Bulgaria Month

Following the news of the day out of Bulgaria is not for the faint of heart ... Reuters' Irina Ivanova writes that "Bulgarians are set to punish the Socialists in July" and that "Bulgaria's average monthly salary of about 300 euros ($420) remains the lowest in the EU." Despite the country's poor economy--forecasted by the International Monetary Fund to bottom out this year--versatile Nick Iliev's Sofia Echo reporting indicates that "ATM skimming" is a growing industry.

Of course, following the news of yesterday is pretty grim, too. Check out the Bulgaria exhibit at the Global Museum on Communism, which launched yesterday. Its history section includes these two paragraphs about Bulgaria's "People's Courts," which show up again and again in the Collier's Encyclopedia Yearbook reports from the second half of the 1940s:

"... The next stage of the communist takeover began in December 1944, when the government installed special People’s Courts authorized to prosecute 'fascists.' Similar tribunals were established in every European state that was occupied by or collaborated with Nazi Germany; in Bulgaria, however, the purges were of a magnitude unseen elsewhere. In Hungary or Czechoslovakia individual members of parliaments and governments were indicted – whereas in Bulgaria the government put on trial all members of all governments and all parliaments between 1941 and 1944. Each one of these individuals was sentenced to death – 2800 death sentences overall – and the verdicts were carried out immediately. In contrast, People’s Courts in Hungary handed out 322 death sentences 176 of which were commuted.

"The term 'fascist' was applied to anyone who had opposed the communists in the past or might oppose them in the future. In addition to the judicial and extra-judicial murders, 'fascists' were subjected to imprisonment (the People’s Court sentenced to life imprisonment more than 2,000 defendants), deportations (5,000 families were sent into internal exile), and incarceration (by the end of 1945 approximately 10,000 people languished in concentration camps). ..."

Bulgaria Month, June 16

Here begins what is for me the most stunning sentence of Bulgaria Month proceedings thus far: European Social Survey (ESS) reports that more than half of Bulgarians feel unsafe to walk through their neighborhoods at night.

In other happy news of the day, 80 schools are closing, and 1,500 teachers are losing their jobs. And the first "Intercontinental Round" weekend of World League men's volleyball went badly for the Bulgarians.

Bulgaria Month, June 10

Dudaktan Kalbe and other Turkish soap operas are all the rage in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria Month, June 11

The Bulgarian education minister says literature classes will cover Bulgarian-to-Latin translation to help students text message in accordance with the country's new, state-supported Law on Transliteration dictionary.

In other news today, SETimes.com seems to be suggesting that an alleged organized-crime boss in southwestern Bulgaria might be trying to escape prosecution by getting elected in Kyustendil. The sister city Cocoa Beach, Fla.--home to more than 51,000 people--looks like a pretty place.

Bulgaria Month, June 13

Might women's volleyball be Bulgaria's sport ...?

Bulgaria appears to be emerging as the Western Balkans whip and banner toter within the European Union. Since joining the EU, Bulgaria has become a higher-revenue customer for Italy, and Italy is apparently going to in some way give Bulgaria free advertising as an Italian tourist destination.

Finally, the very-great-idea Heifer International says financial problems will keep it from launching projects in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria Month, June 14

The prenup is coming to Bulgaria. Reports Radio Bulgaria: "Bulgarians can now divorce Hollywood-wise that is a few days after the marriage. The new rules ease divorce procedures, lifting regulations whcih forbid divorce before three years of marriage pass." The Heritage Foundation says the 2002 divorce rate in Bulgaria was 21.1 per 100 marriages--less than half than in the United States, about twice as much as in Italy.