babelblogs | cafebabel.com

Why? Why on earth are we the third country in the world to military expenses? Is Europe voluntarily “blind” over the matter?

Elina Makri — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:12:28 -0000

No job, no perspective" - 1st impressions from the BabelWien conference: "

Stefan Fersterer — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:39:49 -0000

Greece that whole Europe is observing

Elina Makri — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:07:21 -0000

10 Things you should definitely do while in Germany

Antoaneta Ivanova — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:39:09 -0000

Finding Việt N(y)am in Hungary

Jukka — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:32:56 -0000

Written by Lien Hoang

Việt Nam and Hungary go together as obviously as, well, let's say their respective soupy icons, pho and goulash. But as a Việt Nam-born student in Hungary, I take any reason to blend the two countries. Enter Édenkert, the house of Vietnamese culture and food, located on the outskirts of Budapest.

I expected another night of bad Vietnamese cuisine, but it turned out the place's raison d'être is not completely culinary. After my friend and I ordered dinner, the effusive owner, Nguyen Phuong Thao, gave us a tour of her establishment. Or more accurately, she whisked us from room to room of the three-story, museum-like edifice she opened two years ago. Thao might be justification alone to visit. The petite, instinctively cheery entrepreneur didn't just take to me because we're from the same hometown (the old imperial capital Hue, displayed dramatically in a person-sized wall photo of the ancient palace in central Việt Nam). She was just as exuberant to my friend, switching fluently and fluidly between Vietnamese and Hungarian.

More fights over Vilnius space: nationalists are kosher?

Daiva Repečkaitė — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:43:20 -0000

...somewhere in Brussels.

Elina Makri — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:49:42 -0000

Unpleasant side of spending time on the beach

Daiva Repečkaitė — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:00:03 -0000

Tel Aviv has a very long coastline and has many diverse beaches for all tastes. Now that I live in South Tel Aviv, I go to the southernmost one. Something I noticed yesterday exposed the fact that not all beaches are treated and serviced equally.

Sweden to recognize Armenian and Pontian Greeks genocides

lycanthrope — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:50:42 -0000

Ozpetek’s Loose Cannons in competition at Tribeca

valerio caruso — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:15:42 -0000

Freiburg explores world cinema

valerio caruso — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:11:41 -0000

Greek Point Supreme Architects win EUROPAN Trondheim, Norway

Elina Makri — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:03:02 -0000

EXPERIENCING CULTURE SHOCK?!

Pablomombo — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:55:53 -0000

The Experience of Ridesharing

Antoaneta Ivanova — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:39:17 -0000

It’s Norway rising in Rouen

valerio caruso — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:29:13 -0000

New Polish cinema showcased at Filmland Polen

valerio caruso — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:58:51 -0000

Belfast celebrates 10th birthday with Triage, Tetro

valerio caruso — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:26:42 -0000

Finally Greece joins Visa Waiver Program

Elina Makri — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:21:19 -0000

WANTED: Cafebabel.com looking for 3 journalists + 1 photographer for Vilnius (15th-18th April 2010)

Katharina Kloss — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:38:52 -0000

Election Bazaar in Iraq ongoing

Ari Rusila — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:47 -0000

“Obama and the Europeans” at the Burgtheater

Mélanie Sueur — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:10:01 -0000

By Alexandra Skwara

The latest instalment in the Debating Europe series presented an array of Atlanticist viewpoints, but not enough real debate.

Watch the news on EuroparlTV

Jean Anot — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:57:21 -0000

New EU economic strategy - Repeating the failure of Lisbon strategy

Laura — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:05:07 -0000

Join our Greek naked conversations!

Elina Makri — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:02:58 -0000

One Red Paperclip!

Elina Makri — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:59:22 -0000

His Majesty – the World

Antoaneta Ivanova — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:53:13 -0000

Blog under attack!

Daiva Repečkaitė — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:52:00 -0000

Urban space and politics, not sex

Daiva Repečkaitė — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:19:09 -0000

As some of you know, Lithuania is waiting (or not) for its first LGBT parade/demo on the 8th of May. It was, as expected, a very controversial issue, yet the way it will go will provide an important test for Lithuanian democracy.

Join the initiative for Haiti, tonight in Brussels

Mana Livardjani — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:02:45 -0000

European films fill Febiofest line up

valerio caruso — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:57:10 -0000

Global Warming: Talking Hot Air in Copenhagen and Vienna

Mélanie Sueur — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:31:43 -0000

By Daniel Speich

On 18^th December 2009, the Bella Center – Copenhagen’s largest conference center just 10 minutes drive away from the airport of Denmark’s capital – finally closed its doors as the discussions on solutions for global warming concluded, and the last representatives of the 192 participating countries of the 15^th Conference of Parties (COP), colloquially known as the United Nations Climate Change Conference, departed.

