It’s been almost a month since I dismounted from the snowmobile and my hands are still numb. The persistent vibration from gripping the handlebars have given me arthritis. One must get back into the swing of things, however, and so here are four interesting postings elsewhere of note.

CHAD—Photographer and fellow traveller Don Weber, now based in Moscow/Kyiv, has posted some photos from his recent trip to eastern Chad documenting the spillover genocide from Sudan.

GUANTANAMO—With the issue of Canadian citizens being “detained” abroad back in the news, here’s an interesting study that Clive Thompson brings to your attention—a psychiatrist at King’s College London argues that there’s little difference between the effect of psychological and physical torture.

GREENLAND—Filmmaker Andrew Gregg is currently shooting a series of docs on maverick explorers and researchers around the world, and posting dispatches along the way. His blog is a hoot and full of facts fun, exotic and sobering. Here he comments on life in the north and the necessity of hunting.

UKRAINE—Having spent a month in Ukraine last year I confess to a tender spot for the country whose people claim to be among the unhappiest in the world (in a poll published last year, Ukrainians ranked 173 out of 178 countries on a happiness index, considerably more glum than the folks in Sierra Leone and Bangladesh). On a light note then, ignoring the current constitutional crisis, I will point you to the controversy surrounding Ukraine’s entry in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest, Verka Serdyuchka. Who happens to be a drag queen. Not only are Ukrainian nationalists embarrassed, but the Russians are pissed. Seems they’re taking the song’s chorus as an insult—it sounds like she’s singing “Russia Goodbye”, which coming from a Ukrainian in the post-Orange Revolution era, has certain political implications. But Serdyuchka insists it’s all a misunderstanding. A mondegreen if you will, like “Hold me closer, Tony Danza” (Tiny Dancer). She’s actually singing “Lasha tumbai”. Which means “churned butter” in Mongolian.

The song entry… dance along if you must…

& this is just what you’re typical Ukrainian dinner party is like…