Podcasts about moldovans

What happens in Moldova? Why was the election so close? How has Russia tried to hijack the elections in Moldova? Are Moldovan and Romanian languages different? What are the generational and regional differences in Moldova? We talked to an actual Moldovan (they aren't that rare..) about this often overlooked country. Recorded in October 2024. Recommended sources for further information: Rise Moldova https://www.rise.md/english/Vlad Lupan, on Twitter: @VladLupan Paula Erizanu @paulaerizanu Denis Dermenji https://www.rferl.org/author/denis-dermenji/bmvkqtVictor's book recommendation: Playing the Moldovans at Tennis: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/994023.Playing_the_Moldovans_at_Tennis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Moldova applied to join the EU in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the country has set 2030 as a target to join the bloc.But it is is deeply divided between its pro-EU aspirations, and the temptation to side with Russia, which has supported Moldova's Transnistria since the eastern region declared its independence 30 years ago.Earlier this month, Moldova's pro-Western incumbent president Maia Sandu won a second term in a race that was marred by claims of Russian interference, voter fraud and intimidation. The EU also held its breath when Moldovans voted in favor of EU membership by only a razor-thin majority of 50.35%.The country's foreign affairs minister Mihai Popşoi was in Brussels this week for meetings with his European counterparts and MEPs to discuss progress along Moldova's path to the EU.Euronews's Sergio Cantone had an interview with him, today featured in Radio Schuman.A quick overview at the agenda today, with pivotal events behind closed doors among political group presidents at the European Parliament.On the last part of the show, Radio Schuman looks at the best and the worst places in Europe to speak English.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

*) Israeli strikes hit Gaza hospitals, many Palestinians killed Heavy bombardment from Israeli forces early Monday hit Gaza hard, killing many Palestinians and leaving countless others injured. The scene was devastating, with widespread destruction across several neighbourhoods. According to Wafa news agency, Israeli artillery strikes took a heavy toll — lives lost, people hurt, and some still trapped under rubble. Rescue teams are scrambling to find survivors, but no official numbers have been released yet. Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia also came under fire — the nursery was damaged, and a child was injured. And at the Indonesian Hospital, a drone strike sent patients and staff into a panic, creating a chaotic and terrifying scene. *) Swiss intelligence exposes PKK's secret operations Switzerland's intelligence service has dropped a bombshell — the PKK, a group labelled as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the US and the EU, has been running secret operations right under their noses. According to a fresh report from Switzerland's Federal Intelligence Service, or FIS, the PKK has been using Swiss soil to raise money, spread its propaganda and even run terrorist training camps. The PKK has been in a violent campaign against Türkiye for 40 years, leading to over 40,000 deaths, including civilians. The FIS report makes it clear: the PKK is active within Switzerland, recruiting young Kurdish refugees and preparing them for actions against the Turkish military. *) UN warns of ‘dangerous escalation' over potential N Korean troops in Russia UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is raising the alarm over reports that North Korean troops may have joined Russia, possibly heading toward the battlefields in Ukraine. His spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, conveyed his concern on Sunday, saying Guterres is “very concerned” about reports of North Korean forces potentially being deployed to Ukraine's conflict zone. According to US intelligence, North Korean troops have shown up around Russia's Kursk border region. Interestingly, neither North Korea nor Russia has denied these reports. *) Maia Sandu declares victory in Moldova's presidential runoff election Moldova's pro-EU President Maia Sandu declared a win on Sunday in the country's tense presidential runoff, with almost all votes counted. She held a strong lead with 54 percent, defeating her pro-Russian rival, Alexandr Stoianoglo. Sandu, a former World Bank economist, declared in her victory speech that “Moldovans have given a lesson in democracy, worthy of history books”. Sandu's win is being seen as a huge boost for Moldova's pro-Western government and her vision of closer ties with Europe, steering Moldova one step closer to the EU. *) Chinese crew returns after 6-month mission on Tiangong space station After six months aboard China's Tiangong space station, the Shenzhou 18 crew has made a safe return. The spacecraft's return capsule touched down in northern China on Sunday, wrapping up an intense mission in space. The China Manned Space Agency confirmed that its astronauts landed at the Dongfeng site in Inner Mongolia. Since their launch on April 25, they have been working and living aboard the Tiangong.

AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports on elections in Moldova.

On October 20, Moldovans cast their ballots in both a presidential election and a constitutional referendum — and the results shocked many. In the referendum, which asked whether the country should change its constitution to include the goal of joining the European Union, the “yes” vote won by just over 50 percent. Meanwhile, in the presidential election, pro-E.U. incumbent Maia Sandu came in first but failed to win an outright majority.  The day after the vote, Sandu accused “criminal groups” of attempting to undermine the democratic process by working with foreign forces to try and buy as many as 300,000 votes. Now, she'll face pro-Russian candidate and former prosecutor general Alexandr Stoianoglo in a high-stakes run-off scheduled for November 3.  What does all of this say about Moldova's political landscape and future foreign policy orientation? To find out, The Naked Pravda spoke to Moldovan journalist and writer Paula Erizanu and Ecaterina Locoman, a senior lecturer in international studies at the University of Pennsylvania's Lauder Institute.  Timestamps for this episode: (3:05) Judiciary Reforms and Controversies (6:25) The Referendum and Its Implications (9:47) Election Day Atmosphere and Concerns (12:28) Post-Election Developments and Fraud Allegations (17:01) Russia's Influence and Moldova's Future (21:26) Impact of the Ukraine War on Moldova (23:14) Kremlin's Strategy and Moldova's Challenges (25:03) Public Opinion and the E.U. Referendum (30:37) Moldova's Path Forward Prefer reading over listening? Subscribe to Meduza's weekly newsletter The Beet to receive abridged excerpts from this episode. Как поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

Elections were held in Moldova last weekend. Moldovans voted on joining the EU and their new president. Both were confirmed by a slight margin. Now, there are allegations of election fraud from various sources. - In Moldau haben am vergangenen Wochenende Wahlen stattgefunden. Abgestimmt wurde zum Einen über einen EU-Eintritt, gleichzeitig fand die Präsidentenwahl statt. Von verschiedenen Stellen werden Vorwürfe des Wahlbetrugs laut.

On Monday (21 October), Moldovans narrowly voted in favour of continuing the country's path toward EU membership, with the "No" vote leading until the final moments. The country's president Maia Sandu condemned Russian interference and accused "criminal groups" of attempting to undermine the vote in the former Soviet republic.Moldova will now hold the second round of presidential elections next month, where Sandu will face a pro-Russian opposition leader. This has raised concerns in Brussels about the continuation of Russia's "hybrid war" tactics, which could further destabilise Moldova and derail its EU aspirations.Similar concerns extend to Georgia, which holds parliamentary elections this Sunday and has long grappled with Russian interference.To discuss the potential political instability in Moldova and Georgia, we speak with Amanda Paul, Deputy Head of Europe in the World Programme and Senior Policy Analyst at the European Policy Center, specialising in Turkey, Ukraine, and the South Caucasus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Sunday, Moldovans narrowly voted yes in a referendum on joining the European Union. Why was the result so close? Pjotr Sauer reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel on his 11th visit to the region since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. He is expected to meet with top officials as the United States looks to revive cease-fire efforts after the killing of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, but so far none of the warring parties appear to be backing down on longstanding demands. Israel is still at war with Hamas more than a year after the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack, and with Hezbollah in Lebanon, where it launched a ground invasion earlier this month. Israel is also expected to strike Iran after its ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1. WASHINGTON (AP) — Pennsylvania voters are expected to play a pivotal role in the Nov. 5 general election, with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress and the state Legislature hanging in the balance. With its 19 electoral votes, the commonwealth is the largest prize among the battleground states and an important piece of both campaigns’ paths to victory. FALL CITY, WASH. (AP) — Law officers have arrested a teenager in connection with the deaths of five people found fatally shot inside a home southeast of Seattle.  BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — An initial toxicology report for ex-One Direction singer Liam Payne, who died last week after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, shows that he had cocaine in his system after his death, an Argentine official said.  NEW YORK (AP) — Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces seven more lawsuits, including one alleging the rape of a 13-year-old girl. His lawyers meanwhile are complaining about a “fresh wave of publicity.” They asked a judge to order potential witnesses and their lawyers to stop making statements that could prevent a fair trial.  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican officials say schools have six months to implement a government-sponsored ban on junk food or face heavy fines. Authorities are confronting what they call the worst childhood obesity problem in the world.  In other news: Biden is 'deeply concerned' about the release of secret documents on Israel's possible attack plans. Trump makes more debunked claims about FEMA as he surveys storm damage in North Carolina. Arizona official who delayed 2022 election certification pleads guilty. Central Park Five sues Donald Trump for 'defamatory' remarks made at presidential debate. Writer Olivia Nuzzi, New York magazine part ways after relationship with political source revealed. Supreme Court won’t revive Michael Cohen’s lawsuit against Trump claiming retaliatory imprisonment. General Motors overcomes US sales drop and China losses to post 3rd quarter profit of $3 billion. Anderson, Burton, Keith inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame. Disney names Gorman to serve as next chairman; anticipates naming new CEO in early 2026. The Ravens extend their winning streak as the Buccaneers lose two wide receivers, the Cardinals rally to beat the Chargers, the Maple Leafs improve to 4-2, the NBA season approaches and WNBA players want a new contract sooner than later.  King Charles III ends first Australian visit by a reigning British monarch in 13 years. Storm causes at least 6 deaths in Cuba, where a long power outage is raising tempers. Peru’s ex-president Toledo gets more than 20 years in prison in case linked to corruption scandal. Brazil environmental disaster victims take case against mining giant BHP to UK court. Moldovans narrowly vote to secure the country's path toward EU membership. —The Associated Press About this program Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate. Theme music The News Tonight, used under license from Soundstripe. YouTube clearance: ZR2MOTROGI4XAHRX

People in Moldova have narrowly backed a commitment to join the EU, in a referendum which was combined with presidential elections. Also: the issues – and online fandoms – dominating the US presidential campaign.

AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports the EU says Moldova has faced 'unprecedented intimidation' by Russia in a referendum on the small nation's future direction.

"I've always managed to stare at things for long periods"Tony Hawks is a TV and radio comedian and bestselling author. He began his career when he formed the musical comedy trio Morris Minor and the Majors, and is the author of the bestselling Round Ireland with a Fridge – the story of his absurd quest to hitch round the circumference of Ireland within a month… with a fridge. Other books include Playing the Moldovans at Tennis, One Hit Wonderland, A Piano in the Pyrenees, The Fridgehiker's Guide To Life and his first novel Persistent Wind. ***LIVE SHOW JUNE 17TH! TICKETS AVAILABLE!***We Can Be Weirdos will be recorded LIVE on Monday 17th June 2024, at the Underbelly Boulevard, London. Another wild night to ignite the suppressed bit of batsh*t in you. The lineup includes psychotherapist Philippa Perry, cult escapee Bexy Cameron and songs from Emma-Lee Moss (Formerly Emmy The Great). PLUS very special prizes and souvenir posters!Head here for more info and to buy your tickets: https://underbellyboulevard.com/tickets/we-can-be-weirdos-live/

In 102 episode of Good Morning BSS World podcast together with Marina Bzovii, and Andrew Wrobel we delve into an insightful discussion about the IT industry in Moldova. The conversation encompasses a variety of significant topics such as a comprehensive report on the current state of Moldova, highlighting the pivotal role of the Moldova IT Park (MITP) in fostering the growth of the tech sector. We also explore Moldova's strategic connections with the Asian market, which are instrumental in the country's economic development.Furthermore, the episode sheds light on the rapid growth of the IT sector in Moldova, driven by innovative startups and established companies alike. We discuss the digitalization of public services, showcasing how the Moldovan government is leveraging technology to improve efficiency and accessibility for its citizens. Another key topic is the language skills of Moldovans, which are seen as a crucial asset in the global IT landscape, enabling better communication and collaboration with international partners.Enjoy listening!  Key points:Moldova's IT sector offers significant growth and investment opportunities, with a favorable tax system and a highly skilled multilingual workforce.The Moldova IT Park (MITP) provides a supportive environment for tech companies, offering fiscal incentives and a simplified tax system that enhances business predictability until 2035.Moldova's digital public services are advanced, with over 50% being accessible online, reflecting the government's commitment to digitalization and the IT sector's importance to the economy.  Links:Marina Bzovii on Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-bzov%C3%AEi-107242153/Andrew Wrobel on Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewwrob/Emerging Europe – https://emerging-europe.com/MITP – https://mitp.md/p/web/webHomeReport about Moldova – https://emerging-europe.hs-sites.com/it-investment-guide-moldova-2024Talk to AI about this podcast - https://gmbw.onpodcastai.com/episodes/YkaXboZ2hAK/chat  ****************************  My name is Wiktor Doktór and on daily basis I run Pro Progressio Club https://klub.proprogressio.pl - it's a community of many private companies and public sector organizations that care about the development of business relations in the B2B model. In the Good Morning BSS World podcast, apart from solo episodes, I share interviews with experts and specialists from global BPO/GBS industry.If you want to learn more about me, please visit my social media channels:YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/wiktordoktorHere is also link to the English podcasts Playlist - https://bit.ly/GoodMorningBSSWorldPodcastYTLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wiktordoktorYou can also write to me. My email address is - wiktor.doktor (@) proprogressio.pl  ****************************  This Podcast is supported by Patrons:Marzena Sawicka https://www.linkedin.com/in/marzena-sawicka-a9644a23/Przemysław Sławiński https://www.linkedin.com/in/przemys%C5%82aw-s%C5%82awi%C5%84ski-155a4426/Damian Ruciński https://www.linkedin.com/in/damian-ruci%C5%84ski/Szymon Kryczka https://www.linkedin.com/in/szymonkryczka/Grzegorz Ludwin https://www.linkedin.com/in/gludwin/Adam Furmańczuk https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-agilino/  If you like my podcasts you can join Patrons of Good Morning BSS World as well. Here are two links to do so:Patronite - https://patronite.pl/wiktordoktor  Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/wiktordoktor Or if you liked this episode and would like to buy me virtual coffee, you can use this link https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wiktordoktor - by doing so you support the growth and distribution of this podcast.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/good-morning-bss-world--4131868/support.

“Moldova is no longer just a consumer of technologies. We are now a nation that exports and generates technologies,” the country's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Digitalisation, Dumitru Alaiba, wrote on Linkedin in August. He shared the example of Informbusiness, a domestic company that has just launched the production of dynamically-charged electric buses.  “We have a booming IT industry. Year-on-year growth is 45 per cent, and 95 per cent of the IT services produced are oriented for export. Altogether, the IT industry in Moldova is about five per cent [of GDP] and if the sector grows even half as fast as it has over the past three years, I think we can double that soon,” he tells Emerging Europe's Andrew Wrobel.  According to the Future of IT in emerging Europe report, 4.4 per cent of Moldovans are employed in the ICT sector. Across the 23 countries of emerging Europe, only Estonia has a higher percentage employed in the sector.   “We want to prove that it's not just Estonia [that can be 100 per cent digital]. Any other country can do it if they take [digitalisation] seriously and if they believe it is possible,” Alaiba adds.  “We want to show that you can have a high quality of service when you deal with the Moldovan government, whether you are an entrepreneur, a citizen or a visitor. […] You don't need to go through a massive crisis in order to benefit from the digital transformation.” 

Want to hear the crazy, almost unbelievable love story of how two young crazy kids from Moldova, met while living in the States? Here are all the details. You won't want to miss this episode!

Alta Ifland discusses the first pages of her latest novel, Speaking to No. 4, how she arranged the novel around six conversations that characterized her protagonist, bending our usual ideas about dialog to create scenes inside of scenes, and what it was like to publish a book ten years after she'd written it.Ifland's first pages can be found here.Help local bookstores and our authors by buying this book on Bookshop.Click here for the audio/video version of this interview.The above link will be available for 48 hours. Missed it? The podcast version is always available, both here and on your favorite podcast platform.Alta Ifland was born and grew up in Communist Romania. She came to the US as a political refugee in 1991, has a PhD in French language and literature, and translates from/into Romanian, French and English. She is the author of four books of short fiction, including Elegy for a Fabulous World (2010 finalist for the Northern California Book Award in Fiction) and Death-in-a-Box (2011 Subito Press Prize). Her collection of prose poems, Voix de glace/Voice of ice, which she has translated from French, won the 2008 Louis Guillaume Prize (a French prize), and her novel, The Wife Who Wasn't, a satirical comedy about Moldovans versus Californians in a post-Communist world, came out in 2021. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com

Kate Adie introduces stories from Myanmar's civil war, Iran, Moldova, Denmark and South Georgia. Since the military overthrow of the democratically elected government in Myanmar in 2021, the country has slid into civil war. When initial, peaceful demonstrations against the military coup failed, civilians took up arms. Now, some of the soldiers they are fighting are deciding to defect - refusing to fight against their own people. Many have fled to Thailand, where Rebecca Henschke spoke to them. When an Iranian former political prisoner goes missing, who should his family turn to for help? The daughter of Ebrahim Babie was rightly reluctant to contact the Iranian authorities who had targeted her father, and instead she called the BBC's Persian Service. Jiyar Gol tells the story of his search for a missing dissident. Moldova shares a large border with its much larger neighbour Ukraine, and since Russia's invasion, Moldovans have been on edge. Disinformation about the war have widened the unease between pro-western and pro-Russian factions in the country. But Moldova's president has big plans for a future in the EU, and was boosted by a recent European summit held in the capital, Chisinau. Stephen McGrath reports. Hidden in a forest in northern Jutland, nearly 250 miles from Copenhagen, the sprawling REGAN Vest complex was built at the height of the Cold War. This huge nuclear bunker is where the Danish government and queen would have sheltered in the event of nuclear attack. Adrienne Murray paid a recent and discovered a remarkable time capsule that continues to resonate. The island of South Georgia, eight hundred miles north of Antarctica, was plundered by Antarctic explorers, with its whales, seals and penguins killed for their oils, furs and meat. But now the island lies within a vast nature reserve, and on a recent visit Mark Stratton found an island restored. Producer: Claire Bowes Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples

