h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You *must* be joking! but I like a good joke! bureacracy was invented in western Europe! Just because there were too many people and too few jobs Eastern Europe adopted and perfected it to the hilarious state in which it is now (e.g. in Russia).
Travel to US is far worse than travel to any underdevelopped country (like, say, Farawayishtan), mostly because of 9/11... I admit not all of it is plain stupidity or bureaucracy: there is some amount of reasoning behind it all... Travel to UK can be a nuisance depending on nationality (10 seconds for me to enter the country).
Try to travel to UK with a non-European passport and all will be clear! Try to travel to US with any non-US passport and all will be even clearer!

The forms, the uniforms walking around with stacks of papers and passports ah.. Probably Sheremetyevo passport control is the absolute top in stupidity, stubbornness, foreigner-hate and general bureacracy but they are no doubt closely followed by immigration officers in US and UK!!

And then there is of course more! After getting entering a country there's more.. but more about that later..

Hi!!!

I was in Kikinda for weekend, on training about tolerancy and unviolent solve of conflict.It was great weekend,i really enjoy.Nearly i am enjoy in Student Union of Philosophic faculty in Novi Sad,and Union made action "This is my University" about tolerancy and equality.And in that action we were in Kikinda small town on north-east part of Vojvodina, on training.

We think in Western Europe everything is under control.I never been there.I have family in Germany and i want to go to visit them,but when i heard what i need to get visa, i just delay it, and wait some better time.Maybe EU give some facility for getting visa.I hope so.

surprising you still need a visa to travel to EU countries. As far as I know we don't need a visa to travel to Belgrade/Serbia. Last time I was there was .. what.. three years ago I think? I did have a three month visa then but I didn't really need it.
Ha, as on tolerancy and peaceful solving conflicts.. I'm not sure if you're following the news but almost all EU countries have (more or less serious) problems with foreign minorities. These problems are in the range from straight racism (fascism, or simple hate) to murder. Racial motives, sometimes disguised as religious motives, are most often the cause.
Last few months the Muslim/Arab vs European groups have clashes several times, and the near future does not look good in that respect.
All of these problems are started off by small extreme right wing groups (mixed with criminals) and followed up by the low intelligent. Gouvernments do not know how to react, or react the wrong way. Tolerancy, and equality may be an important issue the next ten years or so..

But for the rest all is well in the west (ref Im Westen nichts Neues (All quiet on the western front) by Erich Remarque)

O yes we need visa and to get visa a lot of paper and we just give up and stay home or go somewhere where we can get visa on easier way.I think we are on some black list, they call it like that.70% of student population never goes to countries of EU.Few months ago some stunedts were in Brisel(i don't know to how to spell it on right way,and i spell it like on Serbien)and they were there on negotiations with somebody in EU that students get visa on easier way.I heard there is hope for that.

We have problem with tolerancy on national and religious base.But it is not only on that base,people also have a lot of prejudice.People reacting very unfriendly on some things which is strange for them.For exemple i have problem when i taking photographs.Once some man attacked me,i was seat in my car and looking trought my camera and he opens the door,take my camera and yelling on me and threaten me with police.People allways ask me way you taking pictures,who order you to do taht?Prejudice is:When somebody have good proffesional camera with long objective,that person must be some spy or jurnalist.Nobody who is normal don't taking pictures if there is no some holiday.

All theas years under Milosevic and his machinery which very succesfull washing brains and wars and a lot of unsolved conflict from past,leave very deep scar on all people from here.We need a lot of time "to go across" of all that.The most difficult is "swallow" pride and confess mistakes and give hand to other side,and when we do that things will be better.And on that training we learn about it how to confess mistakes and express feelings, and that is very important.

you really do need a visa to travel into EU territory I'd never expect that, but netionals of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia-Montenegro) shall be required to be in possession of a visa when crossing the external borders of the Member States.
This is because I just need a valid passport to travel to the Federal ... well.. whatever.
A friend of mine comes from Belgrade, he is living in Switzerland for .. what .. I think some fifteen or so years (two passports, two nationalities, travel wherever!)

anyway, common sense and a bit of understanding seem to be rare goods. The horrors of Iraq, Middle-East, Africa ..
Meanwhile in EU problems between Muslims and .. what.. others? Europeans? still go on. Newspapers do not help in this respect. The need to sell, publish sensational news, write what public wants to read, does nothing to calm down.
ah well..

Hi!!!Here i am.
When we had our famouse "Red" passport in Titos time, there was no problem with visa.We could travel wherever we want, but now nobody wants us.We have bad economical situation and in EU they probably has fear that if we come,we never go back in our country.
We have some joke how to solve problem with electric energy? When the last one goes from here,he need to turn light down.

In Novi Sad we have around 6 or 7 private local tv station and with some Belgrads private tv station and national tv station we have around 25 tv station.situation with radio station is worst.Somewhere i read that Novi Sad has more radio station than London.It is out of mind.All of that tv and radio station has their one opinion on politics and,they use their programs to impose opinion of their boss and not to inform people.And you know 100 peopl,100 opinion...There is a lot of spech of hate , and nobody punich it.If you have enough money you simple open your tv station and you can insult everybody who don't think like you,or you simple don't like them.

I hear that some countries give thier passport to people who has origin from that nation.I don't know does Germany doing that,because my grandmother is German.

I wasn't here becasue i have prepared photographic exhibition with my best friend, also i have to learn very much.Opening of exhibition is in next Thursday on our faculty.Theme of exhibition is water.I have photos of the Danube river, and she has photos form The Danube rivers too, and from Mountain of Tara, and from Ledinachko lake.One Yugoslavien famouse photographer wiil open our exhibition.Now i have a lot of picture for retouch.

