Belgrade Foreign Visitors Club

Jelena Karleusa – Pop Star of the Century

jd — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:54:03 +0000

Jelena Karleusa (aka JK) - Serbian Turbofolk megastar. Image from Wikipedia.

Last night some friends and I were discussing the irony of Turbofolk stars being gay icons in Serbia. I decided to google the phenomenon and came across a Wikipedia classic. This is a verbatim excerpt from the wikipedia page for Jelena Karleusa (aka JK).

Described by many as: “Jelena Karleusa is a most popular, most discussed and most controversial pop star of all time in Balkan. This sexy blond woman is rocking the stage for 15 years. Always first, always new, proclaimed as gay icon, antichrist, pop star of the century, show-bizz monster, scandal girl! Her face sales the newspaper, her appearance rises the rating, her albums are sold in millions of copies.

Riiiiiiiiight.Next time you need an antichrist gay icon pop-star-of-the-century to sales your newspaper and rises your ratings, you know which show-bizz monster to recruit for your scandal.

Official Jelena Karleusa website

Turbofolk in Space

jd — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:15:02 +0000

Check out these two wonderful mashups featuring Turbofolk in space from Lektor on YouTube:

Via the always brilliant Belgraded gblo and Beogradoholik

BGFVC Club Meetup – This Thursday (25th Feb)

zach — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:54:42 +0000

As Winter starts moving slowly into Spring, I am happy to announce that we are going to be getting back into a regular meetup schedule for all of you Belgrade Foreign Visitors – so read on for details of the next meetup!

Our resident maniacal Mexican returned from his homeland this week, back to Belgrade, so while the past few club meetups have been at the 3 Carrots pub, we are now going to be reverting (for the most part) back to our Tijuana Clubhouse!

WHEN: Thursday 25th February at 7.00pm.
WHERE: Sremska 9 , 2nd Floor, Tijana (see below for directions)

HOW TO GET THERE:

Address: Sremska 9 , 2nd Floor

Visit this link for a photo guide on how to find Tijuana: http://www.belgradefvc.com/forum/showthread.php?t=533

It can be a little hard to find for first time visitors, however the best way to approach is from the HOTEL MOSKVA. Starting at the Moskva Fountain, if you walk down the street towards the JELEN PIVO umbrellas, you will eventually see, on your right, a set of stairs heading up to main street.

Entry to number 9 is between the stairs and the last shop next to Top Tours travel.)

If you get lost, you can call me (Zach) on 065-624-2097 and I will try to talk you in.

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Typically, the club meetups will be every two weeks on Fridays, however this event is running on Thursday so as not to conflict with the Spandau Ballet concert at Belgrade Arena on Friday 26th Feb. (If you hadn’t heard they were coming to Belgrade, the good news is that tickets are still available at www.tickets.rs from as little as 2000 dinars!)

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Just a couple of notes before we end this bulliten:

We are currently taking suggestions for the text that should be included on the Belgrade Foreign Visitors Club flyers which we are getting organised – If you have suggestions for the text, check out http://www.belgradefvc.com/forum/showthread.php?692-Text-for-Belgrade-Foreign-Visitors-Club-flyer

Items for Sale / Rent on BGFVC:

J&D EG6 Electric Guitar, Guitar Stand, Guitar Strap, Amp Cable, Spare Strings, Picks – 120 Euros – http://www.belgradefvc.com/forum/showthread.php?688-J-D-EG6-Electric-Guitar-J-D-EG6-Elektri%C4%8Dna-gitara

Apple Powerbook G4 12″ – 1.5Ghz PowerPC G4, 1.25Gb RAM, 60gb HD, 64mb GeForce FX Go5200 Graphics – 300 Euros – http://www.belgradefvc.com/forum/showthread.php?684-Apple-Powerbook-G4-12

BMW 335D Coupe for Sale, 2008, 23,000km – 33,000 Euros – http://www.belgradefvc.com/forum/showthread.php?681-BMW-335D-Coupe-for-Sale

Apartment for rent / Vracar-Neimar area, 70 sqm, 2 Bedrooms, Furnished – 600 Euro/month – http://www.belgradefvc.com/forum/showthread.php?689-Apartment-for-rent-Vracar-Neimar-area-70-sqm-2br-furnished

Landscaping / Gardening Services – http://www.belgradefvc.com/forum/showthread.php?634-Landscaping-gardening-services

Web Design / Development Services – see http://www.zdncomputers.com

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Thats it for now, we will be getting a schedule up for meetups in the next 3-4 weeks in a few days!

