Macedonian Content Farmers Podcast

Cvetin and Jason start off with a bang and Deputy PM Bujar Osmani's threat to, basically, re-start the 2001 war if the law on languages is overturned or changed, something the Venice Commission says should be done, and how outgoing Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has completed reversed himself on this matter - after all, he needs Albanian votes. They discuss the current scandals engulfing Zaev's governm...

While this is a special, and nicely round, number, Cvetin and Jason did not really prepare for this episode of the podcast (blame Jason, he was traveling), but we do manage to cover a lot of ground including the recent shoot-out at the Aleksandar Palace Hotel in Skopje, earthquakes in Albania, existential issues of where we come from and where we are going (as humans), Christmas, Christians, athei...

After a brief hiatus, Cvetin and Jason are back, to the dismay of some of their colorful revolutionary friends who hoped they had been disappeared. But there is punditry to be discussed so the two jump right in with Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski’s mother of all gaffes when he told young people that if he was not the President of the Republic of Macedonia he would leave the country. They d...

Cvetin and Jason begin their weekly discussion by looking at what a mess French President Emmanuel Macron has made – a mess, that is, if you are part of the professional elite. With his latest comments that NATO is experiencing a “brain death” it seems that the professional pundits who know what is best for Macedonia, Europe, and the world, are working themselves into hissy fits. All of this does...

Cvetin and Jason discuss the latest news from Macedonia including the fact that the current Communists, er, Government of Macedonia actually recognize the benefits of a 10 percent flat tax rate over a progressive tax rate, the threat from Zoran Zaev of postponing the elections he just called, the threat of the scary “nationalist” opposition (“nationalist” meaning anything the Left doesn’t like) wi...

After the EU told Macedonia that the opening of EU membership talks will revert to next year, Cvetin and Jason get together to talk about the growing rift between Zoran Zaev and President Stevo Pendarovski after Pendarovski tells media that the “N” word “bothers all Macedonians.” They discuss the growing movement to reverse the so-called “Prespa agreement,” the different wings in the current rulin...

Cvetin and Jason discuss the dramatic events with Macedonia that have occurred over the past few days including the firm ‘non’ issued by France’s President Emmanuel Macron to Zoran Zaev and his government and the implications therein, including Zaev’s decision to call early elections (will he really do it?). They talk about the reactions from various individuals and groups including the so-called...

Cvetin and Jason talk about the recent visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Macedonia, the worldview of the men at women at the US State Department, continuing scandals in Macedonia, the possibility of the EU opening accession talks later this month and more. Cvetin remains on suicide watch and keeps warning about terrible things to come like a Balkan version of little Greta. Jason does h...

Cvetin and Jason attempt to make some sense of the chaos engulfing the world – or at least the West – from a 30,000 foot/10,000 meter perspective. They delve into the crises going on in the US, UK, the EU, Macedonia, and elsewhere and why this is going on, noting that all countries eventually die from suicide. They both go on their own individual rants about what is going on, they touch on the Ukr...

Cvetin and Jason bring listeners up to date on the latest scandal in Macedonia – Racket 2 – in which the Minister of Health, Venko Filipce, and the Director of the Health Fund, Dan Doncev, are accused by a Macedonian dialysis firm of…extortion. They explain all of the details on this new scandal before diving back into the ongoing, slow-going, and where is it going scandal involving Boki 13, Katic...

Cvetin and Jason discuss the latest events in Macedonia (of which there are way too many) including the FINAL dismissal of Katica Janeva, the special prosecutor anointed, er, appointed, by the Government of Zoran Zaev and with the priestly blessing of the Western elites. What does this mean for all of the cases of the former (ain’t so) special prosecutor? How big is this scandal, anyway? They touc...

In this special episode of the Macedonian Content Farmers Podcast, Cvetin and Jason celebrate Macedonia’s Independence Day by taking a deep dive into the issue of small “l” liberal democracy and what it means to be a sovereign, independent, nation-state. Is Macedonia sovereign and independent these days? Does Macedonia have a monarchy or a republic as Mrs. Powell of Philadelphia famously asked Dr....

With the beginning of school in Macedonia, folks are back from summer vacation and the fun continues! Cvetin and Jason break it all down for you at the beginning of September as Macedonians continue following the growing Boki 13/Katica Janeva/Zoran Zaev scandal. The scandal is not going away and this does not bode well for the Government of Zoran Zaev as he really, really, really wants the EU to o...

