Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from September, 2011
Hungary: Higher Education and Tuition
Hungarian Spectrum writes about “higher education and the question of ‘tuition'” in Hungary.
Global: Reflections on Peace Day 2011
To mark the International Day of Peace, celebrated on September 21, female bloggers from The SunFlower Post share their perspectives on world peace by reflecting on the realities of their lives in Mexico, China, Turkey, Russia and Latvia.
Russia: Google Office Invites Iranian Ambassador to ‘Disperse Myths’ About ‘Contemporary Persia’
“Mr Ambassador [Reza Sajadi] had told us about contemporary Persia: about progress in science and technology in his country, developing tourism, situation of women in the Iranian society, had dispersed many myths around Iran and its traditions, and had invited us to visit Iran and enjoy ancient culture of the...
Russia: Indie Band Uses ‘Office Violence’ Viral Video For Promotion
Biting Elbows, Moscow-based indie/punk band, has shot quite funny viral video for the promotion of its debut album. The clip reminds both the “Matrix,” and 2008 ‘Russian Office Rampage‘ footage (later recognised as the ad for Timur Bekmambetov's movie “Wanted“).
Ukraine: Short Films by Youth for Gender Equality
Young film makers in Ukraine have participated in a short film competition that challenges stereotypes of women and defend gender equality. These films touch on issues that can be understood by speakers of any language.
Russia: Unjustly Convicted Businessman-Blogger Released From Jail
Alexey Kozlov, businessman and a former millionaire, who was imprisoned in 2007 under trumped-up accusations, has been released from jail, rian.ru reported [ru]. Kozlov received online popularity for his “Butyrka [name of Moscow prison] blog [ru].” The blog was set up by Olga Romanova, Kozlov's wife and a renowned journalist....
Russia: Governor's Death Rumors Provoke Harsh Reaction Among Authorities
Alexander Mikhelson, head of “United Russia” fraction at Kemerovo regional Duma, has proposed [ru] a new draft bill that implies stricter responsibility for online libel. The action followed the appearance of the rumors [ru] that Aman Tuleyev, governor of the Kemerovo region, was found dead. Previously, local police had set up a task force...
Ukraine: Georgiy Gongadze Memorial Rally in Kyiv
Olena Bilozerska (LJ user bilozerska) posts photos and video [uk] from the Sep. 16 Georgiy Gongadze memorial rally in Kyiv. Following a discussion in the comments section of ex-President Leonid Kuchma's role in Gongadze's case, LJ user fidel_80 writes [ru]: “I'm sorry for [Gongadze]. Could someone give me links to...
Ukraine: Tymoshenko Trial Updates
Odessablog posts an update on the trial of Ukraine's ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko; Foreign Notes reviews opinions on the trial's possible outcome that appeared in the Ukrainian media.
Serbia: Discussing Report on ICT Use by State Statistical Office
Slobodan Markovic has initiated [sr] a Twitter discussion (#ICTSrbija) about the report on the use of ICT issued by the State Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia (noted in an earlier GVO article). A recap is available in English, Macedonian, and Albanian language.
Russia, Ukraine: Gas Relations Analysis
Nils van der Vegte of RussiaWatchers examines the current status of the gas relations between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine: More on Denis Oleinikov's ProstoPrint Case
Taras of Ukrainiana posts a few videos and comments on the ongoing attacks on Denis Oleinikov's ProstoPrint company: “It’s the police state’s job to keep humor in short supply. And fail.”
Ukraine: Possible Explanations of Plagiarism in President's Book
Alexander Motyl of Ukraine's Orange Blues offers possible explanations for plagiarism in President Victor Yanukovych’s recently-published English-language book, Opportunity Ukraine.
Ukraine: Geopolitics in Crimea
Odessablog writes that “the macro-geopolitical battle over Ukraine between the EU and Russia” is at its most intense in Crimea.
Ukraine, EU: Visa Regime “Like Modern Berlin Wall”
Anatoliy Martsynovski of BlogActiv.eu writes that the visa regime is one of the most important and most sensitive issues in the EU-Ukraine relations: “It is quite true that for us current visa regime very often is something like modern Berlin Wall.”
Ukraine: Raid on Denis Oleinikov's ProstoPrint.com
Updates on the situation with Denis Oleinikov‘s ProstoPrint.com goods-on-demand company, which was raided by the Ukrainian police last week: Courtney Boyd Myers’ Sep. 8 text on The Next Web; on Demotix, Kost Bezginsky's photos from the Sep. 15 brawl with riot police during the “charity fair” in support of ProstoPrint.com,...
Russia: A 2007 Paper on HIV/AIDS
Donna Welles posts her 2007 paper on “how the peculiarities of the Russian culture, government, economy, etc. all make the country extremely vulnerable to the AIDS epidemic.”
Macedonia: Celebrating Basketball Win Over Lithuania
The celebration of the Macedonian entry in the semifinals of the European basketball championship has spilled over from the country's streets, balconies and town squares into the blogosphere. Filip Stojanovski reports.
Russia: Prosecutor General Calls For Control Over Social Networks
“You saw what had happened in London. To my mind, it is evident that there should be control over this [social network] activity, and I think it will be a reasonable control, in the interest of protection of the civic liberties,” said Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika at the summit of...
Ukraine: Photographing the TB Epidemic
Ukrainian photographer Maxim Dondyuk (@dondyuk) is documenting the TB epidemic in Ukraine: “Each day 30 people die. Each year takes more than 10,000 lives.” Dondyuk's powerful, heartbreaking photographs of TB patients can be viewed online on his Tumblr blog [ru], his website, and on Lightstalkers.com [en]. On Sep. 15, an...
Hungary: Fall 2011 Legislative Season
The Contrarian Hungarian reviews the most important items on the Hungarian parliament's legislative agenda of Fall 2011.
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