Wines on Ukraine - pros'ba ne perevodit'
11/07/2002 | roman
Report of Arms Sale to Iraq Roils Ukraine Politics
New York Times - 4 hours ago
... expressed consternation today and President Leonid D. Kuchma called for a United Nations inquiry after a new report reinforced suspicions that Ukraine secretly ...
...The charge is rooted in recordings of Mr. Kuchma's private conversations... ...Kuchma is heard to approve a proposal by the director of Ukraine's weapons exports to sell four Kolchuga systems to Iraq through a Jordanian contact....
...the United States raised the charge publicly last month after its experts examined the original recording of the conversation and concluded that he had indeed approved the sale....
...the State Department said Ukraine had been open in giving investigators data on some items relating to production of the system, but had not cooperated with questions about Mr. Kuchma's authorization of its sale to Iraq.
Nota bene:
Wines Watch: NYT Bureau Chief Admits To Witholding Evidence
On May 26, favorite eXile target Michael Wines published an article in The New York Times datelined Petersburg. The third graph was a single sentence: “You can’t find canals in Moscow.” He doesn’t specify who “you” might be, but it’s unlikely that it is a four-year resident of Moscow like Wines.
The Kanal imeni Moskvy (the Moscow Canal) may not be the Suez, but it’s not that tough to find. We decided to wipe away the proverbial horse-sperm pie blocking Wines’ vision. Posing as a slighted bureaucrat from the fictitious Moscow City Canal Agency (MosGorKanal), the eXile called the Times’ Moscow bureau (200-01-87), claiming to have weathered the wrath of Yuri Luzhkov after the Mayor learned that Americans believe Moscow has no canals...
NYT office: New York Times.
eXile: (in Russian) Good evening. May I talk to Michael Wines?
NYT: Ah, one minute.
Michael Wines: Wines.
eXile: Hello, Michael? Is this Michael Wines?
Wines: Da.
eXile: Good afternoon, my name is Pyotr Yuriovich. I work at MosGorKanal and we read your article related to President Bush’s visit to Moscow, in which you claimed that there are no canals in Moscow. This is actually not true, and my superiors, including Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, are not very happy with this article.
Wines: (baffled American accent) Who’s not happy?
eXile: My superiors at the department at MosGorKanal. And the Mayor of...
Wines: (interrupting) MosGorKanal?
eXile: ...Moscow Yuri Luzhkov, because Moscow has canals.
Wines: (believing that he understands) A-ha...
eXile: And not just one. Maybe you know about the Grebnoi Canal, on which they conducted the 1980 Olympic Games?
Wines: (still disoriented) OK, I... I... I... I...
eXile: There is also...
Wines: (more grounded, but flustered) I know what you... what you mean.
eXile: There is also the Moscow Canal, which is 143 kilometers long. I understand that you might not notice it because 143 kilometers isn’t that much.
Wines: Mmm...
eXile: We would like to invite you on a tour of these canals...
Wines: (completely confused) Tour?
eXile: ...yes so that you could see that there are canals.
Wines: I... I ... I sa...I saw a canal.
eXile: Then why did you write...
Wines: I know, I think... of what you are talking. There is a canal between, between, um... Moscow and Dubna, yes?
eXile: That is the Moscow Canal, (talking as if with a child) the one that is very long and big. There is a canal inside Moscow limits...
Wines: (not understanding) Inside?
eXile: Inside, yes. The canal, called the Grebnoi Canal, where the Olympics were held...
Wines: Mmmm... I ah should say that no, I don’t, I don’t know...
eXile: You don’t... (incredulous) you know that in 1980 the Olympics were held in Moscow?
Wines: (unsure, quietly) uh-huh.
eXile: You know, right?
Wines: (more confidently) Yes, yes.
eXile: Yes? They held the sculling competitions on the Grebnoi Canal.
Wines: Mmmm...
eXile: We want you to see all these canals yourself, or else we’ll have to spend our money to build very many canals in Moscow, so that the Mayor of Moscow doesn’t get upset.
