Sunday, March 20, 2005
That's how I like my community of the faithful
(That's right -- the sign outside the best-preserved synagogue in Hungary, located in Pecs (about 250km south of Budapest), *may or may not* read: "good and cheap."
Friday, March 18, 2005
Zeljka's Vujcic's latest article in Transitions Online offers a pretty thorough summary of the issues involved in Wednesday's EU Council decision not to open membership negotiations with Croatia this week. (I do, however, somewhat take issue with labeling the decision "unprecedent." Has the Council ever postponed talks over an ICTY indictment? No, but then again it's never considered an application for membership from a country served ICTY indictments against its citizens. I mean, Rwanda hasn't even *applied.*)
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Am I just spinning my wheels with Blogger? Should I make the big $8.95 plunge to TypePad? (And for that matter, any ideas why the posts I submit by email always come out misformatted?)
While pretty everyone in the foreground was prattling on about the EU Council of Minister's Wednesday evening decision to postpone opening membership negotiations with Croatia pending full cooperation with ICTY, unnaturally warm weather and rather lousy living conditions brought a few thousand pensioners to the streets of Zagreb in protest. Mind you, Croatia spends more on pensions that pretty much every other country in Europe -- an impressive statement when you look at the competition. But with retirement ages below 50, special exemptions for everyone from ballerinas to war veterans, and some of the most untargeted disabilities entitlements I've ever seen, fully one quarter of the Croatian population receives a pension at any one time. Pensioners constitute over a third of the electorate. Go on. Rile them at your (political) peril.
So with tensions mounting in the square on Wednesday, a prominent city official took to the stage to simultaneously egg on the pensioners and playdown the Council decision. Unfortunately, something went wrong in the delivery:
"The problem with Croatia is not Ante Gotovina! The problem is you!"
Much cheering (and a little snickering from Joshie) ensued.
So with tensions mounting in the square on Wednesday, a prominent city official took to the stage to simultaneously egg on the pensioners and playdown the Council decision. Unfortunately, something went wrong in the delivery:
"The problem with Croatia is not Ante Gotovina! The problem is you!"
Much cheering (and a little snickering from Joshie) ensued.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the story of my life.
I'm sorry -- did you say...? That's right. There is *no* waffle iron.
That?! We waited 6 weeks for that? Look. (Luk? Did you say 'arch?' Onion?) I'm pacing myself here. I mean, it's not like you can just turn this wit on and off. I'm not a faucet, per se, you know. You have to warm me up. Take me out to dinner first. Whisper sweet things in my ear. Tell me you read my article in Foreign Affairs. Tell you you're prepared to devote your life to undoing what Noam Chomsky's done. Tell me George Soros is just one of *many* self-indulgent Hungarian men. Lie to me if you have to. And then, perhaps, we'll see if we can't blog about. So as I was saying: that's right, I'm proud to announce: it's started being funny again.
I'm sorry -- did you say...? That's right. There is *no* waffle iron.
That?! We waited 6 weeks for that? Look. (Luk? Did you say 'arch?' Onion?) I'm pacing myself here. I mean, it's not like you can just turn this wit on and off. I'm not a faucet, per se, you know. You have to warm me up. Take me out to dinner first. Whisper sweet things in my ear. Tell me you read my article in Foreign Affairs. Tell you you're prepared to devote your life to undoing what Noam Chomsky's done. Tell me George Soros is just one of *many* self-indulgent Hungarian men. Lie to me if you have to. And then, perhaps, we'll see if we can't blog about. So as I was saying: that's right, I'm proud to announce: it's started being funny again.
Danas je . Čitate stalno Joshievo izaslanstvo.