Success.

Radio Sweden are discussing a new oceanfloor pipelne.

No listens for me tonight. I'm off to the bar soon!

From the SRI website:

”Baltic pipeline plan should be reconsidered”

The Russian-German consortium planning to build a gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea must investigate other options, according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

It says not enough is known about what environmental impacts the pipe between the two countries would have and the agency says there must be more analysis of its effects on fish, the risk of poisonous substances being released if the sea bed is disturbed and the dangers of unexploded mines.

The pipeline would pass through Sweden’s economic zone in the Baltic and come within 40 kilometres of the Swedish island of Gotland.

In a letter to Germany, Denmark, Finland and Russia the agency says alternatives like building it across land or moving it further away from protected areas in the sea must be considered, as well as if there needs to be a pipeline at all.

As it should be. Have much birthday fun. Um...S ogromnym privetom.

Ah, da! Horoshoo, spasibo!

It will be chilly too:
29°F
Feels Like
19°F

Oh, ah, I'm afraid you've caught me out! 'Ah, da! Horoshoo, spasibo' isn't on this page: http://www.russiannewsnetwork.com/lingua.html

Spasibo is at the bottom.

I said "ah, yes. Good, thanks. (saying horoshoo or good with thank you is polite in Russia).

So it is.

Cheers.

You threw me for a loop! I was starting to think you knew some Russian but had never used it here before.

Learning languages was never a strong point of mine. I did try a few times.

Romania's President Basescu refused to apologise for his comments criticising the activity of parliament this week: ...Traian Basesecu was summoned in parliament to retract statements according to which some politicians pass laws that are “only for criminals”. On Wednesday, Basescu stood before a small number of politicians (the representatives of the opposition had refused to attend the speech) and not only failed to extend his apologies, but even reinforced the statements he had made days before. He pointed out that people who have turned politics into a get-rich scheme are now uncomfortable due to the fact that justice has begun to work properly.

I'm once again enjoying Radio Romania International.

Radio Romania is hosting Mircea Eliade week, a cultural program celebrating 100 years since the birth of one of the greatest Romanian figures of contemporary culture.

One of the most renowned specialists in the comparative history of religions, a reputed prose writer, essayist and philosopher, Mircea Eliade was profoundly marked by his Romanian origins. He used to define the state of being Romanian as, quote “living, expressing and capitalizing on this world among worlds”, unquote.
He was born 100 years ago in Bucharest and went through many experiences and several stages of learning before writing, in 1949, his monumental Treaty of the History of Religions. At the age of 21 he graduated from the Faculty of Letters to study Sanskrit and Yoga with professor Dasgupta. He got his Ph.D. degree with a dissertation on this topic and then discovered Giovanni Papini in Italy, who became a literary model for him. In Bucharest he published novels, short stories and essays which earned him recognition as one of the best writers of the generation of young reformers of Romanian culture in the 1930s.

A great critic of communism, after the war Eliade exiled himself to Paris. From 1957 until and 1986 when he died, he lived in Chicago, where he was the head of the History of Religions chair at Chicago University, a position that was to be occupied after his death , by another famous Romnian – Ioan Petru Culianu Eliade ‘s masterpiece was the History of Religions Beliefs and Ideas, for which the French government awarded him the Legion D’ Honneur and the French Academy offered him the Bordin Award, making him a unique figure in Romanian culture. Besides over 40 scientific studies, translated into 16 languages, Eliade also wrote 20 novels, including Maitreyi, Wedding in Heaven and Miss Christina, written in or translated from Romanian, “the language I dream in”, as Eliade used to say.

In both his literary and scientific work Eliade was deeply Romanian, confirming one of the basic characteristics of the Romanian literary Diaspora, which also included Eugen Ionescu and Emil Cioran. He was Romanian but also a European, as in a paper published in 1953 he prophetically defined Romania’s role within a United Europe and the vitality of a people that survived through culture: “In the space that was home to Zamolxis, Orpheus and the mystery of Miorita or the Ewe Lamb and Mason Manole, where the archaic Christianity, Rome and Greece expanded, this is where spiritual Europe took shape, and there, where death can still be celebrated as a wedding, the springs of spirituality are still intact”.

