One year later: Sketches of Europe's Northwest

Precisely one year ago I embarked upon one of the most exciting trips in my life. I called it "Sketches of Europe's Northwest" and published something between a photostory and a diary on Facebook, in the context of Brexit. At long last I found the time to compile all Facebook posts and Instagram pictures from the trip in one place and I'm offering them here. It was an unforgettable experience. Maybe it is even better that I am putting this together now, one year later, because it gave me the chance to go over these moments again. Captions are above each image. Click on image for larger version. Enjoy!

Travelling to Paris, France from Sofia International Airport.

19 August 2016 · Sofia

I am off to Paris, Belfast, Bristol and Cornwall on a ten-day trip which I am dubbing #SketchesOfEuropesNorthwest. I am going to cross from the hot, dry, yellow, azure, summery Southeast of the continent to the lush, green, grey, humid and refreshing Northwest. Two diametrically opposed but complementary faces of our cherished common European space - now rattled by a perfect storm of internal and external challenges.

The issue of Brexit cannot but be my silent companion along the way. After all, it is one of the secret reasons for which I chose to head northwest in the midst of an exuberant Balkan summer. Does Paris actually care about Brexit; is it simply gloating or it can’t wait to assume financial powers from London? What about the future of the Good Friday Agreement for Northern Ireland? Do unionists in the country regret voting to remain in the EU, now that there is renewed talk of a united island by nationalists? The Southwest of England: Bristol, home of some of my favourite musicians, massively elected to Remain (62%); nearby Cornwall saw a 56% Leave vote. Why so?

Apart from just exploring novel and long-yearned corners of Auld Europe, the restless type that I am, it is the simple, human answers to the above questions that I will be looking for, in word and in image. Stay tuned!

IRIS publishes second of its kind study on human security threats in Bulgaria

My organisation, the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS), has published today a second of its kind study on human security threats in Bulgaria. It is authored by IRIS′s expert and Sofia University professor Stoycho P. Stoychev and is part of the efforts of the Citizens′ Network for Human Security (cn4hs) for the Balkans and Turkey as part of a project supported by the European Commission. I am author of the introductions in Bulgarian and the English summaries.

This year′s study comprises two parts: a novel, qualitative research component on prostitution and the sexual services market in Bulgaria and the existing threats to human security of the people involved in it, focusing among other things on the changes that have occurred after a similar such study conducted in 2010; and a quantitative research component on the impact which the so-called controlled vote phenomenon in Bulgaria has on human security, building upon a qualitative study on the issue which IRIS’s team implemented in the first phase of the current project (2014).

Please take a look at the announcement on the official IRIS website and find there links to the comprehensive texts in Bulgarian and the English summaries.

The 4 shames of the Dutch referendum on Ukraine

The Netherlands on Wednesday voted in a consultative (but nevertheless significant and potentially disruptive) referendum on whether the European Union should ratify the Association Agreement with Ukraine. Turnout was 32%, and 64% of those who cast a ballot voted against the Ukraine deal. I have just four points on that:

1) It's not a shame that a 20% radicalised anti-European minority (of those having the right to vote) voted the way it did. It's their right. It's a shame a 80% majority was silent and sleepwalked through this important referendum, letting a weird coalition of populists, radicals and animal rights activists to beat them.

2) It's a shame that the same Association Agreement, for which the 130 of Euromaidan gave their lives in 2013-14, was crossed out with such a maddening levity by the Dutch, founders of the EU and among the greatest proponents of its values.

3) It's a shame that few people in the Netherlands on Wednesday remembered the Malaysian flight MH17 airplane crash over Ukraine on 17 July 2014 which sent hundreds of their kin to their deaths. The Russian BUK missile had been aimed back then, symbolically, at the same EU choice of Ukraine which the Dutch rejected lightheartedly yesterday.

4) And it's a shame that a trade-loving nation as the Netherlands, with a huge tradition of encouraging and exploiting free commerce with the rest of the world for centuries on end, voted against what is essentially a trade and cooperation deal with another European nation.

It's a shame.