With the Impact Days event coming soon, May is shaping up to be big month for impact in Moldova. We caught up with Aina Idrisova (Head of Social Entrepreneurship at EcoVisio) and Ana Ciurac (Project Officer at East Europe Foundation Moldova) to discuss the shape of Moldova's impact ecosystem: successes, challenges, compelling social enterprises and more. Check out the links to find more information on Impact Days in Moldova, Collaborate for Impact, Aina and Ana's organisations and some social enterprises they mention in the show! Impact People from EVPA is hosted by Ben DeVries and produced by Alon Shapiro and Nathan Ritholz.  https://collaborate4impact.org/ https://www.ecovisio.org/ https://eef.md/en/ https://www.evpa.ngo/  https://www.floaredecires.org/https://www.edujoc.md/https://tcp.center/https://ecolifeforyou.com/ 

Our heroes set out to explore the holy of holies, the favourite flava, the inner sanctum of the strip club – the changing room. On the way they're knocked off course by a billionaire at a sex party but settle down to celebrate the United Nations of Naked – Brazilians, Ukrainians, Russians, Moldovans, Essexians and Cockeny's all gathered to gossip, swear, shave, share and howl with laughter while creating glamour from chaos. We meet Disco Dan, Mandy's burger handbag, the clit ring initiation and a forest of pleasers at the top of the stairs. It's like a stripper fairy tale from the Sisters Grimm.This episode is bought to you by SITA Podcasting Ltd, Hosted by Buffy and Heaven, produced by Stephen Armstrong and Sophie Cohen, edited by Adam Grigg, original soundtrack by Myron Cohen and Hart McNee.Follow us! Instagram & Twitter Press Enquiries- Madelaine@gingerbreadagency.comEmail us your questions & confessions! strippersintheattic@gmail.com

We invite everyone who wants to join the military operations on the territory of Ukraine against the terrorist Russian regime, everyone who is able to help in the fight for the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine, you can join the ranks of the international brigade, which includes people from many countries such as the USA, Canada, Georgia, Belarus, Russians who disagree with Putin's regime, Chechens of the Republic of Ichkeria, and many other glorious sons are beating the enemy on the territory of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporozhye, we are waiting for you, we are waiting for the guarantors of our security - soldiers from the United States and Great Britain, we need you on the battlefield, many glorious Cossacks - Ukrainians died fighting for Ukraine, don't stand aside, fight the unwashed Muscovite, drive him out of Ukraine, we repeat once again, give us tanks and planes, as well as missiles, we will end the war, no one is fucked tyrants in the world have no right to kill Ukrainians, we are a nation of winners, we won the 2nd world war, on our bones Moscow reached Berlin, be sure, fall we are the end of you, get ready, glorious people of Kazakhstan, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Georgia, we are handing you our baton of war with the Muscovites, the war will come to your house, to your street, to your yard, the Muscovites are murderers, and they need someone to kill for them you are Churks, Pindos, Anglo-Saxons or whatever, any alliance with Russia is a failure, don't believe the Muscovites! Russians killed 100,000 peaceful civil people in Mariupol, all of them were killed by a Russian soldier, a Russian tank, a Russian shell, a Russian aerial bomb, prepare for war Poles, Moldovans, Kazakhs. thanks for your help but it's not enough, it's not enough. I am grateful to all the allies of Ukraine, I am asking for a tribunal for castrated servicemen of the armed forces of Ukraine who were in enemy captivity, I am asking for a tribunal for every murdered child, I am asking for a tribunal for every raped woman, give me fucking tanks give me fucking missiles, only revenge, only death to everything that came to kill from Russia Glorious sons and daughters of Ukraine successfully destroyed about 104,560 soldiers;— tanks — 3,018;— combat armored vehicles — 6,047;— artillery systems — 2004;— RSZV — 423;— air defense means — 212;— planes — 283;— helicopters — 268;— automotive equipment and tank trucks — 4,675;— ships/boats — 16;— UAVs of the operational-tactical level — 1,717;— cruise missiles — 653.

We invite everyone who wants to join the military operations on the territory of Ukraine against the terrorist Russian regime, everyone who is able to help in the fight for the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine, you can join the ranks of the international brigade, which includes people from many countries such as the USA, Canada, Georgia, Belarus, Russians who disagree with Putin's regime, Chechens of the Republic of Ichkeria, and many other glorious sons are beating the enemy on the territory of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporozhye, we are waiting for you, we are waiting for the guarantors of our security - soldiers from the United States and Great Britain, we need you on the battlefield, many glorious Cossacks - Ukrainians died fighting for Ukraine, don't stand aside, fight the unwashed Muscovite, drive him out of Ukraine, we repeat once again, give us tanks and planes, as well as missiles, we will end the war, no one is fucked tyrants in the world have no right to kill Ukrainians, we are a nation of winners, we won the 2nd world war, on our bones Moscow reached Berlin, be sure, fall we are the end of you, get ready, glorious people of Kazakhstan, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Georgia, we are handing you our baton of war with the Muscovites, the war will come to your house, to your street, to your yard, the Muscovites are murderers, and they need someone to kill for them you are Churks, Pindos, Anglo-Saxons or whatever, any alliance with Russia is a failure, don't believe the Muscovites! We killed 100,000 peaceful locals in Mariupol, all of them were killed by a Russian soldier, a Russian tank, a Russian shell, a Russian aerial bomb, prepare for war Poles, Moldovans, Kazakhs. thanks for your help but it's not enough, it's not enough. I am grateful to all the allies of Ukraine, I am asking for a tribunal for castrated servicemen of the armed forces of Ukraine who were in enemy captivity, I am asking for a tribunal for every murdered child, I am asking for a tribunal for every raped woman, give me fucking tanks give me fucking missiles, only revenge, only death to everything that came to kill from Russia

Champions League happened (sorry Club Brugge) and we talked about everything that happened.From Juventus to Bayern to Graham Potter's suit. A lot happened. Good, bad and ugly.Number 7 put on a show for Moldovans and people got punched.Theres football on this weekend, the Premier League is back, too.

Sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, the former Soviet Republic of Moldova has recently been awarded EU candidate status. In an echo of what happened in Ukraine, Moldova lost a chunk of its eastern territory to separatists in a short war 30 years ago. The separatists were backed by elements of the Russian army. Since then Transnistria has remained a post-Soviet “frozen conflict.” In recent months almost 500,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed into Moldova – the highest per capita influx to a neighbouring country. Up to 90,000 have remained in Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries. The republic's president has warned that President Putin has his sights set on her country. Tessa Dunlop travels to Moldova to hear what Moldovans think about the war in Ukraine and their country's future. Produced by John Murphy (Image: A Russian armoured vehicle at the border crossing with the breakaway enclave of Transnistria in the village of Firladeni, Republic of Moldova. Credit: BBC/John Murphy)

Sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, the former Soviet Republic of Moldova has recently been awarded EU candidate status. In an echo of what happened in Ukraine, Moldova lost a chunk of its eastern territory to separatists in a short war 30 years ago. The separatists were backed by elements of the Russian army. Since then Transnistria has remained a post-Soviet “frozen conflict.” In recent months almost 500,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed into Moldova – the highest per capita influx to a neighbouring country. Up to 90,000 have remained in Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries. The republic's president has warned that President Putin has his sights set on her country. Tessa Dunlop travels to Moldova to hear what Moldovans think about the war in Ukraine and their country's future. Produced by John Murphy (Image: A Russian armoured vehicle at the border crossing with the breakaway enclave of Transnistria in the village of Firladeni, Republic of Moldova. Credit: BBC/John Murphy)

Sick and tired of the daily grind as a 25 year old working in the family business, Tim left it all behind to go to New York. He started off as a busboy in South Brooklyn. The type of bar rich Moldovans own to try to hit on women (yes, this is actually a thing!). From there he hustled his way to one of New York's top bars. Tim's life story is not all we talk about in this episode though. We delve into the surprising truth of what happens when you tip your bartenders, the wildest ice hockey fight stories, how Tim's country maybe but probably helped write the constitution, and half non-jokingly discuss massive male genocide. Nbd. Tune in and enjoy!

As war rages in neighboring Ukraine, Moldovan President Maia Sandu talks to about fighting corruption, moving her country toward the European Union, and the half million refugees who've crossed the border since February. Sandu is a popular choice on lists of up-and-coming world leaders, including a recent one that nicknamed her “the tightrope walker.” Sandu's task has been daunting—preserving her country's young democracy while fighting endemic corruption; modernizing Moldova's economy and turning its focus toward the European Union and away from Russia; and dealing with the pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria. And she's had to take on all of those challenges in the context of the COVID pandemic and the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine, which has sent an estimated 500,000 refugees over the country's eastern border, of which 100,000 have taken up temporary residence in Moldova. Sandu has shown resilience in the face of challenges and setbacks—as education minister she was frustrated by the corruption she found in the country's education system, so she and some allies founded their own political party, the party of Action and Solidarity. She lost her post as prime minister in 2019 after just five months, but a year later she was elected president and helped her party sweep into power in parliamentary elections. Sandu says the key to her success has been convincing ordinary Moldovans, who she says are weary from decades of pervasive corruption and scandal in government, that political reforms and an economic and political alignment with Europe hold the key to a better future.

