Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 5hYesterday at the British Museum M: You know, these Minoans, living 4,000 years ago, had better aesthetic taste than you Canadians do today 🫣 010
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Instead, the programme focused on some ‘brave’ Norwegian teachers who sometimes dared not to teach Nazi ideology, with the grave consequence of having their salaries deducted... Any two illiterate Yugoslav grandmas inflicted more damage on the Nazis than the entire Norwegian army + the 'resistance' 020
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Even when asked about women in the resistance across Europe, Pistol did not mention the Yugoslav Partisans, the only resistance movement in which women participated massively, including in military roles. 110
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 08/10/2026It is very embarrassing how certain histories are erased or ignored in the West. On the BBC’s History Hour, they managed not to mention the only serious WW2 resistance that existed in Europe, led by the Yugoslav communists. www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...bbc.comBBC Audio | The History Hour | Norway's teacher resistance and Ireland's deadly nightclub fireMax Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes 110
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 05/10/2026📅14 Oct 2026, 18:00 If you are in or around London next week, join us at UCL SSEES for a seminar about my latest book, Sickle and Veil! Bojan Aleksov, Djermana Kuric and Slavka Karakusheva are going to talk about how interesting it is (I hope :))! www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit...ucl.ac.ukSickle and Veil: Communist Gender and Policies towards Muslim Minorities in Eastern EuropeA Southeast European studies seminar with Ivan Simic 010
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 04/10/2026For a while now, I have been training my Canadian-born friends to stop tipping. Their conditioning is strong, and the pressure they feel is immense, but we are getting there! The tipping culture has to be destroyed!!💪 010
Reposted by Dr Ivan SimicUCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies @uclssees.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Join us for this @seeatucl-ssees.bsky.social seminar with @ivansimic.bsky.social to hear about his new book 'Sickle and Veil'. This book offers a comprehensive transnational history of communist gender policies towards Muslim minorities in Eastern Europe. 🗓️ 14 October at 6pm ➡️ buff.ly/MRttF3K 033
Reposted by Dr Ivan SimicTereza Hendl @terezahendl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026The Russian occupying forces have destroyed over 10 million Ukrainian books this summer and are now continuing their systemic attacks on Ukrainian research institutions and the people within them. These are the people who carry generations of knowledge about Ukrainian existence, culture, language… 1136
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Without international students, Canadian higher education institutions are collapsing. They are not only poorer financially, but also poorer intellectually. 100
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Sometimes, when I explain how Erasmus works, folks in Canada cannot believe that something like that is even possible. Canadian students have no mobility even between Canadian higher education institutions, let alone opportunities to study abroad. Not to mention being paid to do so! 020
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Canada joining Erasmus+ would be the best possible thing for students and higher education. www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...euronews.comCanada in talks to join EU's Erasmus+ exchanges programmeCanada is in early talks to join Erasmus+ and possibly Horizon Europe, as Ottawa and Brussels weigh an unprecedented "associate membership" of the EU short of full accession. #EuropeNews 110
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Today I went to the Museum of the Nineties in Belgrade, Serbia. What a positive surprise! Then I saw that some really good people, like Prof Dubravka Stojanović, are behind it, and I was not surprised anymore. Just happy that they made the most important museum in Serbia! museum90.com/en/about-us/museum90.comAbout us – Museum90 010
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 08/09/2026In fact, Ryanair would raise our standards for air travel. We have it that bad in Canada! And it is not that Ryanair is good because they want to be good. They are ok because EU regulations force them to be decent. And what about our federal air passenger regulations? They never seem to protect us 010
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 08/09/2026I flew with Ryanair, which is considered an ultra-low-cost airline in Europe. They are still miles better than any regular Canadian airline. They were on time and transparent with their pricing and rules, and the flight was fine. 100
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Notes from Greece: Greek food and hospitality are still the best, Greek beer is still the worst. On a positive note, they have started some microbreweries, but they still have a long way to go. Maybe it's the water quality? Also, way more expensive than before COVID, but still worth going there! 021
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 06/09/2026The future is going to be glorious! Right? Right? 😬 www.cbc.ca/news/politic...cbc.caCanadians should prepare for a 5 C hotter future, report warns | CBC NewsThe federal government's new report summarizing the latest science on climate change warns that under current climate policies, the impact on Canadians will likely be "far from benign." 021
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 06/09/2026There is a flashing-light crossing there across six lanes that is going to get someone killed. The city administration is aware of it, but they don't care. 110
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 03/09/2026When I drive, TomTom is actually better than GoogleMaps for me. It shows turns and speed limits much better. 210
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Watching Lecce last night also helped my integration! 030
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 01/09/2026My southern Italian friend commended me for finally buying beer not at the beach but at the market and bringing it in a large mug. He said one more week and he will make a local out of me, making bombette at home and bringing them to the beach! What a compliment! 120
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 01/09/2026People need to radically de-Google their lives. Luckily, in every sphere, there is a free or similarly priced product that is far superior to Google's. 120
