Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Mar 19, 2012 12:20:07 GMT -5
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Mar 19, 2012 12:09:34 GMT -5
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Mar 19, 2012 11:39:28 GMT -5
Didn't go to the Balkans this time (too short a notice to plan it properly), so I went to western Europe. Thought I would post up some of my impressions of the places I visited. First stop, London: + A nice and clean city. Lots of beautiful old style buildings. Public transportation is top notch. Pretty English women. Less Americanised than I thought. - Food is nothing memorable. The English people are not the most friendly. The number of Indians and Africans is excessive. Comments: Feels like a first world city with a powerful history and a future. The English people look very northern European but still unique. The Indians/Pakis are everywhere and quite aggressive. Which is an interesting contrast to how they are in Australia, (quiet and placid). Next, Paris: + Beautiful architecture and history. Best food in the world. Good public transport. Beautiful women. Very friendly people. - Is dirty in places. Number of Africans is out of control. Can't walk for more than 10 mins before being asked for money from beggars. Comments: The greatest city in the world to my eyes. The food is amazing, didn't once have a poor meal. The French are southern Europeans. The culture, the appearance, it all feels familiar and very different to London. They thought I was French. I can walk around the city for hours and not be bored. Next, Amsterdam: + Clean and modern. People obviously have money and a good economy. - Food is average. Non-Europeans are everywhere and out of control. Red light district. Smoking shops. Comments: Very different to Paris and does not even feel like Europe. The people look Scandinavian and they think they are Americans. They are not rude but they don't talk much. The type of tourist the city attracts is not me, so I left after two days. Next, Prague: + Beautiful architecture in the old city part. Pretty women and lots of them. Very few non-Europeans. - Feels 2'nd world. Food is not great. People not very friendly. Trams are old and loud. Comments: Once again, very different to all the others cities I visited. Czech people are very Slavic. Some look Germanic but most like Russians and some as south Slavs. They thought I was Czech which is probably why they were't that friendly. Next, Nurnberg (Germany): + Modern, clean, 1'st world. People are friendly. Public transport brilliant. Has some nice older style buildings. - Food isn't great. Too many Turks. Comments: The Bavarians are not Scandinavians. They are Germanic and none of them looked Slavic, but they are still darker and different to northern Europeans. They don't joke much but still treated me with respect. Their trams and trains are amazing. It felt like I was in a city of the future in places. Finally, Frankfurt: + Similar to Nurnberg but with lots of modern buildings. - Way too many Turks and Asians. Red light district area disgusting. Comments: A modern city but didn't feel like Europe, felt like an American city. The people are friendly but once again, not very chatty. So from what I saw, Germany is in a whole different league to the poorer parts of Europe. French people are southern Europeans and Czech's are very Slavic. The differences between countries is very obvious as soon as you cross the border. I'll post some pictures later. Thanks for listening.
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Feb 26, 2012 3:40:34 GMT -5
I posted this in another thread but it never went anywhere. This thread seems like the right place for this.
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Post by Nikola on Feb 20, 2012 2:22:23 GMT -5
Came across this article from another site and this thread seems like the best place to post it. Pyrros might agree with it.
The article talks about Dinarics as only Yugoslav people.
“We, the Yugoslav Barbarians!” The Rhetoric of Anti- Civilization and the Dinaric Superman
The well-known interwar Yugoslav ethnographer Vladimir Dvornikovic (1888–1950) commented that the Yugoslavs as a race were “one of the most naturally gifted peoples of Europe,” leading “all other peo- ples in brain size.”33 Moreover, as a synthesis of the three Yugoslav tribes, Dvornikovic found that the Yugoslav man possessed “dynamism, rhythm, strong temperament, expressiveness and the constructive ability of fantasy.”34 Dvornikovic was one of many ethnologists and anthropologists at the time who believed that the Yugoslavs constituted a race.
