MetaFilter posts tagged with estonia

1989, revolution in Eastern Europe

Kattullus — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:49:20 -0800

The BBC World Service has put together a special report on the 1989 revolutions in Eastern Europe (they also have a simpler portal). There is a wealth of material, including TV reports on key events from the BBC archives, interviews, a map timeline, a report on Catholicism's role in the 1989 revolutions, a first-hand report of what it was like to gather news in East Germany during that time and much more.

A Conversation with Vanessa Winship

chunking express — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:04:29 -0800

A Conversation with photographer Vanessa Winship. Her portraits of Anatolian school girls, mentioned in the article, was the first time I encountered her work.

The Singing Revolution

Effigy2000 — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:16:36 -0800

Some revolutions are about hate. Others are about revenge. But there was at least one that was about hope and music. The Singing Revolution is the story of how hope and music saved a nation. After World War II the Baltic States had been fully incorporated into the USSR after military occupation and annexation in 1940. Many years later in 1985, hoping to stimulate the failing Soviet economy and encourage productivity, particularly in the areas of consumer goods, Mikhail Gorbachev introduced "glasnost", which rescinded the limitations on political freedoms. This gave rise to huge problems in the Baltic States, which had been occupied unlawfully in the build-up to war in the 1940s. From 1987, a cycle of mass demonstrations featuring spontaneous singing eventually collected 300,000 Estonians in Tallinn to sing national songs and hymns that were strictly forbidden during the years of the Soviet occupation.

"We sang all night and everybody went home early in the morning. It was emotionally so strong that the next day there were even more people. The day after, there were even more people. People took out their hidden flags. They had these flags hidden for 50 years and now they took these out and started to wave them.”
Artur Talvik, participant.

These gatherings helped unite the Estonian people, ignited a renewed wave of passion for their national identity and furthered the country's desire for freedom. In September of 1988, 300,000 Estonians gathered at the Lauluvaljak to continue their protest and to hear Trivimi Velliste, an historian who later served as the Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, make the first public demand for independence. The Singing Revolution, as it later became known, lasted over four years, with various protests, rock concerts and acts of defiance. In 1991, as Soviet tanks attempted to stop the progress towards independence, the Estonian Supreme Soviet together with the Congress of Estonia proclaimed the restoration of the independent state of Estonia and repudiated Soviet legislation. People acted as human shields to protect radio and TV stations from the Soviet tanks. Through these actions Estonia regained its independence without any bloodshed.

How do you say 'Get me off this crazy thing!' in Estonian?

grounded — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:55:16 -0800

Kiiking means 'swing' in Estonian. Estonian swing culture explained.

Fuck Yuo I am a Robot

nthdegx — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 16:33:58 -0800

Fuck Yuo I Am a Robot are offering their album Compensator for the Accelerator for free download from their site. Infectious ass-shakin' Estonian electro-pop. Lyrics to track 2 NSFW, likewise sleeve art jpgs if you opt for the .zip download. You can sample one of the tracks, Hydraulic, on YouTube if you don't know them and would like to check them out first, though personally I can't get enough of Zukunft (direct mp3 link).

WW2 Tank Recovered

LarryC — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 20:18:06 -0800

Estonian hobbyists find WW2 Russian tank in a bog. And it runs. (via Linkfilter)

Estonian trader hack nets 7.8 million

Muirwylde — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 21:12:03 -0800

Oh, the tangled webs we weave when we practice to deceive... Two traders with Estonias most prestigious financial firm spider the Business Wire website and manage to read headlines of impending news stories effectively enabling them to time the market to the tune of 7.8 million in profit...

Estonian soviet-era TV-ads

lazy-ville — Sun, 30 Jan 2005 01:40:48 -0800

Estonian TV-Commercials from the 80's by Harry Egipt.

Mayday, mayday, Estonia, please.

mr.marx — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 11:43:14 -0800

"Mayday, mayday, Estonia, please." 10 years ago tonight, 852 people lost their lives in the cold dark waters of the Baltic Sea. In the middle of the night the ferry M/S Estonia, headed from Tallinn to Stockholm, suddenly capsized and sank. Only 137 people survived Europe's worst maritime disaster since World War II. (more inside)

The 25 Member EU

MidasMulligan — Fri, 30 Apr 2004 17:26:39 -0800

The European Union welcomes 10 new members! As I write this, the celebrations have started as Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia become members of the EU today. While some folks are gonna party like crazy, others are warning of doom and gloom. What do you think? Will this have significant effects on global culture, politics, and economics - or will it merely represent a paper change within the rarefied world of European diplomats, with little other than localized effects on day to day life?

Forest Brothers

alms — Mon, 25 Aug 2003 21:42:11 -0800

The Forest Brothers spent years hiding in the woods of Estonia and Latvia. They lived alone, carefully covering their tracks, sleeping in clammy bunkers, no bigger than walk-in closets. Then things got less comfortable. (warning: nytimesfilter.)

Estonian Deportation

plep — Tue, 05 Aug 2003 23:26:13 -0800

Exhibition of Deportation 14 June 1941. Some history, moments and life stories. Via the Estonian National Museum.

normy — Wed, 28 Mar 2001 08:00:20 -0800

Estonia set for online elections.