Moi foto iz New Yorka
http://picasaweb.google.com/t.levchuk/NYCDecember1215#
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
My language history
n my family we spoke primarily Russian which is spoken in Ukraine. Our second home language was the language of our grandparents that is Ukrainian. I speak Russian and Ukrainian fluently. This is why these two languages I consider my native languages. I use both languages for all communication in Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Egypt, the US, Turkey, etc. However, I use Ukrainian as my native language in reading news from Ukraine and speaking with visiting Ukrainians and Americans of Ukrainian descent or talking with my friends in Ukraine.
My parents,brother and relatives speak Ukrainian and Russian languages on all occasions.
I started to learn a foreign language when I was in school. In my school it was English and I picked up some words from my father who took it in school and in college as well as from my parents' relative who was the English language schoolteacher. My uncle had a Russian-German book for military personnel so I learned a few words in German.
Because Ukraine historically has been crossroads, I think my ancestral languages definitely were non-Slavic languages like a Turkic language or even Hebrew. My great grandmother is said to have been speaking a foreign language because she went to a classical Russian lyceum in early 1900s.
I make attempts to speak “Standard American English” but my speech may include some Briticisms since that was a predominant dialect of instruction in my linguistic college.
During my college years I had exposure to Latin for 8 months and my second foreign language acquisition was the German language. I graduated with a translator's diploma for English and German as my target or source languages and Ukrainian and Russian as native languages. In addition I received licensure to teach English and German in Ukraine.
I come from the city of Kiev which is a melting pot of Ukraine and the international world. I speak literary Ukrainian as well as a Ukrainian dialect spoken in northern Ukraine where I visited for the past 3 years. My father's home language was Ukrainian and my mother's was Russian and/or a mixture of Ukrainian and Russian that is spoken in Eastern Ukraine. While in Ukraine I didn't use a lot of slang words, but I did use some argot at production facilities where I had worked as a technical translator or middle level manager.
I don't use slang unless I want to identify my solidarity or understanding with a person or a group of people of some familiar social network, for example, a new Ukrainian convert to Christianity participating in an evangelical church with an American pastor in a provincial Ukrainian town. The definition of slang is a vocabulary used by a subgroup of people who possess similar cultural, social, psychological and linguistic background or experiences.
When I was in primary school I first discovered how people judged my linguistic expression to be naughty. The basis for that judgment was the negative connotation of a word I used to call a girl and the teacher made sure I would apologize.
For the first time I became aware of grammatically incorrect linguistic expressions when my English teacher in middle school corrected my mistakes. Her judgment was based on the grammatical rules of English.
I had thought of speech as being more fundamental than writing until I started working for a German entrepreneur. Most of the jobs I performed were verbal interpretations, however the German businesses rely heavily on reporting in writing. Moreover, my linguistic college education involved verbal communication and verbal exams for the most part.
My parents,brother and relatives speak Ukrainian and Russian languages on all occasions.
I started to learn a foreign language when I was in school. In my school it was English and I picked up some words from my father who took it in school and in college as well as from my parents' relative who was the English language schoolteacher. My uncle had a Russian-German book for military personnel so I learned a few words in German.
Because Ukraine historically has been crossroads, I think my ancestral languages definitely were non-Slavic languages like a Turkic language or even Hebrew. My great grandmother is said to have been speaking a foreign language because she went to a classical Russian lyceum in early 1900s.
I make attempts to speak “Standard American English” but my speech may include some Briticisms since that was a predominant dialect of instruction in my linguistic college.
During my college years I had exposure to Latin for 8 months and my second foreign language acquisition was the German language. I graduated with a translator's diploma for English and German as my target or source languages and Ukrainian and Russian as native languages. In addition I received licensure to teach English and German in Ukraine.
I come from the city of Kiev which is a melting pot of Ukraine and the international world. I speak literary Ukrainian as well as a Ukrainian dialect spoken in northern Ukraine where I visited for the past 3 years. My father's home language was Ukrainian and my mother's was Russian and/or a mixture of Ukrainian and Russian that is spoken in Eastern Ukraine. While in Ukraine I didn't use a lot of slang words, but I did use some argot at production facilities where I had worked as a technical translator or middle level manager.
I don't use slang unless I want to identify my solidarity or understanding with a person or a group of people of some familiar social network, for example, a new Ukrainian convert to Christianity participating in an evangelical church with an American pastor in a provincial Ukrainian town. The definition of slang is a vocabulary used by a subgroup of people who possess similar cultural, social, psychological and linguistic background or experiences.
