andyb56’s Neighborhood

Currently reading this book, will post a review shortly.

This week (Sunday) sees Michael Palin visit Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. The preview video show's that most interesting of sports, oil wrestling. Click on the following link to visit the BBC New Europe homepage. to see the video and also to see where else Michael Palin is to visit in the series.

Given the state of the money markets at the moment it's no wonder the Ministry of Finance topped the August figures for Google, with the K & H Bank at number 14. However, it's great to see that soaps, celebrities and sports stars are all still represented. To take a look at the August Zeitgeist for Hungary follow the following link.

An interesting article appeared in the Metro today, (Tuesday May 29th 2007), regarding how more immigrants from Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Bulgaria are wanting to stay here in the United Kingdom. According to the article out of 333 participants at the beginning of 2004 only 6% wanted to stay for more than an 18 month period, however, by the end of the year this had risen to 29%. In addition, more women than men wanted to stayhere in the United Kingdom.

What about the social outlook of the immigrants?

According to the Metro only 33 % knew how to register with a doctor and 54% had received information about their conditional immigration. Housing also appears to be an issue with 44% of those questioned were living in one room with somebody else other than their partner.

What are these migrants doing vocationally?

According to the Metro, in a different article, the agriculture sector in the UK is suffering, with the strawberry crop not being pick and therefore is being left to rot in the field. So where are the immigrants going to work?  In my hometown of Wakefield the signs are there, for example, that Poles are starting to open their own shops, like Deli Polski. The success of the Polish immigrants is not going unoticed at home neither, as is show in this story which was carried in the Warsaw Voice.

I'd love to hear your comments on these facts figures and developments....

For more information on research carried out by the Jospeh Rowntree Foundation visit the website at http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/0226.asp

Today was a very good day for stories regarding Eastern Europe and East Europeans living in the United Kingdom. The first of the few stories that I came across was in the Metro and related to how in Poland they are putting The Teletubbies in front of the Psycholgists, all because Tinky Winky carries a purse... People in the UK and the United States have probably thought that Tinky Winky had gay connotations for many years.

At work we occassionally get magazine's from the Royail Mail, regarding marketing. I came across a story where the business magazine Ekonomist used a very interesting campaign where they used a 500,000,000,000 Dinar bill, which was to represent hyper-inflation, the text in the campaign read 'In1993 this bank note was worth $1'!. When the bank note was removed from the magazine there was a further message underneath which read ' though the bank note is no longer valid currency, it has appreciated in value as a collectible item....Profit is a state of mind'

Although it has been a while since I made it out to Szoborpark. I do love the Communist Period statues. However, not what they represent....