Невъзможната лекота на Бургундия

Morey-Saint-Denis

Боже, кога за последно пих Бургундия? Декември месец в Ню Йорк, когато Пифа извади Gevrey-Chambertin от 1999. Мокри чорапи и мед. A godsent. Това сега тук пред мен е Gevrey-Chambertin на Philippe Leclerc, 1er Cru les Combeaux Moines, 2011. Flashback, flashback. Мозъкът щрака, щрака. Не се бърка този аромат, тази мекост, тази топлота надолу по гърлото. Наоколо е чудо на чудесата. Леката и невъзможна, приказна Бургундия, е тук пред мен. Есенна, жълто-оранжево-кафява, мъглива, слънчева, аристоркратична, дъбова, плесенясала, подземна, лазурна, чиста, скъпа, отворена, твоя.

Gevrey-Chambertin. Nuits-Saint-Georges. Vosne-Romanee. Savigny-les-Beaune. Имена на селца като от приказка. Всяко дава и вино с контролиран географски произход с марка – името на селцето. Митични, магически за любителя на вино, както Сен Мориц и Шамони за скиорите или Монте Карло и Лас Вегас за любителите на хазартните игри. Да, виното е тръпка и мания, пристрастяваш се – към вселената, която то носи със себе си. А Бургундия и нейните селца, лозя, разделени от каменни зидове, хората ѝ – тя е върховния източник и цел на тази мания. Аз вече в това съм убеден, след този сюблимен есенен уикенд в чутовното пространство между Дижон и Бон, наречено Кот д'Ор – северната и най-великолепна част на Бургундия.

To Gotham and Back Again: Един трип до Ню Йорк (и Бостън)

Не бях планирал ходене до Ню Йорк. Но то се случи след спонтанна уговорка с Петар Гошев, стар софийски другар, един летен ден на септември в София да разцепим The Big Apple за Нова година. За съжаление на мен и на Гошев, на него не му дадоха виза (държавата САЩ си има свои разбирания за туристи и потенциални емигранти), но аз отидох - за петнайсетина дни, от средата на Коледа до началото на януари, на гости на приятели. Това е един софийски разказ за Ню Йорк. С него искам да ви накарам да отворите съответните уебстраници, да запазите самолетни билети и да посветите една-две седмици от живота си на този град. По възможност с отскачане до Бостън.

Gotham е имагинерния град от филмите за Батман, но нюйоркчани обичат да наричат града си така. Според мен звучи добре, макар че градът далеч не е така noir. Но я има тази непредвиденост и наситеност във всяко нещо, екстремностите на черно и бяло; синьо и зелено; на вятър и слънце и сняг; на пари и бедност; Среден Манхатън (Midtown Manhattan) vs. Бушуик (Bushwick) в Бруклин; джаз за двайсетина човека в Уест Вилидж (West Village) и електронно парти за пет хиляди в склад на Нюйоркската полиция (NYPD) в Уилямсбърг (Williamsburg); най-добрите барове и ресторанти в света и най-лошите хотдози ever. Gotham. Или просто Ню Йорк Сити.

Отидох за ден и половина и до Бостън, Нова Англия. Нямам много впечатления, но според мен си струва пак да отида. Уважих кампусите на най-добрите университети в света, истински омари и отлични комбинации между ирландско уиски и местен ейл. Бостън е само на четири часа с автобус от Ню Йорк.

A Syrah from the North

Now, Syrah made a famous debut in Bulgaria in the late 2000s when the first vines planted five or so years before by newly founded small wineries bore fruit. These vines have mostly been in the Southeast Thracian Valley region - Sakar mountain, Haskovo, Sliven, Yambol, etc. The debut was famous because Syrah and Bulgaria turned out to be in a love affair, with wines coming out of the Thracian Valley conquering palates domestically and kicking butt in international blind tasting competitions. Syrah came to Bulgaria earlier in fact: in the 1940s, here an unthought-of fusion was made between the French Northern Rhone grape of Syrah and the Italian king grape Nebbiolo of Piedmont to produce Rubin - a Bulgarian-invented variety which is still grown and produces fabulous wines. But we got to know Syrah for its own merits on Bulgarian soil only recently, with the advent of the new millennium.

