Sat, Nov 21 2009
More than 100 results were found.
Irina Ouzunova has been involved in animal welfare, specifically in the area of Sofia's notorious street dog problem, for the best part of the past decade. Her small flat has provided shelter for the many dogs that she has taken in from the streets, inoculated and found homes for abroad. The problem of Bulgaria's large street dog population is a long-standing one that has spawned many plans and promises from
You are holding in your hands a map to one of Bulgaria's best-kept secrets. In order to assuage my guilt about spilling the beans on this little gem though, I'm not going to make it too easy for you to find. Like all genuine treasures, this one requires that you hunt for it, which means venturing off the beaten track frequented by tour buses and the like. After all, the journey, the getting there, is half the fun.
There has been political to-ing and fro-ing between Bulgaria and the EU concerning the closure of units at Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear power plant (KNPP) for over a decade, ever since a 1992 meeting of the then-G-7 countries deemed the Soviet-designed 440 MW reactors in units one, two, three and four to be dangerous. The issue of the closure of units three and four and of the development of the nuclear sector in
Harrie Niemeijer came to Bulgaria a year and half ago, to set up a furniture factory for the Dutch company Bylsma in Lovech, under the name Belsma furniture EOOD. Having expanded as far as possible within the Netherlands, the company (which produces tables, chairs and cabinets) set its sights to Eastern Europe. They asked Niemeijer, who had previous experience working in countries in the region with his
Immigration is on the international agenda; from George Bush's tough new line on border control to France's controversial immigration bill. The Sofia Echo's LUCY COOPER and PETAR KOSTADINOV examine the immigration process for asylum seekers in Bulgaria, looking in particular at the case of Javed Nouri, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan currently being held in Druzbha detention centre in the outskirts of
According to Petar Evrov, Sector Chief at the Ministry of Interior Migration Directorate (MIMD) most of the illegal emigrants coming to Bulgaria from Asia and Africa are emigrating because of economic rather than political reasons. However, if an illegal foreigner can prove that his life is threatened in his native country, according to the Foreigners Act, Bulgaria can send him to a third secure country. The
On June 1, a charity shop to raise money for disadvantaged children is opening in Shoumen. Dar (Gift) is the first shop of its kind in Bulgaria, says George Bogdanov of the Social Activities and Practices Institute (SAPI), the non-government organisation behind the initiative. Established in 2001, SAPI is dedicated to the development of social work as a helping profession enhancing the social inclusion of vulnerable
"It's funny - the thought that a redneck from Indiana would join the Peace Corps, come to Bulgaria, live in a village and make 300 leva a month for two years, come to Sofia and become a movie actor," says Jonas, but that's the way events are unfolding the movie of Jonas Talkington's life . After graduating college in Indiana, Jonas worked as a scientist for a year in a factory as a chemist and biologist. However, he
If you happen to be walking past the national library in Sofia on Wednesday May 24 you will most likely see a crowd of people gathered around the statues in front of the building, some of them laying flowers. This is because May 24 is Bulgarian Education and Culture, and Slavonic Literature Day. The statues are of the two brothers Cyril and Methodius (usually referred to as Kyril i Methodi in Bulgarian), who invented the
For those of you who aren't averse to trading a hotel bed for a sleeping bag under the stars, camping is an excellent way to experience Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. We set off to explore the southeastern coast, from Sozopol down to the Turkish border, with a car, a tent, and two kids. Sozopol- There's nothing quite like waking up to the smell of eggs and bacon frying outside the tent. This, followed by an after
Energy equals power. The idea of energy, and oil and gas resources, as bound with the international balance of power is common currency these days. In South America, there is a resurgence of "resource nationalism", with oil-rich countries such as Chavez's Venezuela tightening their grip on their precious commodities to up the stakes and their bargaining muscle with the West. While in UN talks with Iran over
"Dull, soulless dance music" - this, I seem to recall, was the title of a track recorded by Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley of Absolutely Fabulous with The Pet Shop Boys for some charity fundraising event or other, in which the two listlessly chanted the lyric over a repetitive 4/4 beat . It's also, sadly, what is played in most clubs in Sofia. That, pop-folk, or endless so-called "retro classics". This repetitive mix makes me
What makes a home? Family, friends; belonging to a community, a village, a city, a nation? Why do people choose to uproot themselves from their existing home to make a new one in a different country? What are the consequences of this for the citizens of the second country? Professor Judith Allen from Westminster University, London, UK, and Dr Iskra Dandolova from the Institute of Sociology of the
Our house, in the middle of our street...If we look carefully at the streets we live in - the buildings, neighbours, relationships - we can learn a lot about ourselves, our hopes and fears. This is the idea behind the My Street (Moyata Ulitsa) project in Bulgaria. It is part of the British council's EU&Me project. EU&Me is a regional project happening in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Greece, Cyprus, Macedonia, Serbia-Montenegro,
Tuesday 2: 11.23pm, as good a time as any to begin; indeed, a better time than most. A satisfying sequence of numbers, though 1.23am is better. Me and my best friend used to wait for the digital numbers on her clock to redly glow out this sacred hour to creep downstairs for clandestine honey on toast eaten sticky-fingered in front of the late night TV we weren't supposed to watch, the volume turned down low.
