2012 Ukraine Eurovision Winner Gaitana Faces Criticism Over Her Not Being Ukrainian Enough

Hello there everyone. This is Michael. It is a few minutes past midnight on May 23, 2012. This morning I would like to discuss a controversial topic involving a singer from Ukraine named Gaitana. Her full name is Gaita-Lurdes Essami (Гайта-Лурдес Ессамі). She is half-Ukrainian and half-Congolese. The following embedded video is my vlog pertaining to this matter ...



Gaitana won the Ukraine's 2012 Eurovision entry contest. She will be competing in the larger event this week. The controversy stems from the fact that there are people who claim Gaitana is not truly Ukrainian because she is part African. I dispute that. She has a Ukrainian parent and was born on that soil so she is Ukrainian.

A number of people have criticized Gaitana's involvement in the contest since she, from their perspective, does not represent Ukraine properly. The truth is she has embraced the culture of Ukraine and is devoted to her country. I saw an interview she gave on the internet and it is obvious that she loves the nation. A writer at the Kyivpost did not help matters, in my opinion, when Gaitana was referred to as a "black singer" in an article (in this link: http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/racist-comments-about-gaitana-stir-controversy-ang-122884.html). Referring to Gaitana as just "black" plays right into the hands of those who claim she is not Ukrainian and therefore not fit to represent the nation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Once again, she was born in the territory now known as Ukraine and her mother is Ukrainian so she is Ukrainian. It is very easy to come to that conclusion. There are so many problems in the world that we all need to focus our attention on ... the question of Gaitana's genuine Ukrainianness should not be one of them.

This is a woman who has a degree in Economics, she sings songs in various languages and she composes her own material. She writes her own lyrics and writes her own music. As a matter of fact, the song she will be performing in the 2012 Eurovision contest is titled "Be My Guest". Gaitana wrote the lyrics and the music for that piece.

In no way should Gaitana be criticized for being mixed. She had absolutely no choice in the matter. The criticism and attacks that she has endured are very improper. That is my view and my contribution to the topic. I thank all of you for watching and/or reading and good luck to you Gaitana. Good bye.

Marion Monohann And D.S. Hunter G.A.R. Union Civil War Parade Press Photograph From 1934

My Sesquicentennial Observance of the American Civil War continues. In this blog entry, I am going to focus on an old press photograph from 1934. It features two members of the Union Army and the Grand Army Of The Republic: Marion Monohann and D.S. Hunter. It is dated September 2, 1934.

 The photo can be seen in this embedded video:

If the video does not embed properly, here is the url:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUm2Wad7KI4

Here are some jpegs of the old press photograph ...





The reverse:

Jacob M. Dickinson Autographed Photo Signed For Johnson Hagood

Here is a very nice photograph of former Confederate Jacob M. Dickinson. It has been autographed for Johnson Hagood. Jacob lived from 1851 until 1928. He enlisted with the Confederate Army at the age of 14 and was a Private in the Confederate Army Cavalry. Later in life he held a Cabinet position as Secretary Of War in the William Taft Administration. Johnson Hagood was a Veteran of the Spanish-American War and World War I. He eventually rose to the rank of Major General. This photograph was once part of Johnson Hagood's collection. A number of his items have made it to the market from time to time.

This is part of the continuing Sesquicentennial Observance of the American Civil War. The 150th Anniversary of the War Between The States began last year and will end in the year 2015.

Here is the autographed photo:


The personalization:


To Captain Johnson Hagood
With best wishes of JM Dickinson
June 16th 1910

The reverse with a stamped signature of Johnson Hagood:


Here is a video of the photo and my brief discussion about it:

If the video does not load properly, here is the url:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7uNUKcdO4o

UPDATE: On May 16, 2012, I decided to take a photograph of myself holding the signed item. I am going to be shaving the beard off soon so I wanted to take as many photos as I could while I still had it. This is a good reason to take a photograph with the beard while being dressed as a Confederate ... it all fits in with the Civil War 150 theme. Here it is:

War Of 1812 Bicentennial Event And Encampment Held In Havre De Grace On May 5, 2012

War Of 1812 events are very uncommon so I was elated to see the Susquehanna Museum At The Lock House in Havre De Grace, Maryland hold this Encampment. As all of you know, 2012 marks the 200th Anniversary of the start of the conflict. This was a very fine event and the Museum only charged three dollars to attend.

Here is a video from the Reenactment (it features: 1. The Introduction 2. The Camps 3. Music 4. A Cannon Demonstration 5. Independent Company Firing):

If the video does not embed properly, here is the url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1crnEXIA2c

Photographs from the event ...















This is how I would have looked 200 years ago:












Replica uniforms inside of the Museum ...







Unfortunately, this description card is blurry:


Cannon Demonstration:










Independent Company Firing ...



This shot is reminiscent of the Old Frontier:




















This photo was from the Star-Spangled Banner Ceremony:









 
A painting of the Goddess Liberty on the side of the cannon:


I purchased this War Of 1812 Word Search Book inside of the Museum:


The day's intinerary:




Many, many more photos of the day can be found at this link: http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u213/portaltothepast/Reenactments/War%20Of%201812/War%20Of%201812%20Bicentennial%20Event%20Maryland%205-5-2012/?start=all

Here is the Museum's website: http://www.thelockhousemuseum.org

I found out about this event by looking at the schedule on a War Of 1812 Re-enactors' website. I would be remiss if I did not point this out. Here is the Regiment's website link (it includes upcoming events): http://www.the-black-watch-lha.org/1815