With speculation mounting that President Putin might mount an attack on Moldova, Max Pearson hears a first-hand account of the war in the 1990s between the Moldovans and Russian-backed separatists in the disputed region of Transnistria. There's also a chilling story from the Cold War about how a Soviet air defence official prevented a potential catastrophe by realising that a computer warning about a US nuclear attack was a false alarm. In the second-half of the History Hour, an Egyptian poet remembers how 48 hours of unrest in 1977 forced the government to scrap a huge increase in the cost of bread, and an Icelandic geophysicist recalls how the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano caused disruption all over Europe. PHOTO: Russian-speaking Transnistrian fighters during the war (Getty Images)

With speculation mounting that President Putin might mount an attack on Moldova, we're going back to the early 1990s and a war between the Moldovans and Russian-backed separatists in the disputed region of Transnistria. Several hundred people died in a conflict which ended in a stalemate in 1992. Matt Pintus speaks to former journalist and Moldovan defence minister, Viorel Cibotaru. PHOTO: Russian-speaking Transnistrian fighters during the war (Getty Images)

Joint Press Conference of Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres and the Prime-Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Natalia Gavrilița."(...) On 9 May, of all days, we remember that dialogue and cooperation based on mutual respect are the bedrock of peace and security, in Europe and around the world.I congratulate the Republic of Moldova on the thirtieth anniversary of joining the United Nations and thank you for your contributions and strong partnership in areas including peacekeeping, sustainable development, gender equality, climate change and I could go on and on. Despite the difficult and indeed tragic circumstances of my visit, I have already experienced the hospitality that is a hallmark of your country. I thank you for extending that hospitality to the 100,000 Ukrainian refugees staying in Moldova – an increase of almost 4 percent of your population.Moldova may not be the largest or wealthiest country in Europe, but its tremendous humanity and generosity are clear for all to see.I witnessed the horrific humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine for myself. But by standing in solidarity with Ukrainians, Moldova, together with other neighbouring countries have mounted a highly effective response to the regional refugee crisis.I also welcome the steps Moldova and other neighbouring countries are taking to protect refugees against human trafficking, gender-based violence, and other forms of abuse.The United Nations is supporting refugees, displaced people and host communities both inside and outside Ukraine. So far, more than 200 partners – mostly national NGOs – have reached more than 5.4 million people inside the country with aid including food, shelter, blankets, medicines and water.But obviously, this is not enough. We need to do much more. We are working to double our reach in some areas over the coming months. Everywhere, our operations in Ukraine focus on the most vulnerable: children, women, elderly people and those with disabilities.Here in Moldova, and I have to say that it was not easy for the UN to readapt to a humanitarian crisis in Europe, Here, we do not have refugee camps. Refugees live with the families of Moldovans. Here, we don't have the traditional forms of humanitarian support in crisis areas of the developing world, in fragile states. So it took some time to fully organize our work and to fully correspond to the needs of cooperation that Moldova expects in relation to the UN. But now, we are doing everything we can in order to scale up our programs and in particular the most effective of those programs, cash assistance – because we must trust that people know what their needs are. We aim to support over 90,000 refugees and 55,000 Moldovan hosts, in coordination with the Government and other partners.So far, 12 Member States have joined the EU Solidarity Platform and made pledges to transfer Ukrainian refugees from Moldova.I encourage others to demonstrate joint responsibility and solidarity by joining this initiative.Moldova is a small country with a big heart.But its resources are limited.The United Nations and our partner organizations can only support governments to meet the needs of everyone affected by this war if our two humanitarian appeals for $2.25 billion inside Ukraine and $1.85 billion for the refugee response are fully funded.I urge all countries to give generously. In global terms, these are minuscule sums.I also urge all countries to consider upgrading their economic partnership with Moldova, and to support opportunities for its young women and men.The war is having a devastating impact on the Moldovan economy, with supply chains broken and fuel and food prices rising fast.For its European Union neighbours, massive solidarity with Moldova is not a matter of generosity, it is a matter of enlightened self-interest.Many young Moldovans are considering leaving or have already left. While many remain active in support of their country from outside, Moldova needs peace for the sake of these dynamic young agents of change, who have so much to offer.I am speaking from personal knowledge of this subject, as one of my own youth climate advisors, Vladislav Kaim, is from Moldova. Our United Nations Country Team in Moldova will continue to do its best to support the Government and people throughout these serious challenges.But above all, I want to thank Moldova for its generosity and solidarity, for its steadfast support for peace and multilateral solutions, and for its example of humanity. Thank you very much".

Moldova is a small country sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. It was once part of the Soviet Union. It's not an EU member or a member of the Nato alliance. And it is home to a small breakaway region where Russian is spoken. For all those reasons, many Moldovans are worried that Moscow has its eye on them, and will see the invasion of Ukraine as the best opportunity it will ever get to bring Moldova too back under its control. Simon Carswell visited the capital Chisinau to learn how realistic an invasion is and whether Moldova, like Ukraine, could fight back. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ukraine Sold Out By UN Mission Blues, by Matthew Russell Lee, InnerCityPress.com April 3, 2022 It was the sixth week of the war in Ukraine And the US Ambassador went to Moldova by plane She told them that Tony Guterres was their friend No chance in sight for this war to end Outside Kiev, the bodies piled high In UN like on Yemen Tony told a lie The US and UN both playing some C.Y.A. On the UN's censorship the US Mission had nothing to say The Senate told 'em to do something about today's UN clown show But it was to Romania that Linda Thomas-Greenfield did go Praised by state media for this supposed diplomatic coup Ongoing ban on the Press that might question or boo In the big world Citibank kept making money Russia bypassed Visa with Mir and called it funny The UN's Guterres putting bribe money his banks Living in a mansion receiving Moldovans' thanks The UN is failing on Ukraine And it's not just the veto It's that the Big Boss Tony Guterres Has spent 5 years calling Putin Papacito Support: https://www.patreon.com/MatthewRussel... Article: http://www.innercitypress.com/usun5au...

Pastor Alex joined the program to discuss a myriad of dynamics and issues on the war in Ukraine with Russia. Pastor Alex is from Ukraine while his wife and other family members are from Russia. His church has Ukrainians, Russians and Moldovans... we look at the crisis from perspectives involving religion, which is central to both countries, Vladamir Putin and religious freedom in both countries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Alex joined the program to discuss a myriad of dynamics and issues on the war in Ukraine with Russia. Pastor Alex is from Ukraine while his wife and other family members are from Russia. His church has Ukrainians, Russians and Moldovans... we look at the crisis from perspectives involving religion, which is central to both countries, Vladamir Putin and religious freedom in both countries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, nestled between neighbours, Romania and Ukraine. In the Moldovan Coffee Break podcast, we will shed light on this often misunderstood country. In a production from The European Network and Europa United, Loredana Prijmireanu sits down with six other Moldovans as they discuss their thoughts, fears, challenges and beliefs as young citizens of this country in 2021. The Moldovan Coffee break will reveal a vibrant Moldova that is ready to show the rest of Europe that they are here.

Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, nestled between neighbours, Romania and Ukraine. In the Moldovan Coffee Break, we will shed light on this often misunderstood country. In a Europa United production, Loredana Prijmireanu sits down with six other Moldovans as they discuss their thoughts, fears, challenges and beliefs as young citizens of this country in 2021. You can access this podcast on Anchor or wherever you choose to download your podcast. The Moldovan Coffee break will reveal a vibrant Moldova that is ready to show the rest of Europe that they are here.

