China is a destination I’m certainly not interested in, but I guess one could consider it as a hub to Japan or Korea. I guess Southeast Asian destinations are still better reachable from Istanbul.

Нямам представа за Пловдив. Сигурно е толкова смотан, че никой не го ползва - все пак е сравнително малък град и хората си намират алтернативи.

Изненадвам се, че не знаеш, че в България (непроменено от времето на соца) синдикалистите са като поповете, шефовете са спортни федерации, съдиите и общо взето всички, които могат да поведат някаква обществена инициатива - назначени от някое от безкрайните разклонения на ДС.

Специално синдикатите са несменяеми и от десетилетия правят всичко възможно каквато и да е форма на колективен труд да е зависима от работодателя си възможно най-много. По конкретно, последно отрязаха каквито и да е опити за трансформиране на минната индустрия в нещо съвременно. Случаен пример: https://www.investor.bg/a/518-energetika/380347-ot-sotsialni-do-energiyni-kakvi-mozhe-da-sa-posleditsite-ot-zatvaryane-na-mini-maritsa-iztok

Ваня Григорова не е просто от някаква си лява партия. Тя се гордее, че е дългогодишен синдикалист, т.е. борец за правата на работническата класа. Но явно я интересуват само работници, които не са нощна смяна. Защото в София много хора работят през нощта.

Приеха си го https://www.mediapool.bg/noshtniyat-transport-v-sofiya-veche-samo-po-dve-linii-v-petak-i-sabota-news367111.html

Looks like some sort of Suillus. Was it “oily” when you touch its top?

Габрово е на линия.

Yes, and that’s why this organisation was called internal

The Black Sea is their one and only domestic summer holiday destination… Used to be.

Chernobyl’s radiation is invisible. Everyone in Ruskiy Mir goes (or dreams of going) to the Black Sea in summer and could see and smell the mazut being thrown out all over the beach for the decades to come.

On top of that, tell the average conspiracy theorist that this was not part of a grand real estate speculation…

Not something that affects many people. By Moscow standards, several tens of thousands is a few apartment buildings.

I think the font for Slavs can’t be right. How about using BukyVede?

With Bulgarians it’s enough telling them that those ignorant Westerners can’t distinguish between Greeks and Thracians. Something similar could work with Romanian about Dacians. With Serbs I don’t see this working - it would mean they are Macedonian, and I don’t see how they could swallow that.

More of the same then… not great, not terrible. :P

Thanks for sharing this. If anyone needs it, I found a version of the article in English: https://gong.hr/en/2025/01/10/research-on-milanovics-bots-has-serious-shortcomings/

Then it’s just me thinking that a “scientist” is better than “populist” :) I did read it in the light of this comparison.

I’m quite convinced that “part of the problem” is that unlike the 20th century, people are empowered now. Even in the West, rights movements were exceptions before. The norm was that decisions were taken by a political class and people got to follow them on TV.

Now we have discussions like this one, populist parties established in politics, foreign and business actors trying to meddle with internal politics. The last one is happening because people’s opinions matter. And we find out (maybe we knew it, maybe not) that the majority of people are short-sighted egoists that are actually continuously making decisions against their own interests.

Thank you for this, I hadn’t read Matei Visniec before. It does sound very convincing.

And while we are on it, here’s another thinker from the wider region that speaks of related topics (even if in the 90s) and lived in France: https://www.kairospresse.be/interview-of-daniel-mermet-with-cornelius-castoriadis/

If you don’t have time to read all, consider at least the part about pseudo-democracy.

The Associated Press does paint Primorac in better colours https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-populist-and-the-scientist-croatia-s-presidential-candidates/ar-BB1rcsvl

Holiday street decorations?

I can only admire how well informed you are and put my hope with your optimism.