The Thracian Valley Syrahs of Katarzhyna, Minkov Brothers and Santa Sarah are famous. But what I had today, and excuse me for the long overture, is simply amazing. This Syrah comes from the North - from the Danube Plain. Our wines from this region are typically more cold-climate, light- to medium-bodied and fresh. A typical example is Gamza. But this Chateau Burgozone Syrah justifies all my spontaneous love lately for the versatility of Bulgaria's Northwest: this is a must-try, quite big Syrah for Bulgarian wine lovers who are already acquainted with the Thracian Valley treasures but want something different. Chateau Burgozone is situated on the banks of the Danube some 200 km north of Sofia.

I let this Chateau Burgozone 2011 Syrah PGI Danube Plain breathe for 45 minutes. The nose is plum and ripe mulberry and raisins. On the palate the mulberry is reinforced, within a general black fruit background. What is striking is the clearly discernible smokiness - leather, tobacco - and bayleaf. The classic Syrah spiciness here has a different dimension. This even reminds me of the smoky South African Syrahs/Shirazes. At the same time, the balance is amazing - the freshness is just about right to make this wine perfect for any Balkan meal.

Recommend.

Предизборно: Листа на Реформаторския блок за 25-и МИР София

Листата с кратко био за всеки кандидат можете да свалите тук. 25-и многомандатен избирателен район - София включва районите Люлин, Банкя, Овча купел, Красна поляна, Илинден, Надежда, Връбница и Нови Искър.

"The Frenzy"

A great take on EU migration and the Bulgaria/Romania worker invasion scare by Foreign Policy's Harriet Salem, with me quoted, too. Read it here.

Christmas line-up: check!

From left to right: 2012 Minkov Brothers Le Photographe Syrah (Gold Medal winner in blind tasting at Alliances du Monde 2013), Thracian Valley, Bulgaria; 2009 Chateau Ste Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Washington State, U.S.; 2007 Domaine Duclaux, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, France; 2007 Ruschi Noceti La Costa Rosso, Tuscany, Italy; 2008 Stellenzicht Golden Triangle Pinotage, Stellenbosch, South Africa. Yum yum!

Reflections on Ukraine

I attended on Thursday a public discussion in Sofia entitled, “Ukraine's Struggle for Europe: Mapping Ukraine’s Choices before the Protests and after Vilnius.” It was held at the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria and organised by the Centre for Liberal Strategies (CLS). The key speaker was Mr Valentyn Gladkykh, a young political scientist who is currently Chief Adviser of Verkhovna Rada's Secretariat; the other two panellists were Ognyan Minchev of IRIS, the policy institute I work at, and Lithuania’s Ambassador to Bulgaria, H.E. Darius Gaidys, representing the EU Presidency. Moderation was provided by CLS’s Antoinette Primatarova.

                 Photo by Nessa Gnatoush, Wikimedia Commons / Flickr (bit.ly/18Gm4lx)

This was a very useful event which got its due attention, judging by the people present, but it also helped some ideas I had about Ukraine, the EU, Russia, and the Euromaidan protests crystallise. Here are some thoughts:

Tasting the glass

I hate to write about a company but I can’t escape it here. I went to an event organised by Riedel, the glassware maker, in Sofia’s Grand Hotel on this pleasant October Wednesday. What captured my attention in the promotion email was that by signing in for the tasting at the price of 15 levs (€7.50) I’d get attractive discounts for buying three of my favourite wines from a favourite wine retailer. It’s Burgundy, Washington State and Australia, geographically. The wines which Riedel chose were: Joseph Drouhin Santenay 2009; Chateau Ste Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2009; Yalumba Patchwork Shiraz 2010.

