Link Dump!

Hodgepodge of links for Halloween:

Breaking news: UNESCO has voted to give Palestine full membership, and the U.S. cuts funding, which consists of about 20% of UNESCO's budget. Here's how the voting panned out.

Eco-friendly: The House of Plastic Bottles in Argentina, giving new life to reduce, reuse, recycle

Current events: Devastating floods in Thailand, called PM Yingluck's Katrina, and the calamity of certain administrations when dealing with natural disasters

Economy: Poland is still holding strong and is turning more to shale gas for increased energy independence

Immigration: 50 years of Multikulti in Germany

Trade: Discontent between U.S. and China, trade relations, and China's devalued currency so that a weaker currency leading to a stronger economy

Divided State: Kosovo's future? But where does the sub-division stop, and how to avoid a Pandora's Box of ethnic tensions? And in a state that has defined itself by the current borders?

Language tools: Linguae Live.ca

Fun: Pie and Prosperity (1902 NYT article)

POTUS in PL

President Obama wrapped up this week's European tour with a stop in Warszawa, Poland. His talks focused on mending fences between the two countries, but he remained mum on the issue that causes the most discontent among Polish people: the visa restrictions. Along with most of the former-Eastern Bloc turned-EU member states, Polish citizens are required to get a visa to even visit the U.S. With many relatives and friends in the U.S. (especially in Chicago), Poles are anxious to have this restriction lifted.

Smoleńsk: A Year Later

A year ago today, the plane carrying Polish President Kaczyński, his wife, and countless other senior officials in the Polish government crashed in the forests of Smoleńsk, Russia. The leaders of the Polish government were on their way to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyń massacre. All 96 people on board the plane were killed. Many consider this one of the worst tragedies Poland has suffered since World War II.

The tragedy has since become politicized, including the debates over a cross in front of the presidential palace in Warsaw, where Kaczyński should be buried*, the heated divisive politics of twin brother Jarosław Kaczyński and others, and even clashes over the wording of the memorial plague and how the solemn anniversary should be commemorated. Relations between Poland and Russia, which initially seemed to thaw, have since returned to a questionable state, though leaders from both countries continue to commemorate the 2010 Smoleńsk tragedy as well as the 1940 Katyń tragedy this year.

* Rather than being well-loved by all, he was a rather divisive figure, yet he was buried with Polish kings and heroes in the Wawel Cathedral of Kraków, a place considered to be THE heart of the Polish nation

A Glimpse of Erasmus in 30 Seconds

So many languages from all over the world, same message. Because washing machines live longer with Calgon.



Calgon jingle sung by native speakers in: Romanian, German, Italian, Polish, French, Portuguese, and Croatian.

Chilean Rescue

In the midst of all the tragedies and bad news that usually fill the cover stories, it is a relief to see that one that ended happily. As the world watches with joy today, Chile is slowly and carefully bringing each of the 33 miners who were trapped under the earth for two months back to the surface. Watch BBC's live feed here.

Pakistani Floods

Are we tired of hearing about natural disasters this year? Earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, floods across Europe, countless other disasters that have not been given mainstream media attention, and now floods in Pakistan with destruction considered "greater than the damage from the 2004 Asian tsunami, the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake combined." The hard work to build up the infrastructure of this failed state has been washed away. And yet the donors have kept their purses closed. Why doesn't the world care about Pakistanis? If this were a different country, despite the recession and all the other disasters in recent years, it's likely that if would have received media attention more comparable to Haiti or the tsunami, and it's likely that we would all be more generous. Don't get me started on the mosque near the WTC site debate.

For what it's worth, here's yahoo's list of How to Help.

We have a Verdict

Looks like the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was a bit more clear-cut regarding the Kosovo ruling than expected: World Court Rules Kosovo Independence was Legal (also: the NYT initial release)

China, Spain, Russia, and others fear that such a ruling might encourage their own secessionist movements. However, though the media often forgets about this small European nation that is still rebuilding, lessons can also be learned from the long nation-building process in Kosovo.

