Author Archives: ronnieapteker

Make a choice

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As this hard year draws to a close I can’t but wonder what 2024 is going to bring. More war? It sure looks that way. And if Trump becomes President of America again … God help us all.

I can’t believe that war is now part of our lives. If the leaders of the world don’t come to their senses there will be more war for sure. And in many more parts of the world. The people that are trusted to be running the democratic countries of the world are trying to dance between the light and the dark side. This does not work. They need to make a choice and pick a side.

If Russia wins this war the evil will spread. How can this even be an option?!

Important week ahead

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This week the US Congress will vote on further aid for Ukraine – that is my understanding. If the US stops supporting Ukraine the war will not stop. Ukraine will continue pushing back the Russians, and Russia is not going to call it a day. There evil knows no limits. But Russia has far more resources and people (mostly zombies actually) and Ukraine will endure more pain and loss.

I can’t understand why some politicians in America do not want to support Ukraine. If Ukraine falls, it will bring Russia into direct conflict with NATO and hence, America (if one believes in NATO … Putin doesn’t, is my bet). Anyone you speak to here in Poland all have the same view. Ask someone in the street here about the war and they all have the same response, “If Ukraine falls we are next”. There is an anxiety here for sure. WW III remains a real possibility.

If more people in America, for example, understood more about modern Ukraine then perhaps the challenge of providing funding for Ukraine would be a bit easier. Ukraine is worth fighting for. It is a gift to the world. And Ukraine is fighting for the world. If Ukraine falls, it will not stop there. As Prof. McFaul at Stanford keeps saying, “Congress should approve new aid to Ukraine as fast as possible—not as a gesture of charity for Ukraine but as a hard-nosed and clear-headed investment in U.S. security objectives.”

Ukraine deserve and needs a more enlightened conversation in the world – the stereotypes are so bad, and they have gotten even worse since the start of the war (because of all the TV news coverage which generally show the worst of Ukraine). Kyiv, the nation’s capital, for example, has beauty, eccentricity, magic. It is often referred to as “the next Berlin”. And yet, most people can’t even tell you where Ukraine is on a map.

Civil War

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I dig Alex Garland – he is an ace storyteller and filmmaker. I am keen to see this movie when it comes out next year. Sadly, I think it is not far from the current reality. If Trump is not re-elected end of next year, then I reckon this film is right on the money. And if Trump does become President again, then God help us all. This of course is my view and I may be totally wrong.

Art = time = love

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I am sitting here in what Marta and I call the Bear Office, in the Nest in Kyiv. It is good to be at home. We are busy working on the film. It is almost coming to a close, and I am happy to say that the film has turned out so beautiful.

Film making is an art. And like all art there is a big difference between making art and selling art. When the film is ready soon we will try and pitch it to a streamer (like Netflix) and if the film is excellent there is a chance they will take it. If it is good they won’t take it – it needs to be way better than good. I think we are in with a very good chance.

This journey started in 2018 and has been an intense labour of love. Of course, everyone is a film maker these days. I mean, everyone who puts up videos on YouTube. My one friend who is a proper film maker says to me a few weeks ago that there is a difference between film making and content creation. He said YouTube is about content creators and film making is something different. I was thinking about this difference. The difference is time. YouTube videos are often put together in a day. This project has taken has 5 years and it will go into year 6 soon.

It is like a blogger compared to an author who writes books. Yes, they both write but one writes content, typically quickly, and the other could spend a long time writing a book. Or a professional photographer compared to someone who is an influencer on Instagram. It takes time to write, develop and make a film. It takes time to write a solid book. It takes a chef time to create something amazing but it takes a few minutes to make a fast food burger.

This blog piece, for example, is content, and not some great literary work.

Time is about analogue. And being quick is about digital. That is my view.

I prefer old school. I prefer analogue. I prefer life. Life is not about online. To live, is to go offline.

Corporate Lessons

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Corporate Lesson 1

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings. After a few seconds of arguing over which one should go and answer the doorbell, the wife gives up, quickly wraps herself up in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next door neighbour.

Before she says a word, Bob says, “I’ll give you 800 dollars to drop that towel that you have on.” After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob.

After a few seconds, Bob hands her 800 dollars and leaves. Confused, but excited about her good fortune, the woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.

When she gets back to the bathroom, her husband asks from the shower “Who was that?” “It was Bob the next door neighbour,” she replies. “Great,” the husband says, “did he say anything about the 800 dollars he owes me?”

MORAL OF THE STORY: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk in time with your stakeholders, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Corporate Lesson 2

A priest was driving along and saw a nun on the side of the road, he stopped and offered her a lift which she accepted. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to open and reveal a lovely leg.

The priest had a look and nearly had an accident.

After controlling the car, he stealthfully slid his hand up her leg. The nun looked at him and immediately said, “Father, remember psalm 129?” The priest was flustered and apologized profusely. He forced himself to remove his hand. However, he was unable to remove his eyes from her leg.

Further on while changing gear, he let his hand slide up her leg again.

The nun once again said, “Father, remember psalm 129?” Once again the priest apologized. “Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.”

Arriving at the convent, the nun got out gave him a meaningful glance and went on her way. On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to retrieve a bible and looked up psalm 129. It said, “Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.”

MORAL OF THE STORY: Always be well informed in your job, or you might miss a great opportunity!

Corporate Lesson 3

Usually the staff of the company plays football. The middle level managers are more interested in tennis. The top management usually has a preference for golf.

MORAL OF THE STORY: As you go up the corporate ladder, the balls reduce in size.

Corporate Lesson 4

A sales rep, an administration clerk and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out in a puff of smoke. The Genie says, “I usually only grant three wishes, so I’ll give each of you just one.”

“Me first! Me first!” says the admin clerk. “I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.” Poof!

She’s gone.

In astonishment, “Me next! Me next!” says the sales rep. “I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of pina coladas and the love of my life.” Poof! He’s gone.

“OK, you’re up,” the Genie says to the manager. The Manager says, “I want those two back in the office after lunch.”

MORAL OF THE STORY: Always let your boss have the first say.

Corporate Lesson 5

An old man, a boy and a donkey were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked. As they went along they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding.

The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.

Later, they passed some people who remarked, What a shame, he makes that little boy walk. They then decided they both would walk.

Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So, they both rode the donkey.

Now they passed some people who shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey. The boy and man said they were probably right, so they decided to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and it fell into the river and drowned.

MORAL OF THE STORY: If you try to please everyone, you might as well kiss your ass good-bye.