But this thing grew to something bigger than the wine. I admit I never expected the shape of the glass can have such a profound effect on the sensual perception of the drinker. Maybe there is also the marketing and the psychological tricks, but I definitely believe Riedel has a point. No wonder their glasses cost a fortune (€85 for the set of three used in this tasting, regular price; sold at discount at the event for €30). These people made their glasses as the wine itself would want them to be made, as they like to boast. Mr Riedel had that idea back in 1973 and tested it among the most renowned wine producers in Italy. It was them who chose the form of glassware for their own wine. And it’s not only wine. Riedel has glassware adjusted to enhance any imaginable drink, even Bulgarian rakia. But enough about the company, let’s shift to the event.

                              Glass 1 - Pinot Noir; 2 - Syrah; 3 - Cabernet Sauvignon

A meet with the Prokupac

Time has come for my serious meet with Prokupac. It is a native Serbian red variety mostly grown in the central part of the country. In Bulgaria, we never associate Serbia with wine, and when we do we think white: Smederevka or Karlovački Rizling at the Exit Fest in Novi Sad, or Krstač  for those spending more time in the country, for that matter.

I tried a number of Prokupac wines in my Serbia travels over the last year. I was impressed by the combination of vigour, elegance and rusticity. Of course, it's different when you're home and the wine you chose to buy is all now at your disposal for a serious scrutiny.

I am trying the 2011 Prokupac by Vinarija Ivanović, Aleksandrovac, 14%. I bought the wine in Belgrade in May of this year but waited for the autumn to settle over the Balkans in order to try it in the more appropriate of atmospheres. This is medium to light bodied and quite the choice for September or even August, if we have to fall for those season/wine considerations. But it's 6 degrees centigrade in Sofia now, and the juice is just perfect. It displays wild plum, raspberry and redcurrant on the nose, and a bit of oak. I decanted it and waited for only half-hour for this, but for a 2011 Prokupac I think it's okay. On the palate the acidity is pleasing; it's again the redcurrant. What makes this special is the saltiness and the coffee nuance in the aftertaste. Rustic, red Balkan openness on a powerful display.

A less known Piedmontese red

One of the bottles I brought from my Po Valley quest in Italy is now on the table. I never imagined Piedmont had such an abundance of autochthonic grapes. Barbera, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo from the reds and Arneis and Moscato from the whites are somewhat well known. But this Freisa was a nice surprise. It was recommended to me by an old Turin lady who caught me trying wines in a Turin wine shop and felt obliged to suggest some less known vernacular beauties.

The Freisa wine is light-bodied, a bit carbonated at times and generally produced around Turin, in Monferrato and Langhe. This one is Balbiano Freisa di Chieri Secco Vivace 2011, DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta), €8.50. Secco means dry, so obviously Freisa has sweeter expressions, and vivace is lively - they're hinting at bubbles. It's from Turin region: Azienda Vitivinicola Balbiano is based in Andezeno, near Turin. Plum and redcurrant and forest fruit on the nose, a bit rustic, reminds of a young Tuscan Sangiovese. On entry it's light, a little frizzante/bubbly, the plum is what I feel at once, with redcurrant and morello cherry around. Low tannins and typical Apennine acidity. I like it. I think this is a great wine for the summer to enjoy with salty Italian antipasti such as prosciutto and the hard cheeses (Parmigiano Reggiano etc.).

Moments of a Po Valley quest, with wine notes

The truth is I don’t want to write a travel story. I want to write about sporadic moments that left a mark in my mind and heart in this quest of the Po Valley, and beyond, that I made. Many of us have visited Italy and have their own personal experiences in that country. My thing will be honestly brief, random, un-touristy, oenocentric and accompanied by images. Italy is never something so fabulous to discover; but I realise now I love Italy so much that in the end here I am in front of the laptop on a Sunday, one week after I came back to Sofia, writing about it.

                                          Photo: http://olive-drab.com

Why the Po Valley, or the Padan Plain, the vast lowlands in the north of the country along the Fiume (River) Po, linking the Western Alps and the Adriatic? This area, including the regions (from east to west) of Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Piedmont and tiny parts of Tuscany and Liguria, is notorious for its industrial development, often branded as the motor of Italian economy. It is. But it is also home of the best Italian wines and cuisine, and the industry is conveniently away from the living space of people, even away from the traveller’s eye in a, say, Turin-Milan train. The natural beauties are everywhere. It’s the Alps, the Apennines, the plain, the Po, the maize crops, the vineyards that make the landscape. And the beautiful cities make it complete.