Hope to see you out the club meetup!

Zach

Bookmarks for January 8th 2010 through February 21st 2010

jd — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:47:35 +0000

These are my links for January 8th 2010 through February 21st 2010:

Blic Online | Belgrade prepares offensive for rights of Serbs in Kosovo – ‘In diplomatic sense, struggle for Kosovo has three priorities. The first one is to stop further recognitions of unilaterally proclaimed independence. The second priority is to prevent that Kosovo is admitted to international organizations and the third one is drawing attention of the international community to violation of human rights of the Serbs in Kosovo, especially the crucial right of the freedom of movement’, Serbia Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic says for ‘Blic’.

BBC News – Christian Serbia maintains its faith in folklore – While Serbia is a deeply religious nation, it also happens to be steeped in superstition. The BBC's Mark Lowen finds that folklore, legends, old wives'; tales and stories of medieval military glory are part of daily life for many Serbians.

The legal labyrinth of Kosovo | Ian Bancroft | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk – Great article by Ian Bancroft on the mess in Kosovo.

Only Fools and Horses: a ‘triffic’ hit in Serbia | Television & radio | The Guardian – Unlikely as it may seem, Del Boy and the rest of the Trotters have achieved cult status in Serbia

“Eastern Europe”: Wrongly labelled | The Economist – The economic downturn has made it harder to speak sensibly of a region called “eastern Europe”

Vuk Jeremic on Al Jazeera about Kosovo

jd — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:13:45 +0000

Kosovo 2 years on: Worser and worser

jd — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:32:26 +0000

Ian Bancroft has a great piece in the Guardian today about Kosovo.The EU is more divided than ever, Western donors propping up the territory are fed up with bankrolling it (their economies are in freefall), and now we are seeing some serious doublespeak from The Quint – the five principle pro-Kosovo powers:

The Quint – comprised of Britain, Germany, France, Italy and the US – recently sent a strongly worded communiqué to the Serbian foreign ministry, stating that “we have tolerated until now the Serbian aggressive rhetoric regarding Kosovo, because we believed that with time passing it could be taken off the agenda” and warning Serbia to abstain from “adventurous actions” once the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivers its verdict of the legality of Kosovo’s declaration of independence.It remains unclear exactly what the Quint meant by “aggressive rhetoric” and “adventurous actions”. Though Vuk Jeremic, Serbia’s foreign minister, has proposed a special session of the UN General Assembly following the ICJ’s verdict, with the aim of securing support for fresh negotiations over Kosovo’s status, such initiatives are in keeping with Serbia’s vow to pursue all peaceful, diplomatic and legal means to oppose Kosovo’s independence.

So that is what gets you a stern warning these days. Meanwhile, in Kosovo…

…As uncertainty over Kosovo’s status continues to mount, the president of the Kosovo assembly, Jakup Krasniqi, has indulged in further secessionist and “aggressive rhetoric” by warning that “ethnic Albanians in southern Serbia are ready to join Kosovo” should Serbs in the north of Kosovo continue to oppose integration into Pristina’s institutions. In response, Serbia’s state secretary for Kosovo and Metohija, Oliver Ivanovic, immediately called upon the international community to condemn such “warmongering”; a request that remains unanswered despite the severity and implication of Krasniqi’s remarks. In light of such threats, claims that Kosovo’s independence contributes to regional peace and stability seem ever more incredulous and insincere.

So Serbia is warned about “aggressive rhetoric” (for seeking legal recourse at he UN) whilst Kosovo Albanians calling for secession of Albanian areas of southern Serbia to not raise a peep of objection from the Quint. This is exactly the sort of double standard we have come to expect when it comes to Serbia.

The Serbian government, for once, is playing the international political game cleverly. It is driving its adversaries crazy. Look out for more absurd inversions of reality in the coming months as the Quint/Kosovo side tried to provoke Serbia into rash words or actions.

The Serbian government meanwhile is coolly maintaining its diplomatic and legal strategy. As for Kosovo, two years on, is in worse shape than ever. It is an unsustainable crime-infested Mafia-run political and economic cesspit. Its human rights record is abysmal. Its future bleak. And Kosovars know it too. They pay thousands of Euros to be trafficked out to Western Europe.