When I was in primary school I first discovered how people judged my linguistic expression to be naughty. The basis for that judgment was the negative connotation of a word I used to call a girl and the teacher made sure I would apologize.
For the first time I became aware of grammatically incorrect linguistic expressions when my English teacher in middle school corrected my mistakes. Her judgment was based on the grammatical rules of English.
I had thought of speech as being more fundamental than writing until I started working for a German entrepreneur. Most of the jobs I performed were verbal interpretations, however the German businesses rely heavily on reporting in writing. Moreover, my linguistic college education involved verbal communication and verbal exams for the most part.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Starbucks' siren
Shunned Starbucks in Aussie exit
By Phil Mercer BBC News, Sydney The mighty Starbucks coffee empire has been handed a heavy defeat by thousands of small Australian cafes in the fight for a nation's taste buds.
Not all Starbucks in Australia have failed
Eight years after it began selling its espressos and frappucinos in Australia, the US giant has succumbed to powerful financial and cultural pressures and has closed 61 of its 85 shops across the country.
Savouring a morning cup of coffee has become a ritual for millions of Australians - yet one that Starbucks failed to capitalise on, in spite of the way the chain had become a global cultural phenomenon during the 1990s.
"It was maybe too standardised," says Michael Edwardson, a consumer psychologist in Melbourne.
"Early on it was unique and different, but as it became a global chain the standardisation made it lose some of that coolness and edginess. It was quickly copied and lost its lustre.”
Not unique
In America, Starbucks became an icon very early on.
There, it represents this "third place", which is not home and not work, but somewhere to hang out, according to Mr Edwardson.
"Towns would want to have a Starbucks," he says. "Australia was never like that. We were curious about it. We'd read about it. It was something to try.
"But once tried I don't know that it offered a particularly fantastic or unique experience that wasn't offered by other chains.”
In the end, Starbucks' Australian adventure was undermined by countless High Street cafes, each striving to carve out a sustainable niche.
We have the most cosmopolitan society in the world
Barry Urquhart, retail consultant
Soon it became clear that the US coffee juggernaut, with its frothy, milky brew, was unable to meet the challenge of the local stores' homespun hospitality and boutique qualities.
"The coffee experience is two things," says John Roberts from the University of New South Wales.
"Firstly, it's the product and the taste and secondly the place and the service.
"It's much easier for the local store to differentiate itself as being local whereas Starbucks had this slightly schizophrenic positioning where it wanted to be the global, local store,” he said.
Starbucks management said it is refocusing its business in Australia's three biggest cities; Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Cosmopolitan society
While the company is blaming underperforming stores, analysts say it expanded its operations in Australia too quickly and accumulated too much debt.
There's no question Starbucks in many ways is an admirable company
John RobertsUniversity of New South Wales
Hence, Starbucks never managed to build solid foundations in a cut-throat trade, according to Barry Urquhart, a retail consultant based in the Western Australian state capital Perth.
"It is a competitive marketplace," he points out.
"The American, Seattle-based coffee of Starbucks was never going to resonate and penetrate Australia's very big coffee drinking community.
"We have the most cosmopolitan society in the world."
With more than 235 ethnicities speaking more than 270 languages and dialects, companies wanting to get ahead in Australia should be aware that they are not dealing with one monolithic block, Mr Urquhart explains.
"You have to recognise that and service differing needs.”
Success for some
Starbucks may be on the retreat in Australia but marketing experts see a brighter future elsewhere.
Starbucks is one of the nicest coffees that I've tried
British backpacker Gemma Morris
"There's no question Starbucks in many ways is an admirable company," says Mr Roberts.
"Starbucks has done very well in international markets where there has not traditionally been a coffee drinking culture," he adds, pointing to how it has done well in Japan and China.
"Starbucks has shown its skill at developing new markets," Mr Roberts says.
And even in Australia, there are those who will miss it when it is gone.
"Starbucks is one of the nicest coffees that I've tried," says British backpacker Gemma Morris.
"It's a stronger taste, which I like. It's a unique experience and it's renowned for being good which is why people love it."
Others though felt somewhat underwhelmed by Starbucks.
"It's okay, but there are privately owned cafes that I'd rather go to," says Peter, 32, who works for a landscape design company in Sydney.
"This whole big chain thing doesn't really do it for me. The coffee's pretty ordinary."