So why the Po Valley? First, because I never fully explored Italy’s north and its wines; second, because I was to meet some college friends; third, because I did my master’s studies in Bologna precisely ten years ago and I needed this trip at some point to see how ‘grown up’ I was; and last but not least, because Italy as an idea and a congregation of emotions and experiences is for me one of the best places to visit. Blame me for my bias. Following is a collection of momentary impressions from the Po Valley, in a chronological order, which I thought were worth ‘putting on paper.’

"A Bulgarian Spring? Entrenched Protests Challenge Eastern Europe’s Status Quo"

Time Magazine with a piece on Bulgaria and me quoted. In the quote, I mean the Belene nuclear power plant project:  A Bulgarian Spring? Entrenched Protests Challenge Eastern Europe’s Status Quo ‪#‎ДАНСwithMe‬

"Хронология на едно насилие над протеста"

По-добре, отколкото аз самият бих могъл да разкажа. Чудесна хронология от Крис Георгиев (Twitter @chrisgeorgiev) на Ден 40 на ‪#‎ДАНСwithMe‬ със снимки, видеа и туитове от мястото на събитието вижте тук. Снимката долу е моя.

Те искат едно / They want one thing

San Francisco

14 юли worldwide (see link)

Мюнхен

Нека покажем подкрепата си за протестите в България отново! Беше страхотно преживяване! Благодаря ви много, че дойдохте :)
Имаме официално разрешение за Карлсплатц в неделя. 
1.Организаторите на протеста в различните градове обсъждахме да направим едно общо видео с послания и да го изпратим до медиите в България. За тази цел ни трябва камера и статив. Нашият фотоапарат прави HDвидео и в краен случай можем да го използваме, но ни трябва статив!
2.Проблемът с тока също все още не е решен. От KVR ми предложиха да си наемем генератор :О Най-лесният вариант ще е ако някой има от големите касетофони. Два комплекта батерии ще свършат работа?

Франкфурт

Нека да се съберем в знак на съпричастност с протестите в България! #ДАНСwithme Frankfurt!!!

В неделя /14.07./, 30 дни след началото на антиправителствените протести, ни предстои ‪#‎ДАНСwithme‬ FFM 3. Сборният пункт отново е пред ЕЦБ, като в 17:30 започваме шествие към Römer. Предвидено е там да можем да поставим "Kommunikationsstand" за раздаване на flyer-и etc.

Щутгарт

Нека да се съберем в знак на съпричастност с протестите в България ! 
Lasst uns in Eintracht zusammen kommen, um die Protestbewegung in Bulgarien zu unterstützen!
#ДАНСwithme Stuttgart
Тъй като на Schlossplatz и Marktplatz започват скоро различни фестивали, общината ни предложи друго място. Улицата е успоредна на Königstraße. Срещата ни в неделя е : An der Ecke Büchsen-/ Kronprinzstraße !!!

Хамбург

Am Sonntag, den 14.07. zwischen 13.00 und 14.00 Uhr findet zum dritten Mal #Hamburg ist ДАНСing with you! - diesmal am Biedermannplatz 1 - statt. Mit einem traditionellen Choro-Tanz wird diesmal das Ereignis belebt und dem Motto endlich angepasst.
Diesen Sonntag wollen wir dem Protest eine neue Form geben: manche lesen, andere malen und wir wollen beten! Denn was gibt es stärkeres als unser Wunsch nach höherer Moral in der Politik an die höchste Macht zu richten!

За трети път тази неделя ще се състои #Hamburg ist ДАНСing with you! Часът и мястото на срещата този път са отново променени: 13.00 ч., Бийдерманплац 1. Нека този път с поне едно хоро одухотворим мотото ни!
Тази неделя ни се иска да дадем и нова форма на нашия протест - някои четат, други рисуват, а ние ще отправим молитва. Защото какво е по-силно от това да изпратим желанието си за по-висок морал в политиката на най-висшата сила!