In Moldova, poverty and corruption go hand in hand. In 2016, a single act of bank fraud by a group of politicians known as the “theft of the century” led to $1 billion siphoned out of the country into offshore accounts — that’s 12% of the nation’s gross domestic product. The country’s average household income over the past 10 years is just over $14,000 a year, causing a third of the nation’s workforce to leave and seek work abroad. So when Maia Sandu, the recently elected first woman president, ran a campaign focused solely on addressing corruption, 93% of Moldovans abroad voted for her, bringing in 244,000 votes and lifting her above the incumbent, Igor Dodon, who lost by a thin margin of 27,000 votes. Diaspora voters comprise 15% of the Moldovan electorate.Related: Anti-government protests swell in Bulgaria amid corruption allegationsSabina Costin, a Moldovan who now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, said she’s not someone who cares about politics, but Sandu stood out as a promising candidate because she prioritized cleaning up internal corruption and strengthening ties to the European Union. Costin, who is 29 years old, became part of the Moldovan diaspora at age 17, when her family won the US green card lottery and moved to Minneapolis. One of the first things that stood out to her when she started working in the US was that bribery wasn’t common practice in institutions. Costin remembers the corruption her family had to endure to get her into a good charter school when she was in second grade in Moldova. Related: Trump's hypocrisy on corruption is just what Putin wantsWhen she didn’t fully pass the entrance exam, her mother and she both dressed nicely, went to the school and asked the authorities, “How much do you need to get her [into] the school?” Costin says they wrote down a number on a piece of paper to indicate the amount. Her mother negotiated, and she got in. Costin said her experience is normal in Moldova, where a 2015 survey showed that one in five Moldovans had paid a bribe to public officials in the 12 months leading up to the survey. “The further we go with more transparency, we will be able to achieve so much more, in my opinion.”Sabina Costin, Moldovan diaspora in Minneapolis, MinnesotaShe believes that the only way to bring Moldovans back home is by cleaning up the widespread government corruption. “The further we go with more transparency, we will be able to achieve so much more, in my opinion.” In this Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019 file photo, a man holds a European Union flag as people stand by shoes of Moldovan citizens working abroad are placed on the pavement in Chisinau, Moldova. Credit: Vadim Ghirda/File photo/AP Sandu defeated Dodon, the current president of Moldova, who said on the 2016 campaign trail that he would “rule Moldova like Putin” — a promise that Dodon failed to deliver on during his presidency, according to Georgetown University professor and Black Sea security expert Iulia Joja. “The fact that Russia has restrained itself from intervening actively in these elections has been very good news for the entire region.”Iulia Joja, professor and Black Sea security expert, Georgetown University“He has promised that Putin would visit Moldova, which has not happened in the last four years.” Joja added, “The fact that Russia has restrained itself from intervening actively in these elections has been very good news for the entire region.”Joja said Dodon’s strategy, promising Moldovans that a strong relationship with Russia was in their future, failed with Moldovans abroad who valued Sandu’s anti-corruption platform and promise to oust corrupt government officials. “They see how well they fare in the West and they want to be able to do as well at home and to be able to return home."Related: Ukraine is 'sending a very clear message to corrupt elites'Joja said that Moldovans working abroad make up the biggest foreign investors to the country’s economy: “In 2019, 16% of Moldova's GDP [came] from the diaspora through foreign remittances.”Moldovans abroad see Sandu as a hero for having left Moldova only to return and make a life for herself, Joja added. Sandu left Moldova to pursue an education at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government but returned home to take a job at the Ministry of Education in 2012. When The World asked why she returned, Sandu said, “Because Moldova is a beautiful country with very nice people.”In her time as minister, Sandu said she “reduced the number of bribes in the education system by half” — an accomplishment she believes demonstrates her capacity to deliver on her promise to tackle corruption. “These are young people, a creative working-age population [who] can contribute a lot to Moldova. And they left because they didn't have any prospects at home. They still believe in their country. They want things to change in our country."Maia Sandu, president, MoldovaSandu said she empathizes with the diaspora. “These are young people, a creative working-age population [who] can contribute a lot to Moldova. And they left because they didn't have any prospects at home. They still believe in their country. They want things to change in our country. And as a proof to that is their participation in the latest presidential elections a few days ago,” she said. Related: Lebanon protests called out corruption. Now it's about survival. Moldova does not have mail-in voting, meaning Moldovans abroad had to find international polling places. Some of them traveled hundreds of miles to vote. “People had to stay in lines for two, four, seven hours,” said Sandu, who also said high voter turnout among the diaspora shows that Moldovans abroad hope to “create a functional government to have the rule of law for the people to believe in their country.”As for her plans on tackling corruption, Sandu said, “Unfortunately, some of the existing judges are corrupt, some of the people who are already in the system are corrupt.” During her first week in office,  she said she will be proposing a law “to clean up the system [and] do the evaluation of judges and prosecutors. She plans to use every possible opportunity — including the National Council for Security — to make sure that state institutions focus on high-profile corruption cases. Sandu said that she knows fighting corruption is dangerous work. Her own mother worries for Sandu’s safety. But now that she has won the election, Sandu said her mother rests a little easier knowing that her daughter is supported in her efforts. Sandu said this support gives her the courage to help create a new Moldova — a Moldova that people can come home to. Natalia Cucoș, an excited Sandu supporter based in Austria, said she hopes someday she can return to her motherland. “You can take the person out of Moldova, but you can’t take Moldova out of the person,” she said. 

She's also been a magazine editor and the owner of a large, successful agricultural advertising agency.  In addition, Patricia is a distinguished alumni award recipient from MSU's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Orlowitz reflects on her more traditional communications career before 1997 and her international development career since. On the global front, she has worked on numerous U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) projects, in a variety of roles, at far flung locations all over the world.   The success of a six-year Private Farmers Assistance Program in Moldova was featured in People Magazine in 2000.  The project focused on land reform measures that broke up collective farms and issued private land titles to over 1 million Moldovans.  For her leadership on the project, Orlowitz was presented with the Republic of Moldova Civic Medal in 2001 by the president of Moldova.    More recently, in Bangladesh, Orlowitz worked with the World Food Programme, recipient of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, to design the first ever food assistance program in Dhaka's urban slums. The pilot program helps 50,000 urban poor in two, low-income areas of Dhaka at high risk of COVID-19.  Beneficiaries receive cash-based transfers for fresh vegetables, staples, and eggs from local vendors, or, if they are quarantined with COVID symptoms, a food package delivered to their door.   Orlowitz also discusses other particularly rewarding, albeit often challenging projects.  In Cambodia, for example, Orlowitz and her team developed a ground-breaking program that helped to significantly reduce maternal and infant mortality during pregnancy and childbirth.   And then there were the challenges associated with her work with the USAID Afghanistan Division. “I will say every project is tough and rewarding at the same time,” says Orlowitz. “But, for a number of reasons, I did find Afghanistan especially difficult.”  One of those reasons had to do with her working closely with the military and the associated security issues.   In discussing what she has learned about U.S. foreign policy and the importance of international development programs, Orlowitz uses a metaphor.  “When we look at foreign assistance and foreign policy, in general, we say there are three branches of government, three arms that carry out our U.S. national security policy. Thus, there are three legs to our national security stool.  First, there is diplomacy. That's the State Department. Then there is national defense--our armed services. And, thirdly, there is development, and that's USAID and people like me and people like the MSU students and professors who are working in international development. At any given time, each of these three branches is doing what you need in foreign policy and national security to try to ensure a more stable world.“Development is indeed a difficult concept to fully grasp. When I first started working in the international arena, I didn't fully understand what it was.”  Orlowitz likes to use examples to better elucidate development.   “A country wants to have better infrastructure so people can get their agricultural products from the farm to the market. You need to have roads. Well, how do you develop those roads? And how do you finance those roads? If you're a developing country, you need to find a way to collect taxes or generate some kind of income, but you don't even know how to do that. We can help.  “And then look at things that we have learned in education, early grade reading being the foundation of education. And how do you better teach early grade reading to first and second graders? If we can share those skills with a developing country, that's the kind of program that helps them improve education for all their citizens.  Orlowitz is extremely grateful for the years she spent in East Lansing.  “MSU totally prepared me not for just my international experience, but for all of the jobs that I've had. A good internship opened my eyes to the interconnectedness of agriculture to many different things. MSU gave me the basic skills. MSU exposed me to students and professors from around the world.  But I also think MSU gave me something even more basic. And that's an appreciation of opportunities—to be able to listen and learn and keep learning over a lifetime.” Orlowitz concludes by sharing some advice for young communications professionals.“You have to, in your career, look for career tracks that may not specifically say communications. I look at my counterparts in the Army who are in civil and public affairs.  And they're doing communications, but they may not always call it that. In Afghanistan, I worked with great Army colleagues who were running preparedness programs and development programs, but working hand in hand with me on the USAID development side.  “I think communications experts no longer need to look just at careers in magazine and news journalism, or on television and radio as we used to, but to look for other related, but less apparent positions, whether at a company, a non-profit or a branch of government. Communications is a basic skill, and everybody is always going to need effective communicators.  If you are open to those other opportunities and are even willing to help persuade those companies or agencies that what they're missing is a good communicator, I think you'll find fascinating career prospects out there.”MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on 105.1 FM, AM 870, and however you stream at home. Follow and subscribe at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