I would be happy to see the people of Kosovo get some decent politicians, a negotiated political settlement to the crisis, a booming economy and happy, safe minorities leaving peacefully there. I do not, however, think I will see any of this this for a long time. That is bad news for Serbia too unfortunately.

Are Serbian sports teams “moody”

jd — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:46:42 +0000

Serbian coach, Sead Hasanefendic, dispares during Serbia's defeat by Denmakr at the European Championships. (Photo: Blic)

I was in Denmark for Serbia’s recent handball clash with Denmark at the European Championships.

Prior to the match, Danish TV was commenting on how the Serbian team seemed a bit cavalier. They were sitting around smoking and drinking coffees in contrast to the Danes who were all eating salad bars and working out.Do not be complacent, the commentators warned Serbs are great fighters and extremely skilled opponents.

The Serbian team defied expectations, playing slow and listless handball without passion, eventually being beaten easily.

After the match the Danish commentators were puzzling over why Serbia – a nation of great renown in handball – had allowed itself to be beaten as they were.

One of the commentators then claimed that the Serbian team was a “mood team”, that is, prone having wildly different results based on their mood.

Whilst this is true to some extent of any sportsperson or team, is it particularly true of both Serbian sports stars and teams.

Are Serbian teams moodier than others?

Should Serbia join NATO?

jd — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:52:01 +0000

Corporal Dragana Zalkovic of the 21st Infantry Battalion of the 2nd Land Force Brigade (Kraljevo) at a checkpoint in Helmand province, Afghanistan (February 18, 2012)

Over at Belgraded.com, there is a discussion about a group of 200 “intellectuals” who have asked the Serbian parliament to call a referendum on the country’s possible future NATO membership.

The argue that Serbia is traditionally neutral, that the Kosovo situation precludes Serbia’s NATO membership and that people are against membership and should be given an referendum on the matter.

Here is a slightly modified version of the comment I posted there.

Its clear that the 200 “intellectuals” are nothing of the sort. The list contains artists and sports stars who may be may be intelligent, but not intellectuals as the word is commonly understood.

The self-proclaimed “intellectuals” do have a point about Serbia’s military neutrality. From the time of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia onwards, Serbs have only joined wars after being directly attacked or invaded. During the postwar era Yugoslavia was part of the non-aligned bloc (along with the likes of India and China) and considered neutral (it never joined the Warsaw Pact). NATO war planners actually thought that in the event of WW3, Yugoslavia would side with NATO despite being a socialist country.

The main point, or question, is should Serbia join NATO? If the political elites determine there is a reason to do so, then the question arises as to whether it is a matter for referendum or not. The constitution should dictate the conditions under which the government can take the country into legally binding international agreements that affect the country’s neutrality.

As pointed out by others, the main “reason” for joining NATO might be to signal that Serbia is firmly in the Atlantic camp. NATO is seen as a sort of EU-lite, joining it is one of the stages on the way to full member status in the Western European fold. This of course, is agreeable to Serbian liberals and inimical to Serbian nationalists who look to Russia as the country’s natural and historical ally.

There are benefits to NATO membership. It is a common defence pact, so the fact that Serbia’s military is currently weak means that it may benefit from the umbrella cover of NATO allies.

But I do not think that Serbia should rush into membership. This move requires serious debate and has major geopolitical consequences for Serbia.

Serbia is unique in that it is the only NATO candidate country that was subjected to an illegal war of aggression and civilian bombardment by the organisation.

The “intellectuals” are right, NATO was the military instrument used to violate Serbia’s sovereignty and create the mess that is Kosovo. This fact alone complicates matters significantly because the history of that conflict is still disputed and and it’s consequences are still unsettled.

Joining NATO might be presented as Serbia’s “admission of guilt”. By joining the organisation that bombed it, some might suggest that Serbia is tacitly accepting that what happened in Kosovo was justified, weakening its current negotiating position. Others will see it as surrender, a case of a beaten and bullied former enemy now agreeing that 2+2=5 and therefore welcomed back to the bosom of the West. A case of state level Stockholm Syndrome.

Other things to keep in mind include the fact that membership implies responsibilities and commitments. Serbs will be promising to fight and die for any member state that is attacked, including Turkey, or America. Serb men and women might end up fighting and dying in Afghanistan, or wherever else NATO decides to get involved.