And we are back! Cvetin and Jason start off Ep. 38 with a different introduction, but they’ve been gone for a while and so this is a sort of catch-up of past news, but with thoughts about the future of Macedonia which begins on Monday, in a way, when everyone is back from vacation, the kids are back in school, and general talk on the street turns to scandal. In this podcast they talk about that on...

Cvetin and Jason catch up on the latest identity crisis the Government of Zoran Zaev is foisting on Macedonia and the Macedonians with the new – but short-lived – identity of ///// on Macedonian birth certificates (say, how do you pronounce “/////” ?!). They discuss how this is really not just a “technical issue” but likely part of a deliberate pattern of Zaev and his government to degrade and deb...

Cvetin and Jason dive into this exciting episode looking at the continuing and growing scandal engulfing Macedonia – that of Botox, er, Boki 13 and former special prosecutor Katica Janeva. They recap the scandal, the closure of Boki’s TV station, 1TV, the preferential treatment of Boki and Janeva through their “hospital visits” and “sick leave” (for Katica over “anxiety disorder” or something like...

Cvetin and Jason did not do any preparation or write up show notes (we don’t need no stinking show notes!) for this episode and why would they – there is just so much to talk and opine about with the growing slow drip scandal involving Boki 13, former special prosecutor Katica Janeva and many more, including, perhaps, Prime Minister Zaev. They discuss how Boki and his associates operated, perhaps...

Cvetin and Jason continue to catch up on events in Macedonia after a brief hiatus. The episode is recorded on July 14th, and includes a detailed explanation of the Boki 13 scandal, a day before his arrest. Also discussed is the continuing fallout of Zoran Zaev's embarrassing fall to a couple of Russian pranksters. Macedonia's EU chances are covered as well, and especially the problems with rampant...

Cvetin and Jason are back with a packed Episode 33 (you might recall the full hour of Episode 32 was dedicated to the beauties of traveling around Macedonia while Jason was away) and discuss a plethora of subjects including the recent pranking of prime minister Zoran Zaev by Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus who seemed to have no trouble getting the inept and gullible Zaev to talk about a whole h...

It's an entirely different episode of your favoring English language podcast on news from Macedonia in that it contains no blood pressure rising news. This one is dedicated solely to Macedonian tourism. Places to go, people to see. Jason and Cvetin tick off their favorite towns in Macedonia, remember good meals and companionship, and some alcohol may also have been consumed along the way. Enjoy an...

Cvetin and Jason parse Zoran Zaev's promise of September for the opening of EU accession talks between Macedonia and the EU despite the fact that Angela Merkel has said nothing about September, and all that it means, the new fight between Albania's Edi Rama and Macedonia's Stevo Pendarovski and the issue of "decoupling" (hint: it is not sexual in nature), Bulgaria's continuing fondness for blockin...

Cvetin and Jason discuss sporting events in Macedonia and the possibility that they are hereby banned (or are they – seems like Zoran Zaev would like to stop the winning!), the full-court press (pardon the sports reference) by Zaev and his ministers in begging for EU accession talks with Macedonia to be opened, the blows that Zaev’s junior partner Ali Ahmeti is suffering from Albanians in Chicago,...

Recorded as HC Vardar was landing at the former and soon to be again Alexander the Great airport in Skopje, Cvetin and Jason do a whole episode on what the handball Champions League win means for Macedonia and the Macedonians. As the country rallies behind its sport heroes, are we seeing the backlash caused by the humiliation of Macedonia? Will Zaev try to arrest his way out of this predicament, n...

Cvetin and Jason discuss Jason’s 23 years in and with Macedonia, the discord and fights within the Government of Macedonia and the bind that PM Zoran Zaev finds himself in by trying to clean out various factions in his government (that he is actually answerable to), the drug dealing and trafficking in Macedonia and the region and who controls it (you know who this is), the EU elections (results we...

Cvetin and Jason tackle the recent Eurovision song contest, including its politics, personalities, and performances like that by Tamara Todevska of Macedonia (she calls her country something else) and why Macedonia’s government and their enablers among Western elitists continue pushing the “approved narrative.” They then discuss (just discuss) cocaine (and Jason sings to try to beat the algorithm...