Irpin officials say foreign philanthropic foundations have used the city’s suffering as a PR stunt
In a recent interview with the Polish publication “Gazeta Wyborcza,” the Mayor of Milwaukee’s Sister City detailed his frustration with foreign foundations that toured Irpin with promises of help for its reconstruction, only to used the visits as a...
Ukraine United: Following his failed military strategy Putin’s war of false narratives is also crumbling
By Ronald Suny, Professor of History and Political Science, University of Michigan People understand the world, where we came from, how we got here, and where we are likely to go because of the stories we tell about ourselves and others. The very political and social...
Online language tools: A personal journey to learn Ukrainian after Russia’s second invasion began
I began to learn Ukrainian in the early spring of 2022, shortly after the start of Russia’s second invasion of Ukraine. For me, languages are an important way of making sense of the world and creating connections. At that time, more than anything, I wanted to feel...
Diane Baima: Former Milwaukee teacher shares stories of life in rural Ukraine during 9 months of war
Diane Baima grew up in America’s midwest, being born and raised in Minnesota, attending college in Madison, and later working in Milwaukee. Her love of education would eventually bring her to Ukraine, where her hope for a peaceful post-Soviet era collided with...
Years of investigating Holocaust atrocities are helping unearth Russian war crimes in Ukraine
“Everywhere, when we liberate our land, we see one thing … Russia leaves behind torture chambers and mass burials of murdered people. This was the case in Bucha and other cities in the north of the country after the occupation. This was the case in the Kharkiv...
Could Russia collapse? It may be unthinkable but nobody predicted the end of the USSR either
By Matthew Sussex, Fellow, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Among the many questions asked about Russia’s disastrous war against Ukraine, one of them is posed only very rarely: can Russia survive what seems increasingly likely to be...
A Polish legacy of faith: Historic St. Hyacinth Church recognized as a Milwaukee County landmark
The Milwaukee County Historical Society’s Landmarks Committee recognized St. Hyacinth Roman Catholic Church, at 1414 W. Becher Street, as a County Landmark on November 14. Named for Hyacinth of Poland, the Church was a Polish-American neighborhood institution for more...
Revisiting Red Dawn: How war imitated art with the 1984 movie that inspired Ukrainian resistance
By Alfio Leotta, Senior Lecturer, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington When images from Ukraine of abandoned Russian tanks tagged with the word “Wolverines” circulated in early April after the invaders failed to capture Kyiv, movie buffs got the message...
Milwaukee-based education program works with men and boys to take a stand against human trafficking
HEMAD Milwaukee launched its five-week campaign to educate men about how they can end human trafficking, during a press conference at City Hall on November 21. The HEMAD (Human trafficking Educators working with Men and boys to stand Against the Demand) project was...
LGBTQ club mass shooting: How Red flag laws failed to prevent a gunman from acquiring AR-15-style weapons
By Alex McCourt, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University The killing of five patrons in a Colorado LGBTQ bar on November 19 is the latest mass shooting to garner headlines in the United States. Police have said they have yet to...
Justin Aprahamian: Sanford’s James Beard Award-winning chef offsets inflation with culinary passion
Of the many complex factors affecting the American economy after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, food inflation has hit families particularly hard in 2022. The unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February directly threatened the global food chain. Because...
Waste not, want not: Lessons from the Japanese philosophy of not throwing everything away
By Kevin C. Taylor, Director of Religious Studies and Instructor of Philosophy, University of Memphis The word “waste” is often frightening. People fear not making the most of their time, whether at work or at leisure, and failing to live life to the fullest. Warnings...