economic Sanctions Against Russia

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In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, President Biden and other western leaders have placed a plethora of sanctions against Russia. Most of which target their financial institutions. 

The U.S. placed a sanction against Russia’s Central bank, preventing Americans from doing business with the bank. This means that any assets that the bank has in the U.S. are frozen. Other countries like the European Union, the U.K., and Canada have since followed suit. 

Russia has over $600 billion in currency reserves, but most of this cannot be accessed because of the sanctions. Over half of it is reliant on the ability to buy rubles (the Russian currency) from western financial institutions. The reserves must be exchanged for the other countries’ currencies in order for Russia to be able to import goods. The ability to access that money could be the key to stabilizing the inflation taking place in the country. 

According to Michale Bernstam, an economist at Stanford’s Hoover institution, $250 billion is unavailable because those are government bonds of western-aligned countries, including the European Union, Japanese, and British bonds. 

“We wanted to put these actions in place before our markets open because we learned over the course of the weekend from our allies and partners that the Russian Central Bank was attempting to move assets,” said an anonymous senior Biden administration official.

The sanctions are an effort to destabilize the Russian economy. 

Russian banks were also banned from SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. SWIFT is the primary way for global banks to communicate, send and receive orders. Russia’s global banks will have to find an alternative way of communicating with other countries. 

A Biden administrative official described the goal of the sanctions, “We’re committed to fully implementing sanctions and other anti-money-laundering financial and enforcement measures to maximal effect on sanctioned Russian officials and elites close to the Russian government, as well as their families and their enablers, We’re going to identify and freeze the assets they hold in our jurisdictions” said the official. 

As of Mar. 8, the U.S. announced the ban on Russian imports of oil, petroleum, liquefied natural gas, and coal. This is important because crude oil is one of Russia’s top exports. Last year 3% of our imported gasoline came from Russia and the gasoline accounted for about 13% of U.S. exports according to The Hill.

The invasion is part of the reason why U.S. gas prices have been steadily rising. Shell Oil Company recently made headlines after it was discovered that they bought discounted crude oil from Russia in the midst of the invasion. The same day that the U.S. announced the ban, Shell issued an apology and pledged to stop all operations with Russia. 

President Biden told Americans, “Defending freedom is going to cost.”

The deflation of the Russian ruble directly led to inflation. The value of the ruble is down nearly 30%. Inflation has been a nightmare for Russian citizens scrambling to get basic necessities like food which was already expensive. Now it’s even pricier, and people can’t buy as much. Prices also continue to soar for electronics, appliances, and cars in the country. Russians are taking money out of the ATMs and are trying to buy things of lasting value. 

According to ABC news “Mastercard said cards issued by Russian banks will no longer be supported by its network and any Mastercard issued outside the country will not work in Russian stores or ATMs.”

The same is taking place for Visa cards because both American companies decided to suspend their operations in Russia on Mar. 5. 

Before the value of the ruble began to fall, many Russian citizens hurriedly tried to exchange their currency for dollars or euros which currently holds more value than the ruble. Interestingly enough, the Russian central bank put a limit on the amount of foreign currency that citizens can withdraw.

This new reality makes Russian citizens reexamine their finances and urgently protect their money. The economic losses and financial hurdles that many Russians are facing does not compare to the lives lost in the invasion of Ukraine.