Eastern Europe

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Holidaymakers turn to eastern Europe as euro prices surge

Hundreds of thousands of families are abandoning the Costa del Sol and other traditional holiday destinations for eastern Europe and north Africa to escape the punitive euro exchange rate.

New Infinite Matrix ish with my "Nimby and the D-Hoppers," Tesanovic, and Dubinianska

Infinite Matrix editor Eileen Gunn sez, "I've put up a new issue of the Infinite Matrix -- in honor of Cory's birthday and because I have three great stories the world needs to read: a reprint of Cory's fine Nimby and the Dimension Hoppers and two excellent stories by writers from Eastern Europe: Serbian activist and writer Yasmina Tesanovic's charming Cats and Cars at and Ukrainian SF writer Yana Dubinianska's spine-tingling Barge over Black Water. " Nimby and the D-Hoppers is one of my most widely reprinted stories, and it's one of a very small handful of stories that I hadn't yet published for free online, though it has been released as CC-licensed podcasts and a CC licensed comic. As with the other adaptations, the text is Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. And yup, yesterday was my birthday! I'm 37, which means I'm now in my prime. It sure beats being a total square at 36. Link...

Partition in Scotland

From the GuardianI would not lose any sleep if the Scots voted to repeal the 1707 act. Independence need not end the United Kingdom: Scotland and England shared a monarch before 1707, as Britain and Canada do today. Separation need be no more radical than the partial autonomy of a dozen European countries from their neighbours. Borders were not sealed or passports cancelled under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. If eastern Europe can handle partition, so can Britain.The phased withdrawal of the subvention would be traumatic, but it would do Scotland nothing but good to learn that public money does not grow on English trees. If economic history teaches anything, it is that huge inflows of aid rot an economy, while "unearned" wealth, as from oil, is usually wasted. The phased end of the subsidy would be thoroughly good for Scotland, not bad.Partition is the new politics, despite being the hobgoblin of centralism. It is through partition that Ireland is booming, Slovakia reviving and the Baltic states prospering. The British government is in favour of it for everyone else, even forcing it on the former Yugoslavia and Iraq/Kurdistan. This year it welcomed Montenegro to Europe's community. By what hypocrisy do Westminster grandees ridicule Scotland's ambition?Big federal states were fine when governments were small and unobtrusive. Today's governments are elephantine and unresponsive to local sentiment. That is why Spain, France and Italy have all opted for constitutional devolution in the past two decades, fending off separatist pressure. Anti-federalism is why European public opinion revolted against Brussels last year, and why there is no more talk of a Scandinavian union. As for size being crucial to viability, this is corporatist rubbish. If Denmark is viable, why not Scotland?All such considerations must anyway bow before self-determination. If the Scots want to repeal the 1707 act (as some Britons want to repeal the European Union's treaties), the British cannot deny it. The story of the past quarter-century is that states enjoy no legitimacy without the consent of their territorial minorities. Britain went to war for this principle in Kosovo.

