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Andrew Jameson
Chair, Russian Committee, ALL 
Languages and Professional Development
1 Brook Street, Lancaster LA1 1SL UK
Tel: 01524 32371  (+44 1524 32371)

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From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: New at TOL
Date: 15 May 2000 20:47

Transitions Online (TOL) (http://www.tol.cz) is the leading Internet
magazine covering Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the former
Soviet Union. If you aren't already a member, fill out our registration
form at <http://www.tol.cz/trialsubscr.html> to receive your free two-month
trial membership. If you'd like to become a TOL member right away, go to
<http://www.tol.cz/member.html>. And if you're a citizen of a
post-communist country, FREE annual memberships are still available at
<http://www.tol.cz/trialsubscr2.html>.

NEW AT TOL:

FEATURE: Where Is All the Investment?
by Vladimir Kozlov
http://www.tol.cz/jul99/specr05003.html

Minsk isn't exactly the most Westernized of the former Soviet capitals, and
Westerners are not exactly pounding the pavement in search of Belarusian
business prospects. Low consumer purchasing power and an unfavorable
investment climate have previous investors backing out of big deals and new
investors nowhere to be seen. Accompanying this article is a sidebar
discussing how the Czech Republic has become the latest darling of foreign
investors. <http://www.tol.cz/jul99/specr05004.html>

FEATURE: The Wild World of Russia's Far East
by Nonna Chernyakova
http://www.tol.cz/jul99/specr05005.html

With an erratic and uncontrollable regional governor at the helm, the
Russian Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok continues to wallow in a
quagmire of economic stagnation and political circus acts. President
Vladimir Putin has said he intends to rein in wacky governors like Yevgenii
Nazdratenko, but it's no easy task to fire a despot who operates above the
law, interferes with private business, controls the press, and then bestows
noble awards upon himself.

OPINION: The Cult of Secrecy Lives On
by Bianca Guruita
http://www.tol.cz/opina/theculto.html

Romania takes one step forward and one step back with its game of state
secrets versus freedom of information. And two conflicting proposals set
for debate in parliament could decide the future of the country's civil
liberties. The dangerous law on state secrecy seems set to win and if
passed will clamp down on the public's access to information--after all,
what the public doesn't know, won't hurt it. Meanwhile, a subservient and
apathetic public isn't up to fighting for its rights, except for a few lone
crusaders with little time to push their own mitigating proposal through
parliament.

The following article is one of TOL's Annual Surveys for 1999: exclusive
overviews of individual countries in the region written for TOL by top
local and Western analysts and edited by regional specialist Professor
Peter Rutland of Wesleyan University. These valuable resources follow the
fine tradition established by the OMRI/East-West Institute Annual Surveys.
Both sets of reports, old and new, can be found in our expanded Country
Files <http://www.tol.cz/links1.html> along with links and maps for the 27
countries in the post-communist world.

Bulgaria 1999: Out With the Old, In With the New
http://www.tol.cz/countries/bular99.html

It wasn't an easy year for Bulgaria. Tough decisions forced Bulgarians to
choose sides over the war in Kosovo, international and domestic pressures
prompted fast-paced economic reforms, and an invitation to European Union
accession talks added to the country's anxiety over choosing the right
reforms and implementing them quickly, in time for the talks. Overall, it
was a year of removing symbols of a murky past and making great gains on
the international scene.

WEEK IN REVIEW
compiled by our correspondents throughout the region
http://www.tol.cz/week.html

Jews are a phantom nation according to Hungarian text books ... Suicide by
self-immolation for a former Estonian Komsomol leader ... Ban on tobacco
ads has Lithuanian television in mourning ... No respect at Polish border
for Ukrainian citizens ... Caught cheating: Polish students retake exams
... Polish Catholic priest cuffed during mass ... Tallinn's mayor gives
"Red Light" to legal brothels ... Microchips for bears in Bulgarian forests
... French official implicated in Romanian money-laundering scheme ...
Georgia gets a new state minister ... Tajikistan looks for a friend in the
IMF ... Cotton still king in Uzbekistan ? and much more.