Карлсруе

Мирен протест в подкрепа на демократичните промени в България!
Вече цял месец сънародниците ни се борят срещу пируващата мафия в България.
Нека изразим подкрепата си с креативни идеи и висок дух!

Събитието е част от глобалния ден на протести ДАНСwith me in one day over the world.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/212771788876590/

Peaceful demonstration supporting the democratic processes in Bulgaria!
For one month alreadу, the people are protesting against the filthy goverment and the triumphant Mafia.
Let us express our support with creativte ideas and high spirits!

This event is a part of the global day of protests ДАНСwithme Global, supporting the protests in Bulgaria!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/212771788876590/

Манхайм

Манхайм подкрепя #ДАНСwithme!

#ДАНСwithme Deutschland

Магдебург

Здравейте,

Магдебург is #ДАНСwithme World в Неделя, 14.07.2013 на Домплатц пред главния вход срещу улица Брайтервег.
Колкото повече, толкова повече!!!
Очакваме виии!!!

От Сан Франциско до София, цял цвят ще подкрепи протестиращите в България! Подкрепете и вие глобалният протест в Неделя!!!

https://www.facebook.com/events/208806839272933/

Париж

Здравейте, 

като част от обединения протест ДАНСwithme Global Ви предлагаме да се съберем отново тази неделя, 14ти юли, от 16:00 до 20:00ч. в подкрепа на протестите, които продължават вече близо месец в България и по света!

Мястото на срещата този път е различно, предложено от Префектурата с оглед на акциите по случай националния празник на Франция и то е Place Igor Stravinsky до Centre Pompidou!

Фонтаните, доброто настроение и бирата са от нас, 
фойерверките от Френските власти,
а оргиналните, позитивни и креативни лозунги под наслов 
- Какво искаме ЗА България - 
са от Вас, нейните граждани, където и да сме по света!

Venez nombreux, доведете и приятел или поне ги информирайте за събитието!

Брюксел

Нека всички се присъединим в Глобалния мирен протест и излезем тази неделя, 14ти юли 2013 г., в 15.00 часа, на Place du Luxembourg до Европарламента.
Нека заедно отхвърлим границите, които ни разделят, където и да сме.
Нека отново покажем, че и ние в Bruxelles се интересуваме от съдбата на България и не искаме да ни управляват олигарси и мафиоти, които ни третират като "лумпени".

Амстердам

Част от обединения протест ДАНСwith me in one day over the world

Осло

Втори протест на българите в Норвегия в подкрепа на протестите в България срещу правителството на Пламен Орешарски, властта на олигарсите и за повече граждански контрол в политиката.

Нека и ние да дадем своя принос в започналия процес на осъзнаване на българското общество, който ще принуди политиците да започнат да се съобразяват с интересите на народа, а не на мафията.

Това правителство вече доказа с действията си, че не е готово да направи такава промяна и да води открита политика, съобразена с исканията на гражданите. Затова ние искаме неговата незабавна ОСТАВКА. Всяко следващо правителство ще бъде мерено със същия аршин до момента, в който политиците започнат да ни чуват. Всеки ден ще е така до победата!

Този път протестът ще бъде в неделя, тъй като датата е избрана за глобален протест на българите по света. Мястото остава непроменено - пред българското посолство в Осло. Вземете със себе си позитивизма и доброто настроение от предишния протест + още някой приятел и съмишленик :)

http://bnt.bg/bg/news/view/104202/ploshtadyt_kolko_oshte

Лондон

Ние сме българите, в Англия, които подкрепяме нашите сънародници и протестите срещу правителството на Пламен Орешарски !

Протестираме пред българското посолство в Лондон всяка неделя с плакати и знамена, с песни и креативни идеи, с разум и надежда за България!

Ние ще сме с вас винаги !!!

