Rested, but still adjusting from a 10 hour jet lag, I'm back in Odessa. Working from Tacoma turned out to be more limiting than I anticipated with a dial-up connection and needing to keep the phone line free the majority of the day. Getting back into the swing of things, appropriate to update where things are and where this site is going...

First, concentration will be directed to adding the last of the essential documents for OdessaFX, coupled with testing links and gradually improving site appearance.

Next, OdessaFX will release for general and free distribution a portion of its English-Russian contingency documents. This document concerns first responders and emergency situations - police, fire and ambulance services. Expect to see this in the very near future.

The third item, we will be running a Russian Word/Lesson of the Day blog series. Each of these will include one or more essential Russian words presented in text and audio. The text will include the Russian spelling, English phonetics, and an example of its use. The audio will pronounce each word as it is spoken, and then by syllable.

More elaborate in scope, the OdessaFX site will expand to cover specific people, places and things of mostly operational interest. There is plenty online about tourist attractions; and occasionally, we will include our own tourist spotlights. Items of "operational interest" relate to the essentials of daily living - where you need to go to get certain things done. These posts will be categorized, include address, phone and other contact information; include a picture of the location; and a functional description of its importance, what is there, etc.

Several more projects are in the works and will be announced as they are implemented. February slowed things down - unavoidably; but I think things should get back in track in quick order. As the present state of the site attests, graphic design is not my strong point - the Drupal content management system thankfully has some clean and simple templates. As our focus here is on information, I intend to keep the visual appearance simple - even so, it could use a little spicing up. I welcome feedback on any of the visual changes that follow in the month of March.

So, for now...it's good to be back; time to get busy...

Best regards!

Mark

Putting it out on the grapevine, I'm looking for and hope you can help me find a lawyer and accountant specializing in interests associated with immigration, foreign businesses and taxes. There are some important qualifications however:

1. They must be trustworthy, reliable and be reasonably proficient in English and based in Odessa (Ukraine...not Texas).
2. No large law or accounting firms; nothing just starting out – a business somewhere in the middle.
3. It is better for them if they do not already have a web site.
4. They absolutely must have a computer that works and an internet connection.

After spending 8 hours searching online in English for any office that reasonably fits these qualifications, I found all of Zero. Doing a search in Russian was almost as useful. Big companies and people looking for jobs, but...nothing satisfying these requirements. They exist, of that I’m absolutely certain – but they are not online. I need one to be online. I will get them online - help with their web site, get them operational, listed in directories and get them into the search engines. If they want or need training to support their web site, I’ll provide that and make it simple for them. All of that for friekin’ free - or darned near.

I’m not going to lock myself into first come – first served; it is necessary to make sure whoever gets this has the capacity to make use of it. I would like to meet them in person and get a feel for what they can do and where they want to go.

If you know of anyone who may be able to make use of this information, I will appreciate it very much if you pass it along to them. I’m fairly certain they will appreciate it too.

Initially, my interest was to include a considerable amount of information about business in Ukraine alongside Long-Term Living. Still being in start-up and thinking it through more carefully, while there is likely to be a connection between the two for many wanting to move to Ukraine – business and long-term living are not synonymous. OdessaFX is of interest to a very select group of individuals and it simply seems best to cater specifically to their interests as it applies to living in Odessa and Ukraine for the long-term.

While there are some very interesting aspects to business in Ukraine, it appeals to an equally select audience. However, many elements of starting a new business, opening a new office (especially in a foreign country), workforce growth, and other items, are related and have a somewhat broader appeal. In that it is also possible to touch upon business lessons we can learn from Iraq, there is good basis for starting an expansion project.

More information will be coming soon!

When creating an article, Members and Associates can choose for it to be a blog entry, page or story. Any one of these is fine, any new content added will be reviewed in the next administrative session and optimized in the categories, taxonomy, etc.

If you want to run a blog, initially you will be the only one having direct access to it - which um...defeats its purpose. In the next administrative session, your blog will be added to the left hand column, Main Menu, under the OdessaFX Blog link. Drop me a line if you would like a special name for your blog. Any name should be less than 20 characters.

Once three blogs are operational, they will be organized in a category unto themselves.

OdessaFX has formally entered into the start-up phase of development following 18 months of observation and analysis of Ukraine as a viable place to live and do business. Our intention is to be ready for operations by mid-January. Two weeks of testing our business concept will follow concurrent with completing the business registration process.

The web site is essentially complete, pending minor cosmetic adjustments. Content development is ongoing. Top ten (even top three) placement on yahoo and google is already achieved relative to targeted keywords. Link building is underway. All in all, OdessaFX is off to a good start.

If you have any comments, suggestions, questions or would like additional information about what we are doing, please contact us.

Thank you very much for visiting.

Best Regards,

Mark Dabbs
Administrator