In addition, joining NATO would anger and isolate Russia, a key ally and economic partner (albeit a self-serving one). This really is not something that should be undertaken lightly.

Finally NATO is lost in space and scrambling for relevance at present. The organisation is trying to work out what to do with itself and its strategic direction is not settled yet.

My feeling is that Serbia should wait and see. I think remaining neutral is wise for as long as it is possible, but joining the EU will end that anyway as the EU is gradually moving towards a common defence policy that means de facto military commitment from all members.

The EU may attempt to dodge this bullet by adopting NATO as the military wing of the EU, in which case Serbia would be mad to join NATO as it could enjoy the benefits of EU membership, but carry none of the burdens of military commitments.

NATO is very active in Serbia currently. It is very keen to get Serbia in to the organisation. One has to wonder why? Clearly NATO sees Serbia as strategically key to the region, and it is. The real question is, does a partnership with NATO suite Serbia. That is yet to be determined.

Good New York Times profile of Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic

jd — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 01:55:34 +0000

The Saturday Profile – Vuk Jeremic, Arguing Serbia’s Case Against Kosovo Independence – Biography – NYTimes.com

BELGRADE, Serbia

THE public face of Serbia for years has been that of a wizened war criminal in the dock in The Hague. Now, as the once-outcast country presses for membership in the European Union, it is increasingly represented by the gap-toothed grin of its energetic young foreign minister, Vuk Jeremic, all of 34 and a graduate of Cambridge and Harvard.

It is not just appearances. He is a minister in the most westward-leaning government Serbia has ever had, one that is aggressively pursuing membership in the European Union and good relations with the United States. Yet at the top of his agenda stands the issue that brought so much trouble to Serbia: the breakaway province and self-declared nation of Kosovo.

To the consternation of powerful supporters of Kosovo’s independence, including the United States, the Serbian obsession runs much deeper than a handful of ultranationalists from the generation of Slobodan Milosevic. Even young liberals like Mr. Jeremic, whose fluent English sounds more Bronxville than Belgrade, cannot let go of Kosovo, though it could endanger Serbia’s chance to move beyond its recent troubled past.

“The fact that this kind of fervent, pro-European politician in Serbia happens to have this position on Kosovo confuses a lot of people,” Mr. Jeremic said in an interview on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas here last week.

“This place, Kosovo, is our Jerusalem; you just can’t treat it any other way than our Jerusalem,” he said.

MORE

It is a good profile, but I cannot believe that he is serious about this “Jerusalem” stuff. He has to say this sort of thing because Serbian politicians are trapped in a Prisoners Dilemma.

If they all cooperated, and told the truth, they could tell the country what most admit privately: Kosovo is gone. The best that can be hoped for is some sort of partition or territory exchange; perhaps global recognition that the way that Kosovo came to be independent was both illegal and grossly unfair to Serbs; some concession from the EU during accession negotiations. That’s it.

The problem here in Serbia is that all politicians – with the exception of Cedomir Jovanovic – maintain the pretence publicly that Kosovo can be “saved”, that is, can be returned to Serbian rule. Any deviation from this position risks political suicide.

One thing is certain: Unless they are conquered militarily, Kosovo’s Albanians will never again submit to Serbian rule. The only way to “save” Kosovo would be to invade it, and that is not going to happen any time soon.

Croatian president commutes sentenses of war criminals

jd — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:37:20 +0000

Outgoing Croatian president Stjepan Mesic commuted the sentences or pardoned 14 war criminals on Thursday in a move that has angered Serbs.

One of those who had his sentence commuted by a year was Sinisa Rimac, convicted of participating in the notorious murder of prominent Zagreb Serb family, including a 12 year girl.

Serbian President Boris Tadic said of incident:

“When the outgoing Croatian president pardons a criminal who killed Serb children just because they are of a different ethnicity, then that is an act that deserves every condemnation, a deeply anti-civilised and anti-European decision [coming] from the other side of common sense,”

I agree with Tadic. What possible reason could the President have had to do this at a time when Serbian – Croatian relations are already strained by the tit for tat genocide charges laid against each other at The Hague.

Was it a calculated offence against Serbs? If it was then why did he commute the sentence of a Serb too?

Given it happened on the eve of his first visit to Kosovo, the evidence suggests it was a deliberate provocation. Its purpose? Only he knows.

Tadic Slams
Mesic for Serb Killer Sentence :: BalkanInsight.com