How to See 93 Million Miles: Plan a Trip to a Total Solar Eclipse

A total solar eclipse will cut a swath of shadow through Greenland, the Arctic, Russia, Mongolia and China on August 1. And thousands of people will travel to remote locations just to stand in the dark for three minutes -- and maybe perceive the vast size of the solar system. Locations are rarely convenient, and planning a successful eclipse trip involves specialized maps, astronomical charts, statistical weather data, GPS and optical gear, backcountry camping equipment (perhaps), and a good working relationship with uncertainty. The reward, though, can be like a short trip into space. The corona itself is a big freakish thing: a feathery halo of streaming particles along magnetic field lines, which look not like nice summer rays but kill-you-dead radiation. It's also so big and far away as to bend one's sense of scale. At least three planets are usually visible, and this August there will be four: Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Mars. On my second eclipse the sight of the sun and grouping of planets overtook me: I knew I was looking at the Middle. The absence of the blinding photosphere provides depth perception, with the corona serving as a reference point relative to the planets in front of and beyond the sun. It allows you to see the big mechanical picture, like a life-sized version of the classroom model, minus a few parts. With some mental effort, it's possible to actually grasp a sense of the size of the solar system. It can crack your brain a bit. I've seen three solar eclipses, venturing to Eastern Europe, South America and Africa. The plan this time is to trek into the Gobi Desert from Mongolia, where transport options are restricted to Jeep and camel, to an area in the center of the shadow's path in China. That's the plan, at least. There are border and government permission issues to deal with, and plans may not survive first contact. There's the part about actually getting there. In my eclipse travels I've canoed down the Zambezi River under a cloud of migrating bees, helped push a jackknifed tractor trailer over a cliff to clear a mountain road, hitchhiked with a Catholic priest who offered to sell me diamonds, and found myself atop crests of dunes with nomadic, eclipse-chasing ravers with black circles and orange halos painted on their foreheads. Every trip is jammed with this stuff. Information The place to start is the NASA eclipse page, administered by the godfather of eclipse chasing, astronomer Fred Espenak, with help from Canadian meteorologist Jay Anderson. The repeating orbital geometries of the sun, Earth and moon, called the Saros cycles, result in total solar eclipses (when the moon completely blocks the sun) every year or two somewhere in the world. This site posts maps of the umbral paths as well as a trove of other resources, including photography guides. Shadow Time This year's eclipse traverses thousands of miles between Canada and China, so how do you pick a spot? Factor No. 1 is duration; You want as much time as possible. The point of greatest eclipse, where the shadow hits the surface of the Earth most head-on and lasts the longest, is near the Russian city of Nadym, with 2 minutes, 27 seconds, of totality beginning at 3:27:07 p.m. local time. An important note: A partial eclipse is not worth traveling to. Even 99 percent coverage results in 100 percent disappointment. Good Weather Factor No. 2, probability of clear skies, often trumps factor No. 1. Statistical weather data indicates an average August cloud amount of 60 percent in Nadym -- not a good bet. Weather prospects are terrible for most of the path except for one area showing under 30 percent, marked on a meteorological map by a tiny beige blob between the Chinese towns of Yiwu and Nom. It would be easiest to begin in China and travel to this area, but the rest of my trip is focused in Mongolia, which makes planning more difficult. In any case, this brings us to the fun part: local circumstances and conditions. Travel Maybe your spot's in a war zone, or an atoll in the Pacific, or some other back-of-beyond. Can you take a train? A bus? A donkey cart? Keep in mind that forests and buildings obscure sightlines, and nearby mountains usually create convective clouds in otherwise-clear areas. Also, a dramatic natural event loses a bit of charm when viewed from the shoulder of a busy highway, or overlooking a sewage-treatment plant. Research transport and site choice details by all available means (Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Google Earth, embassies, friends), scout your location as early as possible upon arrival, and be prepared to move. Gear As for gear, one essential item is eclipse-viewing shades. Aluminized Mylar or No. 14 welder's glass works well, and disposable cardboard glasses with protective filters can be ordered online. Even a bare cuticle of sunlight can fry your retinas when you stare at it, but the only way to experience totality is with your own eyes, and it's even better with magnification if you're willing to lug some gear. Astrophotographers come equipped with big lenses and solar filters designed (and required) especially for this purpose. A look through a properly equipped telescope will blow your mind with views of huge arcs of flame, called prominences, erupting off the sun's limb, as well as sunspots and close-ups of the corona, millions of kelvins hot. Shadow Protocol Timing here is critical, as the second-contact phenomena, when totality is beginning, are spectacular. Over a few short seconds the sun narrows to a sliver, and everything around you shimmers as though the air itself is polarized. Planets and a few bright stars appear. People begin to shout and applaud at the last hot gleam of the sun, set atop the crescent like an oozing orange-white gem -- the "diamond ring effect." This immediately breaks apart into a fiery arc of beads, known as "Bailey's beads," as the profile of the mountains on the moon obscures all but a few rays shining through the valleys. Then it's lights out, leaving only the glow of a pearlescent, feathery halo around a black, unnatural anti-sun. Unfamiliar constellations appear as your eyes adjust, and the corona begins to stretch outward. The temperature drops by almost 10 degrees, and depending on where you are, crickets may begin to chirp and mosquitoes bite, as confused animals begin their evening routines. Now's the time to get your imagination working -- and stop fooling with the photographic gear! The continuous blast of stuff from that thing 93 million miles away -- yes, you can see what 93 million miles away looks like -- is what warms your face, lights up the poles with washes of color, makes plants grow, triggers vitamin-D synthesis in our bodies and drives all of our weather. That thing all the way out there is responsible for ? everything. Wow. Then after a period lasting anywhere from several seconds to a theoretical maximum of about 7½ minutes, a blast of light wipes the sky clean of space. The temperature rises, roosters crow, and the whole thing seems like it never happened. The World Atlas of Solar Eclipse Maps on the NASA page illustrates eclipse locations for the next 90 years. You could find yourself anywhere from a monastery in Bhutan to a farm in the Ozarks, with a view of a sky hardly anyone gets to see. Links: General NASA Solar Eclipse 2008 Eclipse Chasers' Webring Photography Astronomer Fred Espenak's MrEclipse.com website Eclipse Chaser (photo and other links) Specialty tour operators Ring of Fire Expeditions Tropical Sails Winco Eclipse Tours

