Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from December, 2008
Bulgaria, Russia: “Open Source AK-47″
Eternal Remont writes: “Apparently, Russia's state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport is livid that Bulgaria would violate the sacred principles of intellectual property and trademark protection to produce an, um, we're going to call it an ‘open source AK-47′.”
Russia: Patriarch; Yoshkar-Ola; Stalin's Legacy; Protests
A selection of recent posts from Window on Eurasia: a “Ukrainian” metropolitan who may or may not become Russia's next patriarch; Hungarians react to the Russian authorities’ suggestion to rename Yoshkar-Ola, the capital of Mari El, to Tsaryovokokshaysk, the city's pre-1917 name; some Russian history teachers’ efforts to educate students...
Russia: Gas News
Siberian Light and Robert Amsterdam's blog write about “the annual Russo-Ukrainian gas crisis”; the latter also writes about the fledgling “gas OPEC.”
Russia, Serbia: Gazprom, NIS, and Gas Prices
Streetwise Professor posts an update on Gazprom's “vaporware” in Serbia, which includes a recent resignation of the “anti-Gazprom” Serbian economics minister, Mladan Dinkic (more on that – at Robert Amsterdam's blog). Meanwhile, gas costs $5.80 per gallon in Serbia, according to Bill's Blog: “To put the $5.80 into perspective, the...
Ukraine: A Loud Protest
Ukrainiana writes about and posts video of a very loud protest in Kyiv: “On December 22, at noon, Kyivites honked their horns to protest against rampant government corruption and endless power struggles wrecking the Ukrainian Dream amid the country’s deepest economic crisis since the early ‘90s.”
Russia: LiveJournal and Mass Media Laws
IZO translates LJ user plucer‘s view that the newest LiveJournal addition – this line at the end of the posts: “I hereby give third parties the right to reproduce or disseminate all of my materials as a whole or in part…” – “would mean you were ‘disseminating information’ and mass-media...
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Srebrenica Roundup
A roundup of Srebrenica Genocide Blog‘s recent posts: the process of identification of the victims of the massacre; the ICTY's conclusion on Naser Orić, former senior Bosnian commander in charge of defending the Srebrenica enclave; testimony by Doctors Without Borders representatives delivered at the 2001 French Parliamentary Hearing into the...
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Peter Lippman's Travel Reports
Americans for Bosnia is re-posting journalist Peter Lippman's reports from his travel in Bosnia and Herzegovina: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: More on “Resolution 819″
More on Resolution 819, the film, at Cafe Turco – here, here, and here.
The Balkans: Distortion of History
Jasmin's Heart writes about deliberate distortions that often pass for the recent history of the Balkans: “Also, history, as written by too many historians here, in recent years, Croatian historians, Serbian, Bosnian – on the subject of the last war and many others that proceeded on this area – is...
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Wartime Childhood Memories
Amila Bosnae shares some wartime childhood memories.
Central & Eastern Europe: Freedom in the Balkans; Visa Restrictions
Ari Rusila examines the Balkan-related results of the Freedom House's Freedom in the World survey at AriRusila’s BalkanBlog, and writes about the Henley Visa Restrictions Index, highlighting the results for countries of Central and Eastern Europe, at AriRusila's BalkanPerspective at Blogactiv.eu.
Macedonia: NATO and the Name Issue
Macedonia's foreign minister Antonio Milososki said this in Helsinki earlier this month: “Republic of Macedonia fulfilled the criteria for membership in the North-Atlantic Alliance, but it will join in when it will be allowed to do so in a dignified manner.” Say: Macedonia comments: “This statement mirrors the public opinion...
Ukraine: Crisis, Microfinance and Politics
Below is a selection of recent posts from English-language blogs on the political and economic crisis in Ukraine.
Russia: Protest Update
Sean's Russia Blog writes about today's protests in Russia: “The barrage of mass protest fired in Russia’s far east ten days ago echoed with a whimper as opponents of the import car tax hike staged actions across Russia. Today’s protests lacked the manpower of the previous ones, and in Vladivostok,...
Russia: The Crisis and The Potential For Unrest
In mid-October, Global Voices published a roundup of Anglophone bloggers' views on the financial crisis in Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia and Ukraine. Below is another installment on the effects and the likely consequences of the crisis in Russia.
Serbia: Sveti Nikola
A Yankee-in-Belgrade writes about celebration of St. Nicholas Day in Serbia.
Ukraine: Chernobyl Panoramas; Welsh Sheep and Radiation
Chernobyl and Eastern Europe writes about the effect of Chernobyl on sheep breeding in Wales, and posts links to panoramic photos from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone – here and here.
Estonia: Deportations, Artificial Hills, Gray Passports, and Layoffs
Itching for Eestimaa writes about Estonian women who survived the deportations of the 1940s, but whose tragic stories never found a reflection in the Soviet-time Estonian women's magazine, Nõukogude Naine. This and a few other recent posts from the Estonian blogosphere - in the roundup below.
Serbia: “Mother Courage”
Sinisa Boljanovic translates a selection of heartbreakingly shocking stories of giving birth in Serbia, shared by anonymous Serbian women on the Majka Hrabrost ("Mother Courage") web site.
Central & Eastern Europe: Trademark on ;-) and Other Internet News
Below is a selection of recent posts by bloggers from around Central and Eastern Europe on social networking, participatory media, online activism and other related issues.