h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Got a reply! Can't say what it is but if you go to http://www.geocities.com/eaeeel/odessa1 then you might see...
DD, rewrite your part on this matter when you've finished

Dear authors of this very exhilarating entry, why don´t you write about something you know? Almost everything is described in a very inaccurate, or even wrong way. I won't even comment the arrogant undertone I felt when reading this Entry. A Ukrainian might feel insulted in some occasions. I would suggest that if you really want to keep on the idea of an entry about the Ukraine, you should take a look in the Britannica or something like this - or even the Internet.

Some examples, why I think this Entry is not nearly ready for the edited guide:

The very first sentence:"The Ukraine is part of the former Soviet Union and became famous by the most spectacular accident in the history of peaceful use of nuclear force known as the Chernobyll disaster." Would be as if you were saying "Japan is a part of the former Chinese Empire famous for its Kamikaze Fighters."

Or: "When Stalin took control of the USSR in the 1920's he imposed a cruel and harsh regiem that killed millions of Ukrainians. When Germany invaded in 1941 even more were killed." Sounds as if the main aim of Stalin's and Hitler's rule was to get the world rid of Ukrainians. The Germans were actually welcomed by wide parts of the Ukrainian population, who really suffered were the Jews and the Russians living in the Ukraine.

In your description of Kiev, it sounds as if Kiev was a big city with two imitations of famous cathedrals and a war-museum. London for example is a big city, it has a millenim dome and a castle.

"[Lvov's] It location almost in the centre of Europe"???? What happened to the Iberic peninsula? Drowned in 'prestige oil'?

I did take a look in the Workshop backlog to see how this Entry was created... Effortless.

Sorry folks, this Entry makes it hard to be constructive in my criticism.

Anna Banana

Hi...

Anna Banana was a bit harsh in her criticism, I think, but she's got a point. The way this Entry stands now, it sounds more like a collection of ideas after a brainstorm session than a proper Entry. I think that an Entry about a country deserves some more depth.

I think that the Chernobyl disaster surely deserves a mention, but I think an Entire chapter is probably too much - it doesn't have anything to do with the Ukraine specifically, except that the disaster took place there, some kilometres behind the border.

The first paragraph is indeed hard to swallow.

I think the best thing would be to give that Entry a thorough beefing up (probably removing it from PR right now). It should contain some stats and perhaps a timeline. I am not an expert on the Ukraine, but there's surely more to say about it.

HELL

"A Ukrainian might feel insulted in some occasions."

Too true. My friend told me that whoever wrote this was a 'monkey-liar' and that she was very upset when she read it.

Hi Anna Admittedly my knowledge of the Ukraine is a bit sketchy as I haven't been there since 1990 when things were undoubtedly a lot different and I was there on business not pleasue and therefore didn't get to see a lot of Kiev in the 4 weeks I was there. However in the three years of the guide no one has yet written an entry on any topic of the Ukraine.

This was originally an entry in the collaborative workshop which needed a lot of work ,and noone was contributing to, and I contirbuted my WIP on Kiev to it. I knew it was far from an exhaustive entry on Kiev but it was an overview. As noone who actually deems to be an expert has yet written anything don't slag off those of us, especially one of the collaborators who has a large number of carefully researched entries behind them in such a derogutory way.

BTW I have been off sick the last fews days and to come back to this is not very nice.

Miuna there are things in this the sheel of which was digged out of flea market which need addressing which is why we shifted it into peer review to iradicate the dross.

I think they are the bits that she was talking about DD, not yours and Ataris, sorry!

She mentioned thje Kiev section which is all mine.

Hey hi DD,

I just read the backlog... Uff. I think that nobody here really knows much about the Ukraine. And I think, in that case, we should be careful when writing or commenting an Entry on that country. I think that goes along with the guidelines "Write about what you're interested in // Research your entry thoroughly // Be instructive, informative and factual" or: "Write about something you know."

I mean if you authors are so interested in the Ukraine and put so much effort in that, something more than a loose collection of ideas should come out. I mean, the Ukraine might be a underdevelopped country, with corruption and a soviet past, but it deserves a better Entry. I mean, they probably have a past, famous Authors, Cosmonauts and typical food etc...

The point you made above: "don't slag off those of us, especially one of the collaborators who has a large number of carefully researched entries behind them in such a derogutory way." - Well, just because I (for example) have written many carefully researched Entries, it doesn't mean I cannot write one that is dodgy...

Well, as I said. The Entry as it stands now has many dodgy formulations, some of which are hard to swallow. It is a collection of ideas and needs a thorough beefing up.

Sorry DD, I know it's a bummer, but you cannot rescue an Entry from FM add some WIPs and loose ideas to it and expect it to be a good Entry...

HELL

Oh, and some more posts appeared in the meantime... sorry. The post above was a reply to posting 46.

HELL

I didn't rescue it from Flea market.

My entry on Kiev has been sitting a WIP for over 2 years and it is something that I am interested in.

I travelled across the Ukraine by Road.

As I said before It was some time ago and I know a lot has changed.

Besides when writing an entry about a country it is only ever meant to be van overview so other researchers can write more of the specifics and link back to the country entry.

If I'm crotchedty this morning it is because I fell heavily twice at the weekend and have very sore ribs down my right hand side so I may not be my usual tolerant slef for a few days.

ouch! Srry to hear that DD. I hope you'll get better soon.

I understood that you traveled through the Ukraine, and that you wanted to write a good Entry on Kiev.

Still, when writing an overview on a country it should still be positive and relay correct facts. Many parts are very dodgy. And the Entry is IMO not good to go as it stands. Maybe it's not the parts you wrote, DD. I am sorry if you are now taking the blame for something you didn't write. But then again you are a co-author.


HELL

So what advice do you have?

Atari I recommned you remove it from Peer Review stick it back into collaborative workshop so we can thrash it around a bit longer and then we can relaunch it here.

What do you think?

For those of you who haven't already noticed DD has returned to calm and tranquil normal, you can stop hidding behind the bushes.

I'll move it back then