Як Сонце Заслонить (Оркестра Рушничок)  - Rushnychok sings When Clouds Hide the Sun  (1:04)

This is the final episode of Nasha Kasha.  The program began with and interview about Russia’s invasion of Crimea.  Today, I sign off with Russia again invading Ukraine.  The program explores what it means to be Ukrainian for our listeners.  Thank you to all of our 18 radio stations for hosting this journalist’s work over the past six years.  Stay well and good and wise everyone.         

  I’d like to give you a glimpse of the stumbles, lessons and joys I’ve experienced presenting stories.  This is my notebook, and it is my second to last show.

 I plan to present two more shows after this episode, as we are approaching our final Nasha Kasha.  Having reported almost 300 stories about Ukrainian life, I want to share one that I have grown up with. Actually, I'm in it at the end.  It is no more remarkable than yours' I am sure. Still it gives me a sense of completion, and in words and music, I do hope that you enjoy it. Dedicated to those who came before us.

When Nasha Kasha first aired in the spring of 2016, Crimea already had been occupied by Russia for two years. Also a Russian supported proxy army was wreaking havoc in Eastern Ukraine.  Six years later, the spectre of an all out war looms.

Both are educators, both were school principals.  He at St Andrew’s College at the University of Manitoba.  She at a Winnipeg inner city school.  The Yereniuks exemplify community service and family bonds.  And I am pleased to feature them on Nasha Kasha this week.

28 little stories in 28 minutes.  That is this week’s assignment at Nasha Kasha- a Ukrainian Almanac.  And it’s all about the music we've played over the past six years.  .

Neighbourhood roads, the traffic signs and lights we obey; housing, economic and community development; parks, fire and police services. All are up to local government to manage.  Today, Nasha Kasha meets a man, who helps many municipalities make sense of it all.

 Doug Sulipa is among the 3 top comic book sellers in Canada. He operates his business from a rural Manitoba town of 16,000. His advice to any would-be collectors? Buy what you yourself would enjoy reading.  He advises- pursue life, love and once in a while, be prepared to "marvel".  

One Winnipeg choir took the name of an ancient instrument.  Another the name of an accomplished composer and choral conductor.  As 2022 opens, Nasha Kasha brings us the story of Ukrainian Christmas with two choruses, who give it voice. 

This week, with best wishes for the holidays, we present Nasha Kasha’s Christmas week story:  Baba's House.

Plagiarism, denial, even murder.  This week, Nasha Kasha begins with the ringing of bells, and it concludes with one of the world’s most endearing Christmas carols.

Norilsk, Russia, north of the Arctic Circle holds the largest known nickel, copper ad palladium reserves in the world.  It is also one of earth's biggest polluters.  Norilsk was built by forced labour, through bouts of starvation and an ever-present intense cold.  Still for one Montreal singer-songwriter, it is still home.

Boo!  That is what Covid 19 blurted at us in 2020 and 2021.  We responded to that scare with science, innovation and original survival schemes.  This week, Nasha Kasha presents the ghost kitchen, a way to re-imagine how a restaurant cooks, serves and delivers.

The pandemic has opened new ways to think and act. This week Nasha Kasha introduces St Vlad’s, and two women who helped that Toronto institution resist complacency.

A trip to Ukraine in the late 1970s followed by an internship there launched Alexis Kochan on a journey through the ancient music of her ancestors. She would fashion a career reinterpreting these songs and fragments. This week Nasha Kasha presents Alexis Kochan, her story and her music. RUNS: 28 minutes

In the 1930’s Joseph Stalin used hunger to starve the Ukrainian nation.  That killing of millions has come to be called the Holodomor.  But if you look for the word in an English language dictionary you won't find it.

 Yura is a war survivor, a school yard scrapper, a lover of Ukrainian song, a dentist and an academic.  Along the way he made a big impression on one young would-be journalist.  And this is where our story begins.

Every November we pause to reflect on courage, sacrifice and belonging, as we approach Remembrance Week 2021.  This year, we also have an opportunity to consider the place of Ukrainian Canadians, and a film about the times. 

Last year Hockey Manitoba surveyed the top reasons to play the game.  There’s the fun, the fitness.  It is a confidence builder, develops skills, helps make friends. Hockey is a community. The game is competitive, it releases stress, and there are travel opportunities.  Finally, hockey opens doors.  Only a fraction of those who play realize big dreams.  But with every practice, you can help someone realize themselves. 

A morning stroll. Meeting a stranger. An invitation to chat.  A hidden story surfaces, and it tumbles forth. Welcome to this week’s episode of Nasha Kasha.

Does food taste better when the waiter slams your plate down in front of you?  Does a bit of attitude spice up your meal?  If it does, you would have loved, loved Pat’s Lunch- back in the glory days of the Winnipeg's Exchange District. Step inside. The coffee's on.

On the last day in September Canadians face forward to offer respect and prayers as they reflect on one of the darkest periods in Canadian history.

Canada’s federal election is behind us, and Nasha Kasha goes in search of silver linings and meaning, while taking in Toronto's Annual Ukrainian Festival.