Everyone needs to have a local. Somewhere to escape the daily grind, meet up with friends, talk, debate, drink. My local in Sofia happened more by accident than design. Having lived, until last week, in a small village on the outskirts of the capital, for convenience's sake I ended up adopting a place closer to work (and also because the local in my village was a shack-cum-cafe by the bus stop - OK for a coffee or a beer while
Confused as to why Bulgaria celebrates Easter a week after Western Europe? Mystified by the Orthodox Church? Don't know your Kozonak from your Borak? Then read on. NEIL CONNOLLY explains the historical reasons behind why Western Christians celebrate Easter at a different time from the Orthodox church. POLINA SLAVCHEVA ushers you into a Palm Sunday service in a Bulgarian Orthodox Church and LUCY COOPER
There are two significant dates on the environmental calendar this week: April 22 and 26. Anyone who's been following the media will be familiar at least with the latter of these dates. The 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster is, justly, receiving a lot of coverage. However, for those not involved in NGOs or without specialist interests in the environment, maybe the first date is harder to pinpoint. It is World
Jennifer Hee was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Almost three years ago, she applied to be in the Peace Corps, and was offered a Youth Development Volunteer position in Bulgaria. "It was my first offer, and I accepted immediately." It was Jennifer's first time living abroad, although she went to college in Cambridge, Massachusetts. "In some ways it was much harder for me to adjust to life on the East
Last Sunday (April 16) you probably noticed that most people walking around town had branches or flowers about their person. This is because Sunday April 16 this year, Easter Sunday for Western Christians, was Vrubnitsa (Palm Sunday) for the Othodox church, marking the start of Holy week. This coincides with Flower Day, on which all those with names derived from flowers trees or bushes
Boyan Benev is not your typical businessman. At only 21, he has already amassed more than six years of entrepreneurial experience as managing director of two limited companies. Now, with only a matter of months before he graduates in economics from University College London, he is embarking on his next big project with the launch of his new Bulgarian property holding business for small investors in the EU.
"Eco-friendly oil companies", "community-oriented global conglomerates"; what will be next: "humanitarian sweat shops"? One of the consequences of globalisation is that business, or commercialisation, is brought into contact with just about every other aspect of society, or, what philosopher Herbert Marcuse has described as, the joining of "formerly antagonistic spheres of life". This results, he
Set back off Rakovski street, the Tandoori Club is well situated: central, yet removed from the noise and fumes of Sofia's ever-increasing traffic. There is a courtyard leading into the restaurant with bamboo fences, which looks like it will make for a good spot with the arrival of the warmer weather. Walking through the courtyard, the first thing that hits you is the smell - the aroma of incense hangs in the air, holding
`In the past, wine was a product for the table, accompanying food. Then wine became more and more of a luxury, and now it is considered to be a supreme delight," says Giovanni Sacchi, director of the Italian Institute Foreign Trade, Bulgaria. "It seems that consumers are giving up the classical, old wines. They are ready to experiment with new tastes and brands," he says of recent trends in the Italian market.
When I first arrived in Bulgaria, my journey to work used to include a 20 minute trek through streets covered in ice and snow, during which all my extremities would go numb, and at the end of which I would be greeted by the more scalding than welcoming heat blasting out in the building, that cooked, let alone thawed out, aching fingers and toes. Ok, so it's -26oC outside, but does it have to be 30oC plus indoors? This was my
"Tell me three things about yourself, two of which are true, one of which is a lie." This is one of Guy's favourite games, played in the pub over a few beers. Today, I am asking him. "Ok: I appeared in an advertising poster campaign, I did a voice-over and I'm a published retail analyst," he says. Guy is from London, Hammersmith to be precise. He was born in a police station in Charing Cross. "At that time it
British director Sir Alan Parker, the man behind Midnight Express, Pink Floyd The Wall and The Commitments, and head of the British Film Council, was in town for the 10th Sofia Film Fest. To date, he has made 14 films over a period of 28 years. Is it possible to pinpoint the hardest film you've worked on and your proudest achievement? "I did a film called Pink Floyd TheWall, with Pink Floyd which was a really miserable
Laura's mobile rings, interrupting her flow about the challenges ARK (absolute return for kids) faces in its new project - the de-institutionalisation of children in Bulgaria. "Sorry, I've got to take it - it might be important," she apologises. And indeed it is. Seconds later, a huge smile breaks across her face and there are congratulations and a few tears of joy and relief among the team as the news is announced
Until recently, Bon Gusto went under the name Nov Standart. It is next to the Russian cultural centre, and is correspondingly square and Soviet-looking. We were greeted at the door and gestured toward the coat check, where we put back our coats and umbrellas on this wet Friday lunchtime. We were shown to a table next to the large window that runs around two sides of the restaurant. We had not stipulated smoking
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