In his massive study of 1939, the extensive sociological study of the peoples of Yugoslavia, Karakterologija Jugoslovena (The Characte- riology of the Yugoslav), the author combined poetry, folklore, ballads, geography, as well as the most modern eugenicist and racial thinking including, inevitably, much writing on race and nation that had proved popular with the Nazis—to produce a prototype of the ideal Yugoslav man and woman. The purest expression of the “Yugoslav race” was to be found, he argued, in the rocky Dinaric region, inhabited by the “Dinaric race.” The idea of a Dinaric race was not new, having been championed by Jovan Cvijic at least as far back as the turn of the century; indeed, much as the book was influenced by the precepts of racial biology, in many ways it could also be seen as a recapitulation of many of Cvijic’s ideas and theories. According to Cvijic in one of his last articles of 1930, the Dinaric people were “young, full-blood-ed and keenly alive to natural phenomena.” He also believed that they were full of “kindness, good feeling, a sense of justice and a readiness to sacrifice themselves both as a nation and as individuals.” The most characteristic feature of the Dinaric region was the presence of “forceful, violent and fiery men in whom the most unrestrained qualities of the race find their highest form of development. They are impulsive and act without any consideration.” Sometimes sentimental, among them existed, nonetheless, men who “think nothing of sacrificing their lives for moral ideas or for the benefit of the race.”35
Dvornikovic focused extensively on the Dinaric peoples, lauding them as a prototype for the future Yugoslav person. For Dvornikovic, the manliness and virility of the Dinaric man was unsurpassed not only in the South Slav region but throughout Europe: “The Dinaric type is the prototype of the male warrior, perhaps the most outstanding amongst all the white races: his ideas embody this type (…). This Illyrian man must be raw, strong and martial. The violence, which is constantly remarked upon when one talks about the Dinarics, emerges in the Illyrian in an even more elemental form (…). A. Geljan writes that the look of the Illyrian is so terrible and fascinating that it could ‘kill a man’.”36 At the same time, however, this did not imply that the “Dinaric man” was a primitive brute. On the contrary, the epic poems of the South Slavs lauded the Hajduks, the feared brigands and highwaymen in the Balkans who had terrorized and robbed travelers. Their spirit was captured by the “Dinarics” as the “idol and only hope of an enslaved nation,” demonstrating the psychic connection they enjoyed with the people and with the land.
Dvornikovic argued that many of those who wrote about the “Dina rics” were anthropologists who had failed to enter their world; yet without such direct experience of their “patriarchal morals and ethical ideals” they could never hope to understand the “Dinarics.” Those who spoke only of their plundering and thievery had not properly comprehended the soul of the “Dinarics” any more than “the superficial foreign tourists for whom the people are no more than thieves. Some of our writers are ‘western’, alien to these people: it is as if they had never experienced his world.” Dvornikovic further pointed out that, despite the patriarchal and heroic social milieu from which the “Dinaric man” emerged, “Dinaric women” were far from submissive and displayed the Amazonian qualities that one might expect in the female companion of the “Dinaric warrior.” The “Dinaric woman” had masculine tendencies and a “masculine aura.”37 In any case, the author believed that the brutal living style of this warrior prevented any form of “altru istic sentimentality and the feelings of consideration towards others.”
Although a disposition to strong feelings was expressed in many “symbols and forms of national life, in certain traditions and superstitions, national poems, proverbs and sayings,” the style of “Dinaric” life, especially in the southern regions, restricted the range of these feelings to “a hard and rudimentary form.” The “Dinaric race” thus remained fundamentally warlike and pagan, “a warrior of the Balkan, not Slav-Christian soul.”38
Other ethnologists embraced the idea of the “Dinaric man” as the prototype for a “Yugoslav superman,” including the ethnologist and government physician Branimir Malesˇ. For him, the “Dinaric man” was far superior to his European counterparts. In fact, Malesˇ characterized the “Dinaric man” in a similar manner to Dvornikovic. He argued that the “Dinaric man” was an independent and unique racial type, related neither to “Alpine” nor to “Nordic” racial types. In 1935, Malesˇ declared: “All his characteristics are exclusively Dinaric, harmoniously joined and constituting one biological essence.”39 For this ethnologist, the key to the racial uniqueness of the “Dinaric man” was to be found in his body shape and skull formation. The skull shapes and bodies of the Alpine and Nordic races were allegedly completely different to those of the “Dinaric race,” as was their temporal and frontal lobes. Unlike the round faces and short stature of the Alpine race, Malesˇ explained, the long face of the “Dinaric” person was in complete harmony with his “long body and all other body parts.” In addition, he rejected the contention of some anthropologists and writers that the “Dinaric race” was either a genus of the central “Armenian Alpine race” or a combination of the “Armenian” and “Nordic” races. It was erroneous, he continued, to group together all those with brachy cephalic skulls and dark complexions, and worse still to group the “Dinaric race” with the “Alpine race (…) and with American Indians and Asiatic Mongols, part of the great yellow racial group.”40 Given the dark hair and long bodies of the majority of the “Dinarics,” Malesˇ also argued that there was a variant of “Dinarics” with blond hair (Blond Dinarics). This also set them apart from the “Alpine race,” among whom blond hair was almost unknown. In Yugoslav regions, he wrote, it was common to find people with red or blond hair and blue eyes. Despite this “all their other features, both morphologi-cal and physiological, are purely Dinaric.” Malesˇ’s fieldwork in Montenegro had shown that this phenomenon was actually quite common. Although he could not say with any certainty whether the “blond Dinarics” were a special species or a variant of the prototype “Dinaric” racial type, there was no doubt in his mind that they were related. This was proved, he insisted, by the fact that many blond “Dinaric” children became darker as they grew older. It remained to be seen whether both dark-haired “Dinarics” and blond “Dinarics” were related to the Nordic group. However, it was beyond doubt to Malesˇ that the “Dinarics” were closer to the “Nordic race” than any other European race.”41