Мадрид

Ще има глобален протест, нека се включим и от Мадрид.
Протестът в неделя, ще е част от ДАНСwithme globally https://www.facebook.com/events/208806839272933/. Демонстрацията предвижда включвания на 15 централни градове по света между които са Ню Йорк, Сан Франциско, Лондон, Франкфурт , Мюнхен, Виена, Берлин, Брюксел и Cидни.
Глобалният протест e много вероятно да се излъчи по централни емисии по bTV, Нова Телевизия и БНТ, затова нека покажем колkо сме единни и как подкрепяме всички протестиращи българи по света, като всеки един от нас по възможност намери време и дойде на протеста.
Неделя, 14 юли, 12:00 часа, пред БГ посолството в Мадрид

Торонто

МИРЕН ПРОТЕСТ в ПОДКРЕПА на ПРОТЕСТИРАЩИТЕ в БЪЛГАРИЯ
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ПЕТИЦИЯ ЗА ПРЕМАХВАНЕ ПРАГА ЗА НЕЗАВИСИМИТЕ КАНДИДАТ-ДЕПУТАТИ
http://www.peticiq.com/novi-izbori-bez-prag-za-nezavisimite
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Спите ли, #лумпени :) Кой ще пише новия изборен кодекс последно? Ние или те? Линк за юристи, програмисти и лумпенентусиасти:

https://github.com/yurukov/Izboren-kodeks/blob/master/README.md

Монреал

Sunday, 14 July 2013
Time12:00 until 13:30 in EDT

Виена

Протестите в Родината не заглъхват, напротив народното недоволство нараства ден след ден ! Нека покажем, че се гордеем с нашата силна нация! Нека покажем на сънародниците ни, че оценяваме и се възхищаваме от това , което правят те в България и за нас !!! 

Сидни

Символичен протест за подкрепа на демократичните промени в България и премахване на мафията от държавното управление!

Ню Йорк

Cкъпи българи,

Нека се съберем, за да изразим подкрепатa си към нашите сънародници в България, които безотказно се борят срещу олигархията във властта. 
Протестът e мирен и не е в услуга на една или друга политическа партия.

Място на протеста:

- Неделя, 14 юли, 17:00- 20:00ч. - Brooklyn Bridge
Mястото на срещата ще бъде в Cadman Plaza Park пред Brooklyn War Memorial срещу игрището. Cadman Plaza Park се намира в Brooklyn, в близост до Brooklyn Bridge. В самия парк има спирка на метрата А и С.
Протестът ще започне от парка, ще премине през Brooklyn Bridge, което би трябвало да отнеме около 30-40 миннути, и ще завърши пред City Hall в Манхатън.


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Dear Bulgarians,

Let’s gather to show solidarity for our compatriots in Bulgaria, who relentlessly protest against oligarchy in power 

This protest is peaceful and does not favor any political party!

Date and place of the protest:

Sunday, July 14th
from 5:00-7:30pm PM 
Brooklyn Bridge, New York, NY

Сан Франциско

Призовавам тук в тази група да обединим усилия и да покажем пълната си подкрепа към това, което се случва в България!!!
Нека накараме света да обърне внимание на протестите в цялата страна!
Ние, българите от Сан Франциско Залив искаме да поканим всички българи от района да се присъединят към нас и заедно да изразим своята подкрепа към нашите сънародници в България, протестиращи срещу престъпното управление на тройната коалиция БСП-ДПС-АТАКА. Искаме незабавна оставка на правителството на Орешарски.

Лос Анджелес

Тази неделя има глобален ден на протести на българи по цял свят. Нека да се включим и в Лос Анджелес!

Вашингтон

Приятели и българи от Вашингтон и околностите,

Този уикeнд става 1 месец от началото на масовия протест в София. Ако имате време и желание, нека се съберем неделя следобед пред посолството за нищо повече от една групова снимка в подкрепа и солидарност с хилядите протестиращи в София всеки ден. Трудно е да се конкурираме с искреността и оргиналността на софийските плакати, но може да опитаме. Споделете и с ваши близки и познати във Facebook и заповядайте пред посолството около 12 часа неделя следобед (12 p.m.). 

Are they reformed?

