Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from October, 2008
Ukraine: “A Lawyer and a Ukrainian” Joke
Russia Blog shares a joke about “a lawyer and a Ukrainian.”
U.S.: Ivanov for Obama
Massachusetts-based Eugene Ivanov of Ivanov's Report explains why he is voting for Barack Obama.
Russia: Chinese Laborers
Window on Eurasia writes that “ethnic Chinese working and living in the Russian Far East find their surrounding social and political scene far more congenial than do their co-ethnics living in Moscow or other cities in European Russia but are far less interested in remaining there permanently than the latter...
Ukraine: Update on the Economy and Politics
Leopolis explains in detail the current economic and political situation in Ukraine: “The stakes are high: Ukraine's economic health, its image for international investors, and a risk of default. Just as the Ukrainian stock market has seen 75% of its value wiped away, the current political crisis may undo every...
Serbia: Underground Fashion
“[…] In a dingy underground passage that connects two sides of one of Belgrade's main streets,” A Yankee-in-Belgrade discovers someone who could possibly become a promising fashion designer and posts a picture of this person's work: “Whoever created them should consider a career in fashion and literally move up, I...
Albania: “Sworn Virgins”
Balkan File links to a BBC story on “Albanian women who became men, not as transsexuals, but because the man of the house had died, leaving a mother alone with her daughters.”
Serbia: Courageous Mothers
Belgraded contributes an article on what it's like to be a mother in Serbia to the Women's International Perspective, becoming “one of the rare men blogging there.” Showcased in the article is a Serbian blog called Majka Hrabrost (“Mother Courage”), whose author, Krugolina, blogs (SRP) about childbirth issues and has...
Serbia: The Lessons of Miladin Kovacevic's Case
Belgraded discusses Miladin Kovacevic's case and the lessons that can be found in it for Kovacevic himself and his victim, as well as for Serbia and the United States.
Serbia: Belgrade Bus Drivers
Stories about Belgrade's eccentric public bus drivers – at Belgraded.
Ukraine: Hryvnia Exchange Rate Cheating
Ukrainiana posts and translates a TV news item on how some Kyiv banks are manipulating hryvnia exchange rate to earn some cash.
Slovakia: Google Now Translates From Slovak
The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia reports that Google has added the Slovak language to their online translation service.
Ukraine: Kyiv's Churches
Pictures of Kyiv's churches – at Nash Holos.
Ukraine: MPs Are Fighting, Hryvnia Is Sinking
Ukrainiana reports that while Ukrainian legislators are busy fighting, “the asking price for the U.S. dollar reached Hr. 7.0942, up from Hr. 6 last Friday” – and up from Hr. 4.7 in mid-September.
Slovakia: The Most Famous Slovaks
The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia writes about the most famous Slovaks.
Ukraine: Inside St. Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kyiv
Olechko posts the most recent of her daily paintings: St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Kyiv.
Russia, U.S.: Sergei Elkin's U.S. Election Cartoons
Ukrainiana writes about Russian cartoonist Sergei Elkin and his cartoons on the U.S. presidential race.
Ukraine: Sex Workers and the Police
A discussion of the treatment of Ukrainian sex workers by law enforcement officials – at Natalia Antonova's blog and Kiev Ukraine News Blog.
Russia: “Help Svetlana Bakhmina” Petition
As of now, 71,250 people have signed an online petition appealing to the Russian president to pardon Svetlana Bakhmina, a former senior lawyer for Mikhail Khodorkovsky's oil company Yukos, who was arrested in December 2004 and sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for embezzlement and tax evasion in April 2006.
Rising Voices Nominated World's Best Blog
Global Voices’ citizen media outreach project, Rising Voices has been nominated for a “Best of the Blogs Award” (B.O.B.) in the category “Best Weblog”. More than 8,500 weblogs were suggested for nomination and a jury selected the final 11 in each of 16 categories. Anyone can cast their votes online...
Russia, France: Update on Karinna Moskalenko
Robert Amsterdam posts an update on the situation of lawyer Karinna Moskalenko.
Russia: Parking in Moscow
Pictures of Moscow isn't happy about the way they park in Russia's capital.
About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage
Filip Stojanovski is the Central Europe editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
Daria Dergacheva is the Eastern Europe editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
