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	<title>Rakia and Roses</title>
	<link>http://rakiaandroses.com</link>
	<description>A woman&#039;s attempt to apply the lessons learned from a simpler life in Bulgaria to the early 2000s recession</description>
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		<title>Cuckoo for Kukeri</title>
		<description><![CDATA[In Bulgaria, kukeri festivals mark the end of the dark days of winter. Kukeri refers to a group of mummers, who perform ritualistic dances in an attempt to ward off evil spirits and guarantee a good harvest later in the year. The tradition is unique to Bulgaria and is believed to have originated with the Thracians. Towards the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://rakiaandroses.com/2011/01/cuckoo-for-kukeri/</link>
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		<title>Grass getting tall? Buy some goats.</title>
		<description><![CDATA[As some eco-conscious Americans are learning, hiring goats to clear their vegetation is an alternative to using power tools. Hiring a herd can be pricey, but, as Bulgarians learned centuries ago, having your own flock can be cost effective!]]></description>
		<link>http://rakiaandroses.com/2010/11/grass-getting-tall-buy-some-goats/</link>
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		<title>Fresh from the Vine</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Bulgarians have been making wine for centuries. The Thracians, a group of Indo-European tribes who inhabited present-day Bulgaria, were known for their wine making skills. Homer and Plato mentioned Thracian &#8220;unmixed&#8221; wine in their literary works (apparently, the Greeks mixed this dark, red wine with water). Today, visitors can find the art of wine making alive and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://rakiaandroses.com/2010/10/fresh-from-the-vine/</link>
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		<title>Cheap Entertainment</title>
		<description><![CDATA[In a world full of ever-changing high-tech gadgets, reading a book&#8211;an actual book&#8211;can be a refreshing change of pace. And with a used paperback costing just pennies, who cares if it&#8217;s either damaged or lost? Plus, you can recoup some of the costs by reselling it at a used bookstore, at a yard sale, or on eBay. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://rakiaandroses.com/2010/09/518/</link>
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		<title>When Life Keeps Handing You Lemons, Keep Making Lemonade</title>
		<description><![CDATA[During these tough economic times, keep making lemonade (literally) if life keeps handing you lemons. Not only is it a refreshing beverage on a warm summer&#8217;s day, but it is inexpensive to make. And at your next summertime soiree, you can impress your guests by offering a unique cocktail: lemonade with a splash of rakia. What would [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://rakiaandroses.com/2010/08/when-life-keeps-handing-you-lemons-keep-making-lemonade/</link>
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		<title>Bling on a Shoestring</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Recently, Stuart Hughes, a British company that specializes in bejeweling gadgets, created a diamond-encrusted iPhone 4 (priced at around $20K). During these tough economic times, I&#8217;m compelled to ask, &#8220;Who needs a diamond-encrusted iPhone 4, particularly, when you can have a used, GSM cell phone, encrusted with rhinestones from a pair of Victoria&#8217;s Secret sweatpants, for around $35?&#8221; My [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://rakiaandroses.com/2010/07/bling-on-a-shoestring/</link>
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		<title>Handle With Care (Or With a Drying Rack)</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Some would consider life in small-town Bulgaria reminiscent of American writer E.B. White’s words, “We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry.&#8221; Instead, I heeded American humorist Erma Bombeck’s less eloquent quote, “Housework&#8211;if you do it right, will kill you,” and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://rakiaandroses.com/2010/06/handle-with-care-or-with-a-drying-rack/</link>
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		<title>A Blown Fuse = Homemade Booze</title>
		<description><![CDATA[As I write this blog from my home in Dallas, watching ominous clouds move across the dark sky and lights flickering above my head, I can’t help but remember the first time my electricity went out in Bulgaria. It was late (probably past most people&#8217;s bedtime) when it happened. I had learned how to replace a fuse, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://rakiaandroses.com/2010/05/a-blown-fuse-and-homemade-booze/</link>
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		<title>A Drop of Golden Sun</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Unlike their Greek neighbors to the south, Bulgarians do not use olive oil in their cooking. Instead, they take advantage of the country’s high yield of sunflower crops and use sunflower oil (they snack on sunflower seeds, too). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in 2005, Bulgaria ranked eleventh worldwide in the production [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://rakiaandroses.com/2010/05/a-drop-of-golden-sun/</link>
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		<title>Turn Out the Lights, the Party’s Over</title>
		<description><![CDATA[During the ongoing economic crisis in the U.S., many Americans have been living on reduced budgets. In Bulgaria, I observed my friends and neighbors turning off lights when exiting rooms. Eventually, I started doing the same; however, not only did I turn off lights, I unplugged my laptop, TV, and lamps when they weren&#8217;t in use. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://rakiaandroses.com/2010/04/turn-out-the-lights-the-partys-over/</link>
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