Latest news with #Galina
The Spinoff
5 days ago
- The Spinoff
The Spinoff essay: The Odessa Steps
Bob Kerr remembers his trip to Ukraine in 2004. 'Do not travel to Ukraine due to Russia's invasion and ongoing military aggression. There is a real risk to life.' – The New Zealand Safe Travel website, 2025. It wasn't always like this. Our 2004 copy of Lonely Planet told us that it was 'possible to travel across the Black Sea from Istanbul to Odessa by ferry, but don't bother, it's too difficult'. It gave the phone number of one travel agent in Odessa. We rang. 'Yes, I can make a booking for you.' said Galina, 'I will fax you the details.' The fax said we should pick up our tickets from the shipping office in Istanbul then report to the vessel, the MV. Gloriya, an hour before departure. It seemed simple enough. Two months later in Istanbul we climbed three flights of stairs to the shipping company's office. The floor was dusty, walls unpainted. A man in a blue shirt glanced at the faxes Galina had sent us. 'I'll ring the captain,' he said. Indicating two wooden chairs, he disappeared into the next office. Thirty minutes later Hazel knocked on the office door. 'I haven't heard back from the captain,' said the man in the blue shirt. 'The ship will be leaving in an hour.''said Hazel. The man shrugged. There was a phone number on the bottom of Galina's fax. Hazel rang, Galina answered. 'Let me speak to him,' Galina said. 'Eminonu Pier,' sighed the man in the blue shirt as he handed the phone back. 'You'll have to run.' As we arrived at Eminonu Pier, five taxis pulled up and women in black high heels and tight pink miniskirts spilled out. The officer at the bottom of the gangplank smiled and removed the rope, the women walked up the gangway towing huge plastic suitcases. A group of men in vinyl jackets arrived. One handed the officer a magazine. The officer opened the magazine, took out some notes and handed the magazine back. The rope was removed; the men walked up on to the ship. The rope was hooked back. We followed. The officer glanced at our tickets and looked out over the Bosphorus. The rope remained in place. Mooring lines were untied. We waved our tickets and pointed at the ship. The officer waited, two sailors arrived to remove the gangplank, reluctantly he unhooked the rope. As we walked up the gangplank an older woman in black tights pushed past, she had an armful of toasters in boxes and was carrying a huge bag of electric kettles. There was a toot on the ship's hooter as it swung out into the straits. Dinner was served in the Gloriya's dining room. Every diner was poured a glass of vodka. One of the men at our table jumped up to help the waiters carry the empty plates back to the kitchen. As he collected the plates he drained the last drops of vodka from every diner's glass. Outside the dining room a staircase with gold painted handrails led down to a bar. In the stairwell were black and white photographs of the Gloriya in its glory days in the 1960s when it was the research vessel Akademik Vernadskiy. In the bar the businessmen sat smoking, their vinyl jackets on the back of their chairs. The older woman who had pushed past us up the gangplank sat at the bar watching over women dancing in their tight pink miniskirts. We retreated back up the stairs to our cabin. On our way to breakfast the next morning we passed the voluntary waiter from dinner stumbling along the corridor dressed only in his underpants. None of the businessmen turned up for breakfast. We lay on deck in the sun, the sea was flat, the Ukrainian women smoked. One of them asked for a light. 'Have you done this trip before?' I asked. 'Many times,' she said. 'To work in Istanbul, I have to return every two months to renew my visa.' 'What do you work at in Istanbul?' I asked. She didn't answer. On the morning of the third day, the Gloriya berthed at the bottom of the Odessa Steps. The grand stone stairs that lead from the port up to the city. Sergey Eisenstein's 1925 film The Battleship Potemkin is regarded as a masterpiece of world cinema. Its most famous scene takes place on the Odessa steps. Czarist troops march down the steps firing on the citizens of Odessa who have come to greet the sailors who have mutinied and taken over the battleship. A mother pushing a baby in a pram is shot, she lets go of the pram, it bounces to the bottom of the steps. We walked up the steps, students sat in the morning sun. Tourists took photographs, Hazel took out her phone, ' I'll ring Galina and tell her we've arrived.' 