Twittering Diplomats

I tend to usually fall into the category that mocks all the fuss and "twouble" with Twitters, but the antics of Jared Cohen and Alec Ross might make me rethink this position. As highlighted recently by the NYT, Cohen and Ross are policy advisers to Secretary Hilary Clinton, and they're personally bringing old-fashioned diplomacy into the new digital age. DoS has had an offical blog and official Twitter for a couple years now, but the tweets of 140 characters or less directly from the policy advisers seem to have a fresher, more candid or direct take. Not to mention that the official Twitter has only a fraction of the followers of Cohen or Ross.

A Step Toward a United States of Europe?

... or perhaps just a breath of fresh air to make the unwieldy EU structure a bit more manageable. Either way, the Lisbon Treaty has now been signed by all 27 EU member states and may take effect as soon as December 1. The Lisbon Treaty updates the original 1992 Maastricht Treaty, which formed the European Union, and provides a permanent presidency and foreign minister.

This has been a long time in coming; the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by all the EU member states has taken almost two years--one could argue that that delay itself emphasizes the need for such a treaty. (Indeed, the origins of the Lisbon Treaty can be seen in the proposed and rejected European constitution, which goes back to 2005). Will the creation of a permanent EU presidency and unified foreign affairs activity gradually rob member states of national sovereignty, as many fear? Time will tell.

Sing-along with Gazprom

In the tradition of "Someone Like Putin", a new song is topping Russian charts, which praises the government-owned natural gas monopoly, Gazprom.




Russia holds the largest reserves of natural gas in the world, and Gazprom controls these reserves and the pipelines, servicing much of Europe and Eurasia. Thus, economic disputes often become political, such as when Russia cut off the gas to Ukraine in January of this year. Actually just yesterday, Turkey and the EU signed an agreement to build the Nabucco Pipeline, attempting to bypass Russian soil and thus avoid Russian dependence.

Two Things

Austrian political front: Freedom party leader Joerg Haider, governor of Carinthia, was killed suddenly in a car accident today. See the full report from BBC. Terrible and very sudden, especially considering his party's success in the recent elections.

And just some numbers for reference on the economy: Consider these numbers from when I was abroad and dealing with the rising exchange rates, and now the current rates-- $1.36 for 1€ or $1.86 for 1 GBP.

Just some specifics in case you were wondering.

Austrian Politics

The Freedom Party, one of the youngest political parties in Austria which built its platform on anti-immigration, has been making strides as of late.

Far-Right, Anti-Immigrant Parties Make Gains in Austrian Elections

Not sure how I feel about this one. My Modern Austria class taught how this party was formed only in recent decades and taps into the public's desire for change from the SPÖ (Social Democrats) and ÖVP (People's party/former Christian Socialists)--immigration and the desire to preserve their Austrian-ness was one of the touchy topics that FPÖ tapped into. I admit, I find it hard to consider objectively, as my background in American cities has given me a subconscious expectation for ethnic diversity. However, the word is that the FPÖ is less anti-foreigners than it once was, so we shall see.

Dearly Beloved

Let us pause for a moment to mourn the dollar.


Financially, it has been a rough semester to be abroad in Europe. The last time I traveled (and even until this past summer), the exchange rate never went above 1.33 USD for 1 Euro. When we arrived in Vienna in early January 2008, it had risen to about 1.40 USD per euro. In those short three months since then, the strength of the dollar has fallen dramatically.

The exchange rate is currently at 1.59 dollars per euro. Due to hit 1.60 any day now.

From a student’s perspective, living in a city that relies on cash rather than plastic, this thirty cent change makes a drastic difference. Items remain priced pretty much consistently (0,49 cents for the cheapest small loaf of bread, 1,19 for a liter of milk, 1,90 for a basic cup of coffee, etc). But now multiply that amount by 1.59. That's how much it costs in USD. And don't get me started on the cost of meat. A six-pack of chicken filets can cost nearly 14€-- that's more than $22 for chicken!!! Luckily, I have learned to shop around carefully and get better deals and eat a lot of pork (the most inexpensive meat here because it is most easily available). This is especially painful when considering the cost of traveling--even prices that might seem cheap in Euros actually end up very expensive in dollars. *sigh*

The pound/dollar exchange rate remains one of the worst (2.01 USD for 1 GBP) but at least this rate is constant. The Euro is appreciating as the dollar is quickly depreciating, and Americans in Europe are left in the middle, scrambling for spare change. With no end in sight.