Inspiring me to have a scan tonight.

Its been a while.

My my my. Look at this:



(from Universal Radio)
The Sangean DRM-40 is the radio many shortwave listeners have been waiting for. Finally, a receiver that tunes longwave, medium wave and shortwave with built-in support of DAB, RDS and DRM. Yes, DRM!

DAB is form of digital broadcast widely employed in Europe, but not currently in use North America. The European DAB band is 174-240 MHz.

RDS (Radio Data System) is a radio digital information system that was developed by the European Broadcast Union in 1987. Using the 57 kHz sub-carrier of FM broadcasting, the RDS enables you to receive a variety of information such as station name, song titles and traffic information. Many, but not all, FM stations in the United States have RDS.

DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) is a consortium of radio and electronics manufacturers from around the world that banded together in the late 1990s to create a universal digital system for the AM broadcasting bands below 30 MHz -- shortwave, medium wave and longwave. The system that was created also bears the name of the group; Digital Radio Mondiale. DRM is the world's only non-proprietary, digital system for shortwave, medium wave and longwave with the ability to use existing frequencies and bandwidth across the globe. The result is FM quality sound via shortwave.

And the innovative features do not end here. The Sangean DRM-40 will also include a Secure Data slot for MP3 audio playback from SD cards. This radio also has a clock radio function with selectable radio or buzzer alarm and sleep mode. There is a rotatable AM band bar antenna that can be plugged into the top of the radio. Other refinements include: USB port, external antenna jack, line and earphone outputs. Operates from 120 VAC 60 Hz or four D cells.

Availability Note:
This model was originally announced as the model MP-40. This item is expected mid 2007. A price has not yet been announced. Pricing and further technical information will be posted as soon as it is available. [01/08/07].

NOTICE:
This device has not been approved by the Federal Communications Commission.
This device may not be sold or leased, or be offered for sale or lease, until approval of the F.C.C. has been obtained.

That's one of the most exciting things I've ever seen.

Very much so! A next generation radio that has nothing to do with satellite. A victory for radio!

By 'eck, it's a beauty. My heart is pounding.

I've been looking online trying to find the dimensions of the thing, but no luck.

I was telling people at work today about it, and they just looked with a blank stare.

The world is full of fools. If only they knew, if only they could experience the pleasure.

180mm X 260mm X 90mm

It looks tiny in comparison to what I already own.

Buttons looks sort of small too. Totally minor though!

Eh, co-workers are health care workers. They'd be more excited about new stethoscope technologies.

Happy Birthday Shortwave thread! A favorite thread, besides the fact I started it. Some nice posts throughout the thread.

Many more scans!










Oh? Whats that? The 21st is tomorrow?

...

This thread seems to be between hip pirest and ?????????? ????

Interesting article on Пятхъдесят Шест's favourite station, Radio Canada International:

A Canadian company is changing the way some of the world's top animators make their films. And it's run by three immigrants from different parts of the world.

You can listen to it here: http://www.rcinet.ca/rci/en/chroniques4/35823.shtml

Good to see a bump!! It has been a while.

RCI is another reason to love thy neighbor.

I'm having a listen now.

Radio Romania International have moved their website to this address: http://www.rri.ro/index.shtml?lang=1. The positive side of this is that it doesn't take an age to load the page now.

Awesome, I've never seen this thread before. Good bumpage.

I do listen, quite a bit. For some reason I pick up VoR's America feed better than their Europe one (I'm in Ireland). Shortwave has a wonderful sound.. I've only read a little bit about DRM, but really dislike the idea.

Every so often I tune in the Lincolnshire Poacher as well, its sobering thinking that just possibly, some person is in deep cover listening to the very same transmission and deriving instructions from it.

There's a radio which belongs to somebody else that used to play a burst of static every 5 seconds on 1450 - 1500 KHZ on AM, it was quite relaxing so I had it going sometimes when doing work. One time when listening to it it changed suddenly and started making really loud bursts of static and white noise, and then started playing the noise in rhythms. It made the occasional high pitch 'woop' and whine. I recorded some of it so I could possibly upload it sometime.

And a classic listen can be had on LW 148. Regular series of beeps.

