Thursday, April 26, 2007


When crickets become evidence... Jutarnji List reports that some have questioned the recently released recording of the meeting in Brijoni of Tudjman and the army to plan operation Oluja in 1995. According to the report there is no sound of crickets when Tudjman talks about the expulsion of Serbs, unlike elsewhere on the recording. In its comprehensive reporting, it also shares some information on crickets: they only chirp when its warmer than 25 degrees (in fact you can calculate the temperature by the frequency of the chirps) and they don't chirp when they are in danger or they rest.
So if there was no chirping during during these statements, I would propose several alternative theories to that of a doctored tape: a) the crickets were exhausted and took a quick break; b) they thought they would be expelled next and as noted above, crickets in danger don't chirp or c) there was an unexpected drop in temperature (a certain chill in the air so to speak) or d) they just didn't want to be on the soundtrack to such a project...

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Here's a short interview for RFE I gave on the Kosovo status discusion in Serbian and in Albanian
"Serbia, China agree to boost agricultural cooperation"

This is todays headline of the Chinese XINHUA news agency. Not exactly saving Kosovo...
Here's a reconstruction of the conversation:
Kostunica: You have to veto the Artisaari plan, it will forcibly remove 15 % (actually, we re-calculated, it is 15.3%) of our territory. This will be a precedent...etc etc
Hui Liangyu: (looking distracted through the window)... I see you have nice corn fields, do you want to sign an agreement?
Kostunica: Yes, especially for the cornfields in Kosovo, so that we trade on the basis of all 100% of Serbian corn fields, not just 84.7% of them. etc. etc.
Hui Liangyu (yawning) Okok

and thus the glorious agreement on boosting agricultural cooperation was signed