The Russians are a people who are serious about their rail travel. I began to grasp this point with a certain nuanced clarity as we took the train north. Our car was, to put it modestly, well-appointed. The bathrooms were spacious, nicer than anything I encountered in any building in Russia. It was so clean and inviting I felt inclined to lay down on the floor and take a brief nap inside. I could lock the door, so no one would disturb me.The Russian countryside passed out our window like an old-fashioned movie background circulating on a loop. It was difficult to know what we were looking at except lots of pine trees and a few minor villages interspersed throughout. The foreground pines zipped by, while the background pines lingered in the picture.Upon getting into the city we checked into our new residence, called Cuba Hostel. We were informed that we had not gotten the proper paperwork from our previous hostel (no surprise there). The Russian government likes to keep tabs on the lodging arrangements of tourists. We had apparently failed to register with the appropriate authorities. Once you move on from your initial residence, you cannot gain this paperwork. This was a little disconcerting given that we were going to skip around from hostel to hostel every two days or so for next few weeks. The girls at the front desk gave us a slight reprimand but told us that it wouldn’t necessarily be a problem. Surely we weren’t the only World Cup tourists who had the misfortune of initially lodging with a Russian host who couldn’t be bothered to fill out the correct paperwork.We spent that first afternoon wandering from pub to pub watching the games. Our first stop was at the bar next door to our hostel, where we ordered Chicken Kiev with a Kasteel Rouge. We were gratified to discover that every entrée comes with a gratis shot of whiskey—a practice which should no doubt be more widely adopted. Argentina and Iceland played to a tie. We made friends with the Iranians sitting next to us. We also became friends with the drunk Germans, though it wouldn’t be accurate to say we made friends because a drunk German typically considers anyone close enough to share a Prost or two as a natural alliance. We decided to move to another bar for the next game. We ended up underground in a sweaty “traditional English” pub. Every room in St. Petersburg boasts a mysteriously higher level of humidity than the world outside. The best outcome is a bit of additional moisture, the worst outcome is the scent of warm cheese and Russian body odor. We sat at a table with some Americans, from the midwest, who had spent the last four years teaching in Korea and Shanghai. As we left, we nodded goodbye to the Socceroos behind us.Aussie #1: “Go Australia!”“That’s right, mate!” I replied in a good natured, moderately drunken spirit.Aussie #2, obviously a very clever lad: “Good luck to USA in the tournament. Oh, wait…”To which I replied, “Good luck remaining influential in world politics.”Oh, wait.We went out to get a feel for St. Petersburg. If Moscow is arrayed as nested circles, then St. Petersburg is arranged as intersecting lines. Moscow’s center of gravity is Red Square, and everything emanates out from it. St. Petersburg features a number of main drags along which the prominent landmarks are scattered. We walked now along one of the most touristed main drags, then up toward the Church of Savior on Spilled Blood. The extravagant architectural sensibilities that produced St. Basil’s Cathedral—the one topped with exotic sour cream and dumplings—are more prominent in St. Petersburg than they are in Moscow, as Spilled Blood attests. It isn’t nearly as dire as it sounds. Though less celebrated than St. Basil’s, it is every bit as enchanting. It’s a church conceived by Pixar animators, with improbable spires plopped upon decadent columns. A magnificent, blood red brick structure festooned with elaborate dashes of color. It is a curious mix of eastern and western, resisting easy categorization—just like Russia itself. We stood for a few moments to take in it.The church was situated right next to the FIFA Fan Zone, which we went to investigate afterward. The Fan Zone was a large concrete swath of city set aside for fans to watch the game. They served beer there, as well as some game food. The most that it had to recommend it was that the television screen was large, the alcohol was attainable, and the venue was public. It was exclusively standing room. None of these were inducement enough for us to hang out around. So we retired for the evening.We awoke the next morning at 5am with the sun high overhead and spilling into our room. We heard the sound of partying on the streets, straining to perpetuate the festivities in transition from the wee hours to more substantial ones. There were chants in Spanish. We heard someone york in the bathroom adjacent to our room. Then we fell back asleep.When we had risen for the day we set off for St. Petersburg’s ethnography museum. We found it on a street several removed from one of the cities main arteries. We were the only people on the block. Thinking the museum might be closed, we approached its vast wooden doors, standing ten feet high, and tugged on them experimentally. They opened in an empty room with high ceilings, at least three stories tall. We walked over to the ticket booth. No one in line. I cheerfully engaged the ticket clerk, testing how far English would get me if I delivered it with a gracious smile. The lady, however, seemed indifferent to whether or not a warm body found its way into the museum. She mechanically slid us a ticket and a map, then we went to explore the exhibits.The display gave accounts of the various indigenous ethnic groups of the former Russian empire: Moldovan, Ukranian, Belarussian, etc. Each display featured a tidy alcove of life-sized figurines engaged in activities, such as fishing or weaving. Importantly, the figurines were not intended to be representations of what the people looked like—with ungainly carvings and over-exaggerated features—but just to give the feeling that a scene was taking place, with a person and an action. Each display had a wall of labeled paraphernalia germane to the societies in which the peoples lived. The displays were clearly put together with great care and admiration for their subjects. The little old ladies monitoring the exhibits, unlike most museum security, seemed like they would have responded with passion and knowledge if you had asked them about the exhibit they oversaw. Of course we couldn’t because we didn’t speak Russian. The exhibits were labeled in Russian, so we were unable to understand the specifics of them. We discovered a stash of laminated cards explaining what we were looking at, but we were disappointed to find that they too were in Russian. One of the monitors observed us looking over the card and explained to us, in Russian, something lengthy and involved that amounted to the effect of “Put the card back when you’re done.”We were unable to learn all that much about the indigenous peoples of Russia, except that they were more various than we might have supposed. But it was clear from the exhibits that each of these people groups, along with the contemporary brand of Russians, were a people who payed exquisite attention to detail. Their traditional garbs without exception were complex and ornately decorated, as if they had had all winter with nothing to do but spend it sewing and had used that time productively. Whoever constructed the exhibits shared the same keenness for nuance as the people depicted. My favorite were the dioramas. These weren’t your elementary schools constructions in a cardboard box. These were fantastic beyond anything I could have ever imagined a diorama to be. They were built in such a way as to convey the appearance of linear perspective. In a typical diorama, the figures in a scene are all the same size, and looking over it as a being of larger magnitude, you have the privileged perspective to view the scene as God would, everything all at once uncommitted to any particular vantage point. This description is merely factual and does nothing to give you the sense of how much goes into executing such an effect in three dimensions. Not so with these displays. One diorama showed a seamstress workshop. The sewing stations in the back were smaller than those in the front, like they would be in an oil painting, giving the scene an appearance of depth. I was hugely impressed.Another of the dioramas was of an entire town. Every detail was carefully implemented, all the way down to the texture of the thatched roofs. I got the feeling that I was seeing the same pride in the presentation of a model city that I had observed in the presentation of a real one in Moscow.My one regret from the museum was that I got the feeling that I was looking at a varied and diverse set of people groups, but I was unable to distinguish between them. I couldn’t even contextualize them geographically, because I couldn’t read the inscriptions. They didn’t have maps, either, which would’ve been a big help. Even with that in mind, it was a delightful showcase of, in the words of the museum’s introductory video, the “universal and synchronism of culture of the Russian empire.”We were ready for a coffee break and presently found a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop on our walk back toward the main drag. I got a cup of coffee and a donut. It is well known that Europeans give Americans s**t for their croissants. And they’re right. Americans just don’t have the wherewithal to make croissants like Europeans do. I don’t care how good the bakery is. They’re not gonna make a croissant like you could get at even a mediocre boulangerie in Paris. What is less well recognized is that a symmetrical inability applies to Europeans attempting to make donuts. They just don’t get it. The proper execution of a donut is beyond them. Just as Americans don’t have the proper cultural legacy to do a croissant with that je nais se quoi, it’s not within the cultural repertoire of Europeans to get the significant details of a donut correct—from the springiness of the dough, to the proper surface tension when you bite into the epidermis, to a committed distinction between cake and raised donuts, to icing that doesn’t immediately call to mind molten plastic that is in the process of setting. Europeans couldn’t make a donut that competes with even a meager offering from Dunkin. This was, at any rate, the theory I emphatically related to Haily as I scarfed down my donut.Caffeinated and reveling in cultural superiority we made our way to the Fabergé museum. I must admit I didn’t expect much from a gallery whose most celebrated attraction is a collection of nine eggs. Big deal, right? But as soon as we walked in I was struck by a feeling of recognition. This was the same love of ornateness and convolution that had inspired the exhibits in the ethnography museum. Whereas the indigenous Russians developed complex ornamental clothing, the imperial Russians developed complex ornamental eggs. If the Moldovans or the Ukranians had had the proper equipment, no doubt they would’ve been churning out fantastic eggs all winter long. These eggs were the centerpiece of the collection, obviously—colored in glowing azures and low-on-the-horizon sunset, studded with diamonds and other baubles that made you comprehend why these ornaments are so expensive. They looked substantial enough that if you tried to pick them up your hand would immediately be pinned to the floor, like a mortal attempting to wield Thor’s hammer. They were ornate without giving the impression of being overly busy. Nothing was superfluous; if one pattern were removed, it would feel like it’s missing something. Even the rooms that housed the eggs were spectacular: gold-laced fenestration, moulding that commanded attention, and a chandelier that was, well, one big ass chandelier, which is the only thing that can separate one chandelier from another in my mind. The museum featured more than eggs, too. One case was filled with tea sets that would make Queen Elizabeth blush. This all felt like the logical extension of what we’d previously seen, and it was superbly satisfying.Now it was time for a drink. We repaired to a bar which we had identified as suitable establishment for day drinking (it was about 2:30). We were the only customers. We like being the only customers. Partially, it's about service. We don’t want to wait. Nor do we want to compete for the bartender’s attention. But we also like to get to know the person making our drinks behind the bar. That’s the difference between a chef and a bartender. The position of a chef is not customer-facing. A bartender plies her craft in the open. But these bartenders—Russian bartenders—were there solely to conduct business. They had no interest in banter or introductory dialogue, as is customary in America. Our relationship was transactional—what do you want? I’ll get it for you. You drink it. That’s it. We’d hoped instead that we might’ve made friends with the gentlemen before their shifts began in earnest and knocked back a couple convivial shots of vodka initially at our behest, then a round on the house, as a sort of celebration of a life and all that it has to offer. Alas.That night we went to the Fan Zone again. This time for the Mexico versus Germany game. Now the Moroccans and the Egyptians were out en masse. Both of these groups endeared themselves to us throughout our time in St. Petersburg. In the case of the Moroccans, you could not possibly imagine a friendlier group of people. I went around the city in my Portuguese Ronaldo jersey. The Portuguese and the Moroccans were slated to play one another the following week. Seeing my jersey, dozens of Moroccans came up to me and asked to take a picture. We may be adversaries tomorrow but today we are comrades, drawn together by the mutual respect inherent in a competition. It is an amazing sight of the World Cup to see people representing different cultures taking pictures together and acting in a congenial manner expressly because they come from opposing factions. The world can use as much of that as it can get, wouldn’t you say? The Egyptians, for their part, are very good at cheering. I didn’t meet a single North African who wasn’t a remarkably warm and agreeable person.Afterwards we went to Orthodox, the preeminent craft cocktail venue of St. Petersburg. Orthodox specializes in traditional Russian alcoholic beverages. We sampled Polugar (the Russian national drink, also known as "bread wine"), Chacha (a type of brandy, also know as "grape vodka"; Russians don't have command over an especially large array of alcoholic templates), and Khrenovukha (vodka made from horseradish root; this one infused with wasabi). Each of these base spirits was paired with a unique flavor profile, such as sea buckthorn. Afterward our stomaches felt as if they’d been experimented on by a Russian chemist. We felt finally felt culturally grounded in Russia.On our way back to the hostel, staggering jauntily through the streets of St. Petersburg, we stopped for funnel cake. Vendors are scattered throughout the streets of the city selling these absurdly delicious treats. The essential idea is to take dough, and wrap it around a tube which looks more or less like what you'd use to repaint your living room. Then you cook it on a wall of spits. After that, douse it in something sweet, like cinnamon sugar. Happiness ensues. While waiting for funnel cake, we chatted up some Moroccans. I can't honestly remember what they said, but I can tell you they were, as always, very nice.Crossing the street in Russia is like crossing Las Vegas Boulevard. The destination might only be 20 yards away, but it could take you 45 minutes to get there. It seemed we spent whole days waiting at walk signals.We walked to the Hermitage, which is known as a building of historical significance in St. Petersburg. What is less known is that it is also the world’s largest and most well-appointed