I'm in England; I usually pick up VoR's broadcasts at around 6pm - 7pm. I've never noticed if they are intended for the US, I have to admit.


I wonder if I may be so bold as to advertise a thread of my own: http://www.sonicyouth.com/gossip/showthread.php?t=120

I've just checked; interesting beeps indeed. You should upload any radio anaomalies you have. I often mention the one at 4.62Mhz on the 60m band.

I'm currently listening to the world broadcast from Indian radio, at approx 7.37 on the 31m band.

Yeah! It's great getting some professional walkie talkies and interrupting police radios, truck radios, and other retards with walkie talkies. One time we (friends and I) encountered this really explicit phone conversation (somehow) and another time we found a racist pirate radio station, that seemed to be on almost all day. At camp in 7th grade, we took two walkie talkies, and pissed off all the truck drivers that went by, even the teachers were joining in. We'd basically find their station, then ask for their position, and then ask for another kind of position if you get me. Then they'd go "Ahh fucking kids go fuck yourselves" and stuff, and we'd reply "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Fuuuuuck youuuuuuuu!" in a mock truckie voice.

Good times, assuming this is what you mean by shortwave radio.

When tuning, do other people hear a snatch of something and mistakenly think they've found a station in a language they know, only to be completely wong?

There seems to be no-one broadcasting in English right now, but I heard a few words at one frequency and thought I heard the presenter say 'in the kitchen', but it was someone talking in Serbo-Croat or something similar. Happens quite often.

Sort of. More so I think I know the language I'm hearing, just by the sound and dialect, but often it turns out to be something completely different. Mistaking Greek for an Arabesque tongue.

Could it also be another station seeping in? Perhaps you did hear "in the kitchen", only from another station? Either way, I'm now curious exactly what is going on in the kitchen.

No, it's definitely just an aural illusion; me hearing a word or two as I scan, and of course different languages are bound to have similar-sounding words or parts of phrases that mean something different. It's just strange how often I hear a split-second of something and think it's in English.

Bad news for some in Romania:

Several people have died following the extreme weather that affected Romania this week. While the south and east of the country have been hit by scorching temperatures and drought during May, other regions have been ravaged by storms and floods. The crops and orchards that escaped the drought have been hit by hail-storms, making the situation even worse for agriculture. Wind storms have left tens of localities without electricity, destroyed roofs, uprooted trees and damages cars. Weather forecasts warn that the inclement weather will last until the end of the week.

Good news for Dinamo Bucherest:

The football team Dinamo Bucharest has dominated the 2006-2007 season of the first Romanian football league, that has come to an end this week. Dinamo have ended the championship 6 points ahead of the team following them in second place: Steaua Bucharest. The two teams from Bucharest will enter the Champions League preliminaries – Steaua being the top team in the second round and Dinamo in the last preliminary round. CFR Cluj, an ambitious team, was ranked third, allowing for its participation in the UEFA Cup for the first time.

I'm currently listening to Radio Sweden, who are concerned about neglect and lack of opportunities for different social groups.

I just looked at my shortwave the other night, and thought about how its been a while since I've had a listen.

I should have a scan tonight.

Tell us about the most interesting thing you hear.

News relevence:

Radio ‘Screams’ Forecast Dangerous Solar Storms

Jeanna Bryner
Staff Writer
SPACE.com Tue May 29, 9:15 PM ET

HONOLULU -- Speedy solar storms carrying a billion tons of charged gas through space let out a thunderous scream before they unleash satellite-stopping radiation storms that slam into Earth's magnetic field.

A team of astronomers presented this finding here today at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society, one that could give astronauts and engineers forewarning of a type of coronal mass ejection (CME) capable of showering Earth, spacecraft and space travelers with damaging radiation.

Coronal mass ejections are violent solar eruptions that carry massive amounts of electrically charged gas called plasma from the Sun's atmosphere. Once unleashed, these plasma clouds race away from the Sun at up to a million miles per hour.

Depending on the orientation of the associated magnetic fields, Earth-ward eruptions can generate magnetic storms that can flick a giant circuit breaker of sorts on Earth, causing widespread power outages.

