Weather Lady Swaps Sunshine for Politics

An employee of Ukraine's state radio has got into a touch of trouble lately by swapping her usual weather forecasts for a few political observations on air. Lyudmila Savchenko told listeners that "warm spring days and blooming flowers were Ukrainians' compensation 'for the disorder, lawlessness and injustice that are taking place in our country'" (AP).

Other state radio employees have been assigned Savchenko's duties while political opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has called the weather lady a hero. The political situation in Ukraine, particularly after the Orange Revolution of 2004, has been particularly intense as regular folks continue to push the definitions of free speech.