doll house. It looks as if the architect was inspired by the finest playhouses available to young girls in 1950s America. It is so big that it is impossible to take in the whole façade in one view. It is also painted teal. Specifically, it’s the teal that a thirteen-year-old girl chooses when she’s bored of whatever the original color of her room was. It is a grand, feminine, and slightly surreal building.We made the long walk across the city's main bridge. It was hot enough to set brownie batter. After wandering streets that felt increasingly suburban, we chanced upon a vast, open compound. The compound, it turned out, was something of a lost and found bin of monuments and attractions. My favorite was a series of still shots celebrating Putin's presidency. They were printed out on posters the size of a large television. Each depicted a memorable moment of Putin’s term. Some of the events seemed significant, such as Putin gravely signing a document, German chancellor Angela Merkel nodding approvingly in the background. Other events commemorated seemed significant but in a different way. Take for instance a shot of ol' Vlad riding a horse bare-chested exposing the fleshy expanse of his upper body. It looked like someone had taken the kinds of pictures that a normal person would post on social media and printed them out and stuck them in the ground at the entrance to this fortress. I loved it.Among the other attractions on the premises was a tall and pointy church, several remarkable statues of giant, human-sized rabbits, like something out of Alice in Wonderland, a world-record-holding bug, and an exhibit on King Tut. We were unable to figure out what was remarkable about the bug, other than it certainly was a doozie.Then we went to the State Museum of Russian political history. Russian museums in general have the delightful benefit of being astonishingly cheap and of commendably high quality. They do on the other hand tend to have the drawback of being almost entirely in Russian. This is not especially helpful if this is not a language over which you have a solid command. They feature lots of details, not a lot of narrative. What was clear was that Russians have for most of their history been at the mercy—or lack thereof—of their rulers.Sated on Russian history, we made our back toward the city center. At length we passed a bus with the slogan for the Egyptian national team: “When you say Pharoahs, the world must get up and listen.”Oh, must they?The thing is, I’m sure this makes perfect sense in Arabic. Unfortunately it’s quite unsuitable for English. I think this is something that we tend to forget about unless expressly reminded of—just how differently sentiments can be expressed in different languages. Only when we are faced with the problem of translation (which we rarely are) does it become apparent. That being said, most World Cup national slogans are stupid, or at the very least lack wit.Poland’s for instance is, “Go Poland!” That must’ve required a lot of thought.But at least it’s a coherent thesis. Some countries are just not to be trusted in this respect. Consider Australia’s in 2014: "Socceroos: Hopping Our Way Into History!" Maybe it's best not to indulge the creative itch for sloganeering, if that’s not your strong suit.Here’s one that’s not so terrible, Senegal in 2018: “IMPOSSIBLE IS NOT SENEGALESE.” (Note that it’s not uncommon for teams to opt for all caps, presumably because it’s a more intimidating way of delivering the content than simply stating one’s slogan.) However, the slogan becomes a bit more suspect in light of the 2014 French motto: "Impossible Is Not A French Word.” See any similarities? Maybe the French wiped out the notion of impossibility during their colonial rule, who’s to say.Here’s a couple good ones from 2010. Denmark’s rather provocative claim: "All you need is a Danish team and a dream.” New Zealand’s rather casual: “Kickin’ it Kiwi style.”In the evening we set off to find an appropriate venue to watch the Belgium game. We stumbled upon a Belgian brasserie. We poked our head in and were disappointed to find that the establishment was full. Then a table in the back noticed my Belgium jersey and beckoned us over. We graciously joined them. The occupants were Belgian Moroccans, or Moroccan Belgians—at any rate ethnic Moroccans who lived in Belgium.“You Belgian?” asked one of them.“No,” I replied. They eyed me suspiciously.“Why Belgium?”I didn’t have a particularly strong answer to this.One of the Moroccans was a drinker, loud and emphatic. He pounded the table when an opportunity was missed by the Belgian national team. His friend, not a drinker, was stolid and gestured for his compatriot to calm the hell down. The non-drinker didn’t have a strong command of English. We made a brief attempt at an exchange in Spanish, and then in Dutch, both of which were more successful. It’s a rare moment on planet earth that someone is worse at English than I am at those languages. But there you are.After the game we went in search of further drink, unconstrained by association with the European lowlands. We found our way into an alley in which we had identified a cozy bar of interest the night before. We had declined to stay then since it didn’t have a TV to watch soccer. We took a couple seat along the back wall. The bar counter was three sides of a rectangle, each face with three or four seats. There were about half a dozen seats along the back wall. It was intimate. You could listen in to any conversation in the establishment if you were so inclined. Everyone there was Russia. No English menu, either. The bartender suggested some local fare: a Moscow Mule and a White Russian. We declined those offers. We managed two negotiate a couple mystery drinks—whatever the bartender found himself into at the time. We got the drinks. They were served high in sugar content, in accord with Russian preference. News spread through the bar that we were Americans. One of the men sitting at the bar leaned over to me. “My friend Roman wants to know," he asked, as if soliciting an illicit substance. "Why Belgium?”The cocktails frankly were not good but the people were and that’s just as well. That’s really the most that I can tell you because my notes from the night were not that helpful and my memories were not well retained in any more natural form. When a couple spots opened up at the bar we moved over to sit next to everyone else. We did eventually order a couple White Russians. It's a delicious drink, really. The barkeep served us another dealer’s choice, this time a Sambuca and cream (our new friends were not sophisticated palates).We saw the bartender serve a set of shots to another group of patrons. They were in vials. The set included a dozen shots in total. We ordered a round. We liked the look of it—real Russian chemistry—but it was far too much for us. We were pretty knackered at this point. So we shared with the bar. Needless to say, this act endeared us to the locals. To our left were a couple gentlemen with whom I got along with very nicely. They took a great interest in me. We suspected them to be homosexuals, so I won’t disclose their identities here since the Russian government doesn’t look kindly on that sort of thing. We spent most of the night conversing with them and then also, sitting perpendicular to us at the bar, with Roman and Roman’s friend. I impressed them all with my ability to spell Polugar in Cyrillic.Then we went back to Orthodox. We tried to convince our new friends—those of the unsophisticated palates—to come with us. It was, after all, traditional Russian alcohol. They politely had one drink, exchanged perplexed glances while they thought we weren’t looking, then took off. We ended up making friends with some Belgians. We discussed the Congo and the United Nations, or something like that. They were a very worldly pair. But we were not, suffice to say, in the best state to entertain nuanced political discourse.The previous evening I had filed a request for laundry service with the front desk of our hostel. Judging from her expression, I could not have saddled the young woman at the front desk with a weightier imposition. That morning I asked her if our laundry was done. She told me it wasn’t. “But we saw it in the drier with an hour left last night.” She gave me a pained look to confirm that I was going to make things difficult. The two of us went in search of my clothes. When after a couple minutes we were unable to locate them she sort of shrugged said, “don’t worry.”“I’m not not going to worry,” I told her. “I have no faith in you.”“It’s here,” she said indicating toward the dryer.“But these aren’t my clothes,” I said as I rifled through someone else’s delicates.She disappeared for a moment to do something else. I couldn’t tell what. I stood there and researched places I had already searched a couple times. She came back. “Don’t worry,” she repeated. “In here.”Then she reached into the dryer and pulled out a drawstring bag, which upon inspection was full of our clothes. This seems like it might perhaps have been worth mentioning at the outset.Laundry progress verified, we presented ourselves next at Kazan Cathedral. This is the most notable cathedral in St. Petersburg. It take up an entire city block, in two directions. Most of the building is a series of extended wings supported by columns, as if designed for a raised air strip, rather than a sanctuary. Entering the cathedral, you’re not struck with the same gravity that often comes with these kinds of churches. The difference is that Kazan feels that it has been preserved in a way other cathedrals are not. It is like walking into a living room where all of the furniture is covered in plastic. Everything might as well be covered in Saran wrap. The interior showed the same commitment to detail as every other cultural landmark in Russia. A long queue formed to offer a prayer in front of a small picture of Jesus. It seemed an extremely individualized experience. The visages of saints and important people in portraits hanging on the wall were noticeably different than they are in Catholic or Protestant traditions. There's something slightly unorthodox about Russian orthodoxy.Our main attraction for the day was a museum called the Kunst Kamera, the main anthropological museum of St. Petersburg. It proved difficult to enter. When we approached it from a main street, there was a small door marked “group entrance.” There was no one coming in or out, and it was too undistinguished of an entrance for such a large and significant building. We followed the building around down a side street. There was another, more conspicuous entrance. It too was labeled “group entrance.” We weren’t sure if the entrance was designed for us or for buses full of Russian school children. The queue was only a half dozen people or so, but they were lined up outside of the building waiting to get in so there were no officials to ask. We didn’t want to wait in line only to find that we didn’t qualify as a group. So we continued to walk around another side of the building down an even smaller street—a back alley, really. We found a small door marked “exit.” I’m not sure why it seemed to us that an exit was more promising than either of the entrances we’d found, but I think we were tired of inspecting doors. We tried it. The door opened, and we entered. At least that way we’d be inside.We wandered all the way through the lower level of the museum by the restrooms and the coat check only to eventually find our way back to the second “group entrance” we’d come across. This was what the people outside had been waiting to get into. We inquired with the guard, thinking it might be possible to sneak out through this door and join the line outside. Of course, it wasn’t. This was an entrance and therefore it is not in its nature to be utilized as an exit. So we walked back through the museum, back down the alley, and onto the side street. By the time we got back to the appropriate entrance the line was several dozen people long.The Kunst Kamera’s take on “anthropology” was more like a sort of human zoo or natural history museum. Each wing considered a different geographical area, and behind the glass of each case was a different tribe or people group. It was similar to the ethnography museum featuring the indigenous people of Russia in the contents of its displays, but it lacked the obvious sense of respect and admiration for its subjects. There were plastic life-sized figurines of people with exotic features and brown skin. Tools and primitive implements were arranged on the wall. It all had the feel of “isn’t this a curious specimen of a savage?” Not a good look for anthropology.Granted, material culture is difficult to interpret out of context (“What do you supposed they did with this baseball bat looking thing?”). But it really wasn’t put together in any compelling manner. The overall thesis of the museum was, “There are a great many places in the world and in each one of them the people make objects of various forms and complexions.” Not a terribly interesting or nuanced insight. It was like looking at a pile of bones and with an inscription that says, “Together these bones make a dinosaur. Use your imagination.” You don’t actually learn anything about the dinosaur from taking a casual look over an unstructured collection of femurs and teeth. It’s the same problem as a “Great Books” course you’d take in Freshman English. Yes, the collection is impressive. But it’s not about anything in particular. Really the only thing it successfully conveys is to exoticize the groups of people it features. It was heavily populated by tourists, too.I’d heard tell that there was an exceptionally peculiar exhibit in the museum but wasn’t availed of any details. I hadn’t thought much about it when I entered a wing innocuously labeled “First Scientific Collections.” I entered unaware. Before I could make note of the collection my attention was arrested by a thud and then an emerging circle of onlookers. A young girl, maybe thirteen or so, had just fainted. She was blond. Her mother was able to collect her off the floor and usher her into a chair by the window. A museum attendant came over to see if she was alright. I looked on at the excitement with interest. At first I didn’t actually associate the fainting with the display. I just figured that the girl had a condition in which she just keeled over from time to time. Or maybe she was eminently hung over. Who knows?But then I looked at the case that had temporarily relieved her of conscious bodily control. It was an exhibit featuring deformed fetuses, preserved in formaldehyde. I looked around and saw that the room was full of shelves with dead babies in jars, each with some striking defect, such as a comprehensive absence of limbs, or six eyes, or a hand where its ear is supposed to be. I would like to report that it’s not the single most disturbing thing I’ve ever seen. But I can’t. It was the single most disturbing thing I've ever seen. However the Russians and the tourists alike seemed unmoved. They looked on with a certain detached curiosity, as if they were staring at a collection of exotic flowers rather than pickled dead babies. “Tasteless” seems like a harsh critique for a venerable institution such as the Kunst Kamera. But the presence of judicious and thoughtful presentation by the museum’s curators was very hard to detect.And with that imagery to contemplate, we took leave of St. Petersburg and boarded a night train bound for Moscow.Next Episode:Thanks for checking out Season 1 of Notes from the Field. If you’ve enjoyed it, please consider becoming a premium subscriber. I’m trying to do more of this kind of travel writing in the future. But as you can imagine, it’s hard to have these kinds of experiences while also holding down a job. Your subscription goes a long way toward helping me to do that. Use the link below, and you’ll get 50% off an annual subscription. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit codykommers.substack.com/subscribe

