Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko http://www.spiegel.de In a letter in the Kyiv Post last year, the writer pointedly mentioned that no Ukrainian had ever received the Nobel prize. A few years ago, Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko was nominated for the Nobel Prize for peace. It did not fly, as it became apparent that peace-making was not one of his strong points.

The next best level of recognition, then, has to be a medal from President Yushchenko, and he reached out to the diaspora's top echelons in September 2009. Activists received medals in New York.

Navigating in New York City is much easier. Here the disagreements are minor. For instance, it could be argued whether or not publishing a guide to Ukrainian cemeteries and museums in America would be more worthwhile, from a historical perspective, than an encyclopedia of the Ukrainian diaspora.

Those somewhat familiar with the work on the recently published encyclopedia tell about the crush of candidates insisting that they should be included. One caller reportedly asked, "Who in my family will not be included?"

The tradition of mutual adoration and marginal outcomes sometimes trumps the standards of achievement beyond monkey management.

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