By Phil Mercer BBC News, Sydney The mighty Starbucks coffee empire has been handed a heavy defeat by thousands of small Australian cafes in the fight for a nation's taste buds.
Not all Starbucks in Australia have failed
Eight years after it began selling its espressos and frappucinos in Australia, the US giant has succumbed to powerful financial and cultural pressures and has closed 61 of its 85 shops across the country.
Savouring a morning cup of coffee has become a ritual for millions of Australians - yet one that Starbucks failed to capitalise on, in spite of the way the chain had become a global cultural phenomenon during the 1990s.
"It was maybe too standardised," says Michael Edwardson, a consumer psychologist in Melbourne.
"Early on it was unique and different, but as it became a global chain the standardisation made it lose some of that coolness and edginess. It was quickly copied and lost its lustre.”
Not unique
In America, Starbucks became an icon very early on.
There, it represents this "third place", which is not home and not work, but somewhere to hang out, according to Mr Edwardson.
"Towns would want to have a Starbucks," he says. "Australia was never like that. We were curious about it. We'd read about it. It was something to try.
"But once tried I don't know that it offered a particularly fantastic or unique experience that wasn't offered by other chains.”
In the end, Starbucks' Australian adventure was undermined by countless High Street cafes, each striving to carve out a sustainable niche.
We have the most cosmopolitan society in the world
Barry Urquhart, retail consultant
Soon it became clear that the US coffee juggernaut, with its frothy, milky brew, was unable to meet the challenge of the local stores' homespun hospitality and boutique qualities.
"The coffee experience is two things," says John Roberts from the University of New South Wales.
"Firstly, it's the product and the taste and secondly the place and the service.
"It's much easier for the local store to differentiate itself as being local whereas Starbucks had this slightly schizophrenic positioning where it wanted to be the global, local store,” he said.
Starbucks management said it is refocusing its business in Australia's three biggest cities; Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Cosmopolitan society
While the company is blaming underperforming stores, analysts say it expanded its operations in Australia too quickly and accumulated too much debt.
There's no question Starbucks in many ways is an admirable company
John RobertsUniversity of New South Wales
Hence, Starbucks never managed to build solid foundations in a cut-throat trade, according to Barry Urquhart, a retail consultant based in the Western Australian state capital Perth.
"It is a competitive marketplace," he points out.
"The American, Seattle-based coffee of Starbucks was never going to resonate and penetrate Australia's very big coffee drinking community.
"We have the most cosmopolitan society in the world."
With more than 235 ethnicities speaking more than 270 languages and dialects, companies wanting to get ahead in Australia should be aware that they are not dealing with one monolithic block, Mr Urquhart explains.
"You have to recognise that and service differing needs.”
Success for some
Starbucks may be on the retreat in Australia but marketing experts see a brighter future elsewhere.
Starbucks is one of the nicest coffees that I've tried
British backpacker Gemma Morris
"There's no question Starbucks in many ways is an admirable company," says Mr Roberts.
"Starbucks has done very well in international markets where there has not traditionally been a coffee drinking culture," he adds, pointing to how it has done well in Japan and China.
"Starbucks has shown its skill at developing new markets," Mr Roberts says.
And even in Australia, there are those who will miss it when it is gone.
"Starbucks is one of the nicest coffees that I've tried," says British backpacker Gemma Morris.
"It's a stronger taste, which I like. It's a unique experience and it's renowned for being good which is why people love it."
Others though felt somewhat underwhelmed by Starbucks.
"It's okay, but there are privately owned cafes that I'd rather go to," says Peter, 32, who works for a landscape design company in Sydney.
"This whole big chain thing doesn't really do it for me. The coffee's pretty ordinary."
Monday, July 28, 2008
Life analysis 2008- one year in USA
This week will see my first official year of residency in the US. What can I say about my life in a NEw World?
First, I 'm alive and God is good to me but I'm not good to Him.
Second, I didn't work in America enough to increase my revenues- I'm too lazy and unmotivated, including search for a woman.
Third, I'm getting American by borrowing money for college.
Fourth, American vacation turns into another phase of prodigal living.
First, I 'm alive and God is good to me but I'm not good to Him.
Second, I didn't work in America enough to increase my revenues- I'm too lazy and unmotivated, including search for a woman.
Third, I'm getting American by borrowing money for college.
Fourth, American vacation turns into another phase of prodigal living.
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