Comedian and author Tony Hawks is a regular on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, Just a Minute, The Unbelievable Truth and Have I Got News for You. His book 'Round Ireland with a Fridge', sold over 800,000 copies and his other books include 'Playing the Moldovans at Tennis' and 'One Hit Wonderland'. He had a UK number 4 hit song with Stutter Rap with his band Morris Minor and the Majors. Tony Hawks is guest number 35 on My Time Capsule and chats to Michael Fenton Stevens about the five things he'd like to put in a time capsule; four he’d like to preserve and one he’d like to bury and never have to think about again .Follow Tony Hawks on Twitter @thefridgeman .Follow My Time Capsule on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook: @MyTCpod .Follow Michael Fenton Stevens on Twitter: @fentonstevens and Instagram @mikefentonstevens .Produced and edited by John Fenton-Stevens for Cast Off Productions .Music by Pass The Peas Music .Artwork by Matthew Boxall .Social media support by Harriet Stevens .This podcast is proud to be associated with the charity Viva! Providing theatrical opportunities for hundreds of young people. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Debbie is kicking ass and taking names, Andres is doing his best impression of an ass and Elizabeth's dad meets the Moldovans! 

Standing in for regular host Mark Leonard, Anthony Dworkin, senior policy fellow at ECFR, looks at Europe's Eastern neighbourhood and interaction with Russia. He is joined by Kurt Volker, executive director of the McCain Institute and US special representative for the Ukraine negotiations, and Nicu Popescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Moldova and former head of the Wider Europe program at ECFR. They look at the conflicts in Ukraine and Moldova, what the Ukrainians might learn from the Moldovans, and what role there is for Europe in the region. The podcast was recorded on Tuesday, 25 June, 2019, at the side-lines of ECFR’s Annual Council Meeting in Lisbon. Bookshelf • The Perfect Kill: 21 Laws for Assassins by Robert Baer https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/315835/the-perfect-kill-by-robert-b-baer/ • A Little War That Shook the World by Ronald Asmus https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0033SA54M/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 • 1984 by George Orwell https://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/1984/9781328869333 Picture US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker at President Zelensky's inauguration, on May 20th 2019. Photo by the Presidential Administration of Ukraine. Retrieved from https://www.president.gov.ua/photos/urochisti-zahodi-z-nagodi-skladennya-prisyagi-prezidentom-uk-2905. [CCA 4.0 international]

Adam’s desire to help others led him to the Peace Corps where he served as a business advisor in Moldova. While serving, he began building websites for the local governments and small businesses he worked with. Adam saw an opportunity to start a full-service creative agency. In 2016, he formed Enspire which has grown to a dynamic 11-member team of Moldovans and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers dedicated to creating unique value for their customers. Recently returned from Moldova, we talk about Adam's service, adventures, and learn more about Enspire. [...] The post Baba Dochia – Adam Lawrence, Republic of Moldova 2014-2016 appeared first on My Peace Corps Story.

Sir Derek Jacobi reflects on of bringing characters to life off the page. Tony Hawks reveals why he ended up ‘Playing the Moldovans at Tennis’ And Regina Reagan talks about Rosemary’s Baby, Tales of The City…and cakes! 

Join Alix, Max, and special guest Nicole Johnson as we talk about diversity at Eurovision and whether or not the image Eurovision paints of a tolerant, multiethnic and diverse Europe is truly reflective of the reality. We also dish on Mikolas Josef’s new single, “Me Gusta,” and our favorite Moldovans’ guest appearance on Jack Whitehall’s Travels … Continue reading Sonata in E Minor(ity) w/ Nicole Johnson →

Radu Albot, two days after scoring his first career Top 20 win over John Isner, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik at the New York Open to talk about Moldovan tennis (there are three hard courts in the country; he's heard of "Playing the Moldovans at Tennis"), the biggest win of his career, and why he loves playing events with on-site hotels. Produced and edited by Jorge Estrada, with music by Lee Rosevere. Albot on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RaduAlbot "Playing the Moldovans at Tennis": https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Moldovans-Tennis-Tony-Hawks/dp/0312305184

After some chatting about dill, blat and helpful Moldovans, we meet Vladimir Us, curator of Oberliht Young Art Association. He talks about the transformation of public space in Chisinau, how an artist can help to promote public debate and last but not least, Moldovan humor.