Well.. on visa and all that.. my new Russian visa will come from an international sports society in Moscow. It seems they despereately need money and they give out visa invitations. At this moment they are cheapest .. so I paid for an invitation.
Summary: you can get anything you want as long as you pay.
The thing with radio and tv stations is .. . I cannot understand how that many radio stations can be financed.. Surely organising and operating a radio station will cost a small fortune. I can imagine these cost must be paid back by income made by the radio station (advertisements? whatever?)
In my ideas "Good" radio stations get lots of listeners, can sell advertising time for "much $$". "Bad" stations can not sell any advertising time and will disappear if they cannot pay their bills.
The dark side is that radio stations will only broadcast what "what people like to hear". Would this happen in Novi Sad as well?? Are these provate radio stations funded with company money? political money? foreign money?
Will you publish photos on the internet as well??

Our radio station broadcast only "what people like to hear" and they get large of public and then they start to broadcast "their side of story" and when you repeat something for a long time you start to believe in that.It is manipulation.People believe in story which they hear on TV or radio.And that "what people like to hear" destroying our culture in last 15 years.
There is a few politician who has their one station,also there is owner of station who was member of political party of Milosevics wife and today he is give support to democracy.
In Milosevic time,they get money from state to entertain people.When in Bosnia were war and when people die there,on our tv and radio station were music and "we" sing and celebrate.
I don't know who give money to some station.We have one tv station with one camera,some curtain for background,one table and two chairs.They probably get money from advertising,because they has show with some singers who has such terible voice.Music is some scary mix of rock,techno and islamic etno music.The worst thing is they have their pulic.Tyhe large number of TV and radio station is onh of consequence of time under Milosevic.
I want to publish my photo,but i don't know where i can put them.I hope i shall make my presentation on net.

One of the good things of life in Moscow is tv. I have a tv set but I have not connected it .. during the last 10 months.
I wonder if it works.
There are three antenna cables in the apartment, one of them may actually work. I'll try when I get really bored so I can get bored by Russian stations.
Last few days were.. well.. busy I think I slept 10 hours or so in four days (including midday naps). Now I have one more weekend to go and then all will be finished... for this year.
Keep up the photo business (I know there are several free service providers.. your photos will be surrounded by ads but publishing is free).

Merry Christmas!!!!
There is no cabnle tv in my street and i am very sorry because of that.
I wasn't here again,because i start to learn.I have 7 exems in February.Exhibition was very succes.We planning to make another one in May.Next theme will be Ground.
How i can contact providers?

ah.. well .. no cable tv so you miss CNN, Discovery, MTV, all that.. forty channels and nothing on
Free website hosts.. well.. there is http://geocities.yahoo.com/home/ (15 Mb free storage and 3Gb traffic per month).. or http://www.tripod.lycos.com/ (20Mb storage, 1Gb traffic) will get you started .. I'll try and remember this Serbian site with a lot of photographs, artists, and general (quite good I thought) art. I'll ask somewhere next few weeks ..

Happy New Year!!!
all the best in 2005!
Thanks for links i didn't go there yet, but i shall do it in next few days!!!!
I think offer on cable tv is better than our local station.Like National Geography channel or Discovery,and also there is Croatian chanel,they have very good programs.

right: all the best for 2005! & and all that.. the good thing about w*rking in Russia is that I can easily celebrate two Christmases and two new years I just add orthodox Xmas and old new year

and Discovery, National Geographic.. well.. when I am really & terribly bored I switch them on. The fun part is the commercials. A lot of Eastern Europs countries (Romania, Russia) have Dutch langiage commercials in Discovery (why?? not a clue). Surprises me everytime! (like "hey! I can understand Russian commercials! .. sh|t! it's not Russian at all! ... it's Dutch!")

Thanks!!!Duplicate celebrating is very nice thing.We start with celebrating in December 24th and don't stop until January 14th.But with revival celebrating can continue to January 16th.After that we become little tire.
I didn't know that about commercials, but i disscovered that we have satelite antenna which my dad have to put in backyeard.It is not cable tv, but in every case it's better than orrdinary antenna.

right! celebrating two ocasions for almost a month is a bit ... well.. harsh? certainly tiring. I just returned from another party (had to drive my car there.. no drinks for me).
so satelite.. (this is not really handy for me: cable tv and internet via the same cable). So I just have cable tv; 25 or so channels, maye more. there's about 10 I like and the others are

I almost never go to party by my car.I get taxi or i walk.Novi Sad is not so big and i live near to center(5 minute walking).Place where i go out are in center.But when i must to go by my car i say i am accursed by little pink paper(our driver licenc is little paper in pink color).
I was on Christmas evening in small town near to Novi Sad.I have family there.There on the street people burned oak and sing and ofcourse drink.It is very nice but they shoot in aer and drops small explosive thinks,i don't know English word , we call it petarda.In one of village near to Novi Sad they blow up big cask by carbonite.Does Russian shots on Christmas evening?
More channales more to choose.And if you do not find anything,as you don't,it is more interesting when you change 40 or 50 channels than 25,how much we have now.

little pink paper yes.
I don't know whether or not Russians do any fireworks.. I was in the Netherlands during new year.
But we had some fireworks: rockets the howling and skyhigh exploding type. The mega cracker type explosives are .. well..

Several of the Eastern Dutch locals blow up big metal milk casks with Calcium-Carbide (* CAC2 + H20----> C2H2 + CA(OH)2 *)

http://home.tiscali.nl/~cb008970/Films/zeppelin.wmv
(* note the background music *)

Don't try this at home.

Happy New Year and best wishes!!
Here i am after long time. I was vwry busy nad didn't have time to drop by. All the best and a lot of greetings

Dusanka, and all the best for 2007 (and beyond) to you and yours as well! Good to hear from you and I hope the past years were good to you