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 29/08/2026After travelling for 23 hours and sleeping for almost 11, I am ready for anything, including hundreds of Italians shouting something in the bakery. Bring it on!! 010
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 28/08/2026I hate the very idea of having to call and ask for deals. What is listed on the site is what I want to pay. I switched to Oxio years ago and never looked back. 010
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 27/08/2026The war criminal Ratko Mladić is dead, and that is good. If he had never been born, it would have been even better. 030
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Without international students, Canadian universities are not just financially poorer, they are intellectually poorer and sadder places... 100
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Happy Independence Day to Ukraine! The best time to donate to the Ukrainian army was yesterday. The next best time is today. u24.gov.uau24.gov.uaUNITED24 — The initiative of the President of UkraineThe official fundraising platform for collecting donations to support Ukraine 000
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 22/08/2026The US has always been a shithole. It is just that Canada was on its good side for a while. Trump is only a symptom, not the cause. The people who voted for him, supported him, enabled him, and now work for him will remain. 000
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 21/08/2026I do not think it is driven by nationalism at all. If I compare it with any other nationalist project in Europe, it has very little in common with them. But the more I look at it, the more I think it is driven by racism and by Americanism, which might be an underexplored concept. 110
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 20/08/2026The problem with the North American housing system is that housing serves as retirement security because of the terrible pension system. Add the lack of a social safety net and the fact that many are heavily in debt.. No wonder many are panicking because their shabby houses are their only investment 110
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 19/08/2026The rights to vote and to be elected are some of the most important rights. You cannot allow people to vote but not allow them to drink alcohol, smoke weed, go to war, shoot porn, gamble, or be tried as adults... 100
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 19/08/2026If I had to guess, zero Muslim women were consulted in drafting this law... 000
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 17/08/2026True, I have hired many people outside academia, and I have never asked for a transcript. In fact, I do not know anyone who has ever been asked for one. 010
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 16/08/2026On Friday, all the bike parking spots were super full. I mean all of them, all around Fringe. I wish someone had counted them. There must have been hundreds! 110
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 14/08/2026What many of these people do not understand is that prisons are not the cheapest solution. And much worse than that, they are not a solution that works. 010
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 14/08/2026Private companies should not be allowed anywhere near the healthcare system. Also, for-profit plasma or blood donation centres are an absolute travesty. globalnews.ca/news/1202107...globalnews.caPrivate plasma donation clinic says it is pausing all collection in Canada | Globalnews.caGrifols said Thursday that the company voluntarily decided to pause collection and has communicated the decision to Health Canada. 1104
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 12/08/2026I boycott the entire concept of drive-through businesses 😂 010
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 10/08/2026These tarp festivals are totally unappealing to me. Sorry, Edmonton. Music festivals are supposed to look like Glastonbury and Sziget... 120
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 08/08/2026In Canada, we desperately need an aggressive sugar tax that would target any drink or food item loaded with sugar, and another aggressive tax on ultra-processed food. What we drink and eat is horrible. And I mean everyday items, not just the obvious junk food. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...theguardian.comWhy are ultra-processed food firms panicking and suing? Because they know time is running out | Felicity LawrenceAs the harm caused by their products becomes more evident, manufacturers are resorting to denial and lawsuits to keep regulation at bay, says former Guardian special correspondent Felicity Lawrence 020
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 03/08/2026All Canadian airlines are equally awful. But that is the fault of extremely weak federal laws that provide virtually no protection for Canadian travellers. Whenever I talk to people who are used to EU standards, they are shocked by how unprotected we are. 050
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 02/08/2026Why I love Heritage Fest: Ate food from Mauritius (and googled a bit about it), Azerbaijan, Bosnia, and Iran. Apart from baklava, I have no idea what anything else was, but it was all great!! The only thing missing is beer, which is an important part of my culture! 000
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Franco Baresi was one of the greatest footballers of all time. Probably second only to his protégé, Paolo Maldini. I started watching him only in the last couple of years of his career, but he was magnificent! I have always appreciated great defenders more than some Messis or Ronaldos 001
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 31/07/2026My morning ritual at the office yesterday featured coffee from Croatia prepared in a Bosnian way with Bosnian ratluk, next to another drink from Croatia and chocolate from Serbia. Sugar level maximum 💪 120
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 31/07/2026I wish that would be the case, because we literally eat the same food 😃😃 110
Dr Ivan Simic @ivansimic.bsky.social · 31/07/2026So, there is a single Scandinavian pavilion, even though those countries spent centuries fighting each other, colonising one another, and they do not even share a common language. Yet I see three separate ex-Yugoslav countries, probably all still trapped in 1995 when they emigrated to Canada 😭😭 320
Reposted by Dr Ivan SimicCatherine McKenna @cathmckenna.bsky.social · 24/07/2026Carbon pricing not only lowered emissions it gave more money back to the majority of people, especially to the poorest Canadians. Shame on all the cynical politicians who repeated lies about it. www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/pe... 121484