The disappointed facial expressions, however, say more than the final declaration of the world leaders: Europe, China, India and America, the major polluters, didn’t achieve a worldwide roadmap for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly those of CO2 and methane gas. Clearly, national interests won. However, the Guardian highlights some positive aspects as well: while no binding commitments to cut emissions were made, at least the delegates agreed to establish a fund to help poor countries adapt to the threat of climate change. This fund will initially contain 30 billion dollars per year, a sum which will rise to 100 billion dollars by 2020.

Graffiti Radio – We don’t protect people only from bad music

Antoaneta Ivanova — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:09:06 -0000

Safeguarding the food we eat

Mélanie Sueur — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:32:42 -0000

The EU and food safety

By [Daniel Spichtinger|http://www.cafebabel.de/profile/display/4d7e9a6a-fc10-102c-9b39-e5384fe1717a/]

Nearly every day the media inform us about healthy and not so healthy eating habits (such as the worrying rise of obesity in Europe) and about real or perceived food scares. The EU is now the biggest global importer and exporter of food and the global trade in food has very real implications for all of us. As an example, contaminated milk in China has a potential impact on the safety of cookies sold in the Netherlands. At the same time we are asked to consider the environmental cost of shipping food over large distances and NGOs urge us to grow locally produced food. Many of these issues have led to low “trust” and “confidence” in food in some countries.

Support from alcohol or tobacco businesses: between demand and ethics

Domantas Sirvinskas — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:15:42 -0000

Welcome to doingood.cafebabel.com

Domantas Sirvinskas — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:14:32 -0000

A tea party for Britain?

Dave Keating — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:20:53 -0000

If you want a laugh this afternoon, check out this video of Tory MEP Daniel Hannan on Fox News in America talking about his efforts to bring the anti-government “tea party” movement to the UK.

The idea that this rag-tag movement of disaffected, gun-toting right-wingers with funny hats could ever catch on in the United Kingdom is laughably absurd. I probably couldn’t think of a more un-British phenomenon. But perhaps the most amusing part of this clip is watching Fox’s Neil Cavuto pretend that he knows anything about European politics.

Who knows how many people actually turned up to Hannan’s little gathering, I certainly didn’t hear anything about it in the British media (a quick check reveals about 100 people showed up). But though he may be on the fringe of British politics and is an unwanted thorn in the side of Tory leader David Cameron, it is important to remember Hannan is still a Tory politician. His brand of populist, anti-government rhetoric is just an extreme representation of a strain of thought that is still deeply engrained in the Tory psyche.

His & Hers wins Dublin award

valerio caruso — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:44:28 -0000

Alternative Casimir market in Vilnius

Daiva Repečkaitė — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:45:56 -0000

Tired of the pseudo-folk traditional Casimir market (which, despite all criticism, does have good stuff in it, I must say)? Try the new one. Sorry, the announcement is in Lithuanian, but I will translate the basic info.

A snippet view of cultural diversity: what the Google Books Settlement means for Europe

Rob Compton — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:07:42 -0000

Have you ever done a search on Google Books and been annoyed at seeing only ‘snippet views’ of the book you wanted? In theory, we all know this has to do with copyright – information being expensive to produce but cheap to reproduce, authors have a right to be rewarded for their work and protected against its unlawful distribution. In practice, you may be ever so slightly irritated. By Anne-Kathrin Marquardt

Diplomacy and Social Networks

Elina Makri — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:42:46 -0000

Few things you shouldn’t miss out on living in a student’s dorm

Antoaneta Ivanova — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:58:30 -0000

On texts

Daiva Repečkaitė — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:32:19 -0000

I sometimes get comments both to this blog and the Lithuanian one, saying that the statements in one or another blog entry are "not objective", "biased", etc. Hence today I wanted to share some basic knowledge about categories in opinion journalism. I hope that you'll excuse me for only refering to Wikipedia, but these things are encyclopaedially basic :)

Condescend or help?

piola — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:54:00 -0000

What is the role of Bulgaria for Turkey accession to the EU?:The Rebate of the Debate

Babel Sofia — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:21:36 -0000

We were tempted to start this blog entry by retelling you a scene from “Pearl” ("Gumus") but we couldn’t. Why? Simply because none of us has even a clue what the plot is about or has watched a series. For better or for worse, it has turned out that this is what defines the Bulgarian public opinion on Turkey.

Le Sketch 9 out and free on demand!

Marco Riciputi — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 10:43:52 -0000

The Growing “European Family” From the Dream to the Reality

Babel Sofia — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:39:42 -0000

In the past Europe was the most controversial continent and nowadays is one of the most peaceful and powerful regions, that still searches to find its unification and completeness.

Guy Verhofstadt, Honorary President of the Union of the European Federalists - Belgium

Mana Livardjani — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:55:15 -0000

Bad taste - big success?

Daiva Repečkaitė — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:42:23 -0000

Population Growth and urban development, what is the future of European cities? DEBATE WITH US ON MARCH 2!

Mana Livardjani — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:10:09 -0000

Czech and Slovak documentaries at SXSW

valerio caruso — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:27:44 -0000