Latest posts by Veronica Khokhlova from August, 2011
Ukraine: Politics, Economy, Euro 2012 and Relations With the West
At OpenDemocracy.net, Sergei Zhadan writes in depth on how Ukraine's political and economic situation affects the ongoing preparations for the Euro 2012 football championship, which is less than a year away. Earlier this month, Iryna Solonenko and Peter Rutland wrote about Western policy towards Ukraine.
Russia: “On the Eve of Collapse”
To mark the upcoming 20th anniversary of the August 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, OpenDemocracy.net publishes two excerpts from Susan Richards’ 1990 book, “Epics of Everyday Life: Encounters in a Changing Russia.”
Hungary: New Law on Churches and Scientology
Eva S. Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum writes about Hungary's new law on churches – according to which the legal status of a church is to be decided by the parliament – and the alleged role of the Church of Scientology in the adoption of this law.
Czech Republic: Gay Pride in Prague and Politics
The Reference Frame comments on the politics surrounding Prague's first gay pride parade.
The Balkans, Norway: Anders Breivik and Srđa Trifković
Eric Gordy of East Ethnia writes about the Balkan dimension of the July 22 terrorist attacks in Norway: “[…] [Anders Breivik] has the revelation that his path to violent idiocy began with his shock at the Kosovo bombing campaign in 1999. So to the other sets of concerns he understands...
U.S.: The Soviet Arts Experience in Chicago
Poemless posts an overview of some of the current exhibitions taking place in Chicago as part of The Soviet Arts Experience, “a 16-month-long showcase of works by artists who created under (and in response to) the Politburo of the Soviet Union.”
Ukraine: Intellectuals Condemn Tymoshenko Trial in an Open Letter
Alexander J. Motyl of Ukraine's Orange Blues comments on an open letter signed by “a diverse group of 28 writers, scholars, and commentators,” in which “they condemn the [Tymoshenko] trial and call on Ukrainians not to be indifferent to the injustice being perpetrated by the Yanukovych regime.”
Ukraine: The 1975 ‘Ukrainian Cuisine’ Book
The Pickle Project reviews the English-language ‘Ukrainian Cuisine’ book, published in Kyiv in 1975.
Ukraine: Basic Language Tips
The Kalpak shares some Ukrainian language tips that should “help with basic sign reading that a new visitor to Ukraine will need to do in order to navigate around Kyiv.”
Russia: A Psycho-Neurological Patient's Photo Stories
Pasha Kyshtymov, a lifelong psycho-neurological patient in Siberia, cannot communicate through speech, but had no problems learning to express himself through photography. On his blog, the Russian photographer Oleg Klimov has documented the poignant impromptu experience of teaching Pasha to share his worldview with others.
Poland: NGO Helps Looking for Missing Persons
Polandian writes about ITAKA: Centre for Missing People (en.zaginieni.pl), a Polish NGO that helps tracing missing persons.
Ukraine: Party of Regions’ “Prejudicial Statement” on Tymoshenko's Case
LEvko of Foreign Notes quotes “a highly prejudicial statement [in goofy English],” posted on the Party of Regions’ website, to explain why “western observers call the Tymoshenko trial a farce, a bad joke, a pantomime, etc. etc.”
Slovenia: A Comment on the U.K. Riots
Sleeping With Pengovsky comments on the riots and looting in the U.K.: “But I must say I got the heebie-jeebies when I heard on the BBC that some people were thinking of bringing in the army. Please, don’t. […] I come from the part of the world where there was...
Russia: Learning Russian Via Social Networks
Tips on learning Russian through social networking sites – at Russian Language Blog.
The Balkans: History, Politics and Ethnic Identities
At OpenDemocracy.net, Milan Marinkovic writes about history, politics and ethnic identities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At Balkan Anarchist, Alan Jakšić writes about his own Croatian Serb identity and some of the political issues related to it.
The Balkans: Travel Blogs
At Balkan Travellers, Sarah Hucal writes about Yugo Yoga performance that took place on a makeshift stage at Belgrade's Museum of Yugoslav History in July 2011; more of Hucal's Balkan travel writing and photos are at her blog, Solo in the Balkans. Jana Orsolic's Istria Week travel photos and journal...
Serbia, Kosovo, Russia: A Letter to Putin
Eric Gordy re-launches his East Ethnia blog, taking a close look, in one of the first posts, at the letter to the Russian PM Vladimir Putin, written by 21 Serbian “intellectuals”, who are asking “Russia to propose a resolution in the Security Council on the condition of Serbs of Kosovo.”
Russia: Photos From the Tyva (Tuva) Republic
Oleg Klimov's photos [ru] from the Tyva (Tuva) Republic – here, here, here, and here.
Russia: “Stolen Dreams”
Oleg Klimov posts a series of photos [ru] of people sleeping on a Moscow-Novosibirsk train.
Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko's Trial and the Legacy of “Gassy Shenanigans”
In the first post on the newly-launched Bordering on Lunacy blog, Euan MacDonald writes about the trial of Ukraine's ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko – “who is guilty, apparently, of the heinous crime of being in government when Viktor Yanukovych wasn't president of Ukraine.”
Ukraine: Donetsk Investigative Journalist's Apartment Set on Fire
OpenDemocracy.net reports on today's attempt to burn down the apartment of a Donetsk-based investigative journalist Aleksey Matsuka: “It is widely assumed that the attack was ordered by elements working within the local political and business elite, who have served as the focus for much of Aleksey's investigative work.”