I am not a Socialist. Even less am I a Bulgarian Socialist. The transition in Bulgaria has been such a wayward, idiosyncratic exercise that I – as  one who caught the last years of communism but who has fought for democracy after coming of age afterwards – define myself as right-of-centre in Bulgaria and centre-left out of Bulgaria. I have spent time in London, Sarajevo and Belgrade, sufficient time. There, I felt comfortable with the centre-left option: I like Labour more than the Tories (and even the LibDems), I used to like the Social Democrats (SDP) in Bosnia and the Democrats (DS) in Serbia before they decided to ruin themselves. I also read a lot, and I think the social democratic parties in Europe are sensible.

After the Party of European Socialists (PES) elected the Bulgarian Socialist leader, Sergei Stanishev, as its head, I thought there was a real chance for reform in this decaying, oligarchic structure called the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). I thought – okay, this guy is of the same dough, a totalitarian child, Moscow-educated, hadn’t had a real job except party posts, but PES elected him as its chairman. Maybe this is a good sign: he will reform the party secretly from within. He rants about the usefulness of the Russian Belene nuclear power plant project, he seizes every opportunity to disgrace true centre-right reformists in Bulgaria, but after all he may be Europe’s secret weapon to reform my own Communists. Every person in the ex-Soviet bloc has their own Communists. Ask Kundera.

I have many Bulgarian Socialist friends. I admire them for their perseverance.

But Stanishev and his BSP now took a huge shit on both my friends’ beliefs and on my hopes that one day the Bulgarian left may be worth it. He appointed a mafia guy to take care of national security; he relies on the support of a far-right populist and Bulgarian neo-Nazi in parliament, even tolerating this guy’s appointment as head of the parliamentary ethics and anti-corruption committee; his foreign minister appoints former communist state security spies as chiefs at the ministry. He refuses to admit that there are tens-of-thousands-strong legitimate protests against him and the essence of this government taking place every single day in the capital. He says “these are only a couple of thousand of Sofians; it’s not Bulgaria.” It’s just like a quarter of a century ago, when his mother party invented the “Sofia citizenship” thing to separate people.

I am asking now – asking PES and all the people of Europe, for whose values I won’t stop fighting; Europe, our sacred home: Are they reformed?

Bulgaria’s protests and political crisis: a mixed blessing

Several things come to mind about what happened in Bulgaria over the last weeks (the street protests and the eventual resignation of the government led by PM Boiko Borisov on 20 February):

                                          Photo courtesy dariknews.bg

1) To be clear, the protests did not begin in February 2013: they only intensified to a mass scale this month, triggered by unbearably high electricity bills many people across the country received in January and February. Before that, there were regular, though low-scale and segregated, civil expressions of disagreement in Sofia and other big cities on various issues such as environmental and development policies and unpaid salaries in big state-owned firms. But there is this particular characteristic of Bulgarian citizenry: it is only aroused to mass civil action when something hits directly, and massively, its pocket. Back in 1997, when the truest democratic revolution took place in Bulgaria (1989 was only a coup d'état within the Bulgarian Communist Party followed by a mimicry of reforms), it was hyper-inflation and collapse of the banking system, leading to loss of savings and mass poverty, that drove people on the streets. They were not much impressed by the failure of democratisation after 1989. Now, it was the electricity bills. Of course, these are quite legitimate causes of protest. They seem to be the most effective ones in awakening the Bulgarian public conscience.

2) The mass protest action was spurred by the absurdly high electricity bills, but subsequently other legitimate, more general claims were posed by the citizens. They were disappointed with the political system in general, and found a vent in this budding mass action. They wanted a thorough change towards true democracy and citizens’ participation. These were not partisan protests: they were essentially against all political parties and the establishment as a whole. Also, they were not explicitly anti-austerity protests, as many Western media commented. Bulgaria has been implementing austerity ever since 1997. They were against the monopoly structures that command huge bits of the economy with the consent and collaboration of recurring governments – not only the current government – smothering small and medium-sized private initiative and ordinary earners with high end-prices. These monopolies are in the power sector, fuels, pharmaceutical industry, agriculture, even airport services.

For the London people, the 2nd festival of Bulgarian culture is on in November

The website presentation is cool, and I think it was high time the Mission London prejudice faced some substantial address.

Take a look at the programme here.