In some respects, the popularity of the theory of a “Dinaric race” among a certain strata of intellectuals and academics reflected the desire—common throughout Europe, especially in the interwar period to give notions about national identity a scientific basis and therefore a grounding in “fact.” If academic and scientific enquiry could prove the existence of a Yugoslav race and, moreover, one that had existed long before the establishment of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, then who could oppose a union of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes? It also reflected the belief, prevalent among a largely urbanized nationalist élite throughout Europe, that the “authentic” culture of the nation was to be found in villages, among the peasants, rather than in cities. Indeed, as Svetislav Stefanovic noted, “while the city demonstrated great interest in the folklore and clothes [of the village], it did not seem so interested in its life and health, its births and deaths, its homes and families.”42 On the other hand, it was also symptomatic of the general faith in the capability of science and technology to advance social progress and address national and social problems. For example, in a 1933 study assessing the health of adolescent “Dinaric” girls in villages and towns in Belgrade and its surrounding villages, Malesˇ used scientific means to establish which girls should be excluded from the survey on the basis of their “non-Dinaric anthropological characteristics.” This included examining the shape of their faces and heads, inspecting coloring and complexion, as well as measuring their height.43 Dvornikovic and Malesˇ were joined in their investigations into the “Dinaric race” by other anthropologists and scientists, who spent much of the 1920s and 1930s analyzing the racial characteristics, as well as the culture, music, clothes, language, folklore and religion, of various ethnic groups in Yugoslavia, especially those communities living in the frontier regions of the new state and those just outside its borders. Many of these studies amounted to more than just the accumulation of anthropological knowledge, and had a clear political agenda. Through such studies, writers aimed not only to provide a scientific basis for the Yugoslav race, but also to legitimate Yugoslavia’s claim to territories currently under dispute.44
Despite the faith in science and technology shared by many Yugoslav racial anthropologists—a faith exemplified by the theory of “Dinaric” racial origins—this does not mean that they accepted all, or even most, of the values of the modern society from which many eugenic principles had originated. On the contrary, at the same time as they appropriated many of the racial ideas of modern European society, Yugoslav racial anthropologists simultaneously rejected many of its other supposed values. In particular, they opposed what they perceived to be the soulless nature of the “West”—embodied in its urban capitalist system with the heroism and humanity of the eastern Slavs. Dvornikovic, for one, not only eulogized the East and envisioned a messianic calling of the Slavs as an alternative to the excessive rationalism of the West, but also held that the Slavs could save the West from degeneration and decay. In Dvornikovic’s case, the embracing of “Dinaric” racial theory reflected his belief that the “Dinaric man” was a Balkan superman, virile and energetic, who could racially revive a torpid and exhausted Europe. An important element of this belief structure was a rejection of the supposedly civilized values of the West in favor of what was assumed as distinctly Balkan, particularly its alleged savagery, wild instincts and aggressiveness. This was a view shared by a sizeable intellectual constituency in Yugoslavia. Such hostility towards the cultural superiority of Europe was encapsulated in a memorable verse from the poem Na Kale-Mejdanu (At Kalemegdan) by the Slovenian poet Anton Asˇkerc (1856–1912): “Thus we protected you, Europe/ from the blows of wild hordes/ Ah, thus we spent our youth, we the Yugoslav barbarians!”45
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Jan 29, 2012 23:41:32 GMT -5
I'm just wondering where the hell this money is coming from.... It's all part of the budget. Maybe you should be asking where all the tax payers money is disappearing to in other countries?
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Jan 27, 2012 20:11:56 GMT -5
Who or what triggered this project, does anyone know? Was it anything in specific or was this brewing for some time? From what I can gather; Skopje needed to be rebuilt, that was obvious. Nothing was done for decades. The Government decided to start by re-building the buildings that were destroyed during the 1963 earthquake. However, they probably realised that building modern looking glass buildings in between the classical older style wouldn't look good so they had two choices: either build everything in modern glass style, or build everything in classical style. So they went with the older style which I approve of. All the statues though I don't know. They need to stop building them and just concentrate on the buildings and roads.
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Jan 27, 2012 7:44:21 GMT -5
This is where I must part ways with my fellow countrymen. The massive statue was not required but whatever, there are Alexander monuments in other countries that pay respect to the man. But this is not the correct path to take. They need to start looking to the future, not the past. Sorry Macedonians, but I hope this doesn't go through and it stops now before they start renaming towns as well.