***5-6 MONTH SUBLET in SOMA! Great Location/Free Laundry+Internet! *** (SOMA / south beach) $815 1bd

Hello, There is a one bedroom 5-6 month sublet available in a top floor Edwardian house located in SOMA. It is a sunny, medium sized room with a large closet. There are 2 other bedrooms and 2 full sized bathrooms in the apartment. The apartment is spacious, and has hard wood floors throughout. There is a deck which is great for morning breakfast or sunning yourself. Free Laundry and some storage is available in the basement. This area of SOMA is centrally located to 3 major grocery stores (Whole Foods, Rainbow Grocery, & Trader Joe's), within 5 minutes walking distance to downtown, and has many nearby nightclubs and cafes. Oh, BART/MUNI/ and many major bus lines within 5 minutes walking distance. US: You'd be sharing the apartment with 3 other women in their 30's who are very mellow and kind. Two of the women are from Eastern Europe, and the other is American. One of the bedrooms is shared by the two women who are a couple. We also have 2 lovely, older female cats! Our interests are as diverse and as eclectic as our household. We enjoy: traveling (especially travels off the beaten path), holistic healing and bodywork, snow sports, deejaying, organic cooking, meditation, dancing, singing, and festivals. YOU: Mellow, financially stable (or have money stashed in the Cayman Islands), open minded, relatively neat,engaging, and have good common sense (take the initiative if something needs to be done in the house). We are looking for someone who'd be a great addition to our vibrant space! p.s. Sorry, but no couples. The room is for a 5-6 month sublet. DO not respond to the add if you don't need it this long. Thanks

AP ignored Gates' support for diplomacy with Iran, reported Obama is "inexperienced in foreign affairs"

In a June 5 Associated Press article discussing Sen. Barack Obama's and Sen. John McCain's positions on direct diplomacy with Iran, diplomatic writer Barry Schweid reported that "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a key player for eight years in the Bush administration's strategy to try to isolate Iran, told AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] on Tuesday that there is no point engaging Iran 'while they continue to inch closer to a nuclear weapon under the cover of talks.' " But, while noting that former Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine Albright took a different position in a speech two years ago, Schweid did not note that President Bush's own secretary of defense, Robert Gates, has also reportedly taken a position different from that reportedly articulated by Rice: According to The Washington Post, Gates said of meeting with Iran: "We need to figure out a way to develop some leverage ... and then sit down and talk with them. ... If there is going to be a discussion, then they need something, too. We can't go to a discussion and be completely the demander, with them not feeling that they need anything from us." Schweid also reported: "Obama, by contrast [to McCain], is decades younger and inexperienced in foreign affairs. His political success until now is powered to a large extent by his youthful optimism for 'change.' While that may ignite enthusiasm it also could inspire allegations of naivete." Schweid offered no support for his characterization of Obama as "inexperienced in foreign affairs." In fact, as Media Matters for America has documented, Obama has served on the Foreign Relations Committee since his election to the Senate and has visited Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa as a senator. Additionally, Obama has sponsored several pieces of foreign policy legislation, including the Nuclear Weapons Threat Reduction Act of 2007 to eliminate weapons stockpiles and reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction -- portions of which were enacted as part of the omnibus appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2008 -- and the Democratic Republic of Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act, which was enacted on December 22, 2006. Further, in contrast with his characterization of Obama as "inexperienced in foreign affairs" and vulnerable to "allegations of naivete," Schweid wrote that "[e]xperience is a strength [McCain] intends to help carry him into the White House," without noting any of several falsehoods and misstatements by McCain on national security and foreign affairs and without noting that, notwithstanding McCain's purported "strength" on foreign policy, 62 percent of respondents in a recent Quinnipiac University poll asserted that it was the "wrong thing" for United States to go to war in Iraq, which McCain supported and continues to support. From the June 5 AP article: McCain is positioning himself as the experienced former U.S. Navy officer and war prisoner who is motivated by hard reasoning. Experience is a strength he intends to help carry him into the White House. Obama, by contrast, is decades younger and inexperienced in foreign affairs. His political success until now is powered to a large extent by his youthful optimism for "change." While that may ignite enthusiasm it also could inspire allegations of naivete. Both candidates, then, would seem to have an incentive for prolonging the debate over talking to Iran. Would a high-level exchange, one for instance between the American and Iranian presidents, accomplish anything? Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a key player for eight years in the Bush administration's strategy to try to isolate Iran, told AIPAC on Tuesday that there is no point engaging Iran "while they continue to inch closer to a nuclear weapon under the cover of talks." On the other hand, Madeleine Albright, secretary of state in the Clinton administration, said two years ago that the stakes are too high to avoid contact with Iran. "Engagement is not appeasement," she said in criticizing Bush administration policy. "Diplomacy is a mechanism for the U.S. to send a tough message."

France to let in eastern workers

President Sarkozy says France will open its labour market in July to eight EU members in Central and Eastern Europe.