'Where are you?' asked Galina. 'At the top of the steps,' said Hazel. 'I'm two blocks away in Katerynyns'ka Street, you must come for a cup of tea.' In Galina's office, fine china teacups were set out on a gold and red tablecloth. 'Welcome to Odessa,' Galina said. She explained how she used to work for Intourist, the Soviet travel agency, and how in the new market economy she had set up her own travel agency. 'When I was a young tourist guide,' she told us, 'I met an old man who had been a sailor on the battleship Potemkin. I shook his hand.' 'So, if we shake your hand,' said Hazel, 'we will have shaken the hand that shook the hand of one of the revolutionary sailors.' 'Yes,' said Galina, she held her hand out across the teacups. 'I have booked a hotel for you to stay in, it's an old Soviet hotel, you will like it.' And then she added, 'to understand Odessa you need a guide, I have arranged Yulia. You meet her tomorrow at nine o-clock at the top of the steps.' Yulia was waiting by the Richelieu statue on Primorsky Boulevard at the top of the steps, she was wearing a long red coat. She spoke English, Ukrainian, Russian and French. 'I learnt when I worked for Intourist,' she said. She began by telling us about Duke of Richelieu, the Frenchman appointed governor of Odessa in 1803. She took us to the Opera House and then to the Odessa Fine Arts Museum to see the Kandinsky paintings. Wassily Kandinsky grew up in Odessa. He invented the word abstractionism to describe how his painting was moving away from landscape towards painting sound and feeling. In the afternoon she showed us the city underneath the city, the vast network of tunnels in the limestone beneath Odessa where partisans lived during the Nazi occupation. We ended the day in the afternoon sun in a leafy park. Families picnicked on the grass. A band played. I got out my sketchbook and drew the conductor. A mother and daughter danced in front of the bandstand. Wassily Kandinsky would have drawn the soundscape. I was happy to be scribbling down the park scape and the dancing child.
Daily Mirror
23-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
'Help me find my missing son's body so I can bury him at home'
Distraught mum Galina is making a heartfelt plea for her son Maris Ile's location so he can be laid to rest on home soil in Latvia alongside his deceased father The mum of a missing man believed to have been murdered has begged for information on her son's whereabouts so he can be buried on home soil. The mother of Maris Ile, 54, has launched a public appeal for information to help find out what happened to her son after he was last seen in November 2024. Maris, a Latvian national, was living in King's Lynn, Norfolk and was in regular contact with his family in Latvia. In March, Norfolk Police launched a no-body murder investigation as enquiries led them to believe that Maris has come to harm. Mum Galina said: "I am begging, if you know something, if you've seen Maris please report it to police." "This is very important to me. If he is no longer alive, then I would like the police to find his body, so he can be cremated and brought back home to Latvia so he could rest on Latvian soil. "So that he could be buried with his father in the cemetery. I would be very grateful if you provide any information to police who are searching for him." Four men and a woman were arrested at addresses in King's Lynn, Norwich and Peterborough on suspicion of murder in connection with Maris' disappearance. All five remain on police bail until September 11, 2025. Forensic tents were observed at the North Lynn allotments during the suspects' arrests as part of the investigation, but they are not thought to have yielded any new leads. While partial human remains were discovered in Walton Highway in May, it has since been confirmed that these did not belong to Maris. Instead, the remains were identified as those of a man in his 30s. Anyone with information about Maris' disappearance who has not yet come forward is urged to contact the Major Investigation Team (MIT) by calling the police non-emergency number 101 and quoting crime reference 36/11508/25. Alternatively, people can submit tips via Norfolk Constabulary's online portal.