Wines: One minute, please. [5 seconds] Umm, honestly speaking, if you, if... if you say that canals exist, good. But I think that I... I don’t need to see it. (emphasizes word see [videt’] as though it was difficult to pronounce)
eXile: Why don’t you need to see it?
Wines: (mumbling) I don’t know.
eXile: Ok, if you agree that there are canals, then why do you write such lies?
Wines: (nervously laughs) Maybe because I didn’t, I didn’t, um, know that canals exist like in St. Petersburg.
eXile: Exist... excuse me... what?
Wines: (slowly, carefully) I didn’t, I didn’t know...
eXile: Well?
Wines: (collecting himself, and continuing bravely) I didn’t know here exist canals like in St. Petersburg. Many there.
eXile: There is also not just one canal in Moscow. (pauses for emphasis) There is also not just one in Moscow. I understand that in Petersburg there may be lots, but in Moscow they are bigger.
Wines: Mmm.
eXile: They are no worse than in Petersburg. [Ne khuzhe chem v Peterburge]
Wines: Not worse?
eXile: Not worse.
Wines: I didn’t say Moscow was worse.
eXile: But you said that unfortunately in Moscow there aren’t canals when compared to St. Petersburg.
Wines: (resigned) True [pravda], true. (optimistically) Can I get your telephone?
eXile: Ahh, One moment [8 seconds]. One moment [13 seconds]. Nine- are you writing this down?
Wines: Yes.
eXile: I’ll give you the number. [25 seconds] Two, three, three...
Wines: Two, three, three...
eXile: Three, one, one, eight.
Wines: Three, one, one, eight. Excuse me, I didn’t hear you. What are you?
eXile: What’s my name?
Wines: M-uh-huh.
eXile: Pyotr Yuriovich.
Wines: Where do you work?
eXile: The department of MosGorKanal.
Wines: (finally thinking he understands) Ahhhhh. [silence as he writes] Good.
eXile: Will you call us back?
Wines: If it’s possible, I would like to call back because I have big work now. I need to write an article about, about NATO. Ah, I’m very busy. But maybe I can call you tomorrow. OK?
eXile: OK
Wines: Okay.
eXile: Goodbye.
New York Times - 4 hours ago
... expressed consternation today and President Leonid D. Kuchma called for a United Nations inquiry after a new report reinforced suspicions that Ukraine secretly ...
...The charge is rooted in recordings of Mr. Kuchma's private conversations... ...Kuchma is heard to approve a proposal by the director of Ukraine's weapons exports to sell four Kolchuga systems to Iraq through a Jordanian contact....
...the United States raised the charge publicly last month after its experts examined the original recording of the conversation and concluded that he had indeed approved the sale....
...the State Department said Ukraine had been open in giving investigators data on some items relating to production of the system, but had not cooperated with questions about Mr. Kuchma's authorization of its sale to Iraq.
Nota bene:
Wines Watch: NYT Bureau Chief Admits To Witholding Evidence
On May 26, favorite eXile target Michael Wines published an article in The New York Times datelined Petersburg. The third graph was a single sentence: “You can’t find canals in Moscow.” He doesn’t specify who “you” might be, but it’s unlikely that it is a four-year resident of Moscow like Wines.
The Kanal imeni Moskvy (the Moscow Canal) may not be the Suez, but it’s not that tough to find. We decided to wipe away the proverbial horse-sperm pie blocking Wines’ vision. Posing as a slighted bureaucrat from the fictitious Moscow City Canal Agency (MosGorKanal), the eXile called the Times’ Moscow bureau (200-01-87), claiming to have weathered the wrath of Yuri Luzhkov after the Mayor learned that Americans believe Moscow has no canals...
NYT office: New York Times.
eXile: (in Russian) Good evening. May I talk to Michael Wines?
NYT: Ah, one minute.
Michael Wines: Wines.
eXile: Hello, Michael? Is this Michael Wines?
Wines: Da.
eXile: Good afternoon, my name is Pyotr Yuriovich. I work at MosGorKanal and we read your article related to President Bush’s visit to Moscow, in which you claimed that there are no canals in Moscow. This is actually not true, and my superiors, including Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, are not very happy with this article.
