Underage Sex But First Birth Of 2010 Takes Headline

Isn’t this quite typical that underage births are more common that one first supposes. Only recently there was the story of the youngest mother, which made headlines. The big question is are the fathers being prosecuted for underage sex? I doubt it as I commented before, mainly because this is becoming ‘normal’ especially in Gypsy communities. (Again no mention whether this mother and father were Gypsy!)

A 14-year-old mother from Bulgaria’s Varna has given birth to the country’s first newborn child in 2010.

The underage mother Nikoleta Velikova gave birth at exactly 1 minute after midnight on January 1, 2010. This has been announced Saturday by Dr. Antonia Grigorova, Editor-in-Chief of the Nine Months Magazine, which is organizing annual Baby of the Year campaigns.

The time has been confirmed by the medical staff of the Varna hospital. The baby girl weighs 2,3 kg and is 46 cm tall.

Source: www.novinite.com

Pepper Popper Voted Best Bulgarian Invention of The 20th Century

I have to say that this just typifies Bulgaria where the food and practical inventions are the most important things there. This is a far cry form the material ideals when a pepper popper or the chushkopek gets the top vote for the most revolutionary Bulgarian household device for the 20th Century. I’m not surprised that the car was well down on the voting as it has become plague and an escalation in cost to many here. Having used this pepper popper I can safely say that it really does the business, effectively and quickly and when you consider the amount of peppers that are stored by families for winter here, only then will you realised how useful this appliance is. Many Bulgarians of course still use the old method by grilling the peppers on a live fire from wood especially in the villages. The popper is therefore is even more ideal for apartment dwellers.

An appliance for roasting peppers has been voted the most revolutionary household device of the 20th century in Bulgaria.

The "chushkopek" was named "Bulgaria's Household Revolution of the 20th Century" in an on-line and text messaging campaign organized by Bulgarian National Television.

The wall of the cylindrical chushkopek is lined with a heater and can hold one to seven peppers, depending on the size of the appliance.

The Bulgarian-patented appliance garnered 25 percent of the vote. Other 20th century advances that received votes included electricity (16 percent), television and radio (13 percent)and cellphones (10 percent).

Concrete-panel apartment construction, cars and seaside vacations trailed with less than 7 percent each.

Source: http://www.upi.com

Bulgaria Banned From The International Weighlifting Federation (IWF)

We all know that the world is full of doping in many sporting competitions and weightlifting is no exception. The Bulgarians have been caught red-handed and banned from the International Weighlifting Federation (IWF); it is as simple as that. But in true Bulgarian fashion the answer to the problem was simply to set up another Weightlifting Federation to whitewash the issue. I think there should be two federations, one where you can use as many drugs as you wish and another where it has to be clean. I know which I’d rather watch as a sport for entertainment!

Bulgaria's weightlifting federation was stripped of its licence Wednesday for financial mismanagement and a major doping scandal that saw the country's best athletes banned, the sports ministry said.

The ministry said it had refused to renew the federation's licence because it had "breached the anti-doping regulations and sports ethics ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games and marred Bulgaria's sports prestige."

The federation was also accused of mismanaging funds.

Ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, all eight men and three women on Bulgaria's preliminary weightlifting squad had tested positive for the anabolic steroid metandienon.

The lifters denied any wrongdoing but the Bulgarian weightlifting federation was forced, for the first time in its history, to pull the whole team from the Games.

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) then banned two of the athletes, Georgy Markov and Alan Tsagaev, for life while the other nine received four-year bans.

The federation was also fined $465,000 (324,700 euros), Bulgarian press reporting it had paid that sum to keep its right to compete in international tournaments.

But failure to find well-trained athletes to replace the banned ones has prevented Bulgaria from appearing in major weightlifting competitions ever since.

Bulgaria had a long reputation as one of the world powers in weightlifting, but was also plagued by doping scandals.

In order to save the sport, 23 weightlifting clubs from around the country on Tuesday formed an alternative Bulgarian national weightlifting federation, adding they would apply for a licence from the sports ministry and the IWF.

Source: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Charity Aid To Bulgaria's Poor From The UK

There are some who say this is a waste of time and there are more deserving people in this world that need the aid. Others say that the cost of shipping is crazy as the food, blankets and toys can be bought in Bulgaria. I must say I agree with the second point, £5,000 is money down the drain and far better spent on aid rather than transport costs. Bulgarians in the main look after themselves even with the dire poverty that many live in. I do wonder where this consignment will end up and whether is will got to those who it is intended for.

Charity workers are urging for one last festive fundraising push to help send essentials to poor people in Bulgaria.
Two 40 foot containers with 45 tonnes of food aid, blankets, bedding and toys have been sent to Bulgaria to help those with next to nothing.
The goods, estimated to be worth £100,000, have been collected by local charity Bulgarian Aid.
Although the content is already on its way to Bulgaria, volunteers had to borrow the money to send it, and need donations to help cover the costs.
Christine Metcalfe, from Bulgarian Aid, said: "We would like to thank everyone who has so far supported us.
The cost of sending the two containers is in excess of £5,000.
Source: Charity workers are urging for one last festive fundraising push to help send essentials to poor people in Bulgaria.
Two 40 foot containers with 45 tonnes of food aid, blankets, bedding and toys have been sent to Bulgaria to help those with next to nothing.
The goods, estimated to be worth £100,000, have been collected by local charity Bulgarian Aid.
Although the content is already on its way to Bulgaria, volunteers had to borrow the money to send it, and need donations to help cover the costs.
Christine Metcalfe, from Bulgarian Aid, said: "We would like to thank everyone who has so far supported us.
The cost of sending the two containers is in excess of £5,000.

Source: www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk
Image by Port of Tacoma via Flickr

Madonna Next In Line For Tax Bills In Bulgaria

This is the latest trend in Bulgaria, chasing the rich and public figures for tax that is due. One wonders why this wasn’t’ pick up in previous years rather than having a sudden purge. I also wonder whether the goalpost have been changed in tax assessment to get more funds from VIP earners. The Bulgarian Pop Folk Divas (Chalga) and Professional Footballers have already been raked through. Who is next? Not the mafias that’s for sure!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The National Revenue Agency (NRA) is chasing Bulgarian promoters who have staged some of the biggest shows in Bulgaria including those of Madonna and Metallica.

According to the law, performers must pay 10 per cent tax on concerts staged in Bulgaria. NRA checks established, however, that none of the 13 Bulgarian promoters had paid this tax to the state.

This included the show Madonna staged in Sofia this summer and Metallica's concert a year ago.

The same tax will be owed by Elton John when he performs in Sofia in the summer of 2010.

Checks on the activities of promoters' companies are part of an overall investigation launched by the NRA into the income of Bulgarian singers and popular performers.

Probes have revealed that some popular artists have not filed income tax declarations for several years.

Source: http://www.sofiaecho.com