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Post by Nikola on Jan 27, 2012 7:36:36 GMT -5
www.eurasiareview.com/25012012-macedonia-call-to-rename-centre-of-skopje-after-alexander/Macedonia: Call To Rename Centre Of Skopje After AlexanderWritten by: Balkan Insight January 25, 2012 By Sinisa Jakov MarusicTodor Petrov, head of a pan-Macedonian non-profit organization, the World Macedonian Congress, has called on the authorities to rename the Skopje municipality now called Centar after the Ancient warrior king. In the online magazine Macedonian Nation at the weekend, Petrov said it was only logical for the municipality to be renamed in this way as it now contains a giant equestrian statue of Alexander and will soon get an equally large statue of his father, Philip of Macedonia. Although not officially linked to the ruling centre-right VMRO DPMNE party, his NGO is seen as close to the government. Officials in Centar have not said whether they will support or veto the idea. “So far we have not considered such a renaming. We only heard about it from the media. When the proposal officially arrives we will consider it”, the municipal spokesperson, Jovica Ackovski told Balkan insight. Macedonia’s opposition Social Democrats said they were against renaming Centar, saying it would only cause additional problems with Greece. Relations between Macedonia and Greece are strained owing to the two-decades-long row over Macedonia’s name. Citing the unresolved issue, Greece has blocked Macedonia’s progress towards both EU and NATO membership. Greece insists that use of the term “Macedonia” by its neighbour implies a territorial claim to its own northern province of the same name. The origin of Alexander the Great is also part of the dispute, as the two neighbouring nations have different views on ancient history. The warrior king is one of many historic figures and symbols claimed by both states. Last summer Greek officials strongly condemned Macedonia’s move to erect a giant statue of Alexander in the heart of the capital as “provocative” and “retrograde”. It did not help matters much that Macedonia officially refers to the statue as an “equestrian warrior”, to avoid causing extra friction. Since Nikola Gruevski took power in 2006, Macedonia has renamed its main airport in Skopje after Alexander the Great while the football stadium in the capital was renamed after Philip. The internet news portal SKY MK, seen as close to the opposition, says the government is mulling renaming several other towns and municipalities in the same style if the country again fails to join NATO, due to a Greek blockade. The next NATO summit takes place in May in Chicago. The government spokesperson, Martin Martinovski rebuffed these allegations for Balkan Insight insisting that “municipal names have nothing to do with the country’s NATO bid”.
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Jan 27, 2012 6:00:30 GMT -5
Not a big fan of this food. It get's messy to eat and doesn't feel very healthy.
What's the difference between the Turkish Kebab and the Greek Souvlaki anyway? The Turks here in Australia have a monopoly of selling their Kebabs for people who stumble out of clubs at 3am.
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Jan 25, 2012 1:27:52 GMT -5
I'm not good at classifying but she looks a lot like Katharine Jovey (who does movies and games reviews on youtube for the channel 3kb).
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Jan 24, 2012 16:43:28 GMT -5
fyrom geneticists are a joke thats probably why greeks did not participate. Considering how this is for forensic purposes, I seriously doubt they would allow politics to determine their results.
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Jan 24, 2012 9:01:13 GMT -5
We as in all former Yugoslav people (and the Bulgarians).
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Jan 24, 2012 5:14:37 GMT -5
The Greeks would be closer to the Albanians than to the rest of us.
But I wonder if we are closer to Greeks and Albanians or to Poles and Slovaks, etc.
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Jan 23, 2012 3:09:28 GMT -5
Pretty much what we all knew, but it's good to have it scientifically confirmed.
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Jan 17, 2012 6:09:03 GMT -5
Not that I have anything against Greeks but that looks like awesome fun. I wish I was there to join in on the festivities. Say what you will but Macedonians are fun people.
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Jan 12, 2012 7:47:02 GMT -5
Sweet pics.
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Jan 11, 2012 9:53:33 GMT -5
Who knew such a thing existed? It helps explain quite a few things.
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Jan 8, 2012 18:25:25 GMT -5
^Bulgarians are already represented by the Macedonian members on a racial basis at least. Now you see, comments like that are simply annoying. I'm very much against having an Albanian moderator that holds such an opinion.
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Nikola
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Post by Nikola on Jan 8, 2012 9:37:24 GMT -5
Fvcking hell, Nikola...Ljubotan is a nice person, why do you insult him by confusing him with Pazar? Even unwillingly, this is still an insult of massive proportions. Lol, I didn't mean I confused their personalities or anything. Anyway, I still don't know why anyone would want to but, as long as it's someone who is fair and reasonable, an Albanian moderator is fine by me. I'm assuming the Bulgarians will want someone too though.
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