BBC News
23-07-2025
- BBC News
Mother begs for help to find son who disappeared in King's Lynn
The mother of a missing man has made a public appeal "begging" people who may have information about her missing son to contact Ile, a 54-year-old Latvian national living in King's Lynn, Norfolk, was last seen in the Highgate area of the town on 20 inquiries, Norfolk Police said they believed he had come to harm, and in March launched a murder investigation, despite not having found a body.A translated appeal by Mr Ile's mother, Galina, said: "I am begging for any information, if you know something, if you've seen Maris please report it to police." Galina described her son as "caring", who trained as a carpenter, making all his own furniture. He loved motorbikes, she said."This is very important to me," she added."If he is no longer alive, then I want the police to find his body, so he would be cremated and brought back home to Latvia so he could rest on Latvian soil, so that he can be buried with his father in the cemetery."On 11 March, four men and a woman were arrested at addresses in King's Lynn, Norwich and Peterborough on suspicion of murder in connection with Mr Ile's disappearance. All five remain on police bail until 11 with information, who has not already come forward, is urged to contact police. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
ITV News
23-07-2025
- ITV News
Mother of missing Latvian worker Maris Ile begs public for information in 'no body' murder case
Listen to the full appeal by Galina Ile The mother of a missing Latvian man has begged the public for help to find her 'caring son' as part of a 'no body' murder investigation. Maris Ile, 54, a Latvian national who was living in King's Lynn and worked in Ely, was reported missing on 23 November 2024. Police say the seasonal worker went to work but never arrived and said numerous inquiries had led them to believe he "has come to harm". In March, Norfolk Police took the unusual step of launching a murder investigation, despite not having found a body. His mother Galina, has now appealed directly to anyone who may have information to come forward. She said, "I am begging for any information, if you know something, if you've seen Maris please report it to police. "This is very important to me. If he is no longer alive, then I want the police to find his body, so he would be cremated and brought back home to Latvia so he could rest on Latvian soil, so that he can be buried with his father in the cemetery." Galina described Maris as a "caring son," who trained as a carpenter and loved motorbikes. In March four men and a woman were . All five remain on police bail until 11 September 2025. Detectives also searched an allotment site as part of the investigation.
New York Post
23-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
Narcissists always give themselves away — with this one bad habit that's tough to hide
They're so vain — and this new study is definitely about them. Looking to weed out the narcissists in your life? Researchers say there's one, hard-to-hide habit the unpalatable personality type finds impossible to break. The way they engage with their smartphones can tell you everything you need to know, new findings reveal — those with narcissistic tendencies are significantly more likely to exhibit problematic patterns of scrolling, posting, and liking social media posts. 4 A narcissist a person who has an excessive interest in or admiration of themselves. Galina_lya – The data, published in the Journal of Research in Personality, shows that a person's social media behavior could be an indicator that someone is a bit too into themselves. Social media addiction goes beyond heavy usage. It includes behaviors like compulsively checking for updates, being unable to cut back despite negative consequences, and relying on online interactions for emotional satisfaction. These behaviors can lead to problems in real life — including sleep problems, reduced face-to-face interaction, and poor job or academic performance. The team worked to explore not just whether narcissism and addiction are linked, but how they might influence each other over time. 4 A new study found that those with narcissistic tendencies are significantly more likely to exhibit problematic patterns of scrolling, posting, and liking social media posts. motortion – To begin, they identified six forms of narcissism: admiration, rivalry, enmity, isolation, heroism, and sanctity. The study sample was comprised of 339 adults aged 19 to 41, living in Poland. They all completed multiple assessments, answered questions about their social media use, and filled out established measures of narcissism and social networking addiction focused on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. The results showed that individuals who scored high in nearly every form of narcissism — except sanctity— also reported higher levels of social media addiction. 4 The team discovered that individuals who scored high in nearly every form of narcissism — except sanctity— also reported higher levels of social media addiction. Valerii Honcharuk – However, the dynamic between the two varied depending on the type of narcissism. Those with heroism, admiration, and rivalry had what researchers called a 'reciprocal' relationship with addiction. When one went up, the other tended to go down over time, suggesting a push-pull dynamic where users may alternate between bursts of ego-driven behavior and periods of compulsive social media use. This hints at an internal struggle between seeking admiration and dealing with the consequences of addiction. 4 Social media addiction has been found to led to behaviors that can lead to problems IRL, including sleep problems, reduced face-to-face interaction, and poor job or academic performance. 9nong – In contrast, enmity (a hostile, antagonistic form of narcissism) and isolation (withdrawn and cold) tracked in sync with social media addiction. When usage spiked, so did these darker narcissistic traits — and vice versa. That suggests these traits may actually worsen the addiction or feed off it in a continuous loop. So, what does this mean for the average user? If someone is constantly glued to their phone, obsessing over likes and followers, they might not just be addicted to their feed — they could also be revealing something about their personality. And if their behavior seems driven by a need for admiration or marked by antagonism, you might be looking at a narcissistic pattern. Of course, the researchers caution that their study was based entirely on self-report data, which means some findings could be influenced by how honestly participants assessed their own behaviors and traits. Still, the study opens a fascinating window into how our online habits mirror our inner worlds. So next time you find yourself — or someone else — unable to stop refreshing that Instagram feed, it might be worth asking: Is this just a bad habit — or a sign of something worse?