Wines: (baffled American accent) Who’s not happy?
eXile: My superiors at the department at MosGorKanal. And the Mayor of...
Wines: (interrupting) MosGorKanal?
eXile: ...Moscow Yuri Luzhkov, because Moscow has canals.
Wines: (believing that he understands) A-ha...
eXile: And not just one. Maybe you know about the Grebnoi Canal, on which they conducted the 1980 Olympic Games?
Wines: (still disoriented) OK, I... I... I... I...
eXile: There is also...
Wines: (more grounded, but flustered) I know what you... what you mean.
eXile: There is also the Moscow Canal, which is 143 kilometers long. I understand that you might not notice it because 143 kilometers isn’t that much.
Wines: Mmm...
eXile: We would like to invite you on a tour of these canals...
Wines: (completely confused) Tour?
eXile: ...yes so that you could see that there are canals.
Wines: I... I ... I sa...I saw a canal.
eXile: Then why did you write...
Wines: I know, I think... of what you are talking. There is a canal between, between, um... Moscow and Dubna, yes?
eXile: That is the Moscow Canal, (talking as if with a child) the one that is very long and big. There is a canal inside Moscow limits...
Wines: (not understanding) Inside?
eXile: Inside, yes. The canal, called the Grebnoi Canal, where the Olympics were held...
Wines: Mmmm... I ah should say that no, I don’t, I don’t know...
eXile: You don’t... (incredulous) you know that in 1980 the Olympics were held in Moscow?
Wines: (unsure, quietly) uh-huh.
eXile: You know, right?
Wines: (more confidently) Yes, yes.
eXile: Yes? They held the sculling competitions on the Grebnoi Canal.
Wines: Mmmm...
eXile: We want you to see all these canals yourself, or else we’ll have to spend our money to build very many canals in Moscow, so that the Mayor of Moscow doesn’t get upset.
Wines: One minute, please. [5 seconds] Umm, honestly speaking, if you, if... if you say that canals exist, good. But I think that I... I don’t need to see it. (emphasizes word see [videt’] as though it was difficult to pronounce)
eXile: Why don’t you need to see it?
Wines: (mumbling) I don’t know.
eXile: Ok, if you agree that there are canals, then why do you write such lies?
Wines: (nervously laughs) Maybe because I didn’t, I didn’t, um, know that canals exist like in St. Petersburg.
eXile: Exist... excuse me... what?
Wines: (slowly, carefully) I didn’t, I didn’t know...
eXile: Well?
Wines: (collecting himself, and continuing bravely) I didn’t know here exist canals like in St. Petersburg. Many there.
eXile: There is also not just one canal in Moscow. (pauses for emphasis) There is also not just one in Moscow. I understand that in Petersburg there may be lots, but in Moscow they are bigger.
Wines: Mmm.
eXile: They are no worse than in Petersburg. [Ne khuzhe chem v Peterburge]
Wines: Not worse?
eXile: Not worse.
Wines: I didn’t say Moscow was worse.
eXile: But you said that unfortunately in Moscow there aren’t canals when compared to St. Petersburg.
Wines: (resigned) True [pravda], true. (optimistically) Can I get your telephone?
eXile: Ahh, One moment [8 seconds]. One moment [13 seconds]. Nine- are you writing this down?
Wines: Yes.
eXile: I’ll give you the number. [25 seconds] Two, three, three...
Wines: Two, three, three...
eXile: Three, one, one, eight.
Wines: Three, one, one, eight. Excuse me, I didn’t hear you. What are you?
eXile: What’s my name?
Wines: M-uh-huh.
eXile: Pyotr Yuriovich.
Wines: Where do you work?
eXile: The department of MosGorKanal.
Wines: (finally thinking he understands) Ahhhhh. [silence as he writes] Good.
eXile: Will you call us back?
Wines: If it’s possible, I would like to call back because I have big work now. I need to write an article about, about NATO. Ah, I’m very busy. But maybe I can call you tomorrow. OK?
eXile: OK
Wines: Okay.
eXile: Goodbye.