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TOL is seeking interns to spend the summer in Prague. Positions are
available in the editorial, marketing, and web departments. Interested
applicants should send a resume and cover letter to Luke Allnutt at:
[log in to unmask]

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RUSSIAN LIFE MAGAZINE -- Subscribe to the 43-year-old magazine of Russian
culture, history, travel and life. Each bimonthly issue is a colorful,
objective window into the reality of Russia, past, present and future. To
start a subscription, visit:
<http://www.russian-life.com/store/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=4242&refid=24>
To visit the rest of our website, where we sample stories from the magzine,
back issues of our FREE weekly e-mail newsletter, plus some great resources
(like a worldwide events calendar and directory of Russophile-related
businesses), simply go to: http://www.russian-life.com

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Center for Advanced Media--Prague (C@MP) and Parsons School of Design
announce their joint advanced web-design workshop:

"Shock the Web: Shockwave and Director"
6 June-10 June 2000

The workshop provides a unique opportunity for Web and multimedia designers
from the post-communist and developing worlds to work with Parsons
academics. It will focus on Macromedia Director, a cutting-edge
digital-design tool capable of combining graphics, animation, sound, text,
and video into Shockwave-format content for the Web or multimedia for
CD-ROM and DVD-ROM. ( For more details on the workshop, see
http://www.mdlf-camp.net/parsons.html)
Participants should have a basic familiarity with Macromedia Director 7, a
good command of English, and a keen interest in Web design.
The participation fee is $585 per participant. For accommodation packages
and any other information, please contact [log in to unmask]
The workshop is limited to seven participants. Space will be allocated on a
first-come, first-served basis to qualified applicants

To apply, fill out the online form at:
http://www.mdlf-camp.net/forms/apppdir.html
Application deadline is 16 May 2000.

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ADVERTISE HERE!

As part of its efforts to become self-sustainable and serve as a model for
other nonprofit organizations, Transitions Online has begun offering
interested advertisers the possibility to reach thousands of readers
through our weekly electronic mailings and on our site. Check out our newly
redesigned media kit (http://www.tol.cz/mediakit/) and find out how to
instantly reach a diverse, international audience with a demonstrated
interest in the post-communist world--people guaranteed to want to hear
what's new in products and services dealing with the region--and increase
your company or institution's exposure by targeting the English-speaking
elite in all of the 27 countries we cover.

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If you haven't yet entered your nomination for the European Online
Journalism Awards, you better hurry. There are less than three weeks to go
to get your nominations in.

Last year's awards were open only to UK journalists; this year they are
open to all European  journalists and  the judges are drawn from leading
media houses across the continent.

Full details and entry form at: <http://www.net-media.co.uk>
********************************************************************

NOW AVAILABLE: FREE TOL GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR CITIZENS OF POST-COMMUNIST
COUNTRIES

You can send a TOL Gift Subscription by sending us the names and e-mails of
your friends or colleagues from post-communist societies that you think
would be interested in TOL. They will then receive an e-mail with their own
password and your wishes for them to enjoy all that TOL has to offer.

If you are a student, citizen, or work for an NGO in Central and Eastern
Europe, you can still get a free 12-month subscription simply by completing
the short form located at <http://www.tol.cz/trialsubscr2.html>. You will
automatically be assigned a password, allowing you full access to TOL's
original articles and extensive collection of online resources on Central
and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the former Soviet Union. Or if you
wish, just reply to this e-mail with your name, e-mail, city, and country,
and we will register you and send you your password.

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A Czech nonprofit dedicated to promoting independent journalism, TOL is
based in Prague and uses a network of local correspondents to provide
unique, cross-regional analysis. We encourage you to visit our site and
become part of a dynamic new media project dedicated to building
independent journalism in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the
former Soviet Union.

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