My Take on the Wisconsin's Political Turmoil.

A genius or a villain, the Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker (the republican), is certainly no sucker at the game of politics. His budget repair bill has infuriated thousands of union members and public workers. But their outrage is exactly what this guy needs.

Make no mistake - the first part of the bill is a needed and a timely measure to fix the "hole." I agree, it is time for the state workers to contribute more to their social benefits (e.g., medical insurance and retirement funds). Last time I checked, our economy was still in recession. We need to fix it, for crying out loud.

Another part of the bill, which is the major cause for the democratic anger, sets to limit the collective bargaining agreement rights of the unions. Holy Cow! The sacred democratic right is in danger! And yet, Walker goes for it.

Here is the deal: the governor knows his plan to cut the State's contributions to the employees' insurance and pension funds is a priori needed, but unlikeable. Possibly, if proposed all by itself, the plan may not be accepted. Therefore, he adds a second tier to it - limitation of the unions rights. Kaboom!

The world goes nuts, and the democrats follow. They hide somewhere trying to sabotage the bill (by the way, disregarding their primary duty). But the democrats are in minority - all they can rely on is the compromise. This is what the witty Walker needs to push the budget cuts. Once the "donkeys" return and repent, he will agree to not limit the rights of the unions - in turn, the protesters will agree to pay more for their benefits.

Freedom is saved and everybody is happy... It is just my humble opinion, dear readers. But I really think I may be right on this one. Tell me what you anticipate.

Packers Win Super Bowl! Our Celebration!

Yes, yes, yes - I did watch the Super Bowl. I even shot our party on video. Just did not have time to upload it here because of school and work overload. Alright, enough of excuses.

I watched the game at my friends' in Oconomowoc, WI. These are those glorious moments (video):



And here's my buddy, Dan, with, what many may agree on, the best Packer-Dance moves (video):



As you can see in the videos, our celebration was loud but... responsible. However, we saw pretty wild stuff on the street after the game: girls flashing, fans binge drinking, and passing cars honking!

Great time to be a Packer Fan! Let's do it again next year!.. I mean both - the Bowl and the party. Go, Pack, Go!

Blizzard in Milwaukee on Feb.1, 2011 (photo, video).

Last night was a lot of fun! Probably for the first time in many years, we had an attribute of the real winter. A blizzard with lots of snow (18 inches) and gusty winds (64 miles per hour) was echoing in chimneys with moans and growls all night, and, exhausted by morning, left a cemetery-like white peacefulness behind.

 This is the view of my balcony. Lots of shoveling awaits me. Or, I can just let it be and wait until it melts naturally... Yep, a slacker I am! :)










Here's another evidence of the storm's aftermath (shot by my friend, Vitaliy Havrylyuk):









 One more photo - contributed by Alexei Ovchinnikov.






I'd like to also show you videos of the last night's blizzard in Milwaukee (courtesy of the courageous Vitaliy Havrylyuk).

Video 1:



Video 2:



The governor of Wisconsin has declared a state of emergency. Today, the majority of streets and roads are blocked and empty; nothing and nobody works in Milwaukee (except for snow plowers and an emergency staff). Guess what! There's so much snow, they've called the National Guard to help clean... Literally, it was the day the world stood still!

Harsh conditions for work and travel - perfect for a snow fight! Let's go outside! :)