Radio showers

Some coronal mass ejections also bring intense radiation storms that can disable satellites or cause cancer in unprotected astronauts.

Here's how these radiation "snowstorms" form: As a CME plows through space it bumps into the charged particles constantly blown from the Sun called the solar wind, resulting in a shock wave. If the shock is powerful enough, it accelerates particles in the solar wind to high speeds capable of triggering radiation storms.

"Some CMEs produce radiation storms, and some don't, or at least the level of radiation is significantly lower," said lead researcher Natchimuthuk Gopalswamy of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

For instance, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has observed more than 10,000 CMEs over the past 10 years, Gopalswamy said, and only about 1 to 2 percent of them produce these particle storms.

"The trick is to identify the ones that can produce dangerous radiation, so we can warn astronauts and satellite operators," Gopalswamy said.

Radio screams

Gopalswamy and his team may have found a way to do just that. Like the calm before a storm (but louder), they found that CMEs with shocks capable of unleashing radio storms are preceded by "screams" in radio waves as they barrel through the solar wind.

They analyzed nearly 500 large coronal mass ejections, finding that while the so-called radio-loud CMEs (those that were preceded by "screams") led to radiation storms, none of the more than 150 radio-quiet CMEs were followed by such storms.

Since radio waves travel at the speed of light, the screams could give forewarning of an impending radio, or radiation, storm.

"We can use a CME's radio noise to give warning that it is generating a radiation storm that will hit us soon," Gopalswamy said. "This will give astronauts and satellite operators anywhere between a few tens of minutes to a couple hours to prepare, depending on how fast the particles are moving."

The team also noticed that most of the radio-loud CMEs came from the Sun's equator, a place known as an active region for solar flares, while most of the radio-quiet CMEs sprouted from the Sun's edges.

As usual, it's all happening in Romania:

THE TRANSYLVANIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL HAS STARTED (4.06.2007)

Inaugurated in Cluj central Romania a couple of days ago , starting Monday, the International Film Festival Transilvania is also underway in another town in Transilvania , Sibiu which is this year a European capital of culture. In Cluj the event opened with the film “Four months , three weeks and two days “ of young Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, who two days before had won the Palme d’Or in the Cannes International Film Festival with the first Romanian long reel that had ever got such a prize. The movie is about a student who has to make an abortion during the communist dictatorship when such a deed was illegal and punished with time in jail. Listen now to what the director of the movie, Cristian Mungiu told us:

“I made a film about responsibility and about making decisions, about human relationships between people living in a specific time period; in no case is this movie a chronicle of the respective epoch. This movie is based on a real story, one that goes back to my early youth, I was 20 back then and whose moral meaning should go beyond the historical context of the period in which it is placed , so that the film be understood by everybody”.

160 films from 39 countries will be presented in the festival but in the competition there are only 12, Romania being represented by Christian Mungiu’s movie. In 2002, at the first edition of the festival, Mungiu won the Transylvania Award with his first long reel “Occident”. Another Romanian movie that won the Un certain Regard Award in Cannes this year, namely California Dreamin’ of late Cristian Nemescu will be presented in Sibiu on Tuesday. American actor and film star Armand Asante who is playing one of the leading parts in the movie will be present in Sibiu at the Transilvania International Film Festival. Along the other Romanian actors playing in California Dreamin’, Assante will meet press people and movie lovers in this year European capital of culture.

As we cannot cover here all the films in the festival, we simply picked another one, a world premiere called “I really hate my job”, a British production starring two Romanian actresses: Oana Pellea in her first comedy part and Alexandra Maria Lara who lives in Germany. The movie is a comic portrait of five women working in a London restaurant who during one night are facing a psychic problem, several nervous breakdowns and more orders than they can handle. Everything is complicated by the fact that a cinema star is expected to come to the restaurant and possibly change the destiny of the protagonists. The award ceremony of the Transylvania International Film Festival will take place on Saturday, June the 9th.

Almost (almost) as exciting as the Pyongyang Film Festival.

Nyet to Micheal Moore, yet North Korea Film Festival Goes International

I wonder if those international films will genuinely be shown to the public. I suspect only officials and dignitaries will be present (like that Rolling Stones gig in China).